It was dawn when Kylo Ren awoke, and after a few moments of contemplation over the vision he had had the night before, slowly sat up in his bed in the medical bay, grimacing as he looked down to the bandage wrapped around his waist where Chewbacca had shot him.
He then followed another bandage up across his chest toward his right shoulder—where his cousin had struck him with his grandfather's lightsaber.
Though feeling light-headed from the exertion, he forced himself to turn toward the side of the bed, placing his feet on the floor before rising, unsteadily.
He held onto the side of the bed for a moment before he took in a deep breath to will away the pain and nausea and began walking to the other side of the room and stepping into the rising sunlight now coming through the large bay window.
Closing his eyes, Kylo Ren let the light hit his face and bare chest.
He had to admit, the light felt warm and rejuvenating.
When he opened his eyes, he saw his reflection in the glass and smirked, taking note of the saber burn that now ran down the right side of his face. There was no doubt that it would leave a scar.
Kylo thought about his grandfather. He had a scar along the side of his face in his younger years and it suited him.
Perhaps he could live with his own. It was noble after all to be scarred from battle.
Then, somehow, his mind wandered to two more men in his family that he knew wielded a scar—his uncle Luke had received a scar from a snow creature on planet Hoth and his own father, Han Solo, had a scar on his chin from a run in with a bounty hunter.
It was as he thought of his father that Kylo felt his alter ego, Ben Solo, come forward and he suddenly felt the pain in his heart as he remembered his father's face when he had run him through with the light saber...
The way he had stroked his face before he fell…
Then he thought of Raiyah and her screams as she watched Han fall from the top of the bridge
He took in a steadying breath as he held onto these thoughts and shakily lowered himself to the floor, crossing his legs under himself as he came to a meditative position.
Kylo Ren started to come forward again, but Ben kept him back as he closed his eyes and opened his senses, letting the force flow through him—something he hadn't done in a very long time and using the sunlight shining on him for inspiration.
After a few moments, when the force had grown stronger inside him, he hesitated at the pain it that would result, then brought his left hand up to the bandage across his right shoulder and winced as he rested it over the injury Raiyah had given him.
When the sting of the pain subsided, Ben was able to concentrate again on sending his call out through the force.
"Raiyah…" he whispered
# # # # # #
Rey listened to the sounds of the ocean as she tried to hold her concentration, letting the force flow through her and hold her steady as she balanced in a hand stand opposite her father in the meadow on the cliff, bathed in the light of the rising sun over the island.
Suddenly, she heard Kylo Ren's deep mask voice in the back of her mind.
"Raiyah…"
Rey shook her head as she tried to keep her concentration.
Why was she hearing his voice? Was she starting to fall asleep? Would she soon see him in her dreams?
"Raiyah…" the voice whispered again, but this time it had morphed and now had softness to it, but also weight
It sounded different—kind, vulnerable and familiar, like something from her childhood…
It was Ben Solo.
Suddenly, Rey felt a pull on the force flowing through her as if someone had diverted it and had begun channeling it through themselves.
She struggled to hold on to her concentration
"Raiyah…" the voice called again and it sounded almost like a plea
Finally, she couldn't hold it any longer and opened her eyes, feeling her arms shaking with fatigue beneath her.
"Ben," she gasped before she felt herself falling…
# # # # # # #
When Rey came to, she thought she'd find herself lying on the soft grass of the meadow on the island, but she didn't.
Startled, she sat up, finding herself, instead, on a frozen lake surrounded by snow covered mountains and what looked like ice caves.
Snow was falling and she could see her breath, but didn't feel cold.
When Rey finally was able to bring herself to her feet, she turned slowly on the ice and gave a startled gasp when she found herself face to face with Ben Solo, mask-less and dressed the robes of a Jedi.
"I knew you'd come," he smirked, "It's been a long time. I wasn't sure our connection was still strong…but, somehow, I knew you'd hear me."
Rey narrowed her eyes, "What do you want from me?"
