Kylo sits alone in his chambers, shuts his eyes in meditation, and tries to reach for that world again. But he can’t reach it. Though he has already tried many times, he does not give up. Then, one day, the unexpected happens- he opens his eyes, and he is back on the red-violet beach, sitting on the sand.
He doesn’t turn around, but senses someone behind him. He says, “You’ve come back.”
Rey bites her lip, trying her hardest to not show any expression in her face. “I sensed that there was something you still wanted to show me.”
Ben stands up, turns around and faces her. “Will you come with me further into the darkness? Can I get you to trust it?”
Rey replies, “You may try.”
Ben walks her through the beach, and they walk up its cliffs, entering a darker place. One not enveloped in total blackness, but casting a melancholic shade across the grey rocks. Everything is silent now. At first, Rey shivers, slightly afraid, but she soon begins to accept the stillness for what it is: her own sense of peace. The calmness finds its way through her, and she takes a deep breath.
“Do you know what that is?” Ben asks her.
“Solitude. An old friend.”
They reach the top of the mountainous cliffs, and beneath them roars the mighty clash of the sea. And then, as Rey looks down, she sees there is more- she sees all the disgusting, vile people on Jakku she had told Ben about. They were beneath them, sitting on top of rocks, unable to leave, lest they be drowned by the clashing waves around them.
Ben continues, looking down from the cliffs, “Not just solitude. But when we are here, there is no one better than us. No one to tell us what to do, no one who is capable of challenging us. A fair universe would reward those who worked the hardest. The Force would ensure that would happen. We both have such strong ambition; we deserve this.”
He turns to Rey, and says, “Now you understand.”
Rey peers down from the mountain, and inside, she is filled by a deep, blooming of pride. No longer was she the girl who was helpless, a runt who was kicked around by nasty traders and merchants. No one would ever tell her she had no value in this universe ever again. She grasped an absolute power that those who had hurt her could never have. And then, as soon as she looks down again, she sees the rocks that her tormentors were sitting on top of come crashing down. They cry out in fear, and struggle to stay afloat, but the waves drag them away.
Startled, she looks at Ben, and sees his hand clenching down towards the rocks. “Ben!” she cries out, “What are you doing?”
Ben stops. Perplexed, he asks her, “What do you mean?”
“This... this is what you wanted me to trust in? This is what you wish for?” Disgusted, Rey walks away from the cliffs, and down towards the mountain.
Ben looks hurt and regretful. He follows Rey down, and notices she has not gone down any further, but is leaning on a rocky wall, waiting for him.
“I’m sorry,” he tells her, “I’ll never show you such a thing ever again.”
Rey shakes her head, “You thought I would understand, didn’t you? That’s why, in Snoke’s chamber, you told me I was nobody? You were trying to manipulate me, to use my own desires against me?”
Ben refutes her, saying, “And I was wrong! I wish I could take it all back.”
Rey finally looks back at him. “But deep down, do you truly mean it?”
He does not reply. After a moment of silence, Rey speaks up again, “Can things really go back to the way they were?”
Ben tells her, “There is only one way. One of us will have to change for the other.”
Rey sighs. “Back then, I couldn’t bring myself to kill you. It was selfish- I endangered the entire Resistance because you had something that I did not want to lose. Ben... you are the only one who sees the Force the way that I do. As a guardian who helps its strongest believers in their time of need, punishing their tormentors, and making the universe a fairer place. You are the only one who believes me. And though you want to make it so that everyone sees the world in the same way... it comes at too high of a cost.”
Worry seeps into Ben. He feels that Rey is slipping away from him. In his dread, he blurts out, “But it doesn’t have to be this way. I can change.”
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The words hit Rey deep inside, and she immediately says, “What?”
“Forget about ruling the galaxy. That’s not important. What’s important is you.”
Rey is taken back, but cannot bring herself to smile. She replies, “Then the only way we can be together is if you help Luke and I defeat the First Order, and save the Force from its disruptions.”
Ben suddenly reverts, becoming angry, “You know what he did to me!”
Rey says, “You are mistaken! He ignited his lightsaber for only one moment; he regretted it and did not want to go through with it! He didn’t plan to do that; something came over him and he lost control!”
Kylo laughs, “And you want to follow a man with such little self control? I saw how he changed over the years. He became more cowardly, more paranoid. That moment showcased his true self- showing what he truly saw me as.”
“But now he’s back to who he was before. A hero who tries to help everyone, and understand them.”
“He told you that, didn’t he? He is nothing more than a hypocrite. He never tried to understand me. Who I truly was.”
Rey knows this, but denies it. “I don’t know what actually happened between you two. But the entire galaxy is in danger. We need his help to put a stop to both the First Order and the Force disruptions.”
