"You're new, right ?"
I opened my eyes. The silence of the hallway had turned into the soft sound of footsteps. A Togruta girl, about my age, was looking at me with her hands on her hips, her head tilted slightly. Her eyes shone with curiosity.
"I think so. I mean... yes. Very new," I said, trying to process my entire situation.
"I can tell. You've got that look of 'what did I get myself into'," she said, laughing.
"It's not every day you come to a place that looks like a mix of a temple, a castle, and... a giant ship," I said, looking around.
Ahsoka laughed loudly and sat beside me on the bench, swinging her feet.
Then she said,
"The council chamber is a bit scary at first, huh ?"
"They all looked at me like I had done something wrong. But I haven't even started yet !" I said, a bit discouraged.
"This kid is a mystery... The Force in him is unusual..." She said, imitating a deep voice.
She exaggerated the imitation of a master, and I laughed for real.
"You just missed talking in a strange way, like the little master," I said, smiling.
"Master Yoda. He's one of the wisest in the galaxy," she said, serious for a moment.
"Yeah... I felt that. He doesn't need to say much to make us pay attention," I said, with respect.
Then she decided to introduce herself.
"I'm Ahsoka. I've been here for a little while too... but not as little as you, it seems."
"I'm Ravan. I've never been in a place like this. Everything here is... calm. Silent. Like the air is breathing along with us," I said, looking at the hallway full of Jedi knights talking to each other.
Ahsoka looked at me with surprise, then smiled.
"You talk funny. Not bad. Just... different."
After thinking for a moment, I said,
"Maybe it's because I didn't live in calm places. I had to learn to hear silence within the noise."
"You seem like someone who's seen too much for being so small. I've seen that same look in some of the Padawans who come back from the battlefield," she said, observing me for a few seconds.
"Or maybe I just think too much because I had no one to talk to," I said, trying to lighten the mood.
Ahsoka smiled, and the mood lightened again.
"Well, now you've got someone. And if you need, I can show you where the dorms are. Just don't promise to remember the right way."
"Alright. But if we get lost, I'm blaming you," I said, laughing.
"Deal," she said with a mischievous smile.
The door to the council chamber opened slowly. Master Plo Koon appeared, calling me with a serene gesture.
Plo Koon said,
"Ravan. You may return. The Council has an answer."
My heart beat faster. I stood up slowly. Ahsoka also stood, now with a somewhat excited, somewhat protective look.
"Go on. Be yourself. Or... I don't know, be a Jedi. Be something good," Ahsoka said.
"I'll try. Thanks for talking to me. It was... easier than waiting alone," I said, smiling calmly.
"Then tell me what happened. But only if it's a cool story," Ahsoka said, saying goodbye with a smile.
I gave her one last look before I went in. For the first time since I arrived, the Jedi Temple seemed a little more welcoming.
The doors opened with a soft creak. A soft sound, but it felt loud in my chest. The masters were still there — sitting, serene, but with eyes that seemed to carry centuries.
I entered slowly, light steps, trying to maintain my posture as before. But my heart felt different. Stronger. Maybe because of the Togruta girl outside who reminded me that I wasn't so alone.
I stopped in the center of the room, right in the circle. I took a deep breath and stood in silence, waiting.
"You showed courage in speaking with us, Ravan. And honesty," Windu said in a firm, deep voice.
"And wisdom. Even though young, your words carry weight," Plo Koon said.
Master Yoda said with his eyes half-closed,
"Clouded, your past is. But strong, your connection with the Force is."
For a moment, they all fell silent again. I felt small, but not weak.
"You've never been trained. Never had masters. But you survived. And still, you chose to come. Why ?" Obi-Wan asked me.
I thought for a few seconds. I breathed again. My eyes met his.
"Because surviving isn't enough. I always felt like I had to survive. But no one around me knew how to help. Here... even with fear, I felt something different. For the first time, I didn't feel wrong for feeling too much."
The words came out more naturally than I expected. A piece of truth falling from my chest.
Master Yoda said with a small smile,
"Feeling too much, Jedi also feel. Learning to listen, here we train to control our emotions, and not let them control us"
"Your life outside the Temple was difficult. And this may be both a strength and a distraction," Master Windu said.
Master Plo Koon said, interrupting gently,
"But he chose to come. Chose not to use what he lived as a shield... but as a foundation."
Yoda closed his eyes for a moment. A silence fell again — deep, almost solemn.
Master Yoda said,
"Decided it is. Tested, young Ravan shall be. An initiate, he shall become... if he so chooses."
For a second, I didn't quite understand. Then, I realized: they were accepting me. My throat tightened, and the world seemed to lighten.
"Thank you, masters. I promise I won't waste this chance," I said with reverence.
"Your training will begin tomorrow. It will be challenging. But... you've already taken the first step," Obi-Wan said with a small smile.
I bowed deeply, and when I turned to leave, my steps were firm, though my heart seemed to float.
As I stepped back into the corridor, the light of the late afternoon entered through the Temple's large windows. Ahsoka was still there, sitting on the bench, kicking the air with her feet.
Ahsoka looked at me with a smile.
"So ? Survived ?"
"Worse. They accepted me," I said, laughing lightly.
"Knew it ! And now ?"
"Now... I think I really start," I said, stopping next to her.
We looked at each other. Not as veterans, nor as masters. Just as kids, at the beginning of something bigger than we could fully understand.