030. HE WAS ONCE JUST A BOY
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Every muscle in his body ached. He'd been training nonstop for what had felt like days and he had lost track of the actual time long ago. However, Snoke insisted that he try again despite his lack of progress. Seth groaned as he made an effort to raise his arms again.
"Concentrate," Snoke's voice made the chamber rumble.
"I am," he said between grit teeth.
The crate shook ever so slightly. He strained to lift the object with his mind. He tried to reach out further with his hands, but it made no difference. Eventually, he gasped for breath and the crate stopped moving altogether. He collapsed to his knees, panting.
"Weak," Snoke scoffed.
"I'm tired," he complained, "Not to mention that thing is twice my size at least."
The boy was correct. He was small for his age which only provided something else that Snoke could use against him. He'd been training for as long as he could remember, but he was still young and inexperienced. Even though he was just ten years of age, his training was rigorous and exceeded his limits.
"We go again."
"I can't," he replied.
"You will."
The boy winced at the threat. He knew what would happen if he refused. It was better to try and fail than do nothing at all. He slowly clambered to his feet and held out his arms. He closed his eyes and blocked out all distractions. Be one with the force. He calmed his breathing. In, out, in, out. He opened his eyes and... nothing had happened. Snoke looked at him disappointed.
"You're not even trying anymore."
"I am," he protested, "I really am trying."
"You should be getting stronger," Snoke stood and towered above the boy, "You should be able to do this. Perhaps I misjudged your potential."
"I-I can do this," the boy swallowed back his tears, "Just let me try one more time—"
Snoke shook his head, "You are dismissed."
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"What's changed?!" Seth asked, enraged, "I-I-I've gotten stronger. I've grown in skill. I've done everything that you've ever asked!"
"There's still much that you have to learn," Snoke shook his head, "But you don't have enough time."
"You said that I had been chosen!" Seth continued to yell as he paced back and forth before Snoke's throne, "I've been training under your guidance for years to fulfill some destiny that you've told me nothing about!"
"It no longer concerns you," Snoke waved his hand to dismiss him, "We've found someone stronger. Someone who does not require so much time."
Seth's face drained itself of color. He was being replaced. His eyes quickly scanned the room as he noticed that the guards had started to close in on him.
"Your services are no longer required," Snoke added maliciously.
Seth ran. The guards tried to cut him off, but he vaulted over their heads and continued running. The ship was large, but he knew there was nowhere to hide. He didn't know what would happen for certain if he were caught; however, he did know one thing. Snoke didn't leave loose ends. Now that he served no purpose, he knew he couldn't stay and survive at the same time. He thought about his options and realized that only one kept him alive. He scrambled for the escape pods.
Only once he had gotten a safe distance away did he finally relax. That relief only lasted a second though because the world appeared to crumble around him. He looked out at the void of space and realized that he had nowhere to go and no purpose to fulfill. He'd been abandoned. No, worse. He'd been replaced. His blood boiled with rage. However, he had no time to consider what he was going to do next since his pod had been sent on a crash course to the closest planet. A planet that somehow did not show up on the radar nor any maps that he had seen.
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"You're the weakest force wielder that I have ever sensed."
Seth practically snarled at the old woman who offered him a steaming bowl of stew. He turned his face away, but the smell got to him enough that he eventually accepted it. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he took the first bite. The bowl was empty in a matter of seconds.
He had spent days scrounging through the jungle searching for some sign of civilization. He was exhausted and had given up when the old lady had found him. She'd also saved him from being devoured from some sort of carnivorous plant which she had used to make her stew. Ironic that his meal consisted of the very thing that had tried to kill him mere hours ago.
"No wonder they abandoned you."
"You don't know me!" he snapped and turned away from her, pulling his tattered cloak around himself for warmth.
"I was you once," she chuckled, "Young and naive to the ways of the force."
He turned back to glare at her.
"You'll catch a cold if you don't set that robe out by the fire to dry," she noted that he had already begun to sniffle, "There are some fresh garments laid out on your cot that you can use."
