Athena's stomach turned. Kylo and her turned simultaneously to the entrance of the rebel base, where storm troopers rallied the remaining rebels to wait for Kylo's orders. A beautiful young woman was among them, covered in dirt and blood. Blonde hair was tied in a ponytail behind her head, her skin bruised, her clothes torn. A thin scar ran over her face.

Kylo Ren slowly retrieved his helmet.

"Athena? Is that you?" the young woman asked full of desperation.

"Jasmina."

Kylo's brown eyes hit hers. His full lips twitched, forming into a half-smile.

Athena walked towards the blonde woman, being forced to kneel at gunpoint. "What has happened to you?" Jasmina whispered, "What have they done to you?"

The countess couldn't answer. She was at a loss for words. The former senator in front of her was alive. The woman she had used and betrayed. Yet Jasmina didn't display any anger towards her.

"Let her go, you monster," Jasmina began to scream at Kylo, who only looked at Athena.

"This is her," Kylo said without emotion.

"NO, this is not you, Thena. I know you," Jasmina started to beg, tears streaming down her face. Athena stood completely still, not knowing what to do. "I have… I am…" she stumbled.

The next words struck her deep in her core.

"Do not become a monster like him, Thena."

Athena couldn't breathe.

"Senator Jasmina thinks you are a monster. Yet you have only betrayed her for the greater good. She is the one who has become attached, who has lost sight of what's best for all. Those dead people are on her. Instead of accepting the power of the First Order, the Resistance endangers everyone."

"Just because your grandfather was as Sith, you don't have to be," the blonde woman sobbed. "You don't have to become what he was."

Suddenly, movement returned to Athena's body. Her fingers clenched the grip of her sword.
"I am not ashamed of who he was," she breathed.

"Yes. YES." Kylo Ren hissed. He leaned his body behind her, letting her feel his presence physically. Kylo tucked a strand of hair behind her hair, then whispered: "You know what you have to do."

Athena shivered. Jasmina stared in horror at the realization of what was about to happen.
"Give in," Kylo whispered. Every word resonated in Athena's mind, being amplified by the Force inside her. The steady river turned into a violent wave of mindless hate and cold fire. She was done being judged by hypocrites like Jasmina. How could she be wrong if the Force was guiding her?

Jasmina struggled, trying to fight the handcuffs. "Please, Athena," she sobbed. "I still love you. We belong together," she pleaded.

"You know what you have to do. Let the past die," Kylo repeated. He softly took the light saber out of her hand. Athena did not resist as he opened her fingers one by one, gently. As soft as a lover's touch, he placed his own light saber in her hand instead, his other hand on her back, guiding her.

"I do not belong to you," the granddaughter of Darth Tyranus whispered.

With a swift move, she ignited the light saber. A red flash struck down, ending the former senators crying abruptly. As Athena retrieved it from her former lover's chest, the woman's body collapsed at her feet.

OoOoO

Athena stared absently through the window into wide space. The sound of the light saber cutting through flesh haunted her still. The woman felt like her hands were covered in thick red blood, as she kept rubbing her hands. Was this the dark side? Wasn't it supposed to feel easy? Why did she feel such a rush earlier, murdering one rebel after the other?

She felt drained, miserable. A hard knot had formed in her stomach, not releasing her as she played the scene over and over in her mind. How did she end up here? The guilt was crushing her.

"Countess?"

Kylo Ren. The man she did not want to see right now. Athena let out an audible sigh. He sat right beside her on the bed, bare of his armor and helmet.

She didn't answer, although she knew she was being insubordinate. The woman had simply no strength left. He put his hand around her shoulder, laying a soft blanket around her shoulders.
"You have done exceptionally well today," he said softly. Athena could only feel the knot tighten in her stomach. Well? She had been a cold-blooded murderer.

"We are taking course to Serenno. There is much more of your past you need to let go," Kylo added.

Kylo knew that empathy wasn't something he was supposed to feel. But he knew what she was going through. The thrill of killing, met with the guilt of its consequences. Light and darkness were still fighting within her, even though she had made a big step towards darkness only hours ago. Kylo had found a trigger that was much more powerful than violence or threats. It was their bond, her attraction to him and her desire to lean into passion and impulse after years of self-control that draw her closer to the dark side. When he found out a former senator hide in the rebel base, he knew it was a gift. Without mercy, he had embarked her on the mission and given the order to spare the fallen senator. So that he could watch Athena kill her. Now, Kylo felt his own pull to the light side. He didn't want to see her suffer. The man who had killed armies with his own hands felt remorse for dragging Athena into his darkness. He cared for her. Maybe their bond was affecting him as much as her.

"I know what I have to do," she whispered sadly. The young woman pulled the blanket closer around her. "I feel it, you know," she said, looking up to him. "You are struggling with the light side as well."

Kylo didn't deny it. He just stared at her in silence.

"I want do destroy the Republic," the granddaughter of Tyranus said slowly. "I want to destroy the First Order, the Jedi and the Sith. I hate it all," she muttered.

"I know," Kylo stated. "With your power and mine, we can shape the Galaxy as we want it to," he added. And for some time, master and apprentice just sat next to each other.

Thank you so much for your review! It always makes my day! I'm glad your enjoying this story!