Fate of the Force: The Dark Resurgence: Chapter 7.

Gar and Sum-Baki walked side-by-side as they headed back to the Training room where Severin and the boy—Fate, as he was apparently named, had originally started the first lessons of the Force. The two jedi Masters walked in complete silence, the soft patter of their boots was the only thing that filled the soundless void. Gar was thankful for it, he felt nervous, restless and completely uncomfortable. He knew he had willingly accepted the child as his Padawan, but he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of unease. His stomach flipped like an Ataru practitioner, his palms were muggy with perspiration. He groaned inwardly.  Why did I accept?

“Because it’s your duty, Gar.” Sum-Baki gently grasped his hand and squeezed it gently. The two Masters came to a stop and turned to face one another. “Gar, this child not only needs guidance; he needs a teacher, someone to tell him about this galaxy and the wonders and terrors that it holds.” Sum-Baki took hold of the Kel Dor’s left hand and held it alongside the other, she gazed down at their hands and then met Gar’s gaze. “I think you are going to be a great teacher.” She said with a smile.

Gar smiled behind his mask and said. “I appreciate the kind words, Sum-Baki.”

“Anytime.” Sum-Baki withdrew her hands and motioned for Gar to follow. “Now let’s go see Fate and tell him about the good news, I’m sure the little guy is going to be more than excited to hear that the Legendary Gar Thorin is going to be his master” Sum-Baki teased playfully

“I get the feeling that the males get more excited around you than more than they do around me…” Gar murmured.

“What?” Before Gar could even begin to form an excuse, he felt a surge in the Force and in that same second, he felt himself hit the ground thanks to the gentle Force-shove of Sum-Baki.

“That one did not hurt as much” Gar jumped to his feet and eyed his friend. “Why?”

“Because…” Sum-Baki walked over to the Kel Dor and dusted his tunic off. “That was funny.” Sum-Baki grinned and the two Jedi continued their walk to the Training chambers. It took them a few minutes to reach the training room. The masters entered the room and saw the lone figure of the boy, sitting cross-legged, his eyes closed. The Force moved around him, feeling and touching everything around him. Gar and Sum-Baki watched silently. The Force was wild, yet peaceful, restless, yet calm, innocent and pure. The boy’s Force aura was like that of the Living Force itself, it was as if they were feeling the Force in its purest form.

The boy’s eyes opened and the gentle, wild power around him disappeared. The boy quickly got up to his feet and greeted them. “Masters? Is everything alright?”

“Just dandy” Sum-Baki responded with a smile.

“Who is ‘Just Dandy?’ a master? Am I to study under him?” The boy asked, his dark green orbs gleaming.

“No, no, no, no.” Sum-Baki said quickly, desperately resisting the urge to face-palm. “’That was an expression that means; ‘everything is fine.’ It’s a common word in this big galaxy of ours.”

“I see.” The boy said quietly. “So if there is nothing wrong, then, why have you come for me?”

“Well…” Sum-Baki turned to Gar and motioned for him to announce the details of the boy’s apprenticeship to him.

“Young one.” Gar started, his voice steady and calm on the surface, but, Sum-Baki felt his anxiety. But he continued regardless. “Master, Severin, has decided that you are to be apprenticed to me.”  

“What?” The boy breathed out. “Y-you are t-to be m-my master?”  

“Yes. The Grandmaster wishes it, and so, it shall be.”  Gar said stiffly

The Grandmaster..? So I am a burden to him… The boy’s expression showed confusion, anger and…. then nothing. “I see.”  He said softly.

Sum-Baki felt her heart wrench. The boy was adept at hiding his emotions, he had put up the illusions of acceptance, but through the bond she and the boy shared, she felt his anger and sadness. He knew Gar had not chosen him as his apprentice of his own free will. Poor kid.

“By the order of the Grandmaster.” Gar continued. “ I will train you as a Jedi, I will train you in both, Lightsaber combat and in the ways Force. But be warned, young one.  You have started this down this path at a late age; this will make things difficult for you. You will have to work twice as hard if you are to become a true Jedi.” Unlike Sum-Baki, Gar had not noticed the boy’s slight flinch at the word ‘Order.’ And instead, the Kel Dor continued with his speech. “The path of the Jedi is not easy, not even for those that were brought to the Temple as infants. The way of the Jedi, of the force and of life will all be filled with hardships that you must overcome.” Gar looked down at the boy. His eyes, though hidden behind his mask, gazed deep into those of the boy. “Are you ready to begin your journey?”

