Unceasingly, Kylo beat his saber against the walls outside the prisoners' block. Sparks and shards of molten metal were sent flying all over the place. With all the might in his body he struck the walls repeatedly, until his arms were shaking from overuse. Things weren't going as Kylo had foreseen. He hadn't even left the cell block before his buried rage had taken over once again. He had almost lost control and killed Rey – and that would've ended his journey to find Skywalker.
Ren stood there for a few seconds catching his breath and listening to the rhythmic crackling of his unstable lightsaber. Finally he put his blade away and leaned against the wall. His saber had scarred the wall and he could feel the leftover heat soaking through his glove and straight into his hand, but he ignored it. His thoughts were so tied up in what had transpired between him and Rey.
Earlier that day he had been protecting her from Hux's scheme to torture her. Ironically now it seemed that Rey needed protection from him. Things had turned ugly, and it was his doing. His intention had been to coax the anger out of Rey – he'd been trying to bring her closer to the Dark Side. There was no doubt about it, Rey had tasted the power of the darkness – and Ren thought he would've been satisfied with his accomplishment of making Rey attuned to her internal anger. Instead he felt compunctious about the whole affair; it had been like watching a spring flower wither in an ice storm. Rey's connection to the Force had been so pure and he'd witnessed it become tainted.
When Kylo even thought of his own reactions in the situation, he was sickened. He knew he'd acted rashly and allowed his own rage to take over. It had been a very long time since someone had physically hurt him and he'd lost control. He'd always been good at defending himself and physical pain was something that he had nearly forgotten. On the contrary, everyday he struggled with internal pain and suffering rather than anything truly physical.
Kylo realized that Rey's actions had been his doing; she'd snapped because of his cruel words. If anyone on this ship had said insults of that magnitude to him, he would have killed them without question. Deep down, Kylo knew he'd stopped choking her because in some sense he'd pardoned Rey. Her reaction had been from his catalytic provocations; she'd snapped because of his verbal assault. When Rey had begged him to stop choking her, he'd finally ceased. Ren had been able to reign in his anger, which was surprisingly rare. It has been the panic in Rey's eyes that had brought him from his hateful trance.
When Kylo had seen Rey suffering – and he couldn't forget as the light started slipping from her hazel eyes – Kylo realized he needed to stop. Witnessing Rey nearly die by his hand had stirred a certain gratuitous anxiety in him. Ren had killed hundreds of people, mostly people who were his enemies, he'd even killed a few fellow apprentices at Luke's Academy. Most of those deaths he felt no remorse for. But now Kylo wasn't sure if he felt upset because he'd nearly cheated himself out of the map, or if watching Rey suffer had truly stricken fear in him.
Now that Rey still lived, Kylo feared he was walking closer to the Light Side. He had forsaken his anger to keep Rey alive because she didn't deserve to befall such a fate. Kylo knew forgiveness and mercy were in the realm of the Light Side and he was treading dangerously close.
Kylo was dragged from his thoughts when a patrol of Stormtroopers came strolling in with Captain Phasma. Unlike most troopers, Captain Phasma was a tall, broad shouldered woman who wore a metallic suit of armor to differentiate herself from the other officers.
"Is everything all right, Lord Ren?" Captain Phasma asked in her usually formal and stony voice as her patrol approached. She had her blaster at the ready, as if some enemy was lurking about.
"Everything is fine, now call maintenance and have them fix this mess." Kylo said contemptuously.
He had to escape – to escape the madness he was falling into. Ren stormed off toward his chambers so he was not subjected to a questioning from Captain Phasma. There was nothing more Kylo wanted than some space, he needed to meditate – to clear his mind of clutter.
This evening Supreme Leader Snoke would be demanding his presence. His master would want the map, or at the least a good reason why he didn't have the map yet.
Meditating became that much more crucial. If Ren left his mind an emotional, confused clutter his master would see his emotions as if he was wearing them on his sleeve. It was essential that he composed himself before this meeting. Kylo could not afford for Snoke to know about his connections with Rey. It would be considered treasonous for Kylo to take an apprentice. And Ren could not stop training Rey – he had an oath to fulfill.
The room was as cold as the stone that surrounded Kylo. He was in the Supreme Leader's throne room awaiting his master's report. The traditional beam of light streamed down from the ceiling like water from a waterfall; it ambitiously lit most of the room. But the light did not provide the room with any form of comfort or warmth.
He had been patiently waiting for his master to grace Kylo with his presence. But Kylo was growing weary of waiting – Ren was not known for his ability to be patient. Not after he'd skipped eating to meditate and clear his mind – it had been critical he be prepared emotionally for this meeting.
Finally the hologram appeared and as usually Supreme Leader Snoke was seated regally in his chair. Kylo always wondered where his master was hiding, but he never dared to ask.
"Do you have the map, Lord Ren?" His master asked impatiently.
Heat rose in Kylo's cheeks, the very scathing look on his master's face was hard to tolerate. Ren was pleased his mask was still on because his helmet hid the shame his cheeks were betraying.
