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As Rey's fingers tightened around the Palpatine saber, the whispers in her mind roared to life again, ten times as loud as before. The mass of overlapping tones snarled and buzzed before finally synchronizing, becoming one voice.
A voice that she recognized. There was no mistaking that harsh drawl filtering through his modulator.
Rey Palpatine, he said.
"Malak."
And she didn't bother looking around for him. She knew he was someplace beyond this world.
It seems you are not as immune to the darkness as you liked to believe.
"Shut up," Rey hissed. "I haven't joined you."
Of course not. He said, in a frustrating monotone. Not yet.
The world spun on its axis and a heaving tension at her core announced the opening of the Bond. But something was wrong, she couldn't feel the gentle pull of Ben's warmth in the Force, and that crushing pressure was there again, exacerbating the open wound that had been torn across their connection. It wrenched harder, pulling a cry from her lips as something horrifying writhed at the other end. Ben's agonized screams filled her mind. He was breathing hard, his pounding heartbeat like cannonfire in her ears. What were they doing to him?
"Leave him alone!" The words ripped from her throat with such violence she thought she felt something rupture inside.
Come to Lothal.
"There's no way in! The temple was destroyed!"
But just as he'd arrived in a roar of whispers, so he was leaving. A hundred moving tongues hissing words she couldn't understand before the voices went quiet and she was left staring at the black eyes of Ochi's son.
She gripped the Palpatine saber in her clammy hand as anger flowed into the empty hole inside of her like a rising glacial tide. The Sith were manipulating the Bond, using it to somehow punish Ben and she was helpless. She didn't have the power to reach him.
But she would find that power.
Tears pricked like needles behind her eyes as rage trickled down her arms and into her fingers, building into a painful fullness begging for release.
She clenched her jaw, staring hard at the son of her parents' murderer. She could still hear their cries as they begged for mercy, mixing with Ben's screams from the In-Between, and all control vaporized under the intensity of her fury. The pressure of her anger broke through her walls and in one violent shudder, her wrath was unleashed. Blue lightning streaked from the fingertips of her free hand, dancing and licking around the hooded face of Ochi's son. His mouth stretched into a perverse "O "as he staggered back, falling to his knees. Dark Force pumped through her, crashing in her ears and clouding her vision.
When she finally relented, curls of smoke rose from his skin, filling the air with the sour stench of burnt flesh. Rey pulled her own saber from her waistband and held it next to Palpatine's, igniting them as a pair.
She stepped forward, making a cross of red and gold, and pressed it to the Bestoonian's throat. Rey slashed with both sabers at once, scissoring through the flesh of his neck with a frothy hiss. She watched, completely unfeeling as his head lolled grotesquely from his shoulders and rolled onto the floor, followed by the sickening smack of the rest of his body as it too, struck the ground.
Numbness crawled over her skin as she stared at the mangled remains of Ochi's son. The Sith Eternal would pay for what they'd done. How dare they lift a finger to that sacred Bond? She would find them and hunt them down, no matter where the search took her. She would meet the Sith at Death's door if it meant saving Ben. She would get to the World Between Worlds no matter the cost.
She stood there until her breaths evened out, sabers still ignited in her hands until someone cleared their throat behind her.
She turned to see Finn, mouth agape. "Rey, what…"
She followed his gaze as it roved over the trail of bodies she'd left behind, finally settling on the red saber in her hand.
Flicking the weapon off, she tried in vain to wipe away the hate from her expression, to appear controlled.
"What happened?"
She clipped both sabers to her belt, making sure they were out of sight under her jacket, and crossed the chamber toward Finn.
"I dealt with the acolytes," she said, not knowing what else he expected her to say and feeling impatient that he'd even asked.
"I can see that," he said, wrinkling his nose at the charred, bloody mess she'd left behind as they navigated their way to the door and back out to Diadem Square, "but, uh… didn't you hear us calling you? We found records in the room just past the entry. Data chips. They probably have everything we need."
"I heard you, but Ochi's son was here," she said.
Finn averted his eyes from the pile of bodies at his feet, as he navigated through the scattered remains to reach the door. "Did you learn anything?"
"No," she said, realizing she'd never questioned any of them about their connection to the Sith Fleet. She'd never asked them anything.
She shivered, crossing her arms and clutching herself.
Rey pulled her jacket's hood over her head and stepped out into the square. Twilight hung over the city now and her friends were already waiting, leaning against a nearby wall like they'd been there a while.
"There you are," Rose said, the lightness in her voice a stark contrast to weight of the anger Rey still carried on her shoulders.
Rey couldn't even manage a weak smile and Rose noticed, wrinkling her brows in response, but mercifully, she stayed quiet.
