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Enjoy Chapter 2!


Ezra snarled as the red blades clashed. It was obvious that he was stronger than the other Inquisitorial candidate. The boy was nearly a head shorter than him, and his form was sloppy. The boy's eyes were wild as he tried to just keep Ezra at bay, but it was useless. Ezra knew he had this in the bag.

There was a gap in the boy's defenses, and Ezra thrust his saber in, stabbing the boy's hand and forcing him to drop his saber. The boy howled in pain, dropping into a crouch as he cradled his ruined hand.

Ezra let out an exhale, retracting his blade and standing straight. He had done it. He had won.

Over the sound of harsh sobbing, there was clapping. Ezra turned to see his master smirking at him from the observation deck. "Congratulations, apprentice." She looked pointedly at the defeated boy. "It seems you have damaged Fifth Brother's candidate."

Ezra only glanced at his opponent, who was still cradling his smoldering hand which had been sliced down the middle.

"Kill him."

Ezra's stomach clenched as he looked back up at his master. He wanted to be absolutely sure he had heard her correctly because he had never killed anyone before. Maimed and dismembered, sure, but kill?

His master's gaze hardened. "Now."

Ezra's breathing shuddered as he looked back at his defeated opponent. He swallowed and nodded, feeling sick. He didn't have any other choice. Any sign of hesitance always resulted in an afternoon in the interrogation chamber and an evening having his mind violated by his master. She always punished him with such exuberant glee, he knew she looked for any slip up as an excuse to discipline him.

"N-No please…!"

Ezra snarled and thrust his arm forward, knocking the other Inquisitorial candidate back against the wall. The boy was a couple years younger than him, but he couldn't let that fact stay his hand. He had been forced to fight older candidates too, but he had fought back. He didn't beg. He did what he had to do in order to appease his master.

The boy was crying and blubbering as he struggled against the Force hold. Ezra ignited his saber, bathing them both in red light. He took a small inhale as he raised it and then thrusted it through the boy's chest.

There was a shudder in the Force before the life drained from the boy. Simultaneously, the light slowly faded from his eyes until his body was limp and lifeless against the wall.

Ezra retracted the blade and quickly turned around, ignoring the nausea caused by the smell of charred flesh. One would think he would have gotten used to it by now, but if anything, it had gotten worse with every bout of sparring.

"Very good, apprentice," his master said. "You're finally learning to be ruthless."


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