Chapter V

Toa Caine

"Yeh great lactatin' wet nurse...! Uhh..."

"Quite the lightweight with drinking, isn't she?" I point out to Xaedan. Tsukumi had broken out a couple bottles of Thornax beer near to the end of our festivities. After downing just a glass and a half, she could barely stand on her two feet.

"Uhm gonn' uh yer uh... ALL of yah... punk yeh havin' heathens... uhhh...!" She pauses to rip out a huge burp, right in my ear. I unceremoniously draped the Toa of Water over my shoulder after she walked into the tree.

Kaixin snickers. "Looks like we have another weakness of hers to exploit!"

"Here we part ways," Xaedan cuts in. "See you all tomorrow?" I nod. "Of course."

With that, Xaedan heads off towards his own home. "Mary", too, follows suit after exchanging hasty farewells with Kaixin. "Good night, Kaixin! You too Caine, Tsukumi!" she quips. At the sound of her name, the Water Toa mumbles blearily. "Where's th' leak, ma'am...? Ergh..."

"You sure you don't want any help with that drunkard, Caine?" Kaixin laughs.

"Like I said, she's a lightweight, and in more ways than one," I reply. "Don't worry about me, I'll be passing by her house on my way home."

The Toa of Ice flashes a thumbs-up. "Alrighty then, later, big guy!"

And then there were two, one of whom was still hopelessly delirious.

We made quite a sight, Tsukumi and I. Matoran and Agori of all elements and tribes watched us, some bemused, some with eyebrows raised, and still some with a face that said they've seen this all before.

Two turns and an alcohol-laced belch later, Tsukumi was left safely on her doorstep with a slip of paper saying "Please give me a blanket" stuck to her face while I continued to plod my way to the warmth of my home.

I take a quick glance back.

Nah, she wouldn't mind.

I spare a second to sweep my gaze over the streets.

And I smile contently.

Haven was gorgeous at night. Golden light streamed through windows and from lightstones embedded in the streetlights. Even at this hour, the residential area was abuzz with activity; the citizens of Haven were either in the streets laughing and playing games or were inside sitting around a table laden with food.

It makes one wonder how such a perfect place can exist.

A vice-like grip encircles my left hand. An impressive feat, being able to stop me. After all, I'm one of the heaviest Toa to ever walk on this planet.

"Why don't you come with me, Caine?" a slightly reedy and stilted voice says. A male voice. "Let's get away from all of those nice people, yes?"

Yes. Yes, why not? I see no reason not to. I leave behind the cheery main road and follow this stranger, who still has yet to let go of my hand, into a side alley. None of that wonderful light has managed to filter in here so the thick shadows conceal this odd fellow.

"So, Caine. How have you been?" Such excellent manners!

"Well enough, I think," I respond. The darkness shifts slightly and I think I can make out his smile.

"That's good to hear. But, you see, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

I cock my head. "Bad news?" He's still smiling.

"Caine, why don't you take a quick peek at your Chronicle?" I consider the advice for a moment. Hm. Why not? It seems like a sound enough suggestion. My Doomsday Chronicle predicts any misfortunes that happen to me, as well as any Dead Ends other contestants will suffer. It's an apt name.

The Doomsday Chronicle

Number Two

Warning: Dead End

14:06, July 3 - The Second is hit with a blast of water in the chest during a sparring match.

21:53, July 7 - The Second is cut on the cheek.

21:54, July 7 - The Second is beheaded in an alleyway.

15:10, May 20 - The Eleventh is blown apart in an explosion.

18:46, May 26 - The Fifteenth is stabbed from behind and dies from blood loss.

"Well, Caine, or rather, Second, what do you see? An old entry from a fight with a certain Water Toa? Perhaps someone dying from an explosion? Or maybe another dying at the hands of a backstabbing coward? Or something else?"

I look up from the tablet. "Yeah, I see myself dying in an alleyway. What of it? Oh, and I see this big Dead End message. What's that all about?"

The stranger comes forwards, the small smile still plastered on his face. At last, I can see who's led me here. He's kind of thin, almost gangly, with a light suit of black and purple armor. Ah, a Gravity user. That explains how he was able to root me in place. "Look here, Caine. I'll give you a sporting chance. I want you to use your Kanohi, alright?"

