Rey stood there, waiting, watching, as she held the lightsaber to the man standing on the edge of the cliff, with bright blue eyes full of heartbreak and sadness. He stared at her, he could feel her power, her determination. She could feel his hurt, his old heart and his broken spirit. but with it... a ray of hope.
"Rey, I've been waiting for you." He smiled and waved his hand. His lightsaber flew to it, almost eagerly. Rey waited.
Luke took a deep breath, tightening his grip on his old friend, feeling it for the first time in decades. Then he looked at Rey.
Without another word, he started to walk higher up the mountain, motioning for her to join him. She followed him, her feet walking of their own accord.
Rey couldn't believe this, she was walking next to a Jedi master, a legend, the man who had trained with two of the greatest Jedi's in history, who had defeated two Sith Lords, who destroyed not one, but two death stars, who broke down the entire galactic empire. Luke Skywalker.
And there she was, a nobody. From a junk planet at the edge of the galaxy, where her parents abandoned her and she had to stoop to such lows just to feed herself. But now, she was about to train to become a Jedi, with Luke Skywalker. It was incredible. Words failed her as they walked up the many, many steps up to the top of the island, as if they weren't already high enough.
He walked in front of her, confident and sure-footed with a slight limp. Rey wasn't used to this terrain, the bumpy rocks, the slippery moss. There were no smooth surfaces, none of the sand she was used to. She felt self-conscious following him, tripping all the way up.
The silence was tense. Luke could sense that she had questions, so many questions. It wasn't his job to probe her, however. Finally, Rey broke the silence on her own.
"Um, master Skywalker, are we not going back to the Ileanium system? We need you there, Leia told me to-"
"No. It's not my place to go back."
Rey was dumbstruck, this was not part of the plan. "But, we need your help! General Organa, your sister, needs you. The Resistance needs you, you're the only one who can defeat Kylo Ren!"
She found herself at the top of the mountain, breathing looked around, they were at a circular plateau, covered with moss and grass. It looked soft and lush. Rey resisted the urge to fall on top of it after the long climb she'd endured. It looked over the vast sea, calm and blue, with the sun leaking through the pale clouds above them. It looked like heaven.
Luke stopped, sighed, then turned to face her.
"Rey, you must know that I can't go back. I won't go back. It's not my place to defeat the First Order, or Kylo Ren, and I'm no good at politics."
"But, we came all this way! So many risked their lives to find you! We need you!" Her voice was rising, and her tone turned sharp. How dare he do this? After all they'd done to find him?
"Rey, I think we both know that's it's not me who they need. I'm merely a ghost of my former self. I'm not the young man that destroyed the Empire so long ago. I'm tired, and I don't have the will to carry out what needs to be Resistance doesn't need me, Rey."
Rey couldn't find words. Her anger started to overflow. "How dare you! Do you know how many people died trying to find you? Do you know the danger we went through to find your coordinates? Do you know how my mind was invaded so that the First Order could find you? How many other people had to go through that? And then you say that you're not coming back? That this was all a waste of time? My friends almost died because of you! You're a coward!"
She didn't notice at first, but the more she spoke, the more the wind picked up, until she was screaming over its howls. The grass billowed and shook from it, making waves of green around the two.
As she finished her rant, her eyes widened with fear, and the weather died down. Luke stood still, waiting for her to finish. She could feel his burden, his loneliness. Rey's anger faded, he really was a broken man.
"I know I've made mistakes, and I find it admirable that you've done all that to find me. I'm sorry I put you through that, I truly am. But, at the same time. I stand my ground. It's not my place. The Force has guided you to find me Rey, to show you the ways of the Force. But that's where my role in this story ends."
Rey shifted, biting her lip and looking at the ground. This was not the response she had anticipated.
"I see you're confused, and I feel your anger. Let go of your hatred, it clouds your judgment. You must realize this, this is the only way to bring balance to the force. You, are the only way."
She tried to let go, to look at Luke without anger, but the surge of power she felt from it, the rage, it was the first time since the fight with Kylo Ren in the forest that she felt this powerful. It was frightening, it-
Don't be afraid, I feel it too. Rey gasped, that voice...
"Rey, you have to let go of this, it will lead you to the dark side." Luke stepped forward, and Rey looked back up at him. Did he sense what was happening to her?
Luke placed his hands on her shoulders, looking at her with bright blue eyes. "I know this is much for you to handle, but you are far more powerful than I could hope to be. You are the only one that could be Kylo Ren's equal. But you have to learn to control your emotions, that is not the way of the Jedi. It only leads to suffering."
Rey felt tears surging in her eyes. The weight of it all was crushing her. She'd have to lead the resistance and destroy Kylo Ren, on her own. She felt like she was being abandoned on Jakku all over again, completely alone.
Not completely. She heard it again. It was quiet, polite, almost concerned. But it demanded to be heard. Rey shut her eyes again unable to speak.
"I'm sorry to have to put this burden on you, my child. But the Resistance needs you."
Rey opened her eyes again, looking up at the Jedi master.
"What do I need to do?"
Luke smiled, relieved. "Come, I will show you the ways of the force."
He turned away from her, walking to the open field above the blue sea. Rey hesitated. Could he not sense Kylo Ren in her head?
