As I lay there, my heart pounding in my chest, I couldn't help but feel a surge of hope. The red priestess stood where she had birthed, her eyes locked on the hovering shadow. It was as if they were engaged in a silent conversation, their words hidden from my ears. But what caught my attention was the change within me. I had been drained of my powers, left helpless and vulnerable by the very amulet that now lay discarded beneath me. It had been a desperate move—biting it off the priestess in an act of defiance. And now, as I watched her seemingly instruct the shadow assassin, I could sense a shift deep within myself.

A tingling sensation began to spread throughout my body, starting from the tips of my fingers and toes. It was as if dormant energy was awakening within me, rekindling the flames of power that had once defined me as a Jedi. My muscles twitched with newfound strength, and I could feel the familiar connection to the Force system slowly returning. Although I had no way of knowing for certain,it appeared that the amulet needed a physical connection to the wearer to function. I took a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest, as I surveyed the room. I had to be very cautious not to alert the priestess of my regained power; otherwise, I would be the shadow's first victim. The flickering candlelight danced across the walls, casting shadows that seemed to mock my urgency.

It was not so much for my life as for the lives of the sealord and the two courtisans. May the force help those ladies, If the magisters had elected a new prince by now,then that meant that they were undergoing a version of what had already happened to me, if not worse. I could not tell how long The red priestess had kept me captive, but with every passing second, my anxiety grew. My eyes were fixed on the desk, where my lightsaber lay. That space had to be some sort of makeshift study for the priestess. Judging from these people's fixation with fire and light swords,they probably thought that that was the sword of fire to be wielded by their so-called 'prince that was promised'. I knew I had to retrieve it swiftly if I were to have any chance of saving the Sealord and the two courtesans from whatever peril they might be facing.

But before that, I was aware of the daunting task that loomed before me. It was the newly born monster, and whatever else was going to happen, I could not under any circumstances allow that assailant to go out there. After my Jedi abilities had returned, it had taken me quite a while to figure out what had happened in Pentos that led to this kind of scheming. Of course, even though Pentos has been subservient to Braavos for a while now, the wealthy magisters have never been happy about it. mainly because, due to the Braavosian authorities banning slavery in any of the free cities,the magisters had to forcefully give freedom to their servants and the many bed slaves in their pleasure houses, something that did not sit well with them.

Pentos, like the cities in Slaver's Bay,had thrived on this trade. So of course, when the red priestess heard of my arrival alongside the sealord,she must have hatched a scheme to kill two birds with one stone, namely,to murder the sealord and thus free Pentos and acquire what she thought to be the sword of fire belonging to the prince that was promised. With the sword,she could easily claim to be that prince since the word prince in the Valyrian tongue was not gender-sensitive. Of course, she must have exercised some of her red magic in convincing the magisters to support her scheme, because I could not figure out how they would in their normal state of mind. I mean, even with the help of the red religion,the braaosi water dancers would be poured on the city of Pentos, and the two cities would be plunged into war once more. but I decided that maybe that was where the shadow came into play. I mean, it would be easy for her to deal with all those who went against her wishes.

That was definitely it.

As I was deciphering all this in my brain,my body was gradually preparing for the perfect time, and when I was certain I was back to full strength and all my suppressed Jedi abilities and perks were back, I prepared for war. I couldn't help but feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

The sight of the Red Woman engrossed with the Shadow Assassin gave me a momentary advantage, and I intended to make the most of it. Using every ounce of concentration, I focused on harnessing the thermal heat perk. With a burst of intense energy, I felt the restraints that had bound me melt away, freeing me from their grasp. Now unencumbered, I leaped into the air, propelled by the force of the jump. The priestess was completely unaware, and her hand flew to her chest while her lips began forming some vague valyrian chant. A split second later, terror filled her dark eyes, which were already filled with fatigue, as she realized that her protective red mulet was not on her. I wasn't giving her space this time around; this was certainly what I should have done right from the start.

Mid-air, time seemed to slow down as I extended my hand towards the priestess. With a swift motion, I unleashed a powerful force push that sent her hurtling through space like a weightless puppet. Her body collided with the unforgiving wall, creating an earth-shattering impact. I had no time to countercheck her incapacitation.

I turned and pulled the lightsaber into my grasp, conscious that the enemy that now remained was the deadliest of all. It was then that I realized that the shadow that had previously been vaguely visible as smoke had now completely become invisible. Fear and tension suddenly assailed me. but I shoved them aside and closed my eyes. I let my force sense surround me for the entire room, and I soon registered the shadow's presence next to that of the unconscious woman. Good,now I knew where the enemy was.

Now the question that begs bags of gold is: how do you kill a freaking shadow? For the next stretch of restless minutes, I found myself locked in a relentless battle against the invisible adversary. Frustration gnawed at me as I pondered how to defeat this insidious foe, for my lightsaber had proven futile against its intangible form. With each swing, the humming blades passed through the shadow assassin as if it were nothing more than a mere illusion.

Through force sense, I could feel The creature move with uncanny speed and agility, striking from the darkness with deadly precision. Its attacks were swift and merciless, leaving me on the edge and struggling to anticipate its next move. I focused my senses, honing my connection to the Force system as I searched for any advantage. My mind raced with possibilities as I braised for unseen attacks.

Perhaps there was a way to force it to reveal its true form or weaken its grip on this plane of existence. But just then I recalled something I had seen at the Jedi Temple. It was not a Jedi technique, but having spent countless hours in a place filled with every manner of holocron, both Sith and Jedi, I had managed to open one of the Sith holocrons. On opening, I learned that it was clear instructions from a Sith Lord by the name of Darth Vitiate.

The guy must have been a psycho because in that holocron,he was giving instructions on how even a single force user could create a thought bomb by manipulating the force. The thought bomb was a powerful technique used by ancient Jedi and Sith alike. It involves channeling one's energy and emotions into a concentrated burst of pure Force energy.

The resulting explosion releases a wave of psychic energy that affects all living beings within its radius, rendering them unconscious or even worse. Darth Vitiate, however, developed a technique where a single individual could do just the same but with vicios result.

Apparently, after researching further,the Sith Lord had gone ahead and consumed the best part of the empire with this ritual. I had never given it much thought because it was a dark thing, yet now I found myself using this skill. I mean, no manner of Jedi ability I employed would destroy the shadow, and I was therefore forced to hide behind the force wall that I had erected. However, the force walls did not hold for long, and soon I would be exposed again. In my curiosity, I had gathered quite a lot of information on this technique, and seeing that it was not only my life at stake, I chose to give it a try.

'Fuck good and evil; now it was only survival'. I closed my eyes and reached in my thoughts to what seemed like the center of a dazzling light. This was the force itself. Slowly, I began compressing all this energy into a tiny ball.

As I focused on condensing the energy within me, I could feel its immense power surging through my veins. The dazzling light intensified, pulsating with astonishing brilliance. With each passing moment, the force energy grew stronger, as if it were responding to my every intention. As the energy reached its peak, I visualized shaping it into a small, concentrated sphere of pure thought.

This was no ordinary bomb; it held the essence of my determination and willpower. With a deep breath, I opened my eyes and surveyed the dimly lit surroundings. Through my senses, I felt the shadow lurking on the far corner near the red woman. perhaps waiting for me to let my hair down. which I was about to do.

With intense speed born of the endless training hours with Master Plop Koon, I dropped the wall and immediately pulled the unconscious woman behind me. I then conjured an even mightier wall of energy, fortifying our defense. And then, with a flick of my wrist, I released the pulsating sphere of power. What followed made the events of 9/11 seem like a mere jest from a mischievous toddler.

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