The Cult of Exar Kun

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Main Theme- Lullaby by The Cure

Anakin Skywalker is watching Armitage Hux drink pea soup and not eat his chicken nuggets. For sixth time in two standard weeks. After Armitage Hux's daring rescue of his grandson, Anakin has been watching the skeletal ginger. He has watched Armitage give speeches that had his classmates and teachers in awe of him, and then promptly excusing himself to go to the 'fresher to cough up blood into a grimy sink. He has watched Armitage trounce upperclassmen in his combat class using his agility and his brain, and then promptly having to pop his shoulder back into its socket by himself. He has watched Armitage sneak into the measly library and stay up most of the night to read, even though Anakin kept whining at him to go to sleep already!

"For the love of the Force, maybe if you slept your requisite eight hours and ate more fatty foods, then you might not be coughing up blood so often!" Anakin nearly pulls at his tarnished-golden curls in frustration as Armitage politely refuses a contraband candy bar from a mousey boy. Come on, mousey boy, shove that candy bar into his mouth! But, alas, the mousey boy just walks away with his tail tucked between his legs at his older classmate's refusal. He even sees the poor mousey boy throw away his candy bar, obviously feeling guilty at breaking Academy rules.

"Mousey boy, the least you could do was eat the candy bar. Pfassk, you could use some fat on you too, but not as desperately as Armitage! AND REALLY, ARMITAGE, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BOTHER TO EAT YOUR CHICKEN NUGGETS! WHAT THE FU—" And then Anakin's door is practically slammed open with the Force. A thirteen-year-old boy with glacially white hair and icy-blue eyes steps inside his room. The snow-skinned boy is Bruck Chun, Xanatos's former Dark Jedi apprentice, and he has the same aggravating look in his eyes like Xanatos.

"My Master and I are trying to enjoy our vampire movie marathon together, but your incessant WHINING is getting in the way!" Bruck's light-eyes become darker as he lets his anger loose. Anakin has to restrain himself from reflexively punching the angry kid's lights-out. This child is responsible for making Obi-Wan's life miserable as an Initiate, so Anakin naturally hates this kid.

[Go suck on Jabba's fat folds, you little shit!] Anakin curses out Bruck in Huttese, knowing full well that the kid has no knowledge on the language. Huttese is too savage for pompous brats like Xanatos and Bruck! Anakin thinks smugly.

"Just tone down the whining because you do NOT want me back in here!" And Bruck stomps away with his long padawan tail cracking behind him like a whip. Anakin goes to shut the door and return to watching Armitage.

"Seriously, who in the Seven Sith Hells immediately takes a shower after eating lunch? Every single time!?"

If there was one thing that Ben Solo truly wanted, it was for Tahiri Veila to be an asshole. It would make hating her so much easier if she was just a downright horrible person to him, especially when he loses to her for the fifth time in velocities. Or when she answers a question that his uncle asked him the answer for and he doesn't know. But she's so happy-go-lucky and nice that she goes as far as to sincerely apologize after their match for even accidently bruising him. She's the model Jedi Initiate and the best student at the Praxeum, and his uncle even lets her walk around barefoot.

Why should hate be easy? Like true power, hate cannot be procured easily. Ben hears a voice in his head gently advise. This voice is not like the other voice; the other voice likes to talk to him at night when the Force is trying to tear him apart. This voice is speaking to him during the day, right as he watches the fair-haired, former Tusken Raider getting clapped on the back by Saba.

Nothing is easy for me. Master Skywalker says I have the greater potential than anyone here, but I don't work hard enough! I work hard, but it's not enough! It's never enough. Ben thinks back to the voice.

You lack passion. This is not like your fashion or your politics. The voice points out, and Ben agrees. He has never been good at something he has no interest in. He does have interest in learning the Force, but not exactly his uncle's way of the Force.