"I just wanted to see you—talk to you…" Ben replied, taking a step forward, "Is that—"
Suddenly, he stopped when he saw Rey take an immediate step back in response to his advance
For a moment, Rey saw his face fall and he looked almost hurt by her action before he finished his thought.
"…so terrible?" he asked softly
"Yes." Rey immediately replied then looked around nervously, "Where are we? What are we doing here?"
Ben took in a breath as he studied her and took another step forward, "Raiyah, you don't have to be afraid—"
"Of course I do," Rey responded, flaring her nostrils, "I told you before, you're a monster. And how do you know my name? You've never spoken it before…"
"I remembered it," Ben smirked again, "I remember everything now…"
Rey narrowed her eyes at him, confusion washing over her face
"I didn't see it before, when we first met, it has been so many years since we last saw each other," Ben said, "But I now know you are my cousin—the one in whom so much hope and promise was seen from the very beginning…"
There was a moment's pause then Ben's voice faltered as he continued, giving a sad smile, "If only your father had seen that much promise in me."
Rey stood there silently for a moment, unsure what to say.
"I don't want to hurt you, Raiyah," Ben continued, sucking in a breath, "I want to show you something."
Rey watched as Ben turned on his heel and started walking steadily across the ice, then stopped after a few steps and beckoned her.
"Please?" he asked, but she still stood frozen
Ben sighed
"It's been a very long time since I've used that word…" he insisted
Rey waited, still hesitating.
Moments passed that felt like an eternity and she was stunned that he hadn't resorted to using his powers on her, he just stood there patiently, eyeing her.
Finally, she relented and stepped forward.
After she walked a few paces, when he was sure she would follow, Ben turned and led the way across the frozen lake toward the ice caves on the opposite shore.
They walked in silence, the snow crunching under their feet, until they reached the mouth of the first ice cave.
It was then that Ben turned to Rey and said, "You call me 'monster'. And while it may be true, now, it wasn't always so."
Rey watched as Ben closed his eyes before swiping his hand out in front of him.
Suddenly, the time around them seemed to morph and they were suddenly surrounded by children in Jedi robes, running into the caverns ahead of a younger version of Luke Skywalker and his then apprentice, Ben Solo.
Ben and Rey watched as they disappeared into the cavern.
Time shifted again and soon, Rey and Ben found themselves inside the cavern watching the children use the force to search for Kyber crystals with Luke's help and guidance as Ben stands vigilant nearby for any signs of danger.
"This was a right of passage for Jedi young-lings. I also went through it, thought at a much older age," Ben said, "They are searching for Kyber crystals—"
"To build their lightsabers…" Rey whispered thoughtfully, feeling the memories returning to her, "I remember this."
She looked over to where the younger version of herself held a crystal, seemingly the first one to be obtained, proudly up to her father and he knelt down to examine it, then smiling in approval, kissed the side of her face and she giggled before breaking away and running over to Ben.
Luke watched after her for a moment before he turned to help the others find their crystals.
Suddenly, as young Rey walked near the cliff face, a long arm and hand with giant claws reached up over the edge.
Rey screamed and raced away.
The claw just missed her, but as it retracted back into the darkness, it took a large piece of the cliff face with it.
At least four feet of the rock crumbled in every direction, collapsing into the dark abyss, taking the young girl with it.
"Rey!" Luke cried and his reaction was instantaneous.
With almost inhuman speed, he turned and raced forward, leaping and catching the girl's arms in mid-air as she fell over the edge.
Luke fell with her for a moment before something caught his legs and his chest hit the side of what remained of the cliff face, nearly knocking the wind out of him.
When he opened his eyes, Luke sighed in relief that he was still holding on to Rey's hands as the little girl looked up to him with tears in her eyes.
"Hold on Master," Ben's strained voice came from over the cliff, "I've got you…I'll pull you up."
The older version of Rey now looked over to Ben with soft, unsure eyes as the memory played out in the background and the Ben Solo of the past pulled Luke to the top of the face, and with him, young Rey.
