18 year old Ben Solo is training under the authority of Luke Skywalker. However, he's finding himself being drawn to something dark, while simultaneously falling for a fellow student in training.
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It's been a few weeks since the lake night with Anika, and Ben's dreams have become more intense with each passing passing night. It's basically always the same dream, but it's like as times goes on, another piece of the story surfaces.
He still doesn't know who is killing his father in the dream or why. He just knows that it's starting to get the better of him. He's barely sleeping, falling behind in his classes, and losing every time he spars with Luke now.
You could be so much stronger in the dark.
He jolts awake, panting and sweating. This is becoming a regular occurrence. He drags himself out of bed, careful to not wake anyone else, and goes straight to the shower. He's been taking 2 am showers every night since the dreams started. Something about the hot, running water helps him to clear his mind long enough for him to calm down.
You could be so much stronger in the dark. He hears that sentence in his mind over and over, replaying it from his dream. He doesn't know who the voice belongs to, it's not his own. In the dream, an unknown someone or something is saying it to him.
It scares him, and he does his best to push the thought right back out of his head.
Turning off the shower now that his heartbeat is not going haywire anymore, he redresses himself and lays back down in bed.
Sleep doesn't return to him.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
"I'm worried about you, Ben," Anika says. It's mid afternoon and Ben is sitting beside her on the grass behind the temple. At the end of each week, Luke gives them an afternoon to themselves, allowing them to do whatever they feel is necessary. There are a few students sparring in the distance, and others roaming around or studying. Ben and Anika spend all of their free time together these days. This is much to Ben's liking.
"Why are you worried?" Ben looks over at her, concern apparent on her face.
"You don't look or act like you've been sleeping much at all lately," Anika says, "I don't want you to get sick."
Ben sighs, "Don't worry about me. It's probably just a phase."
"But-"
"Anika, really, I'm okay," he reassures her. "Thank you for caring, though, I appreciate that."
"Okay..." She lets it go. "You know I'm here for you, no matter what, right?"
He's itching to be honest with her about what's been going through his mind lately regarding all the dreams, but he still has the same fear that he felt with Caster. If he talks about it, that means he has to face it. And he's not sure he's ready to do that yet.
"Yeah, I know. Thank you," he offers her a small smile. He feels drowsy now, sitting in the sun beside her. It's warmer than usual today, and the heat is like a blanket that is draping over him. He yawns.
