Fear is the Path to the Dark Side

But Fear is a powerful tool as well. It can bend the will of men to your bidding. And make Empires fall.

Day 1826 (Present Day)

The fear was strong in the cadets, no doubt about it. Their opponent was the living and breathing example of a nightmare. Dark clothing, glowing wild eyes, and a sneer that would make a rancor scream. This kid was the real deal, if it even was a kid.

Their screams and yelps of pain filled Ezra's ears. Just what he wanted. Though the concept of 'going easy' was not considered, Ezra made sure they were still alive. A few broken bones and spinal fractures, but still breathing. Every punch and hit was magnified by the Force, sending a few lightweight children flying over twenty feet away. Others were slammed into the ground, leaving serious dents and dings.

The best of this was the loud clanging of the helmets hitting the floor. Every kid that went down gave his ears a satisfying clatter with their wails of pain. It helped him keep count of every victim that fell.

Picking off the last target, Ezra tripped the poor child. His hand caught the cadet's throat, already giving it a harsh squeeze. Another fulfilling grin came upon Ezra and he continued the torture till...

"That is enough." A voice cut through Ezra's thoughts.

The boy blinked his eyes and stood up straight. His hand unclenched from the neck, but the cadet fell to the ground anyway, barely showing signs of life. Ezra looked up, noticing a sea of white and gray bodies crawling or frozen in their places. And he stood out like a black tower among the view. His golden eyes searched the sight, looking for any cadet that may have gotten away. But it seemed that he was the victor overall. Even the Stormtroopers clutched on their weapons for dear life.

"Well done, my apprentice." Ezra's Master rewarded the boy with a small and slow clap of the hands. "Your training has proven fruitful under my surveillance. You should be proud of yourself."

Ezra turned to the tall man and knelt down respectfully. "Only when I serve you well, my Master." His eyes scanned the ground, noticing the toes of his Master's boots just stop right before him.

He heard the thumping of more boots coming to join them, but Ezra waited for his master to give him the right to stand tall in front of the superiors. His master did so by tapping his boot on the ground twice, making the boy immediately straighten up and stand next to him.

"L1138, you have proven to be a very successful experiment for our cadets. You separate the best from our top cadets at this Academy." The man nodded in approval to Ezra, recognized as the voice talking to the cadets before the challenge.

Another man walked up to the conversation, Ezra recognizing the gruff voice immediately. "Or you would if any of them had bested you."

The four took another look at the struggling cadets. Few had already gotten up, but most remained on the ground writhing in pain.

"It seems your challenge was all too easy for my apprentice." Ezra's master commented. "I find it harder to keep his abilities suitably controlled with all these weak little fools running around in our Academy..."

Ezra gave a slow blink, losing interest in the conversation and suddenly going deep into thought. Were his abilities really growing stronger as his master had said? Sure, these challenges were easy, but maybe that was because his Master wouldn't give him a real trial. It would be something to actually face another kid who shared in his strengths and powers. But regular cadets were easy compared his training with the Master.

"...And we will come back when you when you decide to present my apprentice with a real challenge. Good day, gentlemen." The Master commented and began to walk away.

"Yes, Inquisitor." The gruff voiced man agreed, though his voice gave off a bit of regret.

Ezra walked with his Master, staying only a few steps behind. His thoughts were swirling around, reliving the moments from only several minutes ago. The screams and pleads of mercy. The gut wrenching cracks of their bones under the force of his hands. And every clank of the metal helmets hitting the floor as they fell.

Ezra's stomach churned at every cry, building his anger and delicious satisfaction up. His hands balled into fists, cracking his knuckles. Oh what he'd give to do it all over again, make them feel his hatred and anger for... for... the pure sake of it.

"Patience, my eager apprentice. You may get another chance at them again very soon." His master told him. "I sense your burning rage through your own thoughts."

The boy let out an uneasy breath, letting his fingers uncurl and his walk become slightly relaxed. But a thought remained. All this anger and bitterness, why did he have it? Was there something he resented so much that it called for violence? No, he had to stop. If he questioned his training, he'd pay the price, and his Master would never let him live it down.

"Your wandering mind is dangerous. Perhaps I should give you a few days of extensive training and remind you why you're here." His master grinned, keeping a light tone of pleasure to it.

Ezra looked up, showing a rare look of fear of his own. Extensive training was never a good sign for him. His torture given to the cadets was a basic lesson compared to it. He could only accept his Master's suggestion, for disagreeing would prove something disasterous.

"I would be pleased to do so, my Master." He responded, after a heavy silence came between them. The words stung his tongue with regret once they were spoken.

"Very good." The Inquisitor stopped in front of his destination. Ezra's room.

The door slid open and Ezra entered the dark hole he was so familiar with. Once he had reached the center of the room, a symphony of loud clanking surrounded him. Pieces of metal, from what it sounded like, hit the floor all around him. One piece rolled over and hit his black boot. The boy knelt down and picked it up. His hand shook as the light from the doorway illuminated the piece of a lightsaber. Ezra's mind immediately processed what was expected of him. His gold eyes looked over his shoulder at his Master.

"Rebuild the lightsabers in your dark prison in three full planet rotations. No food and no water until they are complete." His master commanded.

The door hissed shut with an unnatural slam, cloaking Ezra once more in his dark cell. When the light had vanished, he noticed three glowing spots in the room, barely illuminating anything around them. Kyber crystals.

Ezra knelt down and felt the piece of metal tenderly. This training was one of his hardest challenges yet, and that's only because his master never told him how many lightsabers he needed to rebuild. Were they three individual lightsabers to build? Or a double blade with an extra crystal to confuse him? He gave a deep sigh and took a seat. It was going to be a long three days.