Kira sat in her usual spot beside the bacta tank, legs crossed on the medical bay chair that had become her second home over the past three days. The medical droids had stopped trying to shoo her away during visiting hours—even they seemed to understand that her presence somehow stabilized Ben's readings.
She pressed her hand against the cool surface, watching his peaceful face behind the breathing apparatus. In the soft blue glow of the bacta, he looked almost like he was sleeping.
"Remember when you taught me to swim?" she whispered to the tank. "You said I was being silly for being afraid..."
One Year Earlier
The lake sparkled under the summer sun as Kira stood at the edge, her toes curling anxiously over the stone rim. At seven years old, she was the only padawan who couldn't swim—a fact that the other children never let her forget.
"It's too deep," she protested as Ben waded in the shallows below her. "What if there are monsters?"
"There's no monsters out here, just me" Ben's voice was patient, amused. He stood waist-deep in the clear water, arms outstretched toward her. "I won't let anything happen to you. Promise."
Kira bit her lip, unconvinced. "But what if I sink?"
"Then I'll pull you right back up." He smiled that crooked smile that always made her feel safe. "Come on. Don't you trust me?"
She did—more than anyone. Taking a deep breath, Kira stepped off the edge.
The water rushed up around her, but before panic could set in, strong hands caught her, holding her securely at the surface.
"See?" Ben's voice was warm with pride. "You're doing it. Now kick your legs, just like we practiced on land."
Slowly, she found her rhythm, Ben's hands staying steady under her stomach as she learned to float.
"That's my girl," he encouraged. "My little ray of sunshine, lighting up the whole lake."
Kira giggled, splashing him playfully. "Is that why you call me sunshine? Because I light things up?"
"I call you sunshine," Ben said thoughtfully, "because that's what you do to the darkness. You make it retreat just by being you."
She didn't fully understand what he meant then, but she loved the nickname anyway—especially the way his Force signature always felt warmer when he said it.
Back in the present, Kira wiped tears from her cheeks with her free hand. The memory felt so distant now, like it belonged to different people.
"You promised you wouldn't let anything happen to me," she whispered to Ben's floating form. "But who's supposed to protect you?"
His neural patterns spiked slightly on the monitor, as they often did when she spoke to him. The medical droids said it was a good sign—that somewhere in there, he could hear her.
Another Memory, Eight Months Ago
"Why do they call me feral?" Kira asked one evening as they sat by the lake, her hair still damp from swimming practice.
Ben's face darkened. "Who calls you that?"
"The other padawans. They say I'm wild. Different." She pulled her knees to her chest. "Wrong."
"Hey." Ben turned to face her fully. "Look at me, kid."
She met his eyes reluctantly.
"There's nothing wrong with being different. The Force flows differently through each of us." He picked up a small stone and made it dance above his palm. "Some rivers are calm and steady. Others are wild and free. But they're all part of the same ocean."
"Is that why you're different too?" she asked innocently. "Because your river is special?"
Something flickered across his face—pain, maybe, or fear. But then he smiled, tossing the stone into the lake. "Maybe we're both special. That's why we found each other."
"Like the Force wanted us to be friends?"
"Exactly like that, sunshine. Exactly like that."
A soft beeping from the monitors pulled Kira back to the present. Ben's fingers had twitched again—they did that sometimes, like he was reaching for something. She pressed both hands against the tank now, pushing all her warmth and light toward him through their bond.
"Please come back," she whispered. "I don't want to be special alone."
The bacta bubbled softly, its blue glow reflecting in her tears. Outside the medical bay windows, the sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of gold that reminded her of warmer days by the lake.
"Your sunshine's waiting, Ben," she said softly. "I'll always wait. Just like you waited for me to be brave enough to swim."
In the tank, Ben's fingers twitched again. This time, they pressed against the glass right where her small hand rested on the other side.
For just a moment, their bond flared with familiar warmth—like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. Then it was gone, swallowed again by that terrible cold. But it was enough. Enough to know he was still in there, still fighting to find his way back to the light.
Back to his ray of sunshine.
It happened during the quietest part of night, when only the medical droids moved through the temple's halls. Kira had fallen asleep in her chair despite her best efforts, her head resting against the bacta tank, one hand still pressed to its surface.
The first sign was a change in the monitor's steady rhythm. Then, Ben's fingers began to move, more purposefully than the occasional twitches of the past days. His eyes fluttered behind closed lids as the medical droids rushed to begin the awakening procedure.
"Kira," one of the droids gently shook her shoulder. "You must move back now. We're bringing him out."
She stumbled sleepily away from the tank as they began draining the bacta. Through their bond, she felt something shift—like ice breaking up on a frozen river. Warmth seeped through, familiar but fragile.
Luke arrived just as they were lifting Ben from the tank, his tall frame limp and shivering as they wrapped him in warming blankets. They removed the breathing apparatus, and Ben drew in a ragged breath on his own.
"Ben?" Luke stepped forward, placing a hand on his nephew's forehead. "Can you hear me?"
