STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

REY'S DARKNESS

Rey woke with a start.

Sweat dripped down the sides of her face as a shaking body rose.

Acht-To's twin suns shone warmly through a stone opening carved into the wall of her chambers.

It was early afternoon.

No Luke today? Rey thought quizzically. If he was planning on giving her a day of rest, he hadn't told her. Most days Master Luke would come before the sun rose.

She swung legs over the side of a small sleeping pod. Stretching, she dressed herself in gray leggings and a simple white tunic. Her hair was down, wavering gently in the air as Acht-To's air brushed brown locks.

A calloused hand opened.

Anakin's lightsaber slapped against Rey's palm. Curling her fingers around the weapon, the same visions she saw when she first touched the blade met her.

Rey shivered, swallowing harshly as she stepped outside.

This world was much different from Jakku.
Back home, she was used to the sand flats that her Clan protected by writ of lineage.

She grew training amongst their warrior class, hopping between skeletal shipyards that were beaten by a brutal and uncompromising sun.

Violence was a way of life. Desperation drove crime- the people of Jakku knew that more than anyone. Scarce resources forced settlements to fend for themselves- and often steal from others.

But here, it was different.
There were no harsh bolts of laser fire erupting into the night sky. No screams of marauding killers astride speeders spitting black ash.

Porgs chirped happily, huddled in a group before her, shaded by a large jutting stone.
It was peaceful.
Rey knelt down, smiling at the small creatures as they tentatively hopped towards her.

Almost too peaceful.

Do I deserve to feel this comfortable?
Rey bore a responsibility. She had to make it up to Finn- she had to get stronger.
More than that, Rey knew that Leia and the Vanguard were depending on her.

Even if the First Order itself was destroyed, danger still lurked amongst the shadows.

Of that, Rey was sure. It was something that she could sense so clearly it could almost be tasted.

Rey gasped as yellow eyes flashed across her memories. The vision fled as quickly as it came, but its image burned into Rey's mind.

What was that?

Rey rose to her full height. The eyes lingered in the back of a troubled mind as she walked along a rocky trail.

Waves calmly sang on either side of her. As she walked, it was clear that the sprawling temple complex spanned almost the entire island.

  Giant statues stood proudly in the shallow water leading into an onyx sea. They depicted old figures devouring their own hands.

Along the coast stone paths curved, leading deeper into the island's greenery. The temple itself was vast, a curving behemoth that bore four spires.

Rey knew the place was special the moment she stepped out of the Falcon.

The Force seemed to be calling her. Senses were amplified, more visceral, more real. When she faced Kylo her powers were unfocused,  hard to grasp.

Yet here things seemed to be more clear. The Force became a straightforward, natural thing. It was nearly palpable.

It was almost as if the Force's spiritual energy lived within her.

And that's what scares him Rey thought.

The initiate walked underneath a pale arch painted by sprawling moss, decorating a massive cavern. Within it a dead fountain rose, resplendent in design.

  Rey's eyes traced a mural of battle that was painted on smooth stone wall. Blood splattered across figures entrenched in brutal bedlam of death and power.

"You certainly have great timing."
Rey jumped at the sound of Luke's voice. The Jedi Master curled from behind the fountain.

  "What is this place?" Rey marveled.
Acht-To would never cease to amaze the learner.

"It seems to be a rendition of a conflict between the first generation of Force users. The first schism." Luke answered softly.

Rey approached him. Her eyebrows were raised as her footsteps echoed throughout the cavern.

"How do you know?"
Luke chuckled.
"I'm surprised you can't see it yet. Hold out your hand- don't focus on me. Push yourself outwards."

Rey nodded.
She braced herself, clipping Anakin's lightsaber to her belt. Fingers reached out towards the mural as her eyes closed. She evened her breathing, clenching her jaw as she felt the Force move through her.

It was then she saw it.

Darkness. Hordes of warriors wielding blades that shone through pitch black smog. Blood painted the ground, which was covered in bodies and ruined instruments of war.
She felt anger, despair... the figures that fought seemed to kill without discretion.

Power.

Death.

Rey heard screams of the dead and dying. She saw victorious figures mutilating dead bodies until they in turn were felled.

Blood.

Corruption.

The vision, the emotions- they were too much. Rey backed away, closing herself off to the force as her eyes shot open.

"Were those Sith?" Rey questioned.
She had thought she felt the dark side when she faced Kylo- but this was different. It was colder, more overpowering and brutal. But there was something else too, a feeling that disarmed her more than the vision itself.

It was a feeling of longing. The dark side's kiss was shocking- but it was almost familiar. Her body curled to it as if it truly belonged.

Luke shook his head.
He spoke with a grave tone.
"Those were the first Jedi. What you feel isn't the dark side."

Rey froze.
Luke walked past her as he spoke.

"You're right, Rey. I can't be afraid anymore. I can't run anymore. I had the opportunity to stop what Snoke unleashed into the galaxy- yet I did nothing. I came here under the guise of finding solutions. I found a place to die instead."

He turned. His eyes met hers then. They seemed darker than usual, more feral.

"For you to be ready for what you must face, you will need to undergo the same training that Holdo did. The same training that Jacen started."

Rey swallowed deeply as she tried to listen. Her mind was still replaying the vision of ancient Jedi warped by their own power.

"I will bring you to the brink of a terrifying power, Rey. You must be the one to walk away from its edge. Only then will you be ready." Luke said softly.

He held out his hand.

"Let's begin."
***