Ben took a deep breath.

Being sent away by his mom stung just as much as it had when he was a child. He understood her reasoning, and he agreed that the threats and the vandalism showed that the tension had grown into something dangerous.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temple.

Ben had understood her reasoning when he was a child too. Understanding his mom had never been his problem. Never coming first was.

Rey elbowed him. "Stop it." They were sitting together in the forward hold – on an overturned crate that had far too much dust on it – because he had wanted space from everyone except Rey.

Ben raised his eyebrows at Rey, and he rubbed his arm, exaggerating how much it hurt. From the way she rolled her eyes, he could tell she knew his arm was fine. "Stop what?"

"Stop thinking so hard. Brooding."

"I'm not brooding."

Rey leaned forward and rested her chin on her fist. "If you say so." She looked up at him with amusement, but there was also a hint of worry that it hurt him to see. He didn't want her to need to worry about him.

"Fine," Ben said with a sigh. "I might have been brooding a little."

Rey squeezed his thigh. "I know your mom hurt you, but–"

"Don't defend her. Not yet." There was too much hurt there. New wounds had opened the older ones that had barely started to heal.

"I wasn't going to," she said softly. "If you hadn't interrupted me, you would have heard me say that it's not healthy to ruminate so much."

"I know it's not."

Rey patted his arm. "Let's go keep your dad and Chewie company in the cockpit."

The subject change threw him off. "They're used to flying alone together."

"Yes, but I think you need some time with your dad, and I was trying to be subtle about it."

"Ah," he said, his face warming, "I'd like that." Too much time alone with his thoughts rarely had good results, and his dad had surprised Ben in the best way possible by repeatedly showing that he wanted him around, so spending more time with him was a welcome distraction.

Ben stood up, and Rey gave him a wide smile that made him feel warm inside. He smiled back at her, not quite as wide, but it took time to get used to smiling again after years without. He led the way to the cockpit.

…

Ben closed the ancient Jedi text carefully and put it on the ground next to him. It had been his idea to see what else they could learn from the books, but he hadn't had much luck finding anything useful.

He stretched his legs out. He had been sitting in the same position for too long, and the floor of the main hold wasn't made for sitting.

They should have brought pillows.

"That's enough for today." Finn closed his own book and tossed it on the ground, which caused Ben to cringe internally. He was equally frustrated with how little they had learned, but he had been taught from a young age to treat Jedi artifacts with reverence. It was one of the things that had stuck from his time with Luke.

The same Luke who made himself scarce as soon as the texts were brought out.

Rey turned off the translator and sprawled out on the ground in a way that couldn't be comfortable. "I agree."

"The passages on healing and balance were interesting though," Finn said. "It sounds like the two of you shouldn't have been able to heal Paige when she was that far gone."

"I'm glad we did," Ben said.

"So am I," Finn agreed, "but you both need to be more careful – at least until we learn more – because I don't think trading a life for a life is a very good option."

Rey sat up on her forearms. "That's not what happened."

Ben remembered how pale Rey looked after they healed Paige. "Only because Finn stopped us in time."

"We might have stopped in time," Rey said.

Might have isn't good enough, Ben thought. He saw a flash of what could have been. Rey's skin turned grey and was cold to the touch. There was no light in her eyes.

He shivered. "That's a risk I don't want to take."

Before anyone could respond, Chewie joined them in the main hold. He announced they would be landing soon.

Ben was caught off guard because he had thought the trip was going to take longer, but travel times often seemed shorter to Ben when the destination was one he would rather avoid.

"Where's Luke?" Chewie asked.

Rey shrugged. "Don't know." She translated for Finn.

"I'll help you find him," Finn said.

Once Chewie and Finn were gone, Ben moved closer to Rey, and she used his lap as a pillow. She had gotten comfortable with him quickly once she had let her guard down and started trusting him.

He wished there was more privacy on the Falcon. He wanted to–

"I don't like not knowing what's going to happen," Rey admitted.

Ben stroked her hair. "Neither do I, but it's good that we've changed enough that we can't predict the future. I don't like the way things happened the first time. We'll get this right." His words were more confident than he was.

"I hope so," Rey said. She tugged at the end of her braid in a way that made Ben think there was more bothering her.

She would talk when she was ready.

…

Ben stepped off the Falcon and was confronted with the familiar dry heat of Mustafar. Nothing should have been able to grow here, but the survival of the irontrees proved otherwise.

The last time he came to Corvax Fen to find the Sith wayfinder he rained destruction down onto the Sith cultists. This time he hoped to avoid that. Their plan – if you could call it that – was to sneak into the forest, grab the wayfinder, and sneak out without alerting anyone to their presence.

"This place is unnerving," Finn said. He kicked at the ash covered soil and stared at the tiny flames on the trunk of the nearest tree.

Rey nodded. "Why would anyone plant a forest on Mustafar? The trees can't be native to this planet."

"The irontrees are native to Mustafar," Luke said.

"Yes," Ben agreed, "but Corvax Fen isn't natural. The forest was planted by Sith cultists, and despite the effort they've put into maintaining it, I doubt the irontrees will survive long."

