"I would like to see you try."

A heartbeat passed in silence. Maul's eyes widened vague interest as if surprised at the resistance. After our first encounter he'd probably have thought this would've been an easy fight.

His eyes went over me, scanning me from head to toe, assessing the stance of my feet and my grip on the weapon. They noticed the armor especially, together with the multiple weapons attached to my belt. No scalpel this time.

"Hmm." He chuckled, picking up a slow pace that had him circling around me. "It seems you've followed my advice."

I cringed at the careful way he talked, the way he assessed each word before he spoke them. His voice was deep as gravel, the low hum resonating through the dark halls. This was his territory. The heart of the temple, the darkness that resided there, it was all too familiar to him. To me it was still a new feeling. Not foreign, but more like a thought that I could barely cling onto. I knew that if I stayed here too long I'd grow mad by the voices whispering in the dark.

It put me at a disadvantage, which meant that I'd have to finish this as soon as possible. "And what advice would that be?" My fingers tightened their grip on the hilt of the sword.

"Your anger is..." He closed his eyes as he walked, breathing in deeply, contently. Savouring the emotion as if it was the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted. It left me gritting my teeth as I followed his every step. "- burning, so fiercely. Raw, untamed." His eyes flared when they opened them again. He looked as if he could taste it himself and feel the unending power running through him.

There was a desire so evident on his features I almost wanted to revel in that emotion too. For a long time I'd thought that the anger was something to be feared, to be hidden. He seemed to think the exact opposite.

He snapped out of his trance and turned his gaze back to mine abruptly. "You would've made a good apprentice."

"Yours, you mean?" I lifted my brow, unimpressed. "Why would I follow you? A nobody, one who was discarded by his old master, who now roams the galaxy alone and forgotten without any true purpose aside from vengeance while endlessly obsessing over a simple jedi whom he will never defeat."

My feet started in the same dance he'd engaged in. It is time to fight back. My eyes dragged over his figure, the black rags he'd dressed in, the metal legs that clanged on the ground. My lip pulled up on one side in disgust. "I will never stoop that low."

Maul snarled in response and halted in his tracks, grasping for his lightsaber threatingly. "Careful, doctor."

My anger flared at the title. "It's 'your majesty' for you."

"Oh, yes." Another vicious smile appeared, gladdened at the new topic that arose. As if it was a snack he'd found, he snatched it. "Chosen queen of Valeria, saviour of Eagle's Fall, the last Phoenix and the Valkyrie. All magnificent titles." His voice turned mocking as he lowered his head. "All gone now, I hear."

My heart stilled as my feet did the same. He knew who I was and where I'd come from. I knew that it wouldn't take him long to find out, but it still scared me. It meant he knew about my people, which put them in danger. I'd have to finish him.

"All for one simple jedi." He used my own words against me. "One who doesn't even bother to protect you."

I huffed, glaring at him, waving away the red cape as it fell over my shoulder. "I don't need anyone to protect me." My anger was boiling. I could feel it coursing through me, awakening the power.

Maul laughed as if it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. My eyes narrowed at the sound, flames circling in my eyes. "Why is he not here?" He continued, pestering. He was trying to drive me over the edge, leave me unbalanced. I knew what he was planning but couldn't help but feel the fury rising within me. "Why leave you to me, alone, abandoned?"

"I didn't give him much of a choice." I realized my mistake too late to take it back and only managed to roll my eyes at my own stupidity.

His eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, but this is interesting." Maul took a step forward. Chasing the one thread he'd found, the one thing he knew he could use against me. "Because Kenobi would never let you go voluntarily, would he? No, judging from your anger, you fought." He smiled, amused. "Oh, Kenobi. After all this time he has the same weaknesses."

"I'm not his weakness, Maul." I hissed suddenly, eyes glowing with red flames. "And even if I was, I'm not anymore."

Maul seemed to delight in the fury I radiated. "So, he has abandoned you?" He started his track again. His eyes remained focussed on me, trying to find every emotion he elicited. "Left you all alone as if you were worth nothing at all?" Each word send daggers through my heart. The accuracy was frightening.

He took my silence for an answer. "We are not so different, after all." Maul seemed to contemplate that, his face contorting in thought. His fist balled as his eyes darted, unseeing. He was running a plan through his head, overthinking each turn.

