The day was bright and clear on the open glade where Luke's Padawans had their camp. It was the morning after Ren had supposedly saved Ben Solo and his friends. There were twenty young apprentices of Luke, all youths to young adults. There was a general confusion among them as to where Luke had gone; but it was not bizarre for Luke to retreat a few times a year to seek a greater understanding of the Force. At those times he had usually told someone of his departure and how long he would be gone. However, this morning, the Padawans awoke to see Luke gone with no forewarning. Ren comforted the group, letting them know that the Force works in mysterious ways and that Luke would have had a good reason to rush off. He spoke as a faithful follower of Luke, and his demeanor was kind and fatherly with the youths.

It was not until late in the afternoon that a small, dual-engine small spacecraft returned. It was Luke's ship. It landed at the south end of the glade opposite the camp. R2-D2 exited first, being lowered by the astromech lift, and rushed off to Luke's hut, as if it was trying to avoid an impending conflict.

Luke emerged from the shuttle, a determination in his step. He wore a serious and angry countenance. The Padawans and Ren approached to greet him and inquire of where he had been. "Ren," Luke stated grimly. "We must talk."

"What is wrong, Master?" Ren feigned ignorance.

"I believe you know," Luke said. "But before I am to judge, you must speak your side."

Ren smiled a dark smile, hiding it from the Padawans, but wanting Luke to see.

"Whatever we are to discuss, we can do here. I am certain that I am unsure of what you are talking about. Perhaps it would be good for the Padawans to also hear what you have discovered on your secretive trip." He spoke loud enough for the students to hear, but he kept his voice calm to sound meek.

"Enough of that! You very well know. I can sense it in you now, though you have hidden it for some time."

"Well then, why don't you say it? I have nothing to hide." Ren turned to look at Ben. They made eye contact, and Ren nodded as if to confirm what they had talked about the night before.

Luke could see the glance at Ben but did not understand the significance. Though not understanding, a pang of jealousy for his Padawans rose within him.

"You have joined the dark side."

All but Ben gasped at the accusation.

"I should have seen it before now, but it is all too plain to me now."

Ren walked closer to Luke. "How could you accuse me? Have I not been completely loyal to you these last few years? This is how you repay me by accusing me in front of these Jedi knights?"

Luke could see Ren's subtle scowl that the rest would not see. Luke understood now how Ren was positioning himself to gain the Padawan's allegiance. They were not technically knights yet, but Ren's reference of them as Jedi knights was intended to flatter the young Padawans.

"Do you deny it before all of us?" Luke asked.

"Why would you accuse me?"

"Do you deny it?" Luke asked again.

"I have known the dark side, yes."

The Padawans began to mumble to themselves.

"And now?" Luke pushed.

"It is as you say," Ren said, "But only for balance. Please don't misunderstand."

Then in a low voice that only Luke could hear, "Don't misunderstand, but your Padawans are mine."

Luke lit his pale green lightsaber and stood before him; a green knight, immovable and stern offering a warning. "You will leave."

In a low voice again so that only Luke could hear, "I will never leave, not until I have finished you." He was trying to bait Luke into an attack.

Then raising his voice, "Luke, you must understand. I am your friend and devoted to the light."

"Leave now! You will not deceive me or my students anymore!"

"Too late for that, friend. Even now, some are tempted to the dark side; and they will fall," he whispered.

Luke was reminded of his final fight with his father and how Vader threatened to corrupt Leia, Luke's sister. Luke could sense the pure hatred in Ren for the first time. Ren was not hiding it from him anymore. With that, Luke attacked; fueled by a noble cause but anger in his eyes. To the Padawans, it appeared unprovoked.

Ren met Luke's lightsaber with his own green lightsaber, the two like-colored blades flared as they ground on each other. He had intentionally not used the red lightsaber still attached to his left hip. Ren blocked multiple attacks, it being obvious to him that Luke was holding back and trying only to subdue him. However, to the Ben and the few Padawans that were with him the night before it looked different.

The students moved back from the fight. The dancing lightsabers became more intense, as the electric clashing resounded in the open glade. Ren was not afraid but was getting flustered. Luke was very careful in the training of his students never to show the full extent of his power. To display power needlessly was not the Jedi way. However, it was also not the Jedi way to attack in anger, and Luke was doing that very thing. As it was, even Ren was not sure of Luke's true strength. This had given Ren false confidence. He had defeated many Jedi in his life, but Luke was no ordinary Jedi.

