Supreme Leader Kylo Ren is a very busy man. He spends his days in a series of meetings and briefings, turning his attention from one pressing issue to the next. This frenetic pace is his new normal until his fledgling empire is launched.
The remaining undeclared major systems—the most prosperous and developed worlds of the Inner Core—are all in a rush to surrender in the face of the Resistance defeat at Crait. With the Republic fleet vaporized with Hosnia and his mother's ragtag band of revolutionaries dead, all systems now bow down to the First Order. They send teams of emissaries to negotiate peace terms with his politico types. But first, they must grovel as supplicants before him, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.
It is gratifying to rule the galaxy at long last. It is a momentous achievement, especially for a man so young. But it is only the beginning, Kylo plots. For he plans to bring efficient order where democracy let chaos long bloom. He will clean up the incessant crime and persistent poverty in the Rim. He will weed out the rampant corruption and public complacency of the Core. He will bind the galaxy together with new trade routes, more hyperspace lanes, and system-spanning economic development projects. No longer will local sectors create fiefdoms and monopolies to corner markets and raise prices. Slavery, in all its various legal guises, will finally be abolished on all worlds. In time, the Rim outposts will enjoy the same gleaming, cosmopolitan prosperity as the Core worlds. Opportunity will no longer depend on who you are, where you are from, and what species you are.
Most of these goals are not new ideas, and quite a few of them originated in the Republic. But like most of the good ideas that arose after the Empire fell, they languished. Stalled in the tortuous series of legislative hurdles that the New Republic constitution required. It was all designed to protect the sovereignty of individual systems. But in practice, it meant galactic level government was woefully inadequate and slow. Entrenched business and crime interests knew the best techniques to bury legislation in years of committee meetings. The few meaningful laws that were enacted quickly became the target of legal challenges to delay their implementation. Everything got bogged down under endless due process. It was all a lot of talk and too little action.
The rhetoric of democracy is great, Kylo knows. It's the real-world experience of democracy that is disappointing. Because the unfortunate truth is that the will of the people often results in bad choices. And even when good choices are made, they take far too long to implement. Democracy works on a system level, but it doesn't work for the galaxy as a whole, Kylo long ago concluded. There are too many competing interests and too many difficult problems to solve. And there is too much lack of consensus on the issues between the Rim and the Core. Decentralized power and a ridiculously large New Republic Senate meant nothing ever got done.
And that was fine if you lived in the well-run, fully developed Core. But if you lived in the Mid Rim or the Outer Rim, chances are you suffered. It's true that power abhors a vacuum. And so, in these far-flung areas, crime syndicates and business interests assumed the mantle of leadership. It had predictable results, for no one was looking out for the public interest. That meant the common man struggled. As the years wore on, these citizens grew more and more disenchanted with the empty promises of the New Republic. Some joined the First Order to take up arms for their cause, but most remained on the sidelines a silent majority of sympathizers who watched and waited for the war to be over. Kylo knows that these people largely disagree with his methods but they agree with his big picture goals. The First Order needs to win these people over if he is to govern peacefully long term. And that means he needs to show results.
Things are going to change. Fast. The radical reformer Kylo Ren is in charge now. He is the strongman leader whose time has come. His new Empire will bring peace, freedom, justice, and security to the galaxy, and it will be built to last. This won't be a repeat of Darth Sidious' twenty-year reign. The First Order will not be another flash in the pan to mark the time between civil wars. The peace he has achieved will endure. His armies will make sure of that. The last remnants of the Republic have been swept away and the Jedi are gone. There will be no one to stop him now.
The future is limitless. Kylo ought to feel energized and confident. Except, he doesn't. He is anxious as his thoughts keep wandering back to Rey. He worries that he has really screwed things up with Rey. And maybe that's not the yardstick he should measure his success by, but Rey is the first thing in a long time that has Kylo truly intrigued.
Perhaps it's fitting that he has blown his chance with her. Because Kylo Ren might rule the galaxy but inside he is still the same screw-up kid who disappointed his parents, his uncle, his teachers, and his Master time and again. It's funny how years later as an adult all those feelings of inadequacy remain. The voice in his head long ago internalized all those criticisms even if he grew to chafe at them over time. Because there's something about being fourteen that always stays with you deep inside. Even when you are the undisputed Master of the known universe, you are always that lost kid who no one understood. And maybe that's why the abused often grow up to be abusers and why the bullied sometimes grow up to be bullies. For the pain you are shown becomes the best way you know to show pain to others. And for the unlucky ones like himself, that pain becomes something of an identity.
