Takua's progress was swift and unhindered, only really becoming aware of his body demanding a break when he nearly tripped and had to stop so he could properly rebalance. Chest heaving as he doubled over and took a moment to get some air back in his lungs, the Chronicler used the time to reflect on his journey so far, starting right at the beginning that fateful Ga-Koro morning. It seemed so long ago despite only being a few days; had so much really happened in such a short time? The excitement of the kohlii tournament had been all but erased in light of everything that'd occurred, and that was only the first day, let alone actually locating the Avohkii and starting the actual adventure. The adventure he'd never asked for. The adventure he was trapped in the center of whether he wanted to be or not.
The adventure that now held Jaller's life precariously as blackmail.
The more Takua thought about it the more sick he felt. Jaller's life was in peril because of him, and it likely never would have been if he had simply accepted his fate instead of trying to hide from it. But no, instead of stepping up to the plate he had ducked out like a coward at the one point in his life where it was crucial to stay strong. It was entirely his fault and now he had to face the music and pray he wasn't too late. Jaller didn't deserve to die because of him, not after everything else Takua had put him through already. Surely there was a better fate in store for him than this.
For the rest of the journey to the surface, all Takua could think about was Jaller and the mess he was in thanks to the Chronicler's dodging of responsibility. Every thought was an apology, every breath punctuated by a frantic wish for the young guard to still be alive. If Jaller died because of him Takua would never forgive himself, and likely would give up on everything simply out of self-loathing. That was how it felt at least, and given the circumstances he wasn't inclined to stop and analyze it. He had wasted enough time as it was.
It felt like both an eternity and no time at all had passed as the Chronicler emerged from the tunnel and out into the orange-tinted glow of a not-quite-sunset sky. He could tell at a glance that he was almost there; the long flight of carefully-hewn steps before him was all he needed to see in order to know Kini Nui awaited him above. One final climb, and everything would come to its climax. Takua hesitated as he looked up the steps to the curving pillars that peered out over the horizon to stare emotionlessly down at him. Everything seemed calm and quiet, lacking in the sort of tension that implied a hazard lay in wait. There were still the soft sounds of nature echoing gently from the nearby trees, and that fact concerned him. Surely there should have been some sort of ominous feeling, or a blatant silence.
Something was wrong.
Tentatively the seventeen year old began his ascent, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of his stomach. Had he made a mistake in coming here? No, Jaller needed him. The lack of apparent danger didn't mean anything. It could just mean that the situation up above was so calm that none of the local rahi had picked up on it. That was very likely it; shadows were silent by nature after all, and it was more than likely that whoever sent the note – Takua had a sickening hunch that it was Mihkoro – was deliberately keeping Jaller quiet. There was no need to draw possible and unnecessary attention when only one person was required. Takua wasn't even a villain and he knew that; being quiet and keeping a low profile was important when one was trying to avoid being caught. Only someone who wanted to be found would make noise purposefully.
Soon he had reached the top of the stairs, and as he took in the masterfully crafted stonework and open courtyard, it became even clearer that something was dreadfully amiss; nobody else was here. Nobody he could see, at least, and as he wandered further into the center the sensation of being watched fell over him like a shroud, leading him to shiver involuntarily. "I-I know you're here!" He called out loudly, voice wavering a little as he searched his surroundings for any sign of his currently-hidden companion. "C-Come out so we can settle this like decent people!"
A chillingly familiar voice laughed nearby, seemingly from all around him. "I wondered how long it would take you to show up." Mihkoro sneered. "I must admit, you are a lot faster than you look. Playing kohlii has clearly taught you well." The shadow of a nearby pillar flickered, though no figure emerged. "It's a shame, really; you're painfully naïve. I half expect to see puppet strings every time I look at you."
Takua frowned, trying to hide his steadily rising fear. "Where is Jaller? Your note said he was here and I came to get him. I-I'm not afraid of you!"
