Chapter 1

Rays of light again illuminated the darkened Bahrag chambers, which now lay silent as a tomb. A dark grey Kanohi popped down through the hole in the ceiling above and surveyed the room. A large puddle of water lay where the final segments of an ice staircase were now melting. A prison binding the two great Bahrag queens dominated the room.

The grey Kanohi disappeared, and seconds later Turaga Whenua’s full body was telekinetically levitated down through the hole, glowing mask and all. The forms of Nokama, Vakama, Matau soon followed.

Vakama looked up. Nuju would have to stay up, as he would facilitate their escape. Onewa, on the other hand…

“Are you coming Onewa?” he asked.

The Turaga of Stone shook his head. “Haven’t a thousand years on this island taught you better than to plunge into creepy places like this?”

Turaga Nokama walked over to the corner of the room and picked one of the krana-kal out of the shadows. It said nothing, nor did it make any effort to escape.

“Dormant,” she said.

“This deep-place is more of a wreck than the Toa had described,” Matau remarked, kicking the Exo-Toa armor shells.

“Yet the Nuva Cube floats undisturbed,” Whenua gestured, as he too retrieved dormant krana-kal.

“Left as the seal on the tomb… The Nuva Symbols will have to be better hidden,” Turaga Vakama noted. “Kept outside the koro, under constant surveillance.”

“And the krana-kal?” asked Onewa from above. “Should they be sealed in Ga-Koro’s old well with the rest of the krana? Sealed in a cave like the kraata? Buried like the Infected Kanohi? Or perhaps thrown into the sea like the Comets?”

“Let’s deep-seal them in some Ko-Wahi freezer. I don’t like the thought of deranged krana-kal waking up and talking to me whenever I pass by,” Matau said.

Turaga Nuju rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

“Do you Turaga have any plans for the remains of the Bohrok-Kal or Exo-Toa?” asked Whenua. “If you don’t, I have an engineer who would no doubt be keen on studying them.”

“The same engineer who provided us the Boxors?” asked Vakama.

“Nuparu,” Whenua said. “Yes. To reward his efforts, I have made him Chief Engineer, and also tasked him with overseeing the Wall of Geography. Even so, he could make good use of these, and he would certainly love to pour over them.”

“I see no issue with this,” replied Vakama. “Given his talents, and considering he is caretaker of your Wall, there is another matter which he may be specially suited for…”

✴        ✴        ✴

“Incredible!” Takua marveled. “What a remarkable achievement.”

“I bet it would have been very helpful in your wanderings.”

“Would have been,” Takua agreed. “But it would have spoiled the joy of discovery.”

Nuparu nodded. “We call this the Wall of Geography. I got assigned the job of transcribing the whole of the island onto our wall. To make this easier, I have built machines capable of carrying us fast across the island so we don’t have to spend too long in the bright sunlight. But Midak, he doesn’t seem to mind it much.”

“Isn’t that basically what the Ga-Matoran use the Wall of Stars for?”

“Yes and no,” the Onu-Matoran responded. “Their Wall of Stars is useful when traversing the sea, but it does little good beneath the earth where no stars are visible. Conversely, our comprehensive maps of Mata Nui’s surface and depths do little good in the ocean beyond the island. They complement each other much as Ko-Koro’s Wall of Prophecy complements Ta-Koro’s Wall of History.”

“I see. Do you know if Le-Koro or Po-Koro have any?”

“You haven’t heard of them?”

“My amnesia hasn’t fully cleared,” Takua admitted sheepishly.

“Le-Koro has the Wall of Life,” Nuparu responded. “It is a garden containing every living plant known to them. They guard it closely, for if any of the forest should burn or die off, the seeds grown in this ‘wall’ will help them restore it.”

“I see. And Po-Koro?”

“Well… theoretically they have a Wall of Customs exploring day to day Matoran life and the societal differences between Koro. But in the end, most of the wall ended up being a thorough study of Matoran games. They actually had to build on a whole new section just for their exegesis on kolhii.”