"You saved us…" she said, then turned back to the scene in front of them and watched Luke embrace Ben before young Rey jumped into her cousin's arms and clutched him tight, the tears still drying in her eyes.
"It could just be the delusion of a 'monster'," Ben responded without emotion, "It could be a trick."
They stood there for a few moments, watching as Luke caught his breath then turned toward the other upset young-lings.
Some hugged him around the waist in relief and others just stood in shock before he said, 'It's alright children. Everything is alright. Let's get back to your crystals,' and ushered them back to what they were doing, giving one last glance over his shoulder at Ben.
"No." Rey said as she watched the younger version of herself with Ben, still in his arms and showing him her crystal, "I know it isn't."
"It's not always black and white when it comes to 'monsters'," Ben said softly, then smirked when he saw young Rey laughing as she tried to feed her crystal to Ben and he pretended to eat it, "Life can be complicated and it can change people…"
"Only if they let it," Rey replied, turning back to him.
"You must be mindful of yourself, Raiyah," Ben suddenly said, as if dispensing sage advice, "Your body and mind may be strong, but be wary of your soul—it can be damaged easily and, once it is, sometimes it can be beyond repair."
They stared at each other for a few moments before Rey narrowed her eyes and processed his words.
Suddenly, she stepped forward, "Can I ask you a question?"
Ben smirked again, studying her, then nodded
"What color was your original light saber?" she asked "The one that you built yourself?"
Ben took in a deep breath and eyed the saber that now rested at the side of the younger version of himself as the memory began to fade.
"Green," he said with sadness and a hint of remorse, "My light saber was originally green."
"What happened to it?" Rey asked
"I don't know…" Ben replied honestly, then after a moment's pause said, "We should go. We are out of time."
"Out of time?" Rey asked, looking around in confusion, as she and Ben suddenly found themselves outside again and standing in the middle of the frozen lake
"Yes. I don't want to hurt you, remember?" Ben said, "But the longer our connection lasts, the more harm it could do. He's already found a way in, so this is where we say goodbye for now."
"I don't understand…" Rey said, "Who has found a way in? And why would you do this—show me this? What reason could you have? What do you want from me?"
"It's not what I want from you, cousin," Ben replied, "It's what I want for you."
Rey opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly, everything went black.
# # # # # #
Rey woke with a startled gasp, a burning sensation in her lungs as she inhaled a deep breath and moved under her father's hand on her forehead.
Luke was still whispering Jedi healing incantations over her, but when he saw she had awoken, he immediately brought his hand to her cheek and relief filled his face as he felt her life force return.
"What—what happened?" Rey asked as she looked around and found herself laying on her back in the meadow on the island.
"I heard you say Ben's name and then you just collapsed onto the ground…" Luke said, his voice shaking, "You were in a comatose state—you weren't breathing."
"How long?" Rey gasped
"I don't know…" Luke said, still studying her face with relief, "A few minutes. You scared me to death."
"I'm sorry," Rey responded, weakly trying to sit up, "I saw him. I saw Ben. He called out to me."
Luke cocked his head, "Through the force?"
"Yes. I think so." Rey replied, bringing her hand to her head, it was now rushing from her new upright position
"I didn't think he still could..." Luke whispered to himself, then asked with intense curiosity, "What did he say?"
"Not much," Rey said, "He showed me a memory of the IIum caves, where you took us to find the crystals for our lightsabers—"
Suddenly Luke took in a breath and Rey stopped speaking
"He's figured out who you really are, hasn't he?" Luke asked
Rey nodded
Luke brought his hand to his mouth in contemplation for a moment as he sat back, stunned, "He's discovered the connection between you and is using it to communicate."
"Ben told me about his original lightsaber. It was green," Rey blurted out
Luke looked up to her and smiled at the memory as he lowered his hand, "Yes. The same as Master Yoda and myself. I once thought it was a good sign—a sign that he was a mindful soul, meant to be a peace wielder."
"What happened to his lightsaber?" Rey asked
There was a pause before Luke replied, jerking his head toward the cave, "I still have it."