Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 22✰

Happy Star Wars day, everyone! May the Fourth be with you!

It takes me the greatest strength, but I manage to place one foot in front of the other to keep moving as the sound of the exploding building fades in the distance. The thoughts in my head swirl like a dangerous storm and I have trouble staying on the Light Side of the Force. 

Finn leads me and Rey through a bared forest. Even when I trip over a pointy rock and skim my knee, I push myself up, forcing myself to keep going. We have to create as much distance as possible between ourselves and the First Order and in order to do that, we have to get back to the Falcon that is hopefully still situated on the cliffside.

The dangerous humming of a Lightsaber reaches my ears and I look up. My stomach twists into tight knots as I spot Kylo Ren standing a few feet from us, the red of his Lightsaber glowing brightly in the darkness.

"Hello, sister," he says. "We're not done yet." 

I narrow my eyes at him before reaching for my own Lightsaber. After igniting it, I hold its tip to the ground. 

"You're a monster," Rey spits.

"It's just us now," Ren answers. "Han Solo can't save you." 

"How could you?" I ask in a dangerous tone, tears welling up in my eyes, but I don't allow them to fall. 

"He made me weak," Ren states and I let out an angry shout, thrusting forward and lashing out with my Saber. Ren manages to fend it off, but I can see him struggle as I land strike after strike. I manage to force him backwards and as the blue blade of my Lightsaber strikes with the red of Ren's, he pushes back. I glare at him dangerously. "Revenge isn't the Jedi way, is it, Raven?" he mocks while holding my Saber at a safe distance from his face. 

"I don't care. You killed my father," I sneer through gritted teeth. I retract my Saber before immediately following with a strike. I manage to hit his thigh and the flesh of his leg sizzles. He grunts in pain before whipping up a hand, sending me flying through the air. Before I can hit the ground, I catch myself with the Force. I jump back up but Rey beats me to it, raising her blaster at Ren, but before she can pull the trigger, Ren blows her off her feet and she hits a tree before falling to the ground unconscious.

"Rey!" Finn exclaims, running over to her. I, on the other hand, raise my Lightsaber again. Ren twirls his Saber tauntingly and I wait for a second, just staring at him. 

"You're not my brother," I say softly, hoping that words would inflict something in his eyes, but they don't. His brown eyes stay completely emotionless and I realise then and there, Kylo Ren and Ben Solo are not the same people. Ren killed my brother and father and for that, I want to kill him.

"I know why you're doing this," I say as we circle around each other, waiting for the other to strike first. 

"Why's that?" he asks.

"You're afraid," I state. 

"Of what? Of you?" he scoffs. 

"No, not of me. You were never afraid of me," I say. "You're afraid you'll never be as strong as our grandfather. Or our uncle." 

"You're wrong. I am stronger. I am stronger than all of them," he shoots back, giving me the exact reaction I was hoping for. 

"Is that what Snoke tells you?" 

He halts. 

"You're a puppet, Ren. You're just a pawn in his game," I say. "Once you've done your part, he will cast you aside."