Judging from the way his eyes lit up he'd decided. Then, in one swift move, he extended his hand towards me. It had me stepping back in confusion, eyes scanning his in search of any form of deceit. "Join me." He offered, his voice echoing through the halls. "Join me and together we will make him pay for abandoning us."

He was serious, I realized. I lifted my brows in response while he patiently waited. His chest rose and fell noticeably, his hand remaining outstretched while his eyes narrowed and his head cocked to the side slightly. His face turned into a frown and I could feel his temper rising until something else caught his attention.

Shadows rose. A darkness creeping in, swallowing us. I felt it slithering over my shoulders on both sides, as if hands were grasping them from behind. The shadows danced over my skin, like tiny currents flowing over my neck, until they solidified and clawed into the armor possessively.

A presence appeared behind me, towering over my figure, and a low growl rumbled through the hall. It felt as if something awakened deep beneath the earth, a force that could break down mountains. At the corner of my vision, I saw two shadowed wings stretching beside me, towering over everything in the temple. It was a display of power but little did the sith know that the Valerian wasn't really here to begin with.

Maul's eyes widened at the sight before him. They darted over the swirling shadows clinging onto me, to the black mass that now undoubtedly stood behind me with his red flaring eyes glaring at him from over my shoulder.

Territorial bastard.

I smirked while watching the fear and curiosity appear on Maul's face. Arthas, on the other hand, remained where he was. He merely watched attentively, not moving an inch. He wasn't going to hold me back or tell me what to do. No, he would let me fight alone if I wanted to. He was merely waiting for the word to jump in.

"I think you got the wrong impression, Maul." I stepped out of the shadows' grasp. "I'm not here to form an alliance. I'm here to bring you to justice."

He retracted his hand slowly, his gaze darkening. "I saw what you did." With my power I lit my sword aflame. The warm light lit up the room, vanquishing those shadows that'd crept onto us. I will do this alone.

The blade swung at my side, sparks flying around, till it was at my eye level and pointed right at him. "And I will avenge her death."

~

"No, no, no." Obi Wan sprinted towards the temple the moment he'd spotted it. He'd left the troopers that'd come with him somewhere in the middle of the forest, finding them too slow to wait for. He had to be faster. Every minute he'd wasted waiting for them to catch up could be a minute in which he could kill her.

His fear grew the moment he'd spotted the blood on the forest floor. He followed the tracks, the broken twigs and the drops leading the way, hoping each moment that it wasn't her blood that was spilled all over.

And now, now he'd finally found where they were. Only, there was a sith entrance blocking his path. "Anakin, how far away are you?" The jedi master activated his commlink the moment he saw the two handprints on the entrance. He heard the pounding of his heart in his ears, the blood rushing through his veins.

"From your location?" Anakin answered. "At least another hour." Obi Wan cursed under his breath, pacing in front of the entrance. "I'll be there as fast as I can, master."

"No, you'll be too late." The master ran his hand through his hair, cursing, his voice shaking. "Just... stay on the station, Anakin, I'll need you to call in reinforcements when I need them."

A low, rumbling voice disrupted the silence on the hill. "Maybe now would be the perfect time, then." Obi Wan's head shot to the side the moment he heard him, his hand reaching out to the saber attached to his belt. He could hear a distant reply from his friend but paid him no mind. He was seeing ghosts, after all.

Arthas smirked at the motions and his expression, casually leaning against the entrance with his arms crossed before his chest. He quirked one eyebrow, ignoring the shadows dancing around him. "Long time no see, master jedi."

"How..." Obi Wan stuttered. His eyes raked over his figure, the darkness that played around him, the skin that almost seemed translucent. Last time he saw him the Valerian had been breaking down an entire city and killing almost all the denizens. It had taken the queen's life to stop him but now, now it seemed that even that sacrifice had been in vain. He was back, while his body should've been frozen in time on the distant planet.

The jedi shook his head, deciding that the how could wait. He had only one priority at that moment. "Where is she?" He demanded.

Arthas smiled and rolled his eyes. "In there, smartass. Facing off against one of your old friends, I believe." No. He laughed when the fear in the jedi's eyes grew exponentially. "She's fine. In fact, she hasn't been better."

He couldn't trust the word of the murderous man before him. Especially not when he wasn't sure he was even real. "Let me in, Blackwing." Obi Wan ordered while pointing at the entrance.

