Force Destiny

Cruelest Stroke

Rey couldn't sleep. She was exhausted. She should sleep, but the death of her parents replayed in her mind. All her suffering had been because of the man the Force had cruelly bonded her with. She had started to believe she cared about him and foolishly believed he cared about her in return. She had been so consumed with fighting to save him that she hadn't seen through the deception and lies. She was bonded to a monster. The only question that tore away at her, the only question left unanswered, was why?

Why did he tell me I'm not alone when he was the one that did it? Why did he pretend he cared? Why didn't he tell me? Why did he do it? Why does he save me when he kills everyone I love?

Because he had a selfish reason to save you... the voice hissed in her head. You felt the pain of trying to sever your connection... He is fearful that if you die, then he will as well... he believes the only chance he has of finding the Resistance is through your bond...And, he would rather have the satisfaction of killing you by his own hand... He does not care for you, foolish child... No... Kylo Ren cares for no one but himself... He has proven that... Remember, he wanted it this way...

He meant to abandon your bond, and you with it... You are nothing to him...You owe him nothing... He threw you away like garbage, as your parents did... He would still kill you... Just as he killed your parents... and Han... and Luke... and soon he will finish Finn... and Rose... and Poe... and his mother... Even if he had moments of... compassion... He will murder everyone you care for... You must protect the Resistance... Their lives have been at his disposal through this bond... You cannot trust that he will walk away with the knowledge he has... You remember Crait... You cannot put your friends in that position again... You cannot allow yourself to save him again in your weakness... It will be your own destruction... You tried to save him, but you failed... It is time to face your destiny... And for Kylo Ren to face his...

Rey breathed the darkness into her lungs, surrendering to its cold, consuming its depths in resolution. Force's will or not, I have to kill Kylo Ren.

The Force responded to her declaration, giving her the means to stand by her words. As she lay on her back on her makeshift bed, staring at the ceiling, she sensed the familiar vibration of his energy. Dread and anticipation tumbled in her stomach.

She sensed his presence around her and inside her mind. She waited. All she could hear was the pounding of her own heartbeat in her ears. She felt vulnerable, lying helpless on her bed. Her eyes darted around the room in search of his looming shadow. Nothing. She sat up and scanned the room, her eyes landing on a dark figure beside her. She gasped and threw herself to the floor, sliding backward across the stone until she could go no further. Then she sat with her knees to her chest, holding her agitated breath, as she stared at him. Even after all the commotion, he was asleep.

He hates you... He lied to you and betrayed you... He abandoned you because you mean nothing to him... He let you suffer alone on Jakku...

Kylo was on his side, facing her, his head resting on his outstretched arm. His wrists were still bound in shackles, but he looked otherwise uninjured. Without consideration of the consequences, she slowly stood. She was not scared to wake the sleeping dragon. She was drawn toward him, like the gravitational pull of a planet to its sun. Every step she progressed closer to the sleeping beast, she could perceive more of his surroundings. His quarters were dark, as lacking in personalization as he lacked in empathy. When she finally came to rest next to him, time slowed as if she were in a dream. He didn't stir.

She felt the urge to touch him.

Her hand hovered over his face, and she felt soft currents flow against her palm in the Force. She pushed deeper into the currents. What had first felt calm became more erratic and tumultuous as she dove deeper. She began to sense images in the current. They were only brief flashes, but it was enough to discern what she was sensing; dreams. What she saw churned her stomach. Faces twisted in pain, screams of the dying, blood, and death... it was all death. Most of the faces she didn't recognize, but when she saw Han's face, she nearly ripped her hand away.