Dev Shadows of Atrisia

[Junko Ike]

Musashi sang softly as it left the saya, the sound of polished steel sliding against lacquered wood, a clean, bright note that hung in the air for a moment before fading. Junko began her morning practice: slow, deliberate forms that blended the fluid energy of the lightsaber with the precise, grounded cuts of the crystal steel katana, the two weapons complementing each other like the brush and ink of a calligrapher. Rei and Kai positioned themselves at the garden's edge, standing beneath the outermost cherry trees where the canopy thinned and the morning sun fell in broader shafts, their own blades still sheathed at their sides, their hands resting loosely on the hilts, their eyes following every movement of their queen's practice.

Petals continued to fall around her, some drifting into the path of the blades and being cut cleanly in two, others passing harmlessly through the arcs of her movements. The garden welcomed Junko with its eternal spring, the air cool and sweet, the light dappled and shifting, the perpetual cherry trees forming a living dome overhead as soft pink petals drifted endlessly through the air like a gentle, unceasing snowfall. She stood in the open clearing beside the still pool, its surface reflecting the canopy and the sky in patches of pink and blue and silver, the jade kimono with its triple hollyhock crests shimmering with each subtle motion of her body, the midnight-blue obi holding the White Lotus lightsaber and Musashi securely at her waist and back.

 

[Junko Ike]

Rei and Kai had positioned themselves at respectful distances along the perimeter far enough not to interfere with her movements, close enough to intervene in an instant their own blades sheathed but ready, the black silk of their kimonos stark against the green and pink of the garden. The air carried the sweet fragrance of cherry blossoms, a scent so pervasive it seemed to be a property of the air itself, mixed with the cool, mineral smell of damp stone from the cascade and the faint mist that drifted from the falling water, tiny droplets that caught the light and created miniature rainbows near the cascade's base.

Junko took a slow, centering breath, drawing the air deep into her lungs and releasing it in a controlled exhalation, feeling the layered silks of her attire move with her ribcage, the force beads in her oiled hair swaying lightly like tiny pendulums as she grounded herself in the Force. She felt it flow through her, a current of energy that connected her to the trees, the water, the stone, the living web of the garden and the palace and the Isle beyond, and she let that connection steady her mind and clarify her purpose.

 

[Junko Ike]

She began with the foundational stance of Atrisian Jar'Kai dual-wielding adapted from the ancient sword traditions of Atrisia, where two blades complemented one another like master and apprentice, each weapon covering the other's weaknesses and amplifying its strengths. In her right hand she ignited the White Lotus, its pure white blade humming to life with that low, resonant note that vibrated in her palm and traveled up her arm, the sound steady and reassuring. In her left, she drew Musashi again she had sheathed it briefly after the initial draw, as a formal beginning the crystal steel katana singing softly as it left the jade saya, its mirrored surface reflecting scattered petals and sky and the green of the canopy in a compressed, shifting image along its length.

The Atrisian influence showed in her balanced posture: feet shoulder-width apart, the left foot slightly forward and the right foot angled outward at forty-five degrees, knees softly bent to absorb and redirect force, body upright yet fluid not rigid like a statue, but poised like a dancer awaiting the music. The back foot was angled for stability, the weight distributed evenly between both legs, ready to shift in any direction. This Jar'Kai foundation emphasized harmony between weapons one energetic and flowing, its plasma blade weightless and capable of rapid redirection; the other grounded and precise, its steel edge offering solid blocks and powerful cuts allowing her to weave Shii-Cho's basic principles into a more versatile dual-blade expression that could adapt to any opponent or situation.

 

[Junko Ike]

Junko initiated the sequence with deliberate slowness, embodying the Determination Form's core philosophy of broad, sweeping movements designed for control and disarming rather than lethal force. Shii-Cho, the first form taught to all Jedi, emphasized body zones and basic cadences the simple, foundational patterns upon which all other forms were built. She began with a wide horizontal slash from the White Lotus in her right hand, targeting an imaginary opponent's Zone 1 the head, from the shoulders upward in the Ideal Form style: the blade moving in a perfect horizontal arc at head height, parallel to the ground and perpendicular to her body, the motion smooth and continuous from the shoulder.

Simultaneously, Musashi in her left hand performed a complementary vertical parry rising from low guard to protect her own left side Zone 3, the left arm and flank the katana's edge turning to present the flat of the blade to any incoming strike. The white energy blade cut through falling petals without resistance, the plasma instantly vaporizing any that touched it and leaving faint trails of light in its wake brief afterimages that hung in the air for a split second before dissipating. The polished katana flashed like captured sunlight, its mirrored surface reflecting the garden around it as it moved.