Before - Legends A Blue Island In The Black Sea

I love the padawan challenging his Master!

"Why must you contradict me? I have no problem with you wanting to understand the process, but you will get no other response from me other than what I have told you. I know from experience this is true."

"You could be wrong, sir."

Marvelous. And now it seems they have some other-world company. This should be very interesting!

Thanks for the update! I was excited to see it here!

 

"Why isn't it possible for a Jedi to speak with the dead?" Chevor's voice intervened once more. The youngster was doing a better job of keeping on track with the reason for standing in here in this desolate spot.

Because it's so damn hot he's wondering if he'll still be able to communicate with his Master when he falls over and dies from heat stroke, lol!


"Not precisely. The Force itself is an energy field, for the living. Therefore, it isn't technically possible for one to be absorbed into it. Instead, we are all gathered into a great harmony at the center of the universe.

Hmm, interesting.


Aduman felt vaguely annoyed at his student's persistent refusal to accept the wisdom gathered by his elders.

Wisdom can be wrong when gathered by imperfect beings.


A properly trained Jedi took in all lessons without question. It was only through this method that a learner could become a master.

Maybe Chevor doesn't want to become a Master.


"You could be wrong, sir."

Aduman crossed his arms. "Excuse me, but I am the instructor here. Or have we forgotten the structure of the Order?"

I've had to correct some of my teachers in the past for giving out incorrect information. Especially history teachers. No teacher is infallible. Learn humility, Aduman should, hmmm.


Aduman shook his head. There was nothing he could feel other than the whispering traces of the vegetation around them, and the combined distant energies of those living in the village down in the small valley below. Aside from those, all was silent within the field.

I wonder why Aduman can't sense the ghost? I think it's more than just his rigid teachings, especially since he's tried to contact ghosts in the past.



Fantastic update my friend! See, that's what you can do that I find wanting in myself... create this whole atmosphere and this new world so vivid I can almost see it. I just rehash other people's discarded junk.

 

Ooh, intrigue! A ghost!

Thanks for the PM!

 

"Why isn't it possible for a Jedi to speak with the dead?" Chevor's voice intervened once more. The youngster was doing a better job of keeping on track with the reason for standing in here in this desolate spot. Aduman did not know how to explain death to the young man, or why it was impossible to contact those no longer of the flesh. Though he tried many, many times, despite the harsh sanctions he knew would be thrown upon him if it were found out he was engaging in forbidden practices. But never once had he been able to connect with those departed he still missed. His former dueling teacher. Old friends from the crèche who had fallen in the line of service. His parents. Xania...

"It is not possible to contact the dead because they are part of The Great Oneness."

"Which means they are one with the Force."

"Not precisely. The Force itself is an energy field, for the living. Therefore, it isn't technically possible for one to be absorbed into it. Instead, we are all gathered into a great harmony at the center of the universe. It is made of pure light energy taken from those Jedi who served The Good during their lives. At the hour of passing, you and I shall hopefully become part of that field."

"But is it really true?"

Aduman turned his head, and saw Chevor staring off into space. "It's been known since the earliest days of our Order there is only one destination for our souls. There is nothing else."

"How can you know that for certain? Has anyone ever truly examined past the barriers to see what exists on the Other Side?"

I particularly loved this section! A lovely and well crafted tale!

 

The Masters Are Mirthful, and Is Pudding Sacred?

"A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar."

Chevor stepped up onto a large rock that afforded easier access to the cave entrance. "What do you mean?"

The laugh he received as a response only confirmed his master was in a far better mood than the previous day, when they first encountered the spirit of Garahaldin. The visitation from the ancient ghost actually seemed to motivate Aduman to continue the journey. Once he got over the initial shock of the sudden reality about the disembodied Force bearer's existence, his teacher recovered from the odd sadness that afflicted him from the first hours of yesterday morning until right in the middle of dinner. During the course of that meal, the two living beings established a workable means of communication with their spirit companion. Aside from the traditional means of interaction using knocks on wood, there was the more efficient mode of transmitting thoughts internally. Unfortunately, Garahaldin could only place short sentences into their heads, which had more to do with the many disadvantages of fleshly barriers and planetary energy interference than his willingness to speak. But it was the best to be hoped for under the present circumstances. In the coming days, matters of talking would most likely improve. Aduman seemed to be quite enthusiastic about improving the quality of communication, though he did draw a line at attempting the method known as automatic writing. Chevor had read about it in a folklore text, and thought it might be effective. But Aduman stated he did not want to undergo the experience of letting a spirit inhabit his body again. Which was a curious statement, given the fact his instructor had been so vehement in his denials of the potential for an afterlife.

Yet now, Aduman was making amends for that error in judgment. "I am a fool in certain ways, young one. In certain matters too. I made a false statement yesterday when I declared that I did not believe in the reality of a postlife. I gave the impression that I've never believed in consciousness after death. Which was wrong."

On both counts. The unspoken voice of Garahaldin came through in a whisper, bouncing along the edge of Chevor's thoughts.

"Yes, quite so," Aduman replied with a touch of mild annoyance. "But I must say now that I did not state the truth."

