Shattering

Shattering is the fifth story in the Xaterex Multiverse Storyline.

Prologue
Six months earlier...

The massive Spire at the heart of Drakos Capitol that served both dually as a prison and a military base was a typical example of ordinary Ix infrastructure: simple, not complex, and practically built. Nightwatcher's green eyes surveyed the chambers, knowing that here he would be able to claim his reward for the Glatorian Elementalist he'd captured.

The Ix high command usually met in the Ix Citadel, where the Ix's greatest plans were orchestrated. However, it was off-limits to any beings who were not Ix, and the high command had agreed that they would meet him here. Nightwatcher felt the thrill of grim satisfaction that always accompanied the completion of a mission rise within him.

He led the Glatorian, Kyhrex, down the narrow, winding corridors of the Spire, his claw clamped tightly around her throat. She'd given up struggling many days ago, and while Nightwatcher admired her bravery and devotion to a lost cause, he knew that there was no longer a place for Resistance in the multiverse.

"This is over." he said to her, pausing before the door. Kyhrex's expression was cool and composed, but Nightwatcher could sense her fear in the aura field. This Glatorian had nearly killed Flareus, an Elemental commander of the base known as the Circle. She faced nothing but death or imprisonment at their hands.

"Why are you turning me over to them?" she asked. "Is greed all that inspires you?"

"Not greed." hissed Nightwatcher. "Revenge, which is something that you can never hope to comprehend. Besides, in a few weeks, your Resistance will be no more. With any luck, you won't live to see the final battles."

As they entered the central chamber, Nighwatcher felt two heavy, cold presences in the aura field, one that he recognized, another he didn't. Nightwatcher's eyes met those of the Elemental Prince, whose eyes were burning. abyssal pits of cold rage. Of the other presence in the field, he saw no sign.

"Skorpix." he said, acknowledging the Elemental coldly and fearlessly. "I have brought you a prisoner."

"Is this being the Spirit Toa?" asked Skorpix, his voice cold. "It does not seem to be."

"No." said Nightwatcher. "I was...unable...to capture Toa Shardak. However, I have managed to take prisoner another being, one of his allies. This Glatorian Elementalist, Kyhrex, has known ties with the deceased rebel warrior Silencer, and is the being who nearly killed Flareus during the Spirit Toa's escape from the Circle."

Skorpix looked at the Glatorian with new interest, and Kyhrex almost flinched away from his aura, though Nightwatcher knew she could not sense the field herself. Skorpix's eyes fixed once more on Nightwatcher's, and for the first time in years, Nighwatcher felt a slight chill of apprehension run through him. Something was wrong, Skorpix seemed too confident somehow.

"What will you give me in reward for her?" asked Nightwatcher. "I don't come cheaply. I was promised twenty-four thousand widgets for the Spirit Toa, though I am—"

"Here is your reward." snarled Skorpix, and another being stepped out of the shadows. This being seemed almost as powerful as Skorpix to Nightwatcher, but different in some way. Skorpix was a powerful, heavy presence in the aura field, but this being's power seemed to be augmented by something else, something that had a malign intelligence of its own.

"Hello, Nightwatcher." Mordrax snarled. His body was twisted into a prothetic suit of armor, and raw power seemed to flow from his aura, power so great that Nightwatcher almost flinched.

"Mordrax." Nightwatcher hissed. His weapon was already in hand as he released his grip on Kyhrex and charged toward the powerful, twisted Kodax of Absorbation.

"Shadowdermis has returned to Xaterex, Nightwatcher." said Skorpix triumphantly, as Nightwatcher fell to the ground, bound in chains of Shadowdermis. Mordrax's strength held him still, and for a moment Nightwatcher wondered if this Kodax was even more powerful then Skorpix himself now.

"You have failed, Nightwatcher." Mordrax rasped from behind his helmet. "And we do not tolerate failure from anyone, not even you."

The last thing Nightwatcher saw before blackness closed in around him was Mordrax's bestial smile.

Present Day, 176 AYD.

The ancient, desolate city was built, seemingly abandoned, at the heart of the long-deserted planet. Massive spires that characterized much of the cities constructed by the mysterious beings known as the Ancients rose high above the two cloaked beings standing within, like grim avengers set against the bloodred skies.

"I wished to speak with you." said one being. His voice was low, quiet but sinister. The second being, who was taller and carried a massive ebon broadsword in one hand, nodded quietly, as though he had been expecting this already.

"Yes?" the second being asked. His voice was calm, but layered with dark menace. "What is it?"

"It's about Toa Shardak." said the being. "Time and time again, he has eluded the Ix, and often forced us to rework our plans. He has been a thorn in the side of the Empire for many years now."

"Do you believe that what happens to the Empire is any concern to us?" asked the first being. "Our plans have been laid, and nothing can disrupt them now. Soon another fragment of the Annulus will be in our posession."

"Yes, I know." said the second. "But there is—"

"Toa Shardak." the first being interrupted. "Has only survived so long because of his Ignika. And the fact that he has allowed his friends, who possess more skill then he will ever have, to do the fighting for him."

The being nodded, seemingly reassured. But the first being extended a dark probe in the aura field, confirming that he remained unconvinced. "You hesitate..." he whispered.

"No." said the second being. "I do not."

The first being surveyed the ruined cityscape before him, which was now illuminated in unnatural, callous bloodred light. The cold star that served as this ancient planet's sun was rising once more, and in the halflight, the streets seemed to be drenched in blood.

"You do." he said. "Wait until Varkanax returns from his current mission. Then we will strike."

"It is time?" asked the second being, a note of dark anticipation in his voice. "It has begun, Commander Velnax?"

"It has begun." confirmed Velnax, a note of triumph in his voice. "With our puppets installed in both the resistance and the Ix Empire, and the cloning project finally completed, we are ready. The final stage in our plan, a plan that has taken millennia to fulfill, is being laid, and nothing, not the Great Beings, the Toa, or the remnants of the Ancients can stop us now."

"But Shardak—" began the being, but Velnax cut him off silently, touching his aura again to show his displeasure.

"I know the Spirit Toa better then you might think, Omicron." said Velnax. "I know his strengths, his weaknesses, and much, much more. When the time is right, he will come to us."

Chapter 1
The great binary sun of Solis Magna rose above the Eastern Mountains, overlooking a scene of devastation below. The once-great city lay in ruins, corpses of unfortunate Matoran and Agori buried beneath the twisted fragments of rubble that were all that remained of the city once known as Gigas Nui.

Though he'd known what to expect, the massive devastation shocked Shardak to his core. Only four months ago, he had been standing in this same city, helping Fairon and Saren oversee repairs after the battle here that was now nearly seven months ago. Now, all that remained here was wreckage, scattered across the Fellsian border.

In other words, it was another sign that at least one of the Sarkanian clones had been here.

Over the past four months, the Shadowdermis-enhanced Sarkanian clones created by the Ix leaders Mordrax and Skorpix had been rampaging across the lower regions of the Fells, destroying towns and Resistance bases as they went. Recently, Parikon had ordered a complete evacuation of the city of Gigas Nui, though not all of the beings there had obeyed.

They had paid with their lives. Shardak's keen eyes, adept at tracking, saw signs that other beings had been there as well. Probably the clones' Ix masters, leading them through the city, though this was unusually sloppy of them. Usually the Ix left no trace of their presence. Perhaps they'd wanted to make a statement, a warning that rebellion was not tolerated. But most of the citizens who'd died there had not been rebels, merely beings suffering beneath the rule of the Ix.

They didn't deserve to die that way, but there's little we can do about it now. thought Shardak, turning to see two of his companions, Fairon and Flardrek, striding toward him.

"Any signs of survivors?" he asked them, already knowing the answer. The Ix would not allow any beings to escape and turn against them, they'd have eliminated every single being within Gigas Nui. So he was not at all surprised when Flardrek shook his head.

"We've scanned almost all of the central buildings in the city." said Fairon. "No survivors."

Shardak nodded, trying to keep the disbelief and hatred from once again overwhelming him. In his mind's eye, Gigas Nui was still intact, a spire-city now controlled by the Resistance. Despite the fact that all of his senses were telling him that Gigas Nui was gone, had disappeared forever, he still didn't believe them. To him, the wreckage before him was still surreal.

"We'd better go, then." he said. "Round up Artonix, Chameleo, Shardos, and the others. We'd better get back to the base."

Fairon nodded, calling over the rest of their patrol. Shardos was a tall, thin Glatorian, a veteran of many battles, Artonix was a powerfully built Agori warrior, who'd fought for the rebellion for years before Shardak had joined. Chameleo, native to the planet Noctxia Magna, was a Reptisapean, a reptilian being with clawed hands and feet. Four other Glatorian soldiers were with them, as well as one Veythari known as Veron, a grim-faced, slightly taciturn young warrior.

''How can we stand against these beings? They're simply too powerful to be defeated by beings such as us. We cannot even find out how Mordrax was able to bring Shadowdermis back to Xaterex.''

Shadowdermis was a semi-sentient virus created by Makuta scientists millennia before the Ix's rise to power. It had the ability to allow its users almost limitless power, provided they were strong enought to control the substance. The Sarkanian clones, with their limited intelligence, were controlled by the virus, compelled only to destroy anything in their path. It had taken them only three months to eliminate the Resistance's bases in Arden, then they'd turned north and rampaged through the Canyonlands and on to Gigas Nui.

Shardak suddenly heard voices in the distance, loud shouts in a nasal, indecipherable language. Fairon turned and looked at him, panic in his eyes. The shouts could only mean one thing. The Ix were coming for them. Shardak needed no further urging. Months of training, honing his skills with the Blade of Arcturas, took over as he tore the weapon free from its sheath and raced away, toward the smashed city gates. However, out of the corner of his eye, he could see arrows, flashing out of the darkness, flying toward them.

Shardak heard one whip past his Kanohi, missing him by centimeters. However, one of the Glatorian was not so lucky, and the arrow struck him in the neck, killing him immediately. The others all managed to dodge, though the Veythari was hit in the shoulder. Whirling around, Shardak saw that four Ix warriors stood before them, like ghosts in the darkness. All of them were wearing camuflage armor, and carried long dagger-scythes. Shardak looked around for any sign of the archer, but saw none.

"Limiters." hissed Fairon, his voice colder then the Fellsian winds at midwinter. "Stay low. We can't afford to allow them to kill you, not now."

Shardak nodded tensely, feeling horribly vulnerable as the Ix warriors advanced on Fairon, Artonix, and Chameleo. He could see two more, both carrying the same curved daggers, emerging from the shadows, these two wearing the same armor as the Limiters. However, Shardak could tell that neither of them were from the elite soldier detachment. One was male, the other female, and there were no female Limiters. Both wore helmets that shrouded their faces from view.

All of these thoughts raced through Shardak's mind in the blink of an eye. Then the battle had begun, two Ix warriors charging toward Chameleo, another engaging Artonix. Fairon fought three at once, his curved scimitar slashing one across the shoulder while the morning rang with the clash of metal as the scythes struck his shield. Still, Fairon seemed to be holding his own, and Shardak, Veron and Shardos behind him, charged into the battle.

A Limiter, faster then Shardak's eye could follow, whirled around to meet him, red eyes burning behind his skull-like mask. Once, the sight of this elite soldier would have terrified him. But Shardak now knew that unless he could fight them on their own level, he would die.

Most battles are won before the weapon is even drawn. Atarus had said to him. The mysterious golden-armored being had taken over his training after the death of his previous mentor, Arkhan. Shardak knew this to be true; if he did not believe he could win against the Limiter, his death was a certainty. He felt a slightly jarring clang as his weapon collided with the Limiter's massive scythe, and then the world seemed to desecend into clashes of weapons and shouts as more Ix sprang from the shadows.

As Shardak leapt to one side, dodging the Ix's swinging scythe-daggers, he saw one of the Glatorian was too slow to react, and fell to the ground as a spear, thrown from the shadows, ran him through. Shardak could see the Kranr's eyes gleam in the darkness as he drew another spear. The Toa charged forward, ignoring the Limiter who was chasing after him. The Kranr was aiming his spear at Artonix, and no one else was near enough to help him.

