Starlight - The Third Book in the Starchild Series

Chapter 3

I pound the ground with my fists and shout in agony as Fear makes another strike on my mind. There's no stopping this. I'm just not strong enough.

"GET...OUT...OF...MY...HEAD!!!" I scream as Fear rams against my mental barriers yet again. Fear does nothing except continue to ram against my barriers. I try to repel, but with no avail.

This battle continues for some time.

***???'s POV***

I stand there, watching the girl writhe on the ground. I can hear her shouts. And every one of them pierces my soul. I know that if she fails to repel the cloud this time, it will ultimately overtake her. She would fall forever, and her physical body would never wake up. Her soul would be lost, wandering forever in the darkness.

The other two, the grey ones, are pacing. Anxious whines come from them as they hear their little one suffer, and they have a good reason to do so. The female comes up. She says nothing, but there is pleading in her eyes. The male is behind her, the same expression on his face.

I nod at them. "Go to her. You have the power to clear her suffering forever. Help her wake up." They nod, and their eyes show thanks. Then they run off, toward their little one. And I can't help but smile. Finally, her mind would be balanced, and the souls put to rest.

***Elska's POV***

The shadow is slowly overtaking me. No matter how hard I try to push it out of my mind, it remains. It seems so much stronger this time around.

Finally, I can't repel it anymore. I fall to the ground as it slowly seeps into my mind, paralyzing my body and snuffing out my hope. My eyes slowly flutter shut. My conscious seems to fade. I know I'm going to die. I just wait for the end. It doesn't hurt. In fact, it's painless.

But was this dying? Instead of blacking out, the world comes back into focus. And when it does, I see two creatures standing over me. Both are a dark grey, with yellow eyes. I gently sit up. I recognise these creatures. Loth - Wolves! They had not been seen in over 100 years... I look up at them in awe. "Darling, do you not recognise us?" A female voice echoes through my mind. I blink in surprise. Then I do a triple take when I look in their eyes. There's something familiar...something I can't place...then it hits me like a lightning bolt.

"M - Mom? D- Dad?" I say, blinking in surprise. "Yes, darling." a male voice said in my mind. The female and male are standing together now, smiling warmly. I run to them and hug both of them. "Mom...Dad...." Tears are slipping down my face as we just stand there, in that silvery, misty landscape. Then I remember. "The shadow - what happened to it?" "It's gone, Elska. Forever. We banished it." "Thank you, mom and dad." I say. Then something occurs to me. "When you died, did you become wolves?" "No. We were spirits, in this land. The landscape you see is the Force. It extends forever into infinity. Those mountains - they house the spirits of great Jedi. Many ended up there after the Purge. When we appeared here, we were confused. We weren't' Force - sensitive. Then the White Wolf appeared, with two grey companions. He spoke to us, saying that you would be here in a few years. Not dead - forced here against your will. Then his two companions allowed our  spirits to take over their bodies. And we've been here ever since." "Really?" "Yes."

"Who is the White Wolf?" I ask. As if in response, a howl echoes across the landscape. I turn. Standing on the plane was a pure white wolf. Black markings, yellow eyes. It seemed to be judging me, flicking its tail quietly. I nod at it, and it nods back, then fades in the mist, seeming to smile as it does. I turn back to my parents. "But now that the shadow's gone, and you've helped me, doesn't that mean you'll fade into the Force?" I'm afraid so, Elska. But we'll never be truly gone. We'll always be in your heart."  Then my father's voice echoes through my head.

"Elska, we're so proud of you. You've taken on a challenge that most children your age would never had thought of. You've gone so far in nineteen years than I ever thought you would. You truly are a Master of the Force." I smile at them, tears still streaming down my face. "I - I'm ready. I will finish what I've started. I will bring balance to the Force. I will not let you down." My parents only smile. Then my father says, "It's time to say goodbye. But remember, we'll always be there for you. Just listen to the Force."  My mother says, "You'll be waking up soon, my dear. Vader's shadow is gone. But you must be strong when you wake. For he will know." I nod. Then I sense someone behind me. The white Loth - Wolf is there. I nod at him. "I'm ready." Then I turn to my parents. "Goodbye. I love you, mom and dad." "And we love you back, Elska. You are our daughter." Then the White Loth - Wolf gently blows in my face. The landscape gets fainter and fainter as I leave the land of the Force.

***White wolf's (Formerly ???)'s POV***

I watch her form fade from the Force, then I turn to my companions. Suddenly, twin bursts of light come from their eyes and dissolve into the mist. Her parents have moved on. I smile, and my two companions and I make haste for the mountains in the distance.

***Elska's POV***

I gasp as my eyes fly open. I'm awake. I remember what happened in the Force, and I smile. My parents had helped me. They had moved on. I take in my surroundings, then with I hadn't. I am in some sort of cell. I'm lying on cold metal. My limbs are strapped down by metal cuffs. The only sounds I hear are the humming of distant machinery and the sound of my own breathing. I have to get out of here! I remember the message I sent to Luke, and I hope that he received it. I struggle a little in my bonds, but they don't budge. I'm trapped.

I sigh and quit struggling. No way was I getting out of there alone. My only hope was that Luke was able to get my message on time. Then I remember my parent's warning - that Vader would know when I would wake up. I knew he was coming, and there was nothing I could do about it. I could only hope that Luke got here first.

***Luke's POV***

I was standing dangerously close to the edge of a Sarlacc pit. Blaster shots and shouts ring out around me as I fight to get to the main ship.

When I had arrived at Jabba's palace, I found out that Lando had not been discovered [ :) ], but Leia had been captured. Before she did, however, she managed to free Han. That was good. So now it was time to make my move. But when I did manage to gain an audience with Jabba, he tried to feed me to his Rancor, Bob (A/N - name is made up for entertainment purposes XD) So now, there was a big epic battle going on over the Sarlacc pit, whose name was Joe (Again, name made up for entertainment purposes).

I jumped onto the deck of the sail barge and defeated all the guards just as Leia ran up to me, having been freed by R2 - D2. I saw the hijacked skiff speeding toward us, bearing Lando, C-3PO, Han, and Chewbacca. Since Leia was on the top deck, I shouted at her, "Get the gun, Leia! Point it at the deck!" She did just that, and I ran up, grabbed her, kicked the trigger, and swung off of the barge and onto the skiff. And just in time, too. The gun went off, the blast smashing into the deck. When it went off again, we were quite safe. We all watched from a distance as the skiff slowly sank, then exploded into a thousand fragments.

Later, when we were all going back to Rebellion headquarters, I knew I had something to do. I entered some coordinates into my navi - computer, and R2 beeps a question.

"That's right, Artoo. We're going back to Dagobah. I have a promise to keep to an old friend."

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Hey guys! So, I won't be able to update as regularly now. Exams are on the week of Dec. 12, and I have a whole lot of studying to do. So I'll probably only update on the weekends. Also, the chapters are super long, so it takes longer to write them. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, and everything in between!

See you on the plus side! Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

                                                                                                                            - CMW