Sulit [ Ben Solo ]

IX.

CHAPTER NINE
[ training! ]

Asteria sat cross-legged on a rock on a cliff overlooking the water, eyes shut. Rey was sitting beside her, mirroring her. "Close your eyes," Asteria commanded, knowing even with her eyes shut that Rey's weren't, that the girl was eyeing her out of the corner of her eye to be sure she was doing it right.

Rey's eyes snapped shut, and Asteria almost let out a laugh. "Now," she said, "empty your mind of your thoughts, and reach out."

Even with her eyes closed, she knew what Rey had done. She'd reached out with her hand and Asteria then actually did let out a small, short giggle. Rey turned pink and set her hand down at her side.

"You meant reach out, like. . ."

"Yes." She laid her hands on her knees, palms turned up to the sky, and Rey did the same. "Reach out with your feelings. Before you train with a lightsaber, you must become one with the Force. Breathe, and reach out."

Asteria took in a deep breath and listened to her padawan describe what she felt. "I see. . . the island. Life. Death and decay, that feeds new life. Warm. Cold. Peace. Violence."

"And between all of it?"

"Balance. And energy." Rey smiled, feeling the Force course through her. "A force. And inside me, and in you, that same force."

"Yes," Asteria breathed, smiling along with her. She opened her eyes and swung her legs over the side of the rock, sliding off and moving to stand in front of Rey. "You feel it now. Inside of you. It is from that place of balance and light that you must draw your strength. Where all Jedi must draw their strength."

Rey opened her eyes. "I've felt it before. When Ren was interrogating me, getting in my head, I pushed him out."

"You did?" Rey nodded her head in response. "That's wonderful."

"And I— well, I don't know what you call it, but I made a stormtrooper let me go. Told him what to do and he did it."

"A Jedi mind-trick." She couldn't hide her amazement. "I suppose learning under stress is effective. Very impressive. Though I must ask: where did you hear of them?"

"Stories. People on Jakku talk a lot. I never knew if it was real, if the Jedi were real, but. . ." She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.

"But they are," Asteria finished for her. "We are very real. Always have been. It's only our diminishing numbers that cast doubt on whether we exist or not."