"aaaa" - talking through a holocomunicator or comlink. aaaa - inner thoughts and Force Visions. 'aaaa' - talking through a bond. 'aaaa' - regular dreams
AN: Hi everyone,
I know that this was supposed to be uploaded last year, but in the middle of writing this, I got writer's block and just lost the motivation to work on it. But I finally got my motivation back and managed to get it done.
I hope everyone likes it.
I finished watching the second season of the Bad Batch and I thought it was really good. I also saw the final season and enjoyed it very much. I can't wait for the second season of Ahsoka (really loved the first season! I'm happy that Ezra's alive and back with Hera and Chopper. I also hope that Ahsoka and Sabine find a way back as well. Also can't wait to find out what role the Mortis statues are going to play in the new season)
Thank you princesselsaamidala22 and my guest reviewer for your reviews. I love reading them.
On with the story!
Anakin, who has passed the Father's perilous test, rejected his offer to stay and take his place. Now the three Jedi are preparing to depart for their trip home.
Saving Rosella
As the shuttle that the Jedi were using continued to ascend into the atmosphere over the planet, Obi-Wan and Rosella were the only ones in the cockpit. Anakin had retreated to the rear compartment and was currently resting on one of the bunks, having tired himself out after undertaking the test that the Father had forced upon him in the arena.
Rosella, who had turned her head to the right to take in the grey sky that they were currently flying through, turned back to the navigation console that was in front of her. Leaning forward, she continued to press various buttons to see if she could get a more accurate reading as to how close they were to the exit, which was what she was calling it, and how long it would take them to get there.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan took one hand off of the steering controls that he was sitting in front of as he pressed a few buttons in order to get the ship ready for their departure.
Quickly realizing that she still wasn't getting the information that she wanted, she shoved herself up out of her seat and walked into the back to see if she could figure out why. Glancing at her father as soon as she entered, she decided not to disturb him as he seemed fine. Turning towards a row of panels at the back, she walked towards one and opened it.
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Anakin was lying on a patch of soft, green grass with the shadow of a tree hanging over him. There were various other trees and a few plants surrounding him. As he slept, he continued to toss and turn while his right hand was lying across his body just above his utility belt and his left hand was behind his head. His left leg was bent so his knee was in the air and his right one was lying flat on the ground. Rolling over so that he was lying on his left side, he straightened out his left leg and bent his other leg at an angle while tucking his left hand behind his head to use as a pillow.
"Anakin," a quiet, soft voice that sounded a lot like his own called as if it was trying to rouse him from his peaceful slumber.
When he heard it the first time, Anakin flopped over onto his back, both hands spread away from his body with his palms touching the grass.
"Anakin," the voice called again, this time with a slight melodic tone to it as it grew a little louder.
As soon as he heard his name being called for a second time, he began to toss and turn his head again, trying to banish the voice from his mind.
"Anakin," a very rough-sounding voice said, causing the young Knight's eyes to snap open.
Anakin let out a small gasp as he shot up into a cross-legged sitting position. Realizing that he could barely see, he closed his eyes and rubbed away the remaining remnants of sleep. When he opened them again, he couldn't believe it. What was he doing back on Mortis? He knew that he, Obi-Wan and Rosella were currently on the shuttle, flying away from the surface as they looked for a way out or at least a spot where they could get some sort of signal to send out a call to Rex, who was aboard the Venator that was waiting for them.
But there was no mistaking it.
Somehow, he had ended up back on the surface, landing in a forested area that he had never seen before. There was a small lake in front of him with different-sized rocks spread throughout. Surrounding it was a rock wall with a waterfall in one section that flowed down into the calm, blue water. Various rocks, some of which were large and small, floated in the air.
Raising his head, Anakin peered out over the lake. His eyes went wide as a figure, one whom he couldn't identify, rose up out of the water on the other side of the lake. As the person began to calmly walk through the fog that lightly sat on the surface, the Knight slowly stood up and looked down at himself as he brushed off his tunic. Then he turned his gaze back to the man who was heading towards him.
It was him!
The figure walking towards Anakin was himself.
His double hadn't even exited the lake when he began to speak. "It's true, what they say," he said, coming to a halt in front of him. Raising his right hand into the air, he curled all five of his fingers into a fist. "You are the Chosen One."
Anakin nearly glared at the figure before shaking his head. He wasn't the Chosen One. Even though the test had proved otherwise, the Knight simply chose not to dwell on it. He knew in the back of his mind that those who knew and loved him for who he was saw him as an ordinary man who was strong in the Force.
The Son, who had transformed into Skywalker after entering the young man's dream, narrowed his eyes, knowing that he would have to think of something enticing to say in order to lure him over to his side. "Join me," he said, before rising and quickly shifting back into his natural form. The man could feel Anakin's eyes tracking his every move, but paid no attention to him as he continued speaking. "If you do, then we can change the balance of the universe together."
For a single moment, Anakin was very tempted to join him. He knew that if he were to combine his power with the Son's, then they would easily be able to rid the galaxy of the Sith and put an end to the war. Then he quickly realized that while it would be the easiest way to accomplish his goal, it wouldn't be right. He was also pretty sure that his family and friends wouldn't want to be around him anymore. Quickly banishing the very thought from his mind, he narrowed his eyes at the being who currently stood in front of him. "If there is one thing you must know," he said in a strong, determined voice, "it's that I will never, ever, join the dark side willingly."
The Son shook his head, seeming amused by the words that Anakin had just said. "You make it sound so simple," he said. "Light and Dark, as if there is one without the other." Then he closed his eyes and raised both hands into the air. "Aligned," he brought his hands down in front of his chest and interlocked his fingers together as if he was about to begin praying to some higher power, "you and I can restore balance wherever we go." He smiled a little as he saw the Knight close his eyes and bow his head. Maybe he wouldn't need to resort to his backup plan after all. "We can bring peace to the entire galaxy."
Anakin narrowed his eyes and raised his head, glaring at the dark being. He knew that there was some truth to what the taller man was saying about light and dark needing to exist together. But he also knew that everything else was all lies and empty promises. Even if they did bring peace, there was always going to be something bad to disrupt it. "You want me to do all of that by becoming a Sith?" He asked, before shaking his head. "Never!"
The Son frowned and watched as the Knight turned around and walked away. Then he felt his anger beginning to rise. Pulling his hands apart, he closed his eyes, trying to smother it, but ended up giving in as a sudden burst of flames appeared around his body. "We will destroy the Sith!" He roared as the sky overhead quickly changed from a bright, sunny day into the darkness of night. Then he calmed down and purred, "And the Jedi."
Anakin moved further and further away, ignoring whatever the Son had just said. As soon as the sound of crackling flames reached his ears, he turned around, only to be greeted by the sight of the large gargoyle as it burst forth from within the circle and let out a mighty roar. After backing away to a safe distance, the Knight quickly flung his hands up to protect his face as the beast charged towards him.
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Even though Anakin was still asleep, his eyes were narrowed. A few seconds later, his head started to twitch slightly as he tilted it more to his left and his eyebrows became more scrunched up. Then he let out a semi-quiet gasp as he woke up, the image of the gargoyle charging directly at him with its jaws wide open still spinning in front of his eyes. It took him a moment to remember where he was and what was going on, but as soon as he did, he bolted upright and began to catch his breath as he rubbed one of his eyes with his right hand.
Rosella, who had been studying the interior of the panel that she had opened, came to the conclusion that nothing was wrong with the navigation system. Figuring that the planet must be causing some strange interference, she shut the door. As soon as she heard Anakin gasp, the young girl glanced over her shoulder. Once she saw the telltale signs that he had just woken up from a nightmare on his face, she closed the door, turned around and walked over to him. "Were you having a nightmare?" She softly asked, watching as he swung his legs over the edge of the bunk. Then she leaned forward and placed her left hand on his shoulder as a comforting gesture.
Anakin let out a small sigh and glanced at the ground for a few seconds before sensing that Rosella was waiting for an answer. Flicking his eyes towards her, he saw that she had a concerned look on her face. "Something like that," he responded, hoping that it would appease her worry. Bending down as she removed her hand from its place on his shoulder, he hopped off of the bunk.
All of a sudden, the shuttle began to shake as if it had hit a patch of turbulence, which caused the Skywalkers to stumble. Rosella quickly reached out and grabbed onto the right side of the bunk just to keep her balance before losing her grip as she took a few steps backwards before reaching out again, this time grabbing onto an outcropping which was located underneath the row of panels that she had been looking at earlier. Anakin, meanwhile, nearly tripped over his own feet as he took a few steps forward. As it leveled out, the Knight straightened up and turned toward the cockpit.
Obi-Wan, who had reached up and pressed a button on the panel above his head, turned to his right and called out, "If you've finished taking your nap, I could use your help up here."
"I'm coming," Anakin responded.
Just as he was about to step through the doorway, he heard Rosella gasp. Once the sounds of her struggling reached his ears, he glanced to his right, narrowed his eyes and slowly turned around as the door to the cockpit slid shut behind him, cutting him off from Obi-Wan. He glared at the Son, who had somehow appeared on their shuttle without any of them sensing his powerful presence.
The tall male, who was standing behind the young padawan, lifted her off the ground while keeping his right hand wrapped around her neck. He made sure that the pressure wasn't too tight so she could still breathe while her feet dangled in the air. "Planning on leaving already?" He mockingly asked, listening as she put up another useless attempt to free herself from his strong grip. Letting go of her other arm, he narrowed his eyes as he turned the young girl around so she was facing him. "I doubt you'll get very far without this."
Anakin gritted his teeth, trying to control his increasing anger while his eyes grew even more worried as he knew that the Son was very good at manipulating people.
