Prologue

Turaga Vakama looked up from his place. Hours ago, he had sent Toa Tahu to summon the rest of the Toa Nuva, deciding at last to let them hear his tale. But, as he had arranged, only one Toa stood before him now. Takanuva, the Toa of Light, watched expectantly as the Turaga arranged the stones on the Amaja Circle.

“Your brothers will be here soon,” Vakama murmured. “That is good. I want them to hear the rest of this story.”

Takanuva smiled. “I’m glad you’ve decided to tell them,” he said. “I know this isn’t easy for you.”

“It is not my emotions that I’m worried about,” said Vakama, looking up to match eyes with the Toa of Light. “I worry about how they will react. And… I worry how you will react.” He retrieved a single, bright white stone from the Amaja Circle, and stood it up. “That is why I have called you here first.”

“More secrets?”

“No,” the Turaga shot back. “When this tale is over, you are free to share it with the other Toa Nuva. And when they arrive, I will tell them the rest of our adventures in Metru Nui.”

The Toa of Light slowly nodded. “Then why am I here?”

Vakama inhaled sharply. “Because I want you to be the first to hear this tale. It began when the Toa Metru and I returned to Metru Nui. Captured by the Visorak, we found ourselves mutated into nightmarish Toa Hordika, only rescued by the aid of the Rahaga. But we struggled with our very nature, and we came uncomfortably close to losing our way.”

“It must have been difficult not to have a Turaga to guide you. Tahu had you, after all.”

“Difficult, yes,” Vakama sighed. “Like you, I often sought the answer to my destiny, to find the place where I belong. Wisdom, in this time, was often hard to find. But our search for guidance brought more peril and adventure than we could have imagined…”