Ben's eyes opened slowly, unfocused at first. His lips moved, but no sound came out. The medical droids worked quickly, checking vital signs and neural readings.
"Remarkable recovery," one droid reported. "Though his core temperature is still below normal."
"Cold," Ben managed to whisper, his voice rough from disuse. "So cold..."
"I'll get more blankets," a droid offered, but Ben was already shaking his head weakly.
"No... need..." His eyes searched the room until they found what he was looking for. "Ray..."
"I'm here!" Kira darted forward before anyone could stop her. "I'm right here, Ben."
His pale face softened at the sight of her, though his eyes still held shadows of whatever he'd faced in the caves. "There you are" he murmured.
She reached for his hand—it was like touching ice. Without hesitation, she climbed onto the bed beside him, pressing close like she had so many times when nightmares drove her to his quarters.
"Kira," Luke started to protest, but stopped when he saw the monitoring equipment register an immediate improvement in Ben's vital signs. The cold that had clung to him since Ilum seemed to retreat wherever Kira touched.
"The darkness,..." Ben whispered, his fingers weakly squeezing hers.
"Shh," Kira soothed, wrapping both her small hands around his larger one. "You're home now. I kept my promise. I waited."
Ben's eyes filled with tears that froze before they could fall. "I heard you. In the caves. When everything was cold and dark and the voice was so loud... I heard you calling."
Luke stepped closer, concern etching his features. "Ben, what happened in there? What did you—"
But Ben had already drifted back to sleep, his body exhausted from the awakening. This time, though, his sleep seemed peaceful. Natural. The monitors showed normal patterns for the first time since his return.
Kira started to slide off the bed, but Ben's hand tightened on hers. "Stay," he mumbled, barely conscious. "Keep the shadows away..."
Luke sighed, but nodded when Kira looked to him for permission. She settled back beside Ben, her presence acting as a buffer between him and whatever darkness still lingered from the caves.
"Master Luke?" she whispered as he turned to leave. "His crystal... what color is it?"
Luke paused in the doorway, thinking of the unstable crystal they'd pried from Ben's frozen fingers. "It hasn't decided yet," he said finally. "Like its wielder, it stands at a crossroads."
Kira looked down at Ben's sleeping face, so much younger in rest. "Then we'll help him choose," she said with all the fierce determination of an eight-year-old who had already decided her purpose in life. "Together."
Luke smiled sadly as he left them there—the tall, broken teenager and his tiny guardian. Through the Force, he sensed the darkness receding wherever their light touched, like shadows fleeing from the dawn.
For now, though, Ben slept peacefully beside his Ray of sunshine, their combined warmth keeping the shadows at bay—if only for this one quiet moment between storms.
The weeks following Ben's awakening were a delicate dance between recovery and relapse. During the day, he went through the motions of healing—physical therapy to restore strength to his frost-damaged muscles, meditation sessions with Luke to center his mind, quiet meals in the medical wing where Kira would sneak him extra portions of sweet bread.
But the nights... the nights were different.
The first week, his screams echoed through the temple corridors three times. Each time, Kira would be there before the medical droids, before Luke, before anyone. She seemed to sense the nightmares coming even before they struck.
"The crystal caves," he'd gasp, sweat freezing on his skin despite the warm night. "They're calling me back..."
"You're here," Kira would whisper, her small hands clasping his larger ones. "You're safe."
But they both knew that wasn't entirely true.
During his second week of recovery, Luke found them by the lake—Ben sitting on their usual meditation rock, Kira perched beside him like a vigilant bird. They were supposed to be practicing simple Force exercises, but Ben's attention kept drifting to the kyber crystal he now wore on a cord around his neck. It pulsed with that same uncertain energy, sometimes clear as water, sometimes shadowed with darker hues.
"It won't stabilize," Ben muttered, frustration evident in his voice. "Every time I think I've found balance..."
You don't need balance, the voice whispered in his mind. You need power. True power, not these weak Jedi tricks.
Ben's hand clenched around the crystal until Kira's smaller one covered it.
"Tell me a story," she demanded, using the same technique she'd developed over the past weeks to pull him back when the voice grew too loud. "About when you were my age."
The voice receded, hissing its disapproval.
By the third week, Ben was strong enough to resume limited training. His fellow padawans watched him carefully, noting how his fighting style had changed. There was an edge to it now, a darkness that flickered at the corners of his Force signature.
Only Tai dared to speak of it. "Your moves... they're different. More aggressive."
"I'm fine," Ben snapped, then immediately regretted his tone when he saw Kira watching from the training room doorway, concern etched on her young face.
That night, the voice was particularly persistent.
'They fear your power, it crooned. Even your little ray of sunshine will turn against you when she sees what you truly are.'
"Shut up," Ben growled into his pillow. "Leave her out of this."
'But she's already part of it, isn't she? Such raw potential... she could be even stronger than you, with the right guidance...'
Ben sat up sharply, cold sweat dripping down his back. "Don't," he warned the darkness. "Don't even think about her."
The voice laughed, soft and cruel.
Four weeks after his awakening, Luke found Ben in the temple archives late at night, surrounded by ancient texts.
