The Madness Series/Continuum

Madness: Continuum is the second installment in the Madness Series. The plot develops in this book, and the first part of Infernum's poem is resolved.

con·tin·u·um, /kənˈtinyo͞oəm/

Noun - a continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, although the extremes are quite distinct.

Chapter I
Toa Caine

Oh man, he looks rough. The wound may be small, but it's blackened and severely burned, nearly beyond recognition.

Xaedan lies on a bed with his eyes closed. As he had for the last two days.

The fire-spitter's bed was in the medical labs, part of the north side of Haven. The ward where we all kept vigil over the prone body of Xaedan was comfortable enough; Lightstones dot the walls and the windows were all open, a warm summer breeze causing the curtains to flutter gently.

I remember that day. The day when Xaedan and Tsukumi were arrnged to duke it out, just as a simple spar. Some tall person burst out of Xaedan and proceeded to lay waste to both him and Tsukumi.

The aforementioned Toa of Water's here too. In fact, she was the one who rushed Xaedan into the medical labs as soon as the mysterious woman vanished. I think "Mary", as Xaedan called her, disappeared once he fell unconscious.

The door to the ward quietly opens, and in comes Kaixin and another heavy-set, thickly armoured Toa. The latter was Korvald, the team's Toa of Iron. He didn't say too much, really.

Kaixin rushes over, shoving aside me as she nears Xaedan side. Korvald stays by the door.

"Has he done anything yet?"

Tsukumi tersely shakes her head. "Out of the way, Kaixin, I'm not done yet."

I gently steer Kaixin away, and we grip hands. Well, I gingerly grasp her hand with a claw while she winces slightly as I cut her. Close enough. "He'll be fine, just you watch," I mutter to Kaixin.

Tsukumi, with the tip of a finger, dribbles a pearly drop of water into Xaedan's wound.

Strange, right? One second, Tsukumi wants to beat Xaedan to a pulp, the next she's fearing for his life.

And, according to her, Xaedan was teetering on the very edge. With no Kanohi Kiril around, Tsukumi has done her best to extinguish the shadowflame with her water.

Korvald strides over. With a wave of his hand, he peels away the layers of Xaedan's armor. Together, they are the closest we have to surgeons. "Surgeons". More like an irritable doctor, and an assistant who communicates primarily in grunts.

Heh. Xaedan's right. This Toa team is really weird.

Kaixin sighs, and heads for the door. She cares for Xaedan, but she sure is impatient.

"Kaixin, wait for me," I call after her with a sigh.

 Toa Xaedan 

I remember the pain.

''Not the pain from a punch, kick, or all of those other trivial things. Those fade quickly.''

Cliche as it may sound, pain from betrayal lingers far longer than it should.

''She and I were supposed to be partners; I protected her. She has no reason to just come out and act all crazy. ''

I thought that side of her part was long gone.

''It seems that I'm wrong. Dead wrong. I suspect that it will only grow worse. Why, I do not know. But it will come to pass.''

I'll dwell on that later.

It's time to wake up.

I wake to a brilliantly blue backside.

I'll be honest, having a view like this when I wake up... I could get used to it.

Tsukumi, of course it was she, was bent over me, face scrunched in complete concentration, the tip of her tongue poking out. Trying to compare this to the hardcase from before is rather ironic. In a good way.

Upon the tip of her outstretched index finger was a pearly droplet of water. I recognize that water-based curing ability. She, of all people, tried to heal me? She started all of this!

Along with Tsukumi was another Toa, one of orange, gunmetal, and heavy armor. That would be Korvald, Toa of Iron. Yet another battle-scarred vet, along the lines of Anzix. Korvald, however, does speak our language, as he prefers to use the near-extinct dialect of Grunts.

"Hello," I decide to say. Something safe to say, yet it heralds my return to the living.

Korvald drops a pair of massive pliers and Tsukumi recoils in shock, upsetting a tray of wicked scalpels and wire cutters. Jeez, I'm glad I woke up when I did.

The tiny orb of water instantly elongates into a swirling ribbon of water.

"You idiot, scaring us like that!" Tsukumi yells. "You repugnant maggot!"

At her raised voice, the door caves inward, leaving behind half a door and splinters. Obviously the work of Caine's foot.

