Evangeline's P.O.V.
... And suddenly, a dark force surrounds the base of the arena.
Turning to where the dark side of the force is invading the battle grounds, I find Kylo Ren stepping into the arena. The Gauvain Death Gang follows behind him with their weapons already aimed at resistance soldiers. My brother is yards away from me, but even with the distance and fighting between us, I feel his gaze already on me through his black mask.
As I face him through the blasts and men running around the arena, I watch as he activates his red lightsaber and walks straight towards me. The gang breaks apart from Kylo Ren to attack our soldiers while my brother stays on his path to where I am. Taking in a deep breath, I know I'm ready this time to fight him.
The last time we crossed paths, I wasn't prepared to use my lightsaber, let alone fight against my brother. However, I hold my light saber now in confidence, ready to face him once again. I've spent months training for this and I won't back down as I did last time.
"Finish this. We'll cover you."
I suddenly hear Luke's voice from beside me, making me turn my head. That when I see both Luke and Leia next to me, with their sabers shielding me from blaster shots. They stand side by side as brother and sister, which is something I haven't seen with my own eyes in so long.
Nodding my head, understanding my mother and uncle will protect me from stormtroopers, I step forward. They block each and every blast in our area as I make my way to my brother. Taking in a deep breath and coming only a yard apart from Ben, I spin my saber slowly before getting into my stance.
Ahsoka and Rey are fighting side by side. Grogu and a Mandalorian have their backs together, fighting as stormtroopers surround them. Luke and Leia block blasts coming towards me; all the while Poe, Han and Chewie stick together to kill the incoming troopers.
Chaos surrounds my brother and me; the chaos that started because of us. However, I don't fear the chaos this time or the man my brother has become. Pointing the tip of his saber at me, I sense him smirking behind his mask.
"So... You have accepted that you can no long run from me, sister."
"Like I said before, brother..." I tilt my head and send him an unamused expression. "I don't have a choice." Changing my stance to throw him off, I declare in an emotionless tone. "I will do what I must."
"You will try."
Suddenly, everything becomes a blur of green, blue and red gleaming lights. Ben attacks me with his red saber and I defend with my green blade. All the while, blue blasts fly around us in the arena.
Ben will swing left, and I spin to block the blow. I'll lift my blade up as my brother's saber comes crashing down on top. He's thrust his saber at me and I'll twirl my saber to dodge the strike aimed at my chest.
Though I can't see my brother's expression, I sense what he has just come to realize. I've grown since the last time we've met and my skills with a lightsaber have doubled. Understanding this fight won't be the same as before, Kylo Ren growls with persistence and bashes his saber against mine violently.
I don't back down, I only push harsher against our sabers to gain the upper hand. With our swift moves and calculated steps, the two of us forget the surrounding battle. All we see is each other and the colors of our light sabers.
Poe's P.O.V.
"You know..."
Han speaks up tiredly as a certain group of men comes toward us. The Guavian Death Gang saunters directly to us in the midst of the battle. I stand on Han's left and Chewbacca is on his right; we all have our blasters pointed at the men who stand out in a crowd of First Order Stormtroopers.
"I never liked you working with my daughter." Han declares when the crew is only a yard away from us. Tilting his head and letting out a breath, Han adds while pointing his blaster at one man in particular. "... And I don't like you working with my son either."
"Trust me, Solo." The man that Han singled out speaks up with a smirk growing on his lips. "I much rather be working closely with your tempting... And lovely daughter than your son-"
Before I even know it, I pull the trigger and blast the man speaking about Evangeline in the chest. I didn't like his tone, his words, or that shit-eating smirk on the guy's face when he spoke of my sweetheart. His crew all face me, slightly stunned I shot first, but out of the corner of my eye I see Chewie chuckling and Han smirking at the group.
