I posted this at the same time as chapter 66 so make sure you read that one as well, the order doesn't matter since the events are somewhat parallel 🥰
This is shorter than normal chapters at only
1.5k words
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3rd Person POV
Bright lights were all (y/n) could see as she slowly, and painfully opened her eyes. The ache in her lungs was pushing to be unbearable, but the pain in her heart over the last moments she had before her whole world went dark, overshadowed that.

She did it all for him, and it was all for nothing.

She tried to move, but her body felt stiff, broken down from exhaustion after fighting the man she loved. She could feel the burning sting across her facial features where his blade cut through her skin, any deeper and he would have killed her.

Palpatine could have easily healed it, he could have easily healed all her wounds, including her lungs.

But no, he wanted her to have a constant painful reminder of what 'Anakin Skywalker' did to her. He wanted her to hate him, he wanted her to stay being his puppet. And he knew this was necessary because he could feel that Anakin didn't perish on Mustafar like he had hoped. He fears that as long as he's alive, there's hope of her returning to him, so he knows he must plant a loathing for him inside of her.

But other than that; his plan worked out flawlessly. The day he found her on Coruscant, he saw the bond they shared and chose to use it for his own advantage. And it was better than he could have ever expected.

He used the very love that (y/n) and Anakin shared to create a deadly hostility between them, thus shattering her heart and her hope for a happy life; pushing her into a state of constant suffering. Believing that the man she loved no longer loved her, that he turned his back on her when she needed him most. Sidious needed the monster he took so long crafting to lurk in the shadows, and do his bidding.

(y/n) moved her fingers and they twitched slightly, catching Sidious's and another's attention.

She felt a familiar presence and so she looked slowly to her right, and met the emerald eyes of her former Padawan. He looked just as frightened as she felt, but she wasn't sure what it was that scared him in this moment. Was he afraid of her? Sidious? Or just afraid of what the future will hold for them.

And it is for them, Cal vowed to go wherever she goes, his loyalty is with her, and no one else.

He was ripped apart inside over Ahsoka, but he hid it. He pushed it down and focused on the broken woman in front of him, she is who needed him right now. He reached forward and placed his hand in hers where they squeezed each other gently for comfort, "I'm here Master." He spoke softly.

She blinked away a tear as she looked up at the blinding lights, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Her breathing was raspy and weak while the air that filled her lungs, burned like a fire that was spreading inside of her. She wanted to talk to him, to tell him how thankful she was for him, but it was too painful.

"Hold on my dear, I know just what will ease your suffering." She heard Sidious's voice
from her left and a droids arm came into view.

Death.

She prayed for it.

But she wasn't so lucky.

Her eyes watered more as she watched a mask slowly descend towards her face, "Ana-" Her weakened voice couldn't finish his name.

Even after everything, she still loved him, he held her very soul in the palm of his hand.

But she knew it was too late for them, she knew that everything was ruined. But she couldn't understand why, she did everything for him; to keep them together. She didn't recognize why he would turn his back on her the way he did.

All she ever wanted was to save the ones she loved from death. Now all she wishes is to be dead; she thought it would be better than the aching pain of her heart spider-cracking.

The mask was placed securely over her with the sound of a click as it locked into place with the mechanisms behind her, she didn't even realize she was fully in leather armor until just now.

The mask was the final key.
(Like the mask below, just less fat looking; you could pretty much imagine it however you want, just know your eyes aren't covered)

The pain began to cease as the ventilation system fed her lungs the pure oxygen they needed. All that could be heard in the room now, was the sound of her mechanical breathing, "How do you feel?" Sidious spoke softly to her while the table she was on, lifted her up vertically. Cal released her hand and backed away to give her some space.

"Anakin," The voice she heard didn't sound like her own anymore. It was robotic, and a little deeper, but still feminine, "What happened to him?" She was confused on where he was, when his face was the last face she saw.

Sidious sighed as he stepped in front of her, he looked into her amber eyes with fake sympathy. He was actually smiling on the inside, knowing he was about to manipulate her further, "It hurts me to tell you this my daughter, but he left you on Mustafar to die."

She tried hard to think of the last moments that she saw him. She remembered the blur of his blue blade, she felt the sting on her face, and then, she saw his crying face before everything went black.

She remembered his supposed efforts to kill her, but she was in denial. She refused to believe that the man she loved, the man she did this all for, really left her to die,"No, he couldn't have."

Even though she was angry at him, she didn't even think she herself would've been able to bring herself to kill him. She even held back during their fight and saved him from falling to his death during the beginning of their altercation. He was about to fall off the platform, but she panicked and used the force to keep him from going over.

Anakin remains oblivious to that fact, thinking he stopped himself from going over, not her.

But despite not wanting to kill him, she couldn't bring herself to stop fighting him. Her rage had taken over her body, while the dark side coursed through her veins like a drug. And the only reason she drew her weapon, was because he drew his first..

Palpatine growled quietly, "Oh but he did my dear. If I didn't come to find you, the lava would have surely taken your life." He stepped forward and placed his wrinkly fingers on the black material covering her face, "He left you near the river where the ash found its way into your lungs; creating substantial damage. So you must never take this mask off for too long my daughter, or you will die."

She shook her head in disbelief, it felt heavy now with the her new attire,"But I was trying to save him, all I wanted to do was save him, and he left me." She would cry if she could, but her new golden eyes forbid it. The room around her began to shake violently from her crippling emotions, "How could he turn his back on me when I did it all for him!" She shouted in rage. Her heart was shattering as every memory she had with him was broken, tainted by loathing.

Sidious backed away from her with an evil smile dancing on his lips. He watched her break down from the heartache she was enduring, with satisfaction. His manipulation over these past few months has finally done the work he needed.

And Cal watched with anger; he felt her pain, and he hated those who broke down the strongest woman he's ever known. Her own anger and pain, magnified his own as he thought of Ahsoka. She abandoned him, just as Anakin abandoned his Master. He hated her.

Together forever.

Lilith heard Anakin's voice echo in her mind, "Liar!" She screamed while heavy objects in the room crushed under her strong force.

I will always be here for you.

"You left me!" She broke free from the restraints that held her to a table. And she took her first few weak steps, before falling to her knees in exhaustion.

I love you more than anything Princess.

"I hate you!" She screamed in a pain that was so magnified, the building around her shook violently, until it collapsed around them.

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Hello my beautiful readers♥️
So for most of you, you already know that I promised a happy ending..
Well I still do plan to give you one💕
So please go on and read my sequel titled
•Deliverance•
Unless you'd rather leave it as right here then that's okaaay too, but I hope you give it a read!
And thank you all for your amazing support on this book
I love you!😘
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