"Oh, so we're calling him 'maggot', now?" Kaixin says as she hops lightly through the gaping hole in the wall.

"Damn right, sister! This is the maggot that nearly scared me to death! He's repugnant!"

While Kaixin laughs, Caine sidles up to me. I suddenly become aware of Korvald's absence; He must have slipped out while I got called a maggot. Go figure.

"How are you doing, Xaedan?" Caine asks in hushed tones.

Surprisingly, I'm actually glad that someone is willing to talk to me.

Heh. My mind's not wandering and I now like conversations. What the heck's wrong with me?

"Better than I thought... brother." It sounds weird at first, calling Caine 'brother', but it soon settles and it feels right. We Toa truly are brothers and sisters.

"Want a quick walk to stretch? After all, you have been asleep for two days, fire-spitter."

I nod. A walk. Yes. Why not?

"Hey, Tsukumi, you're done with Xaedan now, right?" Caine calls.

"Get the maggot out of my sight!"

Toa Caine

"So, Xaedan," I begin. "What do you think of the team now? Does it still seem 'weird'?"

He grins slightly. Though it may have been small, it was still a smile, no doubt about it. "Yep. Kaixin is a bit of an idiot, you're too normal, and Tsukumi's not normal enough."

I chuckle at being called normal. "Then what about you, Xaedan? What are you now?"

"I think I'm quite alright, thank you very much." I find myself actually agreeing with Xaedan's statement of himself. He's a good guy once he, finally, opens up.

Xaedan then turns to me. "We're asking questions anyway, so do you mind if I start asking?" I gesture for him to go right on ahead.

"What do you think about her, Caine?"

"Her? Kaixin? Tsukumi? Amea, that Toa of Sonics? Or do you mean Formos-"

I look down, only to find Xaedan waving at me from underneath the park's willow tree.

He sure likes that tree.

The park had been restored by the team's Toa of Plantlife, Valaryx, two days prior. Yes, yet another female Toa. We seem to have a lot of those.

I jog over and I am greeted with a most disconcerting response.

"I mean "Mary"."

Oh, jeez.

Right when I was beginning to think Xaedan was alright.

I try to answer honestly. "Well, she's... scary," I manage to blurt. I want to take back such a stupid reply, but Xaedan's actually nodding, like he was expecting this.

"Do you want to know more about "Mary"?"

It seems as if we are still playing the question game. So, I nod, tentatively, against my better judgment.

Xaedan laces his hands behind his back and leans back against the tree's trunk, looking like he was just simply spending a relaxing evening outdoors. Perhaps he was. I certainly won't be, with what I'm about to hear.

"I've been with "Mary" for a long time."

I sense a story, and a long one at that. I really do not know what's making me stay and hearing this all out.

"For over twenty years, she and I have been paired like this. Caine, you of all people know that I was very quiet. As a Ta-Matoran in Metru Nui, it was even worse. You had no excuse to be alone since you were literally surrounded by others.

"No one really had a use for such a silent, unsociable fellow like me, so I was pretty much treated like dirt. Until one day."

At this Xaedan's eyes light up, and he grins.

"Caine, I know this will sound hard to believe, but..." Xaedan's voice breaks off as he laughs.

"There was this little cloaked man. He had a top hat, too. He said that I could have everything I wanted: the power to redeem myself, and to never be alone again. Then he said I had to take part in this deathmatch thing. Weird, right?"

I stare at Xaedan.

Little... cloaked... man?

Deathmatch?

He goes on, oblivious to my shock. "Power came in the form of a Toa Stone. Companionship?" Xaedan taps the side of his head. "That is what "Mary" is for."

I gulp. This was crazy. What did Infernum have to do with Xaedan?

This was...

Madness.

At last, I push a reply through my mouth. "Then why be paired with a crazy psycho? She nearly killed you and Tsukumi!"

Xaedan turns to me, the setting sun lending a hellish glow to his mask. Fortunately, his voice is still friendly enough. "Oh, she's quite nice if you get to know her. I was actually thinking of introducing "Mary" to the whole team tomorrow, or did you want to meet her now?"

I scramble backwards.

"Hey, listen, Xaedan. It's getting late. I, uh, I'll head home now." I'm already half-running away before Xaedan can even open his mouth to reply.