"Let's get out of here," Poe said, turning to lead the way back down the street.
As Rey followed her friends to the tram station her steps felt heavier than they'd ever been. She continued to push herself forward, trying to ignore the source of the burden clipped to her waist, weighing her down like an anchor carved from ice.
Sometime later, Rey found herself at the wooden table across from Maz Kanata again. They had downloaded the datachips into BB-8's system and discovered the Sith Fleet had a half-dozen Star Destroyers who'd been off Exegol during the battle. Each of these had the same weapons systems, including the Death Star tech they'd feared.
Poe was staring hard at the data pad in his hands. "Where are they?"
"We only saw two on Yavin IV," Rose said.
"It's like they're holding back," Finn said, swiping through data readouts at a furious pace. "If they wanted to do something, now would be the time. While we're split up and still trying to organize."
"They don't want to destroy us." Rey said. "Yet." They were the first words she'd spoken in hours and her voice sounded strangely hollow to herself.
"Why would they wait?" Poe said, considering her from under lowered brows.
Rey found it difficult to add any emotion to her voice as she responded. "They won't risk destroying me until they have the power of the Dyad."
"But they can't get it unless you go to the World Between Worlds," Finn said.
She nodded.
The color drained from their faces all at once.
"But the only way to help Ben is to go there," Rose said. "Isn't it?"
Maz was staring now, eyes fixed on Rey and she adjusted her coat, making sure the hilt of the second saber wasn't visible. Somehow, she still felt exposed as Maz continued to study her.
"You must do what you feel is right, Rey." The older woman's knowing voice would have made her feel vulnerable, if she'd cared enough to think on Maz's words. But Rey had already made her decision. This was the only way and she didn't care to contemplate what might happen if she failed. That was not an option. So, swallowing hard, she averted her gaze, pretending to feign interest in one of the datapads on the table until they all stopped staring at her.
Rey paused only for a heartbeat, adjusting the laces on her boots, and continued her determined march through the art district. She needed to walk, so she strode through the streets as if she had some place to go. She pressed her legs forward despite their protesting aches. How long she'd been walking she couldn't say. But she couldn't be confined inside with her friends. Four walls felt like a cage. And she would not be shut in. Not tonight.
She promised she'd be back soon. They needed to leave by dawn, to put space between them and the Sith Eternal, who'd probably been alerted to their presence. But the others were in desperate need of sleep first.
That gave her a few hours.
Her tour of the district had taken her past the windows of the wealthy families just north of the Teeno Village District. She stood in the shadows, watching one family warm by their hearth. Such an antiquated comfort to be found in a Corellian home. A middle-aged couple sat together on a large claw-legged chair. Two boys were engaged in a game of dice on the floor, the firelight playing across their smiling faces. Rey was stricken by the warmth of the scene. She took in the red velvet upholstery, the low crackling fire, and the woman's posture as she lazed across her husband's lap with a leather-bound tome. How pathetic she must look. Cold and hiding in the shadows, pacing circles around the city, weighed down by a thousand pounds of rage.
She slumped against the manor's wall and let her thoughts drift. She stayed in that spot for an hour at least, gradually letting go and relaxing into the web of interconnected life all around. As she fell into that sea of sensation, something pulled softly at the edge of her mind. A ripple in the Force, and she was stepping cautiously around the side of the home, into an access alley, letting the thread of energy tow her along.
A figure, outlined in that familiar blue-green glow, stepped into view. Unfortunately, it wasn't who her heart was begging to see. This was a stranger to her.
She narrowed her eyes at the man. He was shorter than Rey with cropped black hair and crystal blue eyes.
"Rey," he said.
There was something familiar about him. His voice, his presence in the Force. And all at once, it struck her.
"You were there," she said. "With me. On Exegol."
"I was," he said. "The Jedi are always with you."
He came closer and she could see the way he chewed the inside of his cheek as he tried to choose the words to say, "Leia mentioned you might need a teacher. Someone with experience in the World Between Worlds."
Rey pulled her hood back, studying him now as the name Maz had uttered came to her lips. "Ezra Bridger?"
"Well, at least you've heard of me," he said, settling down on a barrel and lounging against the wall.
Rey didn't fill time with small talk. This was the only person in the galaxy she knew of who had the answers she needed and Rey's patience had dried up a long time ago. "How did you get to the World Between Worlds?"
He made a sound that was halfway between a snort and a laugh. "You don't waste time, do you?"
Ezra leaned back casually, crossing a leg over his knee. "The World Between Worlds is another plane of existence outside of space and time. Vergence Points scattered around the galaxy are connected to this plane. I found one such point and went through the gateway."