Again the Shadow Toa laughed, and this time he emerged from the shadow of a nearby pillar as he regarded the youth with very clear amusement. "Jaller isn't here. In fact, I don't even know where he is, other than possibly still in Ko-Koro." A devious and almost playful smirk tugged his lips. "He was never here, Takua, and now that you're alone I can take my time ensuring the Seventh Toa never rises. Isn't it funny that the most important Virtue is also the biggest weakness of those who cling to it? One little fabrication was all it took to use your Unity to tear you away from the only ones powerful enough to stop me." Lazily Mihkoro held his hand out to the side, his glaive materializing in a swirl of darkness. "How fitting that the one who told you how to find the Avohkii will be the one to put an end to the prophecy it features in."
Takua went white as he realized how readily he had been played. There were no Toa to save him here, no real warriors to protect him. The herald of light against the scion of darkness, and no way to escape. Nervously he plucked the kohlii stick off his back and held it at the ready, though he doubted it would help him much here; it was made for sport, not actual combat. He would need to get really creative if he hoped to use it effectively. But if he could hold out long enough for the Toa to find the note and reach him, he would be alright. Right?
Mihkoro started laughing as he considered the Chronicler's choice in armament. "That is your weapon? Do you take me for a fool? This isn't a kohlii match; only an idiot would bet their life on a sports game! Surely you came better prepared than this!"
The seventeen year old cringed at his opponent's words. Really, he should just try to run and hope someone could save him in time. What could he possibly think he could do to a being so heavily steeped in shadows? He wasn't a Toa, he didn't have any powers! … Wait. Yes he did! It wasn't much but at least it was something!
The faintest hint of a smile tugged his lips despite his unease. "I've never been one for conventional." He remarked as he shifted his stance a little, standing as though he were about to launch for a kohlii ball and bracing himself for the first sign of movement. If he could time it right, he might be able to give Mihkoro the surprise of his life, and from there it would simply be a matter of staying out of the way long enough for help to arrive, or – if he felt really daring – long enough to get in enough lucky shots to somehow win. The latter option was incredibly unlikely, but if he was in for a widget he may as well be in for the jackpot. "So are you going to actually fight me or are you going to burn time talking about it? You're on the clock." Takua's little smile grew. "I may not have brought any backup but I did leave your little note behind; the Toa are probably already on their way and something's telling me you can't handle all of them at once."
He barely had the chance to move as Mihkoro lunged forward, throwing himself to the side and hurling a small blast of light at the ground as he went. No sooner had his ball hit than it exploded with a brilliant flash, Takua rolling to his feet and turning even as the Shadow Toa behind him let out a pained and startled yell as light bombarded his eyes, leaving him stumbling from temporary blindness. "Y-you little wretch!" Mihkoro seethed as he struggled to regain his sense of vision, blindly swinging his glaive and nearly striking his quarry as the Chronicler scrambled out of range. "You may have parlor tricks at your disposal but it won't save your miserable life!" All around them the shadows darkened and began to move, reaching out across the stones beneath their feet as though searching for the one patch that had not fallen to Mihkoro's sway; Takua's. It wasn't hard for the seventeen year old to guess what would happen if he was found; the whole fight had just become the world's most dangerous game of 'the floor is lava' and being on said floor would result in imminent death. Hastily he launched into motion, dodging around the encroaching tendrils and bolting for more open terrain; the fewer shadows around him, the more easily he could evade attacks, and that meant he could last longer in this new and significantly terrifying experience.
Unfortunately, Mihkoro could still hear him and that meant he could aim in the fleeing Chronicler's general direction.
A loud crack resounded just mere inches behind Takua's heels, several stray bolts of shadow energy careening haphazardly past him as their dark master sought to find his mark. The fact that each shot nearly hit him only severed to scare the youth even more, his movements growing more chaotic and unstable as he frantically tried to make himself harder to hit. Eventually he stopped running and turned, ducking another bolt of energy and hurling one of his own in retaliation. The shot missed, though it seemed that simply conjuring it was enough of a tell for Mihkoro to pinpoint exactly where Takua was. Ignorant to the watering of his still-bleary eyes, the Shadow Toa flung out his unoccupied hand, bending the darkness near Takua to his whim and causing several jet black tendrils to erupt form them, ensnaring the matoran and restraining his arms and legs before he had a chance to try and escape again.