First I had to witness "Mary" nearly kill a fellow Toa, and now Xaedan reveals he's in the Deathmatch.

The compartment on my hip suddenly feels heavy, very heavy indeed.

A stone tablet should not be this heavy.

Toa Xaedan

Caine seems to be in a bit of a hurry. Who knew someone like him would be scared of little old "Mary"? The Air Toa could probably take on Teridax himself and come out smiling.

I gasp as my head seems to split right in half. Here it comes again!

"Did you mean it, Xaedan? Did you?" With chains dangling and clattering lightly, "Mary" stands over me, eyes wide, hopeful, and burning with a fell radiance.

"Yes, "Mary", I will introduce you to everyone tomorrow, that's a promise."

Her wings are fluttering and her tail twitches from side to side.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" "Mary" cries jubilantly. "You have no idea how much this means to me! I've always wanted to meet other people!"

I just simply smile. "Mary" was such a simple being, yet kind and gentle-hearted, a perfect partner for me. I've already forgotten what she did two days ago. It's what she's like now that matters.

"Mary" comes over for a quick hug.

"I love you, Xaedan," she breathes.

I pause.

The willow branches above me begin to sway with the gentle breeze.

"I love you, too, "Mary"."

Chapter II
Toa Xaedan

White. I see white.

Glare from the morning sun, maybe?

No.

The sun isn't made of metal, nor does it have fingers.

I blearily rub a hand across my face, and take a good, long at what woke me up.

An arm. A slender arm draped across me. A slender arm, attached to, of course, a body. The body of Kaixin.

The body of Kaixin which is snoring lightly beside mine.

I yell. I actually yell, in shock and something approaching horror. By Karzahni's ugly face, what is she doing here?

My near-horror rapidly turns into a sort of primal fear as Kaixin mutters something about ice cream and suddenly yawns widely.

"'Mhmornin', Xaedan," she mumbles sleepily.

I don't bother with pleasantries. "Kaixin! What... why?!" I'm nearly incoherent.

With a lazy stretch of her arms, Kaixin stands. The slight twitch in my left eyelid stops when I notice that the Toa of Ice wasn't actually in the bed, just sprawled awkwardly beside it. Thank the Spirits...

But wouldn't this incident make for a stepping stone? What if this goes further? Can we even have bab-

"Hey, I was just helping you out! You were all alone in the park, already snoring away, propped against that tree of yours. I carried you back, that's all!"

Oh.

Slightly mollified, I reply, "Uh, well, thanks. I guess."

Kaixin's already rambling on. "No, that's a lie. I got hungry so I helped myself to the breakfast the little people laid out for you."

Sure enough, not a scrap of food remains on the plate beside the bed.

"So, I'll be the one who's gonna make you breakfast!"

She flounces off.

This was beyond strange. Am I dreaming again...?

The whisper says no.

The whisper also says that Kaixin would not be a bother in the future. She would be acceptable.

...What?

"Mary" is too darn confusing.

"Back!" Kaixin trills. She brings with her an egg. And a very big one at that.

"Skopio egg! Sunny side up!"

My eyebrows rise. "How in the world did you manage to nab an egg from right under a Skopio's nose?"

Kaixin grins and chuckles nastily. "Who said anything about stealing anything from under its nose?" She cracks her knuckles as she says this, loudly enough to give me the shivers.

I feel sorry for that poor Skopio.

Kaixin laughs, and her usual, cheerful smile returns. "Eat up!"

Regardless of how she managed to procure it, the egg did look delicious, with its firm yolk and glistening egg white. It was a true masterpiece, a work of culinary art, certainly worthy of the highest praise.

I take a bite.

And I die.

Aw, heck.

A murky voice, a very pissed off one at that, is coming somewhere from my left. A slap on my face also comes from the same direction. As does a series of repeating jabs at my cheek.

"Hey! Maggot! Wake up already!"

Great Mata Nui. Her again.

I'm back in bed, with Tsukumi poking at my face. Heck, I see the whole gang. Kaixin's still here and Caine is sticking his head through a window. My house's ceiling is not kind to eleven-feet monstrosities.