She thought back to her readings in the texts about the Vergence Scatter. Remembering Lothal, Ahch-To, and Exegol all being points of vergence. She asked the question she'd had back then, hoping that she'd finally get her answer.
"How did you find the gateway?"
An insufferably long silence passed before he answered.
"I listened," he said. When he stayed quiet again, she knew this man must be a Jedi. Only Jedi enjoyed wasting so much of her time while trying to teach her something. "There was a mural at the Temple of Lothal. Have you heard of The Ones?"
"I read a little in the Jedi Texts. Ancient Celestial beings, Force Wielders," she said.
"Right." He nodded and Rey hoped this history lesson wouldn't take too much more time. "The Father, the Daughter and the Son. They are said to exist in Mortis, a place beyond space and time. The Son gained power which aligned him to the Dark, while the Daughter embodied the Light. The Father was the bringer of balance."
"What does this have to do with the World Between Worlds," she said.
He frowned, looking her up and down and judging by the accusing glint in his eyes, Rey had a feeling he didn't like what he saw.
"I found my way in by using a mural in the Temple of Lothal. The mural depicted the Father, the Daughter, and the Son. I pressed my palm against the Daughter's hand and listened. A portal was opened to me."
"How can I open a portal when there's no temple left? Maz said it was destroyed."
"A feeling," he said. "When the temple collapsed it felt… well, it felt like the plan of the Force and not a disaster. I have a feeling that the Gateway is still there, and my Master always said to trust your feelings."
"That's not much to go on. A ruined temple, a mural that doesn't exist, and a feeling?" Rey recognized the venom in her own voice, but she couldn't shake the irritation of not knowing what to do next, the helplessness of being unable to find Ben.
Ezra stood from his makeshift seat and closed the space between them, blue eyes like kyber crystals, cutting through her cold exterior.
"My Master also said that some things are stronger than fear," he said. "Don't forget that."
He offered only a thin smile, then nodded solemnly as his outline became fainter and he evaporated like fog into the cold Corellian night.
Stronger than fear. She laughed out loud to the empty alley. What could be stronger than the fear of losing the other half of herself? What could be more intense than the agony of being powerless to help the one person who means the most? At the moment, she could feel nothing but her fear. Its icy shackles clamped ever harder around her heart as she began a much more purposeful walk back to the studio.
At least, now, she had a destination. A mission to throw herself into. An outlet for these feelings threatening to sweep her away with their tide.
Lothal.
Rey had just turned onto the narrow street, the outline of the studio coming into view, as a subtle shift drew her attention to the Force.
The Bond.
Her heart leapt at its presence, a sliver of something pulling at her emotions, a warmth where before there had been only emptiness.
She breathed his name out loud to the moonlit streets, "Ben." Receiving no answer, she doubled her pace, allowing the feeling to lead her, until she reached the little door at the end of the cobblestoned path. She used the keycard Maz had given her to enter.
The front room of the studio was eerily quiet. Then again it was probably close to midnight. Everyone was sure to be asleep.
A whispered voice carried down the darkened hall. "It was a bloodbath."
Rey crept closer, staying silent and walling her mind and her Force to avoid being detected.
She has her grandfather's lightsaber. That was Ben's voice. Oh stars, it was Ben talking, and a wave of relief washed over her. He was okay.
But what were they saying… A bloodbath? The lightsaber?
A poisonous realization corrupted her elation at hearing Ben's voice. They were talking about her.
Why had Ben gone to Finn first? What was wrong if he didn't want to speak with her?
Rey tried to immerse herself in the joy that he was okay. She wanted to run to him, to wrap her arms around him and make sure he wasn't hurt. She wanted to look as deeply into his eyes as she could, to let his precious smile light her from the inside out.
But their next words stopped her short, adding another layer of ice to the frozen shell around her heart.
I'm worried about her, he said. That weapon is dangerous. She ignored me, Finn. I told her not to take it, but she ignored me.
"What do you want me to do, steal it from her?" Finn asked. "She'd probably decapitate me, too."
Any calm that she'd gained from her conversation with Ezra dissolved in an instant. They were talking about her. Didn't Ben know that all of this was for him? And Finn… he couldn't really be afraid of her, could he?
Her pulse pounded loud in her ears and she let her walls fall, announcing herself in the Force before she shoved the door open, standing in the doorway of the small office.
The tall, blue-green outline looming in front of the data station was faint, but unmistakably Ben. Finn sat on a modern leather couch along the far wall, giving a perfect copy of Ben's shocked expression as she entered. The only light in the room came from a work-lamp at the data station which cast long shadows across Finn's face as he stared at her.
