One Destiny von Aqua111 (Bionicle) ================================================================================ Kapitel 25: Chapter 25: When heroes fall ---------------------------------------- Chapter 25: When heroes fall For a moment the time stopped only to start rushing even faster after. “What? You will …” Tahu’s voice faded. Tupua was standing again but it still looked a bit wobbly. “Yeah, it drains our last bit of energy…” Kopaka had run over to the entry and now rushed back again. “It’s coming closer. The small corridor can slow it down but not much. It seems like it can dig like Onua.” “Then this will be grave of us all”, Rui said. He tried to sound calm and quirt but his voice was trembling. Lewa clung around Tahu’s neck. He just felt sick and sad but he didn’t even have tears left anymore. The sound of crashing rocks was coming closer but a rampaging Ikuta wasn’t the worst thing right now. It was this complete helplessness. The Spectre looked up to the glowing Kanohi; the mask looked back without eyes. And then suddenly something shot into his mind. Something he couldn’t explain. As if Mata Nui himself was trying to give a last hint. And he understood. He felt his last remaining energy rushing through his body when he suddenly jumped forward and grabbed the floating Kanohi. A body that’s not my own… Survival is only possible with my own body… “Tupua! Where are you going?” he heard Gali’s call behind him but he first stopped and turned around when he reached the edge of one of the Protodermis pools. “I have no other choice.” He felt like somebody sent these words into his mind right now. “I’m sorry, but I have to fulfil my destiny.” With those words he let fall himself back before he could decide else. A point of no return. He heard the other’s voices and looked right into Gali’s eyes a last time but had no chance for a last goodbye. Liquid Protodermis descended over his head. When he opened his eyes he had awaited darkness but there was silver light around him as if he had fallen into glowing mercury. He couldn’t breath but he didn’t need to. Something prevented him from drowning. A soft voice was whispering in his mind. It slowly got stronger. “Put this Kanohi on. Don’t be afraid. I will be with you. Trust me.” ‘Mata Nui?’ he wanted to ask but when he opened his lips Protodermis filled his mouth. “If you want to know, yes I am the Great Spirit”, the soft vice answered, “You don’t have much time. During your transformation our souls will touch for a very short time and I will try to make you understand But for now … just trust me.” Transformation.? Tupua shrugged. What other choice did he have while he was still floating somewhere beneath Protodermis unable to swim up or down? He took a short look at the Kanohi then turned it and put it on his face. ~~~***~~~ For the Toa, Zaktan and Sasha outside of the pool the world stopped another time but a loud and harsh crack made it turn again. Ikuta’s giant head came crashing into the hall, the rest of his body was still stuck in the corridor but would follow soon. Tahu readied his sword. “We won’t back away anymore”, he shouted at the creature. “If necessary we’ll fight till death.” In the corner of his eyes he saw Lewa slowly getting up and taking his Katana. “Lewa … you …” “I don’t know, but it feels like … I’m regaining energy”, he looked over to Sasha and Rui. “We all get our energy back.” “That means Mata Nui is still alive”, Onua said. “Because of Tupua”, Gali added sadly. Kopaka nodded into the direction of the Ikuta. “But he won’t be for much longer if we can’t remove this … thing.” Purple light shot out of one of the Protodermis pools, so blinding that they had to shut their eyes but their closed lids and their hands were only a mere protection. As fast it had come it disappeared. They heard an angry scream from the Ikuta’s direction and it sounded like two separate voices again. “What’s happening, Lhi?” “We’re ripped apart, you down-syndrome!” First they all just stared at this strange spectacle, then Zaktan’s call was heard. “Ikuta! Now you’re at our size again. And you’re just two against nine. Finally time has come…” Lhikuta gave him a little smile. “And still we’re strong enough. Want to test it?” “Nothing I would like better than that.” “Maybe this won’t be our last battle”, Lewa shouted with surprisingly strong voice, “but it will be yours.” ~~~***~~~ “No way you’re pulling one of us under again”, Lhikuta shouted and jumped away from where he had been standing just as the dirt and rock floor carved in and Onua shot out of the earth again. The same second an incredible iciness filled the air. Kopaka’s sword started glowing causing everything to turn to ice that was coming too close. The red Ikuta quickly backed away and growled in anger. “Don’t be scared Lhikuta. It’s just ice”, the ivory Toa chuckled. “Oh, well, when it’s fire versus ice, fire always wins.” Lhikuta was covered in flames. “Let’s see how ice really fares against fire.” He laughed and melted the frozen water around him. “And let’s see how fire really fares against water.” Gali was suddenly standing beside her icy friend who was ready to block any incoming attacks with his shield. One of them came immediately, but not from the front. She was hit from behind by Reikuta’s tail, stumbled slightly but was caught by Kopaka, who glared at the creature. “So you’ve sunken to using cheap tricks to win now?” “It’s not a trick, it’s called skill”, Reikuta chuckled while he was pulling his tail forward again, blocking off an incoming attack of Tahu and Lewa. The black Ikuta was suddenly hit by a hard kick from the side and sent sliding over the floor. “This is called skill too”, he heard Pohatu’s call from behind. ‘If this doesn’t work, I’m dead’, Rui thought grimly. In the meantime he had climbed up some rocks and was now sitting nearly over the fire covered Ikuta, in his hands he held one of Lewa’s Katanas. He readied the weapon for a blow to Lhikuta’s head, took a deep breath and jumped off the boulder but his aim was off. The hilt hit the middle of Lhikuta’s back instead. ‘No’, Rui’s mind screamed. Lhikuta