A Sith holocron, which contained the essence of the Presence, was situated within an underground Sith temple located on Malachor. This artifact had the capacity to unlock doors within the temple, and also to trigger a superweapon designed to extinguish life when positioned atop the structure in an obelisk. Maul, with the assistance of Ezra Bridger, sought to pilfer it in order to utilize the superweapon for vengeance against his adversaries. Contrarily, the Sith Lord Darth Vader intended to seize both the holocron and the temple's power to solidify the Sith's galactic dominance. Nevertheless, both of these Sith Lords' schemes were foiled when Bridger and his mentor, Kanan Jarrus, managed to extract the holocron from the obelisk at the last possible moment, making their escape with it.
In the year 2 BBY, Ezra and Maul, the former Sith Lord, combined the Sith and Jedi holocrons hoping to uncover how to destroy the Sith. Kanan interrupted this process, which caused an explosion that damaged both holocrons. Later, however, Maul used a corner of the damaged holocron to communicate with Ezra through the ancient artifact.
Millennia prior to the Battle of Yavin, the Sith utilized this Sith holocron to safeguard knowledge pertaining to their doctrines. The holocron also possessed the ability to power a superweapon situated within the Sith temple on Malachor. It was activated when the Jedi Knights launched an attack on Malachor. The activation resulted in destruction for both the Jedi and Sith forces, and the holocron was concealed beneath the temple.
After the destruction of his Shadow Collective, [Maul](/article/maul], the former Sith Lord, traveled to Malachor in search of the Holocron. However, he was unable to enter the temple on his own. The Eighth Brother of the Inquisitorius also sought both the holocron and Maul.
In 3 BBY, Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi Padawan, alongside Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus and his apprentice Ezra Bridger, traveled to Malachor, where they learned about the holocron from Maul. After being separated from Ahsoka and Kanan due to a cave-in, Ezra befriended Maul, and they collaborated to retrieve the holocron from a Sith altar.
Following their reunion with Ahsoka and Kanan, and after driving away several Inquisitors, Maul persuaded the Jedi and Ahsoka to join him in exploring the temple, seeking secrets that could lead to the Sith's destruction. The Eighth Brother later attempted to seize the holocron from Ezra but was repelled by Maul. Upon entering the temple, Maul instructed Ezra to place the holocron in the obelisk at the temple's summit. Ezra followed Maul's instructions and encountered a female entity known as Presence, who revealed that the holocron was essential for reactivating the temple, an ancient Sith superweapon with the capability to eradicate all life.
Ezra declined to utilize the weapon and was subsequently ambushed by Darth Vader, the Sith Lord, who sought to harness the temple's power for the Sith. Before Vader could eliminate Ezra, Ahsoka confronted him. While they battled, Ezra was joined by a blinded Kanan, who had been betrayed by Maul but managed to force the Dark Sider off a cliff. Working in unison, master and apprentice succeeded in removing the holocron from the obelisk. As the temple's power surged, it triggered an implosion that devastated the structure. Ezra and Kanan, along with Chopper, escaped aboard the Phantom, while Ahsoka and Vader were left behind. The former Jedi knight and Padawan survived and went their separate ways.
After the events on Malachor, Ezra felt responsible for Kanan's blindness and Ahsoka's presumed death. He started consulting the Sith holocron to learn how to protect his friends. By this point, Ezra had advanced within the Phoenix Cell to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Through the holocron, Ezra acquired more forceful lightsaber techniques and Force abilities. During a mission to save Hondo Ohnaka, Ezra employed the Force to control the mind of an AT-DP driver. Under Ezra's influence, the pilot attacked his fellow stormtroopers before driving his walker off a walkway.
Ezra's actions caused concern for both Sabine Wren and his master Kanan. Later, Kanan discovered Ezra consulting the Sith holocron in his room and reprimanded his apprentice. Angered, Ezra stormed out of the room, declaring that he needed neither Kanan nor the holocron. Realizing that his relationship with Ezra was strained, Kanan meditated outside Chopper Base on the planet Atollon. In the wilderness, he encountered a powerful being called Bendu, who claimed to exist between the light side and the dark side. After examining the holocron, Bendu suggested that the object could be used for both good and evil, and that only an individual had the power to change themselves.
Having overcome his fear of the arachnid krykna, Kanan entrusted the Sith holocron to the Bendu for safekeeping. The Bendu placed the holocron inside an underground cave guarded by several krykna. Subsequently, Maul took Ezra and Kanan's friends Hera Syndulla, Garazeb Orrelios, Chopper, and Sabine Wren hostage. He threatened to kill them unless the Jedi brought the Sith holocron and Kanan's Jedi holocron. Kanan and Ezra returned to Atollon to retrieve the Sith holocron from the Bendu.
The Bendu expressed that the holocron was a source of imbalance between Ezra and his master. He warned that merging the two holocrons would provide clarity of vision that could be used for malevolent purposes. Nevertheless, he allowed Ezra to retrieve the holocron from the krykna tunnel. Working with his master, Ezra successfully retrieved the holocron without provoking the krykna. The two then met with Maul at Vizsla Keep 09 in space. Maul intended to use Kanan's holocron and the Sith holocron to glimpse into the future for hope, while Ezra still sought a means to destroy the Sith. Together, they managed to combine the two holocrons.
Maul initially saw only oblivion, but Ezra saw twin suns. Maul also discovered that his old enemy, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was still alive. Before Ezra could uncover the knowledge to destroy the Sith, Kanan arrived and persuaded his apprentice to let go. Ezra closed his eyes, resulting in an explosion that damaged both holocrons. Ezra was reunited with his rebel friends, who pledged to find the knowledge to destroy the Sith. However, Maul escaped and fled into space.
As a result of the ritual, both Ezra and Maul experienced elements of each other's visions. Following a ritual on Dathomir to merge their minds, Ezra and Maul learned that Kenobi was indeed alive and hiding on a planet with twin suns. Despite the damage to the holocrons, Maul managed to use a fragment of the Sith holocron to activate both Kanan's Jedi holocron and the Sith holocron at Chopper Base in an effort to lure Ezra to Tatooine in order to draw Kenobi out of hiding. This plan was successful, but Maul was ultimately defeated and killed by Kenobi.