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Chapter Text

The darkness is generous, patient and always victorious - but at the heart of its strength lies its weakness: it only takes one lonely candle to stop it.

Love is something more than a candle.

Love can set the stars on fire

Love can set a tree on fire.

                                   ............................................................................................

There was a deafening silence in the Lands Between.

The silence that comes only in the terrifying moments when people's eyes have seen lightning and wait with nervous, exhausting anticipation for the reverberating boom of heavenly thunder to announce the impact and destruction.

This thunder was devastating.

Like most existing events, it is difficult to understand their origins, it is in vain to look for explanations why it happened this way and not otherwise. Most people don't care about this. However, we all feel only the painful effects of the newly established order.

The exact same thing happened in the Lands Between when Marika destroyed the Ring of Elden, creating a sense of an approaching end to a chapter of splendor in the land's history, to be replaced by an inevitable storm of death and rivers of blood.

Caelid, Liurnia, Hailigtree, Leyndell. Everyone felt this call together. Summoned to war by the command of the Great Rune, all demigods could not resist this tempting call, filled with a devastating poison that soon corrupted their souls and bodies.

Radahn, Malenia, Morgott. Just as every war has its heroes, the war in the Lands Between had its main actors in the deadly spectacle. Each of them has a different ambition, motive and goal. However, ultimately each of them was uniformly united in their own perdition and suffering.

As the conflict dragged on, the sense of time passing disappeared. Majestic examples of architecture were left only in scattered rubble, great proud armies full of knights were decimated, and the surrounding earth and stones around it became dark with blood.

Villages and all agriculture were destroyed. Immediately after the fighting, hunger took the greatest toll of death.

The once majestic Lands Between have become a barren land and an empty memory, desperately in need of repair and cleansing. The purification that was yet to come...

………………………………………………………………..

In the far distance, a single stream of light draws a lonely silhouette staring at the stars. A sigh escapes her lips as she holds out her hands. In the glow of Erdtree, her hands show old burn scars that have long since healed.

Visions distort her surroundings, her left eye throbs painfully.

Flames... Erdtree... The woman, her face... No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see her face... who was she? Mother ? Sister ? Goddess?

A groan snaps her out of it.

Her surroundings return to mounds of rubble and night.

Her fragmented memories had long since become waking nightmares. Her goal long forgotten, the only anchor consistent in each vision was Erdtree.

There must be answers there to be found.

However, the entrance to the Royal Capital has long been sealed. Without many great runes, no one could enter there, not even a demigod, much less a spirit like her.

It was so long ago, how much longer would she have to wait?

Her steed nudged her with its muzzle, concerned.

"Thank you Torrent, I'm... allright, now..." she said quietly, "Let's move on."

Torrent, the ghostly steed, was the only comfort she had. She would have been lost without him, as he did for most of the driving, Melina simply agreed and moved on. The path to her destination was so shrouded in fog that she had no choice but to wander aimlessly through the Lands Between

This is how to be Melina right now: The piercing loneliness and emptiness emitted by the dead sky and the sight of the pale Erdtree fills your dreams with more and more bitterness and fear. Days turn into weeks and existence becomes pointless. The one word you say like a mantra: Tarnished, which temporarily becomes your only solace in your aimless journey becomes a nuisance. You absorb a landscape of destruction and brokenness. Nearly everyone who was called to greatness in Marika's resurrection died, surrendered, or went insane. You are alone like a shipwrecked ship on a rock, surrounded by the dull crash of waves on the shore. However, despite this, you do not admit that the prophecy about the "Chosen One" is a mere mockery, because it would mean the end of your already damaged consciousness. With the tenacity of a sleepwalker, you repeat your search countless times, and again the result is only growing bitterness.

Limgrave

This appeared in the fair-haired girl's last dreams.

Echoes of lost words penetrate it. Queen Marika's words. Sometimes, when she was bored with her journey, she recalled Queen Marika's speeches to calm her mind. Being in one of the churches, however dilapidated, was always calming.

She took a deep breath, then patted Torrent, signaling him to move on.

While passing the ruined Citadel where Godrick was in charge, Melina felt a surge of warmth deep in her heart. She sensed a single whisper of hope. Lower. Lower than you can go looking for Smithing stones.

It was dark inside the cave, but in the dim light you could see inside. It looked like a cemetery, with coffins and corpses lying on the walls, stacked here and there haphazardly. It was poorly maintained and incredibly damp. More like a garbage dump than a real burial place. It was a very depressed place.

Heat struck Melina's heart again. For the second time in one day, a never-before-seen phenomenon. Under Torrent's hooves lay a man wearing a strange tunic. face down. The only thing Melina knew for sure was that it was definitely Tarnished

The young man seemed to be in quite a battered condition, it was a miracle that he was still breathing. Even if shallow.

Torrent sniffed his black-gloved hand and scratched the ground anxiously. It seems like he didn't expect to be in one like this.

Melina stroked Torrent's neck soothingly, "Don't worry Torrent, fortune is on his side... We finally found him here."

…………………………………………..

A little earlier,

in a galaxy far, far away

The Death Star rocked for the first time in its lifetime. Collision with

the wrecked Destroyer was only the beginning. Numerous systems were blocked,

leading to the melting of rods in the reactors, which caused the crew to panic, abandoning

positions, further failures and general chaos.

Smoke rose, thunder roared from all directions, people ran screaming; short circuits,

explosions, depressurization of rooms; interruptions in emergency communications, continuous firing

insurgent cruisers only strengthened the growing ubiquitous hysteria.

The Emperor was dead. The center of evil that held the Empire together was now gone. And the diffuse, directionless dark side led to exactly that.

To confusion.

To desperation

To blind fear,

Amidst the chaos, Luke managed to get to the main landing pad.

He tried to carry his father's heavy body to the Imperial shuttle. Halfway there, he ran out of strength. He fell under the weight.

He got up with an effort. Like an automaton, he picked his father up and staggered towards one of the last remaining ferries.

He stopped again, lowered Vader to the floor, and gathered his strength for the final stage.

The explosions were getting louder and louder. Sparks shot between the pillars; the wall bulged suddenly and cracked, and smoke billowed out through the opening. The floor was shaking.

Vader nodded.

-Luke, help me take off the mask-. The boy shook his head.

-You will die.

"Nothing can stop it," the Dark Lord replied weakly. Surprised inside himself at how much he is at peace with this thought - Let me look at you once. I want to see you with my own eyes-.

Luke was afraid. He was afraid of seeing his father as he really was; a person who could completely surrender to the darkness, the same one who had fathered him and Leia. He was afraid whether he would recognize it

Anakin Skywalker, living in the soul of Darth Vader.

Vader was afraid too. He was afraid to remove the armored mask that had stuck between them for so long;

the black, hard shell that had allowed him to exist for twenty years, was the voice,

breath, sight... his shield against all people. Now he was to take it off, become as if naked, to look at his son before he died.

It was the sad, tired face of a troubled man. Bald, without beard, he had a wide scar from the top of his head to the back of his head, deep-set, cloudy, dark eyes and deathly pale skin that had not seen the sun for twenty years. The man smiled weakly; his eyes shone with tears. For a moment he resembled Obi-wan. Luke would remember that face forever. He saw regret in her. And shame, He saw the memory of better days.

Luke saw sad eyes looking at him. Tears burned the boy's cheeks and fell on his father's lips. And the father smiled as he tasted them. Vader saw that his son was crying, and he knew it was from fear of the face he saw for the first time. He remembered what he used to look like: handsome and noble, with a slightly furrowed forehead, light, thick hair, majestic like ancient statues of heroes. He used to be like that. Other memories came flooding back: friendship and home. Freedom of space. Obi-wan, a friend... and the circumstances in which that friendship died. He didn't know when, but this friendship was infected with some cruel virus. He didn't want to remember it. About molten lava flowing down your back in waves... about piercing darkness.

Vader smiled at his son again and for the first time felt that he loved him. For the first time in many long years, he stopped hating himself. Suddenly he smelled something... he widened his nostrils and inhaled the scent. Wild flowers, yes, for sure. They are blooming. It's probably spring. He heard thunder... he tilted his head and strained his ears. Yes, a spring storm brought spring rain. A drop of rain fell on his lips. He licked it. But it wasn't rain, it tasted salty. It was a tear.

He looked at Luke again. The boy was crying because his father looked so scary... because he was scary. But he wanted to make it clear, wanted to say that he wasn't really that disgusting, not deep down, not entirely. He shook his head with a smile of slight self-contempt.

“We are beings of light, Luke,” he whispered. - Not this primitive matter.

Luke shook his head too. He wanted to explain that everything was fine, that his father had nothing to be ashamed of, that nothing was important now. Or everything. But he couldn't find his voice. Vader spoke again, even weaker, almost inaudibly.

- Go now, son. Leave me alone.” Then Luke regained his speech. - NO. I'll take you with me. I have to save you.

"You already did it, Luke," Vader whispered, his voice laced with regret. Oh how he regretted it. So many years wasted. Memories of love and joy, overshadowed by mistakes and the dark path he had walked for too long. “So much time wasted,” he muttered. "So many wrongs that I can never make right."The former Jedi knight, deep in his soul, wished for the last time that he could turn back time. Repair your damage. He was supposed to be a light of hope guiding humanity, not their executioner

  "I won't leave you," Luke protested. The explosions shook the landing pad. One of the walls collapsed and the ceiling cracked. A blue, gaseous flame gushed from some hole; the floor beneath him was melting. Vader pulled Luke close and whispered into his ear, "You were right... you weren't wrong about me... Tell your sister you were right."

  Darth Vader now Anakin Skywalker - he closed his eyes and died.

The body hung limply on the shoulders of his crying son, and Anakin's soul was reconciled with the Force.

            ……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Grief, anger, sadness, hope. Anakin took all this with him when he left, ready for whatever posthumous sentence awaited him in his mortal life. The Clone Wars, the duel on Mustafar with Obi-wan, the rule of the Empire, it all seemed like a distant dream that passed like a shooting star.

Anakin's spirit has awakened in another world, a shattered chapel, and across from him a door is wide open, inviting a blinding light. The former knight immediately realized that it must have been the afterlife. He was ready to meet his master, all the people he had let down, and ask for forgiveness. Anakin's spirit walked towards the light and the open door.

His eyes met a melancholic sight of a land forgotten, destroyed and abandoned by the grace of time. And from behind the ruined buildings emanated a majestic golden tree, many times larger than the Great Tree from the planet Coruscant.

After a while, he realized how wrong he was.

Chapter Text

Anakin didn't know how long he stood and stared at the landscape he saw when he left the chapel. The landscape looked as he felt. Damaged and lonely. Battle-ravaged, stained by darkness.

He preferred to just stare into the distance rather than wonder why he was standing there. He couldn't understand anything. The sight he was absorbing was completely alien to him. Everything that surrounded him was far from what he had experienced and seen throughout his entire existence. This was not the bustling Coruscant. It was not the majestic naturalism of Naboo. It was not Mustafar, even though suffering and misery poured out of every corner.

  After a moment, like an asteroid crashing into the blue-eyed body, causing a crater, a new message entered Anakin's nervous system. He could breathe on his own. How natural and easy it was. He didn't feel the pain like before every time he tried to take a breath.

Anakin laughed. He started touching all parts of the body with his bare hand. He had hair, his skin was smooth and free of lava burns. He was free from prison, he was free from clothing. But was he free from Vader?

For a moment, the former knight thought it was just a dream, some damned hallucination. however, there was radiating pain coming from his left hand. A remnant of the old duel with Dooku where he lost his hand forever. from then on, there was a prosthetic on his left arm, which Anakin always covered with a thick black leather glove.

A lightsaber hilt hung from his belt. Anakin grabbed it with his bare hand and then immersed himself in the power for the first time in a long time, and a blue light appeared in his eyes. Color like the sky over Naboo, like his Mother's eyes...

A huge wave of suffering washed over the Knight as the moment began to drag on. The sound of blades crossed with Obi-wan on the planet Mustafar, Order 66, Jedi Purge.

Anakin brushed his hair away from his sweaty forehead and deactivated his blade, trying to block out all memories and calm down all his fears for the moment. At least for a moment, until he finds out about his location and the situation.

The knight walked up the stairs and crossed a wooden suspension bridge that had already experienced a lot. He seemed to be in a large square. In front of him was a huge dowry depicting a majestic woman with a braided braid, dressed in a simple dress. Anakin had seen many cultures in the galaxy, but he had never encountered such art. He sensed great tragedy in the sculpture depicting the scene

When he wanted to get closer to take a better look at the dowry, he sensed an approaching danger in the Force. He reflexively pirouetted backwards. However, the time spent in the costume and walking with heavy prosthetic limbs had temporarily left Anakin's agility and he landed with difficulty.

To the knight's surprise, the threat jumped out from behind the majestic monument. The opponent was huge, at least twice Anakin's size. However, whether as a jedi or as Vader, he had faced opponents many times bigger than him, and had emerged victorious, so it didn't worry him. he was more concerned about the appearance of this… thing.

The creature, if you could call it that, had at least three pairs of long, slender legs, with arms growing out of them. It didn't look natural, as if it had been clumsily sewn together with thick threads. The torso was covered with a black cloak, only the head was visible. The head of a young man.

This absurd sight made Anakin vomit. This creature looked like a symbiosis of human naked corpses that had been brought together by something and brought to life.

However, the young man did not have time to further reflect on the anatomy of this creature, because the opponent armed with a long golden sword moved towards the shocked knight.

The creature fought erratically, but very similarly to General Grievous. It rained slashes and thrusts at Anakin, who skillfully avoided the sword blows most of the time. However, having its own limbs was an unusual feeling both for this creature and for Anakin, so during the next dodge, when the knight was counting on a free jump to the left, he completely lost his balance and fell to the ground with all his weight. he would probably have been pierced through by one of the stitched opponent's blades if not for Anakin's Force Push. The creature was thrown against a nearby wall, which stunned it for a moment. At this time, the knight grabbed the hilt of the lightsaber and immediately jumped towards the opponent to pierce him with the blade of blue light.

The "torso" of the stitched creature was covered with sparks, and a stream of blue light, hot as lava, pierced the monster through and through. To Anakin's surprise, the creature felt no pain as the next moment he had to dodge the deadly dance of golden blades again.

  This time, Anakin intended to deflect the blows with his blade, when the Stitched Creature's oversized sword came into contact with the blue blade of the Jedi's weapon, the metal instantly melting like snow in the desert. After a while, the second and third weapons were completely melted, leaving the creature defenseless.

Anakin wasted no time and quickly jumped towards the creature, cutting off its functioning head and the rest of the stitched bodies, killing the creature on the spot.

"what primitive technology" Anakin thought to himself. “to engage in hand-to-hand combat with an ordinary piece of metal. Unheard of even on Tatooine.” After a while, he looked again at his dead opponent. He just shook his hair and cursed in his soul once again. "Where am I ? "It all looks like pictures from the Imperial archives of very distant times."

