Prologue

She shut the door.

She shut the door, on him.

A flurry of emotion rioted in Kylo Ren's mind. Loneliness, self-doubt, guilt and hate all vied for dominance in his mind. The cacophony of emotions made it difficult to focus, to find his center. He longed to unsheathe his saber and destroy the room around him, but he didn't. He knew that he needed to focus. Now was not the time to let emotions rule him. It was not the time to lash out indiscriminately, even for the cathartic release of destruction.

Even now he could feel the machinations of Hux. Kylo could practically taste the General's hatred and contempt for him. They had always been adversaries, despite being on the same side. Both had identified the other as a rival in Snoke's estimation and had sought to cut each other down at each opportunity. Snoke had been the only thing that kept the two from open aggression. But now Snoke was gone. Kylo had eliminated his master himself. It would be even easier to cut His down. Kylo could imagine how satisfying it would be to see the shock in Hux's eyes as life left is body.

But giving in to the whims of his emotions was a thing of the past. Now was the time to let the past die. He would kill it, if he had to.