Rey was pissed. They had been there a day later than Luke had promised. The excavator droids had been working tirelessly since yesterday, as had Luke, and so far, all they found were more ancient scrolls and a few storage boxes, none of which held Luke's answers. Luke had promised they would leave first thing in the morning. Morning came, and yet the noise of droids still sounded throughout the island. Rey had had enough and began to search for Luke to tell him that they needed to leave. She tried his hut, but it was vacant. She then figured he might've started work early and headed towards the temple. She searched every room within the underground caverns, but no luck. Finally, when she was about to leave, she found him leaning at the entrance sipping from a canteen. "Well well, look who's up bright and early." he said groggily. He took a swig of his drink. Rey blinked. "I thought you might've started already. Are you ready to go?" she responded. Luke strolled casually past her. "I gave the temple a look last night. From what I gather, there's about a week's worth of work here, at minimum." he said. Rey nearly fell over. "A week?! We don't have a week! We need to be back there now! The First Order is going to arrive at D'Qar at any time now! We should've been there yesterday!" she protested. Luke strolled into an open room. "A week is the best I can give you." he said lackadaisically. Rey couldn't believe what she was hearing. She angrily stormed after him. "That's not good enough!" she shouted at him. "It'll have to be." he said nonchalantly. Rey could tell something was off, this was not the man she spoke with the other day. She intercepted him. "Don't you care about your friends?! Don't you care what will happen to them without you?!" she shouted with all of her might. Luke brushed past her. "It won't make a difference if I'm there or not." he said calm as could be. Rey decided it was time to put her foot down, legendary Jedi or no. She saw the saber she returned to him on his belt. She used the force to pull the saber from his belt to her. She ignited the blade and pointed it at him. "I disagree." she sternly said. Luke stopped and turned his head. "What is it you intend to do with that saber? Force me to leave?" he asked. She kept the blade still. "If I have to." she said with confidence. He hummed in response. Then he ignited his own saber. And in a flash of green, battered away Rey's and dashed away, putting some distance between the two. "I'd like to see you try that. But be warned child, I'm no Kylo Ren." He said, readying himself. Rey raised her saber. "Maybe not, but you are a coward." She dashed towards him.
Rey lunged towards Luke and brought her saber down; he casually sidestepped her. She stumbled but recovered. She advanced towards him again. She slashed away at him, but Luke easily kept her saber at bay. She then went for a stab, he responded by twirling her blade outwards and hitting her square on the head with the butt of his saber and battered her away. He started pressing her harder, slamming into her with his blade, giving her less time to react to his strikes. He struck high, and then with a swift kick to her legs she fell to the ground. Luke slowly walked away as Rey regained her bearings. "I'm having a hard time believing you beat Kylo Ren." he said. Rey got back to her feet and engaged him again. Luke turned and parried her strike. After a few strikes back and forth, they initiated a saber lock. Luke flashed a grin. Rey grimaced, struggling to match her opponent. But then she remembered the last time she was in a saber lock. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, attempting to draw forth those feelings again. Luke raised an eyebrow as she did this. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again. She then pulled away from the lock and started moving at incredible speed. She countered Luke's strikes and provided her own, putting the pressure on him. She slammed into him again, and again, and again. Luke was beginning to exert more effort just to keep up. But just when it looked like she was backing him into a corner, that's when Luke made his move. He parried her saber outward, grabbed ahold of it, switched it off, and then headbutted her to the ground.
As Rey was recovering, Luke planted his foot on her stomach and pointed his blade to her neck. He looked down at her. "Do you expect to win against the First Order like this? You're just a child, waving around something that doesn't belong to you while calling yourself a hero. What difference are you hoping to make?" he asked her. Rey glared up at him. "At... at least I'll be out there doing something. Anything! Instead of lurking in some dusty old cave while my friends die needlessly. Tell me, if you're some great legend, why aren't you out there fighting? Why aren't you even trying?! Why don't you care?!" she asked angrily. Luke stared at her for a moment, studying the fire in her eyes. As she calmed down, a wave of relief seemed to wash over him. His eyes turned misty as a sad smile crossed his face. He sheathed his saber and removed his foot. "Congratulations, you passed." he said, taking a shaky breath. Rey blinked. "Passed? What do you mean I passed?" she asked. Luke sat down next to her. She sat up to match him. "You were testing me? All of that back there was just..." she trailed off. Luke nodded. "I needed to see something, with my own eyes. And I must say, I'm impressed." he said with pride. Rey shook her head. "What? See what? What was so important that you needed me to fight you for?" she asked. Luke took another breath. "I needed to see what your self-control was like." he explained. Rey's expression didn't change. "What? Why?" she asked, growing more confused by the second. Luke looked at her with hope in his eyes. "I... I think you're ready to hear the truth, Rey. The whole truth." He whispered. Rey listened intently.
