THE APPRENTICE ➛ Kylo Ren

⁽ ¹⁹ ⁾ ❝ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇss ❞

Where had it started? At what point in her generic life had everything gone sideways?

Jana's palms remained pressed against her temples as she ran through everything Ren had told her earlier in her mind.

So after all those years on Jakku - wondering who her parents were and why they had left her to fend for herself on the desolate planet - she finally had her answer.

She never even thought she would know the identity of her parents, but as if that wasn't bad enough, she never could have imagined that she would discover that her great-grandfather was a Sith Lord. An infamous Sith Lord nonetheless.

So that was the source of the rumored evil within her. Only it wasn't rumored anymore. With this newfound knowledge, Jana no longer doubted Ren's words.

She was infused with darkness.

She briefly wondered if Rey had been too.

An unexplainable anger grew inside her.

Anger for Rey's death. Anger for her own situation. Anger for Kylo Ren. For her family...

A scream broke from her throat as her fist sailed into the wall, creating a deafening bang and crunch.

Jana stumbled back, shocked at the large indentation her punch had created in the metal. She looked down at her hand, finding the skin undamaged, not even the slightest break or bruise.

"What the hell?" She panted, glancing back up at the wall.

She'd been told that she was powerful, but at this stage she didn't know that she could be that powerful! She had received training, but not enough to be able to accomplish this.

She stood there staring for a full five minutes before going to the bathroom to splash her face with cold water.

What was happening to her?

First her body had been thrown through strenuous training, then broken down and torn apart by grief, and now this...incredible strength due to rage.

She gasped, realizing who else this sounded like.

After she had rinsed her face and rubbed the water up and down her arms, she returned to her bed, where she laid gazing at the injured wall.
If I'm that powerful on my own, she thought absently. Just think how strong I'd be with actual training.

Her lips parted in realization.

The though had entered her head harmlessly, but now that she was turning it over - considering it - she understood how dangerous it could be.

What could she do with proper training? How powerful could she become?

What was there to stop her?

She had Ren's invitation.

She had nothing to lose.

Rey, Han, Chewie, Finn - they were all dead, leaving her no tethers to the light except for her conscience.

If she did join, it would put an end to the nightly screaming in her head. The call to the Dark Side would be silenced. No more agony.

Then there was him.

Jana had always felt an undeniable pull to Ren. It was something ulterior to the Dark Side, it was...personal.

What would he do if she joined? No doubt he'd be pleased.

For some reason the idea of Ren being pleased due to her actions made Jana feel proud.

A breathy laugh escaped her as she placed a hand over her mouth. What she was thinking was outrageous...but it was also true.

On top of everything, in the past few weeks there had been something festering in Jana's heart. She felt like there was something eating at her insides, gnawing on the resolve she set when she was first brought to the Finalizer: that she wouldn't give in. That she would stay in the Light, because everything she had was in the Light.

But now everything she had was gone.

Rey was gone.

And this one fact had hardened her. Drained her of a portion of her emotions.

The reason to stay strong was gone.

And Jana felt herself slipping.

Then there was her ancestry. The legend of Darth Maul, even though it was a short one, had struck a chord in her.

What if she was supposed to take this path? What if...

Jana scoffed, but the thought still occurred.

What if it was her destiny?

The whispering swelled in her head, echoing through her entire body. The Dark Side beckoning to her. She wanted it to stop. She wanted it to leave her alone. She wanted to feel the peace it promised her should she join. She wanted to feel the power it promised.

And she was only one push away from submitting.