The Final Prophecy

The Final Prophecy is the sixth and penultimate novel in the Xaterex Multiverse Storyline.

Prologue
Silent as a shadow, the assassin crept silently through the darkened night.

No stars shone overhead, clouds obscured even the moon from view. The assassin's eyes, all at once cold and burning like twin orbs of obsidian, scanned the streets around her. Nothing stirred in the city, and no sounds reached her save the chill whispering of the cold wind as she strode through the empty blackness.

Even if a being had been standing right next to her, she doubted he'd be able to notice her. Her dark clothing and hood were made to blend perfectly with the night, so perfectly that she doubted there was any being not sensitive to the aura field that would be able to even sense her presence.

Quietly slinking toward the building nearest to her, making even less noise than the wind itself, the assassin drew a single dagger, curved like a scythe, and stepped inside. Once within, she knew she'd come to the right place. Lowering her dagger, she stepped inside. Within the building, two beings stood waiting for her. Both were tall and lean, and wearing the usual black, hooded robes of the Ix elite. However, their hoods were lowered this time, revealing their pale faces and dark eyes.

As soon as the assassin entered the room, both of them turned to face her, greeting her in a raspy, nasal language. Their features gave nothing away, but the assassin could tell that they were eagerly awaiting her news.

"Do you have it?" one asked, his voice eerily high and cold.

"Of course." said the assassin. "Did you think otherwise?"

"No." responded the other. "We do not doubt your abilities. However, we knew that this artifact has proved...resilient to our will."

The assassin raised the ancient fragment of the ring, which cast green light upon the features of the two beings. She felt their auras probe the fragment, determining whether it was, indeed, the correct artifact they were looking for. But she already knew it was. She still rememebered the last time she'd held the artifact, when—

"Yes..." whispered the first Ix. "And they suspect nothing of it?"

"No." she answered. "Everything has gone according to the plan."

"Good...good." whispered the Ix. "Two fragments are once again ours, and soon the third will be as well. However...what of Toa Shardak? When do you plan to eliminate him?"

Beneath her hood, the assassin displayed no emotion whatsoever, but for a moment her aura flickered with annoyance. Shardak, the Spirit Toa, had proved resilient as well, far more resilient then the fragments of the ring. He'd escaped her during the disastrous battle on Corona Magna, more than a month ago, and his location had eluded the Ix since. It would be far more simple to simply kill him, but she of all people knew that the Spirit Toa was key to their plans.

"He has not yet been located." said the assassin at last. "Nor has the final fragment of the ring he possesses, or the two vials of Elimination. However, now that we have the second fragment of the ring, yet none know of it, I have a plan that will draw him out of hiding...and neutralize any remaining threat he poses."

"You are sure of this?" asked one of the Ix.

The assassin lowered her hood, allowing the Ix to see her give a cold half-smile. The flickering torchlight cast eerie, ethereal light on her coldly beautiful features, and her jet-black eyes burned with an unearthly, cold intensity.

"Yes," answered Reyna. "Toa Shardak is on the run, cut off from the rebels now that our spy has taken over as their high commander. It will be simple to force him into our service...and force him to complete the Rising of Vahrikaan."

Chapter 1
In the dark corner of the tavern known as the Skull, Toa Shardak huddled over his table, green eyes alert beneath his Glatorian helmet as he picked out the strangers he hadn't seen before. After nearly two weeks spent in the city of Akkad, he easily recognized the beings who frequented the tavern and those who were newcomers.

His gaze swept over a small group of Glatorian warriors, all locals. He'd seen them before. Likewise, several Agori and Matoran were usual comers to the Skull, often for information from the brokers who frequented the city about the current state of the war that now raged across the whole Solis Magna system. They were all regulars to the tavern.

However, there were others there he didn't recognize, two female Glatorian wearing blue armor sitting at a table. More worrying were the many soldiers who frequented the tavern. Some bore the insignia of the Empire, others of the Resistance, though most were sellswords or deserters from the war that raged around them. The Akkadian Mountains, and the cities within, had remained neutral in the conflict as of yet, and neither the Resistance nor the Ix had seen fit to send an army to Akkad to challenge their freedom.

Any one of these beings could be hunting Shardak. Since rebel leader Saren Naghara's betrayal and takeover of the Resistance, both the rebellion and the Ix were hunting Shardak. Both wanted him dead, Saren to remove the threat to his power, and the Ix to exact vengeance upon him— after they forced him to free their dread lord, Vahrikaan, from an ancient ring known as the Annulus.

It was a fragment of the Annulus, as well as the two vials of the Ix's genocide virus, the Elimination Plague, that Shardak carried, and he could feel their weight within his satchel. Both items could determine the fate of the universe, and if the Ix recovered either of them, it would mean the end of any hope for resistance against their rule. Shardak had stared into the cold red eyes of Lord Vahrikaan himself, and he saw in the eyes of the ancient, pitiless emperor the promise of death.

The Resistance had to be warned of these threats. He had to return to the Fells, to get the vials and the Annulus fragment to safety. But Saren had made sure he was cut off from any assistance, and soon, if he didn't move on from Akkad, his spies would find him. He knew that even returning to this tavern was risky after a year, for in the rooms above, he'd fought the bounty hunter Skorr, who, along with his ally, Jekart, often frequented the tavern. Still, Shardak had seen nothing of Skorr or Jekart during his two week stay in Akkad, and none of the other beings seemed to recognize him beneath his Glatorian helmet and old, damaged armor.

Saren wanted to kill him while he was still outside the Resistance's territory. It would be tidier that way, and easier to conceal from Atarus and the elite warriors of the rebellion, the Veythari. He hoped that somehow, Atarus would peice together where he'd gone, defeat Saren, and help him return to the Fells. Ever since he and his only remaining friend, the Ix warrior Valkyria Rhai, been seperated from his allies Artonix and Fairon in a skirmish with Limiters on the edge of the Akkadian Mountains, he'd been on the run, hoping that somehow Saren would be stopped.

However, yet another week had passed in Akkad, and while Shardak knew it was unlikely, he'd still entertained the small hope that if Saren could not be stopped, then at least Atarus or another leader of the Resistance would somehow find him. But the Resistance armies were no longer even near the Fells. The last Shardak had heard, Saren had laid seige to the Ix city of New Metru Nui. He expected news of the city's fall to reach Akkad any day now.

Shardak knew he should feel elation at the fall of another massive Ix city, but he only felt that the takeover of another city by the Resistance only meant more danger from Saren's network of spies. And if Saren gained either the Annulus fragment or the Elimination vials—

"Barit."

Shardak turned at the sound of the false name he was currently using to face a tall, thin young Glatorian, only a few years older than he. He recognized him as one of the attendants who ran the tavern.

"Yes?" he asked at last, wondering what he wanted. His danger senses, honed to a keen point by months of training under two of the greatest Resistance leaders, Arkhan and Atarus, told him that this was no ordinary question. Something was going on, that he was sure of.

"Those beings over there would like to speak with you." The attendant gestured to the group of Glatorian sitting around a large table, all of them whispering amongst themselves. "They're speaking Akkadian, but they're spending Imperial coin."

Apprehension slithered down Shardak's spine like the edge of a knife. Were they Imperial spies? Had they somehow recognized him? What did they want?

There was only one way to find out. While he feared them— it was likely they were servants of the Ix— he knew there was no way he could hide from them. If he did, he'd only attract more suspicion on himself.

''If I survive this, though, we'd better leave Akkad. ''Shardak thought to himself. Not for the first time, he wished Valkyria were with him. The Ix girl was a skilled combatant, and there was no other being he'd rather have at his side then when he would once again have to face danger. However, she was currently searching for information in other parts of Akkad, seperated from Shardak so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves. It was very likely that both Saren and the Ix were searching for her as well, since she was considered a traitor by both the Resistance and the Ix, like Shardak.

Walking over to the table, Shardak saw, to his surprise, that many of the beings were leaving the table. Only one Glatorian was still sitting there, his hood pulled over his face. As he saw Shardak, he hissed under his breath, "Come, we have to talk."

Shardak didn't recognize the voice, but he thought the being still seemed somehow familiar. However, beneath his traveling cloak and hood, it was hard to tell. As soon as they were back at his table and out of hearing range from evesdroppers, the being lowered his hood, revealing familiar features beneath. Shardak realized with shock that this being was no Glatorian at all.

"Parikon?" Shardak gasped increduolously. "You survived the Battle of Corona Magna? How? Fairon—"

"Akkadia is no longer safe." said Parikon, interrupting him in a low whisper. "We've come to take you back to the Fells."

Shardak looked into the ancient Great Being's eyes, and saw both great pain, tiredness, and sadness within. Shardak remembered that Saren had been one of his closest friends during the long wars before Fairon's Eternal Game three years ago, and his treachery weighed heavily on the Great Being's conscience. Shardak could feel all of this in his aura, and he was surprised the Great Being did not choose to hide it from him.

"The Fells?" asked Shardak in alarm. "Why? Saren—"

"I know." said Parikon. "Saren is at the Resistance base. According to my spies there, he returned two days ago, leaving Reid Vaethar in charge of the seige at New Metru Nui."

"None of them suspect anything about his betrayal? Why do you want us back in the Fells, then?"

"We can't talk here." said Parikon. "Meet me outside the tavern, in ten minutes."

Shardak understood immediately. He couldn't be seen leaving the tavern with a strange "Glatorian", there was still a very high risk that some of the beings here were Ix spies, or spies for the Resistance. He couldn't afford to draw attention to himself, not when he was so close to, at last, returning to the Resistance.

As he left the tavern after paying the attendant with several Akkadian coins, Shardak wondered what Parikon was planning. A war against Saren's allies?

No, that would destroy the Resistance completely. The rank-and-file soldiers, who had no idea of Saren's treachery and only saw the being Shardak had thought he'd been: a loyal, dedicated, and competent commander of the rebellion. Not for the first time, Shardak wondered why Saren was still commanding the Resistance, and why Atarus had not long since returned to the Fells. He wondered for a moment if Saren had had the leader of the Resistance killed as well.

Shardak stepped out of the tavern and into the dark night. The city of Akkad was quiet, but Shardak knew that didn't mean there were no enemies in the blackness around him. He made his way slowly around the side of the tavern, toward the stables. Rahi used for riding were kept there, though Shardak saw they were currently empty.

Shardak heard footsteps behind him, and turned around to see Parikon, carrying his scythe in one hand. The Great Being lowered his hood once again, and walked over to Shardak.

"Saren still holds the Resistance base in the Fells," said Parikon. "However, you're not the only being who believes Saren is a traitor. We've organized ourselves into a loose coalition, and we're working to take back the Fells without declaring open war on the Resistance."

"How many beings do you have under your command?" asked Shardak.

"Not nearly enough to challenge the Ix, or Saren." said Parikon. "However, we have a plan to change that."

Shardak waited for Parikon to elaborate, but when the Great Being did not, asked, "What about Atarus? Is he alive?"

"I don't know where he is, but I know he is alive. Mersery, one of the leaders of the Resistance, confirmed it to Saren a week ago."

Shardak nodded, and then explained to Parikon how, after he and Valkyria had been separated from Artonix and Fairon, had eventually made their way to Akkad and attempted to hide there while awaiting news from either the Empire or the Resistance.

"I escaped the battle on Corona Magna," said Parikon. "Not because I could defeat any of the Ix leaders, but because they either teleported away or fled after you escaped. I held the remnants of their Limiter army off for a few minutes after you escaped, but wasn't able to finish them off and eventually teleported away.

"However, when I returned to the Fells, I, along with Freztrak and several other beings, confronted Saren. He somehow used a power unknown to me to subdue us, then imprison us in temporal stasis, where I was trapped for the past month. Eventually, however, I had enough power to momentarily break the time field, and I escaped, teleporting away. Freztrak is still trapped there, however, along with several elite Veythari warriors and two of my commanders."

Shardak felt the cold edge of fear seep into him once again. Saren had already eliminated Freztrak and several other high-ranking Resistance commanders, ensuring that no one in the Resistance knew anything of his plans. Shardak treasured the small hope that Saren knew nothing of Parikon's escape from temporal stasis, but he realized the Resistance leader was probablg aware by now.

"What of Ixtil, the Noctian warriors, and the Veythari?" asked Shardak in despiration. "They suspect nothing?"

"Ixtil and several of the high Noctian commanders are still on Noctxia Magna, the last time I'd heard," said Parikon. "Reid Vaethar might suspect something, but he's too far away from the Fells to make an impact on the conflict now."

"So they're all spread across the Solis Magna System, or imprisoned." said Shardak.

"Don't forget Atarus," said Parikon. "He's still out there. And we have one great edge over Saren now, one that will help us retake control of the Resistance without needless bloodshed— he doesn't know what I plan to do, even if he realizes that I'm free now. He may have somehow enhanced his powers to overcome me, but even he could not hold me in stasis for long."

Shardak knew he should feel hopeful, but he only felt like more enemies were closing in even as they spoke. The Hooded One still haunted his dreams, as he had in the days after Arcturas' death and in the Void, but this time the nightmares seemed different, as though—

"Besides," said Parikon, breaking through Shardak's thoughts. "Now you're free and returning to the Fells, the symbol of our Resistance's cause. Saren is hunting you down and attempting to kill you under the pretext that you are an imposter, and that the real Shardak is on Noctxia Magna. If we can prove to even some of the Resistance's higher ranking soldiers you are indeed Shardak, and convince them of Saren's treachery, we might indeed stand a chance of keeping him from taking over the Resistance completely."

"But he's also an Ix informant." said Shardak. "How can that be? Does he want to destroy the Empire, or serve them?"

Parikon sighed. "When I confronted Saren, he confessed he had, indeed, made deals with the Ix to eliminate high ranking Resistance members in the past. It is Saren's fault, for instance, that the Glatorian assassins found you on Noctxia Magna, killed Torak, and injured Valkyria. They were aiming to kill you."

Shardak remembered with a flame of anger that day, and saw Torak's corpse lying in the deserts shot full of crossbow bolts in his mind. During a later battle, he'd had to heal Valkyria from a poisoned crossbow bolt wound, and almost died in the process. They'd only survived thanks to Ixtil and the Hand of Mata Nui, who'd rescued them.

"And it was also thanks to Saren that the Ix knew you were on Drakyr," answered Parikon. "And that the Limiters and Vorgaan found you there. However, at the same time, Saren is not only a servant of the Ix. He is, as you know, double crossing both the Resistance and the Empire so he alone will be left as ruler when the war is over."

"How can he possibly think he can survive?" asked Shardak. "Vahrikaan will kill him if he rises! Does he think he stands a chance against the Ix if they have the Annulus and the Elimination Plague?"

"That's exactly it," said Parikon. "I don't know how, but Saren knows you have a fragment of the Annulus, and that's one of the reasons he's hunting you down. He plans to claim the entire Annulus, and use its power to destroy the Ix."

"But that's insane!" said Shardak, for the first time his voice rising above a whisper. "If the Annulus is made whole, Vahrikaan will rise! Surely Saren knows—"

"Saren does know indeed what will happen. He believes he can use the Annulus to obliterate Vahrikaan before the Dark Lord has enough power to reform a physical body. Of course, that could never happen. Vahrikaan would sense the threat and take control of Saren's body instead. We cannot let that happen."

For the first time, the sheer depth of Saren's madness became known to Shardak. Not only was he planning to wipe out all of the Ix with the Annulus, he would also provide a host body for Vahrikaan, and set free the Dark Lord once again. Shardak knew he could not stand against Vahrikaan in combat, he'd felt the ancient being's aura during his great battle with the Hooded One. And with his power augmented by a thousand times with the Annulus—

"We have to return to the Fells," said Shardak at last. "Saren has to be stopped."

Chapter 2
Within the darkest depths of the Void, near the very bottom of the massive dimensional prison, the city Seruamaera, better known to the world in myth and legend as the Nameless City, shimmered in the midst of the inky blackness. The massive city, with its tall, impossibly thin spires and large domed complexes made of gleaming, transparent glass shot through with golden tendrils stood out starkly from the rest of the Void, with its dark, empty plains and barren mountains. However, nearly no beings ever made it this deep into the Void, for the perils of the ancient prison were far too great.

But now the city was far different than it had been in years. While it was still, indeed, mostly quiet and empty, apart from the flashing green lights of the ancient plague that had destroyed the Mindeater Empire, now it was far from empty. Indeed, it was once again inhabited, however, not by Mindeaters.

By the Ix.

Nightshade, Ix apprentice and aura warrior, stood beside three of the heavily armored, elite Limiter soldiers, watching the unconscious bodies of the Makuta being led away by more of the soldiers. At least twenty more Makuta stood beside the Limiters, but they made no move to help their unarmed, unconscious brethren. Indeed, they simply stared at the elite Ix warriors with dead eyes, waiting for orders.

"Pathetic." one of the three elite Ix warriors said in an undertone. "They barely even bothered to protect their city when we overran it, and surrendered almost immediately."

He was referring to the battle of New Destral, which had occurred nearly a month ago. One of the Ix's Limiter armies had overran New Destral, destroying the smaller and poorly trained Makuta armies in under an hour. The rest of the Makuta had surrendered, and the Ix were eventually able to use their superior, mind controlling technology to overcome the remnants of the Makuta armies.

This Makuta civilization, a remnant of the old empire that had fallen after the Ix takeover, was no more. Now they would aid their old allies once again, this time involuntarily. It was tidier that way, and forced them to forget the massive slaughter the Ix had inflicted on their city.

Since then, the Ix, with their new servants, had abandoned New Destral and taken their Makuta slaves deeper into the Void, to Seruamaera, which had been abandoned for centuries. Within a few days of hard labor by the enslaved and brainwashed Makuta, the portions of the city was once again habitable, and the Ix had set up their own army and high command in the military district of the city. The original central portion of the city was devastated and damaged badly, with smashed glass lying scattered everywhere and the tallest spires destroyed. Nightshade knew that the Ix commanders who had masterminded the invasion were forcing the Makuta to work overtime by repairing the rest of the Nameless City.

"How many do you think there are?" asked one of the other Ix. He was a newcomer to the operation, who had been sent here recently by the Ix high command when it became apparent they were entering the final stage of their war against the rebellion.

"Nearly sixty more." said Nightshade. "But there are thousands. Not all of them are trained combatants, but all of the Makuta we spared are physically fit enough to hold a weapon, and that's what matters."

The end of the war was so close, Nightshade could almost feel it. From Seruamaera, the Ix could launch several attacks against key Resistance strongholds, including the Fells from the Circle. And now—

"Apprentice Nightshade."

Nightshade turned, to see another high-ranking Limiter walking over to her. Unlike the others, he carried a weapon, a massive, curved scythe. He paused for a moment to look at the last of the Makuta being led inside the massive domed complex where the Ix were waiting to use their auric tortures on them to wipe their memories and forever enslave them to the Ix Empire.

"Yes?" she asked.

"The Ix commanders want you. Now. In the old ruling district, where the Mindeaters ruled. It's important."

Nightshade nodded, and, after informing the other Ix of where she was going, turned and followed the Limiter deeper into the Nameless City. The cold white light from the buildings and roads illuminated the ancient alleyways and passages, allowing them easy passage through the otherwise complete darkness. Now and then green lights, remnants of the ancient plague that had devastated Seruamaera long before the Ix's arrival, flashed before her eyes, but they caused no harm.

Slowly, as they made their way to the center of the city, the streets grew steadily more damaged, and collapsed spires and remains of shattered domed buildings lay in wreckage around their feet. Nightshade knew this was not from the Mindeater War. Seruamaera had not been conquered by an army, but by plague. It was from Sarkanian's rampage through the city, when three Sharidir bounty hunters had unleashed the ancient world-eating serpent to kill Toa Shardak. However, they had failed, and Sarkanian had been defeated, though not before he'd devastated more than a quarter of the city, including the Mindeater's massive spires at the heart of the Nameless City.

Stepping inside one of the massive, impossibly thin spires near the center of the city, Nightshade and the Limiter climbed several flights of glass stairs, finally arriving near the center of the spire. Through the mostly transparent glass, Nightshade could see the cityscape beyond.

Two Limiters stepped from the shadows, followed by the Ix female, Reyna. Slender, lithe, and beautiful, the Ix high commander's gleaming onyx eyes fixed on Nightshade, acknowledging her presence with a small nod. She carried a curved dagger scythe in one hand, and her features betrayed nothing of her emotions.

"You need to see this." said Reyna. Nightshade turned and followed the other Ix female to one of the turrets of the Spire, into another, taller, and wider spire by a glass bridge. The Limiters followed, scythes drawn. Nightshade could see through the perfectly clear glass the massive Shadowdermis pools at the center of the city. This Shadowdermis, from the older, now destroyed Shadowdermis pool on Noctxia Magna, was a last resort pool, in case the main source pool was destroyed.

Nightshade saw a moment, below in the depths of the pool, something stir in the darkness. She knew it was one of the two remaining Sarkanian clones, the two clones whose teleportation powers had managed to bring them to the reserve pool of Shadowdermis before they were destroyed after the destruction of the source pool.

Then Nightshade saw something else, a third ripple as another being lifted its head from the depths. Nightshade immediately recognized it— indeed, she'd thought it to be one of the Sarkanian clones— but its armor was a dark shade of brown and silver. Nightshade realized then that she was not looking at a clone, but at the original Sarkanian, the being that had rampaged through the Nameless City that had been the source of the other clones.

"Now that the Shadowdermis pool is within the Nameless City, we were able to use Shadowdermis to heal the worst of the massive serpent's wounds," said Reyna. "While it is still blind, it posesses keen enough scent and hearing to still be somewhat effective. But, of course, that is not the real reason Sarkanian is so valuable."

"More of the Sarkanian clones." Nightshade breathed, understanding the full implications of Sarkanian's healing.

"Yes," said Reyna, allowing a small note of triumph to enter her voice. "With the original Sarkanian, and the massive amount of Shadowdermis, our ability to create enough clones to completely obliterate Xaterex and Calos would be simple. It would only take time, though using our virus would be far quicker, and simpler."

"If only Shardak did not have it," said Nightshade. "If he finds out—"

"He will never learn the truth about the black vial," Reyna assured her. "He's cut off from the Resistance, cut off from his allies...and we can eliminate him long before he draws near to the Fells, thanks to Saren."

Below, in the massive pool of Shadowdermis, Nightshade watched three smaller Sarkanian clones rise from the pool. Several Limiters were standing at the pool's edge, along with around ten of the already enslaved Makuta. Nightshade and Reyna both knew what was about to happen, but did not move as the Limiters raised their scythes, running through two of the Makuta. Both of them dropped into the pool. Immediately something thrashed around in the darkness, dragging the two dying Makuta in with them.

The other Makuta made no move to help them, merely stood there and watched as the Shadowdermis rippled as the young Sarkanian clones fought over the bodies of the dead Makuta. The remaining Makuta simply stood there, until the Limiters shoved them, still alive, into the pool. None of them even made a move to defend themselves as they were dragged into the Shadowdermis and did not rise again from the depths.

"There are already four of them," said Reyna. "And they'll be fully grown within a month. And our scientists are already working on still more. By the end of the month we'll have an army of Sarkanian clones, the Annulus and the Elimination Plague."

While Reyna's voice betrayed nothing, Nightshade could tell she could also feel victory for their people in her grasp. With the massive army under their command, augmented by the Shadow of Vahrikaan and the Elimination Plague, no military army, not even the Resistance and the Hand, could stand against them.

The cold northern wind roared through the Akkadian Mountains, causing Shardak's cloak to blow around him. Shivering in the frigid temperture, he drew his cloak tightly around him and continued walking through the dark mountains.

He would have stopped a while ago, had the desision been left to him, but Parikon, eager to quickly return to the Fells, wanted to move as fast as possible. Shardak understood why— he knew that it was likely Saren would have a large number of guards at the Fellsian border— but he could see even Valkyria was beginning to tire. Only Parikon seemed unaffected by the drop in temperature and the darkness of night, doggedly plowing onward.

At last, however, even the Great Being was forced to admit they could not continue any longer. "We'll have to make camp now," he said. "We're nearly to the Fellsian border, it should only be one more day of travel."

Valkyria and Shardak nodded, and helped Parikon build a small campfire beneath a small cliff overlook, where their camp would be hidden from the casual observer. It was likely that Saren had scouts patrolling this area of the Akkadian Mountains, and it was likely that the Ix did as well. Still, in the area around them, there was no better place to make camp, and Shardak had to admit they were lucky to find such a concealed location.

It was good to be back in the mountains again. Though Shardak had grown up in a mountain city, Intax, it was built in an even more mountainous area than Akkad, and he was glad to be once again near his old homeland, despite the fact he knew a return was impossible. Intax was far too close to the underground Ix outpost known as the Circle, where he had met Silencer, Melnox, and Ion, three surviving Toa who had aided in his training. It was Ion who had helped him through the Void and to the Resistance base itself, though he'd been killed in a battle with two Ix leaders, Mordrax and Skorpix, nearly two years earlier.

"Saren doesn't seem to have any warriors actively patrolling this area." said Parikon. "Likely it's still too deep into Akkadian territory for him to risk sending a large group of warriors after you. However, be on your guard. It's likely that, the closer we get to the Fells, the more beings Saren has guarding against us. I know him well enough to know that he'll have probably deduced my next moves by now."

"What will we do once we're in the Fells?" asked Valkyria. Both Parikon and Shardak turned to face the Ix girl, whose jade eyes gleamed in the crackling firelight.

Valkyria had always been both difficult and easy for Shardak to understand. She'd been a member of an Ix assassination team sent to kill him in the Void, and had succeeded in taking the Shadow Orb from him, though the rest of her strike team was killed. She'd escaped, but had been forced to form a temporary alliance with Shardak against several rising threats in the Void: Sarkanian and the Shadow of Ages.

Then they'd all been captured by the Ix, and then sent to the Eternal Game. The Ix had ordered Valkyria to pretend to be on Shardak's side during the games, then kill him, but when Fairon had managed to free them all from the arena, the Ix ordered her to continue spying on the Resistance and find a way to gain the only fragment of the Annulus they did not posess. Eventually, Valkyria had been forced to choose between her loyalty to the Empire or the Resistance, and chosen to side with Shardak against Vahrikaan, the Hooded One, and the Ix high council.

