Abrogation: A Story Serial of the Origins of Voriki by DarkMaestro

[DarkMaestro]

Chapter 4: Devil Trigger

The Three Brothers didn’t necessarily have a home. After all, they didn’t really need a home or shelter, as nothing could bring harm to any of them but themselves. The Palace of the Great Beings was really the only building that they resided in, but it served more as a meeting place than a real home for any of them. Sure, Ekimu would sometimes mediate in the garden, or occasionally Makuta would be found sharpening his massive blade on the main stairway; but most of the time each brother would be elsewhere on the island doing their own tasks.
So officially, the Palace was their only “home”.

Officially.

Unofficially is a different story.

Far north of the island, on a small isle in the middle of the sea, lies Karzahni’s citadel. It is a massive dome-like structure, with multiple spires jutting out like fingers scraping the heavens. Sitting on the top of the isle, the stronghold is akin to the shell of some monstrous tortoise. It is built from various stones dug up from the island itself, cemented together with crystalline structures. Despite its uneven surfaces and haphazard appearance, it is an indomitable fortress that is almost impossible to break into.

Likewise, it is very much impossible to break out of.

Which is why panic begins to trickle into Karzahni’s mind as he soars closer to his citadel.
Through the pouring rain, he can see smoke pour out a large hole in the upper left portion of the citadel. The brewing storm above frequently lashes out a lightning bolt at the building’s spires, with small bits of rock and crystal shattering off with each hit.
There are two scenarios that could have happened. The first; something with considerable power has broken into his base. Which will mean Karzahni would have to clean it up; no problem.
The second scenario is that it’s Voriki.

Karzahni really hopes that it’s not the second.

He nosedives into the blackness spewing from the dome and lands hard on the stone floor. Through the smoke and flames, he assesses his surroundings.
He realizes he’s at the origin point of whatever caused this damage; multiple walls have been blown down in a radius around him. Makeshift beds and metal doors are laying in various places around him, either shattered into worthlessness or warped into artistic nightmares.
Karzahni coughs, “This smoke is becoming a nuisance.”
With his winged form, he reels his arms back and gives a quick burst from his wings. Wind rushes towards the fire and smoke; in an instant, the wrecked hall of containment rooms is clear.
As his arms morph back into their bony and spiked selves, he surveys the wreckage carefully. It was no doubt now that Voriki had caused this mess. The blast had originated from her cell, and it didn’t seem like a coincidence that a lightning storm had appeared above his citadel.
The issue now was-
“Where have you run off to, Voriki?”
He looks up to the massive hole in the ceiling, the downpour of rain freely splattering on the floor of the ruined cells. It didn’t seem likely that she had gained the ability to fly, but Karzahni was quite sure she was strong enough to climb her way to the exit. And if she made it to the exit, it would no doubt take a while to find her, even with his all-seeing eyes. And if she managed to escape the isle, it would be only a matter of time before one of his brothers discovered-

fzzzzzz-

It was like a high-pitched buzzing sound, mixed with the grating of metal.
Karzahni turns to the end of the hall, where the entrance to his main lair was. What was once shrouded in darkness was now illuminated with a light blue light, flickering.

fzzzzzzzzzzzzz-

He slowly makes his way towards the archway. As the lights jump around, the Great Being is able to get some glimpses of his main hall.
Cages are shattered on the floor.
The wooden chair is nothing but a splintered mess.
And there, in the center, with bolts of lightning radiating around her-

“I’m surprised you didn’t run away.”
Karzahni’s voice doesn’t waver; but there is something small buried within his calm observation.

Uncertainty.

Voriki slowly raises her head towards her torturer. Her eyes are glowing with an intense blue light, with sparks occasionally whizzing from the cyan gems that were her pupils.

“Why would I run away. After all, I wanted to see you.”
Venom is laced within her voice.

“Oh? And I assume you wish to kill me?”

“Yes.”

Karzahni chuckles, “Oh little Voriki, haven’t you forgotten? You can do nothing to harm me…”
With that, Karzahni’s form begins to ■■■■■, growing and elongating until he towers above her in his true eldritch form.
His tentacles idly sway around, “Well, I must say; I didn’t expect to gain your power so soon; but I’m afraid you overestimate how much you’ll be-”
Voriki snarls and throws a punch. Lightning blasts from her hand towards Karzahni’s face.
He raises hand to block the bolt.
His eyes widen.
As her attack ends, he closes his blocking hand and raises his other.
“Wait! Before you decide to attack again, I must give an explanation.”
Voriki readies her arm, “I don’t want to hear anything from that disgusting mouth again! All you spew is lies and-”
“Lies?”
Karzahni bends down towards her, eyes narrowing.
“Let me clarify some important details, you incompetent child. Since you were activated, I have not once uttered a lie to you, and I find it almost offensive that you would dare call me a liar.”
Voriki’s fists waver.
“Secondly, I want to congratulate you on unlocking your true abilities. You have exceeded my expectations.”
She raises an eyebrow, “You-”
“Lastly, and most importantly, Voriki…”
He slightly raises his body before bowing his head towards the matoran, placing his right hand over his chest.
“… I wish to sincerely apologize for any harm or anxiety I have caused you during your time here. It was a necessary strategy to initiate the evolution within you, by creating enough stress to trigger a reaction.”

Voriki blinks, “what.”
Karzahni doesn’t raise his head, “I know it may seem callous, but I assure you it was-”
“You’re… apologizing?”
The Great Being now raises his head towards her, looking at the perplexed matoran before him.
“Yes…? I was informed that it is the correct course of action to ask for forgiveness if you have caused a problem for another…”
The two stare at each other, unsure of their adversary’s words. The lightning that had flared around the room begins to die away, and the tentacles twitch with anxiety.
Finally, Voriki speaks.
“…You hurt me.”
“Yes.”
“A lot.”
“Yes.”
“Like… a lot alot.”
“I believe I agreed with you.”
Voriki clenches her teeth. Suddenly she gestures her hands randomly, as if she’s wrangling her thoughts in front of her.
“A-and I’m just supposed to believe it all was to trigger my powers?! To help me grow?!” Her voice becomes cracked as small tears form around her eyes.
“D-don’t you realize how much you’ve hurt me?! How can I believe you when you say you’re sorry!? How do I know you really mean a word you say!?”
Her voice rings out in the ruined hall, echoing away into the sounds of the decaying storm outside. Eventually, after an eternal minute of tension, the eldritch god raises himself upright and folds his arms with a sigh.
“I told you; I do not lie,” he states nonchalantly. “And if you still doubt me, I have an offer to ease your mind.”
“W-what’s that?”
He closes his eyes contently, “Ask me anything you want, and I shall answer truthfully to the best of my ability.”
A pause.
“… Anything.”
“Correct.”
Voriki looks down, unsure of what to do next. Just a moment ago she was ready to blow him into pieces; now…
“Alright, let me ask,” she starts, “and tell me the truth. Why did you create me?”
Karzahni opens his eyes, “My brother created the first matoran, with connections made to the various elements under the guidance of the elemental gods. They currently inhabit the main island of Arthaka in six different nations. I desired to create my own beings and wanted to see if I could connect them to an element that is without a god’s jurisdiction.”
Voriki blinks.
“Okay, I have… several questions.”

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

They go back and forth for about an hour. Through Voriki’s many, many questions, Karzahni explains to her about his brothers, the island of Arthaka, the elemental gods, the other matoran, and so on. As they go, she slowly becomes more relaxed, eventually taking a seat on the floor.
“Let me ask you one more thing; it’s really important.”
“Really important? That’s intriguing… please, go ahead.”
Voriki takes a deep breath, hands twitching nervously.
“What… what I am to you?”
The Great Being tilts his head quizzically.
“I’m… I’m not sure I follow.”
The purple matoran looks down, tensing up her body.
“What triggered my powers… I thought that all I was to you was some… toy to be played with. That all I was to you was something to be used for some twisted entertainment.”
She looks up at him, “What am I really to you?”
That stumped him.
The monstrous god, renowned for his vast intellect and abilities to see through time and space… was stumped.
“I… uh…”
He’s silent for a moment searching for the proper words to use; then he sighs and crouches down to her.
“You… you are my most important creation, Voriki; a light that guide the way to a more prosperous future. You are living proof of the impossible. You, Voriki, are the first Matoran of Lightning.”
There’s silence. Karzahni studies her face, unsure of what she’s thinking. Was that what he should have said? Was that the answer she was looking for?

“… thank you.”

It’s barely heard, but it feels almost as loud as if she were screaming. Karzahni remains composed.
“Well, if that is all, then perhaps we should call it a day. Since your previous living quarters are… indisposed of, you may use one of the observation room in the southeast spire.”
“Thanks,” Voriki says sheepishly, picking herself up. “I guess tomorrow I’ll, uh, help clean up this mess…”
“Don’t fret. I’ll take care of it.”
The matoran pauses, before nodding and resuming her path towards the opposite doorway.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|
He watches the door close, and waits until he cannot hear Voriki’s footsteps before his right hand lashes to the floor, his claws slowly digging into the stone. His tentacles writhe in agitation.

This is bad.

All of this is VERY BAD.

Karzahni had not lied to her; everything he had said was the truth to some extent, and he was honestly surprised she was willing to believe him so quickly. There was a concern that he would have to end her, but it appears he managed to successful talk her out of her vengeful crusade to end his life.
Yet there were still problems.
He didn’t expect her powers to emerge this soon, let alone at all. Karzahni had planned for it to possibly occur months from now; this had thrown a wrench into his plans.
“I have to start the second phase; I was hoping to wait until Ekimu was less suspicious, but now I don’t have a choice.”
He clicks his mandibles nervously as he raises his left hand. It had remained closed since Voriki’s lightning blast.
But this… this is much more dire.
He opens up his hand.
Through the soot from the blast, he can see the platings in his palm are cracked, with green glowing fluid slowly traveling down his wrist.

Her attack… had harmed him.

An artificial matoran… had harmed a Great Being.

^^^^^^^
So first off thanks to @UltimateMustacheX for writing his story of the G3 Mocs, cause that gave me motivation to wipe the dust off this thing and get back into it. The entire story for this has been planned out already, and dang it I’m going to bloody finish this thing, even if G3 is already sun-setted into oblivion. Though, I think I should say that this is probably more of an G3 AU than what should be up for canon interpretation.

ALL OF THESE THOUGHTS RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD!
I’M ON FIRE VEINS BURNING RED!
FRUSTRATION IS GETTING BIGGER!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
PULL MY DEVIL TRIGGER!!

Stay Tuned.
-DarkMaestro

[UltimateMustacheX]

I’m surprised I hadn’t read this sooner. While I can’t see it fitting into the current official canon (you did mention it’s more of an AU story), I really like how it’s set up.

[DarkMaestro]

Chapter 5: Take 5

Things have been… uncomfortable, to the say the least.

Sure, Voriki had settled down. But since Karzahni decided that it would be best to cease the harsh tests and evaluations a couple of weeks ago, the lightning girl had become rather elusive around the citadel. Karzahni was still sure she was within the walls of his fortress; but he would only see glimpses of her, scuttling away behind a door or a turn in a hallway, like some sort of startled fikou crab. On the rare occasions that she managed to stay within his sight, he noted that any movements in her direction would cause her to flinch.
It was also in these rare occasions that Karzahni would see how tired she looked. Her clear blue eyes have become dim and muddied, her body was hunching over as if she was weighed down by some massive, unseeable burden. Anytime Voriki decided to move, her limbs would sluggishly perform their tasks like it was an unbearable torture.
But the worst part was her staring. Those eyes would always track him, watching every minute detail of his movements. Even he, the abomination with many eyes and all-seeing vision, couldn’t help but feel uneasy sometimes.

It was safe to conclude that Voriki was traumatized. Without her drive for revenge, the matoran’s fear had overtaken her mind.

And Karzahni… didn’t know what to do.

Which is why he now stands at the main stairway to the Palace of the Great Beings, fingers clicking nervously together in apprehension.

He really doesn’t want to do this. But at this point…

“Brother, I would like your insight on something.”

The whetstone pauses against the end of the massive sword. The giant figure slowly exhales, but doesn’t raise his purple eyes towards Karzahni.
“You desire my opinion on something?” the voice of Makuta rumbles.
“Yes, if you can take a break from your ever-so important task.”
The worn-down armor creaks as The Overseer rises from the steps, looking down at his malformed brother. His purple eyes narrow.
“You understand that I find this very suspicious.”
“Quite.”
Makuta shifts his sword to his back, where it clicks into its magnetic sheath. He cross his arms with an annoyed grunt.
“Alright Karzahni,” he sighs, “I’ll humor you. What is it you want my aid for?”
“How does one overcome their fear of something?”
“We, as Great Beings, have very little to be afraid of.”
Karzahni rolls his multiple eyes.
“I’m not talking about us, you fool. If a lower being, like one of those matoran for example-”
The eldritch being hears the metal of the armor grate together before he realizes how much closer Makuta is standing from him.

“What. Did. You. Do.”

Makuta’s eyes glint with anger as Karzahni instinctively curls his tentacles closer around his body.
“Relax, brother; I’m just talking theoretics-”
“It sounds more than just theoretics.”
Their eyes are locked with each other for a tense moment before Karzahni barks a gross laugh.
“Oh come now, Makuta. I know for a fact you don’t care for Ekimu’s little ant farms he’s grown on the island; what’s the problem with messing with a few? It’s not like there’s already enough of them.”
“You are toying with the matoran to satisfy your perverse curiosity then?”
The monster snarks, “You make it sound like my hobbies are a bad thing.”
Makuta groans and shakes his head, “I don’t care what you do; as long as it doesn’t interfere in my business then feel free to go wild, you sickly worm.”
“Flattered.”
“Also, I shall make this clear; if Ekimu discovers this behavior and throws a tantrum, I will not hesitate to bring an end to your games. Understood?”
Karzahni shrugs, “Sure, whatever. Now about your advice?”
Makuta gives his brother a long glare before turning towards the stairs.
“Fear manifests as a natural instinct to survive, to be aware of potential dangers. If one wishes to overcome it, one must realize that whatever they are afraid of is not a threat. Whether that be understanding the true nature of the subject, or becoming something greater to the point of the subject being unable to harm them. To put it simply; one must embrace fear, or destroy it.”

With that, Makuta ascends the steps, leaving Karzahni processing his words.

Embrace… or destroy…

He’ll keep that in mind.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

The archive spire, the second tallest tower of Karzahni’s citadel, was home to the many tools, maps, and journals the eldritch god has made over the years in his quest to catalogue everything. From the island of Arthaka to the vast sea to the array of lights in the sky; every interesting detail was recorded onto tabletures of stone and crystal. The tablets vary from size and color, each glowing with their own light to bask the large room in a rainbow.

It is here that the lightning matoran finds asylum; judging by the amount of dust and how the various records are carelessly organized, it’s reasonable to assume that Karzahni no longer visits the room.

Which means Voriki is able to close her eyes and relax.

While she is unable to entirely forgive Karzahni for his treatment of her, Voriki understood it was not completely born out of hatred or sadism. The Great Being seemed genuinely invested to see her grow.
Voriki wanted to trust him, wanted to believe somewhere deep down in Karzahni, there was a sliver of care towards her.
But it’s not easy to forgive. And it’s much harder to forget.
After weeks of continuous thrashings, probing evaluations that lasted days to pick apart every thought in her head, sleepless nights waiting for the possibility of death or worse; Voriki’s body was conditioned to fear him.
Karzahni had an oppressive aura; it always felt like he was watching her, that at any moment the floor would ■■■■■ and he would rise out like fountain of nightmares.

But here… she was safe.

Her breaths began to slow, and soon she was asleep, curled up on the floor, surrounded by her own bright stars.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Slowly, Voriki’s eyes begin to open.
The bright colors of the crystals wash over her sight as she groggily rises from the floor. She has no idea what time of day it is; hardly any of the rooms in the fortress have openings to the outside.
It’s when her eyes become focus and that she can see clearly is when Voriki notices it.
There’s a small stone tablet on the floor that wasn’t there before.
Her chest clenches up as she shakily kneels down and picks it up.

