Into the Darkness

Into the Darkness is a story by Varkanax39, detailing the beginning of Shardak's role in the Second Multiversal Civil War.

Prologue
The caverns below Roxtus were silent. No Rahi dared stir in the twisted depths of the earth, and no voices broke the quiet. It was as if a shadowy hand had settled over the caves, draping the entire underground city in a dark shroud. All was still, save the torches that still burned with shallow, feverish red light.

The tall, shadowy Elemental who strode through the darkness like a wraith paused for a moment, his dispassionate gaze surveying the cavern. The stench of death filled the air, and as he entered the broken gathering chamber that had been created for the Skrall, he knew instantly he had come to the right place.

Once, this had served as a secret meeting chamber for the leaders of the Skrall race. The dark being could still see the faded remnants of their insignia engraved on one of the walls. Several centuries later it had been used as a center for the growing Alliance of Xaterex, before the cataclysm came fifty years ago and flung this twisted city below the depths of the earth.

Now, it was simply the Crypt.

Very few Rahi dared to live here, for the sheer concentration of dark energy was too much for their weak minds to bear. Even though it had been many centuries since dark power was last used here, the malevolence still lingered there like a half-remembered echo reverberating through the ebony stones themselves.

The Elemental surveyed the gathering chamber, raising one ebon-armored claw to tear away an ancient spiderweb. His armor, which shone like polished obsidian, seemed to glow even brighter in the shadows. The Elemental’s keen vision easily noticed the emerald armored being attempting to cloak himself in the shadows of the Crypt.

"Give it up, Windeus, I know you’re there." hissed the Elemental. The emerald being turned, his cold eyes fixing on the Elemental’s face.

"Skorpix. Where are the others?" Windeus hissed in his snakelike voice.

"Near." said Skorpix cryptically.

The Elemental’s conversation was suddenly cut off by the scraping of chains against the cold stone floor. A twisted, shadowy figure seemed to rise out of the depths of the cavern. The room’s shallow torchlight illuminated a horrific face that appeared to be a terribly burned and melted Spinax Hound head fused with that of an Elemental. The long chains the fusion carried as weapons sounded like nails scraping across iron as she moved to join Skorpix and Windeus.

"Do you bring the prisoner, Nex?" asked Skorpix. "Bring him before us."

"No." said Nex in a throaty voice sounded uncannily like the growl of a Rahi.

"I have him." said a new voice, cutting Nex off. The three Elementals turned to look at the tall, athletic Dark Hunter carrying two protosteel daggers. Her emerald eyes stared contemptuously at Nex and Windeus, and as her gaze met Skorpix’s her eyes turned guarded. She and Skorpix were both rivals for the Emperor’s favor, and while this conflict never became overly hostile, the feeling of mutual dislike was obvious.

Following the Dark Hunter was a gaunt Glatorian. His red armor was torn and bloodied, and his eyes haunted, as if he’d seen so many horrors that his soul had died, yet his body forced to live on.

"So you managed to take him alive, Lariska" Skorpix hissed, already wondering how he could discredit her in the eyes of his superiors.

Lariska tossed her head contemptuously. "Oh, please. This one barely put up a fight. I’ve had more fun with the Shadowed One’s training dummies on Odina."

The Glatorian stirred. His crazed eyes fixed on Skorpix, and recognition flared within his haunted pupils.

"No! I won’t-"

"Be silent.” said Windeus. His voice carried a slight tremor this time. “One of our number is not yet here. She alone will speak with you."

"What? Who do you mean? What do you want from me?"

"The Veiled Ones were forced to break his mind, and even then they didn’t get the full story." said Lariska.

"And you never will!" snarled the Glatorian. He seemed unafraid of them all, but Skorpix felt his mind recoil from the sheer darkness encased in this chamber. "I'll tell you nothing more.!"

"Oh, that I very much doubt. We are masters of...forceful persuasion." said Windeus silkily. “But you can avoid this most terrible torture if you tell us the secret you’ve been hiding from us. Where are the Shadow Hunters?” The emerald elemental snarled the last five words.

"My secrets will die with me." said the Glatorian, but his eyes were slightly fearful now. Skorpix had to admire his suicidal devotion to the rebellion’s cause, no matter how foolhardy it was.

And because he knew what would happen now, he almost pitied the Glatorian.

