Confronting Fear

Anakin

What I've felt,
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown.
Never free.
Never me.
So I dub thee unforgiven.

The Unforgiven- Metallica

There was a wookie slamming his head into a stone wall, or at least that was what it felt like. Kylo Ren opened his eyes slowly with a groan, trying to take in what little he could see of his surroundings. He remembered falling, but nothing after. He'd been right next to Rey....

Rey! Where was Rey?

At the thought of Rey, he jumped to his feet, knocking his head against an outcropping of black stone. He could feel a thin trickle of blood against his scalp. But he couldn't feel Rey! Her glowing presence in his mind was just... gone.

Don't panic.

He was in a cavern that, despite having no obvious source, was bathed in an orangish-red light. The glow ended about 25 ft away in any direction, the beyond shrouded in darkness. It was completely silent.

He slowed his breathing, retreating into his mind in meditation trying to connect with her through their bond, but couldn't sense her, anywhere. Even from across the galaxy he had been able to connect. What happened? Was she... no, she couldn't be. He would have felt her die, he was sure of it.

If not for his heightened senses, he wouldn't have heard it... a sound like metal on stone. He quickly grabbed his saber from his belt and activated it. At least that still worked.

He looked around hurriedly, trying to determine the direction from which the sound came, but it was impossible due to the echoes. His eyes however picked up the faintest traces of blue and green light in the distance, growing larger and brighter by the second.

When the blue-green glow reached the edges of his strange ring of light he could see figures moving within, though the strange procession halted just outside his range of vision. He dared to let himself hope, Rey.

He cautiously walked towards the stalled group, trying to bring them into focus. There were three, no four of them. They all seemed to be holding either a blue or green lightsaber, their features too shadowed to make out. He paused as he realized the shapes had started walking towards him again.

His heart froze in horror as the group stepped fully into the light. There were indeed four of them. Three were cloaked in the brown robes of the Jedi, hoods pulled low over their faces. Two carried blue sabers, the third carried green. The fourth... was Rey. Her hands were bound behind her back, held by the figure with green saber.... which was in turn held to her throat, the glow illuminated her terrified face. "Kylo?"

At the sound of Rey's voice, Ren's temper flared. How DARE they? He stepped forward, saber held in a combat stance. "LET. HER. GO!" He growled through gritted teeth. In response to his challenge, the Jedi holding Rey, lowered his saber and stepped aside as one of the blue figures took over his former post. The green Jedi strode towards him, throwing back his hood. Kylo's blood ran cold. LUKE.

It figured he was behind this. He had always sought to destroy him and now he was using Rey to do it. The Supreme Leader charged forward with a roar, his red saber crashing against his former master's green one. Luke sneered as they parried, and Kylo saw red, his universe reduced to just him and his uncle. They were equally matched as they circled, dodged and struck. Until Kylo saw an opening, stabbing the Jedi straight through his chest.

Kylo's shout of victory became a cry of despair as he realized he had impaled, not Luke but Rey. He'd been so focused on his uncle he hadn't saw the blue Jedi push her in front of Luke at the last possible second. He dropped to his knees beside her as she took her last shuddering breath, blood frothing from her lips. Luke had finally taken everything from him. He'd begged for forgiveness on Crait and Kylo had denied him. This was his revenge.