Carna's eyes darted back and forth at ferocious speeds as she was led through the outpost. Next to her, Krika quietly said, "Be at ease, Carna. There's no need to act so wary."

"Easier said than done," Carna mumbled, adjusting the bag full of paintings on her back. "This still feels like walking into enemy territory."

"I'd be more than happy to help you along with my Peace powers."

Carna immediately stepped away from him, eyes wide.

"Alright, simply an offer. Nevermind, then."

Eventually they reached the watchtower, and Krika gently swung the door open. Antroz, Bitil, and Zaekura all stood discussing something, with Kapura still held in stasis off in the corner, and the three of them all turned at the sound. Zaekura's jaw dropped.

"Mom?!"

Carna dropped her bag, breathlessly saying, "Zaekura!"

They both ran forward, locking each other in a tight embrace. Carna began to sob into her daughter's shoulder.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!" she said. "I was so worried about you!"

"I'm sorry!" Zaekura said, squeezing her even more tightly. "There was so much happening, I didn't think…what are you doing here? Didn't you evacuate with everyone else?"

Carna pulled back, keeping her hands firmly on Zaekura's shoulders. "I did, but no one was telling me anything! I went to Civitas Magna to try to find out what was going on, and then I ran into this joke…"

Krika made a short wave. "Yes, that would be me. Nice to see you again. Also, who's the new centerpiece? I don't believe we've met."

"One of the Odinans," Antroz answered. Krika immediately abandoned all semblance of mirth. "A pair of them attacked while you were gone. The other has been dealt with, but this one is tricky: he possesses some manner of short-range teleportation, meaning he'll flee if we let him out of this field for even a second. We've yet to decide how to proceed."

Krika nodded. Taking a step to the side, he pointed two fingers at Kapura. He lowered one, exerting his own stasis field powers to open the tiniest gap in front of the Toa's heartlight, and at the same time he extended his other finger into a spike that reached across the room and pierced it.

"Krika!" Antroz said. "What are you—"

"I'm dealing with him," Krika answered.

To his surprise, Zaekura reached out suddenly and grabbed hold of the spike, glaring straight at him as she tried to snap the appendage. "What is wrong with you?! Stop!"

"…It's done, Zaekura. And it was the only choice we had."

"We? Then why the karz did you make it yourself?! You think we didn't already consider killing him? We wanted to see if there was another way! What makes you think you can walk in here and do whatever you want?!"

Krika stared back at her in silence. After a moment, he slowly retracted his spike, saying, "Alright. My apologies. I shall behave less rashly in the future."

He didn't get an answer. Zaekura turned back to Carna, who pulled her in again and took up glaring at Krika in her place.

"Well, we should probably remove him now. Antroz, Bitil, care to help me?"

Bitil shrugged. "What, you don't think you can handle it yourself?"

Antroz gestured to Zaekura and Carna.

"…Oh. Um, yes. Yes, we should accompany you, to…make sure you don't ruin anything else! Of course."

Krika hummed quietly as he went over to the stasis field. He and the other Makuta carried it outside, shutting the door behind them, and then the two Glatorian finally sat down.

"He said you decided to fight a war?" Carna asked.

Zaekura nodded. "I know it sounds weird. But, they're going to come after me regardless. I want to fight back."

"That's not…!" Carna cut herself off, clenching her fists as she stopped to think. "…It's not…safe. You're going to go put yourself right in harm's way? Why would you do that? We just need to find some place to hide, some place the Great Beings won't be able to find you, and—"

"Mom, I'm—I'm tired of doing that! I've spent almost my whole life just hiding away, keeping my head down, being afraid of everyone around me…and I'm sick of it! I can't take it anymore, alright?"

"I'm not saying it's right, Zae. I wish more than anything that you could have a better life than this, believe me, but these are the circumstances we've been given. You just need to stay alive. Please. I need you to stay alive, especially now that…" She hesitated.

Zaekura bit her lip. "…I know about Dad."

