Formatting decided to be funky, so excuse the lack of indents…
This was written for the BZPower Fanfic Exchange 2017; I decided to start with entirely new characters so I’d have a fresh place to start.
The story accepts the anatomy put forth by ScorpionStrike as headcanon; his post can be found here: To Build a Toa (or Matoran).
I don’t write all that much, so hopefully readers enjoy it…
~<0>~
Warei’s body dragged through the sand, leaving a trail behind him as his Skakdi captor pulled him along. Lifting his head, he could see the battle still raging in the distance; Rahkshi of heat vision sending bright red laser beams across the landscape, bursts of elemental energy arcing out of Toa and Glatorian alike. Turning to look at the Skakdi holding his chained wrists, Warei could just see the edge of a mask hanging from its belt. He tried to summon some of his elemental energies, but there was nothing to draw on without a mask.
There was a sudden crash; both Warei and his captor looked up in shock and surprise as they saw the back of the Teridax’s head burning and smoking. The whole battlefield seemed to go silent as the great spirit robot sat there for a moment, the light fading from its eyes. And then it began to fall, plummeting towards the surface of the planet. Around him, Warei could sense the confusion and panic beginning to erupt around him as the Skakdi began fleeing. Now was his chance. He closed his eyes, reaching deep within himself and summoning what little power he had left. His Skakdi captor screamed in pain as his hand suddenly froze over. Warei twisted around, breaking his bonds and the Skakdi’s wrist in the process. Snatching the mask off its belt, he shoved it onto his face, feeling the power resonate through his form. He stood up, prepared to face the Skakdi who had been dragging him along, but found that he had fled the scene. A sudden shove threw him into the sand again.
“Dumb Toa… ”
His aggressor continued onward, followed by more and more Skakdi who trampled the helpless Toa into the ground. There was a sudden thunderclap, and a deep, ominous rumble. The ground began to shake and crumble in some places, causing the remaining skakdi to pick up their pace. Warei pulled himself to his feet, willing his legs to move him away from danger. The quakes, however, caused him to fall to the ground again in agony. He turned around, his eyes widening as he found out what the skakdi were truly fleeing from: a sandstorm, whirling and writhing about and barreling towards him. His attempt to rise again only led to defeat as another quake rocked the ground beneath him. The only option left was his mask. Warei activated it, hoping for a Pakari or Kakama, or at best a Kualsi. A flickering blue sphere appeared around him, and just in time; the sandstorm was now swirling about his new shelter, the sand causing a thousand tiny ripples in the shield.
“Ah, a Hau.”
~<0>~
It felt like hours as the sandstorm continued to pelt the energy shield around him. As the storm subsided, so did the adrenaline in his veins and the strength that came with it; fear and confusion quickly seeped in to take its place. He was unsure of what had happened to his teammates during the battle; they had been separated before he was captured by the Skakdi. Were they safe with the other toa? Were they dead? Would anyone come searching? He dropped his head into his hands as he tried to process his new situation. How was he going to get out of this?
The field around him flickered once more as it melted into the thin air, Warei’s mask ceasing to glow alongside it. In the distance he could see the looming form of the titan, rising up from the sandy dunes which had been created by the storm. In its fall, the robot had crashed through the nearby mountains, blocking off the clear path back to the other survivors. Near the now broken mountainside, however, Warei could make out a hole in the face of the rock; it seemed as good a place as any to hide away for the night. He would deal with his troubles tomorrow, when his head would be more clear. Straightening his back and strengthening his resolve, he rose from his place in the sand and set off through the drifts.
~<0>~
The fire crackled in front of his face, sending sparks up towards the roof of the cave. Despite being a desert, Spherus Magna still contained a few dry shrubs and dead bushes that Warei was able to cobble together into a fire. Part of him was concerned that his firewood supply wouldn’t last through the night; more concerning to him, however, was the dark figure who now sat across from him. He could see the figure’s muscular form rise and fall as he took in air, and he half expected the being’s eyes to flash open. The silence only continued on, leaving Warei to his thoughts.
His mind wandered, trying to come up with a satisfactory plan for getting over the titan. Perhaps he would be able to climb the cliff face in order to get on top of the robot. Then again, he knew that he wouldn’t have the raw strength to carry his guest up the steep ascent. There weren’t enough resources around to come up with a stretcher or some kind of rope to assist in the climb, so he would have to come up with something else. Warei rubbed his eyes, his thoughts grinding to a halt as he noticed his guest’s eyes open into slits, glaring at him from across the room. He reached down and grasped the hilt of the dagger he had confiscated from the muscular figure.
