Author's Note: Thanks to eye of sparta and Tari Silmarwen for your reviews on my last chapter, and to neonstorm854 for your comments on it! You guys are just awesome, you know that? Anyways, I wanted to thank you all for over 1,000 views on this story! I don't recall having 1,000 of anything, at least, at one consecutive time. I'm just so happy right now. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Before we start, there was a line in the last chapter that got cut out, and when I went back to add it in, it didn't save. For those of you wondering, it was at the beginning of the chapter when Maul is talking about Ezra. This was the original line: "He looked powerless, he looked scared. No, he looked, helpless. Maul unknowingly formed a smile…". I don't know why it didn't save, even though I hit the save button, but here you go.

Thank you so much once again, and may the Force be with you, (you're gonna need it).

*Mild Language Warning

Ezra woke up within a few moments, groggy and worn out, his head aching and his mind jumbled. It was hard to tell where he was and what he was doing. Visions and noises surrounded him, as if he was trapped inside a bottomless pit of memories. There was too much going on, he could barely tell if he was even awake or having an elongated nightmare. He felt nauseous and dizzy; that was never a good sign for anything, especially now.

Now was not the time to give in to excuses. He needed to find his surroundings and listen for something, someone, and look for help. He meekly called out through the Force, to the one person he knew could help.

"... Kanan? Kanan? Help me..."

He soon recognized the ringing in his ears; it sounded louder than a Star Destroyer's main engine. He started begging and pleading through the Force, afraid about what might of happened to his master.

"Kanan, where are you? Kanan!"

There was no response. His mind couldn't focus enough through the Force and he started to panic. His connection was weak, too weak; he could barely feel anything. Out of fear and desperation, he started crying out loud for his master, as a scared child would call out for his parents.

"Kanan! Kanan! Please, answer me!"

His mind started drawing conclusions fearing what may have happened to his master, and none of them turned out good.

Suddenly, he heard a snap and crackle ring through the air. Sluggishly and almost drunkenly, he began crawling away from the noise, skidding his knees across the dirt while doing so. He didn't know what he was doing, his only goal was to get away; to get away from whatever was trying to harm him. His mind felt like it was attacking itself, constantly throwing him to the side, knocking him down, punching at him. Flashes and images appearing and disappearing within an instant. His mind was too foggy to tell if it was him doing this to himself or if it was… Maul.

He turned around and saw a fuzzy image of the man, standing with his lightsaber ignited, glaring at the padawan with a beaming smile on his face. Glimpses of images still passed over his vision, making his eyesight and focus even worse. Despite this, Ezra stared him down, his voice raspy and harsh.

"What did you do?"

Maul looked at him, his body language displaying confidence and assurance, but his face telling him something different.

"What did you do to my master!?"

Ezra barely managed to pry himself up to one of his knees. His voice grew powerful and ever more threatening, despite his own hard panting. Maul was hiding something, and the teen didn't like it.

"I told you to leave him alone! All you needed was me, not him!"

Maul shook his head in disagreement. "Oh Ezra, If only you could see the bigger picture. Something Kanan is incapable of doing ever since his, incident."

Ezra's mind was incapable of thinking clearly, and his gut was intensely growing in pain. The hurt from his memories, fresh in his mind, kindling the flame burning inside of him. He somehow managed to get onto his feet.

"Don't you dare say his name you Slemo! I know you tried to kill him."

Maul chuckled at his remark. "Do you now?"

Ezra's fear and pain were converting into something sinister.

"Shut up, Maul. Don't be playing dumb with me."

"I'm afraid it is not I who has been playing dumb, Ezra Bridger."

Maul was right. It was him who said to trust Maul at the Sith temple, and it was him who thought using the Sith Holocron would be beneficial to the Rebellion and himself. Ezra could remember the guilt from that day, the same guilt that lured him to the Dark side in the first place. Now that guilt turned into pain, a stabbing pain in his heart, one which he could not rid of. He straightened himself up, then countered back at the man with his own words; his tone growing all the more intense.

