Glimpses of the Future

Shena Tokala offered some of her fanfiction for me to post! She did an amazing job, and I really enjoyed it.

Glimpses of the Future

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood alongside his Master in a dark passage that was filled with thick swaths of shadow; through it was not so inky that he couldn’t see his surroundings.

They were on Ilum; the planet which, for thousands of years, was where young Jedi went to build their first lightsaber. Excitement filled him at the thought, thrumming through him like bolts of electricity, as if he himself had become a lightsaber blade. He couldn't quite believe that he was here; it felt like a dream.

'This is it! I'm taking the next step in becoming a Jedi.' He glanced at his Master and, through the gloom, he could see a somber, almost painful, gleam in his Master's ice-blue eyes.

'Xanatos,' Obi-Wan thought grimly, remembering Qui-Gon's earlier apprentice who had left the Order and aligned himself with the dark side of the Force.

'He must be remembering him.' To keep thoughts of Xanatos from filling him, he took in the walls around him. They were covered in deeply colorful paintings of the past, of Jedi. He spotted images of the two Old Sith Wars and The New Sith Wars; there were some even as far back as The Great Hyperspace War. It was the whole of their history on the walls around him; a long, detailed tapestry, unfolding along as it went and leading up to him now, at this very moment, going to build his first lightsaber.

Up ahead, he glimpsed a gaping opening that led deeper into the catacombs of the cave. Obi-Wan again glanced up at his Master, wondering what would happen next, and as he did, he heard a voice; high-pitched and chilling, striking him in the spine like a lightsaber jab through the back.

“Go back. Here is what you fear.” He shivered, curling his suddenly sweating hands into fists at his sides. Fear. He knew he would see visions while inside the cave; images brought by the Force to tempt, trick, and even scare him. He would be shown his greatest fears and maybe even things to come. They reached the opening and, when Obi-Wan felt his Master's large hand settle on his shoulder, he came to a stop, his nerves prickling.

“You must continue on alone, Obi-Wan. I cannot go any further.” Obi-Wan nodded and took a step towards the yawning opening. Suddenly, a man appeared before him. Obi-Wan stopped, body rigid, his gaze staring up into the hot, sparking eyes of the towering being before him.

'He's a Jedi,' Obi-Wan realized, taking in the brown cloak that hung limply from the man's shoulders. “The Jedi Path is hard and full of denial. It's full of sacrifice and discipline. Why follow that path when you could enjoy life, do what you liked, get married, have a family. Why would any fool choose the life of the Jedi?” The man leaned down into Obi-Wan's face and whispered.

“Can you do it, child? Do you have what it takes?”

'Yes, I can. I've come too far now; I almost didn't become a Jedi and I won't let that happen again.' “Yes,” he said

“I can.” He strode quickly passed the man and into the gateway to the inner caves.

The cold prickled his skin, his boots clicking ominously off the stone underneath him, as he walked; muscles tight, senses stretched out, waiting to catch even the smallest of movement. He didn't want to be surprised; especially not down here where the total darkness reminded him how entirely alone he was.

“I will kill your spirit.” Obi-Wan froze, his muscles going taut and his body breaking into a sweat. He turned his head ever so slightly and he saw it- a monster. It stared at him with hideous, acid eyes, it's inflamed, crimson skin bloody with splotches of black. It smiled at him; an evil, terrifying smile that proved that it was the one who had spoken a moment ago.

“What do you want?” Obi-Wan whispered, his words a line of iciness spreading between the two of them. The monster approached him, a cowl shimmering around its face, his smile stretching into a horrifying sneer. Obi-Wan could feel his legs shaking, threatening to give way beneath him as the monster leered above him, so tall...so very tall.

Obi-Wan glared into its eyes, fists tight as his sides. Suddenly, he felt something rough and calloused slide down the side of his face. A hand.

“Poor, poor boy,” the monster hissed, the hand on his face pinching into his skin, a vice trying to push him down inside himself.

“Come to the dark.” The darkness around him deepened, crowding around him and stabbing down into his lungs, suffocating him. Obi-Wan shook his head, nausea rising up in his throat; heat and iciness fighting for dominance on his crawling skin. He grabbed onto the arm of the monster and howled, jerking free. He took off at a run, heaving, shaking, and fighting back tears. He came to a stop and doubled over, arms gripping his stomach, face pinched, lips pressed tight to hold back the screams buzzing in his chest.

"Obi-Wan..." he looked up through bleary eyes and saw a figure leaning against the wall of the cavern, long black hair springing around dark wild eyes.

"Why hello, Obi-Wan." A wicked smile spread across his face, his already wild eyes lighting up with a livid madness.

