CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: VILAK REVEALED
Kopaka instantly threw himself between Gali and Malak, his sword at the ready. "We had a deal, Malak," he snarled, "You said you'd leave Gali alone."
Malak smiled wickedly, baring pale-grey teeth at the Toa. "As long as you gave me your weapons," he said, "And now you have one. That means she's free game."
Kopaka's eye twitched and Gali noticed that his wings still hadn't furled into his back. "Gali is not 'game' at all, Malak," he said, swinging his sword at the black Toa, "And you'll stay away if you know what's good for you."
Malak somersaulted through the air, landing behind Kopaka, and delivered a crushing kick to the white Toa's spine. Kopaka slumped onto the ground for a second, and then stood up to face his rival.
"A strike in the back is a mark of cowardice," he said, pointing the sword at Malak, "And I thought you knew that."
Malak drew his scimitar, "Time to see which blade is better; The Blade of Blinding Truth or The Blade of Darkness."
Kopaka swung his sword at Malak, annoyance seeping into his features when he found it blocked. He tried again, but Malak seemed to read his mind and parried it. Their slashes echoed around the mountaintop, reverberating through the peaks that surrounded them.
"I've got no time for this, Malak," growled Kopaka, kicking his enemy away, "I've got to get to Onu-Ara."
Malak dodged a thrust aimed for his chest, countering with a swing for Kopaka's head. "I can't let you do that! The Shards you possess are far too great a threat to Master's plan. Unless you give them up, you're going nowhere."
Kopaka felt the icicles bloom from his arms as Vilak sank his roots deeper into Kopaka's mind. He fought to remain in control; fought not to allow the demon to take over again.
"Get…" he snarled, "… out of my way!" he swung the sword with such ferocity that it knocked Malak's sword away. Malak stood still for a moment in surprise, and barely managed to move to dodge a strike that would have split him in half.
"You're not half bad," he smirked, twirling the scimitar around his fingers, "But you still can't leave!"
He aimed a running thrust not at Kopaka, but at Gali. Kopaka's eye widened in shock as he noticed it, and began to run for Gali as well. There was no way he could parry a strike moving that fast, he realized, and instantly knew what to do.
He pulled ahead of Malak, and threw himself between his enemy and Gali. The sword pierced through his chest, just below his lung, but stopped. Malak let go of the sword, taking a step backward. Kopaka slumped to his knees, the blade protruding from his back. His protodermic blood leaked from the wound, staining the snow with its coppery color. Kopaka's breathing was labored, and he could feel the barbs on the sword working into his flesh.
Vilak seemed to sense the danger to the body he was using. The wings on his back flapped once, and Kopaka began to change again. His hands became clawed, grinding their talons into the snow. His legs lengthened, bending as new joints formed in them, and his feet became as clawed as his hands. The wings that had burst from his back earlier were joined by a second pair, and all four began to grow larger.
Kopaka's face changed, altering in shape and size until it no longer seemed to belong to a Toa. Malak's sword, which had been stabbed through Kopaka's torso, was forcibly ejected from the body as the wound sealed itself up.
Malak was watching the transformation in some kind of morbid curiosity. Gali was watching in horror as her brother Toa transformed into a demon before her very eyes. It was no longer a half-baked demon either, she realized. This was Vilak.
The demon stood up from the ground; golden-red eyes locking on to Malak. The mouth split into a malicious smile. "Hello Malak," it said, flapping its wings, "Are you ready to die?"