It's the chip on your shoulder that becomes your reason to live. It's the stubborn hurt that fuels your drive. It's why a funny looking kid and failed Padawan rebelled spectacularly to prove to the entire galaxy his self-worth and his power. Slaying his Master, killing his family, and trampling the Republic in the process. But the joke's on him, for even Supreme Leader Kylo Ren gets rejected. He offered Rey the chance to rule with him and she turned him down. He should have started small, Kylo realizes, and simply offered her his heart.
And he shouldn't have bothered to ask Rey, Kylo now thinks in retrospect. He should have just gathered her into his arms in that burning throne room for a passionate kiss. He should have sealed the deal based on their intense connection. She felt it enough to surrender to Snoke, he felt it enough to slay his Master to save her. The chemistry between them is an attraction that has spurred them both to throw caution to the wind. That's why it was a mistake to make his offer a straightforward rational decision. He should have swept Rey up in the emotion of it all. He should have made it about him and not about his will to power.
So how did it go so wrong? In a turn of events that would only occur in his family, he is now a rejected suitor now claiming the object of his affections is his sister. She's sitting vigil floors below him in the sickbay holding his dying mother's hand. That his mother also happens to be the enemy general is just the icing on the cake. This sort of dysfunction only happens in his family, he thinks glumly.
And here he is, himself poised to continue the craziness. For after years a celibate Jedi and then an overworked Apprentice, Kylo finally finds a girl he likes. He doesn't meet her in the usual sense. He hunts her down and she shoots at him. And, damn, if she didn't shoot first. She's on the wrong side of his war and the opposite side of the Force. Oh, and she's an under-educated desert scavenger from the worst hellhole of the Rim, a world remembered only as the place where his grandfather's old Empire died. She is completely the wrong girl to choose as the consort to the Supreme Leader of the First Order. But he doesn't care.
Yep . . . Rey is perfect for him. And she has destiny written all over her. From the droid in the desert that led her to an old wizard in exile, to her humble anonymous upbringing as a diamond-in-the-rough Force user, here is Skywalker history repeating itself. Hell, Rey even showed up waving his grandfather's long-lost sword. If this isn't the Force at work, then he's Jabba the Hutt.
Kylo wants to see her again. The intervening hours have been too long. So when his last scheduled briefing ends, he orders a flunky to summon Rey. He will have dinner with Rey tonight in his quarters alone.
He can't resist a smirk when she presents herself as requested. Because damn, she's beautiful. Who knew the sandy scavenger would clean up so well? Rey looks even better than he had hoped. "I like you in that green dress. You look very nice," he approves. He had no idea that Rey was this conventionally beautiful. Her attraction had been only mildly about her physical person . . . until now.
Rey blushes pink and stammers back, "Don't look at me like that." Clearly, his desert vagabond is not used to compliments. He makes a mental note to deliver plenty of them from here on out.
"I like looking at you all pretty like this."
"This is a disguise," she bristles some more. It's adorable, he thinks. Has Rey never received any positive male attention? Probably not.
"What is this about?" she demands. He sees her gaze flit behind him to where dinner for two is laid out on the table. She looks a little alarmed.
"Come, sit, and have dinner with me," Kylo invites. T hen, he uses his best Crown Prince of Alderaan manners to pull out her chair. He turns to her and waits expectantly.
"Uh . . . " Rey hesitates before she finds her voice. "I was under the impression that I was here to be with General Organa. You never said anything about this." She eyes the food like it's poison.
Kylo raises an eyebrow in response. "Are you on hunger strike now? Rey, you are skinny enough as is."
It's the wrong thing to say. She stiffens. "There is no cause to insult me."
Whoops. He backtracks. "Most women would take that as a compliment."
"Most women are not from Jakku." Rey glances again at the tabletop laden with enough silverware and glasses to make his princess mother proud. Rey isn't impressed at all. Instead, she looks scared. Intimidated. She quickly declines him with a frosty nod. "Thank you, but I prefer to eat alone in my quarters tonight."
Maybe this fancy dinner date was not such a good idea, he thinks. Kylo had wanted to impress Rey by treating her like a guest and not like the prisoner she clearly fears she is. But in doing so, he has stumbled on a whole new set of issues. Namely, Jakku. Kylo belatedly remembers how meager her life was on Jakku. Well, too late. This is like exchanging her desert rags for dresses. That is the past and this is her new life.
