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"What have you done?"
As soon as the creature bit down, fangs sinking past her bracer and into her skin, white-hot fire raced through Ahsoka’s veins. She grasped her arm and fell to her knees, inhaling sharply. She could barely hold herself up as she sank further to the ground. A rolling storm of ice, darkness and chaos flooded her mind, ripping through it viciously. She felt as though it may tear her entire being apart.
Why couldn’t she sense the creature’s true intentions? If she had, she might’ve been able to escape the tower she’d been chained up in. She might’ve been able to reunite with Anakin and Obi-Wan and finally get off this cursed planet. Instead, she was left crumpled on the floor, in pain and terrified as control was slipping away from her.
She’d wanted nothing more than to see them again; now, having a good idea of what was happening to her, she wanted them to get as far away as possible.
The Dark closed in on the Light and swarmed it, raw and untamed. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting against it with all she had. She couldn’t let it win, she couldn’t, it was everything she’d been taught to avoid. The Jedi consistently warned against turning to the dark side, and now she was being forced to Fall.
She tried to think of Anakin, to focus entirely on him, but it wasn’t enough. That thought was wiped away with the rest of her fading will. The Dark claimed her, smothering as much of the Light as it could and pulling her into the empty void just as her blue eyes turned gold.
Amidst the shadows, a small light flickered.
The real Ahsoka was no longer in control, but she wasn’t rendered completely unaware; said awareness was fuzzy when the chaos first swept in. The last of the light was pushed to the very back of her mind, and though surrounded by the Dark, she was still fighting to reach the surface. She clawed at the imposing force keeping her trapped, knowing if she let up for even a second, she would remain in darkness forever.
As the light pushed forward, she could hear distant words, words that weren’t hers being spoken by the imposter controlling her every action. They couldn’t be hers. Those weren’t things she would ever say, especially not in such a venomous manner, and certainly not to someone as close to her as her Master. She wanted to scream and bang on the walls in her head holding her back as she was made to attack him, green blades clashing against blue in a frenzy she seldom used.
I feel more like myself than I ever have.
No, no, that was not true; she had never felt more unlike herself in her entire life. She would never let herself Fall. She would never tell Anakin she no longer needed him, that he would be forced to kill her. She desperately attempted to reach out to him through the hazy darkness. She wanted to do what she needed to in order to make sure he and Master Obi-Wan made it out of this conflict alive.
Even if... she didn’t.
The real Ahsoka’s presence ended up breaking through every now and then, shining brightly against the Dark. Her physical form froze, small specks of blue returning to her otherwise toxic gold eyes, though only for a fleeting second. She wasted not a single one of those moments, fixing Anakin and later Obi-Wan with a panicked stare and a silent yet horrifying request.
You have to kill me, please, I’m begging you, I don’t want to hurt you, I can’t hold on much longer, you have to kill me now-
Unfortunately, she lost control before the words could leave her mouth, each and every time. The Dark was persistent, just as the Light was, and it continued its mission to snuff it out. She would never freeze for longer than a second before continuing her attack on her Masters.
Despite that, Anakin seemed to understand what she was trying to ask him to do, and he was unwilling to oblige. He kept on the defensive the entire fight, despite her wanting him to do the opposite. Maybe he could somehow sense the light still flickering in her stolen mind; even if he couldn’t, he still wasn’t going to hurt her, and neither was Obi-Wan. She didn’t want to die, but she saw no other option she could take. It was either that or watch as she eventually struck both Anakin and Obi-Wan down, lost to the dark side eternally.
Now she was beginning to understand the pain Barriss felt, back when the brain worms had possessed her and tried to force her to kill her friend.
"I don’t want to fight you, Ahsoka!"
Master... I don’t want to fight you either...
Ahsoka caught sight of a silver dagger, one which gleamed in the dark, like the light remaining in her soul. The Dark recognized it, knew what it was and what it could do. It spurred her physical form into action with the goal to take the dagger from him. Her light, on the other hand, had no idea what the weapon was, where it came from, or what it was capable of. Whatever it was, it was important to the Son. He wanted it, and her corrupted self aimed to get it for him.
No!