In the distance he saw the Citadel. It exuded lost majesty, history and a tragic end. It was colossal. "On the other hand, would primitive civilizations be able to construct such huge objects? it reminds me a lot of the inquisitors' strongholds. The Force is calling me in this direction, I wonder how….” Anakin didn't finish his thought because the ground beneath his feet crumbled. In the past, the knight would probably have jumped back twice, but since the feeling in his legs was still foreign to him, the only thing left for the young Skywalker to do was fall down, screaming in hysteria until his voice was silenced with a bang.

……………………………………………………………………..

When Skywalker woke up, he was soaking wet. He landed in a puddle. It was transparent. The cave was dark and heavy, but a single gold-plated stalk protruded from the ground as if it were a lantern.

As Anakin began to rise, he saw his reflection on the surface of this spring. After the entire ghastly night, blue marks, furrows and other signs of terrible fatigue appeared under the swordsman's blue eyes, and blood was forming on his dry lips again. His eyes were beautiful but empty. When you look in the mirror and see only the empty reflection of a blurred face, it means that you are dying from a disease called loneliness... Slowly, slowly, until the reflection disappears completely. The blue-eyed man stared into the abyss, reflecting his soul in the water. The longer he stared into this consuming darkness, the more darkness enveloped his soul.

Skywalker recognized his face as he looked like this during the Clone Wars, when darkness began to overtake his soul.

In the distance he noticed the missing item from his wardrobe, the hilt of his lightsaber. When he wrapped his glove around him, the worst news came to him. The sword is broken. No matter how much Skywalker tried, the blue stream of light did not appear, only sparks appeared, as if individual fireflies were to flow from the volcano instead of flames.

This weapon is your life

It rang in Anakin's soul, the old warning of his old master. Time passes and people do not correct their behavior. The young man cursed inwardly again.

"Obiwan would kill me," he couldn't help but make a cynical comment and then laughed to himself.

After a while, he noticed two gold-plated bottles. One filled with red liquid, the other with blue. Such elegant and unorthodox elements did not fit the omnipresent stagnation of the cave surroundings. As if someone lost them or left them on purpose. He left them because he knew they would be useful to someone.

Skywalker dipped into the Force to spot any potential danger, but he sensed nothing sinister in the bottles. If the Force had not abandoned him and had previously signaled him about the approaching threat, why would it be deaf now?

Anakin dipped his dry mouth into the red liquid. Cherry. Skywalker noticed. What a beautiful feeling it is to be able to taste it. How much he longed to be able to moisturize his lips when, cut off from all his senses in a black suit, he took all the fluids from the tube without any smell or taste.

Immediately, all the sore spots caused by the fall were soothed and the pain was eliminated.

“Intriguing. Almost like anesthesia, Skywalker thought. Placing both bottles on his belt, Anakin moved forward. He entered the platform that served as an elevator and found himself outside the entrance to the cave, which rather served as a tomb.

                     LIMGRAVE

The first thing young Skywalker noticed was the huge golden tree that had been visible even earlier. The landscape was full of life. Tall green trees soared upwards, towards the sky, towards the clouds. He sensed many living creatures around, eagles, goats, squirrels. However, there was something… intangible about it all. As if this land had been cursed a long time ago, and every living creature turned its prayers upwards for mercy.

Anakin saw a single golden beam of light rise above him, directing him towards the citadel he had previously seen. A huge castle. “The Force drives me there. But why? This place is not known to me"

Skywalker was woken from his reflection by the sound of shoes breaking through the grass. Anakin jumped to his feet and grabbed the sword from under his belt, only to realize after a moment that it was broken. The newcomer stood calmly a few meters away, with his arms folded. At first glance, the knight thought he looked like a monk or a missionary. But his white tabard and hood were speckled with blood. Skywalker saw pieces of thick leather armor beneath the fabric, and the distinctive shapes of knives were outlined in the folds. He wore a white mask molded to look like a human face. Pale eyes were visible through empty sockets.

-Tarnished, right? said the stranger, by way of introduction.

-Hmm, what?

—You came to the Lands Between for the Elden Ring? He continued talking.

Anakin relaxed slightly, feeling more confused than threatened. "...Elden Ring? The Lands Between?" was all Anakin could afford

There was a mischievous glint in the masked man's eyes. "Of course. There's nothing shameful about it.

Unfortunately for you, you're a Maidenless.

Without guidance, without the power of the runes, and without an invitation to the Round Table Fortress...

It seems that you are destined to die in oblivion..." The masked man spread his arms wide. - Luckily for you, there is one shining ray of hope even for a Maidenless. I. Varre. Listen -. Varré spoke with an articulation that was belied by the rough but nasal tone of his voice.

Unfortunately for him, his speech was brutally interrupted by the contact of his face with Anakin's metal prosthetic hand.

The hooded man had been knocked out and an irritated Skywalker was coming down the hill.

"They insulted and cursed me all my life. But no one will call me a virgin.” Skywalker was very surprised at this thought. It seems that outside his body, his explosiveness from his youth has also returned.

The huge rider, armored from head to toe, was three times Anakin's size. It radiated power from him, and due to the lack of equipment, Anakin preferred to avoid confrontation, feeling the pull of the Force about a potential threat.

The young man saw the ruins of a church from which smoke and the smell of food were coming out. This velvety note was accompanied by a slender melody sung by a low male voice.

“a sentient creature nearby. Maybe I can have a more constructive conversation here.” He approached the source of the voice. He saw a small man with gray hair wearing a hat and fur. He was embarrassed and confused by the sudden confrontation.

- I see you're not here to slit my throat. My name is Kale. And you are Tarnished, let me guess? Am I right? – asked the stranger. Anakin just furrowed his brow and then sighed with pride

- I am Anakin Skywalker - The knight did not know what he was hoping for by revealing his identity. Rather, what he could expect from an average inhabitant of the empire. Fear, shock, anxiety, maybe admiration. Seeing, however, no reaction except the gray-haired man's growing surprise, the young man added immediately - Jedi Knight, I fought in the Clone Wars, you must have heard about me - he added hopefully, but Kale remained indifferent. After a moment he shook his head and laughed

- I don't know who you were in your old life, you could have even been the king of the whole world. Now you are only Tarnished, and that is all that matters in the end - fear and panic began to grow in the young knight's heart.

- what planet are we on? what system? – the knight asked, his voice breaking, as if the remnants of his fading hope had just been sealed

- I don't know if there is any life outside our land, at least I haven't heard about it. But welcome to the Lands Between. I see that you are new here, dressed in ordinary clothes and without weapons. I offer you help as a merchant. Reasonable prices and good quality goods. Maybe you'll stay a day longer in this harsh, unforgiving land, young man," Kale laughed.

Anakin's spirit seemed to be completely dead. Skywalker took a handful of gold-plated coins from his pouch. These were Credits, the currency used by all inhabitants of the galaxy in the times before the Empire - I only have 2,000 credits. What can you offer me in return? - Kale just chuckled under his breath and shook his hair.

- I have never met someone so unaware. Forgive me if I offended you. Keep your Credits even though you'll probably never use them again. – then he pulled out a light two-handed sword from his bag. He was very ordinary in appearance. – Let's make an agreement that when I am in need, I will turn to you and you will help me. – he handed Skywalker a melee weapon with a scabbard.

Anakin was surprised by the merchant's altruism, after a short inspection of the sword and sheathing it, he only shook his fair hair.

- You have my word - Kale smiled under the scarf

- Well then. Good luck… Anakin Skywalker”

            ……………………………………………………………..

Anakin fell asleep amid a field of dying flowers, the sky above a tapestry of twilight colors. His body was different, stronger, but burdened with the echoes of his previous life. In his hand he held his lightsaber, now broken, a symbol of his fallen legacy. The air was thick with foreboding, but above him the subtle hum of the Force was unmistakable.

He had a fever. The events on the Death Star, the resurrection, and the realization of being lost on another alien world are too great a cost to pay, even for the young Skywalker they called "The Hero Without Fear."

Some distance from the young man was another person whom Anakin became acquainted with. It was old man Yura, hunter of the Bloody Fingers. This Enigmatic loner was impressed by Skywalker's strength and skill. Their paths crossed during a duel with Nerijus, whom Yura had been chasing for a long time. As compensation for his help in the difficult duel, Yura offered Skywalker a place to stay in a safe area. Limgrave at night is insanely dangerous for a species like Anakin. The garrison of Godrick's troops were searching for Tarnished, as were the Night Cavalry, known for their brutality and strength.

That night Anakin's dreams were restless, filled with echoes of his past and visions of a future yet to unfold. Pink-haired Woman with one golden eye, Tree, flames, Ice, Metropolis with a dead dragon inside. The visions appeared as quickly as they disappeared. Everything seemed elusive. Suddenly, a familiar presence appeared in his dream, one he hadn't felt since he was on the Death Star several years ago.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin gasped as the figure of his former master materialized before him, more spiritual than corporeal. It was as he had last seen it with his own eyes, on a certain cursed planet. A man of wrinkles, serious with long brown hair slicked back that turned gray over time.

"My old friend," Obi-Wan's voice was gentle but tinged with sadness. - The Force has given you a second chance, a path to redemption that few can afford - . Anakin seemed to be deaf to this and just looked pained

- Forgive me, Obiwan, although I do not know if I am worthy of asking for it -

-Anakin…-

- I have failed you, my old master. My own choices led me to this. I lost myself, what redemption are you talking about here? – whatever joy Obiwan still held within him left him instantly. He was aging before Skywalker's eyes. He looked more like an old, tired man than a dignified knight.

-Oh, Anakin... - his former mentor sighed sadly - Until your sacrifice on the Death Star, I didn't believe Luke that there was hope for you, that there was good in you. It wasn't the first time I was wrong about you, Anakin. So I should ask you for forgiveness too. -

There was a deafening silence between them. Obiwan frowned and continued.

- I had a lot of time in the afterlife. For meditation, reflection and conversations with other spirits. I talked to my old mentor, Qui Gon. We misread this prophecy about the Chosen One. The prophecy wrote that the Chosen One would be born and bring order to power, balance, but not necessarily as a Jedi. Wherever light shines, darkness must arise in response, otherwise everything would wither. –

- what are you getting at, Obi-wan? do you want to justify me? –

- I want to give you a different perspective. Often a certain thing actually seems true when we look at it from a different point of view. Anakin shook his hair

- so what should I do here, where am I anyway? "I don't know where to start," Skywalker spread his hands helplessly

- Put yourself at the mercy of the Force. I don't know much about this world yet. I've been in it as long as you. But I know from what I have noticed that you already have one soul that is kind to you. You will meet her soon, and agree to help yourself, no matter how absurd it all sounds.

- Who is she ? Anakin frowned

- You'll see soon - Kenobi smiled - my time is running out. Bring balance to this world as you should do to ours. The Lands Between are plagued by curses, destruction of order, and chaos. You must seek the Elden Ring, for in restoring it lies the key to balance. When I know something more, I will definitely contact you. May the Force be with you, Anakin

-and may the Force be with you too, Obi wan-

The dream ended, Anakin returned to reality, but it was still midnight in Limgrave.

            ………………………………………………………….

Anakin resumed his journey towards where the golden beam of light guided him. He passed a caravan harnessed by two huge and mutilated Trolls, spectacularly defeated the Night Rider, and broke through the garrison of Godrick's soldiers.

However, not unscathed.

The concept of a crossbow was foreign to Anakin, because in the world he lived in, droids, stormtroopers and clones used blasters. Initially, he disregarded what he thought was a primitive wooden structure, but he experienced firsthand how deadly and painful being shot by a bolt could be.

When he reached the huge gate, he saw another garrison of soldiers armed with crossbows and two-handed swords. A Troll towered over them, waiting for the right moment to jump and crush the potential unfortunate with his mass.

Skywalker realized that he was far from the glory and form he was in during the Clone Wars, so he decided to rest in the area of golden light and regenerate.

A moment won't save him.

A moment to heal your wounds, delve into the Force and ask for its blessings

A moment to feel the company of a stranger, a person you couldn't sense because she materialized in front of you like a ghost.

"Greetings... Traveler from beyond the fog. I am Melina" The voice was clear, feminine and completely monotonous. After a while, the newcomer took off her enigmatic hood, revealing her beauty.

The first thing Skywalker noticed were her eyes. One of them remained closed and covered with a tattoo that resembled a crow's foot, purple in color like Master Windu's blade. The second was unnatural gold. Golden like this huge tree that soars above the clouds. Her hair was light, bordering on pinkish. Her emotionless face stared blankly at Anakin for a tense moment.

Skywalker recognized her because he had seen her face in his dreams. Is this what it's like to see your own destiny?

- I'm offering you an accord.

Chapter Text

In the ethereal twilight between life and death, where reality fades into myth, Anakin Skywalker was torn from the gentle embrace of the Force and thrown into a world as mysterious as it was ancient. The Lands Between, a land whispered about in forgotten corners of the galaxy, now embraces the spirit of a fallen hero seeking redemption.

Anakin's eyes opened to a world shrouded in mystery and shrouded in eternal darkness. The sky, a canvas of deep purple and red, stretched endlessly above, reflecting the turmoil that once raged within his soul. His once mighty lightsaber, now a broken relic, lay next to him - a symbol of his broken past and the power he both wielded and feared.

However, he was not alone on that silent night under the open sky.

Melina and Anakin stared at each other long enough for the concept of time to fade away. The enigmatic fair-haired girl's attitude expressed mystery and stoic calm, which contrasted greatly with the nervous, jerky breathing of Skywalker, who after a moment gently grabbed the brown hilt of the lightsaber with his fingertips, still forgetting about its non-functionality. The woman, wanting to avoid a potential escalation, broke the growing silence, which only deepened the fears.

- Lost are you, wanderer? - Melina's voice was soft, yet it carried the weight of ages, echoing with a wisdom that transcended the mere passing of days. -Your spirit sings a song of sorrow and seeking. What is it that you search for in these forsaken lands?-

Anakin barely opened his mouth. He wanted to give his new companion an honest answers, but unable to bring himself to do so, he shook his head in helplessness, smiling so broadly that it threatened to swallow his own cheeks - I don't know anymore - Skywalker only replied. – I am a stranger in this world. It seemed to me that I died high above the earth in a dark and empty galaxy, but the next moment I wake up here and everything around me just wants to kill me for no reason -. Melina listened patiently to the bitter confession

- there is one reason. You are Tarnished. And it is your destiny to bring the Elden Ring together. Our world is destroyed and full of hostility. Beings sense the grace that is upon you. Until you fulfill your destiny, this state of affairs will only continue. –

-Tarnished ? but I was only a Jedi Knight - for the first time, a hint of curiosity appeared in Melina's golden eye. She tilted her head slightly and then replied in her delicate voice

- I don't know what it is, it's the first time I've heard this term. however, now it means nothing who you were in your old life. Grace has awakened you to life because Erdtree is calling you. – Skywalker just sighed.