When you wake, please come to the main chamber.
We need to have a conversation.

Voriki lets out a strangled cry as she flings the tablet across the room, as if it were the vilest thing she had ever laid her hands on. With a sharp crack, it impacts off the wall, falling into stony fragments on the floor. Within a second, the matoran realizes what she did; she clenches her fists and bangs her mask.

Stupid stupid stupid! Stop being so afraid!

Her arms are shaking.

Breathing becomes difficult.

Calm down… calm down.

She feels like she’s about to pass out.

… calm down…

Her heart is racing, Voriki tries to breath but it comes in painful gasps for air.

… please…

Tears start flowing down the sides of her mask.

…calm down.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Karzahni is eyeing his wounded hand when he hears the creak of the door opening.

Finally.

He found her earlier sleeping in the archive spire; not wanting to disturb her rest, he left a note for the matoran to meet him later. He left the tablet for her early afternoon.
It is now night.
He watches her slowly peek into the room, eyes wandering about until-

Ah, there it is. Now she sees me.

Her eyes lock onto him and she goes rigid. He can hear her fingers grip the wooden door so tightly that squeaks under her pressure. Her teal eyes dilate like a startled rahi, fixed on the Great Being.
Karzahni sighs, “I promised I had no intention of harming you anymore; come in Voriki.”
She doesn’t move her spot, but her hand does relieve some pressure on the poor wooden door. Her eyes are still on him, blue eyes meeting his multiple green and singular red ones.
“You don’t have to be right in front of me,” he tries to compromise, “but at least enter the room fully.”
“…ok.”
Reluctantly, she emerges from behind the safety of the door and enters the room. She takes a few steps before her body forces her to stop.
Karzahni gives a long exhale, sheepishly closing his eyes.

I suppose that’s good enough.

“Now then,” he starts, clasping his clawed hands together, “let’s get to the point. I know you are afraid of me, given how much you scatter and hide around my citadel like a Pokawi bird. And to be honest, it’s very reasonable to be afraid of me, based on all of my actions thus far.”
Voriki doesn’t look up, as if she feels ashamed to admit that he was right. She wraps her arms around her torso tightly as he continues.
“However, there is work that needs to be done.” If Karzahni had noticed her withdraw more into herself, he doesn’t say. “And that work requires that you be cooperative and at your fullest functioning capacity. So this-?”
He gestures at the large space between them. He holds his arm out and waves his hand until the matoran finally peeks up as sees what he’s addressing.
“-this? This needs to end. Quickly.”
The Great Being folds his arms and observes the lightning girl, judging whether she understood anything he said. She doesn’t look up, her eyes fixated on the stone floor. Noticeably, her hands were clenched into fists.
Karzahni’s tentacles twitch anxiously. It would be so easy, so so easy, to just fling her against the wall and just start over. Take the lessons he learned from this attempt and just apply it to the next one. It would take just about two weeks to reach the same point of progress. He’d have to get new parts, but he wouldn’t have to deal with a traumatized wreck.

But…

“So let’s try this,” Karzahni finally muses, after a long awkward moment began threatening to suffocate the both of them.
“Can I… Is there anything that could be done to make things more… relaxing?”
Voriki continues to look down, but her body is ever so slightly shaking. Karzahni is convinced that a wall would have a better conversation with him at this moment, if he didn’t want to bash his head against it in frustration. Maybe he should just take his losses and-”

“YoU’retOobIg"

Her voice sounds hoarse, as if she hasn’t spoken in weeks (which was very likely). Her position remains the same, but her shaking gets more agitated.
“Would you kindly repeat that?”
Voriki takes a sharp inhale, as if breathing was becoming difficult.
“You’re too… big.”
Karzahni blinks.
“I’m… too big?”
His voice is laced in confusion. The matoran quickly nods.
“So… you want me to be smaller. Your size?”
She hesitates before slowly nodding again.
Thankfully she remains looking downwards so she doesn’t catch the eldritch deity roll his eyes in fatigued annoyance.
These mortal beings are such bizarre creatures…
Voriki hears gross, wet sounds as he begins to shrink down. When it at last finishes, she steels her nerves and slowly looks up.
Karzahni stands about five feet in front of her, a miniature version of his larger self. Despite that, he still stands a good foot taller than her, though it’s mostly due to the length of his pointed mask.
“Well?” he inquires, but already the Great Being notices her shaking has died down, and she’s able to look… well, in his general direction. Close enough.
“Better,” she finally breathes, a small yet thankful smile appearing on her face.
Karzahni internally sighs.
This was going to be long, annoying, frustrating, and absolutely awkward.
He dismisses her and watches the lightning matoran quietly disappear behind the door.
It would be so much easier to start over.
A smirk creeps up behind his mask.

“But where’s the fun in that?”

[ToaNoah_Wafflemeister]

This is really great!

I like to imagine Karzahni as a stepfather who’s trying to get used to his daughter and visa-versa… Well, if the stepfather was an insanely powerful and powerfully insane being of chaos with plans to use said child.

[DarkMaestro]

Chapter 6: Mr. Blue Sky

It’s been seven months.

And while Karzahni wasn’t one to brag, he had to admit; he’s been doing a pretty good job.
In these past months, he finally managed to get Voriki back to a mostly normalized state; she was talking to him without flinching, she walked around leisurely and unafraid. His lightning matoran was… comfortable.
It was a success.

Though, it was certainly an interesting journey getting here…

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“You… want me to get rid of my tentacles.”
Voriki sheepishly nods.
Karzahni, in his smaller size, peers down at his lower body. A mass of green tentacles coil around each other, holding his body in a proper standing position.
“But I’m quite fond of my tendrils. I can grab onto multiple objects, they offer me great dexterity, they can do many things-”
Voriki winces, “Like throwing me at the wall?”
The Great Being pauses.
“Oh. Right, that completely slipped my mind. My apologies once again.”
Karzahni erects his torso so his tentacles stretch to their tips. As if they had their own sentience, they coil around one another tightly into two groups beneath his lower torso. They clench together until they smear into one solid limb; then like the budding flowers of a nightmarish summer, bone-like plates emerge from the skin to encase the newly formed limbs into an exoskeleton.
Karzahni taps his clawed-like feet on the stone floor, adjusting to his new appendages. He glances at Voriki.
“Haven’t been bipedal in over a century. Feels a bit weird, but I can get used to it.”
He stretches out his right leg, then bends it. A wave of nausea washes over the lightning matoran as joints pop and crack as he moves his leg.
Karzahni notices her disgust, “Look, listen. Compared to Ekimu and Makuta, I got the short stick for looking like a respectable Great Being. However, it’s grown on me over the years so now I enjoy it as part of my chaotic aesthetic.”
Voriki gives him a look, “So… what you’re saying is that you’re gross on purpose.”

“I’m saying that gives me a unique look and an array of special abilities.”

“So you’re gross on purpose.”

Karzahni groans in annoyance. He eyes the lightning matoran, catching the slightest smirk creep on her face.
“Are you being snarky with me? I thought you were too traumatized to be capable of this nonsense. If you’re fine then I’ll just change back…”
Karzahni almost sputters a laugh as Voriki panics and begs him to keep the changes. Quite a whiplash of a mood.
And he, being the good eldritch horror that he is, keeps the requested changes anyway.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|
KA-KRACK

Fragments of a stone pillar scatter around the room, dust sprinkling on the floor. Voriki coughs as she waves away the cloud of debris flowing around her. Her hands tingle as the remaining electricity dies away.
Karzahni shakes his head, leaning against the wall with fatigue.
“Again, you’re outputting too much raw power. While you’ve become more precise with conducting lightning into one bolt, it would be useless if you’ve exhausted yourself after two strikes.”
Voriki half chuckles as she plops herself to the floor.
“I was thinking” she pants, “that could just blow them away with one massive burst. Just yell ‘EXPLOSION!’ and blow enemies away.”
“And then what? You’d be so worn out you couldn’t move.”
She falls to her back, giving a long sigh. She stares at the curved stone ceiling above her.
“Well, I guess you’d have to carry me back then.”
Voriki hears her impromptu teacher let out a sigh of discontent. A big grin plasters itself on her face.

Karzahni observes his lightning matoran slowly pick herself up to try again. He points to another stone pillar and watches her summon electricity around her arms.
He has to admit, training her to better use her powers was a stroke of unintentional genius on Karzahni’s part (as per usual, of course). As Voriki points two fingers at the pillar, he can see excitement once again build up on her face. Training really was a nice outlet for her.
Incidentally, training provided some comfort to him as well. As her teacher and nearby onlooker, he could analyze her techniques and her capabilities.

And…

The flash of lightning illuminates the scar on his hand.

And to make sure I find a way to defend myself.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|
The dome-like structure of Karzahni’s citadel housed many different rooms for various purposes. Of course there was the main hall, the holding wing, the archival and observation rooms in the keep’s multiple spires.
But there were many rooms and halls that remained a mystery to Voriki. So on most days, when she wasn’t training or talking with the abnormal deity, Voriki would explore the various hallways in attempts to find something interesting.
On this day, she had stumbled upon a rather unique sight. The stone corridor she had followed today led to a rather open room. Shockingly, there was a circular hole that poured natural light into the chamber, washing away the sickly grays and greens with a soft and relaxing blue tint. At the center of the room was a shallow pool; a fountain gently poured perfectly transparent water out of the various holes from its coral-like structure. Now that Voriki was looking around, it appeared the entire room was built (or grown?) like a big rocky reef. She timidly approaches the pool; the smooth stone floor was more perilous than she initially thought.
“Wouldn’t think Karzahni would have something like this in his place,” Voriki hums to herself. “What does he use this room for?”
She stands at the pools edge, peering down at the water. Her reflection stares back at her, bright blue eyes filled with curiosity. She tentatively tips her foot into the water; upon concluding that the liquid wasn’t going to melt her foot or become conscious, she walks further into the pool.
Finding a suitable spot, the matoran lowers her torso into the pool, her head and shoulders still breaching the surface. Instantly, her body seems to relax; her once sore forearms from training became as loose as the water around her. Her eyelids fall shut, and she gives a drawn out sigh of comfort.
“So glad I found this place,” Voriki murmurs softly to herself. “Why is this water so comfortable…”
“Because it is actually a substance known as galvanized protodermis, which-”

Teal eyes flash open.

Voriki whirls around towards the sound of the voice.

Standing a few feet from her is a figure she’s never seen before. The figure looked similar to a female matoran like herself, but not quite. The stranger had a more slender form compared to hers, her limbs almost skeletal. The greenish matoran(?) donned an elongated pointed mask, and behind it sprouted long flowing hair that swayed in a non-existent breeze.
But the eyes. Voriki felt herself almost trapped within the sharp glaze, the heterochromatic red and green eyes glowed with danger, yet hinted at a feeling of curiosity. The stranger chuckled in amusement, revealing pointed teeth; but Voriki couldn’t help but stare into-

Wait, her mind politely interjects, we’ve seen those eyes before.

The brows above the lightning matoran’s eyes begin to burrow as she realizes that the bonelike platings on the strangers limbs seemed familiar, or that the mask’s shape recalled certain memories; or how the “hair” on the female being’s head moved on their own like tentacles.

Realization smashes into Voriki as if she were getting tossed into the walls again.

Though at this point she really wouldn’t mind it-

“K-karzahni!?” she squeaks in abject horror and confusion, sparks unconsciously flying off her now raised hands.
The once mysterious being raises a clawed hand up to stifle her laughs.
“Of course it is I, Karzahni. There’s no one else within these citadel walls but you and me.”
Voriki’s eyes flick about the room, trying to avert her gaze.
“What- what are you- why- why are you- why are you a-?”
Karzahni chuckles, “Relax, Voriki. Let me explain.”
The female Great Being gracefully enters the pool, her long limbs barely breaking the surface tension of the protodermis.
“You see, I came up with an interesting hypothesis. If I were to take on a form similar to yourself, then wouldn’t that truly put you at ease? Instead of being in my normal form?”
Voriki’s eyes are plastered to the protodermis pool.
“I even changed my voice too to a singular, feminine timbre. Honestly the hardest part for me to get correct. Now tell me…”
The lightning matoran’s body freezes up as a pointed finger gently lifts her chin.
Karzahni’s mask is almost inches away from her. Beneath her mask, Voriki’s cheeks flare up.

“… what do you think?”

There’s a flash, and within a moment Voriki propels herself out of the pool with a burst of electricity and lands near the entrance. The matoran is stuttering and screaming and laughing and honestly Karzahni has no idea what emotion she’s trying to convey.
“I’MGOINGTOARCHIVESPIREI’LLSEEYOULATERORNOTORNEVERAGAINHAHAHA-”
Lightning crackles from her feet and she blasts away down the corridor, her incoherent noises echoing around the room.
Karzahni, dilated pupils and tentacle hair frozen in place, slowly sinks into the galvanized protodermis.
“Well then. That was certainly… unexpected.”
The deity taps her finger against her chin in contemplation.
“I guess I have made a mistake. It appears Voriki has great aversion towards other female matoran. I’ll make a mental note of that when we get to the second stage…”
Karzahni sighs. She should probably change back and go find Voriki before the flustered matoran flash-steps through a wall…
But instead she closes her eyes and rests her head against the coral fountain.

Sometimes, even Great Beings need a break.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|
“What are your brothers like?”
The question seemingly comes out of nowhere. The God of Causality and Chaos doesn’t look towards the matoran relaxing on the observation spire’s floor; Karzahni’s mission for the day was reorganizing whatever notes or analytics he took while watching the stars far above them. And he’d be cursed if it wasn’t going to be finished today.
Voriki tagged along with him, which is perfectly fine; he expected her to satiate her curiosity at the astral tools scattered around his observatory, or ask about the constellations he had charted a while back.
But this?
“I believe I told you about them before,” he states matter-of-factly. “Ekimu is the God of Creation, and Makuta is the God of Control. Both Great Beings like myself who watch over the island of Ar-”
Voriki shakes her head, “No no, I know who they are; I’m asking what they’re like.”
Karzahni absentmindedly clicks his mandibles as he thinks over her question.
“What are they like…”

Karzahni frowns. What are they like? He’d never really gave it much thought; Ekimu and Makuta were ever present constants in his life since his very beginning. How would he actually characterize them?
Well… Ekimu was annoying, right? Always complaining about being restricted in some way or another. However, the same could be said about Makuta; overbearing, trying to supervise and dictate every action any of them did… Well Makuta was a powerful figure, but then again they were all powerful figures…
“Karzahni,” Voriki interrupts, “your head is going to catch fire.”

The Great Being snaps out of his wandering train of thought. He gives a long exhale and furrows his eyebrows.
Sensing his growing frustration, Voriki sits up from the floor.
“Think like… what do you think about each brother, specifically? Like, what makes them who they are?”
Karzahni sits there for a moment, brow still furrowed. Voriki is about to tell him not to worry about it when he finally speaks again.
“Ekimu… is a… an optimistic, yet naive being. He’s like a child; always curious of the world around him and wanting to be part of it. He doesn’t like being held back; he’s a very creative mind. He can be a nuisance, but he has a good heart.”
He pauses, giving an expectant glance at the lightning matoran. She gives a kind look in return, encouraging for him to continue.
“Makuta… likes to be in charge. Likes to oversee everything and be in control of everything. He rarely talks to either me or Ekimu unless he wants to correct something. But… I think he cares about us, or Ekimu at least. He wants to do what’s best for not only us, but the world around us.”

Voriki nods thoughtfully, “I see…What about you? Do you care about them too?”

Karzahni glances to the side, avoiding the matoran’s piercing blue eyes.

“I…”

The Great Being’s head pounds as something clenches within his chest.
Something hurts inside him.

“…I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|
And here we are today.

Voriki takes a deep breath and slowly takes a battle stance. Ahead of her are a number of wooden targets hung to a stone wall.
Between the targets and Voriki stands Karzahni, a long wooden spear over his shoulder.
“Remember; the goal is to destroy the ten targets on the wall within a minute’s time, all the while avoiding being hit by the spear.”
Voriki’s body tenses up, electricity beginning to crackle around her forearms.

