Maul's Spark

- 25 BBY -

- Korriban, Outer Rim - 

The reason why Maul created the 'Mind Reader' device the way he did was that he had to somehow deal with the spirits that were left in each holocron. It was something that held power, parts of the Jedi or Sith's spirits, which the 'Mind Reader' turned into energy. And Maul was not going to waste something like that. He has discovered the Yoke of Seeming, and as it happened, it is inside the very tomb he is currently in. 

The Yoke of Seeming is a Sith artefact that predates the arrival of the Dark Jedi Exiles. XoXaan seized it for herself at the time. Much later, Sith Acolyte Haazen acquired it and installed it as one of his cybernetic parts. It significantly increased his connection to the Living Force and allowed him to cloud other Jedi's senses, hiding his true intentions from them. 

In addition to clouding his intentions, the Yoke transmitted to all Force-users the sense of himself that Haazen wished to convey. So while other Jedi could accurately see his true disfigured form, they would not react too viscerally to it. At his own preference, Haazen could also minimise its effects as he did during a discussion with Lucien Draay, during which he wanted to convey revulsion.

Maul looks at the Yoke in thought. Thanks to his Essence, he knows the principle behind it and how it works. It causes the Living Force to flow past and around the wearer of the Yoke, clouding his intentions and altering others' perception of him. It was basically a way for him to hide from anyone or appear as anyone he wished. This was something he could use very much, but there was a problem, as with all Sith artefacts. Unlike what Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker: With great power comes great responsibility; the Sith and the Dark Side do it differently. With great power comes great suffering and corruption. 

The Yoke would burn the flesh of the one wearing it while it is in use. Naturally, Maul has no interest in that. So he will change this and create his own version, one that does the same but more. But to do that, he has another idea. Another reason why Maul came to Korriban was that he could learn from the hidden Sith holocrons, but also make use of those who left the holocrons behind. And one in particular was still to be found. One that Maul was very interested in. The Sith Lord, Naga Sadow's holocron. 

And as he makes his way into the Ancient Sith Lord's tomb, Maul hears the voice of Naga Sadow, calling him to one of his hidden holocrons he created. 

.

~I have waited long for one such as you. One who isn't blinded by the light, nor bothered by the darkness. One interested not only in destroying, but also in creating. You are like me, a scientist and alchemist.~

"Interesting. To think that you would know that. Was it the device I carry with me? Or did you listen to my discussion with XoXaan?" Maul asks. 

~It is both. I can feel the monstrous amounts of thoughts coursing through your mind and see the invention you carry. You are the perfect being to impart all of my knowledge to.~

"I am flattered. Coming from one such as you, that should mean something, I suppose."

~Naga Sadow never makes compliments. It was merely an observation. Now, sit and prepare yourself. I have much to teach.~

"And I am interested to learn. What will you teach me?" Maul asks, sitting on the floor. 

~I was the most powerful dark magician the galaxy has ever seen. I am a master of Sith alchemy and sorcery. I could twist the natural order of the universe to serve my purposes. With my magic, I could transform the living into monstrous, brutal beasts, my own malformed servants of death and give flesh to those spirits already departed. I will teach you about Sith Alchemy, Sith Sorcery, and open your mind to the limitless potential the Dark Side holds. Are you ready to learn?~

"I am always ready to learn."

~Good. Then let us begin.~

Sadow started to teach Maul everything he knew. Everything he did, his life and his ambition, he told it all, much like XoXaan did. They were very proud of what they had accomplished, but Sadow was bitter at failing, while Darth Sidious would succeed in the future. Sadow's actual resting place was not truly Korriban and remained relatively obscure, safeguarded by the descendants of his Massassi slaves, where Sadow's spirit continued to linger. During the era of the Great Galactic War, Jedi Master Barel Ovair and his apprentice Eison Gynt discovered Sadow's tomb on Yavin 4, having tracked down his legacy in an attempt to dispel his spirit. 

After being attacked by Massassi guards, Ovair abandoned Gynt and returned to Republic space; however, Gynt survived and was subsequently possessed by Sadow. Several years later, still under Sadow's thrall and dressed in Massassi garb, Gynt returned to Coruscant. Upon his return, Gynt publicly attacked Ovair, but Ovair defeated and slew him, neutralising Sadow's spirit. 

However, Sadow's spirit was not completely gone, as the remains found their way to his most precious holocron, where he had recorded his teachings and where he waited for the perfect successor to inherit his skills and power. Sadow knew that Maul was the right man for this task; he just knew. And so the long task of teaching continued. 

.

~But ask me the secrets of Sith alchemy, and I would ask you for three measures of blood: one from a person you love, one from a person you hate, and one from yourself.~

That's what Naga Sadow usually said to those interested in his knowledge. But the Sith knew that it would be useless in Maul's case. No matter what he did, Maul would find out all he had to teach, so he went ahead and taught him all of it. 

While the Sith species practised Sith alchemy long before the Exiles arrived on Korriban, it was the Exiles who perfected it, one of their best being Sorzus Syn, using the knowledge to create the Leviathans that they acquired during the Hundred-Year Darkness.