“Yes, Master.” The boy said confidently. “I am ready to begin my training.”

“Then let us begin your first lessons.” Gar said.

—————————————————

The Necros touched down gracefully on the grimy and rusted landing platform near the refugee sector of Nar Shaddaa. Usually, these less than impressive landing were used for illegal means. Smuggling, drugs and slaves.  Leeyana had seen several such deals be down before, often times, Leeyana acted as an enforcer if there was no other job or if she was simply bored. But now, she came here to discuss something with her employer, Ydorylia.

Ydorylia was an old, female Mirialan who had found Leeyana and offered her a place to stay when the young Mirialan was on the run from the Jedi order. The old woman taught the younger Mirialan the ropes of being a Bounty Hunter, a thief and a master slicer. All that Leeyana knew of technology she had learned from the veteran Bounty Huntress.

There was little Ydorylia had to teach Leeyana of combat. The blade, be the one of the Jedi or one made of cortosis, Leeyana was a master of it. Yet, Leeyana had to admit, if there was one thing the older Mirialan had taught her, it was how to fight dirty.

As a jedi, Leeyana thought of battle, as honorable combat between two duelists, one would win and the other would gracefully accept their defeat. But her time as a Bounty Hunter and the betrayal of her Master had shown her otherwise.

WB-88 whistled out in a curious tone.

“Just thinking about that old shutta.” Leeyana responded as both she and the astromech made their way down the ramp of the Necros and onto the landing pad. Leeyana was hit with a wave of emotions almost instantly. Anger, sadness, confusion, greed and envy all passed through her. The force of these emotions nearly brought her to her knees and would have, had she not erected her mental defenses.

“I keep forgetting about this place being so—“ Leeyana hissed in pain and turned to face her small companion who beeped a warning. His shock arm extended towards her posterior.

“Right, right.” Leeyana said. Her eyes scanned the area around her. Nar Shaddaa was full of spies from different Hutt clans and corporations, if anyone found out about her Jedi past, they would lead the Jedi and Imperial republic to her. “Thanks for the heads up doubleyou-bee.”  Leeyana whispered and the two quickly made their way towards their headquarters.

“Keep your eyes open for suspicious activity, doubleyou-bee.” Leeyana said in a low tone of voice.

WB-88 whistled out a series of angry beeps.

“Oh shut up, you know what I meant.” Leeyana said, her eyes and ears, enhanced by the power of the Force, saw and heard everything in front, behind and around her, from the two children that were playing with an old ball, to the angry Rodian that threatened an elderly woman, the soft click of a blaster that was held in the hands of said elderly woman, to even the gentle touch, kiss and thrusts of a man and a woman within a roofed speeder.

Nothing out of the ordinary… She thought in silence. Leeyana and WB-88 made their way to their employer’s headquarters; they passed several old and unsightly buildings, all around the large structures, were beings of all ages and races, dying, begging for money, loitering and offering their services, and at times bodies, for a meal or warm bed.

Leeyana tore her gaze away from the miserable seen and continued to walk. It was hard to walk away; each step she took seemed to require a considerable amount of effort, each step was more painful to take than the last, each step reminded her that she was a failure as a Jedi.

WB-88 whirred to her side and beeped in concern.

“I’m fine.” She responded frigidly

WB-88 motors quickened, the droid made a turn and stood in front of Leeyana. The small droid’s blue optic stared into Leeyana’s eyes defiantly, chirping and bleeping worriedly.

“Listen you rust bucket I said ‘I’m fine,’ ergo I am!” Leeyana said through her teeth.

“You should watch your tone, Leeyana” An all too familiar voice said. Leeyana and WB-88 quickly turned to face it. It was Ydorylia, the veteran bounty huntress.  The older Mirialan wore a simple flight suit; her dark violet hair was cropped and tousled, the traditional Mirialan markings were engraved on the left and right sides of her jaw. The older woman was beautiful for her age and, more importantly, intimidating.

“I swear, one day, you’re going to end up dead and I’m going to have to hunt down the bastard that killed you in order to avenge you” Ydorylia sighed. “You are one annoying kid; even in death you’d still find some way to give me a headache.”

Leeyana pulled back her black hood and smiled. “Come now, Ydorylia, you know you love me.”

“Ha! Whatever helps you sleep at night kid.”

