Rebirth (last part) - Old memories
The Toa of Water awoke in a haze, her vision obscured and her mind clouded with confusion. She could recall neither the events that had led to her unconsciousness nor the identity of the one who had struck her down. The place around her was unfamiliar, though a peculiar sense of déjà vu clung to her, as if some of the contraptions reminded her of Le-Metru's airshuttles. A soft murmur of voices filled the space, but before she could discern anything more, a deep, oppressive fatigue overcame her, and she sank into unconsciousness once again.
* * *
When Nokama regained consciousness once more, she found herself shackled, her limbs bound and unable to move. The dim glow of a light above cast long shadows across the bleak room. A figure clad in gleaming golden armor approached with an air of authority.
"State your name, Toa! Where are your comrades?" his voice demanded, sharp and commanding.
Nokama hesitated, her mind still fogged by uncertainty. She did not recall the Hero Factory's declaration of war on her people, nor the circumstances that had led to her capture. After a tense silence, she spoke, her voice tinged with confusion, "I... I don't know. Why have you taken me?"
The golden warrior's gaze hardened. "You dare pretend ignorance? You know as well as I do that war rages. Your people began the slaughter without cause!"
Nokama recoiled in disbelief. "Our people... attacking yours? But why? What has happened?"
"Don't play the fool!" the warrior spat, his disbelief palpable. "I'll not tolerate your lies. You will speak when your mind is clear," he added, before storming out of the room.
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Elsewhere, Vakama and Nuju observed a distant city on the horizon. Vakama's heart leapt with hope. "At last, home," he thought. "I only pray that all is well..."
As they prepared camp for the night, Vakama's dreams took a dark turn. He once again found himself submerged in the strange liquid, the cold winds sweeping past him. The vision was clearer now, the familiar yet unsettling sight of two red flags emblazoned with the haunting image of the Ignika. But as he gazed, a large cross appeared on the pillars, carved as if by an unseen hand, before the entire structure shattered violently. Three figures emerged from the shadows, their forms distinct: two were short with yellow eyes, and the central figure, towering and imposing, held the severed head of Vakama in its grasp.
A voice, cold and foreboding, echoed in his mind. "It is too late..."
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"Come with me!" Mazeka urged, his voice filled with urgency. "It is no longer safe here."
The spy from the Order of Mata Nui led the Toa into a hidden cave, where they found Tobduk awaiting them. His eyes widened in disbelief upon seeing the Toa.
"Toa Metru? How... How is this possible?"
Onewa narrowed his eyes, suspicion rising. "What do you mean?"
Mazeka's tone grew grim. "Only He can offer the answers you seek," he replied, gesturing toward Tobduk.
Whenua, his confusion deepening, asked, "Tobduk, what is going on? Why are we at war with the Hero Factory?"
Tobduk exchanged a long, worried glance with Mazeka. "You don't know? Where were you when it all began?" he asked, a rare look of concern crossing his face.
"We don't even remember how we ended up in that temple..." Whenua said quietly, as the weight of their lost memories pressed down upon him.
Tobduk sighed heavily. "Then let me explain what happened that fateful day. It is the only way for you to understand the horrors we face now."
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Back aboard the Hero Factory airship, Rocka resumed his interrogation of Nokama, pressing her for more details about her life. The Toa began recounting her past, from her days as a Matoran, her rise to Toa, and ultimately her role as a Turaga. As they traveled, Nokama shared the history of Mata Nui and the heroic deeds of its people, including their most recent battle against the encroaching darkness. Rocka, though stern, seemed intrigued by her tale.
The golden warrior's mind wandered, wondering if Nokama had ever come into contact with certain individuals connected to the same dark forces that had once appeared at the Hero Factory headquarters...
After some time, Rocka grew more direct. "Now it is your turn. Tell me what has transpired between your people and ours. Why has war broken out?"
Nokama's brow furrowed in confusion. "You don't know?" she asked. "I can barely remember what happened before I awoke in that temple..."
Rocka's expression darkened, and he began recounting the tragic events of the Hero Factory's attack. "I was not at the HQ when it happened. Instead, I was part of a special team tasked with finding and eliminating the enemy. We were not alone in this mission; another team accompanied us."
The two teams traversed the Black Spike Mountains, their path cloaked in shadow, but found no signs of resistance.
"Upon reaching our destination, we tried to contact the other team," Rocka continued, his voice heavy with the weight of the past. "But there was no response. We waited, but nothing came. Then, suddenly, the radio crackled to life... only to be filled with the screams of Nigel Heroes, followed by terrifying sounds."
"We received orders to return immediately," Rocka said grimly. "The HQ on Skrall River was under attack."
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Hours before the slaughter, the green creature had stood before the assembled Team Leaders, its voice a whisper of malice. "My brothers seek something," it had said, its gaze sweeping the room like a blade. "I know you have it... There is no doubt. The Spear of Rewerax. Surrender it to me!"
