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Anakin Skywalker is on the path to become one of the greatest figures on the galactic scene. If you want to read an original story of greatness, you can check my story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
Double post today in honor of releasing more than twenty chapters of Arrival : Ruptures, along with the pilot chapter.
—
Tatooine
Sanctum Sanctorum
Anakin raised the staff horizontally, blocking the hit. Strange pulled back, going for his right side and then left. He blocked each strike. Strange continued with attacks from random directions, speeding up gradually. Anakin's reaction times were slow, and he aimed to increase them.
The exercise was a bonus.
"Left foot back and brace," he said, swinging the staff in an arc from right to left. Anakin held his staff vertically this time. The strike was harder this time. He felt the vibrations travel through his hands. He was pushed back but managed to block the attack.
"Now right foot back," Strange ordered, changing directions. Anakin followed, moving his right foot to the back and blocking again. He didn't understand the finer details, but how to block an attack depending on the direction it came from was becoming clear.
The next attack was vertical, coming straight for his head. He brought both feet together, bracing. He blocked it too, smiling at how easy it was.
Strange pulled the staff back and thrusted it forward, going for the head. Anakin panicked, thinking his teacher would just go for another swing. He scrambled to move but stumbled and fell on his back. Strange's staff stopped before it touched his forehead.
He felt the wood bump on his head.
"Out there, assuming you ever get into close quarters, no one who actually knows how to fight will be so predictable. Don't react because you think your opponent will only attack in certain ways. React because you can read their movements."
"Understood."
"Good, let's test that," Strange said. He swung the staff upwards. Anakin brought his staff down vertically, barely stopping the attack. Strange smiled and pulled the staff back to attack once again.
—
Anakin fell on his back, taking deep breaths.
"How do you feel, besides being tired?" Strange asked as his student rested. He was not used to this kind of training. It would take more training sessions before he got used to it.
"Thirsty," he muttered, pushing himself up.
"Why do I have to learn this? Can't I just use spells to fight from distance?" he asked, wincing as he rubbed his arms.
"Because sorcery requires constant focus. Guns, or blasters in this galaxy's case, are simple. Aim, pull the trigger, and forget the projectile. Sorcery is not so simple. If you tried to bombard your enemy from long range, you'd be a stationary glass cannon. It also drains a lot of power. Creating constructs, such as swords, whips, shields, and more, is easier; hence, we fight in close- to mid-range," Strange explained. Long-range combat was their weakness, hence why they had many techniques to close the distance.
"So I can't fight at long range?"
"I'll be honest with you, I don't know. Your ability to draw more energy would negate the power issue, but the mentally intensive part? That is up to you. If you can find a way, you can be one of the greatest sorcerers," he explained. Anakin still needed to work on his control, but at least power would never be an issue with him.
3PO walked into the training area in that slow, awkward way his model did. "Master Anakin, Master Strange, lunch is almost ready."
"Enough physical training for today. You can work on your remaining assignment after lunch. Go and clean up."
He got up, groaning as his body protested. He opened a portal to the bathroom and left.
—
"Will that be all, Master Strange?" 3PO asked as he filled the last plate with the stew.
"Yes, 3PO, thank you."
"If there is anything else I could assist with..." 3PO started. Strange interrupted him with a hand,
"Thank you, 3PO, you have done plenty enough."
"As you wish."
He shook his head, watching the droid leave. He couldn't deny that the droid was useful in helping with chores, but damn if that gold chatterbox didn't get on his nerves sometimes. If he didn't know better, he would have thought Anakin had programmed him to speak for the sake of it.
Anakin limped into the kitchen. Shmi walked behind him, smiling as her son groaned with every step.
"I have to admit, I wasn't sure about 3PO. But he really is convenient to have," he said, taking a spoonful of the stew. He just had to write down the recipes, and the droid could create them flawlessly.
"If only he weren't so…" Shmi began, looking where the droid had left to charge himself.
"Talkative?" Anakin said.
"Yes."
He shrugged. "That's how his personality developed. I can't do anything."
—
His studies, both physical and mental, continued. Whenever he had free time, he spent it either with his mother or in his small workshop. The electromagnetic shield for the holovision set would be ready soon.
He still had much to do, but at least it was fun.
—
"3PO, tell me about the Jedi Order," Strange asked, sitting in the living room.
The droid gave a small nod. "Of course, Master Strange. Is there any specific topic you would like to start with?"
