Novelizations from Ignition

The Awakening of Mata Nui

Adapted by Jeff Douglas.

In a world of an endless ocean, the waters rippled with life.

Strangely, it was a planet completely abandoned by all living creatures. One lone island adorned the sea. Once it had been the site of great battles and a struggle for survival. Now it was barren.

For many months, the island had lain completely still. Even the animals that had once called it home had fled far below, guided by an instinctive intuition. They were wise. For now, for the first time in months, the island moved again. It quivered and trembled.

Sea creatures scattered in all directions, swimming as quickly as they were capable. Beneath them, the ground trembled. Underwater caverns crumbled, and the seaweed and algae that had grown for over a millennium were within mere moments buried under layers upon layers of sediment.

Small waves became tsunami tides that crashed upon the island of Mata Nui. From beneath the land, two titanic lights ignited, like twin suns.

The island of Mata Nui shook and bucked, and the plate-like foundations ripped open. The mighty mountains tumbled and collapsed, and the great Mangai volcano itself was cleaved in two. A vast chasm tore along the earth as the island of Mata Nui snapped in two and slid into the sea, instantly dissolving in the maelstrom.

In its place lay a giant metal face, one as large as the island had been.

The face’s yellow eyes glowed brighter, and the head rose. It ascended, pulling free of the suction from several centuries’ worth of muck and grime that had embedded it. Gigantic whirlpools formed and disappeared. The sea itself heaved up toward the sky as a neck and shoulders erupted out of it, followed by a torso and arms. Seas seeped in to fill the void left in its wake.

The gargantuan robot rose to its feet and stood upright, water and grime cascading down its form. The machine towered 40 million feet high, above the very clouds themselves.

Mata Nui had risen.

He had slept for so long. His dreams had been dark ones. But now he was awakened.

Inside the giant robot, small workers called Matoran worked tirelessly at their jobs. Though they did not know it, their work gave the towering machine life. From the heart of the universe to the great city in the robot’s head, the Matoran did their work dutifully.

But not everyone in the robot were as diligent as they were.

The robot’s yellow eyes swept across the ocean as he waited patiently for his memory to sweep back.

But then everything grew foggy and dim.

With a pang, the intangible tether holding Mata Nui’s consciousness in place seemed to snap, and all light and sound receded to the distance. With a silent scream, Mata Nui sank into the void.

And the yellow eyes of the Great Spirit Robot flashed red.

Inside the machine, all light vanished. When they came back, something had changed.

Mata Nui was gone. Makuta now ruled the universe. And the Matoran were prisoners within their own world.

The face of the towering robot sneered victoriously. But then it frowned and concentrated. Its chest glowed as an ejection tube ignited. With an mighty roar, a small artifact exploded out — a mask.

The robot looked on as the tiny object soared into space.