Now that Rosella was dangling over the yellow and black emergency panel that covered the opening that led outside, her eyes shot over to her father and locked onto his face. As she removed her left hand from around the Son's gloved fingers and tried to reach for him, the door beneath her slid open. Then the being flipped her around so that her back was pressed against his chest.
Quickly moving his hand from around the fifteen-year-olds neck so he could tightly hold onto her, the Son stepped forward and fell off the edge into the clouded night below.
"Rosella!" Anakin yelled as he took a step forward, hearing nothing but her screams.
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Rosella continued to scream as she flew through the air, even though she knew that it was doing nothing but making her throat sore.
Sometime during their freefall, the Son had shapeshifted into his gargoyle form and was now holding her in his front claws. Soaring up into the air, he let go of her arms and then quickly caught her with his rear ones before taking off through the dense clouds.
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Anakin spun around and all but ran to the door behind him. Once it opened, he swiftly entered the cockpit and immediately headed for the co-pilot's seat.
"What's going on?" Obi-Wan asked, as he could feel his brother's distress ringing clearly through their bond.
Reaching for the chair, the Knight turned it sideways, stepped in front of it and reached up to press two different buttons on the panel over his brother's head. "It's the Son," he responded in a somewhat breathless and panicked voice as he dropped into the seat and continued to press a series of buttons that were located on a console to his right. "He teleported himself onto the shuttle and managed to grab Rosella before escaping."
Obi-Wan's eyes widened and he turned to look at the younger man. "What in the blazes are you talking about?" He asked.
Anakin turned to look at Obi-Wan. After seeing the rather confused look on his face, he got the sense that the older man didn't believe him. "Look, I don't have time to go into details right now!" He said, narrowing his eyes as he turned back to his set of controls. "Just let me fly the ship!" Quickly grabbing the steering mechanism, he pulled it up towards him and heard his former Master gasp as the man fell back against his seat.
The shuttle flew upwards before slowly turning over as it fell towards the ground.
As soon as Anakin saw that the gargoyle was heading towards a canyon, he yanked on the controls and went after it. He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth for the second time that night as he caught sight of his daughter who was now dangling from the creature's hind claws.
The teenager, who sensed that her father and uncle were following them in their shuttle, turned her head around and let out another scream. In response to that, the gargoyle turned his head, roared in the direction of the shuttle and then dove down towards a section that was covered in what looked to be a very thick patch of fog.
Anakin kept up the chase and pushed the shuttle as fast as it would go. Quickly adjusting his grip on the steering control as he swiftly caught up to the creature, who let out a much more softer roar, the younger Jedi began to weave left and right as he flew around the towering rock formations that were easy enough to spot now that they weren't covered by the misty air. Once he spotted the pair of rock formations with a hole in the middle, he turned the shuttle sideways, easily flying through it. After twisting the controls so the ship was flying how it was supposed to be flown, he continued his pursuit.
Obi-Wan glanced at his brother and grew worried as he saw his face change from a determined calm to instant rage all in under a minute. He could sense the simmering anger that was just waiting to be unleashed and as soon as he heard the growl beginning to emerge, he hoped that Anakin would be able to get his emotions under control even as the creature flew further and further away from them.
The gargoyle turned his head around and saw that the shuttle was catching up to him. Letting out another loud roar, he put on a burst of speed and vanished into a heavy patch of fog.
Anakin's face instantly changed into one of shock and disbelief as his shoulders slumped and his grip on the steering column relaxed a little. After a few minutes, the feelings began to fade away and then he leaned forward, his expression changing back into one of determination, fury and anger as he brought the ship back up to its max speed and sailed through the fog. He only had one goal in mind and that was to get to Rosella.
The fog that surrounded the shuttle suddenly dissipated, revealing a tall structure with a large, glowing green orb at the top.
Anakin leaned back a little and stared at the object as the shuttle headed towards it.
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted, turning to look at him. "Watch where you're flying!" When it became clear that his warning had gone unheeded, he immediately took over, using the controls on his side of the ship to veer away from it.
The Knight, who was nearly flung out of his seat, reached forward and wrapped his hands around the steering. Once they made it past the round sphere, he promptly jerked the wheel in the other direction.
Even though the shuttle was now flying straight instead of sideways, it was traveling way too fast for either of the two men to do anything about the sudden and uncontrollable dive that they found themselves in. As it hurtled towards the ground, they immediately started pressing different buttons in an effort to keep it steady. After realizing that none of what they were doing was working, Anakin grabbed the controls in front of him and tried to land the ship without damaging it.
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A few minutes after he had burst through the heavy patch of fog with his captive safely in his grasp, the Son waited until he saw a dark shape fly past him and sail around the tower.
Once he sensed that the ship and its occupants were nowhere near the building, he swiftly flew over the courtyard and let go of Rosella. Then, he landed a few feet away and instantly shifted back into his human form.
Making his way over to the teenager, who was on her hands and knees, he grabbed her right arm, forced her to her feet and quickly dragged her towards the entrance. Once they made it inside, he took her down to the dungeons and into one of the numerous empty cells. After making sure that she wouldn't be able to escape, he turned around and left, slamming the door behind him.
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One single moment.
That's all it took for Anakin to pull himself together. He slowly tilted his head to the left and scrunched up his eyebrows before bringing his right hand up to his forehead. Letting out a soft, but silent groan, he called on the Force and checked himself over for any injuries as well as a concussion. When he didn't find anything that was going to stop him from getting up and moving around, he raked his fingers through his hair, trying to remember what happened.
As soon as everything came rushing back to him, he opened his eyes and looked around at all the damage that had been done.
Obi-Wan, whose body and arms were slumped over the pilot's controls, slowly began to wriggle a few fingers on his right hand. Then he shook his head as he pushed himself up off the dashboard. "I didn't think you saw it," he said, glancing at Anakin before rising out of his seat.
The Knight jerked his left hand back towards the area that they had crash landed in. "It was a giant tower!" He exclaimed, watching as Obi-Wan walked past him. Then he stood up and followed him. "Of course I saw it!"
Once they entered the rear compartment of the slightly tilted ship, the Jedi Master turned around and hit a button on the panel near the door which caused the emergency panel to slide open. Striding forward, he stepped on top of the ramp and began to make his way down as it dropped from the bottom of the ship and locked into place. As soon as he was standing on solid ground, he immediately began to scan the area around him.
Anakin, who was right behind him, reached up and grabbed the top of the opening to stop him from tumbling off the slanted ramp. "Do you see him anywhere?" He asked in a sharp tone, quickly glancing around at the dark, fog-covered landscape before finally making his way onto the ground below.
Obi-Wan, who had already laid eyes on the structure that Anakin had nearly crashed into, turned his head towards him while keeping his gaze focused on it. "No," he responded while crossing his arms over his chest, "but I think it's obvious where he's taken her."
Anakin had no idea what his brother was talking about. After looking at Obi-Wan with a confused expression on his face and seeing that his former mentor was looking at something off in the distance, he shifted his eyes in that direction and instantly narrowed them. As the fog in front of him began to dissipate, he caught sight of a very tall tower that was miles away from their current position. Situated at the top of it was a large, glowing green orb. Surrounding the base were four smaller towers with similar orbs on top. He was instantly filled with determination as he made his way past the older man. "We need to hurry," he declared in a low voice as he began to walk towards the building.
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, immediately getting the feeling that his former apprentice was going to go rescue her. Knowing that he had to try and put a stop to whatever plan that the Knight had brewing in his head, he quickly moved to intercept him. "Anakin," he said, his voice taking on a more concerned tone as he darted in front of the man, forcing him to came to an immediate halt. "This wasn't a mistake." Bringing up his right hand, the Jedi Master calmly placed it on Anakin's left shoulder and continued speaking. "The Son brought us here for a reason." After taking his hand away, he crossed both arms over his chest and glanced over his shoulder before turning back to face his brother. Anakin was staring at the ground with a determined, but slightly frustrated look in his eyes. "It would be a bad idea to get ourselves involved in whatever is going on." Watching as the Knight glanced up at the tower and then closed his eyes, he knew that Anakin wasn't going to like what he had to say next. "Whatever actions we take here could have dramatic repercussions for our own universe."
Anakin's eyes snapped open as soon as he heard his brother's words. Taking a deep breath to help curb his emotions, he turned towards him and leaned forward, levelling the older man with an angry glare. "I don't care!" He snapped, knowing that nothing was going to stop him from heading to the tower. The Knight was focused on one thing and that was getting his daughter back. Backing away, he brushed past Obi-Wan for the second time. "He is too powerful for Rosella to handle by herself. I am not just going to leave her there." Even though Anakin didn't say it out loud, he knew that something terrible was going to happen.
Obi-Wan had slowly turned around while listening to Anakin speak. Walking towards him, he brought up his right hand, firmly placed it on the Knight's shoulder and forced him to turn around. "We are in the middle of something we don't truly understand," he said, trying not to get into an argument as he let his hand fall back down to his side. Placing both of his hands on his hips, the older Jedi raised his right eyebrow. "It would make much more sense if we went and spoke to the Father about this."
Anakin, who had already turned around and was now staring at the tower in the distance, narrowed his eyes before closing them as the thought to travelling all the way back to the monastery raced through his mind. Was that really the best plan that Obi-Wan could come up with at the moment? Even though he knew where it was, he wasn't sure how long it was going to take them to reach the other side of the planet or even if the Father would agree to help them once they explained what was going on. Spinning around to face the older man, he forced himself to remain calm. "There's no time," he said, trying to hide how angry and scared he truly was.
"Anakin, this is what the Son wants," Obi-Wan said in a relatively calm tone, watching with a concerned expression on his face as the Knight turned around. "To divide us."
