Chapter 18

~P~

"We should pull back Black leader, the metal's too thick for our canons, we aren' doing any damage."

Gritting his teeth, Poe banked left and rolled his X-wing when a group of TIE fighters began to shoot at him.

"I agree Black leader, we just don't have the firepower to take down that building."

His grip on the control tightened. He pressed two buttons and pulled back on the centre stick with as much force as he could. His X-wing head tilted up until the whole ship was completely vertical. Heart pumping, Poe moved the centre stick downward sending his ship flying backwards. Before the TIE fighter could even notice, Poe's X-wing was now behind them. Without any hesitation, he fired the cannons and blasted the TIE fighters to pieces.

Turning his head, he noticed that others weren't as lucky. Far in the distance, another X-wing was swarmed by a group of TIE fighters and blown to pieces.

"We can't take anymore, I'm calling off the at-"

"No!" Poe yelled into his comm. "My friends are down there, and besides," Poe glared at the building. "This is our only chance."

The comm line went quiet. For a second he feared they might disobey orders and leave, he wouldn't blame them if they did.

"Roger that Black leader," Paige said and continued her attack, all other X-wings followed.

Poe sighed, relieved.

~L~

Leia was close to ordering the stubborn pilot to retreat herself when a feeling of pain and loss overcame her.

Gasping, Leia sat back on her seat and stared at her hands, tears threatening to fall.

"Han."

~F~

Finn stood by the railing of the platform he was on, shocked at what had transpired in the walkway of the oscillator.

Kylo- Kylo was a knight of Ren? How could that be, he- and now Han was dead, how-

Stopping his train of thought, Chewbacca roared with such fury that felt the metal floor under him tremble. Raising his bowcaster, the Wookiee fired at Ren straight in the head. However, Ren wasn't caught by surprise he simply blocked the blast with his lightsaber without so much as looking at them.

Frustrated and his mind clouded by anger Chewie took out the remote detonator but before he could press it Finn grabbed his arm. The Wookiee turned and growled at him with such ferocity that Finn nearly took a step back.

"Kylo's still down there Chewie, if you detonate the explosives he'll die!"

Chewie growled and pushed him off him but thankfully he listened and stayed his hand, looking worriedly at Kylo.

Finn opened his mouth but then noticed the group of stormtroopers making their way to where they were, blasters raised.

"Shit."

~RN~

Taking his helmet off, Ren smiled wickedly at Kylo's broken figure, still on his knees, his eyes on the floor.

"Don't worry, you won't live long enough to mourn him," Ren hissed, grabbing Kylo's lightsaber that was still near his feet. Ren rolled the lightsaber, getting a feel for it before igniting it, now holding two lightsabers. His own, and Kylo's crossguard. Despite holding his own weapon and making his way towards him, Kylo never looked up.

Ren loomed over Kylo, a victorious smirk on his lips.

"And to think my master had such high hopes for you."

Raising Kylo's own lightsaber, Ren prepared to kill yet another member of the Solo family.

"You had spirit kid, I'll give you that." And with that, the lightsaber came down.

Before the lightsaber could make its descent, the walkway began to tremble, causing Ren to lose his footing for a second. Around the chamber, the metal panels that covered the walls began to shake and tear from the walls like flimsy tin foil. The walkway swayed as if it were made from ropes and wood rather than sturdy metal supported by thick beams. Ren looked around the chamber confused, for a second he thought they were being attacked but when he saw no one with them, he came to the eerie realization that it was the boy who was causing all of this.

Looking back at the defeated figure of his old student, Ren frowned, sweat rolling down his back. Was the kid really doing this? When he saw the veins standing out on Kylo's neck from exertion, he got his answer. Horrified, Ren hastily brought the crossguard lightsaber up to end the kid before he killed them both.

Ren swung the lightsaber downwards, sure that he wouldn't be stopped this time. Much like last time, the lightsaber never made contact with its master because as soon as Ren swung the lightsaber downwards a sharp metal panel from the wall came flying towards him, cutting his hand clean off.

~K~

Ren roared from pain, Kylo's lightsaber falling to the dark abyss where his father had disappeared into. However, before it could get too far it stopped it's descent and went the opposite way instead.

Finally standing up on his feet, Kylo held out his hand as the lightsaber fit itself snugly against the palm of his hand.

There was no guilt, sadness, no reason, all there was rage. Eyes burning with hatred, he looked at Ren. The knight, taking several steps back to put space between them, gritted his teeth from pain, blood gushing out of his wound. Raising his lightsaber, Ren pressed it against the stump where his hand once was, cauterizing the wound. Roaring from pain, Ren glared at him.

Ren shook his head, his eyes wide with insanity.

"I'm going to kill you boy, I really am."

Kylo didn't respond, didn't even realize that Ren had said anything, all he did notice was that Ren was in front of him in a battle-ready stance.

Raising his lightsaber, he ran to where his enemy was standing, years of training taking over. Ren, putting his pain aside also raised his lightsaber and raced towards Kylo. When the beams of their lightsabers crossed, the resulting burst of energy lit the entire space.

