It was early when Kylo approached Rey's new cell. It was the first day of Rey's training, and Kylo was honestly nervous. He had never taught anyone before. At Luke's Jedi Academy he had often watched Luke teach other students – training had always started with meditation and understanding one's own connection to the Force. Kylo decided that would be a good place to start, even if Rey surpassed that in a day or two he could move on to moving objects using the Force.
Kylo reminded himself this wasn't solely about teaching Rey, this was about him defeating the light within himself, about finding balance with the Force, the type of balance Rey seemed to emanate. After yesterday's failed attempt to use Rey as a conduit to try and purge the light from himself – he decided he would try again during their training, while she was awake. Maybe she needed to be drawing from the Force and containing it for him, before he could cleanse himself of the light and find peace.
He had been informed that she was in prisoner cell 110, which was closer to the entrance of the cell block. Kylo reached cell numbered 110 and promptly input the security code.
He was shocked to see Rey sitting on her metal bed waiting for him. Anxiously, she was playing with her tawny colored training uniform.
"You're awake and ready?" Kylo asked.
Now that he was close to Rey again he could feel the harmony she was emitting. It still bewildered him how such a young and unskilled Jedi could be so intertwined and skilled with the Force. The peace she brought was as intoxicating as any sweet scent and Kylo tried to ignore it.
Rey nodded, she stood up and followed him closely. The dark circles under her eyes and the sluggishness in her movements proved she hadn't slept well. Training was going to be very slow if she couldn't focus, and he might have to drag out their lesson on Force meditation.
Kylo listened to Rey's light steps as she followed behind through a maze of hallways. They reached his training room without even being passed by a patrol of Stormtroopers.
General Hux would be watching him closely, that pompous ass was always looking for a way to destroy others in power, and Kylo definitely had influence when it came to the Supreme Leader. The less Stormtroopers they saw, the less anyone could report to General Hux.
Not long ago, Ren had demanded his own area to train his Force and saber skills, and the Supreme Leader had obliged. Kylo had the room outfitted with different sized cylinders to practice his skill with moving objects, as well as obstacles to improve his agility. He decided that would be their place to practice, which meant he had to watch Rey closely.
Ren promoted Rey to enter first, cautiously he checked the hallway before he closed the door behind them. The room was large, about half the size of their smaller hangar bays. Even Rey looked fascinated by its size and all the equipment. Kylo saw Rey's eyes flutter to the walls – they were badly scarred from his outbursts of anger. Often times he would come here just to beat the walls with his saber – to take out his rage when he failed or when he received bad news.
"This is my training room. I come here to meditate and work on my skills," he said humbly. Rey turned to face him, he was surprised to see such excitement on her face. With eyes as bright as a sun and a very small smile – Rey looked at him.
"I see you didn't take my request into consideration." Kylo realized she was talking about him wearing his black helmet. "I've seen your face before, why do you have to cover it?"
"Do I need a reason to wear my mask," he replied. The mask would make her respect him, it would remove emotions or feelings from their training, and that's what he needed.
Rey shrugged as the smile fell from her face – she looked at him attentively. Kylo struggled to get his thoughts together, her very excitement about learning had been exhilarating to him – he could feel his heart flutter. This was the reason he needed the mask, he needed to cover up the heat that was rising in his cheeks. He didn't want to have his body betray him; Rey wouldn't be able to respect him if he was blushing.
"Our first lesson will be meditation, you must become aware of your connection to the Force before we can move forward," Kylo stated, as he sat down. "The Force exists everywhere and in every living being. When meditating you must draw upon emotions to strengthen your skills."
"Emotions? I thought emotions were what weakened Jedi," Rey questioned. It was obvious she knew a little about the old Jedi teachings.
"When I was Luke's student he told us to draw upon feelings of compassion, selflessness and mercy. The Jedi wanted their students to release hate, fear and anger – that was what weakened them. Luke said hate and fear are what the Dark Side fed on."
