The Fallen Star (Star Wars: The High Republic)

by Claudia Gray

I have begun drawing upon the dark side for my strength in the Force. Elzar had not turned; nor did he feel he was close to turning. This was not a way of life for him—he still believed all the good and true lessons he had learned from Yoda as a youngling, then as a Padawan from his wise Master Roland Quarry. But anger was unavoidable. Fear was unavoidable. Extreme circumstances created extreme emotions. Denying them served no purpose. Why not use them? Many weeks of meditation later, Elzar still felt those questions were valid. However, he’d also come to realize that every Sith Lord in history had probably asked the exact same questions until the darkness held them completely in its grip. Where do you draw the line? Elzar asked himself. You don’t know. You can’t know. And that’s why you can’t travel down that path at all.