“You do not know who you meddle with, Toa,” The creature’s gravelly voice carried throughout the cave. “I am a dark hunter, a member of the most feared group in the universe. I will kill you, pathetic hero, and wear your mask as a trophy. Your screams shall be heard for miles around, and your death will be a reminder to all your fellow Toa that the dark hunters shall reign supr—“
“I think I’ll have to stop you there. First, I have taken your weapons. Secon—“
“I’ll kill you with my own two hands, fool. None can stand befo—“
“Second, in case you haven’t noticed your leg is in pieces. My ice is the only thing keeping you from leaking out. Even if you were able to limp over to this side of the cave and kill me, in less than an hour that ice will melt and your blood will stain the floor of this cave. You are currently dependent upon me; what do you have that prevents me from letting you die a slow death?”
Warei could see the Dark Hunter processing this information, no doubt trying to find a suitable comeback.
“You have until morning to give me an answer.”
Warei stretched out his hand and sent a blast of ice across the Hunter’s chest, freezing him to the wall. He then froze the fire in front of them, removing the possibility that the heat would melt the ice which held his guest captive. Leaning against the cave wall, the fatigue of the day caught up to Warei; despite his efforts to keep watch over his captive, sleep quickly overtook him, drowning him in uncertain dreams.
~<0>~
Daylight streamed through the cave opening, and Warei found it strange that his armor was heating up. While living inside the titan, he presumed, what they assumed to be daylight was actually artificial light generated by the robot. This light, on the other hand, was much stronger; not only was it warming his armor, but he couldn’t even look directly at the light source because it hurt his eyes. He wondered if it was also hot enough to melt ice…
Warei bolted to his feet as he noticed the wet cave floor and the broken bonds; the weapons he had taken earlier were now gone as well. Yet, Warei didn’t find a blade in his back or a slit throat when he woke. Searching his surroundings, he noticed a trail of wet sand leading through the maw of the cave. It was at this point that Warei noticed something was different about the environment. He stepped outside, finding himself not in a dead, barren desert, but rather a lush, blooming jungle filled with trees, grass, and springs of water. Warei looked back inside the cave again, half wondering if he had been teleported to another location. Yet inside the cave he could see the frozen firewood from the previous night, and when he looked out he could still see the shadowy form of the titan’s leg crashed through the mountain range. Through the new-grown underbrush, Warei could see a where it appeared as though someone had dragged themselves not long before.
It wasn’t far down this path that Warei found the Dark Hunter, crawling along the jungle floor using his arms to propel himself. His broken leg was nearly melted through, however, and Warei could see that he was beginning to lose some of his vital fluids.
“You need to stop; you’re going to bleed out if you don’t let me freeze your leg again.”
“I don’t need your help, Toa; I am a Dark Hunter, stronger and faster and better than the likes of you.”
“If you’re so tough and merciless, why did you not kill me when you had the chance?”
“It… wouldn’t have been a fair fight. Striking down someone when they cannot fight back has no sport to it.”
“An honorable Dark Hunter? I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Not… not honor, fool. It… it wouldn’t be… fun to kill you without being able to… to see the light fade from your eyes… oh…”
The Dark Hunter collapsed on the ground, lapsing into unconsciousness as he lost internal fluids. Warei knelt down beside his leg, freezing it over once more with a touch of his icy hand. Warei knew that he couldn’t leave someone for dead, but he wondered if the Dark Hunter would accept his offer. Yet, wasn’t there also danger for himself? At any moment the warrior may decide that he wasn’t of use anymore and stab him in the back. In fact, what caused Warei to pull him out of the rocks in the first place?
All these concerns were met with one answer: the Toa Code. As a matoran, Warei had always looked to the Toa as the embodiments of honor and power. Yet, he also knew that this greatness often came through sacrifice. Their job was to protect and to serve… and now, as a Toa, it was his duty to carry on that legacy. Regardless of what this dark hunter had done in the past, Warei would do his best to preserve the life of this being, in spite of what personal harm might come his way.
~<0>~
It was some time before the Dark Hunter came to, sputtering and cursing. He became more annoyed when he noticed Warei was still present and once again in possession of his weapons.