Caine, the sensible one, cuts to the chase with concern lining his mask. "How did this happen, Xaedan?" I find it odd that he seems much more talkative now compared to last night. Not twelve hours ago, he was stumbling away from me, looking like a ghost had popped up in front of him.

"I think I ate som-"

Kaixin's staring at me, her eyes wide and bottom lip wobbling.

I didn't even know we Toa were capable of pulling off that face. Jeez. I'd feel bad if I told the truth and hurt Kaixin's feelings.

"I guess, uh, I felt sleepy after eating your food?" I manage to rasp. My throat feels like it was on fire.

Honestly. How can food looking that good be so deadly?

"Oh, you silly maggot! You'll get fat if you sleep right eating!"

So.

Kaixin's calling me maggot, too? Moreover, do we even get fat at all?

She skips out of the room, cheery as ever.

Kaixin's one special girl.

Once she left, I wearily gesture for everyone to gather around me. Caine manages to stick his head forward until he cracks the window frame.

"Never, and I truly say never, let a bite of her food enter you," I croak weakly. At my sage words, even the skeptical Tsukumi nods.

The Water Toa reaches forward to poke me one last time. "Up, time to get up! You've already wasted two hours of my life," she says impatiently.

A wrenching sound takes my attention away from the Toa of Water's ranting. Caine had just totalled the window by moving backwards. That's just wonderful, isn't it?

I expect a sarcastic reply whispered through my head, but there is nothing.

"Hey, hey, less daydreaming, more going, maggot!" And with that, Tsukumi slams the front door of my house.

Looks like I've no choice.

Toa Caine

"Hi, hi, hi! Nice to meet you! Name's "Mary"! I know it's weird, but don't mind that!"

With a twitch of her tail and a flounce, she relinquishes Kaixin's hand and hops her way towards me.

Xaedan stood near "Mary", keeping a close eye on her, an affectionate look on his face. The Toa of Fire had explained that he had deemed an introduction of "Mary" was necessary. And so, all sixteen of us, Toa of all elements, all powerful and brimming with power, all eager to meet the newcomer, had gathered in Haven Park.

And here she was. A tall, lithe, red figure, who had a strange habit of bouncing around, not unlike a Kohlii ball, while introducing herself. I think she'd make a fine addition to the team, massive as it is already.

"Caine! Xae's told me so much about of you," "Mary" gasps at me. I chuckle.

"You should take a break from all the running and jumping around."

"Mary"'s lips stick out in a childish pout. "No way! I've never had so many friends! I'll keep boosting my popularity, thank you very much." With a laugh, I shake her proffered hand, gingerly as I can.

To my surprise, it is her talons, not mine, that dig into the palm of my hand. She, like me, had two claws upon her hands.

"Oops! Sorry about that, Caine!" She trundles off, in the direction of Anzix.

A small grin touches my lips. What a nice girl.

I find it strange that Xaedan never mentioned her to me in the past.

 Toa Kaixin 

Well.

That was a pleasant surprise. Who knew Xaedan was keeping someone like "Mary" from us? I say good on him, bringing us all together like this to welcome a new team member.

Caine looks at me, and I catch his mouthed message. "Can you believe we've never met her before?"

I can't, not in the slightest.

 Toa Tsukumi 

Leaving Anzix with a slightly bemused look on his mask, Xaedan's friend hops her way towards me.

"Hey, Tsukumi! Did I say that right?" I nod a bit numbly. Oblivious to my consternation, she steamrolls on. "Wonderful! Xaedan's told me lots about you as well, you're a weird one, apparently." I grunt.

That maggot...

"Mary"'s odd yellow eyes light up, and she leans forward conspiratorially. "Ah, but between you and me, I think he's the weird one. He's so shy, after all."

She grins. "Well, then, see you around!"

And just like that, she was gone.

I notice that much of the team seemed surprised, and with good reason. Why did Xaedan keep a secret such as this?

Lately, however, life simply could not hold any surprises from me; since five hours ago, I already knew why Xaedan would summon us all to the park.

I absentmindedly pat the compartment that held my stone tablet.

Toa Xaedan

Well.

This is awkward.

I do remember promising "Mary" to meet up with the others to introduce her... but when did I ever organize it? All I did today was eat, then pass out.

Strange.

Ah, well. All that matters is "Mary".

If she is happy, then I guess I am too.