But it's not like I have a choice in the matter! Mom and dad don't care about my passions; they just want me under-controlled. Like everyone here. They brought me too late…He's older than the rest of his classmates and he's only been here for a couple of months. His classmates are two to five years younger than him and they've been together since the Praxeum's founding.

It is never too late, as long as you have passion. Ben feels the voice leave his mind, taking the mild calm with it. Just like the voice at night.

I wonder what my Wistie is doing. Armitage, his Armitage, provides him peace, not temporary calm. He quickly pulls out his comlink and sends a message to his Wistie while his classmates and uncle aren't looking.

"Hello, Armitage, what are you doing?"

He wants his Wistie by his side always, but he must wait. And if there's one thing he can hate easily is waiting.

Armitage Hux is trying not to peek over his shoulder while he's showering. For the fifteenth time in two weeks. He feels like someone is watching him again, even though he's hidden by the shower curtains. He knows that the Academy doesn't have any cameras in the 'freshers, mostly because it's too expensive, and the shower curtains are thick enough to block out most of the dim light in the communal 'fresher. He knows it's nearly impossible for someone to be able to see him as he's showering, but he feels like eyes are boring into him!

It's practically pitch-black in my shower, so why does it feel like someone's watching me? Oh, Force, I'm paranoid! There's no one even here! Everyone's eating lunch or in class! So why do I feel so scrutinized? Is it from not eating enough? Stress? Father—Hux hears his comlink beep with a message, and quickly finishes his shower. He then grabs his folded clothes from the bench and dashes back inside the dark stall to change; and like the other fourteen times, the eyes leave him.

Okay, someone's watching me shower, but they can't stand me changing? What kind of pervert am I dealing with? I really need to tell the Commandant about this, but it's only happening to me. I think; I don't watch my classmates shower! Ugh, I'll figure it out later…Hux exits the shower and grabs his comlink from the bench while drying his hair with a nearby towel.

"Hello, Armitage, what are you doing?" Hux reads the Prince's message. He smiles. For the past two weeks, he and the Prince have been messaging each other since the Prince wasn't being held captive anymore. Well by a two-headed dragon, his family however…Hux doesn't really know much about the Prince's family, aside from that one time he met Senator Leia Organa, and the Prince doesn't want to talk about them. And Hux figures it's because the Prince doesn't want to unearth all of those familial skeletons from the closet.

"I just finished showering after having some bland pea soup. Seriously, your cooking has forever ruined me!" Hux messages back. It's true; ever since he has the Prince's green-tea omelet, Hux has had an unbelievably hard time trying to ingest the sterile Academy food. It's like going from Heaven to Purgatory, and not the one filled with guilt-ridden hunters and world-weary angels! Man, it's going to take a month before I can get "used" to the Academy food again!

"Well, you see I use this secret ingredient: seasoning!" Hux smirks and almost wants to message back about how the Academy food is just to prepare them for the bland food on the battleships, but realizes that might be treasonous. It's not like I'm giving our strategies or plans to some secret project in the works, but I think it's best if I don't reveal too much information on the Order. Except that the food here is terrible!

"You sure it's not the Force? I mean if the Force can make you fly, then surely it can be used as a spice?" Hux is certain that since the Prince was able to make him fly at the ball, then, with time and practice, he'll be able to fly with the Force. He'll be like the Angels! I hope I get to see him in flight one day!

"I might have, but I sincerely doubt it was noticeable. You can't feed on the Force!" Hux lets out a tiny, nervous laugh. Yeah…tell that to Darth Nihilus. I think. Man, I really need to research him some more, but I never, ever want to return to Korriban! I wonder if that nice man is still there…

"So how's been your day? Mine has been boring." It's just been a regular day for Cadet Armitage Hux: wake up, get ready for class, eat a ration bar and drink some water, go to class, give a speech, go to the bathroom and cough up blood, go back to class, go to lunch, take a shower and figure out if there's a pervert watching him, and messaging the Prince. The last one has been the latest addition to his schedule, and it's the highlight of his days now.