Turning around, Anakin narrowed his eyes at his former master. "It's my fault he took her!" He yelled, before spinning around again.
Obi-Wan, who sensed that his brother was still feeling guilty over what had happened on the shuttle, leaned forward. "You must feel how strong this part of the planet is with the dark side," he said cautiously as he raised his right hand and placed it on Anakin's shoulder. "The Father will know what to do." Gently patting it, he took his hand away and turned to face the crashed ship that was behind them.
Anakin's eyes remained glued to the damaged shuttle for a few minutes, before shifting over to rest on Obi-Wan. On one hand, he knew that his brother wanted him to stay behind to help repair the ship so they could use it to get to the monastery where the Father resided, but on the other, he also knew that Obi-Wan was worried about what he was going to face when he got to the tower. Letting out a sigh, he hung his head, closed his eyes and shook it. "He won't be able to help us," he replied, his voice sounding a little cold and somewhat bitter. Turning in the opposite direction, he opened his eyes as a renewed sense of determination rushed through his body.
Obi-Wan, who was surprised to hear what his brother said, turned around and watched as Anakin walked away, heading towards the tower.
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Deep within the confines of the cathedral, Rosella could feel her frustration growing as she struggled to get out of the restraints that kept her pinned to the wall. After giving each of the metal cuffs another yank, she realized that they weren't going to budge. As she closed her eyes and began to focus on the sound of her breathing, she felt her frustration starting to melt away.
A few seconds later, they suddenly flew open as she realized that she had no idea what the being wanted from her. That left her feeling somewhat confused. Why had the Son taken her? After all, she was only a Padawan.
Then another thought entered her mind, causing her to stop tugging at the cuffs as she looked at the ground beneath her feet. What if this was some sort of trap? What if the Son wanted to use her to lure her Master and Master Kenobi to the tower?
Narrowing her eyes, since she was not going to let that happen, Rosella lifted her head into the air and glanced around. "Hey!" She yelled. "You can't keep me locked up down here!" Even though she couldn't sense where the Son was, she had a strong feeling that he was still in the building. After taking in another mouthful of air, she continued. "Do you hear me!?"
She was about to say something else when a strange sounding voice said, "Save your energy, young one."
Wondering where it came from, the padawan turned and stared at a small, chubby, alien creature who was standing in the middle of the room.
The creature, who was really the dark side being in disguise, had skin that appeared to be a purplish-grey color due to the lighting inside the cell. He also had floppy, pointed ears and sharp, fang-like teeth. His body was hunched over and the only piece of clothing that he wore was a cloth around his waist.
"No one is coming for you," he told her, speaking as if it were a fact that could not be disputed. "You have been left here to die."
What?! No! That's a lie! Rosella thought to herself, desperately trying not to let any of the emotions that were currently racing through her mind show on her face. Instantly narrowing her eyes at the small alien, she turned to the right and gritted her teeth as she used all of her strength to yank on one of the restraints again, wincing a little as the cuff nearly cut her wrist. Upon opening her eyes, she turned towards the creature and glared at it. "I will get out of these cuffs and I will find a way out of here," she stated.
"Impossible," the small being said. Then he softly chuckled as he slowly took a few steps towards her before adding, "I have been here for more years than I care to remember."
"Is that so?" She asked as she rose out of her crouched position. "Well, I just so happen to be a Jedi." Leaning forward a little, she narrowed her eyes at the alien. "We don't give up so easily."
The creature, who seemed to be a little surprised by the revelation, glanced up as he continued moving towards her. "A Jedi?" He curiously asked, coming to a halt a few meters away from her feet. Shaking his head dismissively, he raised his left hand into the air and gestured in her direction. "Hmm, but you look far too young to be a Jedi." Flipping his hand around to that his palm was facing the sky, he asked his next question. "Where is your Master?"
Rosella didn't answer at first, watching as the small alien approached and then began to climb up the wall that she was pinned to. As soon as she felt the creature's skin touch hers, she swiftly leaned away as it made her stomach feel queasy. Then she turned to face him. "He's on his way here to rescue me!" She snapped.
The alien crawled closer to her face. "And, if he does not?" He asked.
Rosella fought the sudden urge to gag as she got a whiff of the creature's foul smelling breath due to its close proximity. As soon as the air was free of the horrid smell, the teenager leaned forward, shoving her face right into his. "He will!" She insisted, fighting the urge to grin as the creature turned away.
"And what makes you so sure of that?" He asked, turning to face her.
"I know he'll come because he would never, ever, leave me behind," she responded, glaring at the small creature before turning away. A few seconds later, she heard his little feet moving further up the wall, followed by a mechanical whirring noise. Shifting her eyes to the right, she felt them widen as she saw that her arm was now free from the restraint that had been keeping it in place. Then came another click, followed by her left arm.
As soon as her feet touched the floor, Rosella let out a soft sigh as she uncurled and then curled her fingers back into a fist. Gently wrapping her left hand around her right wrist, she moved the metal cuff out of the way and rubbed her skin. "Thank you," she said gratefully.
Turning around to look for the creature, she was surprised to find that it had seemingly vanished into thin air.
"Those chains," the alien said, drawing the padawan's attention away from the wall and over to him as he bent over and scratched his lower back, "they were easy to get rid of." Once the itch was gone, he let his hand fall back to his side. "It's what goes on in here," he said, straightening up and gesturing to the top of his head with his left hand, "that's hard." Then he took a step forward. "Don't you see, child?" Sliding his feet backwards, the alien began to circle around her while continuing to talk. "You are all alone now. If you truly want to survive," he paused, looked up at her and grabbed her left wrist before bowing and gesturing towards the door as they began to walk towards it, "then you must forget about your master."
Rosella, who knew that she needed to leave before the Son came back, also knew that she couldn't do as the creature asked. There was no way that she was ever going to forget about Anakin as he, along with Obi-Wan, were family.
As the teen continued to walk towards the door, she suddenly stopped, rested her head in the palm of her right hand and closed her eyes before softly beginning to rub her temple, hoping that the slight pounding would go away so she could make her escape. "No, I won't forget about -" she said, but was immediately cut off as the creature grabbed her right arm and jerked it downwards.
Quickly forgetting all about the slight pounding that was going on in her head, Rosella moved her hand away, glanced down and opened her eyes just in time to see the alien open his mouth and bite her arm, sending a quick jolt of pain through it. "Ow!" She yelped, jerking away from the creature. Amidst the pain, she also felt something dark beginning to race through her veins. Bending over, she covered the area with her left hand and curled her fingers into her palm. Then she turned to look at it. "What have you done?" She asked as her eyes immediately shifted back over to her hand, which was starting to shake uncontrollably.
"You are mine now," the creature growled, moving back into the shadows where she could no longer see him.
Even though Rosella knew who had just spoken, there was nothing she could do about it as she remained frozen on the spot. Her eyes were still locked onto her right arm. I won't become his puppet! I will not let… Her thoughts swirled together, quickly becoming one big hazy blur as she fell to her knees, inhaling sharply as the shaking got worse. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as the alien moved into the light, came to a stop beside her and then leaned forward, sniffing the area where he had bitten her. Then her eyes rolled to the back of her skull as she collapsed on the ground, letting go of her arm.
The creature, who had moved out of the way, began to clap his hands as he came to a stop near her head. Once he was finished, he let them fall to his sides. Keeping an eye on the girl in front of him, he quickly straightened up. Rising towards the ceiling, the small alien shifted back into the Son while watching as the young padawan's entire body twitched before curling up in even more pain as she slowly began to lose control of her thoughts.
Knowing that he didn't have the proper amount of time to put his plan into motion, which would have consisted of trying to seduce the young Jedi into voluntarily descending into darkness, the Son decided to force the dark side into her by infecting her with its taint.
The teenager's skin began to lose some colour as faint, black lines began to show up all over her. Once the dark being had sensed that his infectious bite had fully taken over, and that the teen's deepest and most insecure thoughts had risen to the surface of her mind, a wicked grin appeared on his face as he gazed down at his newest creation.
Suddenly, Rosella's eyes snapped open. Her pupils grew bigger as the color around them changed from hazel to gold.
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The cockpit was a mess.
Obi-Wan, who had gone back in to survey the full extent of the damage, had re-emerged and was currently pacing back and forth in front of the ramp with both of his hands tucked behind him. He knew that he wouldn't be able to start repairs without Anakin's help. Bringing his right hand out from behind his back, he raised it in the air then dropped it to his side. "Anakin," he muttered, "why must you always be on the move." Spinning around, he stared at nothing but darkness for a few minutes. Then he let out a despondent sigh. "How am I supposed to find the Father if I don't even know where to look?"
Bringing his left hand up to his beard, he began to think of a solution when he sensed something approaching his position. Then he noticed the light that had appeared on the ground in front of him. Shifting his eyes to the right, he turned around. As he slowly looked up into the air, the Jedi Master was surprised to see the monastery right in front of him.
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Inside the main area, the other two members of the family were silently meditating.
The Father, who was sitting in the middle of the smaller sized platform like he always did, still felt a little hurt that Skywalker had refused to stay and keep the balance between his two children. Now, even while he was trying to make sure that the Force didn't tip over to align with either the Light or the Dark, he was also trying to come up with some sort of plan that would be put into place when he died.
On the left side was the Daughter. She was on her knees with her head bowed and her hands clasped in front of her.
Even though he had sunk deep into the Force, the Father was still aware of everything that was going on around him. As soon as he sensed that his other child had arrived and was heading towards them, he lifted his head and said, "You are growing stronger, my son."
The Son turned slightly to the right, glancing at the elder male as he casually shrugged his shoulders. "Am I, Father?" He asked, letting a smirk settle across his features as he spun around, placed his right hand across the lower part of his chest and tilted his head up to look at the emblem that was emblazoned on the orb underneath the right side of the scale.
