The same routine continued for... Cas had lost track of time... a little physical torture here, mental torture there. Cas had eventually grown numb to it in the recent weeks and Insatious must have noticed it, because out of the blue, Cas was drugged and moved to yet another cell. Although, his living conditions were now slightly better, he had a normal light source, a toilet and a metal slab for him to sleep on. It was better than sleeping on the floor at least.
Cas spotted a mirror next to the toilet seat in his cell, the Kiffar hadn't seen himself in a year... would he recognise the person on the other side now? After all he'd been through. The fallen Knight clenched his fist and approached the mirror anyway, when he laid eyes upon himself he was horrified at what stared back at him. He'd lost so much weight and muscle definition, his face was gaunt and stubble had filled the lower part of his face, his dreads had grown out, so long that they reached his back now. The only thing that reminded him he was still Cas Tynen was the blue X shaped qukuuf on his face, marking him as a member of Clan Tynen. As if that mattered anymore. Cas felt awful and apparently it reflected on the surface too.
The Kiffar would come to find out he'd been moved to a new cell as to participate in barbaric fights for, he didn't know, the entertainment of the Imperials he surmised. Forced to fight droids, beasts and bounty hunters, it took Cas some time to accumulate to fighting with one arm... in fact, fighting at all since he hadn't done so in a year. However, he was allowed to call upon the Force once more but it wasn't like reuniting with an old friend, more like meeting a new colleague at a job - you didn't know each other very well, but you made it work. The lack of two arms made combat difficult, but Cas made up for it with the usage of the Dark side of the Force, embracing the other side of the coin, allowing himself to get used to it if he were going to really kill Insatious.
This went on for a year with Cas gradually regaining his old physique as well as his combat prowess. Insatious, that cunning bastard, would often goad Cas into using the Dark side by focing him to watch innocents be gunned down. Every time, the callousness of it drove Cas into frenzies, where he'd unwillingly call upon the Dark side and free himself from the chains to help those in need and destroy their oppressors - only it was always too late for him.
Cas would be sent to the arena once again, he expected the usual droid or bounty hunter but what met him surprised him. Unpleasantly. It was the schutta clone that had tricked him initially, looking all high and mighty. As she spoke, depricating him, Cas simply stared with an expression full of hate as he clenched his single fist. The rage and hate ebbed off of the Kiffar like a pulsating blood vessel. As he caught the hilt of his lightsaber he hadn't seen in two years, Cas had to quickly adapt to fight with his right - but he wasn't too worried, his desire to kill this imposter that wore his sister's face would be the reason he won.
Igniting his lightsaber, the familiar snap-hiss was music to his ears. The fallen Knight hadn't realised how much he missed his old weapon. Cas didn't enter a stance but merely let the blade hang from his grip before pouncing at the clone that had made a fool out of him 2 years prior. The Dark side fuelled him as he sent an overwhelming barrage of attacks with his one-arm, the year of fighting had restored him to his old form, speed and all. However, the clone would have an advantage as Cas still hadn't fully adapted to being able to fight with a single arm. She quickly turned the tables on him and parried his strikes before forcing Cas on the backfoot
"Is this al the 'great' Cas Tynen has to offer? Honestly, I am unimpressed." she said shortly after locking blades with him.
"When I kill you, maybe I'll pay your real family a visit." she teased. However, it was a mistake, her words only egged Cas on, enraging him. He bared his gritted teeth and let out a primal growl before pulling his head back and slamming his forehead against the clone and following it up with a Force enhanced kick to her stomach, winding her and launching her a few feet back.
"I thought it'd be hard. With you having my sister's face and all." Cas claimed as he approached her
"But you wearing my sister's face, threatening my family makes me want to kill you even more." he said coldly, stopping in front of her. Initially, he'd felt bad for the clones, unwillingly brought into this world just to serve a sadistic Master - but seeing as how they were as crazy as him, his sympathy was gone. The clone was on her knees still recovering, Cas raised his lightsaber but she quickly blocked his attack as he slammed the blade down.
She sent a telekinetic push at Cas, sending him back before getting back up and attacking him once more. The fallen Knight fell on his back but he quickly rolled backward onto his feet and met the clone's attacks with blocks and parries, although he felt through the Force she was just as hateful and anger fuelled as he was. The clone managed to disarm Cas, knocking his blade out of his hand but before she could deliver a finishing blow the Kiffar performed a backward kickflip, kicking her in the face. When he landed, Cas stretched his arm out and wrapped the Force's invisible black tendrils around the clone's neck squeezing as hard as he could. Ready to snap her neck, he saw the fear on her face, it... reminded him of Ciara.
A hint of the old Cas remained, his mercy... and because of it, Cas released his grip from the clone. She fell to her knees, coughing and gagging, she was beaten and she knew it. Cas summoned his lightsaber into his hand approached the clone, kicking away her lightsaber. Something fought against him, he wanted to kill her but he couldn't - could he really take a life out of anger? Sensing hesitation, the Dark lord slithered into his mind. His words echoed with darkness
"She threatens your family, Tynen... Kill her and be done with it. Kill her and they're safe."
The muscles in Cas' jaw tensed, he closed his eyes and began breathing heavy. His grip around his hilt tightened and he raised his blade - everything came flooding to him, the two years of torture, everything Insatious had done to him, his inability to defeat him, the clone's betrayal, her threatening to hurt his family. Unleashing a primal roar, Cas swung downward and ended the clone's life, smoke erupting from her body. The fallen Jedi proceeded to open his eyes and they shifted... turning from chestnut brown to Sith red. It was done. Cas Tynen had fully embraced the Dark side.
Darth Insatious