Carna shut her eyes tight, hanging her head.

"They didn't tell me at first, but now I know…"

Carna immediately looked back up. "What?! They didn't…rrgh, those—!"

She started to get up, but Zaekura grabbed her arm. "Mom, stop."

"But they—"

"I know! I've already gone over it, I…I don't think I can do it again."

Reluctantly, Carna sat back down.

"I know, Mom. It's just us now. And I'm just as scared as you."

Placing a hand on her daughter's cheek, Carna said, "Then you understand? We need to escape! If you go out there and fight the Great Beings, nothing's going to change—you're only going to get killed!"

Zaekura shook her head. "I already fought them, Mom. And I won. I managed to make a difference, I actually got to do what I felt like I needed to, and it worked! It felt so good to finally win, to feel like for once I was really…" She struggled to find the words. "…I dunno, real! Complete! I was thinking, and working, and building, and it all just felt right—I can't just go back! Hiding was already miserable, but now it'd be torture! I wouldn't be able to take it!"

"Zae…"

"And more than that…people have already…Dad, and others, have already died because of me."

Carna leaned forward. "That's not your fault!"

"Mom, I—"

"You didn't kill any of them, it isn't your fault!"

"I need to do this! Okay? My fault or not, I have to risk the same thing they risked! I know I can do something, so I feel like I need to. I can't bring them back, but I can…I just, I feel like it would be…dishonoring them, or something. And I…"

She sighed. Carna looked down, taking Zaekura's hands in hers, and said, "You don't sound so sure."

Zaekura gave a harsh chuckle. "…Yeah, I don't. I mean, I don't know how good my chances are, and I don't want to die. I'm overwhelmed, Mom, I'm…maybe I am a little confused." She looked up into her mother's eyes. "But I know this is what I want to do. Maybe I don't know how to articulate it right, but that's one thing I'm definitely not confused on. I know you want to keep me safe…I know this isn't what you want to hear, especially now, and I'm sorry. But I need to do this. Okay? Please, just…forgive me for that. That's all I'll ask you to do."

Carna stared back at her sadly for what felt like forever. Then she pulled Zaekura in, hugged her, and said, "I love you, Zae. Do you know that?"

"Of course, Mom. I love you too."

Carna sighed heavily. "I can tell when you've made up your mind. I wish this wasn't what you wanted, but if it is…I'll do whatever I can to help. I'm not going to abandon you now. Okay?"

Zaekura sniffed. "…Okay. Thank you. Thank you…"

Eventually they separated again. Taking a moment to wipe her eyes, Carna said, "Well…I guess it's a good thing I let that disgrace much around in Civitas Magna. He said he's trying to build support for you, and it sounded like he got off to a decent start."

She turned to wipe away Zaekura's tears now. Zaekura said, "Yeah, that's what he was saying when he left. He sounded like he was onto something."

"Just a heads-up: on the way back, he was saying he wanted to talk you into going to Ga-Koro, doing some kind of interview with someone from Civitas Magna."

Zaekura frowned. "An interview?"

"Yeah. I don't know all the details, but if you want my opinion…it does sound like it could be a good opportunity." She clenched her teeth. "And you know I'd never want to say that about anything Krika thinks up."

"Right. Uh, okay then…I'll think about it."

"And if you do, you're going to need to sound sure. Polish up some of those answers."

Zaekura smiled. "Okay, Mom, I get it. Thanks." Glancing back towards the door, she asked, "Did you bring paintings?"

"Oh, right." Carna went to retrieve the bag. "Figured I wouldn't stick out in Civitas as much if I was selling these. Course, that ended up being how the law enforcement found me…"

"The what?"

"Ah, don't worry, we got it settled." She sat back down and drew out a painting. "I needed to make these quick, so they're all recreations of things I've made before, just worse. Don't know if you remember this one?"

