3: Past, Present, Destiny

Deep in the northern jungles of Kashyyk, Xenos wandered still. It had been almost four hours since he'd set out to find this cave, but thus far he had barely managed to encounter anything even worth eating, much less looking at. His mind had remained clouded for most of they day, and although the humidity was thin now that it was late in the afternoon, the hot air that replaced it was close to unbearable.

"Deal with it, weakling. It's only a little hot air," His Sith training was definately still there, but now a more soothing, comforting voice challenged it.

Although he had been without water for most of the day, save for a few sips from some thick leaves, Xenos felt almost completely hydrated. Through his Jedi training, he'd learned many things about the force, but was only just beginning to utilize it. It had supplied him with the energy and means necessary for travel on this thick-aired planet, yet he still felt himself being exhausted. Finally, reaching some shade and a large rock, he sat down and allowed himself time to relax.

"There there, weakling," the dark side hissed through his mind, "I'm sure another crazed Wookiee will be along shortly to eat you whole anyway."

"Patients, youngling," a much softer voice stoutly retorted, "You are much closer than you realise..."

Xenos looked around, sensing tremendous force energy suddenly, and that's when he'd seen it. A few meters up from where he was sitting, the gaping mouth of a short cave sat in the side of a tall hill. Taking notice to some thick shrubbery and trees, he knew the climb looked deceivingly easier than it actually would be. He took a deep breath, stood up, and marched in its direction.

It had taken quite some time for the smoke and debris to clear from the narrow corridor where the burnt corpse of Kardol Shrata'al lay in a smelly pile of crisp organs and limbs. Malik was already accustomed to this smell, however Nores Kree was not. Malik watched from the shadows where the Neimoidian had hidden before as the descendant of Darth Maul slowly, and cautiously, waded into the dark room. Malik grinned widely, and almost had a hard time controlling his joy at finally fooling his former rival's senses.

Malik could feel the dark side of the force concealing him, and as he looked down, he noticed he was nearly invisible to himself as well as the Darminian Zabrak below. He had yet to gain full control of the force, but his knowledge of it was vast thanks to the Sith Holocron, which now sat uselessly in the center of the room. Nores stopped, smelling Malik's now dry blood on the floor, and knew he had been wounded. Though it was blatantly obvious to him that Malik was here, he couldn't sense where.

"What's wrong, human," Nores hissed through the darkness, "too afraid to face your fate?"

"My fate," Malik's voice echoed throughout the tomb, amplified by the force, "My fate will be that of a true Sith legend, while yours will end in slow, agonizing misery..."

Nores jerked his head in all directions attempting to locate the direction of the sound, but it was futile. He drew his light saber, along with Kod'lock's, and began to try feeling his way around the room, reaching out with the dark side. Malik cringed slightly, feeling disgustingly violated as Nores' force passed through him. Though Malik had felt it, Nores still couldn't locate him.

"Show yourself, coward," Nores hissed, however his voice was becoming less confident with each breath, "Face me as a true Sith."

"Do not speak of what a true Sith is," Malik roared back, loudly, and Nores felt his ears bleeding slightly, "Yours is the power given to you through blood, while mine stems from the true will of the dark side of the force!"

As Nores felt his head pounding wildly, and his ears bleeding profusely, he screamed in pain. It felt as if the very air around him were collapsing, and as Malik approached him from behind, he dropped his weapons, and knelt in pain. His screams filled the air with a sort of revitalizing sound, or at least that's how Malik felt. After two long years of being constantly hunted, attacked, and scrutinized by Nores, the sad excuse for a Sith was finally on his knees before Malik.

"As I told your friend Kardol," Malik whispered, kneeling to face Nores, "You lack the power to defeat me."

In a fury of dark rage, Nores immediately took up both sabers he'd dropped, and rushed at Malik in a crazed flourish. Drawing both his weapons as well, Malik deflected and dodged the Sith student's attacks with ease. He had broken Nores' mind, and before he was finished, he planned to break his soul, and then finally, his body. The Darminian Zabrak was lashing out with all his might, yet Malik only allowed the charade to last a few moments. He wanted Nores to feel as if he stood a chance, and then crush that spark of hope in an instant. He wanted his rival to feel all the things he'd made others feel before making them perish, and he would.

As Nores damaged the walls, and littered the air with sparks of embers and force lightning, Malik finally pushed him back with incredible might. The blast had been more potent than Malik intended it to be, but he didn't care in the least. Nores moaned in pain, and as he fell to the cold, dark ground, the massive gash in the wall where he'd hit it crumbled slightly. Slowly, Malik stepped forward, retracting his sabers, and lifted Nores in the air by his neck, using the force. He tried his best not to squeeze too hard, as he wanted the Sith to suffer even longer.

"Your time as a Sith is over," he growled, feeling his rage blossom into hatred, "and now..."

Unleashing the full fury of his anger, Malik slammed the Sith student multiple times into every wall, making even more gashes, and then finally down to the ground hard. Nores spit up blood, but was helpless against Malik's overwhelming power and might. As he struggled to get on his hands and knees, he looked up at Malik, and finally Malik could see the look of lost hope on the descendant's face. At first, he'd felt joy, but seeing that look began to turn his stomach, and without thinking or hesitating, he unleashed a fury of red lightning that filled the room, along with Nores Kree's cries of agonizing pain.

