The White Mirage {Branching Out - Book II}

Anakin closed his eyes, letting his breathing slow, feeling the Force hum around him like a gentle current. He felt Vokara Che's presence reach out, not invasive, but gentle, like a hand brushing through water, asking permission. He opened himself to the connection, allowing her to slip into his mind.

The world around him shifted as her presence moved deeper, sinking into the core of who he was.

Inside, Anakin's mind was a storm. Bright like a supernova, wild like a maelstrom. Vokara Che navigated the chaos with care, her presence steady as she moved through the flashes of memories, emotions, and thoughts that made up Anakin Skywalker.

She saw flashes of his past-a child on Tatooine, the heat of the twin suns beating down on him as he worked on machines with grim determination, the pain of slavery. There was fear there, the constant, gnawing fear of a life not his own, a life controlled by others.

The memories shifted. The pain of losing his mother hit like a tidal wave-grief so deep it could've swallowed him whole. The rage that followed, violent and uncontrollable, as he struck down the Tuskens, his vision red, his heart pounding with fury and hate.