Zaekura took the piece: it depicted a single flower alone in the desert, half-wilted and in the process of being ripped apart by a white vulture. "…This is…one you made after Grandpa…"

Carna blinked. "…Oh. I guess it is, isn't it?"

She returned to the bag with a more tense expression. Gently setting the piece down, Zaekura said, "Hey, why don't I show you around? I mean, there's not much to see, but I can introduce you to some of the Rahkshi at least."

Carna scowled. "Hrm, Rahkshi…"

Zaekura scowled back. "Yes, Rahkshi. I know what you might be thinking, but I should remind you the ones here are sentient?"

"They're part Makuta—how can you trust them?"

"Mom. They're people—they deserve as much respect as any of the rest of us. Besides, they've been nothing but kind to me, and they're really helped me out in a lot of ways."

Carna clumsily closed her bag. "…Well…guess I should start getting used to this now…"

Zaekura stood and offered a hand, saying, "Be nice. And I don't just mean what you say, think nice thoughts: if you stay so on-edge, Charla's going to get a real bad impression of you."

"Who's Charla?"

"You'll see! Just be nice, okay?"

Carna accepted the hand as she stood, saying, "Fine, fine…"

"I'm serious, alright? They just lost someone too."

Carna looked up. "What?"

Zaekura sighed. "During that last battle…one of the Rahkshi was killed. One of their brothers. It's the first time they've had to experience that, and it's still fresh in their minds. So please, please, be nice?"

Carna stood still for a moment. With a nod, she said, "…Okay. I get it."

Zaekura hesitated a bit, but she still led her mother outside to see who was around. Sure enough, Charla was poking around nearby, and she figured she might be the best person to start with. She waved to the Rahkshi as they approached.

"I'd heard that Krika brought someone back with him," Charla said. "Someone you know, Zaekura?"

"Yeah, this is my mom, actually," Zaekura said. "Apparently she bumped into Krika in Civitas Magna and…well, I still haven't gotten the whole story…"

Charla perked up. "Oh, your mother! That's wonderful! It's so nice to meet you, miss—my name is Charla, and I…"

She trailed off, so Zaekura glanced at Carna. Her mother had a somewhat vacant expression as she took in the sight before her. Discreetly bumping her ribs, Zaekura whispered, "Mom, don't be rude!"

Carna snapped out of it. "Er, sorry, sorry, I just…first time I've met a talking Rahkshi. Sorry."

Charla chuckled. "That's quite alright. I remember you having a pretty similar reaction, Zaekura."

"Uh…I guess I did," Zaekura said, rubbing her neck. "I'm sorry about that."

"So, Charla, you said?" Carna asked. "My name's Carna. Zaekura says you all have been taking pretty good care of her, so…thank you for that. It's nice to know she's had people watching out for her."

Charla nodded. "Of course. We've all enjoyed Lady Zaekura's company a great deal, so think nothing of it."

Carna smirked. "Oh, Lady Zaekura? Zae, you didn't tell me—"

"It's not…it's not a big deal, Mom," Zaekura said.

"What's wrong, milady, you look a bit flustered?"

"Can you not? They're gonna start calling you 'Lady Carna', you know!"

Carna laughed. "Well, sounds like she's been behaving herself too. That's good to hear."

Charla nodded to her before turning to Zaekura. "If you're showing her around, I'd be happy to assist you. It'll certainly make introductions easier."

"Ah, I don't want to bother you if you're doing something," Zaekura said.

"Nothing at all! Shall we?"

As they continued on their way, Zaekura sighed to herself, and then looked up to see Carna and Charla conversing with each other. She couldn't help but smile.


Kodan kept his eyes peeled as he wandered the streets of Ga-Koro. Behind him, Gaaki and Tarduk were fumbling for notepads and recording equipment, trying to coordinate how best to cover all of the Nynrans fast enough to still have time for compiling the information into an article, but he was looking for someone far more specific.

"Sound good to you, boss?" Gaaki asked.

"Yeah, you two do that," Kodan said. "I'll go see if I can talk to Makuta Kojol, get her opinion on the situation."

