Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Star Wars or any of the amazing characters
Rey
Once Rey was done explaining her vision of the Grey Ember Order to Kaithur, all of the energy she'd gained just seemed to go away. Without being surrounded by the powerful light of Essie, Cade, Taliki, Zer-o, Asera, Gear, and even Nik and Bell, the darkness that had been pushed back when she'd spent time with the group as a whole, came roaring back. Some days it was bearable enough because it fed her everything she wanted to hear and then some.
You're the only reason the Resistance has made it this far, it told her as she walked through the field that had become her safe place.
It was far enough for the compound that Rey didn't have to watch for prying eyes but close enough that she could get back there quickly if something were to happen. There were all kinds of wildflowers that Rey had never seen before and she spent time walking through it smelling the different ones as she conversed with her darkness. It should have been peaceful and maybe if she didn't have the darkness in her head it would have been, but for Rey it was just a distraction and a place to seclude herself from the ones she was afraid of hurting.
"That's not true," Rey said absently. "Leia is the reason."
It wasn't Leia who found the map to Luke. It wasn't Leia or Luke that the Knights of Rey came looking for. It wasn't Leia who brought Kylo Ren over from the dark side to join back with the light and the Resistance. That was all you, the darkness reminded her.
"Well, technically it was Poe and BB-8 who got the map. I just helped keep BB-8 safe and get him back to the Resistance with Finn's help," Rey said. "And the only reason Kylo changed is because we had the Force bond forced on to us by Snoke," she said and there was anger in her voice.
She leaned down and smelled a red spiral shaped flower. The sweet scent reminded Rey of something spicy. It was still nice, and she picked one of the flowers to add to her collection.
Sounds like you're making excuses, so you don't have to acknowledge who you are and what you mean to the Resistance, the Force wielders and the galaxy as a whole. You are the last Jedi, the darkness said. You just need to establish your dominance and make them realize that you should be the leader of the Resistance. Leia is getting older and Poe is too much of a hot head. He just wants to blow things up, the darkness said, manifesting right in front of Rey.
Rey jumped, dropping the colorful bouquet of flowers that she had been carrying.
"You scared me," she said in a harsh tone.
How? You know I'm always around, the darkness chided her
"Because it's not usual for disembodied voices to become physical," she said, glaring at the dark version of herself.
The being shrugged and began to circle Rey as she began picking up her flowers. The dark hazel eyes of her doppelganger felt like pin pricks of ice on the back of Rey's neck making her slightly uncomfortable.
When the voice was just in Rey's head it was nice to her but as soon as it manifested into its physical form, Rey knew it was going to jump onto the negative train that seemed to be its bread and butter.
She sighed. After the talk she'd had with Kylo back in their bedroom, Rey was hesitant to deal with her darkness in this form.
What if Kylo is right and this darkness is just Zoroyais manipulating me, she thought in the tiny little black box that contained the private thoughts that she didn't want to share with her darker self.
What did he say to you? For some reason I can ' t hear when you talk to Ren, the darkness asked as though it could guess the train of her thoughts without actually being able to read them.
"If you couldn't hear it, maybe you aren't meant to," Rey snapped at her darkness.
You will not take that tone with me, little girl, the darkness said, suddenly growing taller right before Rey's eyes.
The giant being loomed over Rey and the flowers she was holding began to wilt right in Rey's hands. As did all of the flowers in the area around them. Insects dropped out of the suddenly frigid air. Any small animals in the area dropped dead where they stood.
Rey watched in horror as her darkness used its evil to kill off all of the life in the area.
"Why do you always have to do this," Rey asked wistfully.
Because you always seem to forget who you are addressing, the darkness said with a demeaning scowl.
Rey looked around. There were several dark circles throughout the field. There were 7 in total. Every time the darkness needed to show Rey just who was in charge it would kill off anything within the immediate vicinity around them.
"Or is it because all you know is violence and death? You're all darkness with no substance behind it," Rey said.
The look of shock that came over the dark version of Rey's face was enough for Rey to chuckle. She had never spoken to it like that. Rey had always been meek and mild when talking to her darkness. She wanted to keep it happy, because she didn't know what the darkness could make her do. The last thing she wanted was for it to get mad at her and make her do something that she would later regret and wouldn't be able to explain. Just like when she hurt Kylo a few weeks ago.
Violence, death and power. All the keys to the strength of the dark side. Strength you would have if you would stop holding on to those foolish Jedi notions, Dark Rey said. Instead, you're just this sad, little lonely girl. The same little girl that was abandoned on Jakku by her worthless parents for drinking credits. Always looking for someone to save you, the darkness seethed at her.
A few months ago, those words might have broken Rey. But after so many weeks constantly being fed negative emotions, she'd built up somewhat of a tolerance. Her feelings weren't so easily hurt, her soul not so easily broken.
Anger flared in her hazel eyes.
"If I were really so weak, you wouldn't be so obsessed with me joining you, Zoroyais," Rey said, a slick smile over taking her face.
Again, surprise showed on the darkness's face.
Rey was just trying out Kylo's theory. If the darkness denied it, Rey would look further into the connection. If the darkness didn't deny it. Well, then Rey would have more issues than she knew what to do with if that was the case.
Well now, it seems that you've gotten smarter in the last 24 hours, the darkness said.
Rey took a step backward as the form that had mirrored her own for so long began to change. The twisted form stalked toward Rey, the arms and legs elongated, the torso lengthened. The leggings and tunic Rey always wore twisted become pitch black armor that seemed to eat the light around them. Last but not least, a black helmet came down over dark Rey's face just before Rey could get a glimpse of his real face.
"No, this can't be," Rey stuttered.