“Ready? Begin.”

Instantly she points both arms forward. Twin arches of lightning blasts over Karzahni’s head and decimate two of the targets. Before the debris can even hit the floor the two beings are already moving; Karzahni and Voriki sprinting towards each other, complete concentration etched onto their faces.
Karzahni swings the spear towards her head, but the matoran quickly slides underneath the pole and launches another burst behind him.
Another target falls to the floor.
Karzahni lashes out a clawed foot behind him, knocking back Voriki. She rolls into her stumble and lands in crouched position. Already the Chaos God is on her, spear swung to her head. Before it makes contact, she catches the wooden shaft and pulls her body off the floor. As she arches over the pole, she swings her legs out and strikes Karzahni’s face. As he recoils from the hits, she lands to the floor and raises her arm. A large blast of electricity travels to the wall and shatters a bunch of targets.
Three more.
At least thirty seconds left.

Karzahni, recovered from her blow, twirls the spear around before pointing the tip at her.
“Not bad.”
And Voriki ducks as the spear jabs the spot her head once was, and she strafes back as he continues to thrust the pole arm in her direction.
I have to get him off me, she thinks to herself. What can I…
The spear moves faster and faster-

Aha!

Electricity gathers at her feet, and she leaps into the air…

And lands on the spear.
Karzahni’s eyes grow wide.
Before he can react, she fires off another volley of lightning bolts.
Three.
Two.

And the last target crumbles into a burning heap.

The two stay where they are for a moment, Voriki panting through an almost smug grin.
Finally Karzahni lowers the spear and chuckles.
“Congratulations, you have succeeded.”

She smiles and steps off the spear.
“So… now what? What’s next?”
Karzahni, with his eyes glinting with an elusive glint of excitement, gives Voriki a devious grin.

“Now Voriki… we enter the second phase.”

Voriki’s smile slightly wavers, “The second phase? What’s that?”
Karzahni giggles, clasping his hands together and bouncing with energy.
“The second phase! Finally the second phase! The second phase of this entire endeavor Voriki; you should be very proud!”
Some of Voriki’s optimism returns, “So… what happens in the second phase?”
“You see,” explains the excited god, “The second phase consists of-”

“- matoran, and creating a new home!”

A cold shiver runs through Voriki.
What…
What just happened?

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

Karzahni tilts his head, “I said, the second phase consists of the construction of-”
Suddenly Karzahni is a few feet to the right of her, his index finger pointed upward like he made a profound statement. He’s giving her an expectant glace.
“What… what’s happening?” Voriki whispers, panic seeping through her body.
Karzahni lowers his arm, “Is something wrong, Voriki?”
Her eyes are wide in fear.
“It’s like… things are skipping… like time is-”
She stumbles forward.

And suddenly… she’s alone.

Karzahni is gone.

[DarkMaestro]

Chapter 7: The Court of the Crimson King

“Now Voriki… we enter the second phase.”

He notices his matoran’s smile shifts a smidge towards uncertainty, but doesn’t comment on it.
“The second phase? What’s that?”
He can’t help but snicker in absolute delight. What happens in the second phase? The entire point of this exhaustive undertaking, the end goal of all of his experiments and research on matoran and elements…
“The second phase! Finally the second phase! The second phase of this entire endeavor Voriki; you should be very proud!”
That was a true compliment. Despite all the testing, the violence, the headaches; Voriki had blown away his expectations. Even if she once had the drive to destroy every atom of Karzahni’s being, he had taken a liking towards Voriki and her tenacity. Sure; few hiccups here and there, but she did it.

“So… what happens in the second phase?”

Karzahni is usually a calm and collected being; sure an outburst would occur on occasion, but the God of Chaos could keep his emotions under control.
(The irony was not lost on him either.)
But for this moment, all of his precautions and filters fell away against the onslaught of excitement that practically gushed past his mandibles. Sure, the passing of time was hardly felt by the Great Being, but for the first time in his deific existence did the many months of work tear away at his patience. Many days spent secluded on his private isle, in his secret citadel, slaving away on an idea that would’ve been considered foolish by anyone. Dozens of his brother’s beloved pets kidnapped and torn apart; reborn as twelve different failures that only fueled his ambition further-
-and now there’s Voriki, the thirteenth attempt; defied all the odds, a paragon of his ideas come to life and living proof that Karzahni wasn’t on a madman’s journey.
Though, as he unloads his excitement onto the matoran, the Great Being can’t help but notice that Voriki has had little reaction to anything he was saying. A slight tension builds within his chest.
“- matoran, and creating a new home!” Karzahni finishes.
Voriki stiffens sharply.
“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” she asks, her voice small.

Karzahni gives an inward sigh, slightly disappointed. A majority of his vigor went with his first explanation; having to repeat it all again kind of takes the fun out of things.
However, the confused look she’s giving him convinces the deity that another bout of exposition wouldn’t hurt.
But as he recites his elaborate plan to Voriki, the matoran seems to… space out, for lack of a better word. No indication that she was listening to anything Karzahni was saying.
Maybe it sounds boring? Perhaps I should give this explanation some dramatic flair.
As he talks to Voriki, he begins to gesture with his arms in almost a comedic fashion. Despite the growing tugging sensation in his chest, the Great Being performs an erratic dance of sorts to his monologue.
As he reaches the end, he does a twirl and defiantly points to the unseen stars above him.
He glances to the matoran-

There’s finally a reaction, but it’s not one he’s expecting.
Fear is etched onto Voriki’s face, panic seeping into her blue eyes.
“What… what is happening?”
It’s not his explanation or his ridiculous body language.
No, something was seriously awry.
Karzahni lowers his arm, “Is something wrong, Voriki?”
Her eyes are wide in fear.
“It’s like… things are skipping… like time is-”

Then he feels it.
There’s a sharp tug within his chest, like some unseen force yanked his torso back. An elusive feeling of dread seeps into the Great Being.
What is… what is this?
He now notices Voriki has stopped moving.

At all.

The matoran’s mouth is still open, stuck trying to explain the strange phenomenon that was occurring. No breathing, no eye movement; it as if she were frozen.
And her purple platings. They seemed… diluted, leaning towards a grayish color.

What is going on.
What is going on.
WHAT IS GOING-
Karzahni shakes his head furiously.

No, stop panicking. You do not panic, you are always on top of everything. Analyze the situation.

The room he and Voriki are in has also become diluted in color. So whatever was causing this unusual event was at least encompassing the training hall. Though judging by how quiet it’s become, it was likely a much larger range. There was also no sign of a foreign presence in the citadel; thus if any being was behind this… attack? The closest they could be would be outside on the isle’s rocky cliffs.
Now for Voriki.
Karzahni carefully makes his way around the matoran. However, even with simple movements like walking, the odd sensation buried in his chest constricts him with every step. With a hiss of irritation, he pushes the feelings to the side and studies Voriki. His eyes dart all over her body, looking for some deviation.
No… whatever this is, it’s not directly connected to her, the Great Being concludes. But that doesn’t do much to explain what’s going on.
Tentatively, he touches her shoulder.

No response.

Is she stuck? Can she be moved?

With a little force, Karzahni gives Voriki’s back a shove,

For a moment, Voriki looks like she’s about to fall- but before gravity can take hold, her body slows to a crawl before stopping mid-fall.

So her body can be moved by an external force; however once removed, the effect returns…

Karzahni sighs. He didn’t want to resort to this; he would rather deal with this problem himself. But time was something he hated to waste.
He’ll have to consult his brothers.
He strides to the exit, slowly reverting back to his true form.

Time is something I hate to waste.

Wings unfurl from his back as he goes under the archway.

Time…

He freezes.

Time.

Karzahni slowly peers back at the frozen form of Voriki, his pupils slowly becoming smaller with panic.
“If this is what I think it is,” the deity whispers to himself, “then we might be in serious trouble.”

With a final lingering glance at his favorite creation, he propels himself down the corridor to the citadel’s exit.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

“Yes, this is a huge problem,” mutters the eldritch god.

Karzahni soars over the now frozen sea towards the massive island of Artakha, mandibles clicking with agitation. While the waters north of the island were more frigid, the waves were frozen not by ice, but trapped within their surging movements. Heck, even the few flying Rahi Karzahni soared past were pinned into the air, blissfully unaware of their entrapments.

Time has stopped.

As a Great Being, he and his brothers had lay witness to many unusual events; after all, the duties of god-like beings were almost completely based in the unimaginable. Creating life, molding worlds, remarkable miracles; commonplace errands of the three brothers. But the passage of time had an unspoken sacredness, never touched upon by any of the brothers. Of course, Karzahni had occasionally theorized how to go about time-traveling, but he wasn’t an idiot. Time-travel only brought headaches and endless, looping consequences.

And honestly? Makuta and Ekimu were probably too stupid to even consider about how time-travel worked.
Though as he approaches the Palace of the Great Beings, a nagging sensation creeps into his mind. His brothers were all-powerful beings, sure; but this was something new. Unknown. And now, Karzahni can’t help but feel slightly concerned for the Creator and the Overseer.

He lands on the balcony of the main hall and rushes inside. His many eyes scan his surroundings, searching for his brothers.

“Ekimu? Makuta?” he calls out.

Then, a tug in his chest.

Color seeps into his surroundings, the sounds of wildlife crescendo back to life as a weight is lifted off Karzahni’s chest.

Time has resumed.

And as he peers down the main hall, he spots his two brothers. A sense of relief fills Karzahni. He scurries towards them.
“Ekimu, Makuta! What has-”

Something isn’t right.

Makuta, the immovable giant, is hunched over panting. For the first time in Karzahni’s life with his controlling brother, he has never seen this level of concern etched on Makuta’s face.
And Ekimu… looked different.
The God of Creation always donned his Mask of Creation, as he and his brothers all wore masks corresponding to their powers. But the mask on Ekimu’s face was one unbeknownst to him. It had a half disc-like shape covering the top portion of Ekimu’s head, and was arrayed with a plethora of strange symbols. The strangest part, however, was how the mask contorted the light around itself, making it appear almost blurry. As Karzahni got closer, he could make out tiny stands of light criss-crossing over the mask.
Makuta turns towards Ekimu, “It seems that I have limited movement while time is stopped. For some reason, you are more susceptible to the…”
Makuta’s voice trails off as he finally notices his third brother approach them. His eyes narrow.
“Makuta, is something wrong?” Ekimu asks. “Is there someone there?”
Karzahni stops a few feet from his brothers and crosses his arms in frustration.
“And here I was thinking that you two didn’t have the brains to figure this stuff out,” he says, with a twinge of annoyance. “Explain yourselves; what is that mask, and why does it exist?”
Ekimu’s head jerks towards Karzahni’s direction, as if he were spooked by his presence.
“K-Karzahni! When did you arrive?!”
The Chaos God raises an eyebrow in skepticism; though before he can voice his confusion, Makuta straightens himself up and points to Ekimu’s new mask.
“While using the mask, we have found that the user loses all visual ability, as well as a decent proportion of hearing,” Makuta says. “They can only see the realm within the mask.”
Karzahni gives the two a blank stare, as thoughts race through his mind. Were his brothers not aware of what just happened? The sheer scope of power that this object wielded?
“Did you… find this mask?”
He had an inclination of the answer already, but for once he wanted to be wrong.
“No,” admits Ekimu, who now has removed the time mask, “I created it.”
Karzahni glances at Makuta, his tentacles anxiously twisting around him.
At this point, Makuta would be giving a scolding lecture about being cautious of what Ekimu created; or hell, he would’ve destroyed the mask already.
But the giant was all but silent.
“Makuta, you have nothing to say? No complaints? No concerns over this very dangerous artifact that Ekimu has created?”
“Why should I? The Vahi was not a surprise for me; we created the mask together.”

The Vahi? So the mask has a name; wonderful. It’s like the two idiots before him were oblivious to what they just-
Then it hits him.
Karzahni feels a strange sensation in his chest, a foreign feeling that was completely new for him.
“You two… collaborated on this project?”
“Indeed.”
His chest gets slightly tighter.
“And… you decided to exclude me? To not tell me?”
“You… you weren’t around,” says Ekimu, “and if… I mean we would’ve wanted… we would’ve…”
The stammering Great Being doesn’t make eye contact with his brother.

Karzahni’s head is pounding; he’s not exactly sure what he’s feeling, but whatever it is he’s not familiar with it and it’s making it difficult to think. He feels his mandibles open wider and wider, tentacles uncoiling and spines flaring up; an aggressive display.
But it didn’t make sense. He’s been angry and frustrated many times before; why is this situation making him react in such an unusual way? Why is his chest so tight? Why did it feel like his head is swelling under pressure?

Distressed, Ekimu pulls himself back as Makuta steps forward.
“Ekimu. You mentioned you wanted to see how your water tribe was progressing. Take your leave while I… placate our brother’s temper.”
Makuta and Karzahni lock eyes with one another, daring for the other to make a move. Ekimu takes his brother’s cue and hurriedly leaves the palace. The footsteps fade away as the remaining brothers glare daggers at each other.
It would be a tense moment of silence between them; if only Karzahni’s head wasn’t pounding along with the subtle hissing emerging from his throat.
Finally, Makuta sighs and breaks the fatal staring contest. He strides over to an opening archway, with a clear view of the mountains around them.
“Honestly now Karzahni; you, a tantrum?” says Makuta, with a tone akin to a parent scolding a child. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Karzahni doesn’t budge, “Why did you create the Vahi? For what purpose?”
“For insurance. In case something goes awry, with the Matoran or those elemental gods. We will have the power to undo our mistakes.”

The God of Chaos tenses up, eyes widening.
“… the mask does more than stop time?”
Makuta stands comfortably in the following silence, but Karzahni doesn’t need confirmation. It only makes sense that the mask could alter aspects of time; but to what degree was a mystery. A mystery that he will not be getting answers to anytime soon.

“… Your idea? Or Ekimu’s?"
“He accidentally discovered how to see our timeline; with my aid we refined it, under the pretense that the Vahi would be utilized as a safeguard.”

Another hiss slips out past Karzahni’s teeth. Of course they discovered how to manipulate the very fabric of time by sheer luck. Honestly, dumb luck would be more fitting term for them.
“I still cannot fathom why you idiots withheld this information from me!”
That was his most pressing issue. The Vahi was undoubtedly the most powerful creation any of the Great Beings ever conceived, so why didn’t either of them say anything?
Makuta turns to him-

-and there’s a smirk on his face.

A small one, almost unnoticeable, but it’s there.

Karzahni’s hissing morphs into a low growl, and he feels his body elongate and grow in size.
Soon, he’s looking down at his formerly giant brother. His jaws thrash in anger, clawed hands clenched into fists.
“YOU’RE PITIFUL, MAKUTA! YOUR PATHETIC VENDETTA AGAINST ME WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR DUTY AS A GREAT BEING?! YOU WOULD RATHER I LAY IN IGNORANCE OF AN ARTIFACT THAT CAN BEND THE LAWS OF TIME ITSELF!?”
His massive tentacles push against the stone walls, cracking under the building pressure. Vitriolic anger vibrate through Karzahni’s skull; his calculated coolness succumbing to the building rage.
“AND EVEN WORSE!” he seethes to his nonchalant brother, “YOU DECIDED TO FORCE EKIMU INTO THIS COLLUSION! DRAG OUR NAIVE BROTHER INTO YOUR SCHEMES LIKE THE SHAMELESS, POWER-HUNGRY CONTROL FREAK YOU ARE!! HOW DARE YOU STAND BEFORE ME AS IF YOU HAD ANY FIBER OF DIGNITY LEFT IN YOUR BEING!!”

Makuta is unfazed by Karzahni’s outburst. He calmly walks over and stops a foot away from his brother’s monstrous form. He softly chuckles and looks Karzahni dead in the eye:

“It was Ekimu’s idea not to tell you. He doesn’t trust you anymore.”

