Feel free to join my Discord server: . disc ord. gg /3b3B xdHQKG (delete the spaces). You can talk about whatever you want in there. SW and RDR channels are in there as well.
Chapter 30
"Oh, come on!" Anakin kicked at an icy stone in irritation, starting to lose patience with this place.
He had been in here for so long already...
The freezing wind howled through the narrow passageways of Ilum. The towering walls of ice and stone made Anakin shiver as he moved. He tightened his cloak around his shoulders, though it did little to stave off the chill that seeped into his bones.
Was Luke trying to kill him or something?!
Anakin guided himself forward after a grunt, still moping. Why wouldn't Luke come here with him?! Surely, that would have been quick and easier!
Just as his frustration was bottled again, Luke's voice echoed in his mind. "The cave on Ilum will challenge you, Anakin. It will test your resolve and your connection to the Force. Trust in yourself, and trust in the Force."
Anakin nodded to himself, though there was no one there to see it. He was alone in this place, as all Jedi Padawans must be when they seek the crystal that would become the heart of their lightsaber.
While Anakin wasn't a Jedi, neither was Luke — at least technically — both qualified as such and believed in the Force.
The cave was alive with the Force, its presence permeating the very air he breathed, and Anakin could feel the weight of it pressing down on him.
The young Force Adept took a deep breath and continued onward, his senses watching for any current around him. The more he moved within, the more Anakin felt his anger growing. Couldn't he just get a crystal and leave this Hutt-spawn place already?!
Impatience dawned on him. This was seriously starting to get old.
The air grew denser as he moved deeper. Anakin closed his eyes and reached out with the Force, searching far and wide. His senses expanded, half-consciously, as Anakin moved through icy pillars.
'Anger is a natural part of you, Anakin. But losing yourself to it will not yield results. Remain calm and answers will become present.'
It was important for Anakin to remember that the Force was his ally.
He gripped at his anger and allowed it to pass naturally, recalling the challengers of the Jedi who gave in to their feelings and lost everything for it.
Anakin breathed, feeling a surge of sincerity as he continued walking, the Force a lot clearer now.
At the center of the chamber lay a solitary kyber crystal. Anakin's heart beat against his chest, and he approached, drawn to the crystal's glow with an obsessive degree.
As he extended his hand to collect the crystal, he felt something erupt within him and was startled by it.
Anakin's hand, and entire body, paused inches from the crystal as the shadows around him appeared to grow, coalescing into a form—vaguely humanoid but twisted, clad in black armor, and radiating anger, rage, fear, and suffering.
The figure loomed over Anakin, its presence all-consuming, and for minutes, the young Force Adept was paralyzed by terror. The figure's visors, burning red coals behind a mask of darkness, stared at him with a gaze that seemed to pierce his very soul.
Anakin yanked his hand away and stumbled back on instinct, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he fought to steady himself. A cold sweat broke out across his face. The figure seemed to loom, more imposing with each second, and everything seemed to close around him.
Maybe he wasn't ready for this!
He'd needed Luke!
He'd needed his mother!
"They will not hear your pleads..." Finally, the Sith spoke unmercifully, "You will become this. You will bring destruction and death. This is your destiny."
Anakin's pulse pounded in his ears as the vision figure to overwhelm him. He could sense the pull of the Dark Side, the seductive power tugging at him. It became too much for a moment. With this power, he could have the power necessary to save the ones he loved! Just why resist it when that power could give him what he needed to help those innocents on Tatooine much sooner and quicker?
If Luke wasn't here to protect him, Anakin needed to protect himself.
He was not going to stay young forever.
"Now, you see it..." the creature of darkness purred.
Anakin wanted to shiver all of a sudden, sensing a strange amount of possessiveness surrounding the creature. He didn't want to kill Luke. He wanted to owe him.
"The one who came to you is not who you think he is, Skywalker," the figure said coldly.
"Luke," Anakin whispered. "He's my best friend, like a brother."
"He's mine," the echo enforced, though not in a snapping manner, "he will always be mine."
"Luke is a person!" Anakin growled, feeling his veins popping.
He would wield that power and destroy this figure before it got to Luke!
What would this animal do to his mother and Kitster?!
'Don't let your feelings consume you. Negative ones leads to nothing but pain and suffering. That's all the Dark Side wants.' Luke's lesson from recently rang into his mind.
Anakin wanted nothing more than to attack, to defend his brother and mentor. But he knew how corruptive the Dark Side was. If he gave in to his feelings, it could consume him. He wouldn't make that entire year of training without anything, especially since Luke always pushed him forward into harsh scenarios to make him stronger.
He calmed his rapidly growing breath, remembering the lessons Luke and his mother had taught him again. One couldn't owe someone. Love was natural. Possession was not. The Force was his ally, a source of light in the darkest of times, and it was in the light that he would find his strength. It was just so... difficult.