The Father turned to look at his son. "Vanity, however, is getting the better of you," he responded.
The Son's eyes shifted to the right as he raised one of his eye markings in response to his father's words. With one last glance at the large statue that stood beside the orb, he let go of his chin. "How so?" He asked, turning around to face him.
While keeping an eye on his son, the Father lifted his hands from his lap and moved them aside as he used the Force to help him stand and float down from the platform that he had been kneeling on. "You have done the very thing that I have told you not to do," he replied. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he sensed that his other child had come out of her meditation and was now on her feet. Turning to look at the Daughter, he gestured for her to stay where she was, silently telling her that he would be alright. Her mouth twitched a little, but nevertheless, the young woman listened to him. After she knelt on the floor and resumed her meditation, he continued the conversation that they were in the middle of. "You have chosen the Dark side and allowed it to feed on your anger and desire for power."
"Why are you placing the blame on me?" The younger male asked, his voice beginning to grow harsh and aggravated as he trailed after him. "By bringing the Chosen One here, the only thing you've shown me is what I can hope to achieve in terms of my own potential. If anything, this is all your fault!"
"Please, my son," the patriarch begged as they slowly made their way towards the front entrance, "don't do this. Do not become what you should not." Then he sighed. "I had hoped that you would be strong enough to resist the temptation, but if you are not, then I will be forced to contain you."
The younger man glanced at his father, watching as the older male made his way towards the open doorway. "You look frail," he softly murmured.
The Father, who heard what his younger child had said, slowed down a little as he turned his head to the right. Glancing over his shoulder, he narrowed his eyes and said, "I am not dead yet."
Those words seemed to irritate the young man, causing him to falter and then come to a complete stop near the open door. He allowed his growing rage to fuel him as a displeased frown made its way onto his face. "Well, perhaps I have grown tired of waiting!" He exclaimed furiously. Fully embracing the Dark side, he raised his hands in the air. Curling them into a claw like shape, he fired bolts of red force lightning from the tips of his fingers.
The Father had just stepped outside when he was hit by the surprise attack. He nearly cried out in pain as the force of the blast sent him flying through the air. As he hit the ground and rolled away from the foot of the staircase, the lightning that had surrounded him vanished into the air.
"I…" the Son said, trailing off as he walked towards the top of the stairs, "I HATE YOU!"
Obi-Wan, who had finally made it to the top of the rocky spire after such a long climb, glanced down in shock and worry as the Father's body came to a stop in front of him. He could still see faint wisps of smoke drifting into the air as a loud roar ripped through the night sky. Looking up, he saw that the Son had shifted into his other form. Unable to look away, he watched as the large creature leapt into the air with a screech before swooping down the stairs and straightening out as he flew towards him. The Jedi Master was forced to duck out of the way as it flew over his head. Twisting around, he raised his head and somehow knew that the creature was headed back to the tower as it disappeared into the night sky.
"Father!" The Daughter cried.
Obi-Wan, who heard her voice, shifted his eyes to the right. Quickly turning around, he spotted the young woman who was currently standing at the top of the stairs. Sensing that she was concerned for his well-being, he watched as she hurried down the steps before glancing at the body that lay at his feet. Kneeling down, he heard a quiet and weak groan come from the elderly man as he tried to move his head before giving up and letting it fall back towards the ground.
As soon as the younger woman ran up to them, she collapsed, falling to her knees on the other side. Placing her right hand on her father's chest, the Daughter cupped her left one underneath his neck and dragged his body into her lap. Then she tilted his head towards her.
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Anakin wasn't sure how long it had been since he left Obi-Wan behind. Not that it really mattered as he kept moving, climbing over mountains and traversing over foggy ground. The only thing that was on his mind was rescuing Rosella.
Once he was a few miles away, he slowed down and cautiously made his way towards the tower. Glancing around, he noticed that it was still dark out. I wonder if this part of the planet is always dark, he thought to himself as he began to look for a way inside. After circling the entire structure and not finding any way of getting in, he looked up. Realizing that he was going to have to climb up the wall, he walked over to one section and began to ascend.
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After helping the young woman carry her father inside and into his personal chambers, Obi-Wan moved out of the way, choosing to remain near the edge of the circular platform that was in the middle of a diamond-shaped drawing with two lines that ran through it. One of them went from top to bottom and the other went side to side. He stayed silent, watching as she waved her right hand over his body, causing it to glow as she used the Force to assess his injuries.
As soon as she knew where the worst of his injuries were, the Daughter closed her eyes and summoned the power that she would need in order to place the elderly man in a sleeping trance that would let him rest while also allowing him to heal from the Son's attack. Once the woman was ready, she opened her eyes, leaned forward and then closed them again as she placed her right hand overtop of her father's for a few minutes. After the glow had faded from her fingers, she opened her eyes. "We will leave him to rest," she said, withdrawing her hand as she sat up straight.
"But I need to speak to him," Obi-Wan told her, his voice dropping into a more gentle tone even though there was a small sense of urgency in it.
The Daughter, whose eyes were still locked onto her father's face, had a concerned and worried expression on hers. "No," she said, her voice laced with authority. "I will not allow anyone to speak to him while he is still weak." As she glanced over at the Jedi, her expression shifted into an apologetic one. "I'm sorry, but you must wait until he is stronger."
"Your brother is loosing himself to the Dark Side," Obi-Wan responded, narrowing his eyebrows while trying to keep his voice as level as he could. His mind was currently racing as he scrambled to come up with a new plan since his current one had just been thrown out the window. "He has taken my brother's padawan."
The Daughter took a few minutes to think about what she just heard before turning to look at Obi-Wan. "Then he must have his reasons," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I'm sure none of those reasons have anything to do with his recent attempt to murder your father?" He asked.
The woman's eyes widened for a brief moment. "He would never do such a thing," she responded while shaking her head, not wanting to believe that her brother was capable of such a task.
"But I saw him," Obi-Wan said in protest. He was about to say something else then closed his mouth as he thought about what he saw outside the monastery. The only things that were clear in his mind was the image of the Father's body at his feet and then watching as the Son, who was standing at the top of the long staircase, changed forms and flew away. Then he remembered that he had heard the sounds of force lightning being used as he scaled the rocky cliff face.
The Daughter shifted her gaze towards the window as she remembered what her father and brother had been arguing about. Then she turned to face the Jedi. "You must know that none of it was his fault," she told him. "I will always do what is selfless. That is my nature. My brother's nature, however, will always be to do what is selfish."
"If you are as selfless as you claim to be, then you know deep down that helping us is the right thing to do," Obi-Wan pleaded.
The Daughter glanced at her father one last time and then closed her eyes as she shook her head. "I'm not allowed to interfere with the ways of the Force," she responded, a small touch of finality in her voice. Opening her eyes, she rose from her kneeling position. Turning around, she began to move towards the edge of the platform. "My father has forbidden it."
Obi-Wan stayed where he was, only turning his head to watch as she stepped off of the platform and headed towards the door. "Once your brother has what he wants, he will flee this place and wreak havoc on the universe," he said, trying not to get into an argument with her even as his voice slipped into the tone the he used often when he was sent on a mission where some form of negotiating would be involved. "If you and Anakin work together, the two of you should have more than enough power to stop him."
The Daughter stopped moving and glanced behind her shoulder at the Jedi. There was a hesitant look on her face. After turning away and taking a minute to consider her options, she let out a very quiet and reluctant sigh before glancing at him again. "Come with me," she said.
As Obi-Wan stood up from where he had been kneeling and began to follow her, a sudden clap of thunder sounded throughout the room. It was followed by a couple of bright flashes of lightning which lit up the large circular window at the back of the room.
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The Daughter headed out of the monastery with Obi-Wan trailing behind her. Once they got to the courtyard, she quickly shifted into her griffin form and gestured for the Jedi to get on her back. As soon as he had done so, she leapt into the air and flew away from the rocky spire.
After a quick flight, they arrived at a different part of the planet. Soaring over the large mountain that was situated in front of them, the creature swooped down the other side before spreading her wings out as she landed on the ground.
Quickly sliding off her back, Obi-Wan took a step back and watched as she shifted back into her human form.
Without saying a word, the Daughter moved towards a path that had been laid out between some trees, rocks and shrubs.
Falling into line behind her, he noticed that they were heading towards another cave. This one had a small, dark, triangle shaped opening. It reminded him of the one that he and Rosella had previously found shelter in. Just as they were about to enter, he immediately got the sense that he wasn't supposed to know about it, let alone be there.
Even the Daughter seemed like she didn't want to be anywhere near it. There was an uneasy look on her face as they passed through the opening. After quickly glancing at him over her left shoulder, she turned away, moved around the corner and came to a halt near the edge of a cliff.
Obi-Wan, who was still looking around, shifted his eyes forward so that he was able to see where he was going. As he followed the woman, he narrowed his eyes at the sight in front of him. Quickly moving ahead of her, he also came to a halt near the edge. His eyes widened for just a second before narrowing again as he looked at the massive cavern that was laid out before him. The first thing he saw was an altar. It was made out of black stone and there was some sort of object suspended in the middle. Bright blue panels lined the inside and it sat in the middle of a circular platform that was surrounded by eight turquoise flames.
After looking at the item that they had come to retrieve, the Daughter glanced at the Jedi for a few seconds before blinking as she turned away, heading for the stairs.
Turning to follow her, Obi-Wan's gaze was focused on the area that was located miles beneath him. He could see that on either side of the rock structures was an aqua colored mist. It was spread throughout the cavern, making it hard to see the bottom. When he finally looked away, he saw that the Daughter was already walking down the stairs and hurried to catch up with her.
