Star Wars: A dyad in the Force 「A Reylo FanFiction」

Act 13: Exegol:: All the Sith. All the Jedi.

Exegol, 35 ABY

Lightning came, a brilliant shock of white in the graphite dreary sky, forking silently to the unsuspecting ground - the thunderous boom always calling its warning too late. The Emperor's face showed an expression of stunned surprise, and although he was staring straight at Rey and Ben, he appeared not to notice them at all. He noted both of them after he unfroze from the surprise, and he spoke: "Stand together, die together." Then he used his rotting hands and impaled with the Force.

Suddenly the backs arched against their will, and the pain was breathtaking. The sabers dropped and rolled away from their handstand and clattered to the ground. Palpatine yanked them towards him, and they slid across the floor, helpless against his power, and he consumed their Force energy. He paused astonished, staring at his hands, which had reformed themselves back together, bones regrowing and muscle and flesh closing over them. "The life-Force of your bond," he said in wonder, observing his hands becoming whole again. "A dyad in the Force!"

The Emperor's victorious thoughts reached Rey through the Force as she struggled against his grip, unable to move. She sensed him becoming stronger as he devoured their life-Force. He had won. Once, he had tried to create a dyad with Anakin, as his master had tried to create one with him. In the Rule of Two, a Master is always in desperate search of a powerful apprentice, a necessary successor to the older.

"Unseen for generations," he added, "And now the power two restores the one true Emperor."

He raised his healed hands and called on the evil power of the Force and the Sith who had come before him and pulled their life form from their very bodies. It poured out of them as a powerful stream of lights, leaving them helpless and weaker. Pain seared through them better than a branding iron, their mind conceding to the torment, unable to bring a thought to completion.

Without meaning to, their bodies curled into something fetal, something primeval, and all the while, the pain burned and radiated. Rey screamed in agonizing pain. And Solo held on to the pain without making a sound as he was used to all the pain and torture from all the previous masters over the years. The Emperor laughed as his body slowly healed and strengthened again. The whiteness of his eyes was now gone, and his irises revealed a golden-yellow color.

Ben and Rey collapsed against the ground as Palpatine stepped down from the machinery that kept him alive. He stood straight and strong now, filled with dark Force. He stared at Rey and Ben's near-lifeless bodies. "Look what you have created," he said.

Ben listened to the Emperor speak as he forced his near-lifeless body to breathe. It was like his spirit almost left his bones and flesh. The dyad he shared with Rey was gone, robbed by them. He fought through the pain and pushed his weary body over onto his hands and knees, noticing Rey limp beside him as he struggled to stand on his feet and face the enemy.

The action didn't impress the Emperor, who was filled with anger and hatred towards Ben. "As once I fell," he voiced and lifted Ben's body easily against the air, "so falls the last Skywalker." Then he thrust Ben away with such Force that he tumbled end over end through the length of the cathedral and disappeared into the flashing gap.

Ben was crushed against rocky walls. He broke two ribs and injured his feet as he continued to fall. He gathered all his remaining Force to aid him in landing safely. He lost count of how many times his broken body crashed against the rocks, but he balanced it a few inches before it would hit the floor. Then he collapsed, losing consciousness.

Rey watched as her grandfather sent Ben to his death. She wanted to scream, but she could barely draw breath. Her heart broke at the thought Ben could be dead. She tried to reach out and sense him. But she could not feel him. They lost their connection.