As soon as the words leave the Overseer’s mouth, all of Karzahni’s aggression evaporates and leaves behind numbness. Confusion crosses his face as his mind tries to register what his brother just stated to him.
Makuta’s smirk returns to his serious demeanor as he returns to his position near the archway.
“You seem shocked. I don’t know why; you should have known this would happen. But of course, you always underestimated Ekimu.”
Karzahni begins to shrink down; he opens and closes his mouth, trying to speak but unable to find his voice.
“As much as I enjoy your confusion, I am obliged to explain on behalf of our brother wishes.”
He continues to stare out into the scenery, watching the twin suns slowly fall towards the horizon. The landscape is basking in a warm orange glow.
“He knows you’ve been taking matoran. He doesn’t know what for, but I can guess they’re either all dead or maimed, correct?”
Karzahni remains silent.
“Are you aware of how many you took? Ekimu verified who was missing from each village; the total number is around sixty matoran. That many matoran don’t disappear naturally.”
The only sound is the soft breeze blowing for the archway.
“You betrayed Ekimu’s trust; the brother he asks to keep an eye out for his missing people is the one behind it all; it’s frankly abhorrent.”
There’s no response. Makuta exhales, almost as if having to explain everything was exhausting.
“You know, my unfortunate brother, I can’t help but find your previous rant quite hypocritical. I wonder how you stood before us with any dignity, knowing you yourself were a selfish, lying, egotistical monster. You assumed that your intellect was invincible, that Ekimu was too simple and gullible to catch on to your schemes. For this past year, you placed yourself on a pedestal that you believed was indomitable; but all you’ve done is reveal your true colors.”
Makuta turns to his brother, disappointment etched upon his face.
“Pretend to be better than us; pretend to be untouchable and above consequences. Pretend to be unmatched in intellect and planning. But know this outcome is the price you pay for assuming you actually were.”
With that, Makuta heads down the hallway, towards the direction Ekimu fled towards. Karzahni, now smaller than he once was, watches Makuta’s hulking frame travel further and further. The heavy footsteps echo in the distance, before they too disappear. The hall is drenched in the crimson color of the fading suns, but Karzahni remains motionless.
Finally, he finds his voice.
“… I should return to the citadel. Make sure Voriki is okay.”
His chest hurts, his head is throbbing. His limbs don’t feel entirely in his control. And yet, all these pains and feelings remained unnamed to the God of Chaos.

Did he feel remorse? He wasn’t sure.
Was the Vahi out of his reach? For now at least.

… Would Ekimu forgive him?

Karzahni didn’t want to know the answer to that.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

It is night on Artakha.
The Overseer and Creator sit on the massive staircase leading to the palace. Firebugs dance around them, their soft glow illuminating the brothers.

“Makuta?”
“Hm?”
“… I… I’m glad you told me the truth about Karzahni and what he was… doing…”
Makuta side glances his brother.
“… but?”
Ekimu turns to him, “Was it right to keep him away from the Vahi? I’m not… I’m angry that he went behind my back but…”
“Trust me Ekimu. It was necessary for our brother to realize his mistakes, and he must learn that actions have consequences.”
Ekimu sheepish nods, “I guess so.”
Makuta chuckles.

“Do not fear, brother. It will all work out in the end.”

[KanohiReqi]

I really like how you flesh out Karzahni and Voriki here. It’s a nice detail to have him distracted randomly as a result of his mask. I find that refreshing because usually writers would write him as “evil laughing InSaNe murder doing something crazy” so I like how you chose to be more realistic with his mental illness. And I like the father-daughter dynamic you wrote with Voriki. I find it interesting how the chapters are named after songs but other than that I’d like to see what you come up next.

[DarkMaestro]

Chapter 8: Here Comes a Thought

Voriki paces the main hall, aimlessly striding across different points of the room. Her legs were well past the point of fatigue, but she couldn’t get herself to stop.

Karzahni was still gone, she had no idea why he was gone, and the mystery of time skipping remained unsolved.

That had been hours ago. New thoughts had begun trickling into her mind; what if he never came back? What was she going to do by herself? Would whatever was causing the skips come after her next?

Panic continuously tugs away at her thoughts, but Voriki refuses to let it consume her. She will not let fear engulf her, not again.

Not ever again.

She thought of Karzahni; he never let panic overtake him, he was always calm in stressful situations and tried to think things through logically. Analyzing small details, carefully observing until he could craft a reasonable conclusion.

That’s what she was trying to do. But it wasn’t as easy as expected; there was nothing of note in the practice area, the various corridors, and the main hall she was in now. Everything was in its place, as if nothing had happened.

Except for her missing Great Being.

Voriki stops her pacing and sighs, “What the heck am I supposed to do?”

She leans against a nearby pillar and slides to the floor with a solid thud.

“Nothing is out of the ordinary. It doesn’t look like anything’s been here; so why are you suddenly gone?”

The hall doesn’t offer her a reply.

Voriki exhales in frustration, “I need a miracle here; how am I-”

A loud bang echoes through the citadel, the impact sending slight vibrations through the stone pillar she leans against. Within a second she’s back on her feet, eyes locked on towards the direction of the sound.

The eastern hallway… but it’s more towards the spire entrance…

She enters the doorway into the eastern hall, does a sharp left around a corner followed by a slight right. Sparks of electricity trail behind her.

So that means whatever made that noise must be…

Through another doorway, and she’s in a large open room.

The room with the galvanized protodermis, more formally known as the Pool of Restoration. She looks to the ceiling. The small hole that allowed natural light through was much bigger. Some of the coral structures on the central fountain were damaged, debris floating in the pool.

And slightly submerged in the healing liquid was a mass of green tentacles and boney thorns.

“Karzahni,” whispers Voriki, anxiety sprinkled in her voice.

Her creator is at his normal monstrous size, signalling old traumas to seize Voriki’s body. She clenches her teeth and resists the swelling fear coursing throughout her body.

This isn’t about me right now. Stop worrying over nothing.

She cautiously edges closer to Karzahni, who remains relatively motionless in the pool. The closer she gets, the more she sees that his regular body is almost non-existent; save for his mask and back, his body has reduced to a swarm of tendrils. His eyes are closed.

“Karzahni?” she tentatively calls out. “Can you hear me?”

Raising his head slightly out of the pool, he casually glances at Voriki.

“Oh. Hello Voriki.”

She takes another step towards him, “Are… are you ok? What happened to you? You just-”

“My brothers were the source of the time anomaly. A mask that affects time.”

His mandibles sink beneath the pool’s surface, his many eyes blankly staring in a forward direction.

Voriki inches closer.

“Oh. Should… should we do something? I mean, I don’t know if that’s just the normal for ‘great beings’ or-”

“Do you think,” Karzahni interrupts, “if I pick a form that only breathes air, I could drown myself in this pool?”

Voriki’s mind screeches to a halt.

“…what?”

“Though I suppose it wouldn’t really work anyways. I’m basically immortal. Oh, how about you blast a lightning bolt at me. That might work.”

The lightning matoran’s eyes are wide open, pure shock written over her features.

“Karzahni… What are you talking about? What… why…”

The deity sighs, “Or I could just use my old scythe and lob off my head. But honestly, I don’t think I have the effort to go find it.”

Slowly, Karzahni raises himself out of the protodermis pool, morphing back into his original form. He slowly sludges his way towards the exit, his tentacles tediously pulling him as if his body was a burden.

Voriki reaches towards him, “Wait, Karzahni…”

He pauses, but doesn’t face her.

“Don’t worry about the mess, I’ll deal with it later.”

She shakes her head, “N-no, I don’t care about that! I’m worried-”

But he’s already further down the hall, ignorant of Voriki’s concerns. Her raised hand limply falls to her side.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Sleep evades Voriki.

She lays in her makeshift bed of wood and patched-together old cloaks, surrounded by the glow of the archival crystals littered throughout the room. A few months ago she asked to take over the unused archival spire as her own room, and ever since she’s made it her own. She cleaned up the dust and occasional fikou webs, moved some tools away or discarded them entirely (with permission, of course). She even got some furniture; a chair, the aforementioned bed, and a padded wooden dummy for training.

She pulls herself out of her bed and sheepishly makes her way to the dummy.

“Some exercise will tire me out, right?” Voriki mumbles to herself.

The first impact of her fist rocks the dummy back and forth. She launches another, then another. Her rate increases; sparks elusively dance around her arms as the dummy buckles under her relentless barrage. Some of the wooden components begin to darken and smoke.

She lands a solid punch and stops.

“A good outlet for stress, apparently.”

Voriki sighs and lowers her fist. She was definitely fatigued now, but that didn’t stop her mind racing.

Something had happened to Karzahni. Something so hurtful that he would rather end his deific existence than deal with it. Something that reduced the cunning God of Chaos to a dissociative mess.

And that frightened her.

She falls back on her bed, hands holding head. She feels the tears slowly well up around her eyes.

Because what could she do? She was a matoran; what good was she against the problems of a Great Being? What would she do, shoot lightning at it? Run fast? Become more traumatized and useless?

Frustrated, she balls her hands into fists and smacks her mask, as if she were trying to beat out the thoughts in her head.

She knows the relationship between her and Karzahni tended to be friendly at best and volatile at worst; but over the months the deity had strived to be more aware of Voriki’s feelings and welfare. Likewise, despite her previous grudges early on, part of her had begun to care about him. To have him open up more, to try to figure out the enigma that was Karzahni’s mind.

Which makes this situation even more infuriating to her.

She settles down her hands, wiping away the tears. A determined face etches upon Voriki’s face.

“If I’m going to try to solve this problem- I have to find out what’s really bothering him.”

She rolls over into her bed, staring up at the shining crystals above her.

“The only way to find out… is to ask.”

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Directly asking a monstrous god-like being who isn’t exactly the best representation of good morals and is prone to breaking things when angry and is the size of two-story building wasn’t exactly the smartest idea Voriki has come up with. But Karzahni, despite his tendency for cryptic nature, actually preferred being clear and concise. Thus, being straight-forward and just asking him what he was troubled by seemed like the best option.

So Voriki steeled her nerves and sought after Karzahni.

And that was the current problem.

For a monstrous god-like being the size of two-story building- Karzahni was very good at being elusive. Sure, being able to transform helped, but Voriki was sure she would have seen a trace of him by now. Something.

Anything.

After reaching the end of another empty corridor, she sighs and ungracefully drops herself to the stony floor. She pouts, holding her head in her hands.

“Come on Karzahni, where the heck are you? I just want to talk.”

The hall remains silent, the empty ambience of the citadel surrounding her.

She sheepishly chuckles, “I remember months ago when I thought it was impossible to escape your sight, that it felt like you could spring from anywhere at any moment.”

She sighs, looking down.

“It… was terrifying”.

Voriki peers up at the hall again, checking to see if he would appear. Alas, the corridor is still empty.

“Now it seems like you’ve never existed. Like you were never here,” she mutters. “Is… is that what you want? To hide from the world?”

She receives no answer.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Deep within the bowels of the citadel, the God of Chaos shelters himself away from the surface. His tentacles curl around him like a protective cocoon, as his hand tightly grip to his mask.

How do I fix this…

Karzahni searches- so many realities, so many versions of him and his brothers; yet, in every one Ekimu stops trusting him.

“There has to be one, it’s- it’s impossible. There are s-so many timelines; there must be one where he trusts me. Where I can fix things.”

And yet Karzahni has no idea why he’s so fixated on fixing Ekimu’s trust in him. He liked his brother, but he wasn’t so dependent on him nor his opinion. His brother was a naive child who was easy to exploit- that’s all.

Then why does it hurt? Why do I feel betrayed? Abandoned?

…Alone?

Karzahni growls in frustration, claws digging into his face.

I have to keep looking. There’s a solution somewhere; there has to be. I have to fix this. I have to fix this. I have to fix this.

And he continues, searching within his own bunker of tendrils, hidden from his mistakes, his brothers.

And his own creation.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

It’s nearly a week when Karzahni finally emerges.

He slowly drags himself up from his secret lair beneath his citadel and into the familiar halls above. His form constantly shifts, as if he’s having a hard time keeping his form together.

He’s just so… tired.

Karzahni trudges into the main hall, where he is greeted by an interesting sight.

Voriki is wreathed in electricity, her eyes shining in a bright blue light as bolts cross across her body. Her body twists and turns, arms and legs flowing gracefully as if she were doing a dance. Lightning expels from the end of her pointed fingers, flying around to room- to targets on the walls, Karzahni now notices.

The wooden boards shatter one after the other, Voriki not missing a beat.

Karzahni stares at the matoran’s destructive yet beautiful display. As the last target falls, Voriki smiles and lets the electricity fade away.

“You’ve certainly improved.”

She whirls around, eyes wide.

“Karzahni!” I was getting worried that you ran off or…”

She pauses, “… or something worse happened.”

Karzahni opens his mandibles, expecting to retort with something witty- but nothing comes out. Voriki gives him an expectant look, cautiously stepping towards him.

“Are you ok,” she asks tentatively. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

He gives a humorless chuckle, “What’s wrong? Nothing is wrong.”

Voriki frowns, “Karzahni, that’s not true, I know-”

“You know? You know?! HA!” Karzahni seethes. “You don’t know anything!”

His tendrils twitch anxiously as Voriki seems taken aback before glaring at him. She’s about to bite back at him, but he continues.

“But heck, it’s not like I’m doing any better! Here I was spending all this time trying to find a solution for the inevitable, yet I was too stupid to accept failure.”

He sighs, his tentacles sinking to the floor around him.

“So, nothing is wrong at all,” he hisses, “because this is how things are supposed to be.”

It’s silent between the two of them. Voriki takes a breath, relaxing her temper.

“Karzahni, please. Tell me what happened.”

Karzahni looks down at the floor, as pitiful as a kicked ussal crab.

“My brothers… Ekimu. He doesn’t trust me anymore. He and Makuta kept the mask a secret from me. And I feel… angry. Guilty. Sad. Lonely.”

He peers back up at Voriki, her teal eyes locked with his heterochromatic red and green ones.

“And… and it seems as if it was fated to happen. I tried to search for a remedy in different realities, but to no avail. I… I don’t know what to do.”

Voriki’s expression softens. Karzahni, a Great Being who relished in being ahead of everyone and in control of everything, seemed so lost. If he weren’t literally the size of a small house, she would say that she had never seen him so small before.

She takes another step towards him, “Do you remember the promise I made to you months ago? The one about being a hero?”

Karzahni smiles mirthlessly, “You mean the one about wiping me off the face of this planet? By all means, go ahead and end my torment.”

“No! No, jeez,” Voriki facepalms. “I want to be a hero to help people, to help you. And I know I don’t have the knowledge or power of a Great Being, but if I can least make you feel better, then I’ll do everything that I can.”

The deity stares at her, almost puzzled at her conviction.

“Why… Why are you determined to help me? Have you forgotten how much torment I’ve put you through? You should hate me as much as my brothers do.”

“I haven’t forgotten, even if I wanted to. But I’ve seen you change, I’ve seen you strive to be better. You’re nicer to me, and you’ve helped me become stronger with my abilities. So even if you don’t think so- I care about you.”

Something… warm, resonates within Karzahni. Something foreign, but… nice.

“You really care about me? I admit; you might be the only one who does now.”

“That’s ok,” she smirks. “One person is still a person.”

“True Voriki, true.”

Karzahni pulls himself up, his body more stable. Voriki shoots him a smile.

“So, you feeling better?”

Karzahni returns a smile back.

“Indeed. I’m starting to realize… that if this is how my destiny is fated to go, I’d rather just have your comradery rather than Ekimu’s.”

Voriki’s eyes widen, “Are you sure? I mean, they are your family-”

“No, they aren’t,” Karzahni sighs, “and honestly? They haven’t felt like family for centuries.”

His body shifts and collapses, until he’s in his bi-pedal form near Voriki’s size.

“You are my only family Voriki, the only one I have some sort of attachment to. And now, with the start of the second phase-”

Voriki jolts, “Oh yeah! You were mentioning that when the weird time stuff was happening. So… what’s phase two?”

Karzahni places a hand on her shoulder, a grin spreading across his face.

“The second phase… is to expand.”

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Night falls in the forest village of Rediaka.