Soon, the pair were making their way down multiple flights of stairs.
When they reached the landing at the end, the Daughter came to a halt. She kept her gaze pinned on the altar. "I can go no further. When you reach the altar, it will give you what you need," she said, turning to look at Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan, whose gaze was still locked onto the platform and the flames that surrounded it, raised his right eyebrow in confusion. "I…" he responded, trailing off as he began to shake his head, "I don't understand."
The Daughter's green eyes were now looking at the hilt that was floating in the middle of it. "He who wields the blade will be able to control my brother," she explained. Even though she was still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that her brother was beginning to head down a dark path, she knew that the Jedi was right.
The Son needed to be stopped.
He wasn't the same sibling that she had grown up with. Something in him had changed once the test had been completed and that left her with a worried feeling deep in the pit of her stomach.
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows as he turned to look at her, then gazed over at the rock that was directly across from him. Gathering the Force around him like a pair of wings, he leapt across the gap. Once his feet touched the surface and he was standing up straight, it dropped until he was level with the rock that contained the altar. Narrowing his eyes at the striped hilt, he took a few steps forward, walking right through two of the brightly colored flames as he slowly approached the altar.
As the pyramid shaped object opened up, the Jedi reached forward and hesitated for a few seconds. Curling his fingers towards the palm of his hand, he took a small step back, wondering if this was the right thing to do. Realizing that now was not the time for second guessing, he reached out and firmly grasped the item in his left hand.
Pulling the hilt towards him, he twisted his hand so that he was holding it upright.
By the time Obi-Wan had finished turning around, the smoke that had materialized out of nowhere around the middle of the hilt was gone, leaving a long, black and very sharp looking blade in its place. After staring at it for a moment, he lowered the weapon and looked up, only to find the Daughter staring at him with a grim expression on her face.
She gave him a single nod, confirming that he had what he needed.
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Anakin, who was still climbing the wall, looked up and realized that he had almost reached the top. Spotting another small rock that was firm enough for him to grip onto, he stretched out his right arm and managed to grab it. Then he pulled himself up.
After making sure that both of his feet were firmly planted on something solid, he tilted his head towards the sky above and saw the ledge. Just as his fingers came into contact with the smooth surface, he felt his right foot slip, followed immediately by his other one. Knowing that he was so close to his destination, he gritted his teeth and used all the strength that he had left to haul himself over it.
As soon as he got to his feet, the Knight stopped to catch his breath while placing his left hand on the large stone beside him. He was completely worn out. Even though he had gotten some sleep earlier, he could feel all that energy starting to slip away. After closing his eyes and slipping into a light meditation to regain some of his lost energy, he lifted his head and looked at the tall tower that was directly in front of him.
From what he could gather, the structure was made out of a self-absorbing black rock that seemed to take all the light from the surrounding area and transfer it to the large, glowing orb at the top.
Other than the light amount of fog that permeated the base, there was nothing special about the place. Taking a deep breath, he narrowed his eyes and continued on his way until he reached the entrance.
When he got there, Anakin was surprised to see that there was no one at the front gates to prevent him from barging in. In fact, there were no gates at all. The smaller towers that circled the central one were situated just a few meters away from the perimeter of the wall that surrounded the place.
Racing into the large, open area, Anakin almost let out a sigh of relief when he finally laid eyes on his daughter. Even though she wasn't facing him, he was glad to see that she was safe and relatively unharmed. Still, he couldn't help but keep his guard up as he jogged towards her. Something felt off. Why would the Son take her and then just leave her here, out in the open, alone and unguarded?
"Rosella," he called, hoping to get some sort of reaction from her as he slowed down and cautiously approached the tree that the teenager was kneeling in front of. After taking a cursory glance around the area, he turned towards her. Noticing that she hadn't even moved, he tried again. "Rosella!" As he held his right hand out towards her, something was blown across the ground off to his left. Quickly shifting his eyes in that direction, he saw that it was just a stray leaf. Refocusing all his attention on his padawan, he continued. "It's me. You're safe now. Let's go."
The teen, who had sensed her father's presence from the moment he entered the area, simply raised her right eyebrow after he had finished speaking. Although she could hear the urgent tone in his voice, she made no move to get up or even turn around. It was almost like she was content to remain where she was, just kneeling on the ground in a meditative position. Then she asked, "Are you… proud of me, Master?" Her voice was eerily calm and it sounded distant.
"What?" Anakin asked, having been caught off guard by the question. The sudden clap of thunder that followed his question startled him further, nearly throwing off his concentration as there was something about her demeanor that didn't feel right. Also, she never called him Master when it was usually just the two of them by themselves. "Uh…" he stumbled over his words a little as his thoughts returned to the question that she had asked. Knowing that there was only one right answer, he tried to make himself sound more convincing as he glanced over his left shoulder and gave the area another quick scan. Still nothing. "Of course Ella, of course I'm proud of you." Then he turned to look at her again. "Now let's get out of here."
A few seconds later, Rosella slowly moved as she raised her head into the air and opened her eyes. "He was right," she said, her voice now hard and cold. Shifting her eyes to the left as she glanced over her shoulder at Anakin, she went on. "Right about everything." Another clap of thunder rang out as she got up, turned around and narrowed her eyes at him. "You must join him." Then she looked at him with an imploring expression on her face. "After all," her voice instantly changed, this time becoming more childlike as she crossed her hands over each other in front of her and tilted her head to the right while bending her left leg inwards, "he only wants what's best for the universe."
Anakin felt the hair on the back of his neck go rigid as he gazed at his padawan. A cold chill instantly made its way up his spine as soon as he saw that her eyes, which were normally a hazel colour, were now yellow and her skin looked very unhealthy. It had a greyish tint to it and was covered in ugly black veins. "Hey," he said, a little concerned about the way she was behaving, "what's wrong with you?"
Rosella rolled her eyes in annoyance as she tilted her head back to its normal position. "You know if I answer that, you're just going to criticize me again," she said in a mocking tone. The childlike voice was gone, having been replaced with the hard, cold one from earlier. Leaning forward, the teen instantly narrowed her eyes at the older Jedi. After a few minutes, she lowered her gaze to the ground. Letting out a soft sigh, she shook her head and leaned back so that she was standing up straight. "You've never really believed in me," she said, throwing him a final glare before turning to her left and walking past the tree. Suddenly coming to a stop, she turned and looked at him. "You've also never shown any signs that you trust me when we're out in the field!" Spinning around, she stood there with her eyes closed and her arms at her sides. "Well, I don't need you anymore."
The Knight, who had been listening to everything, let his gaze drift towards the ground, as he was hurt by the fifteen-year-olds comments. Knowing that there was definitely something wrong with his apprentice, he pushed away his emotions and directed his gaze at her. Reaching for their bond, he felt his worry begin to increase when he didn't feel her bright and warm presence in the back of his mind. Instead, all he felt was a cold one that was filled with nothing but darkness. Once he realized that the Son was using her in order to try and get him to turn to the Dark Side, he took a step forward and narrowed his eyes. "Rosella, please, you have to listen to me," he said in a worried, but calm voice as he held out his right arm with his palm facing her. "The Son has done something to you. I need you to snap out of it." Dropping his right arm, he raised his other one in the air and pointed it at her. "This isn't you, Rosella."
"Isn't it?" She retorted, narrowing her eyes as she opened them. Then her expression quickly changed as she ran her hands over her face and body before throwing them out to her sides. "I feel more like myself than I ever have." Rosella grinned as her eyes, which were full of joy and excitement, remained fixed on the sky for a few minutes before suddenly becoming cold and serious. "He asked me to give you a message."
"What kind of message?" Anakin demanded, not liking where this was going.
Rosella glanced to her left and smirked at her adopted father. "It's more of a threat really," she replied in a smug tone. "He said that if you don't join him, he will kill me." Letting out a high pitched giggle, she placed her left hand over part of her mouth.
Another clap of thunder rang out, causing Anakin to flinch a little as he stepped backwards. Then he narrowed his eyes. "I won't let that happen!" He stated fiercely.
Narrowing her eyes, the padawan sharply turned around, took a step forward and pointed a finger at the Knight. "Then you will be forced to kill me!" she declared as she held out her hand and used the Force to pull one of her lightsabers off her belt. As soon as the weapon was in her hand, she ignited it.
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Anakin stared at her in horror. He stayed that way for a few minutes, then softly shook his head. No way. He wasn't going to fight her. He couldn't. Even though he knew that the Son had complete control over her actions right now and was forcing her to fight him, he could only hope that the real Rosella was in there, fighting to be set free.
Rosella swung her lightsaber around before lunging forward and launching herself off the platform. Raising her starlight blade high into the air, she quickly wrapped her other hand around the hilt and almost let out an angry sounding roar as it came crashing down towards Anakin.
The Knight, who barely had enough time to grab his own lightsaber, quickly ignited it. Bringing the blade up just in time, he blocked her strike and nearly stumbled as he took a couple of steps backwards due to the sheer velocity that she came in with. As soon as she pulled back, Anakin quickly stepped backwards, trying to put some distance between them as he readied himself for her next strike.
Hoping to catch him off guard, she quickly lunged at him, swinging her blade in his direction.
Even though Anakin was able to bring his lightsaber into position in order to parry the blow, the force of it caused him to lose his footing on the ground, As he began to slide back, he quickly pushed her away and stepped backwards, making sure to regain his sense of balance as he watched her twirl her saber around. Noticing that she had switched from a backhanded grip to a forward one, he readied his own lightsaber as she placed her other hand on the hilt and raised it in the air. Sensing that she was about to lunge at him, he took another step back, leaning out of the way as he narrowly dodged the wild swing that she threw his way.