- Have you heard of the finger maidens? They serve the Two Fingers, offering guidance, and aid, to the Tarnished. Like you. All Tarnished are to be guided by a finger maiden on their quest for the Elden Ring." She pauses mid-sentence with hesitation before continuing. -But you, I am afraid, are maidenless.- Skywalker only blushed like tulip buds in spring.

  I can play the role of maiden. Turning rune fragments into strength. To aid you in your search for the Elden Ring." The offer catches Skywalker's attention, causing him to sit straighter and listen. "You need only take me with you. To the foot of the Erdtree."

The young man only furrowed his eyebrows shyly.

"Tell me about Erdtree," Skywalker whispered, and his eyes were absorbed by the golden tree soaring into the clouds.

………………………………………………………………………………

This is how to be Anakin Skywalker right now. Around the place of grace appeared seemingly out of nowhere, like an illusion of the world, the impossibility of destiny.

Her soft and gentle voice gracefully entered your ears a second after she appeared.

-Greetings Traveling from beyond the fog. I'm Melina. I want to offer you an accord-. She gently took off her hooded cloak, revealing the beauty underneath. You had already seen and experienced many different emotions before you met her, but letting your eyes get lost in her study-deep and torch-flaming eyes made you feel... different. It wasn't anything tangible, nothing you could really put into words, but the feeling grew stronger every time you got to meet her. The initial nervousness turned into calm thanks to her soothing voice. you sat, as you had during many meditation sessions during the days of the Jedi Order, next to the shallow light produced by Grace's place as she continued to explain everything, your essence, your destiny, the Elden Ring. You already knew all this from your friend Obiwan, but when this information flowed from her lips, soaked in her low, soothing voice, you began to feel as if the same destiny and even the course of history were calling you personally. She explained to you that she was willing to act as your maiden to help you in your search if you agreed to take her to Erdtree in return. There was no doubt, and you mumbled an answer that was lost in the rushing wind around you.

– Then it's settled. Summon me by grace to turn runes into strength. – Melina replied after hearing your choice. She gave you a seemingly crude-looking ring that could summon Torrent, a spirit beast that resembled a cross between a unicorn and a steed, which will greatly aid you on your journey. After everything was settled, the two of you were physically close to each other. She silently waited for your questions, which never came because you were too focused to think about anything other than her unusual beauty that absorbed you every moment like a bottomless lake. You regained some of your senses rather quickly and asked her to turn your acquired battle wounds into strength and agility. Melina was initially very surprised by the number of runes you had acquired. Her unexpected expression was certainly not a common sight

-Let my hand rest on you, just for a moment. – said the woman. Your hand moved towards her, gently touching her bare skin. After a while, you heard a silent prayer being recited: - Share them with me, your thoughts, your ambitions, the principles you would follow-. You grabbed her rose-colored, slender hand with visible burn marks. You felt sad that the only jewelry for such beautiful hands were scars. You were so close to her that not a single piece of her charming face could escape your blinding gaze. You could get a close-up of her creamy rose petal skin, her light auburn hair, her brown eye, and every feature of her feminine face that was too long to mention. Your mind stopped functioning for a second. It would seem that you have seen her painting before, as if she was the inspiration for the ancient artists who carved the goddesses Venus. You even completely forgot about the new dose of strength that enveloped you like a rising wave.

  -Such eyes should not rest upon my being, Tarnished.- Her words were cold, her hand was also cold now that you had regained your consciousness. A warm coldness, difficult to understand, but completely paradoxical in itself. You didn't waste any more seconds and became stronger thanks to her help. That's how you met her, a moment you should never forget, even if eternity tried to pry it from your mind. In this moment, your existence has been defined forever and the die has been cast.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

- Guidance of Grace. Summons you to Stormveil Castle. Follow her call. When you need me, I will always be there. – Melina said. Anakin nodded before turning towards the huge gate with a fading smile.

- Thank you. In that case, I'm going ahead. As soon as I feel as safe as I am now, I will summon you again -

-Good. Then I wish you luck on your path Tarnished.-Melina performs a small bow before disappearing with blue mist and particles around her.

- And may the Force be with you, Melina -

Skywalker takes a look at the ring again and wears it on the fourth finger of his healthy hand. He notices small holes in the ring and indicates that it can be blown as a whistle.

He moves his hand to his mouth and blows upon the ring. Blue mist and particles appear before him and a steed shows up. It was a horse that had horns and ears of a goat with saddlebags that has signs of wear and tear.

After making a dignified and respectful bow from the young knight, Torrent merely snorted and shook his mane. Anakin took this sign as acceptance and then mounted his horse and began circling the surrounding lowlands and clearings where the trees were rustling lazily. For a moment, Skywalker felt happy again, feeling the wind in his hair and the moisture in his eyes. He felt as free as when he was sailing alone in a fighter jet through the sky. He felt as at ease as he was on Naboo.

Skywalker laughed and Torrent only snorted.

After a long moment of trying to ride the mount, Anakin headed towards the great Gate where new armed opponents and a giant troll were waiting.

…………………………………………………………………………

Melina stood in the distance. For the first time in forever, peace began to come to the fair-haired girl's cheerful face. The rising sun began to bless her

  After a moment, blue mist appeared next to her, and a figure materialized from it. figure ethereal, cloaked in the light of the cold stars, approximated. Her eyes, like frozen sapphires, held within them the depth of ages and the secrets of the cosmos. -Thou observe the new Tarnished," she spoke, her voice a melody woven from the night's chill. "He bears a burden unlike any other, a soul tarnished not by the Erdtree's grace, but by the specters of a past life. The stars informed me about it -

-He's lost - Melina said quietly, agreeing with her blue-haired companion that she felt something intangible about the new tarnished. However, she added after a while - although I sense enormous amounts of strength in him. I have never encountered such potential, equal to that of demi-gods –

- intriguing-

The moon began to completely give way to the sun covering the entire land with its light

- He seeks the Elden Ring's, yet his true pursuit is something more elusive – The woman speaks with a regal and gentle voice. The woman looks on with a smile of her own as well, her fingers touching each other between her four arms.

Melina nodded, her resolve as unwavering as the silent stars above. -I shall guide him, for now. I believe in Torrent's judgment, he chose him and was very insistent on our meeting. The rest is left to the judgment of time -

And so, beneath the watchful eyes of those who knew the depth of the Lands Between's secrets, Anakin Skywalker continued his quest, unaware of the converging fates that wove around him

Chapter Text

This is Anakin Skywalker's Masterpiece

Many people rightly commented on his outstanding talent in aviation. It was said that the cabin of a fighter plane replaced its second home. Kenobi said that the cockpit was his second body, where the ion engines were his legs that cut through the sky, and the guns attached to the wings were his fists that took lives or brought hopes. this was the only explanation for his performances, for example during the Battle of Couruscant, where he successfully maneuvered the wreck of an enemy cruiser with the Chancellor and a Jedi Master on board, so that everyone landed safely.

Naturally, it was claimed that the young Jedi's greatest attribute was aviation.

They were wrong. Because the true essence of Anakin Skywalker is unkillability.

In short, he faces an impossible task. Not feasible.

But he'll be fine. He will do it because he is Anakin Skywalker and he does not believe in the impossible.

He sits on the saddle of his spirit horse, spattered with blood, both his own and that of others, and, mounting it for the first time in his life, rushes through him at the speed of a hypersonic gallop, with the grace of a deer and the lethality of an eagle.

He cuts off the heads of the guards standing in front of him, avoids the fired crossbow bolts, and at the same time escapes from the huge monster following him, so much so that the AT-ST WALKER seems to be a toy next to him.

However, the giant is a primitive creature, blinded by the need for blood. Anakin didn't know if the monster was born like this. Did someone shape him like that when they also mutilated him? He sympathized with him with the heart of a slave's child. But on the battlefield there is no time for compassion or speculation about the origins of suffering. All that matters is the moment and answering the question: who will die now? you or me ?

Anakin turned around, feeling the distance seeming to have formed between him and the giant, and then used the Force to throw the remains of the shattered barricade towards his opponent's eyes.

This was the last thing the Giant saw in his life before he howled in agony. Anakin then somersaulted high, just like on Genosis when he was fighting for survival, he jumped from his horse towards the attacker and with the full grace of a ballerina and the force of an artillery shell, he plunged his blade into the giant's temples, ending his miserable life.

This is what it's like to be Anakin Skywalker. The impossible simply does not exist, and the belief in your own indestructibility has no limits until you land on the hot sand without limbs and feel the embrace of flames from the lava.

Anakin is not passively interested in what the Force will bring. Not here and not now. It would seem that 20 years spent in Vader's costume, where the peak of one's bodily abilities is to raise one's arms to the level of one's forehead, has made the fair-haired man humbler. Not yet, not when he feels Erdtree's call and cannot fail his fair Maiden.

War and fighting is his entire existence and life is his weapon

……………………………………………………..

Anakin noticed that he was approaching his destination, Stormveil Castle. A small amount of his red healing potion, which he began to call "cherry nectar", remained. After a moment, he felt the grace of the Force, a golden stream that emanated from the place as if it were growing out of the ground. Just as he was about to rest, a soft sob caught his razor-sharp attention.

The sounds of sobbing come from a small cottage that looked more like a testament to a forest fire than a potential source of rest or living. However, trauma and despair strip people of such down-to-earth thinking.

Anakin's blue eyes saw a girl, apparently quite young, too young to experience such despair. She was dressed in neat white robes, and on her head was a red hood that completely covered the expression of the tormented soul.

I'm sorry, did something happen?" Skywalker asked

- Everyone's...been grafted. Everyone who came with me.

They crossed the sea for me. They fought, for me. – said the stranger in a cracking voice

- So you are not from this earth either - Anakin asked in a voice that betrayed hope. However, the girl did not answer. She was too absorbed in the trauma to process what the stranger had said. From under the hood, only a smooth girl's face was visible, whose eyes, red with tears, were covered by golden curls. A grimace, similar to a pitiful smile, formed on her tear-wet lips

- Heh... Only to have their arms taken. Their legs taken.

Even their heads...taken. Taken and stuck to the spider.

Did you know? If you're grafted by the spider, you become a chrysalid.

It's quite the lark, when you think about it.-

- Spider? Unfortunately, I think I know what you're talking about - Anakin sighed, and the thought that his first kill was a creature potentially made of the girl's friends had a bitter taste.

-you're all on your own, are you? And heading to Stormveil Castle? Are you a Tarnished – she asked

-Yes. That's my intention. Can you tell me something about it? –

- it's a very dangerous place. You can even feel the atmosphere of death from here. That's where I was supposed to go. Pretend with them. My companions... - Anakin knelt down next to her, closing the distance.

- hey, why don't you go with me. I feel quite lonely and I used to go on missions with a friend or my companion. I called it RD-D2. He was very funny, you know? – She became even more gloomy and shook her head.

- I don't have your courage. It's scary, you know. Having your arms cut off. Or legs. Or your head. I want to be like everyone else, but I'm just too scared. I'm nothing but a craven – and then she hung her head again in a symbol of shame.

- with me you are in no danger, no one will hurt you. Throughout my life I have defeated various ghosts and monsters, I will protect you if you join me -

She smiled. This time with an expression of sincerity

- oh, I know. Can you take this little one along with you? The poor thing deserves someone braver than myself. – she handed him a parchment with Medusa on it, surrounded by mystery and magic. Anakin didn't know what to do about it, but if he remembered anything from Obiwan's lesson on what to do and how to behave in embarrassing situations, it was this:

- Thank you very much, I'm sure it will be useful - he said with a smile. - Thank you … ? – Skywalker continued, waiting to learn his companion's name

- Roderika. Just Roderika. - she said in a whisper

- Roderika. Listen, we're in a rather uninteresting location. I don't know if you've seen, but there are soldiers stationed here who shoot at people like us, and behind us I just defeated a huge beast. If my eyesight doesn't deceive me, I saw several similar ones on the horizon. In front of us is a forest that smells of blood, and in front of us is Stromviel. I know you don't want to go forward with me, which I fully understand, but you need to find a safer place-

"It doesn't matter now," she said louder. Her voice took on the seriousness and confidence it had lacked all along. – I'm going to meet my comrades on the other side and join them. At least that's how he honors them. i'm finally getting the hang of this whole "pain" thing, you know- then she smiled with her sparkling emerald eyes.

Skywalker merely smoothed his hair that was falling to the side and then sighed as he usually did when he heard Ashoka's stupidity.

- Not on my watch - and he called his horse again, whistling. He stroked his hair and gave him the Rowa Fruit, which Torrent eagerly consumed.

- this is my mount, Torrent. It's a noble creature, you can trust it. You will get on his back and he will take you safely to a distant place. It's something like a church, or what's left of it, and there's a good man sitting there who helped me when I was as lost as you are now. His name is Kale. Wait out your mourning there. – the young man said firmly, but he was only answered by a painful sigh.

- it's pointless. There is no point in prolonging something meaningless if we are destined for pain at the end anyway, Roderika replied

- the meaning will come with time, you have to survive first. Come on, get up - Anakin held out his hand and she looked at it distrustfully -

- do you promise? –

- yes, sooner or later you will see it - and Roderika grabbed his hand with the glove. Instead of the heat emitted by the human body, she only felt the cold of steel. As if she grabbed the hilt rather than a human hand.

- Did they grated you too? or tried? you lost something, your arm? – she asked fearfully. Anakin's brow furrowed and his eyes darkened like a sky covered with clouds. Memories of Courusant, the duel on Mustafar, his healing cabin. Everything flashed before his eyes as if it happened yesterday.

- You don't even have a clue - he replied scantily

- oh you poor thing - and she mounted the horse. However, before the torrent moved, she said once again in a breaking voice - if you are already in the castle and meet my companions, tell them that I love them - Anakin only nodded his head, and then the torrent moved with incredible speed in the direction from where it had recently started.

- may the force be with you. You'll definitely need it," Skywalker sighed and looked at the blade of his sword. You didn't have to be a blacksmith or someone who knows the craft to tell that this sword was at the limit of its strength, and previously the tip, sharp as a mountain top, was flattened and blunt. Anakin cursed

| "I should take her to Kale, maybe I could buy some better weapons for the challenges that await me as I head up this road," Anakin swallowed and sighed in discomfort. Maybe I'll find something more suitable in this forest" and then he walked briskly in a direction unknown to him.

Night

Skywalker didn't even notice how quickly the sun hid behind the horizon and gave way to its brother, the moon. This is very difficult to observe because the golden giant tree, the Erdtree, is itself the source of light for this entire wretched land.

The young knight also experienced a perceptual disturbance. The sense of time and space here is difficult to define. As he took in the landscape full of destruction and agony, everything seemed to be a remnant of a bygone era, as distant as the times of the old republic to Palpatine's Sith Empire. However, he could not get the impression that all the people Kale Yura Roderika met here, and even Melina, still had trouble accepting this state of affairs, were still looking for their purpose, as if the misfortune that befell this land had come down like a bolt from the sky unexpectedly and recently.

The blue-eyed man let his entire body rest for the first time in a long time, enjoying the cool wind that combed his falling hair and the smell of the trees, very specific because it is only present in the period when all the flowers have already bloomed.

