Chapter 2

When Kongu opened his eyes, he sensed wind blowing through the ridges of his mask. The warmth of the morning sun embraced him gently as he breathed in the familiar sights of Le-Koro, the emerald village of Mata Nui. He was a Matoran again, Captain of the Gukko Force and defender of the great jungle.

All around him, the villagers were hard at work, the treetops always in motion. Complicated systems of vines and pulleys hauled materials from the ground below while Le-Matoran busied themselves carting supplies, fixing huts, and reinforcing defenses. Insects spun and buzzed in the warm jungle air, Taku birds trilled in the high branches, and Gukko clicked to each other in the distance. Treespeak meandered through conversations as the Matoran went about their business, caring only for the next Kewa Bird Riding championship that afternoon. From the village square, he heard the familiar symphony of musicians giving their instruments the air they needed to breathe. In the distance, Turaga Matau could be seen tapping his foot to the rhythm while watching the sky for Nui-Rama.

“This is… my forest-home,” he murmured, breathing in the rich sweetness of the scene. “I can hear the life-song of Le-Wahi…”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kongu knew that this couldn’t be real. As vividly as he could see the sunlight on the layers of foliage, so too did he remember the Bohrok laying siege to Le-Koro. His joints still ached from battles he had endured against the Piraka and Barraki as a Toa. He’d seen the exile of Mata Nui and the reign of shadows, he knew that Le-Koro was a place that only existed in memory now.

Nevertheless, it was a welcome fantasy.

In the distance, he saw the visage of the golden being watching from the trees, perched among the coils of a large Vuata Maca Tree. Ambling along in the direction of his savior, Kongu bowed his head in reverence.

“Tell me, Toa Mahri of air, why does this memory not bring you peace?” asked the entity, lowering his head to meet the Toa’s eyes. “It would be a noble destiny to return to your village and defend the Matoran, would it not?”

Kongu gazed back at the bustling village around him. It was true — he had always longed to return to his home in Le-Koro. These were simpler times he silently yearned for, when all he had to worry about was Brakas encroaching on Lake Pala, not the overwhelming emptiness he now carried within his chest.

“It might have been… but it’s past-late for that now,” he said, watching Tamaru wrangling a Kewa. “I can’t return to the Matoran, not after the dark-deeds I’ve done. I can’t pretend to stand among them — to be the Toa-hero they need me to be — after all I’ve lost…”

The golden entity curled his fingers around a nearby Madu fruit.

“Your recent battles weigh heavy upon your shoulders, young Toa,” he murmured, his voice as gentle as the afternoon breeze that carried his words. “But there is great power in dreams. Some dream of conquest over that which they cannot control, others of that which they do not possess. Of fear, or of the means to escape from fear. Some do not dream at all and make for poor companions. Tell me, do you dream, Toa?”

Kongu felt swept up by the gravity of the golden one’s words, but he gazed out at the treetop horizon and steadied himself. One dream did come to mind, but to give voice to it… something told him that would be unwise.

“If you’re looking for a way-finder you won’t find one in me,” he eventually brought himself to say. “Make a world that doesn’t need-want Toa, or find someone pure-hearted. I’ve got nothing left to give…”

✴        ✴        ✴

From her position treading in the shallows, Toa Gaaki gazed up at the Skakdi Fortress that had come to line the ragged coastal buffs of Aqua Magna. Acting off the warning Kopaka Nuva had relayed to her, the Toa of Water felt a great weight develop in her chest.

“Oh Hahli…” she lamented. “What’ve you gotten yourself into now?”

In the hopes that the evidence before her eyes might change, she remained for some time, watching four of the missing Toa Mahri patrolling the fortress in the service of the Skakdi. She could almost smell the weave of security that enclosed the place. No drawbridge. No gate. There was something there, but she knew better than most that the best security was rarely seen.

After some time, she resolved that there could be no further explanation and began the swim back to the shore, using her elemental powers to conceal her movements in the water.

She swam the rest of the distance wrestling with blame. Hoisting herself up onto the rocky shore, she searched the cove for her companion, the Order of Mata Nui operative known as Trinuma. She found him crouching patiently among the flat beachrocks, keeping a watchful eye on the Skakdi from his own vantage point.