To an observer at a distance, it would have appeared as if a series of small explosions were going off in the oscillator chamber. Blow after blow landed as lightsaber struck against lightsaber. Being bigger and stronger than Ren, Kylo's blows kept him on the defensive, forcing him to step back. For a brief moment, Ren didn't notice his footing and stumbled a little but enough to give Kylo the advantage. Swinging his crossguard lightsaber at the knight's head, Ren's eyes widened and managed to bring his lightsaber to block it. But with only one hand he wasn't able to block the punch to the face. A loud crunch sound resonated through the chamber, blood spilling out of Ren's broken nose, but it didn't seem to make him hesitate, in fact it only proved to make him angrier.

Giving out a roar of anger, Ren raised his lightsaber and sent blow after blow at Kylo, who waited for his moment to turn the tables. For a while, the fight continued to shift back and forth. First Kylo gained the advantage, then an enraged Ren took it back, neither men willing to surrender. Still, using just one hand was proving to be much of a challenge for Ren but he did not show any signs of exhaustion.

When their lightsabers connected once more, Ren met Kylo's blazing eyes, a shiver ran down his spine as a fleeting moment of fear overtook him. Kylo, on the other hand, neither cared nor relish in his old mentor's weakness. With both of his hands on his lightsaber, Kylo easily pushed his opponent's blade back with sheer force. What he did not expect was for Ren to suddenly pull their blades apart and use the momentum to sidekick him right in the chest.

Air leaving his lungs, Kylo gasped as air completely left his lungs, leaving himself open. With an insane look in his face, Ren angled his lightsaber and swung it downwards at Kylo's face.

Taking a painful blow to the head and chest, Kylo took several steps back, a prominent burn slashed across his face. He registered the pain, a pain he had never felt before and yet he refused to let it control him.

His slashed eye closed as blood ran down his face, he swung his lightsaber, familiar crackling sound reassuring him. Still in front of him was Ren, taking deep large breaths as he took the opportunity to regain some of his breath back.

Ren was glaring at him, a cocky smirk on his lips as he laughed. "You could have been a powerful knight if you had stayed."

Kylo didn't respond, nor was he going to give Ren the chance to regain his breath. Taking a step towards him, Ren's smirk grew as he held up his lightsaber, not at him, but towards the abyss below them.

"you remember the modifications I made to my lightsaber right?" Kylo stopped, dead in his tracks. "If I let go of it, it'll explode, taking us both down with it!"

Lowering his lightsaber, Kylo took a deep breath to calm himself and focused. Mistaking his action for hesitation, Ren chuckled with triumph.

"Now, you're gonna turn around and let me go or I will-"

Before he could finish, Kylo swung his arms back and threw his lightsaber at an unnatural speed. Staying true to its course, the blade cut Ren's other hand clean off with his lightsaber still in its grasp. It took Ren a while to realize what had happened as he looked to where his lightsaber had disappeared, expecting an explosion but nothing came. It had been a gamble, but it was the only choice he had. By throwing his lightsaber at just the right speed and angle he managed to cut Ren's robotic hand so cleanly, that the nerves and cabling remained intact, it's grip still on the lightsaber even when it was disconnected from Ren's body.

Kylo raised his hand and grabbed his returning lightsaber. Taking several steps back, Ren looked at Kylo, fear shining in his eyes as he made his way towards him. Not noticing a small dent on the floor, Ren fell on his back but he still tried to crawl away from Kylo. Any other man would have felt sorry, but all he felt was satisfaction as the worm tried to get away from him.

Pressing his foot on Ren's chest with so much force that he heard the loud snaps of his ribs breaking. Ren howled in pain, his eyes closing.

"Damn it!" Ren growled, wriggling under Kylo's got.

If circumstances had been different he would have made Ren suffer more, but a small part of him told him he didn't have much time. Cutting his fun short, Kylo raised his hand and Ren's eyes opened, resignation clear in them.

"Go on then, do it, kill me," Ren hissed, his eyes fixed on Kylo's hand. "I won either way." Ren chocked on his own blood as he laughed. "You won't ever find the girl and if by some chance you do, she'll never be the same."

Out of all the things Ren could have said, that one made Kylo freeze. Anger for his father's death was quickly accompanied by Rey's kidnapping, imagining what the knights will do to her.

Kylo's eyes narrowed to crinkled slits and brought his foot up, which Ren mistook it for him letting go but instead, Kylo brought the foot down with even more force than before.

Ren screamed, coughing uncontrollably as he choked on his own blood.

"What did you do to her?" his voice was eerily soft, nothing like the maelstrom of emotions he was feeling.

Instead of looking at him with fear, Ren seemed to find the humour in the situation as he chuckled.

"Me? Nothing. It's what the people that have her that will make her wish she'd never met you and left that dump she calls home."

