Lily Skywalker was dead. Her body was long gone, disappeared like Kenobi's had, all those years ago.

Yet her presence lingered, as though hanging on desperately by a thread.

Luke-no, Luke was gone. Praedo had taken him over completely when he had plunged the lightsaber into his sister, giving her a fatal wound.

It was strange, how unnatural she looked in death. Perhaps, in death, the once strong, stubborn, resilient girl, wouldn't have looked the broken shell of herself that she had became. The nearly 23 year old had been faded, wilted, and beyond recognition.

Leia looked at the empty spot on the ground. She felt a flash of grief. There was longing, a wish for a what-if life, one where she had known her sister and brother.

But she was gone, and Leia was a Sith. She couldn't afford those thoughts.

Luke looked on at the spot where his sister, once so arrogant, who had turned bold and determined, arrogance fading into confidence as she matured, had died.

"You did well, Praedo." Sidious-his new master- said. "We must make an announcement. Come." None of them had any choice but to obey. Luke followed numbly. There was regret plaguing his mind. The darkness had overcome him, why, why did he let it take him? Now his sister was dead, gone by his own hand. He had to follow this-this monster blindly, obediently. The only person who had known him completely, thoroughly, in every bit of their lives, had been Lily. Force, they had known each other's darkest secrets, how many freckles were on the other's face when they were little, so alike they would speak at the same time, referred to as the same person, connected long before discovering the Force.

Now the only sibling he had left was a stranger to him, but the two strangers shared one identical thought; No turning back now.

The news of the loss of the Rebellion and Skywalkers spread like wildfire. The supporters mourned, hidden funerals in the streets and underworlds of planets. Stragglers, ones on a mission, away from the ships, regretted accusing the pilots of treason. They may have been the only ones who had enough influence to bring everyone back together to rebuild the rebellion. The Empire jeered, saying the Rebels got what they deserved, all of them. Luke agreed he did, especially after what he had done.

Lily Skywalker was dead, and with her the Rebellion fell.

It was a day of darkness, in more ways than one.

Lily was dead. She knew she was dead. So why did her arms ache, from spending hours hanging by them? Why were her wrists tender, where the cuffs dug in, leaving bruises and scabs? Why was her stomach sore, from where the fatal strike had been placed? Death was supposed to relieve pain.

The Rebellion, Eli, all Jedi, were gone. The leaders died in the fiery death she had felt, causing such a ripple anyone with a speck of sensitivity felt it. Even in the unlikely occurrence that the Rebellion remade itself, only Jedi could take down the Emperor and… and his minions, and she was- had been- the last trained Jedi.

But if she was truly, completely, dead, why did she feel more alive than she had in months?

"Perhaps because finished, your journey is not?" A voice answered her silent question.

"Master Yoda!" She must have been lost in her own mind, or was very out of practice. No one could usually startle her like that. "I-I'm sorry. We should've listened. I should have tried harder, I could've-" Her old green master cut her off with a whack from his ever present stick.

"No. Done you have all you could have." Yoda said. "Beyond your control, young Luke's falling was, and past saving your father became." Another joined the conversation.

"You did everything you could, Lily."

"Ben." Lily whispered. Yet another joined in.

"Even when beaten, you still kept going. That is definitely a trait from your mother." Her father said.

"It is as much from you, Ani."

"Mom. Dad." She whispered. She couldn't hold back a tear as it slipped. She ran to them. They stayed in an embrace. Anakin's robes nearly completely engulfed the two women. "How're you-I thought-" Anakin cut her off.

"When you died, the last bit of me died with you."

"I really failed you then." Lily mumbled.

"No, honey." Padme reassured. "We are so, so proud of you."

"Really." Anakin continued. "You've gone through so many trials, so many in which you came out victorious. It's a miracle you made it this long. So what if this one got the better of you? Like Master Yoda said, your path hasn't ended."

"I'm dead." Lily deadpanned. "Seems pretty ended to me." Anakin and Padme chuckled.

"Just like you, Ani."

"See." Anakin said.

A vision tugged at her eyesight, and she let it come.

It was a familiar room of stone that could have been anything. A conference room, a cellar, just another room in the Imperial Palace. But for her, it held only memories of betrayal, broken bones, pain, and breaking.

On one side, the room held a blonde woman, with hair floating and radiating light. A circle of people surrounded her, dressed in white, on top of the symbol of the Jedi Order.