"Lost to Veila again. Everyone's happy about that again. Master will lecture me again. Still not the perfect Jedi again." And Hux feels like a jerk now for complaining about his mundane routine. Sure, learning at the Academy is probably nowhere near as exciting as learning to be a Jedi, but at least he doesn't get constantly put-down by his own teachers. I mean they do, but that's only when I go "off-script" for my essays. But I get praised practically every day, in very restricted, cryptic ways, but praised nonetheless. While the Prince keeps on getting lectured by his uncle for not being perfect! Newsflash, Skywalker, the Prince isn't the Chosen One like you! Wait, wasn't his grandfather the Chosen One? Well, kind of, towards the end, but he shouldn't be forced to be like his uncle! And it's not like Skywalker is so perfect! He's absolutely shit at being a—

"Master is coming. I'll message you later!" Hux now feels even worse for not sending an encouraging reply before the Prince's last message. Here I was getting angry about Luke being an ass when the Prince could've used some comfort. Okay, next time, I won't let my anger cloud me. You know act like a Jedi!

Anakin is watching as Armitage showers, and, yes, he is very aware how creepy that is. However, he would argue that he is doing a necessary thing; he is making sure that Armitage doesn't faint in the small, dark shower stall and crack his fragile skull against the tiles. He's even bonier today! I'm surprised his hips didn't shatter in combat class today! Those thoughts always run through Anakin's mind during his vigilance.

And his comm is going off! Oh, it's time for him and Ben to have their little chats! I wonder what they'll talk about this time. Fashion? School life? Or maybe how eating three, or four in Hux's case, meals a day is beneficial for one's health—And Anakin's thoughts are interrupted by the sound of his door sliding open, making him turn his head to see Ahsoka.

"Hey, Skyguy, Barriss cancelled on me, so want to—" His former padawan stops mid-sentence at what she sees. She sees her former master, and her murderer, sitting cross-legged on the floor in the dark, watching the skinniest human boy that she has ever seen getting dressed.

And she immediately turns around and walks the fuck out of Anakin's room.

Anakin considers going after her; in fact, he stands up when Ahsoka leaves wordlessly. However, he decides to do something that took a lifetime and an afterlife to finally learn; he thinks before acting.

How do I explain to Ahsoka that this isn't what it looks like! That I'm not a closeted pedophile! Well, I could tell her about Armitage Hux and how he's Ben's new, and perhaps only, best friend. And how I'm making sure that Armitage isn't going to harm Ben. Although, now, it's more like making sure that Armitage doesn't die; seriously, that kid is like ten pounds away from starving to death! Yeah, I just need to tell her about Armitage and we can put this whole misunderstanding behind us! With what took about five minutes, Anakin finally stops thinking and goes looking for Ahsoka.

It is nighttime on Yavin 4, and Ben is supposed to be sleeping like the rest of the Initiates. But like every night since arriving here, Ben does not go to sleep right away. He stays up for the voice that usually comes to him at night. That usually whispers to him about holding onto his anger and not letting it go into the Force. That tell him stories about his grandfather, Darth Vader, and how he should continue what he started.

But the voice does not come.

Why are you waiting for that parasite to come and get you? Don't you know the tale of the energy spider and the bogey? Ben shakes his head at the voice from the morning and wondering why the voice came back at night.

On Kessel, deep in the darkest spice mine, there was an energy spider spinning its glitterstim web. The web was not very big; it only covered a couple of centimeters of the cave. However, it attracted the attention of a wandering bogey. The bogey went inside the dark cave and came in contact with the small web, causing the web to light up like a blue firefly.

The bogey wanted to take the web, but the spider implored, "Please, don't go take my web. I haven't finished it!" The bogey then asked, "Why shouldn't I? It's such a paltry web, surely you wouldn't miss it?" And the spider patiently replied, "Because I haven't completed it. Would you buy a painting that's only been half-painted? Please, come back tomorrow night." And so the bogey came back the next night.

