Timeframe: Two days after Seris's Trial
Setting: Jedi Temple – Hall of Echoes (Ancient Force Trial Vault)
A Mother's Shadow
Anakin stood before the arch of the Hall of Echoes, the ceremonial trial vault used only for the rarest, most spiritually volatile tests.
Master Yoda, Windu, Fay, and Plo Koon watched from the gallery.
"He is not ready," Windu had argued earlier.
"No," Fay had answered. "He may never be ready. But the Force called him here. And so we must listen."
Now, Anakin inhaled deeply and stepped inside.
The door sealed.
Silence.
The Dream Made Real
The world around Anakin shimmered.
Suddenly, he was in the Tatooine slave quarters—rough walls, familiar smells. Dust. Heat. His heart clenched.
"Anakin?" a soft voice called.
He turned.
There she stood.
Shmi Skywalker.
Alive. Smiling gently. Tired—but safe.
He ran to her, arms outstretched.
She embraced him.
"I've missed you," she whispered.
Tears rolled down Anakin's cheeks.
"I can take you away from here," he choked. "I'm strong now. I have friends. I have Cain."
She placed a hand on his cheek.
"Do you remember what I told you?" she asked.
Anakin nodded. "To be brave. And not to look back."
She held him one more time.
Then… the scene shattered.
The True Test Begins
He was in a stone corridor now—splitting in two directions.
To the left: a collapsing chamber with five younglings inside—trapped, screaming, barely holding on as rocks and flame pressed inward.
To the right: his mother again. Bound. Crying. Calling his name. A slaver stood above her, blade to her throat.
The Force whispered:
You may only save one.
The others… will fall.
Anakin's breath broke.
"No…"
The Storm Within
His hands clenched. His saber snapped to his palm. His eyes welled with tears.
"I can save them all!"
He tried to run right—toward his mother.
But the passage resisted him. Gravity itself turned on him. His knees gave.
He cried out, clawing forward—desperate, powerful, and breaking.
Then… a voice echoed through the tunnel.
Soft.
Familiar.
Cain.
"You don't have to save them all… alone."
Anakin blinked. "Cain?"
"I'm here," the voice said again, behind his heart—not in his ears. "Even when I'm not. The Force isn't asking you to choose. It's asking you to trust."
"…But if I don't save her, she'll die."
"And if you try to save her by sacrificing others… you lose yourself."
The Choice Made
Anakin screamed in anguish—but slowly stood.
He turned left.
And ran.
He used everything he had—leaping through debris, shielding the younglings, pulling down scaffolding to slow the collapse.
He carried two.
He led the others.
He never looked back.
The vision collapsed behind him—his mother's cry echoing once more…
…then fading into the light.
The End of the Trial
Anakin stood in the center of the Hall of Echoes again, panting, sweat-drenched.
His saber lay untouched at his side.
His fists were trembling.
But he didn't fall.
He looked to the sky, whispering:
"I still love you, Mom. I always will. But I'm going to save as many as I can."
The Council Reflects
In the tower, the Masters watched in silence.
Windu stood still, his face unreadable.
Yoda leaned heavily on his cane. "Fear, he still has. But let go… one step, he did."
Fay whispered, "Not perfect. But powerful. He has felt true loss—and chosen love without possession."
Plo Koon nodded. "Cain steadies him. The two are… mirrors. Flame and light."
Windu, after a pause, said, "He passed. But he will need constant guidance. If left alone with his pain... it will shape him."
Yoda closed his eyes. "Then alone, he must not be."
Reunion Under Stars
Anakin found them under the usual tree.
He didn't speak. Just walked up to Cain—and rested his head against his shoulder.
Cain simply said, "You did it."
Anakin whispered, "She was there… and I walked away."
Cain wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "That was the hardest thing you'll ever do. But you did it."
Barriss was crying softly.
Seris stared at the stars, expression unreadable.
Derran looked at Anakin—proud.
Now only one remained.
Cain.
And the Temple had never seen a Trial like the one waiting for him.