Star Wars:The Apprentice

Adam sat in silence.

The room was cold, dimly lit by the eerie red glow of distant city lights filtering through a narrow window. Coruscant's lower levels stretched endlessly beyond it—a labyrinth of metal, filth, and shadows. He wasn't sure where he was exactly. Sidious hadn't told him.

Not that it mattered.

Adam pulled his knees to his chest, staring at his reflection in the metal floor. His hair was messy, falling over his face, his blue eyes distant, heavy bags shadowing them. He looked exhausted.

He *felt* exhausted.

His mind was still reeling.

He was really *here*.

This wasn't a dream. It wasn't some delusion. He was in *Star Wars*, sitting in some dark, ancient room, with *Darth Sidious* of all people.

And he had agreed to stay.

Adam swallowed. He wasn't sure why he said yes. Maybe because he had nowhere else to go. Maybe because, deep down, he was *curious*.

Or maybe because for the first time in his life, someone had looked at him and seen something *more*.

He shook the thought away.

A sudden presence made his skin crawl.

Sidious.

Adam tensed as the Sith Lord entered the room, his long, dark robes trailing behind him. His wrinkled face was unreadable, his yellow eyes gleaming in the dim light.

"I trust you are… settling in," Sidious said, his voice smooth yet laced with something unsettling.

Adam hesitated before nodding. "…Yeah."

Sidious stepped closer, hands hidden beneath his sleeves. "You have much to learn."

Adam's fingers curled into his palms.

Sidious studied him for a moment before speaking again. "Tell me… do you still dwell on the past?"

Adam's stomach twisted. He looked away.

Did he?

He thought about his family. His siblings. His parents.

Did they miss him?

Did they even *notice* he was gone?

Would they be relieved?

He clenched his teeth.

"I don't care," he muttered.

Sidious chuckled. "Lies do not become you."

Adam's jaw tightened.

Sidious slowly circled him, his voice calm, almost hypnotic. "You believe they never saw you. Never valued you. And yet, here you are, wondering if they are searching for you."

Adam exhaled sharply through his nose. "I said I *don't care.*"

Sidious smirked. "Good."

Adam blinked.

Sidious came to a stop in front of him. "They do not matter. They never did."

Adam's throat tightened.

"Who are they to you now?" Sidious asked. "Ghosts? Memories?" He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. "They are nothing."

Adam swallowed.

He wanted to argue.

But a small, dark part of him knew Sidious was right.

His family had never understood him. They never *tried* to.

He had spent years feeling like an afterthought.

Now, he was *here*.

And for the first time… he wasn't invisible.

Sidious's gaze pierced through him. "The past is a chain. One you must break."

Adam exhaled slowly.

"…How?"

Sidious smiled.

"Through power."

Adam hesitated.

Power.

The word sent a shiver down his spine.

Back in that alley, he had felt it. The raw, terrifying force that had surged through his veins, lifting those men into the air, choking the life from them.

It had been *his.*

Sidious stepped back, folding his hands behind him. "Come."

Adam furrowed his brows. "Where?"

Sidious turned toward the door. "It is time you *begin*."

Adam's pulse quickened.

He didn't move at first. But then, slowly, he pushed himself to his feet.

His body still ached, but he ignored it.

Sidious didn't look back as he led him down a dark corridor, the walls lined with ancient symbols. The air was thick, heavy with something Adam couldn't explain.

Eventually, they entered a large, circular chamber. The ceiling was high, the walls adorned with intricate carvings. In the center of the room stood a lone pedestal.

Sidious gestured toward it. "Step forward."

Adam hesitated.

Then, cautiously, he approached.

Resting on the pedestal was a small, black sphere. Its surface was smooth, almost glass-like, but something about it felt… wrong.

His chest tightened as he stared at it.

"What is it?"

Sidious's voice was calm. "A test."

Adam swallowed. "A test for what?"

Sidious stepped closer. "For *you.*"

Adam's fingers twitched.

A test.

He glanced at Sidious, then back at the sphere.

Slowly, he reached out.

The moment his fingers brushed against it—

Pain.

A searing, burning pain shot through his body. His mind exploded with images—memories that weren't his. Wars. Betrayal. Death. The cries of the fallen. The rage of the forsaken.

Adam gasped, stumbling back.

His heart pounded as he clutched his head.

The visions clawed at his mind, twisting, writhing.

And then—

Darkness.

He hit the floor, breathless, his body trembling.

Sidious watched him in silence.

Adam's vision swam. His chest heaved.

He felt… cold.