"Qui-Gon doesn't want you, Obi-Wan. You're just a go between; something to satisfy him until someone better comes along. You're nothing." Pain erupted inside Obi-Wan's chest. 'No...no. You're just a vision, you're not real!'Xanatos stepped out of the shadows and leers forward.

"He wants me back, Obi-Wan. If he had the choice he'd take me back without a second thought." Obi-Wan shakes his head vehemently.

"No, Xanatos. Qui-Gon doesn't want you anymore. You are nothing to him now." Xanatos' face twisted into rage-full sneer.

"I'm not nothing. I'm only just the beginning." Then the man starts to laugh, a raucous sound, ripping through the air. Xanatos locked eyes with Obi-Wan and disappeared into the ground.

"Its only starting, Obi-Wan. Its only just beginning." A smoky mist began to roll in; thick, smoggy and all encompassing.

"Xanatos?" Obi-Wan whispered into the mist as it curls around him, like a huge serpent ready to squeeze him to death. A sound clattered through the air, sounding like footsteps.

“Who's there?” Obi-Wan whispered into the mist as it curled around him, like a huge serpent ready to squeeze him to death.

A cowled figure appeared out of the gloom, steadily coming towards him like a phantom in a nightmare.

“Who-who are you?” Obi-Wan asked, his voice cracking.

The figure didn't answer at first, just kept coming at it's hauntingly slow pace. It stopped two feet from him and spoke.

“I'm in your future. I'm the source of all your pain.” Obi-Wan's face twisted in confusion.

“What?”

“I will tear you down. I will cut open your chest and slice you up until you can no longer bear it.” The hidden face leaned forward, so close that the edges of the cowl brushed Obi-Wan's cheeks.

“I will crush you.” His heart stopped, fear choking him. What that supposed to mean? Was something going to happen? Then a child's scream tore through the air, striking him right in the center of his chest.

“Who was that?” he demanded, his voice cracking again as panic set in. 'Someones in danger!'

The hooded man just laughed, grabbing the front of Obi-Wan's tunic and flinging him down the passage. Obi-Wan used the Force to cushion his fall, sending him rolling across the uneven ground.

He pushed himself to his feet, the raspy dry laugh of the cruel man echoing in his ears. He heard the scream again; high-pitched and terrified. 'I must find this person. They're in danger.' He started off at a run, his skin throbbing with pain from where he'd landed. His feet scuffed across the floor as he stumbled through the passages, searching with his feelings. Then he saw light- the crystal cave. He sprinted up to it, almost falling through the opening.

All around him were crystals glowing contentedly in such hues as blue, green, purple and even yellow. From somewhere, he could hear the sound of weeping. He looked around, hand on the hilt he'd built before coming to Ilum. No one was in the room besides him. 'Close your eyes. Meditate. Then the visions will show you your crystal. And will show you what you seek.' Lowering himself to the ground, Obi-Wan took the hilt off his belt and held it in his palms, the metal cool against his skin. 'I'll find you.' He thought as the whimpering grew softer. He shut his eyes.

“Obi-Wan.” He stood at the sound of the voice. The cave seemed larger; the edges almost transparent like it was not really there. The crying stared up again, so soft it could be just his imagination. He looked to the side and saw a small form crumpled on the ground. Something suddenly hit him in the stomach and he felt tears beginning to clot his eyes. He stumbled over to the form and bent down. It was a boy, perhaps eight or nine, with sandy hair and a thin frame. Obi-Wan slipped his arms under the little boy, lifting him into his lap. The boy's head flopped towards him, the eyes open to slits, the bleary irises staring at him with a deadness that chilled him.

“Do you-do you hate me?” Obi-Wan shook his head, confusion and for some reason, a strange grief, surging through him.

“No. Why would I hate you? I have no reason to.” The boy nodded, tucking his face against Obi-Wan's chest.

“Good. I don't want you to hate me, Obi-Wan.” The boy seemed to see something behind Obi-Wan and his lids flashed open, blue eyes wide. His loose and floppy body suddenly tightened in Obi-Wan's arms.

“HELP! NO!” The boy began to scream, grabbing onto Obi-Wan's arms, hands tight with desperation and panic.

“HELP! SAVE ME!” Obi-Wan looked behind him but saw nothing.

“From what? What is it?” Obi-Wan inquired gently.

“HIM! The man in the mask. He wants me! He wants to kill me, Obi-Wan! Help! Please. I don't want him to destroy me! Save me!” The boy's arms were squeezing around Obi-Wan's chest, taking the breath right out of him. Then the boy looked up at Obi-Wan, tears running over his young face.

“He wants me to become him. But I don't want to, Obi-Wan. I don't want to.”