"The Alzamec of Winsit believe the tears of Lady Corvax made the soil fertile," Luke said.

"Who's Lady Corvax?" Finn asked.

"She was a resident of this planet who stole something sacred to Mustafarians in a vain attempt to resurrect her husband, and she–"

Finn and Rey hung onto Luke's every word, but Ben tuned out the rest of his explanation. He knew the story of Lady Corvax well because it was one of the reasons his grandfather had built his fortress here.

While the others were focused on their history lesson, Ben was the only one to notice his dad exit the Falcon. "What are you doing out here? I thought you and Chewie were going to stay on board?"

Since leaving Ajan Kloss, his dad hadn't given him much space. Ben had no intention of telling his dad how much it helped to have him here, but he suspected that his dad already knew.

At least one parent wanted him around.

"We will," his dad said, meeting him at the base of the ramp. "I thought I'd wish you all luck before you disappeared." His smile was familiar, but Ben searched it, trying to see what was hiding behind it.

Ben crossed his arms. "You already did that, so something must be wrong."

His dad winced. "The Falcon isn't handling the planet's atmosphere too well. We'll wait for you in orbit."

"That'll make getting out of here more difficult." And a quick getaway was essential to their plan. He wanted to avoid another massacre.

He had enough blood on his hands.

"It will," his dad agreed, "so you had better not draw too much attention to yourselves."

"No promises."

"Wasn't expecting any." His dad stepped towards him, and for a moment Ben thought he was going to embrace him, but his dad put his hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Don't let Luke get you into too much trouble."

Ben let out a laugh that was loud enough to draw the attention of the others. "I'll try not to."

His dad waved to the others and walked back up the ramp, which meant Ben had to explain their first obstacle.

…

They moved through the forest as quietly as they could. Nobody approached them, which Ben attributed to the way Luke was using the Force to deflect attention. It was an application of the Jedi mind trick that Ben had seen Luke use many times before.

It wouldn't be enough once they were closer to the wayfinder. Last time it had been protected by dozens of cultists. Ben had beaten them once, but he didn't want to tap into the dark side in that way again.

Finn had been right to call this place unnerving. The dark side was strong here, and it would be easy to slip back into old habits.

I don't like it here, Rey said, her voice a familiar presence in his mind.

Neither do I.

The air tastes like ash.

She was right, and the deeper they went into the forest, the worse it got. The last time he visited, he stayed long enough to develop a persistent cough. Everything about this planet was a warning to stay away. We won't stay any longer than we need to, he promised.

Ben hoped he wasn't leading them to their deaths.

...

They were close.

Someone grabbed Ben's arm in a tight grip.

It was Finn. He pointed in the direction that Ben knew led to nothing but an empty castle. Vader's Castle.

Ben had been so disappointed when he found nothing there to strengthen his connection to his grandfather.

He shook his head and waved in the direction of the wayfinder.

Their silent conversation drew Luke and Rey's attention.

Where does Finn want to go? Rey asked, so only Ben could hear. She walked over to him and Finn.

I don't know, Ben said. There's nothing but an empty castle that way .

Luke joined them. He crossed his arms and waited for an explanation.

"Something is calling me," Finn whispered. "We should find out what it is."

Ben's mouth was dry and he had difficulty swallowing. "No, we're here for the wayfinder." Anything else was an unnecessary distraction.

"You're right," Luke said, his voice hoarse than usual, likely from the smoke.

Ben didn't let himself react to Luke's agreement. He waited for the catch.

"But," Luke continued, "whatever is calling Finn could be important."

And there it was.

"Or it could be a trap," Rey warned.

"Let's split up," Finn said. "I'll go on my own and meet you back where we were dropped off."

Rey's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "You shouldn't go alone."

Ben agreed. If Finn went off on his own, Ben doubted they would ever see him again. Even if it wasn't a trap, Mustafar was an easy place to get lost. He didn't want to leave anyone behind.

"He won't be alone," Luke said, "because I'm going with him."

Ben wanted to scream. This isn't the plan, he thought. You're going to get yourselves killed.

Rey stepped closer to Ben and brushed her knuckle against his hand. Her presence helped keep him grounded, and he wondered if his presence did the same for her. "I don't like this," she said.

"Whatever is calling me is important," Finn said. "I can't ignore it."

Rey gave Finn a small nod. "Be careful."

And with Rey's agreement, reluctant as it was, Ben knew that there was no turning back now. Their group was going to split into two, and he couldn't stop himself from wondering if he would ever see Luke or Finn again.

Finn smiled. "You too. Keep him out of trouble," he said, pointing at Ben.

"I will," Rey agreed.

Ben glared. "Do whatever you need to, but do it fast. I want off this planet as soon as possible, so don't make me rescue you."

"I'll try not to," Finn said.

"We'll keep each other safe," Luke said. "Just like the two of you will."

Ben gave Finn and Rey some privacy while they said goodbye. He went up to Luke. "Why are you agreeing to this?"

"I'm trying to trust the Force."