A Tiro-matoran, Branar, makes his way down the forest path, rolling a cart of firewood in front of him. The nights of Tiro are filled with the sounds of the nocturnal Rahi, a symphony of sounds lulling the matoran who hear it into a comfortable sleep.

That is, save for the sudden sounds of distress ahead of the matoran. Branar peers ahead and sees a fellow matoran cradling their leg further down the path.

Actually, their coloration was more green than a Tiro-matoran- perhaps a Kanae flyer who crashed to the forest below?

Branar puts down the cart and hurries to the injured matoran’s side.

“Are you alright?”

The matoran winces in pain, “I-I need help…”

Branar peers into his pouch on his waist, “I don’t know if I have any medical supplies on me, but my village is not far from here. I can take you to-”

“No no no,” the matoran shakes their head, “I don’t need treatment.”

Suddenly, the injured matoran’s body violently convulses, horrible cracking noises as tendrils rip through plating. Branar stumbles back in fear as many glowing eyes stare back at him.

“I just need you.”

^^^^^^^

Last time I was here there wasn’t a pandemic going around; crazy how fast the world can change, eh?
As I stated in earlier entries, this is going to be finished. I hate when fanfics are incomplete, so even if Brickonicle is long dead I’m finishing this.
That being said, I might move this (along with my other stories) to Archive of My Own or something; kind of want to move away from TTV permanently. Plus, won’t be limited by restrictions there.
Anyways, enjoy I guess.
-DarkMaestro

[KanohiReqi]

This- is Fantastic!

[Ghid]

Yooo it’s BACK-

@DarkMaestro

kind of want to move away from TTV permanently.

oh. :c

Well it’s nice to see another chapter regardless. Excellent work as per usual!

[DarkMaestro]

Yeah, unfortunately G3 was my big draw to coming on the boards in the first place, and since that fell apart I don’t know if I really have a place here anymore Not to say I won’t lurk about here from time to time, but contributing stuff would probably become nonexistent.
Abrogation is the final G3 story I’m going to write (rip Pohato, never got his time to shine lol). I was looking into posting on AO3 instead of here because by god this board’s posting function is bloody annoying for writing stories. Plus half the words won’t be censored lol.
Luckily, Abrogation is a big boi; if I were to estimate, we’re like 1/3 into the whole story? So I’ll be around for a little longer haha. If I do the AO3 route i’ll just post links here to newly added chapters.
But I’m glad people are still reading this; must be doing something right!

[DarkMaestro]

Chapter 9: Speak to Me

…

Click click click…

…

Vrmmmmmmmm…

…

Agh…

Aghh…

Aghh!

AGHHHH!!

AGHHHHHHHHHHH-

Green eyes snap open.

The matoran laid still, silently breathing. Everything was quiet. Very, very quiet.

Where am I?

His eyes try to survey his surroundings, but all he can see is blackness.

“Hello?” he tries calling out- but there is no sound. He tries again- nothing.

He knew he was speaking, he felt his mouth moving; why couldn’t he hear anything?

He tries to prop himself up, but his body refuses to cooperate with him. If it weren’t for him feeling the stony surface underneath his body, he’d almost be convinced he had no body.

He’s afraid.

Where was he, and why couldn’t he see or hear anything?

Why can’t he move?

Suddenly he feels something new- something is resting on top of his left hand. It feels… warm? At the same time, it feels like tiny pinpricks where it’s touching him. It’s a hand, he realizes as it gives a gentle squeeze. Was someone there, trying to reassure him?

“Hello? Is someone here?” he asks; yet his voice remains unheard. The hand grips a little tighter.

He freezes.

Something is touching his head.

Something cold.

Whatever it is has firmly latched onto part of his head; pulling, turning. The matoran hears thuds echoing throughout his mind. Fear grips him, but the hand gives a squeeze.

Click.

There’s a pop.

“- a better way of doing this? This is kind of… invasive.”

There’s a feminine voice; twinkling with levity but touched with concern. Before the matoran can say something, another voice resonants from behind his head.

“Not in my current design, no. All the processing components are accessible from the back of the skull; easy to get to in case of adjustments."

This voice- or voices?- made chills run down the matoran’s spine. It was as if multiple beings were blended into one, layered with a harsh raspiness and clicks. He was terrified of seeing whoever- or whatever- was the owner of that voice.

He feels a touch on his arm.

“Hello, can you hear me?”

He pulls himself from his fears, “Y-yes.” His voice sounds like he hasn’t spoken in days.

“Lovely, it also seems language codex is working properly,” the creepy voice assesses. “Matoran, is everything functioning correctly?”

“I-I can’t see. It’s black everywhere.”

“Ah, that should be no problem. Give me a moment.”

The cold sensation returns to his head.

Click.

The matoran blinks a couple of times as his sight comes to. He’s staring up at a domed ceiling, ringed with metal beams. Lightstones illuminate the room in a warm yellow light.

He slowly pulls himself up, groaning as his arms struggle to hold his weight.

“Motor functions seem operational as well. Should we test durability?”

“Don’t you even dare-”

The matoran finally looks up ahead of him.

Two beings stand before him. On the left is a matoran similar to himself, but female and with a more solid build. She has brilliant light blue eyes and a stream-lined mask. Thin, almost translucent blue clothing gently cloaks her upper legs. Noticing him, she flashes him a smile and waves.

The other being is something else entirely. Much taller than the female matoran, the being has bone-like armor all over his body; thorny and angular. His mask was long and pointed, spiked and cradled by a set of mandibles. Behind the mask sat a pair of different eyes; one a blazing scarlet, the other a set of venomous green orbs.

Apparently, his fear was showing on his face, since the female matoran’s smile faltered.

“I know you’re probably confused, but we’re not going to hurt you. I am Voriki; a matoran, just like you.”

The large being leans in, “You both were created by me. I am Karzahni; a Great Being.”

Questions ran through the matoran’s mind. Who were these guys? What was a Great Being? Why were he and Voriki created? But, most importantly…

“… who am I?”

Voriki casts a glance at Karzahni. The Great Being closes his eyes. He shudders for a moment, mandibles clicking together in agitation. Then; he stops, eyes opening.

“Found you.”

The matoran unconsciously pulls himself away from Karzahni, “Found… me? What- what does that mean?”

“Karzahni wears a mask that allows him to see into different realities,” answers Voriki. “So he finds your… soul signature? Something like that, and then figures out your name.”

The matoran tilts his head in confusion, “Ok…? Who am I then?”

Karzahni lets out a chuckle.

“Oh, a very peculiar matoran; dedicated to knowledge and life, but came about a world who wanted to control both.”

Karzahni leans in, and even though his mouth was obscured behind his ancient mask, his eyes told the matoran he was giving a sly smile underneath.

“Perhaps you will find a better fate here… Mavrah.”

End of Act I: Growing Pains

[Ghid]

@DarkMaestro

The other being is something else entirely.

oh gosh he’s krika

I love it

[DarkMaestro]

Act II: Abyssus Abyssum Invocat

Chapter 10: Another Medium

Contrary to popular belief, despite Karzahni’s abnormal appearance and tendency to look like the fusion of a rahi carcass and overgrown ivy vines; he had standards.

It would be expected for a monster like him to sloppily slide into the protodermis pool and slosh around like Kane-ra in deep water. With him at the end of weeks of non-stop construction and fatigue, he would be tempted to let go just this once.

But no; after that embarrassing lack of control he had months ago, he swore that he would alway ensure that he carried himself in a dignified manner. He owed himself that.

So he would enter this pool gracefully.

His clawed right foot slowly descends into the protodermis, barely causing a ripple. His body follows the motion and gently settles down into the pool, until only his pointed head and boney shoulders are above the surface. He lets out a content sigh; truly out of all the things he has created, galvanized protodermis would be up there as one of his greatest. The regenerative properties and smidgen of stamina boost did absolute wonders. He closes his eyes, a rare content smile creeping up his face as he lets the protodermis take effect…

Except, Karzahni has good hearing.

And what he’s hearing is the shuffle of timid footsteps approaching from behind his head.

So much for getting some peace and quiet.

He waits a little, pretending not to have heard the footsteps. He hears them approach closer, then heads towards the right of him. Then it stops. Finally, after a moment of silence, Karzahni peeks with one of his eyes.

There’s a matoran by the pool; rather small and almost frail, with slender hands that tentatively hover above the protodermis’ surface.

“It won’t hurt you, Akhun,” Karzahni finally says. “In fact, it would probably do the opposite.”

Akhun doesn’t look up at him, instead focusing on the pool. The matoran’s unique mask focuses, the telescopic lens moving back and forth.

That was admittedly the fault of Karzahni; as Akhun was the latest matoran, the deity was running out of… “spare parts”. Thus, he had to get a little creative with giving them binocular vision- and hey, it would be an interesting experiment one way or another. Thus, Akhun’s left eye was a special telescopic lens that could magnify and focus on objects.

Right now, it seemed that the matoran’s focus was the protodermis.

“I assure you, it’s safe.”

“… Do you want people to understand? Or do you just want to believe you’re the only one suffering?”

Karzahni frowns. That’s also the issue with Akhun; the matoran didn’t seem… all there. They rarely speak, and if they do it is always something cryptic and out of place. What did Akhun mean with what they said? Did they believe Karzahni was suffering in some way? It really didn’t make sense.

Part of him considers that there was a possibility that somehow some of his mask’s powers transferred to the matoran, and now Akhun was seeing different realities.

But, that was a theory to test another day.

For now, Karzahni was going to enjoy his rest.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Voriki points her index and middle finger forward, aiming at the training dummies a couple of meters in front of her. Another hand comes up beside her, copying her position.

“Keep your eyes focused on the target; specifically where you want to hit.”

The female matoran beside her gives a nod, “Ok, gotcha. Then what?”

“Then, gather the power within yourself,” says Voriki, “and channel it through your arm and out.”

Sparks fly from the tip of Voriki’s fingers; in a flash, a bolt of lightning arches across the room and obliterates the wooden dummy.

She flashes a smile to the other matoran, “Like so.”

The other matoran scoffs, “‘Like so’, she says. Yeah, no big deal.”

Despite her complaints, Voriki notices the playful glint in the matoran’s eye.

“Of course, a trivial thing for ‘Ivna the Invincible’.”

Ivna rolls her eyes, “Ha ha, so funny. Can I try now?”

Voriki concedes, and gestures towards the dummies. Ivna glares down her arm, her thumb an imaginary crosshair locked onto the training dummy. She grins, feeling the energy welling up inside her-

A couple of sparks sputter out of her fingers with a POP!

Frustrated, Ivna shakes her hand, “Come on! I’ve been trying this for weeks now! Why isn’t this working!?”

Voriki puts her hand on her chin, “Yeah you’ve got me; I thought for sure you would get it this time…”

“Ugh this sucks!” Ivna shouts as she stomps in agitation. She crosses her arms and pouts.

Voriki glances at Ivna. She was a female matoran like herself; however Ivna was slightly taller than her, and a more lean athletic build compared to her solid type. Her acid green eyes glinted within her spiked and sleek mask, her anger taking over her thoughts.

Voriki places a hand on her shoulder, “Come on, Ivna; don’t beat yourself up too much. You actually got sparks coming out of your hand, which is more than could be said than the others.”

Ivna sighs, seeming to ease into Voriki’s touch. Her arms loosen up and fall to her sides.

“Yeah, that’s true I guess. You’re the only one who has full control of lightning.”

“That was after months of training; it didn’t come to me all at once.”

Ivna raises an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk creeping up her face.

“Really? ‘Cause if I remember correctly, you said you got powers when you were suuuper pissed at Karz.”

Voriki stiffens, “That was different!”

Ivna starts chuckling, which earns her a light shove from Voriki. They both give a little laugh.

“But seriously, don’t let it bother you that much,” says Voriki. “I’m sure you’ll get it down in no time-”

“HA! WHY BOTHER WITH LIGHTNING WHEN YOU CAN DO THIIIISSS!!-”

Voriki and Ivna barely have time to register the sudden outburst when a burly matoran rushes past them, towards the dummies. With a massive hand, he grabs the dummy and chokeslams it into the stone floor.

“YEAH!! Didn’t see that coming, didya!!”

Ivna steps forward and sneers, “Oi, you oversized kavinika! I was still using that!”

The burly matoran gets onto his feet, striking a victory pose over the fallen dummy.

“You were taking too long, Ivna! And really, what lightning got over my fists!?”

Voriki shakes her head, “Gevnuk, please. We’re trying to practice.”

His pose deflates.

“But Voriki, lightning is no fun when you can just smash things!”

“I understand that; but do that on your own time,” she scolds. “Not Ivna’s, not mine.”

Gevnuk huffs, but concedes to Voriki’s discipline. It was funny; the large matoran stood a good head and a half over Voriki, and was over twice as wide. He was a brickhouse of pure muscle, and seemed to only respect physical prowess and strength.

Voriki smirks. Probably why he respected her words; she was the only person he couldn’t beat.

But that wasn’t fair. After all, he didn’t really have a deific monster to be his sparring partner, and Karzahni had been busy with… something, as of late.

He told her it was something to do with the matoran, and part of his overall plan. All she was certain of was that it was actually outside the citadel, given the amount of noise.

That in itself was intriguing to Voriki. It was… more than a year now, and she hadn’t even seen the outside of the stony walls. She only gets glimpses of the sky when in the Restoration Room.

What laid outside of her home?

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Mavrah looked down at his hands, observing the tiny creature that nestled within his fingers.

It was a bright red crustacean, with small pincers and large blue eyes. Its tiny silver legs quickly moved about as the small crab observed its surroundings.

It was fascinating. Such a small creature, yet it was so unique, such a natural marvel.

All in the palm of his hand.

“That is a juvenile hahnah; a crab species around the isle’s waters.”

Marvah glanced over his shoulder, towards the voice, “Isle’s waters?”

Karzahni was behind him, examining a skull-like mask. His clawed fingers gently followed the contours of the mask.

“Of course. The isle that my citadel resides on is surrounded by an ocean,” states the Great Being. “The mainland of Artakha is about thirty miles to the southeast of here.”

He places the mask back down on a table and strides over to Marvah.

“These young hahnah inhabit the shallow waters until they mature, where they then will travel to deepers shoals. I’ve found that they are quite impressionable, and easy to tame.”

Marvah looks down at the hahnah. Its bright blue eyes stare back at him. A smile slowly grows on the matoran’s face.

Karzahni’s clawed fingers delicately pick the crab up from Mavrah’s hands and place the creature in a nearby container. Mavrah instinctually tries to get to the container, only for a thorny arm to block his path.

“Don’t fret; you can bond with the rahi later. Right now, we need to meet up with your fellow matoran; I have something of importance to share with all of you.”

With a defeated look on his face, the matoran obliges and heads towards the door. Karzahni flexes his fingers in mild annoyance. Out of all the new matoran to be created, Mavrah seemed the most skeptical of Karzahni. To be fair, that was a very valid feeling to have, especially about a monster like himself. It sort of reminded Karzahni of an earlier Voriki.

Which was also why it was getting on his nerves. Karzahni did not need a repeat of last year, thank you very much. Plus he certainly favored Voriki over Mavrah; he would not be the least bit concerned with starting over with Mavrah. But alas, Voriki and the others had taken a liking to the rahi-enthusiast, so Karzahni had to make do for now.

Plus, after seeing some of the alternate fates of Marvah, it was an entertaining hypothesis to see if Karzahni could have this version prosper.

Hopefully the matoran doesn’t go near any giant sea rahi.

They emerge into the main hall, where the other matoran are waiting. Gevnuk is dozing off against the wall, Voriki and Ivna are sitting with each other, sharing some quiet conversations with one another. And Akhun… was staring blankly at the ceiling.

Karzahni certainly had a batch of odd matoran.

“Matoran; today, I have something to share with all of you.”

Ivna waves her hand, “Heya Karz, whatcha got to show us?”

Karzahni sighs, “Please refrain from using nicknames. And if you would all follow me, I shall show you.”

Mavrah taps Gevnuk awake as Ivna and Voriki get up to follow Karzahni.

“One day, you’ll warm up to the nicknames.”

“Unlikely.”

Voriki stiffles a giggle, which plasters a grin on Ivna’s face.

