Saga of Shadows: The Final Chapters

Chapter 1
Razek exited the swirling portal, arriving upon the shores of Vortus at last. The sands were lined with shattered masks, but his main focus was the iron gate ahead. Beyond the gate was a stairway ascending up to a pedestal which held the Deuskar itself. Razek walked up to the gate, and took out the key he had been given by Omega. The key automatically floated out of his hands, and embedded itself into the lock of the gate. The great doors opened, and Razek slowly walked up to the ominous pedestal. He froze when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Going somewhere?" said the voice. Razek turned around to face Cortak, the very same Toa who had died on Vulcas Nui at the hands of Void. But the voice that had come out of his mouth was not that of Cortak's. No, it was the voice of Shadowmaster. Slowly, Cortak's body began to distort and shift, transforming into the familiar shape of Shadowmaster himself.

Razek shook his head. "No, how is this possible? I killed you!"

Shadowmaster laughed, a revolting sound. "That is where you are wrong. No, what I wanted was the Deuskar. I had no need to launch an attack on your precious little island, except to satisfy my minions' thirst for blood. Of course, I had planned for a loss on our side, so I could go back while you went off on your quest to find the mask. But it never goes the way I want, does it? My army fought well. Calling a retreat would be pointless, and would only make me look like a weakling in the eyes of my servants. So, I fought you. I made it look as if I was using my power to the fullest, so you would not suspect anything, then, I waited for the perfect opportunity to "die". The event in which I was thrown into the pit was my greatest chance. I loosened my spirit from my body as it descended into the lava, knowing that if one of my minions witnessed my "death", they would think that you and your allies were invincible. Later, I looked for a potential host, one who could hold off Sol before he could launch an attack. That host was Cortak. I knew he had launched an attack towards my army previously, I could easily convince Ohmnis Nui that he would launch one again. I lured him to my cavern, and used his body to host my essence. Then, when I saw you on Vulcas Nui, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to follow you. And here I am...here to take the Deuskar, even if I must rip it from your bloody corpse."

"So...you've been using me this whole time?" asked a startled Razek.

"You could say so. Now that all of this is clear, I want that mask," answered Shadowmaster.

Razek quickly snatched the Deuskar out of the air. "Too bad."

Shadowmaster snarled, and unleashed a large blast of dark energy towards Razek. Razek tried to dodge, but suddenly, Shadowmaster closed his eyes and a portal opened right where Razek was, sucking him in. The portal reopened, and spat Razek right in the way of the blast. He was sent hurtling backwards, and lost grip of the Deuskar. Shadowmaster quickly grabbed it with a tendril of energy.

Razek slowly got to his feet, and observed Shadowmaster's actions. He was holding a small, mysterious object next to the mask, but he had no time to interpret this. He raised his sword and fired a blast of antimatter towards Shadowmaster's hand. Shadowmaster screamed and dropped the Deuskar as the blast hit him. Razek quickly grabbed it out of the air.

"Let's see what this thing can really do," growled Razek. He donned the mask, and tendrils of energy burst out of his body, tearing apart the pedestal and the stairs leading up to it and sending chunks of it towards his opponent. The slabs of rock slammed into Shadowmaster's body, killing him. Before Razek could make another action, he was teleported to Ohmnis Nui.

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Razek materialized in one of the towers at Av-Magna. Inside of the chamber was Omega and the Turaga.

"I've got the mask," said Razek. He frowned upon hearing no response. "What's wrong?"

Omega pointed behind Razek. Razek turned around, and saw the source of the fear. A massive army led by Sol and Virus marched towards them, all armed with deadly weapons. So, this was it, thought Razek. The final battle...

To be continued in Chapter 2...