"It all started around twenty years ago on Yavin IV, where I had established the new Jedi Order. While I was a teacher, I was still very much a student myself. I was exploring aspects of the force that weren't present in the Jedi holocrons that The Empire once held. One such aspect was the ability to create life. I was so enamored with the concept; I dedicated countless hours to understanding it. One day, in my hubris, I decided to try it myself. I succeeded, almost at the cost of my life. A baby girl appeared right in front of me. I fell in love with her the moment I laid eyes on her. I decided to adopt her as my own. I named her… Azael. It wasn't long before Azael began to show signs of force sensitivity. When she was of age, I enrolled her into the Jedi Order. She learned quickly, very quickly. I was… so proud of her…" he recollected. He stared off into space for a moment before continuing on. "I tried to teach her about the dangers of the dark side, but she didn't heed my warnings. She delved deep into the dark side's power, and she was transformed into a being of raw, untamed power. A being of pure destruction. I tried to reach her, but … I couldn't. She went on a rampage. Not only was the temple destroyed, but the planet itself was irrevocably damaged before I was able to stop her. The students who had survived pleaded with me to kill her. They begged me to, but… she was my daughter. What happened wasn't her fault, she was just a child. At the very least, she deserved a second chance. My remaining students resented me for my decision. Along with Ben Solo, they left and joined The First Order. As for my daughter…" he solemnly explained. He looked to Rey, who had been on the verge of tears. Her eyes slowly widened, and the weight in her chest increased a thousandfold when she figured it out. Luke softly continued on. "I used the force to lock her memories away, so she would remain ignorant to the horrors she committed. I gave her a new name and sent her away to live on the distant planet of Jakku, so that she might be given a chance to live a life in peace." He finished.
Tears were welling up in Rey's eyes. Luke continued on. "The real reason that I left in search for this temple is because I felt a great disturbance in the force. Or to be more specific, an awakening. Your awakening." he said. Rey got up and started to pace, she felt she was on the verge of a panic attack. Luke got up with her, he put his hands up in a non-aggressive gesture. "I was initially looking for a way to defeat Snoke and The First Order as fast as possible, in case should your memory return. Or worse yet, you regain your full power and let loose upon the galaxy." he said solemnly. Rey was crying. "No... no! I'm not... I don't... no! I don't believe you! You're lying! You..." she trailed off. She was beginning to hyperventilate. Luke put his hands down and took a deep breath. "Search your feelings if you must, I tell no lies." He calmly said. Rey's mind was racing a mile a minute. "Why… why are you telling me this?" she asked. Luke took a moment to put his thoughts together before answering. "Because I've found the answer to match Snoke and The First Order." he said. That caught Rey off guard, yet she was still upset. She grew even more so as she interpreted Luke's meaning. He gestured towards her. "After talking to you, after learning about you, after fighting you, I know the answer. It's you, Rey." He said. Rey was violently in denial. "No… No! I don't want any part of this!" she raged. Luke carefully took a step forward. "I know it won't be easy to process all of this, I know it will be hard. But I can help you to get through-" he began to say. Rey cut him off. "NO! I don't want this! I don't want to be a part of your fight! I don't want anything to do with this!" she screamed. She threw the lightsaber to the ground and ran out of the room. Luke's parental instincts kicked in. "Wait, Azzy!" he accidentally called her. Rey ran faster. She ran out of the cave, past the huts, past a confused Chewbacca and R2-D2, and past The Falcon. She didn't know where she was going, all she knew was she needed to be as far away from there as possible.
