The Mask
Literature
Ekimu looked out over the bustling city, his heart heavy with indecision. He knew his brother was plotting something, but he didn’t dare stand up to him for fear of pushing him away forever. However, if Makuta was doing what he suspected he was, then the entire island could be in jeopardy, and was it not his duty to eliminate such a threat? He sighed and shook his head.
The knowing will come, he thought to himself, returning to his forge. The mask he was working on was special, containing a strong power within. In all his years, he had only made one other such mask. He had made that mask for his brother, and likewise he made this one.
A Mask of Control.
A mask that could best be described as a double-edged sword, for while it granted the bearer to control beings around them, it also gave Ekimu a certain amount of control over them. The purpose of such a mask was simple. Makuta had evil within him, a force straining to get free. Whether it be some remnant of old shadows, or simply the darkness within him, it needed to be contained. And thus, Ekimu gifted this first mask to his brother, in the hopes that with its power, the shadow could be eliminated. And it had worked. For many years, the two brothers had worked side by side in harmony, Makuta never even suspecting Ekimu’s treachery.
Yet, there was a flaw in the plan. Makuta, while his masks were not as sought after, made sure each mask was perfect. Ekimu was not so careful about his creations, flaws appearing in nearly every mask. Including the one he gave his brother. A single crack in a mask destroys all its power, and in recent days, Ekimu had noticed his brother’s behavior grow increasingly erratic. The mask was failing.
It is for this reason that Ekimu continued tirelessly to pound at the metal before him. As he did so, he could hear his brother forging a mask of his own, and his bones chilled at the thought of what he suspected it to be.