The former slave closed his eyes, took a deep breath, centered himself, and reached out to the Force with all his being.
Anakin did not shy away from the darkness. Instead, he encountered it head-on, allowing the fear to wash over him before releasing it into the Force. The darkness flickered for a singular second before it began to shatter against the Force, and as it did, the figure seemed to waver, its form flickering like a flame in the wind.
He had to accept the Force and it had to accept him if he'd ever wanted to end up like Luke.
"You are not real," Anakin murmured, feeling a confidence that he never felt on Tatooine. "I choose the Light. Choose to love and live. Not the Dark Side."
The figure snarled, an ignition sound filling his ears, and it moved. But Anakin remained firm. Never again would he have to answer to another. It would not be their choice anymore. It was his. He was given a chance to go out and do good. He would make sure that the Dark Side never won.
With a final surge of will, Anakin held out his hand, releasing a wave of pure, radiant energy. The chamber was flooded with peace, and the shadowy figure dissipated into nothingness, leaving Anakin alone in the chamber-bathed in a soothing, affectionate light.
Anakin gasped as the adrenaline rush escaped his body, and he collapsed to his knees, his limbs trembling with exhaustion. He bowed his head, taking deep, steadying breaths as he allowed the Force to replenish his strength.
Slowly, Anakin came to his feet, his gaze returning to the kyber crystal that still pulsed with a gentle blue light.
Yet again, Anakin reached out and gently took the crystal into his hand. The moment his fingers closed around it, he felt a surge of warmth and peace, the crystal resonating with his spirit, a perfect ally for his soul.
Afterward, Anakin looked around and drew on the Force to lead him back...
Before he knew it, he was out of the cave.
"I'm getting worried. I should go i-" she was saying when Luke spotted him.
"I don't think that would be necessary," he chuckled at the nervous mother.
She flipped around and gasped. "Oh, Ani! Ani!"
His mother ran up and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so proud of you!"
Luke approached. "I had my reservations too, for failure is expected, but your Force potential is beyond that of any normal Force Sensitive, Anakin. Congratulations."
Anakin laughed. "You knew I was going to succeed with the Force, didn't you?"
"That may play a part, however, you should ask that to your mother. She was frantically wanting me to enter the cave..." Luke quipped, staring at his mother knowingly.
"Hey!" His mother exclaimed. "It's not everyday your kid enters a cave and you get told to 'trust in the Force' and all that nonsense."
Anakin grinned, "Well, Mom, maybe the Force was just telling you it was time for me to have an adventure. Besides, you know what they say: 'Do or do not, there is no try.'"
"Yeah, yeah, now come on, before I steal the ship, Kitster, and leave you both here..." Shmi chuckled.
With his family at his side, he would not let fear dictate his destiny. He would be the master of his own fate.
The training halls of the Coruscanti Jedi Temple were in for an interesting spar. Many of the new generations of Jedi always loved watching a good spar, and they had only heard about Jedi Master Count Dooku sparing rarely in passing. It hadn't been done within the past few years since Dooku spent more and more time away from the Temple. With the abrupt change that happened, the Jedi Master seemed to have a better bond with his lineage.
Speaking of which, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi circled cautiously. The Jedi Master favored the Ataru form. Obi-Wan, by contrast, was a study in focused discipline. The younger Jedi pointed his hands at Dooku, lightsaber angled.
Dooku eyed them both before he initiated the spar, his lightsaber a blur of blue light. Cape falling in line behind him, those watching remembered why Dooku was a renowned swordsman for a reason. He advanced, testing the defenses of his opponents with a series of probing thrusts and cuts.
Qui-Gon met Dooku's advance with a strong overhead strike, his green blade crackling as it interlocked with his old master's. The Maverick Jedi couldn't be underestimated; after all, he'd learned under this man for years.
He'd performed six more just as powerful strikes, meeting his blade.
But Dooku was not one to be easily overpowered either. He dodged gracefully, redirecting Qui-Gon's momentum, sending the taller Jedi into a spin.
Dooku frowned in disapproval. His wayward student was performing more abysmally than he'd thought. He had taught him more than that. But his age was probably catching up to him.
Before the Maverick could recover or the older Jedi could chastise him, Dooku remembered Jinn was not alone, and swung at the Padawan whose hands shook. The recently born Knight met the series of attacks barely with his new Soresu. His blue blade wove a tight, impenetrable web of defense, deflecting Dooku's attacks with maximum difficulty.
The Count swerved out of his attacks and performed again. Kenobi backed away, countering his strikes, even as they'd picked up speed.
