Sʜᴀᴅᴏᴡ Lᴏʀᴅ
Leos
Leos had finally passed all three little trials required of a young Jedi Hopeful to be considered a fully fledged Jedi Padawan.
Having found a crystal and built a lightsaber was just about as official as one could get. By now, Braze was confident that Leos could at least recite the Code, including the version Braze had given him. He had shown tenacity in doing as he was asked, when he was asked, and a disciplined commitment to the Jedi Path.
It had been long enough since that first formal request to train him that Braze wondered whether Leos was growing impatient with how little fighting he had actually taught him. Most of their training until today had concerned how to approach situations: how to run away or hide… how to secure an escape route. There had been lessons in expanding his awareness beyond his first impressions, in considering what might follow an action and how far its consequences could reach.
But today… today, Braze had asked Leos to meet him at one of the saber training grounds on Refuge, in the city of Respite, and to bring his saber.
Braze waited patiently in the center of the room, kneeling with his hands resting upon his thighs. At Leos’s arrival, he would rise and slip a hand into the front of his gi, withdrawing a small box. He opened it and carefully gathered its contents into his palm.
“Today… I officially recognize you as my Padawan apprentice, young Leos,” Braze stated gently.
He raised his free hand toward the dark hair behind Leos’s ear, pausing just short of it in silent invitation. If permitted, he would coax the strands apart with a gentle breath of air and a delicate application of telekinesis, smoothing a narrow section before working it into a braid. A few simple bands waited between his fingers to hold the plait in place.
“This braid identifies you as a Jedi apprentice. Wearing it is a symbolic commitment to the Path and to the sacrifices that following it may ask of you.”
From his palm, Braze lifted a small bead of polished obsidian. Shallow carvings curved around its rounded surface, bordered by silver filigree. An eight-pointed silver star spread across its face, each slender ray reaching outward from a blue crystal set at its heart. He turned it slightly, letting the light catch within the gem.
“This one is for you. I chose the black for the unknown you’re learning to enter. A black bead such as this also denotes an area of study: covert operations. I have chosen to train you in the same path I was trained in, the path of Shadows.”
Braze held the bead where Leos could examine it.
“Jedi Shadows have often been drawn from the most capable Sentinels. In the old Order, the Council of First Knowledge selected them for work that required secrecy. They investigated the influence of the dark side, gathering information before acting against its practitioners or the artifacts through which it spread.”
His gaze lifted from the bead settling on the younger boys eyes.
“The Sentinel’s path brings together a Guardian’s martial training and a Consular’s study of the Force, with a strong foundation in practical skills. A Sentinel might learn to bypass a security system or repair the vessel needed to get someone home. Investigation is part of that work, too. You need to understand the places you enter and the people who live there.”
A small smile touched his lips in a bitter sweet sentiment.
“That is why so much of what I’ve taught you has concerned paying attention and finding another way through a problem. Knowing how to leave safely, and considering what your actions might set in motion.”
His thumb passed over the shallow carvings in the black stone.
“As a Shadow, you’ll learn to uncover things people have worked very hard to conceal. Sometimes that will mean hiding your presence or working under another identity. Sometimes it will mean having the patience to watch until you understand what you’re seeing. What you discover may decide whether someone else walks into danger prepared.”
He turned the bead, tracing the edge of one silver ray.
“The star is the Light you carry with you… and the guidance you may someday offer someone else.”
His thumb came to rest beside the blue stone.
“And this is compassion. I placed it at the center because I want you to keep it at the heart of your Duty. Let it guide how you use your strengths. You’ll need to remember the people affected by your decisions, especially when they cannot see you making them.”
Braze offered to thread the bead onto the braid, taking care that its little silver star would face outward.
“May you always find your way, and help another find theirs.”
He selected a small red band to secure beneath it, rolling it between his fingertips.
“Some older traditions reserved this for students who had completed their Temple courses and begun more independent study under their Master. Our lessons have taken a different path... For us, it will mark the completion of your first trials, and my trust in you as we begin the next part of your training.”
Braze glanced down at the open box before returning his attention to Leos.
“You may earn other beads as you learn. They can mark an accomplishment or a lesson that deserves remembering. When you’re ready for Knighthood, and you’ve passed the trials that await you then, the Jedi conducting your ceremony will sever your braid with a lightsaber.”
A small faibt smile settled upon his lips.
“I hope I’ll be there to do that for you.”
He would finish securing the band if allowed, then lower his hands.
“For today… let’s see the saber you’ve built.... and show me how it is your own."
