The Leviathos Chronicles

This is a story in the Gigas Magna Storyline starring Leviathos. It is made of several parts, and contains various separate plotlines. Chapters nine through twenty-five also serve as an extended prologue to The Darkness Returns.

Chapter One
Leviathos was running through the jungles of Gaakhu-Nui. A Toa of Shadow and a Mechanical Rahkshi were chasing him. This was an island from the Matoran Universe. However, he had seen beings and islands that were not.

He ran onto a rocky platform, only to find that it was a cliff. The Mechanical Rahkshi fired a rocket at the stone, sending Leviathos tumbling down the hill. He had sharp pain in his head and his arms and stomach ached.

He could see a village and made a beeline for it, with the sound of wings and mechanical feet close behind. After he saw an odd mixture of Matoran and other beings, he realized that he must be in a parallel universe.

He asked a Glatorian for a history tablet and read of how two planets merged, making Oceaus Magna; how the Matoran lived peacefully with Glatorian and Agori, but then he dropped the tablet, breaking it, when he heard Mata Nui was dead. He probably would have stood there, staring blankly, for years, if it weren't for the Glatorian saying, "You owe me 40 widgets for that!"

How could this happen? thought Leviathos. However, his thoughts where broken by another explosion as the duo he had met earlier attacked Leviathos. He and the other Glatorian managed to destroy the Rahkshi, but volley of six Cordak shots struck them, followed by the maniacal laughter of Necuas.

''There's no Necuas in this universe! He must have followed me, but...'' Leviathos had a flashback of destroying the Makuta's armor, sending his antidermis scattering... He was dead...

"I thought I killed you," said Leviathos.

"You would have if I hadn't found this," replied Necuas. Leviathos turned around to see Necuas' mask on a Maxios robot. Leviathos picked up a combination of a whip and a blade and ran at Necuas, striking him, but Necuas burnt him severely on his right arm with the fire sword.

"You will die!" yelled Leviathos, and the fight was on.

Chapter Two
Leviathos hit Necuas with his sword and whipped him in the head. Out of nowhere, the Shadow Toa hit him with a blast of shadow and Necuas stabbed Leviathos through the chest.

The Noctian stumbled backwards, fell off the cliff, and landed on a carpet. Helryx stood there and said, "This dimension is real, and you protect it and the Agori and Glatorian whom you have just met. A dark power is rising, and they need your help. You must search out Brutaka. He will take you there."

"What?" said Leviathos. Than he woke up, drifting through the Pit. He wanted to protect his own universe at the moment, but, following his dream's instructions, he activated a device that all of Helryx's advisors had received as a way to contact Botar and Brutaka.

"What is it, you oversized fish?" asked a tired Brutaka, who had been woken up from his sleep.

"I have always seen my mutated, water-breathing self as an octopus," countered Leviathos. "In fact..."

"Hurry up or I will put you in a dimension where you fall into the sun and burn," said Brutaka.

"Look," said Leviathos. "I need you to go to a parallel universe, find me, and put him on Oceaus Magna and make sure I am protecting the planet. That is all I ask."

Chapter Three
"Okay. Let's go," said Leviathos he and a bunch of Mahri Nui Matoran were going to attack Necuas in his temporary underwater base.

As they approached, he heard the sound of a sword and turned around to see Necuas and a giant blue Makuta standing over several dead members of the team. Exo-Toa were tunneling through the rocks. The team was fighting, but they had to fall back. They ran as fast as possible. Kotal's bodyguards were running with him when a rocket hit the seafloor nearby, sending them all flying.

The blue Makuta incinerated Kotal with his eyebeams, killing him. Leviathos was in so much shock, he did not notice the rocket head straight for his head until the last second. He barely dodged, but as the debris hit his head, he saw Toa dying around him and felt something slimy wrap around his arms. His eyes closed and he blacked out.

Leviathos woke up. He felt the same dizziness that he had felt in his dream. He could remember being freed from the Pit by Helryx and the massacre he just witnessed, but everything in between was hazy.

He saw one of Kalmah's squids. He looked straight into its eyes and said, "Go tell Kalmah and the others. I'm back."

This was very interesting news for the Barraki indeed. The question was what to do about it.

"Are you sure that's him?" asked Mantax.

"Yes," said Kalmah. "I know what my squid saw."

"So you think he magically disappears, and then somehow comes back to the Pit with an army of Toa?" said Ehlek. "Time to investigate."

Chapter Four
Leviathos, prisoner of the Pit and member of the Order of Mata Nui, was told that he was going to temporarily lose contact with the Order.

"Why?" said Leviathos desperately.

"Because you are needed on this mission, and the it is only achievable if you do this," said Helryx.

"Why is this the only way?" asked Leviathos.

"Because they are your best option for protecting the island," replied Helryx. "Now, why don't you go to the island, Toa Leviathos?"

"What the Karzahni are you talking about?"

Zardex, who had been silently listening to the whole conversation, shot Leviathos with a beam of energy, knocking him down.

Chapter Five
Leviathos jumped to his feet and grabbed with a tentacle. However, he realized that it was not connected to his hand anymore, but came from the base of his arm.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of Zardex choking. "What did you do to me, Intellian?"

"Let...go..."

Leviathos was blasted down by a water pulse from Helryx.

Zardex gasped. "You can now pass yourself off as a Toa."

"I am still a Noctian, right?" said Leviathos.

"Half-Noctian, half-Toa," said Zardex.

"What?" said Leviathos.

Zardex fell back on the ground. "Thank the new adaptive armor I created."

Chapter Six
Thrak stood on the cliff beside Branar and Stronius. As they watched the valley below, Thrak hoped the plan would work. He was glad when a strange order lifted into the air, and millions of eyes appeared in the sand. The Bone Hunters approached. The Zesk were ready.

As the rock steeds ran by, he noticed Skrall helmets on the Bone Hunters, so that meant Xev had done his job. As planned, a rock suddenly arose and turned into a blur, stabbing one of the Bone Hunters and changing back again, but the creature had been hit by a strange goo. As this repeated, the Skrall smiled among themselves. The plan was working.

All the Bone Hunters had either died or run away. Thrak turned to his fellow Skrall. "May the honor be mine?"

"Just shoot!" said Stronius, clearly agitated. Thrak picked up his tribal blade and fired an explosive Thornax at a cave wall. When the explosion was heard, Vorox poured out of caves, firing Thornax at what would appear to be ordinary things. Upon the explosions, dead baterra fell to the ground.

"The plan worked," said Thrak. However, his celebration was cut short by an odd smell. He turned around and slapped a rock. Sure enough, a baterra staggered backwards, away from him. However, in its rage, it lunged at Thrak with a long sword.

Thrak believed he would die, until a golden blur shot through the creature's stomach, making it fall down dead. Behind it stood Stronius, with hatred in his eyes. "Nothing will kill me or my brothers, especially the species that has plagued, hunted, and killed us for years. It will end."

To help lighten the mood, Branar said, "We won. We beat the baterra!"

"And that makes two for two," added Stronius, calming down.

The Bone Hunters were coming back. Only three had survived the raid. Xev was horrified while he sipped his Thornax stew. "What where those things?"

An old Bone Hunter walked up to him. "They appear to be baterra, old enemies of the Skrall."

"Well, we are just lucky to be alive," said Xev, causally tossing aside his bowl. He looked up and saw a bluish glow, and thought of what life would be like on another planet. He knew someone who took people to other planets, and, if the Bone Hunters were ever destroyed, he could leave.

Fero was more or less in on his plan. Xev glanced across the campfire to him, and saw that he had begun feeding his rock steed. Little did poor Fero know that he would be left behind on the barren wasteland of Bara Magna.

Chapter Seven
"It is good to be home," said Leviathos, walking through the streets of Noctia, seeing Matoran and his fellow Noctians talking and working and living their lives.

He felt an arm wrap around him, which was strange because he could not see one. Then he was being hauled off into a corner, and the shape of Makuta Krakanus came into view.

"Is everything going well for you, Leviathos?" he said.

Leviathos began to move away, and Krakanus' sword moved closer to Leviathos' throat. "I will kill you," said Krakanus.

"No, you won't," said Leviathos. "You were standing behind me, invisible, with a sword in your hand. You could have stabbed me. So you want something from me — or maybe even need something from me."

"You think I won't kill you?" said Krakanus, his staff igniting with plasma.

"No, I don't..."

