Chapter Text
The Force is quiet these days.
It's not a calm type of quiet but rather silence that seeps into Ren's bones and haunts him even in his sleep. It's a warning that something is about to happen but no amount of meditation can help him understand what the Force wants to say. It's very subtle, like a gentle summer breeze but Ren has a feeling that nothing good will come out of it. He wonders whether Rey feels the same, after all each disturbance in the Force should be felt by her too. Unfortunately, he is unable to reach her now, their connection was broken with Snoke's death.
He asks his Knights about that, whether they too can feel the subtle tension. Their nod in unison, their expressions hidden by their masks. They can feel it, they tell him, but they can't understand.
Then it happens. One moment he is sleeping, he remembers stumbling into his bed. He can't feel the warmth of his sheets anymore, the air here is thick with rain and it's cold, so cold that Ren shakes and his bones rattle. That's when he sees her again, three weeks apart. Her cheeks are not stained with tears anymore but she is still mourning Luke's death, it's in her eyes after all.
Rey looks at him and her lips part, she gasps and then tries to move away. She stumbles. Ren watches as rain soaks her hair and the simple clothes she is wearing. He looks down and sees that he is dressed up in his uniform, he touches his face and finds out it's concealed by his mask again. He hasn't worn that mask in a while and it's a strange feeling. It's hard to get used to it again.
“What the hell?” Rey turns around. She has no idea where she is. “Did you bring me here?”
He ignores her rage as he speaks up. “It's not my doing,” he tells her. The buildings are tall but shabby, dark. The scenery is sad, the streets are empty. Ren can feel as his heart skips a beat and he is unable to move when Rey's Light crashes into him in waves. He hisses as his knees buckle and he falls on the ground, the water seeps through the thin material of his pants.
He is angry but only for a moment because he feels when his Darkness mixes with her blood and Rey falls as well, face pale now and hands clutching her chest. “What is this?” she asks him because he knows more about the Force than she does. The scene around them shifts, the buildings are suddenly blurry and the cold ground disappears completely. Instead, they find themselves in the dark hall. There are four doors there, three of them closed and only one slightly ajar.
Rey activates her lightsaber, its light illuminates her face. Her eyes are focused but he still can sense her shock.
“It's the Force.”
“You've felt it too,” Ren murmurs.
Rey looks at him. She doesn't like him, that's still obvious. Still, she nods. “It was tension. I could feel it in the air and tonight it vanished.”
She looks around, holds her lightsaber in front of herself. She never points it at Ren directly even though he's the only monster she should be afraid of. Ren doesn't take out his weapon. It's still too soon, his senses tell him that they are not in danger.
“Why?” Rey next to him whispers.
Ren doesn't bother with an answer because he hears a faint sound, someone's quickened breaths. He moves without thinking, his steps heavy against the wooden floor as he marches towards the half-opened door. He doesn't step in. Instead, he observes the empty walls and the window in the middle. There is a billboard on the building behind the window and its pinkish light is illuminating the room and the figure kneeling on the ground. With their head lowered down and face covered by hair, it takes Ren a moment to understand that it's a man. He is weeping. His face is pale, eyes closed and he looks out of it. His hands are clasped tightly together, he looks like he is holding something but it's hard to tell what it is.
Ren can feel Rey's presence behind his back. Her lightsaber shines in the darkness. He pushes her away. Rey stumbles back, then hits the ground with a groan. Ren's elbow hits the doorframe and the door opens even more. The man on the ground stiffens. He raises his head, his eyes are swollen but piercing blue.
“What-?” Rey is about to ask, her voice clear. “He can't see us.” They are just a projection, from experience Ren knows that normal people are not supposed to see them. But the man's eyes widen. They seem a bit unfocused but it's very clear that he can not only see them but also hear them.
“Ah,” Ren realizes as first what is happening. He pushes Rey away and she is in such a state of shock that she stumbles into the hall and her back hits the wall. Her lightsaber falls on the ground. Ren makes the move first. His steps are confident, he knows what he is doing.
“I miscalculated,” he tells the man even though he has a feeling that he won't understand him until much later. “I thought there were only me and Rey.” He kneels down, his hand reaching for him and he brushes the man's cheek. He can see a bit better now the unusual color of the man's hair. The man's breath hitches, he doesn't lean into Ren's touch but neither does he pull away.
“My mistake,” Ren tells him. “I should take care of it. Come here,” he commands him. Something about the man's face changes. He looks angry all of the sudden. Even though he doesn't make a sound, he kicks his leg in Ren's direction and bares his teeth. Even though tears are still rolling down his cheeks, he looks dangerous, murderous. Ren grabs his wrist. “Shh,” he shushes him rather gently. “There is no need to be afraid.”
His hand moves lower. There is something hanging around the man's neck. Ren takes a hold of it. Those are dog tags! Is he from the First Order? Ren looks at him closely. It may be possible, but why the Force led him here, why not show this man directly?
“Interesting,” he mumbles. The man suddenly pushes him away and the force of the impact sends Ren stumbling backward. He is still holding the dog tags. There is blood on the side of the man's throat. It's just a small scratch. The man seems unaware of it.
“You shouldn't have done that. I am not here to hurt you.” At least, not now. This man could be useful in the future. If Ren is right…. this vision… the fact that he can see them… it can only mean one thing.
Well, there is not enough time to think about it because the man suddenly ignites a… wait, he has a lightsaber? Ren jumps back because he doesn't really want to find out whether he can be hurt in this state or not and the strange man falls down on his knees, holding the lightsaber steady in his hands. It's clear that he knows how to hold a weapon even if he is not sure how to use this one yet.
He stares at the man in front of himself with an interest that is hidden by his mask. He looks quite young and absolutely shocked. He holds the lightsaber in a tight grip and it's very clear that it's the first time he sees the blade springing to life. Tears are still rolling down his cheeks, glittering in the blue light. His eyes are focused only on the blade as if his life depended on it, the strands of red hair are curling around his cheeks. Ren can see himself in the window behind the man, sees the pinkish light of the billboard and the shape of his body, the mask and the uniform. The blue light is filling the room, chasing the darkness away, spilling around them like blood. There is malice in the man's eyes with his focus now on the lightsaber, more malice than Ren holds inside his chest.
But of course, that's when Rey joins them again. She moves quickly, her lightsaber cutting the air but Ren avoids her. However, because of that, he must take a step away from the man. Rey is now standing between the two of them.
“You really must enjoy annoying me.”
There is no time for Rey to answer because the room starts spinning around them. Ren grits his teeth because he knows what it means. It all happens in the blink of an eye. Ren stumbles. Then he laughs when the connection breaks. Rey blinks in confusion. She deactivates her weapon.
“What was that?!” she hisses because she still doesn't understand.
“The Force showed us how to end this war,” Ren says with his teeth bared. He is excited, he feels alive. “Don't you understand?” he turns around to face her. His hands are spread in the air, the world around them is disappearing quickly. Still, he manages to get his message through. “There is a new player in this game.” Rey gapes at him in sudden understanding. “And whoever gets him first, wins.”
He looks down. The dog tags are still in his hand. He notices the drops of drying blood belonging to the man, the other Force-Sensitive. He reads the name atop the dog tag along with the number. “Armitage Hux.” If he is part of the First Order, Ren will find him and if not, Ren will hunt him down until he gets him.