Rey looked at him with wide eyes. "That's what you draw on, isn't it?"
Kylo looked down at his hands, back on Takodana and when he had interrogated Rey, he had used her fear to strengthen his powers. It was easy to grasp onto fear, most people that saw him were terrified and he often used that to his advantage.
"Yes," he confirmed. "I use fear to bolster my attacks. Does it make you feel better knowing that?" He said unceremoniously. Within seconds he regretted his hastily remark, for Rey's gaze became very frigid. Kylo sighed, and continued with his lesson.
"Once you have become aware of these emotions you must let them strengthen you and your connection to the Force. The old Jedi Order taught students to have a clear mind, but Luke said positive emotions are used to strengthen your connection."
Rey nodded to show her understanding.
"Supreme Leader Snoke has personally taught me to draw upon feelings of anger, hate and others fear. It is up to you which emotions you choose to draw from. Compassion is so finite, but hatred has proven to be so unlimited." Kylo was curious as to what emotions Rey would pick.
The Dark Side would be easy for her, she already had bitterness about her family leaving her on Jakku. Bitterness was a close step toward hatred, if she focused her pain it would fester into hate.
"You should draw upon your pain, I sense you have some toward your family and that friend of yours FN-2187. They both left you alone to suffer," he ventured.
"His name's Finn, and he is a good man. Choosing anger would be easy, but taking the easy path has never been my way," Rey said vehemently. He tried to hide his vexation, how dare she insinuate he took the easy route.
Kylo gritted his teeth, he liked her defiant attitude, hardly ever was he denied what he wanted anymore. Everyone here was afraid of him and that meant he could do what he pleased, and have his way. If he could turn her to the Dark Side, then he would have a powerful ally as well as someone to end his battle between the dark and Light Side. He had underestimated her usefulness, but now that understood her full potential – he felt very satisfied with his plan.
Rey sat down across from him and elected to sit in a comfortable position – slowly she closed her eyes. He watched her body relax and he felt her focusing on the Force around them. Almost instantly the air shifted; she was drawing from the Force already – he could feel the power she was conjuring. Rey was talented, he would give her that, not often were students able to tap into the Force with such ease.
Kylo felt as if a tidal wave of peace washed over him. Rey was literally transmitting this relaxing aura that Kylo had felt before. She was so at peace with herself that he could feel it more than ever.
He closed his eyes and tried to gather upon his own anger and hate. It was harder than Kylo remembered to conjure his anger – he really had to focus on memories, which was something that hadn't been necessary in many years. He suspected it was Rey's undue influence over him, she radiated positive energy from her own meditation.
He focused on memories of his father abandoning their family and the emotions that plagued him as a child – resentment and discontent. His father had left frequently for months at a time to continue his reputation as a smuggler. Kylo had been very sensitive to his mother's sadness every time he left. That was probably where his animosity had started. It wasn't long until he was attuned to the Dark Side that swelled around him. He wallowed in the feeling of the darkness, and it flowed through him like water.
The room had an odd charge to it, as if dark and light were waging a war. Kylo could feel the light pressing toward him, the calling from before was louder. Ren saw flashes of Rey's thoughts, she was concentrated on her friend Finn. She was forgiving him for leaving her on their mission to protect BB-8. Rey understood that Finn did what was necessary to get the life he wanted.
Kylo couldn't understand how she was so forgiving of abandonment, how did she not hold a grudge for Finn's selfishness? If it was not for Finn's cowardly desire to run way, Rey might not be here in his clutches.
Kylo pushed her visions from his head – he had a mission at hand. Without hesitation Ren pulled at her connection to the Force. This time he was rebounded, and he felt the burn of the light. He hadn't expected her to be so powerful already – she shouldn't have the mental focus to lock him out yet.
Kylo opened his eyes to see Rey staring at him with a reproachful look. "You were trying to get in my mind, I felt it." Rey said coldly. "I thought you said this was about training, not extracting information from me."
