Rhaine Panbreedle fell to his knees in front of the dark robed figure
that stood before him. Deep within Rhaine"s chest, inside the very core of
his being, a storm raged, growing more intense with every passing
second. Memories of pain, anger and anguish rushed up from the long
forgotten depths of the young man"s soul, filling Rhaine"s thoughts with
dark and ominous desires. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears,
each beat of his heart sending a wave of agony pulsing through his body.
The man standing before him, seemingly a demon cloaked in shadow,
extended a hand, placing it upon Rhaine"s shoulder. It felt like ice, like
death. The being spoke, a terrible voice that had haunted Rhaine"s
nightmares, a voice that belonged in a crypt.
“You can no longer deny the true nature of your being. I know the
pain you feel. It is pain caused by others. Your entire life you have known you were meant for something greater, yet those around you have held
you back.”
Rhaine shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn"t
bear to listen to any more of the dark man"s evaluation, yet he could not
escape; there was no escaping the truth.
“You are talented; your life should have been a success. Yet it
seems that every endeavor you undertake ends in failure, ends in tragedy.
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Anything you have desired, you have destroyed. Anything you
have touched, you have tainted and tarnished.”
Tears streamed down Rhaine"s cheeks, his body racked by
uncontrollable sobs. Placing his head in his hands, he tried to protest,
tried to deny the man"s claims, but Rhaine"s voice was barely more than a
whimper, “No…please…no!”
The shadow man gripped Rhaine"s shoulder tighter.
“I alone know how you suffer, I alone can help you. I understand
your misery. I have felt it, too. I assure you it is not your fault. You are indeed meant for great things, you only have to embrace your true
potential. Let go, allow your emotions to surge through you. Feel the
power created by your suffering, created by your mistreatment, created by
your rage.”
Rhaine"s breath came in gasps. The darkness swelling in his chest
felt as if it would crush his heart and tear it from his body at any moment.
The entire universe seemed to fade away, swirling away into nothing, until
all that remained was a voice inside his head.
“Your failures are not your own. You have extended yourself
selflessly for others, for those you care about, and they repaid you with
betrayal. Those you care most about care least about you. Search your
feelings; you know it to be true. I know how you have sacrificed your own
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well-being for them, for nothing. I also know that, in comparison, all the
suffering you have endured is nothing when compared to the absolute
anguish you have felt because of her. She hurt you. For no reason, she betrayed you. You loved her with your soul and in return she ripped it
from your body, only to toss it away like another meaningless toy!”
Rhaine surged to his feet, a tremendous energy surging through his
body, filling the man with dark ecstasy. He felt himself screaming, but the voice was one he had never heard before, “NOOOOOOOOOO!”
Rhaine lashed out at the man before him. Although his fist came
nowhere near connecting, the dark robed man flew backward, landing
prone twenty feet away.
Darth Iratus climbed to his feet, laughing as he brushed off his
robes. “Yes! Yes! Now you know; you can feel the power of the dark
side flowing through you! You can feel your true potential!”
Rhaine could not deny the man"s words. A power swirled through
his veins, heightened his senses. For the first time in his life, Rhaine
Panbreedle felt truly alive. How wrong he had been to doubt this man,
Darth Iratus, the only one who knew his suffering, the only one who cared.
Iratus" voice no longer sounded ominous or dark, it was a voice filled with
truth, with love.
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Rhaine rushed toward Iratus and flung himself at the Sith Lord"s
feet. Grasping the hem of Iratus" robes, Rhaine pleaded with the man,
tears of joy streaming down his face. “Please…please teach me…Master.
You are right, you were always right! Please…I will do whatever you ask
of me…please…”
Rhaine felt Iratus place his hand once more upon his shoulder, yet
this time there was nothing cold or uncomfortable in the feeling. Instead, it seemed an embrace of warmth and love. Rhaine turned his tear stained
face toward Iratus and listened as the Sith spoke the words that would
forever change his life.
“I gladly accept you as my apprentice. You have tasted only a
fraction of the true power that will be yours. Together we will right the
wrongs of the galaxy and make suffer those who have wronged us.
Rhaine Panbreedle was weak, and had to die. The weak deserve their
fate. You are from this day reborn, a being of absolute power and control.
Rise Darth Malorum, and take your rightful place by my side.”
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