Rosella's eyes were blazing with fury, anger and a small hint of resentment as she wildly swung her starlight blade at Anakin again, not even coming close to striking a blow. Raising her lightsaber high in the air, she swung the blade down towards the Knight with all the strength that she had.
There was a determined look on Anakin's face as he hastily brought his blue blade up at an angle to block the incoming strike. Gritting his teeth, since he had no intention of actually harming her, the Knight shoved her blade off of his. Even as he backed away, his mind was swirling as a sea of different emotions coursed through it. He didn't know what to think of his current situation as he quickly let go of his hilt and leaned back, nearly falling to the ground as he ducked underneath Rosella's lightsaber blade, which had come dangerously close to taking off his head.
Then, after pushing himself up off the ground and getting into a crouched position, he continued to back up while holding his right hand out in a desperate attempt to put a halt to his padawan's ongoing assault. Watching as Rosella swung her lightsaber in a diagonal slash which missed his outstretched hand, he knew that while he, along with Obi-Wan, had trained her on how to use multiple lightsaber forms in combat, it was clear that the Son had absolutely no idea how to use any of them, since she never fought like that, even when they would spar at the temple.
Dodging yet another slash that was thrown his way, Anakin leapt backwards before holding his lighsaber in a horizontal position with both hands on the hilt as he blocked two of his padawan's strikes. Leaping out of the way again, he quickly blocked a third one.
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While both Master and Padawan continued to fight, the Son, who was currently standing in front of the large, stained glass window that faced the courtyard, felt a surge of pride grow within him as he was very pleased with his latest accomplishment. Not even bothering to pay attention to the spectacle that was going on outside, he closed his eyes, knowing that all he really needed to do was soak in the confusion, hurt and anger that it was causing. He also knew that the longer the fight went on, the stronger he would get. Then he sensed an all too familiar presence approaching from behind. "Sister," he said, finally opening his eyes as he slowly turned around to face her. "What a pleasant surprise." Glancing at Obi-Wan, he added, "And I see that you've brought a friend with you."
The woman tilted her head upwards as she gazed at him. "What have you done, brother?" She demanded.
The Son tilted his head to look at her as he raised his left eyebrow. "Done?" He casually asked. Turning to his left, he moved over to his throne. "Well, that really depends on your point of view." Bringing his right hand up to his chest, he extended it out towards her before taking his seat. "I've either done what is right or what is wrong."
"Our Father is dying," she told him quietly. Hoping that what Obi-Wan told her was wrong, she asked, "Did you do it?"
"He is just so selfish, and was taking too long to die, so I figured that now was a good time to step in and help move things along," he remarked. Then he frowned at her. "Now, why are you here?"
The Daughter, whose face had instantly gone pale upon hearing what he had done, was also a little shaken as she realized that Obi-Wan was right. Shoving her emotions down into the deepest part of her mind, she clenched her hands into fists and narrowed her eyes before taking a step forward. "I won't let you leave this planet!" She declared in a strong and determined voice.
The Son chuckled a little as his fingers slipped from their tented position. Placing his hands on the arms of his throne, he shoved himself out of it. "You know that you aren't strong enough to keep me here," he retorted.
"Not alone, she isn't," Obi-Wan said, taking a step forward.
"Are you referring to your friend, the Chosen One?" He tauntingly asked. Placing his hands behind his back, the tall being turned to his left and strode over to the very window that he had been standing in front of when they came in. Gazing out at the chaos that was currently going on in the courtyard, he turned his head towards the pair. "You might want to check up on him as he seems to be a little preoccupied at the moment."
Obi-Wan's eyes widened in alarm as he glanced at the exit. Shifting his gaze back to the Son, he narrowed them in concern before sprinting for the open doorway.
The Daughter, who had turned to watch him leave with a worried expression on her face, narrowed her eyes as she shifted her gaze over to her brother, who merely smiled to himself.
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Down in the courtyard, Anakin was still fighting his padawan. As their blades clashed, he knew that he needed to do something fast before either one of them got hurt. Quickly stepping forward, he used all of his might to push her blade off his before taking a step back to get ready for her next attack.
Rosella nearly tripped over her own two feet as she stumbled backwards. Swiftly regaining her balance, the teenager firmly planted both of her feet on the ground as she straightened up before giving her lightsaber a quick twirl. Raising the blade high above her head, she wrapped her other hand firmly around the hilt and dashed towards her father. As she brought the blade down with all her strength, it crashed onto his with a fury of crackling energy.
"Rosella, please, stop!" Anakin pleaded as he blocked each one of her strikes. "I don't want to fight you!"
Rosella didn't say anything in response. Instead, she launched into a backflip. One of her boots came into direct contact with Anakin's chin, forcing the Knight into a backflip of his own as his now deactivated lightsaber flew out of his left hand. She performed two more flips, landing in a crouched position with an evil grin on her face. Bringing her outstretched right leg inwards, she stood up straight, held her right arm out to the side and reignited her saber. "And now," she declared while narrowing her eyes directly at Anakin, "the student will kill the Master!"
The Knight, who was still kneeling on the ground, didn't say anything as he raised his hand, using the Force to call his lightsaber back to him. Rosella, who heard the rattling noise, glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes instinctively widened as soon as she realized what he was doing. Whipping around, she fixed him with an angry glare before leaping high into the air. Executing a quick somersault, she grasped her hilt with her right hand, intending to deliver a powerful downwards strike.
The black and silver hilt landed in Anakin's hand. Reaching up, he hit the ignition button, causing the blade to spring to life. Quickly getting up off the ground, he effortlessly blocked it. "Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you, Ella?" He tauntingly quipped.
"Don't you ever call me that again!" Rosella snarled furiously. She had an angry look in her eyes. "I hate it!"
Quickly forcing their blades sideways, the padawan swiftly spun around, thrusting her lightsaber to the right. Anakin reacted accordingly, moving his blade in the same direction. As their blades clashed again, Rosella pulled back, twisted around and slashed at her father's feet, forcing him to leap over the blade.
Giving his hilt a quick twirl, Anakin gripped it with both of his hands before blocking yet another strike. Realizing that he now had the advantage, he quickly disarmed her with a simple twirling maneuver, using the momentum to send the rose gold hilt flying into the air.
The starlight blade instantly vanished.
Rosella's eyes remained locked into her hilt before snapping over to Anakin. She dashed towards the Knight, using his chest as a springboard as she scrambled upwards, leapt off his right shoulder and flipped through the air. Landing on the metal pipe behind him, she instantly straightened up and raised her right hand in the air, using the force to call her saber to her. Once the hilt was in her hand, she turned around and pulled her shoto into the other one.
Reactivating her main blade, she narrowed her eyes and then ignited her smaller one with an evil smirk on her face.
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Anakin instantly backed up as Obi-Wan came rushing up to him. The Master already had his lightsaber ignited and in his hands. As the brothers looked at each other with nervous expressions on their faces, they already knew what the other was thinking. Find some way to free Rosella without injuring her. Then their gazes snapped back over to the padawan.
"Two Jedi?" Rosella gleefully remarked. "Finally, a challenge!"
Holding her sabers in a backwards grip, the teenage padawan leapt off the pipe. Landing on the ground, she turned sideways and slashed her main saber at their feet.
Obi-Wan and Anakin leapt backwards to avoid getting hit.
Focusing all of her attention on her Master, Rosella slashed at him again, forcing him to jump over her blade and then step out of the way. Then she quickly leapt into a sideways spin, keeping her blades close to her body before lashing out in a surprise attack.
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Back inside the cathedral, the Son, who was still standing in front of the window, smirked to himself as he watched the Jedi fight. Closing his eyes, he felt himself growing even stronger as he soaked up all the fear, confusion, rage, and anger that flowed from each of them. Then he asked, "Can you feel that, sister?" Turning to face her, he stepped forward, letting his smirk fade into a smile as he raised his right hand in the air before curling his fingers into a fist. "Can you feel the anger, the hate, the fury?"
The young woman gazed at him for a few minutes. Then her eyes widened a little as she realized what he was doing. "You're using their conflict to gain more power, aren't you?" She asked. When she didn't get an answer, she shook her head. "I can't let this continue. I must stop them!" Turning away, she immediately ran towards the same exit that Obi-Wan had used to leave the building.
The Son frowned, knowing that if she were to stop the fight, then his plan would be ruined. "No!" He exclaimed angrily. Raising his hands, he lashed out, wrapping the Force around his sister. Lifting her into the air, he yanked her back over to the center of the room. Despite their opposite natures, he still loved her and didn't want any harm to come to her.
As soon as she landed on the floor, the Daughter remained in a semi crouched position as she whirled around, her eyes instantly narrowing as they landed on her brother. Even though a bunch of different scenarios were racing through her head, one thing stood out to her as she straightened up. She was not going to let him get away with what he did to their father or let him leave so he could tip the balance over to the dark side.
The Son, who was still standing beside his throne with a scowl on his face, instinctively stood up straight as a slightly confused one appeared in its place. He watched as his sibling closed her eyes for a second before raising both of her arms in the air.
Calling on the light side of the Force, the Daughter directed the positive energy towards her brother, her eyes snapping upwards as he began to rise into the air and float towards her. Once he was in position, she let her hands drop to her sides and watched as he fell onto the floor in front of the steps that led up to the dais where his throne sat.
The Son stayed on the floor for a few minutes before pushing himself up with both of his arms. "I had hoped that it would not come to this, my dear sister," he said sadly as he got to his feet. Turning to look at her, he wiped the dust off his hands before clenching them into fists and getting into a fighting stance. "You are standing in my way, keeping me from accomplishing my ultimate goal. I'm afraid that I have no choice but to fight you."