The Kranr had just enough time to whirl around, spear still raised, before Shardak slashed the iron tip from the rest of the weapon, Flames gleamed along the edge of the Blade of Arcturas, illuminating the startled features of his opponant as Shardak slashed him to the ground with two quick stabs. The Kranr fell to the ground, eyes glazing over.

Shardak whirled around, expecting the Limiter to be attacking him again any minute, but instead he saw Veron, standing above the Ix warrior's corpse, a bloodied scimitar in hand. Shardak nodded his thanks before turning once more to the fallen Kranr. Though he'd had to do a lot of it since the Ix had killed Arcturas, killing had never become easy for him.

That's a good thing. he had time to think. ''Even when it's necessary, killing should never be something taken lightly by anyone. It may not be much of a difference, but it's the only thing that seperates us from the Ix, in the end.''

Then his thoughts were cut off as he was once more in the midst of the battle, Chameleo and Veron by his side. Two Ix Limiters were still fighting, as well as several Kranr. Two Glatorian lay dead, one impaled by a spear, the other slashed down by an Ix's scythe. Shardos had also fallen, but Fairon and Flardrek were both alive, fighting two Ix warriors. Artonix was still alive, fighting a Kranr, his twin daggers flashing in the shadowy predawn light.

While he was now skilled enough to kill a Limiter in single combat, he couldn't fight three of them and expect to survive. He simply tired too quickly. What was more, the other Ix commander was still alive, and was fighting Veron now. One Ix Limiter fell to the ground, but the other was still alive, and she wouldn't surrender. Her long silver dagger met Shardak's, and, suddenly, with a jolt of recognition, Shardak found he recognized the runes engraved on the sword.

She dodged his weapon again, and Shardak looked up at his foe to see familiar emerald green eyes staring at him, and a familiar bow strapped across her back. Charging toward the Ix girl, angry now, he slammed into her, tearing the helmet from her face. The Ix warrior recovered quickly, however, and rose to her feet, her eyes meeting Shardak's.

"Valkyria." he whispered, surprised he hadn't recognized her earlier. Anger, and hatred that had been smouldering within him for more then six months returned, and as he faced his enemy once again, the enemy who had once been his friend, he felt energy spread through his body once more.

"Shardak." she said. Her voice was the same as before, though now coldly detached. Shardak felt a pang of regret, which quickly disappeared once again. "You should not have come here."

"Why not?" asked Shardak. "Let's finish this now. I've waited long enough."

For a moment, he could see real pain in Valkyria's eyes, and for a moment he felt guilty and mean for what he'd said to her. But then it vanished. He had every right to hate her. She'd betrayed him, and stolen a fragment of the ring known as the Annulus, which the Ix were searching for. If they assembled all three pieces, they would have more power then any other being that had ever existed before, and their enemies would be easily defeated.

"Do you think you can defeat me, blinded by anger?" asked Valkyria. "You'll die."

"Then maybe I'll be able to take you with me." said Shardak. He was no longer interested in talking to her. He just wanted this to be over, though in his anger he didn't know what he truly wanted. The Sword of Fire slammed against Silverblade, both weapons of equal strength and power. Valkyria followed her attack up with several Sila and Vauhti counterstrikes, forcing Shardak solidly onto the defensive.

For a moment, Shardak wondered if he could win. Valkyria was faster and could endure more damage then he could, but he was easily stronger then she was. With heavy Kracht and Lihtne attacks, he'd be able to easily counter her Sila, Lihtne, and Vauhti attacks. Though she was also quite good at Guokte—

Shardak felt weapon meet weapon as he was again forced a step back. Then he backed up further, all the while readying for a more powerful Napad attack pattern. Valkyria was prepared to counter his attack, but not prepared for the devastating attack that landed. He nearly ripped Silverblade from her grasp, then lunged forward, slashing open her shoulder.

Shardak felt anger burn within him as he remembered how he'd saved her life when she was hit in the shoulder by a poisoned crossbow bolt fired by mysterious assassins. He'd used a powerful aura technique to halt the poison and nearly died in the process. If he'd known what he knew now, he would have let her die.

''Would you? ''a small voice asked him from within, and Shardak felt a pang of regreat that he quickly pushed aside. ''Yes. She'd deserve''—

Then, suddenly, Veron charged toward him, his eyes flashing in the darkness as he raced to help Shardak. However, the Ix commander suddenly lashed out in the aura field, flinging Artonix to the ground. Chameleo and the surviving Glatorian were unable to help as the Ix warrior speared the Veythari through the back. Veron staggered backward, mortally wounded. The Ix warrior slashed open his throat, and, like a puppet with all its strings cut, Veron fell to the ground.

Now Valkyria was on the defensive. Shardak could see that Artonix, Chameleo, and the surviving were now fighting the Ix commander and two Kranr, but were forcing them back. Neither Shardak nor Valkyria could gain the upper hand, they were both equally good fighters. Shardak, however, was slowly beginning to tire.

But he would not be beaten by her. He could not be beaten by her. The anger he felt toward her was so palpable that Valkyria's seemed shocked. Her aura was different then he remembered, steel-gray with little traces of color. Then again, it had been like this during their first meeting, during the battle in the Sanctum of the Mind. He let his aura touch Valkyria's, allowing her to feel the full force of his anger, and she recoiled, seemingly shocked at his aura.

Suddenly the Ix commander hissed something at Valkyria, and she turned to face him. Shardak lunged forward, but she blocked his weapon easily, almost disdainfully. As the one remaining Kranr and the Ix leader retreated, she turned and faced Shardak again, and Shardak saw there was no trace of anger in her eyes, only regret and iron-hard determination.

"Go." he snarled.

"Shardak—" she began, but he cut her off.

"Another time, Warrior Rhai." he said, coldly. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Shardak cut her off. "There is nothing more for you to say, Valkyria." he answered. His hand reached for the Blade of Arcturas, and he could see Artonix and Chameleo were moving to stand beside him, as well as Fairon and Flardrek, only wounded slightly from their skirmish with two Ix warriors. If Valkyria waited any longer, she'd be killed.

The Ix warrior seemed to realize this. As Artonix charged toward her, she turned and followed the retreating Ix. Shardak watched her go, emotions warring within him. Now that the rush of battle was over, he felt sad and mad at himself for allowing Valkyria to see how real his anger was. Now she could and probably would use that against him somehow.

''Was it right? ''he asked himself. Or has my anger made me no better then the Ix?

''No. She lied to us, and betrayed us all. ''

"Should we go after them?" asked Artonix, eager to finish them off. Shardak shook his head.

"We don't stand a chance without Veron. There could easily be more Kranr or Ix warriors in the city, and we need to report back to Parikon and Atarus."

The fog was slowly lifting from Gigas Nui, and the sun began to shine once again through the clouds. But Shardak felt weak and tired and angry, all at once. So much death and destruction was happening all around them, and he was caught at the center of it. And the only hint his last mentor had been a cryptic one, something that only seemed to hint at still more danger.

''I was wrong. The Order will stop at nothing to see you dead. May Mata Nui be with you, Toa Shardak.''

Chapter 2
The resistance leaders were gathered within the command chamber, where Shardak had been summoned so many times in the past four months, when the war had taken a dark turn. They were all there, as usual. Some looked cheered to see that he'd survived, but their grim expressions said otherwise. The war effort was going far from well.

The Sarkanian clones had halted the rebel offensive into Arden, destroying nearly one hundred rebel warriors and scattering the rest. That left the remaining four hundred warriors in the Resistance's armies to guard the rebel bases in the Fells. Then, one clone had begun rampaging through the Fells, forcing the rebellion to abandon Gigas Nui completely so they could defend what little territory they still had. While thus far the clone had not attacked the Resistance directly, the rebellion was sure that any moment one or more of the clones would attack them.

Atarus, the leader of the rebellion, waved at him to sit. Beside him stood Freztrak, the Skakdi commander whose armies had been called back to the Fells after the fate of the southern armies.

Facing them sat Tiral, commander of the rebellion's spacefleet, and Saren Naghara, who looked even more grim-faced and gaunt since the last time Shardak had seen him. Saren had been leading the war effort against the clone, and while he had thus far been successful, they all knew it had been little to do with skill. The Ix had been biding their time, for whatever enigmatic reason only they knew.

Next to Saren sat Reid Vaethar, his body tensed like a highly strung bow. Of all of the rebellion's leaders, only one being was absent, Parikon, who had lead the Resistance in Atarus' absence. Shardak thought that was odd, but said nothing of it. Parikon was probably overseeing the defenses that were currently being put into effect against the Sarkanian clones.

Fairon and Shardak, who had decided to represent the survivors of their scout force, told, in halting tones, of their battle with the Ix warriors, the deaths of the two Glatorian soldiers, Shardos, and Veron. Finally Shardak told them of how he'd discovered that one of the Ix warriors with them was Valkyria.

At the mention of the Ix warrior's name, Atarus' already grim voice became even more grim. "She was there? You're sure of it?"

"Yes." said Shardak. "I am sure."

Atarus read his expression, and did not say anything more, but merely sighed. "These are dark times. I knew that the Ix would destroy the city, but to leave Ix warriors there to kill any rebel scouts is another matter. And that Valkyria is back again...I'm not sure what we can do to defeat these threats."

Not for the first time, Shardak wished Ion had survived. Without him there, the remaining rebel leaders seemed extremely vulnerable. Even Atarus, who usually seemed so powerful and unbreakable since he'd taken over as Shardak's main mentor, seemed weaker now, less confident that they could survive.

"The Veythari warriors will not surrender." Reid said harshly. "We will continue fighting, and defeat these Sarkanian clones. They may be powerful in the flatlands, but they're not accustomed to warfare in the Fells."

Shardak had fought the clones before, and he knew that Vaethar was right. The clones could not tear through the Fells the same way they'd torn through Arden and Gigas Nui. If they were reckless, they would be destroyed. But two or more of the clones could—

"We need to consider, also, what effects this could have on the Noctian front." said Atarus. "The Hand of Mata Nui, led by Ixtil, is still active on Noctxia Magna. The Ix may decide that it is easier to send the Sarkanian clones to Noctxia Magna, while they still have us bottled up here in the Fells."

Then Atarus turned to Fairon. "Commander Fairon, time and time again you have shown that you are highly devoted to the rebel cause. Thus, we have decided to send you to Noctxia Magna, along with a small fleet of warships, to meet with the commanders there and warn them of the threat that the Sarkanian clones pose to the Resistance there."

Fairon nodded. Shardak wondered why they'd wanted him to report as well, it seemed they'd covered as many defenses as they could. Maybe they'd send him to one of the bases on the edge of the Fells, where the majority of the Veythari warriors were now based, keeping a lookout for the Sarkanian clones, which had destroyed several of the smaller lowland towns in the past few months.

"I will do so." the Toa of Light said, his voice calm but edged now with worry. Atarus nodded.

"Good." said Saren. "Which brings us to you, Toa Shardak."

"Yes?" asked Shardak, apprehension in his voice. His status as the Spirit Toa had given him a pass to nearly every High Council meeting since his return from Xiost, but never had he seen the Council members look as grim as they did now.

"We have located another fragment of the Annulus." said Saren.

Emotions warred within Shardak first fear, then apprehension, and finally hope. He'd been told, what seemed like a lifetime ago, of the ancient ring of power known as the Annulus, which had existed before the Ancients themselves came into being. In the unthinkably far past, it had been shattered into three peices, two of which were now in the hands of the Empire.

The power source of the Annulus, the Shadow Orb, had eventually fallen into the hands of the Ix, and now half of the power source was kept safe by the rebellion, for fear that the Ix would one day get ahold of the stone again. The other half the Ix also had. If the final Annulus fragment had truly been located, the Resistance needed to recover it, or all was lost.

"Where?" asked Shardak, eager now. Once, recovering the Annulus had been an added benefit that could help to stop the Ix. Now, recovering it was a matter of survivalWe.