"You're wrong," said Krakanus, firing the plasma in a blast of flame. It enveloped Leviathos, who ran in another direction, screaming. Krakanus laughed evilly as he walked away. He was almost gone when a few droplets of water hit the back of his neck. He spun around to see Leviathos unharmed, puddles of water on the ground and vines floating in the water, burned.

"You can't see vines while you're lighting people on fire?" said Leviathos tauntingly.

A large amount of electricity hit him, coursing though his body. Leviathos responded by inhaling a small fragment of the wall and releasing a shockwave, knocking Krakanus to the ground. He felt a mental attack, but it bounced off his shielded mind. However a Cordak blast hit him, knocking him off-balance.

Krakanus and Necuas, standing side by side, both fired eyebeams at him. Leviathos used his control over plants to launch himself over them. Krakanus prepared to attack, but started staggering forward as a local toa stood behind him, firing a laser blaster at the Makuta.

Leviathos fired his own blast of water at Necuas. The Toa of Plasma had just shot a blast of plasma when it was extinguished by what looked like an icy beam.

"Hello, Jetrak," said a Toa of Shadow.

The Toa of Plasma turned, leaving Leviathos with his two injured opponents and the Toa against his former brother.

"Let's go," said Leviathos to Krakanus. "The Order could find some use for you."

Chapter Eight
As Krakanus' blast of shadow washed over him, a shock passed through Leviathos, and, for the first time since his creation, thought about what he was.

Although he told everyone he was Noctian, and even the Noctians believed him, he was more of an experiment by Mata Nui. After the Makuta had evolved into energy, Mata Nui had looked for a potential replacement, and, noticing Noctians' natural closeness with Rahi, he made a hybrid, by taking what he used to make Noctians and submerging it in the Makuta pool.

So now, what was Leviathos? He was a hybrid between Makuta and Noctian, and now he had some Toa in him.

His thoughts were broken by a sharp pain in his back as he hit the ground. "What is wrong with you? You aren't even trying to avoid my attacks. Unless... Ah. I know what you're thinking. Trust me, freak, I know your secret. You're one of us."

"How did you know?" stammered Leviathos, obviously panicked.

"I've known as long as you've been alive. I was researching the Makuta pool the day you were created by Mata Nui. That is why Necuas has been trying to kill you: we could not let a half-Makuta join our enemies. He would quickly learn how to use Makuta powers. Just to prove it, hit me with a blast of shadows."

Leviathos did just that, knocking over Krakanus.

"Good. Now we know I'm right. Kill him!" Necuas jumped at Leviathos while Krakanus shot his eyebeams, and Leviathos started flying away. In the sky, two rival Toa were fighting. Every time Jetrak fired a beam of plasma, the Toa of Shadow, Shadrus, would stop it with his Cyro-Claw and ever time Shadrus used a blast of shadow, it would be blocked by a precise laser.

Chapter Nine
Krakanus shot at Leviathos with his black fire claw, but Leviathos deflected it with his weapon in midair. Shadrus, seeing a new opponent approaching, escaped from Jetrak by going headfirst in a dive towards the ground, then flattening out and firing at them from below. The other Makuta followed suit, and soon Jetrak and Leviathos had nothing to do but deflect the attacks.

"I think that we could use some of your plasma power," said Leviathos.

"Exhausted it," said the Toa. "Toa powers don't recharge very quickly."

"I'm half-Makuta," said Leviathos casually, as if it were unimportant. "I could teleport us both away."

"Are you in control of that power?"

"No," Leviathos admitted.

"Well, I suppose we'd end up inside a protodermis wall or in the middle of the ocean if you can't control it. Got any better ideas?"

Suddenly, an enormous blast of sound knocked both fighters back. Disoriented, they barely saw the oncoming wave, a combination, Leviathos presumed, of chain lightning, plasma, and shadow.

"They're combining their powers!" yelled Jetrak.

"Let's hope for the best then," said Leviathos, and, reaching inside his memory for some way to activate his teleportation power, grabbed Jetrak and vanished a second before the wave annihilated the place where they had been standing.

Krakanus' heat vision saw the forms of the two beings in the sky vanish. Disgusted, he looked at Shadrus. "What do you, the genius master planner, suggest now?"

The two larger Makuta stared at the cowering Shadrus.

"Don't worry," said Shadrus. "I expect one of my old contacts may be able to help. He's an assassin. I've worked with him before."

"Get this contact of yours, then," growled Krakanus. "But is he one of those mercenary types that will slit our throat as well as the bounty's?"

"Quite likely," said Shadrus, sitting down and taking out a strange communication device. "But he is the best, and that's what we want."

Note: Read The Darkness Returns prologue first

Far away, on the distant planet of Gigas Magna, a Toa of Shadow followed one of Water through the undergrowth of a vast jungle. As she sat down to rest, it was clear that the Toa of Shadow was losing patience. He was Nightwatcher, one of the top assassins in the Bounty Hunters' Guild, and very dangerous when he lost patience.

"You could tell me where your organization's base is," Nightwatcher hissed. "For two weeks, I have followed you, because you, as prisoner, would be worth just as much to your own organization as to the Brotherhood of Gigas Magna."

"I'm taking you there," said the Toa of Water coolly. "Brominax will pay you well."

Nightwatcher grabbed her, lifted her up, and held her in a chokehold. "Shut up. As I was about to say, I don't think you're worth that much after all."

With a fraction of his power, he sent powerful waves of shadow energy pulsing through her body. Shayla convulsed in great spasms, and then lay still. Nightwatcher threw her limp body over his shoulder, behind him.

"I don't even care if you're still alive. You are worth nothing to me. I have better things to do."

Suddenly his holographic transmitter sounded with the voice of Shadrus. "Nightwatcher, come in."

"What is it?" hissed Nightwatcher, picking it up and seeing the projected image of the smaller Toa of Shadow. "I'm busy. Your little Brotherhood of Imbeciles doesn't have another loose Tahtorak, does it? I've dirtied my hands enough for that idiot Teridax."

"No, Nightwatcher," said Shadrus. "I have a mission for you."

"A bounty?"

"A good one. I want him, and I want him alive."

Nightwatcher relaxed.

"Very good, then. What do you want me to do?"

Chapter Ten
"Are you sure you want to go through with this? It their destiny, not yours."

"Of course I am," said Xev.

"Remember: even if or when they go back, you will never see this planet again."

"Which is exactly why I want to leave."

"I have work to do."

The being teleported away. Xev smiled as he walked back closer to the campfire. This would be his last night roughing it in the Bara Magna desert.

Leviathos and Jetrak suddenly appeared on Gekkak-Nui. Normally, it would have been a good place to be; however, the whole island was shaking in an earthquake, but even worse, it was sinking.

"Naturally. Just now that we escaped the Makuta, the island starts sinking," said Leviathos, clearly annoyed.

There was a whooshing sound, and the island fell through the water of Aqua Magna and into the Matoran Universe, Jetrak and Leviathos with it.

Leviathos looked up, soaking wet. "Hey, plasma guy, look at that!" There was a strange glow around Gaakhu-Nui, which they could see from a distance.

"What's happening?" said the Toa.

"I don't know, but I doubt that island will be there for long."

"What do you mean?" said Jetrak.

"That!" yelled Leviathos.

They saw Gaakhu-Nui move through the water towards Noctia and collide. Gekkak-Nui and all its inhabitants moved through the water and collided with the new, large island. A dimensional gate opened nearby, and out stepped Xev and someone they all recognized as a Great Being.

All of a sudden, an enormous gate opened over the islands, and they were all teleported away. They landed smoothly on the surface of Nocxtia Magna.

"So this is your project?" said Leviathos to the Great Being. The Bone Hunter had run off.

"Indeed," replied the Great Being.

"What was the point of this?" questioned Leviathos.

"Teridax will soon control everything inside the Matoran Universe. At least some will have to survive, to outlive Teridax, to be free," said the being.

"When will we go home?" said a confused Leviathos.

"When Teridax falls, when Teridax falls."

Chapter Eleven
Nightwatcher was annoyed. He was floating high in the air above the island that Shadrus had told him the Noctian was. The island apparently did not exist, and, most likely, neither did the Noctian. He suspected it had been a wild Vandrox chase, an attempt to embarrass him in the eyes of the Brotherhood. However, a thousand years of extremely skillful bounty hunting made him able to tell if a being was lying — and he doubted Shadrus was capable of lying very well.

Islands do not vanish without a trace, he thought. ''Either it is hidden, which my X-ray vision proves impossible, or it is gone. This island has been either destroyed or relocated.''