Rey. Ben's lopsided smile faltered as he took in her scowl.
She leveled a gaze at Ben. "You appeared to him? I've been thinking of nothing but you since you disappeared and you came to him first? To talk about me?"
"It's okay, Rey," Finn began, "We're just – "
"Talking about how I want to chop off all of your heads?" Then balling her fists, she turned a lethal stare to Ben. "What I did to those acolytes was done to save you."
Ben stood tall, maintaining a presence of utter calm that only served to rile her further. Finn put his hands out in front of his body in a sign of surrender. "Rey, he was just worried is all."
"There's nothing to worry about," she snapped.
"Alright," Finn said, a forced lightness coating his voice like the sugar on Maz's sweetbreads.
She wanted to scream, but she clenched her teeth instead, holding back the flood of fury pressing against her control. "I'm leaving for Lothal."
"I'll go tell Poe," Finn said. "I think he's still up, but the others have already gone to sleep. You can have the couch here, maybe you should get some rest – "
"I'm not tired," she said.
Ben swallowed hard and glanced at Finn. Can you give us a minute? His voice was hoarse, lower than usual.
Finn nodded, shoulders heaving with relief as he retreated from the room, closing the door on the way out. When the door clicked shut, silence spread across the space, carving out an awkward distance between them. Rey spun away from Ben, staring hard at the stonework on the wall. Anything to keep her from confronting her chaotic feelings.
Strong arms encircled her from behind and she tensed, stepping away from them. "Why didn't you come to me first?" she asked, still not daring to look into his eyes.
Rey –
A cold swirling energy had begun to twist inside of her, snaking into her blood like the taint of a plague, an incurable disease. It was all she could do to bury it beneath her skin. But the harder she tried the more it bubbled up, biting at her from the inside until she couldn't stand it anymore.
Rey twisted and shoved hard against Ben Solo's chest in a Force-fueled push.
"I had to take the saber, Ben!" The words echoed in the room and down the Bond as darkness poured from her, causing the wood plank flooring to tremble below her feet. "I didn't have a choice! And now you're afraid of me?!" She knew she was yelling loud enough now for the whole place to hear but she didn't give half a kriff about it. "I did it for you! I thought they were torturing you!"
She was about to push against him again when Ben stepped forward, completely unphased by her outburst, and grabbed her wrists, holding her still and forcing her to listen.
Yes, they tortured me, he said, and Rey had to wonder if it was the echo of that pain still rasping the edges of his voice as he spoke to her now. But they won't kill me, remember? They only want our power.
She tried to wrench free, but his hold on her, strengthened by the Force, was steadfast. She struggled against him, but unstable as she was, he had the upper hand. And the longer he held her wrists, the more she felt the cold slowly seeping from her. His skin on hers, his scent wafting over her, his presence in the Force. It was like stepping into a warm bath, and when he pulled her into his arms this time, she felt the ice around her heart melt into a liquid puddle of warmth with his touch.
You don't get to do this alone, Rey, he said, his voice low, but firm. I got away from them and so long as you're here, I'll always get away. You're my lifeline.
And she relaxed her fisted hands, spreading her fingers against his chest and clutching his robes to keep herself from being washed away by the torrent of darkness in her own blood. She felt him respond across the Bond, sending a bolt of glacial energy between them that chilled her with its ferocity. Meeting darkness with darkness he showed her again, that he was her equal.
Of course, I'm not afraid of you, he said. Force, Rey. No one knows what you are feeling right now better than I do.
That was when she finally looked up at him. His dark eyes could have been sculpted from ice as he channeled the Force in a garish display of his mastery over the Dark Side. She closed her eyes and felt his power strumming the very air around her until the night itself seemed to sing his shadowy chorus.
I know the Dark Side, Rey, he said, leaning close to whisper in her ear. And you can't let it control you.
Then, with one fluid motion, he reached for her waistband, unclipped the Palpatine saber from her belt and tossed it onto the couch. He gazed at her, searching her face, her eyes, her lips.
The Force hummed between them, the Bond like a chain of ice, electrifying her with its dark connection. She'd never felt it like this before. So raw, almost feral in its passion.
Rey wet her lips, anticipation of his touch sending cold, tingling power streaming into every nerve in her body. Her fear had morphed into an altogether different emotion and she was becoming greedy with it as she swept her eyes over him, remembering what his lips tasted like, what it felt like to have his body pressed against hers.
She basked in this silent storm, reveling in the current streaming between them for as long as she could stand, before she had to touch him. Then, she reached out with both hands to rake her fingers through his hair, pulling him roughly down to her.
"Kiss me," she demanded, "And don't stop until you've convinced me you won't disappear."