The Daughter, who was still staring at her brother, took a few seconds to process what he had told her. Even though she didn't want to fight him, she knew that it was the only way to keep him from interfering with the Jedi, who were still fighting down in the courtyard. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and got into a fighting stance of her own.
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Something was wrong.
Even though the Father was still recovering his strength, he could feel it.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and instantly narrowed them.
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The Knight and Master, who were on opposite sides of Rosella, were trying their very best not to hurt her. After fending off a few more powerful blows from the young padawan, the older Jedi was forced to duck as she swung her main blade over his head. Then she flipped over his back and jumped away as Obi-Wan spun around.
The young girl narrowed her eyes and snarled as she leapt forward, clashing blades with the Jedi Master. Quickly rotating the hilt of her shoto, so she was holding it backwards, she swung it in his direction. Obi-Wan saw the blade heading towards him and ducked out of the way before twisting around so that Anakin could move in.
The Knight, who had just moved forward to take his brother's place, quickly raised his saber, blocking another strike before it could do any damage. Shoving his apprentice's blade backwards, he took a step in her direction her while raising his lightsaber above his head. Swiftly bringing the blade down towards her, he watched as she brought both of her blades together in an x formation, keeping the blade from touching her.
Anakin continued to press his blade onto hers while taking a single step forwards before shoving her backwards for a second time. He watched as Rosella leapt into a backflip and turned off her sabers so she could use her hands to help her land properly. As the young girl got into a crouched position, she started to reignite both of the blades, so the Knight reached out and pushed her away with the Force. Then he watched as she dug her blades into the ground to reduce her speed before turning to face his brother. "Any suggestions?" He asked in a frustrated tone of voice.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said as he reached around, pulling the striped hilt free from his belt. "We cut her free!" Holding it out in front of him, he watched as the aqua colored mist swirled around it before dissipating to reveal a two-foot long, pointed blade.
The Knight, who had narrowed his gaze upon seeing the hilt for the first time, nearly stepped back as the blade appeared in front of his eyes. "What is that?" He asked in surprise as Rosella pulled her sabers free from the ground.
"It's a blade that we can use to kill the Son," the Jedi Master replied, glancing at Rosella before shifting his gaze over to Anakin.
Suddenly, Rosella let out a loud and very ferocious sounding growl. As Obi-Wan's gaze snapped over to her, Anakin turned around and felt his eyes go wide as he saw how angry she looked.
"Where did you get that?!" The padawan shouted, her voice echoing as it was mixed with the Son's.
Obi-Wan stared at her for a moment before lowering the blade a little as an amused grin appeared on his face.
Narrowing her eyes as she realized that the Jedi were now a threat to the Son, Rosella let out a dangerously low snarl. "Give it to me!" She demanded before charging forward and leaping into the air as she resumed the fight.
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The Son was trying to be gentle. He didn't want to hurt his sister even as he held out his right hand and fired a bolt of powerful force lightning at her. A small part of him felt proud as she held up her left arm, easily deflecting the blast. He continued his quick barrage, firing bolt after bolt, but she continued to deflect them all. Holding out his left hand, he fired another blast at her.
Catching the bolt with her left hand, the Daughter transferred it to her right hand and gracefully spun around, creating a ball in the air. Then she threw it back at him.
The Son let out a confused gasp as he was lifted off the ground. Then that gasp changed into a painful shout as he was hit with his own lightning.
Holding out both of her hands, the Daughter tossed her brother up towards the ceiling and pinned him against one of the grooves. Then she lowered her right hand but kept the other one in the air as she slowly walked towards him, watching with a grim expression on her face as he writhed around. As soon as it dissipated into the air, the Son looked down at her with a scowl on his face. Managing to free his right arm, he thrust it in her direction, sending yet another blast directly at her.
Even though she saw the lightning coming towards her, the Daughter didn't have enough time to react. She let out a grunt of pain as the blast slammed into her, knocking her off her feet as she flew backwards and landed on the floor.
The Son, who was now free, floated down to the ground and walked towards his sister, watching as she sat up and then got to her feet.
"You don't have to do this," she said, while shaking her head.
"Then get out of my way!" He shouted. Raising both of his arms in the air, he glared at his sister and thrust them forwards, striking her with a very powerful stream of lightning.
The Daughter refused to scream as the lightning tore through her body. She merely gritted her teeth in pain before falling to her knees as the assault stopped. Shaking her head for a second time, she began to catch her breath. "I can't," she replied. A rush of determination raced through her and she raised her head before narrowing her eyes at him. "I won't!" Even though she was still recovering from his attack, the young woman got up and raced towards her brother.
Raising his hands in the air again, the Son grew very angry and threw more lightning at her.
Quickly shifting into her griffin form, the Daughter let out a loud screech as she powered through it and tackled her brother, sending him flying across the room.
Biting back a growl of pain as he landed on the floor, the Son rolled away before coming to a stop near the entrance to his domain. Getting up, he whipped around and glared at her before morphing into his animal form.
The siblings roared before racing towards one another.
The Son, who had used his powerful wings to fly into the air, dug his sharp claws deep into his sister's shoulders. Heading towards the center of the room, he let go, watching as she shifted back to her human form before hitting the ground and sliding backwards. Then she came to a stop. Landing on the ground, he let out an angry snarl before stalking towards her on his hind legs, using his wings to balance himself.
Slowly pushing herself up off the floor, the Daughter turned and looked at her brother with a sad expression on her face. Shifting her eyes away, she shut them before climbing to her feet and waving her left hand in the air, sending a powerful Force push towards him.
As he flew through the air, the Son lost control of his transformation and shifted back into his human form before landing on the hard floor.
The Daughter lowered her left arm as she walked towards her brother, who was slowly getting to his feet.
Once he had risen to his full height, he glared at his sister, who was now standing across from him. Raising his right hand, he sent another powerful stream of lightning at her. She narrowed her eyes and quickly responded to his action by raising one arm in the air, blocking the lightning with a shield. Then she raised her other arm to reinforce her defensive shield as her brother had decided to increase his power.
The pair moved forward until they were inches away from each other.
As the Father landed on the same platform that his son had landed on earlier, his eyes widened as he saw that his children were fighting each other. "Stop this!" He cried in a loud voice as he retracted his wings, forcing the bickering duo to look at him. Realizing that they weren't going to listen, the older being waved his right arm at them.
All of a sudden, their battle was interrupted as the siblings were sent flying towards the large stained glass window behind the throne.
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The sound of glass shattering was what made the three Jedi pause and look up. As soon as Obi-Wan, Anakin and Rosella saw the Son and the Daughter flying towards them, the trio turned and ran away. Quickly deactivating their lightsabers, they dove towards the ground to protect themselves from the large amount of glass that rained down around them.
Both of the siblings hit the ground and tumbled away from their landing zone.
The Son, who was the first one to recover from his harsh landing, opened his eyes and shook his head a little before propping himself up a little as the Father landed on top of the platform in the middle of the courtyard. "I'm so glad that you were able to make it to our little party, Father," he said, getting to his feet just as the elder man folded his wings and put them away. Raising his right hand, he summoned his lightning and sent it towards him.
The Father quickly raised his hands and easily blocked it. "You will stop this!" He ordered in a stern voice.
Obi-Wan, who still had the dagger in his left hand, got up from his crouched position. Anakin quickly followed his actions while taking in the scene before him.
"You are too weak for me old man!" The Son called out, narrowing his eyes as he raised his left hand and sent another powerful stream of lightning towards the older being. "You mean nothing to me anymore!"
Rosella, who had gotten up in the middle of her new Master's declaration of words to his father, merely smirked and watched as the ensuing conflict between the two beings played out in front of her very eyes.
The Daughter, who had finally came around, looked up to see what was going on.
As the Son kept firing his lightning at the older man, he smirked, watching as his feet began to slide backward with enough force to dig into the stone surface. Then there was an explosion as the power was too much for the weakened man, who was sent flying towards the ground.
While the dark side being floated towards the platform, Anakin and Obi-Wan ran forward and began to help the Daughter to her feet. Upon landing, he strode towards the older man who had just pushed himself into a sitting position and was now trying to get to his feet. The Son sneered and aimed his hands again as more lightning flew forth from his fingertips, striking the Father and forcing him to fall on his knees.
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"Anakin," Obi-Wan called as he held up the dagger, watching as the younger male turned around to face him. "Now!"
Anakin, who knew what his former master wanted him to do, nodded and watched as the blade came sailing towards him. Rosella saw what was going on and knew that she had to intervene before it was too late. Hooking her main lightsaber onto her belt, she kept her shoto in her other hand and dashed forward. Then she leapt up and snatched the dagger out of the air before the Knight could grab it. As she flew towards the ground, she executed a perfect somersault and landed on her feet. Hearing movement behind her, she paid no attention to it as she raced forward and performed another flip, joining her new Master. Then she turned around, smirked at the Jedi and held up the dagger, waving it in a taunting manner just as the Son stopped his attack.
Obi-Wan and Anakin stayed where they were, watching to see what she would do next.
Even though she was looking at the dagger, the teenage padawan straightened up as soon as she heard a pair of footsteps heading in her direction.
It was the Son.
He stopped right in front of her, grinned and spread out his arms as he said, "Everything has transpired exactly as I planned." Then he clasped his hands together.
The Father, who had slowly risen to his feet, had placed one hand over his chest. His eyes widened in shock when he saw that Rosella had the dagger in her hand. He shakily raised his other hand and pointed to it. "You showed them the altar?" He asked incredulously.
Obi-Wan, who had rushed forward, placed one hand on the Daughter's left arm and his other one around her shoulder. Then he helped her to her feet as she looked at her father.
