Listening to Kylo describe it makes Ronan ache, the words chiseling away at the wall he so hastily constructed around his heart during the last dream. These are the words he's been waiting to hear. He's been waiting for them for so long that it's hard to trust them now. The stare he fixes on Kylo is more scrutinizing than meditative, searching rather than reflecting.

It's very easy to see how Kylo might be one of his. It feels a little like looking into a funhouse mirror, some details drawn forward and others pushed back. Did his subconscious create a home out of fairytales to replace the one he lost? Did he make a more desirable, more entertaining companion to watch over him? How is he supposed to tell whether this is a fantasy?

Ronan looks away.

"They cut me off from it. Before I got here. They want me to die."