A cold, brisk wind pulled at Kylo Ren's black cloak as he surveyed the South Gates, and the green woods that stretched across the land. And a heavy  grey mass of clouds was hovering over the keep, predicting a rain.

It was bloody cold there, on top of the Watch Tower of The Fortress of Mustafar, and Ren's fingers were already frozen.
He clenched his fist, then stretched his fingers again, as his master had taught him.

And it wasn't even winter yet. Which surprised him most of all, for here the summer days wouldn't even last four moon's turns.

But this year it was different. Everything was different. He could feel it, like a humming in the air.

And it was the year his Master Snoke was planning to go to war with his parents' kingdom, Alderaan.
And no matter how Ren hated them, he couldn't bring himself to fight against them.

He squeezed his eyes in frustration as another gust of wind brushed past his pointy ear, making his shoulder-length raven hair snap against his neck.

You were wrong to leave them, a voice in his head whispered. And then, a different one, You are wrong to love them.

And he wanted to scream in anger. He had no idea who it might be. And why was he making his choice even harder. But they were two different people that constantly whispered in his head. The first voice was sweet, gentle, soothing. But the other one was coarse, rough... And much more stronger.

He let out a growl and drew his sword, crashing everything in his way: barrels with pitch, buckets of water.
Then he threw the blade aside and slumped down against the wall. And if he felt the cold, he didn't let it show.
And when he relaxed just a bit, he rose his eyes to the greatsword Snoke had bestowed him with when he had knighted him. He had yearned to have it. But now he realized it was not unbreakable. Not like the elven forged one he had had back at home.

But his mother had been an elf, his father a human. He was half-elf. And he had long years to live since now on. Years in which he would make his own kingdom great, beginning with Snoke's death.

Regarding Snoke... He was a boulder in Ren's way that had to be removed. He was old, had no real power. But Ren was young. Very young, some may say. For Mustafar had never been ruled by someone to be younger then twenty.

Suddenly he heard the wooden door creak open, and a young squire stopped in the doorway.

"What's?" Ren glared at him, his voice full of burning rage.

"His Grace, King Snoke the second of..." but he never finished it, for Ren was up to his feet, grabbing his sword from the ground.

"Spare me of his titles! Why did he call for me!? Why!?" he growled, and could see the younger boy cringe in terror.

He gripped his arm so tight, his gloved hand almost dug in his flest through leather and mail.

Then he let go and stormed down the dark spiraled staircase.

In a breath he was down the long corridor that gave way into the throne room. The two men that stood sentry uncrossed their spears to let him pass. They flinched and made haste at the sight of their lord's unflinching face hidden by the hideous blackened iron helmet he wore, his heavy steps that thundered off the walls.

He strode into the hall, and the doors closed behind him, leaving him alone with Snoke and his eight Royal Guards.

The floor was all luscious black marble, and large banners, red sewn on black hung on the walls. Snoke sat atop a throne risen on a staircase.

As he was beneath the throne, Ren dropped to one knee and courtesied.

"Master." he said in his deep voice distorted by the mask, bowing his head.

"Lord Ren." his master greeted him, and his mouth twisted in a smile. An evil smile, that made all his scars twist and crinkle. One of his eyes was missing, replaced by raw pink skin, and the other was a bright blue.

But Ren would not lift his head from the floor.

"So much potential in you... Yet such a weak child." Snoke rose from his throne, his eyes leaving Ren for some banner on the wall.

I am no child! Ren wanted to yell in his face. Who did that wrinkled old man think he was? But he had the sense not to do so. Instead he kept glaring at the floor through the visor of his helm.

"Take that stupid thing off your head!" Snoke said with disgust, as he stepped two paces away from the throne.

Ren let out an angry sigh and placed his hands on both sides of the iron surface, lifting if from his head.

"How is your scar?" Snoke asked, with a dreadful derision in his voice. Ren flinched at that.

"It's nothing." he tried to stay calm, but his insides were boiling, the revenge he wanted was seething, spilling over the brim. How dare he?

It was the scar he had gotten a few days ago, when Snoke had ordered his guards to whip him bloody. The scars left were like burning pains. But he would not let it show.

Snoke let out a mocking laugh at that. He stepped down the marble stairs, and waddled closer to his young apprentice.

So much potential..., Ren could hear Snoke's voice pushing inside his head.

"When I first found you, I saw something you don't get to see every day... Raw, untamed power... A new ruler. But now I fear that I was mistaken." he said in his coarse voice.

Ren had averted his eyes from his master until now. But now the old man was hovering over him, and Ren's eyes rose slowly to the figure in golden robes.