But he felt lonely. Loneliness in moments of bliss and respite made itself felt like pain radiating throughout the body.

he groaned deeply before turning to the empty space.

- Melina… - he sighed. Seemingly, only silence answered him, but after a while his enigmatic companion materialized in front of him. Her golden eye radiated warmth and curiosity

- yes, tarnished? do you want me to heal your wounds or use your runes to make you stronger? – she asked with a delicate voice that blended perfectly with the surroundings, as if it was the missing element of a symphony of songs sung by the living nature that surrounded them.

- Not necessarily - Skywalker only smiled. This surprised Meline. He surprised her. Once again in such a short time. – I'd just like to talk if you don't mind – Melina, taken by surprise, didn't take her eyes off her companion. Moments like these reassured Anakin of his companion's human nature despite her otherworldly beauty and nature.

- Okay, so what would you like to hear Tarnished? What's going on in your head? -

- There is so much destruction here, this nad is full of sorrow. You already told me about Erdtree, about these "great runes" that I need to get - Melina nodded, trying to understand what he was getting at. – but when I see this landscape, which is really very beautiful, I can't help but feel that some misfortune has befallen it. The buildings are destroyed, there are fragments of some structures on the ground... does it have something to do with erdtree or my mission? –

- partly yes, Tarnished. This is all a repercussion of Shattering. Marika, the goddess who resurrected your kind, destroyed the Elden Ring in despair at the death of her firstborn. This event was called the Shattering. And the greed for the Elden Ring's power tore apart the harmony. Great runes were scattered, the Erdtree's grace faltered, and the lands were engulfed in strife and sorrow. Both her offspring and those of her second spouse, Radagon, started a war between themselves over parts of the great runes. Despite the bonds that united them, the calling of the great runes effectively drowned out all their rational reflexes. Blood flowed in rivers and death took its toll like never before in the history of this land. -

- I guess there were no winners? - Melina only shook her head subtly, her eyes showing great sadness.

No. Once majestic demi-gods, now merely slaves to their own curses. General Radahn has lost his mind, lost the remnants of his dignity, and relies on the corpses of his former friends and enemies. Little One, once the greatest swordswoman, now gripped by a terrible curse that haunts her every day, Rykard, the former sage and philosopher, now offered his body to the Primordial Serpent, gripped by eternal hunger in the need to constantly consume life. This is only a small part of what happened to these lands, concluded Melina. After a short moment of silence, Skywalker looked up

- I could relate to this story –

-Tarnished ? –

- in my world I was a knight in an order. Jedi Order. You could say it was like the Golden Order from your stories. The world I grew up in was beautiful, but just like here, war fell upon us. It was long and cruel and, above all, pointless. We all lost ourselves in it, the best knights died without much meaning, and my friends, they all suffered. It has never been so beautiful again, and we all only lost ourselves in desperation and fear -

- You too ? – it was more of a statement than a question

- also - he smiled sadly at his companion. – fortunately, after many years, a certain person brought an end to this destruction and suffering. So I believe that here too, nature will heal and relief will come to the inhabitants of this land.

- When this period of death in your world passed, did everything return to its former beauty and order? has this been fixed? – the rose blonde beauty asked quietly.

- I don't know, unfortunately. I didn't get to experience it - he laughed sadly - because I died that same day -

- I see-

- But I hope so, but is it possible to restore something once lost? – Melina didn't answer. There was silence between them again. Skywalker raised his jovial eyes towards the pink-haired maiden.

- And you, Melina, what would you say about yourself?

For the third time. This was the third time Anakin had surprised her in such a short time. In this darkness, it would seem to the young knight that her cheeks had become rosy. For Melina it was a very intimate question, because someone looked at her not as an emissary with an unclear purpose, but as a person with her own history and feelings.

- why do you ask ? – her cold and stoic tone returned again, wanting to hide her confusion

- I want to know you. We have a long road ahead of us together. It will be better for both of us if we get to know each other. Even at a low level, he smiled gently. Melina lowered her gaze to the rustling grass and an uncertain voice came out of her mouth, which melted with time.

-Me? I'm searching for my purpose given to me by my mother inside the Erdtree long ago, for the reason that I yet live, burned and bodyless -

- bodyless - Anakin asked, surprised. Melina shook her head shyly. After a moment, however, she felt the warmth emitted by Anakin's hand that rested on her small hand. For the second time, her chosen one surprised her and she didn't know what to do.

- for a person without a body, your hands are very smooth - Skywalker laughed. His hand rested on hers a little longer than it should have.

To her surprise, she didn't mind the gesture. She didn't remove her hand. To feel someone else's warmth in such a pointless manner made Melina feel for a moment like someone she had never been and could never be.

Anakin, seeing his companion's growing embarrassment, removed his healthy hand and cleared his throat. - I'm sorry -. There was silence again.

A silence that seemed to be second nature to his companion. However, this time it was her part that was interrupted.

- There is something for which I must apologize. I've acted the finger maiden yet I can offer no guidance, I am no maiden. My purpose was long ago lost – she said, looking up at her companion, waiting for any reaction.

- All right. I can take care of myself, so I don't ask for anything... - he said in a confused voice and then stopped mid-way, like an actor on stage who was about to forget the next question and is looking for advice from a prompter.

- only about? – she asked

- I'm just asking you for the opportunity to talk and be present. Just like now. Nothing more," Skywalker said. Melina had no right to understand. no man had. For 20 years, Anakin was locked in a coffin as Darth Vader. He was balancing dangerously between existing and being dead. there was no room for conversations on any topics, expressions or comments. Everything was just feedback or orders.

However, unbeknownst to Anakin, Melina understood. Like no one else, the desire to express one's opinion even on such a petty topic as yesterday's weather, to be able to exchange opinions with someone, hear opinions, feel the timbre and saturation of the voice. Meet each other's eyes, even for a moment, and find understanding even in silence.

- very well .Then its settled - Melina said. The corners of Anakinia's mouth began to turn upwards on their own.

Feeling the growing tension, Melina decided to drop the topic.

- what you did to this woman earlier near the abandoned cottage was very rare to witness - said Melina suddenly, staring at a large golden tree far away from them.

- did you observe? - Anakin frowned in surprise

- the torrent told me - she added quickly with hint of nervousnes - as I said, it's rare. This land is unforgiving to defenseless people like her. I've seen people like her end up many times -

- how could I do otherwise? Obi-wan taught me that,- the Melina frowned

- was he your father? –

- No. He was my brother - Anakin sighed quietly, feeling as if he were being embraced by fiery lava again on his skin, and only the noise of crossed blades rang in his ears.

There was silence once again. Despite this, you feel truly joyful, as if someone had temporarily brought your desires back to life.

This is what it's like to be Anakin Skywalker.

Currently

…………………………………………………..

When dawn broke, Anakin summoned the torrent and then turned back to the previous meeting place with Roderica, only this time he turned upwards. He followed a road that was crowded with armed soldiers. He also noticed in the distance a structure that looked very much like a rocket launcher, but it was made of wood.

"There must be something important behind this gate if they guard it so seriously. Something or SOMEONE” Skywalker thought.

He inspects his current equipment one last time before approaching the castle's main gate as he was expecting an unfriendly welcome based on the number of times its defenders attacked him.

The healing drink which he called nectar was half full, because in the forest he had underestimated the strength of one of the barbarians on whose helmets rested white hair, probably torn from a horse's mane. His weapon was a two-handed sword, quite light, which he took from a dead knight in the camp next to the palisade. The Jedi believe in the principle that the Force is always the greatest weapon and ally. At least Skywalker believed that he would feel more confident with a functional lightsaber at his side.

When he passed through the main gate, he found himself standing on a cliff, full of old armor and broken weapons. The air was heavy and carried the smell of death. The Force screamed in Anakin's soul of impending danger.

Approaching not from behind

Not the front

Not from below

But from above where the birds flew towards the clouds

"Foul Tarnished. In search of the Elden Ring. Emboldened by the flame of ambition"

The figure performs a leap from the tower towards Lordan. He lands directly in front of Lordan on the pathway, creating a small crater from the impact that kicks up dust and debris from the ground.

The figure was a white-haired, grey-skinned humanoid with horns on his head. Skywalker thought he looked like a member of the Iktotchi race with hair, but he lacked majesty, his eyes were filled with bitterness and insult, as if he was the result of some curse rather than the creation of mother nature.

"Someone must extinguish thy flame." He draws his cane to be used as a blunt sword, getting into his battle stance. "Let it be Margit the Fell!"

Skywalker smiled arrogantly at the call to join him in the deadly dance. He took out his sword and assumed his traditional V-form stance; Djem So.

This is how the duel between Skywalker and Margit began.

Chapter Text

The brightest light casts the darkest shadow

………………………………………………………………………….

Anakin Summoned the Force, gathered it within himself and wrapped it in the hall. He inhaled it deeply and felt it swirling around his heart, squeezing it tighter and tighter until it opened his senses so that he could even feel the majestic revolutions of the galaxy.

Every noise made by the rat feeding on the carcass was within Skywalker's reach. Every drop fell from the worn-out and hole-riddled roof of one of the watchtowers. He felt his opponent's breath. It was shallow. It tore at his lungs, such hatred and anger filled his every breath.

- You are the most pitiable Tarnished I have ever seen. And believe me, I am no stranger to your species and I know you better than you know yourself, Margit provoked, clutching a monumental staff in his huge hand. He lifted her up as if she was going to fall like a bolt from the blue at any moment. It smelt of death, it must have reeked of many lives with its weight.

"I doubt it," Anakin replied harshly.

- no armor, no heavy weapons. you're lost and you don't know what you're doing here, madman - Anakin was silent. his perfect guard never wavered. He was still waiting for the attack, which lasted forever. Skywalker's blue eyes rested on the huge weapon Margit wielded. "Under normal circumstances, I would have parried the blow and immediately jumped at his throat. But the material from which my weapon is made is of very questionable quality and would probably break in half. "It will be better if I give up fencing just this once." Anakin created various scenarios in his head, but he relied on improvisation. Something he always did best in Obi-wan's opinion.

- you are a miserable pest who stays in one place out of fear. It's a pity, because your predecessors at least had enough ambition to die with dignity - Margit mocked, seeing the immobility of his smaller opponent.

Anakin from the Clone Wars would probably move at this point and only dust would rise. Now, however, after losing all his limbs, verbal fencing no longer impressed the young knight.

In an instant, the Force rang loudly like a bell, announcing a fire.

In an instant, Margit shortened the significant distance that existed between them and lowered his staff to the place where Skywalker was standing, devastated the area as a result of the impact.

"he's fast for such a giant" Skywalker thought as he avoided the enemy's next blows.

The white-haired Omen's mobility was irritating to the knight. he crouched low and made a second circle with his sword just above the pavement, he knew that Djem So's weakness was his lack of mobility. Another of Anakin's great assets had just been brutally ripped from his hands.

Margit was merciless and gave the knight no peace or opportunity for regeneration. Every time Anakin managed to jump a certain distance, Margit seemed to trap the young man with something new. With its speed or the summoning of a golden blade that was thrown towards him, or other deadly tools such as spears or daggers.

After a moment, the huge creature leaped upwards, so that Maul himself could envy its grace and speed of movement, and then threw its staff towards Skywalker, who was staring at him.

Anakin, however, made a short sidestep so that the head of the staff barely missed his nose, then he turned on his heel and thrust his blade towards Margit's heart. If it were a lightsaber, it would probably burn out his insides, but due to the different material and properties of the leased blade, it would seem that it did little harm to the attacker.

- you are so predictable, graceless Tarnished. Your movements reveal your future intentions. – Omen mocked. Skywalker smiled cockily.

- agreed - and then he jumped over Margit's head with such speed that it seemed as if he simply disappeared.

After a while, Omen felt a stabbing sensation around his shoulder blades. Instinctively, he swung his tail where Skywalker was standing.

The impact was a complete surprise to Anakin, who was bruised by the contact.

"I completely forgot about it," the blue-eyed man swore in his heart, and then moved towards Margit again with more anger. Reminiscent of the anger of the locusts.

Omen jumped high into the air, as far away from the attacking Jedi as possible, to land on a pedestal and take a short break to regain strength and calm. What happened was far too dangerous. But before his feet touched the ground, Skywalker was already waiting, blade spinning in his hands at such an incredible speed that Margit didn't even try to attack. Omen feigned an attack on his face, squatted down quickly and with a wide swing, he sent the blade towards the Jedi Knight's ankles, which was easily dodged.

Anakin's next strike was so hard that Margit's arms buckled at the elbows as he parried it. Omen threw himself back with a roll, after which he landed firmly on both feet, but once again the blade of Skywalker's sword was waiting for him, pointing at his neck.

Margit didn't have time to dodge and the blade of Anakin's sword pierced the omen's chest. A huge wound, but not enough to kill the opponent.

Overcome with increasing fury, the Stormveill guard grabbed the blade embedded in it and broke it in half by hitting it with his seemingly indestructible staff.

Anakin dodged with a backflip. In his hand there was only a hint of danger. Handle with a broken blade. He noticed that his vain attempts to kill his opponent, despite numerous wounds, diluted him to such an extent that he began to emanate even more cruel and greater strength.

If there is a plan, he should use it now.

Skywalker noticed the remains of the wall that had been crumbled as a result of Margit's attack. A large rock, big enough to crush your head. The Jedi threw it using the force, but Omen then summoned another weapon. A majestic giant hammer twice the height of Skywalker himself.

If anything was left of the ruins, after contact with the summoned hammer, all that remained was loose dust and dirt.

If the previous act had been improvised, Anakin was now in for a grand improvisation.

- Well, thou art of passing skill. Warrior blood must truly run in thy veins, Tarnished. - Omen raised his voice and then launched a jumping attack on Anakin.

If Anakin was the main actor in the first act and he led the narration, now Margit took the lead in the second act. the most important thing will be who the epilogue should belong to.

Anakin handled the crushing blows with complete grace, but he was where Omen wanted him to be. He immediately jumped towards the knight and was a second away from piercing him with one of his blades. And he probably would have plunged it into Skywalker's throat if the knight hadn't summoned the Force near his hand and thrown him against the surrounding wall. This only gave him some time, as it did not cause any serious damage to Omen's body

Amakin cursed inwardly. Sweat began to mix with blood. This isn't how it was supposed to be. Why is he so helpless and powerless? nothing was going his way.

Despite the heat his body was emitting from his exhaustion, Anakin felt an icy cold on the back of his neck.

A cold that's hard to forget.

Which doesn't leave you, even if you were under the pure sun

Use me. The wind whispered gently. A whisper of tempting color, beautiful and poisonous like fruit from the garden. Surrender to me and you will become powerful again

Anakin's heart stopped and the entire deadly surroundings seemed to be a minor play at that moment.

Margitt, seeing Anakin's passivity and alienation, immediately jumped towards him and knocked him down with a kick to his thighs.

Skywalker returned to the world of the living, but it was too late.

