A weight pressed down on my shoulder, but not enough to hurt me. It shook me gently and I drifted from a drowsy sleep. Rubbing at my bleary eyes, I focused on the shape of Kopaka standing above me. His bright blue eye glowed in the darkness, his form barely outlined in a stream of silver. I groaned, stifling a yawn.
"What's up?" I asked, shifting to lie on my stomach. My arms and legs cracked as I moved from my fetal position. I must have been holding it a while.
"Get up," he commanded softly.
Kopaka held up a small knapsack and placed it beside the cot. Reaching towards it, I recognized it as the duffle bag I had brought with me. Unzipping it slightly, I rummaged through it.
"Everything's there," Kopaka confirmed. "I made sure nothing was missed. Now come." He moved back towards the flaps, waiting just outside and holding one of the flaps open for me. A stream of blue moonlight flooded in.
My mind was struggling to comprehend what was going on. Everything felt like it was a dream. With sluggish moves, I staggered out of bed. The soreness in my body had lessened, but it was still tough even accomplishing the simplest of tasks. I reached for my shoes beside the cot and slipped them on before standing, shouldering the duffle bag. With slow, careful steps I approached Kopaka and met him outside.
"Good," he nodded. He quickly took off down a pathway of leaves, his footsteps heavy and silent. The floating pathway bobbed with each step, but supported him nonetheless.
Stifling another yawn, I followed, wincing with each and every pace. Whatever hike Kopaka had in mind, I wanted no part of it. All I could think about was returning to the cot and having a good sleep. In the middle of the pathway I rubbed at my eyes, trying my hardest to stay awake.
"Where are we going, Kopaka?" I whined. "Why can't this wait 'til tomorrow?"
"It's urgent." Kopaka drew by my side, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Here." He looped one arm around my shoulders and the other beneath my knees, picking me up with ease. I held the duffle bag to my chest, eyes already half-closed. "Rest, I'll do the walking."
I was in no mood to argue. Not bothering to suppress another yawn, I shut my eyes and fell into a half-sleep. It was one of those states where you were barely dreaming but still conscious enough to recognize what was going on. The waves bubbled softly as they endlessly pulled in and away from the shore. No one else was around except for us, not even a Rahi. A loose breeze ruffled the strands of my hair and I took in the fresh scent of seawater. Kopaka made sure his steps were slow and even, not even so much as disturbing me.
The beachy landscape changed into the dripping canopy of the jungle. Soft birdcalls echoed throughout the trees. Slowly, I opened my eyes and stared around, watching patches of moonlight drift through the leaves. The ground shifted upward into a slow incline and peaking into a small ridge. Kopaka paused atop the rise and slowly set me down against the trunk of a massive tree. The foliage was tighter here, encircling us in a closed dome of leaves, flowers and vines.
I sat up, rubbing the remaining sleep from my eyes and stretched my arms above my head.
"You're awake?" Kopaka asked.
I nodded. "I coulnd't really get back to sleep. What're you doing?"
Kopaka sighed, glancing away. "I should have done this at the start. It was a terrible mistake to bring you here, especially after what happened to your brother."
My brow furrowed. "What're you saying?" When Kopaka produced the golden helmet of the Kanohi Olmak, the breath caught in my throat. "No."
"It needs to be done." Kopaka replaced it over his mask, the Olmak fusing over his face. His blue eye poked out from the helmet, the other was a blank gaping hole. "Come here."
In the back of my mind I was at a loss. Part of me deeply wanted to go back, it was all I had been talking about since I came here and discovered Arc. I already imagined being back at home with Mom and Dad, resuming my daily life as if all of this adventure had been nothing but a bad dream. Yet at the same time . . . I wanted to remain here. I didn't want to admit it, but I had somehow grown attached to Kopaka, the other Toa, even Matt. I didn't want to just leave!
"No." Wincing, I struggled to rise to my feet, only making it to my knees. "After all this time, why now?"
"After what you have revealed, it's been determined it's not safe for you to remain here any longer," Kopaka said heavily. "I not only think that, but so do the other Toa and the Turaga." He lowered his head. "Now I understand why the use of Apprentices has been discontinued."
"But . . . I'm not like the other Apprentices," I argued. "I didn't become a Ghost, I survived Makuta's kidnapping –"
"At the expense of you nearly turning and Sebastian's life," Kopaka growled. "No matter what spared you in the chamber, I don't want to risk your life again."
"And what about Matt? Does he get to stay here?"
"What happens to Matthew is none of your concern. Tahu, too, has been advised to take the same measures and return him home. Makuta already took a gamble with you and lost, what's to say he won't try to win with Matthew?"
Anger flared in my chest. "You already took that gamble by bringing me here! You should have known why Apprentices were no longer used, you even confessed yourself that they'd lost popularity. It was your selfishness that brought us here. You meticulously chose Arc for your own purposes. You deliberately stole him away from our family – from me! – and brought him here to face a titan." My hands clenched into fists and I pointed accusingly. "You're no better than Makuta!"
