One of the things Ezra hated most (besides Zeb's refusal to use deodorant) was the constant harping Kanan always had when it came to meditation. It was usually the same routine. Kanan would direct Ezra back to the bunk he shared with Zeb, and order him to meditate for half an hour. Most of the time Ezra just closed the door and played with his light saber. Pretending to slash through Inquisitors, and shoot at Storm Troopers. But after Kanan had returned from his secret mission, that he still refused to talk about, no matter how many times anyone asked, the main topic for training was always Ezra's focus (or lack thereof).

"You're not focusing Ezra," Kanan said.

And even worse, Kanan had now taken it as his personal mission to make sure Ezra was meditating properly, so from now on, all practices were taken in Kanan's quarters rather than Ezra's. Great.

Ezra tried not to stare at the multiple bandages that stuck to Kanan's body, in fact, he seemed to be made up of more bandage than flesh. And in the soft candle lit shadow of Kanan's quarters, he almost looked like something from the world of the dead.

"So…" Ezra began, "Is there a reason we've just been focusing on breathing? I mean, I'm pretty sure the Inquistor isn't going to care about how well I fill my lungs. In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd be more concerned with the opposite."

Kanan's eyes merely glazed over. "Over the past couple of days it's dawned on me that you need a lot more work in the concentration area." He rubbed his chin and grin, "And who knows, this might come in handy one day. Might keep your face looking as pretty as it does now."

And that was the other thing, Kanan kept hinting at something. Like there was some kind of joke that only he was in on. It drove Ezra nuts…but he didn't really want to ask. When Kanan came back, his body was torn in four different places, and his tunic was stained red. Kanan was terrified and tired and starving and…spent.

"Are we done yet?" Ezra asked. "We've been at this for an hour."

Kanan just stood back and watched, "The more you complain, the longer the meditation will be. Just focus on your breathing and concentrate."

Ezra zipped his lips and tried to focus. His feet barred into his backside, and the scented candles around him were beginning to make his nose numb. However, he could still feel. Feel Kanan's eyes on the back of his neck, and lately, it felt like Kanan was pained by the simple act of staring Ezra. After practices, when Ezra was beat and still too tired to make it to the ship, he would feel Kanan's stare, and the pain that melted from the man's face. At night, when Zeb's snoring wasn't drowning through Ezra's dreams, he could sense Kanan in the other room. His mind a jumble, and his heart tattered and ripped like his tunic.

"So…was it something I did?" Ezra asked.

"This isn't a punishment kid, I'm just trying to make sure you stay alive."

But that wasn't the whole truth, Ezra could sense that much. It was almost like Kanan was trying to make up for something. A mistake, or a poor plan perhaps? Granted, Kanan's plans did have a habit of going astray, but whose didn't? It wasn't anything to get upset over.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today, don't you?" Kanan said as he tapped Ezra on the shoulder.

Ezra nearly jumped from his meditation position. "Sounds good to me." He stretched, and walked to the door.

"But we'll pick it up again tomorrow, same time. Got it?"

Ezra merely wove his hand, "You got it master."

Ezra reveled in the chance to stretch his legs for a while. He had been on the Ghost for so long, he was beginning to lose touch with his home planet. Being sick for the past week was one thing, but being sick, and then having your training doubled only made things worse.

Still, the sky was clear and, and the sun was warm. Perhaps a little walk would help clear his head. Hera had parked the Ghost far from Ezra's old neighborhood. In fact, Ezra had only seen this part of Lothal once, and it was during the time he and Kanan went to see Jedi Temple. Something Ezra couldn't even fathom was on Lothal. A back water planet like this? Home to a Jedi temple? It sometimes made Ezra think about what else Lothal was hiding. But that could wait for another day.

Ezra wandered through the desert, allowing himself to be pulled by idle curiosity. His eyes lingered over strange rock formations, and his boots dug themselves into every sand dune they came across. He dug his hands in weeds, chased after Loth-Rats, threw stones into the air and watched them fall back down.

And then, Ezra looked up and realized he had wandered far from the Ghost. Too far. So far, in fact, that he was nowhere near it, and had no idea where it was.

"Whoops."

Kanan was going to kill him, and if Ezra thought Kanan was hard on his "focus" issues now, he'd be worse than Emperor Palpatine when he found out Ezra had gotten lost thanks to his idle mind.

"Okay," Ezra told himself, "Just relax. You've gotten out of worse scrapes than just getting lost." He wandered on, perhaps he'd get lucky find his way back, and if worse came to worse he could simple radio Zeb for a little assistance. Sure, Zeb would never shut up about it, and he'd probably blackmail him for the next week…but it was still better than Kanan finding out. All things considered, it was a good plan.