"Their powers. Tell me about them." It was the most important part to know what these peacekeepers were capable of.
"As you wish."
He prepared his notebook, writing down the important parts. There wasn't much to begin with. The source of their powers was named the Force, an energy field generated by all living beings. Some individuals possessed a rare sensitivity that allowed limited interaction with it.
Nothing on any extra-dimensional energies.
The extent of the interaction was not as vast as the mystic arts. Telekinesis, influencing minds, seeing visions of the future, and almost superhuman reflexes, as if they sensed the danger.
Like Spider-Man.
There was a method to test this, but only the Jedi knew what it was. Testing whether Anakin was Force-sensitive or not was not possible now.
Sending a message all the way to Coruscant, which was almost seventy thousand light years away, was expensive. The history of the enmity between the Jedi and the Sith, which had resulted in many galactic wars, also pointed out they weren't the only ones interested in Force-sensitive individuals. While history claimed they were extinguished, he knew it was never that simple.
Until Anakin was old enough to make his decisions and strong enough to defend them, it was best to keep away from the Jedi. Even if Anakin weren't Force-sensitive, the abilities offered by the Mystic Arts would be too valuable.
The Jedi were the defenders of peace. He didn't know enough about how their order worked to say whether they would classify the Mystic Arts as a danger to that peace or not.
—
Anakin took a step back, ducking under the swipe. He struck at his teacher's knee, but it was blocked. Having learned better than to get into a contest of strength, he took a step forward, striking at the other knee.
His master was quicker.
Two staves crossed harmlessly once again. Strange twirled his weapon, bringing down a flurry of strikes. Anakin dodged the ones he could and blocked the ones he couldn't. He jumped over a sweep aimed at his legs and rolled back to dodge a stab.
He leaped to his feet, staff pointing at the older man.
"You are improving," Strange said, arms crossed at his back.
Anakin's eyes widened and he threw himself to the ground. Strange held his hand out, catching the apple. It hit his hand with a thwack.
"What was that?" he grumbled, getting up to look behind, seeing golden sparks disappearing into nothingness.
"Testing something. How did you know to duck?" Strange asked, splitting the apple into two parts and handing one to his student.
"I don't know. I just felt like something was coming from my back."
"Interesting," he said, taking a small bite. "I knew a kid once. A superhero named Spider-Man. He had this sixth sense; it allowed him to feel incoming dangers and their directions." Of course Anakin couldn't have the Spider-Sense, which left one possible option.
"You think I have a sense like that?" he asked, taken back.
"I think you are Force sensitive, like the Jedi."
"Wow," he said, mouth hanging open. Being a Master of the Mystic Arts was cooler than being a Jedi. It still felt nice to know he could have more powers.
"We can't be sure without knowing how the Jedi test an individual for it. However, one of their known powers is this sixth sense for danger."
"Cool. What does it mean for my training, though? he asked, tilting his head. His teacher did not know how to use the Force, and he didn't think the Jedi would be willing to give out personal lessons.
"Assuming you are Force-sensitive, perhaps it could supplant your sorcery in ways never seen before," he said. It was all foreign territory.
"Actually, I was searching for salvage beneath the sands. I saw some crystals that," he stopped, frowning, "called out to me, I think. They went silent when I approached. There was also something else, but I never got around to checking it out."
"Why don't you bring some of those crystals and find that other disturbance as well? We can examine them here."
Anakin nodded, wordlessly taking a meditative stance.
—
He flew through sand and stone in complete darkness, trusting that weird sense to guide him. The closer he got, the louder the humming became. He fell through a ceiling, looking around. The crystals were illuminating the otherwise pitch-black cave. He made sure to memorize the location, especially the crystals, to open a portal.
He left, remembering the direction that weird, indescribable feeling had come from.
He overshot it, actually reaching the surface, before diving down again. The feeling, like the almost faded echo of a rage- and hate-filled scream, was close to the surface. When he reached the source, he could not see anything, even though the source was right in front of him.
A blue light hit his eyes.
He turned to the right, approaching a cube. The blue glow came from the crystalline-looking material covered by golden metal parts. It was the size of an adult's palm and seemed to be pulsing.
He could not see anything else, but just that was enough. He absorbed each detail of the cube, engraving the location on his mind.
His whole world became a blur, and he opened his eyes.
