"Breathe in... Breathe out... Again... Breathe in... Breathe out... That's good. Now focus and keep the control."
Kneeled in front of her mentor, eyes shut, Ly'ra could only hear his voice. Nothing else existed around her except the Force, calm and peace. Several weeks had passed since her first Test and since, every single day, Ben was training her, making her work her use of various weapons, training her to control her powers that were growing each and single day even more, he was training her to be the one she should be. The barrier in her mind had been completely suppressed few days ago and the young woman had learned to control this power that was unknown to her until now.
Ben kneeled down in front of her and studied her. A part of him was feeling guilty to force her into these exercises, but he also knew he had saved her life. Unfortunately, his mission wasn't better with her presence. Informations from the First Order weren't good and he hadn't reached Rey since this incident aboard the Finalizer. Coming back to the young woman in front of him, he took a deep breath and rubbed his face before giving new instructions.
"That's good. Now start."
The young woman slowly raised her right hand above the ground and several metallic pieces raised from the floor, surrounded by a light red and yet familiar light and started to turn around a cristal. In her concentration, Ly'ra could see her saber growing alive, being slowly built. Then, when all the metallic pieces were perfectly adjusted around the cristal, they welded with a simple move of the young woman's wrist. With a last breath, Ly'ra allowed the newly built weapon to fall in her hand, slightly surprised by the cold of the metal, and finally opened her eyes. The handle was quite long and thin, with silver and black color, covered with a dark leather lacing. The transmitter was black as well, with the old Jedi Order's symbol engraved on it. She looked up at her mentor who encouraged her to active her saber with a simple nod. She took then a deep breath and engaged her lightsaber. A purple blade appeared between Ben and Ly'ra with the well known sound and the young woman surprised herself by recite the words Dante used to tell her several years ago.
"Cristal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the cristal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the cristal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. They're all mingled. The cristal, the blade, the Jedi. You are one."
The Supreme Leader arched a brow, silently asking for an explanation, and Ly'ra answered with a grimace.
"It's... Dante who was telling me that. Each time I was watching him used his saber, often he stopped his exercises and told me these words. I understand them only now."
Then, an idea seemed to born in her mind and she frowned.
"Why purple?"
With a small smile, Ben sat down on the ground and studied the young woman's blade a moment before answering.
"You know when we were on Hurikane? You didn't actually find the cristal. The cristal came to you. Do you know why?"
Ly'ra thought about it for a while, eyes fixed on her weapon. Since the beginning of the Tests, Ben and Ly'ra almost never left Dathomir, only once, few days after the first fight. They went to a small planet situated between the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions: Hurikane. There, the Sith left his apprentice alone in a cave so she can find and come back with her cristal. She needed several hours before coming back to Kylo Ren's ship, a purple cristal in her hand. The only explanation he gave was an amused smile, the same he was giving her right now. Then, an idea popped in her mind, a memory of her classes with Dante and she asked:
"Because of the Duality?"
Ben nodded slowly and explained:
"Cristals choose their owner. I am absolutely not surprised that such a color chose you Ly'ra. I told you several times: you are the Duality. It's logical and normal that your saber is the perfect reflection of who you are."
The young woman finally stood and twirled her saber around her. Purple lights were flickering on the hut, growing faster as they followed Ly'ra's moves. When she suddenly stopped, it was only because of an incomprehensible hubbub outside. Ben stood up as well and adjusted his tunic.
"It is time."
The young apprentice nodded and gave her saber to her mentor before getting ready. She put on the black paint on her face, tied her hair and grabbed the sword she used during the first Test. Ben watched her from the entrance of the hut before joining her in the darkness, towards the arena. The high rocks were still glowing with the torches, but the young woman knew that in no time, she would have to fight in complete darkness. After a slight nod to encourage her, Ben joined Silri and the other Sisters to watch the fight. The Dathomirians would use a spell to observe the Test and the Sith would use the Force to see in darkness.
When the last three fighters stepped in the arena, the Supreme Leader felt his apprentice more confident. She had accepted who she was and was even wearing the traditional tattoos of her people. All along her left arm and in her back, following her scars, longue black marks intertwined, honoring with them the Sisters she had killed few weeks ago.
"My dear Sisters! Tonight the Winged Goddess offers us a beautiful Moon, blessing our last three Candidates!"
Ly'ra rolled her eyes hearing the joyful cries of the Dathomirians. It was time that all this bullshit was over.
"Teneniel, Noria and Ly'ra. You are the last ones before the last Test. May Allya watch over you. Now fight!"
