Luke scrambled down from his perch, working his way to the edge of the caldera brimming with light. He stopped before the rim, and opening himself to the depth and richness of the Force splashing within, he called out, "Leia!"
The Force did not respond, instead radiating mindlessly, emitting thousands of translucent tufts of light that drifted on tendrils of breeze. Luke called out again, more insistently and more urgently, drawing upon the Force to find a sense of his sister. For as long as she had been in touch with the Force, she had never failed to respond to him, and he had never failed to sense her presence when he sought her. Her presence, so immutable and reliable, was lost to him now, spurring panic in Luke. Had she perished while he was gone? Why could he not see her given how powerful the Force was around him? He settled deeper into the Force, calling out to Kira, to Cere, even to Ben. He could sense none of them, and as their presences remained elusive and obscured, his dread and fear began swelled.
Luke felt the Force stir, and deep as his connection was, a sense of awe and terror began to supplant his fear and dread over his friends. He opened his eyes and watched as the Force within the caldera roiled and churned, agitated and tumultuous. Luke felt the tumult in the Force, and as he gazed into the caldera, the first flickerings of a vision emerged. Luke backed away from the caldera, fearing that it would erupt. He stumbled backward, coming down hard on his back. His head hit the ground, and as it did so, his vision went black.
Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.
He looked down at his hands, which glowed white, pure and vibrant in the Force. His flesh was gone, and his body existed only as an imprint in the Force. A river of pure light flowed before him, originating from the heart of the galaxy, both the product of and the source of all life. Outward the river flowed, splintering into infinite channels, threading through the galaxy, through star systems, through planets, through moons, through individuals, through plants, through microorganisms. It nurtured all, and in return life nurtured it back.
The galaxy turned, sometimes rapidly, sometimes nearly still. On through the ages it twirled through the vastness of space, one of countless galaxies, all dancing through infinity, all with a Force of their own. And as he marveled at the light from his own galaxy, which he had drawn from to conquer the darkness, to save his father, and to further his life's work, he saw the shadow it cast.
The brighter the light, the deeper the darkness.
As soon as he became aware of the shadow, he could not unsee it. Behind, beneath, beyond every tendril of light was a shadow, and he understood that light and shadow were inseparable, an aspect of a greater whole. There was no way to rid oneself of one's shadow. One could run, hide, attempt to cast it out; yet so long as the light shone, the shadow would remain. It was not the enemy; it could be acknowledged, accepted, accommodated. It could be made an ally, given that it was not allowed to become the master.
Or so he had believed. The longer he glimpsed the shadows lying under every tendril of light, the more the shadows appeared to pervade everything in existence. The shadow whispered of a void, a deep and endless darkness that existed long before the first flickerings of light and which would exist long after the light was extinguished. Here was the truth of the galaxy; there was death, and there was light – but death would wait, secure in the knowledge that the light could not evade the darkness forever.
From darkness I arrive; to darkness I return.
He observed the suns rising and setting above the Tatooine desert. Darkness followed, then yielded; followed, then yielded. A million cycles he watched, when suddenly, the twin suns faded, glowing red. Tatooine became cold. The rains returned, and the oceans flooded the sands. The resilient, stubborn civilizations of smugglers, Tuskens, and homesteaders vanished. A marine world flourished momentarily until the sun went out. As the sun went out, the planet went dark, with all beings dying as the planet became a lifeless rock, a meaningless clump of molecules in an infinite blackness.
Before him, the river of light flowed, and its current carried it forward to a swirling vortex of black rage. Clouds of acrid yellow drifted about, and Luke felt a malice lurking there, waiting patiently, eager to devour the light. Luke had a sense of its hunger, its eagerness. He knew that, like death, it would wait, and, like death, it was inevitable.
Inevitable, but not imminent.
The darkness surged, sensing his attention. It whispered its immutable certainty, promising that night would come, and when it did, all would be consumed. An Eternal Night, the gradual end of all things; life, galaxies, planets, his friends, the Force. He saw Coruscant burning, a plague of fire and death raining down upon the heart of Galactic civilization. He saw insectoid beings rampaging through the galaxy, stalking the streets of Chandrila, scouring the jungles of Yavin, devouring the citizens of the Republic. He saw Leia's face, vacant, staring, her essence unable to pass on. He saw Kira, alone, holding the darkness back, entwined in red lightning as the darkness overwhelmed her. He saw Erys, its forests burning, its oceans boiling, its skies charred and blackened. He saw the caldera, silent and still, empty and dark. A shadow stood upon the caldera, cackling into the galaxy's final sunset.
The Prime Jedi serves one destiny, and only one.
Luke saw that the darkness struggled and pressed against a barrier. The barrier was made of light so powerful that it perpetuated a stalemate so enduring that the sun would rise and fall indefinitely.
The greatest protection you can offer to the galaxy, to your friends, is to remain here to face the destiny that awaits.
Can you see it now, Master Skywalker?
"Yes," Luke said, although his sense of himself as an individual being was lost. He drifted among the stars, a part of the Force, and he could see more than any being could see.
I'm afraid I've been too harsh with you.
"What do you mean?" Luke said, and his impression of his body, still composed of light, returned. He sat within the void, gazing down upon the galaxy. Opposite him, the child appeared, himself sitting cross-legged, contemplating the galaxy beside him.
My life will end soon, Master Skywalker. And when my life ends, there will be nobody to hold back the darkness.
"You did that?" Luke asked, astonished.
Erys does. From this place, the Prime Jedi can do many things. To hold back the darkness is the sole responsibility.
"But not forever?" Luke asked, remembering the vision.
Nothing is forever, save for the darkness itself. The Prime Jedi ensures that life persists in spite of the darkness. The darkness plots always to escape, but it must never be allowed to do so.
"Can I protect my friends, too?" Luke asked, his memory of Leia's death and Kira's death still fresh in his mind.
You never could – not fully, at least. Again, attachment appears. Even the Prime Jedi's power to prevent suffering is limited. Suffering is the way of things, as is death.
"I don't want to see them harmed," Luke said, his longing almost child-like.
I, too, once felt as you did. I, too, once loved as you did. I do not blame you, as all beings seek love. All beings seek attachment. But with love and attachment, those beings cannot do what must be done to protect what matters most.
"The Force?" Luke asked.
Yes. To protect the Force is to protect all. This is what I ask of you.
"But what will become of you?" Luke asked, a sense of fear emerging.
The same thing that will become of all of us. I will fade out of existence, becoming a part of the Force. My name is already lost. You would take my place, and one day, your name will also be lost. Yet, you will remain, holding back the darkness ensuring that, no matter how dark the night is, the sun will rise again.
Luke awoke, his head throbbing and pounding from his fall. He raised himself gingerly on his elbows, and wincing at the pain in his head, he scanned his surroundings. Ahead, the caldera glowed, its light dancing into the night sky. He struggled to his feet, his balance uneven. He looked into the night sky at the twin moons, one purple and one silver. The waves of blue and pink light danced across the sky as radiation splashed against the outer boundaries of the planet's atmosphere. In that moment, Luke thought that he had never seen anything so beautiful. He remembered Mara; she had been this beautiful. He remembered Kira overcoming her shyness and rushing into his arms; she had been this beautiful, as well. He saw Han's lopsided grin, Leia's wry smile, Ahsoka's raised eyebrow, and Yoda's mischievous laughter. He heard echoes of Threepio and Artoo bickering, and he saw dozens of Padawans, young and old, taking their first steps into the Force.
And finally, Luke understood. His own personal attachments were but one of the trillions of relationships throughout the galaxy suffused with beauty, light, and love. Luke resisted his destiny, fearing for the loss of what he had, while forgetting that he, and perhaps he alone, had the power to protect the basic, universal right for the peoples of the galaxy to live and love, free from the death and destruction brought on by an endless night. Yes, the light would wane, and he now saw that the light truly had been waning ever since the elusive menace of Darth Sidious arose over fifty years ago. He could not stop the progression into night, and he could not stop the people of the galaxy from suffering. What he could make sure of was that love and light would endure, thus ensuring that, as the Prime Jedi promised, a new dawn, not an eternal night, would be imminent.
Luke felt a ripple in the Force, and he turned to see Master Yoda appear beside him. Luke settled himself to the ground, feeling a pang of guilt at becoming so angry with his Master before. Yoda's eyes narrowed, but he appeared serene and peaceful.
"A lesson, you have learned, hmm?" Yoda asked.
Luke nodded. "I finally saw it – the great cycle of light and dark." Luke paused, reflecting on his visions, then added, "I know now that there's little I can do to help Leia. I am ready to accept my destiny."
"Done well, you have, Skywalker. Proud I am," Yoda said, and Luke felt warmth spread at his Master's praise. "Learned you have that a Jedi's responsibility is to all, not just his friends. Difficult, but essential, this lesson is."
"Thank you, Master," Luke said, as he resettled himself back to the ground. Reclining on his elbow, he noticed the ache in his head receding as the healing energy of the wellspring nurtured his injury. He and Yoda sat for a long time, looking at the light dancing about the rocky walls encircling the wellspring.
Yoda broke the silence many hours later, saying, "Soon, appear the Prime Jedi will again. Guide you, he will, on your first steps. The Prime Jedi, become, you will."
Luke waded into the river, feeling the icy water flowing around his bony knees. The cold reinvigorated him, easing the aches and pains from the previous day's meditation. Luke remained still against the sluggish, persistent current, looking into the water, watching for fish dashing about. Luke saw a fish rippling with colors, and he knew it to be one of the tastier species. He waited, watching as the fish appeared to accept his legs as part of the environment, and then, using the Force, he held the fish still, reaching into the water to grab it. The fish struggled and thrashed about in his hands, and Luke waded to the riverbank toward the rocks. He smacked the fish down several times, killing it. He threw the fish into a basket along with the strange, but delicious root that grew near the meadow, and he set back to his hut to cook his solitary meal.
As he walked back to the hut, he heard the chorus of birds heralding the evening in the boughs of the trees above. A tranquility that he had never known settled upon him. The moments in his life of love and loss, triumph and trauma, had been forgotten. He could hardly even remember his own name; it had been peculiar, almost ridiculous. Skywalker. Of course somebody with a name like that would live a strange life, he thought to himself. But that life was over. Now, he waited for the Prime Jedi, waiting for the moment when he would meet his destiny.
He felt a strange ripple in the Force, and, alarmed, he turned toward the source. Someone was here; somebody alien, possibly hostile – an intruder. He set his basket down and turned into the bushes toward the disturbance. He pushed through the ferns, his senses open. He could hear a woman's voice speaking, but to whom? He forged through the bushes and saw her; a young woman, cloaked and hooded, standing in a clearing. The sight of her angered and confused him; who would dare approach the wellspring? Certainly, she had not proven her worth by the will of the Force as he had.
"Who are you?" Luke said, accusation and alarm in his voice.
She looked at him, apparently alarmed and frightened. Excitement supplanted her alarm as she cried:
"Master Luke! You survived!"
