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Chapter 14: Duels

*realspace, aboard the Empirical*

The sound of clashing lightsabers reverberated through the air, echoing off the durasteel walls of the frigate's hangar. Jedi and Sith alike watched in awe and horror as two of the most powerful Jedi in the known galaxy engaged in a duel to the death. Jagnord, with Skywalker blood coursing through his veins and descended from the Chosen One himself, Anakin Skywalker, the amber blades on his saberstaff whirling around him in a dazzling display of colour. Fel, also with Skywalker blood, but directly descended from Jaina Solo Fel, Sword of the Jedi, his vibrant green blade tracing elaborate patterns in the air as he fended off Jagnord's lightning-paced attacks.

The two Jedi crossed the hangar, blades crossing in a whirlwind of blows, with strikes and counterattacks sallying back and forth, seemingly equally matched. Their lightsabers were all but a blur of colour, and even the most battle-hardened Jedi and Sith could not keep up with the pace of the duel.

Sparks flew every which way, and the two Jedi's lightsabers left deep scorch marks on the freshly scrubbed durasteel surfaces of the Empirical. The drone of the lightsaber blades had reached a feverish pitch, and their humming provided a backdrop to the violent clashes of kyber energy.

Fel leapt backwards, slashing at the nose landing gear of a Laser-X as he did, causing the nose of the craft to fall downwards with a pained groan. The crippled fighter crashed to the floor in front of Jagnord with a resounding BOOM. Undeterred, Jagnord simply slashed through the nose of the craft and continued through the wreckage, his robes snagging on the red-hot edges of the damaged pieces of the X-wing.

Fel stalked backwards, circling Jagnord, his breath coming fast and hard. Jagnord had shed his smouldering robes, revealing the light plate armour that all Jedi wore in the field. The painted gold highlights gleamed in the amber light of his saberstaff. The Jedi emblem painted above his heart flashed proudly, if a little ironically, as if to tell Fel that Jagnord's intentions were noble, flawed though his execution was.

Fel shed his own robes, revealing his own faded plate armour. Unlike Jagnord's immaculately kept and pristine armour, his armour had seen action in the field, and Fel had never bothered to repaint it. Battered and worn, one could just barely see the slightest hints of red paint. In contrast, the Jedi emblem on his chestplate was a dull blue.

Fel stared down Jagnord as the older Jedi casually twirled his lightsaber. The Grand Master's yellow-eyed stare was intense, but Fel refused to show any signs of weakness.

The two Jedi circled each other like apex predators. The assembled Jedi and Sith held their breath, waiting to see who would make the first move.

Fel knew that Jagnord's age had to be getting to him, yet the old man looked as fresh as he had when the battle had begun. Fel wondered how the most powerful of all the Jedi could have fallen to the dark side, but even as he stared into Jagnord's yellow eyes, the answer came to him. Skywalkers always had had a propensity for the dark side. Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader, Jacen Solo had turned to become Darth Caedus, and Ben Solo had succumbed to Snoke to become Kylo Ren. The Skywalker bloodline had equal probabilities of being either the strongest Jedi or the strongest Sith.

With that, Fel made up his mind. He would destroy Jagnord, even if it killed him. Pointing his blade at Jagnord, he roared and charged.

The two blades met with a violent crackle. Fel stared Jagnord down, their faces mere inches away from the two crossed blades.

Over the din of the sparking blades, Fel shouted at Jagnord: "I won't let you destroy them! It isn't the Jedi way!"

Snarling, Jagnord pushed Fel off. "You're too weak to see the big picture. I will destroy the Sith once and for all, and we will end the war! Forever!"

Fel shook his head. "The Jedi are peacekeepers! There are other ways to end wars! You just never had the wisdom to see it!"

Jagnord growled. "Enough of your insubordination Fel. This ends now!"

With a speed that belied his age, Jagnord lunged forward and slashed hard. Caught off guard, Fel only just deflected the blow, but the force of the strike knocked his lightsaber from his hand.

