Darkness At Dawn • Kylo Ren [1]

XLIX

"It amazes me to think; how can I look so ordinarily normal when I have crumbled inside?"

∫

"A family torn apart by power and grief will soon be reunited upon the rise of the greatest supreme. Born from the ashes, a rising Sith will sit amongst a choice, family or strength. In the coming days of the realization, the wielder of the purple lightsaber will also face a decision, dark or light, demise or everlasting. A bond will be created between the bravest sibling and a hero related not by blood, but by past and a stray sibling will soon discover the ways of the force and soon, the possibility of the greatest Sith Lord to ever be known will be created in the breaking of the family."

Kylo laid in a curtained cubicle examining the white tiled ceiling. There was nothing else to look at and if he tried to move his dark eyes away from the ceiling, he'd see her face. If he was being completely honest, he didn't know where he was. He could hear groans from a vacant bed and that at least made him glad for the curtains, it meant he didn't have to engage with whoever it was.

Kylo laid there with sunken eyes and a broken heart. The words of Snoke foreseeing the prophecy caused him to cringe and shake. He struggled to keep breathing and was silently thankful that he was hooked up to multiple machines that helped keep his shattered heart going. His entire body seemed to sag with exhaustion and numbed agony but no words escaped his mouth.

The bond he had shared with her had been like a bridge out of his fortressed mind, it allowed him to set foot outside it's protective compound and explore the vast scenery of grass on the other side. Now she had gone and the bridge had been severed. Now, no matter how many people surrounded him, he was alone. He didn't have anyone to talk to. His feelings suddenly became invalid because he was apart of the Dark Side.

His wounded stomach had seemed to have healed throughout the time he had been there and his face was bandaged. But no amount of medicine or visits from a med-droid could heal the ache of longing to be with Elara, which echoed through the very marrow in his bones. It was a chilled wind trapped in the chambers of his heart. With every spare moment, his mind would replay an old memory of her. He'd usually start crying out her name, begging for her, praying for her, hoping for her...until he was syringed and drugged.

One peculiar evening, when he was beginning to walk on his own again, General Hux came to visit. Kylo wasn't at all surprised, he had been waiting for the gingered beast to come yell or mock him. What really surprised him the most was when Hux actually looked sympathetic, it wasn't every day that Kylo Ren looked like a problematic and pathetic mess.

"What is it General?" Kylo questioned.

"The Resistance has made contact with us..." Hux knew why but this confused Kylo severely.

"Why?" He growled, suddenly thinking about his mother.

"From the rubble of Starkiller Base, they managed to find General Jane's body." Hux cleared his throat, his icy eyes looking genuinely sad. "As a peace offering in this time of grief, they are wishing to send her to you."

His head shot up, his black curls surrounding his pale face. A peace offering? Ha! Kylo made a sickly noise and shook his head, his fists clenching at his sides. "Agree to take the body and kill the resistance fighters bringing her to me."

"Sir?"

"Kill. Them. All."

∫

The child's silent weeping was worse than a tantrum or screaming. His eyes welled up with the a sadness his young years should not possess. They showed his soul, aged by the horrible things he had seen in the past few months. The silence of his cry was eerie, like he had been forced to learn how to do this. What would it take to mend a soul as damaged as that and who would try? Leia wanted to scoop him up and comfort Jude, pour love into him until he felt safe enough to cry out loud but Leia was grieving her own deaths, not just Han Solo but the death of Ben Solo and Elara Jane.

Jude stood close to an open casket. It felt like he had no one behind him but in reality, the entire Resistance watched him peer over with sad eyes and look at his peaceful mother. On his tiptoes, he went to reach for her cold hand, bringing it to his cheek. Bellamy wasn't there to do it with him and Leia was nowhere in sight. Behind Elara's casket, was a large banner with the birthdate and death date of Han Solo, who wasn't found in the rubble.

Jude looked at Elara, his fragile heart shattering. "I love you."

"Hey." Poe Dameron placed his hands on Jude's shoulders. "I'm here buddy." Behind him, BB-8 nudged his head against Jude's free hand. "We all are."

From afar, Rey watched with slow tears streaming down her face. It was impossible to watch Jude lose everything he had ever known to love. Finn was severely injured and she would be leaving soon, but perhaps it would distract her from the pain she felt inside.

In the casket, Elara looked like an angel. Her body was crumpled and bruised but that didn't stop her from radiating. Her cheeks remained a slight red and her lips, a comforting pinky-blue. It took several mentions to remind everyone that she was dead and wasn't coming back. Even Elara could look beautiful while dead.

"She doesn't look dead." Jude muttered.

"No kid, she doesn't." Poe shook his head. "Come on, these nice men are going to take her away now okay?"

"What?" Jude snapped. "Where? Why are they taking her?"

"To your father, so he can mourn too." Poe explained. "A peace offering for awhile."

"No!" Jude looked at the incoming men, ready to take the casket. "You can't take her away from me! Please don't!"

Poe grabbed Jude's arm. "Jude calm down!"

Jude began to cry again, holding onto Poe's neck as he did so. Knowing he couldn't do anything, he watched as the casket was carried away and boarded onto a ship. In one final attempt to get ahold of himself, Jude let out a wail.

Rey moved from her spot on the wall. "Jude." She whispered softly. "How about you come with me?" She offered. "Let me take you far away from here, let's go find Luke Skywalker."