In a blink of an eye, blasts go off as if this is a western show down. The gang is quick to shoot, but Chewie, Han and I are faster. I dodge one blast, all the while shooting two of the crew members; one in the chest and another in the neck. Chewie blasts two men at either ends of the group and Han shoots three in a row like he's shooting glass bottles in a line.
The Gauvian Death gang members all drop dead like flies in a matter of seconds. Not a single one is alive or even nicked us, and with that, the Gauvian Death gang is no more. Peering over to Han, I meet his gaze and he nods at me before his eyes go to something behind me.
His steadfast expression suddenly turns to alarm, making me glance over my shoulder. That's when I see Kylo Ren and Evangeline off to the side of the arena. I can barely see them through First Order stormtroopers and Resistance soldiers, though I can make out just enough to see their skills with a blade.
I've never seen Evangeline fighting someone with her saber, let alone against someone else with one of their own. Staring at them in the distance and through the battle, I can't help but stand in awe at the sight I see. Ben and Evangeline's attacks aren't sloppy or reckless; they're rapid and precise, as if they're dancing.
The two siblings twist around one another as they intercept and attack one another. They move their sabers as if it's a part of them and every step they take seems calculated. I watch Eva striding forward and her brother shuffles backwards as their saber hit against one another repeatedly on either side of them.
Nothing around them seems to matter as they attack one another. It's as if it's just them in this arena and they're fighting a war between them that's long overdue. Gulping as I see the red and green sabers clashing together, I glance to Han and find him staring at the scene with the same expression I have.
Fear.
However, we don't get a second longer to watch the duel of fates from a blast flying between us. Instantly and together, Han, Chewie and I put our backs toward one another to shoot at the incoming stormtroopers. Though with all the fire coming my way, all I can think about is Evangeline.
Finn's P.O.V.
"Over there! That's where they are!"
I announce when seeing commotion in an arena off to the side of the First Order base. The pilot in command of this ship nods before notifying the rest of the Republic's fleet to circle back around to the arena. Peering down as we fly closer to the arena, I find hell below me in the center of the arena.
Blasts are going off from both the Resistance and the First Order. Light sabers of all colors spread around the arena, with blasts flying all around. However, only a red and green saber is attacking one another off to the side. As we lower in the sky, I notice stormtroopers forcing the Resistance into the center to surround them.
"Have a dozen cruisers land in the arena. The rest stay in the air and prepare for attack."
I shout to the pilot while scanning the bloodbath underneath us. The First Order will soon have ships in the air to strike us, but we need to get the Resistance out of the arena before it becomes a bloodbath in the sky. Clenching my jaw, I then command hastily while ships lower themselves into the arena.
"Create a perimeter around the survivors. Protect them at all costs."
"Yes, sir."
The pilot announces before circling around the arena again. Though this time, soldiers inside the ship go to the cannons attached on the outside and shoot down the stormtroopers that are circling the Resistance. As we lower to land, I take out my blaster and search to see if Rey is in the arena.
My eyes go wide when I see her stabbing a stormtrooper in the chest with a double-yellow-bladed light saber. She's beside a woman with two white sabers who is slicing off the head of one trooper. Once we land, Republic soldiers rush off the ship and attack nearby troopers.
"Rey!"
I shout while stepping off the cruiser and blasting a trooper coming up from behind her. She turns to look at me from the sound of my voice and her severe expression turns into shock. She then spins around with her saber, slicing two troopers in half before shouting at me in awe.
"Finn?"
"Fall back!" I suddenly hear Poe's voice in the arena. "Everyone retreat to the ships!"
Without wasting a second, Resistance soldiers drawl back and pile into the ships with the help of the Republic fleet. Blasting any troopers trying to follow the soldiers, I see Rey and the woman out of the corner of my eye shuffling towards me while using their sabers to defend themselves. Glancing around, I catch sight of a freaking Mandalorian and a green creature fight with sabers and a metal spear.
What the blazes did I miss?
