Timeframe: Mid 33 BBY – Cain is now 7
Setting: Jedi Temple – Upper Sparring Ring, Meditation Chambers, Temple Dormitories
Rising Together
Over the next few months, Cain and Anakin became a near-unstoppable training duo. They meditated together before dawn, sparred after scheduled drills, and studied Jedi of old from the Archives in the evening.
They were opposites in temperament—Cain's calm clarity met Anakin's fire and instinct. But they understood each other in ways that no one else did.
Seris became the tether. She wasn't as brash as Anakin, nor as reserved as Cain. She demanded excellence and didn't hesitate to call them out when they went too far. She kept their momentum focused.
Barriss remained the spiritual anchor. Her connection to the Living Force deepened as she quietly observed, advised, and kept the group steady with thoughtful questions and subtle wisdom.
Derren, often underestimated, was the one who learned how to read the room. He began outmaneuvering sparring partners, predicting enemy rotations in simulations, and devising tactical maneuvers before the others had even drawn sabers.
They weren't just Initiates anymore.
They were becoming something more.
The Trial of Five
It started as a simple practice match. A five-person rotation, set in the Upper Sparring Ring under Serra Keto's supervision.
"Same rules as before," she said. "Tag system. You're out when your saber is disarmed or you're struck three times. No flips, no Force pushes. Just technique."
She smirked. "And no drama."
Cain, Seris, Anakin, Barriss, and Derren formed a loose circle. For the first few rounds, it was balanced—taps, counters, footwork, breath. Derren disarmed Barriss with a well-placed twist, but she returned the favor two bouts later with a shoulder tap and an elegant disarm.
Cain tested Anakin's power. Anakin tested Cain's calm. Seris tested everyone.
Then, something shifted.
The group began pushing—not with ego, but hunger. To grow. To understand. To match one another.
It became faster.
Cleaner.
Bolder.
Barriss stepped out willingly after thirty minutes, smiling and rubbing a forming bruise.
Derren held longer, nearly catching Seris off-guard, but finally stepped back, breathing hard.
Only Cain, Anakin, and Seris remained.
And they didn't stop.
Into the Rhythm
For the next hour—and then another—they sparred.
Not wildly. Not competitively. But completely immersed.
Their movements blended into a dance of precision, prediction, and synergy. The sound of sabers hummed like music—swings, parries, and taps flowing like water over stone.
Each time one surged ahead, the others adapted. Each misstep was absorbed. Every strike met with a natural counter, like a shared instinct shaped by the Force itself.
None of them realized how much time had passed.
Their feet moved on instinct. Their lungs burned. Their clothes clung to them, soaked with sweat. They never spoke. They didn't need to.
They were in perfect sync—guided by something greater than any one of them.
The doors hissed open again, and Padawan Serra Keto returned with two Temple instructors.
She froze.
Cain, Anakin, and Seris were still moving—eyes focused, bodies drenched, blades still flowing, muscles trembling but refusing to stop.
Serra stepped forward. "Enough!"
The moment shattered.
All three froze mid-motion—breathless, wide-eyed, blinking as if waking from a dream.
Seris's hands dropped. Anakin collapsed to his knees. Cain slowly deactivated his saber, his chest rising and falling like thunder.
"…How long…?" Cain rasped.
"Three hours." Serra crossed her arms. "You've been in there three hours."
No one said anything.
Then Anakin flopped backward, arms outstretched, laughing through his exhaustion.
"Worth it."
The Morning After
The next day, all five groaned as they limped into morning meditation.
Cain's legs burned. Anakin's shoulders were stiff. Seris looked like she hadn't slept. Derren walked like someone twice his age. Barriss just smirked.
"You all feel it now, huh?" she teased.
Cain chuckled softly, easing himself into a seated position. "So worth it."
Master Fay passed them as they settled in. She paused for a moment—just long enough to place a hand on Cain's shoulder.
"You touched the current," she whispered. "And it touched you back."
Cain said nothing, but for a moment, he felt the Force swell around them—like it was listening.