"Pfff." The Valerian pushed himself off the wall. "She's where she belongs, jedi. You should let her go."

"Where she belongs?" Obi Wan glared at the man as he turned his back to him. His mind wandered, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. "Why did you bring her here, Arthas?" His blue eyes raked over his figure as he walked, wondering. Lyanna had told him he had appeared to her. He'd felt his presence at Coruscant but now he seemed stronger, more evident.

Then, Obi Wan realized. The moments he'd felt his presence the most were the moments Lyanna had lost control of her emotions. It were those moments where her anger took over, where the cage she'd locked herself in had burst. "You're feeding off her." Obi Wan whispered the moment he found out how. And here, in the sith temple, where fear and hatred ruled, his power would grow exponentially.

Arthas stilled in his tracks, looking over his shoulder. "You're using her to return, aren't you?" Obi Wan pushed, walking towards him while his hand grasped for his saber. "You send her here, knowing that the temple and Maul both would make her lose control. You're draining her, only to strengthen yourself."

Obi Wan's mind went back to the events that had transpired on Valeria. Derik had gone mad months prior to Arthas's awakening and had freed him from the cage in which he'd resided for hundreds of years. "Is that what you did to Derik? Is that how you convinced him to betray his family?"

"Oh, jedi." Arthas chuckled emotionlessly in response. "Always sticking their noses into things they don't understand."

"I understand enough." Obi Wan sneered. The pure fury in his voice made the Valerian turn around to face him, curiosity now etched into his features. "Now, let her go." The lightsaber ignited at his side.

"Pfft." His dark brown eyes rolled. "I'm helping her, jedi." Arthas spit, advancing. "Unlike you when you send her away."

"I did that for her. But you, you're killing her." The jedi didn't back away. "Provoking her, draining her, -" Those blue eyes narrowed while the Valerian gritted his teeth, eyes turning a flaring red. "- only for your own selfish reasons."

"You dare, -" Something seemed to snap in him. Arthas lunged suddenly, hand grasping for the jedi's throat. A gasp left his mouth when he felt the touch on his skin but as soon as it appeared, it changed into a cold caress.

Obi Wan was left staring into the brown eyes as they filled with frustration, frozen. Arthas's jaw clenched, eyes twitching with barely contained anger as he watched his fingers change into harmless shadows. He tried to tighten their hold but the shadows only danced over the skin. Those blazing red eyes connected with his as he snarled. "This isn't over, jedi."

He disappeared into a whisp of dark smoke. Obi Wan breathed out deeply, mind running haywire. If Arthas had grown this strong he feared for her condition, especially now that she was within a sith temple. Even fully trained jedi had turned mad in such places.

There was only one thing left for him to do. He twirled the lightsaber in his hand as he turned towards the entrance. "Hold on, my princess." Whispering, he plunged in saber into the stone and started carving his own way in.

~

The fight had been going on for several minutes now. Both our hearts were pounding, sweat rolling down our foreheads and muscles straining with effort as we now pushed our blades against each other. I was left staring right into his crimson eyes, only a few inches away as his lightsaber flared inches from my neck.

"Such pure hatred." The sith grinned, pushing harder. "Are you sure you're Kenobi's?"

Our blades strained against each other as I growled. "I am no one's!"

Maul felt his hold subsiding when my fury grew and knew he had to do something before my blade could pierce his neck. So, he duck, using the force to throw me back and narrowly avoiding the edge of my blade.

I stumbled backwards a few steps and looked up right on time no see the next force push coming. It launched me into the air but I'd suspected his outburst, resulting in me landing a few feet away on my one knee and arm, the blade positioned perfectly at my side.

A few strands of hair loosened from the braids and fell before my eyes, blood running down from my nose. I exhaled deeply, feeling the air leave my lips and glorified in that feeling. Gods, I'd missed the thrill of a fight. The rushing of the blood in my body, the pounding of my heart, the heat of the moment.

It was what I was made for. I wiped away the trail of blood from my chin and stood up, smirking as Maul quickly examined the wound on his arm. His blood was almost invincible against his dark skin but I could smell the scorched flesh from a few feet away.

