I think it would be interesting if some of the shadow toa were Av-matoran other than Takua. Maybe in some other universe Gavla was destined to be the toa of light; maybe she would be called “Gavlanuva”.
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Chapter 4
Takanuva stood at the edge of the Agori/Matoran camp. Next to him stood Onua, Gresh, and a few other Glatorian. Before them stood a figure made completely out of Sand. Not just made out of sand, but seemingly a part of the desert; every time the Element lord moved, the desert shifted around her.
“I am Toa Takanuva, Toa of Light,” Takanuva introduced himself. “I heard you wanted to speak to the leader of the Toa?”
The Sand Lord nodded. “You are their leader?” she said, in a voice that was soft and slightly gravelly.
“Toa Tahu is,” Takanuva said. Technically, Tahu was only the leader of the Toa Nuva, but other Toa followed the Nuva, especially after Makuta had taken over. “But he’s off on a mission, so right now I’m the closest thing we have to a leader.”
“How do you know of the Toa?” the Fire Glatorian Ackar asked.
“A while back, I met a strange warrior travelling away from the Maze,” the Lord of Sand said. “He seemed to be made of Sand like me, but it was different, infused with life from his mask; I couldn’t control him. He said his name was Toa Mata Nui, and that there were other Toa like him.”
Ackar blinked in surprise. “Mata Nui never mentioned an encounter with you.”
“He probably thought I was dead,” the Sand Lord said. “When I tried to touch that shiny mask of his, it destroyed my body. But I am the desert itself, and so long as it lives, so do I.”
“Fascinating,” Takanuva said. “So, what do you want, a mask of your own or something?”
The Sand Lord shook her head. “I wish to ask a simple question: how did you come to this world?”
Takanuva thought for a moment on how best to answer. “Mata Nui brought us here,” he said. “You noticed the giant Robot that now lays across the desert? We were in it, and it came here, and now we’re here.” A very oversimplified version of events, but all technically the truth.
“This robot,” the Lord of Sand said. “Was it built by the Great Beings?”
“Pretty sure it was,” Takanuva replied.
“So, does it have power?” the Sand Lord asked.
Takanuva didn’t like where this was going. “It did, but it’s dead now. Took a moon to the head, and now it’s a big pile of scrap.”
The Sand Lord nodded. “I see. Unfortunate. Well then, until we meet again.” With that, her body crumbled away, leaving nothing but a pile of sand.
Ackar looked at Takanuva. “Somehow, I doubt we’ve seen the last of her,” he said. “And if she’s here, the other element lords might be, too.”
“They are,” Gresh said. “Tarduk told me of his encounters with them. I didn’t believe his story at the time, but now…”
“Are they a threat?” Takanuva said.
“From what Tarduk told me, they’ve become obsessed with power,” Gresh said. “They were trying to get into the Valley of the Maze to get some sort of power there… wait, could it be the same power source Mata Nui used to power the Robot?”
“Could be,” Kiina said. “Or there could be more stuff there. Mata Nui never said what he found aside from the power box.”
“Wait, so it was a lab of the Great Beings?” Takanuva said. “Might be worth checking out.”
“Tarduk knows how to get there,” Gresh said. “He stayed for a while after Mata Nui left, and he’s been talking about going again. Said he found something he wanted to look into, but he wouldn’t say what it was.”
“Well, if he’s willing to go again, I’d like to go with him,” Takanuva said. “Perhaps the lab will hold some clue as to what happened to the Great Beings. Mata Nui did want us to find them.”
“I hate to point this out, but you’re needed here,” Onua said. “You can’t just go wandering off looking for adventure like you used to.”
Takanuva’s heart fell. As much as he hated to admit it, Onua was right. With all of the other Toa Nuva gone, it was even more critical that Takanuva be here.
But as he was about to head back into the camp, he heard the excited shouts of Matoran, and when he saw what they were shouting about, his spirits soared once again. Tahu and Gali had returned.
Tahu, Gali, and Onua stood in Takanuva’s hut, listening to his story. Tahu seemed concerned about the possibility of Element Lords attacking, especially if they might try to seek out the Mask of Life. Takanuva made a note to check that the Mask was secure.
“If this lab truly has secrets of the Great Beings, it’s worth checking out,” Tahu said. “Onua already sent a team out to find them, but it never hurts to cover all angles.”
“I’d love to see this lab,” Takanuva said. “If this is the place where Mata Nui was built…”
Onua looked at him, understanding. “I tell you what,” he said. “I’ll take over your duties for a bit. Most of the subterranean parts of the old world have been cleared out; they don’t really need me.”
Takanuva looked at him. “You sure you can handle things?”
“Please,” Onua said. “If you could handle it, I’m sure I can.” Takanuva wasn’t sure if that was an insult or a compliment, but he was too grateful to care.
“Right,” Takanuva said. “Well, you need to see about finding the Toa Mahri. And checking on the Barraki, find out where they are. Oh, and see if Krakua was able to cure the Shadow Toa, I haven’t gotten a chance to check on that. And could you–”
Onua held up his hand. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it. I was with you for half of this stuff, remember?”
Takanuva nodded. “Sorry. You’ve got this, I trust you.”
A half hour later, Takanuva stood at the edge of the camp. Next to him stood a small Jungle Tribe Agori, the one known as Tarduk. The Agori was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. “He reminds me of you as a Matoran,” Onua had said.
“So tell me, Toa, have you ever been inside a volcano?” Tarduk asked.
Takanuva immediately thought back to the fortress of Ta-Koro. “A time or two, yeah.”
