The darkness emanating from the mask of Kylo Ren threatened to swallow Ben whole. It clouded his senses, filling every fiber of his mind and body as he pulled against the restraints that tethered him to a slab. There were promises of power and glory, along with threats if he did not accept the ways of the Sith.
He'd wanted that prestige once, but that was before he'd fallen for her.
The dark side of the Force was strong and unforgiving, but the First Order could not use against him forever. Ben felt like he'd been held in this cell for eternity, but realistically it had probably been only a few hours; at least, that's what Ben told himself as he struggled with the mental fight.
There was a hiss as the cell door opened. At first Ben was reluctant to open his eyes-while the dark side was able to penetrate his consciousness, he'd found it slightly more manageable to distance himself when he wasn't looking at the mask-and let out a cry when he did.
"Rey!" Through the dimness of the cell, Ben could make out her outline as she staggered inside.
"Ben…" Rey's voice weak as her silhouette continued forward.
As Rey passed a thin veil of light Ben was able to see her better, and what he saw horrified him. There was a gash on her side, not made by that of a blaster's energy lesion, but something physical. With renewed vigor Ben continued to pull at his restraints, and with a faint popping sound one of his hands was free. Quickly unclasping the other one, he was able to remove the ankle restraints and rush forward before Rey collapsed into his arms.
"What have they done to you?" Ben asked, tears rolling down his cheeks as his hand fluttered over the red stain on her tunic. The bleeding had to be stopped, and soon. Fighting to see past his blurry vision Ben applied pressure to the wound, trying his best to ignore the pained whimpers Rey was making.
"Ben…" her voice was even fainter now, almost as faint as her pulse. "Just hold me,"
Ben refused to accept that Rey wasn't going to make it, but deep down he knew her wounds were beyond what any medical droid could fix. A part of him screamed to try and save her anyway, to flee as far as he could, but Ben didn't want Rey's final moments to be in the heat of battle dodging stormtroopers. So Ben did what she asked, holding her close and stroking her hair as the pain of loss threatened to tear his heart in pieces.
While he never spoke his affections aloud, Ben was sure Rey had an idea of how he felt about her. There were so many unspoken words, and now he'd never get to show Rey how much she meant to him. She was a ray of sunshine in the darkness, a guiding light in the shadows of uncertainty. And now, like a flame of a candle, her life was about to be blown out.
"I won't let you go," Ben promised as he placed a kiss on Rey's cheek. "I love you more than you'll ever know,"
It was then, Ben realized, that she was already gone.
"Rey?" Ben choked as he spoke her name. "Rey!" His heart pounded in his ears as he continued to hold her close, his sobs echoing throughout the cell and into the chambers beyond.
"No, no, you can't leave," Ben cried. "Please come back to me,"
As Ben cradled Rey's body in his arms, the skin of her body began to glow. At first it was soft, almost unnoticeable, but it grew stronger until her figure had become a white glow. The sight terrified Ben, but just as he promised he refused to let her go.
Then, just as quickly as the glow began, Rey dissolved into thousands of glowing droplets, seeping through his fingers and into the floor. As the final drops disappeared, Ben found himself to be restrained on the slab again.
Do you not see? a voice asked, initiating from the mask and swirling around the room like an invisible ghost. Life and death are fleeting. The only thing that matters in this universe is the power to control such momentary matters.
And just like that, Ben understood what had happened. Ben had been tied to this slab the whole time, and Rey had certainly never entered the cell. It had all been a vision; a sick, twisted vision created by the dark side of the Force in an attempt to resurface the old Kylo Ren.
Still trying to recover from the shock of what he'd just witnessed, Ben began to laugh.
"She's alive," Ben said, the words already filling him with strength. "She's safe. And nothing you can do to me will change that fact,"
You are a fool, the nameless voice chastised. And you are weak.
"I don't care…" Ben said as he tried to recover himself, "…what is done to me. I've been to the dark side, I know the cold feeling of loneliness it brings all too well. But it is only within the light that we can see others. And now, more than ever, I can see how foolish I was to follow that darkness," Ben raised his eyes, looking at nothing in particular but knowing he was being heard. "I've found my path," he said. "And I've found her. There is nothing the dark side could offer that would ever take that away,"
[If you're interested in reading the future adventures of these characters, I've posted a new story for the alternate ending of "The Reylo Chronicles", titled "Remedies"]