Chapter 7 -- Dream Revelation
Authoress' Notes: To my faithful readers...you'll be happy to know that this chapter marks the beginning of the end! There is only one more chapter to go, so expect a lot of secrets revealed!
"Ahh...hh..hh..."
Takua shuddered outwardly as the cold air nipped at his body. Even though he was a wanderer, and used to various climates, he was still Ta-Koronan. So naturally, the closer the island's temperature was to home, the better his circuits performed. But where was he? Looking down, he found out that he was floating in midair, over the island of Mata Nui. The view was breathtaking, to say the least.
But Takua had no time to view the beauty of the landscape, or shiver from the air, as suddenly he began to fall, plummeting to the ground below. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact...but instead found himself being eased lightly to the dusty ground. What was going on? It was just then he realized that though the landscape was rich and lush, there was no sign of intelligent life. Or was there?
Listening closely, Takua heard a crying sound from behind him. A lost, plaintive noise that was eerily familiar. Turning around, he saw a forlorn little Matoran in the far west. Takua rushed over as fast as he could, determined to find answers, but the figure never seemed to be within speaking distance.
"Why do you move away? Who are you?" called Takua.
"I can't do this anymore." the figure answered, his voice floating across the space that separated them. It was as if the Matoran were pleading to someone else that only he could see. "I can't handle this. I don't know what to do. Oh, Great Beings, please help me! There has to be another way!" Takua listened, mesmerized at the Matoran's words. The voice was familiar, and he had heard similar words once long ago.
"Who are you?" Takua called, more insistently. Still, the mysterious Matoran did not answer, but turned to face him. Squinting into the sunlight, he caught something black hanging from the Matoran's neck. Peering closer, he saw that it was a scarab...fully completed. Takua wasn't just talking to an ordinary Matoran.
He was talking to himself.
-*-*-*-
Takua watched with a mixture of fear and fascination as his otherself finally went over to meet him. Despite the ghost's transparency, it was as if Takua were looking into a mirror. The same coloring, the same slightly defensive posture. The gold eyes that looked far older than his lifespan. But unlike his own eyes, there seemed to be a barely restrained madness to them, and it was as though it took every ounce of courage and determination his otherself had left to approach him. He was shaking slightly.
"Who are you? You look like me! Have the Great Beings sent help to me at last?"
"Uhh....I'm just a wanderer." said Takua, fumbling for words. He was absolutely certain that this doppelganger of the past could provide him with answers! Why could he not say anything? Nervously, he fingered the scarab.
The scarab!
Takua held up the scarab to his otherself. "Could you tell me what this is? And where I might find it's missing half?"
The ghost looked at him for a moment, but then let out a strangled yell, and yanked his own scarab from his neck, sending it to the ground below, watching with bitter, bitter hate as it split directly in two. He looked up and glared daggers at Takua. "You want to know what it is? Watch!"
Takua watched in horror as his otherself collapsed to the ground senseless. His mask had become dislodged during the fall, and there was an unearthly peace to his expression. But Takua was distracted from this disturbing sight as two familiar Matoran made their appearance, one from each part of the scarab.
The first one was white, pure as the frosty snowcaps of Mount Ihu. He wore a silver Hau, and yet there was a simplicity to his outward appearance. His blue eyes carried wisdom, and yet had a painfully innocent quality to them. He held a long, thin, silver staff that was taller than he was. Mata Nui.
The second Matoran stood proud and slightly arrogant. He was all black, save his gold Hau, and his gaze carried cynicism, and great distrust. Makuta thumped the butt of his gold staff against the ground, eyes narrowing in irritation. He looked over at Takua's fallen doppelganger and shook his head. Neither of them seemed to notice Takua standing nearby. "He was weak. I had known from the beginning that having one lone creature try and keep the balance of good and evil within him was a bad idea. Then again, I don't like this new arrangement either, Mata Nui. I don't like it at all."
-*-*-
"....Takua! Takua! Wake up! It's daybreak! Takua!"
Takua stared blearily into a pair of green eyes, trying without much success to glare at the Matoran shaking him awake. His doppelganger's collapse was still fresh in his mind, and he still heard Makuta's prophetic statement, however faintly. Slowly, Kapura's warnings managed to drag him from the horrifying netherworld where he was residing back into the cool, damp earth. The scarab was burning on his chest, surrounded by an intense purple glow.
