Days passed with Knight Kadro Vess training Vilyam in Shii Cho, the first form of lightsaber combat, and Vilyam began performing at a higher level, able to deflect many of Knight Kadro Vess's attacks and even attempt to counterattack.
They stood apart from each other, each holding the wooden training swords in the Shii Cho form, taking in and examining every slight twitch of the opponent's muscles, every breath, and every shuffle of feet as they circled closer.
Vilyam swung diagonally, his blade cutting through the air with an audible whistle.
Knight Kadro Vess smirked and held his saber at an angle that would not transfer the force but at the last second Vilyam twisted his wrist and the wooden blade brushed past Knight Kadro Vess's training sword and struck his shoulder.
However, just as William was beginning to entertain the notion of celebrating the fact that he had managed to strike Knight Kadro Vess, the Knight suddenly began to shake and shimmer, before ultimately fading away entirely.
This unexpected disappearance revealed that the Knight had actually never left his starting position to begin with.
"Good, very good, but remember that when fighting with a force user you have to be mentally and physically prepared to deal with an assortment of powerful and useful abilities!"
Knight Kadro Vess gestured towards the spot that his image once stood.
"And this particular ability, known as Force Projection, is one I'm still far from mastering."
He closed his eyes, and nodded to himself as he continued to speak
"However, at the distance I'm currently at and in situations involving close-range combat, it can be incredibly useful for either wearing down opponents or, even more interestingly, having a relatively private conversation without the risk of someone accidentally tapping into our communications!"
Vilyam nodded his head as he listened, his mind ablaze with the desire to learn all the Force abilities he could possibly get his hands on.
Knight Kadro Vess offered a small, appreciative smile as he observed the keen thirst for knowledge displayed by his students; a light, almost inaudible chuckle escaped his lips.
The Knight once more took the Shii Cho stance and planted his feet.
"And this-"
He suddenly disappeared from his position, reappearing before Vilyam with his wooden sword lightly touching the soft skin on the younglings neck.
"Is Force Speed!"
Vilyam dropped his sword, an expression of absolute shock on his face.
Meanwhile, over on a different part of the training yard, the Initiate Strom was glaring daggers directly at Vilyam.
Where does this bastard get off, and why is he getting such personal treatment from the Master, he isn't that good...
Strom began to grit his teeth, pressing them together so hard that they threatened to crack apart.
However, after a moment, his expression shifted and morphed into a tight, almost predatory smirk.
Guess I'll go introduce myself and the pecking order...
He strolled casually over towards Vilyam, and the other initiates in the area started to take notice, as most of them were displaying a distinctly disapproving look in their eyes while observing him.
Vilyam and Knight Kadro Vess too noticed the approaching Initiate Strom, the knights eyes narrowing into thin, piercing slits but he backed up and began sitting on a boulder.
Whatever that boy is thinking, I had best keep an eye on it all.
Soon Initiate Strom stood across from Vilyam, his predatory smirk morphed into a shit-eating grin.
"I won't go easy on you like the Knight there!"
Time to teach you your place.
Vilyam met the red-haired Initiates arrogant gaze with one of quiet indifference, the sight causing Stroms gaze to harden.
This guy clearly has something to prove, how annoying.
Vilyam took the Shii Cho stance followed immediately by Strom doing the same, their eyes staring hard at each other.
Strom was the first to burst forwards, his sword swinging in a wide horizontal arc, it took him a moment before he appeared before Vilyam faster than Expected by Vilyam.
He's fast-
Vilyam swung his own training sword in a diagonal and angled position causing Stroms blade to shoot upwards due to his own force.
With impressive agility, Strom executed a backwards leap, expertly dodging the oncoming counterattack as Vilyam's blade swung upward.
Strom began running in an enclosing circle, hoping to make Vilyam make a mistake in his defenses, however Vilyam remained perfectly still in the center, his Shii Cho form flawless.
This fucking guy-
Strom shot forward at Vilyam's back, arms pulled back as he prepared a lunge that would definitely draw blood, a sadistic gleam in Strom's eyes.
Vilyam could feel Strom's gaze burning into him from behind and rather than swing his blade he calmly stepped to the side, causing Strom's wooden training sword to pierce nothing but air as Strom continued to move due to his own momentum.
Strom stomped the ground and broke his forward momentum, now in front of Vilyam he began cocking back his leg for a kick.
This guy-
Vilyam was prepared for a sword strike and was in no way expecting to be kicked.
THUD-
Strom's foot smashed into Vilyam's abdomen, knocking the air from his lungs and sending him flying backwards, landing on his back and rolling for a few more feet.
Vilyam stood up quickly despite the lack of air in his lungs and raised his wooden sword, his eyes glaring righteously towards Strom in a way that made the young initiate extremely uncomfortable.
"D- Don't you dare look at me like that you bastard!"
Strom rushed forward his sword raised over his head for a downward swing.
Vilyam smirked.
This guy is so easily flustered, it's a little embarrassing!
Completing his thoughts Vilyam swung his wooden training sword upward at an opposing angle.
CRACK-
The two blades collided in the air, producing a distinct and audible cracking sound as the wood they were composed of strained beyond its normal limits of strength.
Vilyam stayed focused however, slamming the pommel of the wooden sword into Strom's chin, causing him to bite the inside of this cheek and spit out a mouthful of blood.