At any other time that would have been good news. Luke would be useless against Palpatine if he didn't embrace the Force, but Ben wished his timing was different. "I hope this isn't a mistake."

Luke exhaled slowly. "Me too."

…

Ben had hoped he and Rey would remain unnoticed, take the wayfinder, and leave. That wasn't going to happen.

Ten cultists stood in a circle guarding the stone pedestal that held the wayfinder. Any ideas about how we could get past the guard? Ben asked.

That's not a guard, Rey answered.

It isn't?

A guard would be facing outward to look for threats, but they're facing inward.

Ben saw that she was right. He couldn't see their faces, but if he listened carefully, he could hear chanting. So what are they doing?

I think they're worshipping it, which works in our favour. We can attack while they're distracted and–

No.

Rey pinched her brows together. Why not?

I don't want to slaughter them.

We wouldn't be–

It's too much like the last time I was here, he admitted.

Rey gave him a nod. Then we'll wait from a distance and watch until the moment's right.

Ben let out a relieved breath. That could work.

…

One of the problems with the forest was that the irontrees were too small to hide behind. Ben and Rey took turns using the Force to deflect attention from themselves.

The cultists left one at a time, which made it easier. There was no pattern to their movements that Ben could discern, and that made them unpredictable.

There were only two left.

This is our chance, Rey said.

Ben knew she was right.

He held his lightsaber tightly, but he didn't ignite it. Any sounds of struggle could draw the attention of the other cultists.

Rey copied him.

They approached the two remaining cultists quietly. Ben wasn't used to relying on stealth. As Kylo Ren, he had commanded attention and used violence and fear to his advantage.

This time he would do things differently.

Once they were close enough to the cultists, Ben signaled to Rey that it was time.

Sleep, Ben ordered the cultist, using a gesture Snoke had taught him to help strengthen the suggestion.

It worked.

Ben eased the cultist to the ground, not wanting the sound of the cultist's fall to draw attention.

Rey had succeeded at doing the same. Well done, he told her through their bond.

She gave him a half-shrug. It was pretty easy.

It's an advanced Force technique that takes years of–

I know. It would have been more difficult to learn if you hadn't used it on me.

Ben winced. Sorry.

It's the past. Rey touched the pedestal. It's in here?

Ben nodded.

Rey pushed the top of the pedestal to the side, revealing the wayfinder. She picked it up and put it in the small pouch attached to her belt. Remember fighting over this?

It feels like it happened in another life.

In a way it did. Rey looked around. We shouldn't stay here too long.

Ben moved the top of the pedestal back to how they had found it. Let's go.

He hoped Luke and Finn would be there when they got back to the cleaning.

…

Ben and Rey were surrounded. It had taken less than five minutes for the other cultists to find them.

Ben ignited his lightsaber. It was time to fight.

… … …

Finn followed the sound of gentle but insistent music that only he could hear until they arrived at a castle. What once would have been an imposing structure, looked broken beyond repair.

Getting into the castle was easy. Sith cultists acted as guards by patrolling the exterior of the castle, but Finn hadn't seen many of them. Their weapons were rudimentary – some had clubs as their main weapon – and they didn't seem well trained. If he had been as careless as these cultists were, he wouldn't have lived long enough to–

That was the First Order talking.

Finn pushed that thought away. He got away from the First Order as a Stormtrooper and then as a prisoner. He didn't need to observe the world the way they trained him to anymore.

And usually he didn't, but there were times, like now, where it was all too easy to slip back into his training. It scared him how deep that training went.

He didn't have to observe their rounds for long to find gaps in their coverage.

Finn signalled to Luke that it was time, and they slipped in through the side entrance.

...

There was no light. Finn should have thought of this. He had an emergency flare, but he didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary.

A green light lit up the room. It was Luke's lightsaber.

"Have you been here before?" Finn asked, keeping his voice low, not knowing if there was anyone else inside the castle.

"No," Luke said, "I almost visited once, but I thought better of it. There's nothing here for me."

"Then why did you come with me?"

"Because there might be something here for you, and you're my student," Luke said, like that explained everything.

And maybe it did. Finn knew that the decision to take on another student hadn't been easy for Luke. "Thank you for believing me."

"I'm trying to do a better job of listening to my students."

The music got louder. "This way," Finn said.

Luke walked at his side, providing the light, and Finn led them deeper and deeper into the catacombs beneath the castle. The combination of catacombs and green light should have been eerie, but the green from the lightsaber was warm.

And there was also the music. The sound changed when his thoughts and feeling changed. It was like the music was trying to reassure him, like it was alive.

They reached a large wooden door.

Finn tried to push it open, but he wasn't strong enough.

Luke waved his hand, and the door opened easily.

"You need to show me how to do that."

Luke laughed. "There are more important things to learn."

"I don't know," Finn said. "I think that could be useful."

More useful than meditation, Finn thought. More useful than another theory lesson about the Living Force.

Nothing in the room looked impressive, but the music brought Finn to a small chest in the corner. He opened it and saw a bright green light.

This is what brought me here, he thought.

Finn reached for the object–

There was a sudden sharp pain at the back of his head.