Allegiance | Kylo Ren

XXVII

Training with Kylo was exhausting. Once we surpassed the basics, there were suddenly hundreds of different tricks to learn, and each of them was uniquely complex. Fighting with lightsabers required a balance of patience and quick-thinking; any hesitations or reckless movements could prove fatal.

Kylo's patience began to wear thin as I struggled to pick up the different moves. I was growing frustrated too; it seemed that my body simply would not twist in that particular way, no matter how much I tried.

At last I gave up. I sat down with a huff, and Kylo ran his fingers through his hair with a loud sigh.

"Get up." He nudged me with his foot.

"I don't think I can do this." I groaned.

"Yes, you can. You have to." He nudged me again, harder this time. "Get up."

I flashed him a glare, smacking his foot with the back of my hand. "Stop that."

He rolled his eyes, turning away and taking a few paces from me. I was alarmed by the whir of his lightsaber igniting. I scrambled to my feet with wide eyes just as he swung the scarlet blade past me, cutting into the floor where I had been sitting heartbeats before.

"Hey!" I snapped, stumbling away from him.

Kylo ignored me and turned, positioning himself to strike again. My fingers met the metal lightsaber clipped to my belt and I pulled it out quickly, igniting it just in time to stop his swinging saber with my own. They made a loud buzzing noise as they collided, and the impact alone caused me to stumble backwards. He continued with his offensive attack, and I scrambled clumsily to block each of his hits.

Our fight consisted of mainly my desperate attempts to avoid losing limbs. After a while, though, I felt my body fall smoothly into the various positions that I had been struggling with before. Kylo's attacks continued to arrive at a rapid pace, and I had no time to think things through. My responses had to be fluid, automatic, and I felt a grin spread across my face as I defended myself successfully against his various attacks, despite how narrow some of my escapes were. My movements were by no means masterful or graceful, but I was able to fend for myself, and that was encouraging.

We were locked in a deadly dance as we whirled around the platform, our red sabers whizzing and crashing together relentlessly. I kept my feet light and movements quick as I evaded attack after attack, feeling beads of sweat roll down the back of my neck.

A quick swing from Kylo's saber caught me slightly off guard, and it burned easily through my shirt sleeve and grazed my skin. I let out a cry at the painful sensation, but had no time to stop before having to defend myself again. My skin began to smart, and the burn only seemed to grow worse as we continued. The pain grew overwhelming, and I ducked a swing before lowering my good shoulder into Kylo's chest to shove him away. He stumbled back, his chest heaving and his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat.

He sheathed his lightsaber, a smile growing across his face. I was breathing heavily as I clipped my saber to my belt and examined my singed shoulder. The material was burned away, and a deep red burn was painted across my skin, still smoking slightly. I blew on it gently.

"Looks like you can do this." Kylo said when he had caught his breath.

I made a face at him, not appreciating his mocking tone as I fought to ease the burning pain in my shoulder.

He pulled my hand away to examine the burn, tearing my sleeve completely off in one swift motion. I gasped lightly as the material lightly grazed my burned skin. Kylo raised his hand to hover above the burn, and I watched with wide eyes as the outer edges of the burn turned light pink and then white, leaving only the center as a mild red.

"Thanks." I heaved a sigh of relief as the pain subsided.

"That was good." I could hear the fatigue in his voice, and I felt a bit guilty that he used so much of his energy to fix me. "Sometimes it's easier to learn more directly."

"You didn't really give me a choice." I barked a bitter laugh, and he gave a wry smile.

"You were being lazy."

"You attacked me!" I swatted at his shoulder. "I could have been seriously hurt!"

He shrugged. "But you weren't."

I made a face, but didn't protest. It was true—the fight was dangerous, but was far more effective in preparing me for real battle than focusing on stances with lightsabers unlit.

"I need to rest now." Kylo's voice was tired. "I'll see you back in here tomorrow."

I watched him leave, pulling the lightsaber off of my belt to examine it. Kylo made it look so easy to wield his lightsaber smoothly and masterfully. I could only imagine what I looked like waving it around, but I was certain I probably looked like a toddler with a stick next to him.

I closed my eyes, trying to imagine what it felt like to have the Force flow through your bloodstream and be able to mold it to your will. I had experienced it once, when Kylo shared his memory of the first battle, but I hadn't felt it since.

For a moment, I wished I was Kylo Ren, so I could have power beyond the wildest imaginations of those non-sensitive to the Force like me. But then I remembered how there always seemed to be this eternal sadness behind his eyes, and my wish faded. I clipped my lightsaber back onto my belt with a sigh.