Margit pressed his staff against Anakin's throat and began to choke him. His attempts to push it away were futile.

Margit approached Skywalker with his disfigured face. He sensed something in him, intangible. Unusual

"I sense great fear in you," he said. - Fear that consumes you. Truly, Tarnished. You are a liar. A child who pretends to be an adult but is afraid of the dark. nothing else –

Margit was convinced, wrongly, that these were his last words addressed to the suffocated Skywalker, who was about to die.

This was the second time he underestimated Anakin.

 One bridge too many. Power exploded like a volcano

Without even knowing when, Margit found himself fifteen meters away from Anakin, who was standing calmly. When was he pushed away? he couldn't say.

Skywalker had a gift

His heart was a thermonuclear charge, and the unimaginable heat was just beginning to burn through the walls his Jedi training had confined him to. The boy from Tatooine had the Force in his white-hot fist. He was already half Sith, even though he didn't know it. He had the gift of fury.

- Looks like I underestimated you, Tarnished - Omen mocked, but after a while he grabbed his throat and, not knowing why, levitated upwards. An invisible force was choking him. He was on the gallows, but the executioner who pulled the rope was not visible.

- You talk a lot for such a worm - Skywalker said in a dry tone. Almost mechanical.

Margitt was suffocating, his strength was weakening with every moment, his powerful and large hands released the weapon so that he could grab his neck with both hands. Terrifying Omen himself was terrified by the unknown phenomenon, but he did not admit that this inconspicuous Tarnished was capable of it. He looked for answers, looking around frantically.

However, in the distance.

he saw the promise of hell in Skywalker's eyes and felt a sinking feeling in his pit as he realized that he actually knew the answer well.

Skywalker felt that in a moment there would be silence. He felt all the strength leaving Margit's body.

But suddenly, as if burned by fire, Skywalker took away his hand that he was holding up in a choking gesture.

He was burned by old strength, old feeling, old curse.

Again like on the great Confederate cruiser over Couruscant, when he had the fate of Count Dooku in his hand. Yes, and now Skywalker almost became a murderer.

“It almost enveloped me again... it was so close, I felt it embrace me.”

Terrified of himself, Anakin ran away from where he came. Leaving Margit alone as he slowly regained his strength

…………………………………………………………..

Anakin rested alone by the fire. Only the stars hanging above him bore witness to his impotence.

Skwalker blinked

Who am I?

Or a small slave from a desert planet, prized for his extraordinary talent for mechanics? Or a legendary racer pilot, the only man to survive the deadly race? a really difficult student of a great Jedi Master? A fighter pilot? A hero? ? A Jedi Knight?

 Or maybe a disobedient, angry, and cruel murderer whose only power is to unleash his anger.

Could he have been all of these things - or even one of these characters - and done what he just did?

Is it possible for him to do things his way this time? The Force gave him a second chance and he sees patterns repeating themselves no matter how much he tries to deny them. The darkness was still present in him. Forever alive. Would it be possible to suppress it and not rely on it to achieve the goal of your mission?

He looked sadly at the Erdtree glowing in the distance

He began to guess the answer at the same moment he realized that he needed to ask himself this question.

After a while, however, a blue mist appeared and a pink-haired beauty emerged from it.

- Tarnished. I sense a huge amount of grief in your heart. Can I help you somehow ? – Melina asked in her soothing voice. Skywalker was positively surprised by her presence. When he looked into her golden eyes, he felt that whatever darkness was present in him melted away like ice at the sight of the sun.

- I encountered a guard who introduced himself as Margit - he replied. A look of understanding began to appear on Melina's face.

- Margitt Omen. He is dangerous for your kin. He has been known to hunt Tarnished to keep them from entering the erdtree. Kill them or discourage them enough to give up. –

- well, I must admit he's quite strong. Nothing went according to my plan - Skywalker laughed. – but I had it in my grasp. Literally -

- so there is hope for you - Melina blinked. – explore the Lands Between, become even stronger, get new equipment from your friend Kale and head towards Stormveil again. Me and torrent have great hopes for you. We believe that you will succeed - However, seeing that Anakin's gloomy face was still visible, she looked at him with a questioning look.

- is there anything else Tarnished? -. Skywalker wanted to tell her about his darkness, about his great fear that had returned, and he didn't know if he could face it. But he was afraid of losing her, of frightening her with his weight. He smiled sadly and looked with his sky-blue eyes into the golden stained glass windows of her soul.

-Everything is fine now. I won't let you down or Torrent-. Then he rested his warmth on Melina's delicate hand.

- do you want me to transform your runes into strength? – Skywalker nodded in agreement. There weren't many of them, but he felt all of his sore spots after the fight instantly soothe.

- Can I ask you something, Tarnished - Melina asked quietly. He looked at her with eyes full of acceptance. – why don't you wear armor, you're the first person who apparently eschews armor and prefers to move around in these ordinary robes. If I can assure you something, your chances of survival will be even greater if you wear plate armor like many of your kind - Skywalker only smiled.

- you see, in my world there was no such custom -

- but you claimed to be a knight. What would a knight be without his equipment, which includes armor? Anakin, seeing that he would not convince Melina, resorted to personal arguments.

- I just value freedom and freedom of movement. Its true you can laugh at me, im serious. - he said shyly. Melina looked at him for a long moment and then nodded her head in resignation.

-You really are weird, My Champion- Anakin laughed. Melina joined him after

……………………………………………………………….

Skywalker followed Melina's advice. He explored the length and breadth of Limgrave, defeating successive hosts of enemies that plagued his existence. However, apart from pain and anguish, other emotions also came to the Jedi Knight. He felt pity and regret when he encountered the Demi-human Bocc.

While getting to know Alexander the Warrior, Skywalker felt a jovial aura surrounding his interesting companion. Blue Eyes couldn't get the impression that Alexander was a mix of RD-D2 and CP3-O. a creature with a strange appearance but with an interesting disposition, which sends interesting comments

When the Jedi met the witch Sellen, Anakin became curious about the new world. Glinstone Sorcery, performed by the witch, made a monumental impression on Anakin. He had never seen anything like it. Skywalker was skeptical at first about calling anyone a "Master" except Obiwan, but Sellen's presentation of the spell titled The "Carian sword" reminded Skwalker a lot of the art of the lightsaber. For a moment on this foreign land he felt the closeness of an element of familiarity that gave him a sense of security earlier in the galaxy.

After a long journey, Skywalker felt great deposits of suffering and desperation in his power. This despair came from across the bridge to the south of Limgrave. This bridge was guarded by a garrison of guards, equipped with battle weapons similar or even greater than those when he tried to enter Stormveil Castle.

Anakin stared at the view from the hill. After a while, he summoned Melina

- what can you tell me about the path ahead? - Melina frowned and then gave her companion a look full of bitterness.

- this road leads to the once majestic fortress, Morne Castle. In the land's glory days it was the safest place in all of Limgrave. Full of churches, agricultural life and even science. –

- it seems to me that this story does not have a happy ending - commented Sykwalker

- now we colloquially call this land the weeping peninsula - she replied

- I guess this name came about for a reason - he commented bitterly

- you won't find anything there except madness and suffering. The land is overrun by chaos and crazy beasts. If you intend to explore this land, I would urge you to replenish your equipment -

- Do you think a piece of steel will save me and make a difference? –

- I think you should adapt more to reality. I understand that fighting was different where you come from, and don't get me wrong, I'm in awe of what you do with your hands. I don't even know what to call it... sometimes you just raise your hand and your opponent flies away as if a troll had thrown them. This is impressive –

- hey, so you're watching me in action, am I wrong? Like what you saw? – he gave Melina a smile that he only used to show Padme at one time. Melina just sighed and closed her eyes

- all I'm saying is that this land is inhabited by various specific creatures that cannot be found anywhere else. If you want to survive, do as your Maiden advises you. she said firmly

- It's hard to disagree, Skywalker muttered

………………………………………………………….

Before Anakin continued his journey, he returned to the Church of Ellehel where he expected to find Kale and Roderike. However, when he crossed the threshold, he immediately felt a piercing cold, as if he had gone down to the basement in the summer. The fog hung thickly above the surface and the stars and moon were as clear as ever.

Almost as if Skywalker was back in his starfighter and touching the stars with his freedom.

To his surprise, both Roderika and Kale were asleep. Deep down, it looked more like hibernation than sleep.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said in the voice of his former Jedi mentor.

-This way, Tarnished. May I have a word? - A voice speaks to Anakin from behind him, he turns to see a woman dressed in white sitting upon the church's collapsed wall. She was blue-skinned and had blue hair that matches the blueish hue of the moonlight.

Anakin, being completely deprived of weapons and relying only on the Force, decided to cooperate with the unknown newcomer. He sensed omnipotence around this person, as if he were back on the planet Mortis and confronting the Son, Father and Daughter.

Anakin stared at the woman. He couldn't get the impression that she looked much like Melina, only with a different complexion and hair length. She was very, very beautiful, Skywalker could stare at her for hours and still be amazed at her beauty. The bright and blending moonlight seemed to only enhance this impression.

-A pleasure to meet thee, Tarnished. I am the witch Renna.- She introduces herself. As Renna speaks. Anakin only nods in understanding, not feeling the need to pointlessly reveal his identity.

-I'd heard tell of a Tarnished hurtling about atop a spectral steed. And upon looking into the matter, the talk, I surmise, is of thee." Renna speaks while placing her fingers together to reveal herself as having two pairs of arms. -Thou'rt possessed of the power, no? To call forth the spectral steed named Torrent ?-

- yes, but I won't call him back to this world now. I promised him a long rest after an intense day full of travel. – said Skywalker, showing the ring to summon Torrent. – he is a great companion – he added

Renna smiled with enigmatic eyes - It pleaseth me to see Torrent hale and hearty. I thanketh thee, Tarnished. For taking careth of Torrent. - her hands move to her robes to retrieve an item. -I was entrusted this, for thee. By Torrent's former master. 'Tis a bell for calling forth spirits.- She reveals the item and passes it to Skywalker

- Thank you for your help. I appreciate this gesture. I understand you want something in return. A favor or help? – the corners of her mouth turned upwards

- I doubt we shall meet again. But all the same, learn well the Lands Between."

-How long will it be, I wonder... Before you tire of obeisance to the Two Fingers? I heard about thee complexity. One person with light and darkness. Just like the stars on dark sky - She comments to Skywalker. No one had ever defined him more accurately than that blue-haired stranger, leaving him speechless. After a moment, she dematerialized into blue dust, but her subtle angelic voice still echoed around - May the Force guide thee, Skywalker -

Anakin stared at the moon, unable to find the right words to express the emotional quake that had occurred.

Anakin Skywalker's will and the will of the Force are not the same.

Chapter Text

In the dwindling twilight of Neelvans perpetual cityscape, where the neon glow that battled with the darkening sky.

It was one of many days when the Jedi Knights were sent on a mission far beyond their temple. Everyday life of the Clone Wars

The tall Jedi master became visibly saddened by the sight he saw: a kneeling young man operating on his damaged prosthesis. The blue eyes were hidden by the shadow, but Obiwan could feel the loneliness and sadness radiating from them.

The irreplaceable RD-D2 helped him repair his arm and heal fresh wounds. Even though it was an ordinary droid, of which there were hundreds of thousands in the republic, it was like a pulse for Anakin, and he couldn't imagine how he could cope without it during the Clone Wars.

- No R2, there are much more painful things than this - the skywalker only shook his hair and then rested his hand on the robot's mask in a gesture of calm and appreciation for the worry.

- I'm coming back from the laboratory, I thought I would find you there - Kenobi said after a while, breaking the silence. Skywalker, seeing that his master saw him in a moment of weakness, immediately straightened up, sharpened his gaze, frowned and pursed his lips. Striking his famous cover pose: Hero Without Fear. He lifted his metal prosthesis and covered it with a leather glove.

- we just finished - he replied gloomily, then moved his fingers - see? like a new one - . Kenobi sensed the distance that was beginning to form between the two friends. To him, Anakin wasn't just a student. He was the best friend, the brother he didn't have, his soulmate. Without him, Kenobi would certainly not be the Jedi he is today.

- We have done a lot for these people of Nelvaan, my young apprentice, well done Anakin - the older redhead praised the young brown haired man, placing his hand on his apprentice's shoulder - now tell me what happened in the cave -. Anakin became very shy and hid his mechanical prosthetic arm even more under his cloak. Until recently, it was a symbol of the suffering and death toll that took place on a primitive planet.

- I listened to the Mother of this tribe, as you told me, and I had visions... they were not pleasant - the blue-eyed man replied gloomily, ashamed of the events that had taken place. The metallic taste of blood still spread through his mouth, the blind fury he had recently succumbed to, hot as lava, burned invisible scars on Skywalker's body. – do you think these people will return to their previous lives? – Anakin asked melancholy, looking at the deformed men, victims of war, who were resting by the fire and healing fresh wounds. In the distance, their mothers and wives mourned their fate.

- I sense that yes, if they are able to accept themselves -. At this the young knight visibly frowned. The older Jedi looked at him with his hazel eyes, intrigued by the student's silence. He looked into the Force and felt the disciple's dejection. A huge burden that should not rest on the shoulders of such a young person. It shouldn't rest on any one person's shoulders

-You can't save what's lost,- replied the young Jedi dryly, whose lonely long strands of hair covered his left eye, which had recently begun to turn fiery yellow.

-Anakin, the hardest test in the order is to look inside ourselves, sometimes we see things we don't want to see. but fortunately, nothing is certain, and it is our actions and attitudes that shape our destiny. When you come to terms with this and implement this lesson, you will no longer be just a knight and will become a true master, just as Qui Gon predicted you would be before he died - Obiwan replied, his voice expressing concern and unexpressed brotherly love for his student.

Before Skywalker could respond, there was a voice transmission from the droid. Chancellor Palpatine has been kidnapped. Obiwan and Anakin are urgently summoned to Courscant.

Anakin and Obi-Wan will be there any moment.

Children pronounce these words as if the names alone could perform miracles. Anakin and Obi-Wan. Kenobi and Skywalker.

  Since the beginning of the Clone Wars, for three standard years, the phrase "Kenobi and Skywalker" has become more like one word every day. They are everywhere. Everywhere there is a spectacle of suffering.

………………………………………………………………..

Anakin awoke from that distant vision, his lost life. The young man realized that he was no longer surrounded by machines, war or friends. He is among the trees by a small fire in a land so foreign to him.

The night breeze and the temptations of darkness combined in an icy symphony, causing Anakin to shake and his breathing was ragged.

He slipped back into his old jedi robe and pulled it around him, feeling a sudden shiver go through his body.

How he wished for the warmth and comfort of another person…

In the distance on the horizon, the dark night is broken by a large golden tree that looms over the mountains and castles. Skywalker also noticed that he was not alone, a short distance away there was kneeling Melina, who was staring intensely at the abundant flames coming from under the pieces of wood. Sensing her companion's confusion and consciousness, Melina looked at him with gentle eyes.