Sidious finally spoke. "You see now, don't you?"

Adam shuddered.

Sidious knelt beside him. "The Force is *not* kind. It is not merciful."

Adam's hands curled into fists.

"The Jedi would have you believe it is a tool for peace," Sidious continued. "That it is something to be controlled. *Tamed.*" His voice darkened. "But the truth is far simpler."

Adam's breath trembled.

Sidious leaned in.

"It is a weapon."

Adam's pulse pounded in his ears.

"A blade forged in conflict," Sidious whispered. "And only those strong enough to *wield* it will ever grasp its true potential."

Adam shut his eyes.

He could still feel the power coursing through him. The whispers of something *more*.

Sidious rose to his feet.

Adam forced himself to stand.

His body ached, his mind felt fractured.

But something inside him had changed.

Sidious watched him closely.

Then, after a moment—

He smiled.Adam's breathing was unsteady.

His hands trembled at his sides as he forced himself to stand upright, his body screaming in protest. The echoes of the visions still lingered, clawing at his thoughts like shadows refusing to fade. His mind felt like it had been cracked open, something dark seeping into the fractures.

And yet…

He wasn't afraid.

Not anymore.

Sidious observed him carefully, his yellow eyes gleaming with interest.

"You felt it, didn't you?" the Sith Lord asked, his voice low, almost pleased.

Adam swallowed. His throat was dry.

"…Yeah," he muttered.

Sidious took a slow step forward. "Describe it."

Adam hesitated.

How could he put it into words?

It was like drowning and breathing at the same time. Like his body had been torn apart and put back together, but *different*. He had felt something immense—something vast and infinite, stretching beyond his understanding.

Power.

Raw, terrible, *undeniable* power.

"…It was like the universe itself was tearing me apart," Adam finally said, his voice quiet. "Like I was nothing. But at the same time…" He exhaled, his hands tightening into fists. "I felt like I could be *everything*."

Sidious smiled. "Good."

Adam's stomach twisted.

He wasn't sure why he said it. Why he admitted that. But deep down, he *knew*—he had never felt something like that before. Not in his old life. Not even close.

Sidious clasped his hands behind his back. "The Force has revealed its truth to you. It is neither kind nor gentle. It does not grant power to the weak." His gaze darkened. "It *consumes* them."

Adam looked down at his hands.

He could still feel it, that energy, pulsing beneath his skin. It was intoxicating.

And terrifying.

Sidious began to circle him. "The Jedi will tell you to let go of emotion. To suppress it." His lip curled in disgust. "Fools."

Adam frowned, saying nothing.

"They cling to peace like frightened children," Sidious continued. "They deny the very essence of the Force. But you—" He stopped in front of Adam, staring directly into his eyes. "You have already *embraced* it."

Adam's chest tightened.

The alley.

The moment those men attacked him—when his fear and anger exploded—when he *killed* them.

It had been instinct.

But the feeling…

It had felt *right*.

Sidious tilted his head. "You hesitate."

Adam exhaled sharply, turning away. "I don't know what I'm doing."

Sidious chuckled. "Not yet."

Adam frowned.

Sidious took a step closer, lowering his voice. "You were weak once. Powerless." His tone was almost mocking. "You were overlooked. Dismissed."

Adam stiffened.

"You let them walk over you," Sidious whispered. "Your family. Your peers. The world itself."

Adam clenched his jaw.

Sidious's smirk widened. "And tell me… what did that kindness ever earn you?"

Adam's breath hitched.

Nothing.

It had earned him *nothing*.

Sidious leaned in. "But now… now, they could not ignore you if they tried."

Adam's fingers twitched.

The Sith Lord straightened, his expression cold once more. "You stand at the precipice of something far greater than yourself. A galaxy *ripe* for the taking." He gestured around them. "And yet, you cling to the past. To *weakness*."

Adam's heart pounded.

"You feel guilt for what you did." Sidious's eyes gleamed with amusement. "For killing those men."

Adam's stomach twisted.

He hadn't meant to.

Had he?

Sidious smirked. "Tell me… did it not feel *right*?"

Adam inhaled sharply.

His mind screamed at him to say no.

But his silence spoke for him.

Sidious chuckled darkly. "You see now, don't you? This is your path."

Adam forced himself to breathe.

He *did* see.

And it terrified him.

But what terrified him more…

Was that some part of him didn't want to turn back.

Sidious turned, walking toward the far end of the chamber. "Come," he ordered. "Your training begins *now*."

Adam hesitated.

Then, slowly, he followed.