She rose from the void one more time, one last attempt to get Anakin or Obi-Wan to strike her down before she could take the important dagger. Her entire form froze up, a glimmer of despair and sheer desperation in her eyes before it was quickly wiped off of her face, replaced by a twisted sneer.
The three gods had joined them now, taking their fight outside. She was still, watching the ensuing conflict between the Son and the Father while she was unable to control herself long enough to do anything about it. Then-
"Anakin! Now!"
As soon as the blade Obi-Wan wielded went airborne, meant for Anakin to catch, she could only watch from within the darkness constricting the light as she leapt up into the air and snatched it instead. She landed, and the Son turned his attention to her, pleased with her acquisition of the important weapon. She didn’t want to please him, she didn’t, but the Dark did, and the Dark was the one in control.
He didn’t have to ask her; she already knew what he wanted. Hand over the dagger.
"Ahsoka, no!" she heard Anakin shout.
She turned a little, stealing a glance at the Jedi behind her. She noticed how desperate Anakin was to get her back, to stop her from following through with what she was about to do, and the light within her sparked. The Dark attempted to assert dominance like it did every time she’d broken through, but this time, she pushed harder, and it was driven back.
Ahsoka was rooted to the spot. The hand holding the dagger trembled as her true self resumed control. Every breath of hers shook as well. She tore her gaze away from Anakin and Obi-Wan, glancing at the Son before looking down at the dagger she held by her side.
Soon enough, her entire form was shaking. The Son was taking notice of what was happening; she could sense his surprise for a second, before it made way for a thick storm of impatience and anger that threatened to suffocate her.
She looked back at Anakin and Obi-Wan once more, a dizzying mixture of blue and gold swirling in her eyes. She knew what she had to do, and it was very likely going to cost her, but she couldn’t let the Son win. A silent apology was written all over her face, the blackened lines streaked across her body slowly fading away.
I’m sorry, Master Obi-Wan.
I’m sorry, Anakin...
"Give me the dagger, now," the Son commanded, glaring down at her with hateful yellow eyes.
Ahsoka turned away from her Masters, facing the god instead. She forced herself to nod, shutting her eyes.
"Yes," she replied quietly, her grip on the dagger tightening. She relaxed, as if she’d been buried beneath the murky shadows once more, until-
Her eyes flew open, now their original deep blue, and she lunged for the Son with the dagger in hand, drawing her arm back and aiming to drive it through his chest-
Only to fail.
He saw it coming, and he was furious. He caught her arm with a harsh grip before she could land the fatal blow. She inhaled sharply at the pain that invaded her arm and struggled to pull away from him, keeping a strong hold on the dagger in the process. She twisted and reached for Anakin, who ran towards her, only to be flung backwards with a flick of the Son’s free hand. Obi-Wan caught him before he could hit the ground, helping him up.
She could sense Anakin’s potent hatred for the god. Combined with the god’s own intense presence, full of anger and the Dark, it made her incredibly nauseous.
She gripped one of her sabers with her other hand, igniting it and swinging it towards the Son’s head. With another wave of his hand, he stopped her faster than she could blink, deactivating the weapon and using the Force to hold her in place.
"No! Let her go!" Anakin yelled fiercely.
The Son merely sighed and shook his head. Ahsoka noticed the dagger sliding out from her fingers little by little. When she refused to let go of it, he squeezed her arm crushingly, to the point where she thought it would snap any second. She cried out as she was forced to let go, allowing him to take the weapon from her. He twirled it leisurely in his hand, directing his gaze at the two Jedi.
"I warned you, Chosen One," the Son hissed. "You were told what would happen, should you refuse to join me. Alas, you failed to understand, and now, I have no choice but to keep my word."
Icy horror seized Ahsoka. If you don’t join him, he’ll kill me.
“As for you...” Her wide, terrified eyes snapped towards the Son as he spoke, a snake-like grin on his face. He spun the dagger around once more.
“Thank you. Your usefulness has come to an end.”
He brought two fingers up to her forehead, and with one touch, it was all over.
A different kind of darkness swallowed her whole, smothering her entire being until there was nothing. She collapsed, motionless on the ground, her lightsaber rolling out of her limp hand.
Not a single bit of light flickered in her.