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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
"Let's start small with you," Strange said, bringing out a table with an apple on it.
"Your first task is simple. Open a portal near the apple but don't take it yet," he said, beginning the lesson. "As I said, the most important part is visualization. Try to imagine a hole in front of you, one that leads next to the apple," he said, starting to pace as he went into more detail.
"Master Strange, something is happening," Anakin called out.
Before Anakin's words could register, he already felt the beginnings of a portal form, causing him to sharply turn around, almost stumbling. "Wait, what?"
There, right in front of Anakin, golden particles sparked into existence. The boy continued to roll his hand in a circular motion, face scrunched in concentration. Strange watched with an open mouth, not believing his eyes. It had taken him weeks to learn how to open a portal, and he only managed after the Ancient One abandoned him at the top of a freezing mountain.
Anakin's capability wasn't just prodigious but mind-boggling.
He approached the boy with quick steps, scanning to understand how Anakin had succeeded so quickly. He recoiled back, feeling the waves of energy the boy was drawing. If he could draw energy from other dimensions akin to a river, then Anakin himself was drawing the equivalent of Niagara Falls.
The only issue was the boy didn't have the necessary control to use it.
"Anakin, stop," he said.
"Why? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no. You drew more energy than I have ever seen anyone else do. How are you feeling?" he said, checking his pupils and pulse.
"I'm fine. Is it bad to do that?"
"I'd say not. We just have to be careful. You can continue now," he said. He would have to monitor the situation even closer now. He did not know what allowed Anakin to draw so much energy with such ease. What he knew was that he would be a terrifying sorcerer in the future.
A future that seemed closer than he had ever considered.
Anakin focused once more, rolling his hand as golden sparks appeared once more. Strange pulled a chair from the kitchen, sitting to watch Anakin's progress. The boy worked until his arms tired out. The sparks were there, and he believed his young apprentice had the necessary imagination. The problem was the power.
Opening portals required more finesse than energy. The amount Anakin poured into the portal smothered it before it could form. He was literally suffering from too much power.
"Master Strange, how did I do?"
"You did good. Because of reasons that are not clear to me yet, you draw more energy from other dimensions than I have ever seen. However, it makes your control difficult."
"What do I do?"
"Did you feel the energy flow through you?"
"Yeah."
"Great." Strange nodded. "You need to reduce the amount you pour into the portal. Think of it like this," he stopped, about to suggest a dam before a river, a simile the boy wouldn't understand. "Like a window that only lets in a little bit of sunlight."
"Oh, okay."
"You can continue whenever you feel ready,"
Anakin nodded, his lips thinning in determination. He rubbed his arms and moved to his training post.
Strange leaned forward, squinting his eyes. The process was much the same as before. Anakin only managed to create sparks in front of him, but as time passed, his eyes caught flakes of gold near the apple.
His progress was frightening.
—
Portal training wasn't the only kind Anakin experienced. His mother had taught him how to read and write in their spare time. However, the books in the Sanctum were of languages that did not exist in this universe.
Possibly at least.
He started teaching his new apprentice Sanskrit first, the most common language within the library. The translation spell did not work on written language. The process had to be the old way.
In that part, Anakin had problems.
He quickly came to realize the boy was a kinesthetic learner. Sitting in a library to learn a brand new language was difficult for him. So Stephen changed his approach.
—
"Alright, Anakin. Here is how we are going to do this," Strange began. He held his hand over the books, causing the pages to flip in quick order. When the book closed, he brought his palms together, created a mandala, and thrust it forward.
Words in Sanskrit flew out of the pages, circling Anakin.
"Your task is to chase down each word. When you catch them, the spell will read their meaning to you. Then, the words will return here. Remember the letters and try to recognize the words afterwards."
"Go," he said. The letters flew around, staying within the boundaries of the training field, but still giving Anakin plenty of distance to close.
Anakin didn't lose any time, chasing after the flying words with a smile.
