The water swallowed him whole and spit him out into a different place entirely. A place that was achingly familiar, a place that he would have at one point done anything to escape.

The spire.

Hux blinked at the form huddled next to the flickering fire. Unconscious, for the time being. Completely alone, save for the murmurs that floated in the darkness above. He moved towards what he knew to be himself, his footfalls making no sound on the cold marble. He nudged the toe of his boot against his past-self's ribcage. Past Hux shuddered to life, his grey-blue eyes popping open as he looked wildly around.

"Wh-who's there?" He croaked, seemingly unable to see the future version of himself standing just next to him. Hux frowned. He realized it must have been early on in his captivity, perhaps even the day just after his being taken. Past Hux's voice had been hoarse, no doubt from all the useless yelling he'd been doing during the hours before this one. Begging the dark for an explanation. At that point, he hadn't been used to feeling so alone.

Would he ever be used to it, though?

Hux grimaced. He'd been so weak then. So clueless. He hadn't even thought to use magic. He hadn't even known what magic was or that it was ******** possible. <********>, at that point he didn't even know where he was.

Hux growled in frustration, his fist connected hard with the wall adjacent to him and though it hurt it made no sound. The past version of himself had stood and begun pacing. A nervous habit. An angry one.

"YOU SHOULD BE TRYING HARDER TO LEAVE YOU IGNORANT ********!" Hux roared. His attempt to grab himself by the shoulders and shake sent him through the old Hux, like he was nothing more than an apparition. For a moment, though, it had felt almost like...

Hux turned to look back at his pacing form. Without hesitation, he stepped forward. He possessed himself with sheer power of will, beating down his old self's confusion with the strength he had gathered after his experience at court. He narrowed his eyes at the door that held him captive, he tried with all his might to rip it from its hinges with the powers he now knew he was capable of. It groaned and creaked but did not budge. Hux roared. Without thinking, he sprinted at it- hunkering down like a linebacker and letting out a loud yell when his shoulder connected with it and cracked painfully. Either broken or out of place. He'd dealt with more pain than that, though.

He ignored it and began to just ******** punch the damn door, slamming his fist into the dark wood again and again. His knuckles split and his blood began to splatter with each hit but no amount of force he applied seemed to effect it.

It was useless. Even now. Even after all this time, he was useless.

Hux collapsed.

Tears welled at the corner of his eyes and his entire body hunched over. Sorrow made him shudder. The pain of his shoulder and his fist caused him to dry heave. He was broken. Hopeless. Doomed.

The sound of someone ascending the stairs on the other side of the door pulled him from his own thoughts. He looked up just as the door opened and he saw her.

"Adoelle," he growled with contempt. Without even a moment of hesitation he rose from the ground and moved towards her. He wrapped his hand around her neck and squeezed then was blasted back by magic more powerful than his own. His head cracked against the wall and his current self was thrown out of his past self. The pain left his ethereal form, but stayed with his old one.

Past Hux immediately crumpled, roaring in pain.

Adoelle looked at him with sorrow in her eyes. Slowly, calmly- as though she were approaching a wounded animal that merited caution- she moved across the marble floor and knelt down next to him. He leaned into her touch and she murmured something soft and apologetic as she began to soothe his pain with her magic.

The current Hux frowned. He turned away. He didn't want to remember Adoelle's moments of compassion. She hid behind her kindness. She stole him away from his life and stood by while it was torn to pieces. Her apologies meant nothing. They wouldn't bring back his sister.

Still, past Hux hadn't yet experienced the loss that the current Hux had. He melted into Adoelle's healing palm. He shuddered and he cried. He needed her, and that made the Hux that he'd soon become sick with disgust.