After that battle, they'd once again become friends and allies, but Shardak and Valkyria had had little time to discuss anything before Saren had betrayed them and she, Shardak, Fairon, and Artonix were forced to flee from both the Ix and the Resistance. The—

"Find a way to challenge Saren's authority directly. Remember, the rank and file Resistance members have no knowledge of Saren's treachery, or his attempted murder of Toa Shardak. I have many allies still to call upon, allies who have, as of yet, remained neutral in the war between the Ix and the Empire, but might be persuaded to work with us if we inform them of Saren's betrayal. However, we may not even need their assistance, unless war with the Resistance becomes completely unavoidable. If we can prove to the Veythari and other Resistance warriors in the Fells beyond doubt that Saren has betrayed us, he'll only have his inner circle to rely on. And then we can depose him."

"We can't let this conflict become a three-way war," said Shardak. "Even if we had sufficient military power to wage a land and space battle against both Saren and the Empire, then we'd still lose. I don't see how—"

"I know," said Parikon grimly. "But that is a distinct possibility at this point. There are many rumors circulating around Akkad, as you probably know, that the Akkadian city-states are planning to enter the war. And while Saren has temporarily quelled any resistance from the cities we've captured in Arden, a war in the Fells would tear apart our command structure completely. That's why we have to try every other route available first."

Shardak tried to consider any other options other than open war, but found himself at loss. In order to be in a position to prove Saren's betrayal, they'd have to be at the very heart of Resistance territory, and that meant the rebel base itself. And even if, by some miracle, they could reach Saren's innermost sanctum without being killed, then they would still be no close to defeating him, because they had no proof other then their words that Saren was a traitor. While, of course, some beings would believe Parikon, the rank-and-file warriors would side with Saren, their immediate military superior, rather than the Great Being who had been missing for months.

The Veythari would follow Parikon. Shardak thought. But Saren had anticipated that as well, the Veythari, under Reid Vaethar's command, were currently supervising the seige of New Metru Nui, many miles away from the Fells. The Dargon commander, Areop, was probably also with them. ''So Saren's alone in the Fells, along with our entire spacefleet, several Hand agents, and his closest supporters. And half of our army.''

The prospect of going up against them with only a former Ix warrior and a Great Being at his side filled Shardak with dread.

As the night dragged on, and Shardak could not think of any other strategies to defeat Saren, he asked Parikon, "How did you join the Resistance? You were one of the founders, along with Saren and Atarus, right?"

"Not exactly," said Parikon, raising his head. The Great Being's blue eyes met Shardak's, and Shardak realized that, within those sapphire depths lay countless tales of wars, battles, and other conflicts, since long before the Fall of Arcaea. "After the Fall of Arcaea, when the Elemental Kingdom's borders collapsed and the elements tore the ancient kingdom apart, the Arcaean goverment was scattered. For years, all of Arcaea had been ruled by Glatorian rulers, but it was a far more complex situation then that. The Toa Order were the overall protectors of the land, and, apart from the Elemental lords of each of the twelve kingdoms and the Hand of Mata Nui, a secretive order of beings who were the Toa Order's nominal superiors, they had the most control over the realm as a whole.

"There were more protectors of Arcaea than just the Toa, of course. All of the Elementals could certainly adequately defend their territory from a threat from the outside. But, of course, the threat came from within— the enemies that finally brought about Arcaea's fall were rebellious Ix and Elementals, as well as other beings who had joined them. Some, like your father, Shardak, honestly believed that the old order was completely corrupted, and had to be torn down before something new could begin, some were intelligent beings wanting to seize power, and others simply wanted to destroy what was, and leave nothing but chaos behind.

"Vahrikaan and his army, as you know, were able to destroy Arcaea, but in the process, the Annulus was shattered once again—"

"But the spirits of the two Ancients I encountered said that the Annulus was shattered before even the fall of the Ancients," said Shardak. "How could the Annulus have been made whole then, if Vahrikaan is once again sealed within?"

"Another being stopped him, and shattered the Annulus after the Rising, before Vahrikaan could destroy the Ancient's safeguards on the ring," said Parikon. "But that is another tale. Once Arcaea was gone, the Toa Order was almost completely destroyed. Some fled to Xaterex to regroup, along with the Veythari. Other beings who lived in the Elemental Kingdoms also did not escape the destruction, and were wiped out with no survivors. Even the Elementals, a once-common species, are now nearly extinct.

"I, as a Great Being, was a valuable asset to the Toa, with my higher levels of Elemental power. However, it didn't matter by then. I created many beings to try to defend the remains of the Toa Order as they fought against the Ix rebels, who had, after cleansing all that is left today of the Arcaean dimension— a small remnant of the Earth Kingdom— of any survivors, they used that as their main citadel, and invaded both Xaterex and Calos through the portals. They managed to take over Calos and Noctxia Magna, Xaterex's two satellites, relatively quickly, but Xaterex itself proved to be far harder to take.

"There were the Veythari warriors, who had been only a nominal presence in Arcaea but controlled a vast empire on Xaterex. There were Matoran, Agori, and Glatorian kingdoms, all of them fighting over the south. For, as soon as news of Arcaea's fall reached them, they all revolted, trying to seize as much power as possible. The Veythari remained at peace, but not for long, for, as the Toa's allies, when the Ix came, they were forced into war.

"I was among the survivors who'd escaped Arcaea, and I, along with several other beings who had escaped the Fall, knew that, as enemies of the Ix, we wouldn't survive very long on an Ix controlled planet. We were eventually able to establish a larger, Toa Order loyal army in Arden, which could better fight the Ix centered domain centered at the old capitol of the Glatorian Kingdom, Drakos. It was during this time that I first was truly able to get to know Atarus, though I never knew your father well, Shardak. After the Fall, he disappeared from the pages of recorded history.

"We fought against the massive Ix invasions as best we could, and Reid Vaethar's grandfather, who was the high leader of the Veythari Clans at the time, aided us as best we could. But we always fought more of a running battle then anything else, constantly moving our capitol from city to city as the Ix seized more and more land.

"And then there was also the Elimination Plague to consider. Soon there were fewer than fifty Toa left who were fighting fit, and by the time we were forced back to the Wastelands there were less than half of that number remaining. Eventually, the Plague, which could spread by air as well as water, completely destroyed all of the Toa on Xaterex at that time. The only Toa who escaped the purge were those who laid low long enough for the Ix to create another method of keeping their domain in order: the Eternal Game. The one hundred or so Toa who still survived all were killed in the Games after that or lived to become victors, which is how Fairon, Jareroden, and Galika escaped the purge.

"I myself, along with the remnants of our fighting force, retreated to the Fells, where the Veythari were strong enough to hold off the Ix. The Ix eventually did send an army there, intending to destroy them entirely, but were unable to subdue the Clans, and out of the remnants of the old Arcaean government and the Toa Order, as well as the Veythari Clans, the Resistance was born. And it was there I met Saren, Silencer, Melnox, and Ion."

With Parikon's tale now finished, Shardak tried to absorb all of the information without letting it overwhelm him. The most shocking revelation was that Vahrikaan had indeed risen during the Fall of Arcaea. He'd always assumed the Hooded One and the Ix, the leaders of the revolt, had failed to free him. Now, he realized, it had happened differently.

Shardak's thoughts turned from the war on Xaterex to the Fall once again, and he wondered, once again, who Arcturas truly was. Even Parikon had admitted that he did not know him very well. The only being who knew him well enough to explain the full truth was Atarus, Arcturas' brother. Shardak resolved that, if both he and Atarus survived the return to the Fells, then he would ask him more about Arcturas, before the Fall. He hoped that, from Atarus, he could learn more about who his father truly was, not the being he thought he'd been. But even Atarus seemed withdrawn and hesitant to discuss Arcturas with Shardak, he'd only brought it up once before: after the disastrous mission to Xiost and the loss of the Annulus fragment.

He would also tell Atarus about his dream, the dream that, apart from himself, only Valkyria knew about. The dream that had haunted him for the past month almost every night, that had made sleep impossible. He wished he'd told Parikon about it while they were still discussing the Fall, and thought, for a few moments, about speaking to him. But he could tell that the Great Being was resting, and it would be wrong to wake him.

He saw that Valkyria was keeping watch, and knew he wouldn't have very many more hours before it was his turn. Slowly, unwillingly, he began to feel darkness close in upon him.

''Suddenly, he was no longer in darkness, but somewhere else. A battlefield, like none he'd ever seen before. All of the Elements raged through the night sky, flashing above his head in many different colors. He could barely hear over the roar of sonic powers being used, and the clash of weapons made it impossible for him to discern who was fighting, which side he was on.'' He could see several beings standing near him, all of them fighting against several heavily armored beings that he thought were Elementals or Ix. However, in the chaos, it was hard to tell.

He saw a bolt of blue lightning flash before him, and felt the electricity sizzle through him as he was flung backward, to the ground. He saw another being, dark like a specter, stand above him, ready to deal a death blow with a massive longsword.

Then the being was gone, and he was running, chased by several beings. However, he could not stop, could not cry out that he didn't understand. And slowly the other elements were vanishing, being replaced by a single color: red flames, blotting out the stars themselves.

Like the night Arcturas had died.

Shardak heard a voice over the chaos of battle. "Run! Take them and run!"

He couldn't make out the speaker, however, and heard another voice answer, his response lost in the roar of the flames as they bore down on him, burning red, like flaming ice.

Like Vahrikaan's eyes.

Suddenly he was being pulled through the night by two beings, both of them cloaked. One of them undid her cloak slowly, but her features were still lost in the shadows of the flames. In one hand she carried a dagger. Turning away, she motioned for him to follow. And, as the battle continued to rage around them, he did. More beings passed them by, and he could see two other beings also following the female. Her cloak was black, and he seemed to recognize it, it absorbed light rather than reflected it...

Yet he somehow couldn't place where he'd seen it before.

Then they were once again in the midst of the chaos, and a tall being, carrying a wickedly sharp scythe that also seemed oddly familiar, charged toward the cloaked female, screaming something unintelligible that was lost in the roar of the red fire inexorably growing closer. The cloaked female raised her dagger, as though she could somehow ward off the approaching being with that simple weapon. But, in a single slash of his scythe, the being, who wore black and silver armor, had torn the dagger from her hand, and as she staggered backward, he raised the scythe to deal a death blow, the wickedly curved weapon illuminated by the raging fire —

''Then the dream simply turned black, and he was standing before another figure, one he recognized all too well. The Hooded One held out a single, corpse-like hand to Shardak and spoke, but when he spoke it was not in his own voice but in Vahrikaan's horribly rasping, metallic whisper that echoed through the darkness.''

Toa Shardak, you will bring us to life.

Then nothing but blackness and silence.

Shardak suddenly snapped awake, panting and breathless as he always was after the nightmare. But this time there was something different. He heard Valkyria's shout, and, immediately grabbing the Blade of Arcturas, rose to his feet, looking around him.

He had just enough time to make out a golden Kanohi in the blackness before a long scimitar slashed out of the darkness and toward him.

Chapter 3
For one moment, panic filled Shardak, and he immediately raised the Blade of Arcturas, swinging it upward to meet the descending scimitar. However, his own weapon swiped through thin air, and, confused, he saw he was staring into familiar green eyes.

"Fairon!" Shardak gasped. "How did you find us?" He looked around, and saw Artonix, the former Agori pilot, was also with them, talking to Parikon. Immediately realizing there were no enemies, Shardak immediately relaxed. Lowering his voice, he whispered, "Where were you? We thought the Limiters had killed you both."

"After the Limiter attack outside of Akkad, we decided it would be safer not to return there." said Fairon. "We couldn't be sure you or Valkyria were still alive, or if you'd been captured or killed. We decided to head south, to Iskar or to New Metru Nui. It was a bad decision. If nothing else, we should have remained in the Akkadian Mountains. However, with Saren actively hunting for us, we weren't sure whether it would be safe to go anywhere near the Fells until we had more information.

"The south is in ruins. Saren's armies are taking a cue from their leader and behaving with a complete lack of restraint, burning any town that resists in their path. They destroyed an entire city, headed by a rebel crime leader, for putting up stiff resistance. They weren't aligned with the Ix, merely trying to defend their homes."

Parikon sighed. "The Resistance has become the enemy now. Without the Sarkanian clones, and the reinforcement of the Noctian armies and the Hand of Mata Nui, Saren will tear through the smaller, nominally Ix ruled cities within no time. He's already at New Metru Nui."

Fairon nodded grimly. "Any day now, the report will come that it's fallen. Then there are only three major Ix controlled cities remaining, and they'll fight us for every step we take into their territory. And then there's the Shadow—"

"The Shadow." said Parikon. Shardak remembered the darkness to the west, where Vahrikaan's vast auric power was gathering, creeping further northward with every passing day. Shardak knew that the Hooded One, the cultist responsible for Vahrikaan's imminent rising, would stop at nothing to recover the Annulus from him and use his power to free the Dark Lord— then kill him. "How far north has it come?"

"It's visible from the southernmost Akkadian Mountains." answered Fairon. "And it's nearing Arden. It'll be there for certain within a week."

Parikon nodded again, digesting the information. "You're lucky to have survived," he said at last. "How did you know we were still alive?"

"The south was a war torn mess, no place for a Toa and an Agori," said Fairon. "We returned to Akkadia two days ago, and found information in Jekart's tavern, the Skull. Apparently he'd seen a being matching the description of your disguise."

Shardak was still wearing his Glatorian helmet and armor, keeping the Ignika safely hidden away within his satchel with the vials of Elimination and the Annulus fragment. He knew the only reason Fairon had known that he was there was because he'd seen Shardak's disguise previously, but he knew from countless battles never to underestimate the Ix. If Fairon had found them, then it was indeed likely that the Ix could find them as well.

"We have to—" Parikon began, but suddenly there was a snap and a hiss from outside the cave, and something slammed against the cave wall with a dull thunk. Shardak recognized the weapon immediately— a quarrel, a crossbow bolt. He could see a black-robed being standing outside the cave, casually reaching for another bolt. His features were shrouded in the mist.

"Run!" Parikon yelled. "They have found us!"

''Who? ''Shardak thought wildly. Saren, or the Ix?

Whoever these mysterious attackers were, they certainly weren't the Veythari warriors, who always used longbows as their primary weapons.

Shardak snatched the Blade of Arcturas from the floor and, swinging the weapon around, slashed an onrushing crossbow bolt in half. For a moment, he was so shocked by the fact he'd managed to evade death that he hesitated, giving the black-cloaked figure time to reload his crossbow. For the first time, Shardak got a good look at the assassin without the fog obscuring him completely.

He was a tall and thin being, whose features were hidden beneath the wide-brimmed hat he wore. His armor matched his cloak and was deep black, and twin orange-red eyes peered at Shardak malevolently from beneath the hat. Before Shardak could move, he aimed the crossbow directly at Shardak's heart and fired.

Only luck saved him from immediate death. At the last minute, he twisted to one side to evade the quarrel, and instead, it slammed into his side, below the ribcage. Shardak felt the cold steel bite into his skin like cold fire, and immediately staggered backward, away from the mysterious attacker. However, Shardak knew that wouldn't help him. Any minute now, he'd feel another crossbow bolt tear through his armor, and then it would be over. Even worse, he could no longer see the assassin clearly, the fog hid him, Parikon, Artonix, Fairon, Valkyria, and the other attackers from sight, though he could hear the clash of weapons.

Suddenly Artonix appeared out of the gloom. The Agori's eyes were wild, though he relaxed when he noticed Shardak. Shardak opened his mouth to warn Artonix, then heard a dull snick from the shadows as a crossbow bolt was released. Immediately he threw himself to the ground, and saw Artonix, standing just in front of him, collapse, a quarrel embedded in his throat. Moments later, as he was rising to his feet, a second crossbow bolt hit him in the shoulder.

''They're trying to kill us. ''Shardak realized. They're either Saren's assassins, then, or the Ix no longer care about taking us alive.

Shardak wondered which of the two prospects he dreaded more. Rising to his feet and racing blindly through the fog toward voices. He could make out another being in the shadows, but had no idea whether it was friend or foe. Hoping desperately it was either Blast or Fairon, Shardak staggered forward, accidently slamming against the being's shoulder.

Cold green eyes stared out from under another wide-brimmed hat.

"Hello, Spirit Toa." said another of the attackers, then raised his crossbow.

He never got the chance to fire. Parikon raced from the darkness, raising his massive scythe above his head. The being's crossbow switched focus onto the Great Being. but in his haste he'd miscalculated the distance between them and the quarrel thudded harmlessly against the rocks. Before the would-be assassin had a chance to reload, Parikon and Shardak were racing away, through the fog. Shardak could barely make out anything around him, but Parikon kept a hand firmly placed on his arm, and guided him away from the edges of the cliffs. Fairon was also with them, racing alongside them through the mist.

Shardak realized the cunning genius of these mysterious attackers. By staging their attack in the early morning, they'd had the fog as their ally, which could be even more dangerous then the cover of night. Shardak knew that both Valkyria and Parikon had perfect night vision, and he guessed that the attackers knew as well.

When they were a safe distance away, Shardak let out a breath and gasped, "Who were those beings?"

"I didn't get a clear glimpse of our attackers. A tan and black armored being attacked us first, then decoyed us away into the fog by chasing him. I'd quickly been seperated from Artonix, Fairon, and Valkyria, and that was when I realized it was a trick— obviously, you were the real target. I should have known."

Briefly Shardak described the two beings who'd attacked him, one with black armor and the other in green, both wearing wide-brimmed hats and carrying crossbows.

Parikon's face went ashen. "Rotaxians." he breathed.

"Whotaxians?" asked Shardak, confused. He turned to Fairon, but the Toa of Light's face was just as fearful.

"Rotaxians." repeated Parikon. "They're from Rotaxia, in Arden. Their primary occupation has always been assassinations, even before the fall of Arcaea. For the Ix or Saren to send three of them after us is a sign that we've definitely become noticable enough by them to have us eliminated."

"Are they as dangerous as the Sharidir and Skorr?" asked Parikon.

"They have no equals." said Parikon. "They are the most skilled poisoners and killers in, perhaps, the whole star system. Only Nightwatcher surpasses them in bounty hunting, though the Sharidir would not agree with you."

"We have to go." said Fairon. The fight below had faded into ominous silence, and Shardak hoped desperately that Valkyria had evaded the Rotaxians. "The bolts were more then likely poisoned, and, also more than likely, the Rotaxians are the only beings who know the antidote."

Shardak felt fear run through him like the blade of a dagger. "Poison? They shot me twice.""

Fairon nodded grimly. "Then it is imperative that we get you help immediately. We have to—"

"Nobody is going anywhere." a cold voice hissed from the shadows like the edge of a knife.

Two Limiters stepped out of the shadows, and with them, one of the Rotaxians, armored in tan and black. Unlike the other two assassins, this being wore no cloak, and carried a spiked club, though a crossbow was strapped to his back.

But Shardak barely payed them any attention. His eyes were fixed on the speaker, whose voice he recognized instantly. She was almost inhumanly beautiful, with a slender frame and lithe body, but her eyes were all that captured Shardak's attention. Time seemed to slow as he stared into her eyes, which looked both cold and burning at the same time, like glossy, volcanic obsidian.

Shardak recognized her immediately. The last time he'd seen this Ix commander, she'd killed one of his friends, Flardrek, slashing open his throat with a scythe. She met his gaze, and a small sneer played at the corner of her mouth. He flinched and looked away.

"Lay down your weapons," ordered Reyna as more Limiters seemed to materialize from the mist. "And hand over the Elimination Plague and the Annulus fragment."

Chapter 4
At the heart of the Resistance base in the Fells, acting High Commander Saren Naghara sat alone at his desk in his private quarters, deep in thought. So much had transpired within the past week that any lesser being would have been at loss at how to deal with the Resistance's problems. However, Saren was no lesser being. He hadn't risen to his current rank by hiding away while his generals did all of the work.

First was the announcement from Reid Vaethar, that New Metru Nui had fallen after several long weeks of siege. Saren allowed a faint smile to play at the corner of his mouth for a moment. The Veythari were able warriors, and yet the Ix had bested them for an entire week until Saren had sent them enough siege engines and blasters to negate their walls and archers within. It hadn't taken long for Vaethar to devise a suitable plan for the catapults, and within a few days the siege was tipping in favor of the Resistance. Finally, however, word had come from Vaethar and the Dargon chieftain, Areop, that New Metru Nui was theirs.

Such stupid, incompetent fools, always useless unless they have someone else to order them about. Saren thought. ''Still, they certainly have their uses. ''

He'd made plans for more reinforcements to join the rebel army within a few weeks, and when New Metru Nui was completely subdued, then the army would move on. At the moment, Vaethar was returning to the Fells, to hold conference with Saren about their next plans. Saren would not look forward to it.

''It would be tidier, and simpler, to simply have someone kill Vaethar. ''said Saren. ''But then, of course, the Veythari would leave the Resistance. They're already questioning my leadership in too many ways, and need to be brought back in line.''

Saren was sure they suspected nothing of his true plans. However, he knew the Veythari and the Dargon wouldn't stand by while he reorganized the Resistance from the top down. And, in the end, if they didn't cooperate with his changes, they would have to be removed.

''Vaethar would be hard to eliminate, anyway. ''he thought. Unless, of course, I could find a way to make it look like an accident, which means I'll need the Rotaxians I sent with Reyna back in the Fells by tomorrow.

At the thought of what the Rotaxians were doing now, Saren smiled, this time for real. They'd be killing two birds with one stone soon enough, and eliminating Shardak and Parikon, both annoying flies in the ointment. It would be rather difficult to conceal Shardak's disappearance from the more suspicious members of the Resistance, but Saren knew that, by the end of the month, the Ix would have completely destroyed any remaining Resistance members in the Fells.

''And I'll make sure I'm not among them. ''said Saren. Playing as the Ix's spy has its uses, although they'll wish that they hadn't told me so much of their plan when they learn how I plan to destroy them.

Saren could almost feel the fragment of the Annulus Shardak held in his grasp already. The Rotaxians would make absolutely sure that Shardak was dead, something that, thus far, no one had been able to accomplish. They would eliminate Parikon, and insure that Reyna received the Annulus fragment. Once she had the fragment with her, Saren had been promised another Annulus fragment as well by the Ix high commander.

But Saren was no fool. She was obviously trying to double-cross him. He knew from other Ix operatives, and from his allies, Moru Kul and Nightwatcher, that the Ix intended to use the Annulus to free Vahrikaan. And, while Saren had every intention of letting the Dark Lord free, he couldn't allow the Ix to do it. No, he had to be the being holding the Annulus during the Rising.

Reyna truly suspects nothing... Saren mused. ''And by the time the rest of the Ix realize what I've done it'll be far, far to late. The Rotaxians will kill Shardak, yes...but they'll make sure that Reyna and her Limiters never make it back to Drakos Capitol alive.''

Shardak's vision, already slightly hazy and unfocused, forced itself to hold Reyna's gaze. Parikon raised his massive scythe, looking the Ix girl directly in the eyes. "You shall not have either."

"Really, old Glatorian?" sneered Reyna. "Are you going to stop us? Or this pathetic Toa of Light?" Reyna's eyes turned on Shardak. "Or do you think the hero of the Resistance, your precious Spirit Toa, will come to your aid?" Reyna noticed the recent quarrel wounds on Shardak's side and shoulder and smiled knowingly. "He'll be dead before he moves a centimeter."

"I will stop you." said Parikon. "You cannot hope to understand my power, and if you do not flee, you shall be completely annihilated."

For a moment, Reyna seemed rather taken aback by his confidence, but she recovered quickly. "So you think you could defeat me? And three Rotaxians? And an entire patrol of Limiters? You seem to have an overly high opinion of yourself if you think you could even touch me, much less completely annihilate me."

"I will give you one final chance to stand aside, or I assure you, you will be destroyed." said Parikon, and Shardak thought he felt a subtle shift in the aura field as Parikon raised his scythe, and felt a sudden, massive amount of power surge through the aura field.

"You know I won't." said Reyna scornfully, accepting his challenge. Suddenly, however, she didn't seem very intimidating anymore. At the moment, the strongest sense of power emanated from Parikon, and Shardak knew that the Great Being was calling on more of his vast amounts of power, the same power that had allowed him to teleport himsel from Corona Magna to Xaterex.

"Very well." said Parikon. "Then you will be remembered forever as the only Ix commander foolish enough to challenge a Great Being!"

Shardak could feel Parikon's power rise from the depths of his being, so great that his aura, and Reyna's, were both obscured for a moment in the raging power. For a moment, Reyna's features slipped and betrayed surprise, and Shardak fully expected the coming flash of white light would obliterate her, leaving nothing behind save dust.

However, Reyna calmly faced the Great Being, confidently looking him in the eyes. Her expression didn't change in the slightest. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

She raised a hand, and Shardak saw, with a sinking feeling that the two other Rotaxians were hiding in the shadows, their crossbows aimed and pointed at Parikon's heart. Shardak saw several Limiters, also armed with similar ranged weapons, scattered around the clearing, and he could tell there were many more as they all, one by one, revealed their auras to him.

"Attack me. Kill me if you want to." said Reyna, shrugging. "If my warriors don't kill you first, then the Rotaxians will, and you've seen how well they can shoot. And don't think you can somehow kill us all without killing the Spirit Toa as well. I'm an aura user, and if you try anything I'll order them to shoot before your attack kills us all. Either way, you're not leaving these mountains alive."

As much as Shardak hated Reyna, and how much he longed to attack and kill her to avenge Flardrek's death, he had to admit the Ix girl had phenomenal courage, to stand up to Parikon, Shardak, and Fairon while her life was at risk.

Shardak felt his vision begin to blur still more, and blinked to clear it away. However, it vanished for no more than a few minutes before the blur returned. Shardak knew it was the poison, and that soon it would probably kill him. He could feel slight jabs of pain run through his body, but was forced to ignore them as he faced Reyna and the Limiters.

"How do you know we won't simply smash the vials?" asked Parikon. "That'd put a dent in your plans, wouldn't it?"

"Actually, no." Reyna smiled. "The vials only harm non-Ix. However, it will wipe out every other being here. You're welcome to smash them, and kill every other being on Xaterex. But who knows, maybe you'll at least kill your enemy, Saren?"

"How do you—" Shardak began.

"Saren's our spy. I thought you'd guessed." said Reyna. "Of course I know everything about his plans."