Dooku's eyes widened. He could almost smell than sense Kenobi's powerful potential in defense. Obi-Wan's defense was anything but flawless; it could even be referred to as an insult to Soresu users. But in a few more years, that could, would change. Yoda and Qui-Gon were Ataru Masters while Dooku preferred Makashi. Kenobi would be something different; another recent Jedi to be tossed in artifacts of the Jedi Order.
Oh, Dooku would love to see such an outcome in his lineage...
Qui-Gon charged forward to aid his Padawan, but Dooku countered eight strikes before knocking his lightsaber out of his hand and raising it as if he were to strike his former Padawan down. It came down, but a blue blade caught the attack.
"Your recent defense is admirable, Obi-Wan," Dooku said, pressing the attack. "But a Jedi must be more than just a barrier, my young Padawan. The Force is not a static thing; it flows, it breathes. You must learn to move with it, to adapt."
With a sudden shift in tempo, Dooku unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one aimed at Kenobi's exposed form. With a barely audible "kriff" escaping him, Kenobi blocked frantically and desperately, stretching his limbs as his lightsaber met Dooku's. Dooku could see the strain in Obi-Wan's eyes as he struggled to keep up.
Qui-Gon recovered and launched forward, hoping to relieve his Padawan of some of the stress. He pivoted for Dooku's midsection, knowing that the attack would fail, but it would have the intended effect. With a flick of his wrist, he parried Qui-Gon's assaults, using the Force to subtly guide the larger man off balance.
"Old kriffer," Qui-Gon cursed with levity. He should have seen that one coming...
"Do not be so quick to rely on brute strength, Qui-Gon," Dooku admonished, smiling slightly. Just like the old days... "You don't fight well, young one..."
With some exasperation, the younger Jedi responded, "I'm not that Youngling anymore, Master."
"Age soughs improvement," Dooku said, jabbing his weapon in his direction.
The Maverick Jedi rolled his eyes, but the former Padawan to Master Yoda made his point by attacking yet again. Jinn twirled, lightsaber aimed to catch. He fell back as Kenobi stared at him and then at Dooku. Kenobi pushed against his exposed chest, knocking him back.
"Impressive," Dooku praised, gripping his chest as the two younger Jedi assembled. "Again..." he invited.
Jinn and Kenobi looked at one another before nodding and darting forward. Of course, Kenobi switched from Ataru to his practiced Soresu quickly, at least drawing some of Dooku's attention. Jinn was even less of a struggle, intimating Dooku's bladework out of taunting if nothing else.
Dooku smiled inwardly, allowing a moment of humility. Jinn's performance was underwhelming, and the older Jedi planned to have words with his former Padawan about that later in their shared quarters. He could get killed or mortally injured because of this. They would have to look into another form that doesn't wear him down completely. Kenobi was another hand. Soresu was already doing great service to him.
As embarrassing as it may be, Kenobi was the one doing much of the work in this dance...
The three Jedi moved as one, their sabers weaving. Qui-Gon attacked while Obi-Wan defended. They were a blur, almost becoming one. At last, this became a true challenge. Jinn tripped over his own two feet, allowing Dooku to kick him in the back, knocking him away. He caught Kenobi at the same time, their blades straining against one another.
Dooku unleashed attacks on the younger Jedi. Kenobi jolted, this time working with more focus and determination. At that moment, he realized that Kenobi had the potential to surpass both Jinn and Dooku, perhaps at once, someday.
That day had not yet arrived.
Slowly, Jinn came to his side and struck again, catching his cloak with quickness.
At the same time, Kenobi kicked him in the thigh again.
Dooku barely let out a breath while the two Jedi seemed exhausted, holding their blades up through trembling hands.
Now, Dooku was still their superior. With a sudden burst of speed, he broke through their defenses, his blade coming within meters of Qui-Gon's chest before the Jedi Master could react. At the same moment, he turned on Obi-Wan, forcing the young Knight to retreat with a series of rapid strikes that left him barely able to keep up.
"You both fight well," Dooku said as he broke away, stepping back to allow them a moment to catch their breath. "And Qui-Gon, we will need to have a chat about your... interesting leaning towards exhaustion."
"Perhaps..." The older Jedi agreed and deactivated his lightsaber, allowing himself to fall, hand on his chest.
Kenobi held his lightsaber for a second before following suit, sighing, and collapsing next to Jinn.
"Frak, I miss my bed already," Obi-Wan managed. "Probably opened some scars I got on Naboo."
"How does he still do it?" Qui-Gon mumbled.
Dooku rolled his eyes. "Get up," he commanded, but none of them moved to do so. "It wasn't that severe."
"Says you," Kenobi sniped back. He smiled at his Master now, "Well, at least I didn't miss my appointment?"
"You probably have five more after that..."
"Not any more than Dooku deciding to lay down and retire..."
Kriff, his lineage was full of clowns...