Star Wars: A dyad in the Force 「A Reylo FanFiction」

Act 14: Exegol:: Ben Solo is no more?

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again.

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain.

Within the sound of silence...

Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence

Exegol, 35 ABY

Summoning every ounce of his remaining strength, Ben dragged his battered body across the unforgiving ground. With each agonizing movement, the pain coursing through his chest intensified, surpassing even the torment of his broken ribs. He fought back tears, determined to endure the physical anguish that threatened to consume him.

Impossible.

Against all odds, he reached her side, where Rey lay motionless on the floor, bathed in the dim illumination. The sight pierced his heart, intensifying his anguish. She appeared serene as if peacefully observing the triumph of the Resistance. However, a brief glance into her unresponsive eyes revealed the stark truth: she was gone. Though her tranquil expression hinted at a slumbering state, her eyes stared vacantly, devoid of life and vitality.

Ben's footfalls faltered, but he pushed himself onward, propelled by a relentless resolve. Despite the haze of confusion clouding his mind, he knelt beside Rey, cradling her lifeless form in his arms. A wave of grief and guilt washed over him, realizing that he had arrived too late to save her. He had failed Rey and his own mother, a devastating realization that weighed heavily upon him.

As Ben clung to Rey, he detected the chilling touch of her skin, now growing cold in death's embrace. The crushing weight of regret settled upon his shoulders, as he grappled with the overwhelming sense of inadequacy. But even in the depths of despair, he found a flicker of determination, rising from the depths of his being, refusing to succumb entirely to defeat.

His eyes dropped, meeting her lifeless ones. He almost heard her telling him: You did this. This is your fault. Ben shook his head in denial; no, Rey would never be that way. Those thoughts were a trace of Snoke's rule. Rey was kind. No matter what had happened between them, what he had done, she had always shown him compassion. She had always shed tears for him.

Ben cast his gaze around the ruins of the cathedral as if answers might lie in the shadows. A small hope that Anakin would be around. But there was nothing. Just aching emptiness and a sense of loss so sharp and terrible, it was like a vise around his gut. Shortage of breath was the first sign. He was breathing, but the air didn't go in like metal bands surrounded his lungs. Next came the rising panic, the dizzy feeling that he could not save her.

The once-mighty Kylo Ren couldn't help the only person left in the galaxy that mattered to him. He pulled her against his chest and hugged her to himself for a moment. He had just found her, really found her. He had wasted his life; he knew that now. But anyone who could have shown him the way forward, helped him be Ben again, was gone. Luke. His parents. And now, Rey.

It was not fair for them. He should be the one dead, not Luke, not his parents, and not Rey. He couldn't make himself believe it. Rey was the strongest person he had ever known. She had fought off the darkness in ways he never could. She had saved everyone. She deserved better. Better than this.

Ben hugged her closer, holding her against him. Suddenly he sensed something. The tiniest spark. And he realized: The Force hadn't taken her yet. Hope rose inside him, as now he knew exactly what Rey would do in his place. It was the easiest decision he had ever made. He didn't need to overthink it. He cradled her gently and placed his hand on her abdomen.