Or perhaps not without a trace. If the island had been moved, it would likely not have been moved neatly. He focused his X-ray vision and saw that there was a very, very large smooth sunken area. The island had been torn out by its roots, leaving a gap in the seafloor. Now all that remained was to find where it had gone.

He contacted Shadrus using the device he had gotten, years before, from Spinorak. "You appear to be missing something. Namely, the island of Noctia. Where is it?"

"Oh, that," said Shadrus. "There's been a little... change of plans. It, along with Leviathos and ourselves, was moved to another planet."

"What is it?" hissed Nightwatcher. "Kodax Magna? Arcticus? All the planets in this system belong to the Brotherhood of Gigas Magna. Name it and I'll be there."

"Not this one," said Shadrus. "Kaluu went out to learn about this place, and I can tell you for sure that it doesn't belong to your Brotherhood. It's called Noctxia Magna, and there's something very odd about it. No idea what it is, but..."

"Supply the coordinates or I will find you myself and relieve you of the troublesome burden you call a head. Now get on with it."

In the Gigas Magna jungle, a Jungle Vandrox came across the frail, half-dead body of a Toa of Water.

For millennia, the Vandrox had been regarded as primitive creatures below the intelligence of Matoran, only a very small amount — one in a hundred thousand — intelligent enough to exist in society. Or so the planets' inhabitants thought.

In reality, the Vandrox were a very advanced race. They were capable of complex thought, and communicated through telepathy. Unfortunately, the most advanced form of speech most could contrive was a growl. They were not permitted to interact with outsiders, even if a Vandrox's life was forfeit — they wished to be left very alone.

So the Jungle Vandrox, Kanias, was making a very dangerous decision by choosing to bring her to the Vandrox healer.

She is the One of the Prophecies, he thought. ''It is time. She is the hope of our kind. If she dies, there shall be only darkness.''

As Kanias dragged her barely breathing form to the camp, he was unaware that another pair of eyes was looking at him in the darkness. The body that carried the eyes unsheathed his sword and followed the Vandrox, the Vandrox that had absolutely no idea that he was being followed by his death.

Leviathos and Jetrak had explained what the Great Being had done to the inhabitants of the former Noctian Islands, and they had gone off to explore the new planet. As they flew into the sky, Jetrak changed from his Mask of Vacuum to Mask of Speed and carried Leviathos along for the ride. They saw a vast ocean, filled with scattered islands that gave way to more stretches of ocean. They were above one of these stretches of ocean when the Toa of Shadow arrived and suddenly stopped their motion.

"Give yourself up, Noctian," said the Toa. "The alternative is rather painful and not worth the trouble."

"Shut it," said Jetrak, firing a plasma blast at the Shadow Toa.

A short moment passed, and the Toa of Plasma went plummeting to the ground. Leviathos made a sudden dive to catch his friend, but the Toa of Shadow went in front of him, suspended in midair, and fired bolts from his High-Energy Plasma Launcher. Leviathos evaded them quickly, but was startled by a blast of powerful lightning to the chest. Leviathos was knocked out of the sky, but activated his Makuta power of Quick Healing.

He saw Jetrak recover by activating his jetpacks, but the Toa was suddenly surrounded in a sphere of energy, courtesy ot the Shadow Toa. Leviathos activated his Kanohi, a hybrid of the Killphi and Eliki, and tried to inhale the Shadow Toa. He had been absolutely sure that it would work, so he received quitye a shock when the Toa dissolved.

He stopped using his mask, and the scattered particles of his adversary reconverged. Leviathos attempted a distracting maneuver, but his adversary was not fooled. Reaching into the sky, his enemy reached into the sky with one claw, and all was suddenly black. A giant storm was forming around them, one of not just lightning but fire, and the Shadow Toa was directing it towards Leviathos.

The storm converged on one spot — that of the Noctian. He tried to escape, but lightning jarred him and fire burned. Weakened, he found himself in chains of an otherwordly metal.

"Don't even try to escape," said the Toa. "I'm surprised that you weren't smart enough to try to teleport away earlier, which is why I entrust idiots with my things, but it wouldn't have worked. I have created a teleportation block. And these chains aren't meant to be cut through. They were made on the planet Javnak on another world."

"Who are you?"

"Call me Nightwatcher. Bounty hunter. Assassin. Mercenary. Whatever the situation calls for. I don't usually deal with imbeciles like Makuta, but I was told that you were a particularly slippery type. They got that completely incorrect. I should not have expected more from them," said the Toa of Shadow.

"Why don't you just kill me?"

"I do not like to take living prisoners," said Nightwatcher. "They have such an annoying tendency to try to escape later. All my values are telling me to break your neck and make it look like an accident, so be glad that I prefer my morals to my values. I have no morals, so I am able to do whatever I wish."

"So you're keeping me alive?"

"Yes, unfortunately for you. If I know them, Shadrus and Krakanus are going to have quite a bit of fun before you die."

Chapter Twelve
Leviathos laughed.

"What?" demanded Nightwatcher.

"You think you know Krakanus? I have known him longer than any being. The day he returned to the Makuta pool was the day I was created there, and we fought over its essence and discovered a prophecy that neither of us will ever tell a mercenary like you."

"There are good ways to reveal information, but I won't even bother. It's likely something too boring to interest me."

Kaluu came crashing through a window.

"I finished my second scouting mission. I've already recruited several Glatorian," said Kaluu.

"Good. but I can't help but remember Teridax's betrayal. Let's not call ourselves the Second Brotherhood of Makuta, so how about a new name like the Brotherhood of Fear?" said Krakanus.

"Sounds good to me. I will go tell Spinorak, Necuas, and Shadrus."

He started to fly out the broken window when there was a banging sound. The Makuta turned to face the newcomers and smiled.

"Hello, Leviathos," said Krakanus.

"Scum," replied Leviathos, but, surprisingly, not to Krakanus but Kaluu.

"It's not my fault," said the Makuta.

"Another one of your Makuta friends with a long history, I suppose? You must socialize rather often with these people," said Nightwatcher.

"Now, before I kill him, I need you to confirm for me that the Brotherhood of Gigas Magna will not be settling on this planet," said Krakanus. "And we'll know if you're lying," he added as Kaluu changed his Kanohi into a Mask of Truth.

"No, I won't tell them."

"He speaks the truth."

As those words came out of Kaluu's mouth, an earthquake appeared and a vine wraped around Nightwatcher's throat.

"Too easy, ha! Well, it's too bad my job doesn't prevent me from snapping your neck," said Leviathos as the vines squeezed even harder against the bounty hunter's throat.

Shayla awoke in the darkened jungle. She was being awakened, and she was rather surprised that she had still been alive to wake up.

"Drink, Toa."

She did not know who spoke. She did not care. She did not even remember who she was. All she remembered was the image of a tall, dark being that had tried to kill her.

"Drink!"

It was time for her to kill him.

"You should drink."

She drank. She attempted to sit up, but pain overtook her, pain in waves and waves of agony. Shayla lay down again, but decided to open her eyes to see who her rescuer was.

The face of her rescuer was ugly, in Shayla's mind. She jumped back, but stopped due to the pain.

''I am Veniad. My friend here is Kanias. We mean you no harm. You have been severely wounded. You should relax.''

Shayla did so. And as she let herself be treated, she vowed utter vengeance on the evil being that had made her forget everything she had ever known.

A shadow watched Shayla awaken. It was good, he thought. He would tell his Master. Things were going according to plan.

The shadow did not feel any particular emotion as he watched her, nor when he stalked away, making absolutely zero noise. Insectoid Rahi scattered away at his presence. If he had been a lesser being, he might have chuckled.

He was not a lesser being.

It was a being of powerful evil, pure evil. He radiated a powerful terror that affected all in the vicinity, and he had only one wish, one hope, one destiny:

To kill.

Chapter Thirteen
Nightwatcher collapsed to the ground. His eyes went black, and his heartlight stopped flashing. Krakanus stared.

"That idiot! He could have saved himself!"

"Why didn't he?" asked Kaluu.

"I have no idea," said Leviathos. "But I don't honestly care." And he vanished in a fraction of a second.

Krakanus spat on the ground. "That was all for nothing! Nothing! We brought in the best bounty hunter in the universe, who lets himself get killed, and then we lose his prisoner! That Leviathos irritates me so."

"Didn't Nightwatcher use to say something about prisoners escaping?"

"Living prisoners have an annoying tendency to try to escape later," said the being that calmly walked into the room.

"Nightwatcher?" shouted Krakanus. He looked at the stiff body on the ground. "How did you—"

"I used illusion," said Nightwatcher, "to the best of my abilities. At any rate, you seem to have been fooled."