—
The change in his teaching approach had proven to be the correct one. Anakin was not bored to sleep by the lessons, and he was also getting in adequate physical activity. From breakfast to lunch, he would learn Sanskrit, and until dinner, it was portal training. After that, he would be free to do as he wished.
He was interested in the farm. Crops and flowers were a rarity on Tatooine, only available for the rich merchants and the Hutts. He helped water the plants, gather fruits and vegetables, and pet the chickens.
—
With each training session, Anakin's control improved. He poured less energy each time, reaching ever so close to his target. He also had proper motivation. It was just a matter of time before he could bring his mother to the Sanctum.
It got him thinking.
Even if they could not be detonated, Anakin and his mother would still have those bombs inside them. He didn't have the proper equipment to remove it. He could fix his shaking hands with sorcery long enough to do the procedure. What he couldn't do was create anesthetics, scalpels, and other tools to remove the bombs.
That was assuming they weren't protected against tampering.
The smallest mistake could end their lives. He couldn't leave the Sanctum at all, and if Anakin did so to find someone that could remove the bombs, Watto could potentially be alerted. It created quite a tricky situation.
He only hoped Shmi would know more about these bombs.
—
"Master Strange, I did it!" Anakin exclaimed, bringing Stephen out of his book. His excited shout disrupted the young boy's attention for a moment, causing the small portal to waver. He was quick to refocus, stabilizing it.
He got off from his chair, approaching to inspect the portal. It was a great step but not ready for use yet.
"You have done great, but there is still a long way to go. Once you open a proper portal, it will stay that way until you close it. Right now, if you tried to reach through, it would close and take your arm off."
Anakin winced, and the portal shut down.
"Don't be discouraged. You are learning far faster than I was at the beginning of my training. Keep up and you will be there soon," he said. It had already been a week, and Anakin had proceeded far faster than anticipated.
All without the need for how the Ancient One had taught him.
The little boy's shoulders straightened up, eyes burning with pride. The determination was broken when his stomach grumbled. Anakin looked down, cheeks burning.
Stephen chuckled, gesturing at him to follow.
—
Mos Espa
Shmi rolled on her bed, her face scrunched. Nightmares plagued her once more. The visions of her son kept asking why she didn't save him. Each time for the last three weeks, she had nothing to say.
"Mom, quick, you have to get up," the visions said, a change from the usual accusing tone. It sounded urgent in fact.
"Ani, I am sorry," she mumbled, still in
"Mom, come on, wake up, please," her son called, his voice sounding far more real than before.
Shmi stood up, looking around her bedroom with bleary eyes. There, right in front of the door, was a golden, swirling circle, with her son looking at her through it.
"Ani?" she said, stumbling out of the bed to run to her son, still believing it was a dream. When she managed to throw her arms around his small body and inhaled his scent, she knew it was real.
"Ani? You are here!" She burst into tears, squeezing her son to her chest.
"My apologies for disrupting your reunion, but there isn't much time," another, older voice called.
"Mom, he is right. We need to hurry."
"Hurry? Ani, what is happening? How are you here?"
"All will be explained. Please, you must gather whatever you need and come through the portal."
Shmi didn't know what was going on, but she understood one thing. Her son was here, through wherever this portal led to, and she would be there. She pressed one last kiss on her son's forehead, rummaging through the wardrobe for clothes and the kitchen for food and medicine.
She stopped in the living room, looking at the droid Anakin was building. She hauled it up by the arms, dragging it to the portal. She raised it up, allowing Anakin and the older man to pull it inside.
With a little bit of help, she too was through just as the golden circle collapsed.
—
Sanctum
Shmi fell forward, accidentally trapping her son. She scrambled to her feet, throwing her arms around her son again. The little boy groaned at how tight the hug was but returned it in kind, burying his face on his mother's neck.
Her silent tears wetted his hair, and it was the most peaceful thing he had ever felt.
Strange watched the mother and son, letting them catch up after weeks of being apart.
"Anakin, you and your mother rest for now. We'll talk in the morning," he said, leaving the room.