“It’s as Kopaka feared,” she said. “Whatever hold he has over them, they're completely within his control. It’s as though he’s won their allegiance and they serve him willingly.”

“The effects are similar, but there’s no Mask of Charisma at work here,” remarked Trinuma, one hand shading his eyes from the glare of the sun. “Even with my mental shielding, I can sense the pull of this entity.”

“His must be a formidable mind to influence others,” agreed Gaaki, readjusting to the surface with slow lungfuls of air. “And you’re certain he wasn’t part of the Toa Mahri’s objective?”

Trinuma’s expression was unreadable, for he was not accustomed to betraying Order secrets. At last he decided the need for secrecy had now passed and finally relented.

“The mission was twofold: gather intel on any Skakdi warlords sympathetic to Makuta and cripple their operations. I suspected they might find the missing Piraka along the way but this…? My guess is that the Skakdi got tired of waiting and the two objectives became one.”

The Toa of Water searched the fortress walls for the object of Trinuma’s fascination: the Skakdi pariah, a powerful new contender all but unknown to the Toa, Glatorian, and Order of Mata Nui. She had hoped never to see another generation of Toa wrestle against darkness in her lifetime. She had lived to be disappointed twice now.

Unsure what such an ill omen could mean, Gaaki called upon her Mask of Clairvoyance for guidance. Her Kanohi had proved vague and temperamental even before the restoration of Spherus Magna, but the completion of Mata Nui’s journey had altered the way in which destiny worked, allowing her to summon visions of the future with greater control than ever before. Perhaps it held some clue…

Once more, her senses were overwhelmed and some small window into future events formed before her. Shapes and colors swirled in her head until the outlines of her teammates emerged from the mist. Together, she stood alongside Pouks, Norik, Bomonga and Kualus, poised ready for battle before hordes of monstrous creatures, fledgling settlements of Matoran and Agori helpless behind them. She watched from the position of a villager, gazing up at the mighty Toa Hagah in their flawless metallic armor, carrying ornate Rhotuka shields and elemental spears. Champions of the old universe, they fought back the legions of invaders and defended the inhabitants of Spherus Magna. Together, they moved as one, paladins of an ancient and righteous crusade.

Iruini.

It struck Gaaki immediately that the Toa of Air was not among their number. In his place stood another warrior, sporting his golden armor and weapons, a Toa she didn’t recognize. Judging by the proud smiles of her teammates, his absence was of little consequence. The six Toa Hagah advanced, raining elemental hurricanes on faceless armies in the distance, blazing like gods.

Lasting just long enough to rip the breath from Gaaki’s lungs, the vision abruptly subsided, dropping her back into reality with an electric jolt. She fell to her knees, panting harder than she had when she resurfaced.

Raising a concerned eyebrow, Trinuma leaned closer.

“That was about as elegant as Brutaka on ice,” he observed, using humor to mask his concern. “What did you see?”

“Not what I expected…” she said through ragged breaths. “I saw my team, only… incomplete. We were missing one of our number… with another Toa in his place. I’ve never had a vision quite like that…”

Trinuma nodded with understanding. Despite belonging to the Order of Mata Nui, the ways of Toa were unknown to him.

“I wouldn’t think it my place to divine meaning from your visions,” he said, adjusting the kinetic blaster attached to his arm. “But the coming of new Toa may be just what we need if we are to survive on Spherus Magna. Perhaps you have foreseen that a new ally will emerge.”

Mulling the words over, Gaaki returned her gaze to the fortress, though her mind drifted far away.

“I doubt anyone’s ever said this to your face, Trinuma, but you’re far, far too optimistic…”

✴        ✴        ✴

Nearing the second full day of their recovery operation, the four Toa Hagah sank heavily into the ruins of Karzahni’s realm, Norik using his elemental powers to spark up a campfire as cold air swept through the valley.

“My back is killing me,” groaned Pouks, performing a series of stretches to loosen the muscles. “I’ve been carrying this team all day.”

The crimson leader of their troupe had been reticent all afternoon, spending much of his time picking through the wreckage of the realm, as though searching for something lost in the rubble. Even though the Rahi had been cleared out and his teammates were keen to press on, he’d remained at work long into the evening, much to Iruini’s irritation. Pouks had rationalized he was remembering the damage wrought to Metru Nui by the Great Cataclysm and urged the others to give him space.

