Fire Lost

The Ta-Matoran bent over the half-buried Suva, the unseen desert winds whipping around him. He had managed to uncover part of it during... well, he thought it was the day, but since the only light he had was his orange-glowing firestaff, he could no longer tell. He did not even recollect how long it had been since the universe died.

He went to work with his pickaxe again, trying to remember the last visitor who had come his way. He recalled that it had been a Vortixx, lost in the darkness which now blanketed the world. He had let her stay until she wished to leave. Even though she knew there was little chance she would find anywhere else which still had light, she left anyway... it seemed so long ago. Now he was the only one here again.

His pickaxe rose and fell, chipping away at the dust and accumulated grime of so many years which now hid the Toa Suva from sight. He listened as he worked for any sound around him, even though he knew that there would most likely be no visitors again for a very long time.

After working for about an hour, he stopped to rest. He drank only a very small amount of water, as it was a precious resource. He sat down and remained with his eyes closed for a few seconds. He had all the time he wanted.

He got up again to work a few minutes later. He almost involuntarily glanced into the surrounding darkness, and was about to turn to the Suva when he realized that he had just seen something gleam.

He peered into the shadows, watching for something... anything.

There was a clicking noise...

... and suddenly, a being stepped into the light. The Ta-Matoran leapt backwards, fumbling for his firestaff.

"No need to be afraid, little one," said the being softly, holding out his hand - if it was a 'he'.

"Who are you? Or what are you?" said the Matoran warily.

"What do I look like to you?"

Now that the Matoran had a chance to look at the figure, he saw that it was a Toa. The Toa's armor was battered and patched, and he wore a dented, unfamiliarly shaped silver mask. He had gold armor - unusual on any Toa - and light blue eyes that seemed to see everything.

"May I stay with you for a while, sir?" asked the Toa. "There is nothing else for me out there except darkness, and I wondered if I might just rest here before continuing on."

"Certainly. All visitors are welcome," said the Matoran kindly. Especially a Toa, he thought.

"Thank you. I imagine you don't see many Toa anymore?"

"Not at all. In fact, I haven't seen any since the Second Cataclysm," said the Matoran, referring to the time when the universe had died.

"Hm, the Second Cataclysm..." mused the Toa. "You probably know what caused that...?"

"Everyone pretty much knows that it's because Mata Nui died. We know that there's no hope for us anymore," explained the Matoran sadly.

"Hm. Let me tell you a story," said the Toa thoughtfully.

"Many years ago, in fact just a short time before the Second Cataclysm," began the golden Toa, "the body of Mata Nui was not his own to command. He had come close to dying, and his spirit had already slipped from his body.

"When his body was reawakened, his spirit had not yet returned. Instead, the spirit of Makuta had taken his place. However, Makuta was thwarted by an old enemy, another Makuta. The other Makuta killed Mata Nui's body, and as a result the universe died. It will someday come to a final end, but for now is merely in perpetual darkness..." the Toa trailed off.

"What happened to Mata Nui's spirit in the end? It never returned to his body," the Ta-Matoran pointed out.

"Some people say that he finally died, and he no longer exists. Others say that he came down to the world again in another form, a different form, wearing the silver Mask of Life," the Toa said quietly. "What do you believe?"

The Matoran thought for a while on that, but could not answer...





Several days later, the Toa decided that he must continue his journey into the darkness.

"I can't believe it - I have nothing to give you for your hospitality," said the Toa despairingly, searching his bag.

"You need provide nothing - it was as much a pleasure for me as for you," said the Ta-Matoran graciously.

The Toa seemed not to hear him, though. "Oh, I do have something!"

He held out a oval stone wrapped in foil to the Matoran. "I hope you will use it well. Goodbye... it is unlikely I will ever see you again."

He walked into the shadowed desert, his golden armor and battered mask gleaming as he disappeared.

The Ta-Matoran stared for a second after the person he had finally deduced to be Mata Nui , then looked down at the stone in his hand. He knew what he had to do.

He walked to the uncovered Suva, and placed the stone in its slot. The Suva began to shine with red energy.


Here was the beginning of his true destiny...