On a beach, with a faint, red-violet glow, stand a young boy with scruffy, brown hair, and a young Togruta girl with orange skin, facing each other from far away, in opposite directions. The landscape is mellow, as if the sun was in between an eternal sunset and midnight. The light is dim, and the sky is dark. The ocean is clear yet faintly grey, and the sands are warm and still. In the distance, there is something incredibly bright- but it is so far away, that it is like a star resting in another galaxy. The girl walks towards the boy.
As she approaches, he tells her, “We don’t need these avatars any longer.”
They are right in front of each other now. She pauses, and nods. She closes her eyes, and when she opens them again, she sees Ben Solo standing before her. Standing before Ben Solo is Rey. But she does not have a metal hand.
“I can’t believe I’m here again,” Rey whispers.
“But what was this place?” Ben remarks.
From the sand, Rey picks up a shell knotted in an intricate pattern. “Back when you were a padawan. Remember how you were trying to describe to me that Force ability you were practicing, but I just couldn’t get it? It wasn’t until you showed me this that I understood. This shell was a representation of that. This world is a manifestation of how each person sees the Force. This world-”
Ben finishes her sentence, “...this is how I see the Force.”
“And through it, I could see it through your eyes,” Rey says softly.
Ben replies, “But why were these worlds even manifested at all- whoever manifested them must have wanted to know how others saw the Force. Was it so... they could change how we think?”
Rey shakes her head, “Nothing points to that.”
“Why could only a few of us access it?”
“I... I don’t know. ”
Rey turns around, and from far away she sees a metal, igloo-like complex. Even farther away is a burning brightness. She points towards the building.
“There. That was your home, wasn’t it? You never let me inside.”
Ben scoffs, “It wasn’t my home. It was a resting stop that Han and I often stayed in when we traveled together.”
Rey starts walking towards it, and Ben exclaims, “Wait, Rey! That’s not what I want to show you!”
Rey is running now, and before Ben can stop her, she opens the door inside. She gasps. It’s a beautiful home, with a warm fireplace, stone walls, and a broad, magnificient ceiling. As she takes it all in, she experiences a rush of victory. Trophies surround her, and gold plates and emblems champion the surfaces of everything that she could see. But there is something else that stands out to her- as she approaches the fireplace, she notices holograms resting still just above the flames. A father, with a sly grin, and his proud son are standing together, both with medals around their necks. She reaches out and tries to touch it, but suddenly, the hologram is wiped away. She turns around and Ben is standing behind her.
“It’s a fake,” he says.
Rey looks at him with sympathy, and says “No. Don’t you see? You and Han-”
“Those medals? That... happiness? They never existed. I just wished they did.”
Rey reluctantly looks away, unable to bear the cold regret she feels in Ben’s words. But then, she notices something hauntingly familiar. She walks towards it, and Ben’s eyes widen, but he does not move.
Rey whispers, “This...” She picks up the object. “This broken lightsaber handle... was mine.”
She turns around, now with a glaring intensity. “You stole this from my world.”
“You said you were going to leave.”
“Because I don’t know what had gotten into you that day. You insulted the Jedi! You said they would never come save me. You knew this was my favorite piece of the Jedi that I found in my world- and you took it from me!” Rey shouts back at him.
“Because you didn’t understand! And you still don’t!” Ben yells back.
“Then tell me why! What is it that you wanted to show me?”
Ben tries to speak, but doesn’t. He turns around. “I thought you were ready. To see what I see in the light. But now I’ve changed my mind.”
“Why? Are you afraid?”
Ben scoffs. Rey scoffs back, telling him, “You were trying to hide from the light. But the darkness is not who you are. And when I go there,” she grips the handle harder, “I’ll be taking back what’s mine.”
With the broken lightsaber handle in her hand, Rey starts walking out of the room, and out of the home.
Ben shouts, “Where are you going?”
“This place wasn’t always shrouded in darkness. You hid from the light- so I’m going to show you it’s nothing to be feared. And then, maybe you will understand.”
“Rey- Rey, don’t do this.” They are both outside now, and Ben runs up to her and grabs her wrist. She shakes him off, and starts running.
Ben runs after her, shouting, “You have no idea what lies there!”
As she approaches the brightness, her vision starts to blur. It hurts, but she doesn’t let it stop her, and as the brightness burns her harder and harder, she pushes on with stronger, more steadfast determination. And suddenly, she is completely blind- the only thing she can see is sheer light. But gradually, her sight begins to be restored. And now she is in a desert, but one far more scorching than Jakku. This is not a beach anymore. There are no oceans. It is an inferno.
