Disclamer: I do not own Star Wars.
Hux stared down at the red planet as the Finalizer hovered above its atmosphere, the lone dying star in the system casting an eerie glow across the sand dunes below. He could spot a speck of black in the midst of the barren wasteland and knew it was the temple that he saw in his vision, confirmed when a chill seemed to spread through his bones and strike him at his very core. His fingertips unconsciously grazed the hilt of his lightsaber, finding some comfort in the familiar hum that he had become accustomed to.
"Looks like your vision was right," Igniv muttered besides him, an indiscernible expression on the man's usually relaxed face. Hux held back a shudder as another wave of Darkness seemed to wash over him, whispers from shadows long gone. The Knight winced slightly, seeming to also sense the disturbance. "Snoke's power is growing. We'd best move in soon."
They found themselves in the shuttle bay shortly after, their Upsilon-class shuttle prepped and ready for takeoff with a TIE fighter squadron as an escort. The pilots inside were making their final preflight checks, and Hux could sense the anticipation thick in the air. They had given their men the bare minimum about their mission, but at this point anyone with even a speck of affinity for the Force could feel the heavy Darkness in the system.
"Let them know that their only job is to cover our landing. They are to remain on standby once we make it to the surface if there are no hindrances," he told Mitaka, who gave him a curt nod. The lieutenant seemed more pale than usual, hands twisting nervously as the man's eyes glanced from the shuttle back to him. "Is something the matter, Lieutenant?" he inquired, already knowing what was on the man's mind.
"Sirs, I would advise to at least take some stormtroopers," Mitaka insisted, nearly choking on his words. "We don't even know what's down there."
Hux shook his head, almost touched at the other's concern. "I've already given you my orders, Lieutenant."
"Yeah, Snoke will either slaughter them or turn them against us," Igniv added. "You've already seen what he did with the Dominion. The general doesn't want the same thing happening to the others."
"But," Mitaka swallowed, shoulders slumping in defeat under his gaze.
"We'll be back soon, okay?" Igniv reassured the man, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. Hux noticed the light squeeze the Knight gave Mitaka, fingers lingering longer than necessary. He looked away pointedly, ignoring the strange fluttery sensation in his stomach that had decided to take place while he observed the exchange. This was all new to him, buried under years of conditioning from Brendol, and he hadn't decided if he disliked it quite yet.
They were soon on their way down to the planet, their pilot silently steering the shuttle towards the temple as Hux watched the descent wordlessly through the transparasteel windows. Igniv remained uncharacteristically quiet in his chair, eyes distant as the man seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts.
Hux hadn't really thought much of what to bring other than an extra blaster in addition to his usual SE-44C blaster pistol, the monomolecular blade always hidden up his sleeve, and of course, the lightsaber. The anticipation was churning in his stomach now, and he held back the urge to vomit, regretting that he had neglected to bring an extra bottle of anti-emetics from the ship. To his relief, the headaches had all but subsided by the time they had dropped out of lightspeed, but nothing could prepare him for the ordeal he was about to face.
He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he tried to picture the beach in his dreams, basked in the orange rays of the setting sun.
He found his sanctuary effortlessly, this time occupied by a familiar shadow of a man with soft black hair. His breath hitched with emotion, yearning to take the other's hand and guide the man back to him, away from the desolate red planet he was currently making his descent into.
Ben turned to him, eyes wide with surprise.
"Armitage? Why did you follow me?"
"Where should we land, sir?"
Hux snapped out of his reverie as he leaned over in his seat, already finding the imposing temple approaching in the horizon with no signs of the enemy in sight as their TIE fighter squadron followed beside them.
"They probably saw us already. There's not much in this desert," Igniv commented from his seat.
Hux swallowed thickly, knowing that the Knight was right. "Land to the side on that hill. It'll give us a little bit of coverage before we move in."
"Yes, sir."
The ship landed without any disturbances, the engines slowly powering down as the sound of wind roared around them. Hux silently regretted wearing only his standard uniform and thought longingly of his poncho, likely too warm for this weather, when a tap on his shoulder disturbed his thoughts, and he looked up to see Igniv handing a black garment of some sort to him.
"It looks quite windy out there. Can't have you choking on sand before you even get inside the temple," the Knight chortled, characteristic grin back on the man's face.
"Thanks," he muttered as he took the cloak, throwing it over his shoulders.