"My spies within the Ix Empire report that the Annulus fragment is hidden in an abandoned Great Being base on Noctxia Magna's moon Drakyr." Saren answered. "However, that is not all we have to tell you."

"We sent Parikon, as well as two Veythari warriors, to Drakyr one week ago. They landed safely, though soon after, communication was lost and they disappeared, presumed dead."

Shardak felt sadness rise within, more painful than a Shredsteel dagger wound. Parikon was dead? It seemed impossible. How could he be gone? The ancient being had seemed invincible, a paragon of the Resistance's best warriors. No wonder Saren looked both sad and weakened. Parikon had been one of his and Atarus' closest friends.

"A week has passed, and there has been no further communications from either of them." said Saren. We must assume the worst. At first, we believed it to be the work of the Ix, but no Ix ships have been sighted near Drakyr, and the Resistance is still in control of that area. Thus, the Ix are not to blame."

Shardak felt mounting dread rise within him once again. Saren's words had probably not been intended to echo Ion's cryptic hints that an organization known as "the Order" wanted him dead, but iit had sounded like that to him. He wondered if any of the Resistance leaders thought the same, as he had told them of what Ion had said before his death,

"Do you think the organization Ion mentioned, that he identified as the Order, could be behind this?" asked Shardak.

"Possibly." answered Atarus. "We have no idea. Whoever they are, they did not leave the planet using starcraft. Tiral has confirmed that no starfighters, of Ix origin or otherwise, have left or arrived Drakyr before and after their disappearence. Thus, we have decided to send you, Flardrek, Chameleo, and an elite team of Veythari warriors to investigate."

Shardak nodded, saddened for one moment. He almost wished he'd been sent to fortify the border now, where his friend Blast was currently stationed. However, it soon vanished, as quickly as it had come. Parikon could still be alive, and in danger, and he and Flardrek were being sent with an elite team of Veythari to find out if they could recover the Annulus.

"You will also, once again, be given the Shadow Orb." said Saren. Shardak opened his mouth to ask a question, but Saren answered before he could speak. "We spent many days locked in debate about whether we should give it to you. However, the Orb can be a potent source or auric power if you need it, and where you're heading, you will."

"We can't have you using your aura to hold together Starcraft now." Tiral said, referring to the time when Shardak had saved Chameleo, Artonix, and another of his friends by holding the starcraft together with his aura. It had very nearly killed him and depleted his power for days afterword. "You need all of your strength for the battles ahead."

Shardak nodded grimly. It felt so different from his first mission as a rebel warrior, when he'd felt so ready to set out to find the Annulus fragment. Now, all of the Resistance's hopes hinged on finding the last Annulus fragment and keeping it out of the Ix's hands.

''But the Order is out there as well. ''a voice seemed to whisper within Shardak's mind. Their motives are completely unknown.

Shardak wished that Ion had told him about these beings earlier. Then he remembered what Ion had said within the Void, what seemed like an eternity ago: ''I will tell you as much as I can. Some things, however, I will not tell you, not because I wish to keep secrets from you, but if you know them it will simply put you in more danger.''

"Will you agree to this, Toa Shardak?" asked Atarus. "As our only aura user in the Resistance, only you will be able to identify and find the Annulus. However, I will not put you in this posistion of danger unless this is what you truly want."

"There's no choice." said Shardak. "I will do whatever I can to help the Resistance win this war."

The Resistance leaders instantly seemed more relaxed, and Saren even smiled slightly for the first time in many weeks. "I am glad." he said. "We will arrange transportation for you to Drakyr immediately, you will leave tomarrow morning. Tiral has three or four transports available at the moment, I believe."

Tiral nodded once. "Yes. How many Veythari do you plan to send with them, Vaethar?"

"Seven or eight, that I will choose myself." answered Reid Vaethar. "You will be well protected, Spirit Toa."

Shardak nodded respectfully to the Veythari leader. The meeting then began to turn to the quanitity of troops the rebellion could muster if the Fells were invaded, then to the situation on Noctxia Magna. After a few more moments, the discussions ended, and finally the Resistance leaders began to depart. Only Saren remained, his almost hollow eyes staring into Shardak's.

"Yes?" asked Fairon.

"I have discovered who the traitor in the Resistance is." Saren began. "It was never Ion, but Freztrak. Freztrak has sold us out to the Empire."

Shardak felt as though Saren's words were an almost physical blow. How could Freztrak have sold out the Resistance? It seemed impossible, but...Freztrak was a Skakdi, and they could be horribly, ruthlessly cunning. It would be easy for Freztrak to have fooled them for so long.

A flame of anger began to rise within Shardak. If Saren was correct, then Freztrak had sent Ion to his death against Skorpix, and had possibly also been responsible for Veron's death as well. The thought that he could have sold them out to the Ix was no longer impossible.

"I have tried to find other possible traitors in the Resistance." said Saren. "But Freztrak is better placed then any other to have betrayed us. He's a low-profile council member who has little to lose if the Resistance is destroyed. He isn't a known enemy like me or Parikon, and when my friends discovered that he was a traitor and gave us ample proof, I had no choice but to believe them."

"What is the proof?" asked Shardak.

"I cannot show you. However, that's just it." said Saren. "It still wasn't conclusive enough for me to convict Freztrak. He'd have too many ways to deny it. However, I am warning you to trust no one. The word about the traitor was leaked, and the Resistance's inner command is beginning to disintegrate. Innocent Skakdi who probably have nothing to do with Freztrak's betrayal are being discriminated against. This cannot be allowed to continue if the Resistance is to survive."

"We understand." said Fairon. He seemed shocked by the revelation, but not surprised. Shardak guessed it was because Saren's words seemed so accurate, so persuasive. Shardak had lost a great deal of respect for Saren after he'd almost convinced him Ion was a traitor, but now he saw a being who was determined to hold the Resistance together, whatever the cost.

"Just remember there are people in the Resistance you can still trust." said Saren. "Such as Atarus and myself, who will help you in any way we can. I will also give you a list of some of my other friends, whom you can contact if I am not available."

Saren handed Shardak the list, and the Toa quickly skimmed over it. It included many of the sub-commanders and starfighter squadron leaders, many of whom Saren commanded indirectly. Many of them he recognized, though a few he didn't, and he guessed they were simply Resistance soldiers.

"I must go to fortify the defenses around the base now." said Saren, who looked tired but determined. "May Mata Nui protect you and guide you to the Annulus fragment, Toa Shardak."

Shardak felt new respect for the Glatorian rise within him. Saren's determination and tactical knowledge were exactly what the Resistance needed nowadays, and with Saren as Atarus' deputy, the Resistance would stand a chance against the Empire. Saren's steely determination had reignited Shardak's old firey strength. Despite Valkyria's betrayal and the current seige that the Resistance was under from the Sarkanian clones, he was once more ready to be a warrior of the Xaterex Resistance.

Let's end this now.

There is nothing more for you to say, Warrior Rhai.

Every one of Shardak's words had driven through her heart like a dagger. She'd tried to speak with him, tried to tell him that she wished that she had not had to take the Annulus fragment from him and return to the Ix, but the words simply wouldn't form in her mouth. Nothing she could say would make any difference to him, though.

Valkyria wandered the twisting corridors of the Ix Citadel, at the heart of Drakos I. She still carried her dagger in one hand and was still wearing her camouflage armor that she'd used during their mission to the ruins of Gigas Nui, despite the fact she, as an Ix commander, usually wore the dark robes common to high-ranking Ix when not actively participating in the war.

She'd already spoken with her direct superior, who had been slightly annoyed that they had failed but glad to learn that the Spirit Toa was alive. For reasons that Valkyria had never been told, the Ix wanted Shardak alive so he could do something for them, something that probably involved the Annulus fragment she had recovered.

She'd taken the Annulus fragment from Shardak easily. He'd been horribly weakened in an earlier battle, and it had been easy to ruthlessly crush his aura attacks and immobilize him. She'd left him there with a horrible, blank look on his face, and had forced herself to complete the mission, against her will, which wanted, more than anything, to accept Shardak's idea: she could actually betray the Ix.

In the end, however, the Ix blood which ran through her veins had won the battle, and her determination to complete the task she'd been given had overran what she herself wanted. Valkyria had returned to Drakos I with a massive amount of information about the Resistance's inner workings, as well as information about Shardak. And, of course, she'd brought the Annulus fragment. She'd been promoted to Ix Commander almost immediately after her return, and was now in charge of more Ix warriors then she'd ever been in the past.

Looking back once again, Valkyria realized that this had been the extent of her dreams during her time as an Ix apprentice: to be an Ix commander, based in the Empire's capitol city, and be known and respected as one of the greatest Ix warriors of all time.

Had that really been all she'd wanted? After living for nearly four months as a Resistance warrior, Valkyria had almost forgotten what it had been like to be an Ix warrior. Beings friends with Shardak had shown her the other side of the spectrum, and she'd been truly happy as a warrior in the Resistance, and had not needed to conceal how she felt behind a mask of impassiveness.

Shardak had never had to live his life carrying the weight of lies on his shoulders as she had. He'd actually cared about what happened to her, a concept completely alien to Valkyria. He hadn't questioned her motives, or distrusted her outwardly. He'd accepted her, something that no one had ever done since she'd become an Ix apprentice.

And where had that led her? She'd become a killer, a traitor, and a liar, all for a cause she was no longer sure she believed in. Shardak had trusted her, and she'd destroyed that trust, leaving nothing but anger, anger that had been so intense that it had shocked her. Had she really hurt him that badly?

Yes, Valkyria realized, she had. There was nothing, anymore, she could do, however. Looking around her, surveying the dim torchlight of the Ix Citadel and the black and white walls common in all Ix structures, she felt drained and saddened. But she'd chosen her path, and there was little she could do to change it now. The—

"Commander Rhai?"

A Kranr's voice, reedy and frightened, broke through Valkyria's thoughts. She turned to face the being, not at all feeling like an Ix commander at that moment. She felt vulnerable and weak, and had to remind herself that the Kranr could not sense the aura field.

"Yes?" she asked, keeping her voice calm but authoritative. She could sense in the Kranr's aura that he feared her, but was wondering what, exactly, she'd been doing at the time and why she still was disheveled, as if she'd just come back from Gigas Nui.

"Lord Skorpix wishes to speak with you." the Kranr guard said, still nervous. "Immediately."

"Understood." said Valkyria, speaking in Common. The Ix language was not understood by Kranr, nor could they speak it. "I will be right there."

"Lord Skorpix says...you are to come immediately, Commander Rhai." said the Kranr, still fearful. "No delays."

Valkyria kept her expression carefully neutral, but inwardly she was wondering what required her attention so urgently. "I understand." she said, following the Kranr into the heart of the Ix Citadel. Here, all of the greatest of the Ix's plots were orchestrated, such as the development of a new strain of Elimination that could affect Glatorian as well.

Valkyria felt another pang of regret. Despite the fact that her people had decimated Shardak's Toa Order, he'd still accepted her. She—

''Skorpix is one of the greatest aura users of all the Ix. ''Valkyria reminded herself. ''And he knows me better than most Ix warriors. I cannot allow him to discover this, or I will be killed.''

The Kranr opened the double doors that led into the heart of the Ix's sanctum, and Valkyria saw that the room was empty, except for the being standing before her. His jet-black armor gleamed in the torchlight, and his cold red eyes met Valkyria's. Valkyria lowered her head, knowing she was facing, perhaps, the most important person in all of the Ix's hierarchy, save the mysterious Hooded One himself. Skorpix's aura was a heavy, tangible presence in the field, far more powerful then Valkyria's.

"Commander Rhai." said Skorpix, acknowledging her briefly in the Ix's cold, nasal language.

Valkyria fought back her first thought which was, ''why have you summoned me? ''To ask an Ix Lord that question would not be appropriate for a mere Commander. Skorpix, however, read her aura easily and asked. "No doubt you are wondering why I have called you here. It is because we are ready to complete our plan. At last, the Ix will eliminate the rebellion that has resisted our rule for far too long."

"This is indeed momentous news." said Valkyria, unconsciously slipping into the same language. "Have we located the final Annulus fragment?"