The five matoran follow behind the Great Being as he leads them down different corridors…

Voriki frowns, “Wait, was this hallway always here?”

“Not exactly. It was here, but it was never open for you until now.”

The group proceeds down a path of curving stairs, illuminated by glowstones. Finally, they reach a large circular room with a massive pair of metal doors.

Karzahni turns to the group, his eyes bright with a rare excitement.

“My little matoran; for months now I’ve been slaving away at the next phase of my project. Today, you get to see and experience the fruits of my labor.”

Gevnuk smashes his fists together, “Yeah! Let’s see it!”

Karzahni strides to the door, and places his hand on a circular indentation. The door suddenly illuminates a greenish glow, with patterns and symbols snaking around the surface. The matoran give an audible gasp. Then, the glow fades away.

CREAAAKKKKK

The sound of whining gears and sliding metal erupts from the door. The group of matoran look on in awe as the doors slowly open up, the bright sunlight invading the once sealed citadel.

Voriki squints her eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. She focuses her eyes…

“… wow…”

It’s a village.

No, not quite a village. It’s bigger; a city.

There are dozens of buildings in front of them, metal walkways going to and fro all around. Purple tiled roofs reflect in the daylight, the large glowstone lights sparkling. The buildings are all on metal platforms; as Voriki glances down through metal grates, she sees massive pillars extending from the ocean, holding the city up.

“Karzahni…” Voriki whispers, finally finding her voice, “this… this is-”

“Geez… how did you even do this?” murmurs Ivna next to her.

Mavrah stares wide-eyed at the infrastructure around him.

Karzahni has a wide smile; not malicious, but one of exuberance, of pride.

“My matoran, welcome to your new home.”

Gevnuk audibly gasps, “WHAT? We live here now?!”

“But wait,” pipes Mavrah, “what about the citadel?”

“The citadel was a place to keep you all safe until my production was finished. After all, while my citadel is large, it’s not big enough for a colony of matoran villagers.”

Ivna looks up at the deity, “Wait, there’s going to be more of us?”

“Of course,” chuckles Karzahni. “That was my plan from the start.”

He clasps his clawed hands together.

“You’re free to explore to your heart’s content; find a place to call home, see the world around us. Just bear in mind; I have no name for this place yet, so have some consideration to what to name this city.”

Gevnuk pumps his fists in the air, “OHHH YEAAH!!!”

His massive hands latch onto a very surprised Mavrah and lift him into the air.

“W-what are you doing!? Put me down!!”

“WOOOOO-”

The burly matoran, with his unwilling passenger, race off into the city streets.

Ivna chuckles, and grabs Voriki’s hand.

“Come on, the bonehead is onto something for once. Let’s check it out!”

Voriki gives a glance back at Karzahni, who motions her forward. She smiles and follows Ivna’s lead, their laughter echoing in the metal city.

That leaves one.

Karzahni glances down at Akhun. While he didn’t expect an energetic reaction from the matoran, it still was a bit off-putting that the little matoran gave almost no acknowledgement to Karzahni’s reveal.

“It took a while to get this together,” Karzahni starts, “after all, planning and logistics are a pain to do alone, even for a Great Being.”

Akhun stares forward.

“Getting all this metal was a pain too; I had to travel back to Artakha many times and pull some strings with the natives; thankfully they’re unaware of my falling out with my brothers. Those pillars underneath us were also-”

“A storm is approaching.”

Karzahni stiffens.

It is a bright, clear day out. The suns shining upon his newly created city.

He glances back at Akhun-

Who is staring intently at him, their white eyes locked onto him.

Karzahni’s mandibles click nervously.

“… can you elaborate?”

They remain silent, staring. Finally, they turn and slowly walk into the city.

“A storm is approaching.”

^^^^^^^

Oof, finally an update. Finally entering Act II.
I’ve been super busy; I just started a podcast with my fellow audio producer, The Imposter Syndrome Podcast. Plus, I just released my debut album, the RNG Experience. Both have eaten up a lot of my time, but at the same time has kicked my productivity into high gear haha.
Anyways, enjoy!

[KanohiReqi]

This is great! I love how far Karz and Voriki’s relationship has gone. I’m looking forward to seeing how far this “civilization” develops, unless it’s that kind of storm.

[gen2enjoyer]

very nice

[DarkMaestro]

Chapter 11: Momentary Bliss

One year.

One year has passed since Karzahni opened those massive doors. One year since Voriki and her fellow matoran were given homes of their own. One year since she got to see the world outside the citadel.

And now…

The City of Lightning, Elsia, has become a bustling metropolis. There were now hundreds of matoran here, with their own homes and businesses, friends and even families… who would’ve believed this was possible.

Voriki strides down the boardwalk, her teal half-cape gently swaying in the sea breeze. As she passes various matoran along the path, she sees faces lighten up, smiles, and nods of respect.

Though, it was not an odd occurrence; after all, she is the leader of Elsia.

Voriki chuckles to herself. That had been a wild day; Karzahni basically promoted her to being the city’s ruler on a whim. When she tried to stammer out a rejection, he deadpanned and said, “Look, you were the first matoran, you’re the strongest matoran, everyone respects you- why not?”

And now she’s here, making her way to Jouwi’s office to discuss the construction plans for a new dock. Karzahni had been adamant about keeping Elsia a secret from the other Great Beings, but eventually conceded to at least having a dock for fishing and exploration purposes, so long as matoran avoided Artakha. Mavrah had been extremely excited to explore the seas- his research into ocean rahi had only expanded in the past year.

But before she sees Jouwi…

Voriki smiles as she detours down a sideroad, idly waving to friendly shopkeepers. There’s a newfound excitement in her step as she makes her way to a crude-looking storefront.

Behind the counter sits a bored female matoran, green eyes blankly staring at some mechanism she’s idly toying with.

The matoran notices Voriki approaching, “Hello, welcome to my repair shop, what do you-” the matoran pauses upon recognizing Elsia’s leader, “- oh, Vor. Need something?”

“Well, Ivna…” Voriki starts, gingerly resting her elbows on the counter, “I seem to have a problem.”

“Oh?” Ivna raises her eyebrow.

“Yeah, I’ve got a long and boring meeting ahead of me, and it’s probably going to last until the evening.”

“Uh huh.”

A mischievous smirk slides up Voriki’s face, “Soooo, I thought it would be a good idea to see my favorite matoran to alleviate my upcoming turmoil.”

Ivna stares at Voriki. Voriki stares back.

Finally Ivna sighs, “Karzahni help me, you can be so needy.”

Voriki can’t help but giggle.

Ivna walks to the edge of the shop, exits through the door and makes her way to Voriki.

“Don’t blame me if you’re smelling like burnt metal later.”

Two arms wrap around Voriki and gently hold her. She rests her head on Ivna’s shoulder, returning the embrace.

“Jokes on you, I like the smell.”

Ivna lets out a laugh, causing Voriki to smirk. “Nah, you’re just used to it.”

The two stay in a hug for a long moment, before Voriki breaks it off.

“Thanks, I really needed that.”

A slight blush appears on Ivna’s face, “Of course, no problem. I mean, you can stay a little longer if you want; it’s a slow day here.”

Voriki smiles, “I should probably be on my way… but I’ll see you tonight, ok?”

Ivna grins, “Totally; I’ll stop by Gevnuk’s to see if I can grab some things so I can make some razorfish stew.”

Voriki’s eyes perk up, “Ohhh that’s a good idea! Looking forward to it!”

With a smile on her face, she continues on her trek of daily responsibilities.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Akhun sits on a bench, blankly staring into the sky with an expression that would be best described as “vacant”. His fingers idly tap his thigh to some unknown rhythm.

“… You really don’t think that tapping means something?”

Akhun doesn’t react to the hushed voice to the right of him.

“Nah,” another voice responds, “I’ve tried working out some sort of cipher but it’s too consistent. I think it’s just him tapping.”

“Or perhaps the message is not words, but a beat?” pitches a third voice.

Akhun watches the clouds drift by, massive white fluffs drifting in a bright blue sea. He pays no mind to the group of onlookers that have gathered around the corner. All their eyes are on him, tablets in their hands, intently waiting for something. Specifically, waiting for Akhun to offer some unseen wisdom.

“Calu, look, it’s been an hour already,” a matoran grumbles, “can’t we go grab a bite already?”

“No!” hisses Calu, his visor-like mask glinting in the sun. “What would happen if we missed something important? If we aren’t here right now-”

“If you weren’t here right now,” a new voice interrupts from behind, “nothing will change.”

The inquisitive matorans turn to see Mavrah, a frown etched onto his face. By his feet scuttle a small hahnah crab, a pile of packages on its back.

Calu grimaces, “Ah, Mavrah, you simply don’t understand. Akhun’s wisdom needs to be documented!”

Mavrah shoots him a look, “He literally only speaks gibberish. I’m pretty sure Karzahni fried his brain making him.”

The group of matoran gasps in horror.

“How dare you!” one yells, “Akhun’s words might be cryptic, but they are prophecies and knowledge hidden within!”

Mavrah rolls his eyes, “Good grief, just drop it already. You’re just taking advantage of the fact that he can’t properly speak to hound him all day! Why don’t you go and actually be productive for once!”

Calu sneers, “That’s rich coming from some loner with his head beneath the waves-”

Suddenly, Akhun stands from the bench. The group freezes, watching him intently. The cryptic matoran slowly turns to them, his telescopic lens focusing in and out for a moment…

He takes a breath.

The matoran group anxiously waits.

“… Mangosteen.”

With that, the enigma of a matoran begins taking slow, awkward steps down the main path. The stunned group of matoran glance at one another.

“Mangosteen… what could that mean?”

“Perhaps it’s an instruction, ‘main, go steen’?”

“No no, it could be a different language- ah! The language of the Great Beings?!”

Mavrah, with an absolute look of annoyance and loathing plastered onto his face, leaves the fanatic group to their musings. His hahnah companion chirps and follows close behind.

He runs to keep up with the wandering Akhun. The strange matoran doesn’t pay him any mind when Mavrah walks beside him.

“Hey, listen,” Mavrah starts, “you don’t have to humor them if they’re bothering you. I know you don’t really… talk?”

Akhun slows down, curiously glancing at his fellow matoran. The rahi enthusiast seems surprised.

“I just…”

Mavrah searches the matoran’s eyes for any semblance of understanding.

“What I’m saying is… look, if you want them to leave you alone, don’t be afraid to find me, alright?”

Akhun stares at him. Blankly.

Mavrah sighs, “You really are messed up in the head, huh? Nothing I’ve said is getting to you.”

He begins to walk off when he feels something grab his hand. He glances down to see Akhun’s hand in a firm grasp around his own.

“What?”

The telescopic lens zooms in- and for a moment, Mavrah sees something in Akhun’s eyes. Something alive.

No, someone alive.

“Walls have ears, doors have eyes. Trees have voices, beasts tell lies…”

Something cold washes over Marvah as Akhun’s eyes bore into his, a soft smile forming on the cryptic’s face.

“Beware the rain, beware the snow. Beware the one, you think you know.”

Mavrah pulls his hand out of Akhun’s grasp, a panicked look etched on his face. Akhun’s small smile fades away, a dull absentmindedness in its stead. Mavrah watches the matoran turn on his heel and walk down another path, seemingly at random.

Exasperated, the rahi enthusiast rubs his eyes.

“I don’t know why I even bother.”

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

“… what do you think, Lord Karzahni?”

An agitated click of mandibles sound in the quiet room.

“Kiromo, I believe I told you there was no need for formalities here.”

“Y-yes! Lord Kar- I mean, yes, Karzahni.”

The Great Being nods his head, “As for turbine designs you’ve created, my only issue would be transferring the stored power back up to the city.”

Kiromo stares down at the blueprints, “Well, I mean, we can create some cables…”

“But it’s a bit of a distance between sea level and the city; you’ll have to find a way to ensure power doesn’t get lost in transit.”

The matoran thoughtfully nods his head, “I see… I’ll work out some prototypes and inform you when we’re ready to test.”

“Very good.”

Kiromo bows, then stiffens back up.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to disrespect… Well I meant to pay respect but you asked not to be so stern with conduct and I disregarded that-”

“Kiromo, please relax before you hurt yourself,” Karzahni chuckles, “I hold no ill will towards you.”

Kiromo pauses for a moment, gazing at the Great Being with gratitude- before quickly bowing again.

“You truly are a merciful Great Being! I won’t disappoint you again!”

The matoran scampers out of the room, almost smacking head first into Voriki as she’s entering the room.

“AH!” Kiromo squeals, “Toa Voriki! My humblest apologies!”

Voriki smiles, hands out placatingly, “It’s no problem, Kiromo, it was just an…”

Before she finishes, the anxious matoran rushes past her, disappearing into the city streets.

Voriki turns to Karzahni, whose face is buried in his palm. Voriki takes a seat at the table in front of Karzahni; a cheeky grin crawling up her face.

“Y’know, I would’ve thought you’d like matoran holding you to high esteem.”

Hetero-chromatic eyes glare through wiry clawed fingers, “Once in a while, not every minute. I swear it takes twice as long to go through things with Kiromo than anyone else.”

Karzahni himself plants himself in a seat opposite of Voriki, “In fact, he’s the only one I know of that constantly calls you Toa.”

Voriki strugs, “ I mean, you’re the one that called me that in the first place.”

“Because it made sense to me -” he taps his mask, giving her a knowing look, “- plus, it’s been a year and so far you’re the only matoran capable of wielding lightning effectively. You’re special somehow… I just don’t know how.”

Voriki leans back in her chair, “Maybe… y’know, my experiences?”

Karzahni scoffs, “We both know I can’t find the answer to that ethically.”

“True.”

Karzahni clasps his hands, “Well nevermind that; an answer for another day. I assume everything went well with Jouwi?”

Voriki brightens up, “Yes! Construction should begin in a couple of weeks.”

“Wonderful. We’ve really done it, haven’t we?”

Voriki stops. There was an… unusual softness to his voice. She studies Karzahni’s face.

The Great Being… seemed… content? Peaceful?

A big smile stretches across the Toa’s face.

“We certainly have.”

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Voriki and Karzahni emerge from the citadel, walking down the main path. The suns hover over the horizon line; a warm orange glow cascading over the city.

“Hey, if you’re not busy, why not come have dinner with us tonight?” Voriki asks. “Ivna says she’s making razorfish stew.”

“Oh, that does sound appetizing; though I would hate to intrude.”

Voriki snorts, “Yeah too late for that, I’m pretty sure Gevnuk’s going to find his way to our home.”

Karzahni’s mandibles click happily, “Ivna’s stew is that renowned?”

“Quite so.”

Karzahni looks ahead of him, watching the sunlight bask over the many streets and buildings of the city.

His city.

He hears Voriki let out a content hum next to him.

No, he corrects himself. Their city.

They really had done it, hadn’t they? It seemed like it was only yesterday that his plans were that of a delusional mad god- but here they were. Through trials and tribulations, they beat all odds and succeeded. What was once a volatile test subject was now a treasured pupil… a friend?

And though he can’t see it from where he is now, Karzahni ponders about Artakha. Since he began his matoran construction on site, he had stopped getting parts from the mainland. What did the island look like now? How were the other Great Beings faring?

… did his brothers miss him?

But as Voriki talks about how she hopes Ivna had brought some Vuata fruit home, he pushes those thoughts aside. He didn’t need to care about the state of the mainland, nor whether or not his brothers had any regrets.

Because for the first time in his long existence-

Karzahni felt at home.

…

…

He feels a tug in his chest.

Karzahni frowns. Were emotions getting the best of him? Oh dear; for a God of Chaos he had gotten pretty soft.

He turns to Voriki- except she’s not at his side. She’s a few feet behind him, in the middle of a stride but… not moving.

“… Voriki?” Karzahni asks in a timid whisper.

She offers no reply as- to his encroaching horror- she begins to slowly step backwards.

No, not step backwards.

Her steps are reversed.

Panic seeps through Karzahni as he looks around him; matoran, birds, the distant suns- all begin to slowly reverse.

And then it hits him.

