Author's note:
Thank you so much for your kind feedback :)
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- hellostarlight (AO3)
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I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
Blue lightning shoots out of Palpatine's fingers and splits the air in two. It hits Ben right in the chest and he falls to his knees, his lightsaber clattering to the floor. Rey wants to run to him but then she doubles over, her mouth opening in a silent scream. The lightning violently rattles Ben's body like a rag doll, and she can only watch, helpless, unable to move. The lightning isn't even touching her, but agony surges through her body, piercing and hot. In the haze of her mind, only one thought materializes through the pain.
He's going to kill Ben.
"No," she gasps and forces herself to move. She stumbles to Ben, positioning herself in front of him, and stretches her hand out in Palpatine's direction. "Nooooooo!"
Kill him, kill him, kill him. She roars and steps forward, her fingers curling and forming a claw. Raw power shoots out of her fingertips, crashing into Palpatine with a sharp ear-splitting crack.
The attack on Ben ceases at once and he collapses to the ground, groaning and squirming with pain. Unaffected by her attack, Palpatine begins to cackle, delighted by her rage. Rey gnashes her teeth and continues the onslaught.
"Don't. Touch. Him."
He only responds with a widening of his grin, his cackling growing louder and louder. It echoes from the walls from every direction, mocking them.
Rey bares her teeth, all her muscles tensing as her vision narrows on the Sith. Kill him. She's just about to lunge at him when Ben whimpers. She freezes in the middle of her movement, all her senses focusing back on the man behind her.
Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Palpatine strikes her with his own bolt of blue. She stumbles back, every muscle in her body twitching involuntarily, and lets go of her lightsaber. A crushing, stabbing pain courses across her arms and chest, her legs buckle under her, and she falls to her knees. She doesn't hear herself scream through the crackling in her head.
She barely registers Ben struggling to get to his feet before they're both yanked into the air towards Palpatine. Their backs arch until their spines are close to snapping, but no sound escapes their mouths. The lightning has stopped, but what Rey feels now is far worse than any pain. Something greedily tears at her organs, her bones, her mind, sucking the air out of her lungs. She feels herself growing cold.
Palpatine's voice grows stronger, and she watches on in horror as new bone and skin forms and his fingers begin to grow back. The milky film over his eyes fades and reveals glowing yellow irises that gleefully burn his gaze into her.
"The life-force of the dyad." He laughs manically, taking and taking from them. They can't move, can't do anything but stare on helplessly as he frees himself from the apparatus and drifts to the ground. He's not an old, fragile man, not a rotting corpse anymore. Though still hunched, he's radiating with energy and raw power now.
Rey struggles weakly against his hold, but he doesn't let go of them. He hasn't finished yet. Her muscles burn, growing weaker and weaker, and a whimper escapes her lips. The cold seeps through her bones. She wishes nothing more than to lie down and sleep.
Palpatine raises his hands, turns to his followers, and begins to take from them, too. His back straightens, and his grin widens. Then, he finally lets go of them. Rey sees herself fall but doesn't feel anything. They crash to the ground, limp and lifeless. Through the fog in her mind, she hears Palpatine continue his speech.
"Finally, the true Emperor rises. My loyal followers, the time has come to bring an end to them all. It's time for the new Empire to rise and the Resistance to fall."
Something deep inside her is horrified at the thought, wants to get up and fight. But she can't move. She can barely keep her eyes open. From far away, she hears him cackle as the chanting of his followers swells. Her lungs ache with every breath she takes, each more shallow than the last. She's so cold , but her limbs are too heavy to even tremble.
The ground begins to vibrate, then a giant tree of lightning shoots into the night sky, its pulsating branches stretching out like claws. They grab onto every Resistance ship and tear at them like they are nothing but toys.
Rey blinks against the blinding light, tears running down her temples. Cold sweat covers every inch of her skin, and her head feels heavier with every pulse of throbbing pain. She feels so weak. There are shadows around her vision and they grow, closing in slowly. Something pulls her down, and her eyes flutter close.
A soft moan comes from the side, and her eyes snap back open. Ben . She breathes in sharply and her hands begin to tremble. She tries to reach out with the Force, but she can't feel him. Fear grips her throat but she fights it down, focusing on her breath.
He's still alive. He's still alive.
Slowly, she turns her head to the side, gritting her teeth and suppressing a cry. Her heart sinks when she sees him lying there, his eyes closed and his mouth twisted. He's so pale. Tears well up in her eyes and she tries to blink them away before they blur her vision.
'Ben.'
No response.
Rey screws her eyes shut, shaking her head. This can't be it. This can't be the end. They can't die now. Not here. Not like this. Not when they had finally found each other. She grits her teeth and opens her eyes. With the last ounce of her strength, she reaches out with her hand.
'Ben. Wake up. I need you.'
Her entire arm is burning, but she stretches her hand out even more.
'Ben. Please.'
His eyelids flutter and then his eyes open fully. It takes him a while to focus on her, but when he does, relief washes over her, numbing the pain in her body for a moment. His lips move to say something.
'Don't speak.'
She opens up her hand and his eyes follow the movement. His arm twitches, then his hand slowly moves towards hers.
When their fingers touch, she feels a warm tingling spread from her fingertips through her arms, then all over her body. They gasp, eyes widening, and grab each other's hands. Another surge of energy and her chest rises up and down, filling her lungs with fresh air. Blood pulsates through her veins, feeding her limbs with warmth and strength.
Rey suppresses a sob when she feels the tendrils of Ben's consciousness reach out to her again. She grabs on to him with desperation and their minds intertwine, the bond humming and growing brighter. His presence in her mind feels like a soft blanket, caressing and warming her from inside. She wishes she could hold on to that feeling forever. She doesn't ever want to let go of him.
A flash of panic shoots through her then. What if she's too weak to protect him? What if she loses him again? She wouldn't bear it.
'Don't be afraid,' his voice echoes softly in her head, and tears well up in her eyes. She focuses on the strength behind his eyes and his soothing touch, taking deep calming breaths. Then she smiles.
'With you, I'm afraid of nothing.'
Author's note:
Hope you enjoyed it! :)
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