13 Queen of the Stars

Sensing a supernatural force in the nearby vicinity; the determined Jedi's brow was wrinkled with concern; his black eyes sparkling with sadness. Ben Solo was free to hold the woman he loved- as long as he could get to her first. Reserving all of the precious energy he had left proved to be difficult as he damn near sprinted to the now moonlit hills where the Great Wolf had fallen; He was sure of it. He was also sure that he had never ran so fast in his entire life- His whole life depended on it. He needed to locate Rey before the evil enigma he'd sensed earlier took advantage of her being alone. Keeping Rey in the dark about this matter now seemed like an unwritten evil on his heart; presenting itself as a real threat now. In the ethereal smoky atmosphere around him, Ben struggled to make sense of his surroundings at all; he half-wished he could borrow the Wolf's keen sense of smell just one more time to locate her sweet salty scent. Pillars of steam seemed to be rising off of the shifting landscape as the hot barren wasteland transformed into lush green grasses and birds of the night returned with their songs. Where the kriff was she? Ben's blood boiled over inside of him and his skull resonated with the quickened pace of his anxiously throbbing heart. The darkness of night slowly poured in around him like smoke; the hope that sailed him here sank as he searched through miles of enchanted meadows and barely illuminated hills and valleys.

Lingering just around the corner; out of sight, inside the stone alcove shelter was the Mother of Darkness herself. She was reveling in the awesome power that her newly acquired vessel was capable of. The scavenger Jedi put on a dazzling display of both light and dark force power; however, her stubborn allegiance to the dead order of the Jedi was almost disgusting. Abeloth cringed as she sifted through her painful memories; years of unchecked loneliness and love lost. The trap was now set for the other half of the dyad; Abeloth would require both Rey and Ben to complete the ritual. She would bind them to this planet for all of eternity and their powerful offspring would be hers to bend to her will-a new family of force wielding Demi-gods to rule the galaxy in her name. She had masterfully tamed the misdirected but powerful Kylo Ren by luring him to Exegol to fulfill his destiny; ultimately here-to trap the Scavenger here as well. The Queen of Stars watched the heartbroken hero wandering the moonlit meadows and Abeloth almost let herself regret all the pain she was inflicting upon the woman he loved. For the time being, the scavenger remained imprisoned in her own head, unable to reach out for help; the Mother of Darkness blocked the force bridge to Ben. Feeling out of place in the Jedi's light colored tunic, Abeloth quickly conjured herself into the Dark version of Rey with more feminine but Kylo adjacent styles. Now that's more like it The bringer of chaos sauntered into the open night air with dark intent in her eyes and a grisly smile on her lips.

The weight of all that transpired between himself and Rey was quite heavy on Ben's already deteriorating mental state. He tried desperately to reach out to Rey through their sacred force conference but he failed to detect any sign of her nearby. Standing atop the highest hilltop with the true grace of a Supreme Leader, Ben was losing himself in the heady perfume of the strange white lacy flowers that dotted the meadows around him. The pearly glow of each petal was reminiscent of the bioluminescent glow that Ben had become accustomed to here on Mortis. He gazed heavily in the horizon of trees and mountains in the distance; memorizing the path back to the monastery. The wind randomly rattled around him now; showing up as if out of nowhere. The fine dark hairs on Ben's neck stood up and he now felt a sinister chill to the air as he whirled around to see the black-eyed gaze of his beloved; but in her darkest form.

"Rey?!" Her eyes glistened in response like broken star fragments and her aura was painted with an animalistic magnetism that Ben couldn't resist.

Ben gasped out loud at the sight before him with a mixture of horror and unhinged excitement. He wordlessly reached out with his hand to the noticeably corrupted Rey; wrapped in a perfectly tailored black hooded cloak and ensemble that mirrored something from his old closet. Rey weaved her hand into his and removed her hood with the other; revealing her moonlit porcelain face. He groaned at the pressure of her light hand in his massive one and the desire he'd been holding hostage nearly doubled him over. He broke down, nearly weeping with the tidal waves of emotions ripping through him. He suddenly caught Rey's heated gaze which penetrated all the confusion and mild terror that surrounded this strange serenade. Instinctively,  Ben pulled her in close for a kiss, reveling in the fervor in which that kiss was returned to his trembling lips. He silently swore an oath to follow her through the darkness or wherever the hell she wanted to go. The sweet lips of his beloved suddenly twisted into a devilish smirk; which didn't entirely spoil the moment but reminded Ben that they were definitely "not alone." Peering deep into her eyes, Ben scoured their depths for the oceans and islands he usually found there only to find two inky black puddles shimmering with stardust instead. Where are you?! Ben silently asked the lusty obsidian pools that seemingly could read his thoughts. The smile on Rey's face was as seductive as it was sinister and her voice a low husky tone that Ben did not recognize. "I am yours now, and you are mine forever."

Ben stood back slightly to take in the full spectrum of his dark bride who somehow matched him in style now and like she was made just for him. Ben wanted to hate his inner Kylo for desiring her even though he felt she might be possessed with Darkness. However, the second he had pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers, he felt the same startled but relieved response he always evoked from her. The dyad stood together; a new darkness and a new light.

Abeloth was still operating behind the scenes but had decidedly relinquished control back to Rey in order to receive the full trust of Ben. She needed the dyad to reach its full potential so that she could control both of their minds through the force bond. Rey didn't care to question her current ability to control her own body, but instead gave into the wild and enchanting embrace she'd longed for since she'd lost it. The pressure and heat of their bodies was like a nexus of raw force energy and Abeloth retreated to the moon and wrapped around it like a dark lampshade. Ben's heart was in his mouth as he watched the eyes of his beloved return to their oceanic depths- the two familiar lonely islands were blinking back at him and centered his very soul.

Feeling somewhat safe in her own skin again, Rey chose to savor the strange but sweet tryst that the dark entity inside of her had unnaturally allowed. They held each other tightly; not wanting to spoil the unchecked stroke of luck that they were together, again. The wind had died down and the night sky was a black velvet blanket poked full of holes of gleaming light that filtered around the dyad in soft ribbons. The moon was eerily shrouded in a smoky black curtain but continued to reflect its pearly glow in all of the musky white flowers that surround them on the hill. Rey pulled away her face that was pressed into Ben's chest to gaze up at him, her sea glass eyes contained a brewing storm within them and Ben did not hesitate to kiss the question off of her lips before she could even ask. A dark, clawing hunger consumed Ben and he felt more like Ren as he wolfishly devoured Rey's lips and tongue.

The mesmerizing moonlight and alluring perfume of the crocus-like flowers was as stimulating as the electricity flowing within the dyad. Roving fingers tore through tunics and lips were raw with blistering passion. The mutual fear of the unknown evil inside of Rey was hastily shoved aside as the two lovers paused to gaze upon each other in all their naked splendor; under the glistening lights of countless stars. They lingered there; locking eyes and completely setting themselves on fire in the process. Rey felt all of the buried, unknown parts of herself rise to the surface; fully awakened with potent, provoking passion. Not able to control himself any longer, Ben Solo broke the staring spell and almost tackled Rey to the ground with the force of his own desire. He wrapped her up completely in his arms; falling backwards into the pillows of petals and midnight musk. The shy scavenger was nowhere to be found as Rey perfectly locked herself to the man she loved without any fear and graciously welcomed the idea of letting the past die as the inferno consumed them both. The dark lampshade on the moon was now bleeding red; casting a lunar eclipse above the star-crossed lovers.