Rey watched the seemingly infinite ocean from the shoreline; her knees tucked into her chest. She had seen such sights only in her dreams, witnessing it in person was nothing short of fantastical. It was helping her calm down from the terrifying revelations Luke had thrusted upon her. She slowed her breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the sound of the waves hitting the shore; the slow steady beat of the water rising and falling away from the sand becoming more prominent by the second. As more time passed, other sounds of the island became more apparent to Rey. The speed of the wind rustling past her hair, the animal life down on the shore as well as the mainland behind her, the rustling of each patch of grass. Soon, she started to notice attributes that she hadn't before, ones that were beyond her normal senses. She felt how slowly the grass was growing, she saw the aquatic creatures that lay beneath the ocean's surface, she could feel the remnants of the sand particles from Jakku in her hair, she could even feel the atmosphere of the planet itself. She was surprised at how natural the feelings came to her, and how relaxing they were. As her senses expanded, she then came across something else. It sounded like a voice but was unintelligible. When she tried to hone in on it, she could only make out a whisper. "Next step" was all she could decipher. The voice was soon followed by the laughter of a child, jolting Rey out of her trance. She then looked across the island's shore; something was calling to her. Hesitantly, she got up and made her way towards the call's origin.
She soon came across an opening just above the shoreline. A plateau of sorts overlooking the ocean. And at the center of it; a medium sized pit in the ground that was jutting out moss and seaweed. Rey carefully made her way towards the hole and looked down into it. It was difficult to make out, but the pit appeared to lead into a cavern of some sorts. This was what was calling her. Remembering what happened the last time she investigated something calling out to her, she opted to turn back. The pit, however, had other ideas. Suddenly, water burst out of the hole, knocking Rey down. She yelped in surprise. An unseen force then began to drag Rey into the pit. She tried to hang on to the moss to no avail. She was dragged down into the hole, along with the water,
Rey landed into a body of water within the cavern. The contrast of the cold temperature of the water nearly sent her into shock. Being underwater was overwhelming to her senses, she couldn't identify which way was up. She thrashed around in a panic and tried to scream, only to receive a lungful of water. She closed her mouth instinctively then tried to gain her bearings. In one direction there was an endless void of darkness, in the other was a sheet of faintly shimmering light. Rey figured that was the surface and attempted to swim upwards. She had no experience in swimming however, so the best she could do was thrash her arms and legs around in a desperate fashion. She was moving at a slow pace, and her breath was running out fast. When her lungs felt like they were about to burst, she finally breached the surface. She took a deep breath of air before quickly scanning the area for anything that looked like land. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she spotted a shore on the edge of the cavern. Desperately trying to keep her head above water, she slowly splashed her way over to the piece of land. She heaved herself upon it and crawled on top of it. She immediately vomited out all of the water she took in whilst screaming. It came again, then a third time, a fourth, she waited for the next retch to arrive, but it seemed she was done. She closed her eyes and caught her breath; she was no longer fond of water. As her lungs were appreciating having air inside of them again, Rey looked around the cavern. It was darker than the temple save for the little light from the opening at the top. She could hardly see anything below the body of water she came from. Just then, a child's laughter echoed once again. Rey turned towards the laughter's origin; it was coming through a passage just beyond the piece of shore she was on. She looked back towards the ceiling of the cavern, it seemed she didn't have a choice in the matter. She steadily collected herself and made her way through the passage.
The further Rey progressed into the passageway, the more she felt like she was doing something she wasn't supposed to be. Her anxiety rose with each step she took. The walls seemed hollow, like something was watching her from behind them. The ground, although generally horizontal, felt like Rey was going downhill, gravity urging her with every step for her legs to give out and be pulled down towards her inevitable destination. Finally, the passageway opened up into a large room. The room was made up entirely of what looked like melted glass. The glass seemed to have been overheated, which had transformed the look of the entire room into an amalgamation of heavily distorted mirrors. Rey's reflection however, appeared only in front of her. She slowly approached it.
Upon closer inspection, Rey noticed that her reflection wasn't quite… her per say. As she approached, her form remained in an undefined state. The child's laughter echoed again, seemingly coming from behind the mirror. Rey stopped for a moment to think; what was she going to be shown this time? She looked back towards the passageway she came in from, then looked back to her distorted reflection. She took a deep breath and slowly approached the mirror. Her reflection steadily became more in focus. She stopped just in front of the mirror, then slowly reached out her hand to touch it. As soon as she made contact, she was suddenly on the other side.
