Chapter 18: Death of a Universe

The last of Kalmah and Mantax’s troops landed and joined Pridak’s charge. Makuta’s forces had massed to defend the breach in the wall, but they could not stand against the combined might of the Toa Hagah and the Barraki. Pridak’s legions crushed the opposition, and he and his troops leapt over the rubble of the wall to stand in Metru Nui. “At last!” he cried, and planted his sword in the ground. “The City of Legends belongs to the Barraki!”

That was when the world ended. Pridak felt himself lifted into the air, and began to fall towards the sky, as if the world had turned on its axis. He saw the Silver Sea become a wall of water and rush towards him, blowing the city wall to pieces and slamming into Metru Nui. The flood hurled him down the streets of Le-Metru and smashed him into the Moto-Hub. Pridak felt his breathing helmet shatter, just before he was dashed against another building and carried away by the tides. He watched as the scattered remnants of his ships and soldiers floated by him, and lost consciousness.

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“Barraki Pridak…!”

Pridak felt his body moving through the ocean. He opened his eyes to see a Vortixx, one of his lieutenants, had pulled him from the waters… onto dry land.

“You idiot!” he cried, giving a hacking cough. “I can’t… breathe…”

He trailed away as he realized the impossible: he could breathe. His breathing helmet was so much shrapnel and glass, and his body was still monstrous and finned… but he was breathing air.

“What is this?” he murmured.

“I don’t know, sir,” said the Vortixx, “but since the universe turned upside down, I don’t know a lot of things.”

Pridak looked around. He and his rescuer were perched on the side of the Coliseum, where he had been pulled from a flooded room. Far above them was the leveled City of Legends, most of its buildings smashed to pieces. Below them, the waters of the Silver Sea had pooled over the darkened sky. The remains of buildings and warships floated idly through the dark waters. Some distance away, he could see the corpse of a giant sea serpent, its body battered and broken by impact with the skyscrapers.

“I don’t think there’s anything to be done, sir,” said the Vortixx. Pridak realized that several of his other soldiers were standing behind her. “The world is ending.”

“No,” Pridak coughed. His mind turned to the writing he had uncovered in the Makuta fortress, so many months ago. “There is… more… beyond the Great Barrier. We must leave this universe to die.”

His soldiers shared nervous glances. “Sir,” said one of them, “the legends say there is only the void outside our walls! You’ll lead us to our deaths!”

Pridak glared at the soldier. In an instant, the Barraki was on his feet, clutching the offending soldier by the throat. “No,” he growled, “I will lead my soldiers to salvation… except for you.”

Pridak hurled the soldier off the balcony, and let her fall from the Coliseum. His soldiers watched as she fell, screaming, into the darkened waters. The flooded dome seemed to swallow her whole.

“Does anyone else question my knowledge?” Pridak asked.

No one did.

“Another subject, sir,” said the Vortixx tentatively. She gestured to a building nearby, where Pridak could see several shapes moving. “Many of the survivors were injured, and cannot walk. How shall we transport them?”

“Are you a fool?” said Pridak. “We leave them. An injured soldier is no use to anyone.” He strode towards the Coliseum’s elevator, and wrenched open its doors. “There is a network of tunnels beneath here,” he explained. “They will lead us outside. Follow me if you wish to live.”

Behind him, the Vortixx and the soldiers murmured amongst themselves. “We don’t know what’s out there. We could be walking to our doom.” “Perhaps Barraki Pridak knows more than we do.” “Leaving is unknown, but staying here is certain death. I’ll take my chances.”

Eventually, the Vortixx made her decision. Silently, she climbed into the elevator, and joined Pridak. The rest of the soldiers mumbled incoherently, and followed. They rode, and then walked, in silence.

Pridak led his soldiers through the tunnels of the Coliseum, recalling the directions to the core. Makuta’s records had said this place was lined with traps, but as he continued, nothing else moved in the tunnels. Perhaps the traps had perished with the universe itself.

He never made it to the core. Halfway there, he found a tunnel opening blown apart, and climbed up into alien sunlight. Pridak and his soldiers stood in the middle of a gaping wound, amidst a slab of rock and metal. He knew not what could have devastated the Great Spirit so drastically, but he knew there was no life left within that thick hull.

“Barraki Pridak!” The cries came from behind his soldiers, as they gasped in surprise. Pridak looked to them, and then down at his body. A wave of light washed over his claws, his scales, and fins, which began to glow and change. When the light had cleared, he looked down at his old body: strong, lithe, and supple, the most perfectly forged body in all creation. He was beautiful once more.

His soldiers stared in dumbstruck wonder, until the Vortixx knelt and bowed her head in reverence. Still dazed, the other soldiers followed suit. Pridak looked down upon them through his bright and shining eyes, and gave a smile.

“There can be no doubt,” he declared. “Mata Nui smiles upon us. Follow me, and you will share in the greatness of my kingdom in this new world!”

His soldiers cheered. Pridak looked down at the rolling hills and green forests below him, admiring the bounty of this rich new paradise. “Oh, yes,” he murmured. “This will make an excellent kingdom.”

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A cliff hawk soared over the plains of Spherus Magna, its red and yellow feathers radiant in the sun. Its screech echoed through the sky, down into the rolling grasses and plentiful trees - and the massive wall of metal and stone that lay across the hills. The titanic corpse sprawled across mountains and fields, silent and still. Except…

Steam rose from a large, round panel in the wall. A tremendous noise echoed from within, the sound of tools meeting metal and stone, and forcing them to yield. A crackling energy sent sparks flying from the seal, and then the panel exploded outwards, crushing swaths of grass and earth beneath it.

The Turaga Nui stepped out of the hatch and onto the cool, soft grass. Its tools were still blazing with energy, but they were rapidly cooling, and the light was fading from its eyes. “Our destiny… is done,” it declared. Then the Turaga Nui shimmered and vanished, leaving six Turaga in its place.

“That was… amazing,” said Nokama, giddy with the rush of power. “Imagine what good we could do with this power!”

“I already have,” said Matau, grinning wildly. “Mind-picture it now: not Toa-heroes, but Turaga-heroes, saving the Matoran from dark-troubles!”

“We certainly could have used that in the past,” said Whenua, and playfully glared at Nuju. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner, hm?”

Nuju did not reply, but instead watched a red and yellow bird flying above, and mimicked its call.

Onewa nodded solemnly. “I think you may be overlooking something rather important, brothers: we are standing outside the known universe.” He turned. “Vakama, what can we expect from this new world?”

Vakama shook his head, and smiled. “My visions have shown me nothing. But I feel hope… hope for a better and brighter future than before.”

Two Onu-Matoran helped Dume from the tunnel, and he smiled as he looked at his fellow Turaga. “Well done, my brethren,” he said. “You have fulfilled the prophecy, and brought our people to Paradise. Now,” he said, and gestured to the tunnel behind him, “the true task begins.”

From deep within the tunnels of the Great Barrier, thousands of Matoran stepped, blinking, into the light of a new world. The Matoran of Metru Nui, Karzahni, and Karda Nui all stood dazed as they wondered what the universe would ask of them. Macku led the crowd, and was the first to jump down and touch her feet to the foreign grass and the cool, dark dirt.

Vakama watched, smiling, as the Matoran spilled out into the meadow. When most had emerged, he bid them gather round. The other Turaga nodded. Whenua laid his drill on the ground and carved a circle of earth, while Onewa stepped forth with a collection of stones: some large, some small, and one jagged and black. Vakama took them in his hands and smiled at them.

“In the time,” he began, “before time…”