Walking ahead, Ezra came across a rock formation, tall and sturdy. Moss grew on its side and the air seemed to swirl around it like a star cluster. Ezra could feel the Force pull him towards it…ragged and warm. This was the place where the Temple was hidden, that much Ezra remembered.

Ezra walked forward and placed his hands against cold stone.

Listen to its story….

Ezra closed his eyes and felt the world slow to hum. Sand swirled. The sun blazed from above. And Ezra heard it whisper. "It…it wants to admit me. To…show me something important."

Ezra stepped back and shrugged. "Well…far be it for me to ignore the voice of a rock, right?"

He held his hand out and felt the world fill him with its substance. Cool and warm, light and dense. The Force was many things, and Ezra had much to learn, but at the very least, he knew how to gain entrance to a greater world. Something Kanan showed him how to do.

The rock parted, the ground shook, and the temple rose into the air like a starship. If Ezra didn't know any better, it was almost like it was glad to see him.

"Miss me?"

He slowly walked inside, careful to keep his focus as tight as possible. He didn't want this thing to fall on him like it had last time.

The temple hadn't changed at all. Still the same dead figures lining the walls. The bones of old masters whose padawans never came back. He recognized the floor the Kanan had sat on, awaiting for his return, and he stopped in front of the large stone door that led to his great trial. Ezra never told Kanan what happened in during the test, and Kanan never asked. Keeping secrets seemed to be one of the things they were both good at. Kanan never really told him much about his past. Ezra didn't even really know what Kanan's master's name was. Only that she was tough, and didn't take nonsense lightly.

As he walked up to the door, Ezra couldn't shake the feeling that there was something important that needed to be done here. But, what was it? It was times like these that Ezra wished the Force was a little less cryptic, and a little more black and white. Was this another test?

The door slowly rose, and Ezra felt himself step back. What was it now? During his last trip here, he was forced to face some of the worst experiences of his life. Fear. Doubt. Loss. All alone. He wasn't sure he could face that again.

But deep inside him, came a small whisper. Worry not Padawan. Go forward.

Ezra stepped forward, his boots leaving a trail of dirt where he stood, and the door slowly closed behind him.

"Well, guess there's no going back now."

He continued walking and the more he moved, the more at ease he felt. There was no lingering presence here. No dark undercurrent that made Ezra's skin tingle. Just a soft acceptance that placed him at ease. But the Temple wouldn't just admit him for no reason. There had to be something it wanted.

He walked on…and then, ever so slightly, he felt a quick change in the air. A disturbance that gave him pause. It felt like someone had jolted him from the inside.

"What was that?" Ezra didn't have the chance to ponder it because before he knew it, the floor fell from under him. What once was solid stone had given way to air. Sturdy replaced with unreliable uncertainty. Ezra fell deep into the catacombs. Down. Down. Down…down darkness gave way to light…

"Hello?"

An Ezra heard a voice.

"Hey, kid? Are you alright?"

A soft voice. Young and unsure of itself.

Ezra's slid open to welcome the sunlight. The wind kissed his brow, and his body lay flat against a grassy surface. Above him, was the face of a...kid? Well, more like a teenager. No older than Ezra probably. His ears pointed at their ends, and his lips were pressed into a thin curve. A small braid fell from his hair, and his eyes looked like they held a million questions. He wore a brown robe that hid his figure, and to his side Ezra could see the hilt of a light saber. This kid was a Jedi? No, a padawan most likely. But, wasn't Ezra the only Padawan left? Either that, or Kanan had been training others behind his back. There were more around Jedi? How was that possible? Ezra eased himself up, only feel this kids hands against his chest.

"Woah, careful there" He said. "You're safe."

"Where am I?" Ezra asked. He had never seen this part of Lothal. Desert was replaced with soft grass and sweet foliage.

"You are on Corusant," he said.

Corusant? Granted, Ezra was still new to galactic travel, but he did know Corusant was so far from Lothal that most people didn't even believe they were a part of the same galaxy. It took starships light years to get there. How the force did I get on Corusant?

"You alright?" the kid ask as he gently helped Ezra to his feet, "What exactly were you doing here In the old abandoned temple?" he asked.

"T-temple?" Ezra looked behind him to see the Temple, standing tall and proud before him. That wasn't the Lothal Temple. Oh no. No. No. No.

The kid cocked his head, and opened his mouth, about to ask another question, but he closed it and thought.

"Perhaps we could continue this inside? There's another Temple in the center of the city…we could go there." he suggested. Slowly grabbed his hand and ushered him across the field. "My name's Caleb Dume," he said. "And yours would be…?"

Ezra opened his mouth to speak…but closed it again. Something inside of him told him he could trust this guy. But, living on the streets for so long had also taught him that a little caution could save your life.

"Dev Morgan," Ezra said.

He didn't know what was going on, how he got here, and how he was going to get back, but hopefully it would begin to make sense soon.