"No you don't." said Parikon, speaking again, trying to buy time. "He's planning to double-cross you, you know. He wants the Annulus for himself."

"Of course he is." said Reyna. "I wouldn't be impressed with him at all if he wasn't. Now, enough talk. Hand over the Annulus fragment and the vials, or we'll take them from your corpses. It really doesn't matter to me, though if you do choose to surrender, we could, of course, use you both once your minds are broken."

"Go to Karzahni," snarled Shardak. "I'll never hand them over. You'll have to kill me."

Reyna shrugged. "Fine. Then watch me kill both your friends. Then we'll take the vials and the Annulus from you and leave you to die of the poison. Unless you no longer care about your friends over the past month since I've last seen you, then you'll not be able to watch that. So do yourself a favor and hand over the vials and the Annulus fragment, and you can either die quickly or join us. I'll get what I want no matter what, in the end, I get the same thing."

Something in the back of Shardak's mind wondered why Reyna wanted him to hand her the vials and the Annulus fragment, rather than simply kill him. Maybe she was scared the vials would break— but they were made of the strongest, most solid protodermis he'd ever seen. And besides, it wouldn't hurt her or the Limiters, and he doubted she cared that much about the Rotaxians. No, there was something—

"Hand them over," said Reyna. "Now."

Shardak walked forward unsteadily, drawing the twin vials of Elimination from his satchel, and then raising the small fragment of the Annulus he'd grabbed from the ruins of the room in the Spire. Furiously, and against his will, he walked up to Reyna, placing the fragment of the Annulus and the twin vials of Elimination in her hands.

Reyna's eyes gleamed with anticipation as she held the vials. She spun on her heel, facing the Limiter commander standing behind her. "Kill them all." she ordered.

The Rotaxian assassins raised their crossbows.

Suddenly there was a snarl, and a Limiter staggered backward. A familiar arrow was embedded in his chest. Two other Ix had no time to react before they, too fell, their eyes glazing over.

"Valkyria!" Shardak gasped as he recognized the Ix warrior in the haze of fog.

"Traitor!" Reyna snarled, her voice filled with venom. "How could you kill your own people?"

"You tried to kill me, if I remember correctly." said Valkyria, raising her longbow and aiming at another Limiter.

Shardak raised the Blade of Arcturas and changed toward Reyna in the confusion, but Parikon was faster. The Great Being slammed into Reyna, the impact causing her to stagger backward and drop the Annulus fragment. Immediately Parikon had leapt toward the Annulus, but an Ix warrior charged forward, scythes swinging wildly. Parikon's larger scythe made short work of the Ix warrior, then he turned on Reyna, unleashing a crackling bolt of raw power at the Ix girl.

Only Reyna's lightning fast reflexes saved her from annihilation. The energy flew into the darkness, where it dissipated into nothingness. Reyna's scythe-dagger flashed in the darkness, and Parikon staggered backward, wounded badly. Reyna's dagger slashed downward again, and he staggered back another step toward the cliff's edge, blood welling from several open wounds.

Shardak looked around wildly, and saw that Valkyria and Fairon were being battered quickly into submission by the Ix. Strangely, the Rotaxians were nowhere to be seen.

Parikon was rising unsteadily to his feet, but Shardak saw it was hopeless. Reyna had backed him up toward the edge of the cliff, and he could see their auras were locked in combat, fighting for dominance. Parikon still had the upper hand, but neither could he subdue the Ix commander. Somehow, something kept feeding her aura more and more power, enough to outlast the Great Being. Meanwhile Parikon was unleashing blast after blast of pointless destructive energy, that did nothing to stop Reyna's relentless assault.

Reyna took another step forward and slashed the scythe from Parikon's hands. The Great Being, locked in aura combat with the Ix commander, did nothing to defend himself as the weapon fell from his hands, soundlessly into the void below.

Now Shardak was worried. He knew how much of Parikon's auric energy was contained within that scythe, and he'd already expended too much power by firing the pointless blasts of destructive energy at Reyna.

For the first time, Shardak considered the very real possibility that Reyna would win. His eyes strayed to the Annulus fragment lying on the ground, the Annulus fragment that might just contain enough power to kill Reyna before she killed the Great Being. At the very least, by then Parikon might have enough energy back to teleport away.

He took one step toward the Annulus fragment.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Reyna's voice hissed from the shadows. Shardak turned away from the fallen fragment of the ring and saw to his shock and horror that Parikon was backed up to the edge of the cliff. There was nothing below for more than one thousand feet, and his aura felt weak and tired, as though it had been ripped apart.

How could Reyna have enough power to—

"Shardak!" Parikon yelled. "Shardak, get the Annulus!"

Shardak hesitated. If he made one move to grab the ring fragment, Reyna would kill Parikon. He could see the promise of death in her cold dark eyes.

"What will it be, Shardak?" asked Reyna, her dagger-scythe raised to finish off the defenseless Great Being. "The Annulus— or Parikon's life?"

Chapter 5
For one moment, time seemed to stand still. The sounds of battle had faded.

Shardak stood between the Annulus and Parikon, shocked at Parikon's defeat. He had to help his mentor, the Great Being, escape, but he saw in Parikon's eyes that the Great Being wanted him to get the Annulus, even if it meant the loss of his own life.

"Shardak! Get the Annulus!" yelled Parikon.

"I can't leave you!" Shardak yelled, looking from Parikon to Reyna to the Annulus fragment lying unprotected on the edge of the cliff.

"Let her kill me, if she wants to," ordered Parikon. "Take the Annulus. find Fairon and Valkyria, and run!"

"But I can't leave you!" protested Shardak. "We need you! I can't face Saren on my own!"

Parikon smiled, "You'll find a way."

"No!" yelled Shardak.

"Shardak, as a commander of the Resistance I order you to leave me and take the Annulus fragment, or an Ix will get ot it first!"

The thought of the Ix having the Annulus terrified Shardak. He couldn't let Reyna escape with it, it was the only real hope for stopping the Rising of Vahrikaan. If Vahrikaan rose, then nothing he did now would matter. He had to take the Annulus fragment. Parikon had ordered it.

Yet he couldn't let Parikon die.

Shardak saw Reyna's eyes were gleaming with anticipation as her eyes flickered between the Annulus fragment and the Spirit Toa.

She's enjoying this, Shardak thought. She knows that, no matter what I do, Parikon will die.

Parikon realized it to. His eyes met Shardak's, and a flicker of understanding passed between them. Shardak knew then that he had to take the Annulus, even though it would cost Parikon his life. If he didn't choose it, then not only would Parikon die, but the Annulus would be taken by the Ix— and Vahrikaan would be freed.

Shardak looked to Parikon one last time, then made his choice.

"May Mata Nui be with you, Toa Shardak." said Parikon, just as Shardak's fingers closed around the Annulus fragment.

Three things happened in that moment. A Limiter slammed into Shardak, Parikon gave a small nod of assent, and Reyna charged toward Parikon, moving so fast that she seemed to Shardak's eyes nothing more than a blur of motion. Reyna's scythe flashed in the sunlight for one moment, then she stepped backward. Like a puppet that has had all of its strings cut, Parikon staggered backward, collapsing at the edge of the cliff. Blood poured from his wounds like an open spring, and there was no question in Shardak's mind that he was dead.

Then, in exageratedly slow motion, Parikon's body fell soundlessly into the abyss.

Shardak felt his finger tighten around the Annulus as Reyna turned to face him. Hate for the Ix female made already blurred vision tinted red.

"Give me the Annulus, Spirit Toa." ordered Reyna.

"Never." said Shardak.

"You can't outlast me, you know," said the Ix female. "You're already weakening, and soon the poison will knock you unconscious. It won't kill you— this Rotaxian poison isn't designed for that— but when you're unconscious, I certainly can finish you off and take the Annulus."

"No," said Shardak. "I'll never give it to you. You've killed both Parikon and Flardrek, and even if you kill me too, I'll make sure that I'll take you with me."

"Brave words," said Reyna, unfazed by his aggression. But you could never back it up with actions. But, if you think you can kill me, give it a try."

Shardak said nothing.

"Come on," Reyna coaxed, her voice dripping with scorn and mockery. "I won't kill you. I'm willing to bet my life on the fact that you won't be able to even touch me with your sword."

Rage made Shardak accept her challenge, and without warning, he charged forward, aiming at her left shoulder. He swung the blade in a simple Lihtne slash, designed to penetrate her defenses. He could already see her scimitar was moving to counter his blade, but he knew that she'd never be able to block this strike in time. Shardak swung the Blade of Arcturas at Reyna—

The weapon blew through thin air. Confused, Shardak turned to see Reyna standing next to him, a bored expression on her face.

"Too easy," she said, moving a step closer. "Try again."

She was standing so close to him he could feel her breath on his mask. Shardak knew it was just a ploy to unnerve him, but staring into her perfect face and large black eyes, gleaming like twin orbs of polished obsidian, he couldn't bring himself to attack her, even though he knew that nothing would stop him from running her through. He doubted that she was even fast enough to avoid him. For one moment, he hesitated, lowering his sword.

Reyna had no such hesitation. She lept away from him, spinning midair and kicking him in the side. Shardak staggered backward, and Reyna's weapon spun toward him, slashing open his shoulder. Shardak screamed in pain at the biting shredsteel as it sank into his body, and dropped the Annulus fragment. Reyna grabbed his hand, pulling him toward her. Grinning, she raised the scimitar and held it to his throat.

"I could remove your head as easily as I could kill a fly." she whispered.

Suddenly there was an explosion of sound and light, and the scimitar vanished. Shardak saw three Glatorian charging toward Reyna, and saw one go down as he charged, a Rotaxian crossbow bolt in his shoulder. The two others charged the Ix girl, both their weapons raised. Shardak saw the Ix warrior was now carrying the Annulus fragment, and as more of her Limiters charged forward, Reyna turned away— and found herself staring into the eyes of a Glatorian.

He was tall and thin, with hawklike features and a long scar down the side of his face. He wore black chainmail, and carried a spiked mace in one hand. Shardak didn't recognize him personally, but the Toa saw that he wore an insignia that he recognized— the insignia of Akkad.

"No!" snarled Reyna, as more beings charged into battle. Several more were Glatorian who bore the insignia of Akkadia, but others were simply cloaked beings, all of them powerful and deadly fighters. Shardak searched wildly for signs that Valkyria and Fairon were still alive, but could find neither of them in the battlefield.

Shardak felt the Bladeof Arcturas shiver in his hands, its power flowing through his arms. More power began to flow through him, beginning to burn the poison out from within. Shardak stared down at the crimson-bladed sword, and saw, to his surprise, that the weapon was gleaming a bright, throbbing red. The last time it had felt this way had been during a battle with Nightwatcher, for reasons that Shardak had never really understood. It shivered once, and Shardak felt unconsciously drawn to view the battle once again.

He saw Reyna had just killed an Agori, and was turning to flee. The battle had gone against the Ix, and she had to escape with the Elimination vials and the Annulus fragment.

"NO!" yelled Shardak, giving voice to his anger, shock, and horror at Parikon's death. "STOP!"

For a moment, Reyna hesitated, and Shardak slammed bodily into her, dragging Reyna to the ground. "DIE!" he yelled, raising the Blade of Arcturas. He brought it down, intending to cut off Reyna's arm, but the Ix warrior writhed out of his reach. As she staggered to her feet, he reached out in the aura field and slammed his aura against hers.

Reyna staggered backward, fallling to the ground, stunned. Shardak grabbed the two Elimination vials from her sachel, then raised the Blade of Arcturas. However, she was already coming to, and slashed out at him with her scimitar. As another Limiter charged toward her, Shardak was forced to run.

Then he remembered the Annulus fragment. Reyna still had it. He looked around for any sign of the Ix commander, but couldn't make her out in the oppressive fog. Suddenly, he saw another being racing toward him.

"Fairon!" he gasped, relieved.

"Yes." said Fairon over the clash of weapons. "We—"

Shardak could barely hear him. He felt as though all of the strength had been drained out of him as he saw Reyna. She was standing with the three Rotaxian bounty hunters, far away from the battlefield. The surviving Limiters formed a barrier between her and the two Toa, and Shardak knew she'd already, for all intents and purposes, escaped.

''Parikon, I have failed. ''Shardak thought, feeling weak. The Great Being had given his life for nothing. Reyna had the Annulus. And soon, Vahrikaan would rise as well. He fell to his knees, the poison beginning to finally take affect.

"We have to get out of here." said Fairon, an edge of concern to his voice. "We—"

"No." Shardak looked up, trying to identify the speaker. He saw that several beings had emerged from the fog. One of them was the Akkadian commander he'd seen earlier, but the other, more youthful Glatorian with him did not wear an Akkadian insignia.

His blurred vision fixed upon the third being, a female. She was younger than than Shardak was now, maybe fifteen or sixteen at most. For a moment, he thought she was another Ix. She wore mottled green-brown clothing, typical Fellsian camouflage. He couldn't make out her face clearly, but saw that she had brown, almost black, eyes. She wore a thin circlet of golden material at her forehead— Shardak guessed was a crown of some kind— and carried a sword in one hand, a weapon that appeared to have been carved from shining jade or emerald.

Fairon's eyes fixed on hers, and he gave a gasp of shock and recognition. "You!" he snarled, anger and something else— fear?— in his voice. He raised his scimitar, as though he hoped to ward her off somehow. The girl's eyes widened with recognition as Fairon spoke.

Shardak was still aware of the Blade of Arcturas, throbbing with power, in his hand. He heard the girl say something, but couldn't make it out. The pain was too unbearable, and the poison throbbed through his veins.

But more painful was another fact.

Parikon, I have failed.

Shardak blacked out.

Chapter 6
''Pain. Terror. The flash of fire and lightning that heralded the coming of yet another nightmare. Shardak knew not where he was, he knew only the darkness. And the pain and terror as the darkness transformed into a raging battlefield once again. Hundreds of beings, hundreds that he didn't recognize, were locked in combat with others, snarling creatures beyond comprehension or understanding. All the while Shardak was running, running through the battle, not understanding anything that was going on.''

''He saw the flash of a scythe, saw the cloaked being he was following fall to the ground as the black-armored being turned its baleful helmet upon him. He was shocked to see blue eyes staring back on him.''

''Then he was facing the Hooded One once again. He stood there, hand outstretched, as though he wanted Shardak to grab it. He saw the Hooded One step forward, but when it spoke, it spoke in a horrid, rasping whisper that was not the Hooded One's voice, but Vahrikaan's.''

Toa Shardak, you will bring us to life.

Then darkness closed in around him and he knew no more.

"We have insufficient men to conduct a full-scale assault on Saren's fortress, even without the Veythari warriors present there. Two decoy patrols would not be enough to breach his defenses and leave enough warriors to assault the Resistance fortress."

Shardak half-opened one eye to hear the speaker, and, in the torchlight, recognized it as the Akkadian commander from the battlefield. He realized he was lying on a small bed, and a large gathering of beings was also in the chamber, discussing something. At the sight of the Akkadian again, the memories of the battle in the Fells came crashing down on him once again.

''I failed the Resistance. I failed Parikon. Who are these beings? What do they want?''

"He's right," said another gruff voice. "There's not much we can do to decoy Saren away from the base, unless we can convince the full Akkadian military to join us."

"That won't happen." Shardak recognized the speaker immediately, it was the girl with the golden circlet. "My people, however, are more than a match for anything Saren can throw at us. However, we do need more allies, whether or not we can successfully free Freztrak and the trapped Resistance leaders from Saren. Are you sure there is no way we can get the Veythari to join us?"

The Akkadian commander inclined his head to the girl. "Forgive me, Luxa. I did not mean to slight your people at all, though I may indeed have sounded that way. You are right, the Veythari would be extremely useful allies in our campaign. We must send a representative to the Fells—"

"There's no way that'll work." interjected a new voice. "Reid Vaethar's at New Metru Nui, laying siege to the city. He probably won't be returning for many months."

"You're wrong." said Atarus. "Mersery, our undercover agent in the Resistance, has determined Vaethar and a large group of elite Veythari warriors will be returning to the Fells for a conference with Saren. New Metru Nui has fallen, and Vaethar will be expecting a new strategy from the Resistance high command."

"Resistance high command?" Fairon snorted. "You mean from Saren. He's the only real power left in the Resistance."

Fairon? Atarus? Shardak's eyes immediately opened fully, and he looked around him, taking in the scene around him. He was lying in a small bed against a wall, in a dwelling he recognized to be of Veythari make. A small fire and shallow torchlight cast dim orange light on the faces of the people around him, including Valkyria. The Ix warrior gave him a small, relieved smile.

Shardak saw that, in addition to the beings he recognized, there were three others, two Agori and one Glatorian. Of them all, only one of the Agori also wore Akkadian armor.

"You're awake," said Atarus, sounding relieved. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," answered Shardak. "But I'll recover. How did you find out what poison the Rotaxians were using?"

"It's a fairly common poison in the Fells, from a rare plant that grows in the north," answered Atarus. "We've always kept some in reserve here, in case we ever needed an antidote."

Shardak's mind was spinning with questions. Why was Atarus here? Who were these beings? Obviously, they were enemies of Saren's. That had been made clear enough, when they'd stated they planned attack the Fells. He knew they must already know how he'd failed to recover the Annulus, and that he had the two Elimination vials.

"How much have you heard of our conversation?" asked Atarus, before Shardak could open his mouth.

"Only the end of it," said Shardak. "You're planning an attack on the Fells, and want to get the Veythari on your side. Who are these beings, anyway? Allies of the Resistance?"

"As long as Saren controls the Resistance, there is no Resistance," snapped the Akkadian commander. "And now we'll have to deal with the death of Parikon and the rising of Vahrikaan as well. Are you sure he's dead?"

"Yes," the girl, Luxa, answered. She spoke Common, like the others, but sounded slightly different, not uncomfortable with the language, but with a hint of another accent Shardak couldn't place. His gaze was immediately drawn to her dark eyes and the golden circlet she wore, and he wondered, exactly, who she was. Something in her eyes told him she definitely wasn't a normal girl. "I saw him go over the edge of the cliff. There was no way he could have survived."

''I failed him. ''Shardak thought. By chance, his eyes strayed to Fairon, and, remembering how the Toa had tried to attack Luxa earlier, during the battlefield, saw barely contained anger in his eyes as he stared straight ahead, avoiding Luxa's gaze. No, it wasn't entirely anger, either, Shardak realized, but something else entirely, something that frightened and amazed him— guilt.

Gathering his courage, Shardak told his own account of his time in Akkad, and then of how Parikon, then Fairon and Artonix, had found him and Parikon. Then he related the battle with the Rotaxians, and Reyna's attack. Lastly, his voice catching slightly as he spoke, he told them of how Parikon had ordered him to take the Annulus, and how Reyna had escaped with the fragment. All the while the beings watched him, as he waited for their reaction.

"You did as would be expected for a Toa," Luxa answered at last. "I wouldn't have expected anything different."

Fairon shot her a look. Shardak felt a slight flame of anger rise within him. What does she have against Toa? But really, he thought, she was right, he should have done better. If he'd done something differently, then maybe he could have taken the Annulus from Reyna, and Parikon would still be alive.

"He did what any of us would have done in that situation," said Atarus, an edge to his voice as he spoke. "Shardak, there was absolutely nothing else you could have done. Battle forces you to react and act in the middle of carnage and battle, and I think you were lucky that you escaped with your life, and with the Elimination vials."

Shardak couldn't quite make peace with himself, despite Atarus' reassurance. His entire body burned with vengeance against the Ix, the beings who seemed intent on taking everything he held dear away from him. They'd killed Arcturas, Parikon, Ion, Silencer, Melnox...the list went on and on, and Shardak knew there was no sign of it stopping anytime soon, not unless, by some miracle, they could halt the Ix's plans to free Vahrikaan forever.

"I agree with Atarus." said the Akkadian commander. "With the Elimination vials in our hands, we have a chance of stopping the Ix's plans. They're valuable bargaining tools, at the very least."

"Where are we?" asked Shardak. "The Fells?"

"No," said the Akkadian commander. "You haven't gone far. It's only been two days since the battle in the Akkadian Mountains. You're in Archos, a small town northwest of Akkad. It's technically a city-state, but it's nominally controlled by the Akkadian government. As head of a division of their military, I have unrestricted acess here."

"This group of beings you see gathered here are the result of my announcing that Vahrikaan was rising. Some of them came to me, when they saw the shadow returning. Others came when I found them. This order is small— though there are several other beings here you have yet to meet— but its primary purpose remains the same as it was the last time— to stop Vahrikaan."

"Last time?" asked Shardak.

"The last time Vahrikaan walked the Xaterex system." said Atarus. "During the Fall of Arcaea. There was already a group of beings working for Vahrikaan, the beings that became the Order, as well as a group of Makuta and several insane cultists. This group was formed more by accident then design— it was comprised of the leaders of the free people who had joined together to stop Vahrikaan from rising. We, not the Toa Order or the Hand, were his greatest opponents during the Fall."

"And Parikon, Saren, and the other leaders of the Resistance today never knew of this?"

"Oh, they knew of us, all right." said the Akkadian commander. "But they thought that we were gone, like the Hand and the Toa Order. And they were right. Some of us continued resisting, like the Veythari, who make up a good portion of your Resistance. Others, like my grandfather, created their own kingdoms, in his case, Akkadia. But the old resistors simply ceased to be, disbanding, or carrying on wars on their own against the Ix on different planes."

"And the rest were destroyed completely." finished Atarus. "I myself made it to the group of Toa Order soldiers still based on Xaterex, where I met Parikon and Saren for the first time. We were eventually driven back into the Fells, however, as you know. I never bothered telling anyone about this organization. Honestly, I thought it had disappeared. But when the Illierans, an old consortium that had once been allies with the old resistance during the war, once again contacted me on Xaterex, I told them of Saren's betrayal. They agreed to join me, and another of my old allies, general Caltax of Akkad, is negotiating an entry into the war onto our side."

"Our side?" asked Shardak. "So we plan to fight Saren's army and the Ix, and we're setting up a third army to do so?"

"Not really." said Atarus. "The Illieran's consortium are setting up an active resistance against Saren, and I intend to join them."

Shardak saw Fairon grow more uncomfortable, and wondered what was wrong with him. From the way he'd reacted to Luxa's appearance on the cliffs, he knew that he obviously knew and disliked her, and from Luxa's reaction, he knew she felt the same. He longed to ask Fairon the truth, but held his tongue. It would have to wait until he figured out exactly what the Illierans and their allies were planning. He wasn't sure he especially trusted them, especially not Luxa. It was obvious from her arrogant manner she disliked him as well, though for what reason he did not understand.

''We're supposed to be allies. ''said Shardak. ''Her people have been fighting the Ix for years. What does she have against Toa?''

"In the end, the war of Arcaea was indeed a three-way war between the triad of powerful factions in existance at that time, and now, things are shaping up like last time." Atarus continued. "This is enough for us to create a new coalition, formed from new and old allies, one to challenge Saren's control over the rebellion."

"I don't understand." said Shardak. "I understand the Illierans have been fighting on our side near Calos for some time, and have only recently been able to rendezvous with us on Xaterex. If so, why haven't I heard reports of them before?"

"We have been losing the war." said Luxa slowly, hesitant to admit it. "But recently, after the space battles over Noctxia Magna, we've managed to fight our way into the Solis Magna system and to the edge of Calos itself. Our alliance also sent several warships to Xaterex, to rendezvous with the Resistance. Over the past month we've been establishing our hold over this area of Akkadia, which was how Atarus and Caltax were able to contact us."

"Apart from the Illieran loyalists, we have gained several new allies as well." said Atarus. "Fultran, commander of one branch of the crime syndicate Dark Talon, is an excellent example."

The tough-looking Agori nodded to Shardak. He didn't seem at all offended by Atarus's statement, but cracked a wolfish smile as Atarus spoke the words "crime syndicate".

"And general Caltax helped negotiate a treaty between the consortium and Akkadia, and has also offered to join us in our opposition of Saren.

"We were discussing our next course of action, and how we can free Freztrak and the other Resistance commanders captured with him, from stasis." said Atarus. "As you know, Parikon broke free from the stasis fields, but was unable to free any of the other Resistance leaders trapped there. Saren still has them hostage. If they were freed, the chance would be that the Veythari, and possibly also several other powerful Resistance factions, would withdraw support from the Resistance, at the very least. Then Saren would only be able to rely on his own armies, and the armies currently stationed at New Metru Nui."

"However, we'd first have to free them," said Luxa. "And the Fells, while there are no Veythari there at the time, Saren has the borders extremely well fortified. Two Illieran warriors and I were in the Fells yesterday, and the place is crawling with Resistance patrols. They're definitely not as skilled as they Veythari— none of them even came close to noticing us— but I doubt we could evade them for very long in large enough numbers to breach the citadel itself."

"Couldn't I just return to the Fells?" asked Shardak. "If another Resistance commander recognized me, Saren would have no choice but to accept that I'd returned, and that I wasn't an imposter."

"You'd never make it ten steps into the Fells before someone shot you with a crossbow bolt." Luxa warned. "Saren has made sure that all other Resistance leaders are far away from the Fells, save for those completely loyal to him. While these beings aren't as highly trained as Veythari, they're still highly dangerous, and you couldn't return without a full guard."

"And that's also too risky." said Atarus. "Too many oppurtunities for Saren to trap us. If we were able to use you to get inside the Fells undercover, we'd have to meet on neutral ground, like in Akkadia."

"We could ask Saren to meet us at Akkad for negotiations with the rulers of Akkad," suggested Fairon. "If Atarus and the Dark Talon warriors alone are present there, Saren will have no reason to be suspicious. Even if he doesn't come himself, then we could, along with his commanders, return to the Fells with Shardak, and make our last attempt to free the hostages there."

"Possibly," said Caldax. "But there are many variables in that situation. The first, and most major one, is that it's likely Saren or one of his allies could undermine the already unstable situation in Akkad. The second is the fact that if we remain in Akkad while the negotations drag on for days, which they will, the Ix will have time to complete the Rising of Vahrikaan."

"They need Shardak to complete the Rising," said Atarus.

"No..." said Luxa slowly. "It didn't seem like that at all, during the battle. The Ix commander was obviously trying to kill him as were the Rotaxians."

"The Annulus fragment hidden on Xiost had safeguards set in place by the Ancients that prevented the Annulus from being freed by any being other than an Ancient, or a being with their powers. That includes Spirit Toa. But even if they could free Vahrikaan without Shardak's help, they'd still want him...because of the prophecy."

