Disclaimers: All right reserved of the originals "Star Wars" Characters, Names, Places, etc., to George Lucas / Disney. I pledge to return all characters after the story is complete.
Warning: Major Spoilers of TRoS.
Note: This is a Reylo FanFiction (slow-burn)
「Act 14: Exegol 」
「Ben Solo is no more?」
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again.
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain.
Within the sound of silence...
Exegol, 35 ABY
Ben gathered all his remaining strength and pulled his broken body against the ground. He could see her now, collapsed on the floor, and the pain in his chest was suddenly so much worse than that of two broken ribs. He held his tears back, trying to withstand the pain.
Impossible.
Rey laid in the half-light, utterly still, eyes open as if admiring the battle won by the Resistance. As his footfalls approached, stumbling against the ground, she remained still, and a cursory glance was enough to know she was dead. Though she seemed at ease, almost as though she were sleeping, her eyes were wide and staring, lifeless, and dull.
Solo made it only a few steps before he crumpled, but he forced himself to his feet yet again and limped forward. He hardly knew what he was doing as he crouched beside her, his arms around her limp form, yanked her onto his lap. He noted that Rey's skin was growing cold. He came too late to her rescue. He had let down Rey and his mother.
His eyes dropped, meeting her lifeless ones. He almost heard her telling him: You did this. This is your fault. Ben shook his head in denial; no, Rey would never be that way. Those thoughts were a trace of Snoke's rule. Rey was Kind. No matter what had happened between them, what he had done, she had always shown him compassion. She had always shed tears for him.
Ben cast his gaze around the ruins of the cathedral as if answers might lie in the shadows. A small hope that Anakin would be around. But there was nothing. Just aching emptiness and a sense of loss so sharp and terrible, it was like a vise around his gut. Shortage of breath was the first sign. He was breathing, but the air didn't go in like metal bands surrounded his lungs. Next came the rising panic, the dizzy feeling that he could not save her.
The once-mighty Kylo Ren couldn't help the only person left in the galaxy that mattered to him. He pulled her against his chest and hugged her to himself for a moment. He had just found her, really found her. He had wasted his life; he knew that now. But anyone who could have shown him the way forward, helped him be Ben again, was gone. Luke. His parents. And now, Rey.
It was not fair for them. He should be the one dead, not Luke, not his parents, and not Rey. He couldn't make himself believe it. Rey was the strongest person he had ever known. She had fought off the darkness in ways he never could. She had saved everyone. She deserved better. Better than this.
Ben hugged her closer, holding her against him. Suddenly he sensed something. The tiniest spark. And he realized: The Force hadn't taken her yet. Hope rose inside him, as now he knew exactly what Rey would do in his place. It was the easiest decision he had ever made. He didn't need to overthink it. He cradled her gently and placed his hand on her abdomen.
Ben closed his eyes and focused on reaching the Force; he called on the Force. Although he didn't have much strength left, he was about to do something he had never done before; he would bring her back. Rey had shown him how to give. He poured everything into her. He found reservoirs he didn't know he had. He gave her his entire self. He kept nothing for him.
Suddenly Rey took the first breath, and her warm hand covered his. Her eyes lit with life. She tilted her head, surprised to see him. She sat up, but oddly she didn't draw away. She remained close to him, observing him, taking in every detail of his face and body.
They stared at each other for a long moment. Ben gave her time to cope with what had just happened. He would understand if she left him behind now. She should go on with her life without a backward glance at him. It was what she should do. He didn't deserve any better, after all the pain he had caused her.
Instead, Rey smiled warmly at him and whispered his name so gently, "Ben!" She seemed glad to see him. Glad to be with him at this moment. It was unbelievable, like a dream. It was the best gift she could have given him. Rey being alive and not hating him was something he never assumed could happen. His heart was full, almost free of his pain.
Rey reached for his face and let her fingers linger against his cheek. And then, the wonder of wonders, she leaned forward and kissed him. A kiss of gratitude, acknowledgment of their connection, celebration that they had found each other at last. Ben froze, surprised at first at her reaction, then he leaned into her and kissed her back. It was a kiss of gratitude that she was alive, that she helped him to become Ben Solo again. A kiss to tell her Goodbye. Suddenly she drew back, concern on her face. She felt him growing cold.
Ben smiled. Ben's lips curling into a grin, something he'd not done for years; his forehead brushed against Rey's as a huff escaped his lips. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed, but at that moment, he didn't care. He had given Rey back to the galaxy. It was not enough to atone for the darkness he had brought. He knew, and he knew it well, it was not enough to fix his wrong-doings, but it was what he could do.
In all her encounters with Kylo Ren, she never imagined he'd boast such a heartwarming expression. His smile made her tingle all over. It was an earnest smile, and that memory was already carved into her mind forever. After all the darkness and sadness, they shared a moment of peace. Yet, it didn't last. Suddenly, Ben's smile faded away, and his motionless body dropped on the ground.
Ben Solo had no regrets as he collapsed to the ground. The Force reached for him, but it didn't claim him. His final awareness was of Rey, clasping his hand with her own.
Leaning above him, cradling a fading Ben under her right arm, Rey was lost. His eyes were closed, his demeanor as far from Kylo Ren as she knew him. The man lying now in front of her was Ben Solo. It had nothing to do with Kylo Ren. This was the moment of truth. What if Ben wouldn't survive?
Her question was answered a second later as Ben's body vanished under her touch. The mist and ashes of the environment orbited around her as the booms and explosions of falling ships enclosed. It was as if a dam had been broken. She couldn't hold back the streams of tears anymore. She could not cope with the reality in front of her.
Rey stood over the place Ben had fallen, staring down at his empty tunic as more tears streamed down her face. He had sacrificed everything for her. She didn't mourn Kylo Ren. She would never mourn Kylo Ren. But she dearly would have loved the chance to get to know Ben Solo. It felt like half of her was missing, and she supposed it was. The girl who felt alone for all those years on Jakku had been part of a dyad the whole time. And just when she had discovered that precious connection, that incredible oneness, it was ripped away. No Ben to hold and grieve. Their connection lost. There was nothing there. No light. No darkness. No balance. Just broken, Rey.
A voice came to her through the Force, clear and strong. I will always be with you, Ben said before vanishing completely. No one's ever really gone. A voice reminded her. And Rey agreed. Though it wasn't fair. The Force had claimed too much from him. His mother, his father, and now even his own life. He was blamed for many wrongdoings, and he had not atoned yet. But he didn't deserve to die.
She hated him for leaving her behind. She hated him for offering his life to save hers. But she understood why he did it. She would have done the same thing, and she remembered that she already did it. And Ben Solo had remembered and saved her using the same technique Rey had used the day before. He didn't use only the Force; he had given her everything he had. Stupid Solo.
Ben Solo was gone. He was dead, and the Force would claim him and welcome him. Though it never claimed Ben as...
「 Upcoming Chapter: Act Fifteen」
More than anything, thank you for taking the time to read this!
Feel free to Review and Follow!
hereisaredeemer: I will edit chapters 13 and 14 later tonight. I have said it many times I'll repeat it. Thank you! Ben should have a moment with his mother. Anakin wasn't part of a dyad. As for Ben, we'll find out what happened to him in the next chapter.