Seraph

He was dying, the ember of his spirit slowly smoldering. It had been foolish to come here, but He was not able to resist the call. Once He had a taste, He knew He had to have more. And He did. Though the burning need raged at Him, He had been patient, ignoring the hunger and preying upon lesser creatures until He found another Forceling. And then another. And then another. Force users of all kinds, although He discovered that Jedi were easiest to lure. He found afterward that something amazing happened. His power and strength grew at an unprecedented rate. No one could resist him. That alone, much less the satisfaction, drove Him to continue His reckless path.

The fire of His need drove Him to planets such as Felucia where the strong Force presence promised Him the possibility of more Forcelings. He remained for nearly a decade until it was clear He had scavenged what He believed He could. He discovered Byss almost three decades after that. He found it far more pleasing than Felucia. The darkness called to Him, whispered every fulfillment of His desires. He was feral, completely drunk on power and the chase.

And He was now paying for it with his life.

It was only five years since He came to Byss. Five blissful years. The Forcelings finally became crafty enough to evade Him, even though it took them in great numbers to do so. It had been nearly a month since His last meal, however, and He was dying. There was no way off-planet, an option He was loathe to consider, yet was desperate enough to try. He wallowed in a cave now, the rain tempestuous outside while He sank into the mud.

Any time He looked back upon this moment, he was certain it was of the Force. For something miraculous happened. A being with a strong presence suddenly appeared in His mind, burning brighter and brighter as if it were coming closer to Him. And then, He heard the voice of the other bright presence, a female.

"You're insane."

"So you often tell me." The male voice was smooth, but dark.

"He'll kill you." the female voice persisted.

"He's too weak." the male countered.

"You don't need Him." The female seemed to become more agitated. "If He was able to kill this many already, what do you think -"

"Perhaps He's not worth it-" the male interrupted, his irritation muted. "-or, perhaps He is."

Nothing more was said as they were foolish enough to approach Him, laying in the back of His cave. Starving, he tried to stand, but failed. Unless His prey was willing, there was no way he would be able to effectively hunt in this state. He would have to rely upon His wits, which were not the best at the moment. Yet, it was His last remaining option if He wanted to live. For the first time in a long time, He wished He had prey that was not a Forceling. It required so much more skill and cunning.

"This is Him?" the female retorted. "He's not much, I'll give you that."

He opened His eyes just in time to hear the male to respond. "He's starving." the male said thoughtfully, gazing down at him. "We have come to kill you." the male said to Him nonchalantly, as if discussing the weather.

"Why?" He rasped out, behaving as if He were clueless and using whatever strength was left within Him to assure it was convincing.

The male's mouth suddenly parted in a beaming smile, showing teeth. "By the Force...if I wasn't already alerted, I do believe I might buy what you're selling." The male chuckled. "Unfortunately, my friend, I know just how dangerous you are. I'm afraid your power will not work upon me."

He closed his eyes, deciding to continue to play stupid, hoping the male would come closer. "I do not understand." He said.

The male's eyes narrowed, sobering. "You must be desperate...yes, I can tell you are. Your power is weak." Instead of stepping closer to Him, the male stepped away. "You have been quite troublesome, you know...'Menace of Byss', they call you. A surprising number of bodies you've racked up and in, what, just six years?"

"Five." He managed to rasp, realizing there was no use as His spirit fell into despair.

The male nodded curtly. "Indeed." There was a thoughtful pause and then, "Do you know, Menace, how desperate these people must be to call upon me? I was essentially banned. I never believed I would see the day when I would return here, much less at request." The male stroked his chin, eyes never leaving Him. "That means you must be exceptionally troublesome. I may have use of you yet."

"Fortean -" the female started.

"Silence!" the male barked, his power sparking to the fore with a surge of anger.

Save for the rain, there was a sudden, heavy quiet in the cave. "You have two options, Menace." the male said, calm again, but with irritation at the female still simmering just below the surface. "One, I kill you right here, right now. I will take your body back as proof you are dead."

He said nothing, waiting for the male to continue with the other option. When the silence drew out, He finally spoke up. It was painful. "And the other choice?"

"I will feed you and train you. You will learn the ways of the Force. You will learn control and discipline, so you are never in this position ever again." The male's eyes narrowed. "And you will obey me in all things."

When He did not immediately answer, the male spoke up again. "You choose now, or I will choose for you." A lightsaber was suddenly in his hand and activated, it's red gleam shining ominously in the grim darkness.

"I will obey you." He managed to say. There was no other way. Perhaps when he grew strong enough he could kill the male and have his freedom, but for now he held all the cards. "Now please...I must eat."

The male's lips widened in a wicked smile. "Excellent." The lightsaber flew back into the hilt. "Discordya, get Taj."

The female wanted to protest, He could feel it. Yet she didn't, instead turning to do as the male bid. The male continued to stare down at Him. "Your meal will be here shortly. Once you have some strength, you will come with me to my ship where you will be cleaned up."

He could only grunt an affirmation. The male continued. "You will not eat or kill, ever without my permission. Failure to obey this or any other command will result in your death. Do you understand?"

"Yes." He managed to say. He fell to the side in the mud. "But please...I must eat..."

"You will." the male assured firmly. "My name is Fortean, but you will call me 'master'. What do you call yourself, Menace?"

He felt himself start to pass out, his vision wavering then slowly darkening. His whisper was hoarse as he closed his eyes. "I burn."