With her words, all the torches went down and Ly'ra was just fast enough to draw her sword before feeling a stinging pain just under her ribs. A scream escaped her lips and she stepped back, using the darkness to hide. Once alone, she used the Force and glanced down at her wound. Nothing bad but she had to be careful for the time being. She then took a deep breath and focused on the fight. A chilling silence was invading the arena and Ly'ra kept her weapon high, stepping carefully around and trying to avoid walking on dead branches.
Suddenly, on her right, the young woman felt a presence arriving very quickly. She tightened her hold around her sword and blocked the weapon of her opponent at the last moment. She turned on her heels and sent her elbow in the other woman's eye, who stepped back. Feeling her energy back, Ly'ra attacked the Dathomirian that she recognized as being Noria. But the other woman was powerful as well and after a quite long fight, she sent the disarmed pilot on the ground. She brandished her word and was about to strike when Ly'ra closed her eyes and put her hands in front of her. The Supreme Leader let appear a small smile seeing her move, knowing it wasn't a defensive one. Noria's blade was blocked few inches away from her victim's throat by a red light. She tried to force her way through but it didn't move. Ly'ra opened her eyes again, the emerald green being completely replaced by a luminous red. With a slight move from her wrists, she forced her opponent to step back, pushing her further back with this new energy. Then, she snatched the weapon from the Dathomirian's hands before striking her in her chest with her own blade.
Ben could feel the surprise of the Nightsisters around him. Obviously, no one was expecting such a control so quickly. He then saw Ly'ra going back to the fight and she quickly fast Teneniel. The two young women crossed her blades but Silri, probably feeling the problems that would come with the victory of her daughter, was starting to panic and turned all the torches on again with a move from her wrist. The Supreme Leader frowned and alterned his gaze from the Queen to the last two fighters in the arena.
"My Sisters! You fought well! You're the last ones for the last Test. Congratulations!"
Ly'ra, feeling her rage and anger growing, turned towards the Queen before trying to find Ben. The Sith, knowing what was going inside her head, nodded before gesturing her to join him outside. Once out of the arena, the young woman literally let her rage exploded and went right to her mentor.
"She didn't have the right to do it!"
"I know! She must have understood what we were preparing and she knew you would choose her as your last opponent for the last fight. She's clever than I thought."
Ly'ra was stepping in the hut, trying to calm down, in vain. The Supreme Leader was leaving her alone before frowning slightly, as he heard a communication coming through his comlink. Feeling his trouble, the young woman turned on her heels.
"What?"
"A communication from the Finalizer. I'll be right back."
He left their shelter and, at the same time, Teneniel appeared in the entrance.
"I just wanted to tell you that it's honor to fight with you Ly'ra. You're a great warrior."
Obviously surprised by the young woman's words, the pilot stayed silent a moment before nodding slightly.
"Thanks. You're a great warrior too Teneniel. And you will be a great Queen. Better than Silri."
The Dathomirian offered a small smile and nodded before leaving her. Ly'ra let out a frustrated groan and sat down on her bed. Few minutes later, Ben reappeared, annoyed.
"What is it?"
"We have to go."
The young woman frowned and stood up, crossing her arms on her chest.
"What do you mean?"
"A spy has contacted the First Order few days ago. The Resistance is going on Ubardia and General Pryde will send his men to arrest them all."
The young woman let out a long sigh and turned her eyes away from her mentor, turning her back on him. She knew the true reasons behind being Ben's apprentice and helping the Resistants behind the First Order's back was one of these reasons. But for this, she would have to forget about her revenge on Silri and left Dathomir before the end of the Tests.
"You know what you're asking me right?"
Leïa's son sighed and nodded.
"Yeah I know. I'm sorry Ly'ra. Truly."
The young woman stayed silent, her hands on her hips. Then, she looked up at her own reflect and crossed Ben's eyes in her back. She then let out a sigh and nodded slowly.
"I hope Teneniel will survive to her last fight."
Her mentor nodded softly before grabbing his cape.
"Gather your stuff, I'm gonna talk to Silri, I'll see you aboard the ship in thirty minutes."
Then, just before leaving definitively the hut, he turned again to face the pilot.
"By the way, don't forget that!"
Ly'ra grabbed her saber on the fly and looked up at her Master.
"This is your weapon now Princess."
He left the hut then. Ly'ra looked back into the mirror and glanced at the young woman who was facing her. She grabbed her black jacket and, as she was putting it on, she remembered a text that Ben made her read in the Book of the Siths. For the Nightsisters, there were three categories of fighters. The Warriors, the Huntresses and the Assassins. The last ones were wearing a dark cape or a black coat, and owned a silent weapon. And this is who she became. A Dathomirian Assassin.
She adjusted her jacket, fixed her saber on her belt, gathered her stuff as well as Ben's and left the village without a second glance, keeping her new mission in mind: saving the Resistance.