The Broken Ones | REYLO [Complete]

33. Duel of the Fates

—POE—

"They've been down there a long time," I mutter to no one in particular.

"No sign of any distress signals yet," Snap Wexley remarks. "I'm sure they're fine. They'd let us know if they weren't."

I slowly release the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Yeah, you're right."

"Plus they're Jedi, right?" Mara asks. I'd nearly forgotten she was here. "Aren't they, like, invincible?"

"I wish." My mind drifts back to Rey and, not for the first time, I wish I had some kind of Force sensitivity so I could help. Or at least sense her. This feeling of helplessness as I wait to hear from them is absolutely killing me.

—REY—

The blue blade of my lightsaber hums to life as I circle my nightmare. She spins her two red blades in a lazy figure eight, smiling at me with those needle-like teeth.

"I'm not afraid of you," I seethe, looking for a weak point in her stance.

Her laugh is sharp and makes my skin crawl. "Lies," she hisses, baring her teeth again. "I feel your fear. Yes," she whispers, pointing one red blade at my face, "you fear what you cannot deny. You fear my inevitability."

"I will not become you," I growl, lifting my lightsaber high over my head and swinging down in a powerful blow. She blocks me easily, eyes gleaming red. I strike again, calling on all the pent up emotion that threatens to suffocate me. The pain surges within me and I channel it, using it to fuel each swing of my lightsaber.

Then she lunges at me, alternating between each end of her lightsaber, moving so quickly I can barely block each strike. I can't keep up and one blade nicks my shoulder, driving deep into the muscle. I cry out in pain, suddenly finding my left arm useless, but she doesn't pause. She moves effortlessly, laughing all the while, and I snap. A scream of rage tears itself from my throat and I leap through the air, using the Force to shove her up against the wall. Utter joy lights her eyes and she grins wickedly, our sabers clashing in a shower of sparks between us.

"Yes," she spits. "Use your anger, your fear, your pain. They are your greatest weapons! Give in, Rey. You know you want to."

I do. I want the power that lies simmering and untapped deep within my body. It calls out to me, desperate to be unleashed.

No. Ben's voice is clear in my head. It pulls me from the haze of temptation and I shake my head to clear it. You're stronger than that, he says. You don't need that power.

I wish I could turn to check on him, to make sure he's okay. But he's fighting his own demons, and I must face my own now.

"Do it," my vision rasps, shifting her grip on her lightsaber. "Give in to the power."

I hold her unblinking stare and focus, calling upon the Force to restore balance within me. The agitation within me settles and suddenly I know the lesson I'm supposed to learn. Voiceless words drift into my mind, familiar yet foreign. "There is no dark side, nor a light side," I say aloud, the words coming easily. "There is only the Force." The dark vision blinks and I gain the upper hand, shoving her back hard enough to crack the stone she's pushed up against. The pain in my arm spreads until it's a raging fire that licks at my entire body.

"I will do what I must to keep the balance," I continue, taking a step back, releasing my hold on the black-clad figure. She stumbles forward and falls to her knees before me, her lightsaber deactivating as it skids across the uneven floor. "There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish."