Chapter 2 - Of Reality and Mind

Author's Note: And this is when the angst really starts. *evil grin*

~ Amina Gila

"You must proceed to the third," Windu orders, "We spoke of this already."

"It's too dangerous," Obi-Wan objects firmly. He doesn't understand why no one else is seeing this. "We cannot go after the Stones. The risk they pose is far too great."

"They are all well-protected here. No one has access to them except us," Mundi argues.

"Everyone on Coruscant can already feel their power," Obi-Wan retorts, "It may be affecting people already. We don't know anything about these Infinity Stones."

"Even if people are sensing them, we do not know there is anything inherently dangerous about it," argues Mundi.

What he saw when he touched the Space Stone the first time was more than enough. He can't shake that feeling of overwhelming destruction every time he gets near them, and with both of them here, it's worse. It's inevitable, he knows, and he can't understand why no one else sees it. As a Jedi, it's his duty to prevent that from occurring. And he will, no matter what it takes.

Even if it means going against the Council. Perhaps they're being blinded by the Stones' power too.

"Can't you feel the danger?!" Obi-Wan snaps. He knows it's improper to speak to others on the Council in this manner, but for the first and only time in his life, he's too angry to care. "We have no way to be prepared for what could happen if this goes wrong!"

"Less dangerous than leaving these to the Sith, this is," Yoda objects.

Obi-Wan turns to look at him, momentarily stunned. Of all people, he'd have thought Yoda would be the most likely to see reason. "Master, you, most of all, should understand how dangerous this is."

Anakin shifts, discomfort radiating into the Force in waves, but otherwise, the room is dead quiet. Yoda and Windu look at each other, both of them visibly unhappy about something.

"Your emotions are clouding your judgment," Windu decides flatly. "Perhaps you should return to the fronts. Skywalker can complete this alone."

And leave Anakin alone with these things? Absolutely not. "I will accompany him," Obi-Wan replies, quieting a bit. He shouldn't talk to the Council like that, and of course, they're upset he did. He doesn't regret it though. At least someone has to be the voice of reason.

"Then I trust you will complete this mission without further complaints?" Windu asks. He's clearly upset. In truth, they only came to address Obi-Wan's concerns to the Council. Anakin had refused to agree with him, and he had to turn their questions for the Council to put to rest. And if they won't listen, then somehow, Obi-Wan will have to take matters into his own hands, because waiting is far, far too dangerous.

"If anything goes wrong, Anakin may need my help," Obi-Wan responds instead. It's obvious that the Council isn't going to listen to him even though he can't understand why. The least he can do is try to keep his former padawan safe.

Even if he seems distinctly unhappy at the notion that it might be necessary.

**w**

Even here in her room, Ahsoka can sense the overwhelming power from the Space and Power Stones. It's like a beacon that's calling to her constantly, and she wants to go find them again. Except the vault is very much off-limits, and she doesn't really have a good reason to be sneaking inside. A part of her wants to go find them so badly she hardly even cares, though.

She can't say what it is about the Stones that's capturing all her attention, but the feel is mesmerizing. It makes her feel powerful, unstoppable, and useful for the first time in her life. It makes her feel like she can make a difference, like she can stop the droids and Separatists and Sith from hurting her friends and her master.

And the next morning, they're apparently supposed to continue their search for the Stones anyway, so she'll be able to see more of them. She can't wait for that.

The eagerness of it is nearly enough to keep her awake, despite how exhausted she usually is. She never takes moments to sleep for granted anymore.

Morning doesn't come nearly fast enough.

She has no idea why Obi-Wan seems so cranky about the entire mission as they join Anakin in the vault again. There's nothing quite like feeling the rush of sheer power as Anakin uses it, creating another portal, and the next thing she knows, they're standing in the middle of a valley, surrounded by all sorts of... strange plants she's never seen anything like before.

The sky is orangish, and some of the plants are practically glowing. Far above, she sees a creature flying that she thinks is a bird, unless it's one very strange plant, because it's almost moving too slow to be flying. No thanks to the dusty clouds, she can't see anything properly.

Not that she really cares to. She reaches out with the Force single-mindedly, drinking in that same feel of the Infinity Stone here. This one feels different somehow. More difficult to grasp at, yet somehow, everywhere at once.

"Chosen One," an echoing voice from seemingly nowhere calls out behind them, and Ahsoka starts, hastily scanning their surroundings.