"We have." said Skorpix, allowing a note of triumph to creep into his voice. "Our spy in the Resistance has confirmed that the fragment of the Annulus is hidden on Drakyr. We are sending an elite team of Ix Limiters out to stop them, and I myself will accompany them. You are to come as well."

"Yes, Lord Skorpix." answered Valkyria, voice calm now. A slight bit of her old anticipation began to rise within her, and for a moment she was once again the naive young Ix girl who had just begun training as an Ix apprentice. Then it was gone, and she was once again, as Shardak had called her, a traitor, liar, and murderer.

Was that what her Ix training had forced her to become?

"We leave within two hours. Be sure that you are ready by then. We will also go undetected, to avoid the Resistance ships that are currently in control of this sector. Three of our Corpse Fighters will divert the Resistance's attention from Drakyr, then we can land there."

"Yes, Lord." said Valkyria, wishing for a moment she could somehow feel more enthusiastic about the Ix's imminent victory. Yes, she still believed that the Ix were destined to rule the multiverse, but after four months with the Resistance, she didn't want to see them all dead.

She'd heard from Skorpix soon after her return to Drakos Capitol that Shardak's mentor, Arkhan, was dead, as well as Ion, another of Shardak's close friends. Arkhan had helped train her as well, and though there was little the white-armored Glatorian could teach her, he'd never argued with the other Resistance leaders to kill her, as Saren Naghara had once. He'd—

"Are you ready, Commander Rhai?" asked Skorpix, who had been telling her the final aspects of their plan. Valkyria nodded. "I will be ready within two hours."

"You are dismissed, then." said Skorpix, and Valkyria left the room, relieved that he had not seemed to notice her inner struggle. For nearly seven months now she had not healed inside, and seeing Shardak again and feeling his smouldering, raw anger had reopened all of her old scars that she'd tried so hard to put aside. Wasn't that how she'd suceeded before? By putting aside her own emotions for the good of the Empire? Wasn't that how she'd become an Ix warrior that her family had been proud of?

Valkyria knew there were no answers to any of those questions.

Deep within the shadowy caverns, the Hooded One lowered his head in supplication as a dark presence began to fill the shadows, an aura of raw shadow so powerful it made the Hooded One's own look weak and unskilled, though the being knew that he was one of the most skilled aura users in the multiverse.

Come. The voice seemed to whisper from the shadows. It sounded like a horrible, disjointed chorus of beings was speaking at once, a rasp that sounded like a knife scraping against rock. You wish to appear before us?

"Yes, master." hissed the Hooded One quietly.

What have you been doing to free us?

"We have nearly assembled the Ring of Power, and have almost recovered the power source." said the Hooded One. "Now all that is required is a second aura user, one who can use the power of the Ring."

'The Toa. Bring us the Toa.'

"Many attempts have been made to reach the Toa of Aura." rasped the Hooded One. "Still he rejects our calls. We will continue to try to turn him."

Bring him before us.

"...Yes." the Hooded One said finally, though hesitantly. "I shall."

You hesitate... hissed the voice from the shadows.

"But would it not be wiser to have him first assemble the ring, then free you from the Ancient Homeworld? Then, when we are done, we can simply kill him."

Perhaps you believe that, if turned, he would replace you and that is why you hesitate to bring him before us. The voice hissed.' He must come here. Only then will he free us from our prison.'

"Then it shall be done." said the Hooded One. "But—"

'Do not worry. We have not forgotten your service to us. the voice rasped, echoing through the endless darkness. When we are free, you will be rewarded. You know we need you to free us. Free us...and you will never... NEVER... lose us again...'

Chapter 3
Walking through the jungle city, full of pyramids and golden spires, Silver had never felt so confused. He'd been teleported to a dark cavern after being seperated from his friends Shardak, Valkyria, and Torak, and he and another Matoran, Dust, encountered a being that had identified itself as the Arcaean Entity. The being had decided to transport them to Arcaea, despite the fact Silver knew, as everyone on Xaterex did, that Arcaea had been destroyed during the first great civil war between the Toa and the Ix.

Then they'd encountered another being in Arcaea, which had somehow been restored to its former glory. He'd identified himself as Leviathos, and after a short discussion Silver had learned that this being knew nothing about where they were either.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the appearance of a hooded being with a skeletal hand, who'd told them they were looking at the ancient, almost mythological, City of Light, which had been destroyed during the war. Then Silver and the others had looked again, and the being, as well as his Skrall-like companion, had disappeared.

At first Silver had been unsettled by this, but he'd been forced to accept that it was probably an illusion of some kind, created, perhaps, by the strange environment they were in. Silver knew little of Lost Arcaea, but he knew for sure that it no longer existed. Was it possible they'd somehow been pulled into the past?

No, he thought, that couldn't be it. But it was the only explanation for their current situation. As he walked through the City of Light, which was as real as Xaterex itself, the more Silver was convinced that this was real. He could see beings were on edge, discussing the political instability of Arcaea's current government, as well as the problems the Toa Order was facing. Silver could see beings of many types walking through the city, Vortixx, Glatorian, and even several Toa, garbed in Hand of Mata Nui robes.

"So this is Arcaea." breathed Leviathos. "Before the Fall."

Silver tried to remember the events before the Fall, and he remembered how the civil war had began: a rebellion started by the Ix for the common people that had led to the creation of a new set of tyrants. He could tell this was before the war; while many of the people he passed seemed on edge or uneasy about the current state of affairs in Arcaea, it was still relatively stable, still the paradise spoken of in the Matoran myths.

Suddenly Silver saw an insignia that made his blood run cold, the Imperial standard that the Ix used. He could see several Ix garbed in Arcaean robes bearing the Imperial insignia, and while their faces were hidden in the shadows of their robes, Silver could tell they were not wearing the customary skull-like mask favored by many of the Ix warriors.

"Ix." he whispered grimly to Dust, but Leviathos shook his head.

"In Arcaea, the Ix were often elite guards, honorary members of the Hand in their own right. These aren't the Limiters you know, these are the guards of the Hand, before the revolt."

Silver nodded. He'd learned that Leviathos was also an enemy of the Empire; he'd been taken prisoner and forced into the 174th Eternal Game along with Fairon, one of Shardak's friends and one of the few surviving Toa on Xaterex.

He'd eventually been knocked into the Void at the heart of the arena, then suddenly appeared outside the city, exactly where Silver and Dust had, a few minutes earlier, he'd said. Dust had told them that two and a half years had passed since the Fairon's Eternal Game had ended, and that Fairon had won. Leviathos had been exultant to hear that Fairon had won, though concerned about how much time had passed in the outside world while he was in Arcaea.

Silver's confused thoughts were suddenly interrupted by shouts, and a voice broke through the silence. "Mevon! There you are! The council is meeting, you need to be there!"

Silver turned to see a tall Toa racing toward him, heavily armored in gray and silver. His eyes were bright red, and his armor gleamed in Solis Magna's morning light. "What--"

"Don't you recognize me?" asked the Toa. "It's me, Atraks. The high council of the City of Light is ready to meet, and they need you before the meeting can begin."

"What--" Silver began, but Atraks cut him off.

"We can talk after it's over." the Toa said. "Now it is time for the council to meet."

Shardak could see that the surface of the planet known as Drakyr had begun to fill the viewscreens of the large transport, which looked as grim and forbidding as the gray wastes of Xiost had. However, Drakyr was mountainous, though also completely lifeless. It did have an atmosphere, which suggested that life had at one time inhabited the planet, perhaps during the days of the Ancients.

"We are nearly ready to land on Drakyr." a voice, Chameleo's, hissed through the commlink system. Shardak's hands, almost unconsiously strayed to touch the Blade of Arcturas. He knew that, if they were there, the Ix would probably be there as well. Though he'd encountered no Ix ships yet, it seemed unlikely that they were actually one step ahead of the Ix. They always seemed ahead, no matter how hard the Resistance tried.

Almost unconsiously, his thoughts strayed to Valkyria Rhai again. He'd been so filled with rage then he hadn't been able to think, and Saren's revelation had almost completely taken his mind off her, but now, alone and flying toward Drakyr, their battle was on the forefront of his mind.

He certainly still believed everything he'd told Valkyria, his hatred and rage had not deminished after seeing her again. However, he felt horrible about how he'd let his anger flow into the aura field. Now that Valkyria knew how furious he was with her, she'd be able to use his anger against him. She'd been dangerously good at playing with his emotions before. He'd actually believed that she was his friend.

That doesn't matter now. Shardak told himself. ''I can't let my anger blind myself to the dangers the Ix pose. Like Blast said, it almost isn't Valkyria's fault.''

''Yes it was. ''Whispered a second voice, the same angry, bitter voice that had spoken with Valkyria yesturday. ''She could have betrayed them. Now...I'm not sure how long it will be until one of us kills the other.''

Shardak vowed he'd be the one to survive. He had to live, for the sake of the Resistance. He—

Shardak felt the transportg glide to a halt, landing atop a small, craggy cliff. Below and above him, Shardak could see mountains, craggy and clifflike, rising above, and a small valley from which he could sense several auras, none of which he recognized. However, they were extremely strong. He knew they had to be, to reach this far. Only the most powerful auras could extend as far as these were. He could not, however, find any sign of the Annulus in the field, something he found odd.

Maybe it was hidden in a cave where auric powers couldn't penetrate, like the Annulus fragment on Xiost had been, Shardak thought. Climbing out of the hull of the Resistance transport, which dated back before the Fall of Aracea, Shardak saw Chameleo, Flardrek, and three Veythari warriors move to stand beside him.

He'd partnered with Chameleo on the mission to Xiost, and he and Flardrek had worked together in the Void and the 175th Eternal Game with Fairon, Valkyria, and the others. Both were loyal to the Resistance. While he knew little of these three Veythari, he knew that the Veythari formed the elite core of the Resistance military, and were some of the greatest archers and spearfighters in the history of the multiverse. They were extremely loyal and longtime enemies of the Ix, and Shardak knew they were loyal.

''All of the Resistance members are loyal. ''He tried to convince himself, but he simply didn't beleive that now. Tensions had risen very high since the Sarkanian clones' rampage across Arden, and Parikon's kidnapping had taken those tensions to another level as Skakdi, Veythari, Glatorian, and the other Resistance members began to turn on each other. And Saren's revelation that Freztrak was a traitor meant that there was also a network of Imperial spies within the rebellion, something that could prove to be even more devastating then even the fact that the rebellion had begun to disintegrate from the inside.

"There are beings in the valley." whispered Shardak, careful to keep his voice lowered. He had no idea how capable the beings were, and if they could sense them. Their auras seemed to be carefully controlled, leading Shardak to beleive that they were, in fact, aura users. "I can sense their auras, but I'm not sure who they are."

The lead Veythari nodded. "I understand. We'll proceed with caution."

Raising their bows, the three Veythari began to walk into the valley, which was a maze of twisting passages that led into the deeper ground. Shardak could see the massive cliffs rising above their heads, and knew that this would be an ideal place for an ambush, if the auras he sensed were indeed those of enemies.

"We're nearly there." Shardak whispered to the lead Veythari warrior, who gave a barely perceptible nod of the head. "I can sense the—"

Suddenly Shardak's words were cut off as he saw a flash of black armor in the shadows, as well as the slash of a scythe. The Veythari standing next to him staggered backward, blood spraying in all directions as the attacker hacked at his armor.

Before Shardak could even register what was happening, a Limiter appeared out of the darkness, slamming his scythe against Shardak's weapon with a massive clang as the Shredsteel met the hard firey metal. The Veythari had fallen to the ground, his eyes staring emptily at the cold, cloudy gray sky. The two other Veythari had reacted quickly, and two Limiters had fallen, one shot full of arrows, the other speared through the heartlight.

Shardak brought his weapon around in a complicated Sila attack pattern, forcing the Limiter backward. He then lunged forward, aiming for the Limiter's heartlight. Fortunately for the Ix, his reflexes saved him from being seriously injured or killed, and the weapon glanced off his shoulder without causing any serious damage. The Limiter then attacked with both scythes, his sheer agression and power forcing Shardak back toward the cliff.