- Unpleasant dreams, Tarnished? - Skywalker just waved his hand and laughed sadly. – nothing important. Did I sleep for a long time? -

- not long enough for a human to fully regenerate, long enough for the crying of your recently met companion to stop - she said gloomily

- Roderika? - he asked concerned - when I last talked to her, she seemed to be slowly regaining her cheerfulness. She even joked in a clumsy and shy way - Melina just shook her head slightly. – is everything alright with her? where is she? –

- your companion desperately needs some sense in this vacuum. She won't find it, still mourning her companions in solitude. I moved her to a safe place. The safest place for your species. RoundTable Hold. There, every tarnished like you or Roderika can gain knowledge and apply for asylum. –

"RoundTable Hold," Anakin repeated on his exhale

- if it's your will, I can take you there too. Maybe the grace of a complete sleep will visit you there, Melina suggested, and then she stretched out her hand towards him, offering him the opportunity to teleport. Anakin just smiled and shook his head.

- first I must perform a friendly service for Kale. I'm supposed to meet some warrior of his, an old wolf-looking friend of his. But first I'll head south to that peninsula of despair as you call it. Then settle this matter in the Mistwood forest, and only then can I break away from this place. - Then he looked at Meline with a look of peace and warmth. – is there anything else you want to tell me before I continue my journey with Torrent?

There was silence between them for a short time, as Skywalker sensed unexpressed confusion and curiosity in his Maiden's eyes. And truth be told, it wasn't long before she lifted her head and turned her thoughtful golden eye to him.

-Your seamster, Boc... I see him crying, from time to time. He wants someone to tell him he's beautiful. Is it truly incomprehensible to look forward to something so trivial in this unforgivable land ?-

Again, surprise settled in his face before he shifted his own eyes towards the golden flame instead. She was curious about something such as this…?

-You have no idea -

-Tell me Tarnished, what Is secret or meaning of this longing for just empty words. Let me understand your kind –

At that moment, Anakin looked through his ocean blue eyes and melted into her golden gaze. he saw only a temporary peace that was to be replaced at any moment by the anxiety of ignorance. he felt like he was on Naboo again, surprised at himself that he could still embrace someone so tenderly with his attention.

-for me you are beautiful-

And the words were uttered as quietly as it was quickly. Not even truly laced with embarrassment, but, along with that smile, similar to a small child that had seemingly discovered something new for itself. And it only amplified when her Skywalker all of a closed his eyes in content, as if to reaffirm that sentence in his own mind. It sound so intimate, yet so right.

her widened eye is not staring anywhere else anymore but him. Her Tarnished, so different yet so alike from this world

Albeit, after another small moment, Melina shifted her head slightly to face the ground in front of the fire…

… and even though he did not see it, a genuine smile of her own formed upon her lips.

For within that moment, she had just discovered the truth of that sentiment for herself, and her heart beat a little faster for a moment. but for her it was an eternity that she would keep scrupulously and tenderly close to herself.

Forever

     ………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The moment Anakin crossed the heavily guarded bridge through the garrison of Godrick's soldiers, he felt a feeling in his stomach that accompanied him many times when he was still a young Padawan, and the Clone Wars had just begun.

The air was heavy and there was a scent of anxiety and danger. The wind carried a quiet lament sung by the trees over this land that had lost its beauty forever.

There were corpses and remains of the massacre lying around him, cracked armor and weapons left behind. The blood was still fresh. Anakin wondered deep inside why the force was leading him to this place, it was pushing him straight into the lion's jaws.

Even from this distance, the stench of decaying bodies hit the Jedi's nose.

Near the entrance to the canyon, and surrounded by a cluster of corpses, was a woman in a bloodstained dress.

The woman sat on a log with her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes were covered with a rag. Judging by her composed demeanor, she was either unaware of the carnage around her or did not care. She looked defenseless and injured. If Anakin had been willing to leave this place before, now he couldn't let this woman remain alone.

-Hello?-She called out. -Is someone there?- her voice was anxious.

-I'm Anakin, the knight. I have no bad intentions - he said in a deep and warm voice, which inspired trust.

- ah, are you a knight? how wonderful, we were expecting reinfroces. Are you heading to Castle Morne? Right? That's why they sent you? - Anakin laughed and denied it.

- I'm not a knight in your sense and no one sent me here. I am a Jedi Knight, my home is far from here. I came here quite by accident - the blonde-haired lady became visibly saddened by this answer

- I understand - she replied, clearly depressed.

- but my honor and the code of the order I came from do not allow me to leave you here alone, I see that I am in a rather unpleasant situation. – he said calmly, carefully adding his words. – Could you tell me what happened in this area? I see weapons and armor everywhere. There must have been some kind of battle -

- My father is Edgar, the warden of the castle. When the servants rebelled, he sent me away with some of his men. They… did not survive, it seems. –

- servant, do you mean these... creatures... with white skin, claws and wings? – Anakin asked, spotting the corpse of an unusual creature in the distance.

- yes, servant. Misbegotten. They served us loyally for many years, but when communication with Stormveil was disrupted and orders and supplies stopped coming from Lord Godrick, our servants took up machetes and launched a bloody rebellion. All the villages are devastated, I don't know about the castle. My father sent me when everything was still relatively calm. –

- Lord Godrick? this madman who graft human corpses together to create monsters - Skywalker asked with disgust. The stranger was visibly embarrassed

- I heard about various news coming from stormveil. However, I remember that it was not always like this. Before the war, Lord Godric was highly respected by his subjects. He was generous and fair. It was he who appointed my father as Warden of Morne Castle. When I was a little girl and my eyesight was good, I spent many days sitting in these wonderful royal gardens. I was raised there to be a real court lady. Everything changed, however, when Malenia and her army demanded a march through Limgrave. She humiliated our Lord in front of the entire army. From that day on, Godrick was never the same, and the situation worsened day by day and he neglected his duties. The last time we received a shipment of equipment was about a year ago. –

- I see. Let's get out of here then. I can't leave you here alone -

- NO ! I beg you. I can't leave my father. The unit that was supposed to escort me to Stormveil was defeated. If I leave now, he won't know where I am and he'll only worry. I have to wait patiently for him. – said the stranger. – my father only has me, he has a lot of problems and responsibilities. He can't worry about me anymore. I'll stay here and wait for him. – she smiled shyly.

- wait ? here ? forgive me but I have to advise you against it. How can you be sure that more rebels won't come and hurt you? –

- hmm. – the blonde-haired woman deepened her thoughts – oh, I know! why don't you take me to my father? you are a knight, and if you truly have such a masculine appearance and voice, we have nothing to worry about your safety. Lead me, O great Anakin. My father will reward you, he is a very rich and noble man - it was created out of excitement. Anakin smiled and nodded his head vigorously.

- you don't have to persuade me like that. I will do it with pleasure. Feel free to give me your hand. I'll put us on my horse and take you to your father in an instant - The Stranger stretched out her slender hand towards Anakin,

-Thank you, Sir Anakin, my name is Irina. - Anakin grabbed her hand and placed her on Torrent's saddle. After a while, he mounted himself and they moved forward.

- Morne Castle is a majestic building. You'll see it from a distance, just keep heading straight. Along the road. –

- good - the Jedi only nodded and then ordered Torrent to set a faster pace, bordering on a gallop. Irina, surprised by the speed of the mount, grabbed Skywalker's torso with excitement.

- Tell me, Sir Anakin, where you come from. Since you are not from Limgrave, you may have served as a cuckoo knight in Liurnia, or perhaps you are one of General Radahn's knights in Caelid. – after a while, she opened her mouth in surprise as a result of a certain thought that passed like lightning – no, it's not possible. There's an incoherent and powerfull aura coming from you. Tell me it's true, you're from the capital of Lyendell itself - Skywalker laughed because all the locations mentioned meant nothing to him.

- No, Irina. My home is far from here. very far away. –

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The road was full of dangers and corpses. The Misegotten tried to surprise the riders many times, but each time Anakin sent them flying into the abyss using the Force.

A majestic castle appeared on the horizon, its towers reaching towards the clouds. The Jedi smiled inwardly at his approaching goal.

- hold on, we're already close -. Skwyalker said brightly. Then he felt something like a squeeze between his ribs. It was Irina who wanted to stop it.

- Wait ! Anakin looked at her confused. – I remember that in moments of danger, my father would summon the ancient guardian. A large archer golem. His arrow is like a stake in a palisade, or even twice as large. I don't know if it was used as a last resort this time. Father was very nervous during our separation and may have been forced to summon him again -

Anakin nodded. Then he ordered the torrent to rest near a trader who had set up a stall next to his donkey. The trader looked very much like Kale, but his eyes were more discouraged and emotionally exhausted.

Skywalker jumped off Torrent and turned to the merchant.

- I am a companion of a man from your tribe, his name is Kale - however, the trader was unfazed by this information and only shrugged. Anakin was irritated by this attitude, but he didn't show it. – As you can see, I have a large amount of runes in me. I know it's a valuable currency for you. I could buy something from you, I could also pay you for the service. You will get half of what I have right now if you agree to take care of my companion until I return, and the other half when I return. Skywalker continued

However, the merchant was still unfazed by the situation and only grunted - I have seen more runes many times. This service will cost you more - Skywalker impulsively wanted to strangle the white-haired man, but he held back his inner youthful anger and brought his hand to his forehead. Before the merchant could react or comment on the strange gesture, Anakin's melodious whisper rang through the air

- You will take care of my companion named Irina -. The Trader's golden eyes widened like coins and he repeated as if in a trance - I will take care of your companion named Irina -. Skywalker smiled and continued - you will be nice to her and take nothing from her in return -

-I will be nice to her and I won't take anything from her in return -

- and when necessary, you will give your life to defend her -

- and when necessary, I will give my life to defend her - he repeated the entire sentence. Skywalker was proud of himself. Even as a Jedi, he preferred more drastic means of persuasion due to his fragile patience, and now he had pulled off a trick that even Kenobi himself would envy.

After a while, the young man turned to the blind woman and helped her dismount from his horse.

- that was impressive Sir Anakin. You both have the gift of persuasion and a true negotiator. The kingdom you serve must certainly be proud to have such a knight. – Anakin laughed nervously, and for the first time he thanked the heavens that his companion had not been able to see his nervous reaction of confusion and shame.

- well, let's hope so - he replied and sat Irina next to the donkey, covering her with his long monastic cloak. -expect me soon. I will arrive with your father sooner than you think –. If Irina could see, her eyes would express eternal gratitude and adoration as if she were in audience with the Archangel himself; she just nodded her head in understanding, lifting the corners of her mouth up.

- before you leave, I think you should take this with you - her slender hand handed Anakin a sealed letter. – My father became very distrustful in his old age. No wonder, considering the circumstances surrounding us. If you come to him without proof, he will probably interpret it as a threat or a trick and will only harm you. He will certainly treat this letter as a proof of trust and will receive you with gentleness. He is a good man despite his tough character and severe mannerism -

- Every father, no matter how hard he is, will always find a tender place in his heart for his child - replied Anakin, then became terribly sad. During all this time, he forgot that he would never see his two little children again.

Leia…Luke…I lost you again

- I know you are very strong, Sir Anakin, but I beg you to be careful. Misbegotten may look harmless, but they are very deadly, especially now when driven by a frenzy of desperation. Many of my comrades died at their hands because of this ignorance. It's not your appearance that shows your true strength -

- right - for some reason, the image of Yoda appeared in Skywalker's eyes for a moment. - So I'm leaving. May the Force be with you, Irina - the Skywalker smiled, then mounted Torrent and galloped towards his destination.

…………………………………………………….

The aura of gentle beauty that surrounded Morne Castle, surrounded by fountains, pools, colonnades and monuments, was the opposite of the growing anxiety that reigned inside the building.

As Anakin set foot inside the gate to Castle Morne, he felt a symphony of terror and misfortune. This place was cursed. The landscape of despair he saw as the elevator lifted him up almost caused the Darkness to return to Skywalker's heart. It was not a picture of a battle, because soldiers die in battle. It was a landscape of slaughter that befell the elderly, women and children. Their massacred bodies were found all over the square. And around them danced in a murderous frenzy, white-haired abominations with very protruding foreheads and asymmetrical wings attached to their backs.

They were true barbarians.

At that moment, the only feeling from which Anakin could draw strength was the rage rising within him and the despair absorbed from his agonizing surroundings. A small voice in his soul warned him that he must not give in to anger, that he would cross the line into the dark side again.

The boundaries that have recently started to blur again.

Two Misbegotten armed with machetes noticed a knight standing motionless like a pole and rushed towards him, grunting indistinct words.

They rushed at him with great impetus. But a steel blade burning with light appeared suddenly, like lightning, and led by Anakin's steady hand, deprived the attackers of their lives in a split second. This did not calm the Knight's anger.

Now the entire campsite exploded with movement. Humanoid creatures scurried from every dark corner like rats; many with weapons in hand, but Anakin had already begun his dance of death, aided by the immeasurable energy of the Force. He jumped and landed in front of another approaching group of monsters, still slashing with his sword while flying. The two Misbegotten died before they realized he was among them.

The third one moved to attack, trying to throw his spear, but Skywalker raised his open hand and in the blink of an eye, an invisible, harder than rock barrier of the Force appeared in front of him. A slight movement of the hand was enough for the barbarian with the spear to fly a good thirty meters and collide with the thick wall of the fortress with a thud, breaking all their bones in the process. Anakin dodged the blows, ran and jumped, swinging his weapon in all directions.

Each thrust sent Misbegotten to the ground writhing in agony, and each slash sent shreds of bodies wrapped in rags to the ground. Soon there were no knights willing to fight, but this did not mean the end of the battle. Anakin saw a group of terrified creatures disappearing near the end of the yard and immediately reached out towards a large boulder in the distance. The stone heeded the call and flew over the camp, killing the fleeing Misbegotten along the way. And then, by Anakin's will, he collapsed onto the tent full of damned humanoids, turning them into pulp.

The Jedi ran around the camp like a madman, his steps aided by the Force, slaughtering escaping creatures. All. Every single one. He felt a surge of energy and power so immense that it was as if he were Vader again, reaping the harvest in the separatist cell on Mustafar. He felt that he was full of Power, full of strength, full of life. And then suddenly it all ended.

Anakin stood among the ruins of the camp, surrounded by dozens of bodies of dead rebels.

And then his consciousness returned.

And with it frustration, shame and terror.

By himself

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Anakin sensed a human presence upstairs. He suspected that if Irina's father hadn't died during the fighting, he was there with the rest of his men. With heavy steps, Anakin climbed to the top and then descended to the bridge from which vitality emanated.

The castle's defenders were dressed identically to Godric's knights, who not so long ago were shooting at Skywalker with crossbows and ballistae. Apparently, however, many of them had seen in advance the carnage that was taking place below, and did not raise their weapons against Skywalker.

