Deception
The rustling of his robes was a faint warning to the Alcolytes in the halls who, upon hearing it, scrambled to exit the corridor and presserve their lives. They had good reason to, death was all but inevitable when in his presence. Little did they know, he had no interest in their deaths at the moment, his only focus was on the woman. Traya, her mechinations ended today.
Darth Nihilus clenched his fists, and an involuntary hiss escaped his bone mask as the hunger inside him raged and screamed, egging him on mercilessly toward its newest bounty of flesh of force energy. It wasn't neccesary to urge him forward, he was going into this willingly. Like a Krayt Dragon, the hunger roared in impatience and he felt a something akin to pain slammed into Nihilus' robed chest. Sometimes it surprised him, that he could still feel pain when he'd shed his mortality so long ago.
Their was a slight scuffling noise, and his mask slowly moved to the left wall. He noticed a female alcolyte pressing herself against a wall desperately in an attempt to hide herself from his dead sight. Her red aura pulsed weakly as she attempted to hide herself in the force, and he contemplated lashing out with his Hunger, and venting its rage on the woman but then ignored the Hunger's purring suggestion, far more focused on his main goal. He passed her silently, save for a slight ruffle of fabric. As he passed, he heard the Alcolyte sigh in relief and let slip her force aura. Her Sith aura exploded in the corner of his vision, and the Hunger's scream of want was to powerful for him to overcome. With a physical roar that was so awful and loud that it made the dark force energy that permeated the academy to retract in a wide circle around him, he lunged forward toward the Alcolyte.
The Alcolyte screamed in terror and attempted to duck under his outstretched arm, but Nihilus' second arm flew out and grabbed her forearm. The Alcolye let out another horrified scream and attempted to push him away with a meagre force push, but he was far to strong. He wrapped his other hand tightly around her throat and slammed her head back against the dark wall. She let out a choked groan as he drank deep her essence and allowed it to feed the insatiable hunger inside him. The woman fell still, and her eyes rolled back into her head without a sound. Nihilus withdrew, and felt the hunger recede as it feasted on its new meal, and in those few moments the Sith Lord felt the barest traces of humanity return to his ravaged, primitive form. Then, almost as soon as it came, it was gone as the hunger sunk its deep barbs into his body again.
He fell back away from the lifeless body as it slumped to floor. He waited there for a moment, and felt various spasms echo through his robes as the hunger seemed to laugh with unapologetic maliciousness. With an effort, the Sith Lord continued down the hall, and in mere minutes he was at the door leading toward the massive chamber. The tremors had passed, and it let him focus. He could feel Sion's presence outside the chamber as well, just in front of the door on the most right side of the chamber, waiting for him. Nihilus sent him mental confirmation, and he was met with an impatient confirmation back. With an impatient shout from the hunger, he opened the door.
Sion was already halfway their, lightsaber in hand but unactivated. With his cloak scraping the floor, Nihilus made his way down the stone walkway toward the cloaked figure in the center structure, surrounded by a dozen thick, stone spikes. Traya rose, sensing Sion's presence only. Nihilus had cloaked his presence, and remained hidden from both her physical sight and her force sight. Sion was more impatient and stormed right up to the old women with a growl like a wounded animal.
Traya, sensing his murderous intent, activated her lightsaber at the exact moment that Sion activated his. Nihilus, having no interest to draw the conflict out any longer than needed, sent a crushing mental thought into the old woman' head.
TRAYA
She was startled, he could tell by the stiffening of her back, and the Hunger bellowed and felt its dominating will seize his body and his arm snapped out, sending a massive force wave that knocked her across the structure and slammed her into one of the stone spikes with a ragged shout of pain. Nihilus could feel the Hunger thrashing wildly, commanding him to walk forward and consume her tantalizing life force fully, but he held back just barely. Meanwhile, Sion ignored Nihilus' inner struggle with himself and rushed forward with a roar. Nihilus ignored the Sith Lord's gleeful beatings of his master, and stuggled to rein in the swirling storm that was threatening to break his self control. The Hunger hadn't had such a lovely feast in a very long time ever since the destruction of every jedi left alive on Malachor V. What little remained of the Sith Lord's will was focused on keeping the Hunger under control, or else lead him toward the death of his former master.