Leeyana didn’t laugh; she gazed at the old Mirialan, her expression was serious.  She had just been attacked after all. “Ydorylia, we need to talk.” Leeyana said. Her teacher was greedy, a liar and a dirty fighter, but she would never betray anyone close to her.

Isn’t that what you thought about Daak Vas? A voice, one she had become all too familiar with, said. Her doubt.

Ydorylia noted the change in her friend’s tone and nodded. “Alright, let’s go inside and have a drink.”

The older Miralian lead WB-88 and Leeyana to a rundown building and stood in front of a badly damaged durasteel door. Leeyana didn’t question it; she knew what the older woman was doing. This was their base of operations, their home as well.

After three long minutes, the door slid opened, the three entered the building. Leeyana marveled at it, on the outside, the building was, for a lack of a better phrase, ugly as hell, but on the inside it was a slicer’s paradise. A giant Holo-monitor displayed new potential missions and information on the target, it also included an in depth analysis and blue prints of any obstacles, such as elaborate security systems, bodyguard and droids, that the Bounty Hunter would encounter.  This had made the small group exceptionally popular with bounty hunters, mercenaries who worked with various groups and organizations, even government officials had come to the group for help in finding a criminal, though they made such deals sparingly.


Despite the group’s renown, they were still invisible to most organizations. Their deals were all done via the Holo-net, never in person. No one had ever seen or met anyone in the group.

Well, those that did never lived to tell anyone else.

“Leeyana!” A voice squealed.  Leeyana turned to face the direction from where the voice had come from. Instantly, her lips curled upwards in a cat-like grin.

Zutar, a plump, yet muscular Gamorrean waddled towards the young Mirialan and placed his large hand on her shoulder and smiled at the young woman. “Leeyana! By the clan mother, we weren’t expecting you to show up yet piglet.” Zutar said warmly.

“It’s nice to see you too, Zutar” Leeyana greeted back. Zutar was one of her three closest friends, with the other two being WB-88 and Ydorylia respectively. Most people would think that Ydorylia was the brains and Zutar, the muscle of the group, but it was, in fact, quite the opposite. Zutar was the group’s tech expert, everything inside the base, from transactions, tactical analysis and blue prints to the DBM pistol and mute charges that Leeyana carried were all modified or created by the Gamorrean mastermind.

“Well kid.” Ydorylia poured a brown liquid into three glasses and placed three ice cubes in each of the glasses. The old Miralian handed Zutar and Leeyana a glass. “You wanted to talk, let’s talk.”

Leeyana took a swig of the brown concoction and spoke. “I was attacked.”

Ydorylia stopped mid drink, her entire body bristled. The glass cup in her hand began to crack slightly. Zutar had nearly choked on his drink at the news, coughing and panting.

“What!? Attacked? By whom?” Zutar asked hastily.

“Was it the exchange?” Ydorylia asked calmly, despite that, Leeyana felt her fury and worry rise through the force. The older Mirialan often acted coldly towards others, but Ydorylia, for unknown reason, thought of Leeyana as a younger sister, a daughter even. Leeyana felt happy to see that others cared for her; yet, she couldn’t allow herself to be blinded by affection, not again.


“I don’t know who sent them, they weren’t any amateurs though.” Leeyana explained.

“Them?” The Gamorrean squealed out.

Leeyana nodded. “Two pilots. They were pretty good, almost made me break a sweat. Almost” Leeyana sipped on her Juma juice and continued. “So, I’m curious about two things. Number one, how did they know about my route? WB-88 didn’t detect any hacker activity in our ship’s databanks, nava-computer and weapons systems. Nothing. “

“They hacked your ships navigation chart?” Ydorylia asked anxiously.

“No, they didn’t.” Leeyana began. “It’s a theory. Doubleyou-bee said that he was able to hack one of the pilot’s navigational records and…” Leeyana paused. “And he says that they were tailing me since I entered Hutt space.”


“This isn’t good.” Ydorylia said thoughtfully. “If someone was tailing you, it means they were waiting for you. That could mean of two things. Either one of us got sloppy or someone was able to break our coded transmissions, files and mission codex and tracked you.” The older Mirialan sighed in exasperation. “I don’t know which is worse.”

There was a long a moment of silence. The entire group could feel the gravity of the situation. Yet everyone was unsure of what to do next, the group had never been in such a situation before.

