No, you won’t be going back empty handed, but you won’t be goaded into a fight either.

It’s obvious what she is doing. Even without your warp-senses, even you can tell when someone’s just egging you on for a fight. What you don’t get is why. Why are you, the other you that is, trying to fight with yourself? That doesn’t really seem like something you would do. So then, why?

To test you. This is the Gathering! This is a test! But what are you being tested on?

“Figured it out, have you?”

“... Partially. You’re an illusion. A part of a vision. You’re not real.”

“I touched you, didn’t I? And you of all people know that visions do have consequences.”

You shiver at that. Indeed, that is true. Your warp dream almost killed you. You know it to be true. But, this? This is a test in the Force. You are facing yourself, not a monster.

“Not a monster? Are you sure about that?”

You stare at her as she smiles, wider and wider. But, no. Nothing happens. Just a weirdo smiling at herself. It seems that she isn’t going to really do anything.

“Um, can I have it? Please?”

“Eh… no.”

Oh well. Worth a try. Actually, maybe worth a few tries.

“Please please please please please pl—”

“Hmm… Nope!”

Dang. At least you’ve shut her up for now. She’s no longer trying to start a fight.

“What would it take for you to give it to me?”

“Earn it.”

“How?”

But she just smiles.

Infuriating.

≡][≡ ⬦⬦⬦ ≡][≡

You’re sitting, legs crossed and eyes closed, recovering and thinking. It’s only been a couple hours since you entered the caves, so you probably still have some time left. Even if you do run out of time, you don’t think the others will leave without you. But… the waterfall. It will freeze over. You were told you would be stuck and you panicked for a bit at first, but now, you think that might have been part of this whole test.

There’s no way a measly wall of ice is going to stop Master Fulier, let alone Master Yoda from saving you. A lightsaber would make short work of it and you’re pretty sure either of them could just straight up punch their way through if needed. Even you could probably shatter it if you threw a few rocks at it.

So you relax. You will pass this test, then you will leave.

Actually, it wouldn’t do to have them be concerned about you taking so long, so you stop playing around with your headband and pull out the transmitter you’ve been storing in your pocket. Fortunately, it hasn’t been damaged and you somehow still have a decent connection despite being this far into the caves.

“Found my test. Will pass. Do not worry.” you send to Master Fulier.

A minute later, you get a reply.

“Young Xena, please do not communicate with others during exams. Thank you.“

You stifle a chuckle, then get back to thinking. What is this test?

You are facing off against yourself. Therefore, you must overcome yourself in some fashion. But in what way? Perhaps you must defeat her in a fight? She has been trying to start one with you for a while. But then again, that could just be part of the test. Perhaps it is in an intellectual capacity? Outsmart her? Perhaps trick her into giving you the crystal?

Or is it something else?

…Something’s wrong. It’s too quiet. The other-you has been pacing around the cavern for a while now, but suddenly there is silence. You flick open your eyes, all three of them, but only see yourself in the mirror-like shine of the quartz.

And then you duck, just in time to avoid a vicious kick to the back of the head. You grab the passing leg and pull hard, causing your mirror-self to go flying forwards ahead of you. In a second you’re back on your feet, fists up and feet spread, ready for another attack.

“I still don’t understand why,” you say. “Why fight? What is it that I’m lacking? What fault do you see in me?”

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Ignoring your words, your mirror-self stands back up, dusting herself off. As she turns back to you she smiles once again, teeth baring into a mockery of a grin. Her eyes bore into your own, blazing in both joy and fury.

But, you stand where you are, still and ready. You don’t want this fight. If she so desires, she can come to you for a beating. You don’t need to waste energy running up to her. You watch and wait, and when you see her foot slightly shift, you are ready.

In an instant, she’s less than a meter away, already swinging at your head. You duck the first blow, trying to keep your eyes on her. But, as you block her next punch with your forearm, you obscure your own vision, allowing her to deliver a painful kick to your shin.

In that instant, you feel a rush of red in your mind. The Bloodlust within you strains at its bonds, threatening to consume you! But, you calm your breathing and push it back down.

Quiet down you little irritant. Shush and behave.

Limping backwards, you gain some space and continue observing her. Her chest heaves as she breathes deeply, her breath fogging up the cold cavern air. As you recover, you waste a moment wondering about the oxygen levels of the cavern. How much air circulation is in this cave system? You’d like to not pass out from a lack of breathable air. It’s not your immediate problem though, so you turn back to your fight, just in time to see your mirror-self rushing mindlessly at you once again.

