Equilibrium (Reylo)

Four: Equal Breaths in a Single Space

Black leather boots marched through a winter forest. Snow crunched under each footstep, leaving an imprint from the hefty soles under his feet. The woods were dark and quiet at this time of night. There was no one around except him. The only sounds beside the gentle crunching of snow were the harsh winds through the trees and the soft breathing coming from the tall, dark man walking through the forest.

For a moment, he realized he lost his trail and stopped in place. He honed in all his five senses to listen for any sign of her. He waited for something to appear. For her footsteps, for her breathing, for her Force signature—anything he can use.

Soon enough, he listened and waited and found all of these things, barely. But it was at his reach. He had found a tell. And he marched on to follow where it lead.

Despite the heavy inches of snow, he marched through and picked up his pace. The trail he followed becomes thicker and clearer. He was getting closer to her. He felt her near, he could sense it. He inhaled the air and took in her scent. He continued to drift in the cold, following her like he was swimming to the top of the ocean and desperate for a breath.

Eventually, he saw her, standing on the snow, trapped by a large fallen tree trunk about twenty feet away from him. He stopped and watched her try to find a way out, but the tree blocked her whole path. He couldn't help but feel proud that he had her now, trapped like a scared mouse. She had no where to go.

Inevitably, she had to face him. There was no escaping him. And when she came to terms with that herself, she slowly turned around.

Through the darkness, he could see the fear painted across her face. Her arms fell aimlessly at her sides, not much of use with no weapon to protect herself. She was a like defenseless shaak lost in the valleys of Naboo standing in front of him, shaking in her boots.

The man grabbed his weapon from his hip, stretching out his arm to the side and ignited it.

The hum pierced the air, causing her to jump a few centimeters off the ground. She held in a breath, watching the weapon blaze wild and rapid like flames of a never-ending fire. The red gleam reflected off the snow at their feet and the curves of his smooth porcelain skin.

He took a step forward, witnessing her flinch. He smiled to himself, knowing he was the reason fear struck in her eyes like lightning.

There was nothing else to do but make his way to her. So he took a step, and then another, and another until he was finally close enough that the light of his cross-guard reflected off her face, highlighting the fear in her dilated hazel orbs.

But for some reason, they softened under his gaze. This forced him to lock his gaze, keeping it solid as the rock he carried inside of him in replace of a beating organ like everyone else in the galaxy had. The longer he stared into those eyes, they changed into something different, more like reconciliation.

For him?

Her mouth opened and drew in a slow, shaky breath. "Don't do this, Ben," she begged him, "Please don't go this way."

Though he heard her, he didn't acknowledge the words. They couldn't sink into his mind unlike the buzzing of his lightsaber in his hands. He, in fact, lifted the weapon above his head, perceiving another familiar, yet demanding voice resonate in the back of his mind.

He ignites it. . .and kills his true enemy!

With a swing, he wield his weapon, dropping it down in a C formation and right before it's about to make contact with her side, the blaze about to pierce through her torso—everything was gone. There was no more of the girl, the trees, the forest. . .it was all gone. . .

It was all gone because he awakened.

That was just a dream.

All of it.

No, it was a nightmare.

Kylo Ren, Master of Knights of Ren, now the Supreme Leader of the First Order had a nightmare. It wasn't until he prompted himself up in his bed that he realized how out of breath he was. His throat was sore and groggy. He lifted a hand to his forehead and felt his skin on fire along with a line of sweat at the crown. He ran his fingers through, pushing his locks away from his face.

Not only did he had a nightmare, but he had one about her. The scavenger. The nobody.

Her of all people.

Why her?

Ren rested his face in his palms, as if he could physically extract her from his mind. It was already bad enough his mind perceived to see her through the Force, but now, he had to see her in his dreams. What was worse was that this marked the fourth dream he had about her.

Four nights in a row he dreamt of Rey. The one last night was of her getting shot by a blaster right in the middle of her abdomen and he watched her dying slowly from blood loss. The night before that, he watched her fall off the edge when the world split into two that night of their duel in the woods. And the one before that, the very first one, she was murdered by Snoke's hand. This time, he murdered her. Or would have.

These dreams must mean something. But Ren didn't  put anymore thought into that as he climbed off his bed and sat on the tile floor, cross-legged. Ren closed his eyes, sucking in a break and exhaled after a few seconds. He did this a few times, his daily meditation to regain his strength and stamina.

Ren did this every time before and after he trained. He did this meditation to equal his breathing. But right now, he was doing this for his lack of rest. He couldn't risk going back to sleep and be forced to watch her die all over again.