And inside was a fox. Not in the sense that we were greeted with pepper and lemon, no. We were greeted normally, given proper rooms in a wing separate from the younglings. Which, by the way, were individual, not in pairs like the Padawans.
The rooms themselves were as ascetic as possible. A small "tea" table, a wardrobe, and-and-and... that was it. There was also a light fixture available. Instead of a bed there is a folded mattress. There is also a large soft cushion on the floor, just in front of the table.
No, of course, I expected that there would be nothing extra, but not to this extent? At least they'd give me a bed, you bastards. I was wondering about Irbis' manners and tastes. It's all clear now. The poor bloke has been nagging me more than once about the shitty rooms we've been staying in. Well yes, looking over this one, I admit that where we stayed there were deluxe rooms.
No, this is definitely not the way to live. We'll put something fun over here, a poster of Vessira over here, we'll put a bed over here, we'll replace that thing over there with a proper desk. We'll put a gun rack in that corner over there, and we'll put a fridge in this corner over here. It'll be a little cramped, but it'll do.
I threw off my things and looked into the next room, where Gris was staying.
«Oh..." was all I could manage when I saw the big guy. - Listen... Aren't you cramped?
«R-ra-a-ag ag-ru a ar-ri," the wookiee replied indignantly, examining the floor mat... Well, technically it was a mattress, but to a wookiee it was a floor mat.
«So go ask for bigger furniture," I laughed harshly, watching Gris try to sit down at the table. His paws are too big, his knees don't fit under the table, the cushion isn't big enough... Anyway, he spits and just stands up, knocking over the poor furniture.
«Grea-aar-u?
«Yeah, my room's no better. But I won't ask, they won't let me. I'll furnish it myself. At least that's what I'm thinking.
«Ar ug ur-r-rai?
«What do you mean, "where will I get it?" Of course I'll ask people I know for a lift. I don't think the locals will give me anything I ask for. It's "off limits," I snort. - "Nothing should interfere with meditation," I rolled my eyes at the quote from one of the local masters who was giving us a tour. And that was in response to my question, "don't you guys go a little overboard on the minimalism?" Because, man, even the corridors look like a tomb vault. I mean, grey and dull and dreary. Maybe we should repaint them for fun. Hmm.
«Ur-r ag-i ir-rau.
«Just thinking about my own stuff.
«Rai ur-r-a?
«I agree, let's go see what the others have.
Let's go. We did. Convinced. The locals should definitely be taken to the temple of the arts. All of them. It's really scary how they haven't all hanged themselves yet. On the other hand, I can see why it's so sparsely populated. Everyone's trying to get out as fast as they can. And we're no exception.
I was also not surprised to learn that the masters here are mostly made up of talids. These monks don't need anything to live except meditation. But we're different! We're so lu... I mean, the Xenos are proud, and too wild to pathetically endure the hardships and burdens of monastic service. No way!
I pulled myself back and thought to myself. Is it worth it to suffer and change something in someone else's monastery? They wouldn't appreciate it, but I'd waste my time. Besides, neither I nor any of my friends planned to stay here for a long time, so what was the point of furnishing the same room? It's easier to get by. I guess.
I decided not to jump to conclusions, but first of all I decided to see what kind of a place this place was, and what if I was wrong?
The next day we went to class. The first thing we had to do was a balance test. We have to deliberately put ourselves to one side or the other and then come out the same way. The degree of control is determined by the speed of the dive, the duration as well as the depth.
Of course, there is a certain mark beyond which it is not only dangerous, but also does not make sense to go over, but you still have to get to it. And for clarity of the test, it was necessary to collect the accumulated energy above the hand. A sort of sphere of Force was formed. Dark energy set dark and red tones, light energy, respectively, white. And the denser, brighter and larger the ball was, the deeper you managed to dive into the aspect of the Force.
I immediately noted the originality of the approach. Standing on the sidelines and watching the guys pass the test, I thought about how I would pass it, I have a little differently. I try not to divide the Force into black and white, but to use both sides at the same time. And accordingly, I tuned myself to this way. Ever since I was a kid. My mum didn't worry about it, because I was using the Force anyway. But now it was going to come back to bite me... It might as well. I had to admit, using both sides, it was a real problem for me to separate them now. Traditional methods didn't work here, I had experimented with Irbis once, and in general they have a bad effect on me. Seriously, I couldn't bring myself to the state of "kill all living things" for the sake of one experiment, could I? With such inputs, Ramira would become a maniac, and she's a dandelion of God, I'd say. Almost always. If you don't piss her off too much.
