Ezra blocked it with his blade and dodged another swing. Maul was attempting to convince him to join him once again. "Listen to me, Ezra! He has to be destroyed! He robbed me of my destiny! He abandoned me and left me for dead! You must understand!"
Ezra threw a punch, which Maul easily blocked with his free hand. "Stop this, Ezra! You won't win against me!" Ezra looked to Obi-Wan, who lay in a heap on the ground, unconscious, after Maul had Force Pushed him into his home. "Maybe not, but I have to try! If you kill Obi-Wan, we might never learn how to destroy the Sith! Isn't that what we both want?"
Maul nodded. "Yes, we both want the same thing, but we can achieve our goals without Kenobi! You have to trust me, Apprentice!" Ezra frowned. Why does he keep calling me that? "I've told you countless times, I am not your Apprentice!"
Maul sighed, trying to keep his frustration and anger under control. "Ezra, your Master is manipulating you! He is diminishing your potential, your power! I am only trying to help you grow stronger, to help you realize what you can achieve if you focus your hate and learn to exploit your allies for your own purposes!" Ezra shook his head, "You're lying. He's teaching me how to use my powers for good, unlike you!"
Maul chuckled. "Is that what he told you? Your friends don't really care for you, you're just a means to an end for them, nothing more! They don't know you, Ezra. Not like I do. They will never understand how powerful you are, how much promise you show! I can teach you so much more than that Jedi filth ever could!" The former Sith ranted.
Maul had disarmed Ezra now, pinning the young boy to the wall of Obi-Wan's hut with the Force. "Join me, and we will bring peace to the galaxy once more! We will overthrow Vader and the Emperor, and we shall rule the galaxy in their place!" Ezra tried to convince himself that Maul was trying to manipulate him, to use him.
But Ezra had to admit that Maul was right. Kanan and the others didn't understand him, not really. They probably never would. Maul released his hold on him, allowing Ezra to move again. Checking himself for any injuries he may have sustained during their brief duel, Ezra thought about what Maul had said. The offer was tempting, sure, but Ezra didn't want galactic conquest. He wanted to eliminate the Empire.
Doing this Maul's way would be causing chaos and death. "Power-hungry much?" Ezra asked rhetorically. Maul held his head in his hands, beginning to feel like he would never get through to him. "How can I make you understand? What must I do so that you will see things through my eyes?" Ezra turned to inspect Obi-Wan's home, not being able to come up with an answer to the Zabrak's question.
"I don't know." He replied. Maul was amused by this, much to Ezra's surprise. He decided to try a different approach. "Hm. Ezra, I understand that your parents were killed by the Empire recently." Ezra was taken aback by the statement. "How did you know that?"
"I probed your mind while you were unconscious on my ship earlier. I learned a lot about you. We have so much in common, you and I."
Ezra narrowed his eyes. "Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Well, both of our parents were killed by the Empire, my brother included. We both want the recognition we deserve but don't have, among other things. We are more alike than you know."
Ezra shook his head. "No, we may have some things in common with each other, but you are a monster, a killer. I'm not like you." Maul growled, "Others might disagree." Ezra scoffed. "Really? Who, your brother? I bet he was a psychopath, too!" Maul hit the kid across the face with such force that Ezra's head snapped back and he lost his balance, falling to the ground. "DO NOT SPEAK OF SAVAGE LIKE THAT!"
Ezra crawled away from him, frightened by this sudden outburst. Maul stood over him, his expression one of rage. "YOU DID NOT KNOW HIM! YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT KIND OF PERSON HE WAS!" He pulled back his arm to hit him again, but halted when he noticed the look of fear on Ezra's face.
Lowering his arm, he tried to calm himself. He held out a hand, Ezra hesitating for a moment before reluctantly taking it. Helping Ezra to his feet, he noticed that the kid looked as if he would start crying. Softening his tone, he apologized, but said in a threatening manner, "But know this: If you ever speak ill of my brother again, you will live to regret it. Am I clear on that?"
Ezra nodded. Maul smiled, satisfied with the answer. "Good. I hope we can move past this, and move on to bigger and better things, like Kenobi." Ezra gave no response, afraid Maul would lash out again. He noticed that Obi-Wan had regained consciousness. "You shouldn't treat your friends that way." The aging ex-Jedi remarked.
Maul turned to face his enemy. "SILENCE! Who are you to tell me how to behave? You took everything from me! I am nothing because of you!" Obi-Wan shrugged. "You still have your life. Be grateful for that." Maul pointed at him and snarled menacingly, "Yes, but you will not have yours for much longer, Kenobi!" Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber once more, Maul doing the same. "Walk away, Maul! I don't want to do this. You can still turn back. Don't force me to do this."
Maul tightened his grip on his lightsaber. "You don't have a choice, Kenobi! This will either end with your death, or mine, and I always survive, every time!"
Obi-Wan prepared himself to become one with the Force, if it came to it. "We'll just see about that, won't we?"
Ezra tried to think of a way to get them to avoid fighting to the death with each other, but his mind drew blanks. He couldn't think of anything. "Wait!" He shouted desperately. "What is it now, Ezra?!" Maul demanded, annoyed by the interruption. "Obi-Wan is right, you don't have to do this! You could just-"
"ENOUGH, Ezra! I will not retreat! I have worked too hard and lost too much to give up now! Kenobi and I will finish this, once and for all, here and now!" Ezra desperately searched his mind for a response. He had to keep Maul from killing his old foe.
As Maul focused his attention on Kenobi yet again, Ezra ran at Maul and tackled him, sending his weapon flying out of his hands. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, EZRA?! STOP THIS BEHAVIOR!" Maul screamed, infuriated. Ezra sat on his chest, refusing to listen to him. "No! I told you we need him alive! I will do everything in my power to keep him that way!"
Maul stared at him, the fury evident in his expression. "Then you give me no other choice. I'm sorry, Ezra." He used the Force to shove Ezra away from him and Obi-Wan, stunning him for the moment. He ignites his lightsaber and sighed irritability. "Now, where were we?" Then he charged Kenobi, resuming their duel.