The two of you trade another flurry of blows. She continuously throws out punches and kicks, but you deflect or dodge each strike before they can land. In frustration, she spins, trying to club you with her tail.

But, a small step back and it misses completely! Then, you duck to avoid the roundhouse kick you saw coming from a lightsecond away.

As she spins, you can see the disorientation in her eyes and take the chance to capitalize on that. You rush back in, grabbing her and spinning her halfway around your body before letting go. She backpedals, trying to regain her balance, but only ends up tripping over her own feet and falling down in an ungainly heap.

“Had enough?” you ask, watching her as she moans on the ground, untangling herself from her own limbs. She sits back up, glaring at you with unrestrained anger, then shoves herself back up to her feet.

“You still don’t get it, do you? You won’t understand until I beat the lesson into you.”

And with those words, she lunges at you once again. But, you just scoff and roll your eyes, blocking her flailing fists and just pushing her over again.

“Some lesson you’re teaching. I’m not really learning anything other than how pathetic I can be in a fight.”

She continues glaring at you as she picks herself up again and makes her way toward you. You continue watching, relaxed and calm. She can’t do anything to you, not really. She’s too tired to do anything even though she’s not even hurt. So, you just stand there while she pants and points at you, finger almost poking into your chest.

“You’ll learn, Xena. You’ll learn that not everything will go your way. You play with some dangerous toys with little care of the consequences. What happens when things go wrong? What happens when you lose your friends? Will you fight back? Will you just stand aside and watch?”

You take a wary step back, listening to her lecture at you. What she says is… ominous. But also not. It’s almost like she’s just trying to seem scary with her words, but she’s not scary at all.

She’s you. Why should you be scared of yourself?

So you just let her words wash over you. However, it wouldn’t do to ignore all her warnings. Perhaps you should be more careful in your use of your warp-eye. You remember that people seem to have had issues when they looked directly into it in the past. What would happen now that you’ve… awakened it? But, that’s a simple issue to deal with. All you have to do is keep your headband on, or simply close your eye! Easy!

The loss of your friends… It hurts to think of even the possibility of that happening. But, as Jedi, this is your lot in life. You are peacekeepers. You are the shield of the innocent. Many Jedi will lay down their lives in the defense of others, and it’s entirely possible that any of your friends, or even you, will have to do the same.

That is something you will deal with when the time comes, you suppose.

“I’m a Jedi. We are Jedi. Whatever comes, we will deal with it. That is what we are trained to do. And… I know I’ve been reckless at times. I almost got myself killed in the warp. I tried my abilities on others without consent. I came here, into an unexplored cave, on my own! But, I do my best. I will learn.

“What you’re trying to teach me… It’s about self-control, isn’t it? You’ve been provoking me the whole time, trying to get me to fight you. When you hit me, I felt it. The tainted warp-stuff within me. I almost broke then, and I could have lost myself. But, I held myself back.

“You don’t have to be afraid. I don’t have to be afraid. It’s just a small part of me, and with my abilities I know it can be removed — kept under control.”

You reach out gently, palm held upward toward her.

“I don’t have to be afraid, only cautious — careful, calculating. Smart. But I can be that way. I can stay in control.”

At that, she smiles. Genuinely this time. She meets your eyes, and sighs.

“You win. Or do I win? I taught the lesson, didn’t I?”

You smile back, hand still outstretched, waiting for her to take hold.

But, she doesn’t. Instead, she reaches up, plucks out her kyber-eye, and places it in your open hand.

“Take care of yourself. Trust in yourself. May the Force be with you.”

And then she’s gone.

≡][≡ ⬦⬦⬦ ≡][≡

It’s time to return. The clock on your communicator is saying that you’re long past time to go, so you retrieve your discarded headband and start moving. As you walk, you fix it back on your head, then send Master Fulier another message to let him know you’re on the way.

The entrance should be iced up by now, so you’re going to have to find a way to deal with it. Reaching out to the Force, you feel your connection once again. It’s smooth and strong, pulsing in time with your heartbeat and footsteps.

You won’t have any trouble leaving now.

Within your pocket, your kyber crystal shines. You can feel it in the Force, a tiny globe of power, and it feels like it belongs. It is yours. It is you.

A small chirp from your communicator alerts you to a responding message from Master Fulier.

“Tera says to tell you to hurry up. She has need of a ‘fresher.”

So you smile, and begin jogging, reaching out to the Force to guide you.