Chapter Seven: Broken Mirror
He was like shattering glass - Ben. The cracks on his arm was spreading.
"What's going on?" she asked, her heart was rapidly beating.
"I'm losing my form," he breathed as he trembled to the ground. "I'm disappearing - I-I have to conserve my energy."
The world that she had known for some time now, the enchanted forest, faded away before her. It was dark now - they were surrounded by darkness. It was pitch black and they were on the floor now, the only source of light was a glowing red rose that was hovering in the air. Rey wrapped her arms around Ben and held him tightly. He was trembling, his eyes flicking side to side. He was struggling to breathe.
"This is how this place really looks like," he murmured at her lowly. "This is my prison. It has been for many years now," tears were streaming from his eyes.
She shivered from the cold. Rey tore a long piece of her dress and wrapped it around him like a shawl, attempting to keep him warm. It was so freezing - she could see their breaths. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I wanted to give you paradise," he whispered. There was pain in his tone.
Her eyes lowered. "Show me how you really look like," she said firmly.
"What?" he raised his eyebrow.
"I said show me how you really look like," Rey said again. "You hid the true appearance of this place. You must be hiding your appearance as well for all I know."
Ben frowned but nodded. His body glowed for a moment, scars laced his face then. He still looked her age, twenty years old. He still looked the same just with scars. "You look fine as it is. I don't know why you would hide your appearance from me."
"Insecurity, I suppose."
"You and your other half aren't so different after all," Rey stated, touching his cheek. She looked up and stared at the glowing red rose. Petals were falling before them, landing on her hair. "What is this?" she asked.
"Nothing."
"Don't lie to me," she snapped, staring at his faded arm. "You're breaking apart as it is, don't lie to me."
"My life," he frowned. "I'm dying, Rey."
"You shouldn't have done that," she yelled. She was so scared that she was screaming, trying to keep herself strong. "Why did you control Ren?"
"Sleeping with him will only complicate things. Rey, that's still my body. That's still me and I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to have my body like that - not my own - at a scarred state."
She shook her head at him. "It's more than that."
Ben bit his lip. "I...I don't want you to have me at that state - with that side of me. I want you to have this side of me, Ben. I would care for you, be sincere - he wouldn't. He would ruin you. Don't say he wouldn't because I am still."
"You love me." She found herself shaking her head. She shouldn't be surprise. Ben and Kylo were the same person, split in half.
"Isn't is obvious?" he asked weakly. He placed his head on her shoulder.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she whispered, her throat was burning. He felt so light against her. He was breaking.
"I didn't want to make things complicated. I already knew from the beginning that I was going to die."
Rey became silent.
"I didn't want you to love Kylo either for that same reason."
It all made sense now - how Ben was so worried she would give herself to Kylo.
The cracks was spreading to his face now - he looked like a shattered mirror.
Rey squeezed his hand. She doesn't know how she feels about him but he was part of Kylo. She was fond of the both of them, both sides of Ben. "What will happen to Kylo?"
Ben sighed. "I don't know."
"There's more to your reasoning," her eyes were locked on to him. "Tell me."
"I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same about me. I was afraid you wouldn't love me."
Rey felt tears stain her cheeks. "Ben -
"Please don't say another word - I want to tell you something before it's too late," he heaved. His jaw was twitching - he was losing his form. "I love you Rey."
I love you Rey.
I love...you.
His words lingered as he physically broke into pieces. He broke like pieces of glass, shattering before her. What was once Ben was now shards of glass - pieces of a broken mirror, on her lap. Rey cried silently. She looked up - the glowing rose, it was dimming. It was dying as well. Rey looked down and was about to touch the glass pieces on her lap - the glass became dead crimson rose petals before her.
I love you... Rey.
I love you.
The words kept echoing until the light of the rose died out, leaving her in the dark.
I love you, Rey.
Rey.
I love you.
She woke up the next morning in Kylo's bed. He wasn't there.
Next to her was a pile of red rose petals.
To be continued