“Idiotic Toa, I shall remove your arms from their sockets!”
“Before you do so, why do you think the Dark Hunters will accept you back? You think the Shadowed One would take you back? You’re injured, broken; you will be seen as weak and unfit, and they will kill you or use you as sport.”
The Dark Hunter fell silent, staring at the ground. Warei could see his words sink in as the Dark Hunters fierce demeanor seemed to subside into sullenness.
“If you come with me over the titan, we can make it back to society. You can leave behind a past of killing and deceit and live a normal life.”
“I could never live a normal life, not after joining the Dark Hunters.”
“I can help you adjust; I can speak on your behalf to the other Toa. For example, you didn’t kill me; that’s a start.”
The Dark Hunter paused, contemplating for a moment what all Warei had said.
“Once I am healed, I will return to the Dark Hunters; you cannot stop me”
Warei frowned.
“But,” he scowled in resignation. “I shall require assistance in order to cross the titan so that I might be healed… by your fellow Toa.”
“Excellent. First, we’ll need to get you a crutch to carry yourself on; I don’t think you want to crawl all the way back to civilization. We’ll also need to gather enough firewood to make it across; it will most likely take us two days to get onto the titan as well as cross over it. Before we go any further, however, I would like to know your name.”
“My name is none of your business.”
“Very well, since you have given me no name I shall give you one: Angaro. It means lost, for I believe that is what you are.”
The Dark Hunter simply snorted and leaned himself up against a tree, making sure to keep his leg in the shade.
~<0>~
Within an hour Warei had done all the things he promised to do, and he now had a bundle of firewood strapped to his back while Angaro had a rudimentary crutch thrust under his arm.
“It is already midday, and I think it will take us the rest of this night just to get up the cliffside in order to get on top of the titan.”
There was no reply from the Dark Hunter, and so Warei set off up the side of the cliff, using his elemental powers to create temporary handholds out of ice. Angaro, however, would have a much harder journey; his busted leg made it nearly impossible for him to scale the face of the rock, and Warei quickly decided that a swifter course of action would be to use vines to help haul him up. After procuring a satisfactory length of vine, Warei scaled the cliff as before. Once he found a rock shelf to balance on, he threw the rope back down so that Angaro might use it to balance himself. The Dark Hunter’s form was quite a bit larger than that of Warei, however, and the pair were hard-pressed to get anywhere. But after some time they were able to get into a rhythm, and before long they were both panting on the jagged shelf.
“Only six more lifts like this and I think we shall be at the top.”
“The sooner I am rid of you the better.”
“Suit yourself,” Warei replied as he began to scale the next segment of the cliff.
~<0>~
The last rays of daylight lit the edge of a distant ridge as Warei finished pulling Angaro up the cliff face. He sat down, huffing and puffing as his lungs struggled to cool down his internal systems. His companion seemed to linger in the shadows, avoiding Warei as he lifted himself up on his crutch.
“We ought to start a fire before it gets too late; besides, I don’t want any creatures attacking us in the night.”
A snort was the only answer as Angaro huddled down some ways away. Warei unbundled the wood, arranging it on the cold, stone ground.
“So, how did you get caught in that rockslide? I assume you weren’t sightseeing.”
“I was on orders from the Shadowed One himself.”
“To do what?”
Silence.
“Well?”
“My orders are of no relevance to you. I follow the commands of the Shadowed One without question.”
Warei paused, turning this response over in his head.
“I am not sure I could follow someone without question whose only interest is the furthering of their own goals.”
Silence fell between them again as Warei continued to set up the fire. Now that the wood was in place, he would need a spark to light it. He reached to his belt for one of the daggers he had confiscated… and found only one. Glancing towards Angaro, he scanned his person for the dagger, but didn’t see it in the open. Warei was contemplating whether to remain alert through the night or confront the issue, but his thoughts were interrupted when a screech was heard. In the dim light, Warei thought he saw movement near the base of the cliff they were on.
“What was that?”
“Who knows what vile creatures roam the night here?”
“We should move further away from here; chances are they aren’t on the titan yet. Maybe they’ll give up if they can’t catch our scent.”
“Fine.”