For a moment, Luxa appeared rather surprised, then nodded, "Then he may still be useful to us, despite the fact he is Arcturas' son."

"He's more than useful." said Fairon, a hint of anger seeping into his voice like the edge of a dagger. "He's a true member of the Resistance, and he's fought the Hooded One, Skorpix, and several other Ix commanders— and survived each time."

Luxa did not answer, but Shardak felt the weight of her gaze upon him. She reminded him, disturbingly, of Reyna, pretty, cold, and unreadable. Her gleaming dark eyes and the way she acted reminded him of an Imperial noble, graceful and powerful, with an obvious aura of command. For the first time, he thought to check her aura, and was startled to find strong auric barriers in place, barring entry into her mind. Was she an aura user as well?

"We will discuss this more later," said Atarus, breaking through the conversation. "I have other important matters to attend to, such as a metting later with more members of the high command. For now, you may all leave. I want a word with the Spirit Toa alone."

Caltax and the others nodded, and slowly, all of the beings left the room until only Atarus and Shardak remained.

"I'm sorry," said Shardak, when they'd gone. "Luxa was right. It was my fault Parikon died, and that the Ix have the Annulus."

"No." said Atarus, with a conviction and vehemence that surprised him. "Shardak, there was nothing you could possibly have done differently. Over the two and a half years you have been a member of the Resistance, I have done my best to train you in combat, but challenging an Ix commander, especially one as dangerous as Reyna, is beyond your skills, and probably beyond the skills of most beings."

"What was the prophecy you mentioned to Luxa?" asked Shardak, trying to chance the subject. "Something to do with the Ancients?"

"Yes..." said Atarus slowly. Then he straightened. "Years and years ago, when Arcturas and I still lived on Arcaea, a being with a single skeletal hand came to me. I did not know him, and he hid his face in a cloak. The only other thing that can identify him would be his green eyes. Arcaea was nearing anarchy, and I did not know what to do. The being gave me a set of the prophecies of the Ancients."

"Including the one that pertains to me?" Shardak asked, wondering inwardly who the being with the skeletal hand was. He wasn't sure where, but he'd heard the being with the skelatal hand mentioned somewhere before, he just didn't remember where.

"No." said Atarus. "Truth be told, the being with the skelatal hand's gift had seemed useless at the time. I only remembered it when I met him again, years later. I asked him what the destiny of this universe was. He gave me the prophecy.

"Even I do not claim to understand all of the prophecies of the Ancients, but this one is the one of hardest of them all to comprehend. I will share it with you when I understand it fully, as there is always a danger in sharing prophecies, unless you understand their full meaning. "

Shardak was rather taken aback by Atarus' straightforward answer. He'd expected the Elemental to try to dodge the question somehow, and, emboldened slightly, asked, "What was wrong with Fairon? He was staring daggers at Luxa throughout the meeting. And how did Luxa know Arcturas was my father?"

Atarus sighed. "Fairon's problems are his own." he said at last. "However, I assure you that you can trust Luxa, Caltax, and the others."

Shardak still wasn't certain. but before he could speak Atarus cut him off. "Speaking of trust, you need to know—"

A Limiter walked into the room. He was wearing Fellsian camouflage, like Luxa, but he was unmistakeably one of the Ix soldier elite, with his cold, dead eyes and corpse-like hands.

And he was carrying a dagger-scythe in one hand.

"It's okay." Atarus whispered. "He's an ally, not a foe. Don't attack."

"Why are you meeting with a Limiter?" asked Shardak incredulously. "It has to be an Ix trap of some sort."

"On the contrary, Kalix has allowed me to examine his aura." said Atarus. "I found some of his acts as a Limiter disturbing, but I am convinced he wants to bring down the Ix Empire. He will not betray us."

"Really?" asked Shardak, still suspicious. "Are you sure?"

"Unless my aura has somehow become weaker in my old age, I don't think so." said Atarus sardonically. "Kalix, like some of our Illieran allies, were once used as Ix servants."

"But that will never happen again." said Kalix. His accent was touched slightly by the nasal rasp of all Ix, but his voice sounded richer, less detached and mocking, then the majority of Ix warriors Shardak had encountered. "I belong to a group of disaffected Limiters and other Ix who believe the current escalation is not right, and must be stopped."

"So you're willing to aid us in destroying your people?" asked Shardak.

"Of course not." said Kalix. "I would never countenance lethal action against any of my people, save the Hooded One, Vahrikaan, and their closest supporters. Once the leaders of the Ix are out of the picture, we will all be able to work together to create a better government."

Shardak thought it unlikely that Kalix would be able to get to the Hooded One or Vahrikaan and kill them without fighting his way through thousands of lesser Ix, but didn't say so, nodding respectfully.

"Forgive me, Kalix." he said to the former Limiter. "I did not realize you are an ally. How many Ix do you have under your control?"

"No other Ix are members of our coalition, unless you count your friend, Warrior Rhai. However, I assure I am not the only Ix ready to defect, nor are the numbers of Ix who wish to stop the Rising small. You can count on my people to fight on your side against Saren and against the Empire."

"I understand." said Shardak. "Thank you, Kalix."

"What went on at the council?" Kalix asked Atarus.

"We discussed ways to get the Veythari to join us, and we're hoping to intercept Reid Vaethar on his return to the Fells. However, even with the Veythari on our side, we have yet to agree on a neutral meeting place if we can somehow lure Saren or one of his subordinates out of hiding."

"I think Akkad makes a perfect neutral gathering, but not during negotiations. We can call Saren to Akkadia under the pretenses of participating in the negotiations, but we can't allow Saren or one of his loyalists to influence the negotiations in any way. I suggest waiting for a firm answer from Akkad before—"

The door opened, and all three beings turned to face the newcomer. Luxa was standing in the doorway, carrying her jade scimitar in one hand. Shardak felt his eyes immediately drawn to her golden circlet gleaming in the half-light, and for the first time he was able to get a close look at her features.

She was tall, with a slender frame and lean appearance. Her face was pretty but cold, and her dark eyes stared at Shardak with barely disguised contempt, like he was trash she'd been forced to come fetch.

Kalix inclined his head respectfully to the female.

"Luxa," Atarus said. "What brings you here?"

"General Caltax wanted to let you know that Reid Vaethar is approaching the Fells, through the pass between Akkadia and the Wastelands." said the Illieran. Shardak definitely heard the undertone of another accent in her voice now, and it wasn't the Illieran, Valkyria's native language.

Atarus nodded, taking in this piece of news. "When will he reach the Akkadian Mountains?"

"In two days."

Atarus stared silently ahead, taking in this piece of news. "We shall plan accordingly, then." he said at last.

Luxa nodded, then fixed her dark gaze on Shardak once again. "Come with me," she ordered. "Caltax would like to speak with you."

Chapter 7
Fairon followed Caltax and Luxa through the Illieran base, his mind spinning with confusion, questions, and— though he hated to admit it— fear.

After the battle with the Rotaxians, Fairon had been led away with Valkyria and the unconscious Shardak to the Coalition base, mind spinning with questions. He'd been about to attack Luxa on the cliffs when he'd seen her, but then Shardak had fallen unconscious, and Caltax and Atarus had appeared out of the mist, stopping him before he could attack.

Memories began to enter Fairon's mind once again, memories from long before the Eternal Game, memories he'd been determined to remove from his thoughts, lest they consume him. He'd not felt overly angry or guilty about his past since the Eternal Game, all of the new memories had abolished any thoughts about his past before the Games, in Aracaea and during the fall. Even after he'd begun to recover from the Game, he rarely thought about what he'd done or who he was, as he'd been busy fighting against the Ix Empire.

But now, seeing Luxa again was like a slap in the face, a bitter mockery of his past self, of who he'd been before the war, and before the Games had changed him. Just looking at her brought back the memories of guilt all over again, and the feeling of anger was far too hard to hold back any longer.

He'd known the Illieran's consortium was fighting on their side. He'd known they planned to attack Calos from the opposite side of the planet, then rendezvous with the Resistance on Xaterex. However, he'd never guessed that they'd also held power in Akkad. Or that Luxa was a commander among them.

Fairon felt himself slipping away from the current world once more, into a memory more vivid then he had in a long time...

''Skarvosk, standing next to him, his axe raised. His eyes gleaming with bloodlust as he faced the beings standing before them''—

''Stop. ''Fairon thought. You can't think about it now. What happened no longer matters, not now.

But he could not convince himself of that, not while Luxa was standing in front of him, avoiding his gaze.

''I should have tried something. ''thought Fairon. ''I should have stopped them, stopped Skarvosk and the others. She''—

Fairon immediately dropped the thoughts as soon as they resurfaced, allowing the guilt and anger to throb within him rather than venting through his thoughts, not in front of Luxa, Caltax, and the other coalition leaders with them. Caltax and the Dark Talon commander were discussing the tactical situation in the Fells, and still thinking of ways to counter any strategy Saren could throw at them.

We don't have time for this. Fairon thought. ''The Fells could be overrun by Ix at any time, the Veythari and the Resistance army are as good as trapped, leaderless, at New Metru Nui, and Parikon is dead. How will we ever defeat Saren, much ,ess the whole of the Ix Empire?''

"We'll be able to deal with the Ix," said Luxa to Caltax. "Atarus' informant, the Limiter traitor, is keeping him posted on their plans."

"Yes," answered the Akkadian commander. "And once we're inside the Fells, we'll be able to deal with the Ix in the—"

"Not now," hissed Luxa, interrupting him. "Not while the Toa is listening."

"But he's our ally," protested Caltax. "Atarus trusts him, why shouldn't we?"

Fairon bristled inwardly, then checked himself. Luxa had every right to hate him. After what he'd done on Arcaea—

''It wasn't me. ''Fairon protested. I didn't do anything.

Exactly. said another voice within his mind. And so you're just as much to blame for what happened to her as Skarvosk and the others were.

"This is your own room, until we return to the Fells," said Caltax, but Fairon was hardly listening. "If you have any more questions, just ask me."

Fairon nodded to the Glatorian commander. He seemed friendly enough, a welcome relief from Luxa's frosty attitude. He nodded respectfully to both the Illieran and Caltax, then said, "I think I'll rest for now. I'll join you for the meeting tomorrow."

Caltax nodded. "Understandable. You must be completely exhausted from the battle earlier, in Akkadia. I'll send a subordinate up to notify you when the war council gathers."

Fairon nodded and stepped inside the chamber. It was small, spartan in accomodation, but better than the small inns he'd stayed in for the past month in the Imperial cities. His mind spun with questions and fear, and he knew he'd never sleep, not while the guilt of his actions weighed so heavily on his mind.

''It's not like I was alone. Most members of the Toa Order would have done the same thing.''

What he'd done wouldn't have bothered him before the Eternal Game. It wouldn't have bothered him afterward, because of the postwar trauma he'd suffered, or during his time as a member of the Resistance. But it felt as though Mata Nui was playing a sadistic game with him, bringing back the memories of his time as a member of the Toa Order.

''If Saren, the Ix, or the Resistance doesn't kill me, than Luxa might. ''Fairon thought, his face twisting into an ironic smile. Then he grew serious again just as quickly.

''Would I deserve that? ''he wondered. After all, I was as bad as the Ix, back then.

''No, I wasn't a killer, not then. ''He insisted.

You're as good as. The voice countered.

''But I've changed since then. ''Fairon insisted. I can barely stop myself from hating myself for winning the Game, and now my past during the Fall has been brought back...

Fairon was forced to turn his thoughts away from Luxa and to the war once again. However, the answer to problem of Saren proved just as elusive as ever, and Fairon felt his eyes slowly close, and he drifted off into a world of peaceful oblivion.

"What does Caltax want with me?" asked Shardak, as he followed Luxa through the coalition base and outside, into the dim light outside. Caltax and several of his subordinates were waiting there.

"To test you," replied Luxa. "To see if you can match the strength of his greatest warriors."

"Hasn't Atarus told him my capabilities?" asked Shardak.

"Yes, but he'd like to see for himself. You'll need to be nothing less than a master of combat if you're going to participate in what we have in mind to stop the Rising."

Shardak was desperately eager to figure out what Atarus had planned to somehow stop the Ix and Saren, but he recognized what Luxa was really saying: if he was able to pass whatever test Caltax had in mind, then he would be let in on their secrets.

"Shardak!" said Caltax, smiling slightly at the Toa of Aura. "You heard, then."

It was a statement, not a question. Caltax nodded once. "Yes. We're going to see how far Atarus has progressed with your training. Things are moving at unparelled speed, and soon our plans will have to be carried out if we stand a chance against the Ix and Saren. I'm here to evaluate your skills, to see how well you can stand up to our warriors."

"What of Fairon?" asked Shardak, looking around for signs that the Toa of Light was here as well. He didn't see him.

Caltax shook his head. "I have a reasonable idea of Fairon's abilities. I've watched both Eternal Games he's competed in, and both times he's preformed well. He's only increased in skill since then, Atarus has assured me."

''In other words, you're more interested in me, the Spirit Toa. ''thought Shardak. You want to know how much of a threat I am.

Despite Atarus' assurance that Shardak could trust the other members of the newly formed coalition, Shardak still felt slightly suspicious. What did Caltax want to prove by assessing his abilities, other than seeing how dangerous he was?

Suspicion of the Glatorian throbbed within Shardak, but he pushed it aside. "I'm ready." he said to Caltax.

Two Glatorian sprang from the shadows and charged toward Shardak. Taken by surprise, the Glatorian raised the Blade of Arcturas, but was not fast enough, and with a dull thud the weapon slammed against his shoulder. As he raised the Blade to counter the second Glatorian's scimitar, the first slammed the hilt of the weapon into his side.

''Karzahni! I'm out of practice. ''Shardak thought, bringing his sword around to strike the Glatorian with the hilt on the back of the neck. It was a lucky blow, and his assailant crumpled before him. However, as Shardak turned on the other Glatorian, he felt a burst of pain, and saw the Glatorian had caught him below the rib. In a real duel, that would have been a debilitating blow.

However, Shardak barely acknowledged the pain, driving the flat of his swordblade into the Glatorian's stomach. He fell to the ground.

Turning around to look for more assailants, Shardak saw three smaller Agori charge toward him. But this time he was ready. Within three minutes, he'd dispatched every one of the attackers the first with a slash to the stomach, the second a carefully planned nonlethal blow to the neck, and the third by kicking him to the ground.

Over the next half hour, the tests became slightly more difficult, but none proved a real challenge to Shardak. Many of his attackers were so unskilled they were not even trained in any of the seven combat forms, and Shardak's skilled Lihtne and Sila combination, trained to perfection under Atarus, was able to best them all. Others were Guotke masters, and he even faced several Vauhti and Tera users. However, Shardak was fairly skilled in Vauhti, and was able to counter almost anything the attackers threw at him without much exertion.

After what seemed like only a blur to Shardak, the tests were over.

"Very good!" Caltax said heartily, clapping Shardak on the back none-too-gently. "I haven't seen such good swordplay from any being in a long time."

Luxa stared at Shardak with narrowed dark eyes. "Not bad," she said at last. "For a Toa."

A flame of anger lit within Shardak. What did she have against Toa? "I think I did very well." he said. "I bested them all. You shouldn't insult those who are more skilled than you are."

Caltax almost gasped in shock. "Shardak..." he began warningly.

Luxa, however, displayed no outward signs of anger, not even in the aura field. Her hand grasped the hilt of her sword. "Do you think you can defeat me?" she asked.

"I...err...no, I..." Shardak stammered. His momentary anger had faded, and suddenly he realized he'd misjudged her badly.

"Try it," ordered Luxa, drawing her jade scimitar. "Attack me."

Shardak felt the Blade of Arcturas again gleam with red light, and he drew it from his sword. To his surprise the weapon was gleaming bright red, brighter even then it had during the duel with Nightwatcher. To his surprise, he saw a subtle change in Luxa's weapon as well, as a shimmer of emerald energy ran down the weapon.

"What are you waiting for?" asked the Illieran female. "Attack me."

Shardak raised the Blade of Arcturas, spurred on my the throbbing fire which flowed through his body. As he drew back to strike, he knew exactly where he would aim— at her left shoulder. He swung the Blade of Arcturas in a wide arc, then as he saw a flash of gleaming emerald light, pulled backward and lunged forward, putting his full weight behind the thrust.

The weapon never made contact, simply passed through thin air. Confused, Shardak looked around, then ducked at the last second as the green weapon flashed above his head. As he raised the Blade, confused, Luxa lunged forward, the scimitar slamming into his shoulder none-too-gently.

''Mata Nui, she's fast! ''Shardak had time to think, before a blur of light flashed past him. He staggered backward, fully on the defensive, until at last he saw an opening in Luxa's defenses. Taking full advantage of it, he lunged forward—

And the Blade of Arcturas once again passed through thin air, where Luxa had been standing moments before. Shardak looked around, trying to find her, and saw she was standing next to him, grinning.

Then, without warning, she struck.

The Blade of Arcturas met Luxa's green scimitar in a shower of fire. The Blade of Arcturas, still burning like a small meteor, slammed against the rocks with a rattle of metal. The fire went out.

Slowly, deliberately, Luxa raised her scimitar until it touched his neck. He shivered at the touch of the cold weapon, and realized it was made from the same material as the Blade of Arcturas, the same enigmatic, unbreakable metal.

"Stop!" yelled Caltax, before Shardak or Luxa could make a move. "Victory to Luxa."

"You fought well," said the Illieran, surprising him. "But you need to remember, I've had over one hundred years to practice swordplay. And also not to become confused when you meet an opponent who uses speed to distract you. It's a common Ix tactic, especially among their elite."

Shardak nodded, then walked over to Caltax. The Glatorian gave him a broad grin. "That was some of the best swordplay I've seen in a long time! You were excellent, and the Illieran...stunning."

"Luxa didn't think so. I did poorly."

"Yes, she defeated you, but what did she say to you first?" Caltax asked.

"You fought well."

Caltax smiled again. "Never loose sight of the praise hidden in constructive criticism. Or vice versa."

That night, Shardak dreamed.

''But it was not his usual, reacurring nightmare. He knew that when he saw the beautiful, forested woodland, a forest he did not recognize. The sun had set, and the last feeble rays of sunlight were vanishing into the darkness. A faint glimmer of stars shone above his head, though he could see perfectly in the darkness''.

But there was something more as well. Something different about him now. After thinking for a few moments, Shardak realized the truth. It was the power. His aura felt stronger, his body and mind felt stronger, he felt more powerful, more in control, than he'd ever before.

However, there was urgency too. He was running through the darkness, urgency that he did not understand, but urgency that was causing him to race through the darkness, a hand clasped in his. He saw the slender figure of a young girl next to him, her dark eyes flashing with fear, urging him to run still faster.

Finally, they stopped. The girl's wide dark eyes studied him, concern evident within. "Are you well?" she asked. "None of the arrows hit you?"

"No." he said in reply. "I'm just tired."

"We can't wait here much longer," she whispered, the urgency once again present in her melodious voice. "The Darkath may be dead, but there are more coming. They're not going to let you escape that easily."

"Is there anything more you can do, then?" he asked, his voice desperate, though for what reason Shardak did not know why.

The girl shook her head. "If you are determined, then I cannot stop you. However, if you're leaving, then you should have this."

For the first time, Shardak noticed the sword she carried. She raised it, and he realized with slight shock that the girl was holding a familiar red sword, one he recognized instantly. The Blade of Arcturas.

"I thank you, brave one." he said at last, in the voice that was not his own. "But how can this help me? How can this change anything? This weapon would break if I tried to use it against them."

"This is no ordinary weapon," she said. "It cannot be broken. This is Flaros, the Sword of Elemental Fire. It is one of the four most powerful weapons in the universe."

He held the weapon tightly, spinning it in one hand almost lazily. As always, the balance felt perfect. A shiver of flame ran up his arm as he grasped the weapon.

"With this, you can defeat your enemies," said the girl. "Tell no one how you got this, or what I did to help you. It can't — "

''Suddenly there was a flash of light, an explosion of fire and a flash of steel. "Run!" hissed the girl, her eyes wild with fear. But he knew it was too late as the beings stepped from the shadows, their grim helmets illuminated by the shadows of fire''—

Shardak was shocked into consciousness, gasping in shock. He could still feel the fear and power raging through him, more power than he'd ever possessed before. The dream had been so real, so real that he was sure it had indeed happened, though not to him. In the small bed in the undercover Illieran base, Shardak reached over to touch the Blade of Arcturas. The weapon shivered slightly at his touch, but otherwise remained inert.

Why did it react to Luxa's weapon in the same why it did to Nightwatcher's? Shardak wondered. The sword, of course, held no answer for him.

One thing was certain. The dream had been real. Shardak was sure of it. It had happened to someone, at some time, and he desperately wanted to know more.

And one more thing Shardak was certain of. Luxa was the girl from his dream.

Chapter 8
Shardak, seated with the commanders of the anti-Saren movement, surveyed the beings seated with him. Caltax represented the Akkadian military, and Luxa was there, representing her own alliance, the Illieran consortium, though he had no idea what rank she held among her people. She seemed like an ambassador of some sort.

Next to Luxa sat Fultran, the commander of a powerful remnant of the once-great Dark Talon crime syndicate. Opposite the Dark Talon crime leader sat three beings, all of them Glatorian. He guessed they were minor allies of some type. Two of them he didn't recognize, but one was Caltax's Akkadian deputy.

On the other side was Atarus, and next to him Fairon and Valkyria. The Elemental seemed calm, and radiated confidence, as opposed to the other beings there. All of them seemed on edge and worried, as though Saren or Vahrikaan would appear among them at any moment.

"My scouts were unable to reach Vaethar," reported Fultran. The Agori crime leader's voice, usually cold and hardened, was tinged with an edge of worry. "He's made sure to avoid Akkadia completely, and is instead heading directly on to the Fells via the Wastelands, where there are far too many enemy Dargon."

"We need to bring them into the war," said Atarus. "On our side. Reid Vaethar's no fool, he'd never willingly back Saren if he knew the truth. Nor, I suspect, would Areop. That would subtract a good quarter of Saren's military capacity."

"You have the full and unlimited support of the Illieran high command," said Luxa. "My people have always fought the Ix, and our own world of Illiera is ruled by Ix now. But we still have sufficient force to take on Saren without the help of the Dargon."

"Yes, but the Dargon make up a good percentage of the Resistance army." said Fairon in reply. The Toa sounded more at ease as he answered the Illieran girl, though the air— and the aura field— still crackled with tension as he spoke. "And the Veythari warriors could prove to be our downfall if they remain under Saren's control."

"When the full Illieran army reaches Xaterex, Saren will stand no chance, Veythari or no," said Caltax. But to Shardak's surprise Luxa shook her head.

"We won't make it to Xaterex without occupying the other Ix controlled planets first," said Luxa. "Though most of the minor satellites surrounding Calos won't prove troublesome, Calos itself could prove to be dangerously hard to capture. And even if we could, it would mean doing the same thing the Hand of Mata Nui has done to Noctxia Magna, occupying it and reorganizing the government from the ground up. We need to stop Saren before the full forces of the Consortium arrive."

"But how? We can't overthrow him by force." said Fairon.

"When we're back in the Fells, we could always try to assassinate him." suggested Fultran.

That was another peice of news. Fultran's Dark Talon representatives in Akkad had sceduled a meeting with Varana, the ruler of Akkadia. However, they could not meet for another week, which had prompted Atarus to send Saren a different message instead: an advance army of Illierans had arrived on Xaterex with a small fleet or starcraft, and wanted to meet outside Akkad. Saren had responded quickly, telling them he was sending a representative to meet with Atarus and the Illierans.

"We could try," said Atarus. "Parikon informed me of that danger. Saren now posesses power greater than anything I've ever seen, according to Parikon, the Glatorian was able to subdue him in under two minutes, then place them in temporal stasis. If he was able to do that to a Great Being, imagine what he could do to a single assassin."

"How is he able to do that?" asked Fairon, mystified. "Not even an Ix could overwhelm a Great Being at full strength, and Parikon was expecting a fight. How did Saren defeat him?"

I wish I knew," said Atarus grimly. "But even if we can't overthrow Saren as of yet, it is imperative that we return Shardak to the Fells. If we have enough influence to counter Saren's plans behind the scenes, then we may be able to avoid this war descending into anarchy."

"That's likely," said Fultran sarcastically. "Saren will try to fight if he realizes he's been tricked. What's more, Saren's likely to send an assassin of his own after Shardak— or you, Atarus, if you interfere with his plans. No, we need to go in as Saren's supposed allies, then get out as soon as we possibly can, hopefully with the Veythari on our side."

"Agreed," said Luxa. "It's the only viable course of action."

Shardak was still uneasy with this plan. It entailed him walking into the heart of the lair of one of his greatest enemies, perhaps the greatest after Vahrikaan and the Hooded One themselves, and placing himself once again in Saren's power. He was confident in the ability of Atarus, but if Saren had really developed some new, more powerful skill that could overwhelm a Great Being, Shardak worried that it would not be safe there for himself, Fairon, and Valkyria.

While he would have to be accepted once again into the Resistance, as the general rebel populace had no knowledge of Saren's actions and simply thought he was away with Atarus on a mission, Fairon had been declared a traitor when he'd refused to fire on Shardak's ship, though the fleet had been unaware that Shardak was within the starcraft and believed Saren's lies that Fairon was helping an enemy ship escape.

And Valkyria returning to the Resistance could be even more dangerous to the former Ix warrior. Valkyria had betrayed the Resistance nearly a year ago and stolen the Annulus fragment, but had then risked her life during the final battle with the Hooded One to save Shardak and help him escape the Ix's Spire on Corona Magna.

However, before he could explain that to any Resistance leader, Saren had forced him, Fairon, Valkyria, and Artonix into exile. If she were to show her face among the Resistance warriors, it would be virtual suicide. Many of the Resistance members had barely trusted her before, because she was an Ix and now, when she'd betrayed them, it was likely one of them would kill her of their own volition, even if Saren himself did not order her death.

''This plan is far too dangerous. ''thought Shardak. It could, very well, get my friends and I killed.