"I don't need your help," he protested as he crossed his arms.
"Earlier said otherwise," she shook her head as she looked around her hut with a lost look on her face, "No one wants to be alone."
"Maybe I do."
She rolled her eyes endearingly before motioning for him to follow her, "Come on, I'll show you to your room. You got a name, kid?"
"Seth."
"I'm Nim," she introduced herself, "Nim Okri."
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"You're not doing it right," the witch shook her head.
"I've done this a dozen times," he protested with a frown, "I know what I'm doing."
The body withered up before his very eyes and turned to dust. He released a frustrated grown as the witch was proven right.
"You rushed through the spell," the witch chastised, "Wasted a perfectly good body too."
"This is a waste of time," he growled under his breath, "I should be training not playing with witchcraft."
"Hey," the witch interjected before he could continue, "You said you wanted to get stronger. This is the way that you have to do it."
"You don't think that I can get stronger without absorbing the life force of another being?" Seth asked with disdain.
She shook her head and poked him in the chest, "No, I know you can't get stronger.
He rolled his eyes and tried to ignore her now smug expression, "Well now what?"
"We find another force sensitive individual," she replied without blinking. "Warm the ship's engine, we're leaving the planet."
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"Don't you have enough?" the witch frowned and yanked his arm, "You have enough!"
Seth shoved her aside, furious that the ritual had been interrupted. "Don't interfere, witch."
She looked at him like a wounded animal, "You have enough—You've had enough for months now."
He shook his head, "No, I need more. I've got to be stronger. I need more!"
"Any more and you'll upset the balance," she protested, "You cannot continue this way."
"You said it was the only way!"
"You're ready—"
He shook his head and pushed himself away from her, "No. No! I-I'm not strong enough yet. I can't beat him yet."
"You were ready months ago," she said softer than before, "Look around... If you absorb any more it will destroy you."
He lifted his eyes from the ground. The campsite of the natives looked desolate. Pots and pans were scattered around and the poles holding up the tents had collapsed. Furthermore, several trees in the surrounding area had been knocked over. The ground looked barren, Half an hour ago the campsite had thrived with life and lush, green scenery.
"What more proof do you need?"
Seth held up a hand to silence the witch and slowly turned to face what remained of the forest. His eyes narrowed as he heard a branch snap. He waved a hand and a cloaked figure flew out from the brush. An undignified shriek was heard as the figure rolled to a stop inches from his feet.
"I will ask you this once," Seth warned, "Who are you?"
The man stood and dusted himself off, "I am General Hux of the First Order—"
"So Snoke has sent you to finish the job?" Seth looked the man over once, unimpressed, and lifted him from the ground using the force, "Where is your army?"
Hux's eyes widened and he choked out, "I've come alone."
"Then I shall let you live to carry a message back to Snoke," Seth spat, "Tell him to come finish the job himself."
Hux grasped his throat as he was released and could once again breathe, "Snoke is dead."
Seth froze and turned to face the other man, "Snoke is dead? Then why are you here?"
"You were once Snoke's apprentice, yes?"
Seth remained silent.
"If so, the First Order awaits your leadership."
"You should go," the witch finally spoke, alerting both men to her presence.
"Snoke is dead," Seth stated, "What good would his job do me?"
"You planned to confront him and learn why he took you on as his apprentice," she explained, "The answers you seek are still tangible, but you must be willing to play the long game."
Seth turned to face Hux, "If you have come searching for me, you must truly be desperate. Whatever happened to Snoke's second apprentice?"
"He's incompetent," Hux replied venomously, "He will inevitably destory the First Order by pursuing self-interests."
Seth thought in silence for a moment before responding, "I will return with you, but the witch comes as well."
"I'm sure something can be arranged," Hux replied with a grin, "Supreme Leader."
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• author's notes •
so this chapter was a flashback, but to clarify the time frame:
- there's about five years between the first section and the second
- days between the second and third
- a few years between the third and fourth
- over a decade between the fourth and the fifth
• fin •