The dark hunter strained as he used his crutch to pick himself up off the ground, and Warei thought he caught a glimpse of the blade hidden under his cloak. There was no time to deal with it now, however; he could see distant shadowy forms moving up the rock face. Gathering the firewood up into a bundle again, he threw it over his shoulder and began moving towards the titan’s immense leg. It would take at least four hours, he figured, to make it to the other side, perhaps five or six with Angaro’s injury. If they made it to the other side they could descend in between the legs and escape from these creatures; otherwise, though, he was quite unsure what to do besides move as fast as possible.
Before long their feet no longer crunched on rock or sand, but on hard, cold metal; the skin of the titan. The dark forms he had seen before had now reached the top and were gaining. Perhaps more concerning was the fact that Angaro was looking more drained by the minute; soon they would have to stop completely before the dark hunter shut down or died due to the strain.
“We have to stop; if we build a fire, perhaps we can fend them off using the flames. In any case, being able to see our adversaries would be an advantage.”
Angaro nodded and dropped to the ground in exhaustion; Warei, meanwhile, threw the logs into a pile and dragged the blade along the metal surface to create sparks. Within minutes the fire was blazing, and just in time; the creatures were upon them. They stayed near the edges of the circle cast by the flickering flames, seemingly sizing up their prey. Warei was unable to get a clear look at the beasts, but he could hear them hissing in the darkness. Lifting up a burning brand, he took a step outwards to see if he could catch a glimpse of what they looked like. The light fell on one which had ventured closer to the fire, revealing its features to the Toa.
It was insectoid in shape, with four eyes on its armored head and jaws that clicked as it anticipated a meal. Adorning its back was a long tail with a stinger which swung back and forth, waiting for the proper time to strike. While not very large, Warei imagined that it would not be pleasant to be swarmed by them. The creature tensed up and hissed in the light before backing into the darkness once more. Warei realized that the beasts had now fully encircled them, keeping them from escaping whatsoever. He estimated that there were around thirty, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to take on all of them, especially without any assistance from Angaro.
“It won’t be long before they realize that the light can’t keep them from attacking us.”
“Mask!” Angaro croaked out.
Warei now remembered the mask he wore on his face; having lost his original mask it hadn’t crossed his mind to make use of his current one. A shimmering field of energy appeared around him, but Angaro found only his torso shielded by it.
“You have to expand it!”
Focusing his mind, he pushed the sphere outward, slowly increasing the radius. Now, the dark hunter was fully protected by the energy field; Warei nearly collapsed from the mental exertion it took to maintain the shield.
“I don’t know how long I can hold this.”
The creatures were now beginning to draw closer, edging their way up to the barrier and probing it with their tails. Warei dropped to his knees, each strike making him feel as if his head would explode. He knew that he wouldn’t last long at all, but perhaps a nova blast would be enough to obliterate the creatures. It would instantly kill the dark hunter, though, and perhaps even himself, making it useless unless they wanted to go out with a bang. There weren’t many options remaining, however, and he could feel his resistance slipping as the shield began to shrink. The creatures seemed to feel his mind failing, growing to a frenzy as they swarmed the barrier from all sides.
A sudden crunch caused Warei to turn about, and all he heard was the maddened clicking and hissing of one of the insects as it was dragged into the darkness. The next moment, another one disappeared in a flurry of claws followed by a low growl. Around the shield, the creatures began to halt their assault as they tried to assess this new enemy, and whether they could make a meal out of them, too. Their question was answered a moment later when a much larger, scaly head came into the firelight, opening its mouth to reveal rows of sharp teeth. For a second the two parties stood off, the smaller creatures waving their stingers in the air in defiance while the larger, lizard-like creature rose to its full height and drew forth a deep, guttural roar.
The moment was over in a second when a second muscular jaw clamped down on an insect from behind, and the stingers began flying. Warei sensed that they would have a very small window of escape; if the lizard-rahi realized there was more prey in the vicinity they might decide to leave the smaller feast for a more substantial meal. Turning off his Hau, he froze the ground beneath Angaro and gave him a shove, sending him sliding across the iced metal surface of the titan. He jumped onto the ice as well, hearing the sounds of the creatures struggling against one another fade behind him.
“I think we’ve lost them for now, though if their scent is good enough to track us in the dead of night they may find us again.”
“Per… perhaps.”
Angaro coughed, spitting up some liquid in the process.
“Oh my, that doesn’t sound good. Have you gotten worse?”
“What do yo-” He coughed again, leaking fluid out of his mouth.