"Good thinking. We'll meet back here at sundown."

As soon as he was out of sight of his coworkers, Kodan came to a halt. He still had no idea where to go, so after a bit of thought, he decided Kojol's cathedral was as good a place to start as any. Making his way there was no easy task given how crowded the streets were, but eventually he pushed open the double doors and spotted the Makuta.

"Makuta Kojol!" he said, walking across the floor. "Hello there—my name is Kodan, and I represent the Civitas Chronicle. If it's not too much trouble, would you mind if I…"

He trailed off as more of the room came into view. Sitting amidst the pews were Antroz, Krika, Carna, and Zaekura. Kodan stared at them blankly, frozen in place.

"So nice to see you again, reporter," Krika said with a cordial wave. "Thank you so much for agreeing to meet us like this."

"Uh…yeah," Kodan said, still a bit dumbstruck. "So, um…which of you is Zaekura?"

Zaekura stood and cleared her throat. "Th-That's me. I'm, uh, told you were interested in learning more about my…situation?"

"Yes, I am. Since you're here, would you be willing to answer some questions? It would really help us clear the air around this whole story, let the people of Civitas Magna know what's been going on."

"Sure. I mean, yes, I would be delighted to have a chance to…do that. Of course."

"Great!" Kodan turned to Kojol to add, "Well, if you're alright with it, Makuta. I don't want to get in your way."

"Think nothing of it," Kojol said. "There is a conference room upstairs—setting up there would be the better idea, I would think."

"Oh, that would be perfect! Thank you!"

Kojol nodded. "This way, then."

The room in question was smaller than anticipated, with only a single short table and maybe half a dozen chairs. Kodan sat down at one end and rummaged through his bag while Zaekura sat at the other. Antroz, Krika, and Kojol waited at the door.

"Perhaps one of you should stay," Kojol suggested.

"Yes, perhaps," Krika said. "Do you have a preference, Zaekura?"

"Slim pickings," Zaekura grumbled. She thought for a moment, and then asked, "Fangs?"

Antroz stepped inside the room and to the side. Kojol closed the door, and she and Krika headed back downstairs.

"Is it alright if I record the audio?" Kodan said.

"Yeah, that's fine," Zaekura said.

The Toa produced a small crystal held length-wise in a metal base. He set it down on the table, and after drawing out a stone tablet, he asked, "Ready?"

Zaekura nodded. Kodan squeezed the crystal from both sides, and it lit up with red light.

"Civitas Chronicle interview with Zaekura," he said, and then rattled off the date and a few other things Zaekura guessed were for organizational purposes. "Begin transcript. Well, Miss Zaekura, it's fortunate that I encountered you here today. There has been a great deal of confusion surrounding the events at Nynrah, as well as what's transpired since then, so thank you very much for agreeing to speak with me on the subject."

Eyeing the crystal, Zaekura said, "My pleasure…um…"

"Oh, Kodan."

"Kodan."

The Toa leaned back in his chair. "So, to get us started…what we have been told is that Makuta Krika, the Guardian of Nynrah, went rogue and drove out his own citizens, and that you are his accomplice. Would you say that is an accurate portrayal of what happened?"

Zaekura ground her teeth. "…I would say…that is a slanted portrayal of what happened."

Kodan nodded, waving his hand over the tablet to copy down notes.

"Depending on how technical you want to get, I don't know that I can exactly say that portrayal is 'false'. However, I feel it misrepresents the situation—things are a good deal more complex than that."

"I see. Then how would you describe what occurred?"

Zaekura wrung her hands. "Well…it's true that I was detained by Krika under order of the Great Beings. But I'll wager little if anything has been officially stated as to what my 'crime' was, right Kodan?"

Kodan lifted his note tablet to glance over another, completed one underneath it. "Let me see…it's been said that you want to take power away from the Great Beings, though nothing more specific than that."

"Hmph. That's not why I was arrested. They could've kept their power for all I cared, I was just minding my own business."

