In his dream, Jacen Syndulla saw the wolf again. This time, he knew why he saw the wolf. There was nothing waiting for him on Lothal, everything he needed had been inside him the whole time.
"Jacen." The wolf said.
"Hi, dad," Jacen said softly.
Then the wolf wasn't a wolf anymore. It was a man with brown hair in a ponytail, knowing blue eyes, and a smile on his face.
"Why do you keep coming to me?" Jacen asked, peering up at Kanan Jarrus.
"Maybe I just wanted to see my son," Kanan replied with a smile. "You did good, Jacen. You did so good."
"I can still feel it. The darkness," Jacen admitted, looking down at his feet.
"Hey now," Kanan set a hand on his shoulder, and he looked back up. "The darkness will never go away. But as long as there's a strong enough light, it will never win. Be that light, Jacen. The world needs you."
"What do I do?" he asked, meeting his father's eyes.
"Find Luke Skywalker," Kanan told him. "He'll teach you. He'll show you the next steps."
"Mom will never let me."
Kanan cracked a smile then. "Oh, your mother." His voice was wistful. "No, she'll let you. She will understand now, there is no hiding the light."
"What about my friends? Sabine, Ezra? Zeb and Alexsandr?"
"They have their own after," Kanan's smile softened. "As do you."
"What about your after?" Jacen asked.
"My after is with you. I'll always be right here," Kanan placed a hand over Jacen's heart. "Watching you. Guiding you. Loving you."
"It's unfair," Jacen breathed, "That you don't get an after."
"I don't mind," Kanan smiled warmly. "Sometimes, we don't all get afters. So use yours wisely."
"I promise I will," Jacen told him. Then he hesitated before throwing his arms around Kanan. His father returned the hug, holding him tightly.
I promise.
Jacen did not feel scared anymore. He was not afraid of his after. He was ready to go out and face it.
Jacen nodded once to the wolf. It was a wolf again now, not his father, but he could still feel the ghost of Kanan's arms around him.
The wolf nodded back, and Jacen Syndulla woke up.
the end
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After ✔️
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