"Which is to say that you knew something was there." Chevor dropped his carrysack on the ground. Now he was really at the entrance to the Whispering Cave of the Four Oracles, not just at the bottom of a small cliff known in local lore as the entrance. Chevor preferred precise language when he could find it, and to call something an entrance when it was more akin to a tower of front steps and a gate made him slightly irritated.

"I wasn't aware, but I did possess a certain amount of faith that a realm like it might be somewhere in the universe." Aduman's voice moved up close behind him. "I made several experimental attempts to establish a link with this theoretical place."

"You were looking for someone?"

His master sat down upon a particularly colorful stone composed of red and pink quartzite. "It was only out of curiosity, padawan. Nothing more."

Chevor sensed the quick cover of deceit that suddenly veiled Aduman's declaration. Not a massive lie, but something small yet significant in a hasty attempt to conceal something he did not want revealed. He would have investigated the matter at some point during their sojourn on Vouroso.

It appears to be rather intriguing.

So Garahaldin noticed what his master was hiding.

To a certain extent.

Now it seemed like even their departed companion was engaging in an act of subterfuge. Chevor sighed. It was a lonely situation when two masters decided to gang up on one unaware padawan.

?Are you all right?? His master?s hand rested upon the young man?s shoulder.

?Yes.? The cave should be the focus of his attention for now. This odd little place where the Four

 

But Aduman stated he did not want to undergo the experience of letting a spirit inhabit his body again. Which was a curious statement, given the fact his instructor had been so vehement in his denials of the potential for an afterlife.

Inhabit his body... again?! That must have been some party.


Now it seemed like even their departed companion was engaging in an act of subterfuge. Chevor sighed. It was a lonely situation when two masters decided to gang up on one unaware padawan.

LOL! Poor Chevor, nothing like a couple of jokester masters.


Not only statuettes of the Mother and her offspring, but also pipes made from shadow clay, and even some pudding bowls.

Pudding? Given to the gods? Must be where the fat Buddha got his... fat, lol!


"Pudding is merely what comes at the end of a child's meal."

LOL! You tell them, those spoiled little children/Masters. It's easy to chastise the gods - no pudding for you!


That is so.

What 'is so'? Did he answer the question - or did he say it was so that the oral traditions got it wrong? Tricky old ghost.


Desires of all kinds flooded into his brain then, and many times, meditation did not push those wants away. If anything, they seemed to make things worse, because his mind chose to focus on all matters forbidden that he wanted.

Ah, but did a wise man not say, 'where there is no choice, there is clarity. Where there is choice, there is misery.' Meditation is not a means to an end if clarity is not forthcoming.



Great update!

 

Thank you for reminding me about this story. It's fabulous.

I really liked the fact that Aduman is not perfect and is taking it very well that he was wrong.

I'm enjoying the newest member of this pilgrimage. I think you're doing it right making it hard for him to communicate. Don't want him giving everything away to poor Chevor. Bits of confirmation of his life is perfect.

Not only statuettes of the Mother and her offspring, but also pipes made from shadow clay, and even some pudding bowls.?

Chevor was bemused. How could a dessert dish be considered holy enough to give a deity?

Aduman was obviously waiting for that one, because he replied, ?On Vouroso, there are six different tongues, and ten unique puddings. For that is the food of the gods and their consorts.?

?It?s a dessert.?

?Ah, your experience in this field is limited to a supposed bad experience with a spaceport confection.?

?That was an episode of malus oceanus,? Chevor interjected.

?If you insist. But that misfortune is not indicative of what that delicacy can be in its purest form. It is a brief but glorious reward one earns through hard work. A rapture in miniature.?

Truly a holy food.

?The both of you are insane.? Chevor shook his head. ?Pudding is merely what comes at the end of a child?s meal.?

He glanced over and saw Aduman?s mouth set into a firm line of disapproval. And then he realized that he had offended his master.

?Are you saying a dessert could be considered sacred and important??

Aduman?s expression did not change for a few seconds. But when his mischievous grin showed, Chevor realized a trick had been pulled on him. The laughter in his head from Garahaldin confirmed his suspicion.

Yet another indication that it was going to be a very long road, not only on this pilgrimage, but in his Jedi journey.

Oh my. Poor Chevor. I find myself saying that throughout this story. It was both kind of mean and kind of funny for them to do that.

And I always thought that pudding was both sacred and important. At least chocolate pudding. I shall call it a truly holy food for now on.

I'm glad you're continuing this story. I'll have to go now and add it to my favorites so I won't forget about it since I don't travel to this board often.

And my last thoughts are to thank you again for this advertisement of our challenge. I am excited to read each chapter after seeing the sentence that inspired it.

 

?According to the legends, which are now apparently true to some extent, Garahaldin?s suppression of certain longings drove him mad. The desire for companionship was the worst.? Aduman?s voice trailed off as he disappeared into the cave?s heart.


Exactly. Now sometimes it is important to deal with such things and still not give into them, but I haven't seen where ignoring them.. works.

perhaps I am wrong.

This is such an interesting story!

