Prologue

In the time before time, the island of Mata Nui was a tropical paradise. Then a shadow fell across the island – A shadow known as Makuta.

In the dark years that followed, the islanders put their faith in a legend… a legend that foresaw the arrival of six mighty heroes: the Toa. For only the Toa would have the strength and courage to bring peace and light back to the world.

As Mata Nui awaited the arrival of the Toa, a lone islander unknowingly began a quest… a quest that would change Mata Nui forever.

✴        ✴        ✴

Gentle waves lapped against the sun-bleached shore. A light wind swept a blanket of sand across the ground. The air tasted lightly of salt and rain.

Against the noises of crashing waves, there was the squawking of gulls and the scurrying of Ussal crabs along the shore.

But above all, there was peace. The inland tropical forest was quiet now, and even the Mangai volcano beyond had been still for some time. The beach, which stretched almost to the horizon before curving in, had been empty.

Empty until now.

Faint mechanical whirring noises sounded from inside the jungle curtain. A diminutive figure made his way through the low vines and over tangled roots, wary of Rahi beasts as he came. His mechanical legs, accustomed to adventure, had brought him far. His mechanical arms, used to shouldering heavy gear, now bore very little.

And when Takua, the biomechanical villager from Ta-Koro stepped onto the shore of the region of Le-Wahi, even he was impressed at the view.

The island of Mata Nui had many places Takua had not yet explored. Over the many centuries he had inhabited it, he had been quite limited in the places he could actually venture. Travel between the villages on Mata Nui was prohibited except on official business. It was safer that way.

Takua sat contently on the beach’s shore, the tide occasionally bringing cool water to his stout metallic feet. Gazing out at the late-morning horizon, he absorbed the scenery as the sun reflected off of his red-and-yellow armor. He wasn’t quite sure where he’d ended up — just that it was some remote stretch on the Papa Nihu Reef — but he preferred it that way. Far more exciting.

Indeed, the Matoran villager could think of no better way to spend his first day of exile.

✴        ✴        ✴

Yes, he had been exiled. And, why, in these treacherous times, when the shadows of Makuta stretched far and wide and his beasts patrolled the skies, land, caverns, and seas, had he been kicked out of his village?

He didn’t work hard enough.

Life as a Matoran was demanding. Pent up in the fortified, fiery regions of Ta-Koro by Makuta’s beasts, the Ta-Matoran had scarce land with which they could work. Somehow they got by — some years better than others — but survival demanded a high price. Everyone had to pitch in, and there could be no freeloaders. And when Takua insisted on taking every opportunity to escape and see more of the world - in spite of Turaga Vakama’s threatening, pleading, and bargaining - the village elder had finally done the only sensible thing and kicked him out.

Takua took in a slow, deep breath as a gentle breeze blew across the land. As he released it, the Matoran reflected on the dual nature of the island—how it could be menaced by the omnipresent shadow of Makuta, which caused plague, sickness, and strife, and yet still have pockets of peace and beauty.

All told, life as an exile wasn’t too bad… so far.

The sound of approaching footsteps on the beach behind him interrupted his thoughts. Takua turned to see another Ta-Koro villager, a messenger named Aft approaching. This was no small surprise — had Vakama already sent someone after him?

Aft stopped next to where Takua was sitting and clasped his hands behind his back.

“Good morning, Takua! You’re difficult to get a hold of.”

Takua shrugged. “It’s pleasant out here, and the change in scenery is nice once in a while. You should get out more.”

Aft smirked, crossing his arms. “Nice try. That’s my job, Takua. Maybe if you did yours, people back home wouldn’t have gotten so fed up with you.”

Takua looked back out at the waters, then back to Aft. “But why would you want to stay in stuffy, smokey Ta-Koro…” He held his hand out, indicating the sand and water. “When you could have this?”

Aft looked, but shook his head. “I will never understand you, Takua,” he said. “I’ve heard that Turaga Whenua wants to see you. Head up this beach and you’ll eventually come to the cave entrance to the underground village, where you’ll find Whenua!”

“Turaga Whenua?” Takua asked.

That was odd. Although the Matoran were loyal to their native villages, all Matoran shared a common dream: to defeat Makuta and live in a land of peace and beauty. But they didn’t often visit other villages, much less receive summons from another village’s Turaga.

“What does Whenua want with me? I’ve done nothing in Onu-Koro.”

Aft shrugged. “I’m not sure. When the Onu-Matoran envoys came to us, Vakama was very definite he wanted them to find you.”

Takua pushed himself up off the sandy surface, bewildered. “Alright. Thanks,” he said, starting in the direction Aft had indicated.

“Oh, one more thing,” recalled Aft. “Be careful along the way—the trail back to Onu-Koro has become much more hazardous lately—the Onu-Matoran have put out Rahi traps, and there’s probably some debris left from the last storm. Takua… be careful.”

With that, the messenger turned and started to leave. Takua started to do the same, but he realized he had no idea why Whenua had summoned him. He hurried after the messenger.

“Hello again!” the Ta-Matoran greeted him. “Have you talked to everyone on the beach? You’d better get going! Whenua is looking for you. Why? I couldn’t say, I’ve just heard that Whenua wants to see you.”

There was nothing to be done, then. Takua left the reef as well, starting up the trail toward the village. The message was mysterious and confusing, something Vakama had a penchant for. Still… to be exiled and then sent to a village on the opposite end of the island?