Kaluu attempted to activate his Mask of Truth, but Nightwatcher levitated it away from the Makuta's reach.

"You were so concentrated on whether or not my double was telling the truth that you forgot to make sure that my double existed. Now, I would like my bounty."

"What bounty?" asked Krakanus.

"The word 'bounty', fool, as in 'bounty hunting.' I don't work for free."

"We never—"

"So you thought this was a favor? A nice little piece of help, perhaps, from the depths of my warm and fuzzy Matoran heart? As I said, I don't work for free."

"We—"

"Do you know what I do to dishonest beings that cheat others out of their hard-earned widgets?"

"No."

"I end their dishonesty. Permanently. And that is what I intend to do to you."

The Barraki were holding a discussion on what they should do with Leviathos.

"He's not one of us," Pridak growled. "We shouldn't trust him."

"I say we find him," said Mantax. "He's our ticket out of here. If he can breathe air, then we must be able to do so as well. We learn to do it by finding him. It's simple."

"But where is he?" Kalmah muttered.

"Most likely, he left with that island," Mantax pointed out. "Let's investigate the area, to see if there's information we can use. And if we can, then—"

A shadowy being dropped into view.

"I know you," hissed Pridak. "You are Makuta Necuas. What do you want?"

"I have not come to kill you," said Necuas, recognizing the Barraki from the Brotherhood war with the League of Six Kingdoms. "We are looking for the very being that you are talking about."

"What's in it for us?"

Out of the shadows, a small army of Maxilos robots appeared. They circled the Barraki, enclosing them in a tight ring.

"You get to live another day."

Chapter Fourteen
Kaluu and Krakanus braced themselves for very painful annihilation. They stood in a battle stance, weapons at the ready. Nightwatcher snorted.

"Do you truly believe you can destroy me? You will not be the first Makuta whose particularly horrible deaths are attributed to me. Nor will you be the last."

"We shall die fighting," menaced Kaluu.

"Does the manner of your death really matter? Death is the same for every being: an empty void, oblivion. Death does not care how you die, only that you do, and I shall ensure that you shall."

"Then come to us and ensure it," said Krakanus. "I do not fear death as you do, Nightwatcher."

For the first time in hundreds of years, Nightwatcher became visibly angry. His mutated face became contorted with fury; he raised his staff in a tremendous pose, and outside, the sky seemed to darken. It was a sight that few beings ever saw, much less lived to tell about.

Then, as the two Makuta prepared to die, Nightwatcher relaxed.

"No," he said. "I will keep you alive. Perhaps Tetrack and the Brotherhood of Gigas Magna can think up more painful ways to die than I can. The only reason you are still alive now is because I want to see your pathetic expressions when you rot in a prison cell, all your great plans ruined, and begging for death. Then, perhaps, you shall be obliged."

"It was part of our agreement that you would not reveal—"

"You did not keep the agreement. Why should I? I am going now. See to it that you make as many more insignificant conquests as possible before we kill you. Have fun, and good-bye."

The Toa of Shadow vanished, leaving the Makuta to contemplate their fates.

There was a large crashing sound as a wall came down. Five Maxilos robots walked into the base and opened fire upon a group of beings. Some ran, while the others made an attempt to defend. However, they where slaughtered by a combination of Exo-Toa and Maxilos robots. Those who ran found themselves trapped in Visorak webs.

The army began to progress. They had taken out the weakest, but had yet to confront the higher-ranking members of this organization.

One of the beings among the defending organization heard a sound, clearly meant to be a signal: the grinding of Visorak teeth. On cue, he stabbed the being next to him and disintegrated another, turning into Makuta Necuas, who unleashed a Nova Blast of Shadow, scattering the members as the Barraki army rushed in from the other side of the building, trapping the defenders. A group of Rahkshi and Venom Flyers entered with Shadrus in a third location.

The armies fought. Necuas calmly watched as his organization's army crushed their opposition. As he exited the building with Shadrus and his army, he spoke:

"Fire."

And all the Plasma Rahkshi, aided by missiles from the Exo-Toa and Maxilos, obeyed Necuas' command. Within seconds, the building and everything inside it was annihilated.

The Brotherhood of Fear had made their first attack against the rival organization of the Noctxia Guardians.

It would not be the last.

Shayla stood up, satisfied that her bodily injuries had been repaired by the Rahi healer. "I thank you for all your kindness, however odd your species may be. Where is this place?"

The Western Continent of Gigas Magna, said the one named Kanias. We are the Vandrox, who inhabit this jungle.

"Thank you. Can you tell me who I am?"

The two Vandrox paused, gave each other meaningful looks, and then the older one, the one named Veniad, responded:

Do you remember nothing?

"A shadowy being with green eyes choking me," she responded. "And then... yes... a barren desert with a burning hut in it, structures gone from sight..."

The Vandrox shared brief telepathic exchanges.

The being is Nightwatcher, a bounty hunter, said Kanias.

"Then I know what to do," proclaimed Shayla. "He is evil, pure evil. That much I know. I will hunt him down and kill him."

You will leave us?

"Clearly. Is there a way out of this jungle?"

''We are on the very outskirts. A few miles away or so from the Settlers' land.''

"Then I'll find my own way," said Shayla, who vanished into the bushes. For many minutes, the Vandrox looked in silence at the spot where they last saw her.

She is the chosen one, said Kanias. ''I am sure of it. The Prophecies provide a perfect description of her.''

Don't be too sure, the elder warned. ''Prophecies have been mistaken. We are but mortal beings, attempting to seek the vaguest sense of truth in our minds, forever—''

"Philosophical garbage is not what I would choose for my final words," said a shadowy being, who suddenly appeared before them. His red eyes glinted in the night, and the taint of evil could be seen upon them.

I know of you, said Veniad. ''You are that Nightwatcher. A bounty hunter, are you not? What do you want of us?''

The being laughed, a mockery of nature were his chuckles. "I am not Nightwatcher. I am his twin, created out of a substance dark as the night I thrive in. And I want little out of you. What I do want is to kill Nightwatcher, and I want it for very good reasons, yes, important reasons indeed."

Shayla is following him, said Kanias. ''There is nothing you can learn from us. Can you leave us in peace?''

"No," said the being. "No one sees Void and lives. Absolutely no one."

And with one sweep of his blade so quick that they never saw it, he terminated the lives of the two innocent Rahi.

Chapter Fifteen
Leviathos found his mind spinning through the dimensional void. He had not yet gotten used to the feeling of teleportation; he much preferred the feeling of moving through the sky atop his Aquaeris Board, and much preferred the breathless feeling of wind against his face than the breathless feeling of being squeezed in a relentless purple maelstrom.

The purple maelstrom stopped. The darkness cleared away, and Leviathos found himself where he intended to be: on the shores of Valmai Nui, Or at least, it had been Valmai Nui before the islands had been merged; he was as yet unsure of what the inhabitants of the new island were calling it.

He brushed those thoughts out of his mind; his primary goal was to find Jetrak. He remembered that Nightwatcher had trapped him in an energy bubble over the ocean. He hoped that the Toa of Shadow had not intended the field to be permanent; Leviathos would likely never be able to get through it. Perhaps the field vanished after its creator's death, though Leviathos doubted it.

He set his flight path for the spot where he had battled Nightwatcher. He knew that the best thing to do would be to teleport there, but Leviathos did not know whether or not the anti-teleportation shield was still enabled, and decided not to risk it. Who knew what would happen to him if it was?

After a time of traveling at uncomfortably fast speeds, he slowed down when he saw a familiar atoll in the water beneath him. Soon after, he saw where the energy field had been.

It was gone. All that was left was a trail of smoke — apparently from a being's malfunctioning jetpacks — leading off into the distance. It was accompanied by two, whiter trails that were still in the process of dissolving into the mist.

Someone got here first, thought Leviathos, and followed them.

Peering through the doorway, Necuas could see Krakanus seated on his metal throne. The Makuta was impatiently tapping his fingers on the armrests, and the emotion was clearly visible in his eyes. It was anger, Necuas knew, yet he detected quite a large amount of fear.

What would a leader of the Brotherhood of Fear be afraid of? Necuas thought.

Krakanus' eyes suddenly flashed toward the figure in the doorway and alighted on Necuas. His face made a wonderfully horrible attempt to quickly hide his expression, and then gave up on it.

"What news, Necuas?"

