Guardian: A Generation 2 BIONICLE Short

So this was something I wrote a couple months back for the Custom BIONICLE Wiki. It’s a short prequel to the new storyline, one of two I’ve written to date. This one is the weaker of the two in my opinion, but I’ll leave you guys to judge which is better once I post the other. I’ve toyed with the idea of writing more, a series of shorts to supplement the main story, which so far has suffered from a lack of depth that has left me mildly disappointed. Unfortunately my preoccupation with my main storyline on the CBW has dominated most of the time I spend on writing, and thus these two shorts stand alone for the time being.

If there’s enough interest in this I’ll post the other in a few days.

Guardian

The Temple of Time stood on an island a day’s boat ride south of Okoto. The island had no name, for the only thing of interest on it was the Temple. Only a select few knew how to find it. Some speculated you couldn’t find it unless you were told where it was, but no evidence had been found to prove this theory.

On the other hand, nothing had ever been found to disprove it either.

The Temple itself was an odd structure. Two walls stood parallel to each other, towering over the rest of the island. A massive pendulum was swinging back and forth between the walls, an impressive bronze construct the likes of which Okoto had never seen. Impressive though this was, the important part of the Temple was nestled between the two walls underneath the pendulum, out of sight from prying eyes.

Tonight the Temple had guests. Six cloaked figures, each about four and a half feet tall, approached the Temple slowly and reverently. Their movements were calm and measured, but there was an urgency in their every step.

The six reached the base of the structure, perring between the walls down into the Temple. A stone staircase led down to a floor that ran between the walls to another staircase on the opposite side. In the middle of the floor rose a circular dais, decorated with rings of ancient runes that ran along its side. Two more staircases rose up its the short sides, providing a way to ascend to the top.

The visitors entered the Temple in silence. They approached the dais with a measured pace, stopping at the top of the stairs.

In the middle of the circular platform stood a figure clad in gold and silver armor. He was no taller than any of the six visitors, and yet he radiated power and strength that dwarfed them. In his right had he held a sword, in his left, a scepter.

The six would later swear he had not been there a moment before.

For a moment no one spoke. The visitors stared at this mighty figure from under their hoods. He stared back at them, unmoving.

Then the first of the visitors stepped forward. He pushed back his hood to reveal a mask that burned with the fires from which it had been forged. His eyes blazed with a fiery determination as he began to speak.

“Who are you?” he asked the golden armored being, his voice echoing between the walls.

I am Umbra, Protector of Time and Guardian of its Temple.” Umbra’s voice boomed like a thunderclap, and one of the visitors raised his hands to cover his ears.

“The legends made no mention of any Guardian,” the fiery one said.

As I wished it to be,” Umbra said.

The fiery one turned to his companions and conversed with them in hushed tones for several moments for addressing Umbra again.

“We are the Protectors of Okoto, and we have come to-”

Umbra cut him off. “I know who you are and why you have come. Your errand is an ignorant one. You have not considered the consequences your actions will bring.

A second of the visitors pulled back his hood and stepped forward. His mask was as solid and his resolve as steadfast as the bedrock upon which the Temple was constructed.

“And what do you know of such things?” he asked. “If you guard the Temple then you have never been to Okoto! You know nothing of our plight!”

I see all that is past and that which might yet come,” Umbra boomed. “There are few possibilities that do not end in death.

The fiery visitor raised a hand to silence his companion. “We will do what we must, Guardian.”

Umbra bowed his head in concession. “I cannot stop you,” he said. “Mine is not to interfere with what is to come. But one day, when you see what destruction has been wrought upon your land, you will remember this day and that I warned you that day would come.

Then he was gone, vanished into thin air. His words hung ominously in the air as the six Protectors removed their hoods and took their places along the edges of the dais. In unison they lifted their arms and released a stream of elemental energy. The six energies filled the crystal in the center of their circle, then blasted up into the sky as one beam.

From atop the Temple’s walls Umbra watched in silence. The deed was done. Toa had been summoned from the beyond, and they would be the heralds of what would follow, be it victory or desolation. They would decide Okoto’s fate.

As the night fell away to dawn, Umbra prayed history would not repeat itself.

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I like this

Umbra’s kind of like Heimdall here

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Glad you enjoyed it!

That was a side effect of using the mysterious and borderline omniscient character archetype. But I’ll admit, there was some inspiration from Heimdall when I first started developing Umbra during the brainstorming period.

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Really like this. I love the way you brought a character back from G1 in a new way!

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This stands out amongst the seas of poorly written fanfiction.
Sincerely,
The guy with four fanfiction topics on the boards.

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That was part of my goal. Since we likely won’t be seeing many Generation 1 characters beyond the core cast, it leaves plenty of characters to work with in fanfictions. It’s incredibly fun to reimagine a character in a different setting, and that’s part of what makes me enjoy writing these so much.

Well, thank you. It’s the goal of every writer to stand out in the crowd, as that’s how one builds an audience and gets read. So the fact that this stands out to you is an incredible encouragement. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

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