"What are you looking for?" Luke asked, though he already suspected.
"Answers." Ben's voice was hoarse from lack of sleep. "About the voices. About what happened in the caves. About why my crystal won't..." He gestured helplessly at the stone, which swung between light and shadow like a pendulum.
"The crystal reflects its wielder," Luke said carefully. "Its uncertainty is—"
"My fault. Like everything else." Ben slammed the book shut. "I know."
'He doesn't trust you,' the voice whispered. 'He sees the darkness in you, just like your parents did when they sent you away.'
"Ben?" Kira's small form appeared in the doorway, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "You promised you'd rest."
The voice fell silent, retreating before her light like mist before the sun.
"Sorry, sunshine," Ben managed a weak smile. "Lost track of time."
But later that night, as Kira slept curled up next to him on his bed, despite Lors nonstop scolding to have her be in her own quarters during the times he catches her, Ben stared at the ceiling and made a decision.
He would find a way to silence the voice, to stabilize his crystal, to become the Jedi his uncle wanted him to be. Not for himself, not even for Luke—but for the small girl who believed in him with such fierce, unwavering faith.
'You can't protect her forever,' the voice mocked. 'Sooner or later, she'll see the truth.'
Ben's hand found Kira's small one in the darkness, drawing strength from her warmth.
"Watch me," he whispered to the shadows.
But deep in his heart, where the cold of Ilum still lingered, Ben Solo feared the voice might be right. How long could his little Ray of sunshine hold back the growing dark?
And more importantly—how long before that darkness began to cast shadows on her too?
Ilums cave…
Luke knelt before the sealed entrance of the ancient temple, his eyes closed in deep meditation. The broken pieces of Kira's river stone lay arranged before him, a faint pulse of warmth still emanating from their cracked surfaces. The bitter wind of Ilum howled around him, but Luke remained motionless, his consciousness reaching out through the Force.
He followed the thread of Ben's pain like a dim trail through a labyrinth of ice and shadow. The deeper he went, the colder it became—not the natural chill of Ilum's frozen wastes, but something far more insidious. This was a cold that seeped into the very soul, a darkness that sought to extinguish all light.
"Ben," Luke called out through the Force. "Show me where you are."
The response came not from his nephew, but from something ancient and malevolent that seemed to laugh at his efforts. Memories flooded Luke's mind: Ben as a toddler, screaming in the night. Leia's worried voice: "Something's watching him, Luke." His own younger self, dismissing her fears: "It's just nightmares. He'll grow out of them."
Luke pushed past the painful recollections, delving deeper into the heart of Ilum's darkness. The cold intensified, biting into his very essence. Ice crystals formed on his eyelashes and beard as he sat motionless before the temple.
Suddenly, he found himself in a vast chamber of shattered crystals. Ben knelt in the center, a pulsing kyber crystal hovering before him. But they weren't alone. A presence loomed in the shadows—formless yet terrifyingly familiar.
"You're too late, Skywalker," the presence hissed. "The boy is mine. He always has been."
Luke's astral form took shape, blue light emanating from him to push back the encroaching darkness. "I won't let you take him," he declared, his voice echoing through the chamber.
The shadows coalesced into a towering figure, its features hidden beneath a golden mask. "You can't stop what has already begun," it said, voice dripping with malice. "His destiny was written long before you ever laid eyes on him."
Luke reached out to Ben, who seemed frozen in place, his eyes fixed on the pulsing crystal. "Ben, listen to me. Whatever it's promising you, it's a lie. Come back with me. Come back to the light."
The masked figure laughed, a sound that sent shards of ice shooting through the chamber. "Light? You speak of light, when your own heart is clouded with fear? You've sensed his power, Skywalker. You fear what he might become."
"No," Luke insisted, but doubt crept into his voice. He had sensed the immense potential in Ben, and there just there he saw it, glimpses of a future that both awed and terrified him, one with pure destruction.
Luke never spoke to anyone of that day, keeping it to himself, silently watching Ben of which future his route will take him.
Five Years Later
The temple gardens were quiet in the pre-dawn light as Ben Solo, now eighteen, moved through his morning training forms. His tall frame had filled out, raw power evident in every controlled movement. But there was something else in his practice now—an aggressive edge that made other padawans keep their distance.
All except one.
Thirteen-year-old Kira matched his movements from a few paces away, her own form a mirror of his. She'd grown too, though she remained small for her age. What she lacked in size, she made up for in fierce determination and raw talent that sometimes frightened even Luke.
"Your grip is too tight," Ben corrected, pausing to adjust her hands on the training saber. "You're letting your frustration control you again."
"Like you're one to talk," she teased, but her smile faded when she saw the shadows cross his face. Through their bond, which had only grown stronger over the years, she felt the familiar cold seeping in.
'She grows stronger every day,' Snoke's voice whispered in Ben's mind. 'Imagine what she could become with proper guidance... away from these weak Jedi restrictions...'
Ben's jaw clenched. The voice had gained a name over the years, revealing itself as Snoke. Its promises had grown more specific, more tempting, more difficult to resist.
