"Immorri?" My head swivels left and right in the dim cave, but there is no sign of the Wookiee. I trundle a few steps further, confused.

She was right beside me a few minutes ago...

"Kela? Kela, where are you?" My voice bounces back at me from all directions, but no reply comes.

Could they be pranking me? No, Kela's sensible, she would never pull something like this during a Jedi rite of passage. Unless...

"Not funny, Ara! We do not have time for pranks. Remember what Cep'souza Idrall said!" Again, my voice is thrown back at me, and I hear fear in it.

Fear is the path to the dark side. I must not be afraid. Perhaps this is one of the tests, one of the reasons Kela said this would not be easy.

Steeled, I reach out with the Force, running it through the glowing crystals around me that light my path. They respond to me, pulsing with celestial energy, but they do not feel right.

These have either too much energy or too little energy to even match mine. I cannot take these. I must move on.

I proceed, slowed as I scrutinize each crystal that I pass.

I do not want to miss.

I close my eyes, using the Force as the focal point to drive my feet, carefully inching across the ice cave. I can feel it, the hum of my kyber crystal calling to me, and my forehead creases in concentration, fearing that I might lose trace of the crystal if I even stop for just one second.

It is close.

I reach my hand out as the crystal feels nearer, eyes still closed, ready to grab it as soon as the thrumming is at its peak-

BOOSHHHH!

I am knocked to the ground by an unseen life form, and my eyes snap open in shock, my entire body sprawled on the icy ground. I hear a gasp, and I look up to face my assailant.

It is The Boy At The Door again.

"Kau okey tak?" He blurts out.

He speaks High Galactic, the prestigious language of the Imperial courtiers and ancient language of the Jedi. That is why his Galactic Basic is stilted.

I nod, peeling myself off the cold floor. The boy rubs his face with his hands, clearly distressed, but stops when he realises that I understood him.

"You... speak High Galactic?" He asks, switching back to Galactic Basic. I nod my head again, blinking twice.

The boy seems to find this amusing and chuckles again, his dimples illuminated by the glowing crystals around us. Suddenly remembering his manners, he straightens out like a soldier and extends his hand.

"Haris Azman. I apologize, for knocking you down," he says formally, his dark eyes twinkling.

I gingerly shake his hand, finding it reassuringly warm. "Joelle Su, and apology accepted."

The two of us stand there for a few more moments, shaking hands awkwardly.

Haris coughs and turns away towards the insides of the cave. "Have you located your crystal?"

I nod again, feeling the bubble of uncomfortable silence grow to encompass us. For some reason, I do not wish for this conversation to become awkward.

I summon the Force again, this time with my eyes fully open. I scour the area for my crystal.

There. On the stalactite.

Among all the kyber crystals protruding from the elongated stalactite, only one glows the brightest, and it is the one that responds to my call. I point at it.

"That one."

Haris follows my gaze to the stalactite, and he chuckles again.

Why does he keep laughing? Am I that funny?

"I hope, we are not to compete for the same one. I can see my crystal, up there too," he explains, probably noticing my perplexed look. I cannot tell whether he is joking or not, considering that kyber crystals are individually attuned.

Even so, my body tenses in alarm, and I begin to size him up. I consider his decent build, lack of immense height, and arms with a slight bulge of veins.

I could probably take him down in a fight, but I have to be agile. He is much stronger.

I try to discern whether our crystals are the same one. "My crystal is at the tip of the stalactite."

Haris stares up at the crystal, completely oblivious to the plan I am hatching in my head to take him down if my worst suspicions are confirmed. "Mine is to my right."

Phew. I will not have to fight him after all. But time is ticking, and the sun may already be on its way down. I have spent quite some time in the caves.

I swivel to the path that leads up to the stalactite, heading towards my crystal. Haris trails behind me.

As soon as I reach the peak, I am struck with a horrible realisation.

I cannot reach my kyber crystal. It is too far up.

The tip of the stalactite is at least six metres away from the peak, and not even someone tall like Kela would have been able to reach it by standing on tiptoe.

I will have to use the Force.

I close my eyes and inhale deeply, coaxing the Force to flow through me, to lift me high enough to obtain my crystal. Slowly but surely, I feel myself ascend.

The weightlessness is blessed, and I egg the Force to continue, like a puppetmaster carefully drawing the strings of a marionette. I levitate higher, and I promptly open my eyes in order to ascertain my altitude.