"I found a cube," he exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
"The disturbance?" Strange asked. It certainly sounded mysterious enough.
"I don't think so. But it was the only thing I could see," he said, frowning.
"3PO, come here, please," Strange called to the droid, who was leaving the shed after recharging.
"Yes, Master Strange?"
"Anakin, open the portal. If it's pitch dark, it is best to send 3PO."
He nodded, taking position. With a roll of his hand, the golden sparks bent the fabric of space, opening a gate. 3PO walked inside, his advanced optics granting him the ability to easily navigate the darkness.
"Goodness," the droid exclaimed. Strange summoned two half-circle mandalas, waiting.
"What is it, 3PO?" he asked, taking an aggressive position.
3PO poked half his body out of the portal. "There is a skeleton here."
Strange dismissed the mandalas, rolling his eyes. "Bring it too, along with everything else you can carry."
"I do not believe this is hygienic, Master Strange," the droid cautioned, but Strange waved it away.
"That skeleton was buried under sand for who knows how long. If it hasn't turned to dust, then there is nothing to worry about." Everything inside that ship was long dead.
"Understood," 3PO said. The teacher and student waited as the droid dragged out the remains of an alien, dressed in armor. He went inside again, returning with a metallic tube and the cube Anakin had mentioned.
"This was all I could find. Would you like me to conduct a more thorough search?" he asked
Strange tilted his head at Anakin and then turned to smile at the droid. "No 3PO, you did well."
Anakin asked as the portal disappeared. He had never seen a skeleton before. "Is that a human?"
"No. Close enough that he could be related to humans, but he is not," he said. There were small protrusions on the face, and the shape wasn't exactly human.
Anakin shrugged, looking at the other items his droid had found. He took the metallic tube, turning it around in his hands. "Careful with that. We don't know what they are," Strange warned.
"I believe that is a lightsaber. My databases contain images of several similar objects," 3PO said, and his eyes widened.
"Anakin, put that down," Strange ordered as his apprentice continued to fumble with the weapon. He pressed something, causing a small, red pillar to flash into existence.
Strange acted quickly, wrapping tendrils around the crimson blade, gently taking it out of his apprentice's hands.
"Sorry," he said with an apologetic grin.
Strange took the lightsaber, holding the hollow end away from himself. "I understand your enthusiasm, but this is not a toy."
"I know. I just felt like holding it."
He raised an eyebrow, turning to the other item. "What about the cube?"
Anakin shrugged. He didn't feel anything from the cube.
Strange sent tendrils, raising the cube to the air. He poked it in the middle of the circles and tried to twist the parts, but nothing happened.
"Perhaps there is a secret way to open it. There are some artifacts that only respond to the mystic arts. It is possible this cube only reacts to force," he said. If Anakin could figure out how to use the Force, he might be able to open the cube.
"Though I am curious, if the disturbance wasn't the cube, then what was it?" he asked, looking at the lightsaber. It certainly seemed dangerous enough, but unless there was a more mystical element to it, it was just a technologically advanced sword.
Anakin closed his eyes, searching for that sharp, spiky feeling. "I think it's the skeleton."
"I don't feel anything," Strange said, narrowing his eyes at the remains of the alien. Evidence that Anakin could be Force-sensitive was mounting up.
"What does it feel like?" he asked.
"Like… like he was angry and hateful and it left an echo behind," Anakin said, feeling the emotions well up in himself. He scowled, glaring at the remains.
Strange made a ritualistic gesture with his fingers, creating a mandala beneath the skeleton. It burst into flames, turning to red ash that disappeared into the wind.
Anakin stumbled, grabbing his head. He suddenly felt dizzy and empty. "Are you alright?" his master asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah," he nodded, looking at where the remains used to be. "I am sure it was the skeleton."
"It is possible the emotions of this echo overwhelmed you. Let's go and get you rested," he said, guiding the boy inside. Force itself seemed to be emotionally driven, though he could not say to what degree.
Still, they had learned something.
—
In the next chapter:
He unscrewed the hilt, being gentle while taking the mechanical parts apart. He pulled the power cell out first, then the emitter matrix and the remaining parts. Right in the middle was a blood red crystal.
He reached for it.
The second his finger touched the crystal, he recoiled. He brought his finger closer, examining it for any wounds. There was nothing, even though he had felt a sharp pain. He touched it again. The agony was there, but no wound again.
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