Zeng and Feng were able to plunge into darkness with ease when they passed the test, which was not the case with their light aspect. The master made notes to himself accordingly. Gris, on the other hand, easily recreated a bright ball of pure white light, but his dark one was not as good. Ves was skewed to the dark side, but not as strong as the twins, so it would be easier to rule.
The one who surprised me was Ramira. This kindly beauty first made a very, very bright ball of light power, almost blinding everyone in the room. Me and Wes got the most of it, especially Wes, who has sharper eyesight than the others.
Now we had to summon the dark side. Knowing Ramira, we didn't expect something like this, but... It was a waste. When she upset the balance inside her, Rami remembered Lina and the other guys, and... And then something started to happen. The ball of dark energy thickened more and more, and the furniture in the room began to crumple. We also tried to crumple, but the asymmetrical pressure solved this issue. But still, it was unpleasant to feel under the all-round pressure.
And then, things slowly began to wind down. Ramira pulled herself together and was able to return to balance within herself. Really... The rivulets of tears, the clenched fists and the bitten lower lip, spoke better than any words about her worries. Zeng was immediately by her side and tried to comfort his girlfriend. The master, on the other hand, was very happy with the result.
In the end, it turned out that Ramira was the only one of us who passed the test with flying colours and was deemed by the master to be unsuitable for training in the temple. Her control was already excellent, so there was no point in keeping her here. I mean in the main profile, but she could have learnt something minor, or taken an advanced course, which is what she was told.
I don't know about the guys, but in my eyes, those monks just took a serious fall. You've got a girl standing in front of your eyes who's really fucked up, and you're loading her up with work material like nothing happened. Sympathy? No, we didn't.
It was my turn for Ramira. And as I feared, I was able to distinguish myself. Since I'd never done this kind of shit before, and my habits remained, I didn't try to throw myself off balance, but simply and uncomplicatedly channelled the Unified Force to form a sphere of Force. As a result, I got a real black sun. A black sphere that was burning with white fire, with white lightning flashing inside it every now and then. It looked very beautiful, and I also raised it to the ceiling, imitating the sun. And since I formed it with a positive attitude, the light it emitted carried positive energy, causing smiles among the guys.
The sphere of the Force itself was big and dense. Very dense, but at the same time quite malleable for control. It was probably the first time in my life that I had ever let that much Force out. I couldn't do much on Tython, and there was simply no need for it outside of it.
In general, there were very contradictory feelings. The veins in his arm were burning, and it felt as if his arm were about to burst, but at the same time, a pleasant coolness ran down his arm. It was strengthening, relieving, and keeping the destructive energy from getting out of control.
And then it hit me. Darkness and light-the latter holding back the former. That's how they fit together! I felt it right here and now and it finally dawned on me how I could develop this direction further!
Besides me, everyone else got a stupor, including the Master. And while the guys just looked surprised and delighted, Talid looked like a beached fish. Eyes wide open, mouth silently opening and closing... Yeah, I don't want to get in trouble now.
I slammed the orb down, partially absorbing and partially dissipating the Force it contained, and turned to the Master, waiting for him to speak.
«Master?
My voice brought the unfortunate man back to our world. Shaken, the talid examined me anew.
«What have you done, Shade?
«Completed your task. Performed the technique you specified.
«That's not what I mean. How did you combine the two aspects?
«Somehow," I shrug. - I have good control, so I operate freely with this energy without any negative influence.
«Then why didn't you separate them?
«Why? The task was direct - to focus the energy. I focused it," I try to get out of the direct answer.
«Mm-hm..." The old Talid chewed his lips, shifting his gaze from me to my friends. - And you. Can you repeat his experience?
«No, Master," Ves shook her head. - Shade's a one-of-a-kind at this.
«I see. Shade, you misunderstood the assignment. The task was to immerse yourself in the Force, energy is just an indicator.
«So I did.
«Both aspects at once? - He raised an eyebrow.
«You saw it all for yourself," I avoided answering again, so as not to lie. I didn't so much immerse myself as draw it out of me.
