Reylo: These Violent Delights

Chapter 59: If Loving Her Was Chaos...

Hovering above Exegol's exosphere, Kylo could feel the pull of the Citadel immediately.

Burrowed within the depths of its tumultuous system, the Steadfast was docked as close as possible without being detected, meaning his journey to the far-off planet was much shorter than usual. But that didn't equate to a comfortable ride. The cockpit was fucking freezing despite his heavy cloak and tunic, the murky graveyard of stars and debris encasing his TIE silencer in a cold, dead fist. Even the uncustomarily quiet Ibbot seemed to sense the dreary, heavy energy hanging above him.

Veering the hand controls down, the Supreme Leader braced himself to enter the ominous, boggy landscape of the Sith world. Alone, just as Hux instructed. In any other circumstance, he would have arrived with all of his forces to rip the traitor's faction of the First Order apart. But for the first time in his life, he had to obey General fucking Hux. Meaning he had to leave his knights behind, waiting in the shadows for his command, while the rest of the First Order remained at the ready. Hux's power over him made his blood boil, but Kylo knew he had no other choice. The little weasel would kill Rey if he brought reinforcements.

So, for now, he played by his rules. Slowing to a crawl, he landed his TIE silencer, sending a cloud of moon-coated dust flurrying into the air as zaps of lightning struck all around him. After the dirt settled, he opened the hatch and jumped down. The last time he was here, First Order encampments sprawled out for miles, situated far away from the Citadel per his instruction. But now they sat as close to the enormous stone structure as possible. He couldn't see them—they had shut off their hololights in anticipation of his arrival—but he sensed them.

Kylo took a single step closer, dragging his gaze along the nebulous skyline. Cast in perpetual darkness, he could only make out the domineering shape of the fortress. It beckoned him, screaming for him to come closer, but he resisted, waiting until a cluster of lightning strikes illuminated the eerie underbelly of the inverted pyramid. Then he saw the camp. It was fitting that their tents hugged the perimeter of the Citadel; its wicked power had driven them to such treacherous lengths, and little did they know, they were now in its cruel grasp. With that same dark energy pumping through his veins, he strode toward it, the dry wind cutting through his hair and whipping his robes behind him in a black blur.

The electric sparks lighting up the inky sky offered a glimpse of something massive moving behind the Citadel, and Kylo's hand flew to his belt to unclip his lightsaber. He ignited it, his gloved fingers curled around the hilt as he trod forward. Moments later, the ground shook, and the familiar sound of groaning machinery filled the air. It was an AT-AT walker. His heart dropped. He knew that a large portion of the First Order had betrayed him, but enough where they secured heavy armory? They weren't stationed here under his rule. His gut twisted into knots, acid rising in his throat as he realized that all of this had happened right under his nose. Especially because they were only on Exegol because of him.

Still, he pushed ahead. He had to get to Rey. She was near and alive—he could feel her energy stronger than he ever had before. And as he got closer to the Citadel, he finally heard signs of life. He came to a halt, listening to the Stormtrooper's uniformed marching and the heavy steps of the AT-ATs and AT-STs alongside the whine of incoming starships. And with a mechanical click and whir, the lights surrounding their camp stuttered on, showing the extent of their forces. Hux had raised an entire army. And beside them were Resistance fighters. A lot of them.

Kylo wanted to run at them, to slice through their bodies and watch their blood soak the cracked grounds below his feet. He wanted to hear their corpses fall and proceed to light them on fire to warm his stiff, frigid bones. But he couldn't. Not yet. To protect the woman he loved, he had to be patient. He had to play by Hux's rules.

Straightening his spine, the Supreme Leader powered down his lightsaber and waited. As the Resistance fighters settled in formation, the Stormtroopers came to a halt and divided in the middle. They spun inwards to face each other and stepped back, creating a pathway between them. Beside them, the AT-ATs and AT-STs took their final steps, the vibrations of their weight humming below his boots.

Figures meandered down the pathway between the 'troopers, and Kylo took cautious steps to meet them, seething as a bright sensor beam caught the red hair of none other than General Hux. Behind him was another First Order officer that had been stationed on Exegol, followed by Captain Phasma and a Special Forces Stormtrooper squad. Even though there was a fair distance between them, Kylo could sense the General's smugness from where he was standing. He took a deep, grounding breath, picking up his pace to meet him as Hux and his entourage came to a halt.

Behind the General, the Stormtroopers stomped forward in unison, kicking up a cloud of filth in their wake. The Supreme Leader slowed to a stop, leaving a comfortable distance between them. Hux was dressed in his usual impossibly clean and stiff uniform, but the dark circles under his eyes and pallid complexion indicated that the power of Exegol had worn him down. With a malicious smirk, he looked Kylo up and down.