"My secrets will die with me." said Xandrek, voice faltering as his gaze fixed on the tall, dark Elemental Prince of Earth. Once, he had been one of the most brilliant minds in the rebellion’s armies. Now his mind was torn apart by the Corpsian’s torture. They had broken his spirit and power completely.

Later, they’d taken him back to his cell, and he’d hoped they were finished, until the evil Dark Hunter Lariska came for him. And he knew that those who met the Shadowy Ones rarely lived to tell the tale. These Elementals had once ruled all of Xaterex with their power before the Shadow Cataclysm. Now, their power broken, they had scattered, only a few remaining allied with the Empire.

''But if they're here...that means the Empire is going to begin a new campaign. But what? If there are any celestial bodies beyond the Xaterex and Solis Magna Systems, the Empire would have conquered them by now.''

As if in answer to his defiance, the torches flickered and dimmed.

Lariska’s smile faltered.

Skorpix and Windeus tensed.

Nex muttered something unintelligible and shoved Xandrek toward the shadows, which appeared to be writhing, as if recoiling from something more terrible then they. Xandrek, now irrationally terrified, staggered backward as he noticed the fifth Elemental in the shadows, where before there had only been darkness.

Dread froze his soul as he looked into pitiless red eyes that glared out from behind a slitted mask. The being that stood before him clutched a scepter in one hand topped by a black and scarlet orb, from which shone a dark light so terrible he flinched and looked away. As he was forced to lock eyes with the being, Xandrek noticed that its hands were pale gray and tinged with green, like those on a corpse.

"Bow before Nihiltian." snarled Skorpix. "Bow before the annihilator."

"No." gasped the Glatorian. "No, please. I’ll tell you everything! I’ll-"

A chilling hand seemed to close over his throat, choking off his voice. The dread being spoke, her voice harsher then any Veiled One.

"Bring it closer." Xandrek saw the raw terror in Nex’s eyes as the green Elemental shoved him to the ground before the dread being. A terrible scarlet light shone down on him from the scepter, bathing him in the dark illumination.

"This pathetic being is shielded by another." the Glatorian recognized Eostra’s scratchy voice. "He has been nearly broken. Let me take him."

"No, please, no." gasped Xandrek as he was engulfed by sheer terror. The world was spinning all around him, but he could still see the being’s nightmarish Kanohi as she ravaged through his mind, exposing the secret he had fought so hard to protect from the Veiled Ones, the secret that the leaders of the resistance had trusted him with.

When he had been taken by the Veiled Ones, he had lost all fear of death. He knew there was no escape, but had continued to use the powerful shield one of the rebel commanders had given him to protect the one secret that could destroy the rebellion utterly.

But now Nihiltian and the other Shadowy Ones knew his secret.

And he had found out there were things far, far worse then death.

Xandrek felt the world begin to fade, felt his vision dim as Nihiltian’s shadowy power began to spread through his body, chilling and burning him all at once.

''Let me die. ''He thought. ''Let me die now. ''

Then something deep within him erupted like a flame. He couldn't die now. He had to find a way somehow to stop the Shadowy Ones from returning to their full power. If they did, there would be no hope for the rebellion. Slowly his eyes flickered, as if awaking from a stupor.

"I’ll kill you all." He snarled defiantly. "The rebels granted me Elemental power. I’ll bring these caves down on top of you."

Nex looked uncertain now, but Nihiltian stayed completely cold and emotionless, as if the Glatorian’s threat meant nothing to him.

''Does nothing scare her? Does she feel anything save the hunger for complete power?'' Xandrek wondered.

"You have no power against me." hissed her chill voice.

“You were burned once. One of your members betrayed you. I’ll finish the job.” Fire flickered into existence at his fingertips. Now all of the Shadowy Ones except Skorpix had backed away from Xandrek and Nihiltian. The two beings, Elemental and Glatorian, seemed to stand still for a moment, then Skorpix’s wingblade slashed down at him. Xandrek ducked the first blow, but the second struck him in the chest. He traded blows with Skorpix for a few moments, then broke away. The small flame he’d created had become a fireball now. As Skorpix drew back to strike again, he threw his arm forward.

Suddenly he was lifted off his feet and flung against the wall. Slowly the caves came back into view, and as his vision cleared, he saw Windeus standing over him. Looking around wildly for an escape route, he realized with a sinking feeling there was none. Skorpix barred one way and Nihiltian the other. Even if he could escape the three Elementals, Lariska and Nex were still guarding the exit.