 

This is really becoming more interesting with each post! What a nice story. And such lively characters! I really love it! Keep up the good work!

 

The Rendezvous Bay Interlude

?For many days, we had been tempest-tossed.? The beachcomber had the attention of a captive audience of sea birds as he leaned forward and pointed a bony finger towards the blue sky. ?The clouds were gathered low on the horizon, black and gray and swirling like a whirlpool just over our brows.?

Aduman stood away from the demented orator and his non-witted audience of the avian persuasion. This had certainly been a strange so far, starting with Chevor?s affliction of malus oceanus, and culminating in the discovery of Garahaldin?s ghost at his homestead. Yet he wondered if the sight of an old man who clearly spent too much time in the sun speaking to a flock of gulls was the most bizarre incident that had taken place in the past four days.

?We were swallowed by the wily beast. Gulped right up into his stinky belly, down into the abyss of his intestines like poor old Zhir. Caught up in that thing, we didn?t know day from night. Frightening, let me tell you plainly.?

Aduman wondered if this deluded oldster ever knew any forms of consciousness that were realistic. And then he wondered if it were so terrible to be in such a state of mind for one?s entire life. The lack of awareness about certain matters that could easily plague the sane mind such as war and the appalling tendency of sentients to be violent might actually be a wonderful thing.

Or to be unaware of death?its permanent separation from the living world, the presence of a misplaced spirit notwithstanding?yes, that might be good. If taking on a barmy state of being meant he could lose memories of those losses in his past?well, whoever said a Jedi was immune to grief was a fool and suffered from delusions far worse than what rested in this beachcomber?s brain.

?And the wombfish said, ?You shall not leave my belly until I receive an offering. A sacrifice of flesh.?? The oldster leaned forward and said to the birds in a gravelly whisper, ??It is my right, as it has been the right of my fore brethren, ever since the first vessel went out to sea and disappeared beneath the waves.??

Dying at sea?how lonely. Even if one wasn?t swallowed by a mythical creature of the deep, there was still the nightmare of days adrift under the sky, surrounded by poisonous water and the burning sun and night that might chill your bones depending on the time of year. A horrific means of passing away?but there are very few ways to die that aren?t terrible.

Twenty years as a master, along with the blur of days as a knight and padawan, with so much death strewn across his path far too many times. An unwelcome visitor that intruded even into those moments of supposed normalcy. The first time he suffered an invasion of the dark spectre, it was the passing of his dueling instructor in a petty skirmish resulting from a territorial dispute on Arkana. He did not witness the murder, yet even to hear the news was beyond painful. Master Kedriss encouraged him during those times when it never seemed he could achieve mastery of the Seven Forms. Session after session, sweat collected on his brow, every muscle ached, and it almost felt easier to throw his practice saber out an airlock rather than continue fighting against remotes and holographic foes day after day. But Kedriss, she was a taskmaster who knew defeat did not exist for a Jedi. So he was challenged again and again, until one fortunate afternoon when he reached past his doubts and found a grasp on the Force which granted him the clarity to finally succeed in the mock fights necessary to pass that required section of the Trials. Not too long afterwards came his knighting ceremony?and that was his last encounter with Kedriss before she was sent on the mission where her life was taken under the most pointless circumstances. And it was only the first death among many to occur in all the years he had existed. Each one fated to be more painful than the last?

I understand.

?Do you? How?? Perhaps it was unwise to speak out loud when standing so close to an old deranged

 

Okay... So that's kinda spooky. Interesting turn of events... Keep me updated!

 

"For many days, we had been tempest-tossed."

Hmm, sounds like something I've read, from ye days gone by, of Shakespearian times.


Yet he wondered if the sight of an old man who clearly spent too much time in the sun speaking to a flock of gulls was the most bizarre incident that had taken place in the past four days.

LOL! The guy drags his padawan there and now he's the one who's regretting it.


The lack of awareness about certain matters that could easily plague the sane mind such as war and the appalling tendency of sentients to be violent might actually be a wonderful thing.

Ignorance is bliss... Seems I've heard that said before.


Dying at sea...how lonely.

Yes, and I know how you feel about that.


Even if one wasn't swallowed by a mythical creature of the deep, there was still the nightmare of days adrift under the sky, surrounded by poisonous water and the burning sun and night that might chill your bones depending on the time of year.

Edgar Allen Poe couldn't have put it better.


Aduman suddenly felt irritated at his invisible companion. How dare he trivialize the end of his life by saying the sea made him do it?

Methinks Aduman is a naive fool who still needs to be taught quite a few lessons.


He had to contain his distress in a whisper so as not to alert the beachcomber and his feathered followers that an argument with a ghost was taking place.

LOL! I suspect the looney is not quite as crazy as the Jedi thinks.


Masters are never immune to instruction.

Exactly. Learn your place Aduman.


They have been trapped here.

That sounds... lovely.


"A lonely man sits atop the ramparts and cries out, 'Am I not worthy of rescue?'"

Yup, I know Mr. Loopy wasn't quite off his rocker, lol!


Delightful dark atmosphere and I hope it gets darker before the dawn.