let out a cry of pain. He quickly turned and reached for Rui’s neck, but stopped short and fell to the ground. Rui stood dumbfounded for a few seconds before shaking his head and running over to the others. “Reikuta, don’t be stupid, give it up”, Zaktan called. “Your brother has already fallen.” “No, I will never give up! Not now!” the Ikuta screamed quickly turning from side to side. “You should still fear my Rahkshi attacks. “He pointed his staff at Rui who suddenly felt weaker and weaker until his legs gave up carrying him. The Ikuta let out an insane laugh. “And on whom shall I test my next Rahkshi ability, huh? What about destruction?” He turned around a last time then decided to jump at the one who was standing closest: Gali. She tried to block off the attack and managed it to give a short slash right through Reikuta’s side but the creature jus coughed up a bit of blood, smirked and stabbed his staff straight through Gali’s armour. The sapphire Toa cried out and fell backwards, eyes wide and blood turning the floor deep red. “GALI!” Kopaka cried and ran to his fallen love as Reikuta collapsed as well. The creature watched as Kopaka knelt beside Gali and cradled her wounded body in his arms. “Gali, come on, talk to me! Let me know you’re still with me, please!” the icy Toa cried shaking her gently. “K-Kopaka … it … hurts …”, Gali coughed softly a stray tears falling from her eyes as well as a rivulet of blood running from the corner of her mouth. “Don’t worry, you’re going to be okay, I swear it.” Kopaka placed his hand over the gap in her armour where her wound was. “This is going to be a little cold but at least it will stop bleeding. Are you ready?” The water Toa nodded slowly and Kopaka smiled gently. He channelled his power through his hand and soon a thin sheet of ice had covered the wound, stopping the blood flow. Gali shivered as the ice patched itself over her chest. She then snuggled closer o Kopaka when she was picked off the ground by him. In the corner of her eyes she could still see Kopaka’s old wound. She smiled slightly and looked up to him. “Now we’re quits.” “You know, you haven’t won”, Reikuta coughed out again, “Maybe we’re beaten but the whole fight is far from over.” Lewa readied his Katana for a last time and went over to the creature. His eyes had a strange glow and there was a cold and sharp tone in his voice. “But at least we’ve finally wiped you out. That will bring us a large step closer to our final destination.” He took his sword over his head. “This is for what you’ve done to us … to me.” The blade drove right through Reikuta’s body. It took them all a few seconds to realize what Lewa had done right now, that this battle was really over now. Lhikuta and Reikuta were dead. A little sob touched the silence. Sasha had finally broken down to her knees, letting her tears flow. Tahu knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s over”, he whispered, although he knew it better. Reikuta was right. As long as Makuta was still out there with unchanged hate against his brother many battles would follow. This war was far from over. ~~~***~~~ The days passed by. Slowly the leaves had turned from green to yellow or red. Even the golden fields had taken a slight grey colour. Only the green of the deepest jungle remained untouched. The Toa only had stayed on Aro Nui to cure their physical wounds. The next and hopefully last destination of their journey was already waiting: Karda Nui, residence of the gods, origin of all Matoran beings, now nothing more than a dark and dying underground lair made of cliffs and swamps. If they could believe Vakama a direct move against Makuta was the only possibility remaining. After he had been defeated on the Kini Nui it seemed like the Dark Spirit had retreated to his main lair. The Toa knew their peaceful days on Aro Nui were counted and just a matter of a few more days. Outside of the jungle city near a well-known little hut a now useless bow had been stuck into the ground. Gali’s damaged armour was lying in front of it. Lewa had graved some words into it. Don’t stand at my grave and weep I am not here, I do no sleep I’m the river floating through the lands I’m the rocks deep in the desert sands I’m the jungle treebright high I’m the Kewa flying through the sky Don’t stand at my grave and cry I am not here, I didn’t die Nearly every day Gali visited this kind of graveyard even if she didn’t know what exactly lead her there. It felt like she had lost a very close friend. “We don’t even know if he is really dead”, she heard a voice beside her. She turned her head away from the memorial and looked up. Kopaka had silently stepped up to her. “No one will survive a bath in pure Protodermis.” “We have.” Gali slowly shook her head. Only a false hope. They were the first Toa ever who had fallen into liquid Protodermis so it was possible that only Toa would survive that. But not a single Matoran had gotten out of it alive. Several miners already died because of accidents with Protodermis. Gali unfolded the sheet of paper she had held in her hands the whole time and showed it Kopaka. It was this drawing of her she found again on one of the armour shelves in Tupua’s hut when she tried to find replacements for all broken or lost armours and weapons. It seemed like Tupua had crafted replacement sets for every single Toa. His cellar had more rooms than the one with the chest armours Gali had seen during her first visit. “Have you seen the word on it?” she asked. “I wanted to ask Tupua about the meaning of it but I never did …” “It looks like a word of the old Metru Nui language. Maybe our Turaga could read it but I don’t think we will meet them again before…” “Wait, can you still remember? Tupua wasn’t just a name. It also was one of those old words. And Turaga Potaka translated it.” Gali stood up. “Maybe he can help us with that word too.” ~~~***~~~ Potaka read that word over and over. “Yes, I know its meaning. I still know it very well.” “And what is the translation of it?” Gali asked. “Whanaungatanga … it means friendship.” Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)