"Ben?" Kira's voice pulled him back, as it always did. "It's getting worse, isn't it?"
The changes had been gradual but undeniable. Ben's temper, always volatile, had become harder to control. Training accidents left other padawans with injuries that seemed just a little too deliberate. His crystal remained unstable.
Luke watched it all with growing concern, but his attempts to help only seemed to push Ben further away.
"I don't need your guidance," Ben had snapped during one particularly heated argument. "I don't need anyone's guidance!"
'Except mine,' Snoke would whisper later in the darkness. 'I alone understand your true potential.'
Only Kira could still reach him in these moments, though even she found it harder as the years passed. She'd developed her own methods—demanding stories about his day, dragging him to their lake for swimming, challenging him to increasingly complex Force exercises that required his full concentration, learning to use astral projection every now and then.
"My little Ray of sunshine," he'd call her still, though sometimes now it sounded more like a prayer than a nickname.
Their bond had evolved too. Where once it had been simple warmth and comfort, now it carried deeper currents. They could sense each other's emotions, share thoughts without speaking, even feel echoes of each other's physical pain.
It made hiding things increasingly difficult.
"You're not sleeping again," Kira accused one night, finding him in the archives as she so often had over the years.
"I'm fine."
"Liar." She dropped into the chair beside him. At thirteen, she'd lost none of her childhood directness. "I feel it, you know. When he speaks to you."
Ben stiffened. They never talked about Snoke directly. "Kira..."
"Why won't you tell Master Luke? He could help—"
"No one can help!" The books on the nearby shelves rattled as his control slipped. "You don't understand. You're just a child."
The hurt that flashed across her face felt like a physical blow through their bond. Ben immediately regretted his words, but before he could apologize, Kira stood.
"I understand more than you think," she said quietly. "I understand that you're slipping away, and you won't let me help, and I'm terrified of waking up one day to find you gone."
The darkness grew stronger as the years passed, but so did their combined light. When they trained together, their Force signatures intertwined in ways that made Luke both hopeful and wary. When they meditated, their combined power could make flowers bloom out of season and calm storms over the lake.
But there were other moments—darker ones—when their connection seemed to amplify not just light, but shadow.
"Your anger makes you stronger," Ben found himself telling her during one training session, then immediately froze, horrified to hear Snoke's words coming from his own mouth.
Kira had simply looked at him with those too-wise eyes. "So does your love," she countered. "And that's stronger than any darkness."
Now, five years after the caves of Ilum, Ben Solo stood at a precipice. Snoke's voice had become almost constant, wearing down his defenses day by day. The promise of power, of freedom from pain, of a legacy that would outshine even Vader's...
"I won't let you take him," Kira had whispered fiercely into the darkness one night, thinking Ben was asleep. "No matter what you offer, no matter how strong you become. He's mine to protect now."
'Foolish child,' Snoke had laughed in Ben's mind. 'She cannot save you from yourself.'
But standing in the garden now, watching his Ray match his forms with unwavering dedication, Ben allowed himself to hope. Perhaps the voice was wrong. Perhaps there was still a path between light and dark, a way to keep both his power and his heart.
"Again," he told her, pushing away the shadows for another day. "Show me that sequence again, sunshine."
Kira beamed, her light pushing back the darkness as it always had. But in the back of his mind, Ben felt Snoke's cold smile.
The final battle for his soul was coming. And when it did, he feared his little Ray of sunshine might not be enough to light the way home.
The late afternoon sun painted the lake in shades of gold as Ben and Kira sat at their usual spot, legs dangling over the water from their favorite meditation rock. Ben was turning his unstable crystal over in his hands—a nervous habit he'd developed over the years. In the fading light, its color shifted between clear and shadow, never quite settling.
"Master Luke says once I successfully build my saber, they'll hold the knighting ceremony," Ben said, his deep voice carrying an undercurrent of anxiety that only Kira would notice. "Tai and Hennix were knighted last year. Even Voe..."
"You're stronger than all of them," Kira said firmly, skipping a stone across the water with the Force. "You're just taking your time to get it right."
Ben smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Is that your diplomatic way of saying I'm falling behind?"
"No," Kira turned to face him fully, her hazel eyes serious. "It's my way of saying you're different. Special. Like the crystal chose you because normal wouldn't be enough."
'She speaks truth,' Snoke's voice whispered. 'You are meant for far more than these simple Jedi traditions.'
Ben flinched slightly, but Kira pretended not to notice. Over the years, she'd learned when to acknowledge the voice's presence and when to simply talk over it.
"I'm thirteen now" she said instead, drawing his attention back. "Old enough for my own crystal journey."
The effect was immediate. Ben's hand tightened around his crystal. "No."
"Ben—"
"It's too dangerous. You're not ready."
"I'm stronger now than you were at my age," Kira challenged, a familiar fire in her eyes. "Master Luke says—"
"I don't care what Luke says!" Ben's outburst sent ripples across the lake's surface. More quietly, he added, "You don't know what it's like in those caves. What they show you. What they make you face."
