Chapter 2 – Token

Author's Note: In which Anakin succeeds in his Sith trials and returns home.

This is out early, since I won't have time on Tuesday. :P

~ Amina Gila

Anakin stands frozen for a moment, looking at the place where the apparition had been before shaking his head firmly and putting it out of mind. If anything, the Force seems to be more peaceful around him, and he senses that his trial is nearly complete. Of course, the Dark Side could draw on his fears to make him face them. Had he failed, he doubts it would be anything nearly as peaceful as this.

He can now feel a strong pull towards the front of the room near the alter, so he slowly approaches. In the middle of the alter, he spies the source of the weird bluish glow; it's a crystal of some sort which is somehow being powered enough to light up the room. The tug Anakin feels in the Force leads him straight to the alter. Aside from the odd light source, he sees a yellow kyber crystal laying there innocently.

Slowly, he reaches out, mechanical fingers brushing over it. He jerks back in surprise when he realizes that it's calling for him. "You feel it, don't you?" one of the Sith spirits whispers. Somehow, they'd flooded into the room without his even realizing it. Maybe they were always here, but he was too distracted to notice.

"The crystal is calling your name," another agrees. "It's yours."

"I have a crystal," he retorts, stubbornly refraining from touching it again. "I don't need another." And he doesn't. If he takes this one, his lightsaber will be gold.

Derisive laughter echoes around him. "You cannot refuse your own crystal," a spirit taunts.

"It's your token," adds a second.

"It's languished here for centuries," a feminine voice concurs, "Waiting for you."

Their sudden change in attitude makes Anakin wary. Before, they were taunting him, but now, they're encouraging him. Are they trying to lead him into a trap, or did he really pass all the trials? He doesn't think he should ask them. Hesitantly, he picks it up, surprised how it hums happily in his palm. Maybe it's simply the Force nexus, but this kyber crystal seems far more alive than any he's ever encountered before.

"Make your sacrifice." The words, this time, are spoken in a commanding tone, and Anakin understands. The spirits are an integral part of the Sith trials. They try to hinder and stop the would-be Sith Lord from completing the journey, but upon completion, they bring an ancient relic which is to be taken in exchange for something else. There are so many treasures down here, that Anakin can readily see how each apprentice could find something.

But now, the question is, what will he sacrifice? Under no circumstances does he want to leave his blue crystal here. They probably wouldn't appreciate it either – actually, they probably would view it as a symbolic disconnection with his Jedi origins. He doesn't want that. That's not what he's trying to do here. His red crystal, on the other hand, would be the perfect choice. He can almost feel it crying softly in his pocket. Because of the torment inflicted upon them, red crystals always seem mournful.

Honestly, Anakin isn't even sure why he'd brought it with him. It's not as though he needed it. Something had told him to bring it, so he did, and he's suddenly grateful. By sacrificing his red crystal, he will symbolically be casting off the old Sith teachings of warfare and accepting upon himself the new ideals to which they are striving. It's – it's perfect. He pulls the crystal out with his left hand, reverently laying it on the alter. For a moment, the room glows much brighter before dimming once more.

"We can't approve of your decisions," a Sith spirit finally acknowledges, "But you have still been proven worthy. Go forth, Lord Vader, and lead your Empire."

That wasn't exactly what Anakin had expected, but he quickly banishes the strangeness, slipping the yellow kyber crystal safely into his robes before slowly retracing his steps to return to the outside. Hopefully, he shouldn't have near as much difficulty leaving as he did entering. He really, really doesn't want to fight off any more Sith hounds or other nasty creatures native to Korriban. He'll have nightmares for weeks – not really – of the giant Hssiss he saw. Based on his limited knowledge, those dark lizards have a Dark Side poison within them, and he doesn't want to get tangled up with it. At all.

As soon as he returns to Coruscant, he can find the parts he needs to make his second lightsaber. He's rarely ever fought with two before, because it's not really his style, but he's not the same as he used to be. Maybe in the past one lightsaber was better, but this is a different time now. Two lightsabers, one blue and one gold, will be perfect for him.

It could be minutes or hours before he finally stumbles through the opening of the Temple. The shadows are growing longer, so he's been inside for most of the day. Well, that would explain why he's so exhausted. First, he needs to get off the planet, so he focuses on returning to the shuttle as expeditiously as possible. He seems to have been marked after passing the trial because nothing bothers him as he prepares to leave the planet for hopefully the last time.

Anakin has never felt so relieved to turn on the engines of any ship and take off from the surface, angling up into the atmosphere fast enough that the shield generators have a hard time protecting the ship from damage. As soon as he's in space, he enters the coordinates into the hyperdrive and flips the lever to enter hyperspace. He won't reach Coruscant until late afternoon which gives him plenty of time to focus on healing his wounds.

Making his way to the cabin, Anakin pulls out the first aid kit and sets about stripping off his armor and removing his robes to get a better look at the injury. After getting his side clawed open, he'd fallen to the ground, so before he can attempt to Force heal himself, he needs to clean it. The scrapes are fairly deep, but not dangerously so. Once the dirt has been cleaned away, he closes his eyes and reaches into the Force, drawing it close to knit the skin back together. He's not nearly as skilled in Force healing as some, but he's been working hard to expand his powers and reach his full potential.

Unlike many other things, healing doesn't come naturally to him, which has only made him work harder. Once the wound has closed over, he applies a bacta patch. It should be completely healed by the time he returns home. Settling down on the bunk, Anakin sits in a meditative position, slipping into a light trance. He has a lot to think over and plenty of time to spare.