"Who's there?" Anakin asks, looking around.

A strange golden ball is hovering right above them, and it suddenly transforms into a strange humanoid, black-clothed and masked being.

"The question is, why are you here?" a different voice asks, sounding dubious, and moments later four more balls appear, until there's five figures hovering around them, each with varying expressions.

"We seek the Reality Stone," Anakin responds. Oh. Yes. Reality. That... probably makes sense.

"You should not have come here!" the angry one snaps.

"Nonsense!" the happy one interrupts, right when Obi-Wan looks like he's about to agree with someone for the first time since the mission started, "He is the son of the Force. Can you not feel it?"

"Why are they here?" objects the puzzled one.

"We were sent to collect the Stone, by the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan replies, "They do not see the dangers of it."

Ahsoka can only blink, at the way he's speaking of them. That's not how any Jedi Master should speak of the Council. He never used to be like that. What's wrong with him? They need these.

"That's impossible," the sad figure argues, "You will fail. You will destroy everything. You will disappoint yourselves."

"Is that... inevitable?" Obi-Wan asks grimly.

"No, no, I do not see that," the happy one protests, still the perfect picture of cheer.

"His destiny is already set. It is not for us to decide."

"But why him?"

"He is the son of the Force," the serene one replies.

"You have no idea what you seek, or what responsibility it will be," the angry one protests.

Given how they all seem to be acting precisely parallel to the emotions they're expressing, Ahsoka's beginning to question how legitimate anything any of them are saying is. Except maybe the serene one, and that means there shouldn't be a problem if they continue forwards.

"He will save the universe from great imbalance," the serene one repeats.

"Then where is the Reality Stone?" Ahsoka demands.

"You must find it," she replies, "If you are to be considered worthy of it. Do you come to us with only good intentions and light in your heart?"

Yes, of course. Why else would they come here?

"Yes," Anakin answers immediately.

"Then a blessing I give to continue your search."

"Disappoint us not," the angry one warns.

"What if we fail?" Obi-Wan objects, "I know there is risk of the Stones falling into the wrong hands."

"Then you may doom the universe," the sad one says mournfully.

"Will we... be able to balance the Force like this?" Anakin asks.

"Perhaps," the serene one responds, "Leaving the Force out of balance may cause as much destruction as this path. The choice is yours."

"But you must find the Stone first," the angry one says, and somehow, it sounds like a threat. Maybe it is, but Ahsoka isn't afraid. The priestesses, or whatever they are, suddenly transform back into balls of light, spinning in a circle above their heads before they disappear.

"Come on," Ahsoka says, taking off. She can't see the path with her eyes, but Jedi train for this, and she can feel it with the Force. The strange twisting sensation that this Stone is, is burning right up ahead, and she wants to get there as fast as possible.

They split up, searching between the trees, except she doesn't see anything anywhere. It feels like it's literally right in front of her, though, as she passes a stone cleft in a nearby hillside.

She doesn't see it until she sees a strange black cloud literally right in front of her. Is this it? That doesn't make sense. Unable to stop herself, almost without her command, her arm reaches up to touch it.

A surge of energy snakes violently up her arm, and she stumbles backwards at the blinding rush of power, panting. Suddenly, she can feel, and see, too much.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin's voice calls, but it sounds much too far away.

They're coming back now. She can feel more than hear it.

When she turns around, everything looks... strange. It's sort of tinted red, but for some reason that feels normal even if it's certainly not. She suddenly feels strangely distant from her body, as if she's floating everywhere at once, and as something high above.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin yells again. He sides to a stop, eyes wide when he sees her. He's afraid, though she doesn't know why.

She's about to ask him when she senses danger. Obi-Wan is approaching her, a strange sort of determined certainty around him. He's about to do something, but Ahsoka has this Stone – the Reality Stone – and she isn't about to let anyone take it from her. She can rewrite everything if she wants to, to make the galaxy a better, more peaceful place, to –

"Wait!" Anakin calls, but Obi-Wan is right by her now, and it's when he reaches out to touch her that something inside her explodes, lashing out, protecting her. It wasn't entirely her choice, but she still automatically drew on it to protect herself. And then, the world goes black.

**w**

He panicked when he saw Ahsoka's eyes turn red. He couldn't help it – it's never something he's seen before and definitely not something Anakin expected to encounter. Nor was her lashing out with a wave of red, smoke-like energy when Obi-Wan tried touching her.