"Haven't you been lonely long enough?" Kylo gently suggests. This girl's loneliness is her weak spot, he knows.
But tonight, poking at Rey's hurt provokes a vehement response. "I don't know—you tell me," she jeers. "You just killed everyone I cared about at Crait."
"You knew those people barely a week."
"It was long enough."
This is not off to a good start. Rey is hostile and standoffish just like this morning. Well . . . whatever. He embraces it. Kylo gestures to the chair he still holds. "Sit down. You can yell at me over dinner. I'm all ears, Rey."
"No, thanks." Rey crosses her arms and sticks out her hip and its very Leia Organa of her. Are all women this difficult, he wonders. Or is it just the ones in his life?
"Suit yourself." Kylo gives up and walks around the table to seat himself. He pours a glass of wine. Then, he fills the glass at Rey's place.
"Is that wine? Because I don't drink wine," she announces as she watches from across the room.
He nods. "Neither do I. But Snoke did and I have stolen his entire wine cellar from his ship. I figured I should at least try it before I hand it over to the officers' lounge." Kylo takes up his glass and lifts it high in a toast she will want to cheer. "Death to Snoke," he declares triumphantly before he takes a sip.
It works. This is a sentiment Rey will join him in. She steps forward to slip into her empty chair. She lifts her glass and heartily concurs, "Death to Snoke."
"You're supposed to drink it now," Kylo prompts Rey when she puts her glass back down.
Rey looks dubious but takes a drink. A big drink. Instantly, she's coughing and sputtering.
"Not much of a drinker, are you?" Kylo snorts. So much for the plan of loosening her up with wine. He'll never get Rey drunk at this rate.
"Water was precious in the desert. You didn't drink anything that dehydrated you," she manages between chokes. Rey resolutely puts down her glass. "That's enough of that," she decrees. "Well, good night." She stands.
"Sit down," he complains. "Eat."
Rey cocks her head. "Do you ever stop ordering people around?"
"That was an invitation, not an order. What's your hurry, Rey?"
"I'd like to be alone now."
"That's a lie," he counters. "You're so lonely. I remember that." She opens her mouth to object but he overrides her. "You don't have to be lonely anymore." It is softly said and it disarms her for a moment. "Please sit down," he requests again and this time she complies. Seeing that he is making headway, Kylo repeats again, "You don't have to be alone anymore."
Rey makes a face and looks away. She picks up her fork and starts pushing her food around her plate. She's frowning. "Is this your lead up to telling me I will find plenty of new fascist friends in the First Order?"
"Well, I know you like stormtroopers. I have plenty of those. FN-2187 was nothing special you cannot replace." Kylo sits back in his chair and twirls his knife absently through his fingers as he considers Rey's profile. She is quite deliberately averting her face. She won't even look at him. It makes Kylo want to bait her some more. "I can call down and summon FN-2186, if you like—"
"Finn! His name was Finn!" Rey slams her fist down on the table and the dishes jump. "He was a person, not a number, and his name was Finn!"
She needs to get over Crait. Her Resistance war buddies were doomed from the start. Didn't Rey see see that? Kylo leans forward in his chair and tries to get her talking so she doesn't storm out. "Tell me, what was so special about Finn?" He's genuinely curious.
"Finn came back for me. No one else has ever done that."
"So he was loyal?"
"Yes."
"Loyalty impresses you?"
"Yes."
Kylo nods. "I could see that. What else?"
"He fought for what he believed in. Against all odds and in defiance of what he had been brought up to believe. He was brave enough to see through the lies he had been taught as a child."
"You mean like me?" Kylo smirks.
She shoots him a look.
"What else?" he asks. Kylo takes another bite and chews as she gives him the silent treatment. "Come on. Tell me. Or should I guess?"
Rey looks wistful now as she recalls her dead friend. "He was thoughtful. A little gallant even. That was Finn. He was always ready to help me."
"You don't strike me as the damsel in distress type." Kylo raises an eyebrow. "Are you? Shall I sweep you off your feet and rescue you?" He did that once at Takodano but Rey didn't quite see it as being saved from the Resistance at the time.
"That's not what I mean. It's just that Finn was quick to offer me his help. He even gave me his jacket on the Starkiller. Finn was like that. Finn was . . . " Rey struggles to explain. She settles on, "He was my first real friend."