**w**

Anakin is unsurprised that only Ahsoka is there to greet him when he arrives in the hanger of the Jedi Temple. For now, anyways, they're all living there part-time. Though obviously reluctant, the Council had agreed with Obi-Wan's proposal. "How did it go, Skyguy?" she asks chirpily, all but bouncing from foot to foot with excitement.

"It was… okay," he says finally, searching for the right word to describe his emotions. They're still a tangled knot, and he's feeling inexplicably uneasy, probably just a side-effect of seeing Sidious and not knowing if the Sith Lord is still scheming beyond their reach. "Just don't choose Korriban as a vacation spot. The spirits probably won't appreciate it."

"Spirits?" she squeaks, sounding horrified. "You mean you actually saw them?"

"Talked to them, more like," he corrects, shaking his head. "They were not pleasant company. Where's Dooku?"

"Waiting for you in the apartment," she replies. "We were going through some Sith texts when I got the message, so I came down here to greet you."

"In other words, you convinced him to let you leave," he interprets, smirking. Ahsoka is as used to action as he is; she's definitely not a scholar, and she nearly cried from horror when she learned that Dooku wanted her – and Anakin actually – to help him peruse some Sith texts which had been locked in the library. Why they weren't destroyed is anyone's guess, but Anakin is grateful. Boring though they may be, he has still learned much about ancient Sith customs, beliefs, history, and practices.

She gives him an unrepentant grin as they begin walking towards a turbolift to take them to the appropriate floor. Honestly, if it were up to Anakin, he'd go straight to Padme's apartment – their apartment – and relax there. He could use a nap. Or two. Maybe a distraction is in order.

All stray thoughts about fleeing evaporate when he enters the living room of their apartment. It used to be the one he shared with Obi-Wan when he was still a Padawan, but now, since he usually sleeps with Padme, only the other three stay here. Obi-Wan took Anakin's former bedroom – now devoid of all his belongings because they're being kept in his new bedroom – while Dooku is sleeping in Obi-Wan's former bedroom. Ahsoka usually takes the couch unless she's crashing in Padme's guest bedroom.

Dooku looks up from his position in an armchair, nodding cordially, a half-smile on his face when he sees Anakin. "It's good to see you back in once piece, Skywalker," he greets him.

"It's good to be back and out of that Sith hell," Anakin shoots back. "I would have liked a warning about how incredibly persistent and annoying the spirits are there."

The Count hums thoughtfully as Anakin drops onto one side of the couch, Ahsoka sitting on the opposite end. "It's different for everyone," he replies at least. "I couldn't tell you about something I didn't know would be a problem. Honestly, I wasn't affected much by the spirits. Perhaps your greater power warranted more attention."

"Or maybe they just aren't my biggest fans, having killed Sidious and all," Anakin grumbles, thinking back to the possibly-Sidious spirit he saw there.

"Or maybe they have a personal vendetta against you," Ahsoka grins cheekily.

"Someone is very cheery," he mumbles under his breath, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She meets his gaze, smirking.

"Does it bother you so?" she snips, before dropping the attitude. "You seem bothered by something. What's wrong?"

"Something you saw?" prompts Dooku curiously.

Anakin slumps back against the couch, dragging his hands down his face. "I don't know," he answers haltingly. "I wasn't terribly happy about going back there so soon after everything, but it started out okay. Well, okay if you don't count getting attacked by a pack of ravenous Tuk'ata. That went fine; I fought them off and retreated into the Temple. That's when the spirits really started harassing me. They mainly talked. Tried annoying me."

"I've heard they can do that," Dooku interjects dryly.

Anakin nods briefly before exhaling harshly and continuing the tale. "When I got deeper inside, I saw a very… strange vision of… myself? I don't know. The figure was wearing my armor anyways." He shrugs. "He wasn't making any sense. When I got into the center of the Temple, I saw –" His voice trails off, and he can't hold back the shiver. "– What appeared to be Sidious' spirit, but I'm not sure if he has one there."

"What did he say?" Ahsoka breathes, wide-eyed with dismay.

"He said that I belong to him," Anakin admits, eyes skirting away to the floor, "But – but that's not true. He mocked me saying that he's not truly gone."

The silence is so deafening that Anakin is certain he could hear a pin drop. "You only belong to yourself," Dooku assures him at last. "Never forget that."

He slowly lets out a breath and nods firmly. "I won't." There's a momentary silence, which he finally breaks. "I worry though," he admits. "What if Sidious is still around? What if he's plotting against us?"

"Then he is," Dooku states simply. "We'll simply remain vigilant. If he tries to act, then we'll stop him again."

"You say it like it's so simple," mumbles Ahsoka, tipping her head to the side.

Anakin snorts in agreement. "So, tell me, oh great and wise Lord Tyrannus, how can we destroy a Sith spirit?"

Dooku's lips quirk upwards in amusement, his only reaction to the teasing words. "I don't know, but it's definitely something I'll look into. I don't think that destroy is the right word, but we should be able to find ways to block him."

The surge of relief that hits Anakin is staggering, and he tries not to let it show, but from the knowing look in the Count's eyes, he knows the elder man saw. "Well, that's as good a place to start as any." Anakin doesn't think he's successful in shrugging it off, but at least he tried.

"What did you bring back?" Dooku inquires, thankfully changing the topic.

Right. He'd almost forgotten with his stress over Sidious. He reaches into his pouch and withdraws the yellow kyber crystal. It hums a quiet, happy tune as it rests in his palm. Ahsoka sucks in a breath and leans closer to get a better look. "Is that… yellow?" she whispers, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Gold kyber crystals are not common, especially on Korriban," the Count comments.

"Are you going to build a second lightsaber?" Ahsoka wonders.

Anakin stares at the crystal in his hand for a long moment before nodding. "Yes, I think that's what I'm supposed to do."