Warei knelt down, trying to get a better look at the dark hunter’s wounds, but in the bleak light of the moon he couldn’t see much. He didn’t know much of the internal workings of other species, but he could assume that it was similar to that of his own. The rockslide that caused Angaro’s injury most likely ruptured one of his lungs; the battery gel surrounding them was being exposed to air and liquefying. Warei would need to cut open his chest and seal the wound or else the heart pump would be damaged due to a lack of lubrication.
“I need you to remain very still.”
Warei didn’t have anything to use as a light, so he would have to use his hands to feel around. Removing the chestplate of the dark hunter, he could feel the outside of the primary chest reservoir that he would need to cut through. Exposing the battery gel inside to air would make it liquify, but once he sealed him it would become gel again. He drew Angaro’s blade from his belt and made an incision near the top of the chest. Surprisingly, his fingers were not met by a shock when he reached inside; the reservoir was only half full due to the leakage. Warei could feel the puncture in the right lung, and the only way to seal it would be with ice. Yet, if he wasn’t focused enough, he might instead send icicles right through his chest.
He took a breath, and then the sound of liquid freezing filled his audio receptors. Feeling around once more, he could tell that his ice had only frozen the surface and hadn’t penetrated any deeper. Sighing in relief, Warei pulled his hand from the reservoir, allowing the substance to reseal itself naturally. Now all he could do was wait for morning and hope that Angaro would recover.
~<0>~
Angaro blinked in the morning sun. Pushing himself to a sitting position, he noted Warei sitting nearby, gazing off over the lush valley created between the titan’s legs.
“You should have left me to die.”
Warei turned his head, relieved to find Angaro awake.
“Why?”
“I serve no purpose to you. You could have left me in the desert and none of your fellow Toa would know. The creatures would have taken care of the body.”
“It was my duty, I guess. I couldn’t leave someone out here to die alone; not even you.”
“I do not desire your pity; I would rather you had left me. The things I have seen, the things I have done… they have come back to haunt me even now. Your Toa will no doubt heal my body only to cast it into a cell and execute me later. The words you spoke to me in the jungle were true. The Shadowed One will not accept a wounded warrior; the Toa will not accept one with hands as bloody as mine. There is nowhere for me to go, nowhere for me to find solace except in death. At least then, perhaps, I can atone for my sins with my own blood.”
Warei wasn’t sure how to respond. Clearly the dark hunter had been thinking about this throughout the duration of the journey; perhaps the reason he had been on the cliff in the first place was so that he could end it all then and there.
“I think that killing oneself seems like a selfish way to die. You lived this life on your own terms in your servitude to the Shadowed One, and now you would also end it on your own terms. You would not find justice that way. If you truly wish to atone for your sins, you must look outside of yourself.”
The two fell back to silence, continuing to stare out into the green expanse.
“The best course of action would still be to return to the other Toa; at least if you are healed you won’t need to worry about dying from your punctured lung. From there we can work things out as we go. I know that you may not desire to go back anymore, but I promise you that I will help you find a new life.”
Angaro picked up his crutch (which had been recovered from the previous night) and rose to a standing position. The Toa jumped up as well, and the two began setting off across the surface of the titan once more.
~<0>~
It was a few hours before the pair made it to the second leg, but the only truly difficult areas to pass were the joints where the legs connected to the titan’s torso. Using his ice, Warei was able to provide a safe enough passage for himself and the dark hunter. They were now nearing the edge of the next leg, the final step of their journey. Warei was quite surprised at how smoothly the trip had went; he expected some other obstacle to appear and threaten his quest to return to his fellow Toa. Thus far, however, there hadn’t been anything out of place; the sunlight even seemed to be a bit less hot, leaving them in warm but rather comfortable weather. Even more strange was the fact that Angaro looked to be anticipating getting back to civilization; he was now quite a few paces ahead of Warei.
That was when two muscular jaws suddenly clamped around his right arm and threw him across the metal surface. He gritted his teeth in pain as the muscles in his arm were cut by the serrated teeth of one of the lizard-rahi they had encountered before. It screeched at him before charging again, and Warei rolled to avoid its jaws. Jumping to his feet, he used his left hand to grab the dagger he carried. His right arm remained limp at his side, the severed muscle still screaming in pain.