The soldiers did not move, but held their weapons at the ready and fixed their eyes on newcomer. They stood in two lines, forming an alley that led to a heavily armored man. The man held a decorated halberd and was notably human, contrary to the swollen corpse-flesh that was typical among the soldiers

"Tarnished," said a low bass voice with a hint of hoarseness

- Edgard I presume? - he only replied with a slow nod, and the old man's watchful eyes never left Anakin.

- tell me why you come here and what brings you here. This damned land is not on your way to ErdTree -

- I come in peace - he replied calmly, taking a white piece of paper from his tunic pocket - I have a letter here from your daughter -

- Irina? What about her ? – but instead of answering, Anakin gave the old man a sealed message. As he read and absorbed information, Edgard grew old before his eyes. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead and his brave, bloody hands began to tremble.

- is she okay? where she is ? –

- in a safe place. You must leave this castle and come with me now. She is waiting for you - Edgar became visibly sad. For a tiny fraction of a second.

Edgar cleared his throat - I cannot leave. “As commander of this castle I must recover the storied sword of Morne.”

Skywalker first thought was : You fool.

-Recover? The sword is missing? That's all ?-

Edgar waved a hand, gesturing to the entire keep. -As part of this rebellion. They've taken the sword and are hiding out, down the cliffs and along the coast.

-go straight from the castle until you reach the pass. There, to the right, there is a merchant where he has set up camp. Irina is safe there. I'll go downstairs and get your piece of steel back. Then we will all meet together -

- Tarnished, this is my duty entrusted by Lord Godric himself, you cannot replace me in such an honorable matter of state... -

- Skywalker - he interrupted rudely. Edgard looked at him questioningly. - my name is Skywalker, and yes, I can do it for you because there are more important things in this world than the duties imposed on us from above when the lives of our loved ones are in danger - Skywalker growled menacingly. - anyway, as you probably saw - he raised his hand down, mockingly - these creatures do not pose a threat to me, unlike they do to you. Go. Expect me soon –. finished the skywalker and in his reckless style he jumped down towards the cliff.

………………………………………………………………………………..

The fight with the beast guarding the ritual sword was a formality. Sensing the huge saturation of the squaller's clothes with the blood of his brothers, the large red Misbegotten with a burgundy mane launched a soaked jump attack. At least Anakin had enough of this land and fencing with a primitive beast was the last thing he wanted to do - he threw his Claymore sword towards it. The Misbegotten dodged it easily, but the returning blade that Anakin had summoned back with the Force pierced the beast's skull, ending its miserable existence.

- so much trouble for such an ugly piece of steel - he said mockingly, assessing the reflected weapon. – I hope that the generosity of this old man is not exaggerated by Irina. – He shrugged and then moved towards the exit, rejoicing in his heart that he could finally leave this cursed place.

He didn't even realize what danger was waiting for him.

…………………………………………………………………………

- Irina... How could this be... My daughter deserved better... - Edgard's painful lament resounded like thunder.

What Skywalker saw shattered his already torn heart. Irina and Nomadic Merchant lay motionless, like sculptures. Their bodies were stripped of their clothes, the visible flesh was full of bite marks, fresh wounds and cuts from which blood was oozing profusely.

Ah Irina… another poor soul he couldn't save. Save from death. He. Chosen of the Force. Chosen One.

- I'm so sorry - he put his mechanical hand on Edgard's restless shoulder, torn by sobbing. He only shook his hand as soon as he felt the touch

- The fault lies...with me. I chose duty over my daughter's safety. And that is how fate has answered... - his voice began to distort like an inhuman sound. As if it did not come from the human throat but from the very depths of darkness and misery. Suddenly, a reminiscence of old times appeared before his eyes

- Why did she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? - Anakin continued. - I know I could! –

- I'll find them…-

I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead

- The foul wretches responsible for this. I'll hunt them down, and exterminate every last one of them-

every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women and the children, too

-Rest assured, Irina. It will be done –

I HATE THEM

Before Anakin could say anything, Edgard grabbed his dead daughter's body in his arms and turned towards the knight.

- Skywalker, I don't want to see you again. I'm saying this for your safety. As a repayment of my debt to you - he looked at him with eyes pulsing yellow. Intense, like fire devouring everything. The sight was very familiar to Anakin, too familiar for him to keep calm

Anakin felt something regurgitate in his throat, he felt everything he had consumed begin to move back up. The strength in his leg began to fail him, and he nearly tripped over his own feet as he stepped back. The world suddenly lost all color and sound

However, this was what scared him even more. Which caused Anakin to freeze and turn as pale as a corpse. It was about to happen. That's what snapped him out of his stupor and stark dead silence.

There was a sound coming from an undefined figure hidden in the shadow cast by the tree, a shadow that was blinding.

The sound he knew so well

The sound of mechanical rapid rasp of breathing.

Chapter Text

The stench of death, a grotesque perfume of iron and decay, saturated the air, each inhale a fresh assault on Anakin's senses. It was the smell of his own failure, a horrifying echo of the slaughter he'd unleashed. He had to escape the Weeping Peninsula, this festering wound upon the world, but the true escape he craved was from the charnel house within his own mind. The memory of Misbegotten, contorted in their final moments, played on repeat behind his eyelids. He gagged, a choked, desperate sound that was lost in the oppressive silence of the cursed landscape.

He stumbled forward, his boots sinking into the soft, yielding earth. Each step was an act of defiance against the urge to simply collapse, to let the darkness that swirled within him finally claim its prize. The Force, once a comforting presence, a source of unwavering strength, now felt like a poisoned well, tainted by the crimson stain of his rage. He was drowning in it, suffocating in the very essence of his being.

Run, little Jedi. Run.

The voice slithered into his mind, a venomous serpent coiling around his thoughts, constricting his sanity. Vader. The specter of his past, a monstrous shadow given life by the horrors of this land, was no longer a fleeting memory, but a tangible entity, a predator stalking the fringes of his consciousness. And it was growing stronger, emboldened by every drop of blood spilled, every scream silenced. It fed on the negative energy, so much stronger in this land.

Anakin's pace quickened to a frantic run, his breath coming in ragged gasps, each one a searing reminder of the fire that consumed his lungs and his soul. Branches, gnarled and skeletal, whipped at his face, unseen in the gloom, mirroring the unseen tormentors that clawed at his mind. The muted greens and grays of the Weeping Peninsula blurred into a nauseating tapestry of despair, the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on him, a physical manifestation of his inner turmoil.

He had to get away. But how could he outrun the darkness that resided within him? How could he escape a monster born from his own sins?

You cannot escape me, Anakin, Vader's voice echoed, closer now, a hateful whisper that seemed to emanate from the very air he breathed. We are one. Inseparable. Your rage, your fear, your hatred… they are the lifeblood that sustains me.

A wave of nausea washed over him, so intense that he doubled over, his hands clutching at his stomach. He retched, his body convulsing, but nothing came up except a thin, acidic bile that burned his throat. It was the taste of his own corruption, the bitter residue of his fall.

Images flashed before his eyes, a horrifying montage of his past transgressions. The Tusken Raiders, their faces contorted in agony as he cut them down. The younglings, their innocent eyes wide with terror as he ignited his lightsaber in the Jedi Temple. Padmé, her lifeless gaze a silent accusation.

"No," he moaned, a broken, desperate sound. "Stop it... leave me alone..."

But the darkness reveled in his torment, the visions intensifying, each one a fresh stab of guilt, a fresh wave of despair. He saw the faces of the dead, their eyes burning with accusation, their mouths twisted in silent screams. He felt their pain, their terror, their hatred, and it was almost unbearable.

You are a monster, Anakin, Vader's voice hissed, a hateful serpent coiling tighter around his mind. A destroyer. A bringer of death. This is your true nature. Embrace it.

He stumbled, his foot catching on an exposed root, and he went down hard, the impact jarring him to the bone. He lay there for a moment, sprawled in the dirt, the stench of decay filling his nostrils. He wanted to scream, to cry, to let out all the pain and anguish that was tearing him apart from the inside.

But no sound came. Only a low, guttural sob that escaped his lips, a testament to the utter despair that had consumed him. He was broken, shattered, a hollow shell of the man he once was. The hero with no fear was now consumed by it.

He clawed at the ground, his fingers digging into the cold, damp earth, as if trying to bury himself, to escape the horrors that played out in his mind. But there was no escape. The darkness was all around him, within him, a suffocating presence that threatened to extinguish the last flickering embers of his soul.

Give in, Anakin, Vader urged, his voice a seductive whisper now, promising solace in oblivion. Surrender to the darkness. Let it consume you. Only then will you find peace.

And for a moment, a terrifying, heart-wrenching moment, Anakin considered it. He considered surrendering to the darkness, letting it wash over him, extinguishing the pain, the guilt, the shame. It would be so easy, so tempting, to simply let go…

He squeezed his eyes shut, tears streaming down his face, mixing with the dirt and grime. He was drowning in a sea of despair, the waves of his past crashing over him, threatening to pull him under for good.

He retched again, his body convulsing violently. This time, something did come up, a dark, viscous fluid that splattered onto the ground in front of him. It wasn't blood, it wasn't bile, it was something else, something far more sinister. It was the darkness made manifest, a physical representation of the corruption that festered within him.

He stared at it, his eyes wide with horror, a whimper escaping his lips. He was losing himself, piece by piece, to the monster within. Vader was winning, and Anakin was powerless to stop him. He saw as his legs were shaking as if they were made of cloth. His hands trembled uncontrollably, his entire body wracked with tremors.

The darkness pulsed on the ground, a living entity, and Anakin recoiled, scrambling backward, a fresh wave of terror washing over him. It was as if a part of his very soul had been ripped from his body, leaving behind an empty, aching void.

See what you are, Anakin? Vader's voice resonated, seeming to come from the darkness itself. This is your true self. The self you have tried so desperately to deny.

Anakin shook his head, tears blurring his vision. "No," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "That's not me... I'm not a monster..."

But even as he spoke the words, he doubted them. The evidence was there, splattered on the ground before him, a testament to the darkness that lurked within. Had he ever truly been anything else? Had the seeds of this monster always been present, waiting for the right moment to bloom?

He looked at his hands, stained with dirt and the residue of the dark fluid. They were the hands of a killer, a destroyer. They were Vader's hands. He felt so weak, so powerless against the tide of darkness that threatened to engulf him.
He wanted to run, to escape this nightmare, but his legs felt like lead, his body heavy with despair. The forest around him seemed to close in, the trees twisting into grotesque shapes, their branches like skeletal arms reaching out to grab him.

He was trapped, not just in the physical confines of the Weeping Peninsula, but in the prison of his own mind, a labyrinth of guilt, regret, and self-loathing from which there seemed to be no escape. The darkness was winning, and he was losing himself, piece by agonizing piece. It felt like his soul was being ripped apart. And in the echoing silence of the haunted landscape, he was utterly, terrifyingly alone. The abyss was not merely staring back at him; it was consuming him whole. He was falling, spiraling down into a bottomless pit of despair, and the darkness was all that awaited him. There was no escape, not from his sins nor the monster they had birthed.

Anakin scrambled back, a choked sound escaping his lips. He had to get away, to find somewhere, anywhere, to escape the suffocating darkness that clung to him like a second skin. His legs, leaden and protesting, finally obeyed, carrying him further into the oppressive gloom. He ran, a blind, desperate flight driven by a primal fear he hadn't felt since he was a boy on Tatooine, running from Tusken Raiders.
The trees blurred into a dizzying whirl of sickly greens and grays, their branches whipping at his face, each sting a fleeting distraction from the gnawing terror within. He stumbled over exposed roots, his lungs burning, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped animal. He had to keep moving, even though every fiber of his being screamed for him to stop, to simply surrender.
He burst through a thicket of thorny bushes, the sharp spines tearing at his clothes and skin, and found himself on a narrow, uneven path. He didn't recognize it, didn't know where it led, but it was a path, a direction, and in his panicked state, that was all that mattered.
He followed it, his pace frantic, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The path began to slope downwards, becoming steeper and more treacherous with each step. The air grew heavy, thick with a cloying sweetness that made his stomach churn. He could hear the rush of water somewhere below, a dull roar that grew louder as he descended.

And then, without warning, the ground vanished beneath him.
He cried out, a wordless shout of surprise and fear, as he tumbled down the steep incline, his body slamming against rocks and roots. He rolled, his limbs flailing, until he finally crashed onto a muddy, uneven surface below, the impact driving the air from his lungs.
He lay there for an eternity, stunned, his body screaming in pain. He slowly pushed himself up, his head spinning, his vision blurred. He was in a narrow ravine, the walls rising steeply on either side, choked with thick vegetation. The stench of decay hung heavy in the air, a nauseating odor that clung to the back of his throat.

As his vision cleared, the source of the smell became horrifyingly apparent. The path was littered with bodies. Human bodies, or what remained of them, in various stages of decomposition. Some were reduced to skeletal remains, others still bore scraps of rotting flesh. Their clothes were rags, their faces, where they still existed, contorted in silent screams.

A wave of nausea, more intense than anything he had experienced before, washed over him. He retched, his body convulsing, but nothing came up except a thin, acidic bile. This was a place of death, a place of unimaginable suffering. And the darkness within him, the presence of Vader, seemed to revel in it, growing stronger, more insistent.

They couldn't be saved either, could they? the voice whispered, slithering into his mind, a viper coiling around his sanity. Just like your mother. Just like the younglings.
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the voice, the images, the overwhelming stench of death. "No," he muttered, his voice a broken sob. "No..."
Then he heard it. A rhythmic, rasping sound, like metal grinding on metal, punctuated by a wet, choked wheeze. It was coming closer.

That breathing.

Panic seized him, a cold fist clenching around his heart. He knew that sound. It was the sound of his own past, the sound of the monster he had become. The sound of Vader.
He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the protests of his aching body. He had to hide, to find somewhere to conceal himself before the source of that terrifying sound found him.

He looked around wildly, his eyes darting from one shadow to another. The ravine offered few hiding places, only the dense undergrowth that lined the path and the shallow recesses in the rock face.
"Obi-Wan," he sobbed, the name a desperate, broken prayer torn from his throat.

"Help me... please..."

But there was no answer. Only the silence of the ravine, broken only by the relentless rasping breath that was drawing ever closer. The Force felt distant, a faint whisper, as if it had abandoned him to this nightmare. He was alone. Utterly alone with the ghost of his past sins.

He stumbled forward, his legs threatening to give way beneath him. He had to find somewhere to hide, and fast.
Ahead, through the gloom, he saw a structure. A small, dilapidated building, its stone walls crumbling, its roof partially collapsed. A church, or what was left of it. A faint, flickering light emanated from within, casting long, dancing shadows that seemed to mock his terror.

It was a desperate hope, a sliver of a chance in this valley of death. He stumbled towards it, his heart pounding a frantic tattoo against his ribs. He reached the entrance, a gaping hole where a door once stood, and peered inside.
The interior was dimly lit by several flickering flames, casting an eerie, orange glow. The air was thick with smoke, and the smell of decay was even stronger here, mingled with a sickly sweet odor he couldn't place.
His eyes struggled to adjust to the dimness. When they did, a fresh wave of horror washed over him.