The bogey found that the web had gotten bigger and was now covering almost half of the cave. The bogey was amazed at how much work the spider got done. And once again, the bogey wanted to take the web, but the spider implored, "Please don't take my web. I haven't finished it!" The bogey snorted and asked, "Why this web is nearly sixty times its original size! How is this not finished?" And the spider patiently explained, "Because I haven't added the finishing touches. Would you buy a painting that's still dripping wet? Please, come back tomorrow night." And so the bogey came back the next night.

The bogey found that the web covered the entire cave and glowed blue like the mythical ocean. The bogey looked around for the spider but saw nothing but the blue glow of the web. The bogey believed it was time to take the web. It approached a wall and touched it, feeling the glittering, silken strands. But then it felt a sharp pain through its body.

What he thought was a silken strand was actually one of the spider's long, venomous fangs. The bogey gasped, "Why would you do this?" And the spider patiently replied, "For I am hungry. Why else would I spin this web? It is for catching prey, like you, my dear!" The spider than sucked the life out of the bogey. The bogey died, and the spider patiently waited for another bogey to come its way.

So you see the spider only made that web to lure the bogey into its parlor and then to kill it. That's what the voice was doing to you. He was slowly luring you to his side with feeding your insecurities; eventually, you would've gone to him, and he would've taken the Force from you! And Ben, looking back on the story that this voice told him, cannot help but agree with the voice. The voice that came to him at night would also tell him things like his parents didn't truly love him or he would never be like his grandfather if he kept repressing his rage. However, he couldn't help but wonder why this voice is telling him all of this.

How do I know that you aren't also a spider trying to lure me into your web? You're telling me stories like the other voice and you're feeding my paranoia! The other voice told me not to trust anyone, and now you tell me not to trust the voice! Why should I choose you over the voice that I know? Ben shoots back. He's half-hoping that this voice will actually leave like the other voice did whenever he had questions.

Because I can give you something far more tangible than stories about a man who chose suffering over love. I can give you knowledge. I can teach you things that your Master will not teach you. I can teach you another way to hone the Force, to actually have control over your emotions. However, I must warn you that this won't come quickly because true power doesn't. And don't you want the power to keep your Wistie by your side? And Ben likes this option. He likes that this voice can give him something other than far-off-in-the-future promises. The other voice told him that he must wait until he was older to….learn another way. This voice is offering him another way. Right now.

How can I reach you? Ben asks and hopes that the voice isn't going to go back on his offer.

I am on Yavin 4, in one of my temples, so all you have to do is walk. That shouldn't be hard for a strapping lad like you. Ben, for once, is overjoyed that this journey won't require a use of a ship or a speeder. Since he doesn't have either in his possession.

How long will it take me to reach you? Ben asks eagerly.

Only a morning, so do pack light. Ben is already making up his mind on what to take for this journey. Like his comlink, so he can he communicate with his Wistie. That he promised to talk to later. Oh, if only I can bring my Wistie along! He practically bemoans. If I could bring him with me, then I won't have to worry about anyone taking him from me. And I can feed him again!

Oh, and don't forget to bring your Wistie with you.

Hux is flying once more to Yavin 4, and once again for Prince Amidala. However, this time the Prince isn't being held captive by a two-headed dragon. Thankfully, this is far less adventurous than the last time.

"I need you, but do not fret for I'm not being held captive by some beast. You see I may have found another way to learn about the Force, but I don't want to undergo this quest alone. I understand that you have your own education to worry about, and I don't want to keep you from your learning, but I would be ever so grateful if you can help me in mine." Quest? Learning? QUEST! Of course, Hux messaged him that he would be glad to help. And it's not solely because he can pretend to be a knight from the Round Table and go on a quest for the Holy Grail.