The Limiter, sensing victory, lunged forward, switching his grip on the scythes and aiming to spear them through Shardak's body. Shardak raised the weapon, but knew already that it was hopeless. The Limiter raised the scythe—

Then fell to the ground. In his place stood Chameleo, breathing heavily but alive and well. Shardak opened his mouth to thank him, but then Chameleo turned, slamming into another Limiter. Two more Ix were standing at the mouth of the laybrinth, and Shardak charged forward.

One of them was a Limiter, and he slashed outward with a scythe, aiming to spear him through the heartlight. However, at the last minute Shardak heard Flardrek shout a warning, and he remembered the second Ix warrior standing behind him. As Flardrek slammed into the Limiter, knocking the weapon from his hands, Shardak whirled around to face the second Ix warrior. His weapon met hers, and he saw he was staring into familiar green eyes. Valkyria seemed just as shocked that he was here as he did that she was, but reacted quickly, bringing Silverblade around to counter his wild barrage of attacks.

Shardak fought back the anger that threatened to rise within him again as he faced this Ix girl. It seemed that the Empire and the Resistance were determined to force them to confront each other, this time to the death. He could see that Chameleo was being overwhelmed by two Limiters, but Flardrek was holding his own easily against his attacker. Of the two remaining Veythari, there was no sign.

Shardak had no time to worry about them now. Facing Valkyria for what they both knew was probably the last time, he said nothing, simply charged forward. He could feel the red haze of anger clouding his mind once again, but he forced it down. If he allowed his emotions to best him, then he would not survive. And he had to survive, or all hope for the Resistance was lost.

Slowly, Shardak began to force Valkyria backward, toward the cliffs. His steady, relentless attacks were easily countering Valkyria's Lihtne and Vauhti defenses. She didn't seem her usual self, she seemed off-guard and unprepared. Shardak had nearly forced her against the cliff wall now, hindering her movement. Soon he would be able to—

Kill her? Shardak's concentration slipped for an instant when he realized that was actually what he'd planned. He knew that there was no choice now, that either the Ix died or they did, but he—

Valkyria took advantage of his momentary slip in concentration, slashing Silverblade across his shoulder, drawing blood. Shardak staggered backward, and immediately Valkyria began to force him backward, toward the opposite side of the cavern wall. Still, Shardak knew now the Ix were doomed. Chameleo and Flardrek were both fighting the only surviving Limiter now, and he was beginning to weaken. As he watched, Chameleo lunged forward, and the Limiter brought his scythe down on Chameleo's back. With a sickening crunch Shardak heard Chameleo's spine snap.

"No!" he yelled, as Flardrek ran the Limiter through the heart. However, even now Chameleo's powers of regeneration were undoing the damage. Shardak felt his happiness turn to fear as Valkyria once again attacked him, but now Flardrek and Chameleo were both at their side, all fighting her. Panic shone in Valkyria's eyes now as she realized they'd trapped her against the cliffs. There was no way out, and against three opponents, she stood no chance.

"Shardak—" she whispered, but Shardak cut her off.

"There no other way." he hissed. "Let's end this now."

Valkyria seemed to understand, but she hadn't surrendered. Flardrek slashed open her shoulder, and Chameleo lunged forward, aiming to finish her off. Shardak, meanwhile, was forcing her against the cliffs, where she could no longer move fast enough to counter all three of their attacks.

"Stop!"

A new voice cut across the battle, and all of them were so stunned they actually obeyed, turning to face the speaker. Shardak gasped in shock as he faced the beings.

They were tall and thin, robed in black, but they were not Ix. Many of them wore ornate armor that was like none he'd ever seen before, and they all carried weapons. But it was the being in the lead that held his attention, the being in green armor and a cold green mask, the craftmanship like nothing Shardak had ever seen before. His eyes were startlingly green, almost yellow, and he carried a set of throwing knives. His eyes fixed on Shardak with recognition and not the slightest bit of surprise.

Shardak quailed beneath his gaze, but something about this being was strange, beyond his appearence. Something so alien that Shardak recoiled as he realized the truth— ''the being had no aura. ''

"This battle is over." said the green-masked being, eyes fixed on those of Shardak. "Come with us, and you will not be harmed."

"Who are you?" asked Shardak.

To his surprise, it was not the green-masked being who answered, but a tall Makuta standing behind him. The Makuta's eyes were cold red, and he gave Shardak a cold smile pitiless beyond imagining.

"We are the beings who haunt your darkest fears, your most grim imaginings. We are powerful beyond anything you have encountered before, and today our plans have taken a great step forward."

"Hello, Spirit Toa." said the first being. "We have been expecting you."

One month earlier.

The shadowy torchlight flickered in the darkness, illuminating the cold features of the massed group of beings below. All of them were heavily armed, and there seemed to be beings of many different species there, though the bulk of them were the cold, grim Ix soldiers known as Limiters, in their characteristic mottled camouflage. All had their eyes fixed on the beings standing atop the raised dias at the heart of the massive citadel.

He was tall, and carried a long, wickedly sharp silver scythe which gleamed in the shadowy halflight. A hood obscured all of his features, and only his hands could be seen, pale and tinged with gray, like those on a corpse. He seemed to have an almost physical aura of authority, that seemed to pervade the darkness and hold it in its thrall.

The Hooded One surveyed the beings standing before him, red eyes almost visible through the hood. Beside him stood a tall, dark-armored being, and a lithe silver female, carrying two long daggers in each hand. Both of the beings eyes were cold, and they lowered their heads before him, their auras subservient before his own power.

"Tonight..." the Hooded One whispered, voice carrying clearly over the beings below. "We begin anew.

"For too long we have been forced to lurk behind a curtain of impenatrable shadow. For too long we have allowed our enemies to force us to lurk in the darkness, working behind the scenes, controlling the battles now unfolding in the multiverse only subtlely.

"Tonight, the final stages of our plan begin. For our lord is awaking once more, the great ring will be made whole, and our Order will take its rightful place as the masters of the universe."

The chanting and cries of triumph from below grew louder. The Hooded One raised the scythe, shouting. "The corrupt rule of the Arcaeans will now come to an end! From this day forth—WE SHALL TAKE WHAT IS OURS! 

The soldiers yelled in triumph, and raised their weapons. The Hooded One raised the scythe, watching as the warriors vanished into the darkness once more, preparing their weapons for the days to come. The Hooded One turned to face the Elemental Prince standing beside him.

"Skorpix, I have a special mission for you. Return to the Ix Empire, and bring the Ix warriors to Drakyr, to delay them. Make sure the...being we were discussing...is among them."

Skorpix's eyes betrayed no emotion, though the Hooded One, skilled as he was in the aura field, saw his aura flicker briefly with surprise. "It shall be done, master."

"Good, good. And alert Commander Sxe'cahn that he must go to Drakyr. There the trap has been set. There, the Spirit Toa will come to us."

Chapter 4
Silver followed Atraks into a massive gathering chamber within one of the massive, golden pyramids, mind racing with questions. Why did this Toa seem to believe that he was a being known as Mevon? How could he and Dust and Leviathos be in Arcaea, when they were from the present day? And could Leviathos even be trusted? Silver felt as though evey time he came a step closer to figuring out the source of their current problems, another, more puzzling and potentially more fatal question assailed them.

Two Ix guards, clothed all in dark, crimson-red robes, stood before the entryway of the gathering chamber. Silver shivered under their gaze. Though he knew it was many years before the Ix's revolt, their cold, dead eyes always made him shudder.

Still, it was good to know they were protected. Silver knew very little of Aracea, but he knew in the waning days of its power the Twelve Elemental Kingdoms had been extremely dangerous. Not knowing what time period they were in, he couldn't even begin to analyze the situation in depth. He was hoping that, provided he could get through this meeting without revealing who he truly was, then he'd learn enough about where, exactly, they were to return to the Resistance.

But one question still nagged at him: ''who was the being with the skeletal hand? ''Something about him seemed oddly familiar, although Silver was absolutely sure he'd never seen him before.

"Mevon!" Atraks' voice rang through the gathering chamber. "The meeting has begun."

"Wait outside." Silver hissed to Dust and Leviathos under his breath. "With any luck, I'll be able to figure out where we are and how to get back to the Resistance."

"Be careful, Silver." whispered Leviathos. "You don't know anything about—"

"Mevon!" another voice called now. It belonged to a Toa of Water, lean and armored in silver-gray and pale blue. Her eyes were bright green.

"Coming!" Silver said, taking a seat between Atraks and another being, a Glatorian armored in ice-white. He reminded Silver slightly of Arkhan, one of the Resistance leaders. Thinking of Xaterex made him more determined to find a way out of this, despite how impossible it seemed. He scanned the room for signs that any of them doubted his identity, and some smiled or waved a greeting. None seemed to even slightly doubt he was Mevon.

"This meeting is now in session." said one of the beings, a tall, stern looking Glatorian. "Does anyone have any business to bring before the Arcaean Council?"

"I do." said one of the beings, the silver-blue Toa of Water. "Recently there have been a series of brutal attacks on travelers between our Kingdom and the Earth Kingdom. The Ix elite guard has been at loss how to deal with this problem, as they have not been issued Olmaks. We—"

Silver soon lost track of the discussion, as it dissolved into different beings discussing the interdimensional murders. Eventually, the discussion turned to safeguarding their borders against any threats, and the members of the council began discussing whether the murderers were from the Plant Kingdom or from another Kingdom within Arcaea, or even places as far away as Xaterex or Calos. He—

"Mevon?" asked Atraks again, and he was suddenly once again sitting around the table, facing the somber Glatorian leader.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Toa Taro was just asking you if you believe the attackers in Arcaea are from within the Earth Kingdom, as all of the attacks have been near dimensional portals leading from or to that location." said the Glatorian, slight impatience in his voice as he gestured to a tall Toa armored all in gray. "Or if you think they are from the Jungle Kingdom, or from somewhere completely different?"

"I believe they are from the Earth Kingdom." said Silver at last, hoping desperately he'd said the right thing. "However, we have inconclusive proof to confirm this. I think that opening negotiations on the topic of the attackers with the leaders in the Earth Kingdom is imperative."

"Agreed." said a Toa of Fire, ramming his red-armored fist on the table for emphasis. "We must also, however, continue searching our own Kingdom for these beings, and, if the attacks persist, bring the news before Lord Nex."

"Lord Nex has been far too busy to speak with us." the Toa of Water hissed. "We must try all other options before we bring this before him."

"Yes." the steel-gray Toa, Taro, concurred. "Nex cannot be bothered with trivial matters such as this, Korasaunt."

"This is not a trivial matter." said Korasaunt. "Citizens are dying!"

"I understand." said the ice-white Glatorian to Silver's left. "But Nex has been too busy to hear still more pressing things, and trusts us to handle the Kingdom in his absence."

"The use of one or more Kanohi Rodes would not be amiss, either." Atraks broke in. "Toa and Ix, working together, should easily be able to sort these murderers out."

Silver almost laughed aloud at what he'd said, it was so ironic. He wished, at that moment, he could tell these beings exactly what the Ix would do to Arcaea years later. But how could he, without surely being called insane and being sentanced to a prison he simply didn't see how.

''Would it be possible to alter the past? ''thought Silver. Or would it simply fail, or create another time stream that we would be trapped in?

Then, a worse thought— what if he was already trapped in a parellel world, with no way for him to return? Then that would mean that there would be no chance of them changing anything here, or in the present. Silver tried to concentrate on the discussion going on around him, knowing that the sooner it ended, the sooner he and Dust and Leviathos could try to figure out more about their surroundings.

"That will be all." said the Glatorian leader. "I shall call this immediately to a vote. Should a special team of Toa and Ix be formed to immediately investigate these attacks?"

Atraks, Korasaunt, Taro, the Glatorian leader, and the Toa of Water immediately voted yes. Silver hesitated, but the end decided to cast his vote to form the Toa/Ix team. Three more beings voted after they saw Silver vote for the Ix/Toa team, including the ice-white Glatorian. Only three beings remained silent.