«All right. Now do what you're supposed to do. Immerse yourself in the light aspect.
«Er, no.
«What do you mean, "No"? - Talid raised his eyebrows in surprise.
«Master, I'll be honest, I have some difficulty with immersing myself in a particular aspect. Since childhood, I have tried to operate with both at once. And at this point, I have just the perfect balance that I'm proud of," he urged the sphere again. - Who else can do it?
«Hmmm... let's say. I won't insist now, because you do have control. Very well. But... if I may, I'd like to take a comprehensive look at your phenomenon.
«But did you pass the test?
«No, Shade. You failed. It's not enough to control the Force, you have to be able to immerse yourself in it. Any J'Daii needs that, and I will speak to whoever explained to you the wrong form of understanding of that aspect.
«But it is correct.
«You can immerse yourself in the Force?
«Yes.
«Demonstrate.
«But only into a single aspect of the Force, not a specific one.
«That's no good. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but sooner or later the Force will immerse you and you must be able to return. Therefore, you will stay in the temple for some time until we realise that you are able to cope with the imbalance. Also, due to the new circumstances, we'll need to test the limits of your Force control.
«Shit.
Oh, man, I stood out. I've been on pins and needles waiting for more problems, but so far, none were forthcoming. The assembly of masters, led by the master of the temple Akar Kesh just studied me from different angles as if I were a curiosity. They examined me both with the Force and on a conventional tomograph. They took blood, repeatedly asked me to immerse myself in the Unified Force, carefully observing the process, and vice versa, asked me to isolate myself from the Force when stimuli appeared.
It was more difficult with this, the reflexes beaten in by my mother did their job and I had to restrain myself every time. Especially when a lead ball flies into your face at a speed of fifty metres per second. With your mind you understand - it won't fly, but when it rolls centimetres away from your face - it's tense! Which I honestly warned the masters about, but that's the point. I have to keep the Force inside me under control in the moment of emotional outburst.
And I did. And I held it back afterwards, when they tried to tip the balance to the light side inside me. It didn't work. Yes, I felt bad, my head began to hurt, but the balance did not want to collapse, even if I tried to shake it myself. That wasn't enough for them, and it only got worse. To the point that they sat in a circle and tried to purposely throw me out of balance with a huge pressure on my mind. It didn't matter which way, the main thing was to throw me off balance.
At that moment, I felt like a rope that was being pulled in different directions by excavators and mentally repeated over and over again: "just don't break". Because if it did, it would tear. I was already bursting with "giggles", and in my mind I was getting ideas to break someone's head for a joke. And something all serious are sitting, it would be necessary to raz-ve-se-lit.There was also an attempt to get through the block directly into my head with the help of telepathy, and here - I failed on all counts. I put up with them pressuring me. I endured them trying to evoke memories in me for an emotional response. While doing so, I also held a ball of power in front of me, for a visual confirmation of control, so to speak. Endured obsessions when they tried to instil both light and dark emotions in me. In one case I saw a child, in another I killed him. And even so, I held on, knowing that it wasn't me, that it was just visions. But when those devils got into my head, when I felt someone touching my mind directly, I couldn't take it anymore.
I jumped to my feet as if scalded, and overflowing with rage, I conducted the strongest throw of the Force, sealing all the masters in the walls of the round hall, destroying all the obsessions, illusions and chasing all the voices out of my head.
Having cooled down a little, and taken control of myself, I looked at the masters rising. Not all of them are up. Not all of them.
«Gentlemen..." I growl quietly, clenching my teeth. - I'm sorry, but I won't allow anyone to get into my head without my permission, even if you were a god of Power," I hovered over Enzer Da'Koth, master of the Aker Kesh temple, who hadn't risen yet. I wasn't in the best of moods, and now I realised that one more step and I'd kill everyone in this room. Congratulations, bitches, you pissed me off!
The force echoed like a native, filling my body with destructive energy. I wanted to kill someone right now, and it didn't matter who!
The thought that I'd be ready to kill Wes with my own hands made my fervour cool down. Okay, Shade, calm down. It's not you. Breathe in, breathe out. Control, self-control. Covering my eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths, I look at Master more calmly.
«I warned you that I react very violently when someone infringes on mine. It could be anything, friends, things, mind.....
«I remember," Enzer grunted, healing himself with the Force.
«So you went in on purpose?