Giant stalagmites pierce through the sands and valleys, twisting up farther into the sky with no end in sight. Rey clenches her teeth, seething- the heat is too much to bear. And then, she hears a screeching wail. In the distance, she witnesses a white, hooded figure. It seems still at first, but that is merely an illusion. It’s getting closer. And the closer it gets, the more she realizes just how gargantuan this creature is.
Rey starts running away, but she can’t find where she came from. The wails grow stronger, and now she sees the behemoth in all of its glory- an Absolute tower, a hooded being with light draping all around it, as tall as an Imperial Star Destroyer, outclassing everything around it.
Then she feels a cold, but human, grip around the palm of her hand. She looks up, and sees Ben. He’s in agony, but is trying his hardest to fight it. Neither of them says a word, but somehow, she knows that he can find the way out. The two run together, away from the behemoth, and into the edge of darkness. The world grows darker and darker to Rey, until she is left in an empty nothingness.
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When she opens her eyes again, she is back on the faintly lit beach. She takes a few moments to catch her breath. Then she looks around for Ben- but he is nowhere to be seen.
Rey heads into the home, worried. She searches all around her, but can’t find him. She rushes outside, and looks all around the beach. Nothing. And then she sees it- a realm of total darkness, one opposite of the blinding light.
As she approaches it, her nerves begin to race. Just before her in the distance, she notices a large, shadowy grin, almost like a mirage. Afraid, she looks away, and she can’t see it anymore. But she knows it’s still there. She shouts into the darkness, “You can’t keep him there forever.” There is no reply. But, she feels the entity begin to seep away. Though her nerves are still racing, with grim resolution, she walks inside.
Pitch black. Almost nothing to be seen. Then, she feels something nearby. Guided by her sense of the Force, she slowly walks forwards, and when she feels she reached it, she kneels down. Before her is Ben Solo, sitting down, his eyes closed, his hands over his head, elbows pointed inwards.
Rey tries speaking to him, “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to understand.” However, Ben keeps quiet. For the next few moments, Rey doesn’t speak a word to him, but now, she finally understands. She sits alongside him, and the two lie still in silence, lying still for however long Ben needed to.
A moment passes, and Ben finally speaks, “I tried to fight it. That thing took over the light and I wanted to take it back. But I wasn’t strong enough.”
“You tried your best. It wasn’t your fault.”
“No... it was. Because if I was strong enough, that thing wouldn’t have existed. I couldn’t be what Han wanted me to be. Every time he tried to take me on a mission, I would always mess something up. One day, I put him and his crew in so much danger, that Han didn’t want anything to do with me anymore. And I couldn’t be what Luke wanted either.”
“B-” she stops herself, and says, “Kylo, it’s not too late. You were strong enough to save me from that thing. I know you can be who you always wanted to be.”
“You STILL don’t get it, do you?” Ben shouts at Rey. But he soon calms down again. He continues, “Luke would always tell that to me. That I was a Skywalker, and inside of me, was a hero. But he was wrong. He didn’t understand that I needed the darkness. I hated trying to save others, trying to give up what I really wanted for the ‘greater good’. I wanted to be a bounty hunter. But Luke said that Skywalkers have responsibilities- we can’t just kill innocents, we have to protect them. Ridiculous.”
“Killing... was what you really wanted?”
“If bounty hunters don’t do it, who will? I told him just that, and Luke said I was different, because unlike everyone else, I had a danger inside of me- a Skywalker power that when unleashed, could slaughter the entire galaxy!”
“The light was my favorite part of your world. It was where all the Jedi were, and we all pretended we were a part of them. I was so lost when it was gone. But now, I wish I had just listened to you more.”
Ben finally looks at her. “I thought I could get you to stay in my world if I took something from you. But I was wrong. You shut me out instead.”
Rey replies, “And just after I did, I regretted it. I tried my hardest to get back. But something had sealed us off. No matter how hard I tried to get back, I just couldn’t.”
Ben looks away from her again. Then he continues, “The light was so painful. I had to find a way to escape it. I had no one left. And then someone came...”
Rey whispers, “It was Snoke.”
“I had always looked up to my grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, because I had heard stories about how he was the Chosen One. He was so powerful, so heroic, so beloved by everyone. And I was nothing like that. But I started hearing a voice. I was able to enter this world again, and inside my home, I found him there. He was sitting in Han’s chair, and he told me everything. The truth about Anakin. The truth about my grandfather, Darth Vader.”
“I remember when the galaxy learned his real name. I... couldn’t believe it, either.”
“That was when I realized it- I didn’t need to be good to be like Anakin. I realized I had a purpose in life, too. So I followed that con, that liar- but now that I look back, even though he was leading me on like a worthless guard animal, he taught me well. Taught me how to embrace my dark side. For the first time, I felt free.”