A murmur of unease spread among the ranks. One soldier, his voice unsteady, turned to his commander. "Alpha Leader... what are your orders?"
Stormer did not hesitate. "Open fire!"
The soldiers obeyed. But their bullets struck only empty air—the creature had vanished, leaving behind only the whisper of its laughter. And then the world erupted. From the darkness beyond the walls, monstrous shapes surged forward, their war machines spewing death upon the fortress.
"We heard the gunfire from afar and came as fast as we could," the golden Hero recounted grimly. "But when we arrived, the battlefield was already soaked. Hundreds lay dead, their bodies strewn like broken mannequins. And among the enemy ranks... warriors of your stature, Toa."
Nokama's voice was barely above a whisper. "And then?"
Rocka exhaled, haunted. "A blow to the head stole my sight of the battle, but I was later told we survived. The Hero jets, still orbiting the planet, came to our aid. Without them, we would have been nothing but corpses in the dust."
In the meantime, Tobduk, his expression dark, spoke then. "Our people were struck far worse." The former enforcer of the Order of Mata Nui clenched his fists. "They struck on the day of the massacres—the razing of Iconox and Tesara."
That was the last great event that Onewa and Whenua remembered before being swallowed by amnesia.
His voice grew distant, as if speaking from a place of old ghosts. "I was there. With Ehrye and Orkahm. And for the first time, I looked into the eyes of the enemy."
The silence stretched before he continued. "Iconox was my charge. Helryx herself gave me the task, for there was no one else. No Toa. No warriors were seasoned enough for war. So I took the mantle. We joined Orkahm's forces in Tesara. We knew Roxtus loomed too close, a threat to the people of Tio-Nui. We pleaded with Dume and Helryx—more guards, more Protodermis, more war machines. We needed strongholds, vantage points in the mountains, places to watch the horizon for the storm we knew was coming. For a time, we held. Tuma and his savages assailed us, but we beat them back. At first, their attacks came like waves—relentless, unyielding. Then they slowed. First to weeks, then to months. We thought they had grown weary of war, but deep inside, we knew... something was wrong."
Mazeka stepped forward, his expression grim. "That was when I was sent to find answers. I infiltrated their stronghold."
"You went alone?" Onewa interjected.
"No," Mazeka replied. "A Ko-Matoran named Terin was with me. A friend. A spy. Only Mata Nui knows where he is now."
"What happened to him?" Whenua asked.
Mazeka's jaw tightened. "The mission... took a turn. Terin was caught. Or worse. I don't know." His voice was thick with regret. "But before he vanished, we found something. A gathering of strange figures in the Shadowed One's old throne room. We barely escaped, slipping into a hidden tunnel beneath the mountains."
"And then," Mazeka exhaled, "the unthinkable happened."
Tobduk's voice dropped to a growl. The air grew heavy as he spoke. "They came from the void, swarming our villages like Rahi insects. We fought. We bled. We lost. In Tio-Nui, I stood with Ehrye at the front lines. We fired upon those abominations, but they would not fall. They were shadows given flesh. No blade could bite them, no bullet could halt their advance. We retreated to Tesara. Orkahm was waiting. For a moment, we thought we might hold. But then the enemy came again. We fought in the streets, through the burning ruins of our homes. They tore through the Agori and Glatorian families. Children. No one was spared. Amid the inferno, I saw it—a figure, clad in white armor, striding toward me. Its gaze bore into my mind, a force of will that sought to shatter my soul. They say it can drive a being to suicide with but a glance, but not for a former agent of the Order like me..."
"Former... agent?!" Onewa said. "What does this mean?! The Order of Mata Nui exists no more?"
Only silence came from Tobduk's mouth. Mazeka accompanied him...
Whenua's voice was barely audible. "How did it end?"
Tobduk exhaled, weary. "The battle raged for days. We retreated to Wha-Nui. With the Order's reinforcements, we finally repelled them. But when we returned to our villages... they were gone. Burned. Broken. The rebuilding began, but the scars remained."
Mazeka spoke then, his voice laced with something ominous. "And after months of war, we found ourselves here. Inside this gigantic Robot once more."
Onewa's eyes widened in horror. "WAIT, WHAT?!"
Mazeka's stare was unflinching. "Have you truly forgotten? The migrations? The silent orders of Helryx and Dume?"
Onewa turned to Tobduk, his voice rising. "Is this true?!"
Whenua's breath hitched. "No... It can't be." He struggled for an answer. "The landscapes… they've changed. But I thought—"
Mazeka's gaze hardened. "You thought time had simply worn the world down?" He shook his head. "No, Whenua. We never left. We are still inside it. The old Matoran Universe. The husk of the being that nearly destroyed Bara Magna."
The weight of realization crushed the room. The truth, long buried, was unearthed at last. And yet, something darker still lingered.
Mazeka turned to Onewa, his grip tightening. "There is one last thing you must know." His voice was barely above a whisper. "And I fear you will not like it."
END OF CHAPTER ONE