I Am No Jedi: Ahsoka x Reader

Chapter 71

sorry for the long wait y'all. chappie is finally out

There was a millisecond before he was crushed beneath the weight of the Temple, when everything suddenly become starkly clear.

Time seemed to freeze and the burning in y/n's muscles, the strain in his joints, the mental fatigue, dissipated.

When he blinked again, everything was swathed in darkness. But it didn't hide the Zabrak that stood in the middle of the nothingness.

Maul turned to face y/n, making a sound that was a mix between a derisive snort and a growl. He had his hands behind his back and his yellow eyes gleamed faintly in the blackness.

"So, the mirror image has found his way back into my mind..." Maul mused darkly. He observed y/n with narrowed eyes. "It seems that you've gotten yourself into some trouble, is it?"

Surprised, y/n followed the Zabrak's gaze, and saw the long fragment of rock that had impaled itself in his thigh. His arms, his back, and his face were covered in scratches and were lazily dripping blood, but he felt no pain.

Maul looked up into the darkness surrounding them, then gave a grim smile.

"Ironic, isn't it?" he drawled, a hint of deadly rage in his voice. "My brother – our brother – Savage, was killed by a Sith lord not long ago. Now you, a Jedi, are about to die under the weight of a Jedi Temple."

"How did you survive?" y/n demanded, suddenly, fighting off the shock that he had once again found his way into a liminal existence with the Sith.

Scowling, Maul slowly approached him. "Is that why you're here? To try and escape death, like I did?" He sucked in a breath of air sharply. "I was simply...too angry to die." Then he gave a twisted laugh, throwing his head back and baring his yellow teeth.

"You see," Maul continued, his eyes glinting with a mix of abated hatred and sadistic joy, "Kenobi was my one reason for living. I wanted revenge. I wanted to see him suffer. My sheer hatred for him allowed me to survive my injuries."

The Zabrak paused, then sneered at y/n. "But you could never do that. You Jedi are too weak to embrace hatred. Is it true that you even gave up Juyo for that weaker version of Vaapad? Disappointing, truly. To think that I considered teaching you...there was so much more you could have learned-"

"I don't want your guidance," y/n interrupted.

"Well, isn't that why you're here?" Maul said. "Trying to repeat what I once did. Fortunately for you, I think your death would be a waste of potential, so I will give you some guidance."

He made a slow circle around y/n. "Tell me, what do you hate? Betrayal? Being thrown aside, left for dead?"

The Jedi hesitated for a second, then shook his head. "Nothing."

"Lies!" Maul hissed loudly, a sneer on his features.

Then his face relaxed a moment later and drew into a small, crooked smile. "Then, what do you love, little Jedi?"

y/n knew the answer immediately, but he stayed silent. It was enough for the Zabrak to give a small nod.

"Very good," Maul said, continuing his slow, circular pacing around the Jedi. "Your utmost hatred is simple: the absence of the thing – the person – you love."

The Zabrak started to fade away, moulding into the darkness around them. "My offer still stands, little mirror image. If one day you wish to join me," he tapped his temple, "You know where to find me."