Shadow On Mortis

A.N: Read your comments and messages (some before i slept) and felt good that you guys liked it, so i cooked another one today, its late, so im tired as fuck... night.

Lelouch sat, his slender frame perfectly still, deep in meditation. The surroundings were quiet, almost oppressively so, the kind of silence that made the air feel thick. But to those attuned to the Force, there was nothing still about it. They could feel the energy pulsing from Lelouch, dark and turbulent, like waves crashing onto a jagged shore. The pulses were erratic, each one different in strength and rhythm, but all laced with power. Though his body remained unmoved for hours, his connection to the Force radiated outward, seeping into the atmosphere. 

A slight smile played on his lips, a knowing smirk that hinted at his awareness of everything that unfolded around him. He could sense the shifting balance on Mortis, feel the clash of the Son and Daughter beneath the surface. It all played into his plan, the invisible strings he subtly pulled. The smile deepened as he reached out into the currents of the Force, letting them swirl around him, a dark and intricate dance only he knew the steps to. 

Anakin Skywalker stormed through the ancient corridors of the temple, his expression a mixture of fury and confusion. The weight of the vision still clung to him like a shadow, his mother's voice echoing in his mind, a reminder of the pain he could never fully escape. He moved with purpose, his hand gripping his lightsaber tightly, as if the weapon could somehow silence the tempest of emotions raging within him. 

At last, he found the Father, seated on the cold stone floor of the temple, calm, unbothered by Anakin's approach. The elder figure watched as Anakin approached, his silhouette cast in the dim light. Without a word, Anakin ignited his lightsaber, the blue blade hissing to life as it pointed directly between the Father's eyes. 

"You're a Sith, aren't you?" Anakin growled, his voice low, filled with menace. His patience was worn thin, and everything on this world felt wrong. "You're behind all of this." 

The Father didn't flinch, didn't move. His gaze held steady, almost amused by Anakin's accusation. 

"You have a very simplistic view of the Force," the Father said softly, his voice carrying a deep weight of wisdom. "And of the universe." 

With a single motion, the Father raised his hand, and Anakin's lightsaber powered down, the blade retracting into the hilt as if of its own accord. The Jedi blinked, surprised, glancing at his now deactivated weapon. 

The Father smiled knowingly, speaking again as if nothing had transpired. "Few in the galaxy still remember our existence. You, the Chosen One, will learn soon enough." 

Reluctantly, Anakin clipped his lightsaber to his belt, still eyeing the Father warily. He stepped back slightly but remained on edge. "In the room," Anakin said, voice filled with a trace of hesitation, "I saw… my mother. But it wasn't really her." 

The Father let out a long, thoughtful hum, his expression growing more serious. "That was likely the work of my son." 

"Your son?" Anakin's brow furrowed in confusion. 

The Father nodded. "We can take many forms, reflect the life force of those around us. And you, Chosen One, carry a great sadness in your heart. My son could sense it, as could I. He used it against you." 

Anakin's jaw clenched, his frustration clear. "Who are you people? Why are you here?" 

"We are not like other beings. My children and I can manipulate the Force in ways you cannot comprehend." The Father's gaze drifted toward the horizon, as if looking beyond time and space. "That is why we live here, separate from the temporal world. It is not a sanctuary… but a prison." 

Anakin's expression softened, some of the tension leaving his frame. "A prison?" 

The Father nodded once more, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air. "I can only control them here. My son and daughter's power could tear the very fabric of the universe apart. Only within this realm can I keep them in balance." 

Anakin's confusion deepened. "I don't understand. Why not let them go? Why keep them imprisoned?" 

The Father's eyes darkened with sadness. "Because I love them. They are my children. But their power is… dangerous. It is a burden only I can bear." He looked directly at Anakin, as if trying to make him understand. "You, too, carry a great burden, one you may not fully understand yet." 

Unknown to either of them, lurking nearby, The Son stood in the shadows. His golden eyes burned with anger, his body trembling with barely restrained fury. He had heard every word. His father's desire for control grated against him like a blade, every syllable stoking the flames of his growing rebellion. 

"Control us?" The Son thought bitterly. As if we are mere tools... 

A dark rage boiled within him, his thoughts consumed by his father's words. His sister might be too weak to challenge their father, too bound by her devotion to him. But he... he would not be so easily controlled, he would not have his sister and himself stuck on this rock because of his fear. His power was vast and growing, and he had been biding his time. Waiting. The temptation to act was almost unbearable now, but he held back. 

Not yet. The time will come. 

As he wrestled with his anger, the Father's voice echoed in his mind, issuing a command. "Bring the Chosen One's companions for the trial." 

With a quiet snort of disdain, the Son shifted his form and vanished from the temple, his anger still simmering beneath the surface. He would play the part of the obedient son... for just a moment longer. 