“What now?” Asked Zutar,

“We go to our friends in the exchange, Hutt clans, Pykes  and the Black Suns and we talk to the—“

“No.” Ydorylia interjected.

“No?”

“No.” Ydorylia repeated.

Leeyana got in Ydorylia’s face, their foreheads nearly touching, and said. “Why the hell not?”

“Because.” Ydorylia’s started. “The Hutts would be idiots to try and attack us when we have the means to blackmail each and every one of those fat ass worms. The Pykes are in the good graces of virtually everyone within the criminal underworld, not to mention their leader has always given of us good info. The Black Suns have made money by using us to pick up their spice, blaze blossom and deathstick shipments, they’re ruthless, ignorant and annoyingly set in their ways, but they are no imbeciles when it comes to dealing with people like us.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?  Just sit on our asses and wait ‘till some low tier Assassin tries to kill me?”

“Something like that.”

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.” Leeyana scoffed.

“Show us what that you recovered on Iziz.”

“Fine.” Leeyana pulled out the small, silver data-disk from her utitlity belt and handed it to Ydorylia.

“Zutar, is there any way that we can track the client that asked for this package.” Ydoryila asked. Her clear blue eyes analyzed every small detail the little disk had to offer.

“I don’t know. The only way I’d be able to do that is if we contact him or her again.”

“Out of the question. These people, whoever the hell they are, are going through a lot of trouble just for this disc. I want to know why. I don’t like being in the dark. Is there another way?” Ydorylia asked.


The Gamorrean rubbed his chin and said. “Not without tracing his messages to their original location and having to contact him.” Before either woman could say anything Zutar continued. “But.”

The Gamorrean took a few steps forward and snatched the disk out of Ydorylia’s hand. “I could hack this disk and we can see what’s inside of it. ”

“Give it a shot. Doubleyou-bee, help him out with whatever he needs.” Leeyana then turned her gaze to the large Holo-monitor. “In the mean time, I’ll distract myself with a mission.”

“No ,Leeyana, you won’t. Zutar, Doubleyou-bee, get started on that disk. I want a status update every hour.” The Gamorrean nodded and he, along with the small astromech droid, left the room, leaving the two Mirialans alone.

“The hell was that about?” Leeyana asked.

“You were just attacked.” Ydorylia’s features hardened. “Going off on another mission right after there was an attempt on your life is stupidity incarnate. Right now we need to focus on who talked you, why they attacked you and what they want. Nothing else matters, end of story. Are we clear?” Leeyana nodded stiffly.  “Good. Now, come on, let’s go to the sparring room.”


Leeyana rolled her eyes. “Come on, Ydorylia! You never even try, how is this even going to a challenge for m—“Suddenly, Leeyana spun out of the way of three Vibro-daggers that had shot at her with incredible speed. She regained her footing and shot her master a glare.

“Game on old woman.”

With that, she lunged.

—————————————————

Ecdysiast gazed at the ceiling above her; it was made out of a rare stone that was mined from the hottest pit of the volcanic planet Mustufar. The stone material was incredibly durable; it could withstand a barrage of laser fire from a dozen starships and a point blank shot from a missile launcher. It may be expensive and incredibly heavy, but it made breaking out of jail extremely difficult and that made it annoyingly effective.

Despite that, Ecdysiast had already counted fourteen mistakes in the prison’s security. The prison’s security put too much faith in the flame ore that they imported from Mustafar, but a prison was only as good as its personal, and the Iziz prison’s personal where no Imperial Knights. They were sloppy, amateur-ish and foolishly overconfident. Had she wanted to, she could, with difficulty, escape her cell. But one thing kept her from escaping.

The Huntress.

The woman had been tremendously skilled and talented; she reacted with reflexes that Ecdysiast would have thought impossible; she had dodged blaster fire with speed that transcended that of a normal being, she had slipped by her security without anyone noticing and, more importantly, she had bested Ecdysiast. The Zeltron had never lost a fight.

Ecdysiast kept replaying the fight in her head over and over, and over, and over again…

She had used all of her might to try and kill the assassin, but it was not enough.  Her opponent had out-dueled her, she deserved to die, but instead, she was here, rotting in a cell like a caged animal.

“Hey, Zeltron.” The old, plum Warden called. “It’s your lucky day. Someone wants to talk to you.” The old man proceeded to swipe his security card on the small wall-pad. The door slid open and in came the warden along with another figure. Ecdysiast had to squint to differentiate the two figures, the room she had been locked in had no light source, she was only allowed outside at dawn. Their first mistake.