"You're right!" Kopaka barked, his shout overpowering my own. He glared hard, his one bright blue eye burning. "Is that what you want to hear, that you're right? I have already admitted my transgression to the Turaga, to myself – even to Mata Nui himself! The reason I brought you here, after Arcangelo's failure was becaue I knew you two were unique. There was something about you and your brother that made you special, even if I don't understand what it is yet. I knew if Arcangelo ever failed, you would succeed – and you did. Arcangelo may have been transforme into a Ghost, but you didn't. You somehow beat that darkness. It was never about you replacing me or developing your Toa powers. I brought you here because –"
He stopped short, jerking his head towards the east. He remained stalk still, staring into the silhouette of trees. A loose wind brushed through the glade, rustling the leaves to a quiet whisper.
"What're you staring at?" I asked, voice still harsh.
"Silence," Kopaka commanded. He reached for his Ice Blades and Shield, taking them both in hand. With careful steps he strode forward towards the edge of the dell, staring through the curtain of foliage. Uneasiness set within me and I, too, glanced around. Nothing stirred, nothing breathed. Even the wind had ceased to blow. Wetting my lips, I slowly crawled towards Kopaka but halted as something twisted around my ankle and jerked me back. I collapsed hard to the ground and dragged swiftly down the slope.
"Aaagghhh!" I threw my hands over my face as twigs, roots and leaves assaulted me, leaving knicks and bruises. Whatever had me by the ankle pulled me faster and faster down the slope, kicking up a trail of dirt and dust. A cloud of dirt swirled around me, staining my mouth with the taste of earth. The ground suddenly began to turn soft and damp, then spongy with pools of mud. The slope tapered out to solid ground and whatever had grabbed me pulled me into a marshy glade surrounded on all sides with sickly, droopy trees.
The wrapping around my ankle tightened so much that it hurt. Reaching out I pulled at its slick surface, realizing it was the thick twin of a root. No matter how hard I scratched at it, it wouldn't break and only continued constricting.
Heavy splashes disturbed the pools of watery mud, rowing louder the more it closed in. My heart thundered wildly against my chest and I struggled all the more to get free. A force like a gale wind knocked me back and I fell flat into the mud, a veil of shadow looming over me in ropy tendrils. I snapped my eyes shut.
" . . . Cheryl . . ."
I opened my eyes and the breath immediately caught in my throat. Looming over me was Sebastian, but not the Sebastian I had come to know. His skin had dulled to the chalky color of ashes. The sandy mop of his hair was the same shade inky black as the night around us. His eyes, once sparkling emeralds were now the smoldering rubies set deep within his face, betraying his evil intent. Shadow swirled around him in cold, misty spirals, threatening to swallow us both in a fog of dusk. And when I tried to speak, Sebastian grinned a vile, wicked grin. Sebastian had become a Ghost.
My mouth opened and closed like a fish as I stared into his crimson eyes. Pins and needles prickled my skin, numbing me to the core. Immense guilt gripped me like a poison and hot tears spilled shamelessly from my eyes. This couldn't be real, I thought. I must have been dreaming. Sebastian raised one of his hands. Something was squirming between his fingers. I think I heard hissing. I failed to move as he inched it close to my face – and a mighty, frigid blast overpowered both of us. Sebastian snarled and coiled away, dissipating like a fog on a hot summer's day, as splinters of solid ice pelleted him. Sebastian dissipated before they could land a solid blow, slinking further and further into the depths of the swamp.
Kopaka abruptly appeared by my side, taking both shoulders in his hands. "Are you alright?" His blue eye frantically scanned me while I dumbly stared back.
"It's my fault," I whispered. My lips trembled. "It's my fault. I did it."
"It isn't," Kopaka assured me in a harsh tone. "It's not your fault for being down here. You had nothing to do with this."
A shrill shriek pierced the swamp and both our hands flew to our ears. The staks of the drooping trees swayed violently as Sebastian barreled towards us at breakneck speed. His hands were clawed and out stretched, eyes no more thn pinpoints of red set deep within his face.
Kopaka pulled me close and threw up his arm, a shield of solid ice several feet thick encasing us. Sebastian collided hard with the blue structure, rocking it enough that a shower of flakes rained down upon us. He growled and crawled about the dome, scratching and tearing, desperate the get through.
Kopaka turned back to me, pulling back just enough to stare into my eyes. "For once, I cannot comply with destiny."
He raised a hand behind me and a chill wind blasted us from behind, a rush of noise clouding our ears. Sebastian howled louder, his efforts to get through increasing tenfold.
"You must live," he murmured. Scooping me into his arms, Kopaka made sure his grip on me was strong as he shuffled towards the swirling vortex of the portal.
My fingers gripped the hard ridges of Kopaka's armor and I squeezed my eyes shut. I fought to hold on for as long as possible, but there was no denying the force of the vortex, eagerly pulling me into its spiraling depths. Kopaka relinquished his hold on me with a mighty shove and I tumbled backwards through the gates of the portal, Kopaka's Olmak-clad mask vanishing from view as the vortex swallowed me whole and I once again fell down the rabbit hole.