—BEN—

The closer we get to Mustafar, the more I start to think this was a mistake. The Force is in turmoil around us, like an angry sea just before a violent storm. Rey hasn't said a word since we left the base, but I can feel her unease.

"Stop staring at me," she grumbles, shooting me a glare. "You're making it worse."

I mumble an apology and face forward again. The swirling blue and white of hyperspace is so hypnotic it's almost soothing. The peace is short-lived, though, as my thoughts drift back to hypothetical outcomes of the coming battle. Knowing what we do of the Empire, Vader, and the Emperor who survived by some unfathomable miracle, the wayfinder will either be heavily guarded or deeply embedded in a trap.

"We're approaching the coordinates," Poe's voice crackles across the com link. "Coming out of lightspeed...now."

I disengage the hyperdrive and brace myself as the small transport ship shudders. Rey inhales sharply, and the Force crescendos angrily around us. I can't tear my eyes away from the fiery red planet before us. It calls to me with whispered promises of untapped power. The voices are louder than I've ever heard, as if the planet itself was beckoning us closer in the ancient language of the Sith.

"Rey? Ben? Are you there?" Poe asks, shaking me out of my daze.

"Yes, we copy," Rey answers quietly.

"My squadron and I are on standby. We'll keep our distance unless you request air support." Poe is quiet for a moment, but I can sense he wants to say more. "I was going to say take your time down there since we brought a refueling tanker, but this system is giving me major creeps. I'd rather not stick around."

"I'm with you on that," Rey agrees, though for a different reason. I can sense her curiosity increasing with the temptation that bleeds from the planet at an alarming rate.

"Are you ready?" I ask her, guiding our shuttle down toward the planet's surface.

"No," she whispers, fear lacing her voice, "but I have to be." She takes a deep, steadying breath. "I feel like I should be doing this on my own."

"We're a dyad," I remind her, trying not to lose my composure. The thought of Rey facing this alone makes my blood boil. "You can't get rid of me that easily. We go together or not at all."

Poe's voice comes through the ship's coms again. "How are you guys going to find this thing? You can't exactly search an entire planet in one day."

"We don't have to. It's calling to us. We can feel it," Rey answers for us.

The descent through the thick, sooty clouds is nearly impossible. Between the nav computer going haywire and the Force guiding us like a broken compass, I struggle to keep the shuttle steady as we land beside an outcropping of magmatic rock. What was once a whisper in the back of my mind is now a resounding call that seems to carry into every cell in my body. My eyes squeeze shut in a feeble attempt to block out the temptation. My bones ache for the power that radiates from the planet's core.

"This place is evil," Rey whispers beside me. Neither of us has moved in several minutes. "I can feel something calling to me. I hear them. The Sith."

"Don't give in," I beg her, pulling her attention away from the river of lava that winds its way through the severe landscape like a predatory serpent. "Remember who we're fighting for. Focus on that instead. It's the only way to drown out the voices."

We gather our composure and open the shuttle to the hot, dense air of Mustafar. The porous lava rock crunches underfoot as we follow the pull, up jagged hills until we're standing upon a ridge that seems to stretch on forever. Far below us on either side lie simmering seas of molten lava, the heat from which scorch my face even at this distance. Darkness bleeds from every crevice of the planet, increasing in intensity the further we walk. It seeps into my feet and claws its way through my bones and muscles, infiltrating every inch of my body until it fills every part of me but my heart. It takes all my concentration to keep it from overpowering me.

"I don't like this," Rey whimpers. She stops me with a gentle hand on my arm. I turn to face her, taking in her fearful eyes and trembling chin. "What if I'm not strong enough? What if I can't resist and I fall to the Dark Side?"

"It won't come to that," I growl, pulling her into a fierce embrace. "I won't let it take you away from me."

"You have to kill me," she whispers, sniffling into my shirt. "If I fall and you can't get through to me..." she's crying in earnest now, and pulls away to look at me with red-rimmed eyes. "Promise me you'll end it before it's too late. It's the only way to finish the mission. Palpatine has shown me what I'm capable of, and it scares me. Please don't let him get me."

The thought of living in a galaxy without Rey is agonizing, but I know she's right. She's never faced temptation like this before, but I have. I can resist. "You have my word," I agree reluctantly.

She nods and smiles weakly. "Thank you."

Some time later we spot a towering structure in the distance, and I immediately recognize it just by the traces of memory I can sense in the Force surrounding the castle. Not my memories, but flashes of Vader. I can feel him here, powerful as ever, despite being dead for decades. My hands clench into tight fists as I fight off the suppressed desire to absorb my grandfather's essence and take on his power.