Friend. The traitor had been relegated to the friend zone. Kylo inwardly heaves a sigh of relief. He doesn't need her pining after a dead man he killed. That Rey had felt so invested in her traitor so quickly speaks more to Rey's loneliness than it does to the depth of that relationship, Kylo decides. Rey had been looking for someone—for anyone—to relate to. With the Resistance gone, hopefully she will relate to him now.
"I gave you that green dress. I can give you all the dresses and jackets you want." Kylo can give this woman anything and everything if she will let him.
"No, thanks." Rey looks down at her pretty dress and shrugs dismissively. "This is just a disguise. This isn't me."
"How do you know? You've never tried to be anything other than a scavenger." Kylo looks her in the eye. "Now is your chance. I will help you, Rey."
She looks uncomfortable and he can relate. It takes time and courage to take charge of your life and reinvent yourself. The green dress was just a first step. A little nudge.
Snoke was a master at the transforming people. He took in a runaway teenaged Padawan with a Jedi hot on his heels. In days, he gave that kid a uniform, a sword, and a new name. Snoke set him and the galaxy on a new course. Kylo is soft pedaling that same strategy with Rey. He's got her away from the Resistance and out of her desert rags. That's a start.
Kylo leans forward in his chair. "You think you are nobody from nowhere, but we both know that's not true. It's not where you are from that matters, Rey, it's where you are going." Darth Vader had started as a slave, after all. In Kylo Ren's mind, there is no shame in being lowly born.
"Can we talk about something else?"
Sure. Fine. "As you wish, my lady."
Rey shoots him a look. Then, she changes the topic. "What happened to the Millennium Falcon?"
"It's in deep storage in the cargo hold."
"Here? On this ship?"
"Yes. I thought perhaps I could let the troops use it for target practice."
Rey takes the bait. "Is nothing about your family important to you? Is nothing sacred at all?"
"That ship isn't sacred," he gripes. "But Han Solo thought it was. He loved the ship more than anything else. Most of my memories of Han Solo were of him flying away in that piece of trash." Kylo looks thoughtfully at Rey. "I wouldn't have guessed you were the sentimental type." He got that wrong.
"Is power the only thing you care about?" Rey retorts.
"Once, I cared about my family. They didn't care about me."
"That's not true!"
"Yes, it is. When it mattered, they didn't care. It was only afterwards when they realized the consequences that they gave a damn." Kylo's long face hardens at these uncomfortable memories. He's certain his family has a different version of this history, but that doesn't make it true.
She must sense his sincerity in the Force because Rey looks taken aback. Then, remembering her normal combative posture, she lashes out. "Well, don't expect pity from me! I had nothing! I had no one! And I didn't turn into a monster like you."
"You and I are far more alike than you will admit," Kylo observes softly. It's time to knock this gorgeous girl off her moral high horse, he decides.
She is indignant. "I'm nothing like you."
Kylo looks her over carefully, enjoying a bit how she starts to squirm. Rey looks so soft in her pretty dress and makeup, but her expression is hard. Jakku and the war have given this girl a very hard, protective shell. "You've got that look in your eye again. From the forest. So righteous. So sure. So . . . wrong," he goads. And just to provoke and confuse her some more, Kylo chides, "Jedi, let go of your hate."
He wants to see her compassion again. Beneath Rey's aggressive, tough exterior there lurks a vulnerable, needy girl. A girl lost and looking for answers who was shockingly open to her enemy in a way that had impressed him. Because when Rey had stopped all the knee jerk, righteous condemnation, she had listened with an open mind. It had only been a brief interaction, but it had been incredibly genuine. Very raw, very real. Kylo wants that girl back. But first, he has to cut through all her blustering bullshit about the Resistance.
Troubled Rey reverts back to their conversation about the ship. "I want the Falcon. If you won't give me back my sword, then I want the Falcon in exchange."
"Going to do the Kessel Run?" he asks.
"Maybe."
He takes another sip of wine and offers, "Why smuggle drugs when you could rule the galaxy with me?"
"No, thanks."
"It's an open offer," he persists.
She presses her case too. "So about the Falcon . . . " Rey is very interested in the Falcon. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised. She's a junk trader and mechanic by trade. But is there more to this? Kylo worries her request is prompted by her misguided affinity for Han Solo. If that is the case, then that hunk of junk is part of the past and should be forever left behind.
