Chapter IX:
Thrown off Balance
Three hours earlier…
"No…" Siroll's cheeks were wet with tears as Codian headed in the direction of Le-Koro.
Siroll walked back from Le-Wahi, after Codian left. She had been sitting, thinking, and crying. She couldn't lose him…she loved him, and if she had lost him, she would be devastated. Her current decision was unsettling, and hard to live with. Finally, she had come to a conclusion. She had to do everything in her power to keep him from getting hurt, or losing him. That's why she concluded, she had to go to the one person who could hurt Codian. His worst enemy.
Naidoc stood in Le-Koro, burnt remains around him. It was an illusion of course, but it worked for psychological reasons. He felt someone was calling him. It was a strange feeling, as if it were a magnetic pull in his throat. He vanished into shadow, and re-appeared in a large opening in the forest.
"You came." A voice said behind him. He turned, to se Siroll, the Toa of Water.
"You called me." Naidoc replied, summing the toa up.
"So I did. I want to make an agreement."
"And what would this…agreement…be?"
"You are to leave Codian be, unless I say otherwise."
Naidoc smirked. "And what will I get out of this?"
"The other toa…and my service."
"I don't need you're service." Naidoc said bluntly. "I already have the faith of Macsonn."
"No, you don't." replied Siroll, calmly. Naidoc shot her a curious look. "He betrayed you, and released Tokamu back into Onu-Wahi, and he came to us."
"Interesting…isn't that a convenient twist to our little story?" replied Naidoc, chuckling. "Very well, I'll leave the Toa of Air for now."
He reached out a hand, and shook hers. He jerked her hand toward him, and gave it a soft kiss, which she despised, which slowly branded her with a shadowy miru. She fell to her knees as she cried out in pain. Naidoc had a sour frown on his face.
"Macsonn betrayed me without my knowing. You will not do the same. Remember, we have an agreement." Naidoc said, suddenly dissipating into shadow. Siroll stayed on the ground, silent tears falling from her eyes.
Naidoc materialized back to Le-koro. He had no intention of harming Codian. At least not physically.
"Hello, Toa of Air." He said, turning around. Codian stood before him/
"Who are you?" asked Codian, out of habit, rather than anything else.
"There is no need to go along with your vision." Naidoc said.
"How do you know about that!?" cried Codian,
"I know, because I gave you the vision." spat Naidoc, as if it were an extremely simple question.
"What…No!" Codian lunged at his enemy. Slicing his sword everywhere he could. Every one of his hits smacked the clang of Naidoc's sword. "Who are you!?" he cried.
"I am that which you cannot defeat."
"What did you do to the others?!"
"They are fine."
"LIAR! I SAW THE VISIONS!" Codian said, swinging downward.
"The visions are lies! They were true, but no more!" cried Naidoc
"What do you mean?" asked Codian, still attacking, and Naidoc still deflecting. Left, Right, Right, Up, Down, Slice, Stab, Slice.
"You're little friend, Macsonn threw off the cosmic balance."
"Wh-Wha-?" Codian stopped attacking, and stepped back.
"By betraying me, he threw it off. The Great Beings had a design. The timeline was set in stone, and He threw it off by betraying me. His destiny was to help me kill the six of you, but he took his destiny into his own hands and destroyed the cosmic balance!"
Codian glared at Naidoc.
"You know what I'm talking about." Naidoc told Codian. "You know that you were not the Toa destined to defeat the Makuta."
"Are you the Makuta?"
"You tell me."
"I…" Codian started, gripping his sword tighter. "I know you have to be stopped."
"Oh, no, Toa of Air. You are the ones who have to be stopped. Not me. You."
"Liar!"
"Am I!? Prove me wrong!"
Codian screamed and attacked, but Naidoc vanished, his words echoing in the air.
"You are the ones who must be stopped…"