Force Destiny

Premonition

Rey found herself in a dark room, the figures within obscured by smoke. The only light in the room was a flashing red alarm. Her heart pounded as she walked deeper into the room. "Rey!" she heard Finn cry out from beyond her sight. She pressed forward into the darkness. Something terrifying was lurking in the shadows; she could feel its evil stare as it watched her. Her friends were in danger, and she was running out of time.

She could see a figure, a shadow, emerge from the mist. The silhouette looked familiar – tall, broad, dressed in all black. The man had his arm outstretched, his fingers clenched. "Ben?" As she stepped closer, she noticed two other shadows in the mist. They were on their knees, grasping at their throats. It was Finn and Rose, she realized. It wasn't until she heard the soft gasping sounds that she realized what he had done. They collapsed backward on the ground and the vision of Finn's jacket and the body covered by a gray blanket flashed in her mind. She had no doubt he would kill them. "Why, Ben!" she screamed.

All three disappeared with her shout and she was left alone in the heavy darkness. Her only company was her heavy breathing as she stepped further into the room. As she followed the flashing red light, she found him by a control pane. He was illuminated by the flashing light above that was unlike the others, this one was blue. No, it wasn't as much blue as it was... indigo. "Rey?" He looked like her bondmate, he sounded like her bondmate, but he couldn't be her bondmate. This man was dressed in the color of blood.

"You're not the real Ben," she said as she called her lightsaber to her hand. It wasn't hers – this lightsaber – yet its energy spoke of a familiarity and intimacy that she couldn't explain.

He will kill your friends, a voice told her, he must be stopped.

Stepping forward, she grasped the hilt tightly, her hands shaking as she pressed the weapon against his abdomen. There was fear in his eyes, but also an incredible darkness. "I am Ben," he told her, "I won't hurt you, Rey."

It wasn't true; she knew it wasn't. His hand wrapped around the hilt of the lightsaber, and she felt his intention to use it against her. The Force was alight in warning. Her friends were in danger; she could feel their energy fading in the Force. They were dying, and she knew who was to blame. "You'll die for what you did," she spat at him. "Any last words?"

There was no emotion reflected in the pools of darkness that stared back at her. "You know what I have to do," he said. She struggled to pull the weapon away from him, but he was unrelenting. Rey felt her own darkness swell inside her.

There was a whisper in the dark, "Yes." It was Kylo's voice. "Kill him."

The glow of the plasma reflected in his eyes as she activated the weapon. His body jerked in shock as the blade pierced through him, blood staining his trembling lips. Her eyes raised slowly to his. He smiled weakly and reached up to touch her face. Her heart broke staring into the warmth of his familiar, searching eyes.

No.

"It was you," she realized. This was no imposter whose fate she delivered at the end of her blade. With trembling fingers, Kylo cupped her face and kissed her gently. The warmth of his lips was too fleeting, but when he pulled away, he offered her a mesmerizing, dimpled smile. It was almost enough for her to forget what she had done, but then his eyes fluttered, and he began to sway. Kylo dropped to his knees and she collapsed beside him, grasping his tunic to ease his descent to the floor. "Ben," she cried as he reached up to wipe the tears from her cheek. "Please stay with me." She trapped his palm against her cheek, pleading with him to hold on as his eyes pooled with sorrow. They both knew he couldn't stay. His hand fell away as the light in his eyes faded. The Force grew heavy around her, and one final breath escaped his lips. The man she had fought to save was dead, because of her.