But she looks so intent that Kylo impulsively concedes, "I'll think about it."
"Fine. Are we done here?" Rey is anxious to get away.
"You haven't eaten a thing," he points out. All she has done is push her food around her plate and pick a little at her bread.
"I'm not hungry," she brushes him off. Rey is testy as she complains, "Why are we even doing this? We're not friends who have dinner together . . . Kylo, this isn't some sort of date . . . "
"You used to call me Ben."
That remark earns him a resentful glare. "Yeah, well, I was wrong about that. I was wrong about everything about you."
"No, you weren't. We had a connection," Kylo maintains. "I know you felt it too."
Rey looks away. "That was fake. You heard Snoke. He made the bond. He was manipulating us both. And I took the bait." Rey looks crestfallen as she recalls the confrontation with Snoke. "I was a fool and I took the bait."
"I was never going to kill you."
"I know," she glares at him. "Your goal was to kill Snoke all along. I was just the instigator."
It's true, he doesn't deny it. "I had two goals that day. To kill Snoke and to save you."
"Your only goal was you!" Rey accuses. "You wanted to remove all your obstacles to power on both sides! That was why you massacred the Resistance afterwards."
"I was trying to end the war," he growls back. But remembering his goal of winning her over, Kylo quickly soothes, "That is behind us now. I want to put that behind us. Let the past die, Rey. Let's move on."
"The past is dying in the infirmary right now!" she snaps back. "Are you such a coward that you cannot face your own mother? Aren't you going to ask me about your mother?" she demands.
No, he's not. Now it's Kylo's turn to look away in bitter frustration and discomfort.
"She spoke a bit this afternoon," Rey informs him angrily. "She didn't open her eyes, but she was lucid and she knew it was me."
Kylo says nothing. He really has no desire to know any of this.
"She's not in any pain. The medics are making sure of that."
Yes, he knows. He gets twice daily updates from the medics on his mother's condition. He doesn't actually read them. It's more like skimming, he tells himself.
"Why did you even bother saving her if you don't care?" Rey wants to know.
She is looking at him expectantly, so he grinds out a question just to mollify her. "Did she ask about me?"
"No."
No surprise there. His mother doesn't want to see him. And he doesn't want to see her.
This topic more than anything seems to set Rey off. She is fuming as she glares at him with disappointment in her eyes. "Are we done here? I'm done," Rey announces. She plucks her napkin from her lap to fling it down on the table. "Thank you for dinner," she spits out. Then, she is up on her feet and moving fast for the door.
"Stop!" Kylo says this in his voice of command. Surprisingly, it works. Rey hesitates at the door and turns.
"Yes?" she demands angrily.
Kylo knows he needs to salvage something from this miserable evening. He doesn't want it to end with them both surly and no progress made on his plan. So, he deploys a new tactic. "There's something I want to try before you go." He's been wanting to try this since Luke caught them talking in the Force. Kylo was going to wait until Rey was a little more receptive to him, but right now he has nothing to lose. He approaches Rey and holds his palm up to her with fingers splayed. "Show me the future again," he requests.
Clearly, this was not what she was expecting. Rey raises wary eyes to his. Then, she shakes her head and takes a step back. "I don't think so—"
"Do it," he commands again. He looms over her. "What are you afraid of? Go ahead," he presses. "Reveal your destiny."
Again, she shakes her head. "This won't work. Those visions were from the bond and the bond died with Snoke."
"It might work. Let's see what happens," he cajoles. "Go on. Concentrate. Drift in the Force and give it a shot."
Rey gives him a skeptical look but curiosity must get the better of her. She holds up her hand and complies. Her eyes are closed and he is so close. This is like that moment in the Starkiller woods when Rey had summoned the Force, closed her eyes, and then proceeded to kick his ass and rock his world. Look at her. So serene. So calm. So strong. So Light. Yes . . . the Force is with Rey tonight.
Kylo summons the shadow Force, feeling its jolt of power kick in. Yes . . . this is what he lives for. For this feeling of bold mastery and utter freedom, for this safe space where there is no self-consciousness or shame, for this all-consuming lust to dominate and to possess. Darkness emboldens you even as it floods you with resiliency. You are at once invincible and impervious to pain. Here, no one judges and everything is okay. No excuses are necessary. For on the Dark Side, you can take whatever you want.