«Yes. Don't forget Shade. The goal was to throw you off balance.
«I congratulate you, you succeeded. So what's next? Why the bullying when I've already shown I can control the Force??? - I almost lose it at the last word.
«Je'Daii must be able to dive in and out of the Force.
«I'm going to shove those words down your throat," I said, taking the Talid by the collar and lifting him off the floor. They are light and low, so it was no problem. But... A new wave of light energy shook the scales. The body itself was trying to come to an optimal state and gradually stabilised. Exhaling, I gently put the monk on the floor. - Master, don't piss me off. Please.
«But you know very well it was a necessary measure. Since you're not going to dive, we needed to get you off balance ourselves and see how you'd handle it. How do you feel?
«Disgusting, I growl. - I'm back in balance, Enzer. Happy? Can I go now?
«The result is exhaustive. When you're rested, you should do it again.
«What? I'm a little taken aback at the audacity of it. - You know what?! Fuck you! - I shove him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. - What am I, some kind of lab rat?! - I resent that, heading for the door.
«Stop him!
A couple of masters block my passage. After glaring at them, I sigh and turn back.
«Have you had enough of life?
«You're out of control, Shade. You need to calm down first.
«Firstly, if I wasn't in control of myself, you'd be dead by now. That's a fact," I said, gritting my teeth, which must have been audible down the corridor. - And I won't even need swords to kill you, because there are no other fighters in this room but me," I shut up to repeat the breathing procedure and speak a little more calmly: "And secondly, to calm down, I need to go out, to get some fresh air, to eat, after all. And the main thing is not to see your snouts!
Now I understand Irbis. Now I understand why he was chasing me around the controls. That's why he tried to bring me to peace, and didn't even mention other people's techniques, chasing me through my own time after time. He knew what was waiting for me here, and he was trying to prepare me so I wouldn't slaughter those idiots on the spot. Irbis... Forgive me, you're not Je'Dayi, you're a saint who was handed a demon to raise.
«Well? How long do we have to play peeping Tom? - I'm pushing Enzer to make a decision.
«Let him through.
Turning round and reaching the door, I swing it open rather abruptly and, stepping out of the hall, take wide, quick steps down the empty corridor, not even bothering to close the door. Phew. What devils, the last brains ticked off, I'm fed up with life, old fools... and young.
Walking through the corridors upstairs, I pass one of the canteens and stop on the balcony. A light breeze cooled my heated face, and the light side of the Force obediently followed my call, flushing out the dark side and helping me get back to my old self. The scales inside cracked and creaked, but they levelled out.I physically felt the flow of dark energy into me at that moment. By the way, for the first time in my memory. I wouldn't kid myself that the power that responded to my spontaneous call was truly exhilarating. It felt like you were all-powerful, and everyone around you was just a bug crawling under your feet. That you're the smartest, strongest and most handsome man in the world. Yes... An untrained gifted person will fall for this "cheese" only in this way. And, as practice shows, so will the trained. It's no wonder that Je'Daiyans who have gone too deep into this aspect of the Force get so screwed up that they're willing to cut up their friends and family when otherwise they wouldn't even think about it. I've just experienced it myself. And it is good that even under such conditions the "rope" did not break, otherwise it would have either died or snapped.
This all just confirms my theory once again. Fuck this dive. The Force is one with me, I am one with the Force, and we are one. Full stop. Okay, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in again.
«The Force is one and it is with me, and I am one with the Force, - like a mantra I repeat to myself. It's working.
«Shade? - Ramira's concerned voice came from behind me.
«Hi, Rami," I said to our healer without turning around.
«Shade, are you okay? - She came closer and put one hand on my shoulder, the other resting on the railing, and looked into my eyes.
«Yeah, I'm fine.
«Yeah? Because when you came rushing through the dining room, you looked like you were ready to kill everyone.
«Are you looking to see if my eyes are yellow? - I'm smiling a little at that worried face.
«Yeah.
«It's okay, Rami. I'm just coming from training, that's all.
«Which one is that? - Wow, that's a lot of suspicion.
«You know I'm being investigated from all sides and experimented on in the Force, right? - this dandelion blinked in agreement. - Well, these unicumens have come up with the idea of trying to break through my mental barrier and look into my head. And you know how I feel about those who infringe on mine," he nodded, "I was already upset, so I got angry. I drove them into the walls, and I thought I'd break out and kill them on the spot. I warned you not to try. I wouldn't stand for it. But they did. They did it on purpose, cos they couldn't get me to wake up any other way. Fucking lunatics.