Kira's small hand found his larger one, prying his fingers away from the crystal before he could crack it. "Then tell me," she said softly. "You never talk about what happened in there."
Ben was silent for a long moment, staring out at the setting sun. "The caves... they don't just test your strength or your connection to the Force. They test everything you are. Everything you could be." His voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Everything you fear becoming."
"What did you see?"
"Darkness. Power. Choices." He looked down at their joined hands. "I saw versions of myself without..." He stopped, swallowing hard.
"Without what?"
"Without you," he admitted. "Versions where I never found my ray of sunshine. Where the cold won." His free hand went to the crystal. "That's why it won't stabilize. Part of me is still in that cave, still choosing."
Kira leaned her head against his arm, a gesture she'd done since childhood. "Then I'll go into the caves," she said with characteristic determination. "I'll find my crystal, build my saber, and then we'll face everything together. Like we always have."
'Such touching devotion,' Snoke mocked in Ben's mind. 'But when she sees the darkness in those caves—the same darkness that lives in you—will she still look at you with such faith?'
"I won't let you go alone," Ben said aloud, ignoring the voice.
"Of course not." Kira smiled up at him. "You'll come with me. You can be my guide, just like Master Lor was for you."
The mention of the older man made Ben tense. Lor San Tekka had grown increasingly wary of Ben over the years, especially regarding his influence over Kira.
"And when I get my crystal," Kira continued, oblivious to his discomfort, "maybe we can figure out how to stabilize yours together. Two sabers in harmony, like our Force signatures."
Despite his fears, Ben felt a smile tugging at his lips. "Always so sure of everything, aren't you, sunshine?"
"Only about you" she said simply.
They sat in comfortable silence as the sun sank lower, casting long shadows across the water. Ben felt Kira's Force signature wrap around his like a warm blanket, pushing back the cold that had become his constant companion since Ilum.
"Ben?" she said finally, her voice small.
"Yes?"
"When you're knighted... you won't go away on missions without me?"
"I promised you years ago, didn't I? Never without you."
"Even if the voice tells you to?"
Ben stiffened, but Kira held onto his hand tightly.
"Even then," he said firmly, and for a moment, he almost believed it himself.
Darkness fell over the lake, they stayed there together—the almost-knight and his fierce protector, dreaming of crystals and ceremonies and futures that felt just out of reach. Neither mentioned how Ben's crystal pulsed darker as night descended, or how Snoke's laughter echoed in the spaces between their words.
Some fears were better left unspoken, even between hearts as close as theirs.
With the days coming closer for Kiras scheduled departure, the council consisting of Luke, Lor and other Jedi knights Tai, Voe and Hennix have come to agreement that Ben will not depart to ilum with the younger padawans, he is still considered a training padawan and not an official knight, Luke especially preferred that Ben doesnt come any closer to ilum again after what happened last time, despite the heated argument of Luke and Ben the decision was final.
Evening shadows stretched across the temple grounds as Ben made his way to Kira's quarters, carrying an extra set of thermal gear he'd modified to fit her small frame. The excitement radiating through their bond told him she was still awake, probably too anxious about tomorrow's departure to sleep.
He found her door ajar, soft lamplight spilling into the hallway as she attempted to stuff what looked like half her belongings into a travel pack.
"You won't need three extra tunics," he said from the doorway, smiling as she jumped. "The thermal gear will keep you warm enough."
"Ben!" Kira's face lit up. "I can't decide what to bring. Master Luke said to pack light, but what if—"
"Step aside, sunshine. Let me help before you pack the entire temple."
He'd barely taken two steps into her room when a stern voice cut through their comfortable moment.
"Padawan Solo."
Ben turned to find Lor San Tekka standing in the hallway, his weathered face set in disapproval. "A word."
Kira's smile faltered as she felt Ben's Force signature darken slightly. "I asked him to help me pack," she said quickly. "I don't know what gear I need for Ilum and—"
"You can consult Master Luke or myself about proper provisions," Lor San Tekka interrupted, his eyes fixed on Ben. "It is no longer appropriate for a young man of eighteen to be in the private quarters of a thirteen-year-old girl. Surely you understand this, Ben?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Ben's jaw clenched, but before he could respond, Kira stepped forward.
"That's ridiculous," she protested. "Ben's been helping me with everything since I was little. He's my—"
"Your what, exactly?" Lor San Tekka's voice was gentle but firm. "These attachments you've formed... they were concerning enough when you were children. But you're both growing older. Boundaries must be respected."
'He fears your influence over her,' Snoke whispered in Ben's mind. 'They all do. They see how she looks at you, how she follows your every word...'
"Ben has been nothing but appropriate," Kira argued, her cheeks flushing with anger. "He's my best friend, my teacher, my—"
"Your fellow padawan, not your teacher" Lor San Tekka cut in. "Nothing more. The Jedi path requires—"
"The Jedi path requires wisdom," Ben finally spoke, his voice carefully controlled. "And wisdom should tell you that trying to separate us now would do more harm than good."
The older man's eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat, young Solo?"