As predicted, a warm wind blew mercilessly at them as soon as the shuttle door lowered, and they quickly made their way to the sand. Hux peered through the pair of binoculars he had brought with him, surveying the temple structure for any entrances besides the obvious front door, a massive hole that seemed to house an invisible barrier that stopped the sand from entering.
"So, what's the plan? Storm in through the front door?" Igniv asked, squinting against the dust as another gust of wind blew up the sand around them.
Hux pulled the side of the cloak tighter around his face, peering into the binoculars at the other walls of the temple. From what he could make out through the relentless sandstorm, the fortress lacked even windows, and the front door seemed to be their only option at this point.
"Might not be a bad idea. There's some sort of barrier that's keeping the sand out of it though. I wonder what would happen if we tried to step through," he yelled back through the roar of the wind.
"We could throw something at it," Igniv suggested.
He would snort if another gust wind didn't choose to blow over them at that moment. The two of them made their way down the small hill, sliding on the fine red sand as they cautiously approached the massive entrance. A cold draft greeted them as they neared the entryway, a steady stream of air that seemed to come from the depths of the temple. It was then Hux realized that he wasn't looking at a barrier earlier. Rather, the constant flow of air from within the structure kept any of the red sand from entering.
Igniv nodded to him and they made their way into the dim entrance, the dust mercifully disappearing as soon as they walked up the steps into the dimly lit compound, the howling of the wind outside a stark contrast to the deathly silence that greeted them. Hux pulled his cloak tighter around him despite the lack of sand, now trying to draw whatever heat he could to fight against the eerie cold as they silently made their way through the main hall, their footsteps echoing on the pale stone.
"I guess they couldn't afford a welcoming party," he heard Igniv's voice in his head.
"Keep your guard up," he returned. "It's too quiet."
"Yeah, you could say that aga- ah!"
Hux nearly slammed into the man ahead of him before he ignited his lightsaber only to find himself face to face with a line of at least a dozen humanoids clad in blood red armor not unlike the Praetorian Guards that Snoke kept around him back on the late Supremacy. It took him another moment to realize that they had not reacted to him drawing his weapon. In fact, they almost felt…
"The ones inside are no longer of this world," Igniv muttered, purple eyes surveying the closet guard. Hux could spot the other's hand on the hilt of his own lightsaber.
"What the hell." Hux peered inside the helm of one of the guards, unable to make out what was underneath the armor, before he took a few steps back, well enough away from the vibro-voulge it still carried. He reluctantly powered off his lightsaber and hurried after Igniv, who was already a few steps ahead of him looking at some engraved transcriptions on the wall.
Hux squinted at the ancient text scratched into the black stone wall, its lines harsh yet carefully written. "Are you able to read it?"
"Here lie the temple's most devoted worshippers, sworn to protect her even in death." Igniv's hand slowly moved to his own lightsaber again. "That means…"
Hux held his breath as he heard something shift behind him.
"There's too many of them," Igniv said.
"Run!" Hux gasped, taking off just as he felt the heat from a plasma weapon barely miss his cheek. He heard Igniv close behind him along with the uneven patter of footsteps hot on their trail, their owners moving on them in a wave of red.
"They're movements are strange," Igniv commented, glancing behind at the hoard. "The energies here are old. They must be wearing off after so many years."
"If you haven't noticed, they're still chasing us!" Hux hissed before seeing a small corridor to the side. "Here!" he grabbed Igniv and pulled the man with him at the last second, the swarm of red moving past them like a river as they ducked behind the corner. The footsteps disappeared down the main hallway, leaving them in silence once again. "They're not very smart. Let's keep going before they notice that we're gone."
The two of them made their way quickly down their current hallway, the Darkness seeming to grow in intensity despite the lack of temple guards. Hux supposed that this was a good sign that they were going the right way at least. They ducked behind another corner when they spotted another group of guards, nearly colliding with a smaller, soft body. Hux stopped himself from igniting his lightsaber at the last second when he found himself staring at none other than Rey.
He let out the breath he had been holding as Igniv gaped at the girl in surprise.
"You actually came," Hux whispered, trying to hide his disbelief. To be honest, he hadn't really been counting on her help. Even if he had managed to come to an understanding with the girl, he knew that the Resistance hated him with good reason.
Rey scowled. "I don't go back on my word, Armitage." She looked at Igniv, seeming to size him up. She relaxed after a moment, seeming to decide that he was no threat to her. "You must be the one other person Armitage was talking about. I'm Rey."