“Seems like it was only 400 years ago we were scouring these lands in search of Keetongu,” said Kualus, changing the subject. “Now he’s one of the few Rahi we actually have accounted for back on the surface. How far we’ve come in such little time!”

“And not just us - but how far our kind has come,” added Norik with a tired grin. “Our numbers are on the increase and new Toa are poised to start popping up any day now. I didn’t even realize there were still Toa of iron running around.”

“I guess the future is bright,” shrugged Pouks. “Spherus Magna holds plenty of new ecosystems for the Rahi to adapt to. Imagine it, brothers… plants growing under the light of a real sun, Rock Steeds and Rock Raptors - there might even be a place for the Visorak out there… Madness!”

All around the campfire, the Toa nodded in agreement. They each shared an interest in Rahi, a passion tempered into them by years studying the creations of the Makuta. For Pouks, it was land Rahi, for Kualus the fliers. Norik was an expert in all things reptile while Iruini had grown to admire the climbers. Even Bomonga and Gaaki had expertise in the nocturnal and aquatic breeds. For much of their careers as Toa, they had concerned themselves in equal parts with the affairs of both Matoran and Rahi.

Despite the flutter of gentle conversation, Iruini’s thoughts drifted elsewhere. There was stormy weather in his head.

“I worry what’s going to happen to this new world,” he murmured thoughtfully. “How long until we find ourselves stumbling down the same path as before?”

Slowly, his three brother-Toa fell silent, sensing the sincerity of his tone. As a Rahaga, Iruini had been quick to resign himself to forces beyond his control, proving too cynical to entertain the possibility of salvation. Since their mutations had been reversed, he’d taken on bold new ideas. Even now, as many of their new allies celebrated triumph over Makuta, the Toa Hagah of air possessed a healthy dose of skepticism.

“We’ve survived with the absence of Mata Nui before,” noted Pouks, addressing the Kikanalo in the room. “But we’d be fools to think the rest of the world feels the same way.”

“Ask the Vortixx and they’ll tell you Mata Nui stopped being relevant long before the Great Disruption,” added Kualus. “And with most of his miracles reserved for Toa and Matoran, who can blame them? There’s a very good chance that another divide will sprout up here on Spherus Magna.”

Norik shook his head, attracting the gaze of his three teammates.

“When the reign of shadows began, many of those old grievances were put aside for the sake of survival. I fought alongside Dark Hunters and Skakdi alike. We came together in unity. If we’re to have any hope for the future then we must believe in change. We must bury old hatchets and forge new alliances.”

“Spoken like a Toa with careful footwork,” snapped Iruini.

No sooner had the words escaped the Toa of Air’s lips, an almighty rumble began to shake the ground, sending branches tumbling from trees and boulders cascading down a nearby cliff. Propped up against a rock, Kualus’ subzero spear was knocked from its perch and hit the ground with a mossy thud. Instinctively, all eyes fell on Pouks.

“Something you ate?” asked Norik.

Doing his best to counteract the tremors, the Toa of Stone sprang to his feet and called upon his elemental powers. In lieu of Bomonga, his senses were the most attuned to tectonic tremors.

“It’s a Rahi alright, but no pattern I recognize,” he said, reaching for his Avalanche Spear. “Whatever it is, it’s heading this way… fast!”

A dark silhouette loomed in the distance, skirting around the edge of the valley. Hurtling towards the Toa in a whirlwind of claws, armor and teeth, Iruini barely had time to call out a warning before the creature was upon them.

Pouks propelled himself forward, latching onto the Rahi’s mighty horns and wrestling for purchase. In the centuries his allies had known him, the Toa of Stone had only met his match once, attempting to wrangle a Catapult Scorpion back in his early career. The sight of Pouks being shaken aside so easily did not instill confidence in his teammates.

By now the mighty Rahi was in full view, its features illuminated in the light of the sunholes. Its form was a patchwork of different predators, possessing the snapping jaws of a Muaka, the dreadful horns of a Kane-Ra, the powerful forearms of a Tarakava, the wings of a Nui Rama, and the stinger of a Nui-Jaga.