"You're right, I was playing dumb, but that's because I was the one who decided to put my trust in you! Now I know that you want nothing more than to see my master…", a glimpse of the Holocron piece appeared in his mind, "... and Kenobi dead!"

Maul questionably glared at him. "You don't trust me anymore?"

Ezra gave back a snarling glare.

"I never trusted you."

He knew that was a lie, but he felt better saying that rather than anything else. His anger was getting the best of him.

Maul stared at him disappointed, and sighed in a forceful greif. "A shame, Ezra. We could have been something."

Ezra gestured his hand, as if he was holding something within it and decided to throw it off to the side.

"We'll never be anything. I will make sure that you never come near my master or Kenobi ever again!"

Willing the Force to his command, he summoned his lightsaber towards him from where it laid in the sand. As soon as the cold metal landed into the palm of his hand, he ignited the blade and stood defensively, ready to fight. He didn't want any more trouble, any more pain. All he wanted was to end Maul's life at that very moment; for Kanan, for Kenobi… for himself.

Maul shifted his position in the sand, and looked down at his double bladed saber. He had been standing in the same position for so long, that it caught Ezra off guard. Maul's tone shifted too, from soft and friendly, to cold and vengeful.

"So, now you seek revenge?"

Ezra peered into Maul's bloodshot eyes, and watched as he seemingly glared into Maul's soul.

"I seek justice!"

Within an instant, Ezra came charging at Maul, his emerald green lightsaber illuminating the canyon walls and the nighttime breeze picking up to a slow building wind. He swung from the right, aiming for Maul's neck, but he was then blocked by Maul. His blade was pushed back, but Ezra pressed his blade on harder, then released his lightsaber from the block and shifted himself away from Maul's blade, which came crashing against the sand. Ezra then aimed for Maul's torso, swinging his lightsaber around to slice down at Maul's right. Maul blocked again, not even seeming the slightest bit surprised or challenged at Ezra's attempts to kill him.

He deserves to die!

Ezra went for Maul's left shoulder, swinging his blade downward and aiming for Maul's heart. Maul blocked his blow, then pushed the padawan's blade up into the air with his hilt. With the teen off-balance, Maul swung his blade for Ezra's legs, barely grazing his left leg. A few sparks went flying as the blade touched the metal plating guarding Ezra's shin, even though the cut was no more than a few millimeters deep. Ezra wailed in pain, but the intensely heated cut did not hinder his abilities: instead, they did the exact opposite. He used this newfound pain to fuel his anger, to fuel his power, to make him defeat the former Sith once and for all.

After that, there was no thought or correlation with any his fighting and bladework. All of his swings and clashes became untrained and exaggerated, but powerful. Something was wrong and he knew it. Ezra was swinging his blade frantically; unable to tell where he was even hitting it. There was a clash on his left, another on his right, a flip and a kick, another blow. Everything became such a blur, he couldn't even tell what the heck was going on or what he was doing. He seemed to gain no control over his own body, or his own mind.

Just as Ezra tried to regain focus of his whereabouts, Maul came clashing in on his left; this time, he was put into a blade lock. Ezra struggled underneath the power and strength of Maul's blade, stumbling backwards as Maul pressed harder onto his own.

"Embrace your power boy! Use it. Feed off it."

Ezra barely contained control over his own consciousness. He was falling into darkness and didn't even know it.

"Shut up!"

The nighttime winds howled and kicked sand into Ezra's eyes, as if the entire planet was trying to kill him. He squinted from the sand and the intense brightness of the locked blades, his vision practically useless at this point. The blinding light of the lightsabers bringing back harsh and painful memories, ones of suffering and loss, but they were not his own.

He saw something in his head; the place was dark and spacious, speckled with streams of light that resembled the night sky. It was drenched in a hue of dark red, and there was an ancient structure, a temple…

No! It can't be. I don't want to see this!

He tried to look straight into Maul's eyes, but he couldn't. The blades were too bright, there were too many particles of sand, too much wind, too many flashes and images. He couldn't make out the Zabraks' face.

Is he doing this? Why!?