A horrible, low growl escapes his throat, his fingers elongating into knife-like claws. He grows taller and taller, tentacles seeping out of his body. His back convulses and tears as two massive leathery wings fan out, huge gusts blowing with every motion.

And deep within his twisted soul, with every ounce of hatred and fear, newfound hope and love; Karzahni, the Great Being of Causality and Chaos, lets out a guttural scream to the stars.

“MAKUTA!!!”

^^^^^^^

Kept you waiting, huh?
After a year of podcasting, V-Tubing, just life in general- I finally got around to continue this bad boy. Maybe the next update will be sooner rather than late.
Enjoy!

[Enbeanie]

@DarkMaestro

The matoran group anxiously waits.

“… Mangosteen.”

it’s Eljay isn’t it
he’s coming

[DarkMaestro]

Chapter 12: My Brother, the Dragonslayer

The blood red glow of the sunset creeps across the landscape. The once-green trees now appear as a sea of fire, the gray stonework of the palace now gleam like rubies. The violet clouds overhead draped in a crimson blanket that stretches to the horizon.

To many, it would be a beautiful sight to behold; one to savor, to ingrain into one’s memories.

But to Makuta, the vista around him is meaningless.

The broken stone pillars and cracked walls are meaningless.

The coughing, battered form of Ekimu on the floor is meaningless.

No, it is what’s in his hands- a gold, engraved mask that morphed the light around it- that’s what mattered to him.

The Vahi.

In his massive hands, the golden mask seems so delicate, he could crush it in his palm. But the Overseer knows better, he knows the power this mask wields, a power that surpasses he and his brothers.

Maybe even…

His grip tightens around the mask. He’s wasted enough time already.

Makuta has had enough in indulging Ekimu’s wishes. Unlike his naive brother, he doesn’t need to constantly visit the villages of the matoran to know the state of the island.

He knows of the seeds of doubt, planted there by those infuriating elemental spirits. The questions. The mistrust.

Those simple homunculi dared question the role of the Great Beings. But he can’t totally fault them; after all, it’s understandable to lose confidence in your rulers if one were to look at Ekimu and Karzahni. How many times had he slain legendary beasts that tore through the island, created on Ekimu’s whim? How many times has he been pestered by those annoying gnats about their missing brothers and sisters, with the culprit not showing their revolting forms for nearly a year now? And of course, it lies with the Overseer to clean up the messes of his lesser brothers.

But Makuta is responsible; he knows his duty.

The golden mask gently rests on his face; the sights and sounds of the world around him fade into darkness.

So he shall.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

The world desaturates around Ekimu, the crimson sunset fading into a dark gray. The only color remaining in his eyes radiates from the Vahi upon his brother’s face, emitting a brilliant golden light.

With a sharp inhale, Ekimu tries to push himself up. He manages to get on his hands and knees before his torso convulses in pain. He grits his teeth.

“Makuta… brother,” he wheezes out, “you have to stop…”

Ekimu knows it’s unlikely his brother could hear him, even more so that he would listen.

Turning his body, he collapses his back against the wall, his limbs going slack. He feels the effects of the mask tightening around his body- he may not be able to move, but he can still think.

And all Ekimu can think is why. Why did this happen? What caused his brother to finally snap? Did he do something?

Perhaps it was as that ice spirit- Melum?- warned. Perhaps Makuta wanted control, to have not only the matoran, but the brothers be subservient to him.

Ekimu’s vision begins to blur, consciousness slipping away into darkness. It seemed, regardless of the motive, Makuta will get his way.

With that last thought, Ekimu’s eyes go dark.

But…

If Ekimu had stayed awake for just a moment longer, the Creator would have witnessed a mass of giant wings and thorns rush past him, claws outstretched, aiming for the supposed victor.

The God of Chaos has arrived.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Karzahni’s sharpened fingers clamp onto the Overseer’s head, yanking the Great Being backwards. Before Makuta can react, he is greeted by his face being dragged across the stone floor of the palace, followed by a sharp impact of going through a stone wall.

Karzahni watches his brother’s body tumble over the debris and slide across the polished floor. Karzahni, a monster of tentacles and thorns and claws, pulls himself through the hole.

He stands in the main hall; a beautiful cathedral of ornate pillars, rich murals and detailed sculptures of the Great Beings.

The deep red of the sunset trickles through the overhead skylight, starkly contrasting with the acidic green glow of Karzahni’s eyes.

Those eyes are locked onto Makuta who, with an annoyed grunt, picks himself off the floor. He pulls the Vahi off and turns towards his monstrous brother.

“Of course; it would have been too easy if you didn’t show up.”

Karzahni’s mandibles widen, baring his teeth.

“Give me the mask,” he hisses.

Makuta extends his right arm forward, palm facing downward. Purple flames emerge from his hand.

Makuta darkly chuckles, “If you desire the Vahi, then you will have to take it from me.”

A plume of purple fire springs from Makuta’s hand; when it dissipates, a massive greatsword stands in its place.

“… but you already knew that.”

His bulky fingers wrap around the handle and he lifts the greatsword in the air. Makuta looks over his blade; a simple, geometric design, save for his insignia at the hilt. But his sword has brought many monsters to an end. Zivon. The Rahi Nui. Spirah.

And now…

Makuta, after attaching the Vahi to his hip, grabs the sword with both hands, tilting the point to his brother.

“Karzahni; we have fought countless times in the past, but only with words,” Makuta says casually. “You know that you cannot best me in a battle of the body.”

Karzahni growls, “Give me the mask before I tear off your limbs, Makuta.”

“Your shape-shifting abilities do not give you the advantage you think it does,” Makuta replies, seemingly ignoring the threat. “Do you recall the beast Krahka? No matter what form she took, she could not best me. Perhaps if she fled she would have lived to see another day.”

Makuta’s eyes glint in anger, “You should do what she did not; flee now, brother, or you will suffer.”

Karzahni’s claws dig into the marble floor, the tendrils around him poised to attack. His singular red eye glows like a wild flame.

“Sorry, brother; but I believe that mask belongs to me!”

By the time Karzahni launches forward, Makuta is already winding back his greatsword. His purple eyes narrow with hatred.

“The mask is MINE.”

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

The sun has set in the horizon.

The still form of Ekimu lies on the stone floor, unaware of the destructive conflict within the walls of the Palace nearby.

As the structure shudders, as horrific screams echo throughout- something unusual occurs. Stone tiles near Ekimu break from their mold and slide away, revealing the earth beneath. Rising from the dirt is a sapling, rapidly growing and spanning out until a budding tree has formed.

Next to Ekimu now stands the hazy outline of two figures. One is orange in color, adorned with crystals and stones. The other is a burly figure, tree roots wrapping around his legs and flowers blooming upon his large shoulders. The two figures study the unconscious Great Being.

Finally, the stone-being turns to their companion, “I still don’t think this is a good idea, Terak.”

The one called Terak hums in thought.

“Perhaps not- but perhaps some good will come of this as well.”

“It would be easier if the Great Beings wiped themselves out!”

Terak glances at his brother, “Ketar, I think you’ve been spending too much time with Ikir’s followers…”

Ketars sighs, “Apologies, but still! The Three are dangerous! Why are we saving one?”

Roots peel from the ground and wrap themselves around Ekimu. Slowly, and gently, they begin dragging Ekimu away from the Palace.

Terak sighs, “It is true that the Great Beings are… unpredictable. And it is true that they should relinquish their grasp on the matoran.”

Terak eases Ekimu to the perimeter of the palace grounds, away from the conflict.

“… but we will not be the ones who dictate their demise. I think they still have a role to play in this story of ours.”

Ekimu lies on the soft earth of the surrounding forest. The two elemental beings stand over the Creator once more.

“Well,” Ketar starts, “at least this guy. But-”

A horrible screech radiates from the palace as a portion of the roof collapses. Nearby Rahi flee the area as the ground subtly shakes. The two elemental beings share a solemn look.

Then, Ekimu is alone.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Makuta narrowly dodges another massive tentacle as it crashes down beside him. With a twist of his torso, his greatsword cleaves through the limb. The remaining stump recoils back in pain, accompanied by a monstrous screech from Karzahni. Makuta doesn’t have time to appreciate his counter attack as two more tendrils begin closing in on him.

Surprisingly, for a being his size, Makuta can move fast. Usually someone with that much armor would be perceived to be a slow powerhouse; an assumption Makuta often takes advantage of.

Makuta dashes behind a pillar just as it’s pelted by boney thorns. Makuta exhales.

Something seemed different about Karzahni.

While the two brothers have never come to blows, there were things Makuta could assume about his brother. Karzahni was a strong being, no doubt; but Makuta deemed that Karzahni preferred psychological warfare rather than physical. He certainly knows that for all the shapeshifting abilities Karzahni has, it mostly is a bluff. At least towards him.

Anytime things got heated between the two; sure, Karzahni would grow and get more spikey and rabid. But it never exceeded that. Karzahni was all bark and no bite; the minute he saw an out he took it, preferring to scheme rather than a direct confrontation.

Makuta ducks as a spindly clawed hand grasps the pillar he’s hiding behind, cracking under the pressure. Pieces of the ceiling fall around them as the integrity of the pillar collapses. Makuta swings, the blade nicking Karzahni’s boney arm as the Overseer dodges the now falling roof.

Karzahni screams, the falling rocks battering his body; but as quickly as it started, the God of Chaos rears his spiked head and roars at Makuta.

This… was something Makuta didn’t expect.

Determination.

His body moves for him as his mind races. What happened to his brother? Why was he acting as if he had something to lose? As if he had… something to fight for.

The point of the greatsword skids across the marble floor as Makuta swings through incoming tendrils.

Impossible. Karzahni doesn’t care for anything but himself. A megalomaniac trapped in the machinations of his own mind.

Yet…

Makuta raises his blade to block Karzahni’s clawed hands, his brother shrieks in agitation, and he can see it, the look in the many eyes of the monster before him. Of course there was malice, hatred for him- but there was determination, a resolve to win this fight, one Makuta had never seen before.

Makuta buckles under Karzahni’s weight, but holds his defense. With a growl, Makuta’s mask begins to glow with a purple aura.

“S T O P”

A flash of purple illuminates Karzahni’s eyes as his entire body goes rigid. Makuta pulls himself away from his claws, his mask now illuminated in a violet aura.

He readies his greatsword, “I do not know what you fight for, Karzahni, but regardless of your intentions, you…”

Makuta’s eyes trail down the frozen form of his brother, towards his left clawed hand. Within his palm, a star of discoloration flares out against Karzahni’s natural plating.

A scar.

Something…

Something harmed a Great Being?

All it takes is a moment, one second of Makuta losing his concentration for Karzahni to break free of the Mask of Control’s power and entrap his brother in tentacles. Makuta tries to swing the sword, but soon finds his body locked into position by a swarm of writhing tendrils.

Karzahni lowers his head to the eye level of Makuta.

“The Vahi.”

No smugness; just anger.

Another surprise.

Makuta grits his teeth and thrashes in the hold as he feels the Vahi be pulled off his person. Soon, the golden mask is in Karzahni’s claws. Without so much as a glance, Karzahni flings Makuta across the hall, smashing through the rubble, his sword clattering to the floor nearby.

Makuta slowly rises from the debris, his armor dented and cracked, before stumbling to the floor.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

If he weren’t engulfed in anger, Karzahni would have taken petty satisfaction in watching his “indomitable” brother tumble to the floor.

But there were pressing matters.

Karzahni looks down at the shimmering mask in his hands. Such a powerful artifact, now in his position.

But now what?

His objective was to stop the time shenanigans, to ensure that Voriki and all his matoran weren’t reversed out of existence. Now he has the mask… what next? Should he destroy it? It would prevent a situation like this ever happening again. But the Vahi was a powerful tool; the possibilities before him…

“…You…”

Karzahni glances up at his fallen brother. A low growl emits from his throat.

“You and Ekimu can’t be trusted with this power. I’m taking the mask to make sure no more reckless mistakes are made.”

Makuta props himself up on one of his knees, glaring.

“Your hand…” Makuta heaves, “Something hurt you.”

Karzahni stiffens.

“No… someone hurt you.”

Karzahni’s tentacles twitch anxiously as Makuta rises.

Makuta’s eyes are wide, “Karzahni, if you have encountered a being that can hurt us, you must tell me now.”

“No.”

Makuta’s fists shake in unbridled fury.

“KARZAHNI! You WILL tell me NOW!”

The purple glow returns to Makuta’s mask. Karzahni stares for a moment, before peering down at the Vahi in his hands.

Then…

A sadistic smile creeps up Karzahni’s twisted face.

“Let me tell you something, BROTHER…”

In the encroaching darkness, teeth shine in the golden light.

“… I hate you… I HATE you. I HATE Ekimu. I don’t care if Artahka rots, burns, sinks into the ocean! You all mean NOTHING to me!”

“Cease this nonsense-!”

“And I!” Karzahni barks, “have found a new home! A new purpose! Without ANY of you!”

The mask glows in his hands.

“I was never going to come back. But you… now I must deal with you.”

Karzahni’s last glimpse of Makuta is a Makuta with a very unusual face. A face of uncertainty, of betrayal, of fear…

Good.

The glow of the Vahi obscures his sight; then, the world is plunged into darkness.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

The world becomes gray.

Makuta feels his limbs get heavy as time bends around him. His own mask flickers before returning to its normal state.

It was a longshot that the Mask of Control would affect a fellow Great Being; he only planned to use the moment to finally finish the fight.

But I wasted that opportunity, Makuta bitterly reminds himself.

He trudges forward to his brother, who seems immersed within the mask’s power.

Perhaps… there was still a chance.

Time to clean up this mess.

His fingers wrap around the handle of the greatsword.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

It’s dark.

Dark, yet darker.

Karzahni thinks for a moment that perhaps he messed something up and managed to kill himself, but suddenly a beam of light ripples across the dark void around him. It stretches around him, far into the distance in both directions. Like a strand of silk flowing in the breeze, the strand of light gently ebbs and flows in the absent current of the void.

Karzahni reaches his hand towards the strand, before stopping. His once green and bone plated arm was one of shining gold and emerald.

“Fascinating,” Karzahni murmurs to himself.

He reaches for the strand once more and cautiously, with the tip of his claws, touches the golden string.

Like pollen from a flower, images fly off the strand and around Karzahni. He can see a few as they twirl around him-

Some of those fire matoran, engaging in a duel-

A Kewa in flight over the trees-

Ekimu, lying in the dirt.

Karzahni pulls himself back.

“I wonder…”

He closes his eyes and concentrates. A green aura begins to surround him.

He opens his eyes-

And, now, there’s strands everywhere.

What was once an abyss of darkness was now an intricate web of gold, stretching far into the infinite horizon. Karzahni can’t help but grin.

“My mask seems to interact with the Vahi,” Karzahni muses, “and now I can see not only our timeline, but the timelines of alternate realities.”

Oh, what Karzahni could do with this knowledge, the research he could conduct. Truly, it was only fitting for someone like himself to wield such an artifact, unlike-

A scene pops up in front of Karzahni.

A rocky cliffside overseeing a churning ocean, dark clouds swarming overhead. Two figures stand on a plateau; a figure in bright red and orange, determined. And the other; a large winged figure of dark reds and sickly greens, fists clenched in anger…

“Without the Mask of Time, it will take a lifetime’s journey to find both our destinies!”

Karzahni pulls back, sneering. It appears his brother had an attachment to Vahi in alternate timelines as well. Revolting. If he could, he would rip the Vahi from Makuta from every timeline to ensure his control-freak of a sibling would never-

Karzahni stops.

Go a step further.

Why not just remove Makuta?

His mandibles clicked in thought:

Firstly, he had to see if it was even possible to remove certain events/ objects without totally destabilizing the timeline. Obviously, the past was off-limits; no doubt any changes there will alter future events. But present onwards? Nothing was set in stone, right?

All he had to do was erase the Makuta of the present, and everything Karzahni cared about would be safe. And hey- why stop there? Get rid of Ekimu as well, ensure absolute no one could interfere in his life again.