All Anakin does know is that the area around her is in shambles, and his heart skips a beat when he sees her fall. Obi-Wan was thrown a good distance back, but his master can handle himself – he's not sure about Ahsoka.

Her weight is heavier than he remembered when he picks her up. She's still breathing, but she's unconscious. Either way, something about her is different. Anakin had been tracking this Stone, but now it feels like it's inside her. What that means, he doesn't know.

But with the panic coursing through him, he can't help shaking her, calling her name to no avail.

"Stay away from her!" Obi-Wan snaps sharply, pushing himself to his feet. "Didn't you see what happened?"

"She thought you were trying to hurt her," Anakin replies, almost bitterly. With how Obi-Wan has been acting lately, he certainly can't blame her. She has no way of trusting Obi-Wan to the same blind point which Anakin himself does.

"That's ridiculous," Obi-Wan shoots back firmly, angrily, "She knows I wouldn't. It was the Stone, just like I warned you."

"It wasn't a Stone, actually," Anakin objects, "Else she wouldn't have it inside her." This was so, so stupid of him. He should have known. He should have felt it and gone to face the danger himself like he always has. Obi-Wan isn't wrong that those things can be powerful, dangerous, deadly even. Why did Anakin let Ahsoka go this way when... well, he didn't know, but either way, Anakin has no idea if she'll be alright or not. No one has ever had experience with absorbing an Infinity Stone.

Maybe he shouldn't have taken her on a mission this dangerous at all.

But now is hardly the best time for regrets, so he forces those back and turns around, heading back towards the portal.

It reminds him jarringly of how it felt to carry his mother's body in his arms. Somehow, this is almost worse because this is the child he was supposed to protect. He should've known better, done better, something, because now he has absolutely no idea what will happen to Ahsoka.

Though the more he thinks about it, the more he finds himself wondering if the Stones themselves were driving him. It sounds insane, but their strength is overwhelming even for him. Especially for him. It feels like they're drowning him. He was so hyper-focused on his duty, he never stopped to consider his more important one of protecting his family. That's never been true before, and he never realized how... strange he's been acting until right now.

He's quiet while he takes her to the healers, and Obi-Wan explains the situation in the same short-tempered manner he's been speaking the entire time.

Unsurprisingly, they have no idea how to handle it, but they'll do the best they can to sustain her. The Stone is dangerously close to making her body shut down.

If there will be any long-term effects or not, they don't know.

Obi-Wan has to give the Council the report, and Anakin doesn't really know who said what. The entire thing passes in something of a daze, and he makes a beeline for the healers the moment it's done. Of course, they want them to continue collecting the Infinity Stones. Now, Anakin is starting to question if Obi-Wan was right all along. He should've listened, per usual.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asks, and Anakin finally realizes it's the first kind thing he said since this whole ordeal began, which is very, very strange.

"I thought I could help by doing this," he confesses, "Now I'm afraid I'm just making it worse." It makes sense. The Stones are strong, and with one inside Ahsoka, of course, it's putting too much strain on her body. That there's two others in close vicinity certainly wouldn't be helping.

"We can't keep looking," Obi-Wan tells him firmly.

"We have to," Anakin reminds, "We have to finish this. And the Council ordered us. I... just wish we'd left the Space Stone with the Father where it belonged."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agrees, "We should have."

Except now they have to get another. The fourth Stone, and Anakin is more afraid of what they'll encounter this time.

**w**

They're supposed to leave the next day, and Anakin is a little bit surprised when he gets a message from the Chancellor, requesting a meeting. Anakin's first thought, of course, is that everyone on Coruscant knows about these, but he forces that thought from mind. It's ridiculous. No one has ways of knowing, aside from feeling, and even if Palpatine wants to know, he has every right to. He's the Chancellor.

"Is everything alright, my boy?" he asks immediately.

"I nearly got my padawan killed," Anakin blurts out instantly. Guilt is strangling, drowning him. It's normal, but still hard to handle.

"Tell me what happened," he requests.

This is... awkward. "It's more outlandish than what they say about me," he warns. It had taken a very long time for him to admit that the Jedi claim he was born from the Force, whatever in the galaxy that means. That's not how the Force works, and Anakin doesn't understand how anyone could believe that. An energy field can't have children, and why is that... whatever. It's not even worth being annoyed about anymore.