I'm doing this for the Prince; he deserves to get a proper education from someone who can actually teach! I hope he gets taught by a magical talking dragon! I mean it worked for Merlin…mostly. Anyone's better than Skywalker! Hux thinks during his trek to Yavin. He's meeting the Prince at the very same temple where he was held captive by the dragon. I hope that the dragon isn't there; at least, not in the mood to kidnap princes…I still have my guitar, but I'm bringing my sword this time! Because on quests, you need a sword…and a wizard, but I have the Prince!

When he lands at the temple with the cluster of blueleaf shrubs, he is happy to see not a yellow scale anywhere. He does sees the Prince in his bland Initiate outfit with a worn, brown satchel on his back. Hux parks the Commandant's ship a couple of meters away from the Prince; he grabs his sword, a backpack filled with rations and bottled water, and then exits the craft.

"My, I had almost forgotten about your unique craft. It almost looks like a Vanya-class ship from the Old, Old Republic." Yeah, that's because it is. The Commandant still hasn't told me how he got this ship. Eh, it doesn't matter now. The Prince is all that matters! He marches to the Prince like a good little soldier with a bit of cheek in each step.

"I am yours to command, my Prince!" Hux does not take a knee before the Prince like any fairytale knight would, but he does give a low bow. Experience has taught me when you take a knee, you're more likely to get your head cut off! Hux remembers that valuable piece of knowledge from his childhood aboard Den's privateering ship.

"Friends don't command each other. And you are my friend, am I not your friend too?" The Prince tucks his chin down and fans his dark lashes. The royal head tilt! Along with his royal speak! One day, he'll make a great king…with the right counsel and education. I can help with the latter.

"Of course you are! Why else would I ditch school and take the Commandant's ship without permission." Okay, that last part was slightly exaggerated. The Commandant is going to be away all week because of the Shadow Council, so he just left me the keys and trusts me not to kriff up the ship. Hux's lips twitch themselves into a grin, while the Prince returns it with a regal smile.

"It appears you'll be in quite a lot of trouble when you get back. Let's hope that this quest will be worth it." Hux stops bowing and sees that the Prince is walking away. He quickly jogs to catch up with him. His sword's scabbard slightly bounces against his skinny right thigh as he reaches the Prince.

"I see you brought your sword this time. I do hope you're prepared to spill blood." Hux sees the Prince's mouth curl into a grin; he presumes that the Prince is just joshing him.

"Only those rebelling against you, Your Highness!" And Hux grins wolfishly at the Prince.

Two boys, one from a line of heroes and the other from a line of bastards, reach a hidden isle in the middle of an inactive volcano. The isle is surrounded by mirror-silver water with a path of blacken stones jutting from the water; the path leads to the center of the isle, a temple of black, malformed pyramids. At the center of the temple is a 1.9 meter statue of a Jedi Knight and Sith Lord; the obsidian sentinel is looking down at his obsidian double-saber plunged in the ground.

"We must cross the isle on the stepping stones; keep your head bowed to watch your steps. I can feel something…peculiar about this water." The dark-haired hero tells the ginger bastard. The ginger bastard nods complacently at the dark-haired hero; both boys cross the lake with their heads bowed. As they step on the stones, they peer into the water. The ginger bastard sees nothing but his skinny reflection in the water's surface, while the dark-haired hero sees dark wisps in the watery void.

They reach the temple without incident. The boys gaze in wonderment at the obsidian walls studded with corusca gems; the whole temple glimmers darkly in the light of the high sun. The dark-haired hero goes to examine the statue, while the ginger bastard reads the writing etched onto the forgone walls.

The dark-haired hero looks into the face of the sentinel. He sees a face as disproportionate as his; the statue's lips, ears, and nose are bigger than the eyes. He never thought he would find someone with a nose bigger than his. There are three claw-marked scars on the right side of the face that go from his ear to across his high cheekbone. There is a scar on the forehead that looks like a four-legged spider. The legs point down to the eyes, and the dark-haired hero looks into them. He sees silver like the lake's water.