He didn't nessessarily worry about his own safety, not when he knew that Atarus would fight to the death to keep him safe because of the unknown prophecy. But it was very likely that his return would end in the death of many beings, possibly including his friend Blast, who was still a member of the Resistance, unaware of Saren's treachery, and Fairon and Valkyria. And then there were still the Rotaxians to deal with, and Reyna, and the Hooded One, and Vahrikaan...

Shardak's head was spinning. As the discussion began to turn to other matters, such as when Saren's delegation would arrive, he wondered how many beings wanted him dead now, and how long it would be before one of those beings suceeded in their goal.

At that moment, a Glatorian entered the room. His eyes were grim. "Saren's men are here. They wish to speak with Atarus."

Shardak felt a shiver of apprehension run down his spine. Until now, the threat of Saren had been ever-present, so real and powerful. Now, however, it was even more so: he was walking into the lair of his enemy, the cunning being who had bargained with the Ix and was now plotting against both the Ix and Shardak and Atarus, all for the power of the Annulus. His entire battle was misguided— if he got his hands on the Annulus, Vahrikaan would rise and kill Saren long before the Glatorian could stop him— but Saren was perfectly capable of destroying Shardak, Atarus, and possibly also the Illierans and those currently aiding them.

Whether or not he could take down the Ix Empire could be another matter. The Ix still ruled the majority of Xaterex, albiet in some places only by name, and they held Calos and several smaller worlds outside the galactic core. Assuming Saren could actually conquer the heartlands of the Empire and continue to hold New Metru Nui against the even more powerful cities at the heart of Ix territory, he'd still have to defeat the Ix on Calos.

And then there's Vahrikaan to think about, as well...

Shardak put the dark lord out of his mind as Atarus rose to meet the beings Saren had seant to rendezvous with Luxa and her Illierans. With them at his side, they would be able to return to Xaterex in peace— at least until Saren realized he was there. Then the game would really begin to heat up.

An uneasy thought plagued at Shardak. ''What if the being Saren sent is in on the plot? What if he's been sent to assasinate me?''

He immediately discredited the thought. ''Saren has no way of knowing where I am. And even if the commander sent here is in league with Saren, it's less than a day away from the Fells. He'd have little chance of doing anything against me.''

Deep within the heart of the citadel built on the Order of Vahrikaan's mobile planetoid base, Var'kala, time was meaningless. Silver's thoughts bled in an out of time, going through phases of sleep and awareness. But Silver did not think in terms of night and day anymore. It had been weeks since he'd seen the sun. He thought of the darkness as moments when he no longer felt the pain.

The pain was at the forefront of every thought that haunted Silver. The pain was too great at times for him to bear, at other times, it was merely light and painful, a constant, irritating jab. However, it never ceased. Even his dreams were plagued by the sensations of pain and fear.

Slowly, Silver stirred into consciousness.

Immediately he realized something, something different about the world around him. Slowly, as his eyes focused and the room around him came into view, he realized what it was. The pain was gone.

Silver looked up, shocked— and found himself staring into dark green eyes. The shallow torchlight did little to illuminate the being before him, and his face was hidden beneath his hood, but the one feature that the Matoran immediately recognized was the being's pale white skeletal hand.

"Varkanax," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "What do you want?" He noticed immediately that the being's eyes were different then they had been, they were now green rather than smouldering red, as they had been before.

"It is time to leave," said the being, his voice an alert whisper. "Time for you to fulfill your destiny."

"I don't understand..." said Silver, confused. "The jailers said they'd keep me here forever, because I refused to work for them. But they're Ix...and you're on their side, aren't you?" he asked, anger in his voice now.

"Yes, I brought you to them." said Varkanax. Silver thought his voice was cold, but it had lost the malevolent note that had been present when he'd captured them and brought them to his illusory world of Arcaea. "I had no choice. This was fated to happen, as I told you in Arcaea."

"I don't understand." Silver repeated. "Where is Dust? And Leviathos? And Ghost?"

Varkanax did not answer. "This is Var'kala, the gateway to BlueSpace." said the being with the skeletal hand. "This was where you had to come in order to fulfill your destiny."

"What destiny? I don't want to serve the Ix!" said Silver.

Varkanax's expression was unreadable beneath the hood, but Silver felt sure that the being had smiled. "I have no intention of allowing that to happen. The Ix had to learn about what you know, about the illusory Arcaea, and about the Resistance's plans. I know it's hard to understand, but if we have any chance of completing the Final Prophecy, this had to happen."

Chapter 9
"This is a grand time in our Resistance's history," Saren's voice, though quiet, carried through the gathering chamber of the Resistance base in the Fells like a sibalent hiss. "A time when all of us, Toa, Glatorian, and Veythari, are ready to strike a blow at the heart of Ix territory."

Shardak, standing with Atarus, Reid Vaethar, and the other leaders of the Resistance behind Saren, was shocked at how much Saren had changed since the last time he'd seen him. The Glatorian's eyes, usually so dark, seemed paler now, like liquid amber. He wore an almost demonic looking helmet that was all black, and his armor matched. With the long dark cloak trailing behind him, Saren looked more like an Ix warrior than the acting high commander of the Resistance.

"Commander Reid Vaethar brings a report from the south," Saren continued. "New Metru Nui, long a symbol of oppression and the accursed Eternal Game, as fallen to us. Once we have the city under our complete control, we shall march on Iskar and take it as well. Then we shall take Ecbatana, the military capitol of Empire. And when Ecbatana has fallen, and we have subdued the city, we shall march on Drakos Capitol itself!"

Yells and cheering filled the air as Saren finished. The quieted immediately as the Glatorian began speaking again.

"The Illierans and their allies have also joined us, adding to our ranks." he said. "Their representatives insure me that Lord Iskandar is planning to rendezvous with our fleet above Calos, where we hope to make the planet ours. Once we have control of the Ix's other great planetary base, we will have Xaterex isolated."

You're forgetting Var'kala. Shardak thought. ''And Corona Magna, and the Shadow of Vahrikaan...the Ix don't care about ruling Xaterex anymore. They care about getting their hands on the Elimination virus so they can wipe us out completely. But you haven't told them that, have you, Saren?''

Hatred for the black-armored Glatorian made Shardak burn inside, far greater than the Blade of Arcturas ever made him burn. Because of Saren, he'd been suspicious of Ion, his old mentor, during the last days of his life, thinking that Ion had betrayed the rebellion. Then he'd suspected Valkyria had been the traitor that had killed Ion and another Resistance leader, Arkhan. All along it had been the most benevolent of the Resistance commanders, the one Shardak had thought was the most devoted of the Resistance: Saren Naghara.

"In two days time, we will launch our fleets on Calos." said Saren, his voice rising. "And when Calos has fallen, and the planet is ours, we shall launch our final, most devastating campaign, a campaign that will destroy the Empire forever."

Wild cheering filled the air from the massed ranks of the Resistance soldiers below. However, all Shardak could think of was one of Parikon's speeches, when the ancient Great Being had spoken on how they were supposed to correct the Ix's view that they were superior and that they fought for justice. Saren's speech had no room for justice. He only cared to destroy.

''We have to get rid of him. ''Thought Shardak. Before he kills again.

Saren walked over to Shardak, Atarus and the other Resistance commanders, and Shardak noticed, for the first time, that Saren looked ill, and far older than the last time he'd seen him. "Atarus," the Glatorian greeted him, stiffly. "It is a pleasure to see you alive and well."

"As it is to see you once again, Saren. You have done well in my absence. Capturing New Metru Nui was a masterstroke."

"Ah, well..." Saren said. "You should compliment Reid Vaethar. I just provided the support needed.

He was good, Shardak had to admit. The hesitancy, the tiredness, the outward projection of tired yet still benevolent Resistance commander...no wonder the army loved him.

''He even had me fooled. ''Shardak thought.

"For now, you should have time to rest, all of you," said Saren. "Meet me in a few hours in the command chamber. Bring the Spirit Toa as well. There is much we need to discuss."

Atarus gave a small nod. "Yes." he said. "I'm going to meet with the Illierans now, to see how many fleets they have on Xaterex that they can commit to the Calos operation."

"No rest for the weary." said Saren with mock humor. "Let me know when you're done."

"Now," said Atarus, when they were out of hearing range of Saren. "Act as innocent as you can. Find your friend Blast, if he's here, but don't tell him anything. Our resistance must remain a secret, or all is lost."

"But—" Shardak began, then stopped. "Yes, commander." he said at last. In all likelihood, Blast was still on Noctxia Magna, where Ixtil, Nightwatcher, Moru Kul, and the Hand could protect him from Saren. However, even if he was on Xaterex, it was unlikely that he was here in the Fells. He was probably in New Metru Nui, with the main Resistance force. Only Vaethar and several of his Veythari Clans had returned here, and the rest were all from Saren's personal army.

''Everyone here is a prospective enemy. ''thought Shardak. ''Is it possible they know what Fairon, Luxa, and Valkyria are doing? ''

No. They can't. While Saren's personal chambers are probably well guarded, no one here would expect anything—

Suddenly Shardak's eyes met those of a thin individual, wearing green armor without a helmet or mask. He seemed somewhat recognizable, and the moment Shardak recognized the weapon he was carrying, a green scythelike tool, panic ran through him. With a shudder, he realized he knew who the being was.

It was the green armored Rotaxian from Akkad.

And he disappeared through the doors leading toward Saren's chambers, where Luxa, Valkyria, and Fairon had gone nearly two hours before.

Coincidence?

Shardak didn't believe in coincidences. Hoping desperately he was not too late, the Toa of aura raced through the crowd, after the green Rotaxian.

''The fools. None of them suspect anything.''

At the heart of his inner sanctum, Saren sat at his desk, his eyes staring into space. However, within his mind was turning over all of his complicated, long term plans, many of which were about to come to a head. Here he'd been forced to work with the Ix to eventually get his hands on a single fragment of the Annulus, but now Shardak had brought him an even better alternative: the two vials of Elimination.

''And he doesn't even know what the black vial is. ''Saren thought triumphantly. ''Or what it represents to the universe. It's more than perfect. It's fate that this should happen. Fate that I should unify this war-torn universe, and prevent a disaster like Arcaea from ever happening again.''

Arcaea.

The thought of that final horrible day he'd spent there plagued Saren's every thought, his every action. He hated the Ix, for all of the friends they'd killed, but he hated the Toa still more. It was their fault that Arcaea had fallen, their fault that she had died.

''Ayalran. Not a day goes by that I don't think about you. It's for you that I fight against them both, and I'll make sure that one day there will be a world with no Toa, and no Ix.''

Some would say that it couldn't be done. Once, Saren would have thought so, too. But Saren knew better. With the black vial and the Annulus, he could do anything he wanted, including destroy every Ix and Toa in the universe if he chose.

Hatred obscured all other emotions Saren felt. Cold, calculated malice and hatred allowed him his strength. He'd eben able to play the game of a kind, supportive Resistance commander for many years, and through that persona he'd created he now knew everything about Shardak, in a way that not even another aura user could.

''I know his strengths and his weaknesses...I've been able to observe him by fighting alongside him and his allies. And now that he's obligingly putting himself in my hands, I may as well kill him and take the vial, the ultimate genocide weapon. Reyna might have the Annulus...but she won't be able to enjoy it for much longer.''

Saren smiled at the thought. Two of his Rotaxians were with him, while the third was here, in the Resistance base, with a special mission at the moment.

Oh, Atarus, such a juvenile ploy, hoping to keep my attention distracted so you can free my remaining captives from stasis. thought Saren. I have so many traps littering the corridors leading here that it would take a remarkably skilled being to even come close to me unless I wanted them to. And even if, by some miracle, they could make it through... I have the power enough to stop them.

Emboldened, Saren walked over to one of the four hollow walls in the hexagonal chamber. Two were simply storage areas, and the third was the stasis chamber where he held three elite Veythari warriors and a Glatorian who had once been the second in command of Saren's personal fleet. But at the moment, Saren cared little for any of them. His entire focus was on the fourth wall, where he kept the hidden source of his power.

''No wonder the Mindeaters destroyed themselves. ''Saren thought. ''So much power, and so many targets. However, I am smarter than they. I know how to use this power, to manipulate and direct it without absorbing too much. In the right amounts, it makes me nigh on invincible. Even Parikon himself could not stop me.''

Parikon. Another annoying fly in the ointment his enemies had obligingly removed for him. The Great Being had once been a powerful ally, but there was no place for him in Saren's perfect world.

Years ago, during the waning days of Arcaean power, Saren's homeland, a small plain of existence known as Dalkir, had revolted against the Arcaean government, wanting freedom. By then, the Hand of Mata Nui had grown weak, the Toa Order corrupt, and the government cruel and oppressive. It was little wonder that the Dalkirans had wanted independence. They—

''Enough. ''Saren thought. ''You cannot afford to be thinking about this, not while reaching into the Void. Otherwise, the power will destroy me. ''

Opening the hidden doors, Saren stepped into the passageway, which curved slowly downward, deeper into the earth.

A secret passageway into the Void itself.

"I don't like this," Caltax hissed under his breath. "For someone as powerful and cunning as Saren, it seems unusual, to say the least, that he has no other safeguards here."

It's almost too easy. Valkyria thought uneasily. Years of training in stealth, assasination, and battle as an Ix apprentice had given her instincts sharper than the edge of the scimitar she carried and the quiver of arrows she held. She knew Saren well enough to know that he'd probably littered these passageways with many traps, but so far they'd encountered nothing they couldn't disable easily.

"Maybe he's so confident in his own power, he thinks he doesn't need them," Luxa suggested. But the way she said it, Valkyria knew she herself knew otherwise.

"No..." said Valkyria, following the Illieran female and the Akkadian general through the dark complex that was Saren's inner sanctum. She, too, was uneasy, but years of masking her emotions behind a carefully crafted mak of impassiveness to survive the cuttroat world of Ix politics. "Saren's no fool. Everything we know about him shows that he's not insane— he definitely has more safeguards here."

"He's trying to hit us with them when we're not expecting it," said Luxa, reassuring Caltax. The old Akkadian was obviously a frontline commander, unused to stealth and infiltration. Valkyria knew that it would probably be safer for herself and Luxa, who was obviously also well trained as either a spy or assassin, to go on alone, but if Saren himself, or a large group of highly trained allies, Caltax would be a useful ally.

Or maybe not. Both Luxa and I are faster and probably more skilled then he is. In the end, he's probably a danger to us more then an asset.

Of course, it was too late now. Valkyria raised her bow, hand on the quiver at her side, and followed Luxa and Caltax down the long, darkened corridor. She was as silent as a wraith, and was sure that no being, no matter how great its hearing was, could hear her. Luxa was also good, Valkyria had to give her that. The Illieran creapt alongside them through the inky darkness, alert for any traps.

There! Valkyria sensed something in the aura field. Not a living presence, exactly, but something enhanced by either aura or elemental energies. Looking around the empty chamber, she saw the trap. It was crude yet effective, a trap that fired two cones of elemental energy at any being that came in range. No doubt any being who was not an aura user would have triggered the trap. But Valkyria could sense the location of the auric trap exactly.

Raising her bow, she looked to Luxa for confirmation. The Illieran nodded. Now Valkyria was sure she was either an aura user or an elementalist. Her eyes were following the trap, and she had her hands on her own longbow.

Valkyria raised her weapon as she had so many times before, took aim, and fired. The arrow struck its target, of course, as it always did. Immediately the trap simply exploded into fragments of elemental energy.

"Go carefully. Saren could easily have another trap hidden here," cautioned Luxa, as the remnants of the trap fell to the ground with a dull ''thud. ''

Halfway across the room, that trap made itself known. The lasers that protected Saren's fortress and were keyed to the alarms were almost too easy to dodge, and very few of them even came close to Valkyria, Caltax, and Luxa. However, halfway through the room, the amount of laser traps increased alarmingly. Several times they were forced to stray from the narrow, torchlit areas of the wide room, and into the obscure, darkened areas. Valkyria didn't like the darkness. Normally, she, like other Ix, had perfect night vision. This was elemental shadow, designed to conceal the room.

''It's probably littered with traps. ''Valkyria thought grimly, now realizing Saren's plan. As the laser traps grew even more frequent, Caltax was finally forced to step entirely off the narrowing paths and into the darkness.

Neither Valkyria or Luxa had time to say anything before something stirred deep within. With a horrible grinding noise, something was torn free from the wall that was obscured by the supernatural darkness. With a cry of more surprise then pain, Caltax staggered backward and was swollowed up by the darkness.

"Caltax?" hissed Luxa, her voice little more than a whisper.

There was no answer, simply dark silence.

"We have to—" Valkyria began. However, before she could finish, the blaring of alarms interrupted her. Immediately the two beings whirled around, wondering what could have set them off. Then, just as abruptly, they went silent.

"Did Caltax—" asked Valkyria, wondering if the Glatorian general had accidently set off an alarm, then turned it off. But Luxa was already shaking her head.

"Look." the Illieran female said, grimly.

Valkyria followed her gaze to the being standing in the entryway, a long green scythe held in one hand. Despite the fact he was missing his characteristic wide-brimmed hat, Valkyria recognized him immediately.

It was the green Rotaxian from Akkad.

And he was standing over the fallen body of general Caltax.

Chapter 10
The Rotaxian's scythe swung above Luxa's head in a green blur as the Illieran female leapt out of reach, escaping decapitation by inches. The green flashed past the edges of her vision, and, raising her jade green longsword, blocked the Rotaxian's blinding flurry of blows. However, her attacker simply switched his grip on the weapon, jabbing outward, hoping to deal a fatal blow by using the scythe as one would a stabbing spear.

At the last moment Luxa dodged the attack, and the Rotaxian's scythe swung through the thin air as he swung toward her, hoping to somehow possibly hit her. However, Luxa was far too skilled to be defeated so easily, and leapt back, landing on her feet. As the Rotaxian lunged forward, hoping to back her up between his deadly scythe and the laser alarms.

However, he'd become too overconfident, and Luxa's weapon slammed against his scythe with such force that the Rotaxian was surprised for a moment the blade didn't snap. His scythe was solid shredsteel, no mere iron could hold against it. Thinking for certain the weapon was close to snapping, the Rotaxian grinned inwardly and slammed his scythe, still harder this time, against Luxa's.

That was his first mistake. His arm was jolted with the strength of the attack almost immediately, and Luxa almost dropped her curved sword as the impact nearly knocked it free from her hand. But, to the Rotaxian's amazed eyes, the weapon was not even scratched.

"Impossible." the bounty hunter began. "No weapon—"

He never got any further. Luxa's sword slammed into his side, drawing blood. Off-balance, the assassin staggered backward, and at that moment, Valkyria struck. The Ix warrior was a blur in the eyes of the Rotaxian as in one swift, fluid motion, she charged forward, landing on her feet, and slashed through the Rotaxian's defenses with her silver scimitar. As the Rotaxian dodged the attack and Luxa raised her sword, preparing to deal a death blow, the alarms suddenly rang out from all around them. For one crucial moment, both Luxa and Valkyria hesitated, and the Rotaxian slipped into the shadows.

"Attention!" a voice rang through the fortress. Valkyria didn't recognize it, though she knew it was one of Saren's allies as he said the next words. "Treacherous Resistance members are at large in the base, as well as several Akkadian soldiers. All are armed and dangerous, and are believed to be planning a strike against Commander Naghara or Atarus. Their leader is unknown. All guards near the heart of the Resistance base are warned to eb on high alert, and to kill or capture any being who comes near the leaders of the Resistance."

"Somehow, they know we're here," hissed Luxa. "We have to move fast, then."

Valkyria saw Caltax, who was limping slightly but otherwise looked mostly unwounded, walking over to them. Without waiting for the Akkadian to catch up with her, Valkyria ran deeper into the fortress after Luxa, on the lookout for traps. In the elementally enhanced darkness, Valkyria's torch only shone light out to five feet around her, and it was impossible for her to even make out Luxa's face in the gloom.

Suddenly there was a flash of silver steel, and Luxa called a warning. Valkyria lashed out reflexively, and felt Silverblade drive through armor, muscle, then bone. The being, a Glatorian guard, collapsed. Another shouted a battlecry, charging toward her. Valkyria neatly sidestepped the attack and slashed the Glatorian to the ground. The guard collapsed. Luxa had killed two guards and was fighting a third, but he was gaining the upper hand, jabbing at her with his pike even as two others closed in.

Another guard loomed before Valkyria, this one a Steltian in plated armor. His massive weapon slashed through the air, aiming for Luxa. For one moment the Illieran didn't move at all, and Valkyria was sure she'd be killed instantly by the Steltian's broadsword. But at the last second she dodged out of reach of both the pike and the broadsword, raising her sword and sending a spinning cone of elemental air from the weapon, which slammed into the Steltian.

The guard gave a roar of pain and fell to his knees, his armor torn apart by the elemental cyclone. Luxa leapt past the three other guards, drawing back her longsword and running the wounded Steltian through.

The other guards hesitated for a moment, seeing how easily Luxa and Valkyria had dispatched the Steltian and his guards. Before either side could move, Caltax came running toward them, his sword decapitating one being and knocking another against the wall. The third guard had no time to even react to the Akkadian general's sudden appearence before one of Valkyria's throwing daggers buried itself in his chest.

An arrow hissed over Valkyria's head.

"Archers!" Caltax's voice was a harsh whisper. Another arrow ricocheted off his shoulder armor. Valkyria dodged two arrows narrowly, and the third grazed her shoulder. Before any of the archers could fire again, however, Caltax charged forward, two of the attackers falling to the ground. The other beings, realizing that they were almost surrounded, threw down their bows and drew swords. However, the two remaining archers, obviously unused to hand-to-hand combat, were quickly dispatched by Caltax before either Valkyria or Luxa could attack.

Valkyria did not allow herself time to breathe in relief at the silence, however. The doorway into Saren's inner sanctum loomed before them, and footsteps and harsh voices could be heard coming from down the other twisted passageways.

''It was never like this when I was with the Resistance. ''Valkyria had time to think. Saren's turned this place into a heavily guarded fortress.

"There they are!" a voice yelled, from somewhere on Valkyria's right. "Intruders!"

The Ix female whirled around to see the a second being standing only a few feet away, his sword raised. She dodged his attack easily, not wanting to kill more beings then she had to, and raced down the hallway, an arrow whizzing past her. She heard Caltax cry out, stumble, and fall to his knees. A crossbow bolt had buried itself in his armor. The Glatorian nodded once, to tell them he was okay, but before he could move, a second crossbow bolt slammed into him. Caltax crumpled to the ground.

More beings were filling the passageway, coming from both directions, and Valkyria tensed, raising her bow. Luxa was also ready to fight to the death, and both beings were under no illusions that they would somehow escape.

They'd run themselves into a cul-de-sac, and they had no choice but to fight or die. But as more beings began to surround them from both sides, several aiming crossbow bolts and arrows at Valkyria and Luxa, the Ix warrior realized it was unlikely they'd leave this room alive.

Shardak scanned the crowd of beings leaving the gathering chamber for any sign of the green Rotaxian, and saw to his frustration that the being had vanished into the crowd. where it was impossible to pinpoint him from a distance. Trying to slowly force his way through the crowd, the Toa of aura found that even moving through the crowded room was troublesome, much less finding the concealed Rotaxian assassin, whom he was sure was hunting either Valkyria, Luxa, Caltax, or Atarus.

''But why is he here? Aren't the three Rotaxians working for Reyna? Why would they be working for Saren as well?''

A horrible thought rose to mind. ''Maybe Atarus is wrong, and Saren isn't planning anything other than handing the Resistance over to the Ix. That would explain why Reyna was able to find us so quickly in Akkadia.''

Either way, he had to catch him.

There! Shardak saw a flash of emerald green armor, something that he immediately recognized as belonging to the Rotaxian. Dodging and weaving through the crowd, Shardak saw the Rotaxian vanish down the corridor, a crossbow in his hand. Still racing through the crowd, he—

"Going so soon?"

Startled, Shardak whirled around to see Saren himself walking over to him. The Resistance leader gave Shardak his usual broad smile, but this time it was ruined by the coldness in his pale, intense eyes. Up close, Saren seemed not only evil, but a bit unhealthy as well.

"Come with me to the council chamber." he said conversationally, but Shardak could tell it was obviously meant as an order. "There is much we have to discuss."

Shardak followed Saren, his mind filled with questions. ''Does Saren know that I know how he tried to kill me? Maybe he doesn't. Maybe he didn't know Fairon was giving me audio during the battle over Corona Magna, and just assumed that I immediately went to join Atarus.''

But that doesn't make sense. Shardak realized. ''He must know. Fairon escaped with me, and now Fairon and I are both back. Of course Fairon would tell me.''

Then a greater worry pressed down upon him. If so, then what does he want?

Trapped by the circumstances, Shardak followed Saren deeper into the Resistance base, to the ancient gathering chamber which had been devastated during the battle for the Fells a few months earlier. Now it was once again repaired, though without the ancient runes that had once covered evey inch of the walls. Now they were dull, uniformly gray, like the rest of the Resistance base.

"Please, sit," said Saren, waving a hand airly. "I know a lot has changed since I last saw you, but I trust you remember that I told you there was a traitor in the Resistance?"

Shardak stared warily back at Saren, not knowing how to respond. He felt sure that, although he kept his face a blank mask, Saren's pale eyes were staring into his soul, piercing through his aura shields and into his thoughts. Even though he knew Saren wasn't an aura user, simply an Elementalist, it was more than disconcerting to look upon the being he'd once admired, a being who had betrayed the Resistance and had been responsible for the deaths of many loyal members of the rebellion.

"Let me say, first, that it is a pleasure to see you alive," said Saren. "You, as the Spirit Toa, are a beacon of hope in very dark times, and I wish that you could have arrived under happier circumstances. However, I have finally pinpointed the traitor, and you will find this very shocking."

"Who is it?" asked Shardak, trying to sound interested. Had he not known who this being was, and what he'd done to Fairon, Ion, and many more, and that was probably sanctioning his Rotaxian assassins to kill Luxa and the others, he would have found Saren very persuasive.

''He had us all fooled, even Atarus. ''Shardak thought. I can't—

"We have conclusive proof that it is Mersery. Even now, my allies have captured this Mersion, and plan to bring him back to the Fells to stand trial. Apparently he was bankrolling several of the Ix's strategies in Akkad, and was also responsible for the attack on yourself, Fairon, and Parikon in the Akkadian Mountains.