"Igniv," the Knight replied. "Are you here alone?"
She shook her head. This was even more of a surprise for Hux. Not only had the girl come to his aid on her own accord, but she had somehow convinced her friends to help her. No doubt that they would try to turn the situation to their advantage if given the chance, but if this would help Kylo, then he could care less.
"We split up after the guards started chasing us. Poe and Kaiyo lured them away from me," she whispered, her gaze trailing to her feet, teeth clenched in frustration.
"I see." Igniv closed his eyes, seeming to spread his senses through the compound as he took a careful breath. "I don't sense any fighting yet, so they may still be okay," he commented.
"Yeah," she muttered before sighing. "Poe did say he was pretty good at escaping when he's outnumbered. He has Kaiyo with him too, so..." she trailed off, obviously not trusting her own reassurances to herself.
Leave it to his luck to have none other than the infamous Poe Dameron also on the planet, Hux thought bitterly, and Kaiyo… The name sounded oddly family, yet he couldn't pull a face from any database that they had of the Resistance.
"Kaiyo," he repeated quietly to himself. The image of an ocean came to mind.
"We need to move," Igniv muttered in his head, breaking off his dive into his muddy memories.
Hux let out the breath he had been holding in slowly, deciding that he would get to the bottom of this later. "We'll rendezvous with them after we find Snoke," he tried to reassure the girl. She nodded somewhat reluctantly.
He peered around the corner, finding the hallway clear once more and nodded to the others, seeing the determination in their eyes. Hux swallowed his own uneasiness and took a deep breath before stepping out into the corridor again, following the Darkness deeper into the temple grounds with Igniv and Rey close behind.
.
They stopped before a massive door engraved in the same language they had seen earlier at the entrance, its fine lines a glistening red against the polished black stone. Igniv shifted uneasily as he felt yet another wave of Darkness wash over him from the room within, almost as if it were threatening them to enter its depths.
"Can you read what that says too?" the general asked, the man's normally stern disposition also filled with uncertainty and the beginnings of what he recognized as fear.
"Unfortunately, no. This one's too complex even for me," Igniv replied. To be perfectly honest, he knew exactly what the passage read, but to utter its blasphemy out loud right before facing Snoke was bound to unnerve the two standing beside him even more.
"How do you even know how to read this?" Rey inquired, an almost naïve glint in her eyes that broke through whatever fear she must have been feeling. He supposed he had a similar expression before when he had first ventured forth in search of Snoke's precious books.
"You gain certain skills when your mission is to search for ancient Sith texts." He looked back at the black door, the wave of Darkness unrelenting against him, trying to pull him in. Igniv took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "You guys ready?"
The general nodded and took a step forward, pushing the door open firmly with a gloved hand. Despite its size, the structure swung open quite easily, its old hinges creaking as it moved aside to reveal a large chamber with a throne in the middle occupied by none other than Kylo. Two hooded figures stood next to him, their hidden gazes directed straight ahead.
Igniv held back a gasp when he looked into his friend's face, the man no longer recognizable under the familiar silky black hair and scar. Kylo's dark expressive eyes were a sickly yellow, and he could make out heavy wrinkles lining his friend's formerly smooth young face as they approached the trio.
He could sense the general tremble beside him, the man's mind simultaneously going blank.
"Keep it together, General," he tried to reassure the other, but the man gave him no response, pale green eyes fixated on Kylo.
Igniv felt himself falter slightly when the one on the right removed his hood to reveal none other than Skaara, face much more gaunt and thin than the last time he had seen him. Despite his efforts, his breath hitched as his body inadvertently broke into a cold sweat, his own breaths picking up as he tried to calm down while Kylo and the two Knights waited for them to approach.
"Welcome," Kylo, no, Snoke leered, clasping his hands together. The man turned to Hux, who remained blank to Igniv, almost as if the general had turned into a doll. "Well done, bringing everyone here. I knew you could convince them to come with you."
"Just what do you want from us?" Rey demanded, moving in front of the general when Snoke stood up from his seat.
The man sneered, sizing her up slowly as he walked down the few steps, his movements almost that of a shadow. "If you control the Light, then you control the Darkness. And you, dear child, are the perfect candidate for finalizing the conversion, the rebirth of my Kylo Ren."