"Is that so?" he inquires mildly.

"The Council discovered six... Stones, wells of power in the Force that comprise all aspects of the universe. We were sent to gather them, and Ahsoka absorbed one, somehow." It sounds insane when he puts it to words. Padme will probably agree on that.

"That is certainly quite unusual," the Chancellor replies, "Do they believe she will survive?"

"I don't know. They think my presence might be worsening it. My power draws in the strength of the Stones. Obi-Wan and I are going to be dispatched to retrieve the fourth tomorrow, without Ahsoka."

"Do you believe this to be... dangerous?"

"I don't know. I didn't think so, but then Ahsoka nearly..." He can't bring himself to finish it. She nearly died because of him, and now, he can't even be with her anymore because it's putting her in further danger. And what's more, they can't stop either now. The Council won't let them, and for a moment, Anakin starts to wonder if everyone is being influenced by the Stones as much as he was, if not more.

**w**

If there's one thing Obi-Wan knows without a shred of doubt, it's that continuing this search is a very, very stupid and nearly suicidal idea. The danger he feels is growing, somehow, and he doesn't know why no one else is seeing it.

Ahsoka is still in the medbay, with no sign of recovering. She won't until they can somehow get the Stone out of her.

Meanwhile, he and Anakin are portaling away to the fourth. They step out into what looks like a lava pit. There's rivers of lava flowing on all sides of the dark, blackened ground beneath their feet. Huge rocky ridges rise high around them, some with lava flows running down them.

The place feels as strong in the Force as all those other spots have, except it feels of the Dark Side. Deceptive, dangerous. All of them do, but something about this has a more sinister and disturbing look to it.

"We should not be here," Obi-Wan says flatly, as he scans their surroundings. He has no idea where this Stone is, but maybe it'll be too lost in the lava to retrieve.

"The Council gave us the mission," Anakin reminds him, tiredly. He sounds worn out now, which is unsurprising. If only they hadn't brought the Space Stone back from the start.

Obi-Wan reaches out with the Force, to where the Dark Side feels strongest, slowly making his way towards it. He doesn't want to leave Anakin alone in this place, but maybe he can be the first to find the Stone, and just keep him away from it.

There's a sudden movement behind him, and Obi-Wan spins around to see a towering being standing over him. He has red eyes, and red stripes along his extremely pale skin. The rest of it is varying shades of dark gray and black. All nearby light seems to be being practically sucked into him, and he feels stronger in the Dark Side than anyone Obi-Wan's ever felt before. Is this the guardian of whatever Stone this is?!

"Why have you come here?" the being demands, his voice echoing strangely.

"We're here for the Stone," Anakin replies.

The being laughs. "And what makes you think it's yours to take?"

Any other time, and Obi-Wan would have had a sharp retort to it. "We are aware the Stones are better left where they are," he replies dryly.

"Then why take them?"

"We can help people with them," Anakin offers, uncertainly.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan finds himself questioning what would happen if he stopped them from going back. He knows it might cost Ahsoka's life, maybe, but having Anakin away from them would be best. Having everyone away from these Infinity Stones would be best.

"The power will destroy a being of your kind," the Dark Sider replies, towering over them. He looks almost... smug. He's planning something.

"Anakin is no normal being," Obi-Wan shoots back, "He – "

"Oh, I'm aware," it cuts him off, smugly, "It was unwise for you to come here."

The Force has been screaming of danger so loudly that Obi-Wan didn't even feel it coming when the Dark Sider throws Anakin back with a wave of the Force. His padawan hits the rocky ground way, way too close to the lava river for his liking, and Obi-Wan draws his lightsaber, lunging at the being.

Only to be frozen mid-way, and he feels a sudden dark, clawing pressure on his mind. It's fast, sharp, and hard enough that it crawls through his mental shielding without Obi-Wan being able to stop it.

He struggles to shove it out, but it's overwhelming and far more powerful than he is, and now it's inside of him.

He can't fight against it, can't rip it out even if he wants to. The world around him seems suddenly distant and unfocused, even if he can still see what's happening. And – he realizes a panicked second later, as his body moves of its own accord, it's because he's not in control of himself anymore.

This thing is – mind-controlling him.

And there's nothing he can do to break away from it as he feels himself turning around, lightsaber ignited, stalking towards Anakin, who's finally standing up. "Master?" he asks, cautiously, warily.