''Good. ''Thought Shardak, as Saren named off his companions. Then he doesn't know about Valkyria, and, while the Illierans and Akkadians are here, he doesn't know that Luxa and Caltax are here, either.

"You're sure this time?" asked Shardak. "Because Ion and Parikon were both suspected before, and neither of them were traitors."

"I am sorry I confided my suspicions with you," said Saren. "They only served to turn you against your friends."

''Yes, while all the time I should have been looking at the real enemy, the person who was telling me about these traitors in the first place. ''thought Shardak.

"However," said Saren lightly. "I am sure now we have caught the real traitor. Once he is gone, there is no one who can oppose the Resistance from within."

''Yes, except you. I'm sure of it now, Saren. You're only going to turn over the Resistance to the Ix to further your own ambitions.''

"There is a new order coming," continued Saren. "An order that will be birthed after the fall of the Empire, and the rising of a new, stronger government. What will you do in that time of peace?"

Completely taken off-guard by the question, Shardak opened his mouth to answer, but found he couldn't. The war with the Ix had seemed ever-present, and he was sure that they were no closer to defeating the Ix then they were when he'd escaped the Eternal Game almost three years ago with Fairon and Valkyria. Farther away then ever now, actually, as he now had to contend with the Rising of Vahrikaan as well. However, if the war did end with the Resistance defeating Vahrikaan and Saren, what would he do? His entire purpose was the war.

"I—" he began, then stopped. Saren smiled slightly.

"You can always work for me," he said. "I think you would find plenty of opportunities to gain power working to further my goals."

"I don't want power," said Shardak. "The only reason I have power is because I'm the Spirit Toa, and because I have to somehow stop Vahrikaan. I'll leave that to you, Atarus, Vaethar, and Tiral to decide upon when if the war ends."

"It will end, Shardak, of that I promise you. What is more, it will end in our victory, the victory of those who are truly loyal to the cause, those who have suffered most to win the war. All of the others will be purged with the Ix."

"How?" asked Shardak, wondering who these "others" would be. Probably the Veythari and the Illierans. And Saren's fellow Resistance leaders, which he was getting rid of one by one. First Arkhan, then Ion, then Parikon, now Mersery. Freztrak, another Resistance leader, was also under suspicion as a traitor, and he'd probably be dealt with as well.

"Vahrikaan has great power, Shardak, does he not? He is a being far beyond what we mortals can understand. But what if we had those powers? What if we, the loyal, those who suffered under Ix rule and would never misuse them, would be able to destroy the Ix, destroy our enemies, remake the universe, and turn Xaterex into a paradise greater then Arcaea itself?"

"But that would make us no different from Vahrikaan, if we were to wipe out all of the Ix and eliminate their allies. We shouldn't try to alter this world?"

"Then I would say you are misguided." said Saren, an edge to his voice. "The Ix must die because of what they did to the Toa, and because of what they did to Arcaea, Every one of them must be killed. Their allies, such as the rogue Elementals and Vahrikaan's cultists, must die as well, if the true world order is remade."

Saren's voice grew softer now. "But after the destruction, imagine the paradise we could make Xaterex. You, Shardak, the Spirit Toa, would not just be the savior of the universe, the being who had destroyed Vahrikaan with your great power, you would be the creator of the second Arcaea, a world that would never fall, but remain a paradise greater then the first, for all beings to live in. Even if you have no ambition to rule, you would be foolish to turn down such an offer."

Shardak could see Saren's viewpoint, he really could. He understood better now, why Saren believed the Ix had to die. And once, Shardak could have truly agreed with him.

But, as he'd grown to know her, Valkyria had shown Shardak the Ix were beings as well, not cold, truly dark beings like Vahrikaan. They were capable of love, fear, pity, and all other emotions, even though they often seemed cold and aloof. And while he hated the Ix Empire for what they'd done to Arcturas, and all the deaths they'd caused, he knew that many Ix were civilians as well. Not all of them were cold-blooded murderers, and many of them might even want the war to end as much as Shardak did.

No, if they used any power to destroy the Ix, then they were no better then the Ix themselves, who had planned a genocide of many sentient species. He carried the vials of Elimination with him now, as proof of that. The enemy was Vahrikaan and the Hooded One and Reyna, and their allies. Not every single Ix.

"No," said Shardak, finding his voice at last. "I cannot accept. What you propose is a grand plan, to recreate something like Arcaea better then it was. But even Arcaea fell. And if we engage in a campaign of genocide against the Ix, then we are truly no better then they are, for wiping out the Toa Order and planning to destroy other species. I cannot accept."

"I find that people who are not with me are usually against me." hissed Saren. "Are you sure you will not reconsider? Believe me, many of your friends would wish they had a chance to side with me— if they were alive to do it."

Shardak bristled. What was Saren implying? Was he taking the gloves off, and finally revealing his true nature? If that was so, then Shardak knew immediately that if things escalated from here, Saren would kill him. He wouldn't have used such an open threat if he wasn't sure he could defeat Shardak easily.

And yet he could not accept Saren's offer. He needed to keep the Resistance leader distracted here, for as long as he could. He hoped desperately that Luxa, Valkyria, and Caltax had suceeded in their goal by now, and freed the prisoners. If they hadn't—

"Was that a threat, Saren?" he asked. "Of course it was. Don't try to talk with me about morality, not after what you were planning to do to Fairon."

"I had hoped that your pathetic mind could understand my motive behind it." snarled Saren. "Admittedly, it would have been better if you'd died there, so I didn't have to kill you here."

"Atarus would never let you get away with it." said Shardak, hoping he sounded braver then he felt.

Saren laughed unpleasantly. "Really? Atarus has...other problems at the moment, something far greater then a little coup from his loyal deputy."

"What?" asked Shardak. "Assassins? Rotaxians? Ix?"

"I could tell you, but I'd rather not." said Saren. "It won't matter to you in a few seconds, when you're dead."

"Why even bother giving me that offer in the first place, then, to work with you?" asked Shardak. "You knew that I knew about what happened with Fairon above Corona Magna. What did you hope to gain?"

"You know," Saren said, his voice tinged with an emotion that Shardak couldn't quite comprehend. "I'd honestly thought— or hoped— after watching you for nearly three years with my fellow commanders that you were a different kind of Toa. A better kind. A Toa that I could respect, one not afraid to get his hands dirty to do the right thing, like I will do. But I was wrong, you're not. You don't deserve a place in this universe, any more than Arcturas did. Good-bye."

Faster than Shardak had ever seen him move, Saren lunged forward. Shardak had no time to think before something exploded behind him and Valkyria burst into the room, an arrow knocked to her bow. Saren stopped, his sword raised above Shardak's throat. Seeing Valkyria, he gave the Ix girl a sardonic smile.

"Warrior Rhai. So you are here. How...delightful to see you again. Not only do I get to kill this Toa, I can also eliminate a known traitor and enemy of the Resistance."

Valkyria's face remained blank, uncompromising. "Let the Spirit Toa go." she ordered, aiming the arrow between his eyes.

"Why?" asked Saren, smiling coldly. "Is he working with enemies of the Resistance now? He's not working for the Ix. Their representitives usually don't try to point weapons at me."

"You were going to kill the Spirit Toa," said Valkyria. "That was not part of the bargain."

Saren's face went ashen, and Shardak realized for the first time the brilliance of Valkyria's strategy. Saren thought she was sent by the Ix, and was trying to capture the Spirit Toa as well. The Ix thought Saren was their loyal spy— or, at least, Saren thought they thought so. They'd be extremely displeased if one of their number saw Saren trying to kill the being they needed to free Vahrikaan.

"I—" Saren began, but Valkyria cut him off first.

"If you wish to live, you will immediately turn over the Spirit Toa." said Valkyria. "If not, I will have to kill you."

Saren hesitated. Shardak could tell he wasn't sure that Valkyria was actually working for the Ix, but he was in too dangerous a position to lose their support. And, no matter whether she was working for the Ix or for Saren's enemies, she'd still kill him if he didn't release Shardak.

Two things saved Saren from making that decision. Before either Shardak, Valkyria, or Saren could move, alarms blared throughout the complex, and Shardak saw a Limiter melt out of the shadows and, skull-like mask gleaming white in the darkness, slash out at Valkyria, who leapt out of reach to avoid the blow. Saren, seeing a Limiter charging toward him, released Shardak, yelling. "It's me, Saren! I'm on your side. There's the Spirit Toa!" he yelled, pointing to Shardak.

The Limiters turned, more of them appearing from all around him. Resistance fighters were racing forward to engage the attacking Ix in battle, but all Shardak was looking for were signs of allies. He ran toward Valkyria, who was standing over the corpse of a dead Limiter. There was no sign of Saren. The treacherous rebel commander had slipped away during the confusion.

"Luxa's freed the rebel leaders," whispered Valkyria. "We were surrounded by Saren's men, but then the Ix arrived. Someone let them into the base."

"One of Saren's men." hissed Shardak. "Where is she now?"

Valkyria pointed down the corridors of the Resistance base, which was rapidly devolving into a battlefield. As defenders, the Resistance had the easy advantage, but there were two other factors that were turning the battle in favor of the Ix.

The first was that the Resistance defenders were all rank-and-file soldiers, unprepared for combat. Nowhere did Shardak see any sign of Saren's own elite troops, and he realized Saren's real motive for stalling him. He was obviously planning to allow the base to be overrun, eliminating Atarus, Shardak, Fairon, and any of their former allies while he and the main body of his attack force and the Veythari warriors escaped.

''So that's how he convinced the Ix to ally with him. He's handing them the Resistance's territory, even as his armies take more and more of the Ix's.''

The second factor was the Ix's numbers. There were far too many of them to be held back for long, and despite the defender's initial advantage, Shardak was sure that the Ix would not stop until he was captured and the base was secured.

Shardak saw Luxa was fighting beside several of the freed Veythari commanders, using a combat form he'd never seen before, somewhere between Vauhti and Sila. She was faster than most Limiters and possibly as deadly, leaping, dodging, rolling, and jumping higher than Shardak would have thought possible as she fought. However, even with the help of the Veythari, Luxa could not hold out forever.

Fairon was also there, locked in combat with several Limiters. Though not as fast as either Luxa, Valkyria, or the Limiters, Fairon was as skilled and calculating of a warrior as an Ix commander. Having survived two Eternal Games with only his own skill to depend upon had made Fairon among the greatest of warriors, and he was able to defeat almost any Ix attacker. However, now they were all pressing in around him, and he would not last much longer.

''Where is Atarus? Shardak wondered briefly, Shouldn't he be here'' ?

Shardak ran to Valkyria, who was barely holding her own against several Limiters. An Ix warrior snarled at him, but before he could move, a burst of red flame gleamed along the edge of the Blade of Arcturas, slamming into him. He fell to the ground. Instantly, another Ix warrior took his place.

Locked in combat, Valkyria, Shardak, Luxa, and Fairon all fought for their lives, but it seemed almost slow moving to Shardak. All of them were just as skilled as the Limiters, but the first to make a single mistake, even a slight one, would die.

And then one of them made one.

Fairon's grip on his sword faltered ever so slightly. An Ix lunged forward, his weapon driving into Fairon's shoulder. A second Ix raised to deal a death blow as Fairon staggered backward. Shardak raced toward Fairon,but before he could move, another thing happened. Shardak's vision blurred. His eyes opened, staring into the distance.

He no longer saw Fairon. He saw the Hooded One, and felt the raw, crushing presence of his power. Darkness was held in his corpse-like hands, darkness so great, so oppressive, that Shardak recoiled from it. And yet he could not escape the being who stood before him, the Hooded One, whose scythe was raised to point at his heart.

''I know you are here, Spirit Toa. You cannot escape me.''

"He's here." gasped Shardak, realization flooding him. "The Hooded One is here."

Suddenly, the vision broke, and he was facing Fairon once more. The Toa was staggering backward, wounded slightly. His sword was held loose in one hand.

At the last second, Fairon sprang. In one fluid motion, he slashed off the head of one attacking Ix, and blocked the other attacker's scythe before it could deal a fatal blow. As the Limiter was forced back, Shardak saw a flash of dark armor in the shadows near Fairon. Gasping, he saw, hidden in the corner of the room shrouded in darkness, a being raise a bow, take aim, and fire.

"No!" yelled Shardak as the arrow sped toward the Toa of Light.

Chapter 11
Atarus saw Saren walking over to him and tensed for the inevitable confrontation. He knew that it was unlikely Saren would try anything in front of all of these other beings, but he had to be sure. Underestimating Saren had gotten too many good beings killed already, and if he were killed, it was unlikely that the Resistance would ever break free from Saren's rule again.

But, surprisingly, Saren seemed almost afraid when he reached Atarus. When he spoke, it was in an urgent hiss. "There are Ix attacking our stronghold."

"Ix?" asked Atarus, alarmed. Of all the things he'd expected, an attack by Ix was the least likely. From Saren's expression of shock and horror, and the genuine shock he seemed to feel in the aura field, Atarus wondered if this was even part of his plot at all, or if this sudden attack had been unexpected. With Saren, it was impossible to tell.

"Yes. They're massed outside the fortress, and have found a way in through the new command chamber." said Saren. "We're trying to stop them from getting inside the fortress."

"How?" asked Atarus. "Do you have enough defenses?"

"Yes, and I doubt they'll be able to break through our defenses." said Saren. "But, as a safety measure, I've sent Reid Vaethar and several other Veythari warriors to confront the Ix outside the fortress, guarding the broken entrance. With any luck they'll stop the attack."

Suspicion rose within Atarus. He wondered if his initial assessment had been wrong after all. Saren could be sending Reid Vaethar to his death, which could be catastrophic for the war effort. Though Atarus couldn't see what he stood to gain from it, it was obvious now that Saren was planning to send Vaethar to his death.

"I'll go help him," Atarus decided. "Command the Resistance's defense effort until I return."

"Be careful," Saren cautioned, though inwardly Atarus thought he was probably smirking.

Turning away from the treacherous Glatorian commander before he could say anymore, Atarus raced through the Resistance fortress, his keen ears picking up yells and the sounds of battle in the distance. He was too far away, however, to sense the distinctive auras he was looking for— Luxa, Shardak, and Fairon.

He was sure that by now, at least, Luxa and her team had freed the prisoners from Saren. He knew the Illieran too well to believe anything Saren could throw at her could stop her. He only hoped that she was able to get out in time, before the Ix had arrived. Some of the captured beings would not be able to fight well, having been freed only recently from more than a month of temporal stasis.

As he left the building, a chilled northern breeze, cold even by Fellsian standards, hissed through the trees. Outside, The moons of Xaterex were half-hidden by clouds. Only one shone in the skies now, pale and white, casting eerie ethereal light down upon the forested cliffs. It was almost ominously silent, and Atarus heard no sounds of battle.

But Vaethar's out there, fighting somewhere. ''I only wish I knew Saren's plan. Is he really trying to wipe out all of the Resistance leaders, one by one, even those who are not a threat?''

Atarus couldn't believe that Saren would jeopardize his already tenuous alliance with the Veythari. No, there was something else going on here, something that Atarus found horribly suspicious somehow, though he couldn't put a finger on it.

Saren's new command center has plenty of defenses. There's no reason he'd send Reid Vaethar to stop an attck there. No matter how many Ix warriors are here, none of them could break in from that entrance. But something's definitely wrong.

Creeping through the darkness, Atarus stopped at the foot of a small rise.The moon cast down its light upon the tree standing there, and, in the silvery moonlight, Atarus caught a glimpse of a being, sillouhetted against the cold moonlight. The silvery darkness glinted off the large scythe the being carried in one hand, and it illuminated the hooded robe he wore.

The Hooded One.

The ruler of the Ix.

Atarus faced the being, feeling small and weak under the gaze of a being so powerful. The Hooded One's aura was a dark maelstrom of shadows, a pervasive, almost heavy presence in the aura field. It made even Atarus, an Elemental, feel weak and insignificant in comparison.

"Stay back," said Atarus, raising his sword, as though to ward off the being that stood before him.

"Atarus..." whispered the Hooded One slowly. "Do you not recognize me? Or have you forgotten, after so many years?"

Atarus took a step back. That voice. A voice he recognized. A voice from over one hundred years ago.

It was a voice he thought he'd never hear again. Shock tinged with fear made any thoughts impossible for a moment.

It had to be a trick, had to be a trap. Disbelievingly, he staggered back, his sword still pointed at the being that stood before him.

"You're dead," he said. "I was there when you died. You can't be real."

"Really?" asked the voice again. Pale hands rose to the hood. Atarus shivered as the Hooded One lowered the hood, stepping into the moonlight. He recoiled in shock and fear. His aura searched for any sign that this was some kind of illusion, but he felt nothing.

"No." he whispered. His voice caught in his throat as he saw the Hooded One's face, illuminated by the gleam of the cold, impartial moon above.

The Hooded One's eyes were dark, cold like an Ix's. Far colder than Atarus remembered them, back when he'd known her by another name. But she still half-smiled at him, and still had that slightly arrogant tilt to her head he remembered from Arcaea. She was still the same age as she'd been in Arcaea, still young and beautiful. But her eyes were twin pits of merciless darkness. She wore a crown he recognized, a twin of the same gold circlet that Luxa now wore. The crown of Arcaea.

"Eostra." he gasped as he stared at her. She gave a slight nod, not speaking. "But...how can that be? I saw you die. We found your body...killed by a scythe."

"Yes, I am dead." said Eostra. She said it indifferently, almost casually. "But yet, I endure."

"How?" asked Atarus. "How did you—"

"I had always sought life eternal," said Eostra. "But even undeath was not the answer. I had to survive, and I did survive, through my will."

"You—"

"To survive, I became a higher being than life itself." hissed Eostra.

Still her voice was flat. No triumph, no hatred, nothing. Nothing but added intensity on the last sentace, and her eyes gleaming slightly as she said the last two words. As she spoke, her dark, powerful aura engulfed his, forcing him to accept the truth of her statements.

"I don't understand." said Atarus. "I—"

"ATARUS!"

A voice jerked Atarus into the world, away from Eostra. He saw a Veythari stagger from the darkness. "Atarus! The Ix are overruning our base! Overruning it from the main entrance! Saren cannot be found."

"You—" Atarus turned to Eostra, who had a look of cold triumph painted on her face. She was holding her scythe in one hand, and almost lazily raised the weapon.

"Don't—" she began, but Atarus was staring at her, blank shock and horror in his eyes. Turning, he raced into the night, toward the sounds of fighting and the clash of steel on steel. The Ix had broken through the main entrance, and the scattered corpses of rebel warriors who had put up a fight lay scattered across the floor. Several Limiters were also among the dead, but the Resistance's casualties far outnumbered theirs.

Of Saren's own elite armies, there was no sign. These were either low-ranking warriors, Veythari, or civilians. There was no sign of Shardak, Luxa, Fairon, or Valkyria, either. Or of Saren.

It had all been a trick, all been a trap. The Ix were inside the Resistance base, and Saren would do nothing to stop them.

Shardak charged toward the attacker, even as Fairon fell to the ground, the bolt taking him between his shoulder blades. As Shardak bore down on the being, he realized with a jolt of shock it was not the Rotaxian, as he'd expected. The attacker was a Glatorian, a member of Saren's elite, personal bodyguard. Before he could move, either to drop his crossbow or to fire another bolt, one of Valkyria's arrows buried itself in his chest, even as Shardak slashed open the being's neck. He crumpled to the ground.

Shardak looked around him, and saw that the Limiters had either retreated or been killed. Luxa was standing over Fairon, whom Shardak could tell was still alive. However, he wasn't sure how much longer the Toa would live.

"How is he?" asked Shardak.

"He'll live," said the Illieran. "It's only a flesh wound, and his armor took most of the force out of the bolt."

Fairon rose unsteadily to his feet. "I can't believe Saren actually sent one of his elite warriors to kill us. I mean, I know he's working with the Ix, but I can't believe that any other member of the Resistance would actually agree to work with him."

"He's probably not the only one," said Shardak. "Saren has an entire inner circle of elite followers, probably beings he's payed to work with him."

"And now he's selling out Atarus and all of our still loyal members to the Ix." said Valkyria. "While he and his armies make an escape."

"Whatever his twisted reasoning behind this, we have to stop the Fells from falling," hissed Luxa. "If Vaethar is killed, the remaining Resistance bases in the Fells will descend into anarchy. Saren will be the undisputed ruler of the remaining Resistance armies in Arden and the Ix Empire."

"Do you think he has enough forces there to secure Iskar or Ecbatana?" asked Shardak, uneasy.

"Not likely." answered Valkyria, as they followed Luxa through the now empty corridors of the Resistance base. "But I'm sure Saren has another plan that doesn't involve him remaining a loyal Ix spy."

The Resistance base was ominously quiet, the only company that the four beings had were the scattered corpses of Limiters and rebel warriors. They're probably evacuating the civilians. thought Shardak. He knew it was probably hopeless. Somehow, the Limiters had broken in through the main Resistance entrance, and it was unlikely any warrior had been expecting that to happen.

''Because none of the guards knew what Saren was planning. And the Hooded One is here too.''

Shardak could feel the dark being's aura in the distance, though he knew it was only because the Hooded One wanted him to feel the aura. He wanted Shardak to know he was here, to know he was searching for him, the Spirit Toa.

Then he felt another aura, and saw a flash of golden armor as Atarus raced toward them. There was an expression on the Elemental's face that Shardak had never really seen before: sadness and real fear.

"Shardak? Luxa? Valkyria?" the Elemental asked, as he saw them. "We have to get out of here. The Hooded One's here."

"He is?" asked Fairon, a note of real fear in his voice. He'd seen the Hooded One only once before, during the Battle of Corona Magna, but he knew the Hooded One's nightmarish power was enough to inspire fear in any being. Even Luxa's face went ashen.

"Yes." said Atarus. "Saren had evacuated quite a few civilians already, and the remaining survivors have been found by the Veythari. But they're not even trying to wipe out the Resistance anymore. They're looking for you, Shardak, you and the Elimination vials."

Shardak had known they were looking for him already, all along, but somehow, hearing Atarus say it made the danger feel even more real. "We have to get out of here, then."

Atarus nodded, then raced down the corridor. Sounds of fighting were occasionally heard, and as they drew closer to the exits, the sounds grew louder. Shardak saw Freztrak, a Skakdi commander, break away from the fighting and race over to Atarus.

"My Skakdi have secured this area. We're going to stop them. The Veythari are still fighting as well. Take the Spirit Toa and get out of here!"

Atarus nodded grimly, and Freztrak, covered with wounds, vanished back into the thick of the fighting. Shardak could see the Skakadi were easily winning: the Ix weren't really trying to wipe them out. Their main force was hunting him, hunting the Spirit Toa who held their Elimination vials.

The run was a blur to Shardak. Occasionally they stopped and fought, but before he could raise the Blade of Arcturas, either Luxa, Valkyria, or Atarus eliminated the attackers. He whirled around a corner, and then saw what he'd been hoping they'd be able to avoid.

Elite Limiters, in black and red armor. The Ix soldier's eyes widened when he saw Shardak, and barked an order to his subordinates, who leapt at them. Atarus and Shardak raced past them, but the others were immediately surrounded by Limiters on all sides.

"Val!" he yelled, as he saw the Ix warrior stagger back, wounded by the Limiter commander's scythe. He couldn't lose her too, he'd already lost too many of his friends—

Luxa slashed the Limiter to the ground before he could deal a death blow. Valkyria raced over to them, followed by the others. It took the Limiters a few moments to rally after their commander's death, then immediately they raced after them. Shardak and Fairon were slower than the others, and he had to run to keep pace with even Atarus, who was slower than Valkyria.

More Ix were attacking now, and now he could no longer see Fairon, Luxa, or Atarus. He stood next to Valkyria, fighting off the oncoming Ix. The exit was so close, just beyond the next corridor, but they would have to fight their way through against growing enemy numbers. He stopped Atarus, being attacked by Ix pikemen, a yard or so away. Of the others, there was no sign.

A Limiter reared above him, and Shardak raised the Blade of Arcturas, willing it to life. Flames began to rise slowly along the Blade, and memories of long-forgotten battles began to fill Shardak's mind. This sword was not only Arcturas' last gift to him, it was a primal elemental weapon older than Arcaea itself, older than even the Mindeaters.

A race of ancient beings, holding the four Elemental swords above their heads, then attacking each other...

A dark being, carrying the Blade of Arcturas in one hand, another Elemental sword in the other, as the fought the being standing before him...

Another being, from a race he didn't recognize, fighting a Mindeater with the Blade against the Mindeater's dark staff...

Arcturas, with a girl he didn't recognize, a girl with dark eyes, handing the ancient sword to him, half-smiling...

A dark-armored figure fighting against massed Ix warriors with only the burning, flaming Blade of Arcturas in his hands...

The memories gave Shardak strength, strength and speed to rival the greatest of Limiters. His sword whirled around like a burning brand of death itself, slashing, dodging, weaving, and killing anything it came across, seemingly of its own volition. Shardak was feeling weaker and weaker, but the sword was growing stronger, and more Limiters fell before his might...

More memories ran through his mind, memories of battles from every age...

A tall Illieran, wearing a crown like Luxa's, and carrying the Blade of Arcturas, handing Luxa her own sword, which gleamed with green energy as powerful as that of the Blade of Arcturas itself...

As Shardak fought his way across the battlefield, his sword twisting in his hands and any Limiter who stood in his path, he had the ridiculous idea that the Blade of Arcturas was alive and hungry.

Saren stood alongside his elite inner circle a few miles away from the Resistance base, watching the fires rising above the trees.

"Open a commlink to Tiral at the starcraft base." Saren ordered to his nominal deputy, a Glatorian known as Rorkan. "We need the starfleet to transport our warriors, as well as the surviving civilians outside the Xaterex system."

Rorkan nodded. Unlike those Resistance idiots that Saren had to order around daily, these beings were not freedom fighters. Many were former mercenaries, and all wanted a hand in the destruction of both the Empire and the Toa. All of them had been handpicked by Saren to aid in the execution of his plot.

"Are we going to wait for Voran?" asked another one of Saren's mercenaries, an Agori assassin.

"No," said Saren. "If he made it out, then he'll know where to find us. If not, then that just means more plunder for the rest of us."

The Agori nodded, drawing her long dagger. Saren had no doubt jt was poisoned. Rorkan walked over to him, five minutes later. "Tiral's preparing the spacefleet for launch. The civilians and the majority of our warriors have arrived there, unharmed.

