For Wei Wuxian

[bring_balance]

The resentful energy of the dead, he animates the bodies to his will.

Ever since that night at East Hallow, Anakin has wondered, and he's been meaning to seek out Wei Wuxian. After what he witnessed, he has questions about how his ability to reach beyond the living Force. It makes him think of his dream the night he arrived in Darrow, and how they have persisted, even if he's not sure they could possible come to pass in this place.

Still, he must know.

It takes Anakin nearly an entire afternoon of meditation– something that has never come easily to him– but he finally knows where to find Wei Wuxian.

Somehow, it seems appropriate that it should be the graveyard where he finds him.

Comments

[bring_balance]

What Wei Wuxian says sounds almost familiar to Anakin. They may use different words, but it sounds a lot like he's speaking of the Force. Anger, fear and resentment... Jedi are meant to suppress those feelings, to overcome them. To do otherwise is a path to the Dark Side.

It's crossed Anakin's mind more than once that he should be worried that he's never been particularly good at holding those feelings back.

"Jedi are taught to harness the Force from a young age. It's the energy that binds all living things," Anakin begins, and almost as a demonstration he holds out one hand, reaching into the Force to guide a small pebble to his palm as he speaks. It levitates a few inches from his outstretched hand.

"We can sense another being's thoughts and feelings... their joy, pain, strength, hatred... it sounds as if our teachings of the ways of the Force are similar to what you call cultivation."

[yiling_laozu]

Wei Wuxian watches the pebble with interest. He can't see the threads of energy that have brought it there as he might with a cultivator, but he imagines he can feel them, tendrils of potential energy, always around them.

"They must be," he reasons. "Most can learn to cultivate, but it takes lifelong discipline that many are unwilling to give themselves to. I suppose I can't sense anyone's thoughts - not without performing Empathy - but hatred and fear, these I can feel."

He pulls a pebble to his own hand, the little rock surrounded by shifting red energy. "Anakin-gonxi, I enjoy talking about what so few will let me discuss, but I must ask. Are you here because you are merely curious about what I did in East Hallow?"

[bring_balance]

Anakin watches as Wei Wuxian guides the pebble to his own hand, frowning for a moment at the red energy surrounding it. At least until he's asked about the true motivation behind his visit tonight.

The pebble slowly descends into his palm and Anakin closes his hand around it.

"I confess, that while I'm curious about it, that's not the only reason for my visit," Anakin says, and he takes a breath, "We've spoken about using the resentful energy of the dead, but... could those abilities be used in another way? To... overcome death altogether?"