Sith alchemy was primarily used to enhance the strength of weapons and armour, such as the famous Sith swords, or to genetically engineer and enhance alien species, making them more dangerous and easier to control by the Sith Lords. More sinisterly, Sith alchemy is capable of waking the dead in servitude to the Sith. Korriban zombies, and possibly Sith undead, were creations of this branch of the art. 

Maul listened to what Sadow taught him and began to understand why the Force disapproved of it. It was basically taking over its job to create and submit those creations to their will. The Force was starting to become clearer to Maul, and the deeper he went in studying it and observing its effects, the more he understood just how dangerous it truly was. If he had to describe the Force and what it could do with one sentence, it would be: Everything is possible. 

Because it was. 

Strengthen weapons and armour, create nefarious toxins, genetically engineer and enhance species, take them under your control, raise the dead and have them serve you and even manipulate the midi-chlorians themselves. All of this was possible and more. And that wasn't even including the applications of Sith sorcery. 

.

Sith sorcery is among the most terrifying and potent disciplines of the Dark Side, wielded by only the most dangerous practitioners in the galaxy. It blends the Force with ancient arcane rituals to unleash power that can warp minds, twist reality, and tear through both spirit and flesh.

One of the most destructive abilities in a Sith sorcerer's arsenal is the Force blast—a raw surge of Dark Side energy capable of injuring or outright killing sentient beings, animals, and even Force spirits. Though sometimes these spells burned the hand of the caster, true Sith sorcerers thrived on pain and were often immune to it through sheer will and Dark Side fortitude. Notable users like King Ommin used such blasts during the Naddist Uprising, while Aleema Keto, despite being newly trained, unleashed deadly Force energy that accidentally incinerated her own tutor. Exar Kun, empowered by a Sith amulet, destroyed the spirit of Freedon Nadd and later used this same dark force to incapacitate Aleema herself. 

Sith sorcerers could also channel their hatred into iridescent bolts of pain, striking their enemies with torturous energy filled with the screams of countless damned souls. Others could weave lattices of dark energy—spells that inflicted excruciating pain while severing a victim's connection to the Force.

Perhaps even more disturbing were Dark Side tendrils, shadowy mists in the form of tentacles. Wielded by sorcerers like Darth Zannah and Kyp Durron, these tendrils could cause unbearable agony or even reduce a victim's body to nothing in seconds.

But Sith sorcery was not only about destruction—it was equally sinister in its manipulation of the mind.

Through the spell Qâzoi Kyantuska, a Sith could dominate the will of another, bending minds to their command. The stronger the Sith's connection to the Dark Side, the easier it was to override free will. Entire battles were influenced this way. For example, Satal Keto controlled the minds of Chaos starfighter pilots, and Exar Kun once forced the entire Senate Assembly to do his bidding during the Trial of Ulic Qel-Droma.

Deception and illusion were also fundamental tools. Some sorcerers learned to cloak themselves in false light-side auras, hiding their dark nature from even the most perceptive Jedi. Freedon Nadd and Darth Zannah mastered this, allowing Zannah to infiltrate the Jedi Temple on Coruscant undetected.

More advanced spells created illusionary constructs so vivid they fooled not only sentient perception but also computer systems. These illusions could make objects vanish, conjure terrifying creatures out of thin air, or distort entire environments. Illusionists like Naga Sadow and Aleema Keto used these spells to devastating effect, though their concentration was often a weak point—break their focus, and the illusion shattered.

Sith magic could also create internal hallucinations, forcing victims to relive their worst fears. With a series of arcane gestures, a sorcerer could dive into a victim's mind and summon personalized nightmares. Darth Zannah famously used this spell against her own Master, Darth Bane. Though Bane resisted, others were driven to permanent madness. These fear spells were especially dangerous because they attacked the mind directly—no lightsaber could defend against them.

Perhaps most chilling of all were the memory rubs. Sith sorcerers could erase or rewrite entire segments of a person's memory. The Sith initiate Kyp Durron, after studying Exar Kun's techniques, used this dark ability on the scientist Qwi Xux, reducing her mind to a blank slate.

To remain undetected, Sith often invoked spells of Force concealment, cloaking themselves and their allies from even the most powerful Jedi. Darth Zannah used this hex with such precision that even ten years after its use, its effects violently repelled a Dark Side probe from The Huntress.

In the end, Sith sorcery was not merely about brute power—it was about control, corruption, and fear. It twisted not only the galaxy around the sorcerer but the very fabric of the Force itself, leaving terror, madness, and ruin in its wake.

.

So after all of this, there was one question in Maul's mind. If the Sith had such powerful methods of fighting and manipulating the Force, how could it be that they never won? 

The answer is as simple as it is hard to believe. It was the Force. 

Newton tells us that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The Force acts as that very opposite reaction. Whenever a Sith or a user of the Dark Side grew too powerful and knowledgeable, the Force would intervene and make sure that the Sith would eventually die or be defeated. No one was to be allowed too much power. And if there was, eventually, the Force would make sure there was an opposite reaction to resolve the problem. 

Maul then understood why the Zeltron Elizabeth appeared in his life. He was potentially dangerous for the plan the Force had, and so it tried to get back its control over Maul. The Force was not his friend; the Force was no one's friend.