The other had a man, tattoos on his face, emanating darkness and evil. His circle was in black, on the symbol of the Sith.

The vision shifted.

Now both of them were in the center with her, the people in gray. A new symbol was beneath them, hidden to her eyes. They began to chant.

Daughter of the Chosen

Daughter of Light

After the Chosen One

Balances the Force

Peace still eludes

Wars still reign

Light and Dark

Remain divided

The Chosen One

Brought balance

The Unifier
Must bring peace

The room dissolved again, replaced with emptiness. The stone walls felt different, the twin holding only darkness. A presence was behind her. She turned around, meeting the face of an old man. She tried to place the face, and failed.

"Who are you?" She asked. He smiled gently, as though she was a small child again.

"I didn't think you'd know me. Many don't know the tale of Mortis, and those who do believe it to be a tale. Very, very few know differently." Lily had heard the name Mortis before, and the tale came back to her.

'A Father, Son, and Daughter. The most powerful Force wielders ever.'

"Oh. Oh." The Father smiled at her again.

"I wondered how long it would be until you joined the Force like this, Lily Skywalker."

"Not by choice." She said. It came out a little more bitter than she had planned. But she was recently dead, she should be allowed a few bitter words.

"No." He agreed. "Just as I am certain you'll never want to be in this room again." Lily's suspicions were confirmed.

"Why are we here?"

"We are in your head. You tell me."

"It's...Familiar. It's vivid. The memories and wounds are still fresh."

"But it's different. You feel it."

"Yes. It hold a different air to it. Friendlier. This is a lesson, isn't it?"

"You are clever. Light and Dark isn't good and evil. You will never be able to get rid of the Dark and evil in the world, more will just rise up in it's place. Combining them, it will be a challenge. You will be challenging the Jedi ideals, challenging everything they know. Good luck, and may the Force be with you, Unifier."

"Wait! What do you mean?" Lily called to no avail. The vision dissipated anyway.

"Something else on your mind there is, young Skywalker." Yoda said when she came back to her senses.

"That sphere, why didn't it work on me? I know for a fact I have more darkness in me than Luke did."

"Full Light nor full Dark can you be. To unite them, both you must have."

"Something else bothering you, young one?" Obi-Wan asked her.

"How did I survive? When I had Luke I was fighting but after he..." Turned. Betrayed me. "I stopped. I know I've died a few times before. But I got a second chance. Why didn't I die there?"

"Kept you alive, Sidious did. Sustain you, the Force can. Used it, you did, and after, Sidious. Dead, he did not want you."

"But that doesn't explain how I was brought back all those other times."

"Your fate is entwined with his." Obi-Wan explained. "If you die, and he still lives, with no other way to defeat him, you have to go back. If he dies first, or there is another way, and you're killed, you are free from that burden. The Unifier legacy is passed to someone else."

"Well, I'm dead now. Did the Force get tired of trying to get me to fix everything?" Anakin smirked at his daughter.

"Succeed first, your father must." Yoda said.

"The Force is taking a different tactic." Anakin said.

"You are going back in time to stop your future."

"Is that a good idea? I might just make it worse, however unlikely it is that there is a universe worse than this one."

"I have faith in you." Anakin told his daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're a Skywalker, you're too stubborn to fail.

"One last thing, how are you...?"

"Here?" Anakin supplied. "Your death was mine too. A child in the Light was the last thing keeping Vader from fully taking over. No one exists to bring me back."

"Then...Luke, Leia...shouldn't they be here too?"

"They have a chance at returning, however unlikely. They were forced into it. Your death affected them both more than you realize." The room began spinning.

"What now?" She asked.

"Now you stop me from making my worst mistake, and save the galaxy in the process."

"So, you know, no pressure or anything." Anakin smiled at her. He couldn't be prouder.

"Good luck." She smirked and caught Obi-Wan's eye.

"No such thing, Father." Obi-Wan smiled too. She disappeared. Anakin's smile faded.

"Worry you must not. Correct you were. Knows she cannot fail, she does." Yoda said.

"What if despite her best efforts, I ignore her and still turn? Still fall?" Yoda didn't sugarcoat his opinion.

"Then fear for the galaxy, I do."

A/N: Good? Bad? Both? Are you excited? Because I am!