«Come on, Shade, take it easy.
«I am calm.
«I can see that.
«Hey! I'm really coming round! Especially compared to the way I came out of there.
«I do, I do," Ramira nodded. - And look what I've got," she pulled my favourite bowtie out of her pocket.
«From where?!
«Well... I took it from you, - the girl was embarrassed.
«And you, too??? Why are you all stealing my bars?!
«They're so delicious.
«Hrum, om-nom-nom-nom-nom," I chewed diligently to keep from unleashing my righteous anger.
«Feel better? - I nod. - There you go.
«Hey, where are the others?
«What do you mean, where? Everyone's in class. I'm on break right now.
«Right. What are you up to?
«Understanding the biofields of living organisms, using Force vision to detect damage, both physical and energetic. This will help me to provide Force-based implants to J'Dayum in the future.
«Isn't that taught at the Temple of Healing?
«It is. But the techniques behind this ability can be honed here.
«I see.
So, after standing there for a while chatting about nothing, I finally got my thoughts in order. However, as I subconsciously expected, I was not left alone, and for the rest of the day, the tail of someone followed me and watched, which was a little bit, but annoying.
And the next day, the training... no, it didn't happen again. I just sent the training and all the masters to where the sun don't shine.
«How dare you say such a thing! - Exclaimed one of the masters present.
«I dare. I dare you.
«Do you realise that this is not only disrespectful, but also disobedient? It's not far from banishment," the Temple Master glared at me.
«Then banish me," I stepped forward. - Come on, I'm ready! М?
Talid didn't answer. He moved his eyebrows in a frown. But we didn't play the staring game for long.
«All right. We have nothing to teach you, Aero. You've been tested, you control the Force, and you can regain your balance even after extreme stress. But your behaviour..." he tsked.
«My behaviour is the result of your treatment, Enzer. Nothing more, nothing less. And even if you were thrice Master of the Temple, it would not change anything.
«You see the son of Aala," the Talid snorted.
«You see a Padawan disappointed in you.
«Shade.
«What?
«Be careful. The techniques we're using won't suit you and will throw you off balance. I don't know how you got here in your right mind, but good for you. And since you've gone down this path, you'll have to adapt them to you and only then use them. Otherwise, we've all seen what happens.
«Okay... Thanks for that.
«Now go, wanderer, they pointed me to the door. - May the Force be with you.
That was the end of that conversation. And so was my training in this temple. The locals simply could not give me anything, because of their different approaches to the Force.
Still, I had to wait for the others. I had to do something to keep myself busy, and to combine the pleasant with the useful, I decided to learn horse riding. There were some tame animals in the temple, such as "raptors". This thing really looked like a raptor, which I know from my past life. The creature looked a lot like a dinosaur, with the only difference being that it had electrified dangerous ridges on its head, itself blue in colour, a mouth with small sharp teeth, and rounded claws. It was a cute little beast, all in all.
And this was offered to me as a riding animal, and it was offered as if it were a kitten. Well, if you think about it, how is a Raptor worse than a horse? It's omnivorous, survivable, can bite the enemy... And the rider, too, of course, but that's the specifics.
So why not try a ride? It's done. I listened carefully to the tracker in charge of the animals. I listened to the instructions and... In general, the first attempt to ride ended with the fact that this thing ran headlong wherever it was going, and I bumped my head on the crossbeam and collapsed on the ground.
The second attempt was different. I tried to negotiate with the beast and let it know what I wanted from it through the compulsion of the Force. To understand I was understood. They didn't listen. But after a prophylactic slap on the face, we finally came to an agreement.
The poor tracker had his head in his hands. But when he got off, he started to teach me. How to ride, how to saddle, how to groom. He said that it was not recommended to hit animals at all, they might take offence. Raptor nodded vigorously. And they are considered stupid animals... No, they understand everything, they just fool around with quality.
So, when the guys finished their training, I was already quite good in the saddle. It's a pity we won't be given such animals, the temple doesn't give them out. At least not this one. So we'll have to go to the nearest settlement and buy riding animals there, since the next temple is too far away to walk to.
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