My breathing becomes frantic, no matter how hard I try to calm it.

I could fall, and fall off the peak. I am so high up in the air...

"Aaah!"

My concentration wavers, and I shriek as I hold myself suspended in the air, nearly dropping. All it takes is for my focus to break for a heartbeat and I will fall.

Steady, Joelle, focus. You will not fall... I mean it, you will not fall- IT IS SO HIGH UP I WILL FALL!!!

"Jo!"

In my state of frenzied panic, I hear someone shout my name. I cling to what is left of my concentration, trying but failing to upkeep my levitation.

Can't... hold... on...

The last of my focus breaks, and I brace myself to plummet to the ground. I squeeze my eyes shut and all the muscles in my body tense up.

Instead, I feel as though I am wrapped in silk cloth, gentle and supporting. I pop one eye open, confused.

It is the Force, but it is not coming from me... oh.

I see Haris with one hand flung outwards, forehead creasing in concentration. He realises that I am fine, and nods at me.

"Go on, Joelle. I will be here."

My heart pounds loudly in my head, from the shock and something else. I give in to Haris's support, fully controlling my breathing to channel the Force. I feel the familiar energy surging through my veins again, but stronger as Haris's efforts combine with mine.

I float higher, my small fingers grasping firmly around my crystal and yanking it free of its freezing prison.

Finally.

I spin to face Haris, still six metres in the air. His forehead is beaded with sweat, showing how taxing my levitation is on him. "Jo," he croaks out, and my breath hitches slightly. "Come down, I will take my crystal. Sundown is approaching."

I move to oblige him, but I halt in my tracks. Haris feels the change in my direction and tilts his head in question.

"I can take your crystal for you," I say, the reflective surfaces of the cave amplifying my voice back to him.

Haris quirks an eyebrow in what looks like concern. "Are you sure? You are afraid, of heights."

I nod sharply, confident.

He has helped me so much, it is only right if I repay the favor.

I wrap my arm around the stalactite, steeling myself against the numbing cold. "Which is yours?" I ask Haris, as only he can see the glow of his kyber crystal.

"The next one," he points out. I land my fingertip on a random crystal, looking to see his reaction. He shakes his head.

My fingertip painstakingly creeps toward its farther neighbour, touching its tip. Haris nods twice, his chest now heaving with the doubled effort. I take a deep breath and pull the crystal out.

Haris smiles weakly at me.

I let go of the stalactite, already getting used to being in the air. The Force courses in me, entirely of my own doing, and I push myself back onto solid ground.

Haris's hand drops and he staggers back, his knees buckling. I catch him, using the Force once more to support the rest of his weight. I hand him his crystal.

"Thank you," he forces out, already breathless. We begin to move forwards, trusting in the Force again to lead us out.

☆☆☆

The frost swirls around the perimeters of the door, thickening into ice before it hardens and seals the entrance.

"We will make it," Haris reassures me, still partially propped on my arm. I move faster, and I can hear the voices of our comrades urging us.

"Come on, Joelle!" Lee-Ara screeches.

"You can do it!" A Zabrak male shouts, probably one of Haris's friends.

The snowflakes dance menacingly again, and we turn to each other for a split second, finding understanding in each other.

Haris and I dive for the doorway, skidding through and passing it safely on our knees.

We made it. We really made it.

Master Yoda smiles at us, though there is wariness in his gaze. "Learned a lot, the two of you have. Learned to be brave and to trust in yourself, Joelle Su. A valuable lesson a Jedi will need, it is."

I bow my head. "Yes, Master Yoda."

Master Yoda inclines his green head towards Haris. "And you, Haris Azman Radulan. Taught and trained you in selflessness, this experience has. One of the core values of the Jedi, it is."

Haris bows his head. "Yes, Master Yoda."

Master Yoda then gestures to all of us. "Time to put your kyber crystals to use, it is. Come along."

Cep'souza starts to escort our clan right behind Master Yoda, but my mind is on something else. I whirl to face Haris, who seems confused by the surprise on my face.

"You are a Radulan?" I ask, eyes wide. "You never told me."

Haris shrugs and throws me a dorky grin. "You never asked," he whispers.

Before I can even think of a reply, we are swept up in the crowd of twenty new Padawans into the ice forge.

A/N: Less Star Wars, more JoHari in this part. Finally!

Signing out,

- Scarlet