"Well well," Mihkoro all but purred, a sadistic smirk drawn across his face as he slowly approached. "it looks as though your little game is up. Poor helpless Takua, playing with fire and getting burned… you should have stayed in Onu-Koro, little light; you wouldn't be here if you hadn't tried to play hero. You know a matoran can't do a Toa's job; they simply aren't meant to."
Takua shivered as he struggled vainly to get free, his eyes wide and flooded with terror as he watched his demise approach. It was over. The island was doomed because he tried to fill a role that was not his to fill. Everyone he cared about would suffer for his attempt to be brave and save someone who didn't even need saving. "A-and what do you think will happen when I'm gone, huh?" He asked fearfully, trying to muster up the courage to face his end with some measure of dignity. "Do you really think the Makuta will spare Jaller? Or Vakama? Or anyone else? Y-You're just a puppet to him! As soon as he's got what he wants you'll be thrown out just like everyone else! You are nothing to him and you know it!"
That statement made Mihkoro pause, and even as his smirk faded it was easy to see the conflict in his eyes. The man behind the monster was struggling to break loose. "Lies." He growled despite his internal war, his progression toward Takua ceasing as his body began to tremble. "Y-you are lying. The Makuta promised my son's safety. He would not go back on his word."
"Would he not?" Takua pressed, still struggling to escape despite the futility of it. "He attacked Ta-Koro didn't he? Destroyed it, even. Probably would have killed people if the Toa weren't there. Can you defend that?"
Mihkoro stumbled as he gritted his teeth, eyes squeezing shut as he fought with himself, frame visibly quaking from the struggle. "He… n-nearly killed Vakama…" He gasped out, dropping his glaive and instead gripping his head as war raged. "I… I-I had to stop them… n-nearly… nearly killed him! H-he nearly killed Vakama!" A veritable cloak of darkness whirled around him as the Shadow Toa fought to see through the corruption he lived in for so long. Jerking and twitching as though in the throes of madness, Mihkoro made a strangled noise as he swayed and stumbled about, barely seeming capable of staying on his feet. "G-get… out…" He gasped, clutching his head even tighter. "G-Get out of my head! I won't be your pawn any longer! J-Just get ou-" His plea turned into an agonized yell as his whole frame convulsed, the shadows around him closing in tight and seemingly trying to strangle his will to fight back.
To Takua's horror, the darkness was winning, and an unfamiliar voice resounded from Mihkoro's lips as the Shadow Toa spoke again. "Fool… you have always been my pawn. My puppet. Free will was never yours in the first place!" Again Mihkoro screamed, jerking violently before going eerily still, standing as though the only thing keeping him upright was a string tied to his shoulders. His head lolled to the side, face expressionless and eyes wide as they vacantly stared ahead of him like a lifeless doll. For several seconds he simply stood there, unblinking and unresponsive… until suddenly his eyes shone scarlet. Slowly he stood upright, head still tilted slightly to the side as he regarded his prisoner. An unsettling and crooked smile tugged at his lips. "Thought you could steal him from me, did you?" The cold, loveless voice mused. "Thought that you could appeal to the weak-willed fool behind my shroud and entice him into fighting back. But it's far too late for that. Even with his attempts to meddle and rebel he has delivered you to me, harmless and pathetic. I had thought I killed the last of your kind on Metru Nui but it seems I missed one… But not this time. This time you're mine!"
Mihkoro reeled his hand back, Takua's bindings tightening even as a barrage of shadow-formed daggers materialized and hovered before the possessed Toa's outstretched fingers. There would be no missing this time.
The Makuta made sure of that.
Takua squeezed his eyes shut, breath catching in his throat as he braced himself for death. This was it. This was the end. Nobody could save him now, and even if the Toa did arrive and stop Mihkoro the damage would already be done. There would be no Seventh Toa to help them save the island, no Toa of Light to help combat the darkness. In a few mere moments the battle for Mata Nui would be over, and everyone would pay the price. Not even the breeze that'd begun to blow about him could offer any solace.
A rushing sound. A sickening chorus of near-squelch-like noises. The dull thud of a body collapsing on the stonework. But in the deafening silence that followed…
Takua knew someone else had paid the price.