The church was filled with people, dozens of them, their bodies gaunt, their clothes tattered. They swayed, their eyes wide and unfocused, their mouths moving in silent, disjointed motions. Flames flickered all around them, an unnatural, unsettling glow. Amongst them scurried small, hunched figures with matted fur and sharp claws, their eyes gleaming with a feral hunger - rats, dozens of them.

This was no sanctuary. It was a trap. A place of madness and despair. And he, Anakin Skywalker, the fallen hero, the haunted Jedi, was trapped right in the middle of it, about to be hunted by specter of his own sins.

The mechanical breathing was closer now, right outside. He could almost feel the presence of his dark self, the weight of his past pressing down on him like a physical burden. There was nowhere left to run, nowhere left to hide. The darkness was closing in, and the monster he had become was coming to claim him. He whimpered, a pathetic, broken sound, as the reality of his situation crashed over him.

The decrepit sanctuary, once a testament to Marika's grace, now stood as a grotesque parody of faith, a crumbling edifice of despair on the blighted Weeping Peninsula. It was less a church and more a mausoleum of hope, a tomb for Anakin's already fractured spirit. The rasping breaths, mechanical and monstrous, echoed from just beyond the gaping maw that once served as a doorway, promising the arrival of a devil intimately familiar, a demon forged in the crucible of his own sins. He was adrift in a self-made abyss, drowning in the murky depths of his past, with no savior in sight, no hand to pull him from the suffocating darkness.

Anakin's gaze darted around the interior of the ruined church, taking in the macabre scene with a growing sense of dread. "What... what madness is this?" he whispered, the words barely audible above the frantic thumping of his heart.

The flickering flames that danced around the room cast a grotesque, shifting light, revealing the full horror of the scene. These were no ordinary flames. They licked at the air with an unnatural hunger, their light a sickly yellow, tinged with an unsettling orange hue. They seemed to writhe and pulse, like living things, casting long, distorted shadows that danced and twisted across the walls, transforming familiar shapes into monstrous apparitions.

The commoners, once inhabitants of the Lands Between, were now hollowed-out shells, their bodies ravaged by some unseen affliction. Their skin was stretched taut over protruding bones, a sickly yellow, almost jaundiced. Veins, thick and purple, pulsed beneath the surface like engorged worms. Some were missing patches of flesh, revealing the raw, glistening muscle beneath, a horrific tapestry of decay and corruption.

But it was their eyes that truly chilled him to the bone. They were wide and unfocused, pupils dilated to pinpricks, reflecting the unnatural flames with an unsettling intensity. A yellowish fluid, thick and viscous, leaked from the corners, streaking their cheeks like grotesque tears. It was as though the very light of these unsettling flames had seeped into their being, burning away their sanity, leaving behind only a hollow, burning madness.

Their movements were jerky and spasmodic, a disturbing parody of a religious dance. They swayed and stumbled, their limbs contorting at unnatural angles. Some mumbled incoherent prayers, their voices raspy and distorted, while others simply stared blankly ahead, their mouths agape in silent screams.

And then there were the rats, skittering through the shadows, their eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger that mirrored the madness of the humans they shared this space with. They were bloated, their fur matted and greasy, their teeth long and yellowed. They seemed to be drawn to the corrupted flesh of the commoners, a disturbing symbiosis of decay and infestation.

This wasn't just madness; it was a perversion of life itself, a grotesque mockery of faith and devotion. It was a glimpse into a hell far more terrifying than any he had ever imagined, a hell born not of fire and brimstone, but of a corrupted, burning light that consumed the mind and twisted the body into something monstrous. And the source of it, that relentless mechanical breathing, was just outside, a constant, terrifying reminder of the darkness that awaited him. He was trapped in a nightmare made real, a living horror show orchestrated by a force he didn't understand but instinctively feared.

The stench of burnt flesh and corrupted faith clawed at Anakin's throat, a physical manifestation of the horror that had swallowed the church whole. He had to escape. He scrambled backward, away from the unholy congregation, away from the encroaching mechanical breaths that echoed his own internal doom. His hand instinctively went to his side, grasping the hilt of the Claymore, the cold, unfamiliar steel a poor substitute for the comforting hum of his lost lightsaber.
He burst through the gaping doorway, stumbling out into the sickly twilight of the Weeping Peninsula. He ran, his lungs burning, his legs screaming in protest, fueled by a primal terror that clawed at the edges of his sanity.

"Melina," he gasped, the name a desperate, broken prayer on his lips. "Melina, where are you?"

But there was no answer, only the desolate whisper of the wind through the gnarled, dead trees. Melina, his guide, his confidante, the faint flicker of hope in this blighted land, was nowhere to be found. He was utterly alone, adrift in a sea of madness and despair.

And then, he saw him.

Emerging from the shadows of the ruined church, a figure that seemed to embody the very essence of darkness.

Tall and terrible, clad in black armor that seemed to absorb what little light remained, he moved with a terrifying grace, a predator stalking its prey. The rhythmic rasp of his mechanical breathing, a sound that had haunted Anakin's nightmares for years, cut through the silence like a death knell.

Vader.

He ignited his lightsaber, the crimson blade erupting from the hilt with a malevolent hiss, casting a blood-red glow that painted the surrounding landscape in hues of death and despair. The light seemed to pulse with a glowing energy, a stark contrast to the sickly yellow flames that still flickered within the church.
Anakin stumbled back, his hand tightening around the hilt of the Claymore. It felt inadequate, a child's toy compared to the weapon of pure energy that hummed in Vader's grasp. It was just a simple steel greatsword, incapable to parry the might of the Sith lightsaber. It was hope against despair, a flickering candle against a raging inferno.
From within the church, a chorus of guttural chants erupted, rising in a terrifying crescendo. The commoners, the twisted, hollowed-out shells of humanity, were spilling out of the doorway, their eyes burning with that same unsettling, sickly yellow light. But now, their gaze was not fixed on Anakin, but on Vader.

They saw him, the figure in black, the crimson blade a beacon of terrifying power, and they fell to their knees, their emaciated bodies trembling, their voices raised in a chorus of worship.

To them, in their corrupted state, Vader was a messiah, a dark savior. They prostrated themselves before him, their chants taking on a feverish intensity, their movements becoming even more erratic, more disturbing.

"Lord of Frenzied Flame", their voices rasped, the words a distorted prayer

"Savior."

"Deliverer."

Anakin watched in horror as the scene unfolded before him. It was a grotesque parody of religious fervor, a nightmare made real.

These people, these lost souls, were worshipping the very embodiment of his own inner darkness, the monster he had become, the demon he was desperately trying to escape. It was a horrifying reflection, a twisted mirror image of his own fall from grace. The scene was a chilling testament to the seductive power of darkness, the ease with which it could corrupt and consume.
Vader stood before the adoring throng, the crimson glow of his lightsaber illuminating his masked visage, his silence more terrifying than any boast. He was a god of darkness, a lord of despair, and these wretched souls were his devoted flock. And Anakin, the fallen hero, the broken Jedi, was trapped in the middle, caught between the monster he had become and the madness he had unleashed. He was utterly and completely alone, facing the abyss, with only a simple steel greatsword and his rapidly dwindling courage to stand against the encroaching darkness. The weight of his past, the burden of his sins, pressed down on him, threatening to crush him beneath their immensity. It was a scene of biblical horror, a tableau of despair, and he, the fallen angel, was at its center.

The tableau of grotesque worship, the macabre dance of the flame-addled commoners, shattered in a horrifying instant. Vader, a figure of absolute, terrifying power, stood amidst the flickering yellow light, the crimson blade of his lightsaber a malevolent gash in the darkness. He raised a gloved hand, and the chanting of the deranged congregation was cut short, not in reverent silence, but in a symphony of strangled gasps and desperate, choking sobs.
Anakin watched, rooted to the spot, a fresh wave of horror washing over him, colder and more paralyzing than anything he had felt before. The commoners, already teetering on the brink of oblivion, were lifted from the ground as if by invisible nooses. Their emaciated bodies, ravaged by the maddening flames, spasmed violently, their limbs flailing in a grotesque parody of a dance.

The sickly yellow light that had filled their eyes, the mark of their corrupted devotion, flickered and dimmed as the life was squeezed from them. They clawed at their throats, their fingers scrabbling uselessly at the unseen force that constricted their airways. Their mouths gaped open in silent screams, their faces contorted in a mask of agony that mirrored the torment of their souls.
It was a slow, agonizing death. Vader made no move to hasten it. He simply stood there, his hand outstretched, his mechanical breaths the only sound in the clearing besides the awful, wet gurgles of the dying. He was not merely killing them; he was savoring their suffering, drawing it out, relishing the power he wielded over life and death.

"No..."

Anakin whispered, the word a choked sob.

"Stop it... please..."

But his pleas were lost in the wind, unheard or ignored by the dark figure before him. This was a power beyond anything he could comprehend, a power that reveled in cruelty and despair. It was the power of the dark side, unleashed and unrestrained. It was the power he had once wielded, and the realization sent a fresh wave of shame and self-loathing crashing over him.
The rats, as if sensing the shift in the power dynamic, scurried away from the scene of carnage, their beady eyes reflecting the crimson glow of Vader's lightsaber. They disappeared into the shadows, leaving behind only the dying and the silent specter of death that presided over them.

One by one, the commoners fell limp, their bodies collapsing into lifeless heaps on the blood-soaked ground. The sickly yellow light faded from their eyes, leaving behind only empty sockets, staring blankly up at the uncaring sky. The silence that followed was even more terrifying than the sounds of their death throes. It was the silence of utter desolation, of a void where hope had once flickered, however faintly.
Vader stood amidst the carnage, his black armor gleaming in the faint light that filtered through the ruined church. He had not even moved, had simply extended his hand and snuffed out the lives of those who had, moments before, worshipped him as a god. It was a display of power so absolute, so casually brutal, that it chilled Anakin to the core. He had seen death before, had dealt it himself on countless battlefields, but this was different. This was not the heat of battle, but a cold, calculated act of extermination.

The crimson blade retracted with a snap-hiss, plunging the clearing into a relative darkness, broken only by the faint, flickering light emanating from the ruined church, and the dying embers of the Frenzied Flame that still clung to the corpses. Vader turned his gaze towards Anakin, the shadowed lenses of his mask seeming to bore into his very soul, seeing his fear, his weakness, his despair.

"They were already lost, Skywalker," Vader's voice, distorted and metallic, echoed across the clearing, each word a spike of ice through Anakin's heart. "Lost to the false promises of a dying world. I merely released them from their suffering."
Anakin struggled to find the words, his mind reeling from the sheer brutality of what he had just witnessed. This was act of mercy. Mercy for people who seeked death, who wish they never existed. Act of Frenzied Flame.

"Leave me alone," he whispered, his voice barely audible, a fragile plea lost in the vast emptiness of his despair. "Just... leave me alone."

"Leave you alone?" Vader's voice was a demonic purr, a silken whisper that wrapped around Anakin's heart like a constricting serpent. "But we are bound together, you and I. Two sides of the same coin. Forged in the same fires of destiny. You cannot escape me, Skywalker, any more than you can escape your own shadow." He took a step closer, the rasping of his mechanical breath growing louder, more menacing, each inhale a promise of pain, each exhale a sigh of impending doom. "Your power, your rage, your pain... they are all mine now. They always have been. And soon," he extended a gloved hand towards Anakin, the gesture both an invitation and a threat, a parody of the Jedi teachings he had long since abandoned, "your body will be as well."
"Your body, Skywalker," the voice echoed, each word a spike of ice through Anakin's heart, a chilling premonition of a future he desperately wanted to avoid, "belongs to me."
The fight, if such a one-sided affair could even be dignified with the term, was as brutal as it was tragically brief. Anakin, his spirit already broken, raised the Claymore, his hands trembling so violently he could barely hold the weapon. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic, desperate drumbeat against the silence of the clearing, a rhythm of fear and impending doom. The greatsword felt impossibly heavy, a useless weight against the power that stood before him, a power that had just casually extinguished a dozen lives as if swatting flies.

Vader advanced, each step deliberate, each movement precise, the very embodiment of controlled power. He was a predator toying with its prey, a master swordsman facing a novice who had already lost the will to fight, a dark god preparing to claim his due. He did not even bother to ignite his lightsaber, a silent testament to his utter confidence, his absolute certainty of victory.

Anakin swung the Claymore, a desperate, clumsy attack born of fear rather than skill, a futile gesture of defiance. Vader, with a speed that defied his armored bulk, simply raised his armored forearm. The steel blade connected with a jarring clang, sparks showering as metal met metal, but it was the Claymore that gave way, a large notch appearing on its edge where it met Vader's durasteel-plated arm. The sound echoed in the stillness of the clearing, a stark testament to the futility of Anakin's resistance.
Again and again, Anakin attacked, each swing more desperate than the last, fueled by a rapidly dwindling hope, a flickering ember in the encroaching darkness. And each time, Vader met his blows not with his blade, but with his armored limbs, deflecting, parrying, with an almost insulting ease, never once seeming to exert any real effort. He blocked the heavy blade with his armored arms as if it weighed nothing, a terrifying display of his enhanced strength. Each parry was a new wave of humiliation for the once-proud Jedi.

"You cannot win, Skywalker," Vader taunted, his voice a sharp rasp, each word a fresh cut to Anakin's already wounded soul. "You are weak. Broken. A shadow of the Jedi you once were, a flickering candle in the face of a raging inferno."

"Shut up!" Anakin screamed, the words torn from his throat, a raw, animalistic cry of defiance and despair. He lunged forward, a desperate, reckless attack, putting all his remaining strength into a single, powerful swing, a last-ditch effort to reclaim some semblance of control.

Vader merely sidestepped the blow with an insulting ease, the Claymore whistling harmlessly through the air. He then, with a speed that belied his size and armor, struck. The lightsaber moved like a living thing, a serpent of pure energy, and Anakin barely had time to raise his Claymore in a desperate, last-second defense.

The result was catastrophic. The Claymore, forged of simple steel, was no match for the concentrated power of a lightsaber. The crimson blade sliced through the metal as if it were made of thin air, the heat so intense that Anakin cried out in pain as molten metal splashed against his skin, burning him. The Claymore, his only defense, was severed in two, the useless halves clattering to the ground, the sound echoing in the sudden silence like a death knell. The very air around the lightsaber was shimmering, distorted by the intense heat generated by the blade.

Anakin stumbled back, his eyes wide with terror, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of the weapon that was no longer there. He was disarmed, defenseless, facing the embodiment of his own darkest fears, the monster he had tried so desperately to bury.
He was completely and utterly at the mercy of the monster he had become, and the look in Vader's shadowed lenses, the cold, calculating emptiness behind the mask, promised no quarter, no compassion. The fight was over.

He had lost.

There was nowhere left to run, nowhere left to hide. The darkness had won. He could almost hear the faint, maddening whispers of the Frenzied Flame, a chorus of voices urging him to embrace the inevitable, to surrender to the darkness that awaited him.

It was the end.