Star Wars: Escape from the Jedi Temple Begins

Chapter 32: Lance's Battle, A New Path

White Lance's hand holding the lightsaber trembled slightly, and the force in his hand involuntarily lessened.

Because he knew that this might not be a hypothesis.

Inside the Jedi Temple, those screams still echoed in his mind.

He felt the life flames of those Jedi being extinguished one after another within the Force.

If I were a little stronger...

Perhaps that will save them.

White Lance remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking:

"I will hate my own powerlessness."

"I will be angry."

"He would want to kill Palpatine, kill all his enemies."

"But I will not deny the Jedi Way because of this."

He pressed down on the lightsaber again with force:

"That's how Anakin started."

"He initially just wanted to protect his beloved."

"That's right."

"But what was the result?"

"He personally pushed Padmé into the abyss, and now he lives on in agony with a broken body."

Black Lance had already stood up again when he relaxed his strength.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly with both hands and pushed the light blade back with all his might.

The crimson blade reflected in those reddish-yellow pupils.

"Was it entirely Anakin's fault that he gradually fell into the dark side and ultimately became Darth Vader?"

"When he needed comfort the most, no one truly understood him or offered him guidance."

"If those arrogant, dull, and hypocritical Jedi Masters had shown him a little more care and trust, would Anakin have sided with the evil Palpatine?"

"Perhaps the tragedy that followed wouldn't have happened."

"To truly destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force."

"But the end result was that the Jedi were almost wiped out, and the Sith ruled the galaxy."

"All of this tragedy can be said to be caused by the Jedi Council."

These words struck him like a heavy hammer blow.

White Lance felt his strength diminish as he struggled to withstand the downward-pressing red light blade.

After a long silence, he admitted the truth:

"They were indeed arrogant, and their attitude towards Anakin was contradictory."

"Anakin is the chosen one, and he is incredibly powerful."

"The committee needs him to completely eliminate those far removed from the dark side, to bring balance to the Force."

"On the other hand, they never dared to truly and completely trust him."

"I think Anakin could feel this contradiction as well."

"The more he craves recognition, the more wary the committee becomes."

"The more vigilant the committee became, the angrier and more isolated he felt."

"This distrust reached its peak after Anakin lost his mother."

"Anger, love, fear, resentment..."

"These emotions, which are forbidden in the Jedi Code, all appeared in him."

Black Lance grinned smugly:

"So you admit that this is the fault of Jedi Doctrine and the Committee?"

White Lance stared directly at him:

"Yes."

"The committee has a responsibility."

"The samurai order's education was equally a failure."

"Even when Anakin was young, he still used rigid educational methods to teach Anakin to restrain his emotional desires and let go of his obsessions."

"But it didn't teach him how to face fear and pain."

"But that doesn't mean Anakin bears no responsibility."

A surge of power welled up within White Lance, pushing the light blade back and allowing him to stand up.

"Many people have been hurt."

"Many people are misunderstood, abandoned, and driven to the brink of despair."

"But that's no excuse for becoming a cold-blooded killer."

"The Jedi Council's mistake was indifference and arrogance."

"Anakin's mistake was that he chose to succumb to fear and obsession."

"The result was that I destroyed myself and the people I loved with my own hands."

Having said that, he freed his other hand, unleashed his Force, and pushed it toward Black Lance.

Black Lance also retaliated.

The two figures flew backward rapidly.

After landing, they stood with their swords drawn, but did not fight again.

"The Jedi Order created Vader."

"Old and rigid dogmas are no longer suitable for the development of the times."

Black Lance looked at him and extended a hand:

"Why don't we join forces and build an even more powerful samurai order?"

White Lance remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking:

You're right about part of it.

"In a way, it was indeed the Jedi Order that pushed Anakin toward Hisspalpatine."

"The defeat of the samurai order is an indisputable fact."

"They are too rigid and too reliant on tradition."

"They tried to solve the problem of emotions themselves by controlling their emotions."

"This is a form of escapism."

"A kind of...fear."

"They gradually lose their judgment in politics and war, and even become dull."

He slowly tightened his grip on the lightsaber, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes:

"This led them to fail to see the true face of the Sith, and even to hand over the Chosen One."

"But admitting defeat does not mean going down the path you described."

White Lance's voice became firm:

"Because your so-called 'more powerful samurai order' is not about correcting mistakes, but about replacing principles with force."

He shook his head, staring at the crimson lightsaber:

That's not reform.

"That's a Sith with a different name."

Black Lance threw his head back and laughed:

"Whether it's the samurai order or the Sith."

History is nothing but a cycle.

Human nature will never change.

"As long as humans have emotions and desires, there will inevitably be a second Anakin, a third, a fourth..."

White Lance shook his head:

"That's too absolute a statement."

"Humans do indeed have seven emotions and six desires."

"You experience fear, you experience love, you experience losing control..."

"None of these will disappear."

"But the issue is never whether or not we have emotions, but how we live with them and coexist with them."

He looked at Lance in black, his tone becoming calm:

"Anakin's problem is not that he has feelings."

"It's not that no one truly taught him how to confront his fears, or how to cope with loss."

"But he was constantly asked to restrain himself and let go."

"Then Palpatine appeared, and he didn't let Anakin abandon his emotions."

"He turned the tables and used emotions to tell Anakin that he could take it all and that he could solve everything with force."

He gazed at the black-clad Lance and sighed softly:

"One teaches you to restrain yourself, the other teaches you to indulge yourself."

"It's not surprising that Anakin would choose Palpatine."

"But that's precisely why we must make changes."

Black Lance pointed at him, his tone sarcastic:

"Change?"

"For a Jedi to say such a thing is utterly outrageous."

White Lance ignored his mockery and continued speaking to himself:

"If a system can only avoid tragedy through suppression or reinforcement, then it is still incomplete."

"Emotions themselves are not the enemy."

"Love is the brilliance of humanity."

"We should acknowledge it, accept it, and take control of it."

"Instead of suppressing it."

"It should not be regarded as a weakness or a shackle."

Black Lance was taken aback by what he said, and looked at him with a complicated expression:

"So...you're planning to take a new path?"

White Lance nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"That's right."

"I know it's difficult, but I will persevere."