And shock froze him in place as Snoke placed a bony wrinkled finger on his face, tracing his scar up to his cheekbone, slowly. But it wasn't a soothing touch; instead it felt as if a darkness was crawling inside him, gripping at his heart. And he wanted to scream, to break free, but was frozen in place. By fear, by his master.

   A slimy trace remained in the place where Snoke's finger had been, glistening in the torchlit hall.

   "I had hoped I had found a new Heir to my empire. Someone with that mighty elven blood. But you're just another weak child..."

   And then a strength surged through him as he spat the words out to his master, "I am no child!" his eyes shot daggers at Snoke.

   But his master had most likely not heard him, or pretended he didn't.
  
   "Conflicted... You can't even make a decision, can't even follow my orders. I told you to go to war with Alderaan, you refused. Your parents left you alone, I was the one who cared for you. Yet you still can't chose..." his voice was dripping with disgust.

   And suddenly Snoke turned around on his heels and walked to the throne. His paces were hinting at the difficulty he was walking with.

   A mad plan flashed suddenly in Kylo Ren's mind. It would only take one stab. One single clean stab. And it would all be over. He would have his own kingdom, maybe empire. But first he would be rid of Snoke.

   He gripped the hilt of his sword, and made to draw it loose. It didn't make a sound. Yet he didn't even get to draw three inches of it, for Snoke turned like a flash back to him.

   And all eight guards had their spears pointed at his throat.
 
   Ren's fist froze on the hilt. And the confidence in his eyes was suddenly replaced by fear as his master's surprised look turned into a glare. And Ren knew that glare. He knew what happened when his master looked like that at him.

   With a dismissive wave of hand from Snoke, the guards drew their spears back and took a step away. But they stayed close, their guard up, for Ren was capable of anything.
 
   "I ought to send you in the deepest prison cell, at the last floor..." his master began, in a deadly voice.

   And Ren gulped down the fear that had knotted in his throat. Everyone knew that those who were sent in that prison, never saw the light of day again.

   But his master continued. "But you're still a boy who does not know much yet... And you shall learn to obey. I'm not done with you, if that's what you believe." He walked back to the throne. "No, I'm not done with you at all."

   And it felt like a stone had been lifted off his soul. But a small one. For million of heavy ones pressed him harder and harder as the days passed. He couldn't find his place anywhere... Because even if he thought so, he had no place. Not in Alderaan, where his parents have banned him from, not here at Snoke's court. So the only solution left was start on his own. Start a new world that would bring order and justice, if there was no other choice.

   And suddenly he remembered where he was when Snoke sat down on his throne with a loud thump.
   Ren looked up at him with weary, frightened eyes this time. Even though he was fighting hard against those emotions.

   "There's something I seek..." Snoke began in his slow, deep, croaky voice. "And I need your trust. The elven stones, they are called. Three blue stones. If you bring them to me, then I will make you Heir to my kingdom."

  Kylo Ren eagerly rose up his head to his master. But Snoke's gaze was unyielding.

  "Now get out of my sight... For you're just a child... With a mask."

   And Ren stood up, his pride down to the ground. His soul was aboil, he couldn't see the path clear before him. He bowed stiffly as he turned his back on Snoke, and strode out of the room, not even a glance back.

   He had to find those stones, and he would go straight for it. He had heard stories about them as a child, that they could make you the strongest person in the realm. His mother had had them, and had tried to hide them. For she always said they would break havoc in the realm if they fell in the wrong hands. But if he would find them, he would not make the mistake to give them to his master. He would make his realm great.

   The two sentries looked at him with terror in his eyes, and drew back a few paces when he passed them by. Ren didn't spare them a glance.

   He made his way out of the gates of the sinister castle.

   A heavy downpour was now falling, turning the earth to mud. His boots splashed his cloak as he paced to the wall, and the water that fell in torrents soaked his hair an plastered it to his face, masking the few tears that poured from his eyes.

   You were wrong to leave them, wrong to love them, the same different voices whispered in his head. And he didn't understand, couldn't understand.

   He looked down at the mask in his hand, and his lower lip began to quiver from anger. Just a Child in a mask, his master's words rang hollow in his ears.

   With no heaitation, he broke into a rage and smashed the helmet against the rough stone wall. Its top crested. Then he let out a growl and smashed and smashed and smashed, until only broken parts of iron remained and and silver fell in the mud.

   After that, he never glanced back once, but headed straight for the portcullis.

   "Ser Jaremy, Ser Lothar! We're going south!"

   And they nodded at their Lord's approach, and hurried to the stables, afraid to be in Ren's dark presence.

As you can see, I made a parallel between Ben and Rey, how they were both abused by their masters, how they both sought affection.
What do you think that him getting rid of the mask this early means?