Anakin helped his mother to the bed. Tired and emotionally drained, the comfort of having her son back had made her fall asleep before she even hit the bed.
—
He placed the third plate on the table.
The idea of cooking for more than just himself after ten years still felt a bit foreign. The day after Anakin arrived, he had forgotten the boy was there. It made him realize how used he was to loneliness.
Numbed to it, more like.
He heard the footsteps first, prompting him to pour the freshly squeezed juice. Anakin was guiding his mother in, holding her hand tightly. They both had red, puffy eyes, signaling a fresh round of tears had been shed recently.
Shmi's clothing was rough, just like Anakin's was when he arrived. Unlike her son, she had dark hair and a face already worn from the sun.
"Miss Shmi, Anakin, good morning," he greeted. Anakin wished him the same back, but Shmi froze mid-step for a second as her eyes landed on him.
"It's fine, Mom. This is Dr. Strange," Anakin said, squeezing his mother's hand.
"I understand my skin condition looks worrying, but I can assure you it is non-contagious."
"Oh, I am sorry, I was just…" Shmi looked down,
"I understand. Please, take a seat."
"I am Doctor Stephen Strange, a Master of Mystical Arts, an occupation that allows one to open portals like the one you saw last night."
"Right, that. It still feels like a dream to be honest."
"It is not," he said, opening a small portal to pass the glasses.
Anakin reached for the glasses, putting one before his wide-eyed mother.
"Let us eat first before I start with explanations," Strange offered, cutting his eggs.
Shmi poked the food on her plate, unfamiliar with it. She glanced at her son, who was eating with gusto, and decided to give it a try.
—
The breakfast was a short affair. He cleaned the dishes, kindly refusing Shmi's offer. He guided them to the training area to give the confused woman the explanation she was due for.
"As I said, I am Doctor Stephen Strange," he began, introducing himself once more. He continued with how he had arrived in this dimension beneath the sands of Tatooine. Anakin's arrival in the Sanctum through the tunnel he had left for fresh air, his desire to return to Shmi, and of course, Strange offering him an alternative to bring his mother here.
It overwhelmed her.
"I don't know how to thank you, Dr. Strange," Shmi said, giving a small bow. She seemed hesitant about everything, most likely a habit formed from having to ask permission for most things.
He raised a hand, a small, reassuring smile on his face. "You don't have to. Having company after a decade is more than I could ever ask for."
"If you don't mind, though, I have some questions for you."
"Of course."
"Anakin, why don't you go and get some apples?" Strange asked, even though he could have opened a portal for it.
Anakin shrugged, leaving for the kitchen with one last reassuring look at his mother. "Okay."
He waited until Anakin was through the door before giving Shmi an insight into how his sorcery worked and, more importantly, how Anakin seemed to be unnaturally good at it.
"I believe it might be genetic. If not on your side, then perhaps from his father's," he explained. It could be a recessive gene since the boy had blonde hair.
Shmi looked down, avoiding his eyes again. "Anakin doesn't have a father."
Strange grimaced. Whatever happened must have been bad enough that she erased the man completely. Knowing she was enslaved, it brought extremely unpleasant scenarios to mind. "I understand if you don't wish to speak about him."
"Oh no, nothing like that. He truly doesn't have a father. I never had a relationship with anyone before suddenly finding myself pregnant," Shmi said, laying a hand on her stomach.
Her demeanor and voice tone indicated she wasn't lying.
He blinked repeatedly.
He wanted to ask if it could be in vitro fertilization, but who would want to do that in the lawless region of the galaxy to a random woman and let her fall into the hands of a junkyard owner? It made no sense.
He chuckled to himself. If what Shmi said was true, and he was inclined to believe her, then Anakin was something like the galactic Jesus.
The chosen one, as it would be.
With the question of Anakin's parentage resolved, he turned his attention to other matters. Shmi knew more about the galaxy than her son. She was a trove of information, still lacking greatly, but it answered some of the questions he had.
Such as the Galactic Republic, the Jedi to a small degree, and more importantly for now, a safe way to remove the bombs.