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A pang of shame ran through Reni, sharp and swift.

She had joked with her apprentice, mocking the temple, the stern statues, and the dour atmosphere, as they often did. But here and now, she regretted it. The planet, Reni reminded herself, was practically [i]vibrating[/i] with the Force. All she had to do was open herself to it. Her thoughts on the temple as a monument aside, it had stood for thousands of years as a sanctuary for generations of Jedi. To mock it, she decided, was to mock those that had come before her. She might not like the unnatural building, the grandiosity of it all, but those that walked this hall before deserved her respect.

Her guilt became even more stinging when she thought of Mala. 

Mala, one of the few remaining Jedi from the old Order. A woman who lived through the slaughter of thousands of Jedi, and was just now seeing the order's nascent resurgence, an order to which she had dedicated her life. Surely, Reni thought, this was not a joking matter for her, but a time that called for solemnity and reflection. At the very least, Reni decided, she could keep her thoughts to herself.

Reni was drawn back into the present when a familiar fruit bar was tossed her way. A gloved hand flew from her robe and caught it before disappearing again. She smiled and nodded to Toryn in thanks, but redirected the conversation, ending their game of back-and-forth. Reni sensed some tension in her apprentice, both through the Force and what she could read in his body language. Toryn, as he frequently was, seemed like a coiled viper ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Whether this was a trait typical of all Mandalorians or just combat veterans Reni was unsure; she certainly had to fight the instinct to constantly scan for threats herself sometimes.

The war had taken a toll on many of the Jedi in the room.

[color=9ACD32]“The Force is strong on this planet. Stronger than what you’re used to. Let it in, if you can,”[/color] Reni encouraged him, knowing that if he just made an effort, the young Mandalorian could find some measure of peace here as she had for the first time six years ago.
[hr]
The temple’s stone walls warded off the worst of Ilum’s sub-zero climate, shielding them from the harsh winds that ripped through robes like a lightsaber through paper, but it was still far from comfortable for most of the Jedi. Especially, say, one who had spent most of their life onboard climate-controlled starships. 

Reni smiled sympathetically at Nova, bundled in several thick layers of cloth as her fellow apprentice kept her from tottering over. [color=9ACD32]“I’ll teach you that little trick soon, Nova,”[/color] she said, referring to the [i]tapas[/i] technique. [color=9ACD32]“Once I figure it out myself.”[/color] If her research in the archives was correct, Reni had only scratched the surface of the ability; warding off a little wind was nothing compared to preserving one’s body in the cold vacuum of space. It had taken her many hours just to achieve her small accomplishment, and she was still far from being able to train another. [color=9ACD32]“Don’t worry, it will be warmer in the tunnels,”[/color] Reni assured her, then paused to reconsider. [color=9ACD32]“Wait. No. It will be colder.”[/color]

Nova often confused Reni. 

By all accounts, she was an excellent apprentice, on track to become an excellent Jedi. The girl possessed innate talent, was optimistic, and most importantly, Reni never sensed the slightest bit of anger from her. But that was just it. 

Even the greatest Jedi faced these challenging emotions, wrestled with them as they sought their own inner peace. But Nova seemed to have already mastered this internal battle. It was how Jedi grew, by accepting these emotions but learning to let them go, not allow them to dominate their spirit. Perhaps, Reni had considered, she simply wasn’t pushing Nova hard enough, not challenging her. But Nova was keeping up with the other apprentices, growing at about the same rate one would expect. There were some issues, of course. Reni thought the young woman was reckless, willing to throw herself into unnecessary danger, and lacked patience, but these were typical of an apprentice, Master Skywalker had told her. Patience and caution could be taught.

It troubled the Jedi knight all the same.

Still, the Mirialan was proud of her apprentices, especially now, on the cusp of their first real milestone within the Order. Reni didn’t care for the Jedi’s near worship of the lightsaber, but she understood its importance in this moment as a rite of passage. Not wanting to delay any longer, Reni stood before the gathered Jedi and led them to the next chamber.
[hr]
As she pushed open the unassuming stone door, Reni thought of Toryn’s words. [color=orangered]"Because only the [i]Jedi[/i] could ever build something so big, yet [i]so very [b]bland."[/b][/i][/color] 

She wished she could see the look on his face as he entered the next room.  

Where the initial chamber was stark and narrow, made of chiseled stone and little else, here, the immense circular cavern they entered was rough and wild. From their high vantage point at the door, they looked down upon massive incandescent crystals that blossomed from the ground like jagged and brilliant flowers, some stretching to the cave's ceiling 40 meters above them where yet more crystals hung like glowing stalactites of every imaginable color. There was a small circular window carved out in the rock roof from which both pale light and white snow fell. The snow turned to rain halfway to the cavern's floor, its journey ending at a pool filled with bright blue water in the grotto's center from which a small stream both flowed into and out of. Steam rose off the surface of the water. It [i]was[/i] warm within this place, approaching room temperature, the heat surging from hot springs in an adjacent cavern which fed into the underground lake. The walls were studded with even more crystals of various shapes, jutting out in every direction. Birds and small furry mammals roosted in these high places, watching the Jedi with large eyes as if they had anticipated their arrival. By the light of the crystals they could make out the mouths of several tunnels that led deeper into the cave system where the apprentices would find their translucent kyber crystals, should one call out to them. Several rough paths were carved out in the damp moss, but this was the only sign the cavern had ever been encountered by sentient beings.

[i]Maybe the old Jedi knew what they were doing.[/i] Nothing[i] they could build would compare to this.[/i]

[color=9ACD32]"No one knows,"[/color] Reni answered Zelt as she took in the chamber's beauty. [color=9ACD32]"Perhaps the tunnels were mapped out once, but that's long since been forgotten."[/color] She turned to Zelt with a slight smile. [color=9ACD32]"My advice? Don't get lost."[/color] If anyone could tell them more, it would be Mala, who might have more knowledge from before the fall of the Jedi Order, but even then Reni was doubtful.

Reni considered launching into a speech about the importance of kyber crystals to the Jedi, the tradition, the power of the Force here on Ilum, the purpose of the Jedi, but it simply wasn't her style. Besides, Reni figured the apprentices all [i]knew[/i] what they were here for. However, she wouldn't stop the other knights from lecturing; some of the apprentices might benefit from a reminder, after all. 

All the same, Reni entered the cavern and headed towards the lake, beckoning her two apprentices to follow. [color=9ACD32]"Don't worry about the Gorgodons,"[/color] Reni said as they walked. [color=9ACD32]"They [i]are[/i] aggressive, but also... Dumb. And their vision is poor. If you [i]do[/i] see one, outsmart it, don't fight it. And do [i]not[/i] try to use a blaster on them. It has been tried, and it will not work."[/color] She made sure to lock her eyes to Toryn’s visor when referring to the blaster’s ineffectiveness. This was not the knight’s pacifistic worldview coloring her judgment; this was fact. 

Reni spoke softly now as they stood by the lake, as if her words were not for the world's ears, but their ears only. [color=9ACD32]"Trust yourself. Trust eachother. Trust the Force. If you let it guide you in this place, you will not lose your way. You may not believe me, but you will [i]feel[/i] your crystal call out to you."[/color] She watched as a slate-colored mammal glided across the length of the cavern from one crevasse to another, and spoke again. Now with levity in her voice. [color=9ACD32]"And that tunnel,"[/color] Reni said with a ghost of a smile, nodding at the wide mouth into which the stream ran down, [color=9ACD32]"will be warmer."[/color]