Obi-Wan wants to tell him to run, to get away from here, as far away as he can, but he can't. He can't do anything at all.

It makes him sick to see, because Anakin trusts him blindly enough, even now, that he doesn't draw his lightsaber until Obi-Wan nearly takes off his head. He dodges aside, scrambling farther into the island amid the lava before drawing his own lightsaber. The hurt in his expression cuts through Obi-Wan's heart like a knife.

"Master, what are you doing?" Anakin demands, wildly, his gaze jumping between Obi-Wan and the Dark Sider.

Obi-Wan is too distant, too far away to control himself. It feels like he's floating as an outside to his body, moving but not controlling. Like there's someone else inside it, and he's pushed to the back. This is a nightmare. It's wrong, and he can only fight against it, but this is too strong.

The Dark Sider is moving towards Anakin on the other side. They're closing in on him, and he's cut off from the portal now. He won't have a way out, soon. There's not much ground between him and the lava flow.

"What are you doing to him?" Anakin demands, glaring at the Dark Sider.

"Take me to where the rest of the Stones are, and I will release him," is the response.

He wants to interject, to tell Anakin not to do it whatever the cost is, but he can't.

"And doom the galaxy to you?" Anakin throws back, "If you have a way out of this place, only destruction will follow."

"Very well, Chosen One," he replies, sending a blast of blood-red lightning towards Anakin who raises his lightsaber to deflect it. He skids back at the force of the assault. Never in his life has Obi-Wan been so grateful for Anakin's sheer stubbornness, because anyone else would have already fallen.

Obi-Wan feels himself moving forwards again. Anakin glances at him, jaw clenched, his curls falling matted across his forehead. He looks so young. He looks scared. Obi-Wan aches to take that away, to calm him, the way he sometimes had to when they were younger, but he can't stop himself as he walks closer.

Anakin tries to slip through the area between them, but Obi-Wan cuts him off.

He can hardly hear anything over the screaming in his own mind as one of his hands reaches up, wrapping around Anakin's neck. He can feel the warmth of his former padawan almost as if he was truly choosing to do this, which he isn't.

He would never. He could never. Anakin is everything to him, but no matter what he does, it's not enough to stop this. Obi-Wan is fighting it as hard as he can, but the overwhelmingness of whatever it is keeps him firmly from stopping this. He will never forget the wide-eyed look on Anakin's face.

He can only scream internally in desperate denial as his hand slowly tightens, silently begging Anakin to do something to stop this. His padawan's hand finally comes up to his, trying to pry his grip off.

Finally, he feels a shift of something in the Force, and the hold lets up suddenly. Obi-Wan stumbles, jerking back from Anakin and falling to his knees from the backlash. Anakin steps back, and a glowing yellow Stone lands in his right hand.

Obi-Wan's head is pounding, but – he's in control of himself again. The Dark Side being is moving towards them again, but Anakin blasts him back with the Force. "Hurry!" Anakin calls, sprinting towards the portal.

Obi-Wan pushes himself up and follows. Anakin closes the portal just a moment before the Dark Sider can come through. He's still trying to recollect himself from everything that just happened, as Anakin sets the Mind Stone – for that is undoubtedly what it is – with the other three.

The Force is screaming of their danger now, especially all together. And if not for all of this madness, what just happened wouldn't have. He hurt Anakin, and that being was in his mind, and – he can already see the bruises starting to form on his former padawan's neck.

"Anakin," he asks, "Are you..."

"It's fine," Anakin brushes it off, "I know it wasn't you. It wasn't your fault. Are you alright?"

"Yes." Not really. His head still hurts – which is a minor concern – and he can't shake the overwhelming fear that if he stays near these Stones a second longer, he might lose control of himself again. Or that something even worse could happen. What if Anakin started being controlled, or...

Anakin steps closer, and Obi-Wan instinctively moves back. He knows he can control himself, but he can't help his fear and desire to put distance between them to keep Anakin safe. Anakin pauses, briefly, before he moves forwards again anyway and pulls him into a hug. It still doesn't feel safe, but Obi-Wan can't bring himself to immediately pull away, holding him close in turn. He's done this... rarely, and he wants every moment of it far more than he should. It's not the Jedi way.

Still, he won't let anything stand in the way of protecting Anakin, even himself. He cannot let the search for these Stones continue any longer, no matter what.

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