Breathing hard, Takua looked over at Kapura. "Where's Nuparu?"
Kapura coughed, and looked at Takua, a little edgy, as though he wasn't sure if Takua was in condition to carry out the plan. "Don't worry. Nuparu is with us. He's listening for vibrations in the earth so we have an idea of when to take position."
"Shush!" said Nuparu. "Here they come!"
Takua took his place and listened to the sharp chikt-ing noises above them. There was a sudden hush as two bodies landed somewhere above them. The oily, perfect speech of Matau, devoid of any Le-Koronan slang, was a sure sign that he was indeed krana-ed.
"Ah...Tamaru, Kongu, I'm glad you could join us. There is much work to be done."
"Now!" shouted the voice of Tamaru.
Takua, Kapura, and Nuparu reached up and grabbed the Le-Koronan above them, which happened to be Matau himself. "Hold on to him tight, Kapura, Nuparu! He's strong!" said Takua, wrestling with the mask. With as much strength as he could muster, he managed to yank the krana off of Matau's face. Matau slumped against the dirt wall, his Kaukau staff sliding falling to the floor. Without a second thought, he grabbed Matau's badge of office, and sliced the krana, killing it and preventing it from moving to someone else's face. The glow left the krana, and the trio breathed a sigh of relief.
Knowing they could only wait, Takua listened to the *fwsshing* noises of the Boxors above him, no doubt doing their job. There were several *ripping* sounds of krana being removed from Le-Koronan faces, and loud cheers from Tamaru and Kongu, urging the Boxors on. There was a brief silence, and then an even louder cheer that practically shook the ground they were residing under.
Knowing insinctively that danger had finally passed, Takua and Kapura helped the weakened Matau up through the hole. He was awake now, and though shaken, seemed relieved. "Thanks be to the colorful wanderer and his bravehearted island heroes!" he muttered.
Takua nodded, but only semi-conciously. His mind was on the dream that had returned to his mind now that the adrenaline was gone. Takua finally had some of the answers he sought, but it was a hollow victory. He had begun to see his destiny, and was not looking forward to it.
Authoress' Notes: To my faithful readers...you'll be happy to know that this chapter marks the beginning of the end! There is only one more chapter to go, so expect a lot of secrets revealed!
"Ahh...hh..hh..."
Takua shuddered outwardly as the cold air nipped at his body. Even though he was a wanderer, and used to various climates, he was still Ta-Koronan. So naturally, the closer the island's temperature was to home, the better his circuits performed. But where was he? Looking down, he found out that he was floating in midair, over the island of Mata Nui. The view was breathtaking, to say the least.
But Takua had no time to view the beauty of the landscape, or shiver from the air, as suddenly he began to fall, plummeting to the ground below. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact...but instead found himself being eased lightly to the dusty ground. What was going on? It was just then he realized that though the landscape was rich and lush, there was no sign of intelligent life. Or was there?
Listening closely, Takua heard a crying sound from behind him. A lost, plaintive noise that was eerily familiar. Turning around, he saw a forlorn little Matoran in the far west. Takua rushed over as fast as he could, determined to find answers, but the figure never seemed to be within speaking distance.
"Why do you move away? Who are you?" called Takua.
"I can't do this anymore." the figure answered, his voice floating across the space that separated them. It was as if the Matoran were pleading to someone else that only he could see. "I can't handle this. I don't know what to do. Oh, Great Beings, please help me! There has to be another way!" Takua listened, mesmerized at the Matoran's words. The voice was familiar, and he had heard similar words once long ago.
"Who are you?" Takua called, more insistently. Still, the mysterious Matoran did not answer, but turned to face him. Squinting into the sunlight, he caught something black hanging from the Matoran's neck. Peering closer, he saw that it was a scarab...fully completed. Takua wasn't just talking to an ordinary Matoran.
He was talking to himself.
-*-*-*-
Takua watched with a mixture of fear and fascination as his otherself finally went over to meet him. Despite the ghost's transparency, it was as if Takua were looking into a mirror. The same coloring, the same slightly defensive posture. The gold eyes that looked far older than his lifespan. But unlike his own eyes, there seemed to be a barely restrained madness to them, and it was as though it took every ounce of courage and determination his otherself had left to approach him. He was shaking slightly.