Confused, she looked around, only to find herself surrounded by darkness. She looked down, only to discover the horrific distortion that was engulfing her body. She tried to scream, but the sound resonated from the other side of the mirror. She turned towards the source of the sound only to find her reflection in more clarity than she was. She slowly figured out what had happened; she was seeing the world through her reflection's eyes. As she regained her bearings, she then began to hear whispers emanating from behind her. She turned around towards the origin of the whispers, only to find a sight that was most unsettling. In front of her, there were countless reflections of her, each one mimicking her every move with only a slight delay, in a singular line that seemed to stretch on for eons. She raised her hand and clicked her fingers; the reflections did the same. The noise echoed on until it was imperceptible. Despite the eldritch dread that was sinking into her chest, Rey had an instinctual feeling that this vast void wasn't as endless as it seemed. The whispers were almost a guarantee, there must be an end point to this. Rey attempted to move forward, instead of her body moving, her perspective changed. She looked back to see she had moved up a couple of copies from the mirror. She took a breath, as well as a moment to take in the absurdity of the week she's had to lead up to this moment, then moved forward again. Her instincts were soon proven correct, as her reflections started to change the further she traveled. Their forms were exponentially getting younger at a steady pace with the whispers growing louder. The memories of each form flooded Rey as she passed them by, the most of them being on Jakku. She finally came to a stop when she was just a child, the earliest memory she had, arriving on Jakku. Beyond her lay nothing but darkness. She tried moving forward again, but to no avail. The whispers were louder now, practically begging her to advance. She then tried to concentrate on them. It took a while, but eventually the whispers became decipherable enough for Rey to make out what they were. The sounds of laughter, a woman calling for children to line up, a man's voice lecturing a class, a boy offering an invitation to spend time with friends, a ferocious storm, Luke's voice singing a lullaby, and the rustling of leaves on a tree. The darkness in front of her started to peel back. She then came to realize that these were memories. She hesitated for a moment and considered what she might find should she continue, and what implications might arise from that. She then decided that she had made it this far, and that she might as well see it through. She refocused her attention on the whispers. The more she concentrated, the clearer the memories became. Soon, she was able to sense more than just the sound of the memories. She could feel the wind rushing past her, she could smell the cacophony of food from a cafeteria, she could almost picture the golden light of the sunset illuminating the scenery. And yet, the deeper she delved into the past, the more intense the storm grew. The gentle breeze surged into a hurricane, the sounds of children melted into screams of terror, Rey could feel the lightning from the storm coursing its way through her fingers. The child's laugh from before had returned, this time with a noticeably added glee. It was originating from Rey's throat. The horror at the reality of what she was witnessing was too much for her to bear. "No… wait I-" she struggled to say. She opened her eyes to find herself outside of the cavern, just next to the pit. She stood up and tried to slow her breathing. She then looked around, attempting to regain her bearings. She then looked back to the pit, the calling she felt once before was gone. Without hesitation she walked away and went back to the path she came from.
Rey had returned to the shoreline. She stared once again at the vast ocean in front of her, no longer appearing as endless as she once perceived it to be. She then looked to the sky, watching the ever-shifting clouds pass her by far above. She thought about herself, she thought about those close to her, about Luke, about Finn, and she thought about the galaxy as a whole, and her place in it. Her introspection was interrupted by a few curious beeps behind her. She turned to find R2-D2 slowly wheeling up to her. "Hello R2." She said in a quiet tone. R2 opened up one of his storage compartments to reveal a bag, he beeped an offering to her. She gently retrieved the bag and inspected its contents. There was a few items of food and a small flask of the milk she drank earlier. She cradled the bag more carefully in her hands. "Thank you." She said. R2 beeped in confirmation, then indicated that Luke was worried about her. She looked down. "Luke…" she trailed off, still processing what she witnessed in the cave. She then looked back to R2. "Where is he?" she asked.