“Kualus, take it down!” barked Norik, raising his Rhotuka shield to block a wild blow that might otherwise have torn his head clean off.

Snatching up his own weapons, the Toa of Ice activated his Kanohi and reached out, his mind brushing against the Rahi’s psyche and digging in, asserting one basic command: Stop.

Extending its powerful neck, the creature let off a powerful roar that might well have stunned a Toa of sonics. The sheer force of the outburst sent off a psychic pulse of resistance, which severed Kualus’ connection. Stunned by the mental feedback, the Toa of Ice escaped the ensuing swipe of the Rahi’s claws by the width of a Kanoka disk. There would be no taming this beast.

Through their collective pool of wisdom, the Toa now recognized their adversary as the legendary Rahi Nui. Voracious and highly confrontational, this was a creature designed by the very Makuta they had once served. Though they had never had cause to face the beast themselves, they had heard the tales of its ferocity recounted by the Turaga and Toa Nuva alike.

“Look sharp, team!” barked Norik. “Pouks, give Iruini a boost. Kualus, cover them!”

Weapons drawn, the four Toa Hagah launched a volley of weak elemental attacks to draw their target’s attention. Raising a series of Ice columns to pin the Rahi in place, Kualus created a window of opportunity for Norik to fire Slow Rhotuka.

Leaping into the air, Iruini bounded onto Pouks’ shield. Using the full might of his enhanced muscles, the Toa of Stone propelled his teammate higher, launching Iruini into the Rahi’s blindspot, where he landed gracefully on the Rahi Nui’s arched back.

“Easy there,” he cooed, placing his outstretched palm on the creature’s neck. “We don’t mind where you go, but you can’t stay here!”

He soon found the fury of the Rahi Nui would not be quelled by a simple handpat.

The beast rose to stand on its hindlegs, causing Iruini to slide from its back and fall to the ground. Slamming its Tarakava arms down into the ground, it angled towards Kualus.

Rather than wriggle and writhe in its clutches, Kualus forced his shield up and fired off a Rhotuka spinner of his own. Unlike Norik, his spinners held the power of Stasis and were capable of locking the joints of most targets in place. Or at least that was what usually happened…

The Rahi Nui stiffened but resisted the effects of the spinner. In primal rage, it slammed down on Kualus with the full force of its forelegs. Like so many of Makuta’s creations, it possessed great tolerance for stasis fields.

“Over-engineered spawn of a – ” grumbled the white armored Toa. Before he could finish, he was pressed beneath the ruptured earth by the Rahi’s sheer weight.

As it moved to new ground, it dawned on the Toa that Kualus lay unconscious.

“I guess Makuta decided to build you differently,” grumbled Pouks, somersaulting backwards to evade another swipe. “We need a better strategy, Norik!”

But the Toa of Fire was several steps ahead of his teammate. In his mind, there was no way to overpower the creature once enraged. No low-hanging ceiling to catch it beneath or walls to snare its horns against. Even so, trapping the Rahi Nui would serve only to entomb it in the dying Matoran universe, dooming it to the very fate the Toa Hagah had sworn would befall no Rahi on their watch. There had to be another solution.

“I’m thinking,” he said, cycling through options. “Pouks, cover me.”

“With what?!”

The moment of strategizing would cost the Toa dearly, for no sooner had Norik grasped the vaguest outline of a plan than the Rahi Nui had locked its powerful claws around his waist and hoisted him off his feet. Weapons pinned to his sides, the Toa struggled, feeling the talons piercing his armor. Activating his Mask of Diminishment, Norik shrunk down and slipped through the claws of his adversary.

“Iruni, get to Kualus!” he barked. “He needs healing! Use your spinner!”

“Forget that!” snorted the Toa of Air, raising his spear and conjuring hurricane force. “Toa Iruini doesn’t back down from a challenge!”

“Iruini!” roared Norik, vaulting over to protect Kualus and throwing up his shield.

The Toa charged a ball of compressed air at the tip of his Cyclone Spear and flung it at the Rahi Nui, as though launching a kolhii ball. But the beast moved and the elemental burst sailed over its head, disappearing harmlessly into the night sky.

