Rey opened her eyes, the sun had set and nocturnal wildlife chirped and cried from the dark jungle. Sweat graced her brow, she lost track of time with her persistence in attuning to the Light Side. The temperature had dropped, but the humidity stayed and clung to her skin, her clothes. Rey stood, and grabbed her lightstaff and held it without activating it. She felt the jungle around her, actually feeling the life empowering her. The Light Side. Rey felt compelled to move and she circled the tree. Behind it, the jungle seemed murky despite it being night, it seethed with negative energy. She strained her eyes to see and felt with the Force, but it was as if the jungle there was under a dark veil. Part of her wanted to shy away from the darkness when she heard Luke's voice "Meditate, and face them as you face your fears..." Hearing his words caused the Dark Side writhe and try to control her. Rey took a breath and walked into the darkness, lightstaff grasped tightly in her hand, ready.
Rey stepped warily, the gloom and Dark Side pressing on her. Was it her imagination that even the leaves and vines grew closer to her, confining her to the path she walked on? She brushed them aside, but more appeared growing, pushing into her. Rey turned, the path she once walked no longer existed. Something brushed her arm, and she turned quickly. The leaves and vines were moving, she heard the rustling and they threatened to crush her. She activated her lightstaff and cut the leaves and tendrils. The darkness pulled back from her blade with a hiss and Rey felt with the Force. Rey held her staff and slowly turned, the jade light boosting her confidence as the jungle recoiled.
A lone vine, lightening quick grabbed her ankle pulled backward. Rey gasped and fell. She deactivated her lightstaff, afraid of hurting herself. The leaves, twigs, roots and rocks on the ground scratched her skin as she was dragged deeper into the jungle. Rey shifted and tried to get on her back, and succeeded after a few attempts to cut the vine. The jungle seemed to take a breath, then rushed her. Branches, vines, ferns attempting to smother her. She breathed and felt the Force, and cut them down while on her back. Her arms burned as she turned her lightstaff to cut and deflect. As soon as it started, it was over. Rey rushed to her feet, wary, and looked into the darkness. She panted, and turned slowly straining her sight. Someone or something was there.
"Who's there?" Her voice called, sure and calm. She waited a moment "Show yourself. I'm ready."
A raspy voice responded "We'll see..."
A ethereal being materialized, grey and hazy. It solidified slowly and it turned to her, a ghostly whip clutched in her withered hand. The clothes barely hung on to the body, it was withered and wrinkled. Rey's eyes rose to its face. It was almost skeletal, the skin stretched tight and molted, teeth protruding from the recessed gums in a grimace. The hair brittle and white where it wasn't completely gone already. The eyes were absent, just a dark void where they would be. Rey's chest constricted in fear, the air burning in her lungs. She breathed in and stood defensively. The wraith swung the whip toward Rey's legs, it wrapped along the lightstaff as Rey blocked the strike. It tugged trying to throw her off balance. Rey clutched her staff and turned the bottom half of her lightstaff, causing the whip to fall to the ground. The wraith sent several attacks at her, and she evaded most of them while moving. Rey picked up her steps toward the wraith, she needed to close the distance between them. She directed the whip towards Rey's head, moving further away to keep the distance between them. Rey lifted her staff but the end of the whip curved around the lightsaber, swiping into Rey's arm deeply. Rey clenched her teeth, and felt her warm blood start to travel down her arm.
The stinging pain in her arm caused the Dark Side to flare within her. Rey breathed deeply but the wraith seemed to sense her internal battle and directed another blow. Rey evaded the attack and was Pushed back, into a tree. Rey held her lightstaff in front of her, but Dark Side tendrils started to emit from the wraith, creeping to Rey like an ocean wave. Rey attempted to Push the wraith, but having no physical body it did nothing. She walked slowly to Rey, her bony fingers twitching. The Dark Side tendrils paused inches away from Rey's body, and the jungle vines creeped behind the tree around her neck and arms. The vines had thorns and she felt them drag across and puncture her skin, tightening.
Rey felt her fear rise, and internally the Dark Side grasped for control. It was a struggle to breathe. What could she do?
Another voice, inside her mind spoke. Wait for it. She cannot kill you until you are fully weakened and drained...
Rey yelled at the voice within her to explain. Rey started to feel dizzy and lightheaded, the vines constricting around her. She focused on the Force for strength, and subdued her fear. She felt the vines even though they hurt her, the humid air, her lightsaber still humming in her hands. It helped but she still felt weaker as time passed. Rey looked to the wraith, it was becoming substantial, the skin not so parched and becoming pale and opaque instead of translucent. Rey's vision started to falter, her breaths ragged as she struggled to breathe. The wraith was appearing as a woman, one of the Nightsister's, solidifying and no longer hovering but standing in front of Rey. Red eyes stared into Rey's face, joyous. Rey's eyes darted to the lightstaff. She had enough energy to tilt the blade to kill the woman, but she would harm herself in the process. She had to. Rey felt the Light Side and the calm within her. She was ready.