"This is about training you," he countered quickly. "I was testing your mental focus." He covered his tracks with lies.
"How can I trust that was your true intention?" Rey looked at him suspiciously.
"You can't, you'll have to decide for yourself," he said honestly. Kylo kicked himself for being as idiotic to think he could try and draw from her while she awake. It had been worth a shot, but now Rey would be leery of him.
There was only one way to remedy the situation – Kylo removed his black helmet. The hissing from the pressure change rung in his ears, but Ren looked straight into her unfathomable brown eyes, they were so rich and fierce.
"I wasn't trying to extract the map from you, I promise." he said honestly. That truly hadn't been his intention, so he could at least be sincere about that.
She must have believed him, for she nodded slowly. "Let me meditate in peace," Rey said strictly. She went back to her meditation, but Kylo did not follow suit.
Instead he sat on the ground and reflected in terror – what if he couldn't attain peace without her? It might be impossible for him to have peace on his own. Snoke had said killing his father would fulfill his connection to the Dark Side, giving him peace. Ren was upset at his father, yet Han Solo was his blessing as well as his bane. He hated his father for leaving their family alone often, yet his father had taught him how to be a pilot and how to fix ships. Things he enjoyed as a child and even as an adult – he still piloted his own ship. But the pain of not having a father around often had outweighed the good Han Solo had done. Still he clung to the happy memories – he would not let them go even if the Supreme Leader ordered it.
Kylo thought the task of killing his father was so daunting. How could he kill his father in cold blood? Han Solo was outside his reach now, and if the day came where he saw Han again, he wasn't sure he was strong enough to kill him. What if killing his father didn't bring him closer to the Dark Side, then it would have all been for naught.
But Rey's peaceful aura offered him a solution, if he could harness her peace, then there might not be a need to kill his father. He needed to contain her peace, and so far that was proving impossible. If he couldn't absorb her peace, then his next step would be to turn her to the Dark Side. If she continued her path toward the Light Side, Supreme Leader would brand her an enemy, and he would have to kill her. He would have to turn her to the Dark Side, that was his only option if he failed.
After two hours of Rey just sitting there, radiating her peaceful aura, Kylo called their first lesson to an end.
"That's it," Rey said with disappointment. "You didn't teach me anything."
"Now you understand how the Force works, that's important. You've learned that emotions strengthen your connection." Kylo picked up his helmet and put it back on.
They both left with a feeling of dissatisfaction, yet over completely different matters. Disheartened by the day's events, Kylo took Rey back to her cell. He input the security code and Rey stepped in on her own.
"We will pick up where we left off tomorrow," he stated. "You should be getting your meal soon and get fully rested, our training will become more rigorous."
Kylo was about to close the door to her cell when he heard Rey demanding his attention.
"Am I to call you master now?" She asked indifferently.
He paused for a second – never before had he considered the idea that he was Rey's master. There was evidence for him to be considered her master, after all he was training her in the ways of the Force. To him, a master was someone who was a permanent teacher, and Ren knew his instruction would only be temporary.
"There is no need for you to call me your master. Kylo Ren will suffice," he concluded.
There was a curious gleam in Rey's eyes and Kylo did not like it one bit. "Has your name always been Kylo Ren," she inquired. "Is it Kylo Solo, or maybe Kylo Ren Solo?"
"No, my name used to be Ben Solo, but Ben died years ago, he had to." His reply was very solemn and that's when he closed the door. Ren did not want to be asked another question – he chose to evade her personal inquisition. He couldn't stand to talk about his former self, the past was the past, and Kylo Ren had buried the past long ago. But she was a scavenger, and scavengers always found what was buried and valuable.
[A/N]: Hey guys, thank you for reading the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you could please leave a comment on how you think the story is progressing that would be amazingly helpful. Next chapter will be from Rey's point of view. Thank you so much for taking the time to read!