''ТЁМНОЕ ЗЕРКАЛО'' ГЛАВА 9

Toa Tuyet stood over the battered, semi-conscious body of Takanuva, Toa of Light. He did not stir. Being blown through half-a-dozen walls by a focused tidal wave would do that to you. Tuyet smiled. 

"Pathetic, truly pathetic. If you are an example of what Toa are like in your Universe, it's a wonder you haven't all been hunted to extinction by now." 

The ruler of the Toa Empire slipped off her Mask of Intangibility, and replaced it with a Kanohi Olmak: the mask Takanuva had come seeking. This mask alone had the power to open gateways to inter-dimensional space, and it was Takanuva's only hope of escaping this twisted world. 

"Your friends outside are dead, or soon will be. I admit I was surprised to find they still had some fight left in them after 3500 years. But, they can't be allowed to rob the Matoran of the peace I have brought them." 

Takanuva managed to get to his hands and knees, rubble sliding off his back as he did so. He looked at Tuyet with eyes that held equal parts of contempt and pity. 

"Peace?" he said in disbelief, "Is that what you call perverting the Toa into secret police, terrorizing the villagers, killing anyone who opposes your rule?" 

"I did what had to be done. I made the world right. And who are you to judge me? You are nothing but an alien from some other dimension." 

Takanuva hurled a blast of Shadow at Tuyet, temporarily cloaking her in darkness. By the time she could see again, he was gone. But his voice came from high above her, saying: 

"That's true, my world is messier than yours, more dangerous in some ways, but it is a world that's better, because you're not in it, Tuyet." 

The Toa of Water unleashed her power, bringing the ceiling down, but Takanuva was not there. Instead, he sprang from the opening at the far end of the hall, hurling blinding light at Tuyet as he made a grab for her mask. She spun, caught him by the arm and threw him hard to the floor. 

"I have hundreds of times your power. You are nothing but a Lightstone to be ground to dust beneath my heel." 

Takanuva attacked again, hurling bolts of Shadow and Light. To his amazement, Tuyet parried them with ease. Seeing his surprise, she laughed. 

"You know, we had no Toa of Light in this Universe. We didn't need one. And in a few moments, we will be back to being without one." 

Takanuva charged. The next few seconds were a blaze of battle. Lasers turning water to steam, waves crashing against walls, a race to see what would happen first: Takanuva drowning in the tide, or Tuyet drowning in darkness. When the fight was through, Tuyet stood once more triumphant. 

"Enough! I have wasted enough time on you. Your rebellion is finished, and now, so are you." 

Tuyet was about to strike when a strange sound penetrated the damaged Coliseum. Takanuva raised his head and glanced at a hole in the wall. He saw hundreds - no, thousands - of Matoran marching toward the building, all of them armed. In the distance he could see Airships and sea-going vessels carrying other Matoran, Dark Hunters, Vortixx and others. All of them were descending on the city, their eyes fixed on the Coliseum...