"A fact." Ben set the thermal gear on Kira's bed, his movements deliberately calm despite the storm brewing in his Force signature. "Kira needs to rest before tomorrow's journey. I'll take my leave."
'They'll try to turn her against you,' Snoke purred. 'While you're separated... while she's vulnerable in those caves...'
"Ben?" Kira's voice was small, uncertain. Through their bond, he felt her anxiety spike.
"Pack only what you can carry easily," he told her, ignoring Lor San Tekka's watchful gaze. "Focus on practical items. And sunshine?"
"Yes?"
He managed a small smile, just for her. "Don't forget your river stone."
Her hand went automatically to the stone hanging around her neck, cracked but not abandoned. "Never."
As Ben moved to leave, Lor San Tekka stopped him with a hand on his arm. "You understand," the older man said quietly, "that you cannot accompany us tomorrow? The Council has decided—"
"I understand perfectly." Ben's voice was ice. "You fear what you don't understand. Always have."
He pulled away, forcing himself to walk calmly down the hall despite the rage building in his chest. Behind him, he heard Kira's door close and Lor San Tekka beginning to lecture her about appropriate relationships between padawans.
'They seek to control her,' Snoke whispered. 'To dim her light, to bind it with their rules and restrictions. Just as they've tried to do to you.'
Ben's hands clenched into fists as he stalked through the temple corridors. The voice was right about one thing—they were trying to separate him from Kira. First by denying his request to guide her journey, and now this...
He reached his own quarters, slamming the door with a Force push that cracked the frame. His unstable crystal pulsed angry red at his chest, responding to his turmoil.
'She'll need you more than ever after what she sees in those caves,' Snoke continued. 'But they'll try to keep you from helping her process it, from teaching her to embrace her full potential...'
"Enough," Ben growled, but the voice pressed on.
'There are other paths, young Solo. Paths where you could protect her, guide her, without these artificial boundaries. Where your bond could grow to its full strength...'
Through their connection, Ben felt Kira's frustration and worry. He sent back a wave of reassurance, trying to mask his own darker emotions.
Sleep well, sunshine, he projected to her. I'll see you before you leave.'
Her response came immediately: Promise?
Always.
But as Ben lay in his bed that night, staring at the ceiling, Snoke's words echoed in his mind. How long before they tried to sever his bond with Kira completely? How long before they convinced her that her attachment to him was wrong?
The darkness pressed closer, whispering of power and freedom and choices to be made.
In her own room, Kira clutched her river stone and tried not to cry, feeling the storm building in Ben's mind but not knowing how to stop it.
Tomorrow she would leave for Ilum. And for the first time since she could remember, Ben wouldn't be by her side.
The temple halls were silent save for the soft padding of bare feet as Kira made her familiar nighttime journey to Ben's quarters. She'd done this countless times over the years when nightmares plagued either of them, though less frequently now that she was older. Tonight was different, though. Tonight might be their last chance for a while.
She found his door unlocked—he'd known she'd come. Inside, Ben sat on his bed, still fully dressed, his unstable crystal casting shifting shadows on the walls.
"You should be sleeping," he said softly, though they both knew he'd been waiting for her. "Big day tomorrow."
"Couldn't sleep." Kira settled cross-legged on the end of his bed, her river stone glowing faintly in response to him. "Not after what Lor San Tekka said. It's not fair, Ben. They don't understand."
Ben's smile was sad. "Maybe they understand too well."
"What do you mean?"
He was quiet for a moment, fidgeting with his crystal. "I heard the older padawans talking today. About the knighting ceremony, about taking on students." His voice grew bitter. "No one wants to train with the unstable Solo boy. They're all afraid."
"They're idiots," Kira said fiercely. "You're the best teacher in the temple. Look how much you've taught me."
"That's different. You're..." He gestured vaguely between them, indicating their bond.
"Special?" Kira grinned. Then, more seriously: "When I get back from Ilum, and you're knighted... I want to be your padawan. Officially."
Ben stilled. "Kira..."
"I mean it! We already train together anyway. And I'm not afraid of you. I never have been."
"Maybe you should be," he whispered, but Kira was already shaking her head.
"Never." She moved closer, taking his cold hands in her warm ones like she had so many times before. "You're stuck with me, remember? No matter what any stuffy old Jedi says about 'appropriate boundaries.'"
That earned her a small smile. "What would I do without my ray of sunshine?"
"Lucky for you, you'll never have to find out."
Impulsively, Kira leaned forward and pressed a quick, innocent kiss to his cheek. "That's for luck tomorrow," she explained, blushing slightly. "Since I won't be there when you get knighted."
Ben's expression softened, his Force signature wrapping around hers. "Come here, sunshine," he said, making room beside him like he had when she was little and scared of storms.
Kira curled up next to him, both of them still fully dressed atop the covers, her river stones glowing softly in harmony.
"Tell me about the crystal caves again?" she asked through a yawn.
"You should sleep."
"Please? One last time?"
Ben sighed, but began the familiar story, his deep voice soft in the darkness. "The caves of Ilum are as old as the Force itself..."
