"That was amazing, how did you do that?" Rey laughed. Training always put her in an amazing mood. Even though she was covered in bruises and cuts and sometimes even broken bones, no amount of pain could dampen her spirits. She was training on sacred ground with Luke Skywalker, the greatest Jedi master who had ever lived, to become a Jedi herself. Her, a lowly scavenger from Jakku. And he was teaching her things she had never even dreamt of learning. She was in awe, she was grateful, she was humbled by it all. Even now, she had been knocked 10 feet into the air by Luke and gashed her elbow against a jagged rock, but she felt on top of the world!
"All in due time, Rey," Luke said, deactivating his blue lightsaber. "I think we're done for today. I'm not as young as I once was."
Rey rolled her eyes and laughed again as she picked up her staff. Luke always complained about being a old man but he could still move at the speed of light and knock her flat on her ass. Normally she would have begged to stay and train but today she had plans to visit Finn on the Resistance base. He was being trained by Poe Dameron to be a pilot.
And she also felt a little off. As if The Force was gripping her just a little too tightly. She felt this way from time to time. At first, it was strange and made her feel… exposed. Like somebody was glimpsing into her life without her permission. Sometimes when she felt this way, she would see a flash of Kylo Ren's face. Always somber, eyes closed, mouth straight, devoid of emotions. She shuddered, what a monster. The only thing that changed was the scar on his face, it seemed to be healing. Today, he had popped into her head when she was sparring with Luke and there was only a faint line remaining. His sudden appearance had thrown her off, which is why Luke was able to catch her off guard and send her flying. Rey didn't know what to make of what was going on, and frankly she didn't really care. He was far away from her now and she was getting stronger by the minute.
They had been training on the precipice of the island that made up the Jedi Temple. Although ruins covered this islands and the surrounding ones, they also seemed untouched by time. No other place in the galaxy, in the universe, had this much power. The Jedi were drawn to it, almost 3000 years ago, and so this is where they trained. This is where they built their temple, built their lives. This is where they discovered the Jedi Fountain, the very source of The Force. The first time Luke had shown her the Fountain, she was blown away. It was magical. Rey walked to the surprisingly small pool of water, which was elevated from the ground by a rock formation. She dipped her bloody elbow into the fountain and the water swiftly healed her wound. Luke had told her that this water was full of midichlorians, the microscopic life forms that made up The Force. This same water was in the ground around them, making the whole island and the whole planet sacred.
"How is Finn?" Luke asked as he and Rey started the descent from the Jedi Temple.
"He's good," Rey said, throwing her staff onto her shoulder. "You should come with me to the base."
Luke shook his head, "I can't go back, Rey."
"Just come see General Organa," Rey said.
Luke sighed. They had had this conversation a hundred times. Rey coaxing Luke to get back to his sister and to the rest of the galaxy. Luke, refusing adamantly and changing the subject. Rey was one of the most gifted students he had ever had. The Force flowed through her as easily as air she breathed. It had taken him months to do the things that she had learned to do in a matter of days. She knew how to fight, she knew how to move. But what she did not know, was how to let go of the past. She could not bear to let go of her friend, Finn. She couldn't keep away from the motherly love Leia had shown her. Rey had told him once that she had even dreamed of Kylo Ren, seen him in a vision. It concerned Luke that Rey could not forget about her enemies. He could see the scars that abandonment had had on Rey, even though she, herself, was blind to them.
He on the other hand, had renounced everything. He tried his hardest, for the longest time, to keep everything together. To keep his friends and his family close. After he first defeated Darth Sidious, it was easy. He found solace in his friends and family. When Han and Leia got married, it was one of the happiest days of Luke's life. The day Ben was born, was the actually happiest day of Luke's life. Ben was the closest thing that Luke ever had to a son. And when Ben showed raw talent in using The Force, much like Rey was now, Luke thought he would burst from pride. He took Ben under his wing, taught him everything he knew. And Ben excelled. But then, it ended. Ben turned over to the Dark side. He could not understand where he had gone wrong, how he had failed his own kin. And he had not just failed Ben, but Han and Leia too. Han left and Leia was heartbroken and it was all his fault. To find the answer, he knew he had to meditate somewhere far away from his family. He couldn't bear to see the pain in Han and Leia's eyes. He had destroyed their lives. It was more than Luke could take and he left the galaxy to find the Jedi Temple and the legendary Fountain.
They finally reached the bottom of the mountain and Rey ran ahead of him. Luke watched her lovingly as she packed her belongings into her starship. When Rey came to him, almost a year ago, the strength of The Force emanating from her was something he had not felt in a long time. She brought with her lightness, brightness, happiness. He felt a deep sorrow within her as well, that he learned later was from her family abandoning her, but he knew that she would be able to overcome it.
"Last chance," Rey said to him, breaking his train of thought. She had finished packing at light speed.
"No," Luke said simply. And Rey knew that was that.
"Fine," she acquiesced, "What should I bring back for you?"
Luke laughed, nothing could dampen this girl's spirits, "Just be safe."
"Of course, Uncle Luke," she said, skipping off to her starship.
Luke felt a deep pang within him as she said that. Ben had called him Uncle Luke too. His heart broke a little bit.
"Rey?" he called after her as she vanished into her ship.
She poked her head back out. He tossed her his lightsaber, she had a greater need for it than he. Her face lit up.
"Are you sure?" she asked, catching it deftly.
"You know how to use it," Luke said, smiling, "May the Force be with you."
And with that, she was off.