Kylo had been right. She'd spent so much time allowing her dark thoughts to cause her to doubt him and put so much distance in between the two of them that she had just brushed it off when he told her something could be manipulating her. Now he'd just been proven right.
Or was this just her darkness playing off of her fear that she was being used by Zoroyais?
Rey stopped backing away to square her shoulders and face the apparition of the newest Sith lord to threaten the galaxy straight on. She wished she had brought her light saber with her when she had left her and Kylo's bedroom this morning, but it was too late for thoughts like that now.
Oh, come now Rey. You must have suspected something, the tall, black armor clad being jested. All of the things I showed you. All the promises of power as long as you kept giving in to the things, I showed you. None of that tipped off that oh so powerful light that used to flood your entire being, he asked.
When Rey didn't say anything he just laughed. The laugh sent a terrified shiver down Rey's spine.
This couldn't be real. Maybe she was still in her bed asleep and this was all just some terrible nightmare. She began looking for ways to try and wake herself up.
Zoroyais looked on in amusement as Rey pinched herself. Then when that didn't work, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. He laughed again as it all failed to wake her from what clearly was not a nightmare.
"How," Rey whispered.
She had to know how she'd become infected with an evil as prevalent as the one she was currently facing.
You want to know how I was able to get so deeply imbedded into your psyche, he asked. When Rey nodded, the being laughed and then said, It was quite simple actually. Snoke had already proven that your light couldn't protect you against mental invasions when he forced the Force bond on you and Ren. I just took the concept and used it to bond our minds, though this is only one way. I can enter your mind, but you can't enter mine. I now know that I'm limited in the knowledge I am able to siphon off of you, but it makes little difference because you will eventually tell me everything, I need to know about you and the Resistance.
Rey's face screwed up in obvious confusion.
"I am not going to tell you anything. And once I tell Kylo that you really are in my head he's going to help me get rid of you like the nasty infection you are," Rey claimed but her voice quivered just in the slightest.
Which of course Zoroyais heard. He laughed at her fear. Which increased even more when he took a threatening step toward her.
Oh yes, Rey. Please tell Kylo Ren everything. Tell him how many times you've dreamed of running him through with your red double bladed light saber. Tell him how you've been trading secrets with his enemy even though he warned you that this could be a possibility. Sure, the male claims that he wouldn't be angry with you but since when has Ren ever been a rational thinker? If I am not mistaken, that's where you come in in your relationship, correct, Zoroyais asked, playing against Rey's biggest fear, well her second biggest fear.
"Kylo loves me. He wouldn't blame me for you taking advantage of a weakness we didn't even know we shared," Rey said, even to her own ears her words weren't as sure as she wanted them to be.
If that's the case why don't you tell him right now, Zoroyais said with a little shrug that seemed so odd when done by the armor-clad monster.
Kylo, Rey tried through the bond.
Nothing.
Rey tried to force open the bond but found that it was like trying to part an ocean. Every time she thought she was getting through; nothingness would descend around her leaving her totally alone in her own head. The sensation was so odd. It was one thing to have the bond closed off because she wanted it to be. For the bond not to open with her willing it to was just plain scary.
Rey took a deep breath and tried again. Maybe Kylo was mad at her and was keeping the bond closed on his end. She searched through the Force looking for the familiar feel of Kylo's mind. When she couldn't find it, she knew something was wrong.
"What did you do," Rey demanded, turning angry hazel eyes on Zoroyais.
The being shrugged.
I may or may not be blocking your connection to that simpering fool Ben Solo, Zoroyais said and then chuckled. You don't need him Rey. He needs you. As do I. The rule of two must always be adhered to and I need an apprentice-
Rey cut him off by saying, "There is no way I will ever be your apprentice. I am a Grey Ember Master. I will not play padawan to some wanna be Sith lord. The Sith died with Snoke and I won't help you tip the balance of the Force to favor the dark side. Kylo and I will bring true balance to the Force with our Order. We will defeat you together."
But don't you want to know what actually happened to your parents, well your mother anyway, Zoroyais asked.
Rey froze and then flinched. She shouldn't be falling for that same old line. She shook her head.
"It doesn't matter who my parents are. They left me on Jakku for over 14 years. They didn't care about me and I don't care about that connection to the past. The Resistance is the only family I need for right now. And once your scourge is erased from existence, Kylo and I will get married and start our own family," Rey said confidently.
Zoroyais laughed at her again.
That is all well and good but how can your puny resistance stand up to the might of 100 million Force Sensitive clones, Zoroyais asked.
Rey's face paled. She felt sick.
The Neo Order alone had one hundred million troops? Add that to the ever growing number of people running to sign up to fight for the First Order and the Resistance was drastically outnumbered. Even if they got all of the scattered Knights of Ren to join the Grey Ember Order and fight for the side of the Resistance, they would still be out gunned.
Not to mention the numerous Starkiller bases that I've had in production ever since you puny little rebels destroyed the only one that Snoke had functional, Zoroyais said casually.
Rey didn't know what to think or say. She fell to her knees in the dead grass under her feet. Tears of anguish and defeat burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall even though things felt more hopeless than anything Rey had ever felt before.
Remember when I told you that only you could save the Resistance, well here is your chance scavenger girl, Zoroyais said and for some reason Rey knew that he was smiling sadistically at her from under that helmet.
Rey nodded. She didn't know what else to do. If she could keep the resistance alive and fighting the good fight, she would do whatever in her power.
"What do you want from me," she asked in a small voice.
Not much. Just keep our little secret for the time being. Let's continue our training for a little while longer. And while we are training, I will tell you all the secrets of the universe, Zoroyais promised.After all, knowledge is the ultimate power.