R2 led Rey back into the temple, they traversed a series of hallways until they were met with a primitive stairway. R2 beeped at her that she would find him up there, then strode back towards The Falcon. Rey ascended the staircase until she found herself in a room with four torches and a center platform, as well as an entrance that led outside. Luke was outside sitting cross-legged on a platform at the edge of the stretch of opening that overlooked the island. Rey slowly approached him. Luke made no indication that he knew she was there. And yet: "Quite the view, no?" he asked her. She stopped suddenly and folded her arms. She nodded. "Yes, it is." She said. A short moment passed before Luke turned to look at her. "I'm sorry. It was a heavy burden to bear, and I threw it at you all at once." He said softly. Rey remained quiet. She rubbed her arm anxiously. "So… how would this work? How do I… how do I use that power against Snoke without losing control?" she hesitantly asked. Luke stared at her for a moment before getting off of his platform. "Like you said, there's not much time left before The First Order arrives on D'Qar. Whereas before you did not, you now have the discipline to control your anger, the test proved that. I can teach you how to harness your power, to not be afraid of it. You already know the basic lessons, so that leaves us with a very good head start." He explained. Rey shook her head. "I don't even remember the basics, whenever I end up using the force it's never on command. The closest I got was during our fight." She explained. Luke stroked his beard and thought for a moment. "Very well. Then it seems now is the perfect time for lesson one." He said. He patted the platform. "Hop on." He ordered. She looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What, just…?" she trailed off. He gestured towards the platform again. She hesitantly sat on the platform with her legs crossed like Luke had. Luke proceeded to stand behind her with his arms tucked into his sleeves. "Close your eyes, they will only serve to distract you." He ordered. Rey did as she was told. Luke continued on. "Now, breathe. Just breathe. Clear your mind of all invasive thoughts." He instructed. Rey did so while noticing the similarities from when she was on the shoreline. Luke continued on. "Good. Now, reach out. Reach out with your feelings." He said. Rey did that as well, and was surprised at how responsive the reaction was, compared to the beach where all she felt was slipping into it. Luke leaned in close to her. "What do you see?" he quietly asked.
From here, Rey could observe the entire island. Much like the beach, she could see far beyond what her normal senses told her. "I see… everything. Life, death, peace, violence, harmony, chaos." She described. Luke nodded and slowly moved in front of her. "All factions of nature, held together by a balance. The force resides in all of them. It is not merely a weapon or a tool that the Jedi use, it is the makeup of all things. Both light and dark sides of the force play an important role in maintaining that balance. A Jedi's role is to preserve that balance, to ensure that there is no disruption in the force. That is the danger of The Sith. They seek to further their own power by any means necessary, even if that disturbs the balance and jeopardize life as we know it. They are pure evil and must be stopped." He explained. Rey took a moment to process what Luke had said. "… then… my powers…" she muttered. Luke nodded. "-do not come from evil. No ability of the force is inherently good or evil, it's how you use them that defines both them, and yourself." He stated. Rey's shoulders suddenly felt lighter. "Myself…" she whispered. Luke walked towards her and gently put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting fashion. "Alright. That's enough for now. We should probably start packing." He said as he walked towards the entrance. Rey turned to face him. "What?" she asked. Luke turned back towards her. "Back to D'Qar? I'm a man of my word. Unless you want to stay here in this dark and damp temple?" he asked with a smile. Rey responded with a weak smile and hopped off the platform and followed Luke back into the Temple and back to The Falcon.
Rey was waiting for Luke to finish packing while Chewie and R2 were getting The Falcon ready to launch. After a while, Luke strode out of his hut lugging a backpack and two large containers. "Mind giving me a hand?" he asked. Rey reluctantly hoisted one of the containers, it was heavy. "Can't you just use the force to make this easier?" she asked with some difficulty. They started walking towards the ship. Luke chuckled. "And deny our bodies the exercise? If you depend on the force for everything, your physical form will wither away." He said with some strain. They boarded The Falcon and put the containers and the backpack in the cargo space, then they joined Chewie and R2 in the cockpit. Chewbacca raised the landing pad and grunted that they were ready to go. Luke took a deep breath. "It's been a long time since I've seen everyone… somehow I doubt I'll receive a warm welcome." He wondered aloud. Chewbacca grunted back that Leia missed him dearly. Luke rubbed his hand on his face. "Oh boy…" he exhaled with deep anxiety. Chewbacca and R2 laughed. Rey smiled in amusement. And with that, The Millennium Falcon took off into the stars. Once in the outer atmosphere of Ahch-To, with a nod of approval from Chewbacca, Luke pulled the hyperdrive switch, sending The Falcon racing home to D'Qar.