Fel fell onto his bottom, stunned by the blow. Jagnord saw his opportunity, and aiming his lightsaber at Fel's heart, plunged it straight down. Fel instinctively threw up his hands, even though he knew it was futile…

*The Maze Realm, Domain of Unending Stairways*

Loriole woke with a start. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the Maze Realm, she realised that she had been woken by the sound of lightsabers clashing. Yet these lightsabers sounded different, with an almost evil-sounding hum that resembled that of a vacuum, sucking in light instead of giving it off.

Loriole shot to her feet, her own saber in hand, only to realize that there was no immediate threat. The sound of lightsabers had travelled across the immense room. The massive walls and contorted staircases made for excellent acoustics. Squinting her eyes, the Force Champion could just barely make out figures robed in black, clashing with what appeared to be blades of pure darkness.

Looking back towards where they had entered the gargantuan room, Loriole now noticed that the passageway they had entered was not the only entrance point to the room. In fact, where the maze of stairs met the walls, a small passageway was present, which must have been how the Aether Champions had entered the room as well. They had only just made far enough for her to spot the nearest other entrances.

By now, the rest of the Force Champions had been roused from their slumber. They too saw the Aether Champions fighting in the distance. Knowing that they had no time to waste, they immediately set off.

However, another problem presented itself shortly. After having walked so far, one thing was apparent: all the stairways converged onto one massive platform before branching out into different stairways that then led to the exit.

For the first time, Loriole felt a sense of urgency in the Maze Realm. Now it was a race against time, to get to that platform and out of this room, before the Aether Champions reached it…

*realspace, aboard the Empirical*

Fel opened his eyes. At first, he could not comprehend his situation. Jagnord was standing above him, yellow eyes glaring down at him, face contorted in a mask of pure shock. The second thing that hit him was: he wasn't dead.

As he slowly began to regain his senses, he noticed that the palm of his outstretched hand was uncomfortably warm. The next thing that hit him was the fact that the hilt of Jagnord's saberstaff was almost touching said palm.

Jagnord could hardly believe it. Tutaminis was an incredibly difficult technique to master, and even he could hardly absorb blaster bolts without immense concentration beforehand. Yet Fel had easily caught his lightsaber blade, absorbing the blade's energy, an extremely rare feat that only the greatest Jedi had ever mastered. His surprise at this feat was his undoing.

Sensing the Grand Master's surprise, Fel concentrated and summoned the Force, using it to enhance his strength as he kicked out at Jagnord's chest. The blow connected, and with the sickening crunch of ribs breaking, the Force-enhanced kick sent the old Jedi tumbling backwards.

Fel was instantly on his feet, summoning his lightsaber to his hands, even as a wheezing Jagnord had already risen to his knees. Fel raised his lightsaber and ignited it, preparing to end it. But to his surprise, he didn't need to.

Jagnord rose to his feet, only to hear the snap-hiss of more lightsabers activating. Turning, he realized that the members of the Jedi High Council had encircled him, brandishing their own lightsabers, bathing him in a wash of blue, green and yellow.

One of the Jedi Masters used the Force to amplify his voice, such that it echoed across the hangar. "Grand Master Skywalker, the Jedi High Council has deemed that your actions have betrayed the deepest of Jedi beliefs, and by a unanimous vote you are hereby removed from your post of Jedi Grand Master and expelled from the Jedi Order. Surrender now, or die."

Jagnord turned around, but there was no escape. The Jedi High Council had surrounded him entirely. Fel remained outside the circle, wary but unsure of what to do.

Jagnord's next words were so soft that Fel could barely hear him over the hum of the lightsabers.

"This will be the last mistake you ever make, Jedi."

Fel suddenly felt the rage and power of the dark side wash over Jagnord, and he shouted a warning to the High Council members.

But it was too late. Far too late…

A/N hey all, so sorry for the long hiatus between chapters, but school just started today, and I realized that i wouldnt get any time at all to write once school really kicks off in full swing. my A levels are this year, so it's very likely you wont hear from me until next year. If i do get a little time during my holidays i'll try to write a little, but no guarantees. that said, i wanted to quickly churn out this chapter with a bit more action to tide you guys over until the next time i'm able to write.

if you have any critical comments, or advice for the story, feel free to leave a review below

and as always, i hope you enjoyed this chapter, and i wish all of you a happy new year (a bit late, i know) and happy reading!

Darkrai