Ghost of You - Anakin Skywalker x Reader (BOOK 1)

Chapter 98

I'm unconscious thanks to Obi Wan's mind trick, yet I'm still present in some version of this world. I cannot see Obi-Wan or Vader, nor can I see the ships we arrived on, but I know this is Mustafar. 

I stand up in this manipulated version of Mustafar and observe my surroundings. It's still the same, hellish landscape I arrived in just minutes ago, but without the current happenings. Although it is still dark and dismal, the landscape feels peaceful in comparison to how I viewed it not so long ago. The dark side still feels strong, but anger and hate are not present.

As I turn around, I am greeted with the presence of someone I lost today. I know this must be another manipulation of the Force created by my subconscious, similar to the times my mind has manifested the Daughter. It isn't real.

"Padme," I say, announcing her presence.

She offers me a small smile, one that doesn't quite reach her eyes. Given all that has transpired in the recent hours, I can't blame her saddened expression. I imagine I look much the same.

"How are you here?" I ask, unable to fully comprehend what I am seeing.

"You are incredibly gifted. Your skills go far beyond anything the galaxy has seen," She reminds me.

Padme was with me when I discovered my true Midichlorian count and she knew of my connection to Anakin. That being said, I don't understand how she is aware of how strong I am in comparison to every other Force user. I don't recall going into that much detail about it with her.

"I know," I agree. "But I still don't have the strength to beat Vader."

I'm incredibly strong in the Force, and before today, I was just as strong as Anakin. Now that he has embraced the dark side and gained unnatural power, I seem weak by comparison. The light side is no match for the dark, especially when I haven't reached my own potential.

"There may be one way," She suggests.

"And that would be?" I question.

If there were a simple way for me to overpower Darth Vader, I would have already thought of it. In other words, there is no way for me to defeat him, not today anyway.

"The light side is weak. It seems to me that the only way to defeat the dark side is by embracing it," She explains.

Her suggestion startles me. Padme was always aligned to goodness and always acted in a way that was morally right, no matter the cost. The person I know her to be would never make such a proposal. 

"That's absurd," I state. "I am the light side of the Force. I need to fully embrace that if I have any chance of matching his strength, not the opposite."

"Think about it," She urges. "The only way to defeat Vader is by matching his strength."

I can only defeat Vader by embracing the light side of the Force. That is something I cannot do. Power of that level will alter my mind, body, and soul. I can't risk having that much energy coursing through my body, not when I'm pregnant. I don't know what that would do to my children.

More than that, I don't want to defeat Vader. When I look at him, I still see the face of the man I love. He will forever be my greatest weakness.

"I would never embrace the dark side. Especially now that I've seen what it's done to Anakin," I say, ignoring my thoughts.

"Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire, my dear," She suggests.