He tried to get to his feet, but Nihiltian’s dread power held him still. Slowly she raised the scepter and pointed it at him.

The Scepter of Darkness. Xandrek thought in horror. He knew exactly what the scepter did, and it terrified him as much as Nihiltian did. Fire danced for a moment in has armored hand, then flickered out. Seeing his last defense fail, he knew he was dead.

"We know your secret, Glatorian.” said Nihiltian, pointing the scepter at him. “We have no further use for you."

He was conscious of every detail. He saw Nihiltian’s corpse hand tighten around the scepter. He saw Skorpix’s dispassionate red gaze scorch him from the darkness. He saw the black lightning arc from the Scepter of Darkness and strike him.

Pain tore through him and he screamed once before his body crumbled to ash.

And in those last moments, he felt acceptance begin to overtake the fear of death. Who was he to think he could challenge the might of the Empire and live? He would die, and soon, the rebels would all die as well. There was no way he could avoid his fate, no way any of them could.

Then the darkest of all shrouds enveloped him and his world went black.

Chapter 1
The sun had set by the time Shardak returned to the stark city of Intax. The moon cast its dispassionate gaze down on the city below, and the tall towers rose like avaricious avengers against the cold north wind. Drawing his dark cloak around him to conserve heat in the cold conditions, he stared at the urban landscape before him. The Empire had already decayed the once-beautiful city beyond all hope of repair. It was, reflected Shardak, like everything else on Xaterex, a remnant of everything the universe had lost.

Beside him, his friend Blast contemplated the grim towers before them and spoke the words they were both thinking.

"It's so...desolate. As though nothing at all lives here."

It was not abandoned, of course. The grim, ghoulish soldiers that ruled the Empire would never let anyone leave the city alive. But everyone knew that the price anyone payed for wandering the city at night, the unspoken promise in the eyes of the Kodax guardians whom the Empire had placed in control of the city. And it wasn't death.

"You know the reason." answered Shardak. "Everyone is distracted now. Since the Eternal Game concluded, the Empire's been almost completely locked down."

The Eternal Game was the Empire's brutal punishment for the massive civil war that had occurred in the wake of the power vacuum after the death of Xarnath, the leader of the Toa Order. A massive interplanetary war had occurred, during which Xaterex had been caught in the middle of the power struggle. Every city save Intax had been wiped off the map, and the few remnants of civilization had resurrected a few cities across the warped planet.

Under the irrevocable control of the Kodax and the other servants of the Empire, shadowy beings that had only rarely been seen, and ruled over Xaterex, as well as five other worlds, from Drakos Magna. Neither Shardak or Blast had ever encountered an Imperial who outranked the Kodax, but there were rumors that other races of beings outranked them.

"There haven't been any retaliations on Xaterex." Blast protested. Then he added, darkly, "Yet."

"I know." replied Shardak. "But everything seems so...quiet...as though a storm is about to break. Fairon and his allies showed them exactly how much nobility and honor still existed in the arena. And when the retaliations strike Intax and Xaterex, we must be ready."

Blast nodded grimly. "We could escape all this, you know." he said, almost as an afterthought.

"How?" asked Shardak incredulously. "There's no way out of Intax, except the way we leave at twilight for mask making, carving, and hunting. And even if we could escape, we'd never get Nightshade and Arcturas out without official permission."

"I know." said Blast. "But...there has to be a way to solve the puzzle...a way to escape the city forever. The Empire, obviously, has a way out."

Shardak briefly wondered why they bothered to discuss all of this. It wouldn't help them earn more widgets to support their friends, Arcturas and Nightshade, and it certainly wouldn't allow them to escape Intax. It was almost as though it had become a cold comfort to their predicament, trying to support many other Glatorian as well as themselves from day to day in the city of Intax.

"We'd better return now." said Shardak, breaking the long silence. It's long past twilight."

The two Glatorian strode across the bridge which spanned the Shadewater River, which flowed through the center of Intax. Grimy and overflowing with decay and scrapped metal, Shardak couldn't see the bottom of the River, despite it being quite shallow.

"Shardak." said Blast. There was a tone in his voice that Shardak had heard only once before, when they had almost been apprehended by Kodax guards at night. "Shardak, something's on fire."