"Excellent. That carries the vote. I will announce the council's decision for the leader of the team next week. For now, Taro and Korasaunt, you will lead, as well as Khazin Thaer, one of my Ix guards. Unless anyone has any objections?"

There were none. All of the remaining council members seemed content with the decisions, and were happy to have Taro, Korasaunt, and Khazin Thaer lead the—

Suddenly Silver remembered something Valkyria had told him once, during their journeys across the Fells. She'd mentioned one of her Ix commanders had been named Khazin Thaer, and Silver was sure he recognized the name. It had only been two days ago, after all. She'd mentioned Thaer for sure.

But that couldn't be right, Silver realized. They were trapped over 1,000 years into the past, in the middle of Lost Arcaea. Khazin Thaer couldn't still be alive.

Was there something else going on here that he wasn't seeing?

Silver's thoughts immediately jumped to the being with the skeletal hand, who'd confronted them in the jungle. He and his Skrall-like ally knew something about all of this, he was sure. There was some other force present, but he simply couldn't assemble the rest of the puzzle.

"If there is nothing more to be adressed here, then the meeting is ajourned." said the Glatorian leader. Immediately Silver rose to his feet, drawing curious looks from some of the other council members, though they didn't ask him anything. Slowly, the meeting began to break up, and the rest of the council members began leaving the chamber. Desperate to stay ahead of them, he almost slammed directly into Dust and Leviathos, who were waiting outside the doorway.

"Sil—" Dust began, then immediately stopped, remembering what Atraks had called him. "Mevon?"

"Yes?" Silver asked. "Come with me." he hissed under his breath. "There's something I have to tell you."

Stopping outside a small tavern once they were hidden among the crowds, Silver told Dust and Leviathos about what he'd heard in the council, as well as the Glatorian's puzzling mention of Khazin Thaer.

"Thaer?" asked Dust. "Valkyria mentioned him, yes, but they couldn't be one and the same, could they? After all, we're at least five hundred years in the past."

"Look!" said Leviathos, interrupting him. The afternoon sun had begun to set, and slowly streaks of gray were beginning to replace the bright lights of day. At twilight, the great binary sun's dying rays reflected off the pyramids' gold-plated summits, casting brilliant rays of light in many colors across the city below. Silver was left staring at the skies, speechless with wonder.

"No wonder the Jungle Kingdom was called the jewel of Arcaea's crown." murmered Dust, and Silver nodded agreement.

Then, like a perfect dream turned into a nightmare, Silver realized they had no place to rest for the night. He could try asking someone where Mevon lived, but if he ran into the real Mevon there, he had no idea what might occur. Still, with bandits on the loose, they couldn't remain out in the open, alone.

''Where should we go? ''Silver thought, asking no one in particular. He turned, and followed Leviathos and Dust to the edge of the city gate, where both the Noctian and the other Matoran were discussing the same thing. None of them seemed to have any idea of what they should do.

"I'm sure Arcaea has somewhere we can stay." said Silver. "Remember what the Arcaean Entity said, they're used to travelers. We should ask someone before night falls completely."

The sun was beginning to set, the lights slowly dying. Silver knew they didn't have much time left before the majority of activity ceased within the city.

"But what if they think you're Mevon again, like Atraks did?" asked Dust. "That will raise more questions then it answers."

"I know, but it may be our only chance. We—"

"It has already been taken care of." hissed a voice from the shadows. Silver, Dust, and Leviathos whirled around, and saw a shadowy figure wearing brown-gray armor leap from the darkness. Silver raised his weapon, whirling to face another blur racing past him. Then, suddenly, the world went black, and he knew no more.

The world was spinning all around him. To Toa Shardak, the world had become a shadowy void of purple-black nothingness, where the only things he could sense around him were auras and emotions. Gateways to millions of different realities spun before his eyes, and the myriad possibilities of the world flashed across his vision, close but always just out of reach.

Once, this would have been a panicking sensation for him, but now it was familiar, almost too familiar. In the void, he had no time to think about the fear of what his captors planned to do with them, or who they even were. He could only reach out in the aura field and attempt to read their auras.

He could feel Chameleo's aura, powerful, and intelligent, but with the slightly animalistic traits that all Reptisapeans possessed from their forerunners, the Gekkans. Flardrek's was there as well, steady and calm. He could feel Valkyria's, usually so carefully controlled, but now full of fear and guilt, neither of which he'd expected.

Reaching out beyond her, he could sense the presences of the Makuta and several other beings, but their auras were so faint he could hardly sense them, much less read them. For the first time ever within the teleportation field, Shardak felt a twinge of fear. If these beings could control their auras to that extent, then what could they do to them?

Of the mysterious, green-masked being there was no sign in the field at all. Shardak couldn't understand why the being didn't seem to have an aura. Was he even alive, then? Or a construct, like the assassins who had killed Arcturas, the Copies of Corpse?

No, he was definitely a living being. No construct could appear that real...

Suddenly Shardak felt the pull of the shadows once again set in, and the void began to slow. Suddenly, he felt his body becoming once again whole as the world blurred before his eyes, finally solidifying before him. Shardak was conscious of the green-masked being standing beside him, and could feel the black-armored Makuta's hands on his shoulders. The Toa took one look at his surroundings and gasped in shock, awe, and horror.

The skies of this planet were deep red, the clouds overhead blacking out the gray skies almost completely. The ground was flat all around him, so he could see the massive black fortress, forbidding, like an Ix Citadel, though the architecture was not anything like the Ix's. Nor was it modern or Ancient. It was somewhere in between, both new and old at the same time.

Shardak could see beings striding toward them, all armed with long scythes. Unlike the daggers Valkyria was carrying, these were full length weapons. The beings' eyes burned like torches in the shadows, and one stepped before the others to face the green-masked being, who was obviously the leader of the force.

"Commander Vor Sxe'cahn." said being with the scythe, acknowledging the green-masked being. Once again, Shardak scanned the aura field for any sign that the being had an aura, but found none.

"Lieutenant Shale." said Vor Sxe'cahn. "We have recovered the Spirit Toa, as well as two of his allies. I have also taken an Ix warrior as a prisoner as well, whose rank and purpose has not yet been determined."

Shale surveyed the beings dispassionately, his cold gaze raking across Shardak, Chameleo, Flardrek, and Valkyria in turn. When it reached the Ix girl, however, Shale whirled around to face Vor, and immediately began to speak rapidly in a harsh, grating language he didn't understand. He turned to look at Flardrek, Chameleo, and Valkyria, but they all looked as puzzled as he was.

Finally Shale barked what sounded like an order at Sxe'cahn, and Vor and his squadron led the Toa through the fortress gates. Shardak was eerily reminded of his capture by the Ix, all those years ago in the Circle, and knew immediately these beings could not be trusted. All of the seemed to be completely in control of their auras, but there was one thing that they all had in common: a dark shroud, not a typical aura, but a dark, crackling black cloud, seemed to envelop, or in Vor's case replace, their usual aura.

Shardak tried to reach out and touch the field of darkness and immediately recoiled at the raw, dark power held within. He felt as though if he reached any further into the darkness, he would lose himself in it completely.

The city itself was just like the outside walls: caught between the Ancient architecture that Shardak had seen in the Nameless City and Xiost and the more modern buildings that resembled the Ix Citadel in the Circle. The tall lamposts with red light orbs rather then the green of the Circle and the bloodred skies made it seem even more forbidding and dark.

A being caught his attention, and Shardak's blood ran cold. It was a tall Ix warrior, garbed in rust-red robes and a skull-like Limiter mask. Though he was not wearing the traditional Ix cloaks or Limiter armor, Shardak recognized the Ix immediately. Reaching into the aura, he found himself barred by the same shadowy presence as before.

Now Shardak was sure these beings were enemies. If there were Ix here, then this could only mean that, somehow, the Empire was involved. He had no idea, then, why he was still alive, or why there were so many beings here who weren't Ix, such as Shale and Vor. None of this made sense.

Ion's last words came back to him, the words he'd gasped out as blood poured from his mortally wounded body.

''I was wrong. The Order will stop at nothing to see you dead.''

Was it possible these beings were the Order Ion had mentioned? If so, then why hadn't they killed him already? And had they also captured Parikon? Shardak's mind burned with questions, and there was nothing more he wanted to do then ask his captors. But none of them even seemed the slightest bit approachable; all were veiled in dark robes and masks that he did not recognize.

The inside of the central citadel was ornate, yet practical. It was also heavily defended, with some weaponry that Shardak didn't recognize. Along the way they passed two more Ix, and several Makuta. All were armed to the teeth and patrolling the inner sanctum.

"All of your questions will be answered soon enough, Spirit Toa." said Vor, as though he could read his thoughts. The being's voice was harsh and accented with traces of another language, the same language that he and Shale had spoken at the gates. Shardak had no idea who or what this being was, and remained silent.

Passing by three more beings, Vor issued orders to them in the same language he'd used to speak with Shale. The guards bowed and murmered a short reply, and the green-masked being disappeared into the darkness, followed by the remainder of the group that had captured them.

Two of the guards roughly seized Shardak and Valkyria by the arm, leading them down a twisting passageway. The other led Flardrek and Chameleo through the darkness, scythe readied. Shardak tried to struggle, but the being's grip was like iron and their auras shrouded in darkness. There was no way for him to break their hold on his aura and on his arm.

"You will wait within your cell until further questioning." said the being. His voice was deep and authoritive, and he jabbed Shardak once in the aura field to emphasize his point. Then, turning away, the being shoved Shardak into his cell, then locked Valkyria in the cell across from his. Flardrek and Chameleo were led away, into the darkness by the other two guards.

"But I haven't—" Shardak began.

"That is immaterial." said the black-armored guard. "You will wait within your cell until questioning."

Then he was gone, leaving only the cold, flickering torchlight within the prison to light up the all-pervasive blackness.

The Hand of Mata Nui base reminded Fairon of something from the ancient Matoran legends. Massive stone columns, open air ceilings, and dilapidated gateways and walls that had been broken long before the Ancients themselves had set foot on Noctxia Magna were covered in thick layars of moss and vines. Fairon was half-expecting the fortress to collapse in on itself, but Artonix and the others who had come with him assured him it would not. Fairon could only hope this was true.

Walking through the fortress, Fairon paused to examine the ancient runes inscribed on the walls, many of them rendered illegible over the course of hundreds of years. Still, some were partially recognizable, such as fragments of the Fall of Arcaea or the War of the Great Beings, tales that had been told for centuries by Matoran and Agori alike.

Slowly Fairon tore himself away from reading the carvings, and followed Artonix, Saren, Tiral, and the rest of the Xaterex Resistance warriors through the halls of the base and into the open chamber. Fairon could see only one being was standing there, a lone Ko-Matoran wearing a Noble Iden. Fairon had never seen him before, but recognized him immediately from the description Shardak had given him: this was Ixtil, the commander of the Hand of Mata Nui.

"Atarus told me you would be coming today." said Ixtil, adressing Saren. "Greetings, Saren."

"Hello, Ixtil." said Saren, shaking the Matoran's hand. "You already know Tiral, I am sure. This is Artonix—" he said, pointing to the Agori. "And Toa Fairon."

"Welcome." said Ixtil to them both. "I calculated there was a 63.7% chance the Resistance would bring another Toa with them, but I hardly expected it would be you, the Toa who escaped the Eternal Game not once, but twice. I am pleased to make your aquaintence, Toa Fairon."

"As am I to make yours." Fairon answered, Ixtil waved for him to sit down around the table at the center of the room. Fairon could see sunlight streaming in from the roof of the fortress. It was midday on Noctxia Magna, and they'd left Xaterex an hour ago.

Saren and Ixtil began to discussing the tactical situation in the Noctxia Magna and in the Fells, and explained to Ixtil everything that had happened since the unleashing of the Sarkanian clones and the destruction of Gigas Nui and the Resistance armies in Arden. Ixtil's expression changed from shocked to horrified at Sarem's description of the devastation.

"We need to free Noctxia Magna from the Empire, and quickly. If we do not have the full support of your legions soon, then the Fells will fall and we will be in an even worse position then we were before Fairon's victory. The Veythari are willing to fight to the death, but our regular army has begun to desert us."

