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Screaming was all she could hear. Raw, guttural noises erupting from the Jedis' throats. Lia heard their cries in her sleep. She had the same dream almost every night.
The deceased Jedis' faces flickered through her peripheral vision, their mouths open in terror, as she walked down a road. Fire licked at the stones making up the path, creating a barrier to keep her wandering in the direction it wanted. The path led to a steep hill that remained untouched by flames. A girl stood atop the mound, back turned, staring at whatever lay beyond. Lia scrambled up the hill and touched the girl's shoulder. She had a small bun in her hair and wore a gray tunic. Her skin was light, and dark freckles made constellations on her arms and neck. Just when she was about to turn and reveal her identity, Lia woke up.
This night it was no different. Lia sat up quickly in her small bed and tugged on the Force. She often used her connection to the world as a tether when her nightmares would occur. It acted as a soft assurance that the past was not the future, and that road was not real. But she couldn't help wondering who the girl was and what she stared at on the other side of the hill.
Sweat decorated Lia's dark skin and stained her nightclothes. She felt wetness around her eyes, but not from sweat. Though she didn't cry in her dream, there were always tears on her face when she awoke. She gazed around the room, eyes falling on her bedside table and to an old, faded picture containing several people: Lia and a few other Jedis, standing in front of the Jedi Temple, large smiles on their faces. She let out a deep breath. She was out of tears, but the pain was still very present in her heart.
Her friends, all of them, were dead. Murdered because of the demented mind of a boy corrupted by darkness. His saber pierced their hearts and birthed flame to the grassy plains. The fire spread quickly, decimating everything in its path. Animals, houses, nature, people—gone in an instant. What—or whom—the boy didn't kill with his saber was taken by the fire. The planet was a scorch mark on the galaxy, a burning vessel carrying nothing but destruction.
She and Luke had managed to escape in one of the emergency pods. Lia was wide awake that night, researching Jedi tricks in the ancient texts. Luke had demonstrated several to her in training, and she had been enamored since. The rest went in a blur; she couldn't remember much. She heard lightsabers humming to life and a loud crash, followed by Luke's voice shouting Ben Solo's name. Moments later, the walls had crashed inward, burying her, and Luke was dragging her out of the rubble of the temple. He called out the names of the other Jedis but none responded. Ben was tearing through the dormitory where they slept. Luke raced after him, but it was too late. They were dead. Lia would never forget the utter terror in her mentor's eyes that night. Luke carried her to an escape pod and they left immediately. The damage to her head caused her to flutter in and out of consciousness. The last thing she remembered was Luke typing coordinates into the ship and hyperspeeding away.
Lia slipped out of her hut. The cool air grazed her skin, welcoming her back to the present world. She always felt the Force deeply at dawn. Right before the sun rose, when the grass was wet with dew and no one was awake yet. A comfortable quietness had settled over the cluster of houses. Built by the indigenous inhabitants of the island, the one room homes were made of sturdy stone and often varied in size. The natives—Caretakers, as Luke liked to call them—maintained the huts and the rest of the island. They welcomed the protection of two people skilled in the ways of the Force.
Luke's hut was close, but she didn't wake him. She would make the trek to the top of the hill alone this morning.
The wind grew fiercer the farther she climbed but that did not deter her. Once at the peak, she sat down on a ledge overlooking the island. Waves crashed against the shore, birds cawed, and porgs chirped happily. The pull of the Force was calm but heavy, a blanket of serenity that tugged at Lia's mind. She let it consume her.
Darkness. It wasn't just the backs of her eyelids—it was the universe before planets, stars, solar systems, or galaxies. Before life. A cold like no other wrapped tightly around her. Monotonous humming filled her ears. She pulled at the blackness, trying to push its folds away like curtains. A drop of light glowed in the center. It emitted warmth and life. She kept pushing at the darkness, and the warmth grew to heat. A violent bubble of color exploded around her. She saw herself sitting on the highest peak, legs crossed and eyes closed. She was one with the Force, and the Force was with her. She drifted around the island, taking in a magnificent view of green and blue. Creatures jumped from the depths of the sea and birds flew tight circles around the land.