As I see everyone retreating into ships, Rey and the woman with white sabers reach me. A few ships that are full of soldiers and can't hold any more lift into the sky. There are only three ships left in the arena; one of them isn't a Republic ship though.
The green Jedi creature and Mandalorian are making their way to the ship that's not from the Republic, leading me to believe it's theirs. Once Rey and her Jedi looking friend are on my ship, I jump in behind them. Striding towards the pilot on this ship, I then command as I see the arena filling up with stormtroopers.
"You're cleared to take off-"
"Wait! We can't leave yet!" The woman beside Rey shouts in panic before pointing at something in the arena. "Evangeline is still out there!"
Snapping my head in the direction she's pointing, I find Evangeline and my heart drops. She's in the center of the arena with Kylo Ren; they're crimson red and emerald green sabers are bashing against another in full force. Stormtroopers surround them and there's no path for her to make her way to us.
"Eva!"
Eva's P.O.V.
Everything is a blur.
The battle... The noise... The yelling... All of it is a blur.
Grunting with sweat on my forehead, I push against Kylo Ren's saber with the strength I have left. My brother has always been physically stronger than me, but I've always been quicker. Holding his saber back from touching me, I lift my leg and kick him in the stomach.
He stumbles back, and his saber pulls away from mine. Without a second to waste, I turn my body and move to strike him in the side. Ben's quick to spin away while using his saber the block the blow. Moving his saber above his head, Ben goes to strike it down at me.
Lifting my saber, I block it before twisting our sabers to come below our waists. I hear him grunt while trying to dictate the hold of our sabers, but I keep our sabers locked in this position. When I see Ben's free hand lift to force choke me, I twirl around his body.
Just as I turn to stand behind him with our backs to one another, his free hand grabs my wrist. He has an iron grip on my wrist and abruptly, we both turn to face one another again. When I know he won't let go, I grab his wrist so we're both holding each other wrists and attack him with my other hand holding my light saber.
Our sabers bang against one another high and low. Every turn and twist of our sabers is quick and to the point. Clenching each other's wrists, the two of us keep the other standing in their place as our sabers clash around us. We're keeping our sabers away from our linked arms, but that doesn't halt our swift actions.
Sensing his saber move against mine to thrust toward my neck, I sweep his leg with my foot to throw him off gaurd. He instantly falls back, unbalanced, and takes me with him. Being pulled forward by Ben's hand around my wrist, I watch him land on his back while I drop on top of him.
We grunt at the impact, but Ben's quick to peer up at me while I face down at him. Even in this position, the both of us swing our sabers toward one another. Holding our sabers against one another, I feel Ben's hand tighten around my wrist to weaken me.
He's trying to rattle my mind and surrounding force with fear. Ben wants my fear rising to the surface and bring conflict in my thoughts. Though, I keep my mind focused and stop any notion that could wavier the force inside me.
I'm not and will not be afraid as I was last time. I won't run away in fear of what my brother has become or let it hinder my mindset. This moment in time, this fight with my brother, is what I've spent months training for.
Not daring to back down or shrivel because of who I'm fighting against, I knee him in the chest to knock the air out of him and sit up more on his body. Twisting my saber in record time, I then aim the blade at his chest before lunging it forward. He hurls me off his body then, while dodging a stab to the heart.
Gasping and landing on my back with a harsh slam, I peer up just as Kylo Ren jumps to his feet. Letting out a breath and clenching my saber, I see him spin his saber while hovering over my body. When I watch him angle his saber at my chest and plunged it at me, everything in my body goes into overdrive and time speeds up.
I blink once and suddenly I'm spinning myself in a circle to get on my knees. The second time I blink, I'm turning my saber with my body while standing up. In the third blink, my saber raises and cuts through Kylo Ren's wrist before slicing against his helmet.
Turning and shuffling away from Kylo Ren, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding as my mind goes over the last three seconds. Realizing what I've done in a matter of three blinks, I snap around to face my enemy. What I then see breaks my heart in half and I suddenly feel as I did last time on Starkiller base.