Kylo's eyes widened, his hands began to tremble from anger. Lifting his foot off of the knight, Kylo knelt down and grabbed Ren by his neck

"Where is she?"

Ren laughed and shook his head. Nose flaring, Kylo pressed down on Ren's neck, cutting the air on his already collapsing lungs.

"WHERE IS SHE!" he yelled, the metal walkway shook from under him, his grip on Ren's neck tightening.

This time Ren looked up at him in fear, all amusement gone.

"You think I'd tell you?" Ren asked, choking on his blood. "Unli-unlike you I -I would never betray my master, d- do you have any idea wh- what he would do to me?"

Kylo growled,

"If you don't tell me I'll kill you just the same!" Kylo hissed, his grip on his lightsaber tightening.

Amusement returning at full force, Ren laughed.

"I don't f-fear death, and you-" Ren smirked. "You are just a boy."

Kylo gritted his teeth and let Ren go and stood up, looking down at the pitiful man.

"It doesn't matter, I'll find her and when I do I'll kill Snoke too."

A moment of silence passed between them as Ren looked at him as if he'd gone insane only for his lips to broaden into a large smile.

"Sn-Snoke?" Ren shook his head. "Oh, kid, just kill me already."

Leaning his head forward, Ren took a deep breath, amusement leaving him as anger dominated his expression once more. The knight groaned, sat up a little and spat at Kylo's foot. Looking up at him, Ren sneered.

"You ain't got the guts, do you? You Jedi are all the same, weak! Pathetic, a-"

Ren suddenly stopped before he could say another word as his lips parted and his body began to tremble. By an invisible force, Ren's body was pushed down against the metal floor with such force that his bones began to crack one by one. Before him, Kylo's hand was up as he pushed the knight down with the force.

"I'm no Jedi."

Ren's eyes widened with fear, his lips trembling as he looked at Kylo's hand slowly ball up into a fist. It was minutes of torture but to Kylo it felt like seconds as he savoured every second of it. He watched with morbid satisfaction as blood dripped down Ren's mouth and his eyes rolled back into his skull. He enjoyed the way his heart was straining against the invisible force that was crushing it from within. Even with the rathtar he had shown more mercy but not with Ren, with him, he was determined to let him feel every second of his body slowly shutting down until death took him.

Giving its last jerks, Ren's body finally slumped down, useless. Kylo was looking down at the man, his hand balled up into a fist. Ren, the leader of the Knights of Ren was dead.

With his enemy now finished, Kylo finally allowed himself the chance to take a deep breath. Taking shaky steps back, feeling utterly drained from the fight, he clipped his lightsaber back on his belt.

It was over, Ren's been defeated now all he-

A sharp needle-like pain stabbed his brain causing him to fall on his feet, his hands grasping his head.

'Well done Kylo Ren! You have defeated your enemy!" Kylo's hold on his head tightened, knowing full well who it was that was talking to him. "Ren was a weakling, you have always been the true leader of the knight's of Ren. Join me, and I can show you your destiny, I can help you gain greater power!'

Fear began to grip at his heart.

A few years ago he would have said yes, he would have done anything to stop the pain but not anymore. Kylo shook his head, his fingers grabbing on to his hair as the pain grew exponentially. He had never felt such pain.

"Foolish boy, it is your destiny to join me! You belong to the dark side, your very soul calls for it!"

Kylo shook his head once more, stubbornly. He couldn't join them, at that moment he didn't remember why but he knew he couldn't. At that Snoke grew angrier and angrier, and Kylo howled in pain. Tears streamed down his cheek, his face contorted in pain. He would lose, he knew it. He had before, he always lost to Snoke. Every time he refused to follow an order he would torture him until he gave in and did everything he asked. He thought that maybe after all these years he might have grown stronger but it seems he was a fool. Much like before, he would give anything to make the pain go away, anything.

Opening his mouth to say that he'll give in, to say that he'll do anything he asks, just let the pain stop, when something strange happened. The pain didn't go away, it was still very much there, hurting him, but in all his pain he could feel something else. He had no words to describe it. It was like a spark in all the darkness, so small he could barely see it, yet it was there, it's tiny whispers barely audible but somehow he managed to make out what it was saying.

"Ben."

Kylo froze, knowing who that voice belonged to.

The voice didn't say anything more, it just said his name and banished, but it was enough. With renowned strength, Kylo frowned in concentration and pushed against the darkness. It was no easy feat. His teeth grit to the point he thought they would pulverize. He put everything he had to push against the darkness. A few times he pushed and pushed, only for the darkness to shroud him completely but then he'd start from the beginning, again and again, not giving up. He couldn't give up, he refused to give up. He fought and fought until finally, he won.

His eyes flew open.

"Rey."

Alright cool! so Ren's dead hurray! Now, I'll keep my mouth shut before I spoil anything!

Before I go though, a friend of mine that's helped me write this story is working on her own SW fan fiction. It's a werewolf AU if anyone's interested I'll give yall the link when it comes out!

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing and see you guys next time!