The memories came back. He saw Ahsoka standing beside him to his left, and the corpse of the fifth brother lying on the ground before him, with a fresh cut wound extending along his chest. He wasn't looking through his own eyes, nor the eyes of Maul. He saw Maul standing there, his back turned from his view; he could barely make out the muffled words that were coming from the man's mouth.

Ezra tightened his grip on his blade as he tried to block out the vision, his right hand screeching in pain from the small bone fractures within it. He was desperate to get the image out of his head, as well as making sure he wasn't cut down by Maul, who was still pressing hard upon him.

"Do you not remember what I had done for you, young Bridger?"

Stop! Please stop!

His vision returned, and he felt Malacor with it. The cold air, the stillness, the death. He saw it, he saw the blade come right for his eyes, with no time to do anything about it, halted by fear. That's when he felt it. He felt the same burning pain Kanan had felt that day, as his vision turned red and all he could feel was burning. Burning, fire, and fear.

Ezra screamed and reached for his own eyes as if they had been blinded too, stumbling back and dropping his own lightsaber in the process; but there was nothing upon them. That's when Maul struck.

The next moment, he felt something hard slam into his face. There was a whooshing noise on his right and a muffled hum that followed. He saw stars and black splotches for one moment, then his whole body hit something solid and everything went black.

Ezra's limp body lay on the ground, the padawan knocked down by Maul's blow. His body laid flat upon its back with his head resting on his right. His left arm lay across his body while his right laid off to the side, away from the remainder of his body. A new cut and bruise appeared on the left side of his face, fresh blood forming thick red beads across it. A steady amount of blood was now flowing down his nostrils and out of his mouth, painting the plain canvas of desert sand with a new crimson color, dark and bold.

Maul kneeled down beside Ezra to make sure he was still breathing, placing his hand on the boy's chest and listening for any sign of a heartbeat. He feared that his last blow may have accidentally killed the child, leaving him with no one to guide him to Kenobi. A hit like that could have dislocated the brain from its stem; he would definitely be wandering the deserts for eternity looking for the old master if that were so.

It felt like hours before he finally heard the subtle beat of his heart, the fear of losing Kenobi melting away instantly. The boy was merely knocked unconscious, which was a major relief for the former Sith. Despite this, there was still a problem; the boy was decently injured.

There were at least a few wounds that were in vital need to be healed before their new journey began. The one concerning him the most was his broken rib, which he could feel was out of place when grazing his hand along Ezra's chest. The way the bone was positioned, it must have already punctured at least a few vital organs. There could be a way to fix that, but the padawan would need to be fully awake and alert in order for it to work. Hopefully, he would wake up long before the internal bleeding killed him in his sleep.

Maul stared down at him, both upset that the boy was so resistant to be swayed, but so glad for it as well. Resistance was a symbol of defiance, a way to display power and stand up against all odds. He would eventually be turned, but he needed time. The sight of his own master's blinding could build fear into him, haunting him through nightmares and brewing anger in its awakening. It could build a respect that he was the more powerful master, that Ezra may strive to become just as powerful. But it could also cause the boy to completely abandon him, leaving the former Sith with no other choice than to kill the young padawan.

For now, he was his key to reaching Kenobi, and he wouldn't want to diminish himself with such an opportunity, not when he was so close. The Master Jedi would certainly have never seen such potential within his own apprentice. Speaking of which…

Kanan pried himself off the rough ground of Atollon, his head throbbing with tremendous force. He had laid there for what seemed like hours, though it may have only been a few minutes. His temples hurt beyond control and his power was seemingly drained. He felt lightheaded and weak, but that's not what concerned him at the moment. He started calling out through the Force, his mind racing and fearful for his padawan.

"Ezra, are you okay? Ezra!"

Something was wrong. He could barely feel Ezra's Force signature and he wasn't responding through the Force. Kanan fumbled for his com and was desperately calling for Ezra, fearing the worst.

"Ezra, can you hear me?! Ezra! Damn it kid, say something!"

He was so desperately trying to listen for Ezra, both through the Force and through his com-link. His teachings told him to stay calm but his heart and mind were in a frenzy of a panic.