I see just one, just one eye that belongs to my brother. There's a crack of his true face I haven't seen in decades. My brother is kneeling in front of me with only one hand and a large cut through his helmet.
The hand I cut off is laying between us with his saber still in it. I can't move. I can't breathe from realizing what I've done. Moments ago, I was attacking Kylo Ren, but now I'm staring at my wounded brother.
"Ben."
I blurt out in a shaking voice as I see the flesh of my twin brother for the first time in years. My body feels utterly numb at getting a glimpse of my brother through his broken helmet. Standing up slowly, Ben uses his one hand to take off the rest of his mask from his head.
"Ben is gone..." He speaks up slowly and coughing for air. "... I am what remains."
He drops his helmet beside him and onto the ground as our naked eyes meet one another. Ben has a large, long cut on one side of his face because of me. He had blood dripping down one side from the wound I made on him.
I'm stuck in place from seeing the face of my brother and I suddenly realize something. I've made Kylo Ren and Ben Solo two completely different people in my mind. When I think of Kylo Ren, I don't think of my brother; I think of a monster in all black.
Though when my mind is on Ben Solo, I picture my brother, the boy before Kylo Ren. I've never truly pictured the two people together in my mind; I've kept them separate from one another, but I'm forced to put both of them as one at this moment. Feeling my heart breaking more with each second that passes, I stare at my brother and Kylo Ren.
The joyous boy, the protective brother, the righteous Jedi I know as my brother is standing in front of me. Though because of me, he's no longer any of those things. He's here as a ruthless Knight of Ren, a bitter brother, a broken boy.
"I'm sorry."
I speak up as tears form in my eyes while staring at the face of my twin brother. Thinking of all that has happened since the last time I saw my brother's true face, I know it my heart it's my fault. Everything he has done is because I couldn't put us as siblings before the power of the force.
"I'm sorry, Ben." I cough out with a cracking tone while keeping my eyes on him. As every moment of us together passes my mind, I confess in utter shame as a tear finally falls from my eye. "... For all of it."
Ben Solo clenches his jaw before letting out an exhausted and pained breath. I sense he knows how I wholeheartedly mean those words. Both of us have our minds on the past as we think of everything that has led up to this.
I ignore the sound of a cruiser landing behind me and the blasts surrounding us. Shuffling on his feet as if he's trying to stay standing firmly in place, Ben sucks in a breath with an emotionless expression. His eyes peer away from me for a second, as if there is something he must admit before facing me again.
"I'm not your failure... Evangeline." Ben announces into our silence with a harsh, uneven tone and bitter gaze. "You didn't kill Ben Solo."
Then, for a split second, I see regret in his eyes as he says in a genuine tone.
"I did."
We stand a yard away from each other, letting his words linger in the air. Somehow, his words take off old weight from my shoulders that I've been carrying for years, but some still stay because of my tormented mind. And for a moment, I think I see the brother I used to know behind his gaze.
Though as soon as it comes, it's gone and replaced with the hate he has for me. It's as if for a flash of a moment it was just my brother and me talking. However, it's only just Kylo Ren and I who face one another.
"The same way I will destroy you." Ben grits out through his teeth while taking a tired step toward me. Letting out a breath and my shoulders sinking, I hold back tears and murmur in utter defeat. "Then my brother is truly dead."
I feel sick to my stomach at how he is relentlessly still trying to kill me. Even with a wound to his face and without a hand, he continues to try. However, watching him on the brink of death, I know I can't kill him and finish what we started.
This is what Luke meant when he said I wasn't ready to face Kylo Ren. I'm not ready to kill my own brother, if I'll ever be ready. Luke didn't want me to come because he knew I won't be able to be the one who kills Ben Solo.
"Goodbye..." I speak up with nothing but love in my voice. Turning around while keeping my gaze on him, I whisper as if I don't want to call him by his name. "Kylo."