A palpable hatred flared in Strom's eyes, and he immediately began to channel the Force into his palm.
Visible distortions of energy quickly enveloped his hand as he thrust it forward with a clear and violent intent.
The air seemed to burst as a wave of angry pressure swept towards Vilyam, accompanied by the scream of violently displaced air.
Vilyam's sapphire blue eyes narrowed into pinholes before the Force Push slammed into him with the force of a landspeeder.
He let out a soundless scream as his body was enveloped by the imposing force, his body shooting backwards until he struck the a tree on the temple grounds, the tree straining under the pressure.
However, with Vilyam repeatedly and relentlessly struck by the Force Push, he began to experience something far beyond mere pain; it was as though the Force itself was directly calling out to him, urging him, almost pleading with him, to finally push back against the attack.
Push... Resist... Struggle..!
These words seemed to echo through his very being, as if his own thoughts were speaking to him and gritting his teeth he began to struggle to lift his arms against the push, a visible wave of pressure beginning to emanate from his hands.
He let the pressure build until it hurt, the strain beginning to push and pull at his bones.
He pointed his hands towards Strom and let out a soundless scream before unleashing the pressure building within.
FWOOSH-
Vilyam's force push was smaller and more condensed than Strom's causing it to punch straight through the invisible wave of pressure Strom's Force Push, punching straight through the center and striking Strom in his abdomen.
Strom spat out a mouthful of blood and spit, his eyes going wide as they grew bloodshot.
What the hell... Isn't this guy new..?
Strom was propelled backwards with a visible lack of control, his robes taking a noticeable twisting shape as he inevitably impacted the wall that enclosed the training field.
The impact echoed longer than it should have.
Not the sound of Strom striking the wall.
But the aftershock.
A ripple moved through the training yard, subtle but undeniable, like the air itself had been disturbed in a way it did not appreciate.
For a brief moment, everything stilled.
Knight Kadro Vess did not move immediately.
He stood where he had been, one foot still slightly angled from where he had shifted his weight earlier, his wooden blade resting loosely at his side.
But his eyes…
His eyes had sharpened.
Strom slumped against the wall, coughing violently as he struggled to pull air back into his lungs, his limbs trembling from both the impact and the sheer shock of what had just happened.
A silence spread across the training field.
The clashing of wooden swords had ceased.
The laughter of younger initiates died in their throats.
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
Vilyam stood where he had unleashed the push, his arms still extended, fingers trembling faintly as if they had yet to realize the effort was over.
His chest rose and fell in uneven bursts.
He didn't look triumphant.
He looked… confused.
Kadro Vess took a single step forward.
Then another.
Measured. Controlled.
But there was something coiled beneath it now.
Something alert.
Around them, the other initiates began to murmur.
"Did you see that…?"
"He- he broke through it…"
"That wasn't just a push…"
"No way… he's only been here for-"
A group of older initiates exchanged glances, their earlier indifference gone, replaced with something far more calculating.
One of them narrowed his eyes.
"He compressed it… That's dangerous isn't it?"
Another nodded slowly.
"…Yeah. That wasn't raw output. That was control."
The younger ones didn't understand.
Not fully.
But they felt it.
The shift.
The way attention, invisible but heavy, had suddenly tilted toward Vilyam like gravity itself had chosen him as a center.
Strom, still on one knee, wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
His eyes flicked up, and locked onto Vilyam.
Gone was the easy arrogance.
Gone was the casual cruelty.
What remained was something tighter.
Sharper.
Dangerously focused.
Kadro Vess finally stopped a few paces away from Vilyam.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His gaze moved,not just over Vilyam, but through him, as if tracing the lingering echoes of what had just occurred.
Thar faint distortion in the air, the residual tension, and the imprint left behind.
"…Interesting."
Vilyam slowly lowered his arms, the tips of his fingers curling inward as though he were desperately trying to grasp something that had already slipped through his grasp.
"I..."
He hesitated.
"I didn't mean to-"
"You did."
Kadro's voice cut cleanly through the air.
Not harsh.
Not angry.
Just absolute.
The Knight stepped closer.
Now he stood directly before Vilyam, close enough that the boy had to tilt his head up to meet his gaze.
"You didn't lose control," Kadro continued. "You found it."
His eyes flicked briefly toward the distant wall where Strom was recovering.
"Crude," he added.
A pause.
"But deliberate."
Behind them, the murmurs grew quieter.
Not gone.
Just… more careful.
Kadro extended a hand.
Not to strike.
Not to correct.
But to measure.
He didn't touch Vilyam.
He didn't need to.
The Force flowed between them, an almost imperceptible and inquisitive energy, gently brushing against the periphery of Vilyam's being, as if posing a question patiently awaiting its response.
For a fraction of a second, Kadro's expression shifted.
Barely.
But it was there.
A flicker of something unexpected.
Then it was gone.
Replaced once more with calm control.
"You felt it, didn't you?" Kadro asked.
Vilyam nodded slowly.
"It was like… it was telling me to push back."
Kadro studied him for a long moment.
"…Good."
He straightened.
"Then remember this feeling," he said, his voice now carrying not just to Vilyam, but to everyone watching.
"Because what you experienced was not power."
He paused.
"Power is easy."
His gaze swept across the gathered initiates.
"What you touched…"
A very subtle, almost imperceptible smile flickered across his lips.
"…was the very will of the Force."