He kept talking until he felt her breathing even out, her small form radiating trust and peace beside him. Only then did he allow his own eyes to close.
'So touching,' Snoke's voice mocked in his mind.
Ben pulled Kira closer protectively, letting her light chase away the shadows, if only for tonight.
Tomorrow would come too soon, bringing with it separation and trials and choices to be made. But for now, in this quiet moment between darkness and dawn, there was only warmth and trust and the simple comfort of two hearts beating in harmony.
The river stone pulsed gently, casting a soft glow over their sleeping forms—the almost-knight and his faithful ray of sunshine, sharing one last moment of peace before the storms to come.
Ben woke before dawn it was still dark outside, Kira still sleeping peacefully beside him. He carefully stood, pulling a blanket over her small form. Through their bond, he felt nothing but calm—no nightmares, no fear about her upcoming journey. Just peace.
"Sleep well, sunshine," he whispered, resisting the urge to brush her hair from her face. Instead, he silently gathered what he needed: his crystal, the saber components he'd collected, and his tools.
The walk to the abandoned meditation hut was familiar—he'd been practicing here in secret for weeks, away from the judgmental eyes of the temple. The old stone building stood alone on a hill, far enough from the main grounds that no one would sense what he was about to attempt.
'You waste your time,' Snoke's voice hissed as Ben laid out his materials. 'That crystal will never submit to the light. Its nature, like yours, craves darker power.'
Ben took a deep breath, centering himself. For once, he had an advantage—Snoke didn't know about his early morning practices, about how he'd been preparing for this moment when the voice was quieter, when Kira's sleeping presence gave him strength.
He began the meditation, levitating the components before him. The crystal rose last, still pulsing with its uncertain energy.
'Think of what you could become,' Snoke pressed. 'The power you could wield with a blade of crimson...'
But Ben wasn't listening. Instead, he focused on other things: Kira's sleeping face, peaceful and trusting. The way she looked at him without fear. Her absolute faith in his light, even when he doubted it himself.
The crystal began to stabilize.
'Stop this foolishness!' Snoke's voice grew angry. 'You are meant for darkness!'
Ben's hands remained steady as the components began to align. In his mind, more memories surfaced: teaching Kira to swim, her small hands gripping his larger ones. The way she'd kissed his cheek last night, innocent and pure. Her fierce declaration that she wanted to be his padawan.
The crystal's pulse changed, finding its rhythm.
'She will leave you,' Snoke snarled. 'They all leave. Your parents, your uncle, even your precious ray of sunshine will turn away when she sees your true nature!'
But for the first time, Ben smiled at the voice's threats. "You're wrong," he said quietly. "She's the one person who never has."
The crystal flared suddenly with brilliant blue light.
'NO!' Snoke's rage was arctic cold, but Ben barely felt it.
The components locked into place one by one, guided by both Force and faith. The crystal chamber sealed, power cells aligned, emitter matrix calibrated perfectly. Everything he'd practiced in secret, every dawn spent preparing for this moment, came together in a symphony of purpose.
With a final click, the construction was complete.
Ben opened his eyes, his new lightsaber hovering before him. The handle was elegant but sturdy, designed to channel and stabilize the massive power he knew he possessed. But where there had been chaos in his test builds, now there was harmony.
His hand trembled slightly as he reached for it.
'Don't,' Snoke warned. 'You'll regret this weakness...'
Ben wrapped his fingers around the hilt and ignited the blade.
Brilliant blue plasma erupted with a smooth, steady hum. No crackling, no instability, no sign of the darkness that had plagued his crystal since Ilum. The blade was true and bright—like summer skies over the lake, like hope made manifest, like his ray of sunshine's unwavering faith.
Snoke's fury was a blizzard in his mind, but for once, Ben felt nothing but warmth.
He moved through a few basic forms, marveling at how natural it felt. The blade sang through the air, leaving trails of blue light in its wake. This was right. This was what he was meant to be.
'You fool,' Snoke spat. 'You think one moment of light erases what lies in your heart? This changes nothing. You're only delaying the inevitable.'
But Ben wasn't listening anymore. Through his bond with Kira, he felt her beginning to stir back in his quarters. Her sleepy consciousness reached for him automatically, then brightened as she sensed his triumph.
Ben? her thoughts touched his. Did you...?
Come see for yourself, sunshine.
Kira projected herself in front of Ben using their bond, and she sees his blue lightsaber before going back to her body, still not fully able to control it.
He felt her excitement as she leapt from his bed, sensed her running through the temple grounds toward his location. She'd be there any moment, ready to share in his victory, to prove once again that light could win, that darkness wasn't inevitable.
Snoke's presence is furious but powerless in the face of such pure joy.
Ben held his lightsaber high, watching the blue light paint the walls of the old hut. For this moment at least, everything was clear. Everything was possible.
He was a Jedi, worthy of his little ray of sunshine's faith.
And no voice in the darkness could take that away.