Inwardly, Saren breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent. Alert Tiral we will arrive shortly.

Rorkan nodded, then slipped away to make the call.

Saren watched the fires rise, engulfing more of the trees. Fires he and his crew had set, as they left the burning rebel base.

He'd lost his portal to the Void, yes, but he knew there was another entrance near the Fells as well. And, by destroying many of his enemies in one blow, he'd gained a massive advantage. While he doubted the Ix would be able to wipe out the Veythari and the Resistance warriors— indeed, he didn't want them to— but they would definitely capture the Spirit Toa. For that, Saren was greateful. One less thorn in my side.

''Time for Calos to fall. ''thought Saren, determination and purpose replacing his earlier thoughts. And time for the Resistance to realize it's me, Saren, who will lead them to victory.

Turning back to the rapidly growing fire, Saren watched as the flames spread, engulfing still more of the Fells in baleful, destructive orange light.

Let it burn.

Chapter 12
The surviving Resistance and coalition leaders, beyond the reach of the powerful Ix army that had attacked the Fellsian Resistance base, had gathered in a small Veythari village on the edge of the Fells' border with the Kodax's northern city-states. Shardak scanned the makeshift camp set up at the center of the village, taking in the grim faces of the beings before him.

From the Resistance he recognized Reid Vaethar, Freztrak, and his old friend Toa Jareroden, as well as several other beings, survivors who had elected to speak for the displaced civilians and militia not loyal to Saren. Luxa was there, her face a mask of grim determination. Fairon was standing between the Illieran female and Atarus, and was currently speaking.

"We will have to find a way to relocate the escaped civilians to the larger, more protected Veythari settlements. It is fortunate that there were very few based within the Fellsian base, otherwise our task could be insurmountable. As it is, it is less difficult."

"I will arrange to have the remaining Veythari warriors under my command to help transport the civilians and soldiers to remaining Veythari Clan bases." said Reid Vaethar. The Veythari commander had been one of the beings whom Atarus, Luxa, Valkyria, and Shardak had encountered in the Resistance base, The Veythari high commander had been looking for Saren on the Glatorian's orders to evacuate the base with him, but Atarus had been able to explain to him the depth of Saren's treachery. The Veythari Clans leader had been able to gather the surviving elite warriors he'd brought with him from the Fells and evacuate the base with very few casualties.

"My Skakdi will also assist with this." concurred Freztrak. The Skakdi commander was as gruff as Shardak remembered him, but, despite his initial distrust of the Skakdi, Shardak now counted him among his most trusted allies. "However, Atarus assures me that I am needed elsewehere."

"Yes." said Atarus. "Many of you have heard of Saren's plans, and, while I assure you we will be doing our utmost to remove him as from his position as sole head of the Resistance, we cannot afford to have our armies torn apart by civil war. The Ix have the Annulus, and Vahrikaan could rise at any time now. We have to stop him before we challenge Saren— or the full military might of the Ix Empire."

"How will we stop them?" asked Fairon. "There are Ix swarming the Fells, and, for all we know, there are Sarkanian clones or some other menace with them as well. If Vahrikaan is rising, he'll do it at the heart of Drakos Capitol, where none of us can get close to him."

"He's not going to complete the Rising in Drakos Capitol." said Atarus to Fairon. "After you, Shardak, and Valkyria escaped the Ix in the base and ran into Vaethar, Luxa, Freztrak, and I followed the Ix tracks back across the Fellsian border, into the Kodax's city-states territory. There's no doubt about it, they came from the city of Intax.

"Intax?" asked Shardak, shocked to hear the name again, after all this time. It had been so long since he'd set foot in the place he'd once called his home that, in a way, he'd forgotten it existed.

"From the Circle. It's an Ix stronghold underground, a direct portal into the Void." said Luxa.

''Of course. ''Shardak remembered the Circle only too well. For nearly two weeks he'd been disguised as a slave from the surface, working for the Ix and the tyrannical Elemental Flareus, the Ix's puppet-ruler of the ancient fortress built during the Arcaean era. He remembered with even greater clarity the terrible journey through the Labyrinth with Silencer, Ion, Blast, and a Glatorian female known as Kyhrex, and Silencer's duel with the Fury at the edge of the Void, a duel which had ended with the deaths of both beings. Eventually, his journey through the Void had led him to Valkyria, Fairon, and Flardrek, and finally to the Resistance.

The Void was a place of horrors. He and Valkyria had explored the deepest depths of the dark city at the bottom of the Void, the ancient city whose name had been lost for centuries, until the insane Mindeater Karizdun had given it a name— Seruamaera, the city of the Ancients.

It was there that Shardak had encountered the world-eating serpant, Sarkanian, the mad cult known as the Shadow of Ages, the Sharidir bounty hunters, and the dark being Millennium. He and Valkyria had nearly died there, alone and without allies. It made perfect sense that the Ix would launch an attack on the Fells from the Void, and even more sense that Vahrikaan's rising would occur there.

"My agents among the Ix have already confirmed that something is going on in the Void, even as the Ix are moving their starcraft, and the starcraft of Vahrikaan's cultists, the Shadow Order, into place over Calos. I am sure that the Rising is occurring there."

"But how can we stop it?" asked Fairon. "It's almost definitely guarded heavily by Ix warriors, who will be prepared for us to send an army—"

"Not an army," said Luxa, cutting him off. "A strike team, with only a few members, maybe ten total. And their objective wouldn't be to stop the Rising. It would be to cut the Void off from this plain of existence."

For a moment, all was silent, as the full weight of Luxa's words sank in. The strategy was astoundingly simple as it was effective. If they could find a way past the Ix in the Circle, then they could trap Vahrikaan— and possibly the Hooded One and a good number of the Ix's highest ranking commanders, forever in the Void.

Reality followed quickly on the heels of that discovery. "That will never work." said Fairon. "The Ix have a personal gateway near Drakos Capitol, which we'll never get anywhere near. There's another in the Circle, and a third in the 174th Eternal Game arena. I'm not sure if there are any others in any other arenas—"

"There aren't," Luxa confirmed. "I've seen every single Game for one hundred and seventy five, and none of them other than your arena had a direct portal to the Void. I have no idea why the Ix would have a portal to that plain in their arena, but it is the only time they have ever done so."

Shardak suddenly was filled with questions as he watched the Illieran female. Her youthful, pretty face was illuminated by the dim glow of the Veythari torches, and she appeared even younger than he was now, though her eyes made her seem older. Still, he found it hard to believe she was over one hundred and seventy years old, even though he knew Atarus was probably even older, and didn't looked so. 

"You're wrong about the portal at Drakos Capitol." said Atarus. "I contacted our agents a few weeks ago, and they were successful in destroying the gateway. I am told three were caught and executed, and the rest would have been caught had it not been for Kalix's efforts."

Shardak became aware, for the first time, that the treacherous Limiter was standing half-concealed in the shadows behind Atarus like a wraith. The expression on his scarred face was, of course, unreadable, and his aura was likewise. He noticed Shardak eying him, and gave the Toa a small, almost imperceptible, nod of acknowledgement.

"That leaves only the gateway in Intax, which is heavily guarded, and the abandoned gate in the Void," said Freztrak. "The arena gate will probably be easy to seal, and we won't send a large team of beings to bring them down. However, we will need a larger number of beings to seal off the Void entrance below the Circle. Those who go won't be able to help...remove Saren at the Battle of Calos.

"Fairon will lead the strike team to the arena, as he knows the area best and will be on the alert for any dangers. Luxa and Kalix will go with them, and both will lead our forces into battle against Saren and the Ix over Calos." continued the Skakdi.

"I'll be leading the team to seal off the Void," said Atarus, surprising everyone. Even Luxa looked worried. When Atarus saw the effect his words had had on the Resistance leaders, he immediately said, "Is joining the Battle of Calos any less dangerous? I trust Luxa and the Iskandar and Reid Vaethar to finish Saren and defeat the Ix fleets, but cannot be sure that we'll be able to win this war unless Vahrikaan is defeated now, before he leaves the Void and returns to this world.

"But there is also another reason." said Atarus. "Another, far more terrifying reason, something that I cannot allow to become common knowledge. It is only because I trust every one of you here that I can reveal this now."

Shardak was immediately listening with new interest. He realized with a slight flare of anger that this was why Atarus hadn't let Valkyria attend this meeting— not all of the remaining leaders of this resistance-in-exile trusted the Ix girl, yet Atarus had allowed her to hear almost all of their battle plans, including Luxa's for the Battle of Calos.

"The reason is that the tests on the two pathogens Shardak obtained a month ago during the Battle of Corona Magna have been determined."

A murmur of surprise rippled through the chamber. "Reyna said that the black vial targeted Glatorian, Agori, Matoran, Toa, and several other advanced life-forms." Shardak remembered. "And she said that the red vial was even more deadly."

"She was right," said Atarus grimly. "But what she said was an understatement. Now I know why the Ix were so desperate, so willing to risk everything by storming the Fells and revealing Vahrikaan's position in the Void. The black vial is pure Elimination, simply expanded to target many other species other than Toa. I'm sure you're all familiar with what it does.

"But the red vial is something else, something deadly. I doubt the Ix would have ever, ever dared to release it into the atmosphere of any planet, much less Xaterex or Corona Magna. This virus is an ancient killer, something so lethal that I doubt there's anything more so in this whole universe."

Luxa gave a small gasp. "Not—"

"Yes." said Atarus. "This is a mutated strain of the plague that destroyed the Mindeaters in the Void, that was responsible for the destruction of the Ancients and those before them. It was created by the forerunners of the so-called Great Beings, slaves who had revolted and toppled the ancient starfaring Mindeater Empire from within. This, however, is still more deadly. Not only Toa and Glatorian, but Ix and almost every type of developed life-form, is susceptible to it."

"How—" Shardak began.

"The virus attacks and liquifies the very cells in your body, spreading the poison in a matter of moments. It will spread on the air, and will invariably kill an infected being within five to ten hours. If this was ever unleashed, it could depopulate Xaterex within a few days. Worse, any starcraft arriving or leaving Xaterex would be infected, and it's no exaggeration we could risk a complete decimation of all of our races, the same way the Ancients and Mindeaters were destroyed."

"Could it kill Vahrikaan?" asked Shardak.

Atarus sighed. "Unknown. I highly doubt it, though. Vahrikaan's race is even older than the Ancients themselves, and even if he was affected by it, his aura powers could probably deflect or even absorb the virus, granting him still greater powers. That's why I think the Hooded One and Reyna had it there during the planned Rising on Corona Magna— they were planning to have Vahrikaan absorb it, rendering him immune to anything a Toa, Ix, or any other being could do to him, ever again."

Shardak shivered as he heard Atarus finish. If Vahrikaan got his hands on the virus, he would be unstoppable. "Are we going to use it in the Void, then? To eliminate the remaining Sarkanian clones and anything else the Ix have hidden down there?"

"No." said Atarus. "But the Ix know what this represents, and that it can kill them. I don't plan on using the virus as anything more than a bluff or a bargaining tool, but ask yourselves, what's worse— the Rising of Vahrikaan, or this virus?"

The slender, deadly Scimitar-class Ix warships, now piloted by and bearing the insgnia of the Illieran's consortium hovered above the large satellite Calos, facing Saren's mismatched fleet of Ix and Arcaean ships. With them were the elite warships, including several Saren, aboard his own flagship, the Rebel Stand, recognized by name, such as the ''Shadow Dancer. And, at the heart of fleet was the elegant Illieran flagship— the Fire Tear. ''Saren recognized it immediately, and turned to Rorkan, who hovered at his side.

"Open a channel to Iskandar's flagship. I will speak with them personally."

Rorkan nodded. Saren heard an Illieran voice, female, speak through the commlink. "Resistance fleet, this is Fire Tear. Name your purpose."

" Fire Tear, this is Rebel Stand." answered Saren. "I am Resistance high commander Saren Naghara, and I would like to speak with Lord Iskandar, or to—"

"Luxa is currently on Xaterex," interrupted the Illieran, not elaborating. "Lord Iskandar, however, is available."

Saren turned that over in his mind. Luxa was one of the leaders Illieran's alliance, and he'd expected she'd be on board the Fire Tear, her flagship, with Lord Iskandar. If Luxa was on Xaterex, it could only mean that she'd been sent to rendezvous with the Resistance. Unless—

''Unless Atarus and the others got to her first. And convinced her that I am the enemy.''

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He'd known Luxa for many years, and fought alongside the Illieran female and against her, but he knew that Atarus knew her even better. If she was convinced by the rest of the treacherous Resistance leaders that he was their enemy—

"Rebel Stand, this is Lord Iskandar." An Illieran's melodious voice sounded over the commlink. "Is this Commander Saren Naghara?"

"Yes." answered Saren. "We're preparing to meet the Ix fleet in battle, and drive them off Calos. Once Calos has fallen, we'll initate Operation Xaterex."

"I am glad to hear this," answered Lord Iskandar. "It seems that this will work out perfectly, then. The Ix fleet is currently heavily guarding Calos, but together with our combined fleets, we'll be able to break their defenses. I assume you're aware of the battle plan?" he asked.

Saren smiled inwardly. skandar still believed he was Atarus' loyal subordinate, when in reality it was he who ran the Resistance now. He may have lost control of the civilians and the beings still in the Fells, but he was about to win a victory that would make Saren forever remembered as the Resistance leader who defeated the might of the Ix armada.

"Yes. Prepare to initiate battle sequence one." ordered Saren.

"Understood." answered Iskandar. " Fire Tear out."

Saren watched as the Illieran fleet moved into position, and he himself turned to Rorkan and the rest of his subordinates. "Order Commander Tiral to initate the battle plan. The first fleet will fly alongside the Illieran warships, with the second active for reinforcements as nessessary. I myself will oversee our victory."

Rorkan nodded and relayed the orders. Saren saw Calos looming ahead of them, and saw the massive Ix fleet, engage the first of the Illieran warships. "Order Tiral and her warships to attack along the opposite flank of the enemy war vessels." he told another of his subordinates. "Tell the second fleet to stand by for further orders."

Saren watched as the Ix began to counter their strategy, forcing their warships between Tiral and the Illieran fleet. However, Saren had already anticipated this, and, as was the plan, Tiral's fleet began to turn, opening themselves up to fire by the Valkyrie warships they'd been fighting. Before Tiral could take too many devastating hits, however, she was at the heart of the first wave of Ix defenders, scattering their attacking ships. Saren saw the Valkyries were flying in to reinforce.

Saren Naghara gave a bloodthirsty smile.

Let it begin.

Intax was not at all as Shardak had remembered it.

Armed Ix guards were scattered across the city and surrounding countryside. Shardak, Atarus, Jareroden, Valkyria, and the rest of their strike team had only made it this far due to Atarus' extremely skilled auric and elemental powers, which had helped him evade the scattered Ix who were within the conquered city.

But what was more was the feeling of oppression. Intax had been under Ix rule for a while, Shardak saw. Nowhere did he find any being he recognized, nowehere did he see a Kodax, when they'd once been a common sight on the streets of Intax. He guessed the Ix had killed them all. They'd been harsh rulers, but fair and not malicious, and Shardak knew they'd deserved better.

Shardak felt almost in a trance, as though he wasn't sure he was actually here again. After so many years, and so many battles, and so much death, he felt like a stranger in the city he once called his own. The only thing he was conscious of beyond that was the constant drizzle of rain from the gray skies above.

Atarus and Valkyria were with him, and Freztrak, Jareroden and the rest of the team were following roundabout instructions on how to reach the entrance to the Circle, so they'd all not be sighted at once. They were all heavily disguised. Shardak was wearing a gray Glatorian helmet and armor, as was Atarus, and Valkyria wore a low hood and pale green Glatorian armor, to avoid being spotted as an Ix. Shardak knew she was curious to see the place he'd often spoken of, where he'd lived with Arcturas and Nightshade for years, but she didn't press him to talk. She knew how painful this was from his aura, though he did his best to hide it.

He could feel her, trying to reassure him in the aura field, and sent back his thanks briefly. He didn't glance in her direction, but he could tell she had one hand on her dagger, in case anything appeared to challenge them.

Shardak steeled himself for the inevitable as he turned around a corner and saw the burned street where he and Arcturas and Nightshade had lived for five years.

The street was still burned, no one had repaired it. Every house had been destroyed in the conflagration, leaving nothing but ruins. Shardak remembered his friend Blast carrying him to safety after his meeting with the Fury, and Arcturas' horrible death at the hands of the Ix commander. He'd taken him past these houses, to an abandoned house. He could see it up ahead, abandoned and desolate, with no sign of anyone— Ix or otherwise— there.

As they walked past the abandoned building, Shardak saw a flash of light, and Valkyria yelled a warning. Shardak saw a dagger, outstretched and held at his throat. A Glatorian's wild eyes were on him, and he suddenly, with a start, recognized the being's face beyond the helmet.

"Kor?" he asked, his voice trembling. The being hesistated, looking into his eyes.

"Holy Mata Nui." gasped Kor. "Shardak? Is that you?" his voice was flatter and less surprised than Shardak had expected, but still his voice carried a note of incredulity.

"Yes," he said. Kor had been one of Blast's friends, and the Glatorian had introduced him to Kor when Shardak had first entered the city. At least, Kor thought he'd been one of Blast friends, Shardak amended. Really Blast had shown up in Intax at the same time as he had, possessed by Millennium. The dark being had altered the memories of Kor, one of the first beings Blast had met in Intax, and made the Glatorian believe that he'd been friends with Blast since childhood. He'd altered the memories of nearly everyone in the city of Intax to believe that Blast had lived there all his life, as well.

"Shardak." said Kor, his voice was almost flat, though that note of incredulity was still present. Kor did not return Shardak's smile, and for the first time Shardak realized his friend's armor was splattered in grime, filth, and blood. He had a long scar that Shardak didn't remember below the left eye.

But what was far worse was his expression. Kor looked tired, but more than that, his eyes looked devoid of any warmth or happiness. His expression was one of unchanging hopelessness. "Why have you come back here? It's been years since you ran away with Blast."

"I didn't run." Shardak said. How could he explain to Kor what he'd seen and done, and who he was? Kor didn't even know he was a Toa. "We were—"

The look in Kor's eyes stopped him. The Glatorian didn't seem to care. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters now, since they came."

"The Ix?" asked Shardak. Kor didn't give any sign of acknowledgement.

"They were looking for you, you know." said Kor, shocking Shardak. "They kept mentioning your name, calling you a spirit, or something like that. Someone obviously told them I knew you, because they came to us."

"I—" Shardak began again, but Kor's flat voice cut him off.

"They tortured me." he said. "And Slar, Fisk, and the others. They broke us with their dark power, and, one by one, killed us all. I'm the only one who's left, and it's only luck they didn't find me."

Kor's words shocked Shardak. All of his friends from Intax were dead? He knew it was the truth, but he couldn't accept it— much less accept that their deaths were his fault. But they were. The Ix would have never bothered Intax if he hadn't followed Nightshade and the Fury into the Circle. He looked to Atarus and Valkyria, but neither of them spoke. Kor didn't even seem to realize they were there, he only focused on Shardak.

"Where were you, Shardak?" Kor asked. "Where did you go? Why? Why didn't you protect us? What did they want from you?"

Shardak had no answer to that. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. There was nothing he could say that could ever heal Kor, ever again.

Slowly, the broken Glatorian turned, and Kor staggered off into the darkness, leaving Shardak, Valkyria, and Atarus alone, save for the cold rain that continued to fall in droplets onto the charred ruins.

Chapter 13
Deep within the winding tunnels that led into the Circle, Shardak, Freztrak, Valkyria, Atarus, Jareroden, and the three Veythari who had been sent with them stopped at the edge of a large chasm. Shardak knew this area only too well, for it was here that the Elemental Banrax had used his aura powers to transport them from this area to the Circle.

At first, when they'd come upon the empty, abandoned house in which he and Blast had found a tunnel to the Void, Shardak had been surprised that the Ix hadn't guarded this more heavily. However, he remembered Banrax saying there were other, less dangerous routes they had to Intax, and that this wasn't even the passageway that Nightshade and the Fury had used to return to the Circle. This was a route that had long fallen into disuse, and Shardak found himself wondering if Banrax even knew their exact route from Intax to the Circle.

''Probably not. ''Shardak decided. ''Otherwise we'd have run into an Ix before this. ''

The lack of enemies in these tunnels was unnerving. Usually they were crawling with beings, either Rahi lookimng for their next meal or Ix servants such as Banrax, ready to turn them over to the Ix in the Circle.

"I will help us make the transfer." said Atarus. Shardak prepared himself for the unnerving experience of teleportation, the purple-black void of nothingness that swollowed his body and mind, casting him into a realm beyond life. Slowly, he felt the darkness swollow him.

This time, the transfer took far quicker. Atarus could already sense the Circle, only a few miles away already, and all that was needed was the auric power. Where Banrax had been weak, Atarus was strong, and, unlike Banrax, who had been alone with the Copies of Corpse, Atarus had two other powerful aura users to help him this time. When Shardak was again conscious and could open his eyes, he was standing in a familiar place, directly outside the city itself.

Directly ahead of them, the titanic stone column that the Circle was built around rose above toward the ceiling of the massive cave in which they stood. The city was still both rundown and somehow, at the same time, amazingly elaborate, with its tall spires and rundown huts side by side, reminiscent of the massive domes and slender spires of Seruamaera. But what was different about the city, and what made Shardak pause slightly, was the light, or rather, the lack of it. The entire city seemed eerily empty, for reasons that Shardak didn't understand.

''Maybe it has something to do with the operation in the Void. ''thought Shardak, uneasy. ''But why would they leave the base unguarded? It makes no sense.''

The gates were likewise unguarded. Uneasily, Shardak watched as Atarus pushed open the gate, and stepped into the city— and into a scene of battle.

The corpses of around fifty Kranr, Matoran, and Glatorian lay scattered about the city central, and the Spire was abandoned. The city was completely empty, otherwise. Only two lights were still lit, the rest had obviously been smashed. There was no sign of the Cold Fire torches anywhere.

"So the Ix have abandoned the Circle. They've killed any being who resisted and brought the rest of the population somewhere else— probably the Void. Now we know that the Ix are up to something." said Atarus, the first to break the silence.

Freztrak nodded. "Still, it's an abomination what became of this place, once the sanctum of the Elementals. It's so...empty now."

"Do you know the way into the Labyrinth?" asked Atarus.

Here the Toa of aura hesitated. He knew how to enter the Labyrinth, from the entrance beneath the Ix spire. However, he'd had Kyhrex to guide them then. Now he would have to rely on his half-remembered knowledge of the tunnels below the Circle to guide them, memories that he barely recalled. There had been so many battles in the next weeks against the Shadow of Ages and the Sharidir that he hadn't the time to remember.

"Yes," he said at last. "I'll guide you through. The entance is in the Ix spire."

"We'd better explore that as well, then," said Atarus. "If the Ix have left some traps, or anything else behind, then we need to know. They could have left more of the vaccine for the Ancient's pathogen here, though it's doubtful they even know there is an antidote."

Before they'd left, Atarus had had several of the Resistance's top scientists create a vaccine for the Ancient's pathogen, to protect them in case the vial was destroyed and released. Atarus had stated many time he had no intention of ever using it, however. There was a chance, however slim, that the virus would find its way to the surface, and that was too much of a chance to take.

Leaving the devastation in the Circle behind, Shardak, Valkyria, Jareroden, Atarus, Freztrak, and the three Veythari descended into the darkness, into the Labyrinth that led into the Void itself.

Reyna watched as the army of deadly Shadowdermis creatures began to grow. Many were clones of the escaped Sarkanian clones, others were powerful, deadly beings that had been created by Mordrax and now had been recreated, and still others were horrors beyond a nightmare.

The pool of Shadowdermis had grown to engulf nearly a full third of Seruamaera. The Nameless City was filled, night and day, with Ix, and gleamed with the thousands of Cold Fire torches that the Ix had brought from the Circle. She could see groups of Kranr being led to the edges of the pools, to be fed to the thousands of creatures they'd created there. Not one of them resisted. They'd been tortured into oblivion. Once every Kranr had been killed, Reyna knew, they would still be hungry for more.

Reyna saw one of her subordinates, the Limiter general, was walking toward her. "High commander," the Limiter said in the gutteral Ix language. "Our army has grown. We have nearly three hundred Sarkanian clones total, half of them are nearing full growth. We have countless smaller beings, all of them deadly. We approximate six thousand. They're all designed to hunt down non-Ix aura and elemental users."

"I know," said Reyna. She'd already been informed of these numbers by Skorpix himself. "Do we have enough to feed them all?"

"Yes," said the Ix, his voice rising triumphantly. "Enough to feed them all, and still keep them hungry enough to hunt. We've already diverted the portal to Illiera, and we still have about a thousand beings from the Circle. And, of course, the Makuta."

Reyna smiled inwardly, thinking of the so-called "New Brotherhood of Makuta". She'd offered them an alliance a few months ago, and had been unprepared to resist the attacking Limiters. Now, their numbers were dwindling, but the shapeshifters were still being fed, one by one, to the growing army of Shadowdermis creatures.

"And the Turaga and their Matoran." said the Limiter, finishing. Reyna had recently sent Asgard, one to storm the Sanctum of the Mind, an outpost manned by four Turaga and about twenty Matoran. He'd killed several of the Matoran, but taken most of them alive. Now he and six of his demons were here as well.

The Limiter gestured with one armored hand to the four shackled Turaga, who were being forced to watched as Illierans, slaves, and Kranr were led to the edges of the Shadowdermis pool to be devoured by the creatures within. Seeing Reyna and the Limiter general walking over to them, they glared daggers of impotent rage.

"How can you do this?" asked their leader, the Turaga Reyna remembered as Meilo. "They're your own servants!"

"Yes," Reyna answered, giving him a cold smile. "They were. They've served their use, and now they're helping us create better servants. As will you."

Asgard, the demon who had captured them, and his six servants were also standing before them. Asgard had been invaluable in capturing many beings in the Void for their army, including the Turaga. Now he laughed coldly as Reyna spoke, and kicked one of the Turaga.

Meilo must have seen the hopelessnes of arguing with her, he simply stared at the Ix female with sad eyes as he watched a screaming Kranr pushed by several Limiters into the pool. He vanished below the waves and did not rise again.