“Oops…”

Angered, the Rahi Nui swung its stinger tail aimlessly across the campfire, knocking Norik’s shield from his hands in a shower of ashes and cinders. The Toa of Fire was sent sprawling, taking the blow that would’ve surely found his unconscious teammate. If he hadn’t moved when he did…

“Pouks, use your Rhotuka!” he barked, glaring daggers at Iruini. “See if you can knock it down!”

Pouks frowned. “My Rhotuka? But it doesn’t work on Rahi.”

“This one is different! Just do it!”

“Alright… you’re the boss,” he said, unconvinced.

Lining up a shot with his shield, the Toa of Stone launched a Disruption Rhotuka. The wheel of energy tore through the air, connecting with the creature’s center of mass as it angled towards Iruini.

Intended to subdue enemy combatants, Pouks’ spinner allowed him to temporarily break a target’s link to their powers. This usually meant blocking elemental energies, Kanohi masks, or even more extraordinary abilities. Under normal circumstances, the spinner was useless against Rahi as it could not disrupt natural abilities.

To Pouks’ surprise though, he watched as the Rahi Nui buckled and groaned, stopped dead in its tracks by the spinner. Wavering by the combined efforts of Norik and Kualus’ Slow and Stasis Rhotuka, it seemed the Toa of Fire’s gambit had paid off.

For the first time in centuries, the Rahi Nui roared in pain. At one time it had possessed command over all eight of the Kanoka disk powers, but it had lost these abilities after a fateful encounter with the Toa Metru. If only briefly, that damage was now undone and the powers of the Kanoka returned to it with vengeance, regrowing damaged nerves beyond the range of its own pain threshold. Growing and shrinking and teleporting.

Weakening.

“This is our chance!” yelled the Toa of Fire. “Iruini - for Tren Krom’s sake - follow orders for once and cover Kualus! Pouks, let’s draw it away!”

Picking himself up and activating his Kanohi Kualsi, Iruini blinked out of existence and reappeared an instant later, hauling the semi-conscious form of Kualus from the ground. A Healing Rhotuka ensured his teammate was revived.

“Rise and shine, snowflake,” he quipped, brushing dirt and debris from the Toa of Ice’s armor. “Time to show us why we keep you around.”

“I… I don’t know what’s happening,” groaned Kualus, sitting upright. “But I’m sure it’s your fault, Iruini.”

The Rahi Nui continued to flail about, body stitching itself back together at random then Regenerating back, its powers of Growth and Shrink ballooning and crushing its limbs. Pinned in place by bursts of Fire and columns of Stone, the Rahi threw its head back and cried out in anguish.

Dazed, Kualus activated his Mask of Rahi Control and reached out with his mind, engaging the Rahi Nui in an arena of the minds. He met the same resistance he had felt earlier but refused to be pushed aside so easily a second time. Before, he’d tried to impose the full weight of his will on the Rahi’s psyche and enjoyed no success. This time, he decided to try a less forceful approach.

Sleep.

The Rahi Nui faltered, taking a staggering step backwards and nearly buckling on its own limp forearms. Lowering their weapons, Norik, Pouks and Iruini watched in wonder as the fury of the legendary Rahi ebbed away, replaced by a placating drowsiness. The creature swayed and lulled before falling to the ground in exhaustion. Then, finally, sagging into the undergrowth heavily, the Rahi Nui made a noise no Toa had heard before.

It began to snore.

A silence gripped the Toa for some time before the adrenaline faded and Kualus finally deactivated his mask, allowing himself to pant ragged lungfuls of air.

“Kualus… that was amazing,” declared Pouks in disbelief. “Commanding the legendary Rahi Nui! The mightiest of Makuta’s creations…”

The Toa of Stone trailed off in speechless admiration, allowing Norik to finish for him.

“You’ve come a long way from Hoi Turtles and Taku Birds, brother,” mused the Toa of Fire with a weary smile. “Well done.”

Deflecting the praise with a smile, Kualus turned to Iruini for his customary cynicism only to find the dangerous glimmer of resentment in the Toa of Air’s eyes.

“Good job,” he croaked, refusing to meet Norik’s gaze.

Wordlessly, he began preparing a Healing Rhotuka to treat his wounds.

As Pouks and Norik marveled in the victory, Kualus began to wonder where Iruini’s heart truly lay.