The World between Worlds

Chapter 4- the World Between Worlds

Rey stood on the cliff edge as she once had training with a length of wood similar to her old staff, pushing her skills, leaping higher, moving faster yet within herself. She was calm, her breath steady, her heart a constant beat in her chest. Anger, aggression, fear; these emotions were of the darkside easier and quicker; she must continue to resist them. She understood now this was a constant battle, not a one-time moment of indecision. Rey was passive, letting herself go in the Force; it was a river, and she was merely its instrument. She paused, placing the length of wood behind her before removing her new lightsaber from her belt, igniting it and gazing into its golden beam. Rey spun the saber in her hand. Her lightsaber was an extension of her arm, of her will. Within Rey, the Force flowed.

Rey closed her eyes and reached out with her feelings, attempting to enter that trance-like state where she could hear Ben without being asleep. The more she tried, the more frustrated she felt; stop trying, feel. Rey opened her eyes and ran down the steps of Ahch-To and ran along the beach. The sound of the sea crashing against the rocks spurred her onward; she ran, dodging rocks and pools of water, breathing in the fresh sea air. Rey somersaulted over a low-lying mass of cliff, pushing her body further faster and faster she ran. She vaulted up back onto the cliff as the tide came in, threatening to splash her feet. She landed easily on the coarse grass and continued running uphill until she was running along a thin rocky ledge. Instinct, the Force guided her every move. It flowed through her. Up here, like this, she felt free. She stopped at the top of Ahch-To not because she was out of breath but to enjoy this moment: the sea, the sounds of the Porgs, the salt-sprayed wind that blew against her body, the endless grey sky. At one with the Force, not trying to bend it to her will. I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"Rey."

There it was, the connection she'd been seeking. Instead of rushing towards it with her mind and body, Rey tried to stay in the moment, but just being aware that it had happened caused her to fall from that heightened state and as fleeting as it had come to her, it disappeared once more. She opened her eyes and growled to herself. Something to her right caught her attention, and turning, she saw a ghostly blue apparition. Not Luke, not Leia and not Anakin. This apparition was a humanoid alien, a Togruta. Rey had never met one before, but she'd heard stories. The vision before her was a female Togruta, her presence strong and beautiful. Her eyes, even in her spectral form, shone a vibrant blue. Her skin was dark, and on her face were lighter intricate markings following the lines of her eyes and cheekbones. What Rey could see of her Lekku was white with darker markings. Her montrals were hidden beneath the hood of her robes but caused two peaks beneath the surface like a regal crown. She was short and slender, but her long robes shrouded most of her tiny frame.

"I am Ahsoka Tano. I believe I have the answers you seek regarding Ben Solo."

Rey surveyed the female alien with interest.

"Are you one of the ancient Jedi who came to me on Exogol?"

The Togruta smiled, "Yes and no. I came to you on Exogol, but in life, I left the Jedi order, and though the Jedi council said I was a powerful Jedi, I never became a full Jedi Knight."

"Then how can you help me?"

The ghostly form of the female Jedi stepped towards her.
"One does not need to be a Jedi Knight to know the ways of the Force; your former master wasn't one, and look at the fine job she did training you."

"Leia."

Ahsoka nodded, "Strong in Force was she, as was her family."

The mention of Leia's family brought Rey's pressing question to the forefront of her mind, "Where's Ben?"