He didn’t have time to consider how strange it was to wield a blade with his opposite hand because the lizard was charging at him. As it came upon him, jaws wide open, Warei leaped, trying to grab the creature’s neck so that it couldn’t bite him. Both Toa and beast went down in a heap as Warei’s weight threw it off balance. The creature, however, recovered faster than Warei and clamped its jaws around his midsection. But here, Warei was able to plunge the dagger into the rahi’s neck. It shuddered for a moment before collapsing, the Toa still locked between its jaws. The impact threw Warei into unconsciousness, sprawled out on the surface of the titan.
~<0>~
Angaro had seen all this happen, but was unable to generate the speed needed to assist the Toa. More concerning to him at this point was the second lizard-creature which had before been some ways away, but was now gaining on the incapacitated Toa. Leaning on his crutch, the dark hunter drew forth the blade he had taken from Warei the day before. Unlike the countless other times he had drawn forth his weapons to take another’s life, this time he was doing it to defend another being. It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling, doing something without promise of payment, without being ordered to do so. He realized that perhaps for the first time he had made a decision of his own volition; he was choosing to protect this Toa, in spite of his misgivings.
There was no more time to think; the creature was now upon him and his wounded companion. Angaro stood still, formulated his plan of attack, and then struck. The beast was unprepared for this sudden blow, finding itself carried into the ground by its own momentum. In an instant the dark hunter was on top of the beast, pinning it to the ground with his bare hands. It was not keen on giving up without a fight, though, and with a mighty heave it threw Angaro from its back. His blade flew out of his hand, sliding across the beaten metal. Before he could recover it the lizard-rahi was on top of him, snapping at his neck. He grabbed the jaws to prevent them from doing so, but it took all his strength.
Angaro could feel his lungs burning from the exertion and knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep up this fight for much longer. Planting his remaining foot on the beast’s belly he threw it back. Having lost his crutch, he crawled as best he could towards his weapon. Rows of sharp teeth clamped down on his bad leg, and Angaro could feel the blood and battery gel leaking out of the punctures. Just a few inches away lay his knife, the tips of his fingers just barely touching the pommel. A tug from the rahi pulled him backward, and he nearly fell unconscious by the sudden loss of more blood. Maybe he could just bleed out here, end his suffering and the guilt he felt. Yet, Warei’s words drifted back to his head, and he knew that the Toa would be dead for sure if this creature was not killed.
Gathering his strength, Angaro willed himself to pull against the tug of the beast on his leg. With a burst of energy, he wrenched himself out of the jaws, grabbing his blade and flipping over to face the rahi. It’s mouth now stained with blood, the lizard-like creature roared in defiance of the dark hunter’s challenge. It charged forward once more, aiming for his neck. In one swift motion Angaro punched the head to the side and drove his dagger deep into its chest. He pushed it away, allowing the beast’s dying form to fall from his own position on the ground. Heaving a sigh of relief, Angaro now felt the adrenaline fade as his bloodied leg grew in pain. The dark hunter knew he wouldn’t last long unless it was sealed, but his mind was too muddied to make an effort to move as he too fell into the thralls of unconsciousness.
~<0>~
Angaro woke to find his leg iced up to prevent any more blood from leaking out. The Toa wasn’t far away, gazing out towards the camps of the Matoran and Toa, as well as their new Glatorian and Agori allies who Warei briefly met on the battlefield. Nearby, it appeared as if they had begun construction of a new city for both Agori and Matoran to thrive in.
“From what you said before, I thought that you would leave me behind.”
“I have had time to think about what you said, and I realized that I couldn’t leave you behind.”
Warei noticed the dagger under his cloak.
“Why did you take the dagger before? When I first noticed, I figured that you would try to stab me in the back when I wasn’t looking.”
“The thought certainly crossed my mind, but my true intentions were darker than that.”
“In the long run, though, it was used for good; the preservation of life. A life, in this case, that I’m rather attached to.”
They fell silent staring out over the green expanse that was once the great Bara Magna desert.
“Are you still opposed to going back to the Toa?”
Angaro sighed.
“No. I no longer wish to waste whatever life I have left lost in my own self-pity. Instead, we shall see if I can still do some good in this new world.”
Warei laughed, wincing a bit from his torn arm.
“You are not the same dark hunter that I found buried in the rubble; no, I believe you have come a long way from there. I am glad that you have seen the light, and I shall do everything I can to help you find your place.”
The pair remained there for a short time, engrossed in their own thoughts, before descending to the now-lush plains below them, ready to enter into a new world.
~<0>~
Thanks for reading if you made it all the way through; have a cookie 
~Reese EH