Their hands are almost touching, but not quite. Kylo now hesitates a moment before he connects their palms. Because suddenly, it feels dangerous and daring to do this. The Jedi would have forbidden this moment and so would the Sith. But those traditions are all gone now. There is no one left to punish him for this or anything else. And there is no one left to keep he and Rey apart except for themselves. And so, with a deep breath, Kylo touches Rey's hand.
The Force starts swirling around them as powerful Darkness connects with powerful Light. It's not a moment filled with peace and truth, instead it's more like a strange equilibrium of dissonance. If this is balance, it sure isn't what he thought it was. The natural eddies and flows of the universe feel frenetic. The air around them is charged with tantalizing possibilities yet to be revealed. This energy is amazing, Kylo thinks. But what will it portend?
Nothing. At least, there is nothing for him.
Kylo concentrates again and still sees nothing. He is disappointed. And a bit alarmed. Because what about Rey?
"What do you see?" he rasps, his fingers closing tightly over her hand. Filled as he is with Dark power, Kylo can't quite resist the urge to claim her, even if it's only a hand clasp.
Rey's eyes are shut and she is so close. Kissably close. Oh, this is killing him, Kylo thinks. For all night he has been admiring her beauty from afar. The chemistry between them is the Force but it is so much more. It draws him in like the moth to the flame. This woman has no idea what a powerful hold she has over him. Even her tart mouth and a chilly demeanor haven't dimmed her allure.
And now, he has to know if this is working for Rey but not for him. "What do you see?" he demands again.
Rey shakes her head and opens her eyes. "Nothing." She sounds as disappointed as he is. "I don't see anything. Do you see something?"
Here is his opening, Kylo realizes. He is the reigning Dark priest of the Force, the latest in a long line of Masters of the Dark Side. Determined to bend destiny to suit his aims, ruthless in the pursuit of his desires, and merciless to those who stand in his way. The ends always justify his means, whether it is the Starkiller or Crait. And so, it will be with Rey. Kylo looks her squarely in the eye and lies.
"Yessss . . . " It comes out as a hiss. "Yes. I see something."
"What? What?" Her voice is staccato. Agitated. "Tell me!"
Rey looks afraid and excited as she stares back at him. Kylo could drown in her eyes. It's not hard for him to playact wonder for effect. "Are you sure you want to know?"
"Is it bad? It's bad isn't it?" she yelps.
"No." Kylo shakes his head and draws out his syllables. "It's wonderful."
"Oh."
He closes his eyes and fully commits to the lie. "You are beautiful . . . just beautiful, at my side."
"With you?" she squeaks
"Yes." He keeps going. "When the time comes you will stand with me. It's just like I saw before. Only better."
"I'm not joining you." Rey tries to snatch her hand away, but he holds tight.
"It's clearer now. More distinct." Kylo throws up his other palm. "Show me more," he groans.
"I don't think so—"
"Try again," he urges for effect. "I want you to see this too. Do it, Rey, and see for yourself."
"I'm not sure—"
"Trust in the Force," he urges. "Try again."
Skeptical Rey offers up her other hand but to no avail. Because, of course, there is nothing to see. But she doesn't know that.
This is perfect. Just perfect. Kylo leans hard into her and she stumbles back another step. Her back is to the door now. Both her hands are upraised with his clamping over them. One more nudge and yes . . . she is pinned against the door.
"Do you see it?" he demands in a whisper. He is close, so close. Smelling her perfume as his cheek brushes hers.
"See what?" she cries, still confused.
He croons right into her ear. "I rule the galaxy. But you rule me."
Now is the moment for the big kiss. Now, when she is already captive in his arms with nowhere to flee. But Kylo isn't going to make the same mistake twice. He isn't going to rush things. So, abruptly he steps back to release her. Darkness is a choice, he reminds himself. Kylo wants Rey to choose him of her free will. Because in the long tradition of Darkness, you don't get corrupted by the Dark Side. You corrupt yourself.
Rey is confused and befuddled in the aftermath. "I didn't see anything," she contends.
Yes. She believes him. He can see it in her eyes.
"It is unavoidable. It is your destiny," he tells her sagely with an encouraging nod. "Don't be afraid. The Force never lies."
She looks afraid, very afraid. This is exactly what he wants. And now, he dismisses her so she can obsess some on his lie. "Thank you for dinner," he says. Then he waves a hand at the door behind her that is kept locked with the Force at all times. He dismisses her softly with a twist of his lips that is the closest Kylo Ren gets to a smile. "Come back tomorrow night."