"Alright…then what?"

Zaekura leaned forward. "Nothing. I had done nothing wrong."

Kodan tapped his fingers against his tablet. "…If you'd done nothing wrong, then why would the Great Beings order Krika to detain you?"

"Because they were afraid of what I might do. Somehow—and I don't know how, not yet—they found out that I have the potential to be like them. And they didn't want that to happen."

Kodan's fingers stopped. "…What do you mean…'like them'?"

"The Great Beings are Glatorian, right?" Zaekura explained. "It's still possible for other Glatorian to become new Great Beings. You just need to have a certain quirk in your DNA, and I have it."

Tentatively, Kodan waved his hand to put down the notes. "That's…an intriguing claim. So you're saying you have the same level of ability as the Great Beings?"

"Not quite, but I've got the potential. I just need to figure out how to unlock it, and…" She trailed off, putting a hand to her head as a sharp pain erupted. "Ah, sorry, I've been having some migraines lately…"

Kodan waited until she put her hand down before continuing, "Alright. So, the Great Beings had Krika detain you because you possess the same potential they do. But you convinced Krika to join you instead?"

Zaekura shifted. "…I didn't do much convincing. Krika wasn't willing to turn me over to the Great Beings. That's why they sent Antroz to retrieve me instead—she took some convincing. But at that point, honestly all I cared about was staying alive."

"Alive? You think that the Great Beings were going to kill you?"

"Yes. My grandfather had the same potential. He was hauled off years ago, never to be seen again." Seeing Kodan glance aside, she added, "And if that sounds too much like an assumption, Antroz confronted Angonce about the issue and he said about as much."

Kodan turned to Antroz. The Makuta said, "I told Lord Angonce that I did not think it would be right to kill Zaekura for such a thing. He said that it was, for the simple fact that he had ordered it."

The Toa stared at her for a time. "…That is…"

As he struggled to find the words, Zaekura went on, "Angonce then proceeded to send an army of drones upon Nynrah. Krika told the citizens to flee to Ga-Koro while he and his Rahkshi held them off. A few of them tried to join the fight, and the drones killed as many as they could—Krika couldn't save all of them on his own. Meanwhile, Antroz and I were…waiting to see how the situation would develop…and eventually escaped Nynrah ourselves. I think that covers everything on that particular incident."

Kodan's wide-eyed gaze was aimed at the floor. "That is…quite a lot to take in…"

"Tell me about it," Zaekura mumbled.

The Toa set about recomposing himself. "Well, um…yes, I think that's a fairly comprehensive explanation. I can't think of any further questions regarding Nynrah at the moment. Ah, other than that, all we've heard has been rumors…perhaps you could simply tell us what you've been doing since then, and what it is you plan to do now?"

"Well, I don't want to give away too much. It's not that I don't trust you, Kodan, but I don't know who's going to hear this or what ideas they might get."

"Oh, of course, I understand."

"Suffice to say, I've found some more allies and had a few other encounters we've needed to defend ourselves against. We've lost more good people. And, frankly…" Her hands curled into fists. "I'm furious. I did nothing to the Great Beings, and they sent things after me that kill indiscriminately, and I can't stand it. So now, I've changed my mind. I am going to take away their power."

Kodan swallowed hard. "…You're going to fight against the Great Beings?"

"I'm going to fight back against them," Zaekura corrected.

"Do you…well, do you really think that's the best thing to do?"

Zaekura averted her eyes. "…No. Ideally, there would be a way to settle this peacefully. We've tried that. But the Great Beings have made it clear that the only 'peaceful' resolution they'll accept is killing me, along with anyone else who might be born with this potential. So if my choices are let that happen, or try to stop it, I'd rather try."

Kodan nodded thoughtfully as he copied her words down.

"But we're not going to get careless," Zaekura said as she looked back up. "Even if we have to fight, we're going to be as careful about it as we possibly can. We don't want to see anyone else die. We'll fight just as hard as we need to in order to win, no more."