“Alright, well here she is.”

“Thank you, Warden.” A soft, female voice said. “The credits will be deposited as soon as we depart the facility.” Ecdysiast saw the figure of the Warden nod and then leave.

The other figure, the woman, walked towards the Zeltron. From what Ecdysiast could make out, she was a short, skinny woman with long flowing hair. She seemed to bare no weapon, but Ecdysiast had enough experience in the outer rim to know that the most unintimidating enemy could be as a dangerous as a hungry Akk Dog. So instead, she asked a question. “Who are you?”

“A friend.” Came the response. “More specifically, a friend of the ones who hired you.” The woman drew closer until she stood directly in front of Ecdysiast, who now sat on the bed.  The woman took a seat next to the Zeltron and said. “You’re not in a good situation here.”

“Are you people going to kill me?” Ecdysiast asked blankly.

“We’re not particularly happy that someone stole our consignment, killed our men and nearly exposed out entire operation.” The woman’s tone showed no emotion, just complete and utter calm. “But no, we’re not going to kill you.” Ecdysiast nodded. This was too easy, there had to be a catch.

“However.” There it was; the catch. “You failed your mission and the resources we gave you have gone to waste. You must …. Repay your debt to us.”

“What’s to stop me from killing you after we leave this place?” Ecdysiast said brusquely. She knew that she could simply snap the short woman’s neck with utter ease, but fear often drew an offer out of the most intimidating of potential employers. But the woman was amazingly at ease and simply said.

“Nothing really. But kill me and you will lose the chance you’ll get at revenge.” The woman’s bright white teeth flashed in a smile as Ecdysiast gasped. “Join us and I will make sure you get the chance to kill the one who bested you and stole from us.”

“You know where to find this huntress?” The Zeltron asked.

“Yes.” The woman said. Her smile still etched on her lips. “You will have full control of the operation to find and kill this woman and her group.”

“She’s part of a group?”

“Our sources indicate to that being a strong possibility.” the woman responded. “But don’t fret, we will provide with as many droids and mercenaries as you require.”

Ecdysiast resisted the urge to scoff. She knew she would need as much help as she could get if the group that the Huntress was a part of was as skilled as her. “I will need ships, capable men and weapons.”

All of our funds will be made available to you.” Was all the mysterious woman said.

“This is going to take time.”

“Take as much time as you need.  This is a delicate operation; all possibilities must be accounted for, all potential dangers, eliminated.” The woman rose from the bed and gestured for Ecdysiast to follow her. Within minutes, the two women reached the front of the Iziz prison doors and exited the building.

Much to her surprise, Ecdysiast saw the men guarding the door simply nod at them as they left. No one had tried to stop them. In fact, it seemed like they feared the woman.

Ecdysiast eyed the woman, she was short in stature. Her walk was that of noble-woman than a warrior. Her dark brown hair flowed with the wind as gracefully as she walked. She was a striking woman and her black ornate dress made her look even more beautiful. How could such a beautiful woman have such deep connections with the criminal underworld?

As the two came to a stop in front of landspeeder, the woman turned to face Ecdysiast and spoke. “I have taken the liberty of obtaining a new ship for you as well as several dossiers for you to look at. I have forwarded a list of several ships and of course, armament. Whatever you wish to use will be bought without question.”

“No one is going to be assigned to keep me in line?” Ecdysiast gazed at the woman skeptically.

“Oh, I will be in touch, but you will manage this mission as you see fit.”

“So you’ll be keeping tabs on me to make sure I don’t go AWOL.” Ecdysiast said. It was more of a statement than a question.

The woman slid into the passenger seat of the landspeeder and said. “Your ship will be waiting for you in docking bay C-27. Goodbye, Miss Ecdysiast, we’ll be in touch.”

—————————————————

The calm breeze played with the midnight black hair of the boy, gently pushing the black strands of hair down on the bridge of his nose and forcing it to wrinkle in the process. Fate felt the wind make its way up his tunic and kiss his entire body. The plentiful grass around Fate moved in sync with the wind, offering no resistance, it simply flowed with the wind. It reminded Fate of the first lessons of the Force that he had learned within the Temple.