"I calculated there was an 63.72% chance the Sarkanian clones would damage our war effort." said Ixtil shakily. "But I didn't factor in their raw power and the affect that that their strength would have on your armies' morale. This could be even worse then before Fairon's victory, you're right.

"Fortunately." said Ixtil. "We will only be too glad to help you provided the Imperial invasion is defeated."

"That is what we're here to help you with." said Saren. "Two hundred elite troops, most of them Veythari warriors, have come with us to reinforce you as well. We've left the Fells mostly unprotected, which is a gamble, but one we have to take."

"I understand. It is a gamble that has a 47.3% chance of success, but we will simply have to overcome the odds, then." said Ixtil. "We will begin discussion—"

Suddenly Ixtil was interrupted as the doors were thrown open and an Agori scout raced into the room and gasped something to Ixtil.

"What?" asked the Matoran, unable to understand his shouts.

The Agori seemed to recover his voice, and between gasps for air whispered, "The Ix...they're coming. And— they have one or more of the Sarkanian clones with them."

Chapter 5
Fear.

Pain.

Hatred.

''All of these emotions and feelings raced through Nightwatcher's body and soul as he felt the pain begin again, the horrible torture of both aura and mind forcing the bounty hunter to writhe and tear at the Shadowdermis bonds that held him captive. His worst fear— that of helplessness, of being unable to act as the world ended around him, was holding him prisoner, trapped and held like a Muaka Cat on a chain.''

''There was no escape from the Ix's horrible torture. Nightwatcher might have been the strongest bounty hunter in the multiverse, but even he was rendered helpless by this horrible torture. There was no way to be freed. He could hear the voices of his torturers inside his mind, asking him question after question. Unconsciously, against his will, each time he replied.''

"Did you fight the Spirit Toa?" One asked.

"Where did you fight him?" ''said the other, his raspy, nasal voice cutting through Nightwatcher's powerful mental block like butter. Nightwatcher felt himself strive against the pull, not answering the question, but still they continued to throw more at him, relentlessly. Finally he began to answer, but the pain wouldn't stop''—

"Where is your Girahk?"

"Did you fight the Spirit Toa?"

"Where is your Girahk?" ''They asked again. ''

Girahk. ''The thought of the Rahkshi of Growth, the only being, mechanical or living, that Nightwatcher still cared for, emboldened him to strive against the bonds once again, lashing out with his aura. But each time the Ix overcame him with ease, their raw power— or that of the Shadowdermis— holding him captive.''

Let me go! ''he thought. ''I'll tell you nothing.

"Answer our questions." ordered the Ix in his mind. "And you will be released..."

''Then they began again, each word punctuated with a burst of pain. And Nightwatcher was helpless to stop them. ''

"Where is the Shadow Orb?"

"Does the Spirit Toa have it?"

"Did you fight the Spirit Toa?"

"Where is your Girahk?"

"Go to Karzahni, you vile—" Nightwatcher began to curse the Ix in a string of different languages. "You'll get nothing more from me."

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the nightmare had ended. Nightwatcher was still bound, still writing against his bonds. In the place of the two Ix torturers stood Mordrax.

"Well, hello." said the twisted Kodax of Absobation. "No doubt you have been enjoying our little game. I know I have."

"Mordrax." Nightwatcher grimaced under his breath. "You and your Ix will never break me. You'll never get any information from me."

Mordrax's one remaining red eye burned with intelligence. His horribly scarred face, an accident that millennia of study had not been able to heal, had never looked more sinister in the shadows. Standing over Nightwatcher, Mordrax looked like an all-powerful being, and his aura, amazingly powerful and augmented by Shadowdermis, made Nightwatcher's seem like nothing.

"Yes, we will." he said dismissively. "We have already gained far more from you then even you yourself know. And the small Shadowdermis chains? Nothing. This power makes me the most powerful being in all of the Ix Empire, except possibly Skorpix and the Hooded One himself."

Nightwatcher remembered the Hooded One, the dark avenger whispered by Resistance fools in fear, lest he crush them completely. It seemed that soon, the Hooded One would rule the multiverse, with the power of Shadowdermis and the clones of Sarkanian at his command.

"Not just this multiverse." breathed Mordrax, casually reading Nightwatcher's thoughts. "Them all. Every one of them, at our disposal, to be used at will. And there is nothing more you can do to stop us."

"I will." said Nightwatcher. "If you're not going to kill me, then I will destroy you and your vile master as soon as these Shadowdermis bonds are destroyed!"

He fired a massive blast of energy directly at Mordrax, but the Kodax waved a hand and it simply disappeared. "Tsk. Nightwatcher. So overconfident. The memories you have, the places you've been. I'm almost disappointed your journey ends here."

"I—" Nightwatcher began, but suddenly felt chains far more powerful then the ones binding his hands wrap around his throat, cutting off his voice.

Mordrax smiled. "And think of this, Toa Nightwatcher. Even with the raw power at my command, with this, with Shadowdermis, I am still only the second most powerful being in all of the Ix Empire, for the Hooded One is stronger still. And soon our power will be backed by something still greater—divine power."

Flashes of visions raced through Nightwatcher's mind, scenes of destruction so great that the Toa of Shadow almost winced. Scenes of a world made black with darkness, with Mordrax and the Ix standing triumphant over the twisted corpses of their foes.

"That will never happen." Nightwatcher managed to gasp. "You're insane, Mordrax. And if Skorpix and the Hooded One are planning to do this, then they're still more insane."

"Ah, Nightwatcher." said Mordrax, his voice almost concilatory. "On the contrary, I am perfectly sane. It is you who have been living in the past, you who have been lost in a world soon to end. A new age is dawning, one that will be birthed in death, darkness and Shadow."

"No." snarled Nightwatcher. "As long as I live—"

"You will not live for much longer, I assure you." said the Kodax. "But for now, enjoy yourself."

Then the world turned black and Nightwatcher was once again spinning through the depths of Karzahni.

The West Wall was at the edge of the country today known as the Fells, bordering the Ix Empire on the other sides. A small fortress and garison, stretched thin across the border, patrolled ceaselessly day and night along the edge, constantly vigilent for any signs of the Ix or their new superweapons— the Sarkanian clones.

Leiutenant Blast of the elite Fellsian guard stood atop one of the ramparts, his long scythe in hand. The cold wind raced through the trees, causing the Glatorian to draw his cloak tighter around his gleaming ebony armor as he watched the flatlands below. After two Ix raids on the lower villages in the past month, he was sure that they could not be too careful. If the Sarkanian clones came across the border from here, then the Fells could be doomed without a warning.

And that, he knew, would mean the end of the Xaterex Resistance.

Things were already extremely grim. Saren was away with Fairon and Tiral on Noctxia Magna with most of the Veythari warriors, trying to free it from the Ix's control. Parikon had vanished on Drakyr, and Atarus had been away for months, working on something in Arden that only he, Parikon, and Saren knew about. That left Freztrak and Reid Vaethar alone in charge of the Fells, with barely two hundred warriors, mainly Dargon, under their command.

More than a quarter of them were based here, the rest scattered throughout the Fells guarding against the Ix raiders or the Sarkanian clones. That left the Resistance base virtually unguarded.

Not for the first time, Blast wished that Shardak was with him. They hadn't seen each other for nearly three months, since he'd been assigned to the West Wall and Shardak, informally, to the Resistance's high council. The beings here were polite but aloof and rather cold, and he'd made no real friends among them. He missed Shardak, Flardrek, Jareroden, and Fairon greatly.

''You'll see them again soon enough. ''He reminded himself. Then he grim reminder of the Ix's ever-present threat returned. Assuming you survive.

Two beings walked up behind him, and Blast turned to face them. One, a Veythari warrior, was garbed in the traditional green-gray armor that the Resistance had utilized for years. The other was an Agori soldier, a veteran scarred by countless battles. One eye stared sightlessly at Blast, scarred over from where an Ix's scythe had slashed open his face. The other blazed with intelligence.

"Our scouts have spotted a group of Ix warriors coming toward us. There's over thirty of them."

"Thirty?" said Blast. "They should be eliminated easily enough."

"Yes, probably." agreed the Veythari. "However, there is a rumor going around that one of the Sarkanian clones is with them. If that is the case, we need to safeguard the West Wall against all incursions. I am leading a small scout team out to estimate the enemy force's numbers. You will come with us."

"Yes, commander." said Blast formally. He'd never seen this Veythari warrior before, but he had a Resistance commander's insignia on his cloak. He'd probably been recently assigned here in the wake of the Sarkanian clone's rampage in Arden.

Following the Veytahri and the Agori soldier down to main gate, Blast drew his mottled Veythari cloak around him until he was confident he blended perfectly with his surroundings. The Veythari, however, was a master at blending in with the Fells around him, Blast had a hard time keeping track of the being in the shadows of the trees and instead focused on following the Agori.

Blast raced as fast as he could through undergrowth, the cold wind whipping at his cloak and causing it to stream out behind him. Anxiety throbbed within him, growing fiercer and larger as he raced through the shadowy darkness. Now every tree seemed to hide a Limiter; every clump of bushes concealing one of the massive Shadowdermis-enhanced Sarkanian clones. Nothing seemed at all safe.

"There they are." hissed the Veythari commander to Blast and the Agori at last. Blast halted before a large clearing. "The Ix."

Blast looked down into the clearing and gasped in shock and horror as he felt a cold dagger of dread seep into his heartlight.

There were nearly one hundred Ix warriors there, all Limiters and all heavily armed. They easily had enough beings there to equal every one of the soldiers in the Fells in skill and strength. Blast knew that it was unlikely that they'd win, and even if they did, they would suffer massive casualties.

But it wasn't the Ix that froze Blast's heart, made him almost certain that the Resistance's cause was now doomed. For behind the Limiters, its gargantuan body coiled around an ancient tree, was one of the Sarkanian clones, its armor dull gray and red, its eyes blacker then the darkest, coldest night. It's eyes shone with a horrible intelligence, that of Shadowdermis, the sentient virus.

And its eyes fixed on Blast for one moment, then snarled a single hiss of warning to the Limiters.

Silver opened his eyes slowly to the same twilight skies outside Arcaea. The sun had vanished beneath the horizon, and the last pale streaks of daylight were still barely visible in the air, as though they were desperately trying to cling on to their last moments of existance. But Silver barely payed that any attention.

His hands were tied, and he could see Leviathos and Dust, regaining consciousness beside him. Both seemed startled, then as reality returned to them they exchanged glances of horror.

"Where are we?" asked Dust. Silver looked up, and saw, above the jungle foliage, the barest hint of the sunlight touching the pyramids. They were only a few miles outside the City of Light, then.

"Where you are doesn't matter." said a voice from the shadows.

Suddenly Leviathos stiffened in fear, fear that turned to horror as he saw the being who emerged from within the jungle, carefully concealed and hidden from view. Silver gasped in shock and horror as he stared at the being's features.

He was a Kyojin, heavily armored and covered in barely healed scars. One eye had been burned out, and his masked face had melted into his features, causing his breathing to become horribly nasal and his voice hideously raspy. He walked with a horribly bent, twisted gait, and one arm had been almost completely severed and lung useless at his side. In the other arm he carried a massive axe.

Still, it was clear from his reaction that Leviathos recognized him at once. "You!" he gasped. He turned to look at Silver and Dust, shocked disbelief in his features. "You told me Fairon had killed him! That he was dead!"

"He?" asked Silver. "Yes, Fairon won the Game. Therefore, all of the others have to be dead. Who—"

The Kyojin gave a hideously twisted smile. "It would take more then what Fairon did to me to finish me off." he hissed, cutting Silver off. "I am scarred, yes, but still I live on."

"Who are you?" asked Silver, scared by the maniac look in this being's one eye. Clearly this being had lost whatever sanity he'd once possessed. He was completely crazed, and couldn't— 

"This is the being who was Fairon's greatest enemy in the Game." whispered Leviathos, horror-struck. "This is Fairon's greatest foe, the most deadly competitor in the Eternal Game. This is Iruka, the leader of the Fallen Six."