Shardak turned to look at the sky, and startled, noticed that the ebon Glatorian was correct. Smoke was rising from a nearby area, and sparks rose into the night like dying stars.

And it was coming from an area which Shardak knew only too well.

"No!" he screamed, racing down the streets, turning down an alley that was blanketed in smoke and

Arcturas.

Nightshade.

The sparks and smoke were rising higher now. For a moment, Shardak wondered what had happened, if Arcturas and Nightshade had escaped and had been taken to safety. As he ran, gasping for breath as he tore down the streets, he saw that the entire roof of a house nearby their own had collapsed, and that the flames, steadily rising above the buildings, blotting out all sight of any beings. Only Blast's armored hand, wrapped tightly around his, kept him from running out into the blaze.

"Shardak, there are Kodax there. They'll help them out." Shardak tore his hand out of his friend's grasp and raced into the smoke. Gagging and choking, he staggered around and fell to his knees in shock. At the center of the smoke stood a Glatorian he knew very well.

Arcturas. Three strange, obsidian armored beings, each one carrying spears in their seemingly carved hands, surrounded him. If he even moved an inch, he'd be transfixed by all of their spears. No, he realized, they'd throw one at Nightshade as well.

No... he thought. ''This can't be happening. Not now, not like this...''

Arcturas was standing, defiant and unbowed, despite the carnage and flames surrounding him.

"I knew you'd find me one day." he said. "It was only a matter of time."

From the flames came a harsh, cackling laugh. "We anticipated your every move." One of the strange beings stepped forward, his red eyes reminding Shardak of the ring of fire that surrounded them all. "It is a...shame that these poor Glatorian must die with you." He raised his spear.

Arcturas moved so quickly that Shardak couldn't even see his fist until it slammed into the being's face. The being, dropping its spear, staggered backward and collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Two more of them lept out of the flames, felling Arcturas. One's spear caught him in the leg, the other in the side. Shardak noticed blood, stark black against the dark sky and the darkened flames. As Arcturas slipped out of the beings' grasp and staggered to his feet, the other being threw his spear.

"No!" Shardak screamed, flinging out a hand as though he could stop the spear's path midflight. There was nothing he could do as it drew closer and closer to Arcturas.

An explosion of fire startled Shardak, and he stared at Arcturas, staggering toward the edge of the fiery circle, and the molten remains of the obsidian being's spear. Shardak was forced to take a step back as the fire began to separate him from Arcturas and Nightshade.

As the fire rose higher, Shardak thought he heard a scream of rage in the distance, followed by a sharp pain in his side. As though struck by some great force, he was flung back. The flames spun in a whirling, deadly kaleidoscope of red, orange, and yellow, and the stars spun around and around his head as though something had set the planet spinning at light speed. It took him a moment to realize he was lying on the ground, a shattered spear lying next to him. Realizing he hadn't been wounded, he attempted to stand and collapsed again.

Impervious to everything except the flames, he lay there, mesmerized and lost in a world beyond caring for a few moments, before a scream jerked him back into reality. For a moment, his mind was completely blank, then he remembered.

"Arcturas..." he gasped.

"It's me." said Blast.

"Blast..." he asked, his throat dry from the smoke and fire. "Where's Arcturas? And Nightshade."

"I don't know." he said. "We have to get out of here before this entire place collapses."

"I'm not going to leave them!" snarled Shardak. As his vision cleared, he could see the beings in the distance, and he could hear Arcturas' voice, defiant but weakening. The flames, rising hungrily over the carnage of battle obscured everything else.

"Shardak-" began Blast, but the yellow-armored Glatorian had already torn himself free from Blast's grasp and fluing himself into the flames. For a moment, he was lost completely in the clash of weapons and flames, then his vision cleared. He could see Arcturas, racing toward him, horror in his eyes three of the obsidian beings lay motionless on the ground behind him, and two more were still fighting.

"Shardak!" He screamed. He was carrying his flaming weapon, the Blade of Arcturas in one hand, a spear from the obsidian beings in the other. "Run! You shouldn't be here! Get Blast and-"

One of the beings stabbed out at him, but Arcturas blocked the blow with a sweep of his flaming blade and speared the being under the chin. Scarlet blood fountained.