He had always been one for adventure, but this… this was altogether different.

Something had changed.

✴        ✴        ✴

Centuries of Makuta’s influence had taken its toll. The path into the region of Onu-Wahi was in an obvious state of disrepair, which came as no surprise to Takua. What was surprising was the sight of several Matoran bustling along the beach. It seemed this stretch wasn’t quite as abandoned as he’d expected. As he was scrambling over rocky outcroppings and jumping over some narrow river tributaries, Takua spotted a Ga-Matoran who waves at him. Remembering the Ta-Matoran’s advise about talking to the other villagers, Takua ambled over to her.

“You’re quite the athlete — I saw how well you jumped over those obstacles!” she smiled. The Ga-Matoran explained that Takua could lift and fling boulders away that were blocking his path, and she demonstrated how. As Takua was starting to feel confident, she gestured in the direction Takua was traveling. “Walk up the beach to see how to fling objects. Bye!”

Further still along the coast, Takua encountered a rugged Po-Matoran who appeared to be practicing a good throwing technique. He quickly explained that a proper throw would hurl small objects like rocks, Madu Fruit, snowballs and discs a great distance. Many things could be found and picked up, while fruit could be knocked loose from trees by standing next to them and shaking. “Give it a try!” he urged, gesturing to a nearby tree.

Takua did as he was directed and threw all his might against the tree, only for several Madu Fruits come loose and hit him in the head. Massaging the pain, he quickly picked up the fruit.

The Po-Matoran nodded approvingly, noting how large Takua’s pack is, well-equipped to contain many weapons and tools. He returned to his practice, adding, “Now that you’ve learned the basics, head up the beach for some extra training.”

Takua hurried in the direction the Po-Matoran had indicated. True enough, he quickly found more Matoran hiding behind rocks and throwing Madu fruits at each other. He quickly introduced himself. When he related that the Po-Matoran sent him, a Ko-Matoran laughs. “Hi Takua. Ready for some real practice?”

The rest of the Matoran quickly agreed to help him practice, running and hiding between rocks as Takua tried to hit them.

The game was fun and exhausting, and Takua played it a few times with the villagers. As he is feeling comfortable, one of the players complements him.

“You’re a natural at this. You should throw things for a living!”

“I’ve heard you have a great arm… Looks like it’s true.”

Satisfied by his newfound skill, he bidded the Matoran farewell and continued along his path. But he didn’t get very far, for the path dead-ended in a long, deep river mouth. Takua hurried back to the group of Matoran to see if they could help him cross. One of them, a Le-Matoran, came up to him and led him over to the water.

“Excellent work, Takua! You’ve learned a great deal in a short time. Cross water using Hoi turtles as stepping stones. Before you can grab a Hoi turtle, you have to startle it. Startle a Hoi turtle by jumping on or throwing an object at it. Walk next to them and pick one up. Now walk over to the stream and throw the Hoi turtle in. Once the Hoi turtle is in the stream, you can jump on top of it. Be quick about it, though - the Hoi turtle may move if you’re not fast enough!”

Following the instructor’s directions carefully, Takua crossed two streams on the Shore Turtles, landing safely on the other side.

“Good form, Takua,” shouts the Matoran from the other side. “You’re an expert Hoi jumper now. Just remember: Always look before you leap!”

Waving farewell to the other Matoran, he continued on.

✴        ✴        ✴

The path turned and led inland, and before long Takua arrived at a solid stone door. Two platforms lay half-hidden in the dirt, and when he tried standing on one, he heard a mechanical clicking beneath him. Together they seemed to open the door, but without someone else to stand on the other platform, the door wouldn't open, much less let him through.

That’s when he spied two hefty boulders lying to the side. These were too heavy to lift or throw, so Takua threw his weight against them, rolling them onto the platforms. As the second one glided to a halt, the door slid open.

Inside the gate, an Onu-Matoran paced anxiously. Strangely, he appeared to be eyeing the trees and murmuring to himself.

“It’s so damp in this village.… In fact, it’s so damp and musty underground,” he muttered. “I’d rather live high up in the trees in Le-Koro! Standing in this spot all day is making my feet sore.”

His eyes fell on Takua, and his expression changed. “Greetings!” he declared. “I am Midak, the Turaga’s messenger to the aboveground. Looks like you’ve managed to open the gate. That’s all there is to it! Now you’ve learned how to move boulders and to trigger switches. Now, you’d better hop to it! Whenua is looking for you.”

“What is all this about?” Takua asked.

Midak frowned. “Whenua is waiting for you, little one. He has a matter of great importance to discuss with you.”

Turaga Whenua was the village elder of Onu-Koro, known for his wisdom and fairness. He had a love of history, believing the solution to many of today’s problems could be found in the past.

Takua frowned. “Did he say what it was?”

Midak’s eyes darkened. “Mangaia stirs. Armies of the Rahi beasts are on the march, sweeping from Makuta’s domain to the surface. Every Onu-Matoran has been recalled to the village to man the defense, but if a messenger is not sent to the other villages, it will be too late. Enter the cave ahead to visit Onu-Koro, our underground village. And… good luck!”

True enough, the path narrowed and ended before a yawning cave. Outside he found a Bula Berry that restored his health and a Vuata Maca Fruit that renewed his energy. Privately he hoped he would find many more on the journey to come, for he would no doubt need them.

Taking a deep breath, he descended into the tunnel.