There had been no single spark up until that moment, no conjuring of fire or shadow except for the flaming sword. I wanted to savour each moment, each slice and hit. There was a bloodlust thrumming inside of me that I wanted to satisfy and a quick kill wouldn't do. But play time was over.

It was time for the next step.

As I pushed myself off the ground I darted his way, igniting my free hand with a white-hot blue flame. His eyes widened right before our blades connected yet again. He pushed his blade up, trying to make me loose balance but I had anticipated that move. So, I easily jumped over him, landing behind him and throwing my hand forward.

A wave of fire ignited and engulfed his figure, hiding him completely from my view. The heat danced before me, blue and red mingling together in a blazing heat. A wave of satisfaction came over me until the flames cleared and revealed nothing.

"Is that it?" The area he'd previously been standing was now empty. Instead, his chuckle echoed through the hall, seemingly coming from everywhere. "Is that all the famous phoenix has to offer?" I turned around, keeping eyes on every direction as I let the power built up within me. My chest heaved with the effort but the fury shut out the pain it evoked.

"Are you holding back, doctor?" His voice had dropped an octave while I searched the dark corners of the hall. "Still trying to convince yourself you aren't a sith?" Another sinister laugh erupted from behind, making me turn around swiftly but not finding the source. "That you're worthy of him?" His voice had dropped even lower.

My anger grew exponentially and with that the well of power that resided within me. "I have nothing to prove." I growled, balling my fists.

"Don't you?" Suddenly his laugh came from right behind me.

My fists ignited with flames and I turned around, ready to punch and engulf him in the heat. Before I knew it my blade was kicked out of my hand, the metal of his leg crunching my bones and making me loosen my grip. I stumbled backwards before I could protest and tried to righten myself, to ready myself for the next attack. The moment I spotted him a few feet away he'd already had his hand outstretched, and his fist clenched.

There was a sudden hold around my neck, one that shut off my airway and made me gag for breath. My fingers darted upwards and tried to pry off the hold but met with only cold air instead. "We'll see just how much he cares for you." Maul's lip pulled up on one side, his eyes glaring at me through his brows as he lifted me in the air.

"No, -" I snarled, thrashing, legs kicking the air. The fury in me built until it blinded my vision and I could feel every patch of skin bursting with it. Yet somehow, it remained contained. Somehow, somewhere, I was still trying to keep that anger in check. I am not a tool. My eyes started to flame, turning into a bright blazing blue. I am not going to be used. My fingers clenched into a fist until the nails dug into my skin. Maybe I am not enough but,

"I am not her!" It came out in a thunderous bellow, shaking the very foundation of the temple as I exploded into a blazing light. Fire erupted around me, engulfing me, turning my very skin into the same until I became pure flame and heat. There I hung in the air, shining like a blazing sun, vanquishing every shadow in the halls as I glared down at Maul.

"I am the phoenix." I growled as I descended, feet landing on the ground. Maul looked at me warily as his grip tightened on his lightsaber, his feet shuffling over the ground to find purchase. "And I am tired of your games."

Maul snarled in response and lashed forward. But this time, I wasn't letting him get near. I unleashed everything I had built up inside of me, diving deep into that endless well of power and pouring it all out in one continues wave. Blue, red and yellow sparks erupted everywhere I could see. With every second that passed I felt it draining me but I pushed on, letting all the fury and wrath out in that blazing glory.

Flames danced around me as the heat spread. I could hear Maul yelling, felt the shield he'd put up against the tidal wave, felt it fading with every ounce of power I sent his way. His force signature was wavering, his anger and hatred turning into a cold fear.

But there was something else, another force that now made its way up my arm. In the corner of my vision, I saw black streaks making their way up my arms, blackening my fingertips and turning it into a deadly grey. I couldn't feel them anymore. In truth, I could feel nothing but wrath.

It should've frightened me. Still, all I could feel was the heat that could finally be free of its cage. My eyes narrowed further as I screamed out and finally let the bonds slip. I thought it would feel freeing but in the end, it only felt all-consuming.

I was afraid I'd lose myself in that sea of red and blue until one voice disrupted the perfect chaos, and turned that wrath into hatred.

"Lyanna, no!"

Hi there my lovelies

Special shout out to @lunar_heart because I enjoyed watching you progress through the story J) Hope you enjoyed the journey this far!

The confrontation is finally here. Get ready, my darlings.