End of one thing, beginning of another (Matthias)

[Shade Magus]

Shade walked with his Padawan towards his personal quaters. There was something he wanted to show Matthias and make sure he understood before taking him before the Jedi Council.

[Matthias darkstone]

Matthias followed his Master to his personal quarters. It puzzled him that there'd be one last lesson for him, and wondered what it might involve.

They walked side by side, Jedi Master and his Padawan, possibly for the last time as soon, he hoped, Matthias would be a Jedi Knight.

[Shade Magus]

"Please come in Matthias." Shade waved his hand and the door opened. "Please come in and sit."

Shade walked in and went to his closet. There he took out a small black box. Inside was an object of terrible evils, but could Matthias tell that? "What can do feel from this?"

[Matthias darkstone]

Matthias reached out his hand, but pulled it back as if it were burned. He stepped across to the other side of the room as far away as possible from it.

"Are you sure you should be playing with that thing?" He asked his Master. "That thing is....evil...."

[Shade Magus]

Shade gently opened the box cover and revealed a long silvery cylinder. A lightsaber, his brother's. "Have you ever heard the story of Exar Kun?"

[Matthias darkstone]

"Must say that I haven't..." he said, glancing at the lightsaber in the box. "Can it get rid of the evil in that thing there?"

He felt uncomfortable in its presence. It was a beautiful piece of workmanship, but the evil in it unsettled him.

[Shade Magus]

"No, nothing can get rid of that. Yurza put part of his soul into building this. Anyways legend goes that during the Golden Age of the Sith there was a Sith MAster by the name of Exar Kun. Before he died he was able to transfer his soul and all its evil into a statue. It lay dorment on Yavin IV for ages until a Jedi came across it and I'm not really sure what happened, but he was possessed by the spirit of Exar Kun and in a sense became the Sith MAster.."

[Matthias darkstone]

Matthias had another peek at the lightsaber.

{Methinks I don't *like* that thing anymore...}

"So where do I come into it?"

[Shade Magus]

"You come into it because it will be your last test. Anyone can be easily suduced by the power of the darkside and it takes a person of strong character and morale to oppose it. I want you to reach out for this lightsaber with the Force. The pull of the darkside will be very strong but you must be able to overcome it. It will be even stronger since the person who made this and poored his matred into it did so very shortly ago."

[Matthias darkstone]

He closed his eyes and prepared for the worst....


Anger....Hatred....Betrayal....Anger....Desperatio n....Brother....Betrayal....Revenge.....Destroy... ..Anger.....MUST CONTROL ANGER FORCE....Kill.....MUST NOT KILL!!!!!!BAD!!!!......Destroy him....DESTROY.....

He was surprised at how strong the pull was, but he still managed to stay out of its reach. The next thing he remembered was a blinding explosion in his head and then darkness....

[Shade Magus]

Shade reached out to catch Matthias. "Are you ok?"

[Matthias darkstone]

"...That thing...tried to make me kill you....but I resisited it...."

He grabbed his Master's arm as the anger auora washed over him again. "It's rather persistent though. It's trying to feed upon the past angers I had years ago when I was a renegade con artist...it can't get a hold of it now though for some reason....it's as if my mind is blocking it out..."

[Shade Magus]

"Then you're mind is doing the right thing. The past can often lead into fear and mistrust, but always remember your past so that you don't commit the same mistakes twice."

[Matthias darkstone]

"Well, I won't trust THAT thing, that's for sure." He folded his arms and looked at it. "I hope you don't want me to turn that thing good again do you?"

[Shade Magus]

"No one could do that, but what you said before you can not take to heart."

[Matthias darkstone]

"What part? Not trusting it? But I know that that things hates us and wants to turn us to the darkside - it pretty much told me, and it ordered me to kill you...and pretty much everyone else. It thought my mind was vulnerable, but its stronger than it thinks. Than I even thought."

[Shade Magus]

"You are, but must take it make, because even though it is the dark side of the Force it is still the Force and we must learn to trust the Force as a whole and respect it for what it is."

[Matthias darkstone]

"I never said I didn't respect that thing - just that I didn't trust it. I didn't want to trust it if it is capable of destroying my mind which it came so close to doing..."

He could see his Master's point however. It was the Force, regardless if it was light or dark

[Shade Magus]

"Let me ask you a question. When you use the Force to levitate a rock, do you consider this evil?"

[Matthias darkstone]

"No...."

{Where is this going to head?} Matthias thought to himself, looking again at the lightsaber nestled in its case. He reached out to touch it, feeling the negative force energy as his hand moved closer, trying to ward him off.

[Shade Magus]

"What about if you use that same ability to lift a being off their feet and drop them from the top of a building? Would that not be evil?"

[Matthias darkstone]

"If I did it without reason, yes I would. That would be pure unadulterated murder..."

[Shade Magus]

"Exactly, but it can also be used for good. Everything in the universe can be either good or evil. That is the lesson. Even though this lightsaber was made by someone evil and you can still feel his hatred on it, it can be made to serve good."

[Matthias darkstone]

He reached out his arm and plucked the 'saber from its box, and gave it a swing...it wanted to go for Shade's head and chop it off, but he made it go in the opposite direction.

"Not bad..." he said.

[Shade Magus]

"Yes. My brother always did have a knack for weapon making."

[Matthias darkstone]

"Yes..so I can see."

He switched it off. "With a bit of work, I'm sure I can train it. Your brother was a very angry man you know. But, i reached in deep enough and could feel a small hint of sorrow...he did love you you know..." he broke to his Master gently. "He was angry because he didn't know what he wanted, and that no one would listen to him. That's what i can feel in this."

He passed it to Shade. "Here - see if you can feel it."

[Shade Magus]

"It i quite alright. I've spent enough time to know my brothr inside and out. No he had an unfortunate disease that no Jedi should ever have."

[Matthias darkstone]

"What was that?" Matthias enquired, putting the saber quickly down again.

[Shade Magus]

"Insanity is the most common term. Yes my brother went insane and began to lust for blood. That was his downfall. A weakness common to all our species."

[Matthias darkstone]

Matthias bowed his head. He'd come so close to that once on Coruscant. "That would have hurt..."

[Shade Magus]

"Yes, but enough of tghis talk today you should be happy."

[Matthias darkstone]

"I am" he preened, going over to the mirror and fixing a strand of loose hair. "It ain't every day one is recommended to be a Jedi Knight!"

The hair in place, he turned back. "So, what next?"

[Shade Magus]

"Now I'm going to go talk to the Council and I'll call you when the time is right."

[Matthias darkstone]

"Alright.." Matthias said, walking towards the door before stooping. He turned to face his Jedi Master with a meaningful look in his eyes. "You be careful with that okay?" he said, pointing to the 'saber. "I don't want it to do anything to you that'd make me regret not destroying it."

He smiled and shrugged. "Even you can't be that stupid. Talk to you soon!"

He went out the door and closed it after him, letting out a deep sigh of relief. Hopefully he'd get some sleep before he was called before the council...