"Interesting," Kodan said. "I would imagine you're already at something of a disadvantage. Adding another restriction like that…"

Zaekura shook her head. "Like I said: we don't want anyone else to die. That's what our victory looks like. If we have to kill to win, then winning isn't worth it."

Kodan found himself smiling at this. Turning to Antroz, he said, "Makuta Antroz, since you're here, is there anything you would like to add?"

Antroz inclined her head. "I believe Zaekura has covered everything necessary."

"I have to admit, hearing that you in particular have decided to stop following the Great Beings is something of a shock."

"I understand. I have always strove to be as loyal as I could be to my creators. But, more importantly…I have always strove to do what is right. And now I can see that what they are doing is not right, no matter how they try to justify it. It is my belief that following Zaekura is the best course of action available to me now."

Kodan copied those words to his tablet. "Alright. Well, I believe that's all, unless you have anything to add?"

With a shake of her head, Zaekura said, "No. Ah, thank you, for asking my side of the story. I wasn't sure anyone was going to."

"Don't mention it. Reporting the truth is my job, after all! And thank you for your time."

Zaekura gave a nod, and then Kodan tapped the top of the crystal, causing its glow to shut off. As he put his material away, Zaekura asked, "So, you believe me?"

His movements slowed. "…Well…I know what a liar sounds like it, and you don't sound like one. But to be honest, I think I'm going to need some time to absorb what you've told me. It just…doesn't really mesh with what I thought I knew."

"...Yeah, that's fair," Zaekura said. "Okay then. Guess I'll be going."

She stood, and Antroz opened the door. Kodan said, "Hold on. If I wanted to do a follow-up, is there some way I could get in contact with you?"

Zaekura thought for a moment. "For now, let's just say I'll get ahold of you if I have something to say. But, depending on how this interview goes down, who knows, that could change."

Kodan gave a small sigh. "Alright. I won't keep you any longer."

In a few seconds he was alone, closing up his bag and throwing it back over his shoulder. He leaned to look out the window and over the sea.

New Great Beings…the old ones killing citizens just for getting in the way…it's crazy. Could that kind of stuff really be true?

He blinked.

Oh, he realized. Sounds like I don't want it to be true.

Shaking his head, Kodan readjusted his grip on his bag and headed for the stairs.

Shame on me. We don't get to pick what the truth is.


ADDENDUM:

-Well, it's been a while, hasn't it! Sorry about that. I went into detail over on Twitter, and though I maybe should've made another chapter to have a chance to explain the situation here first, that ran a bit counter to what I was trying to do. Since juggling three/four ongoing stories at once was…not going very well for me, I decided to focus entirely upon the one that I felt was closest to completion and knock it out, and I've done just that! I have one entire story off my plate! But, here's the thing: while I do want to continue to focus on one story at a time right now, my other ongoing fic is far closer to completion than Right of Law…and has been open a while longer…so, all things considered, knocking out that one just seems like the better idea. I didn't want to leave you all hanging for too too long, though, so I wanted to make just one quick update before I totally shift gears. This fic is not dead. I will finish it. It's the "when" that's going to be a problem. I'll do all I can to finish this next fic in as speedy a fashion as possible, but even after that, I'm actually giving serious consideration to attempting NaNoWriMo again in November, and even if I get back to Law in just a few months I know I won't have it completed by that time. There's so much I want to do with this story…I wish I could just get it all out for you immediately, but sadly such a thing just isn't possible. (At least, not in any particularly engaging way. I could infodump my plans but that feels even worse than just letting it die.) So for now, I'm afraid I have to ask more patience of you—I assure you these decisions are being made with the intention of making all of my stories, most certainly including this one, as high a quality as I possibly can make them. Further updates will be posted to my Twitter (ExoPahrak) as they are decided upon. If you came back after such a long, unexpected break, then thank you. Again, I'm sorry. And again, I will finish this fic.