This is it. The last chapter. Before you all start getting emotional about this being the end, it isn't. This is book one of the Soul Trilogy. Please be on the lookout for book two, Soul Memory! For now, though, enjoy the last chapter of Soul Element!

Tahu woke up in the center of the Great Coliseum. He was wondering how in the name of Mata Nui he got there when he saw the other Toa Nuva standing around. Then he remembered his fight with Zangetsu and how he defeated him – by absorbing all the heat from the surrounding area and releasing it in one massive blast. He must have passed out right after that, and the other Toa and Ichigo brought him here.

Tahu realized that he couldn't see Ichigo anywhere. He did, however, see something he never saw before. It was a strange creature, all flesh and no armor of any kind. It wore a black kimono and had a red chain sash going diagonally from his left shoulder to his right hip. The creature had electric orange hair and stood about five foot nine inches. He wielded a blade that looked like an oversized butcher's knife. His feet were wrapped in some sort of cloth and fitted through sandals.

The strange figure noticed that Tahu was awake and walked over to him. Smiling, the figure said, "Thank God, you're alive. You gave us all a fright when you passed out."

Tahu's mouth dropped open. The voice was startling familiar. "Ichigo? Is that…"

"Yeah, it's me." Ichigo said. "I was waiting for you to wake up before I explained everything. I got memories back, so I can actually do that."

"Alright then," Tahu replied. "Are you all ready then?" Tahu asked all the other Toa. Each one nodded their consent. Tahu then turned to Ichigo and said, "Alright, brother. Let's hear what the truth is."

Ichigo began to talk. He started off by saying that he wasn't from this universe – he was from a dimension where there existed the world of the living, and multiple lands of the dead. There was the Soul Society, where everyone who didn't commit heinous crimes went to live after they died. The Soul Society was also home of the Soul Reapers.

Then there was the realm of the dead called Hueco Mundo. It was home to the Hollows, lost souls who became bestial over time and began eating the souls of any being, whether it was a human or a ghost. There existed many types and species of Hollows, from the garden variety to the powerful Vasto Lordes. Hollows were the main enemies of Soul Reapers.

The last realm of the dead was Hell. On this subject, Ichigo didn't know much. All he knew was that it was where souls that committed evil acts went, and there they were punished for all eternity. Each Toa made a mental note not to commit such acts.

Then Ichigo explained how he was involved in all this. He explained how he had been able to see ghosts since birth, and how that gift led to him trying to save a girl. The girl had been bait set by a Hollow, and Ichigo would have been eaten if it weren't for his mother. She sacrificed her life to save Ichigo. He had since made himself stronger, determined not to let the same thing happen to anyone else.

Just a year ago, he had met a soul he had never seen before. Her name was Rukia Kuchiki, and she was a Soul Reaper. She explained to him that a Soul Reaper's job was twofold – guide normal souls to the Soul Society, and eradicate Hollows. Ichigo got to see her responsibilities first hand; he saw her perform konso (the way a Soul Reaper admits a soul to the Soul Society), and he saw her battle a Hollow. That Hollow was after his family, and though Rukia fought valiantly, she ended getting incapacitated in the fight. In order to save his family, Rukia gave him some of her Soul Reaper powers. To the surprise of both of them, Ichigo unconsciously took all her powers. He became a Soul Reaper in full, battling Hollows.

Ichigo finished by explaining what had happened between him and the Soul Society. Apparently, it was illegal for a Soul Reaper to infuse a human with his or her powers. Under these charges, Rukia was captured and brought back to the Soul Society to be executed. Ichigo and a few friends of his snuck in and saved her, battling some of the most powerful Soul Reapers in the process. The betrayal of one such Soul Reaper, the thought-to-be-deceased Sosuke Aizen, became known, and he extracted a substance from Rukia that would eliminate the barrier between Soul Reapers and Hollows.

"Aizen took the substance, called the Hogyoku, and escaped to Hueco Mundo," Ichigo explained. "While he spent the last three months building his army, the Soul Society and my friends and I have been training for the coming war with him. One day, though, my training was interrupted by a voice. It called itself Mata Nui."

"Are you sure, Ichigo?" Onua asked, astonished as he and the other Toa were. "I'm sorry, but there's no way that voice could have been Mata Nui. The Great Spirit's been asleep for over a hundred years."

"I think it was telling the truth," Ichigo replied. "I can usually tell when someone is lying."

"And I, for one, believe you, Ichigo," Kopaka said. "What did he say to you?"

"He told me that there was a war coming," Ichigo answered, "but it's bigger than anybody thought. Somehow, Aizen allied himself with someone from your universe. Someone called Makuta."

The Toa felt their blood run cold. Makuta was the dark brother of Mata Nui, at least as powerful as him. He was the one who put Mata Nui to sleep, the one who had forced the Matoran from Metru Nui. When the Toa arrived on the island of Mata Nui (named after the Great Spirit), Makuta threw all of his minions at them: the wild Rahi he controlled, the insect-like Bohrok, the super-powered Bohrok-Kal, and the lethal Rahkshi. Makuta was thought to be dead after his battle with Takanuva, the Toa of Light, so how could he be alive, let alone make an alliance with this Aizen?

When the Toa relayed this information to Ichigo, he frowned, saying, "This guy sounds at least as bad as Aizen. As for how they made the connection, I know how that happened. Aizen's scientist, Szayelapporo Grantz, somehow discovered a mask from your world. I was told its name was the Mask of Dimensional Gates. Aizen figured out how to use it, and he traveled here to your world, reviving Makuta and asking him if they would join forces. Impressed by his power, Makuta agreed."

"So why did Mata Nui contact you?" Gali asked. "Was it just to convey this information?"

"Not just that," Ichigo replied. "While Makuta and Aizen made an alliance, the king of the Soul Society, the Spirit King, and Mata Nui made one of their own. I guess one of the Spirit King's powers is the ability to travel in between dimensions. Anyways, Mata Nui told me that in order to stop Aizen and Makuta, our two worlds had to team up. To see if we were compatible, an exchange was made. A hero from each world was exchanged. I was chosen to come here."

"I think I know what's quick-coming," Lewa said, "Although I don't like the bad-meaning with it."

"Our friend is he…" Pohatu started to ask.

"Yes," Ichigo replied. "This Takanuva's in my world. He's a Soul Reaper, and he has no idea who he is."

That ends Soul Element. Soul Memory will be coming soon, so be looking for it! Enjoy the holidays if I don't update by Christmas!