"The Barraki agreed to an alliance, after some... persuasion," said Necuas. The words were meant to please Krakanus, but his leader only responded with a scowl. Ignoring it, he continued.

"With our unified army, we proceeded to attack of a base that one of my spies has informed me of. It was the headquarters of the Noctxia Guardians. Do you wish to continue our campaign against them? I assure you that they will not forget us."

If Necuas had been scowling before, that was nothing: his rage exploded in an emotional fireball that led Krakanus to grasp Necuas tight by the throat.

"You made a military move?" Krakanus roared. "They could have allied with us! In a situation such as this, we should take the opportunity of an alliance! Instead, you started another war that we have to wage! You are a useless burden that I have to carry, but I have made my decision: I shall carry you no longer!"

"What situation... are you..." Necuas gasped.

Krakanus could take it no longer, and in a surge of enormous strength, Necuas was hurled out the already-broken window of the tower.

Shayla stepped slowly into the building. To all appearances, it was a secret base of operations, and very well-hidden; she doubted that anyone other than the Vandrox knew of it. The rugged metallic construction suggested to her that it meant to sustain harsh weather; and for it to be so rugged, it would have had to have been there a very, very long time.

Alert to the slightest sound, she crept through the narrow halls, opening one door after another. She did not know what she wished to seek, but something in her subconscious told her that she had been there before.

No one was in sight, and comforted by that knowledge, she doubled her pace. Some doors were locked; those that weren't contained an impressive zoological display of Rahi and creatures in cages. Shayla was disgusted at the sight of them; there was something about them, besides their hideous, contorted appearance, that made her know that they had not been created with good intentions.

She was all but ready to give up when she fell through the trapdoor.

The floor had opened, suddenly, and she tumbled into space. With her acute sense of balance, she was capable of landing feet first. She had planned to do a brief, inconspicuous search for whatever she was looking for, but that was impossible.

She was in a cavernous room, so large it goggled one's senses, and the electronical equipment that covered the tables and the enormous screens mounting the wall had only one purpose:

To monitor the bounty hunter named Nightwatcher.

Chapter Sixteen
Leviathos' first glimpse of the monolithic fortress was from miles away. In front of the setting sun, it blocked out large portions of the star; it was a dark mass in front of the light. The Order of Mata Nui's base on Daxia seemed pitifully small in comparison, and it encompassed a large portion of the island of Daxia.

Whoever made this base must be quite powerful, though Leviathos. He flew quickly in the fortress' direction, and activated his Makuta power of camouflage. He noticed rather large weapons emplacements located on a number of towers, and decided that he did not want to know exactly what they did.

A solid gate, as monolithic as the fortress itself, greeted him at his destination. One quick glance with his X-ray vision showed him that the gate, not to mention the rest of the fortress, was made out of a maddeningly strong alloy of protosteel; only astronomical strength could make the slightest dent in it.

Leviathos swore, and summoned up a colossal amount of energy. With all his willpower, he focused it into a microscopic point, then shot the minuscule package at the gate.

An explosion of pure energy; fire, light, matter transforming into radiation. Leviathos erected a shield to guard himself from the blast, but he was nearly blown away by the force blowing into him. When the explosion dissipated into smoke, Leviathos saw the impossible:

A completely untouched, extremely stubborn wall.

What now? Leviathos considered magnetically summoning asteroids in orbit of Noctxia Magna, but there seemed no point; if the fortress could hold up against the energy he had released, surely it could stand up to an asteroid storm.

Then the Noctian had the answer.

Magnetically. The protosteel alloy was not magnetic, but the controls were almost certainly mechanical. Leviathos seemed to leave his body as he released light waves of electricity that coursed through the enormous building, sensing what they came in contact with. After a few moments, he found the controls for the gate and brought his consciousness into the devices. It required all his willpower, and slowly, ever so slowly, the gates opened.

Now we're getting somewhere, the Noctian thought, and he slipped into the shadows.

Shayla did not believe in destiny. Despite her unpredictability, she was an analyst by nature: rational and highly unwilling to accept an idea without evidence. She scoffed at the idea of predetermined fates: was there no such thing as free will, then, if what she did was already going to happen?

The new Shayla, the one without memory, did not remember any of her philosophical debates with her friend Colix or any of the mulling over she had done in private, but she still reached the same conclusion: destiny was irrational. Yet she had been led to a place where she could learn everything there was to know about the being she was looking for with terrible resolve. What explanation could there be?

Again, Shayla shook herself. It had been two days since she had discovered the building, and she had gathered a rather large biography of Nightwatcher. She knew nothing about his origins — the database had only said that he had come from another universe, which was something Shayla doubted — and there were a number of missing pieces, undocumented points in his life where he had vanished from sight for time periods of up to years, returning to bounty hunting shortly after as if nothing had ever happened. From what was present, though, Shayla learned of his various strategies and his cold, calculating methods of killing. She knew all his abilities, a number of his fighting styles. She never slept, devouring information, remembering it all: apparently, she had gained a photographic memory somehow after he had strangled her.

She was convinced that she knew everything she needed to know about the bounty hunter. And she was convinced that she was ready to kill him.

Shayla, in her original searches of the building, had discovered a small, one-person spacecraft. It reminded her of the Giant Kiglo Papaya she had seen in the jungle, though the Giant Kiglo Papaya lacked wings and a cockpit. Had she been an expert on spaceships, she would have found it curiously outdated. But she was not, and she did not, and she noticed nothing.

As she boarded the spaceship, initiating the launch systems and going through the lightspeed procedures in her head, another possibility came to her, one that had absolutely no supporting evidence and yet seemed horrifyingly plausible:

What if she was being manipulated?

"I should kill you where you stand," growled Krakanus at Shadrus, who was quivering under his crushing foot.

"Well, I'm not really standing," said Shadrus.

"You're pushing your chances, Toa."

"But..."

"Why am going to kill you? Because I reviewed your comm-device's records. You promised that bounty hunter Nightwatcher a bounty. Now the Brotherhood of Gigas Magna will kill us all!"

"I didn't!"

Krakanus stomped on the Toa's stomach. "Congrats. You can go kill Nightwatcher or I will kill you."

Shadrus stood up and began walking out the door when he threw up and continued out.

Chapter Seventeen
Drastic times call for drastic measures, Krakanus reassured himself.

"We will be recruiting a new Makuta to the Brotherhood of Fear," he said to the two Makuta kneeling before him.

"Really? Who?" asked Necuas.

"Don't get your hopes up. It's the Noctian."

"What?" both Makuta replied to their leader's answer.

"Capture him and bring him here for negotiations."

"But he's..."

"Do not dare anger me while we are on the brink of death! Is this clear?"

"Um, Krakanus. may we bring Shadrus and Skraaki for reinforcements?" said Necuas.

"Skraaki is all yours, but Shadrus is trying to kill Nightwatcher."

"But why send him? Nightwatcher is far superior. That's suicide!" said Kaluu.

"It is his fault if we die, so I will not let him live to see the day when his leading us to our deaths bears fruit!"

"Yes, Krakanus," replied the two almost simultaneously. Both made a mental note never to question their ruler again.

As the two Makuta exited, feet and claws padding on the marble floor, Kaluu whispered to his partner, "Look at Krakanus' eyes. He's been days without sleep. He's looking around the room, as if seeing things that aren't there. He never leaves his throne. I swear, he's gone mad!"

"How true," Necuas murmured.

The two Makuta parted ways in the corridor. Kaluu went properly marching down it, so properly that he never once turned back to see what happened behind him.

Unseen by any eyes except his own, which penetrated every corner of the building, Necuas transformed. His tall, skinny body became a taller, wider, gait with eyes green as nebulae. He was an unmistakable figure, or he would have been if anyone had been there to mistake him. Nightwatcher always made sure, in one way or another.

Nightwatcher found his plot amusing in a fashion that bordered on enjoyment. He could achieve his goal simply, he knew, but he found it much more interesting to throw the Brotherhood of Fear into disarray. Taking control of Krakanus' mind had been easy enough, as had been the murder of Necuas. Of course, he did have to make Krakanus forget what he had done so he could impersonate Necuas himself without suspicion, and what better way to do so than to drive him mad? It was almost a game to Nightwatcher, where he watched the pawns scurry about, attempting to achieve power they would never assume.

He was almost sorry that he would soon have to end it.

Leviathos the Noctian was utterly lost. He had entered the fortress many hours before, silently passing by the surprised guards that had watched the impractically large gate open without warning. Invisible, he slipped past all the beings that had swarmed to the gate to inspect the security breach, and followed one of them back through the maze.

