Tenebrific//Frigorific (A Kylo Ren Short Story)

Chapter 4: Alive//Dead

"A candle can't cease the darkness, the fear that it may extinguish is itself dark. Adapt to darkness and there will be no darkness within." –Tushar Chauhan

*** 

"General Hux, I'd like you to meet Nyx. Nyx, this is General Hux, you know, the one I fantasize about cutting the head off of." Hux frowns at Kylo but extends his hand towards Nyx nonetheless.

            "It's nice to meet you," Hux says, although it doesn't sound sincere. "Are you two ready for tonight?"

            "We are," Kylo assures him.

            "There will be ground and air troops," Hux adds. "They're literally going to fly in here and drop a bunch of soldiers. Make sure you can distinguish between the good and bad guys; if they're shooting at you, they're bad."

            "Will you stop pretending like we've never fought before?" Kylo snaps. "We know what to do."

            Hux ignores him, fixing his attention on Nyx. "Would you mind showing me some of this extraordinary power that Kylo granted you?"

            "She doesn't have to do anything for you."

            Nyx rests a hand on Kylo's shoulder, moving him out of the way so she can talk to Hux. She says to both of them, "Move back." She looks at Hux. "Kylo says you don't trust me." Hux remains silent. "But tell me, is trust necessary?"

            Hux furrows his eyebrows, and then he blinks. Kylo's room is gone, and they're suspended in space, in the middle of nowhere. Hux staggers, and as soon as he moves a foot, space is gone and replaced with Snoke in his large chair and Phasma at his side. Another movement, and he's back on his home planet, watching his child self being sent off to the Academy.

"Stop!"

            They're back in Kylo's room. Nyx looks normal, while Kylo is watching him with an expression that he would almost call sympathy.

            "What was that?" he demands, his breath ragged and extremities shaking.

            "I just showed you everything you're afraid of, whether you know it or not," Nyx tells him. "I could've left you in any of those places, but I felt like being nice."

            "Okay, okay, I get it. You're creepy. Stop looking at me like that," he tells Kylo, "and be in the control room in three hours."

            Once Hux is gone, Nyx asks Kylo why he seems sad.

            "That means Hux isn't afraid of me."

            Nyx smiles softly. "There's still time for that. Want to let off some steam?"

            Kylo nods, taking out his lightsaber. He thinks of what makes him angry and lunges towards Nyx.

*** 

            "Are you planning on just surging the entire Resistance so that they fall into space and float there forever?"

            Nyx shoves him playfully. "Shut up. I'll do what I have to. It's a shame I'm not angry; I fight better that way."

            "I know." Kylo is looking at her with so much regret in his eyes that it makes Nyx worried.

            "What is it?" They're just about to go to the control room.

            "I think you should know that after all this is over, this battle I mean, I'm sending you back to Coruscant."

            "What?"

            "Hear me out." Kylo takes her arm and sits her next to him. "After this fight, Snoke will know about you. And he's not going to want you around."

            "You don't know that."

            "I do. You'll be safe there; you can find your family again."

            "I don't remember my family!"

            "Nyx, I won't argue about this. If you stay, you die, and I won't let the only person I love on this damn ship perish under that dictator! You're going back to Coruscant tomorrow morning at the latest."

            "What if he doesn't find out about me? What if he doesn't care that I exist?"

            "If either of those occur, you can stay, but it's a long shot."

            "Kylo, I know you think you own me, but you can't put me on a ship and whisk me away."

            Now Kylo is getting angry. "I don't own you, I'm just trying to protect you. You'll get on that ship when I tell you to. I don't want to do this, trust me, the last thing I want is to send you away, but if it means you'll stay alive..."

            "I won't go."

            "Yes, you will, and—"

            "Stop. We'll talk about this later."

            "There might not be a later."

            "Kylo, I love you, but you can't make all my decisions for me. If Snoke wants to kill me, fine, I'll let him try."

            "He's more powerful than you."

            Nyx picks up her lightsaber and starts for the door. "Doubt it."

*** 

            For the entire duration of the fight, Kylo found himself searching for Nyx, making sure she wasn't dying. After a few reassurances, he told himself that she would be fine, she's powerful, but he couldn't stop searching whenever he could. Maybe it's because of their connection, maybe it's because she's the only person who's said that she loves him in a long time, but either way, Kylo feels this ache to protect her forever.

            You can't protect me if I'm in Coruscant, can you?

            Kylo frowns. He hates it when she does that.

            "Kylo, tell your girl to do something drastic! We're losing by too much right now," Hux shouts.

Kylo nods at him and locates Nyx in the crowd. He catches her attention.

Do it.

Get out of here. She runs to the wall closest to the exit and starts climbing. Kylo trails after her to ward off any threats that try to shoot her. Soon enough, Nyx is on top of the door that opens to allow ships inside.

Nyx sits and starts meditating. She blocks out every shout and gun blast, every dying breath and cry of agony. She needs complete focus for this to work. It's going to come suddenly, too. Her eyes flutter closed once she sees Kylo and Hux along with a majority of their Stormtroopers retreating. She only has minutes now.

Nyx thinks about everything except what she needs to happen. She thinks of going back to Coruscant, finding her family, telling them what happened as they help her remember. She realizes she'll never see Kylo again; she realizes that she can't let him go.

A sudden jolt and a pulling feeling all around Nyx tells her that it worked. Opening her eyes, all remaining Resistance members are gone, either dead or lost in the eternal vacuum of space. The energy stretches across the entire ship, reaching outside to all the Resistance's air force. Anyone in or around this ship with malicious intentions is gone.

Nyx spots Kylo and Hux watching from the control room. Hux seems shocked but delighted, while Kylo's expression is hidden by his helmet. But she's pretty sure he's smiling a smile that she doesn't see nearly enough. She smiles back before her consciousness joins Resistance fighters in space.