Rey feels her heart pounding; right before her, she cannot tell if there is danger or calmness. But she finally understands who Ben truly is. She feels his desires, his dark longings to be powerful, to reign over others. She wants to push it all away. But there is something else. A kindness, a need to protect. Though she feels it, she knows that if she pushes the darkness away, so too will the kindness leave.
Rey puts her hand on Ben’s shoulder. “We can’t stay here forever. We have to forget about all that now. We have to remember what it was like before all this ever happened- and we will do it together.”
Ben turns and looks at Rey, and nods. He firmly places his black, gloved hand into hers, and they stand up together. They walk out of the darkness.
When they walk out, they are not on the beach anymore. The world now resembles Jakku. But instead of the bleak roars of old engines and grated sneerings of traders, there is something else: a large carnival, a circus filled with food vendors, amusement rides, and animals from all different corners of the galaxy, all gathered on this lonely desert realm.
“It’s still here,” Ben whispers. “Your world.”
“I can’t believe it either,” Rey whispers back.
“But... there’s something missing.”
“I know. It’s only us two now. Everyone else is gone.”
They head into the carnival, and walk through the booths, filled with games and laughter. Signs light up the stalls, filled with names of legendary Jedi. Toy lightsabers, along with other prizes, are hung all around. The vendors clamor and boast, drawing attention towards their games. But Rey and Ben are the only attendees.
Rey walks towards a game stall, one with grey, green alien blobs lining up the shelves. She says, “This was Quint’s favorite game.”
Ben replies, “Ava’s, too.”
Rey turns around, “What... do you think happened to them?”
Ben solemnly says, “The galaxy was being torn apart by wars. Each time one of them left, they must have...”
Rey starts tearing up, “No. No, that’s just too horrible.” She wipes away the tears she’s shed.
Ben lets out an gruff sigh. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The Jedi were supposed to end those wars. A Skywalker. But I, I just couldn’t do it.” He slams his fist against one of the booth stalls, startling the vendor. “Why was I so weak?”
Rey regains her composure, and tells him, “I believed in the Jedi too. That they would save our friends. But,” she walks towards Ben, until she is right next to his ear, and whispers, “Let the past die.”
Ben grows calmer, and the two begin to walk through the carnival again. The sun is now setting; it is almost evening.
Rey speaks up, “I never got to see any of their true faces. We were all roleplaying with our own avatars; we all wanted a way to escape and be someone different. One day, every year, the traveling carnival would come by Jakku and market what they had, looking for buyers to fund them. Unkar would never let me explore it, but he would assign me to carry around the vendors’ equipment. That’s when I saw the play- the one that told of the Jedi, before the dark times. It was such a wonderful play, and there was one girl there who I couldn’t stop staring at- a Togruta, with white and blue head tails, who was said to be a legendary, powerful Jedi. That was when I knew I wanted to be just like her. I thought I would never get the chance to ever do so. And then I found this world...”
The pair walk up to a thin, tall booth, and stuffed inside is a hideous creature, draped with an oversized hood that masks his repulsive face, snarling at the two. Rey tells Ben, “The Hooded Beast. The caricature of Unkar. I tried to describe him the best I could.”
Ben replies, “I don’t need to see anymore of Unkar to get what he’s like. This... tells me enough.”
Rey smiles. “At least someone else gets it. Unkar made me feel so low all the time. I just wanted to be somebody. I looked up to the Force and imagined I was someone important. I really, really wanted it to happen. It was the only thing that kept me going. But I was just playing pretend, like some stupid kid, all along.”
“Not anymore,” Ben tells her, and takes her by the hand. The two now gaze at each other, and just then, the sun begins the set, and it’s night time. A distant boom is heard; then, explosions light up the night sky. Fireworks parade across the stars.
A moment passes, and Rey and Ben are standing side by side. Rey grasps Ben’s arm, and holds it tight. She softly says, “I didn’t want this place to go away.”
Ben looks at her and says, “I’ll never leave.”
Rey shakes her head. “But there’s somewhere I need to be.”
Ben begins to worry. He reassures her, “We’ll break out of their world, where nobody cares for us, together. You don’t need them.”
Rey takes her arm away from him. Then she looks away from Ben, and starts to walk away. But Ben clutches Rey’s hand, and says, “Don’t look that way. Ignore it all. This is the only thing that matters.” Rey turns back and gazes into Ben’s eyes, but then looks away again.
Rey tells him, “I don’t want to leave, but I can’t stay here. I’m sorry.”
She hands him the broken lightsaber handle, and Ben grasps it. Just as he realizes what is about to happen, he shouts, “Wait, Rey!” He tries to reach for her arm, but she fades away. As her world begins collapsing back into darkness, Ben wakes up back in the physical world, surrounded by the harsh, metallic confines of the First Order base, and completely alone.