"I'm not leaving you!" Shardak screamed, trying to make himself heard over the clash of weapons and the roar of flames. It seemed as though the ground was giving way beneath him. The world was spinning rapidly, causing the Glatorian biting nausea and horrible pain from where the spear hilt had struck him.

Arcturas decapitated the last obsidian being with a sweep of his flaming sword, then raced toward Shardak. "You have to get out of here." he said urgently. "Run! They're coming."

Shardak was about to reply when he noticed that one of the obsidian beings had staggered to his feet. "Arcturas! watch out!" he screamed. Arcturas, racing toward Shardak, stopped and turned around-just as the spear that the being had thrown entered his body. The momentum carried him backward, and he collapsed limply on the scorched earth.

"Arcturas!" yelled Shardak as he raced toward his mentor. He was lying, either dead or dying, on the ground. Shardak wondered for a brief moment if he was dead. Shaking him, he searched frantically for a pulse, for any sign he was still alive.

Arcturas' eyes fluttered open. "Shardak..." he gasped. "I am dying."

"No!" said Shardak. "We can get you to Intax...invent some story."

"The wound is fatal, Shardak." Arcturas said gently. "I cannot move, or I will hasten my passing."

"Take this," he said, placing the blade in the hands of Shardak. The Blade of Arcturas. Normally Shardak would've argued, saying he wasn't worthy of the powerful weapon, but now he reached out and touched it. A bolt of energy shot up his arm, and his vision went out of focus.

"We can still escape." Shardak said desperately, and for a moment he was oblivious to the Imperial soldiers firing at them, to the noises of the night, to everything but Arcturas.

"No. Run!" Arcturas gasped. "You have to live. Then we may still have some hope." His voice softened. "You can survive. Just- don't hate me in the end. When you know the truth."

"What truth? What-" Shardak was cut off by the sound of more of the beings racing toward them. They hadn't spotted Arcturas yet, but if they did, Shardak knew they would both be killed.

"Flee..." Arcturas gasped, his speech horribly slurred. "They'll not follow you, they only want me. Run!" The effort of speaking made the blood flow faster from his horrible wounds. Shardak knew then there was no way to save Arcturas. If he fled with the Toa, the Corpsians would follow them, and kill them both. And Arcturas had said he must live. For what reason, Shardak did not know, but he guessed it went beyond the bond they shared.

"Shardak." said Arcturas, his voice quieter now. "Please leave. Some part of me will always watch over you." his breathing began to grow weaker now. "Go..." he whispered. "Take care of Nightshade for me."

Nightshade. his sister's name jerked him out of stupor. Staggering to his feet, blinded by tears and by the all-consuming smoke, he raced away from the dark soldiers. He was dimly aware of the Blade of Arcturas' weight in his hands. His head throbbing with pain and his side aching from where the spear's hilt had struck him, Shardak collapsed on the ground, his eyes staring at the flames which blotted out even the night sky itself.

Stars. thought Shardak numbly. The stars are burning.

Then he was gone, lost in a realm beyond life, death, or reality.

Chapter 2
Illiera

Two Years Earlier

The sun set to the west of the sea in a brilliant flare of orange and red, bathing the ocean in an ethreal twilight glow. For a brief moment, the sun flashed down at the faces of the two figures standing near the edge of the shore, the waves lapping at their booted feet.

Momentarily blinded, Valkyria closed her eyes against the glare, and at that moment, her opponent sprang. For a moment, the words of her trainers before they'd entered the Eternal Game training grounds had told her: Distraction can mean your death in the arena. As an Ix warrior apprentice, Valkyria had fought many deadly beings to the death, but she'd never faced such deadly ferocity.

With reflexes borne from years of rigorous training, Valkyria's dagger seemed to meterialize in her hand. The Kodax trainer's scythe flashed past her line of vision, and she blocked the blow easily. She had no time to see her opponent's second scythe slash at her, just below her guard. Valkyria blocked the blow, but the Kodax's sheer strength tore the weapon from her hand. He reached out for the final blow with both scythes, blades flashing in the sunset.

Valkyria drew a second dagger from the sheath on her thigh and narrowly managed to block one of the blows, twisting to one side to avoid the second. As the Kodax, momentarily disoriented by the distraction, swung at her wildly with the knife, Valkyria tore the weapon from his hand.

"Very good." the Kodax said. An obvious distraction. His remaining scythe struck her shoulder, drawing blood. Valkyria tensed against the pain that shredsteel always caused, the horrible sensation of burning and freezing cold all at once.