"You will not destroy my Padawans. You will not draw them to the dark side!" Luke exclaimed.

"Like your father," Ren replied, smirking as he blocked more attacks.

"Luke, please stop! Let me explain!" Ren shouted for the benefit of the watchers.

"Quiet!" Luke attacked again with a violent side swipe then downward blow. Ren raised his lightsaber to block the sideswipe then spun to the side.

Ben stood next to Darren; both were wide-eyed, and open-mouthed at the fight.

"Ben, why won't Luke let him talk?" Darren asked.

Ben did not answer.

"It's not fair," Darren said.

"I don't think Luke will understand," Ben said after some thought.

"I thought the Jedi way was only to use knowledge for defense, not attack," Tanut commented. He was standing on the other side of Ben.

"Luke has to know that Ren saved our lives last night," Darren said. "He can't kill him."

Darren clenched his fists and furrowed his brow.

"Is no one going to stop this?" Darren said loudly.

The group of Padawans stood still and silent, watching their masters fight.

"Well someone has to!" Darren said.

Ben started to put his hand on his shoulder to counsel him to remain calm; but Darren broke from his grasp, ignited his lightsaber and cried out, "Stop!"

He ran toward the combatants. He drew near to the flying lightsabers and intended, either heroically or naively to step in between the two of them.

Ren, seeing him rush in from his right, made sure to swing at Luke in such a way so a missed strike would hit Darren. Ren was always considering, even now, what the aftermath of the fight might be and how he could best exploit it. Luke, sensing the danger for Darren, quickly Force-pushed Darren out of the way and then dodged Ren's strike. Darren flew, like a discarded rag ten feet from the battle.

"That's it!" Luke growled. "This ends now!"

Luke's attacks became more impassioned and violent. Ren's countenance changed from one of confidence to concern, and then to fear. He lit his red lightsaber to get an edge but to no effect. The battle was obviously one-sided.

Ren huffed, "You think defeating me will save your students!"

Luke was past responding to Ren but continued his attacks.

"They are already mine, Luke. You can't win."

Ren made a frenzied attack, attempting to bring his green lightsaber down on top of Luke. Luke side-stepped with a lowered blade, then turned and sharply raised his lightsaber, cutting off Ren's hand. The green lightsaber extinguished and dropped to the ground.

Ren screamed in rage and fell back. Luke aimed his blade at the defeated foe.

"Leave."

Ren stared at Luke in hatred. He looked to the Padawans, most of which seemed to be gathering around Darren. Then in a low voice. "If you kill me now, you will have lost everything. What will your students think? You can't kill me."

With that Ren made one last attack on Luke, his overconfidence in his trap undoing him. He held out his red lightsaber with the circular knuckle guard. Another red blade emerged from the opposite end. Then slowly at first, but with increasing speed, the two opposite red blades spun around the circular knuckle guard, until the blades were spinning so fast that they were just a blur. The hot red blades melted the earth where they swept through the dark rock. Ren stood up, holding out the spinning blades and stepped toward Luke.

Luke stepped back at the sight of the blades moving toward him, then grabbed his own blade with both hands and stabbed them through the spinning blades. Almost instantly the spinning red blades came to a stop. Ren's face showed fearful shock, having never seen anyone do that. However, before he could think much on it, Luke slid his green blade down the red lightsaber blade, cutting through the knuckle guard and then through Ren's other hand; not severing it completely but leaving it to hang by a piece of flesh. The red blades extinguished and the lightsaber fell. Ren's eyes opened wide at the realization of his coming fate. With one quick movement, Luke made an end to him. Ren's lifeless body fell to the ground.

Luke extinguished his blade and replaced it at his side. He knelt before Ren's body and placed a hand on him. He whispered something under his breath, then stood.

When he had turned, he noticed that most of the Padawans were no longer watching him; but they were huddled in a circle facing inward. Luke put his hand to his mouth as a thought occurred to him. He ran toward the group. They parted to make way for him to enter.

"No," Luke said to himself before he had seen it as if his refusal to acknowledge would alter the truth; but he knew what had happened.

Luke came into the center of the circle, there lying on the ground, Sakiah holding his head in her lap, was Darren. He had fallen on his own lightsaber and an open and burnt wound had cut half-way through the left side of his chest. He was dead.