Hey guys, I’m back with the first official piece of the Bionicle Legacy story! It may be a bit shorter than my first piece, and perhaps slightly late, but I hope you guys enjoy it all the same. @TheMoltenKing should have our second piece out by the 14th, so keep an eye out for that if you enjoyed this!
It has been five years since the mythical heroes known in legends as the Toa arrived from the stars on the island of Okoto to awaken Ekimu the Mask Maker from an eternal slumber and trap his evil brother, Makuta, in the Realm of Shadows. Following the defeat of darkness the Toa were recalled to their homes in the skies, and the inhabitants of Okoto have enjoyed a golden age of prosperity for five years. In this new era Okoto has begun to heal from the great cataclysm, old technologies have been rediscovered, the tribes are great once again, and the magics of the elements flow freely across the land.
Ekimu was, to say the very least, utterly exhausted. As he slumped in a chair by a blazing fire, he marvelled at how much of a toll old age took on one’s abilities. In the five years since his brother had been contained within the Shadow Realm, Ekimu had felt his thousands of years of sleep catching up with him, and he knew that if Makuta’s servants returned from the shadows he would be too weak to stop them, even if aided by the heroic protectors. It was for this reason that the wizened old Mask Maker had called upon those six tribal champions to meet him in his forge, at the nexus of Okoto’s newly restored magical network.
Ekimu heard a rap on the great gate downstairs, followed by a heavy creaking as a guardsman pulled it open. Drifting up the stairs came the voices of Narmoto and Kivoda, the protectors of the fire and water tribes respectively, followed closely by that of Izotor, the ice tribe’s guardian. After depositing their weapons by the front, they briskly joined Ekimu in his small private office. A few moments later they were joined by Korgot and Vizuna, protectors of jungle and earth. Nillku, the protector of stone, nearly took a full mark on the sundial to arrive.
“Thank you for joining me here today friends” began Ekimu. “There is a matter of some importance that I would like to discuss. As you all know, we have had a beautiful time of peace on our island for the last five years, ever since the Toa defeated and trapped my brother. However, I have begun to see dark omens from the elements, and I fear that Makuta’s shadow is not fully banished.”
“Wise Ekimu”, began Narmoto, the de facto field leader for the protectors. “We have felt none of these disturbances in our rituals and talks with the creatures, and our villages have gone unthreatened except by wild animals. Do you have any other evidence we could examine?
”Ekimu nearly snapped at him for doubting the wisdom of what he saw, but restrained himself. Anger and pride like that are forces of Darkness, old man, he silently chided himself.
“Yes, I see your doubts, and sadly I have no more proof than you do”, he admitted, “but if Makuta does return…” He left the question unsaid, but all assembled knew what he meant. Izotor, the oldest and most experienced protector, spoke what they all feared:
“There’s no way we could stop him. I’m not sure even the toa could, if they could be summoned in time."
“And we don’t even know if we can summon the toa again”, spoke the scholarly Kivoda. “From my research, they can only be called if the elements are unstable, and we don’t know if that’s the case right now, if Ekimu’s meditations are correct.”
Now Korgot, an impulsive soul, gave voice to her thoughts: “We need warriors, not aged magicians like us! We need fighters who can both lead the tribes and fight like protectors, the best of the best! Who cares about tradition and titles and family! I’ll swear by the Immortals that if my people are in danger I’ll take whatever help I can get, but I want more than just a guardsman watching my back!”
“A good proposition on paper maybe, but where do you expect to get these ‘super-warriors’, they don’t spring from rocks you know”, retorted Nillku, the stubborn protector of stone. “For all we know there’s absolutely no reason for concern.” He and Korgot glared at each other and seemed nearly ready to come to blows until Narmoto stepped forward.
“Please, let’s not resort to violence in the council. Nillku, yes we don’t have absolute proof of anything wrong, but caution dictates that we prepare for the worst case. I vote that we begin to arrange regional defense forces, and hold a tournament to find leaders for them, all in favor?”
Of those assembled, only Nillku abstained, and the protectors left soon afterwards to make the necessary arrangements and spread the news. Ekimu stayed at the forge, staring out the window towards the growing shadows of the mountains. I know that you’re still out there, Makuta, he thought. You know what’s coming just as well as I do, but this time I promise we’ll be ready for you. Ekimu opened a small drawer in the wall and pulled out a small image of him and his brother, together and laughing with each other in a rare moment. A piece of the past eternally frozen in time, one that would never come back to either of them. This time, I promise, I will be ready. I will bring you back to us, little brother.