It all made sense to him now. Snoke had not just been expecting him and Hux. No, the man had wanted Rey as well, had probably counted on the general to somehow convince this girl that he had heard so much about through his channels to come here and become the sacrifice to finalize the bond. He didn't understand why Snoke couldn't have simply used Hux; the general was much more accessible and much less experienced with the Force than either of them from what he could tell. There was something more, something he was missing.
"He's not yours," a quiet voice cut through the cold blanket of Darkness like a hot knife. Igniv looked at Hux, the man's hands clenched at his sides. The blank slate had been replaced by a raging fire, and he could feel the Force flickering around the man, ready to strike.
Snoke seemed to regard the general for a moment, eyes glistening with an indiscernible expression. "Is that so?" the man muttered, shaking his head. "Look what he's done to you. This Light is not you." He sighed. "It matters not. It will be over soon."
The man snapped his fingers, and Skaara and the other Knight took a step forward.
"Kill the traitor first. Bring Hux and the girl to me when you've finished. I want them alive," he could hear Snoke's voice echoing throughout the room. The creature smirked and turned to leave as the two rounded on them. Igniv took a step back, his hand refusing to listen to him as his old friends drew their lightsabers without hesitation.
Rey ignited her own lightsaber with a cry, blocking the first blow directed at Igniv before pushing the Knight away.
"What are you doing?" she yelled at him. "Fight!"
"I…" he faltered.
It was just Skaara now, and he found himself staring at the general's back as Hux parried a blow from the man, throwing the other off with some difficulty given his thinner frame.
"Keep it together, Igniv," Hux threw his words back at him. Igniv smiled and pushed him aside towards the door Snoke had disappeared through. He could see confusion in the general's eyes as he ignited his own red lightsaber before standing between Skaara and Hux.
"Go after Ben. We'll catch up."
"But…" Hux began to protest.
"Go!"
Hux spared him a final glance before shutting off his lightsaber and running through the door.
Skaara spun his lightsaber swiftly once, rounding on him as the two circled each other quietly, Igniv's eyes locked with the man's. The other had changed much since they left the Jedi academy. Skaara's once soft countenance had been hardened by years of battle and bloodshed, the man's face riddled with the beginning lines of age. The once warm eyes were sunken and bloodshot, and plush lips that once whispered softly to him at night were dry and cracked.
The man licked his lips hungrily as if he knew that Igniv was staring at them.
"We could still fix things," he offered, nearly pleading. His lightsaber trembled in his hand.
"It's too late, Igniv. You know that," the other drawled. Skaara lunged and he dodged to the side, parrying effortlessly before putting some distance between them once again.
"You're always running," the man scoffed, "even back at the temple with Skywalker. You were running from your true nature."
"I left the temple for you! You're the reason why I'm still here," he faltered. "I betrayed them all for you, Skaara." His grip tightened on his lightsaber. "You don't know how many times that I've wished that I hadn't."
Skaara laughed. "Then you would have been dead, just as you will soon be."
A scream echoed from the other side of the room, and he looked up in time to see Rey pull her lightsaber out of the Knight's chest. His breath hitched as he felt the sudden emptiness, and he pulled himself together with some difficulty as she turned to him, eyes flashing from adrenaline not unlike a hungry beast.
"Go after the general!" Igniv mouthed to her before turning his attention back to Skaara, the other still staring him down intently with those sunken gold eyes. To his relief, he heard her hurried steps fade away, indicating that she had went after Ben and the general.
"How honorable of you," Skaara drawled, still keeping his distance and their lightsabers far apart. "I always took you for a coward."
"I was a coward," he admitted quietly. "I should have let you go long ago."
The man lunged at him, and Igniv barely managed to parry the blow before another came at him. He swiped away the other's blade, their lightsabers crackling with energy as they made contact. Skaara continued the merciless assault, and soon Igniv found himself being forced backwards, the wall of the room fast approaching as the larger man attempted to back him into a corner.
"Weak, as always," Skaara commented, showing no signs of distress as he swung again.
Igniv managed to duck and roll away, reversing their positions as Skaara twirled his lightsaber, eyes lit up with amusement.
"So, the dog does have a few tricks left up his sleeve."
"Shut up!" Igniv snarled as he lunged forward with renewed vigor, forcing Skaara back. He had waited too long, hoped for too long, for this to go on any further. A well-placed swing caught the other by surprise, and he forced Skaara's lightsaber away before pointing his own against the other's throat. He swallowed thickly, his hand unable to progress any further as he stared into the other's eyes.