For it was a maze, Leviathos decided. He was surprised that anyone could ever navigate their way through the fortress, though he supposed the being's certainty when traveling the pathways was the result of years of living there. So far, he had visited a number of small rooms, but nothing that even hinted as to where the prisoners were kept. He hoped there was a map somewhere, but it seemed like the only maps in the building were contained inside the inhabitants' heads.

He was about to lose his patience, as well as his temper, with the green-colored being he was following, when suddenly he whipped around, grabbed Leviathos by the arms, and slammed him against the wall.

"Do you think I can't hear you?" the green being whispered. "Even invisible, you're not cautious enough. You have five seconds to tell me your name before you're blasted into a quite disgusting pulp. Hurry up."

In response, Leviathos began to generate vines to wrap around his foe, but he found his arm sharply twisted back.

"Don't even try it," said the being. "I was trained by the Order of Mata Nui to detect attacks before they come. One more trick like that and I'll break your arm, your leg, and possibly your skull as well. Tell me your name!"

"Leviathos," he whispered.

"Leviathos?" chuckled the green being. "I know who he is. He was one of the Order's Makuta hunters, like me. He has absolutely no reason to sneak into a hidden base with absolutely no Makuta in it. Tell me your real name!"

"Ask me something only Leviathos would know, then," said the Noctian. He was growing very irritated, but worried as well; if he was unable to convince this being of who he really was, it was possible that he really would carry out his threat of inflicting physical harm. Leviathos supposed that he could defeat his adversary, but at the cost of remaining inconspicuous.

You're thinking like a Toa, he realized. ''It's time to start thinking like a Makuta. You had better get used to it.''

"All right, then," said the being. "Tell me about the prophecy."

Leviathos' eyes widened. "How did you know—"

"About the prophecy? I have near-top-level access to Order information. I've been with them for only a month, but they trust me. More than Leviathos, anyway. He's dangerous, according to Helryx. Can't tell him too much or everything will be ruined. Besides, how do you know about the prophecy?"

"Because I am Leviathos!"

A brief moment passed, and the being let go of Leviathos.

"Very well. Either you're a spy that has learned enough about Leviathos to acceptably pass off as him, or you're the real deal. My name is Chameleo."

"Hello, Chameleo," Leviathos nodded.

"Thank you," said Chameleo. Suddenly, two rather large black robots emerged from their hiding place on the ceiling and grabbed Leviathos by the arms.

"Did you really think I was alone?" said Chameleo. "You're more gullible than I thought. Our leader will decide what to do with you now."

Chapter Eighteen
Void watched, unseen, as Shayla double-checked her instrument controls and lifted the small craft off the landing pad. The craft stayed in the air, still, for a number of seconds, before she blasted into the purple dimensional void that greeted all beings that traveled through the worlds.

He emerged, took one final, almost longing, look at the large building, and the illusion vanished. In its place was barren desert, nothing more than sand.

The first stage of his master's plan was complete. He had slowly, carefully guided her to kill Nightwatcher without arousing too much suspicion. She had gone off to do the deed. And then, once she had killed him, she would die, as Nightwatcher himself had ensured. It was very neat, he had to admit.

And neither target suspected a thing.

The flashes of light on Valmai Nui's beach attracted attention from a large number of flying Rahi. They slowly swooped down from the heights to watch the climatic battle unfolding below. They found themselves hypnotized by the light of elemental energy bursting forth from the beings' hands, blasting their opponents. However, as soon as they realized that none of the elemental energy could eat them, and that they could not eat it, they flew away like good flying Rahi, considering it of little importance and completely forgetting about it.

Had any of them stayed perched on the volcanic rocks of Mount Voya, they would have seen, a massive army of Dark Hunters behind him battling the Order of Mata Nui, shout to Helryx: "You can't win! We outnumber you. Surrender and your death shall be less painful."

"Oh, really?" said Helryx, swiftly moving about the black rock of the mountain. "You know as well as I that your 'great army' will collapse if you die. My army will not. And I shall ensure that you shall die, even if I do as well."

The Shadowed One sensed the brawny figure approaching him from behind, and dodged as he swung the giant sword. Within two seconds, The Shadowed One had decapitated the assassin and blasted away his body. Two seconds, however, were enough for Helryx to sneak up behind him, disarm him, and put a knife to his chest.

"Call off your army and I'll call off mine," she whispered. "Your other choice is for you to die, which would, as I have said, cause your army to collapse. You fear death, I know, and you're not going to make such a gamble, are you?"

The Shadowed One spat in her face, but she only dug the knife deeper into his armor.

"How fast do you think you can fire your little eyebeams at me? Do you think I won't be able to stab you by then? Please remember that I have much faster reflexes than you."

The Shadowed One tensed, and Helryx prepared herself, but then he relaxed.

"Very well. I'll surrender."

Helryx sensed that he was telling the truth, and therefore let him go.

"Call off your army," she said. "It's time to leave this planet."

The robotic guards had dragged Leviathos for what seemed like an eternity before he was dropped in a large, circular room. It was encircled by a gigantic glass dome, with the sun shining through it. It was setting now, and the room seemed aflame with the brilliance of its twilight. The Noctian found himself almost blinded by the mesmerizing sight, and he was forced to turn his head away.

When he turned his head back, he was lying on the floor in front of a Vortixx. The Vortixx stared down at him, then made a gesture with his hand. Behind Leviathos, two more robotic guards threw Jetrak on the ground next to him. The being made another motion, and the glass dome suddenly appeared to turn into the same dark metal that comprised the rest of the fortress.

"Impressive, isn't it?" said the Vortixx. "The wall is made up of hundreds of electronic plates that respond to my preference of scenery. That sun is just a recording, one of many thousands in our possessions. We retrieve them from their owner's memories — and that is just what we can do to you if you don't comply. We were about ready to do it to your friend here as well, but you saved him the experience."

Leviathos focused on the being. On the outside, he was clearly powerful, and radiated a fierce aura of leadership, but on the inside, he seemed... empty, somehow, as if there were something missing. The form the leader had taken was not his true one, but Leviathos was unable to find out what his original form had been. If he could, then he just might have a chance of understanding what his motives were. A Makuta? No, a Makuta would be capable of completely deflecting his mental inquiries. A Toa? Certainly not, unless it were a mutant, for no ordinary Toa possessed that type of power. And then he remembered Nightwatcher...

"I am a shapeshifter. A . I do not have a real form," said the being, who had apparently sensed what Leviathos was trying to do and was now looking into the Noctian's eyes. "I have never had one, and never will. This is the form I am accustomed to, but I can become anything I wish."

He rapidly transformed into a Muaka, something the resembled Makuta, a Matoran, a Noctian, a Reptisapean, a Gligg.

"I can become virtually anything, Leviathos, and because of that, I see virtually everything."

"Let us go," said Leviathos. "We have nothing you want. Why keep us here?"

"I see your mind, Noctian," said the Guardians' leader, settling back down on his stone chair. "We have something you want, so far as I understand, and I want to know what it is."

Jetrak strolled along the path encircling the Noctxia Guardians' fortress, enjoying his newfound freedom. True, he could have stayed indoors and jogged on one of their holographic walkways, but he had always been attached to nature. Besides, if the terms of Leviathos' deal were correct, he wanted to make the best out of the next few days: as he had told his friend various times, his plan was more than suicide: it was insanity.

Suddenly, a shape he had not seen for a hundred years swooped from the spot where he had been hiding and dragged him off the walkway. Jetrak began to yell, but the sound was cut short when The Shadowed One grabbed him by the neck.

"Who are you? Actually, I don't want to know. I care nothing. But what is this place? Why are you here?"

"Noctxia..." Jetrak rasped, "Guardians... this... their base... aargh! Let... go..."

"This is Jetrak, one of our operatives!" said Helryx. "Let him go or I'll spear you."

The Shadowed One let the Toa of Plasma drop. Jetrak gasped and looked around at the massive army of Dark Hunters and Order operatives. "Shadowed One," he breathed, "what—? How—?"

"Doesn't matter," said the Dark Hunter coldly. "Now, I want you to do something for me. I want you to go inside and arrange a meeting with them, or else you'll wish that you had never been born. Now follow your orders. Is that clear, or do I have to express my desires in a more painful means?"

Jetrak nodded and scurried back indoors as fast as his legs could take him.

"Gullible fool," spat the Shadowed One.

"You came to this part of the universe on a ruse," said Helryx. "Who's the gullible one?"

"Quiet," said the Dark Hunter, walking away. "They'll hear."