"I'm sorry Father," she said apologetically, moving towards him with some help from the Jedi Master. "I didn't know how else to stop him."
The Son, who had been looking at his sister the entire time, glanced at Rosella, who was patiently waiting for his set of instructions. Holding out his left hand, he said, "Give it to me, child."
The padawan turned to the right and looked at Anakin before raising one of her eyebrows.
The Knight stepped forward. "Rosella, don't!" He exclaimed, extending his right arm in her direction.
Rosella's eyes shifted over to Obi-Wan and the Daughter before glancing at the dagger. Her grip on the handle tightened as she looked at the Son, who was waiting for her to hand it over. A moment later, she lifted the weapon into the air and placed it in his hand.
A small grin appeared on the Son's face as he brought the dagger closer so he could inspect it. As he gently stroked one edge, his eyes shifted towards the teenager in front of him. "Thank you," he said, while weaving the blade through the air. "Your usefulness has come to an end." Extending his right hand towards her, he placed two fingers on her forehead.
That was it.
Rosella's eyes widened for a moment as she was freed from whatever it was that he had done to her. Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she dropped to the ground. Her right hand, which had been tightly holding onto her shoto, loosened just enough so that the hilt rolled out of her grasp.
"NO!" Anakin cried out in horror as the bond that had formed between them all those years ago at the Temple promptly snapped. He charged towards the Son, angry at what the man had done, but was tossed backwards with a simple, yet powerful force push. As he landed on the ground, he could feel his parts of his tunic being ripped apart with all the broken glass that littered the area.
Then the Son turned to face his father. "The Jedi have brought me the dagger," he said, holding up the weapon in front of him, "and you have brought yourself." Tilting the hilt so the flat part of the blade was laying in his other hand, he lifted one finger and lightly ran it up along the sharp edge. "Now Father, you will die!" He quickly raised the dagger over his head as the older man held up his hands, hoping that he had enough strength left to protect himself.
The Daughter's eyes widened as she sensed that he was still too weak. Tearing herself away from the Jedi Master, she raced towards her family. "FATHER!" She shouted, no longer content to just stand by and watch as her brother murdered their only living parent. As she darted in between them, with her arms spread out, the Son wasn't able to stop in time and fatally struck her, the blade plunging deep into her back.
Her entire body glowed a bright white as she gasped in pain.
The Son, who raised his head and opened his eyes to see his sister standing in front of him, let go of the dagger and jerked backwards. He was shocked and horrified as he realized what he had just done.
The Father's eyes widened once he saw that his daughter had sacrificed her own life in order to save his. Reaching out, he caught her body before she fell to the ground and watched as her head lolled to the right.
As the Son stood there with an anguished expression on his face, he glanced at both of his hands twice before looking at his dying sibling. His expression immediately changed into one of anger, that seemed to be mixed with a hint of sadness, as he turned away and let out a cry of sorrow. Then he clenched his hands into fists and looked up at the thundering sky. "WHY?!" He screamed. Lightning flashed violently through the air as he shot up into the atmosphere. Shifting into his animal form, he let out an agonizing screech before flying away.
Anakin and Obi-Wan stared up at the sky.
Once the powerful force user had vanished from their sight, the Jedi Knight turned and ran over to the teenager. After falling to one knee beside her body, he reached out and laid his gloved hand on her skin, only to jerk back in surprise as it felt cold to his touch. No, he thought to himself as he leaned forward, gently grabbed Rosella's arm and rolled her over onto her back. No, no, no. His mind went blank as soon as he saw the whites of her eyes and he barely registered Obi-Wan's footsteps as they headed towards him. The only thing that Anakin could do in that moment was shake his head as he refused to believe that she was dead.
The Father, who was nearby, didn't look at or even acknowledge the Jedi's presence. He was too wrapped up in his own grief. After gently lowering his daughter down to the ground, he knelt and helped her lean forward before reaching over and pulling the dagger out of her back. After briefly glancing at the item for a few seconds, he tossed it aside and then laid her body on the rough stone. "My daughter," he said, his voice sounding thick and wobbly as he leaned back, his eyes never straying away from hers. "What have I done?"
The Daughter closed her eyes as she coughed once then opened them as she tilted her head towards her father and coughed again. Even though her strength was fading away, she weakly lifted her left hand into the air. "Do not hate him, Father," she said, placing her fingers on top of his left hand, which was curled up into a fist. She watched as he uncurled his fingers and tightly held onto it. "It is his nature."
"No..." he lamented, bowing his head. "All is lost." Regretting his decision to bring them to Mortis, the Father raised it back into the air and looked at the Jedi. "The balance has been broken. I thought by bringing you here, I would…" his voice faded away as he glanced down at his dying daughter and placed his other hand on top of hers. "…but I have destroyed everything." Removing his right hand, he reached out and lightly stroked the side of her face.
The courtyard was silent for a few minutes.
Anakin, who was desperately trying not to break down in tears, drew in a sharp breath. "Can you help her?" He asked, looking up at the Father.
The older man shook his head, not looking up from his child's face. "There is no light," he replied. "The evil has been unleashed," he looked at the fallen padawan, "and the dark side shall consume her."
Anakin glanced at Rosella before softly shaking his head, refusing to believe what the Father was telling him. "You must help her!" He pleaded, wincing as he heard his own voice crack.
"I cannot undo what has already been done," the Father told him bitterly. Then his voice changed and grew more sorrowful. "There is no hope."
"Yes, there is!" Anakin exclaimed as he shook his head again. "There's always hope!"
The Father sighed, closed his eyes and bowed his head for the second time that night. He wanted to help, but couldn't.
Then the Daughter reached up and softly brushed her left hand against the right side of her father's face. Once she had captured his attention, she turned to her right and pointed to Rosella. The Father stared at the padawan for a moment and then looked at her, silently asking if she was sure about her decision. She blinked once and nodded. Stroking her face for the final time, he stood and moved to stand in between the two bodies. With a simple gesture, he motioned for Anakin to join him.
The Knight stood and walked over so he was standing in front of the man. Without being told to, he knelt on the ground and closed his eyes.
The Father raised his arms into the air, and as if he was under a trance, Anakin copied his movements. "Then let my daughter's final act," he said, motioning with his left hand as the younger man laid one of his fingers on the Daughter's forehead, causing it to glow as she took one final breath and closed her eyes. "Be to breathe life into your friend." Then he did the same thing with his right hand, watching as the Knight gently rested one of his fingers in the middle of Rosella's forehead, causing it to glow as well.
Suddenly, the Force flared around the three of them.
Anakin tilted his head up towards the sky as his entire body glowed with a bright light, including his eyes. His mouth fell open as well as the Daughter's and Rosella's as their bodies glowed while hovering off the ground. The light was so intense that Obi-Wan was forced to shield his face with his arm.
The brilliant white glow that the Daughter used to have, - it began to fade after she had been stabbed - flooded through Anakin as he transferred it to Rosella.
After a few minutes, Anakin began to shake his head before lifting his fingers off of their foreheads. As both bodies fell to the ground with a small thump, the Knight fell to his hands and knees in between them as he caught his breath. Then the bright light faded away. He didn't even need to look up to see that the Daughter's body no longer held its ethereal glow. Instead, he glanced at his apprentice. Even though the dark veins were gone and her skin had returned to normal, Rosella still wasn't moving. Her eyes were still lifeless and her chest refused to rise and fall.
Turning away, he hung his head, coming to the conclusion that even though the teenager was free from the Son's influence, it was too late. The energy that had just been transferred into her body wasn't strong enough to bring her back.
Until she opened her eyes and started to cough.
Even though Rosella's brain was all fuzzy and her throat felt dry and raw, she continued to cough as she forced herself into an upright sitting position. Then, after managing to stop, she took in a few breaths of fresh air as Anakin, who was overjoyed to see her come back to life, scrambled over, knelt and pulled the teen in for a hug.
As soon as the Knight felt her arms wrap around him in return, he pulled away. Wanting to make sure that she was alright, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to glance at him. Once her eyes landed on his face, he cracked a smile. "Hey, Ella," he softly murmured.
Rosella blinked once, her eyes still a little hazy. "What's…going on?" She asked, sounding a little tired before blinking again she turned to look at Obi-Wan, hoping that he would have an answer for her.
Even though the Jedi Master was a little concerned for her well-being, he decided not to say anything and gave her a small smile instead.
This gave Anakin time to come up with something. Looking away, he wracked his brain, but couldn't think of anything. "Uh…" he said, causing her to turn around. Shifting his eyes towards hers, he realized that she was waiting for his answer and sighed. "Not much," he finally said. "It's really good to see you."
Obi-Wan, who noticed that Rosella's shoto was still on the ground, bent over and picked it up while Anakin got back to his feet and helped his daughter stand up. As soon as the teenager was steady on her feet, he handed it to her.
Rosella looked at him and smiled before taking the smaller blade and reattaching it to her belt.
The Father, who had been watching them, turned away and began to speak. "As the balance in this world crumbles," he said grimly, walking over to where his daughter was lying, "so shall war escalate in your galaxy." Kneeling, he picked up her limp, cold hand. "Now that my son has fallen further into the dark side, the Sith are going to gain even more strength."
Anakin clenched his left hand into a fist before stepping forward. "We will stop your son," he declared in a firm voice.
"No! You must go, now!" The Father told them in an urgent tone. "He needs your ship to leave the planet. You must leave before he can take it."
After glancing at his brother and sensing that he was in agreement, Obi-Wan turned towards the Father. "What about you?" He asked in a concerned tone.
The Father glanced down at his daughter again. "I shall mourn all that I have done and all that is yet to be," he told them, glancing up at Anakin after he finished speaking.
The Jedi didn't say anything as they got off the platform and walked away.
