This fanfic has been on my mind for a while. I keep feeling like I don't have time to write it, though, so I decided to try an episodic format. It's scary because I like having everything nice and finished before I post it. But hey, this'll be good practice.

Excited to explore this idea~~ *giddy*

At first, when she saw the bleak rocky shore, smelled the salt in the air, and felt the cold sea spray on her skin, she thought she was really on Ahch-To again. Some part of her had never left, after all. It only made sense that she would return here, now, before the end.

Then she looked down and realized it was a dream.

Below her, she saw the opening to the mirror cave. In most ways it looked the same as it had before: round, dark, and surrounded by a ring of tangled seaweed. But this time, the ring was much larger, and the seaweed was moving. Not because of the wind or any natural means - it was reaching for her, straining against the barren ground that imprisoned it. She swore she could hear it calling her name beneath the sound of the crashing surf. Rey, come. Rey! Come!

She thought she should be unnerved, but she wasn't. Climbing down carefully, she approached the opening with slow, tentative steps. When she reached the seaweed, it responded with delighted purrs, caressing her legs as she walked through it. Yes, Rey, yes. You're here. We've waited for you.

On the brink of the opening, she expected a mysterious force to pull her in, as it had before. But this time, it didn't. She crouched down, peering inside, as the seaweed kept whispering to her. She couldn't see far, but she could make out the surface of the water, at least.

Well, she knew what she had to do. She took several deep breaths. The water would be cold, she remembered, and it'd slam into her chest like a fist; best to be prepared.

Then she jumped, knifing into the pool below.

To her surprise, the water wasn't cold after all. It was perfectly lukewarm - so well-matched with her body heat that if she stayed motionless, she would think she was floating in nothing. Ahead of her, a dim green light glowed above the water's surface. Kicking her legs, she plowed toward the light, breaking the surface when she was close.

As she flung her hair out of her face and blinked the water out of her eyes, what she saw made her hesitate. This wasn't the mirror cave. It was something new - a cavernous space that was impossibly large for the depths of the island. Somewhere in the mists ahead, the green light glowed steadily, like an eerie beacon.

"Rey," a voice whispered from far away.

She tread water a moment longer. A chill passed through her body, sparking tingles on her skin. This isn't right, she thought. I should leave. Now.

But what if there was something here she needed to see? What if this was no ordinary dream, but a vision? Maybe this was the Force giving her the answers she'd begged for.

If she turned away now, she'd never know.

Swallowing, she swam to the pool's edge. She pulled herself out, dripping wet, gritting her teeth against the rush of cold air. And yet, she'd barely stood there two seconds when she realized her clothes and hair weren't dripping anymore. She touched them, baffled to discover they were bone dry.

"Rey," the voice whispered again. She looked toward the green light, lowering her hand from her hair. A gentle breeze came from nowhere to tease her skin, and she clenched her fists, steeling herself against its touch.

Then she breathed in and plunged forward into the mist.

To be continued…