Exile was the point of this battle. Traya's humiliation and the full control of the new Empire was the main goal, not her death. Hopefully, Sion would remember that, and he wouldn't lose complete control of himself. Eventually, and with great strain, he forced the Hunger down and focused on the battle. Of course, at this point it wasn't a battle, it had turned into reckless beating. Sion was on the verge of venting his feelings of frustration on Traya completely, so he was forced to drift forward and stay Sion's anger. He grabbed the Sith Lord's shoulder and wrenched him back. Sion let out a frustrated snarl and wrenched himself free, but didn't attack again as Traya writhed against the spike.
Traya groaned and Sion flinched ever so slightly. Nihilus stared at the lord of Pain for a moment, and wondered if perhaps the former man had regrets. The tattered thought was gone almost as soon as it had appeared, and then he realized that he was drifting toward the wounded Sith Lady without him wanting to. He attempted to stop and resist the Hunger's lust for food, but the Hunger roared at him in defiance and his control snapped. With an ugly howl that echoed across the chamber, Nihilus lunged at Traya and closed his hand around her throat. Traya groaned in agony, and at the same time the Hunger crowed in victory as it fed itself. The final few hidden shreds of humanity left in the Lord of Hunger seemed to shrivel and die as the Hunger destroyed Traya from within.
But the Hunger's feast made it complacent, and its dominating will lessened. Nihilus was able to gather what was left of his former self and retake control of his form. He brutally pulled himself away from Traya, who looked so near death one would easily mistake her as such at first glance. The Hunger snarled and sent an echo of white hot pain through his form and tore at his spirit in a rage. The Sith Lord began to tremble again and twisted words escaped his mask in a rush of nonexistent air. Then the pain was gone as the Hunger's power given to it by its feast had left it in a rush. The Hunger retreated slightly, and Nihilus was left with an empty feeling that was so blissful he almost swayed in his boots. His body was empty of all emotion and feeling, but it was far better than when the Hunger continually tortured him to find it more of what it wanted.
Sion came to his side once again, a twisted sneer on his face as he gazed upon his former master lying broken against the stone, but Nihilus hardly noticed him. Nihilus felt his human side lift a bit more, and a twinge of feeling entered his dead body, maybe happiness, maybe sadness, it had been so long that he had forgotten. Then the Hunger pounced, and the feeling was gone again like a snuffed out candle. Feeling was replaced by longing, agonised longing. The Hunger rumbled in his chest, a sound that someone could interpret as laughter, and that feeling left him feeling completely helpless. The feeling he'd felt in those few second was gone without a trace, but he needed to feel it again, just for the sake of being able to feel again, just so he could pretend, for the briefest of moments that he wasn't the monster he was, and he wasn't a slave.
Without another word, Nihilus turned on his heel and left Sion in the chamber with Traya. The Lord of Pain was confused, and shouted after him, but he wasn't paying attention. He swept through the halls of the academy, which were predictably empty, and made his way toward his awaiting ship. Their was only one way to experience that slight stirring of emotion again, and while it would mean giving the Hunger what it wanted most, it would be worth it to feel that twinge again.
The Hunger hissed, a mocking sound, and a thought not his own echoed through him.
YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE ME
Nihilus hissed loudly and clenched his hands into fists. Their was no anger for him to feel, but atleast he could pretend it was there. He arrived in one of the sparse Hanger bays and strode toward an awaiting shuttle that was ready to take him to the Ravager above. A single pilot was their to silently greet him, and the lesser sith nodded with barely concealed fear. As Nihilus went away from Malachor V, another thought echoed from the Hunger passed through him.
YOUR INDULGENCE WILL BE YOUR DOOM
As the Hunger seemed to laugh, Nihilus' human side died a little more at the thought.