Chapter 6
Fairon's scimitar slammed against the blade of an enemy Kranr's sword, and the Toa felt the flashes of darkness fired from the weapon of an Ix warrior slam against his armor, causing him to stagger backward in pain. Instantly emboldened, the Kranr charged forward, aiming to decapitate him with the massive weapon. Luckily for Fairon, his quick reflexes saved him and he was able to dodge the blow, tearing a massive arc across the Kranr's armorplate. The enemy soldier fell to the ground.

Leaping over the corpses of his fallen enemies and charging to meet a Limiter, Fairon felt his grip on the weapon falter as the Limiter slashed outward with his scythe, tearing through armor and then drawing blood. The Toa of Light winced and slashed out at the Ix warrior, missing him by centimeters.

Fairon lunged forward, aiming to finish of the Limiter before he could seize the offensive, but was unable to stop the Limiter's blindingly fast series of attacks and staggered backward as the Limiter executed an extremely complex Guokte/Vauhti maneuver and forced Fairon back across the plains before the fortress. Fairon felt his hands grow tired as the weapon was nearly torn from his hands, and knew that soon he would be too weak to continue fighting.

Suddenly there was a flash of darkness, and, like a Shallows Cat striking is unsuspecting prey, Saren slammed into the Limiter, his daggers raised. The Ix warrior staggered backward, falling to the ground as the Glatorian Resistance commander slashed open his neck.

Fairon suddenly became aware that all was silent. Their strike team was alone, and the Ix scout force had been defeated. Once again, he whispered thanks to Mata Nui that the Sarkanian clones hadn't been there. However, Fairon reminded himself, they were probably only hours away from the first attack force.

"Yes." said Saren, as though reading his thoughts. The Glatorian's bright, intelligent green eyes gleamed in the twilight darkness. "These were only an advance scout. However, I don't believe the Agori was lying. The Sarkanian clones are definitely within striking distance of the fortress."

Fairon, Saren, and six Noctians from Ixtil's personal guard had been sent to scout out the strength of the attacking Ix force. They'd expected hundreds, and at least one of the Sarkanian clones, but instead they'd only found a small force of eight Kranr and three Limiters. Saren had left the Noctians behind at the Noctxia Pass to make sure that these beings were not simply a diversion to allow the Sarkanian clones an easy gateway to the rebel base, and then he and Fairon had ambushed the Ix.

Now the attackers lay dead, and there was no sign that the Ix had ever been there. Suddenly a more worrying thought occurred to Fairon, something that he hadn't considered yet.

"Do you think they could have used the Shadowdermis to allow the Sarkanian clone to teleport directly to the main base?"

Saren thought for a moment, then shook his head. "The only Shadowdermis user I know of is Mordrax, and our intelligence indicates he's currently on Xaterex, light-years away. I doubt the clones would have enough control over the virus to be able to use it in that manner, from what Shardak said, the Shadowdermis mainly controls them."

Fairon nodded, uneasy still. Was there something they'd overlooked? Something more deadly? Saren's words, far from reassuring them, made Fairon simply more worried about the whereabouts of the Ix army. Unless the Agori messenger had been lying or had been insane, there was no explanation how an army of nearly one thousand Ix warriors could simply vanish into thin air.

Suddenly panic flashed in Saren's eyes. "Noctxia Pass!" he gasped. "That's it! The army's there."

"How did you—" Fairon managed to gasp, but Saren interrupted him.

"No time now. Follow me!"

Racing toward the pass where they'd left the Noctians, Fairon immediately became aware that something was wrong. The Noctian warriors were not standing at the pass, as they'd been when they'd left. And there was no sign that an army had passed though here. Though he wasn't an aura user like Shardak, his insticts, honed to perfection after winning two Eternal Games in a row, practically screamed to him that there was something wrong here.

"Look!" hissed Saren, under his breath. Nearing the mountain pass, Fairon saw the bodies of two Noctians, one shot by arrows and the other gored by Ix scythes, lying dead on the ground. Both wore expressions of shock and horror on their faces. As they passed through the caverns, Fairon saw the other Noctians' corpses strewn across the floors of the Pass, all bloody and none alive.

''Leviathos turned, staggering, away from Ghost and toward the edge of the Void. The demon slashed out again, backing Leviathos against the cliff face. Leviathos flailed desprately in his grasp, but was unable to stop Ghost's claw from cutting a second horrible wound across his chest. His dying eyes turned to lock with Fairon's, and he spoke his last words in a half-whisper before both he and Ghost vanished into the Void forever...''

Fairon shook his head, trying desperately to avoid the rush of horrible memories from the Eternal Game from engulfing him completely. Though it had been many, many months since he'd thought about the friends and enemies he'd left behind in the arena, sometimes certain images caused the flashes of memories to appear once again before him, as vivid as they'd been when they'd occurred.

Not for the first time, Fairon wondered what had happened to Leviathos after he'd fallen into the Void. After he and Jareroden and the other Toa victors had revealed that the Void was a prison, not a death trap, he'd encountered many of his foes from the games there, such as Millennium and Dredzek, the leaders of the Shadow of Ages.

It had only been about a year, but it seemed to Fairon like it had happened a lifetime ago.

However, he'd never learned what had happened to Leviathos, his Noctian friend, or Ghost, the demon who he'd dragged into the Void with him. He'd hoped that, during his travels in the Void, he would be reunited with his old friend—

Saren's voice brought Fairon back to the present. The Glatorian and Toa had crossed Noctxia Pass, and were facing the small cliffs that led toward the resistance base, which eventually led into the flatlands. Fairon knew that Shardak himself had been here, with Valkyria and Atarus, on their way to meet with the enigmatic being Moru Kul.

"There they are. Outside the fortress."

Fairon lifted his gaze and saw that Saren was correct. The Ix armies were massed directly outside the rebel base, their weapons all drawn like a field of scythes. Every one of the back ranks were Limiters, and the rest were Kranr and Copies of Corpse. There were nearly one thousand of them, all with drawn weapons. Fairon could see two of the Sarkanian clones were there as well.

"Holy Mata Nui." Saren breathed in shock. "They're massive."

Fairon had never seen the original Sarkanian, but he was completely aware that even one of these beings could completely destroy the Resistance base. Two would probably eliminate every one of the soldiers. The Ix were no longer playing safe; they were ready to annihilate the entire Hand of Mata Nui and the Veythari warriors in one stroke.

"They don't stand a chance." Fairon whispered. "We'll all be slaughtered. The Ix won't even have to attack at all."

Saren nodded. "We have to abandon the base. It's our only hope."

"But we can't warn them!" hissed Fairon. "We're trapped on the opposite side of a massive army."

"I know." said Saren. "I'll distract them. Buy you time to escape."

"But—" Fairon began.

Saren gave him a half-smile. "Your life is more important then mine. Go, warn the Hand."

Fairon nodded once, remembering how, in the Void, a Glatorian victor named Vorral had died to save his own life. At the time, he'd protested, but Treedaka, another deceased victor, had told him harshly that he was more important to the Resistance. Then, he'd been prepared to die for Shardak in the Games as well, but they'd narrowly escaped.

Now, another being was laying down his life for the Resistance's cause. Would the deaths never stop? "May Mata Nui be with you, Commander Naghara." said Fairon.

"And you." said Saren. Raising his voice, the Glatorian cried out. "I'm over here!"

The Limiters whirled around. "Go! Run!" whispered Saren to Fairon. The Toa hesitated for one second, then turned and ran into the shadows, racing across the cliffs and toward the Resistance base. The air rang with the clashes of weapons as the army turned and a group of Kranr led by a tall Limiter raced after Saren, scythe daggers drawn. Saren had turned and run, racing through Noctxia Pass, the Limiters hard on his heels.

Fairon threw open the back gate of the Resistance fortress before the confused Ix warriors could even draw a weapon to aim at him. By the time the Kranr had realized he'd escaped, Fairon was inside the—

Suddenly pain exploded across his shoulder. Fairon staggered to his knees as a second arrow missed him by an inch. Two Ko-Matoran had surrounded him, and dragged him through the doorway. Fairon could see the Veythari commander, Reid Vaethar's second-in-command, standing there, alongside Ixtil and the other leaders of the Hand.

"Fairon!" yelled Tiral. "Where are the others?"

"All dead. Saren stayed behind to delay the Ix warriors." Fairon gasped out. Now feeling much better, he sat down around the command table once again. He saw that the arrow had ricocheted off his armor, wounding him slightly but not causing any permanent harm. While it stil hurt, Fairon barely noticed it. His entire focus was on the Resistance leaders as he explained, in halting tones, that the army was about to attack.

Ixtil reached out and grabbed his commlink, and gave a few short orders to his generals. he turned to face Fairon and the Veythari leader. "Fairon, Zaxar, you lead the Veythari warriors. I must gather my own troops to oversee the defense of the base."

"No!" yelled Fairon. "We have to retreat! They have two of the Sarkanian clones with them! They'll destroy us all!"

Ixtil didn't even appear shocked. "They would not outright destroy us." he said. "There is a 2.21% chance that they will not kill us all. Still, you are right. As soon as our forces are mobilized here, we will leave the—"

Ixtil's words were suddenly cut off as a massive roar shook the building. Fairon had just enough time to raise the Blade of Arcturas and race toward the massing group of rebel soldiers before the wall collapsed and the Sarkanian clone tore its way into the fortress, the Ix close behind.

Fear.

Anger.

Hatred.

''But the overriding emotion was pain— excruicating, horrible pain as the Ix torturers continued their horrible work. Shardak was dimly aware that he was screaming, and he could see two beings, who looked simular to Vor Sxe'cahn, standing behind the Ix. They carried axes and several daggers, and they stayed completely silent and impassive as they watched the Ix do their horrible work.''

''Pain made it impossible for him to form coherent thought. The last time he'd felt such pain was during the horrible, excruiciating torture he'd suffered during his time as a captive of the Ix in the Circle. But this was still worse— they were not trying to keep his mind whole, they were simply trying to break him, whatever the cost.''

Questions. Suddenly the Ix were asking questions again, alaternating their questions. Each word ripped through his aura, twice as painful as the sharpest shredsteel. The Ix left nothing back, let nothing go. The pain, worse still then before, was merely made worse with each syllable they spoke, and, unconsiously, Shardak found himself answering.

"What do you know of the Annulus fragments?"

"What is your name?" one asked.

"What is your purpose?" asked the other, not even allowing Shardak time to answer before a stab of pain hit him once again.

"Name?"

"Purpose?"

''That time Shardak was able to answer, but no sooner had he spoken before the pain resumed again and he bagan to scream. They were still asking him questions, but he was no longer answering, they were simply ripping through every one of his auric guards with impunity. Their cold, drained auras touching against his felt like fingers on frozen steel, like flesh on flame. Mere words cannot describe the pain he felt as they tore his aura and soul searching for their answers.''

Then, as quickly as it had come, it was over. Shardak was suddenly once again in the small, darkened chamber, with the two Ix standing in front of him, faces hidden by skull-like Limiter masks. Both seemed completely impassive and untouched by the horrible suffering he was enduring.

"That will be all." one said. "You will return to your cell now." the two green-masked guards grabbed Shardak roughly by both arms and dragged him from the room. Shardak wanted desperately to ask the Ix guards where they were, and why the Ix Empire would have still had any interest in them, or who all of these other beings were, but the Ix sensed the intented question and crushed his aura beneath theirs mercilessly.

"No questions. All will be answered when you are finished with the interrogation. You will return tomarrow."

Confused and full of questions, Shardak allowed the beings to lead him back to his cell without any struggle. His mind burned with questions. That torture had been far worse then anything the Ix had ever done to him, and he was almost sure another session would break him completely. But even in his weakened state, Shardak was able to understand that something was not at all right here.

If these Ix were working for the Empire, why had they locked Valkyria in a cell as well? She was an Ix warrior, and should have been treated as their ally. And why did every being here seem to have a dark shadow imprinted over their own aura? None of this made sense.

Chapter 7
Chapter unfinished..