Malik's power had grown immensely, and as he unleashed the force on his rival's corpse, he felt both pleasure and release, for he had finally brought an end to this arrogant fool. The lightning streaming from his finger tips slowly began to burn and distort the former Sith's dead body into an unrecognizable pile of flesh, and soon, there was almost nothing left of his former rival. Finally, Malik settled himself, and began to laugh within his chest. It rose ever louder, and as the spark of dark insanity rose within him, his laughter filled the tomb entirely.

It had taken Xenos only a half hour to reach the cave's entrance, which didn't surprise him. He'd always been doted upon for his speed, for he was swift inside and outside of combat. Kashyyk had actually been a great training ground for him, mostly because it forced him to stay hidden while he traveled. The last thing he wanted to do here was attract the wrong attention, and he had come close with the crazed Wookiee he knew had followed him back.

As he took his first step inside, the voices in his head began to argue once again. He stepped back, and allowed himself a moment to clear his mind. The conflict of dark and light force within him was too much of a distraction, and he needed to be fully focussed in this cave. He could sense something familiarly desolate inside, and once he'd purged his mind entirely, he walked inside.

For the most part, the cave was empty, save for the insects that inhabited its dripping walls. As Xenos slowly drew deeper inside, he cautiously made notes of his surroundings, and mentally marked key locations so as to find his way back out. It was natural for both Sith and Jedi to think of an escape plan if the need arose, and they were trained well in the art. He remembered his Sith master's training, but he refused to use anything related to the dark side. From now on, he meant only to be a Jedi, and he would destroy the Sith at all costs.

About half an hour into the cave, he began to notice it changing. Turning around, he saw that he was somewhere completely different, yet still inside the cave. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming sense of both failure and dispair as he soon realised he was lost. His anger rose like a tsunami in the ocean of his mind, but he managed to control it. This is a test, he thought to himself, it has to be...

He ventured on, and began to notice strange, glowing insignias carved into the wall as if with some kind of magic...or force. Taking a closer look, he saw the strange markings move, and recognized them as some long forgotten language as they swirled around wildly, and in random directions. As if for no clear reason, he backed away in slight fear and confusion, and found himself bumping into a person. He wheeled around, and saw an unfamiliar face before him. By the look of his robes, Xenos could clearly tell that he was a Jedi, but his eyes were nothing but dark holes, void of life.

Without knowing it himself, Xenos was now face to face with Galen Merek, a powerful force wielder, and one of Lord Vader's secret apprentices at one point. The apparition waved a hand, gesturing to a much deeper part of the cave. Immediately upon seeing it, Xenos could feel a powerful concentration of force energy issuing from the abyssal hole in the cave's far wall. Xenos took a step back at first, realising that the person before him must have been only an apparition, but then he dashed forward, entering blindly into the deeper part of the cave.

Malik had made his way out of the tomb, and back to the academy by sundown. Surprisingly enough, Korriban's weather had proved favorable for him, and there wasn't even so much as a breeze in the air. Sensing that the duel had ended, supervisor Brycen had called all students to the atrium in honor of their academy's champion. Malik Kajil had barely walked through the massive sliding doors that led to the dining hall, and upon entering, he only scowled at the students.

"Look at them," the dark side echoed in his mind, "Such weak and desperate creatures, and hardly Sith at all...they are not worthy."

As the supervisor approached, placing his arm on Malik's shoulder as he did so, Malik felt his anger ensuing. The arrogance of these fools was astounding, and although normally it had never bothered him, he was now enlightened, and could not tolerate the ignorance. For now, he would allow the supervisor to speak, but he was slipping, and knew he would either need to leave soon, or he would snap.

"Attention padawans and acolytes," Brycen began, speaking through his jaw apparatus, "Before you stands a true Sith. Look on him and know that no matter how hard your training has been, you do not compare to him. He is without a doubt totally and completely above your standing in the New Sith Empire."

Malik smirked slightly, and was thankful that his dark red robes concealed his face mostly. As the supervisor continued his speech, Malik shut out the sound of his voice, and looked around. He looked on all the faces of the students, hating each of them tremendously, and slowly stepped forward. He felt the dark side begin to course through him, but then he saw her again. That same girl, the one with green eyes, who had stared at him as if into his very soul. Such a curious creature to him, and yet she seemed so incredibly...Sith. He could feel her curiosity of him, and as her eyes remained focussed on his imposing posture, he embraced it.

"Thank you, supervisor Brycen," Malik retorted to a comment on pure instinct, "My fellow students, among you sits only one Sith worthy of the dark side, while the rest of you lack what is necessary to rebuild our order truly."

The students began to grow angry, and Malik relished in it. He wanted them infuriated, unhinged by their anger, for he knew it would make them easier prey. He glanced at the girl with green eyes, who must have only been a year or two younger than him, and winked. Pacing back and forth, he continued to bash and insult the students. Soon, their screams of blasphemy, arrogance, and hatred filled the room, echoing exceptionally loud.