At first, when she had been chosen as an Ix apprentice, she had been shocked that they would actually land real blows. Her mentors had told her, "Would a real enemy?"

''No. And eventually you can become immune to pain, as well as all of the emotions. It gives the Veiled Ones strength. Strength to survive anything that has been forced upon us.''

The Kodax was on the defensive now. Valkyria, now armed with two shredsteel daggers, had injured him badly with blows to the chest and arms. With his final weapon, a long, razor sharp scythe, in his bloodless hands, he could defend easily against her strikes with her far shorter daggers.

I must end this, soon. she thought grimly as she easily parried the blow. Valkyria knew she could not outlast a Kodax warrior in combat forever. She was far more slender and built more lightly then any Kodax, and could not compete with the Kodax's sheer strength.

Suddenly the Kodax switched to the offensive, his scythe swinging wildly. Valkyria blocked the first several blows, and, though disoriented by his sudden attack, managed to take a step back, avoiding injury. But they both knew that this was more then a simple training exercise. If Valkyria was able to win against a Kodax master, she would be accepted as an Ix warrior. If she failed...

I will not fail. thought Valkyria, pushing the distracting thoughts aside. As the Kodax's blade arced downward, the metal blade striking her dagger and nearly tearing the weapon from her hand, an idea sprang into her mind. It was risky. It would utalize her powers of Aura, which, according to the rules of the Eternal Game training exercise, would allow him to respond with his own powers as well.

As the Kodax's scythe decended, Valkyria lunged forward, allowing the scythe to reach an inch from certain defeat before flinging out a hand. Her green eyes stared at the hilt of the weapon, and her aura reached out, for a moment holding the blade in midair. Then, using a technique she'd been taught by an Ix Aura warrior, crushed the weapon's own aura around it, shattering the blade.

It took the Kodax a moment to realize what she had done, and another moment to realize he was now allowed to use all of his powers. As Valkyria brought the blade down, aiming for a finishing blow over the heart, he retaliated with a barrage of chain lightning. Years of training took over as Valkyria lept high into the air, using both her control over the Aura field and her inherent speed caused by the Ix blood flowing in her veins.

The Kodax, realizing almost instantly what had happened, fired a blast of dark energy at the Ix, sure that it would strike her. Valkyria easily twisted out of the way, landing on her feet while aiming both daggers at the Kodax's heartlight. There was no doubt in either of the being's minds that had the Kodax been a real attacker, he would be dead now.

Valkyria felt a rush of pride and ambition rise up from within her, which she quickly surpressed. While many Ix warriors could not utilize either Aura or any of the elemental powers, they were still highly sensitive to the emotions of other beings.

And as an Ix warrior, she would neaver be allowed to show emotion of any sort while around other beings. It was only when she was alone that she could revel in her sucess, the culmination of the ultimate challenge. She had won a great victory, one that had been achieved only by the greatest of all warriors.

"Very good." a new voice rang out over the field. Nasal and harsh, it spoke in the Ix's native language, not the common tongue spoken by the Kodax, Matoran, and Agori who had been lost when Illiera was forever cut off from the rest of the universe.

Three beings seemed to appear out of the dark forest surrounding the training area. One was a massively built Kodax carrying at least ten daggers and two longer maces. The other two, veiled in robes of the blackest night, carried no weapons, but at the same time seemed even more dangerous then the Kodax.

Valkyria bowed her head repectfully to the two powerful Ix lords. One stepped forward and walked over to her.

"Valkyria Rheai, Ix apprentice and Aura warrior." intoned the Ix in his nasal voice, this time in the common tongue. "You have done much in your apprenticship to serve the Ix Empire. You have battled beings from the Core Dimension, slain many deadly opponents in single combat, and proven yourself worthy of the title warrior."

Valkyria felt a shiver of anticipation as she waited for the Ix's final words. "Rise, Valkyria. Tomarrow you will be given your first mission as a full warrior, but, for now, you may rest and recover from the arena training session."

The Ix lord paused, then, almost as an afterthought, added, "I suppose you'll also need this."

He held out his hand, and Valkyria saw what he was carrying. It was a long, slender dagger with a hilt formed of pure obsidian, shot through with silver streaks of Shredsteel. The blade was curved slightly, and gleamed with a silver sheen. The blade itself appeared to be completely formed of molten silver, as though ripples of the metal were sliding up and down it.