"Who are you? You look like me! Have the Great Beings sent help to me at last?"
"Uhh....I'm just a wanderer." said Takua, fumbling for words. He was absolutely certain that this doppelganger of the past could provide him with answers! Why could he not say anything? Nervously, he fingered the scarab.
The scarab!
Takua held up the scarab to his otherself. "Could you tell me what this is? And where I might find it's missing half?"
The ghost looked at him for a moment, but then let out a strangled yell, and yanked his own scarab from his neck, sending it to the ground below, watching with bitter, bitter hate as it split directly in two. He looked up and glared daggers at Takua. "You want to know what it is? Watch!"
Takua watched in horror as his otherself collapsed to the ground senseless. His mask had become dislodged during the fall, and there was an unearthly peace to his expression. But Takua was distracted from this disturbing sight as two familiar Matoran made their appearance, one from each part of the scarab.
The first one was white, pure as the frosty snowcaps of Mount Ihu. He wore a silver Hau, and yet there was a simplicity to his outward appearance. His blue eyes carried wisdom, and yet had a painfully innocent quality to them. He held a long, thin, silver staff that was taller than he was. Mata Nui.
The second Matoran stood proud and slightly arrogant. He was all black, save his gold Hau, and his gaze carried cynicism, and great distrust. Makuta thumped the butt of his gold staff against the ground, eyes narrowing in irritation. He looked over at Takua's fallen doppelganger and shook his head. Neither of them seemed to notice Takua standing nearby. "He was weak. I had known from the beginning that having one lone creature try and keep the balance of good and evil within him was a bad idea. Then again, I don't like this new arrangement either, Mata Nui. I don't like it at all."
-*-*-
"....Takua! Takua! Wake up! It's daybreak! Takua!"
Takua stared blearily into a pair of green eyes, trying without much success to glare at the Matoran shaking him awake. His doppelganger's collapse was still fresh in his mind, and he still heard Makuta's prophetic statement, however faintly. Slowly, Kapura's warnings managed to drag him from the horrifying netherworld where he was residing back into the cool, damp earth. The scarab was burning on his chest, surrounded by an intense purple glow.
Breathing hard, Takua looked over at Kapura. "Where's Nuparu?"
Kapura coughed, and looked at Takua, a little edgy, as though he wasn't sure if Takua was in condition to carry out the plan. "Don't worry. Nuparu is with us. He's listening for vibrations in the earth so we have an idea of when to take position."
"Shush!" said Nuparu. "Here they come!"
Takua took his place and listened to the sharp chikt-ing noises above them. There was a sudden hush as two bodies landed somewhere above them. The oily, perfect speech of Matau, devoid of any Le-Koronan slang, was a sure sign that he was indeed krana-ed.
"Ah...Tamaru, Kongu, I'm glad you could join us. There is much work to be done."
"Now!" shouted the voice of Tamaru.
Takua, Kapura, and Nuparu reached up and grabbed the Le-Koronan above them, which happened to be Matau himself. "Hold on to him tight, Kapura, Nuparu! He's strong!" said Takua, wrestling with the mask. With as much strength as he could muster, he managed to yank the krana off of Matau's face. Matau slumped against the dirt wall, his Kaukau staff sliding falling to the floor. Without a second thought, he grabbed Matau's badge of office, and sliced the krana, killing it and preventing it from moving to someone else's face. The glow left the krana, and the trio breathed a sigh of relief.
Knowing they could only wait, Takua listened to the *fwsshing* noises of the Boxors above him, no doubt doing their job. There were several *ripping* sounds of krana being removed from Le-Koronan faces, and loud cheers from Tamaru and Kongu, urging the Boxors on. There was a brief silence, and then an even louder cheer that practically shook the ground they were residing under.
Knowing insinctively that danger had finally passed, Takua and Kapura helped the weakened Matau up through the hole. He was awake now, and though shaken, seemed relieved. "Thanks be to the colorful wanderer and his bravehearted island heroes!" he muttered.
Takua nodded, but only semi-conciously. His mind was on the dream that had returned to his mind now that the adrenaline was gone. Takua finally had some of the answers he sought, but it was a hollow victory. He had begun to see his destiny, and was not looking forward to it.