"I'm already using it. I have to use it all the time to counteract the Hordik-"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course!" The Toa of Gravity then just simply gestures, clearly telling me to go ahead. My Mask is the Kanohi Novus, the Great Mask of Clarity. I really have no clue what a clear head will do in this scenario, but...

"Hey, your mask is glowing," I suddenly point out. Why didn't I notice that before? "And... and aren't you a Toa of Gravity?" Why is he suddenly clad in gold and white?

"Second, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Toa Longinus, though Eighth is a more suitable name in our current situation," he tells me nonchalantly. "I'm here to kill you."

...What? This is just... too much. "Wh- What's going on?" I somehow manage to splutter. I don't even realize it, but my free hand is gripping my suddenly aching head.

Longinus' little smirk widens into a grin. "So ignorant, Caine. And you call yourself the leader of our team?"

"Xae- Xaedan is..."

"I assure you, that bumbling weakling is just a figurehead. You were the one all of us looked up to. I am sad to see that you're as much of a weakling as the firespitter is. Ah well." He takes a step towards me. "Let me explain a few things, Second. I wear the Kanohi Halcyon, the Mask of Tranquility. It keeps one's mind at peace. That's how I got you here."

I fight the pounding headache. That Kanohi Halcyon must be messing around with my brain. "Your mask didn't glow," I manage to spit out. Every word takes effort, now.

Longinus laughs. It's shrill, a perfect match to his sickly voice. "If I can't even hide a glow from a Kanohi, then I've failed in whatever capacity I am as a Toa of Light. Anyways. That Dead End flag? It means that your current Chronicle prediction will soon become a reality that you cannot escape from. Weren't you listening to anything Infernum said?"

"Then... what about the other messages?"

"Oh, who cares about those? It's a deathmatch, Second. People die, including you. It's not a big deal."

"What... what about my mask...? I keep it activated at all times to stop the Hordika venom. I... should not be able to clear my mind any further. And how do you know about my Chronicle?"

Before I even finish speaking, the Toa of Light is already wagging his finger at me. "Ah, ah, ah. That's your fault for not even knowing why you're here in the first place. You're going to die ignorant and helpless, I'm afraid. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must behead you." With a gleam, a huge, incorporeal spear suddenly rises from the ground. With a final burst of light, it solidifies, resting in Longinus' two hands.

"Now, please hold still while I chop your head off."

I grit my teeth. Yeah, like I'm going to do that. I hurl myself as far back as possible, very narrowly missing the spear's edge. In fact, I didn't miss it; Longinus managed to score a gash on my cheek. I push my mask to it's limit and I feel the worst of the headache being held at bay.

It would have to do, I tell myself.

With a gust of air, my chaingun fades in from nothing, resting snugly on my right forearm. I obviously have the advantage here, being armed with a ranged weapon. "Give it up, traitor," I spit defiantly. "The only head that's going to roll will be yours!" I grab the reel of bullets with my free hand and start to rev up my weapon.

Somehow, Longinus's grin widens even further, turning into something no longer a smile. Now, it was more of a gruesome gash on his face. "You're feeling awfully confident about yourself, Second. Don't you remember that Dead End flag? Hell, I bet your Countdown flag's shown up by now."

Oh.

That's righ-

Huh. I feel oddly light, all of a sudden. And why am I seeing my own empty neck?

That's strange.

Longinus is holding out a finger, bathed in red light. I think he used a laser to take off my head. Yes, that's right. He did.

A white foot enters my already dimming field of view. So. This is how it ends?

"Let me ask one more question... Longinus..." I rasp. There is no blood. The very laser that has beheaded me has also cauterized the wound.

Still with that insane smile, the Toa of Light bends down. "Sure thing, Second. Ask away."

"Why...? Why are you doing this?" He straightens. For a moment, I think he's just going to walk away, not answering me just out of spite.

The Light Toa turns.

And, in my last seconds, I'm met with his answer.

"Because I am the spark."

The journey continues in Book III of the Madness Series, Madness:Fluctuation