41 Aspect of Control (1/2)

The next morning, upon her bald head, she felt the warmth of his shoulder. A hand on her clothed hip, and her feet dangling freely. She was no longer in the confined sleeping compartment, yet she was no longer within the Scimitar either.

Her immediate sense of hearing were greeted by complete silence other than the beating of their hearts and the rustling of droids nearby. The air was recycled, but it wasn't stale.

A smile tugged over her lips as she attempted to snuggle further into the body which was carrying her. She rubbed the side of her face into his shoulder and left peck. The friction against his clothes created heat which welcomed her cheek. The still air which moved by her as he walked with her in his arms, tickled her exposed skin.

Slowly her blue hues opened and stared vacantly, blinking a few times as she was waking up a bit more. She wanted to go back to sleep, but then paused before she was able to close her eyes once again.

The interior of the ship had dark walls with elongated ovular slots that had lighting emplacements within the them. She slowly raised her head, still brushing her face against his clothes. They seemed to be walking through some sort of corridor. The ceiling was only three meters high, the corridor being at least twice that with rounded walls instead of complete right angles.

Her eyes traced the reflection in the off-black floor, she was in the arms of Valad, her fingers grasped at his chest, tightening around the fabric of his shirt.

She saw a force vision of herself with bright red eyes, filled with hatred and dread. Abandonment, betrayal, loss. She saw a past which she didn't recognize and was overcome by the fear. Looking at the floor was like looking into the abyss, it was looking right back at her.

Killing Knights of Zakuul, beings who were suppose to be using the force to bring about Justice. She had purged them, then created her own order out of their ranks. Her brother betrayed her, sided with her mother. Abandoned again. Her father, even in death he tormented her.

Her blue eyes turned as her head lulled into his arm, staring at Valad. Her eyes glow red in her reflection on the floor, yet when she looked into his eyes, they were blue.

”You're letting the force run wild within your mind,” Valad said in a scholarly voice; imitating that of a Jedi. ”Control is internal. It is the one's ability to recognize the Force in oneself and to use it to one's benefit.” He used a slightly altered quote, in the fourth person, from Jedi Master Bodo Baas who had once spoken of the aspect of control.

Vaylin could only nod, wiggling her toes in her shoes a bit. She wanted to get down from his arms, she wanted to walk on her own.

Closing her eyes, she would focus before using the force to allow her to jump from his arms and flawlessly on to the floor beside him. She stumbled and almost slipped on the ground, before balancing herself and looking over his shoulder at him.

He wasn't wearing a smile, his face was blank. She tilted her head seeing this and nervously folded her hands behind her back.

”You must center yourself, open your mind, cleanse it of all thought. Determine your will,” Valad said as he folded his hands in front of himself over his waist as they both walked into what looked like a conference room which had been turned into a meditation chamber.

Despite her affinity in the force, and her obsessive use of it, this hadn't been a essential part of her original training. ”Center myself...?”

”...Meditation...” Valad said as he simplified what he was telling her to do. This is something she understood. She had meditated before, or more so was forced to do so surrounded by the Zealots.

Swallowing shallowly, she nodded, having a somewhat bad feeling about this. She was already given a glimpse of what she would have become, if he hadn't fetched her. Was this the force telling her that she had diverged from her destiny?

If she should fall here, what would become of her? Would she be sent back?

Was she really her? Or was she a copy of herself? An alternate version of herself perhaps?

Her thoughts fell back to Zakuul and the world which she had been held against her will. Where her mother who tried many times to save her, just hadn't been able to do so.

Valad escorted the girl to the center of the room where she found herself filled to the brim with thoughts of possibilities and endless emotions began to pour out of her. That was until he snapped his fingers in front of her face.

Vaylin's eyes immediately locked onto his hand, then glared at him. Yet she found herself no longer thinking of her past, the possibilities of what could have happened. He had completely distracted her for a few seconds.

”Control.” Valad said as he let out a soft sigh. ”It's different for everyone. You must make yourself comfortable.”

Walking over to a container, he opened it and 'pulled' out a cylinder that looked similar to a Zakuul saber identical to that of her mother's. He walked over to her and placed it in her hands.

”It's a training saber. You may use it to meditate, should holding a blade make you feel comfortable, or help you center yourself.” Valad would explain, patting her on the shoulder before taking several steps back and sitting on the ground. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes, lowering his head as he did so and slowly began to vanish within the force.

She could no longer feel him, yet she could see him right in front of herself.

He was a master of Stealth from what she could see, as she couldn't sense anything. Was this how he meditated? Removing his presence and relaxing his body and mind?

Thoughts rang out through her head as she overthought and overanalyzed. She closed her eyes tightly, until they became lax and her arms lulled at her sides. 'Control...' she muttered under her breath. She drew back one leg, keeping her right pitted to the ground.

Her arm moved back and she held the weapon horizontally behind her. The cylinder expanded into that of a pike and an electric blue light emitted from the end of it. This was not a regular lightsaber, it was a training saber. It could only do stun damage and deflect off of surfaces and people.

The area between her brows creased as she cleared her mind. Thoughts, visions, fear, hatred and lingering emotions bean to seep into the tightrope which held her suspended above the darkness.