"Com'on Ezra, don't give up on me now."

Then, he heard a small rustle through his com-link, so faint it was barely audible. The sound of dirt and rocks shifting about in his speakers brought the Jedi Knight hope. Because Ezra's com-link was attached to his wrist, that meant he was at least alive and moving, even if it was ever so subtle.

Kanan cried out through his com-link, his voice displaying both concern and hope.

"Ezra! Are you…"

His heart stopped when he received his interrupted answer.

"No, no, you are mistaken master Jedi. I am not the dear padawan you are looking for."

All hope that the Jedi had faded away within an instant. Kanan tensed and was seething with anger. Barely being able to control himself as he was, it took all of his will not to crush the com-link in his hand.

"Where's Ezra!? What the Hell did you do with him!?

He could hear a soft, cold chuckle come from the opposite com, followed by hissing, like that of a viper.

"It is not what I do with him that matters, no. It is you who decides his final fate."

"What are you talking about?"

Kanan's body tensed even more when he heard Maul speak. He could feel a rage building off the former Sith, despite being worlds away. Maul's viper-like tone grew, along with his serious temper. He hated hearing the man's voice, no, it wasn't right to even call him that. That monster was toying around with Ezra's fate as if it was nothing more than just another task to complete: just another barrier to pass, or break through.

"Listen carefully Jedi. If I catch you speaking with my apprentice…"

"That's my padawan you scum!"

"Now, now, temper Jedi. You do remember what this com-link is attached to, don't you? Now, my hand is getting tired of holding up your padawan's arm, and I may need to lighten my load. Another outburst like that my cost your padawan his hand, and the last thing you want me to do is hurt him, isn't that right?"

Kanan hated to admit it, but he would rather die and suffer all the hardships the galaxy had to offer, than to see Ezra harmed in any way. Despite not being related by blood, Ezra was like a son to him, and it was a father's first duty to watch over and protect his family. Maul was threatening the life of Ezra; his padawan, his family, his son, and he despised the monster for doing so.

Maul resumed his personal accord, his tone growing even colder and more sinister. It was now seething with so much anger that he was essentially hissing his words out.

"I will only say this once, master Jedi. Since I share a bond with your padawan, I share all of his thoughts, his feelings, and his mind. If I so much as hear a word reach out from your mind to his, I will break every bone in this boy's body, gouge out his eyes, and leave him to die in the desert sand, bleeding out of his guts. Do not try to come near this system. Any presence the boy feels, I will feel the same; and if I feel so much as a sliver of your Force signature, I will cut every limb off of his body and let you listen in agony as I stab him through the heart and he cries out in insufferable pain. Do you understand, master Jedi?"

Kanan was speechless, his mind was only imagining the horror of anything happening to Ezra. He couldn't fathom what he just heard, and he knew Maul could do all that he just said. Maul was not one to fool around, and the tone in his voice just proved that all the more.

How did this get so bad?

Reluctantly, Kanan responded meekly into the com-link.

"Yes."

Maul gave a slight grunt of approval.

"Very good, master Jedi. As long as you keep your word, the boy will not be harmed, at least, any more than he already is."

And with that, the transmission ended. Kanan stood there, dumbfounded and full of intense rage. Maul would never keep his promise and he knew it, but he didn't want to put Ezra's life at risk; or at least, at more risk than he was at now. He wanted to activate the com-link once more, just to see if Ezra was okay, just to see if he was even breathing: but he couldn't even have that assurance with him. After what Maul just threatened, he couldn't take that chance. Not that it would have mattered; the transmission ended with a loud crunching noise, indicating Ezra's com-link and tracker had been destroyed.

Kanan threw the comlink away from himself, so far that if he had his vision, it would be completely out of sight. He stood there in disbelief, sorrowful and regretful. He cursed at himself, he cursed at the air, at anything and everything that was surrounding him. He stood there at the border of Chopper Base, angry at himself and at the galaxy. There was no one who could help Ezra now, himself of all people, and no one who knew where on the planet he was. Nothing could hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes.

I should've gone with him when I had the chance.