And then, why not do the other timelines a favor? Clearly in that last scene, Makuta was causing trouble again- why not help that Fire Toa out?

Karzahni smiles.

Oh, this is exciting…

He reaches towards the timeline in front him.

“First though; let’s see if I can figure out how to use this mask in the first place-”

There’s a sound of glass shattering that pierces Karzahni’s skull. He gasps in pain.

In front of him, a section of the void shatters like glass, revealing a blinding light. It is as if reality itself was a window pane being broken. And through that blinding light, a massive steel obelisk surges forward, obscuring a portion of Karzahni’s sight.

No, not an obelisk.

A greatsword.

Agony etches itself into Karzahni’s face as the blade comes down.

Voriki-!

He screams.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Makuta holds his blade tight as it cleaves through the Vahi. Karzahni writhes in pain, tentacles spasming around, unearthly screams emitting from his throat. Reality seems to distort around the monstrous Great Being, but the Overseer holds his ground.

“The future will be mine, even without the Mask of Time.”

His fingers wrap closely around the handle.

“And you… you will have nothing.”

In a swift motion, Makuta tears the greatsword from Karzahni’s screaming head. Cracks run though the Vahi, beams of light blasting in all directions.

Makuta falls to the floor, shielding his eyes from the blinding light.

Then, the screams stop.

Slowly, Makuta lowers his hand, looking around.

Karzahni, and the Vahi, are gone.

[DarkMaestro]

(Happy belated 810nicle Day! We’re at the halfway point of the story now! )

Chapter 13: Die Anywhere Else

Run, run…

The sun blazes overhead, the scorching heat radiating mercilessly off it.

I-I have to run faster…

The shifting sands of the desert cause Karzahni to stumble, but he persists.

They…

His left arm dangles useless as he limps forward. He dare not look back.

They’re going to-

He feels the bolt of lightning sear his right calf, causing Karzahni to fall to the sandy ground. Desperately, he claws through the remaining dunes to the rocky surface ahead of him.

There’s a cliff ahead… a dead end, or maybe I can…

I can…

Wait, what?

Karzahni stops.

Where… where am I?

Karzahni looks down at his hands, slowly submerging between the moving grains.

Wasn’t I in the Palace? his mind races. I defeated Makuta, right? So where-?

“Oh good, you’ve accepted your demise.”

Karzahni barely has time to register the voice behind him before pain rips through his torso. His eyes trail down to the blade emerging out of his chest. He wheezes, his breath seemingly sucked out of him.

Slow, calculated footsteps go around the Great Being until two figures stand before him. They both seem to be Toa; one was lime green, with rugged silver armor on his torso- a Toa of Air. And the other…

“… Voriki,” Karzahni tries to speak, but all that comes out is a rugged gasp for air.

The Lightning Toa looks down at Karzahni in a cold gaze, “What a truly pitiful being. Ve- ahem, Lesovikk, what should we do with him?”

The Toa of Air sighs, “Dump his body in the Iron Canyon. I want them to find his corpse, but let’s not make it too easy.”

“Very well, as you wish.”

Karzahni, hand trembling, reaches towards Voriki. She raises an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look.

“What is he doing? Is he… asking for help?”

Lesovikk chuckles, “It seems the reports were true; the conflicts in the Pit damaged his psyche. Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.”

Karzahni’s vision swims, the edges of his sight going dark. He barely feels his body be pulled forwards.

“Take solace, my pathetic tinkerer; your death is a necessary stepping stone to my conquest,” states the being who looks like Lesovikk.

Karzahni sees the ravine before him; the stone walls traveling down to a dried up riverbed.

… w-hy…

He doesn’t feel when his body is thrown over the edge, he doesn’t feel the wind rush past him as he plummets to the canyon’s bottom. He most certainly doesn’t feel the impact.

However, he does hear Voriki’s dismissive snort right before being sent to his final resting place.

“Good riddance.”

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

The sound of thunder jolts Karzahni awake.

The Great Being quickly picks himself up, hands clasping his chest. A small relief flows through him as he feels the absence of a blade and a hole through his torso. Karzahni eyes his surroundings.

There’s stone rubble all around him, the remains of metal frames bent and twisted. He feels the soft droplets of water from the hole above him; the storm clouds in the sky above slowly drifting in a lazy circle. Then it clicks.

“The citadel…?” Karzahni ponders. “This is the cell block where I held Voriki early on… but I dismantled this section a while ago…”

Karzahni holds his head, wincing as a headache creeps in. How is this possible? Did he accidentally get sent to the past? But then what was that desert before…?

He feels a chill down his spine.

Alternate… realities? Was it possible? Was the Vahi reacting to his own mask…?

fzzzzzz-

It was like a high-pitched buzzing sound, mixed with the grating of metal.

Karzahni turns to the end of the hall, where the entrance to his main lair was. What was once shrouded in darkness was now illuminated with a light blue light, flickering.

fzzzzzzzzzzzzz-

He slowly makes his way towards the archway. As the lights jump around, the Great Being is able to get some glimpses of his main hall.

Cages are shattered on the floor.

The wooden chair is nothing but a splintered mess.

And there, in the center, with bolts of lightning radiating around her-

“Oh, not again…”

Voriki slowly raises her head towards her former torturer. Her eyes are glowing with an intense blue light, with sparks occasionally whizzing from the cyan gems that were her pupils.

“Finally, you’ve shown yourself. I wanted to see you.”

Venom is laced within her voice.

Karzahni sighs, “Voriki, I know you’re angry, and are intent on killing me-”

“Yes, I am.”

Karzahni holds his hand placatingly, “- but do not be rash! I don’t wish to fight, I want to apolog-”

Voriki snarls and throws a punch. Lightning blasts from her hand towards Karzahni’s face.

He raises his arms to block the bolt. His eyes widen as his body skids backwards.

That power…

Gritting his teeth, he looks at his arms; still numb from the shock, his arm platings shredded away into metal fragments.

This Voriki was way more powerful.

“I want to apologize, please Voriki,” Karzahni says, clutching his ruined forearms, “my actions were-”

Voriki readies her arm, “I don’t want to hear anything from that disgusting mouth again! All you spew is lies and falsehoods! I refuse to remain a disposable toy in your sick little game!”

Lightning crackles through the air, gathering around the angry matoran.

“Wait, Voriki-!!”

Karzahni doesn’t even see the bolt hit him, but he feels his muscles clench up as the electricity surges through his body, an excruciating pain as it feels every nerve in his body. A raspy scream tears from his throat, Karzahni struggling to breathe but can’t stop shrieking.

He falls to the stone floor, his body twisting in pain as lightning continues to pour into him.

Voriki stands over his body, her arms wreathed in lightning.

Karzahni; burnt, scarred, twitching in agony, tries to hold up his hands.

“V-Voriki… Have, have mercy…” Karzahni pleads.

“No. Now, I will be the hero and destroy you. But first…”

As her hands flare up for another round of chain lightning, a cruel smile makes its way across Voriki’s face.

“How about we test your durability?”

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

“… I’m sorry, is this conversation not intriguing enough for you?”

Karzahni blinks. He doesn’t register the female voice. Every muscle in his body is tense, still reeling from the electricity that previously blasted through him.

“Are we really sure that he’s worth conscripting?” says a rugged, male voice. “We have the island under our control.”

“Don’t be rash,” another male voice rumbles. “His work will be a huge asset to the re-education centers now that Gali is gone.”

Finally, Karzahni snaps out of his haze and looks in the direction of the voices.

Before him stand three Toa; in front is a red figure, a flaming sword in his hands. The Toa of Fire glares at Karzahni.

The Fire Toa is flanked by two other figures. One is a burly black figure, slightly hunched with large clawed hands. The other is, of course, Voriki. However, unlike the one Karzahni is familiar with, this one has forgo any capes or clothes and wields a wicked looking spear.

Another universe, Karzahni realizes, I will have to approach with caution.

He turns towards the black figure, “Re-education centers?”

The figure nods, “Yes. They are necessary to resolve threats to our Empire before they can come to fruition.”

Empire? Indoctrination? These are some interesting Toa…

The Fire Toa snorts, “Onua, my brother, I see no reason why we should give this monster any position of authority in Metru Nui. You saw his “work” with the matoran.”

“I agree with Tahu,” says Voriki. “He’s a threat to our Empire.”

Tch, Karzahni growls to himself, I don’t think I’m talking my way out of this one.

Quickly, one of his tendrils lunges forward at Tahu, constricting him…

… except that doesn’t happen.

Karzahni quickly peers down at his body. He almost instinctively recoils as he sees nothing familiar. Gone are the tendrils, boney limbs and spindly claws; now his body is bulky, chains dangling off him, and adorned in rugged, green armor. Worse, he feels his body locked into form; no shapeshifting.

This is bad.

Onua sighs, “Perhaps it’s for the best then; safer for a Toa to oversee the facilities rather than an outsider.”

THIS IS BAD.

As Karzahni hears the churning of the earth, the crackle of newborn flames and electricity, he concentrates. Clearly, whatever Makuta did disrupted the Vahi’s powers; so it would stand to reason that the first solution would be to shut down the mask, right? However, the counterargument is that deactivating the mask would possibly strand him in this twisted universe.

Though, now that Karzahni thought about it, was it a bit weird that each universe so far has had Voriki as a constant? Were they bound by some sort of cosmic fate?

Furthermore, why was he ending up in universes where Voriki killed him?

I guess we’ll find out.

Karzahni barely has a chance to attack before the elements tear his body asunder.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Well.

He’s a plant now.

And apparently he’s bargaining with Toa over a silver vial.

Considerable improvement over the last one.

Vakama extends out his hand towards Karzahni, the small vial in his hands. Before he gets closer, Onewa, the Toa of Stone, blocks his path.

“Are you crazy? You can’t give that kind of power to this thing!”

“Toa keep their word,” Vakama replies. “Otherwise we are no better than the things we fight.”

Karzahni can’t stop his vines from grabbing the vial. Energized Protodermis; it sounds like a close relative to galvanized protodermis.

Though he has a horrible feeling that it’s far from the healing remedy that he’s familiar with.

That is confirmed when he feels his body begin to rapidly decay as the liquid is absorbed into his roots.

“It burns! IT BUUUUURRRRNNNS!!”

The seven Toa watch on in a mixture of horror and pity.

“It was not Karzahni’s destiny to transform,” states Nuju. “That left only one other choice.”

“This… this is horrible. Isn’t there something we can do?” whispers Nokama.

Voriki steps forward, spear in hand.

“There’s no point in letting it suffer,” she says. “I will put him out of his misery.”

Lightning sparks to life across her spear.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Karzahni stares, his body shaking as Voriki points the device at him.

“… don’t, please.”

The device whirls to life, the very fabric of reality distorting around it. Voriki stares through Karzahni as she pulls the trigger.

“Hail Denmark.”

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Lightning crackles around Karzahni and Voriki as they fly into the stratosphere, Voriki’s spear plunged deep in Karzahni’s chest. Pieces of his platings burn away in the atmosphere, the sky making way to the black void of space.

The only solace he can take is that if Voriki’s tears are anything to go by, at least she’s not enjoying his death this time.

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Over.

And over.

And over.

And over.

And over.

Karzahni can’t even keep track of how many times he’s died. And truly there were no bounds to the creative ways he’s met his end.

But it’s always her.

Please… no more…

It’s always Voriki.

Make it stop…

Make it stop…

Was this how it was going to end? Was this how it was fated to be?

I can’t handle this…

Let me go…

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

Blackness.

A yawning void.

Karzahni floats limply in the vastness of the empty space. He stares blankly ahead, waiting for the inevitable.

But as he sits in the abyss, nothing happens. No deaths, no lightning, no Voriki.

Nothing.

Dark. Darker, yet darker.

There’s no sound in the void, just Karzahni’s own thoughts.

Is… is it over?

Am I…

Free?

And then, it appears.

A speck of red light in the distance; like a faraway comet in the night sky a crimson trail streaking behind it.

The R̷e̶d̴ ̸S̴t̴a̵r̶.

How… do I know that? Have I seen this before?

As Karzahni mulls over the circumstances where he could have learned that name, he begins to realize that the Ş̵͛t̸̻̚å̶̯r̴̗̈ is getting bigger.

No, not bigger.

Closer.

The light that emits off the planetary body intensifies as it draws nearer. The red light bathes over Karzahni- yet, to his surprise, he’s not getting warmer. Odd.

Stars usually give off heat, don’t they?

Soon enough, the R̵͍̅e̸̍͜d̶͠ͅ ̶̟̉Ś̴̭t̶̃ͅã̴̦r̸̈́ͅ takes up a sizeable portion of the Great Being’s vision. Karzahni squints his eyes, trying to get a better look at the gargantuan red mass.

At this range, the sun should give off considerable heat, yet…

He stops.

Wait, what is…

A horrible weight grows within him, almost causing the God of Chaos to vomit. His body shakes, trembling in fear.

Faces.

There’s… faces, in the sun.

Thousands of them, thousands upon thousands.

All of them alive, contorted in agony, in terror…

All of them glued together in a writhing mass of fleshy tendrils and sinew, swirling around in a constant motion.

This R̵̥̎è̷̖d̷̜͋ ̴̳͝S̵̫̿t̸̢͋a̷̬͒r̷͖͠… is alive.

A wave of nausea washes over the Great Being, yet he cannot take his eyes off the monstrosity before him. Then, instead of feeling heat radiating from the sun, Karzahni feels intense hunger, a desire to consume- no, to clean it all, a mantra, an instinct…

He sees Arthaka bathed in a red glow; the sky now a vista of flesh and eyes, long thin threads reaching downwards, all over the island. He can hear a faraway chorus of screams.

He sees the Mask of Creation, the Mask of Control, HIS Mask of Alternate Realities; all engulfed by a gorey, writhing mass.

He sees…

Karzahni clutches his head, screaming in silence, tears coming to his eyes. The pain is unimaginable, a bell thundering within his own skull, a harbinger of the horrors and destruction. He hears it speak, echoing within his mind but without a voice; one word, an understanding of the rapture to come, disillusionment of the universe he once thought he knew, and fear, a great and terrible fear etched into his mind and soul forever.
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R̸̢̢̛̛̳͎̫̫̰̹͖̤̙̹̭͇̩̭̻̤̰̱̭̰͈̯̝̹̺̈́̂̈́͊̏͋͆̽̆̊̃́͗͐̉̃̒͛̐̑͋̇̊̎̅̒́̊͊̊̏̈́̃̿̾͑̿̒͂̌̓̋̚̚̚̕͝ͅ Ȅ̷͔̰̭̎̈́͆̐́͗̌̔̆̽̎̓͝ J̸̨̢̞̱̫̭̝̝̲̪̝̯̞͇̗̱̙͖̰̬̝͚̞͇̼͖̺̼̞͇̮̟͎̈́͛̃̏̃̀̌͌̓̓̐̾̄̋̀̃̀̀̂̉̈́͑̿͋̀̄͐̏̔́̓̑̔͗̋̋̀̑͂̕̕̚͝͝͠͝͠͠͠ͅ Ǫ̴̡̧̨̝̞̙̗̖̩̼̱̩̯̰̳̖̣̲̫̦̽̓̅̓͐̅̽͛̓̎́̑̍̂̾͋̾̾̓̅̇̊̆͊́̈́̾̈͆̊̑̋͒̂͋̕͝͝͠͠ Į̷̨̧̦͖̬̠̯͍̲͉̬̗̭͕͇͉̜͇̺̲̰̰̟̤̣̪͇̬̖͓̣̲͕͎̺̮̙̍͝C̸̨̨̮̣̫͙͈̺̩̦͈͙̜͈̺̩͇͇̣̦̼̻̥̮͇͍̖͕̱̳͚̻̝̮̰̩̭̺̹̰̜̩̰̪̻̺̀̾́̀̓͂͜͜͜͝ Ȩ̵̧̧̛̼̞̲͍̝̫͚̝̼͓̖̲͇̣̰̭̗̮͍̦̪̞̤̻̘̻͔̌̒̀̈́̎̂̍̓̈́̾̃͐͋̇̉̈̈̀͜͜͜͜͠

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