The female Turaga, Lilian, was absolutely silent, but Reyna, accustomed to the auras of doomed beings, could feel her terror as he watched her and the Limiter general decide their fates. Senkou, the Gravity Turaga, stayed silent as well. However, Izon, a white Turaga of Ice, spoke.

"Why have you sent demons to destroy our Sanctum? We were no threat to you! We had no defenses. We were peaceful! We—"

"Pitiful," sneered Reyna. "You were once the greatest warriors of the ancient city of Metru Nui, and now you've been reduced to soon-to-be food for our Shadowdermis creatures. I didn't expect anything more, of course."

She turned to the Limiter general, and said, in Ix, "Feed them to the Shadowdermis. And the demons as well. They know too much."

The Limiter general nodded, and an entire squadron of Limiters appeared out of the darkness, a few of them grabbing the Turaga, and leading them to the edge of the pool. The rest turned on Asgard.

Reyna and the Limiter didn't stick around to see what became of the demons. There was only one possible fate for them all— death.

Climbing the stairs that lead to the spire's bridge which overlooked the massive, growing pool of Shadowdermis, Reyna hissed slightly in distaste at how much of the city they'd virtually destroyed by the spread of the pool.

"Destroying a city this beautiful is a crime," she remarked to the Limiter general. "Still, it is nessessary to achieve our goals."

The Limiter general nodded. "And killing people isn't?"

"Well, people can always be replaced."

Reyna turned to greet the Limiters who were climbing the stairs to the bridge. They led a being that Reyna recognized only too well, a being who had once been the ruler of New Destral, the city of his Brotherhood. Seeing Reyna, Tarallus began to shiver in horror, despite the fact he'd also been tortured.

"I— I did nothing. What's going on? I—"

"What's going on?" Reyna repeated, giving him a dazzling smile which would have been so beautiful had her eyes not been so cold, promising death. "The domination of all inferiors by our superior race." she said. "Isn't that what you thought? Isn't that what your precious Brotherhood believed—"

"High commander!"

Reyna turned away from the blubbering, incoherant Tarallus to face another Ix, an Eliminator from the Circle. Like all of the Circle's elite soldiers, he'd been rebased to the Void after the abandonment of the Elemental city.

"Yes?" she answered in Ix.

"The High Council would like to speak with you. There has been a...development."

Reyna nodded, her curiousity not even evident in the aura field. It could only be news from the Battle of Calos, she thought. Another great Ix trap, designed to annihilate their enemy once and for all. When the Resistance's space fleet had been destroyed, all that remained would be to unleash their army of Shadowdermis creatures upon the Resistance army, which even now was marching on Iskar.

"Throw him over," she ordered the General. The Ix nodded, and two Limiters grabbed the incoherant, senseless Tarallus and hurled him over the edge of the bridge, and into the Shadowdermis pool. He vanished beneath the darkness that was only illuminated by the hundreds of Cold Fire torches below and did not rise again. In the cold half-light, Reyna could see the last of the Turaga being led to the pool.

Leaving the Limiter general in charge of the Shadowdermis project, Reyna left the darkened part of the city behind and followed the Eliminator into the heart of the Nameless City, where the highest ranking Ix were gathered. Reyna could see Windeus was there, one of their greatest inventors, who had helped create the strain of Elimination Toa Shardak now possessed.

Thinking of Elimination, Reyna felt a twinge of annoyance seep into her aura. The strike team sent to the Fells on Saren's information had not located Shardak, Elimination, or the deadly vial of Ancient virus, the vial that could spell the destruction of all beings. Reyna wondered if Shardak even knew what he possessed, but doubted it. He was cut off by Saren from his former allies in the Resistance, and they were the only beings other than the Ix who could ever determine the truth about the red vial.

''And it won't even matter, soon. ''Reyna thought. Not when our army is unleashed, and the Resistance is completely wiped out. And even if the army doesn't destroy them for good, they don't even know the truth about the Rising of Vahrikaan.

Thinking of Vahrikaan's plan, Reyna smiled inwardly. It didn't matter whether Shardak had the vial. It didn't matter if he knew the truth about it or not. Vahrikaan would ensure that every other being was destroyed, leaving the Ix masters of the universe.

Seeing Reyna, Windeus walked over to greet the Ix high commander. "Reyna," he said, bowing slightly., She outranked him, but only just.

Standing next to Windeus, Reyna could see the rest of the Ix's leaders in the Void had gathered, including Omicron, a Makuta and member of Vahrikaan's cult. He represented Velnax, the leader of the Shadow Order. Next to Omicron stood Nar Isk'vaal, a Vorgaan. Reyna despised the aura-less beings, but knew their cooperation was nessessary. Nar was a descendant of a group of Vorgaan heretics who had abandoned the Vorgaan Empire during their war for control of the multiverse thousands of years ago. He was a loyal member of the Order of Vahrikaan. Banrax and Flareus, two Elementals from the Circle, were also there.

Also there were several high-ranking Ix leaders, including a commander from Illiera named Khazin Thaer, sent by Skorpix from Drakos Capitol to oversee Reyna's project.

Nightshade was also there. The younger Ix girl had a lazy half-smile on her face, and was leaning against the base of a spire. Reyna could tell she, too, tasted victory.

"There has been an...interesting development." said another Ix, who wore a hooded cloak which hid all of his features save his ancient, corpse-like hands. Reyna did not know him by name, but he obviously outranked her. This Ix was surrounded by a miasma of darkness stronger than anything Reyna had felt before, save from beings such as Skorpix, Vahrikan, and the Hooded One.

"The Battle of Calos has been completed successfully?" asked Reyna.

"No, though my commanders assure by that everything is in order." said the ancient Ix lord. "However, my Eliminator scouts have reported a team of Resistance warriors have passed through the Labyrinth. They are led by a golden armored Elemental, and the Spirit Toa, Shardak, is with them. There is also another Toa, with gray armor, a Skakdi, three Veythari, and an Ix female, the traitor, Valkyria Rhai." he spat the treacherous Ix commander's name like a curse.

Reyna felt her heartbeat quicken, anticipation filling her aura. Used to surpressing emotion, she found it easy to conceal her excitement from the rest of the Ix. The Spirit Toa, the traitor Rhai, and Atarus, all in one place. It was too good an oppurtinity to miss.

"Are they coming to the Void?" she asked.

"The Eliminators believe so." said Khazin Thaer, speaking for the first time. As a high commander, Thaer was equal in rank to Reyna.

"May I lead a strike team to eliminate them, my lords?" asked Reyna. "With the Aura Drinkers on our side, the Spirit Toa cannot defeat us."

"Very well." said the Ix lord. "You have more than redeemed your failure at Corona Magna with the success of the Rising and the Void project. If you kill or capture the Spirit Toa, and recover our vials, then you will be rewarded greatly."

Reyna betrayed nothing of her excitement. She'd been humiliated on Corona Magna, for allowing the Spirit Toa to escape. Now was her chance to recover the vials and kill the being who had caused her so much trouble, and been a thorn in the side of the Ix Empire for far too long. With the Aura Drinkers, the Spirit Toa would be no trouble, and Atarus would be easily eliminated.

"I will gather a strike team immediately," said Reyna.

"Very good," said the Ix lord. "Nar Isk'vaal and Apprentice Kharna will go with you."

Nightshade and the Vorgaan strode over to take their place beside Reyna. The Ix high commander nodded. "Understood."

"Oh, and Commander?"

"Yes?" Reyna asked.

"Do not fail us this time. If you do, your punishment will be the same as what the Kranr and the Makuta to endure."

Despite herself, Reyna shivered. To be fed to the Shadowdermis creatures alive was a horrible fate. The clones were known to keep horribly scarred, wounded victims alive for weeks to torture them before they finally killed and fed.

"I will not fail," said Reyna. She couldn't, not with the Aura Drinkers on her side.

Come to the Void, Toa Shardak, thought Reyna as the Ix lord waved a hand to dismiss her. Come to your death.

Chapter 14
The battle over Calos was growing even more wildly chaotic by the minute. Ix ships were everywhere, and Saren, aboard the Rebel Stand, could barely determine who was friend or foe. The Ix forces were being beaten back, but their new plans as their capital ships slowly retreated was tipping the scales in favor of the Empire once again.

Saren's strategy— to split Tiral's fleet, his fleet, and Iskandar's— had not been what the Ix had been expecting. Initially, they'd been beaten back, taken by surprise, and Saren and Iskandar's two fleets had closed in, pinning them above Calos and forcing them to commit to a fight above the planet itself.

However, the Ix had quickly recovered, and had begun a terrible new strategy, hurling some of their smaller ships as living missles at Saren's fleet. Slowly more ships began to join them, and the suicidal assault had taken their fleets by surprise. Soon their battle plan had dissolved completely as larger Ix ships began to follow the smaller starcraft, these simply attacking, not suicidally immolating themselves against the fleets.

"Rebel Stand, this is Fire Tear." Iskandar's voice rang over the comlink. "We are being forced into retreat. Shall we press the attack?"

"Continue to withdraw your fleet." ordered Saren. "Reinforce Tiral at the center of the battlefield. if we can break the center of their resistance, then we'll have won the battle."

"Understood. Fire Tear out."

"Tiral, Iskandar's coming to reinforce you." Saren hissed into his comlink. "Hold your position."

"Understood." Tiral's voice rasped back. Saren saw her fleet had been reduced by a third, but was still fighting. On the right side of the battlefield, Iskandar's warships were scattering, and the Ix, unprepared for such an undisciplined retreat, did not press their attack. By then, Iskandar's Scimitars had slammed into the center of the Ix fleet, giving way beneath the ferocity of the Illieran's assault.

" Rebe; Fleet Two, close with the right side of the Ix fleet." ordered Saren. "We can't let them cut off Iskandar and Tiral's retreat path."

Saren's fleet was suddenly once again in the thick of the fighting, but the Ix were beginning to lose formation, It looked, for once, that victory was within Saren's grasp. Within twenty or so minutes, the right side of the Ix fleet was crumbling before their assault. Saren and his capital ships began to withdraw, leaving Iskandar to mop up the remnants of the right side of the Ix fleet while Tiral tore through the center of the Ix fleet.

Saren smiled. Victory was within his grasp.

"Sir!" Rorkan, standing next to him and watching the battle, "More beings are arriving! Veythari and Illieran warships are approaching the right flank of our fleet. Their commander, Reid Vaethar, would like to speak with you."

"Patch Vaethar through." said Saren, his voice filled with apprehension. Did Vaethar know that he'd abandoned him in the Fells? Or was he still loyal?

"Saren." Reid Vaethar's voice crackled over Saren's comlink. "We're here to join the battle. May I board the Rebel Stand? There is much we need to discuss, and much of it we cannot do across the comlinks."

Relief flooded Saren. "With your reinforcements, we'll smash the Ix!" he said, elated. To his fleet commander, he said. "These ships are allies. Stand by as the allied flagship approaches the Rebel Stand."

"Acknowledged." said Saren's fleet commander.

Saren saw the Veythari ship was approaching him. This was an Illieran ship; he'd taken all of the Veythari ships at the base with him. He watched as Reid Vaethar's ship drew alongside his, and, a few minutes later, Reid Vaethar, along with two other beings, entered the room. One was another Veythari, old and scarred. The other was a young girl, who wore a golden circlet covered with ancient runes and carried a jade green longsword in one hand. Though he'd never seen her in person, Saren recognized her instantly: Luxa. She nodded a respectful greeting to Saren.

"Hello, Commander." said Vaethar. "Sorry for our late arrival, in any case, it looked as though you were doing fine without us."

"Yes, we were winning." agreed Saren. "However, your arrival has ensured our victory. It is good to see you again, Vaethar, and you, Luxa."

"I wish we could say the same," said Vaethar, his voice quieter. "Saren, you abandoned the Fells to the Ix."

"I had confidence in your warriors that you would defeat them." said Saren, worried slightly. "My military commanders knew you had the strength to, and so we decided to move on Calos immediately."

"We did defeat them." said Vaethar. "Though not without losses. This can be overlooked. However, your treatment of Shardak, the Spirit Toa, cannot. Nor can the fact that you imprisoned three of my warriors and Parikon in temporal stasis."

Saren's blood ran cold. For the first time, he recognized the scarred Veythari standing next to Reid Vaethar: it was one of Parikon's guard, one of the beings he'd imprisoned. This could only mean—

"Shardak is our honored ally." he said. "I—"

"You tried to kill him at the Battle of Corona Magna," said Luxa, her voice hard as steel. Saren knew from bitter experience not to underestimate her, but as she spoke, Saren realized he would have to kill her and the two Veythari if he did not want to be permenantly discredited in front of his entire fleet. "You ordered Toa Fairon to fire on a defenseless Ix transport, knowing that Shardak was contained within it."

"The Veythari can back you no longer." said Reid Vaethar.

"Nor can the Illieran Consortium." said Luxa. Saren looked at the viewscreen, and saw that the Illieran and Veythari ships— including Iskandar's— were preparing to attack Saren's fleet.

The moment Luxa had finished speaking, Saren prepared to kill them all. The moment to strike was approaching. Saren was confident in his Void power, and confident in his men. While he couldn't see Rorkan or any of his other guards, he knew they were hidden, ready to strike on his signal.

"How do you know?" he asked, bluffing. "I thought better of you, Luxa, and better of you, Reid, to believe these lies. I am a loyal member of the Resistance. Why else would I have fought the Ix today, and am about to seal our final victory?"

"Because," said Toa Fairon, appearing without warning from the already open doorway. "I was there."

"I think you're mistaken. You—"

It was a common ploy. Without finishing his sentance, Saren unleashed the force of his Void power, the dark energy slamming into Luxa, hurling her against the wall. The Illieran fell to the ground.

Unprepared for his powers, Fairon, Reid, and the Veythari hesitated, and Saren drew his broadsword and ran the blade through the old Veythari's chest. He yanked the Blade free, and the Veythari collapsed, eyes glazing over.

"Attack!" yelled Vaethar into his commlink. "Bring down Saren!"

Rorkan and three more of Saren's warriors leapt from the shadows. Saren sent three crackling bolts of lightning at Fairon, but the Toa dodged, and his sword descended on Saren. Saren raised the Blade to counter the blow, the force of his attack almost disarming Fairon immediately.

The Toa staggered backward, and almost immediately Saren saw another weapon slash across his helmet, causing him to stagger backward. When he could make out his surroundings again, Luxa's sword was buried in Rorkan's throat, two of his men lay dead, another was fighting Vaethar, and Luxa and Fairon were racing out the door, running, Saren knew, to the Veythari flagship.

"Gather your warriors!" Saren yelled to another of his guards, Skar. "Hunt them down and kill them all!"

Vaethar had already fled as more of Saren's guards appeared from all sides, racing after Luxa and Fairon. Skar was shouting orders, and Saren turned away from them and surveyed the viewscreen. The Veythari and Illieran ships were tearing through his own fleet, Iskandar had turned away from Tiral's fleet and was slamming into the front of Saren's own fleet, taking down Saren's attack ships, and the Ix were pressing forward, annihilating every Resistance ship before them.

Opening his comlink to the fleets, Saren gave his orders. "Resistance fleets, this is your high commander Saren Naghara speaking. Continue fighting. The Illierans and the Veythari have betrayed us, and they, too, will die here with the Ix. Rebel Stand out."

Shardak stood at the edge of the Void, where Silencer had died.

Valkyria, Jareroden, Atarus, Freztrak, and the Veythari stood by his side. It had been nearly four years since the battle here, when Silencer and the Fury had died, and his life had changed so much since then, but he still remembered Silencer, the being who had saved him from the Ix, and given him a hope— the Resistance.

"This was where Silencer died?" asked Valkyria. Shardak nodded. He and Valkyria had had too little time to talk recently, too little time for him to sort out his confused feelings about her, but right now, as they were about to head back into battle, where any one of them could die, Shardak found he trusted her more than any of the others, even Atarus and Jareroden.

"The entrance to the Void is there. We fell down it, and were teleported to the Void from there. How will we get there, without falling into some random area of it?"

"The Cord." said Atarus. "Provided we don't fall wildly down the Void portal, we can climb down the cliffs, and will end up in the Cord. It is what we must destroy with our explosives in order to seal it off forever. Then, the only viable exit will be the 174th Game arena, and that will be sealed by Fairon's team."

Shardak nodded. He knew they'd end up on the edge of a cliff, where he, Kyhrex, Ion, and Blast had landed all those years ago. With any luck, this plan would be sucessful, and Vahrikaan— and hopefully whatever the Ix were hiding down there— would be sealed within this cut off plain of existance forever.

One by one, the strike team descended down the cliffs. Shardak knew this was the most vital part: if any of them fell now, they could risk falling through the Cord completely, as he had, and into the Void itself. If Atarus, who was carrying the extremely powerful explosives, fell into the Void, then all was lost. However, Atarus guided them all easily down the cliffs, and Shardak saw they were inside a massive tunnel, leading deep into the earth.

"The Cord," said Atarus. "This is the last leg of our journey. We'll lay the explosives at the end of the Cord, and the resulting explosion will blow apart the entire cliff— and the Cord itself. Then it's sealed off, forever."

Shardak and Valkyria nodded tersely, following Atarus, Jareroden, and the Veythari guards down the Cord. It was a winding, twisting ancient tunnel, that probably predated the formation of the universe as they knew it now. Shardak could feel the raw auric power contained here, power that masked even Atarus' powerful, distinctive aura. The Cord was a bridge between two dimensions, that of the Void and that of Xaterex above.

After about an hour of journeying, without encountering a single living soul— Ix, Kranr, or Glatorian— Shardak arrived at the edge of the great plain. He could see the Cord leading upward, and one by one they emerged from the tunnel and appeared at the bottom of a massive, yawning void above them, so deep that Shardak couldn't see the top. Below them, he saw an even larger void leading deeper into the bottomless darkness. Somewhere far below them, Shardak knew, was the Sanctum of the Mind, and somewhere even farther below lay Seruamaera, the Nameless City

"Lay one explosive at the base." said Atarus. "That void leads to the zero-gravity field, near the very bottom of the Void. We'll scale the cliff, laying the explosives as we go."

The climb to the top of the cliff was a blur, but Shardak remembered the position of each explosive they laid. Now, if they fell, he knew, they'd risk falling back into the Cord— or worse, into the even larger void below them. As they neared the top of the cliff, the place known as the Great Plain, Shardak dared to look down, and realized he couldn't even see the Cord now, hidden as it was in darkness.

"We'll have to scout out the area," said Atarus. "We can't risk any Ix, or any other wandering beings on the Great Plain finding out what we plan to do. If you run into anyone other than one of us, kill them. Too much hinges on this to fail because a single being realized what we plan to do."

Shardak nodded, following Valkyria, who was scouting out the Great Plain. The Ix warrior looked very small and insignificant in the face of the yawning darkness of the Void, and Shardak again felt the horrible shadows pressing into him, as though the Void was alive and hungered to devour him, to make him part of its blackness.

"I never thought I'd come here again," murmered Valkyria.

"So many things happened here." said Shardak. "The Shadow of Ages, the Turaga at the Sanctum of the Mind, the Sharidir—"

"Me," interrupted Valkyria.

"Yes, I met you in the Sanctum." said Shardak.

"More accurately, you tried to kill me," said Valkyria, elbowing him playfully in the ribs.

"You tried to kill me first!" Shardak protested.

"Quiet," said Atarus, from somewhere in the darkness ahead of them. "If there are Ix here, they'll hear us coming."

Shardak and Valkyria immediately went silent, returning to scout the area for any sign of Ix. Nevertheless, Shardak knew she was laughing inwardly, in the aura feild. As he looked at her, he remembered the grim, cold girl she'd been when he'd met her, and thought that she was much more beautiful now that she'd let go of the Ix's violent culture forever.

"There." said Atarus, interrupting Shardak's thoughts. Shardak looked to where he was pointing, and gasped.

Row upon row of armored vehicles, slightly dated but all of them functional, as well as several Ix and older Arcaean aircraft stood directly ahead of them, empty and seemingly abandoned.

"The Ix's army vehicles, probably from the surface." said Atarus. "They were planning an attack from here. These vehicles wouldn't be enough reinforcements to tip the scales significantly, but the element of surprise— hitting us from the Fells while Vahrikaan rises and whatever else the have down here— probably more Sarkanian clones— could destroy us."

Shardak nodded, and followed Atarus back to the rendezvous point, on the cliff above the Void. The three Veythari were waiting there.

"We found a group of armored vehicles, arranged to come up the Cord and attack us from the Circle." said Atarus, explaining their capabilities quickly to the Veythari. "We'll have to get back to the Cord now, then detonate the explosives immediately."

The Veythari nodded, and one of them took a step forward, toward the edge of the cliff—

A shot rang out, and the Veythari looked in shock down at his chest, which was bleeding horribly. A bullet was buried in his heart.

"Nobody is going to do anything." said Nightshade.

"No!" gasped Shardak as the Veythari fell, dead before he hit the ground.

Chapter 15
Saren was raging as the remnants of his fleet were encircled by the Ix, Illieran, and Veythari ships. This was supposed to be his hour of triumph, and everything had turned against him.

Tiral's fleet, which was still fighting the Ix over Calos, had been decimated. Tiral herself was fighting alongside the Rebel Stand, screaming panicked questions to Saren over his comlink. Iskandar was calling for his surrender, and Saren stared at the Fire Tear with hatred in his eyes. Aboard that ship, he knew, were Fairon, Luxa, and Vaethar, all of them having turned against him, one by one.

It was over. He'd gambled wrongly, and lost.

Slowly, a daring scheme began to form within Saren's cunning, twisted mind. The battle was lost. Everyone could see that. No matter what happened, after today the Ix would still control Calos. He couldn't even contact the Ix ships, to inform them he was still, ostensibly, their loyal agent. They refused to listen. For all he know, they'd replaced him with Iskandar, Reid, and Luxa, in exchange for his death.

If that was so, if he died now, the true Resistance would die. And the Toa and Ix would go on.

Thinking over his battle plan one last time, Saren opened his comlink to both fleets. "Attack them. Send every ship full force against the Illieran force, in the hope we break their lines. Every ship must attack."

"But—" Tiral began.

"Trust me," said Saren. "This is our only hope. All ships in the First and Second Fleets, attack the Illieran line full force, with every ship. Rebel Stand out."

Saren watched as Skar relayed his orders to the rest of the crew, and the Rebel Stand followed the other capital ships into the seemingly suicidal charge. They were horribly outnumbered, horribly outmanned, but even so, in the face of such desperate ferocity, the Illieran line actually began to give way, and then break entirely, as the capital ships slammed against the Illieran's fleet.

Exactly as Saren had expected they would. As the enemy lines began to give way, and more and more of his ships began to smash through the enemy lines, ensuring that the Illierans couldn't regroup, Saren relayed another order even as the remains of Tiral's fleet began to reinforce him.

"First and Second Fleets, this is Rebel Stand. This battle is lost. Withdraw to Xaterex immediately."

Simmering with rage, Saren watched as the Illierans and Veythari began to withdraw. He hoped that the Ix would pursue, and wipe them out for daring to defy him. The Resitance would not like this. They'd lost the battle, but Saren knew they were lucky to have escaped with their lives.

As Calos, and the battling fleets of treacherous Resitance warriors and Ix grew smaller and smaller as the Rebel Stand flew through the stars to Xaterex, Saren Naghara vowed not to be defeated again like this. Atarus was probably dead, Shardak was more than likely in Ix hands now. He had no idea what had happened to Freztrak, and didn't care. With the betrayal of the Veythari and the Illierans, he was the sole head of the Resistance, and, apart from Ixtil, also the leader of the Hand of Mata Nui.

''They will all die. They will die, for they have betrayed us all. I may have been defeated here, but I am still alive, and still the leader of the Resistance. The next time I attack, I will ensure that no one lives to threaten my reign again''— ever.

While the Battle of Calos was concluding, Fairon and Luxa were far away, on Xaterex.

In a place that held the worst of Fairon's nightmares.

The arena had been devastated by Nightwatcher's shockwave attack, and it had since been abandoned in the wake of the Resistance's conquest of New Metru Nui, but Fairon still remembered this arena. He'd lived like a hunted animal here for nearly a month, hunted by Iruka, his allies, and many more rivals, some of them still more deadly.

In the end, he and Iruka had fought to the death, and he'd killed the insane Kyojin, kicking him into the burning abyss, where he fell to his death.

Fairon knew that Iruka was dead, but to him, the Kyojin would always live on forever in his nightmares, along with Tetrack and Ghost and the other beings who had died in the arena.

Now he stood below the massive cliff, at the edge of the entrance to the Void. Luxa, and the two Glatorian warriors with her, held three explosives, matching his own. These were far weaker, and possesed no radioactive properties, unlike the massively powerful explosives Shardak, Atarus, and the others had taken with them into the Void. This entrance was far less likely to be used as an attack point by the Ix, but Fairon knew that they had to seal it off, to make sure that Vahrikaan had no available routes to the surface. If even one survived unsealed, Vahrikaan and the Ix could escape.

Fairon lay his explosive on the opposite side of Luxa's, and the two Glatorian actually dropped theirs into the Void. Then, as they ran out of reach, Luxa pressed the detanator.

The resulting explosion was larger than Fairon had expected, and a collosal explosion temporarily deafened him. He saw a massive amount of dust and stone was thrown into the air, before the cliff itself began to shake and toppled over. Fairon knew, even before the massive cliff collapsed over the Void that the portal was sealed. He got one glimpse of the once-portal— now only a hole in the ground, not a two-way transporter to the Void— before the cliff buried it forever beneath hundreds of tons of rubble.

"It's over," said Fairon shakily. The Void portal, and the cliff where he'd fought his final battle with Iruka, was no more. Assuming that Atarus and the others were successful in their mission, then the Void would no longer be accessible, and, hopefully, Vahrikaan would never bring his darkness to Xaterex.

Suddenly one of the Glatorian gasped, and fell to the ground. Luxa and Fairon rushed over to him, and they saw, shocked, that a spear was embedded in his chest. The other Glatorian had also fallen, but another being was standing over his wounded body, and Fairon gasped when he recognized him.

He'd only seen this species of being once before, at a distance, in the Void. But he knew with a horrible certainty, from his years in Arcaea, what this being was, and he quailed beneath its horrible, dead-eyed gaze.

He was staring into the eyes of a Mindeater.

Chapter unfinished...