Yes, thought Nightwatcher. ''We will hear. And we shall soon see who is the real gullible fool...''

Chapter Nineteen
Fero was trapped in a nightmare. The dreaded Bara Magna sandstorm swirled around him, engulfing him in pitch darkness. Somewhere nearby, screamed, and Fero could hear the noise of the 's quick footsteps. It was scenting him out, and it would only be a matter of time before he caught up to him.

Then we can die together, thought the Bone Hunter as he groped in the blackness for some shelter (not that he expected to find any). Curse Xev for getting us into this.

It had all begun when Xev had left the camp six sunrises ago. He had gone without informing anyone, had even left his rock steed at the camp — shocking behavior for a Bone Hunter. After a long period of speculation as to what had happened to him, Fero had confessed his plans to abandon the tribe. As punishment, Nilias had decided, he would leave to search for Xev and would not return until he had been found alive. So here he was — lost in a storm without any sense of direction at all. All he could do was wait until the storm passed.

Curse Nilias, too, he decided. ''A member of the Iron Tribe, not to mention a female, has no business with a Bone Hunter clan. If I ever see her again, I'll wipe that ugly Vorox grin off her face.''

Skirmix's growls grew nearer. Fero whistled to the beast, and then the growling stopped — but something was wrong. Skirmix whimpered, and judging from the quick padding of his feet against the soft sand, he was running away. Fero swore, then began to blindly follow in the Rock Steed's direction, dodging the merciless sand that was pelting him and the wind that drove it.

Then he noticed something that made the nightmare seem almost like a good night roasting s over the fire.

The roaring sound of the dust storm had suddenly become louder, and now Fero could see why: a sand cyclone had started in the center of the larger storm. If sandstorms were nightmares to all Bara Magna travelers, sand cyclones were a dream about being ripped apart by mad. They had a bad reputation for leaving no survivors in their devastating paths. One had passed through Tesara once, and the damage it had made was inconceivable. There, at least, there had been shelter. Out in the open desert was another matter.

Ignoring the Rock Steed, Fero ran as fast as possible in what he judged was the safest direction to go. Skirmix began to scream, which made Fero pause for a fraction of a second — but then, falling in his direction, came a monstrous red mass. He quickly ran over to inspect it, momentarily ignoring the howl of the wind, but he had not even reached it before he saw the truth: it was only the body. The head and limbs were nowhere in sight, and what was left of the Rock Steed was impaled by shrapnel. He briefly wondered where it had come from, then decided that he didn't want to know.

The roaring sound grew louder.

Time to go, thought Fero.

The Bone Hunter, in a split-second decision, dumped his pack on the sand and began to run as fast as his legs could take him. But all of a sudden, he found himself in a monstrous wave of circling sand: not blowing in one direction as the sandstorms did, but rotating...

As the cyclone slowly lifted him into the air, Fero screamed. But the storm's roar drowned out the cry, and no being on Bara Magna ever saw him alive again.

It was dark on Noctxia Magna. The side of the planet was completely facing away from the sun; it was midnight. There was a noise as a Toa wearing an Olmak appeared with four other beings. "Right that way."

The four beings began to move forward when the one in front turned around. "You are as early as you requested." They started again, and when they were out of sight the Toa took a different shape.

"Looks can be deceiving."

They arrived at the old base of a Noctxia Magna faction that was destroyed in the early stages of the planetary power struggle. It was already overgrown and without a roof. The beings stepped into the dimly lit center, and The Shadowed One stepped into view.

The Shadowed One's eyes had began to get used to the darkness, so he saw a shape just outside the light. "Why are we here?" he demanded.

"Well, the Dark Hunters are somewhat useful to me, so I would like to negotiate."

"Negotiate what?" said The Shadowed One. The voice sounded, to him, familiar, but he just couldn't figure out who it was.

"An alliance. You will learn more soon," said the being stepping into the light.

The three Dark Hunters jumped at the sight of him, all preparing their weapons, but only The Shadowed One spoke.

"You," he said.

"I didn't die that day on Metru Nui," said Leviathos.

"Obviously," said The Shadowed One.

The Toa reappeared with Helryx.

"Hello, Helryx," said The Shadowed One and Leviathos.

"Leviathos, what are you doing here?"

"Noctia came here. I followed."

Another being stepped into the light.

"Who are you?" said Helryx.

"Hello. I am the leader on the Noctxia Guardians, and I am proposing an alliance."

"I'm listening," said The Shadowed One.

"Hopefully, by the end of today, I can say I have only worked for one organization," mumbled Leviathos to himself.

"You worked for them?" said The Shadowed One, pointing his staff at Helryx.

"Let's get back to this alliance," said Leviathos, a nervous Jetrak standing next to him. "And now, let me tell you of a despicable order named the Brotherhood of Fear..."

Chapter Twenty
Shayla emerged from lightspeed near a large blue planet. Checking the small data packet with information on Nightwatcher, she double-checked to make sure that Nightwatcher was still on the planet. He was, and Shayla began the descent through the atmosphere.

Once through, she set the ship to autopilot and gave it the coordinates that she wanted. Here, at last, was her chance to kill the bounty hunter that had come so close to killing her. She was ready, or at least as ready as she would ever be. Now was the time to carry out her mission.

Within a few minutes, the ship stopped above a base. A quick analysis showed that it was ninety-six square kio in diameter, and that its exterior was comprised of an alloy of protosteel and a strange, unidentifiable metal. As she had expected, a radio message had been sent from the base:

"Unidentified aircraft, you are on Noctxia Guardians' airspace. Please land your craft or force shall be used."

Shayla merely hovered in the air.

"Unidentified aircraft, do you copy?"

She readied the plasma cannons...

"Unidentified aircraft, this is your final warning, Prepare to be boarded."

"I don't think so," said Shayla, as she rotated the plasma cannons, checked the instrument panels, and fired.

The throne room with the dome had proved remarkably flexible. The walls were now a smooth silver color, and the throne had vanished to be replaced with a large, rectangular table with five chairs circled around it, while levitating on top of it was a holographic model of a crudely constructed fortress. The reconnaissance missions had done fairly well in recording the structure of the Brotherhood's base, and, relative to the Noctxia Guardians', it seemed quite fallible. Unfortunately, the advanced defenses made up for the measly design, and it seemed that all assaults by land or air would fail save by an enormous military sacrifice.

"Odina's base is not impenetrable," said the Shadowed One. "This base of your new Brotherhood isn't nearly as well-protected, so if there are ways to get into ours, there will likely be some into theirs. Sadly, most of our ways involve the inability to run away, as running is a rather difficult task when there is no head to control it. I imagine most of their entryways will be the same."

The intense scribbling came once again from the corner of the room. , a creature with the sole purpose of taking note of everything Shadowed One said, had refused to accept a holographic keypad and instead continued the traditional form of recording, to the great annoyance of all in the room.

"Get that thing away from me," said Ancient. "You know I can't put up with it."

"Very well," said the Dark Hunter leader. Almost yawning, he said, "Get out," and the creature complied, albeit unwillingly.

"Thank you," said Helryx, seated in another of the chairs. "And on the topic of Krakanus: he may be intelligent, but he's no genius, and is very capable of making mistakes. If I recall correctly, he once tried to get into a secret rebellion. The fool — he never imagined that they planned to get rid of him once they got what they needed. He nearly ended up back in the claws of his Brotherhood, who would have certainly executed him for treason. Krakanus is a traitorous tyrant, treacherous tyrants grow paranoid, and paranoid beings inevitably make mistakes."

It's time to speak up, said Leviathos. His plan had to go perfectly, or else he would undoubtedly end up dead. But what cost would speaking up make? How would the organizations that considered him a friend react when they discovered that he had been keeping secrets from them.

Then he remembered what Chameleo had told him: Helryx knew about the prophecy as well. He knew now that she was keeping information from him, but how much? What other secrets could the Toa of Water know that she wasn't telling?

Either way, it's worth the risk.

It was now or never. He hesitated for a few seconds, then made his statement:

"We need someone to get on the inside, gain their trust. Then, once they're in, they corrupt the Brotherhood's defenses. We win — and with a near-bloodless victory. Once that's happened, it'll be an easy job mopping the rest of their forces up."

"But if it fails, it will be our forces that will be mopped up, not theirs," said Helryx. "Are you absolutely sure of this?"

