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Darkness, and then a blinding bright light.
This is what Anakin awakens to after his death. He remembers his son trying his best, he remembers the pride that bubbled within him as he stood his ground against him, followed by the Emperor unleashing a hailstorm of lightning at his insubordination. His body moved, and soon Palpatine was no more. The emperor was plummeting down to the core of the Death Star, and he was dying.
He'll never forget being able to see Luke with his own eyes. That is a memory he will cherish until the day he stops existing.
After that, there was darkness. Sweet, blissful, silence. There was no pain, there was only the force, flowing like water all around. The all encompassing silence was a wonderful time to reflect on his life and the choices that led him where he was. After all, he was dead, nothing has more time than the dead. He has no idea how long passed, but boredom began to set in as the unchanging darkness remained as idle as ever.
And then, light. A blinding light, but compared to the absolute darkness before it, even a candle would be blinding.
"You've done well. Your destiny here has been fulfilled, but your journey is far from over, Anakin Skywalker." A great, booming and curling voice in the void says, "Your time here has been a great success, you will be most beneficial to the other worlds."
"Who are you?" Anakin asks, startled by the sudden noise after so long without a single sound, "Show yourself!"
"Very well." The voice responds, and the void is filled with grey. A sticky, sickly looking pale flesh that glistens in light that isn't there fills every inch of space before him as a… something with too many mouths and deep sunk eyes reveals itself. It is they of the realm of original chaos, the deep dark cold one from which all life began, the blind idiot known to many as the god, Azathoth, but to the Jedi as the Force. Anakin can't help but stare, knowing all too well that he can only comprehend a fragment of the entity before him, even as a spirit.
"I have blessed you with my essence, my Chosen One." Azathoth speaks, it's too many mouths moving in a dissonant harmony, "You'll awaken where you're needed most, in a healed body with your memories."
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Muffled sounds drift into his ears as consciousness returns. The pungent odor of a sterile hospital ward is different to what he's used to, but instantly recognizable.
A groan drags itself out of his throat as he registers the pounding headache that pulses with each beat of his heart.
"He's waking up!"
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"Anakin Skywalker."
"Inko Akatani, I'm the one who found you unconscious and bleeding in a park." Inko smiles, and part of him remembers how Padme had much the same smile, "Do you remember how you got there?"
He remembers. He remembers all of it. The question floating through his mind is just how much she'll accept as truth.
"Not much," he lies, like a liar, "Lightning, then darkness."
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Two more children.
He thought Mikumo was a blessing, a sign from the Force that this was always meant to be. Obi-wan hid his last two children from him for twenty years, and rightly so. Darth Vader should not have been allowed anywhere near children, and if Palpatine knew of the twins he surely would have wanted to train them himself in the ways of the dark side. Both of them were responsible for the deaths of too many children, and Anakin was so blinded by rage as the Sith Lord that he almost certainly wouldn't have given them the lives they deserved. Mikumo, however, is a clean slate.
He thought adopting Miku was a funny little coincidence, but one he wouldn't trade for the world. The little girl was in rough shape, and he swore he heard the ghost of Padmé screaming in his ear that if he left the girl there she'd revive herself and kill him personally.
He thought his life was good before, but now, sitting in the hospital room and looking down at the newborns, Anakin realizes something. He's not just destined to bring balance to the Force, he's apparently also destined to only ever end up with twins.
And he could not be happier.
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The two children sit nearby, looking at the newborn twins in their mother's arms.
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"Baikal and Izuku Skywalker."
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A single, silver ring that irridesces under the light of the rising sun.
"Anakin Skywalker of Endor, who was of Tatooine and was Darth Vader of Mustafar, within you lies great emotion. Through your Will, your Love and Justice became Rage which brought Fear. Your Greed for power could only be stopped by your Compassion for your family, which brought you great Hope. You have Killed and Saved many, and your Shame is only outweighed by your Optimism. You are worthy." The strangely iridescent silver ring says, "You have been chosen."
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"Welcome to the Platinum Lantern Corps."
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Well, this is certainly one way to spend a Tuesday.
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