"SILENCE," Malik roared, using the force to amplify his voice into an explosion of sound that shook the entire atrium, "You are all nothing compared to me, yet there is one among you who shall be spared..."

Drawing his light saber, Brycen was the first to try and stop Malik, sensing his destructive intentions. Malik whirled in place, faster than the supervisor could even comprehend visually, and decapitated him on the spot. In slow motion, or at least to Malik it was, Brycen's head was sent flying back, while his body merely hemorrhaged, and shook uselessly on the ground after collapsing. The sabers had seared the wound, saving Malik from a shower of blood. Most of the students stood in place, enraged, while a few others ran for the doors as Brycen's lifeless head bounced uselessly away from his corpse.

Malik rejoiced in the intense fear, feeling all the students become both terrified and enraged. Seeing the cowards attempt to escape both disgusted and amused him simultaneously, and he grimaced aggressively in hatred. Raising his right hand, he forced all the doors to close, and pulled three of the fleeing students from across the room to the air in front of him.

Glaring, he felt the rush of the dark side once more, and as it coursed through him like a raging river, he grinned. It felt good to have this much power; to feel this much power. In an instant, he threw both his arms apart, and the students' painful screams were immediately silenced in a blood splattered frenzy of disembowelment as they were ripped apart by the force.

The other students could only watch in horror as the limbs, heads, and vital organs of their former compatriots fell to the ground in a bloody cluster of death. It was now obvious as to just how powerful Malik had truly become, and all were now filled with fear. Simultaneously, every padawan, acolyte, and Sith student drew their sabers to challenge Malik, and he simply smirked as the force empowered him tremendously, and he revealed his dual sabers.

The apparition of Galen Merek had vanished when Xenos dashed into the cave's inner sanctum, yet he still felt the old Jedi's presence. This part of the cave led to a large, empty, room-like structure, and the only present things intriguing to the eye were a few more strange markings, and the massive meditation circle drawn on the middle of the circular ground. Xenos guesstimated that he was about twenty feet up from the ground, and without hesitating, made a jump for it.

At first, his foot had slipped on the edge, but he managed to catch himself on the rocky surface with his left hand. Looking down, he couldn't see a bottom to the pit that extended below his dangling legs. Way to go, Xenos, he though to himself, you can't even make a simple jump. Carefully, he hoisted himself back up to the circular meditation symbol, and walked to the center of it. The force was strong here, yet there was no way to distinguish which side was more prominent. In this one spot, the force was perfect; it was balanced.

He sat down, and meditated calmly for what at first seemed like mere minutes. About six hours later, the sound of a saber being extinguished from its hilt snapped him out of his deep trance. Suddenly, he felt revitalized completely, and the presence of the dark side of the force was gone. There was only light now, and he soon realised why upon opening his eyes.

Before him stood a pale, violet haired Sith, carrying a red saber, and boasting one mechanical arm made entirely of a thick, carbon-fiber steel alloy. Both eyes had been slashed wide open from the cheek bones to his hair line, and he had robotic implants on his right temple. He realised that he was seeing himself, or at least what he would become, should he fall to the dark side once again. He drew his light saber, which now had a smooth, purple light issuing from it, and challenged the Sith.

Immediately, their sabers clashed, and both flourished similarly. The only noticable differences were that the Sith was using a strong style, while Xenos used a calm, fluent style. Enraging the Sith further, Xenos opted to merely dodge and toy with him until his anger got the better of him. This turned out to be a bad idea, however, and Xenos was choked, and then tossed into a protruding rock spire on the western wall of the cave by the force.

Getting up swiftly, he cringed as he felt pain shoot through his right shoulder. Reaching over, he felt the blood dripping from it, and saw it staining his shirt. Feeling his rage grow somewhat, he heard his master's words echo through his mind, ushering him to control his rage. Finally snapping out of the pull to the dark side, Xenos tightened his focus, and went on the offensive. In four swift strokes, he had busted the Sith's defenses wide open, and severed the non-mechanical arm completely, which took the red saber with it. Turning on the spot in a tornado kick, the heel of his boot collided with the Sith's lower jaw, and knocked his dark self off the circular battleground into the bottomless pit.

Xenos glared down and watched as the creature that used to be the dark part of him vanished forever. Suddenly, he felt a surge of powerful force energy flow through his entire body, touching everything on him from head to toe, and it were as if all the knowledge of the light side were beckoning to him. He began to meditate again, and didn't awaken from his trance for an entire day.

His mind raced through the past, and he saw countless Jedi Knights and Masters, the techniques they had perfected, the feats they'd accomplished, and even the Sith Lords who'd fallen to their might. He took deep breaths, subconsciously, and as he took in all the information being bestowed upon him, his body grew more attuned to the force.

About twenty four hours had passed when he finally emerged from the cave, and his wisdom had changed him. Across the galaxy, he could sense the powerful Sith who threatened to destroy everything in his path, and Xenos now knew why he had been given these gifts. It would take years to master, but when he was ready, he would destroy the Sith, as a younger part of his soul had once dreamed of doing.