"I do not. Instead I'm attempting to draw her to the Dark Side – I have felt the anger in her first hand."
Kylo watched as his master rubbed his chin – he was contemplating Ren's statement with impeccable care. Finally Snoke looked down at him with an approving expression on his face, "That is good, if you succeed we will have the map as well as a new ally. Find her weaknesses and exploit them, twist her feelings toward anger and hate."
"I have done as you just instructed. I'm using her pain to my advantage – to push her closer to the Dark Side, but she is harder to break than I anticipated. I fear I've used all my ammunition already. I seek your guidance, Master."
"Keep looking for pain and turn it into hate. If you cannot turn her, send her to me, and I will take care of her," Snoke said cynically.
Kylo shuddered, the way his master phrased it perturbed him. The Supreme Leader would kill Rey for sure if she didn't turn to the Dark Side. Rey was very powerful, and he would hate if her power went to waste. But if Rey did turn to the Dark Side, she would become Ren's competition and his master might replace him with her.
He couldn't lie, often times Ren feared Snoke was looking to dispose of him. That his apprenticeship with the Supreme Leader was his master settling for what he could find. Rey's connection to the Force was unparalleled to any one Ren had ever seen. When he'd attended Luke's Academy, Kylo certainly had been the most skilled Jedi there. His skills surpassed all the apprentices – Luke's skills were the only that bested his own. Luke had confessed to Kylo that his connection to the Force had been inherited. His power stemmed from the Skywalker blood that ran through his veins. Darth Vader had wiped out the majority of the Jedi, so most of his fellow students didn't have strong connections to the Force.
Ren had assumed it before, but after today's events things had become more clear – Rey must have parents that were strong with the Force. Him and Rey were one in the same, they had both been handed the Force – yet Rey's connection was fiercer than his.
"I feel fear in you, Lord Ren," the Supreme Leader broke him from his thoughts.
"Yes, Master. She is powerful – and I fear her connection to the Force is stronger than mine," Kylo admitted almost in shame.
There was a very prudent look on the Supreme Leader's face before he spoke, as if his master was debating how much to tell him. "If that is true, then she is who I believed."
Ren could hardly hold back his curiosity. From the beginning Kylo had been intrigued by this scavenger girl who possessed a bond with the Force. But if the Supreme Leader knew of her true origins, he could not resist to ask.
"Who is she, Master?" Ren scolded himself for sounding too enticed by the Supreme Leader's knowledge.
"She is Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter – that is my current belief." His master concluded with certainty.
Kylo felt speechless for a second. His mother had told him all about Ben Kenobi and how the old Jedi had saved her life. Kenobi had sent Luke and Han Solo to rescue her from the Death Star, and that was where she had gotten the inspiration to name him Ben. Ren also knew that Obi-Wan had been his grandfather's master, before his grandfather had accepted the mantle of Darth Vader. It was almost ironic that Obi-Wan's granddaughter was now Ren's student. Fate had a twisted way of bringing together old friendships and rivalries.
"The Obi-Wan Kenobi, as in my grandfather's archenemy?" He asked shocked.
"Yes, Obi-Wan had a son during his time in hiding, after Order 66 was executed. Kenobi then trained the boy in the ways of the Force. I spent years hunting Anakin Kenobi across the galaxy. My search only increased when I heard rumors that he'd had a daughter." He master leaned back as he continued his story.
"Eventually I found Anakin Kenobi and killed him myself, but he'd hid his daughter from my clutches. I never found the girl, but it seems you have succeeded where I failed, my apprentice."
For once Kylo felt like his master was actually praising him. "Only by the grace of your teaching have I found her, Master."
"I hope unveiling the girls history has given you more to work from. Report to me soon with your progress, my apprentice."
Kylo gave a small nod of acceptance, but deep down he felt no consolation in knowing the truth. He wasn't sure he could use his master's knowledge to bring Rey closer to the Dark Side. Snoke had killed Rey's father and that could never be of any usefulness to him. If anything, telling Rey the truth would set her against the First Order forever – against him forever. The truth sat heavy upon his heart, but Ren brought himself out of his own thought.
"Of course, Supreme Leader." Kylo turned around as he prepared for the hologram to disappear. But to Ren's surprise Snoke let out an eerie warning before he ended his call.
"And Kylo, don't allow the girl to distract you from your true purpose." The transmission came to a close and Kylo Ren was left with the truth – a truth he wasn't certain he could keep hidden away forever.
[A/N]: Hey guys, thank you for reading. I hope the reveal of my take on Rey's parentage was worth the wait. But can you believe it, ten chapters down already. I just wanted to thank you all for being the best followers an author could ask for, and thank you all you anonymous readers and reviewers. You have made writing the first ten chapters so much fun! Next chapter will be from Rey's perspective and it will be interesting, I promise! On a small side note, now that school has started updates will probably be every 5-7 days. Anyways, have a wonderful day and thank you for reading the latest installment! :)