Silverblade. thought Valkyria. She'd wondered when her weapon would be returned to her. It had been given to her as an apprentice, after she'd been sent on a raid with her mentors. She'd killed one of the enemy warriors during the battle, and in return was granted the Ix weapon by Scrall Vhokyn, her commander.

"Your mentors tell me you also have a talent with the bow as well as the dagger. Take these as well." The Ix lord paused, and two Ix warriors stepped into the clearing.

One carried a bow, made completely out of the same meterial Silverblade had been fashioned from, the Xxyr, "Shademetal" in Matoran. A set of arrows, as well as a quiver, were held in his other, and he handed them both to Valkyria, who was unable to control her surprise or delight in the Aura field. She had to make a consious effort not to betray her surprise any further.

The second Ix was carrying six Shredsteel daggers, which were carried by both warriors and apprentices in case of attack. As she slung the quiver of her shoulder and picked up the bow and Silverblade.

Something must have shown on her face as she faced the Ix lord, for his eyes seemed to grow softer. Valkyria felt a brief touch, that of another aura coming in contact with her own, and tensed, waiting for the Ix's reaction.

"Do not surpress your emotions now, Valkyria." he said, surprising her by using her first name. "This is your last day as an apprentice. You will have the rest of your life to live without emotion."

Valkyria began to calm now, remembering what Vhokyn had told her during the torture resistance sessions she'd had to endure as an apprentice, in the event she was ever captured by an enemy.

''The Ix are the masters of the universe. Any master must be able to put his own emotions aside for the good of the universe we rule. Without emotion, there is no love, no anger, no life, no pain, no death- only the single devotion to our ultimate goal."''

Valkyria smiled inwardly, thinking of their raid on the Glatorian outpost built near the edge of the Veil. It had been there that she'd first taken a life, there where she'd been given Silverblade, and there where she and her squadron had won knowledge of the Core Universe's weaponery, the way they fought, and the way they lived. It had been a grand victory, one that she had savored in its fullest.

Now, as an Ix warrior, she would win many more great victories, but she would not allow even the lighter emotions to cloud her judgement. Allowing, for one last time, her ambition, anticipation, and thrill of sucess to shine on her face, Valkyria waited for the Ix to finish speaking, then bowed her head one last time and, as the gathered Ix and Kodax began to scatter, vanished into the trees, her bow in one hand, Silverblade in the other.

But her mind was elsewhere, lost in her memories of their first victory and the battles that had followed...

Chapter 3
"Shardak."

The voice seemed to echo all around him, yet somehow sound distant at the same time.

"Shardak." The voice had spoken again, and this time, Shardak thought he recognized it.

Then, as he opened his eyes to pitch darkness, he remembered. The weight of Arcturas' horrible death at the hands of the strange soldiers had struck him to his core, and he had staggered away from the flames, looking for-

"Blast?" he asked. His voice sounded cracked.

"I've found the obsidian beings' tracks." came the reply. Shardak could see a light shining in the distance, and as it came closer, he saw his friend's Kanohi Ruru appear in the shadows, his green eyes shining in the darkness.

"Where am I?" he asked. His voice still sounded unfamiliar to him, as though the smoke had burned more then his armored body.

"I was standing near the edge of the inferno when you staggered out of the fire. You weren't burned badly, however, and I managed to guide you back to the city's center. You're in one of Kor's hideouts."

Kor, an enigmatic Glatorian who had befriended Blast and Shardak, lived in fierce competition with the brutal Intax gangs and always had a hideout on the outskirts of the city."

Chapter unfinished...

Trivia

 * The Combat forms were created by The Slicer.
 * This page won Featured story.
 * The battle that Skorpix shows the captured Toa on board the Shadow Destroyer is the same battle fought at the edge of the Void in chapters 28 and 29 of The Eternal Game.
 * Into the Darkness is the 19th longest page on the wiki.

Reviews
Note: Please post reviews on the talk page.

"Into the Darkness is absolutely fantastic! I'm being serious, the writing is so deathly paced and calm, and destructive and emotional at the same time, yet also extremely sleek and descriptive as well. I swear, you [Varkanax] are doing absolutely fantastic with your story, can't wait for more!"

- Chicken Bond