Ben doesn’t reply. Rey continues, “If you truly want to end this war, to have things go back to the way they were, then don’t do it for Luke. Do it for me.” Ben remains silent, unable to answer, and Rey, with reluctance, believes that it is now truly over. She begins to fade away.
In the spur of the moment, Ben calls for her, shouting, “Then I will.” Rey is shocked and tries to reach out for him, but as she is fading, she cannot touch him. He frantically searches for something to say. He remembers. In his parting words, Ben desperately tells her, “The First Order knows you have one of the twin crystals. I know where the other one is.”
“Where?” Rey asks him. But it is too late; she has faded away, and Ben wakes up back in the physical world as Kylo Ren.
He puts on his helmet, and walks out of his chambers, slowly re-establishing himself back in his true reality. He commands his officers, inspects the Imperial Tie Fighters, and berates Hux. As he walks by, he sees Serei trying to pull a prank on a lower ranking officer, and tells her to knock it off, saying that she’s being unproductive. Serei rolls her eyes at him and walks away, but once Kylo departs, she resumes her prank.
Can he truly throw all of this away? When he does, what will he be left with? He thinks back to the behemoth that lies in the light that resides within him. Luke created it. How could Rey support such a person? Does she even have a way to destroy the behemoth? Taking his helmet off, he curls his hands up and presses them into his forehead, torn apart by his thoughts.
Hailden sees Kylo standing above an empty chamber and approaches him. “Kylo, we are ready to land in Bafuoy.”
Kylo walks over to him, and responds, “Good. And Hailden, there is another matter I wish to speak to you about.”
The two begin walking through the corridor. Hailden asks, “What is it?”
“We have conquered the trade federation. Allied ourselves with powerful star systems. Any day now, I feel the turning point will come. And we will be able to crush the Resistance once and for all. We have come a long way from being Luke’s students. We made... considerable sacrifices.”
“They were for a greater cause.”
“Truly, it was a great moment to kill those who mocked and tormented me, saying I was an inferior swordsman. But do you ever regret going against them? Not only did we lose our enemies, but what little friends we had, too.”
Hailden sighs, and with honesty, says, “They were my friends when I told them I believed in Luke, just like they did. But deep down, something separated us. Because I could not be satisfied with such empty lies. Once they knew that of me... they were the ones who turned.”
Kylo nods, “That was what I had thought.” The two stop walking, reaching the nearly finished Aquillian. It is pitch black and sleek, but constantly shapeshifting, like an unstable ferrofluid. Hints of a dark jade hide throughout the beast. Something about it seemed alive. As if it was watching the two generals with a menacing glare.
He continues, “Could they have ever accepted us, for who we truly were? Or only if we had lied to ourselves and turned to the light?
Hailden replies, “You already know the answer.”
THE next day, the breeze shuffles the sands of the red-violet beach. Rey is waiting there, staring out into the ocean, where Ben was before. She looks worried, but inside, she feels a small hope grow inside of her. Though apprehensive, she tries to smile, as her dreams that she thought she could never reach now have a chance of coming true.
Ben appears behind her, and she turns around. She whispers, “Were you telling the truth?”
Ben replies, “I was.”
Rey looks like she is about to cry, but holds it back. “I hope you know just how much this means to me.”
Ben walks up to her and grasps both of her hands in his own. “The other kyber crystal is on a planet called Inimoni. It’s in a terrifying region between the two hemispheres: Nissidha. There are tunnels in it that are safe for traveling, but if anyone, even droids, ventures out of them, they’ll be snatched away by phantom creatures called the Resepi. They can be hurt, but outside of Nissidha’s tunnels, there are so many, that the only way to stop them from swarming you is by using one of the twin kyber crystals. The one you want is somewhere outside of them. You have to bring yours.” He pauses. “With both of them... we’ll be strong enough to stop the First Order, and whoever is disturbing the Force.”
Just as he finishes, Rey notices that Ben’s hands are shaking, and she presses her hands into his with reassurance. She tells him, “I know it is hard for you. But I trust you.”
Ben replies, “No matter where I go, in the eyes of everyone, I will be seen as a monster.”
“No,” Rey tells him, “Not to me.”
The world fades away, and Kylo is left alone in his chamber. He walks out, and Serei and Hailden are there, waiting to hear back from him. He announces to them, “The trap has been set.”
Serei sarcastically scoffs at him, “I’m sure it was your master plan all along. You totally didn’t just improvise that because you lost your cool in front of that girl.”
Kylo glares at her, “Your words waste my time. Hailden, Serei, lead our troops into Inimoni. It’s time for this war to end.” He clutches a dark jade kyber crystal in his hand.