He's jealous of your power, don't trust him.
With dread, Rey stepped forward.
Luke sat down in the middle of the clearing, gesturing for Rey to do the same. She sat down easily, feeling like her body was made of lead.
"Close your eyes, and clear your mind." She stared at Luke for a minute as he meditated, then followed suit.
"I chose this place because it was isolated, there are no distractions, no one to interfere. The Force comes through like the wind. Can you feel it, flowing through you?"
Rey focused, trying to separate herself from her body, focusing on the energy around her, her master, and from within. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her spirit. But there was something there, like an itch in her brain, something keeping her grounded.
"Let go of your frustration Rey, try to find your peace. Don't let your emotions consume you." She heard his voice, so different than before. It was airy, but focused. It was devoid of emotion. It was almost... scarily blank.
She tried again, reaching out with the Force, trying to clear her mind.
He wants you to forget your emotions because he knows you are more powerful than him with them.
Rey opened her eyes, then stood up in frustration.
"This isn't working, maybe we should try something else."
Luke opened his eyes and looked up at her. "You need to learn patience, it-"
"I am patient, but I don't think this is going to work." She said, she didn't want to tell him of Kylo's voice in her head, at least not yet.
He looked at her sadly, then closed his eyes again, staying on the ground. "If you don't think this will work, we will try again tomorrow. I think you need a day to rest and process."
Rey couldn't believe this. "We don't have time! The First Order is closing in on the Resistance everyday! If we don't-"
"I can't teach you if you can't listen to me, Rey. Now leave me, I won't be giving you any more instruction today. There's a cave near where you found me, rest there until tomorrow."
Rey stood there for a minute, staring at him with loathing.
He doesn't believe in you, he doesn't know what you're capable of.
Shut up! Get out of my head!
Rey turned back to the steps, stomping off and repressing the obscenities that came up from her chest. How could he do this to her? First he doesn't want to come back, and now he refuses to teach her? This was a waste of time!
Wanting to get out her aggression, Rey hit a rock next to her with a clenched fist. To her surprise, the rock was uprooted from the moss and started to tumble down the hill loudly. She covered her mouth, looking down at the broken shards and then up at the hill.
See? You're more powerful than you realize. Luke doesn't understand.
Why would he do this to me? She quipped back, but the voice didn't waver.
He's afraid of you, like he was afraid of me. Afraid of my potential, of what I could become with the power of the dark side.
Rey didn't say anything, instead choosing to go down the rocky steps. She could feel her fear starting to consume her. She stumbled to the small cave Luke had described to her, and sleep couldn't come fast enough.
Kylo Ren came out of a trance as he felt Rey go to sleep. He felt his own body grow weary, it took all of his energy to connect to Rey from that far. He wished he could sense where she was, but she seemed to be blocking him. Hopefully, in time, he could break down the barrier.
He could hear the faded beeping of the communicator in his room, General Hux was trying to reach him. With a deep sigh, he stood up and picked up the communicator.
"Yes." He said with a hiss, Kylo didn't like to be interrupted when he was trying to meditate.
"Master Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke wishes to see you." Kylo hung up, again sighing. He hadn't talked to his master since the demise of Starkiller base, and he wasn't eager to face the consequences of his failure.
He took his helmet from the ground, and it latched onto his head with a hiss. He winced, the helmet touched his scar, and it was really quite painful. But there was no way he was going to walk around with a scar from his defeat.
The walk was a lot shorter than he was used to, this ship was much smaller than starkiller base. It was the only one they could salvage from the wreck, and it would be a while before they were able to change their conditions. The few stormtroopers kylo passed caught sideglances of him, and he could sense their thoughts
it's Kylo Ren... What happened... where's the scavenger... i can't believe he's still alive...
They couldn't see his anger beneath the mask, his humiliation at such a colossal failure. It was part of the reason he wore the mask, so people couldn't read him.
Kylo got to a room, where General Hux and Captain Phasma stood waiting for him. There was a hologram of Snoke, significantly smaller and less detailed than the one at starkiller, but Kylo could feel his presence all the same. It was still intimidating, it felt old and dark, it seeped into his skin.
"Leave us." Snoke said to Hux and Phasma. With a bow, they left the room, leaving Kylo alone.
"Kylo Ren, I heard that you let the girl escape." His voice made Kylo's heart fill with dread, Leader Snoke was not pleased with him.
"Master, I tried the best I could to-"
"You tried to spare her, didn't you?"
There was no hiding from him, Kylo hesitated. "Yes, I think she has great potential to learn of the Dark Side. Her emotions are clouded. She's afraid and distrustful of the Resistance."
"I sense you have a good reason for knowing this?"
"Yes, I think I have a force bond with her. I can feel it, we are connected."
Snoke fell silent, looking at Kylo with his black eyes, Kylo could feel himself starting to sweat. The mask hid none of his emotions from Snoke.
"Good. See to it that you continue to influence her. If we can have her come to our side, then she will be a valuable asset to us. Do nothing else until you arrive to finish your training."
"Yes, Supreme Leader Snoke." With that, the hologram disappeared. Kylo Ren felt his chest relax again. Then, with a renewed determination, he went back to his quarters.
Kylo wasn't done with Rey yet.