The ginger bastard cannot read the entirety of the hieroglyphics and pictographs on the wall, but that is because of the light in his eyes. He closes his blue and green eyes and brings his burnt, left arm to the wall; he feels the ancient tongue and deciphers their meaning in the darkness. Protection. Magic. He opens his eyes at that last word. He turns to the dark-haired hero to tell him about the writing on the wall.

The entrance to the temple opens with an earth-shaking rumble, and the boys scramble to the entrance. They see a staircase descending to the catacombs below, but the sixtieth step and beyond is lost to a dark miasma.

"We have to go down there." The dark-haired boy proclaims. The ginger bastard looks with hesitation at the darkness below, fearing for a trap awaiting them in the dark. His right hand rests on top of his sword's pommel.

"Okay." The ginger bastard agrees but eyes the steps warily. They both descend to the unknown, yielding the sunlight for the darkness. They will be lost to the Light, but the Dark will welcome them.

The silver-eyed sentinel smiles for the first time in millennia.

Author's Comments- Here are the links:

Here is what Bruck Chun, Xanatos's former Dark Jedi apprentice, looks like. Also, to add on, he was Obi-Wan's first kill, although you can argue that the fall after his duel is what kills him, which haunted Obi-Wan throughout his youth. However, he was an utter asshole to Obi-Wan throughout his childhood, so it's not like a reader is compelled to mourn his death, but rather the guilt it lays on poor, poor Obi-Wan's soul, especially since Obi-Wan has to deal with Bruck's younger brother, Kad, and his father, Vox. Needless to say, Bruck Chun was a pain in Obi-Wan's ass even after his death: a href=" . /starwars/images/c/c9/Bruck_ /revision/latest?cb=20121206054907"Link/a

This is an image of Exar Kun. For those who haven't heard of him, he was a Jedi Knight who became a Sith Lord. He's mostly known for pioneering the double-bladed lightsaber and for enslaving the Massassi of Yavin 4 to build basically most of the temples on the moon. And in one of the temples, he sealed his soul into it and was waiting for an opportunity to revive his Brotherhood of the Sith, not to be confused with the Brotherhood of Darkness. And look at the two bogeys who walked right into his web: a href=" . /starwars/images/7/7a/Exar_Kun_ /revision/latest?cb=20080626042852"Link/a

This in an image of the Temple of Exar Kun, also known as the Tomb of Exar Kun or the Dark Temple, where our fairytale-stupid boys will be staying at for an unforeseeable amount of time in the future. Pretty looking place to start a cult: a href=" . /starwars/images/c/c4/Temple_of_Exar_ /revision/latest?cb=20100114160516"Link/a

Okay, nothing really…cultic has happened as the title suggested, but I believe in build-up and I guess I want to write an arc that is somewhat inspired by Clone Wars arc-structure. Except far more linear and not having me screaming about calendar dates.

Anyways, I figured since the Jedi Praxeum, yes that is what Luke actually calls his Jedi Academy in Legends/Expanded Universe, is located on Yavin 4 where there is actually quite a number of sketchy temples; it was time for Ben and Armitage to go into one! And best part it is Exar Kun doing the seducing instead of Snoke! Why? Because it would make so much more sense that Exar Kun would have far more power on Yavin than Snoke does. Granted, Snoke is pretty powerful to communicate with Ben from the deep recesses of the Unknown Regions, but he doesn't have his own temple on Yavin. For all I know.

However, since Anakin likes to watch his grandson, Exar Kun has been unable to pounce on Ben and dispel Snoke. That is until Anakin's attention begins to flag, and Exar Kun moves quickly on Ben and offers him to cut Snoke's wait-time-for-half-assed-Dark-Side-training in half. And he allows Hux to go with him as another way to keep Ben with him. And, now, this Sith Spirit has Ben and Armitage and can finally begin his Brotherhood anew.

Although, he's going to go at it slowly since his first members are under fifteen!