"Do it," Skaara whispered, a sneer making its way across the man's face. The other laughed when Igniv still found himself rooted to the spot, unable to press forward.
"Why did you let him control you? You're stronger than this," Igniv choked out, his grip tightening around his lightsaber. "Wasn't that why you left? For power?"
Not for me, he kept himself from saying.
He could see the other's eyes light up the way they always did when the two of them planned out their escapades back at the temple. The words that came out of the other's mouth made him falter despite his better judgement.
"I was shielding you from Snoke."
Igniv's hand shook, his mind momentarily sent into a flurry of emotions as Skaara's grin softened to a smile. He knew that smile as a boy, a smile for him so long ago. Then, it disappeared as quickly as it came, and Skaara sent him flying with the Force. Igniv slammed into the side of the throne, groaning as he managed to land on his feet, his vision swimming before him as he saw the other advance on him, lightsaber raised.
The man laughed and raised the red beam of light.
"Gullible fool."
He dodged at the last moment, feeling a slight burning on his shoulder before he lunged, thrusting his own lightsaber into Skaara's chest. The blow made contact and the heat subsided, leaving only a dull ache in his arm as he let go of his own weapon in surprise, dropping to his knees as he caught the Knight's descending body and guided the other to the floor.
"Are you happy now?" he whispered, his throat closing up as he choked back his heart.
Skaara's face softened to a smile as the man's eyes closed.
.
Hux burst through the double doors at the end of the corridor, finding Snoke's back to him as the man studied one of the artifacts on display in what looked like a miniature treasury.
"You've really exceeded my expectations, Hux," the man drawled, turning to face him as Hux felt another wave of Darkness wash over him as if it were coming from the walls of the temple itself. "You never know what to expect from even the most insignificant of creatures."
Snoke laughed to himself, the sound reverberating through his bones, and a distant memory clawed to the surface, an amused rumble of the former supreme leader as Hux struggled against the bindings around his wrists. He shuddered inwardly, his hands suddenly frozen at his side. He could feel the Darkness thick around him now, cementing him to where he stood.
"Do you know that the ones who built this temple were sacrificed to become its guardians? The bond has weakened over the years, so I was able to put them to appropriate use."
He heard the footsteps approach behind him and tried to reach for his lightsaber hanging by his side under the cloak, but he was unable to move, unable to fight back when cold arms grabbed him roughly and forced him to the floor. His rational mind screamed at him to move, but all sensations had gone blank to him, replaced by his instinct to go limp. Even if Snoke pulled the Force off of him now, he would not be able to move.
"Be a good boy and lie there and watch, Hux. I will take care of you shortly," Snoke murmured in that disgusting leering tone that always made him want to vomit. Yet, he was pinned to the ground by the dead guards, unable to move.
"Armitage!" he heard Rey's voice before she ran into the room, her lightsaber raised and poised to strike. She ran to him instantly, but a wave of Snoke's hand instantly sent her flying back through the air towards one of the glass displays. Rey seemed to catch herself in midair with the Force, breaking out of Snoke's grip before landing unharmed on her feet, eyes glistening with determination.
"Oh, you've learned a few tricks," Snoke remarked, lips curling into a smirk. "No matter." He lit Kylo's lightsaber, pointing it towards Rey.
Rey ran at him with a cry, lunging at Snoke's sword arm. The other deflected her effortlessly, his movements much too fluid compared to Ben, the precision of each of his strikes sending the girl backwards with a relentless force.
"You'll make the perfect sacrifice," he chortled, throwing her back with another strike only for Rey to right herself and slash at him again. "Watch, Hux. This is where your delusions of hope have led you."
One particular slash came close to the girl's jugular, and the next knocked her off balance. Snoke raised his hand and sent Rey flying through the air again, this time keeping his hold on the Force until she slammed into the wall and slid down to the floor in a heap. The man smiled as he walked over to the girl, lightsaber raised for the kill.
"Get away from her!" Hux called the Force to him in an angry burst, throwing the two guards off of him as he summoned his lightsaber to his hand. His grip tightened on the hilt as he jumped between Snoke and Rey.
A bright white light flashed through the room, followed by a deafening roar as their lightsabers connected. Yellow irises blinked once, eyes momentarily Ben's again, before Snoke returned.
"Stand down, Hux," he whispered.
"Release him," Hux snarled, his own hands quivering under the sheer strength of the other.
