RECAP:
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Dreams

"The Force binds all things. The slightest push, the smallest touch, sends echoes throughout life."

— Kreia

Jaune arrives at Beacon and meets some new faces. Later, he has a dream featuring a strange man in a strange location.

Tropes in this chapter include:

Beam-O-War: Near the end of their duel, Nihilus and Alek both try to Force push each other at the same time. The sheer power each are using causes the ground to break up around them with each step the other takes literally shaking the earth.
Blade Lock: While sparring in Jaune's dream, Nihilus and Alek lock their lightsaber blades. Alek breaks the stalemate by using the Force to throw pebbles at Nihilus's face.
Call-Forward: At the end of the flashback, Revan mentions petitioning the Jedi Council to get directly involved in the Mandalorian Wars. This is a future nod to how Revan would eventually leave the Jedi and form the Revanchists to wage war against the Mandalorians after the Council refuses his request.
The Cameo: Revan, the main character of Knights of the Old Republic, appears near the end of Nihilus's flashback where he oversees Alek and Nihilus sparring before setting off to petition the Jedi Council to get involved in the Mandalorian Wars.
Combat Pragmatist: During the sparring match between Nihilus and Alek, Alek (being clearly outmatched by Nihilus) holds his own by using the Force to fling some pebbles into Nihilus's eyes during a Blade Lock.
Continuity Nod:
- Revan and Malak appear in the flashback as Jedi and Revan mentions his petition to the Council for the Jedi Order to get involved in the Mandalorian Wars, which was a major element in the backstory of Knights of the Old Republic.
- Both Nihilus and Alek are shown to be members of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, a location from Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and the same Jedi academy that Meetra Surik attended.
Double Take: Jaune does a double take during his inner monologue when he accidentally uses psychometry on Crocea Mors.
He could feel the amount of bloodshed this blade wrought, hear the terror in the cries of its victims. Wait, what? Jaune had no idea where such dark thoughts came from.
Dreaming of Times Gone By: While dreaming, Jaune witnesses a flashback showing a younger Nihilus and Malak (then called Alek) as Jedi sparring with each other.
Everyone Went to School Together: It's revealed that Nihilus was a student of the Jedi academy on Dantooine alongside Revan and Malak. Going by what was revealed in Knights of the Old Republic II, this would also mean that he was fellow students with Meetra Surik and Bastila Shan.
Fearful Symmetry: Alek and Nihilus mirror each other's movements during their duel and anytime one of them switches to a different fighting style, the other copies him. The duel ends with both trying to use their Force push on each other at the same time, leading to a telekinetic Beam-O-War.
Psychometry: While holding his sword Crocea Mors, Jaune unknowingly uses psychometry through the Force, allowing him to feel the "amount of bloodshed this blade wrought" and hear the "terror in the cries of its victims".
Spell My Name with a Blank: Anytime either Alek or Revan mention Nihilus' real name in the flashback, it's censored out and replaced with "[unintelligible]".
Sword and Fist: During their sparring match, both Alek and Nihilus exchange punches and kicks while parrying each other's lightsaber strikes.
Sword Fight: In his dream of Nihilus' past, Jaune witnesses a lightsaber duel between a younger Nihilus and Malak on the plains of Dantooine.
Wham Line: When the hooded man in Jaune's dream breaks up the sparring match between Nihilus and Alek, Alek addresses the man by his name:
Alek: [bows] Revan.
Withholding Their Name: Nihilus's spirit has the dream intentionally censors any mention of Nihilus's real name while Jaune is viewing the flashback.