Chapter 3

I cannot give up. Kram, his mind, floating free in the nothing, far removed from his body, from his pain, thought to himself. I cannot give up so easily. He willed himself to wake up, and physically his eyes opened. And he regretted it in an instant.

His entire body was wracked with pain and he could not move at all. Around him the stench from the monsters filled the air. It was still night as he looked up, lying on his broken back.

I must continue on. He tried to enter a healing trance but the pain was too much as he lost concentration. It can't end like this. There must be something I could do.

He lapsed out of consciousness again, but then became aware soon after. He was not sure how long he was out, but something had stirred him. He felt a presence nearby. In fact there were many presences, and he could see them all. Monsters of all shapes and colors were flying around him, though they all shared the same serpentine look.

Why do they not attack me? Kram wondered to himself. He was defensively, that much was sure. His lightsaber lay somewhere under the pile of decaying corpses. If the monsters were to attack now he would be finished. Kram noticed one of the monsters, with an elongated head and fangs near him, its mouth open. He prepared himself for the end.

"Do you wish to move?" It spoke to him. Kram was completely taken by surprise. He did not the monster to not attack him, let alone talk to him. For a moment Kram merely stared at the creature, hovering only mere inches from his face, when he finally found a response. He tried to mouth the words, but could only think them.

Yes.

"You wish to move, so that you may continue your adventure?" The creature said. "You do not wish for everything to end now?"

Kram did not truly understand what was going on. Why would this creature help him, after the others had nearly killed him? But what the monster spoke was true.

Yes.

"If you give us your body, you will be able to move again."

Kram wondered what this meant, but at the moment he would have given anything to move once more. He did not want to end here.

I do. I give you my body. Just please, let me move.

"Very well." The creature entered Kram's body, and hundreds of others followed it. Kram felt like he would burst, the pain was too much. If he could have yelled he would have. Instead he felt the Force begin to warp around him. Trees began to wither and die, animals ran away. He felt as if he was losing himself and he struggled to hold on. It was the least he could do. Something began to burn him but before he could do anything, everything was gone in darkness.

-

It was very strange, being able to move once more. The demons had helped him, that much he knew. When the demons entered his body, he became reborn, and he gained knowledge of the world he was in. A world where the monsters, demons, ran free. Now his deal with the demons had granted him a new body, and a new power.

His clarity through the Force gave him new insight to what he had become. He was much more than a mere man now, even more than a mere Jedi. His perception of the Force changed, as he felt his own aura and being change. He knew, somehow, that his bonding with the demons had done this. Their own dark energies, mixed with his, had changed him immensely. He knew this was the dark side, but it felt so right. After all, he had what he wanted: a new body to move with, to continue his adventures with.

But now his adventures seemed out of place. He was a new being, one that had no need for adventures, but something more. He needed power. Power was what suited him, since he had become a being of power. And the demons gave him knowledge of such a power, something called the Shikon Jewel. This item would give him the power he needed, plus something that his former self would appreciate: a new adventure.

His former self, he thought. In that case he was indeed something new. He would have to disband all identity of his former self, except his craving for new adventures. But he needed a new name. One that would exemplify the darkness that he had become a part of. His new name:

Antu. Darkness.