Snoke almost looked forlorn. The man's face wrinkled in discomfort, and Hux felt himself pushed further down. "He's fighting it even more now. I do not have much time left," Snoke muttered, almost to himself.
"Good," Hux hissed, channeling his rage into the lightsaber. However, Snoke was too strong, and he started sliding back from the sheer force of the other's push.
Snoke laughed, his voice a near insane rumble as he continued to step forward, forcing Hux back.
"No, that look doesn't suit you. Must I teach you your place again, rabid cur?"
Hux noticed Snoke's hand on the lightsaber loosen a moment too late, and he was suddenly engulfed by the Force, the monster's consciousness slicing through his mind, tearing it open for all the memories to gush out.
He gasped, stumbling back as he felt invisible hands around him, hands pushing him down, stripping him of all he was, cold hands. The humiliation and helplessness came flooding back in droves, emotions he had locked away deep in his mind when the monster had finally been slain by Ben.
He was weak, a mere toy.
"I don't want it to be you. You belong to me."
He gasped, fighting to keep his mind away from his nightmares as Snoke's consciousness continued to pry away layer after layer from him. He could feel tears on his face, signs of his weakness, his failures. He no longer saw Ben in front of him, but a withered disfigured creature that called itself Snoke.
"Ben Solo is dead," the monster breathed.
He closed his eyes.
"Ben..." he projected as loud as he could into their now non-existent Force-bond. Snoke had not been lying. All he heard was emptiness.
Emptiness.
"You are nothing," he heard Snoke's voice coming from the creature in front of him.
Nothing. He was nothing.
It was then, in a small corner of his mind, that he remembered Ben's words to him that day, a whisper of days long past.
"You've never been nothing to me."
"Armitage!" he heard Rey gasping behind him.
There were hands upon him, pushing him down into the silk sheets as the creature hovered above him, its cruel smile triumphant. He fell to his knees, still holding onto his lightsaber as the other forced him down.
"Ben, I'm sorry…" his lips trembled even as the words flowed through the empty bond.
He was on the beach again, the sun almost sunken under the waves in the horizon. He took a step forward before hesitating. Armitage turned around, finding Ben still standing on the shore, waiting for him. The man's eyes were hollow.
"Don't leave me," he said, feeling the traitorous tears welling in his eyes. "Please…"
Those dark eyes flickered slightly.
"I…"
His grip slackened on the lightsaber as he felt his strength give way.
"Get away from him!" a roar echoed through the room, its fury engulfing the air around them as the heat of the lightsaber in front of him suddenly pulled away.
Hux opened his eyes as the Force around him lifted, his lungs free to breathe once again. Snoke took a step back, eyes wide with surprise and something that almost looked like fear before he writhed. A thick black cloud erupted from around him, thrown away from his body as the wrinkles disappeared and familiar expressive dark eyes returned.
Ben blinked, looking down at his own hands as if unsure of his own body before the cloud around them roared and dispersed through the walls of the temple.
It was a moment before Hux stared at the outstretched hand in front of him.
"B-Ben?" he quavered.
The other's eyes were wet. "Hey, Armitage," Ben said almost guiltily.
Armitage took the hand and slowly stood up, his own body still shaking with the earlier onslaught of memories. He fought the urge to shy away from the touch, still remembering the hands upon him, when Ben pulled him into an embrace.
"I'm sorry," the man whispered in his ear.
Armitage relaxed under the familiar warmth, burying his face in the other's chest. "You have a lot explaining to do back on the Finalizer," he hissed. "Fucking nerfherder," he added for good measure.
Ben chuckled. "What a vulgar mouth."
"You completely deserve it," Rey added fuel to the fire, brushing herself off as she picked up her lightsaber from the ground with a trembling hand.
He snorted in Ben's arms, unwilling to leave their safety before feeling the comm in his pocket buzz. Puzzled, Armitage pulled away from Ben to pick up the device, surprised that Mitaka would contact him now of all times. He hoped that Peavey hadn't decided to start a coup in their absence.
"Report," he barked into the device, feeling some of his old habits return now that Ben was back with him.
"Sir, the temple's energy readings are going off the charts. You need to get out of there now!"
As if on cue, a rumble echoed through the walls, followed by a massive wave of Darkness.
"Something's coming," Rey whispered as the two guards Armitage had thrown to the side earlier stood up.
Thank you for reading!