Rey focused on the Force to help her blades, and tilted quickly the lightstaff and it cut through the Nightsister's neck. Black blood splashed and the surprised Nightsister grasped her neck in shock, the air rasping against her open neck. Rey Pushed her back, the Dark Side tendrils faded as she bled out, the blood pulsing through her fingers. Rey fell, her body suspended with the remaining jungle vines. Her calf was severely cut almost to the bone, it didn't cauterize fully and hot sticky blood leaked down her leg. Rey's head lolled against the thick vine, her thoughts becoming muddled with the loss of blood. The Nightsister twitched in her death throes.
Rey sent a thought, the darkness was surrounding her. Ren!
Ren did nothing that entire evening while focusing on every emotion Rey felt. She was going through her trial. He masked his bond, his worry and fear would impact her success. The sun had barely graced through the windows, motes of light floating aimlessly when he heard his name.
He was still fully clothed and grabbed his light saber. Ren went to the edge of the jungle where they left yesterday, however the vegetation had already grown over. Mentally cursing, he felt with the bond. She was unconscious and weak. He started to run, hacking larger branches and ferns ahead of him. The humidity and his own exertion caused sweat to drip down his face, his back and chest. His heart and lungs burned as he pushed himself. He brushed ferns and leaves out of his way, he heard wildlife call and scream at his wild trek through their domain. He ignored it all.
He arrived panting to the clearing and spied her, under the tree. Ren ran and knelt next to her and deactivated his blade, examining her body. Her face and exposed skin was scratched and dirtied, and a thick vine circled around her neck. He untangled it and threw it away from him. A purple and red welt lined her neck. Ren's hand touched her face while the other shook her shoulder as gently as he could muster in his worry.
"Rey, I'm here. Rey..." He said. He echoed the words in his mind strongly to hers. Ren placed his head on her chest; her heart still pulsed albeit slowly, and her lungs inhaled and exhaled. He breathed into her, in hopes additional oxygen wouldn't hurt.
He tried to shake her harder and said her name louder, desperate.
She coughed finally and gasped, her eyes wild. Ren grabbed on to her as her hands reached for him, her eyes adjusting and quickly viewing the area around her. She looked down to her legs and touched them, in disbelief.
"Ren, Ren what did you do? How?" Rey looked up to him, her brown eyes welling. She blinked it away. Confusion overwhelmed her mind.
He wasn't sure what she meant, she could still be delusional from her battle. "I came as soon as I heard you. The jungle... it had overgrown from when we were here yesterday. I ran as fast as I could. I just arrived and called your name, shaking you to wake up..." He used the back of his hand to sweep back his sweat and hair from his face.
"No, I... I killed the Nightsister. I had to use my staff and cut my leg to do it though. And how did I get back here?" she gazed up at the tree above. Ren looked around, there was no struggle apparent in the fallen leaves or the ferns.
He said cautiously "Rey... you haven't moved more than five feet from when I left you yesterday. The only wounds I see are scratches on your face and skin. A thick vine was wrapped around your neck but I removed it. Your neck is bruised..." he murmured. Rey wobbled to her feet, and he helped her stand. She called her lightstaff to her hand, and walked to where the jungle thickened. Rey activated it, and her head bobbed and looked through the dark jungle. He walked behind her and turned on his silver lightsaber, although he felt nothing nearby.
"Ren, I swear... I'm not going crazy. It happened." Rey's voice was quiet, but emotionally she felt confident.
Ren put his hand on the small of her back, and she turned to him. "I believe you, I felt your emotions all though the night. I know you were fighting. This jungle is imbued with the Force. We felt it when we picked out this spot. I can feel it now. You meditated yesterday, desire to overcome the dark souls within you. I don't know if it could be called a Force vision, you received cuts, scratches and bruises." He lifted her chin, and the welt around her neck seemed paler. He looked around, and felt chilled to his core. "Rey, did you defeat all of them? There were three at the Sith Crystal."
"No just one. She appeared as a wraith at first. Something told me to wait for the right moment before finishing her..." Rey bit her lip, he sensed her concern.
"Let's rest today and tonight. I don't want to stay here longer than necessary. When you're ready again we can come back." He tried not to let the small fear he had show through the bond. He walked to her pack and picked it up, it was untouched. Her hand threaded through his behind him.
"Ok." Her voice was quiet and pensive. They quickly and wordlessly walked back to the villa, cutting their way with their blades. Ren let her use the sanitation unit first, and after he was done he found her upon their bed, eyes closed. He could sense she was thinking and he studied her body as he stretched out next to her. Any evidence of the vine around her neck was no longer visible, the only sign remaining was the scratches she had on her face and skin. He gazed at her as she spoke "Ren, why were you... scared back there?" She hesitated using the word but he was aware she felt his emotion. Ren looked into her brown eyes and face, her damp hair pulled back into a messy bun.
He took a breath and exhaled before replying. "I do not know what kind of fears one has to face and I am not ready to face them. I have killed innocents, directly and indirectly...and my own father. I do not want to be in the jungle longer than I have to." Rey nodded and said nothing, he felt understanding from her through their bond. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his bare chest.
Her voice, soft spoke "You didn't sleep at all while I was away did you?"
Ren's arm wrapped around her, and his other hand laced through hers. "No. I was worried. I only just got you back from the First Order too. Its... Its difficult being without you. I didn't sleep much either when you were captive..." Rey snuggled up next to him and he felt her own exhaustion mirror his own. He only fell asleep after she breathed the deep rhythm of slumber.