Purpose: A Kylo Ren Tale

Three

The mask suddenly makes complete sense. I understand now that the cold, impersonal metal serves dual functions.

One: strike fear into the hearts of weaker creatures.

Two: hide his beauty.

For he truly is beautiful. I know he can feel my surprise as my eyes dance across his form. If I were to read myself right now, I'm sure my aura would be yellow with shock. But also swirl with tinges of red, bright bright red.

For lust.

But I tuck both of those thoughts back into my subconscious. I can savor this statuesque face another time. I swiftly let my emotions balance back out, I empty my mind of distractions, I regain my mental footing, and stare up at him.

"Good," he says. "You have more control than I realized."

I don't dwell on the fact that he seems to be reading each and every one of my thoughts as they pass. Over the years I've done it a thousand times, to strangers and lovers alike. It seems almost fair that someone would finally do the same to me.

It's an odd sensation, knowing he's there at the edges of my brain. He seems to be treading lightly, not forcing himself in but rather reading what lays upon the surface. But I know that he could pry open my mind if he felt like it, could take whatever he wanted. I know he's using restraint.

I wonder what he's capable of at his rawest strength.

Instead of being annoyed by it, I welcome his presence. I settle into this new feeling of Kylo Ren - inside me, inside my mind.

I've never known another Force user. Only the stories I've read in the old books I've gathered throughout my travels. And part of me always wondered if they were simply fairytale to begin with. Thought maybe I was just projecting my own circumstances into the fables of The Force. But this man before me is flesh and bone (and muscle, so much muscle) and his powers are as real as the blades of grass between my toes.

My mind gradually shifts away from the man, and back to the environment around me. Grass between my toes. Cool breeze rippling the hem of my robes. Sunlight dwindling behind the pines. I've always felt such a strong connection to nature.

The first sun has set and the first moon has risen. Which means the second sun is close to dipping below the horizon and darkness will soon fall across the mountain.

"Come," I motion for him to follow me.

I turn and walk back into the forest without looking over my shoulder. I don't need to. I can feel him. His Force signature like a constant buzz of raw energy.

I know he is at my heels.

My bare feet gently glide over smooth stones and lush greenery. I've grown accustomed to going without shoes. I feel closest to the earth this way. I feel the energy of The Force strongest when I'm immersed in a natural setting. Space is cold and it's harder to reach my powers. Planets teem with life, The Force flowing through and between all living things.

I've traveled to many worlds. But I never travel through space for too many parsecs at a time. I need to feel connected to my powers too much for that. Need to feel grounded. Need to feel The Force running through my veins like a sweet drug the runners only wish they could deal.

I crave power.

I'm addicted to how it feels.

I want more.

"Soon," replies the demon stalking me through the woods.

I easily make my way through the trees, and find the worn dirt path that leads to my home. When I settled on this planet, I found that humans were few and far between. Which I prefer. There used to be more locals, in another time, before a different war. Now it's mostly deserted.

That's how I came to find my cabin. Empty. But full of potential.

Over the last year and a half I've repaired the crumbling frame, grown a sustainable garden, and lived off of the land around me. No need to travel to the villages that are scattered here and there. I'm far enough away from civilization that I'd have to take my ship anyway, and I prefer to leave her hidden amongst the thick pines. I've learned that low profiles are always best.

We wind our way along the path. The only sounds are my soft footfalls and his heavy boots. And apparently my thoughts, which he mentioned are loud to him.

"Very loud, I said," murmurs the baritone voice in my head.

As my cottage comes into view, I now sense his slight surprise. He must have been expecting something more typical of this planet. Run down, overgrown, abandoned. When the last great war ended, there weren't enough survivors left to maintain all of the dwellings.

And nature has reclaimed most of them. Vines tear down walls. Trees reach through roofs. Tall grasses peek through window panes and observe their wild brethren outside.

But not my cabin.

When I first discovered it, it definitely needed help. I had to sleep on my ship for almost two months before it was habitable. But I welcomed the challenge. Before coming here, the longest I had spent in one place was six months.

And then I'd get the familiar tug in my mind, telling me to keep searching through the stars.

I landed here and immediately went to walk through the pines. Needed to feel soil on my soles. Needed to let The Force flow up through my toes and then pulse through my entirety. I found the dirt path eventually, knowing that if I followed it I would be led to something important. I found the cabin.

I felt content here. Like I needed to stay. Like... The Force was telling me I wasn't done here just yet. So I dug in my heels, rolled up my sleeves, and made this house my home.

First came the garden, situated just to the left of the house. In a shed I discovered tools to work the land. Basic tools, not a speck of technology to be found. I cleared the area by hand, letting The Force help when my strong arms became tired.

I keep a small seed bank on my ship, an eclectic collection of produce and herbs I've discovered on my travels, and so I chose the ones that would best fit this climate.

I planted rows of food, watered them, let the double suns nourish them, and spent a lot of time meditating nearby. I could feel the life, the growth. Could feel the plants imbibe the energy of the death and decay below their roots.

Life creates death creates life again.

With my powers' help, the seeds grew unnaturally fast. It's such a satisfying feeling to look upon my garden - to see the plants I've nurtured and know that they feed my body as well. I cleared out spaces around the cabin's exterior too. It no longer looks as if it's being swallowed by the forest. Instead it's now surrounded by wildflower gardens that attract pollinators and leave a sweet smell lingering in the air.

Kylo Ren sees these memories in my mind.

He sees how I use a mix of physical strength and mental Force to survive. No, thrive. I reach the very end of the path, and face the twig and floral wreath upon my front door. I turn towards him, to read his emotions. This home is sacred to me now, I almost feel like letting him come here has laid a part of me bare. I need to know what he's feeling.

"Your signature is strongest here," he says, as I turn to see his emotions swirling around his form.

Black and red smoke circles him, of course. I expected as much. But there's also a tiny hint of... what's hiding under the surface? Ah, I see it now. Purple?

Pride.

He's a touch proud that I've done so much on my own. Physically with the land, and mentally with The Force.

Well that is unexpected. But I suppose this whole situation has been so far.

As I zero in on that emotion, the purple, all of the smoke slowly dissipates. All of the colors fade and I'm left confused. Oh. He's shut me out - built an impenetrable wall around himself, and I realize now that this entire time he's been letting me read him. But no longer.

"You're strongest here. You'll learn the ways of The Force - here. We will test the limits of your powers," he says out loud.

"Training starts today," he croons inside my mind.