Anakin stood on the trial grounds, a dark and ominous sky swirling overhead. His gaze was fixed on the distant horizon, tension filling every fiber of his being. The wind whipped around him as the Father appeared, standing tall at the center of the arena. From above, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were brought down, held aloft by two strange creatures—one white, one black—the Daughter and the Son. 

Anakin's eyes widened, watching helplessly as his companions were placed before him. The Father turned to him, his voice grave. "Your test begins now, Chosen One." 

----------------------------- 

Lelouch simply observed Anakin's trial. Anakin used the raw power he drew to subdue the siblings, which was impressive, considering they amounted to minor deities. Just the natural resistance of the force they commanded made such task near impossible for almost all other force users. 

'It is impressive... for a mortal.' Tzeentch said as Anakin, Obi Wan and Ahsoka turned to leave the trial grounds. 

"It's the main reason we chose him after all." 

'It's too bad you didn't bring his present... It would be a shame to see the look on his face.' 

"Did I now?" Lelouch asked as he snapped his fingers. 

Out of nowhere, behind him, a metal container of two and a half meters was standing tall proudly. 

'Quite impressive, though you lack understanding, brute forcing is not your strength at this stage...' Tzeentch said as she looked at Lelouch's face, a single line of blood escaping from the edge of his lip. 

"It was a good measure of my limits..." Lelouch said as he wiped the blood, staring at his hand as it was smeared in it slightly. 

'It would have been really bad if you had a normal lifespan... or if you were much weaker...' 

"It's not like it will matter after today." 

'Indeed...' Tzeentch said with a crazy gleam in the eyes, looking at Lelouch up and down in approval as a smile presented itself. 

Lelouch paid it no heed as he closed his eyes once more. 

"Now, let us start the real trial." 

And shortly after, a massive intent exploded through the force, this time, not as a wave, but directed, sharp as an arrow, and as the Son saw the ship of Anakin leaving towards the edge of Mortis, he felt an undeniable anger wash over him, his eyes glowing like beacons as the dark side fueled him. 

Turning around, he saw the figure of his father talking with his sister. He seemed almost dissapointed... DISSAPOINTED... that he could not pass the leash to another in his stead. 

As he sent his sister to the room, the Son moved and slowly walked behind his Father. 

"It troubles you, my son." 

A silence wa sll he received a a response before a sigh escaped the Son. 

"No, father... not any more." 

And that was all he heard as he found himself flying through the air before he could even react, red lightning coursing through his body as it crashed through a pillar, to the side of the walkway and outside into the courtyard as he blacked out almost immediately. 

He regained his consciousness momentarily, his Son slowly moving away from him was all he saw, and maybe something else, maybe just a figment of his imagination, or something much more dangerous, a smiling figure, dressed in all white, seemingly invisible to his Son as it cast a glance at him as the darkness slowly took him. 

--------------------------------- 

Anakin's knuckles whitened as he gripped the controls, the tension radiating from his body. His connection to Ahsoka through the Force was faint, a flicker on the distant horizon, but still there. 

The Son had taken her right under his eyes, openly taunting him knowing that he'd have no choice but to follow. 

"Hold on, Ahsoka. I'm coming," he muttered to himself, his brow furrowing in determination. 

The ship hummed as they flew low across the strange landscape of Mortis, but as they neared the Temple, dense fog suddenly surrounded them. As Anakin cruisde through it, he suddenly felt a strong reaction in the force. 

Ahsoka was right in front, and out of nowhere, a tower bathed in green light appeared in front of them. 

That was all it took as Obi Wan pulled the controls to sway hard on the left, Anakin only taking a moment to try and bring the ship back, the sudden jolt in direction destabilizing the ship and bringing it down. 

The ship struck the ground hard, skidding to a stop. Suddenly, Anakin found himself merely a few dozen of meters... vertically... from where he had originally left, the temple of the Father standing proudly on the mountainside above them. 

Looking towards his master in frustration and with a questioning gaze, he only got a simple response. 

"I didn't think you saw it." Kenobi explained as he tried to get his bearing from the crash. 

"It was a giant tower, of course I saw it." Anakin retorted with a dumbfounded look on his face. 

Smoke poured from the ruined craft, and sparks flew as they crawled from the wreckage. Anakin cursed under his breath, but there was no time to waste. 

He could feel Ahsoka—distant, but unmistakably her. "She's in that tower," he said, pointing towards the towering spire far off in the distance, its dark silhouette looming against the sky. 

"Anakin, he didn't take her by mistake, do not rush headlong into this." 

Anakin shrugged his hand as he headed towards the horizon "I don't care. He is too powerful for Ahsoka. I won't leave her alone." 

Once again that same hand stopped him. "Anakin, I understand, however we are in the middle of something we don't truly understand. It'd be wise to confer with the father first." 

An annoyed grunt was all he got as Anakin shrugged his hand once more. "Then you confer with him. I won't let him hurt Ahsoka." 

At that, Anakin started to make his way towards the tower in the horizon.