“Its okay, I'll take care of you.” The boy tightened again, his body jerking so hard Obi-Wan had to grab onto him to keep him from bashing into the crystals that lined the walls. The boy screamed, hands grappling and grabbing onto Obi-Wan's robe with a death grip, the tight fingers shaking so badly that Obi-Wan thought the boy would die from fright. Then he heard something; a terrifying sound like a rough inhale followed by a sighing exhale. He lifted his face to the sight of a menacing figure standing over him and the boy; a monster with a horrible mask that seemed to leech the light from the crystals themselves.

“Give me the boy, Obi-Wan. Now.” the voice was deep and cruel. The boy screamed even louder, the thin body pressing into Obi-Wan so roughly it hurt. Obi-Wan pulled the boy's hands from his tunic and stood, gently pushing the boy behind him. Without thinking he lifted the hilt of the unfinished lightsaber and pressed the ignition button. A blade of azure flamed to life before him, lighting up the gloom like a beam of the light side.

“You shouldn't have come back, old man. Now I'll have to kill you.” Obi-Wan's head jerked in negation, confused slightly by being called an old man. He cast a quick at his hands clenching the hilt of his weapon. They were still the same- soft, young and smooth.

“You will not harm the boy. I won't allow it,” he hissed, sliding his feet into their proper placement, holding the lightsaber out before him, ready to block encase the the masked phantom decided to strike.

“You ruin your life and all those around you, Obi-Wan. And I will kill you for it.” A red beam of light abruptly flared to light and came crashing down towards his head. Obi-Wan parried the blow, the strength of his opponent's swing shuddering through his arms.

“Save, me Obi-Wan. Save me from me.” Obi-Wan lifted his eyes, glaring into the hollow

eye-goggles in the mask.

“You won't harm the boy. I won't let you.” The monster growled.

“Always so righteous, always so honorable. You make me sick.” The blade of flame slashed at him and Obi-Wan parried again, the Force burning brightly in his chest. His blade sang as it flashed before him, a perfect pure beam of blue, the smell of ozone creating a shield around him and the child huddled against the back of his legs. He closed his eyes and the Force spoke to him. 'You have what it takes young one. Save the boy and save yourself. He is only a vision.' Obi-Wan's eyes flashed open; feeling so calm and clear-headed he couldn't believe it. He lifted his blade, swinging it high, the blade crashing into the hilt of his opponent, the blood-red blade flickering out. With a swirling arc, he drove the blade home through the monster. It looked up at him, the eyes goggles burning into him as the mask cracked apart and the figure vanished in a flash of darkness.

Obi-Wan stared in silence at the blade in his hands, watching as it pulsated. Taking a deep breath he turned to the boy behind him. But it wasn't the same boy, or at least, it was an older version of the boy. His hair was shorter and darker, his apparel tighter fitting and black. He looked about Obi-Wan's age and his head was bowed in sorrow. The boy lifted his face to him, his blue eyes so filled with grief they appeared torn. The boy's lips trembled and Obi-Wan saw tears sliding down his face.

“I'm so sorry, Obi-Wan.” The boy stood, his height several inches above Obi-Wan's. His face crumpled and he dissolved into tears, falling forward into Obi-Wan, shaking and sobbing as if his heart was breaking.

“I'm so sorry. I'm so ashamed.” His arms were tight against Obi-Wan's back and he felt tears prickle his own eyes as something extremely painful filled his heart. 'What is this? Who is this boy? Its like we're connected somehow.' Then the boy pulled back, hands around Obi-Wan's lower arms, and stared at him with haunted eyes. The smallest of smiles appeared on his face; almost like an echo from somewhere. Then the boy faded away into the shadows but Obi-Wan could still feel the ghostly imprint of the boy's hands on his arms; as if he hadn't really left him standing alone in the cavern.

Confusion filled him and for a moment he felt lost as if he'd took a wrong turn in a maze. What had happened? What did it all mean?

'I'll have to speak with my Master about it.'

He stood, slipping the new lightsaber onto his belt; the weight of it a lot heavier then it had been before. And as he left, he felt something warm stir against him, as if he'd walked through a desert breeze.

Shena's Bio
 
I am a huge geeky tomboy who loves many fandoms, the main ones being Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, The Avengers, Once Upon A Time, Percy Jackson, Avatar, Doctor Who, North and South, Studio Ghibli films, and Chaos Walking; I love anything Science Fiction/Fantasy related, however. I am an aspiring actor(film, t.v., theater), writer, filmmaker/director, singer, and black belt in Taekwondo as well as other martial arts. I hope to one day star in and direct amazing films, television shows, and Broadway plays and write many books to be enjoyed by all. I am currently working on my science fiction series which I hope to publish very soon. I also enjoy reading, singing, watching movies/t.v shows/plays, playing piano and clarinet, learning new things, and listening to music. If you want to learn more about me, feel free to read my blog, Pens, Thespians, and Words :) - http://writing-reading-acting.blogspot.com/