“We’ve thought of everything, haven’t we?”

“Ta-Koro’s Wall of History speaks to the past, while Ko-Koro’s Wall of Prophecy foretells the future. Onu-Koro’s Wall of Geography maps the land of Mata Nui while Ga-Koro’s Wall of Stars guides one in the sea beyond. Le-Koro’s Wall of Life safeguards the island’s flora while Po-Koro’s Wall of Customs memorializes the island’s cultures. Two walls for space, two walls for time, and two walls for life.”

Takua shook his head. “There is still so much that I struggle to remember from before but can’t. I think I finally remember everything about my quest for the Toa Stones and the Turaga, but outside of that—”

“You’ll get there,” Nuparu shrugged.

“Chief Nuparu!” came a voice behind them. Nuparu turned, surprised to see one of the miners hurrying up to him.

“What is it?”

The miner bowed. “Turaga Whenua wishes to see you in his hut.”

✴        ✴        ✴

As Nuparu hurried through the Onu-Koro village, he could not fathom what purpose the Turaga had for summoning him. His new responsibilities had contained no small amount of responsibilities, and yet as he made his way to Whenua’s hut, he had a feeling that his reason for being summoned had little to do with any of them.

Takua had already left, having paid a visit to detail the ongoing reconstruction efforts for his Wall of History. Nuparu had already been called from his projects to attend to the Chronicler — no difficult task considering their good friendship. But to be summoned a second time considering what he was on the brink on was, to say the least, most peturbing.

The Turaga of Earth was waiting for him when he arrived, marked by his usual stern countenance and his hunched posture, so often leaned over his drill staff.

“You sent for me, Turaga?” Nuparu said, bowing.

“Nuparu,” Whenua smiled. “I hope your new responsibilities have suited you well.”

“Well enough,” the Onu-Matoran responded. Polite but concise, for he was eager to get to the point.

The Turaga nodded, pleased. “I am glad to hear this. Those who previously held your post often complained of it. Many realized they preferred mining to engineering altogether. But no Chief Engineer can hold the post without understanding the geography of our island. When a machine breaks down in our mines — or even in another koro — our technicians must be ready to find them before hostile forces close in.”

“Very true,” Nuparu nodded, his smile masking his impatience. His scheduled meeting with Takua had been one thing, but being summoned by the Turaga was another. He had drawn close to a breakthrough while tinkering on one of his recent inventions, and the sooner these meetings were done, the sooner he could get back to it.

“With the permission of the other Turaga,” Whenua continued, “I have secured the pieces of the Bohrok-Kal for your use. What elements of them as remain intact are available for your use.”

Nuparu almost didn’t react, as focused as he was on returning to his inventions. When Whenua paused for a reaction, the Onu-Matoran’s eyes widened.

“Oh, really! The Bohrok-Kal? They let — Thank you, Turaga! They will be so great to study! Their unique powers are unlike anything on Mata Nui — Maybe I can create new Boxors that can wield these—”

Whenua held up his hand. “There was only one thing the Turaga asked of you in return. As you no doubt heard, Turaga Nokama took some Boxors into Le-Wahi to confront a few of the Bohrok-Kal there. It was a place the Bohrok-Kal frequented, a hub of sorts. And, we suspect, it may have been near where they hibernated.”

“We don’t know?”

“Well, have you noticed anything peculiar about the details on our map of Le-Wahi?”

“What details?” Nuparu chuckled. “There isn’t much to it.”

“Exactly,” Whenua grinned wryly. “The Le-Matoran spend such time in the trees these days that there is scarcely any attention paid to what lies on the ground. They would be the last to know if a Bohrok-Kal emerged from the ground in their territory.”

“Point taken.”

“So,” the Turaga tilted his head. “A simple scouting mission. With any luck, the end of the Bohrok-Kal means there is nothing active in their old nest. If there is any sign of life, retreat at once and report it to us — or, if it seems urgent, to the Le-Matoran. Under no circumstances should you engage with anything moving in there.”

“Understood,” Nuparu lied.