Every step I take feels heavier than the last. I hear screams of agony from a long ago battle, feel Vader's rage simmering as if it were my own. My hands clench into fists at my side, squeezing tighter and tighter until the bite of pain brings my impulses back under control. The Dark Side of the Force has a stronghold in this place, of that I'm certain. I can hear their individual voices now; the Sith of the past, calling out to me in one collective, unnervingly synchronized voice.

We reach the front of the castle after what feels like hours. Sweat soaks through my clothing from our trek through the scorching air. I notice the tremor in Rey's legs as she climbs the stairs slowly, taking them one at a time. "Ben, look at this," she croaks at the top.

I follow her gaze and notice the area in front of the enormous doors is free of soot, as if they had been opened recently. "He knew we were coming," I sigh, defeat weighing heavy on me. "He's been one step ahead of us this entire goddamn time."

"We don't know that," Rey protests. "Maybe it was a local just checking the place out."

"Look at this place, though." I gesture around us. "Do you see any locals?"

Rey doesn't reply. She steps forward and reaches out with both hands, using the Force to pull the massive doors open, releasing the stale, dry air that was trapped inside. "There's only one way to find out." She leads the way into the fortress.

The second my foot crosses the threshold I'm catapulted into another memory.

Vader stands before the gaping mouth of a cave, the depths of which seemed to drain the life out of anything that dared venture too close. Bodies of Imperial stormtroopers and strange humanoid creatures litter the ground around him. In his gloved hands Vader holds a broken mask that radiates dark energy.

"Your failure will be my greatest triumph, Momin," Vader's distorted voice speaks. He crushes the mask easily and tosses the broken pieces aside. "Padmé, I'll hold you again soon."

The velvety darkness swallows Vader as he steps into the cave.

The memory fades from my vision and I see Rey watching me apprehensively. "What was that?"

"Just an echo of my grandfather," I say absently, taking in the vast area we stand in. The vaulted ceilings reach so high I can't tell where they end. But instead of echoing in a room as expansive as this, our voices are muffled and muted. I feel claustrophobic.

We make our way through the maze of corridors, letting the Force guide us to the wayfinder. The call of the Sith has morphed into something I've never experienced. I feel it clawing at me, like invisible hands grabbing at my feet, trying to pull me down into the darkness.

"I feel it, too," Rey whispers from behind me. "It was in my nightmare, but I could see the hands."

I reach back and wait for Rey to take my hand. "I won't let anything happen to you," I swear to her. In the darkness I can't make out her expression, but I feel her eyes on me and sense the bit of relief that surges through her. "This is our destiny. The Force wouldn't have chosen us if we couldn't do this."

At last we find ourselves standing before a towering throne, its jagged spires reaching high into the air. In the middle of the room is a large stone structure: the source of the pull. The wayfinder.

Rey walks slowly into the room, her fear palpable even without the dyad. "That's the throne from my nightmare," she murmurs. Suddenly she turns to me and throws her arms around my neck. "Ben, I can't do this. I won't lose you."

I push her gently away and grasp her hands in mine. "Rey, we have to do this. The galaxy is counting on us. We've come so far! We can't turn back now."

"I'm scared," she whimpers.

"I am, too."

We walk hand-in-hand toward the stone table, bracing ourselves against the onslaught of dark power that crawls from beneath it. Our free hands brace against the slab and, using our own strength and the Force, shove it off the table. It shatters against the floor, and this time the sound echoes endlessly in the cavernous throne room.

In the middle of the revealed structure sits a small object, no larger than the palm of my hand. With trembling fingers I lift it from its cradle, revealing the unexpectedly simple green pyramid. It seems to glow from within, casting Rey's face in pulsing green light. A triumphant smile lifts my face.

"That wasn't so b-"

I'm cut off by the sound of a lightsaber igniting behind me. Rey gasps, eyes wide, and takes a step back. Behind her another blade roars to life, illuminating the room in a familiar red glow. Kylo Ren stands opposite me, scarlet blade hissing and sputtering angrily. I turn to glance over my shoulder and see the dark Rey from the nightmare wielding her double-bladed red lightsaber. She smiles at me with her wicked pointed teeth.

"I guess this is our test," I say under my breath. Rey has her lightsaber in a white-knuckle grip, breaths coming in short gasps. "We have to fight our worst enemies."

"I can't do this," Rey chokes.

"Yes you can. We can. Together."

I pull her into a searing kiss that ignites the dyad, sending the Force surging powerfully through our bodies. We turn, back-to-back, and face down our dark selves.