Light Up the Dark

A Visitor

Red. Everything was red. She could smell burning flesh, and she had the faint sense that her body was moving. Someone shouted that they had a medevac. That was a good thing, but she couldn't remember why. She heard desperate screaming. Dark power surged through her veins, making her feel godlike. She felt resistance with each electric whooshing sound, like she was hitting something, but she didn't know what the sound was. More screaming. Then a voice, soft at first, then louder. The red turned into a blue shade that intensified by the second, and her vision started to focus.

"Rey, you gotta stop," the familiar voice spoke to her. She squinted her eyes against the bright light, trying to see his face. She couldn't move.

"You know you don't want to kill anyone, or you would have been more accurate with your saber," the voice continued.

Rey blinked, her mind working hard to place this strange man.

"You have to resist the pull to the Dark side."

Her eyes finally adjusted, and she gasped.

It was Luke Skywalker, all shiny and blue, his ghost looming in front of her. Rey dropped her saber and fell to her knees, her memory coming back to her in a tidal wave of pain.

"Master Luke," Rey was crying now. "What have I done?"

Luke sighed. "You did some damage, that's for sure. But no one is dead. Even Poe. You tried to slice his head clean off."

Rey sobbed, staring at the ground. "What about..."

"Why don't you go back and see," Luke encouraged. Rey shook her head.

"I can't. I just attacked my own people! I'm too dangerous."

Luke took a step forward and knelt down in front of Rey. His face was wrinkled with time and stress, but his eyes were still warm and comforting.

"Rey, none of them have injuries that can't heal in a few days." Luke smiled softly, watching Rey's face go from misery to relief.

"There are still others that need you."

Rey choked on a sob. "But they're going to die. If I give in to the Dark side right now, I won't have to feel this pain. I'll be free."

Luke shook his head. "It's your choice, Rey, but even in the dark, you will still remember your mistakes."

Rey wiped her eyes and looked at Luke. Luke smiled again.

"Trust the Force, Rey," Luke urged. "Don't give in to a false promise of peace."

Rey nodded and stood up, feeling shame in a way she'd never felt before. She was so afraid and wanted to run away from it all.

"I don't know if I can go on without them, if I can go on without..." she trailed off. She couldn't say Kylo's name. It would make it real.

"You have to trust the Force," Luke repeated. He was fading away. "Go to them. And remember, no one is ever really gone."

Regret hit her in the stomach like a rock. She wanted to apologize to her old master.

"Master Luke, I..."

He held up a fading hand. "I know, Rey." He nodded his head, knowing what she was about to say.

Rey took a deep breath. She heard Luke speaking as the rest of him faded away, taking the radiant blue light with him.

"The Force will be with you, always."