Kira's heart soared as she felt Ben's triumph through their bond. His joy, his clarity, the pure light she always knew existed within him—it all radiated through their connection like a sunrise. She leapt from his bed, not even bothering to smooth her rumpled clothes from sleeping, and rushed to the door.
Only to find Lor San Tekka standing in the hallway, his face hard with disappointment.
"So," he said quietly, "this is how you respect our boundaries."
Kira's stomach dropped. "I... I was just—"
"Spending the night in a young man's quarters." His voice was stern. "After being explicitly told it was inappropriate."
"It's not like that!" Kira protested, her cheeks flushing. "Ben would never... we just fell asleep talking! And now he's done something amazing, he's built his saber and it's—"
"Enough." Lor San Tekka's tone left no room for argument. "I knew this would happen, The transport is prepped for departure. We're leaving now. the rest can follow later"
"But I haven't said goodbye! Ben's waiting for me at the—"
"You've said quite enough goodbyes." He took her arm firmly but not unkindly. "This is precisely why the Council decided he should not be part of your crystal journey. These attachments... they're becoming dangerous."
"The only dangerous thing is trying to separate us!" Kira tried to pull away, reaching desperately through her bond with Ben. But he was too far away, and exhaustion from his saber construction, lack of sleep and subsiding the darkness was already pulling him toward sleep.
Ben! she called through their connection. Ben, please! They're making me leave early!
But all she felt was the soft, peaceful haze of his mind drifting off, well-earned rest claiming him after his victory.
Lor San Tekka led her swiftly through the temple halls, past her quarters where her packed bag waited. "You'll have to make do with what we have on the transport, the others can follow us later when we set camp" he said, answering her unspoken question. "We cannot delay any longer."
"At least let me leave him a message," Kira pleaded as they approached the landing pad. "He'll worry when he wakes up and I'm—"
"Master Luke will inform him of your departure." Lor San Tekka's voice softened slightly. "This separation... it's for the best, young one. You'll understand someday."
Tears burned in Kira's eyes as she was led up the transport ramp. Through their bond, she felt Ben's consciousness slipping deeper into sleep, unaware that she was being taken away hours ahead of schedule.
In the meditation hut, Ben lay on the simple cot, his new lightsaber sat by his calligraphy set. Exhaustion from the intense Force work pulled at him, but he smiled as he waited for his sunshine to arrive. She would burst through the door any moment, all excitement and pride and unwavering faith.
Just rest your eyes for a moment, he thought. She'll wake you when she gets here.
His consciousness drifted, peaceful for the first time in years. In his dreams, he saw Kira's face lit by his blue blade, saw her own future lightsaber glowing in harmony with his, saw them training together properly as knight and padawan...
He didn't feel the transport lifting off.
Didn't sense her desperate calls through their bond.
Didn't know that when he woke, his ray of sunshine would be halfway to Ilum, taken away in the dawn's early light.
Back on the transport, Kira pressed her hand against the viewport, watching the temple shrink away below. Her river stone felt cold against her chest.
"I'm sorry, Ben," she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I'll come back stronger. I promise."
But something in her young heart knew that nothing would be the same when she returned. The dawn that had seemed so bright moments ago now felt like the end of something precious—and the beginning of something unknown and frightening.
Luke stood at the temple's highest balcony, watching the transport disappear into the dark sky, he assumed it was going to happen, Lor had told him so and he gave him permission to proceed as needed to separate them momentarily and go ahead to ilum. A deep sense of unease settled in his chest as he recalled that day years ago—the day he'd pulled a young Ben Solo from the crystal caves of Ilum.
The memory was as vivid as ever: the biting cold that seemed to penetrate even his bones, the eerie silence broken only by the howling wind, and the palpable darkness that had permeated the air. He'd found Ben huddled in the deepest part of the cave.
Luke had wrapped his cloak around the shivering boy, trying to push away the chill that seemed to emanate from Ben himself. "It's over now," he'd said, leading him out of the cave. "You're safe."
But even then, as they'd emerged into the harsh Ilum sunlight, Luke had sensed that something fundamental had changed. The boy who left that cave was not the same one who had entered it.
In the years that followed, Luke had watched with growing concern as Ben's force signature slowly darkened. It was subtle at first—a shadow here, a cold spot there. But over time, it became impossible to ignore. The warmth that had once radiated from Ben was replaced by a simmering intensity that sometimes bordered on rage.
His fighting style grew more aggressive, his meditation sessions more turbulent. Even his relationships with the other padawans became strained, marked by moments of barely contained hostility.
Only Kira seemed immune to the change, her unwavering faith in Ben a beacon of light in the growing darkness. Luke had hoped, perhaps naively, that her presence would be enough to keep Ben anchored to the light.
But now, as he stood watching the transport carry Kira away, Luke feared he had waited too long. He'd postponed Ben's knighting, citing the unstable crystal as the reason. In truth, he'd been afraid of what might happen if Ben was given the full responsibilities—and powers—of a Jedi Knight while his inner turmoil remained unresolved.
Separating them for this journey was necessary. Ben's influence over the girl was growing too strong, his own instability threatening to unbalance her as well