“The Force flows through all things, it is part of our entire body; its guides every living thing in the galaxy, it protects us, nurtures us, from the largest and loftiest of trees…”

“To the tiniest and less attractive of thorns.” Fate finished as his hands gently patted the grass. The young boy sighed, laid his head back onto the grass and gazed up at the sky. Six months had passed since he had been made an apprentice to legendary Gar Thorin, six months since his training as a Jedi had started and still he an unease between him and his Master. His instructors welcomed him almost instantly and Fate had done his best learn all the Masters had to teach him, history, strategy, diplomacy and the intricacies of the Force. It had been no easy to task and things only got much more difficult from there.

Lightsaber combat, the most physically and mentally demanding of fighting forms in the entire galaxy. Like with his normal studies, Fate had done his best to learn what the Lightsaber instructors taught him, but that seemed to mean absolutely nothing in his lightsaber training.

Fate groaned in frustration. His hands grabbed the closest rock to him, lifted himself to his feet and with all his might; he flung the rock into the endless forest. He slumped down into the ground.

“Maybe that’s all I am.” Fate drew his knees to his chest and hugged them, burying his head in his knees. “Nothing.” He knew that he held back most of his class that unlike young prodigies like Malik Nar, Axel Sato, Takoto Nivek and even the more advanced initiates, he was hopeless with the lightsaber. What’s more, he was positive he was a burden on his Master, Gar Thorin. It had been 2 months since his Master last spoke with him and last he asked, the Kel Dor had not left Yavin since they arrived.

Is he avoiding me? Have I failed him somehow? Fate sighed and fell back onto the bed of grass. “Who am I kidding, of course he’s been avoiding me, the Jedi Temple Apprentice Tournament is coming up in a few hours and he doesn’t want to be embarrassed by me, by his failure of an apprentice.”

“Who are you calling a failure, sunshine?” The familiar face of Fate’s friend, Sora Nervai, suddenly appeared. Fate scurried to his feet and pretended to look oblivious, though his now cherry cheeks told the Nautolan boy all he needed to know.

“I-I don’t know what you mean.” Fates stammered. Sora had been the first boy his age to welcome Fate with open arms. The Nautolan had treated Fate kindly offering to help with his studies whenever he could. The two boys enjoyed one another’s company. But Fate couldn’t allow his closest friend to see him in such a pitiable state.

Sora chuckled and playfully tousled Fate’s hair. “You’re not a failure, Fate; you’re making great progress for someone who just got accepted into the Temple. Cheer up and start believing in yourself a bit.”

“I hope you two are certainly done being all mushy with one another.”  A figure came out of the nearby forest trees nonchalantly.

“Way to ruin the moment, Malik.” Sora teased.

“Someone’s gotta do it.” He flashed the other two boys a smile. “Besides, the tournament’s gonna start in two hours, we should be preparing.” He turned to Fate and shot him a look of sympathy. “Fate, that means you too, distraction are only going to get in the way of our focus, of your focus, you’ve gotta try push those thoughts out of ya pal.”

Fate smiled, it had taken him a long time to get used to referring to himself as Fate, he thought he would have gotten used to it, but there were times where he looked confused when someone called for him. He had learned several lessons since he had become a Jedi Student, he had learned to speak basic, learned political strategies and even took lessons on droid repair, but one lesson he couldn’t learn, was how to befriend people. The young boy was awkward, timid and quiet, yet despite his flaws; Sora and Malik had looked past that and embraced him as a friend. Fate felt happy to call them both friends.

“Alright, well, let’s get back to the temple and prepare for the Tournament.” Fate said with a new found confidence. “Let’s give our best.”

“Yeah!” Malik exclaimed. “Now there’s the Fate I like!”

Sora smiled at both of his friends. “I’m positive we’ll all do well.”

“Yeah, well lets actually go back to the temple and show these guys what we’re made of!”

Fate smiled as the two older boys walked in front of him, teasing and arguing with one another, they were excellent fighters, graceful, fast and powerful, he knew that they would, without a doubt, score many a victory in this tournament, he was sure they would even catch the eye of several masters. But behind his smile, he was sad and worried. He was not the graceful and agile duelist that Sora was, nor did he possess any ounce of Malik’s strength and ferocity. Fate knew that he was nothing compared to either of them, knew too, that his style was hopelessly outmatched against the more advanced forms his peers had studied.

He couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread as the Temple came in view. With each step he took, he felt more and more convinced that he would lose. But he would still fight and he would fight hard, no matter what.

Note: I actually had another scene planned but it would have been really rushed. So you'll have to wait until the next chapter to see the somthin' somthin'