"Besides," said the Shadowed One, rotating his personal chair (able to support all his three legs) in Leviathos' direction, "you don't seem to be paying much attention. Hasn't our generous Krahka here told us already that there are already numerous spies in the Brotherhood of Fear's infrastructure, ready to strike when needed. If I am correct in believing that you want to go in yourself, I see no point. It's not as if—"

"I'll go in as a prisoner," said Leviathos. "just as they want me. I'll turn myself over — not too conspicuously, mind you, but I'll let myself be captured."

"They'd kill you on sight!" yelled the Shadowed One. "You're the most wanted target on their list. Every bounty hunter in their army is out looking for your hide at this very moment. Besides, what could you possibly have that they would want?"

So the moment of truth comes, thought the Noctian...

"They're afraid of me," said Leviathos. "And they can use me. There's a prophecy about me, you see, which I know they're deathly terrified of. They can't kill me; so the best they can do is get me on their side. And once they think they've succeeded, I'll destroy them all."

"What kind of this prophecy is it?" asked the Shadowed One. "How do you even know it'll come true?"

"I don't," said Leviathos, "and the Brotherhood of Fear certainly doesn't want to find out. They're terrified of me, or at least Krakanus is, and I'm sure he'll tell his accomplices about it soon as well."

"I suspected something like this," said the Krahka. His eyes were closed, and his hands were together. He seemed at peace, meditating; Leviathos realized that he had been waiting for what he had been about to say. "But you are overconfident, Noctian. If your plan were to fail, and you were to die, the entire universe may suffer. I know not your secret, but I can guess; and if your secret is as important as I believe, why risk your life doing this when you could be doing something much greater?"

"Because I'm a Makuta hunter," Leviathos replied, "and a Makuta hunter never gives up."

Any further words from any of the speaking parties were drowned out by a blaring alarm. An even louder voice announced:

'''KIGLO-11 SERIES SPACECRAFT ATTACKING. REPEAT, KIGLO-11 SPACECRAFT LOCATED .4 KIO ABOVE NORTHEASTERN QUADRANT, CURRENTLY IN ATTACK POSITION. FIRING 0.74-INTENSITY PLASMA CHARGES. BEGINNING DIVE. DEFENSE TOWERS AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS. REPEAT, KIGLO-11 SERIES...'''

"What the Karzahni is going on?" said the Noctxia Guardians' leader, springing up from his chair and beginning to pace. "Kiglo-11 craft are ninety years out of date. And .74-intensity plasma charges aren't even close to enough to breach the nanomolecular shield. Why don't we just let it keep firing? It won't do even any minor harm for about ninety thousand years.

"Computer, relay previous statement to guard tower."

A few seconds later, a hologram of a Toa of Aura appeared in midair. "Sorry, sir—"

"Don't call me 'sir,'" said the Krahka.

"Well, sir, the problem is that the Kiglo-11 spacecraft has just been joined by a whole fleet of other spaceships, and we had to sound our automated alarm. The problem is that the fleet is equipped with an electronic cloaking signature, so the little ship was the only one the computer detected when it sounded the alarm."

"What kind of ships are they?"

"Sir, the smaller one has no distinct recognizable features — we're trying to identify it at this very moment, sir. And, sir?"

"Yes?"

"The whole fleet bears Brotherhood of Fear insignia, sir."

The leader swore. "How many ships?"

"Two extremely large ones, sir."

"Don't call me 'sir.' End transmission."

The hologram flickered off. Without a word, he made a motion and the walls opened in a passageway to allow him through. The Shadowed One and Ancient followed. Helryx began to depart as well, but Leviathos stopped her.

"You knew about the prophecy already, didn't you?"

Helryx looked at him with a frown. "How do you know?"

"Chameleo told me."

"Chameleo's here?" Helryx frowned again. "How could he have found out about it?"

"He says you told him. Apparently, he has top-level access to Order information — and I don't. You don't trust me, do you? I'm willing to bet you know even more about me than I know about myself. There's holes, missing gaps in my life, and you know what happened during them. What is there about myself that's so secret I'm not allowed to know?"

"Chameleo has top-level access to Order information?" said Helryx, clearly worried. "Since when?"

"You should know."

"I don't. I'm not lying."

"Then remove your mental block."

Helryx hesitated. Leviathos pried into her mind to see if she would comply, when suddenly, the barrier vanished. Leviathos saw a ages-old knowledge which no being save her would likely ever see, but he knew Helryx was watching his every mental move. He searched her mind for information on Chameleo, but never once had there been any revealing of information.

"Believe me now?" said Helryx, who reactivated her mental block, stunning Leviathos. She took no notice as he crumpled to the ground moaning, and exited the room.

The Noctian stood up again, shaken by the experience he had just had. If Chameleo had never known about the prophecy, then how—?

"I need to show you something."

Leviathos whirled around to see Chameleo himself looking over his shoulder. "What is it? And can it possibly be more important than a Brotherhood of Fear invasion?"

"Believe me, it is. Come on."

And Chameleo vanished. Leviathos joined him in the purple void between dimensions once again, as he vaguely wondered when Chameleo had learned to teleport.

Chapter Twenty-One
Coming soon...

Chapter Twenty-Two
"I am going to kill both of you, you first, Necuas," said Leviathos, struggling against the Makuta's grip.

"Trust us, we would like to return the favor," said Necuas.

They entered Krakanus's throne room. "Leviathos, I have a deal for you," said the red-eyed, apparently mad Makuta in the enormous chair.

"Well, what's in it for me?" asked the Noctian.

"You don't die," said Krakanus as if it were obvious.

"I could..."

"Look. The Brotherhood of Gigas Magna is going to kill us, and we need your help."

"Well I could use some things."

"Like what?" said Krakanus.

"A ."

"Done," said Krakanus.

"A space to create Rahi."

"Done."

"Your fortress."

"No, you idiot! I am not going to give up my fortress!" said Krakanus, his eyes wobbling madly.

"Fine," said Leviathos.

"Now, what do you want me to do?"

Krakanus smiled. In his insane condition, it was absolutely terrifying. "You'll see."

Chapter unfinished...

Chapter Twenty-Eight
Something is not right about Necuas, Thought Leviathos, after all he and Necuas had spent almost the entire span of Leviathos's freedom from the Pit fighting and now something felt different about the Makuta.

"Hurry up, idiot!" said Kaluu.

At that, Leviathos jumped, shattering his train of thought.

"Sorry Kaluu, but why are we coming here again?" Questioned Leviathos.

"Krakanus does not trust you with this kind of information. Now if you want question me or and any other Brotherhood of Fear member you might as well swim back all the way back to Noctia."

"I get it, I get it," said Leviathos. He walked over to the edge of the boat and looked at his reflection in the water.

"I wonder what's happening in the Matoran Universe right now," said Leviathos.

"That's what where here to find out," said Kaluu.

Leviathos stood up straigter.

"Mata Nui, I wasn't supposed to tell you that!"

Leviathos smiled at his reflection so that Kaluu couldn't see.



Kaluu was sleeping outside the makeshift hut leviathos created when a tall being appeared

"why hello" said leviathos

"its time" replied the great being

"I know I know, it just..."

"and why the karzani are you working with the makuta?" he said

"look I need their help for it to work"

"for what to work?" said a voice from behind leviathos sending shivers up his spine

the great being tried to move but found himself locked in a stasis field

"and who's your friend leviathos?" continued kaluu knocking Leviathos to the ground with one of his claws

"what do you need our help for" said kaluu placing his tri claw on Leviathos's throat

Leviathos tried to strugle but he dg it in not enough to kill but enough to draw blood. any mind games leviathos was playing where dangerous to the BoF's plans which he had recieved a mesage from shadrus

claiming that they where fully prepared, however kaluu was so focused on leviathos that he did not hear the large foot steps behind him.

Characters

 * Leviathos
 * A Mechanical Rahkshi (In a vision)
 * An unnamed Toa of Shadow (In a vision)
 * An unnamed Glatorian (In a vision)
 * Necuas
 * Kalmah
 * Mantax
 * Ehlek
 * Helryx
 * Zardex
 * Thrak
 * Branar
 * Stronius
 * Many Bone Hunters
 * Many Zesk
 * Many Baterra
 * Many Vorox
 * Xev
 * Fero (Mentioned only)
 * Many Matoran
 * Many Noctians
 * Jetrak
 * Shadrus
 * Nightwatcher
 * Shayla
 * Brominax (Mentioned only)
 * Unidentified Great Being
 * Kanias
 * Veniad
 * Void
 * Chameleo
 * Unidentified Krahka

Trivia

 * Created by
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 * Zardex is property of and Xev that of.
 * created the logo.