“Oh. Well, have you ever been inside a secret laboratory hidden in a volcano?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
“Well then,” Tarduk said. “Prepare for a new experience.”
Author’s notes: This chapter relies on some interpolation of events: the unreleased Graphic Novel 10 was supposed to include an appearance by the Element Lord of Sand, meaning it’s quite likely that Mata Nui (and possibly Tarduk) would have run into her during Mata Nui’s trip to the maze.
For those wondering about the timeline, Tahu and Gali have just returned from their trip to find a site for New Atero. This is around the time that Pohatu and Kopaka find Karzahni’s body.
8 Likes
Liking the development so far. Speaking of timeline, what is going to be happening when this one ends?
Just a nitpick but this is written a bit redundantly.
Aw, man. I saw “Toa Mata Nui” and you got my hopes up that the titan Mata Nui set would be canon.
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Really nice story so far, good job on continuing.
Yeah, I get what you’re saying, but that was intentional. Since he’s introducing himself as the de facto leader of the Toa, he wanted to use Toa as an honorific, but he also wanted to specify that he was the Toa of Light.
(if this story was comedically written, Takanuva probably would have thought something like: that was a bit redundant, wasn’t it?)
This story is going to end around the same time that the last two (Rising Star and Hunted) end.
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Tarduk: going to the Maze as a hobby.
Awesome stuff all around. 
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Chapter 5
Takanuva had seen a lot of strange sights, but even he had to admit being disturbed by the sight of the Forest of Blades. At first glance, it looked like the trees had arms, but closer inspection revealed that the arms were those of warriors, fused with the trees, only their arms jutting out, still holding their weapons.
He’d heard of something like this once before. During the Toa Metru’s journeys, they’d encountered a creature whose energies were so powerful, they’d fused Matau to the rock wall. Fortunately, Toa Onewa was able to use his power over Stone to free Matau. Could these warriors still be alive, and if so, could a Toa of the Green free them?
But when he voiced these thoughts to Tarduk, the Agori simply shook his head. “The Lord of the Jungle holds sway here. Even if those warriors could be freed, I think he would have to do it.”
“We’re not going to… be absorbed by the forest too, are we?” Takanuva said.
“If you went into the forest, you might be,” Tarduk said. “Fortunately, the first time we came this way, Kirbold burned a part of the forest, leaving a path to the river.”
Takua followed Tarduk along the edge of the forest, his eyes on the trees, wondering what it must feel like to be fused with a tree like that. Perhaps it would be better for the soldiers if they were dead.
“Oh, I should warn you,” Tarduk said. “Try not to look around too much.”
Takanuva was about to ask what the Agori meant when he saw the burned forest up ahead. Mixed in with the ashes of burnt trees and plants were the charred, blackened remains of warriors, burnt arms, parts of other body parts fused with the burnt wood. It was a disturbing sight, and Takanuva heeded Tarduk’s advice, looking at it as little as possible. Focus on getting through to the other side.
Past the forest, they came to the edge of the River Dormus. “The first time we came this way, we were attacked by the Element Lord of Water,” Tarduk said. “But when I came again, he was gone. Here’s hoping our luck holds.”
Takanuva drew one of his blades and warily walked to the edge of the river, glancing down at the flowing water. Tarduk had described how a hand of water emerged and grabbed one of Tarduk’s companions when they got too close, but nothing like that happened here. The only challenge, then, was crossing the river. Takanuva was no Toa of Water, but he could cross the river… assuming it didn’t come to life.
“Look out!”
At Tarduk’s cry, Takanuva turned to see the shocking sight of a rock by the edge of the river transforming into a robotic creature. The creature leapt at him, brandishing shard bladed claws, and Takanuva barely managed to block with his own blade.
The creature vaguely resembled a Bohrok, but more humanoid, with white and blue armor. It was entirely mechanical, with a blank, unreadable face; there was no Krana discernable behind it. Its arms each ended in bladed claws, and it slashed at Takanuva again, forcing the Toa of Light to take a step back in order to dodge, toward the river.
“What is this thing?” he cried.
“I don’t know!” Tarduk replied. “They didn’t attack us before!”
The creature slashed again, and Takanuva was barely able to block. The creature was faster than he was, and before he could react, it slashed with its other arm, its claws raking across his shoulder. He stumbled backwards, closer to the river.
The river – it might be his only hope. Maybe the creature wouldn’t be able to swim, or the water would at least slow it down. Quickly, he turned and dove into the water, swimming away from the shore. After a moment, he risked a glance back, and saw the creature swimming after him. The water had slowed it down, but not enough.
Behind the creature, Takanuva saw Tarduk still standing far from the shoreline. Behind him, one of the trees transformed into another of the robotic creatures. Takanuva expected the creature to attack the Agori, but instead, it ran past the Agori toward the river.
Takanuva remembered what Tarduk had said before, that the creatures hadn’t attacked him or his companions. So why were they attacking the Toa of Light? What was different about him?
“Drop your weapons!”
The cry came from the opposite side of the river, and Takanuva turned to see a figure standing there, their features obscured by a dark brown robe. The stranger carried no weapons that Takanuva could see.
“Trust me!” the figure repeated. “Drop your weapons, and the Baterra will leave you alone.”
Takanuva didn’t know who this person was, but he wasn’t about to discard his weapons because some stranger told him to. But perhaps he could make it seem like he had. Placing his weapons against the surface of the water, he focused his power on the light around them, and they changed color, matching the color of the water. It was far from perfect – any close inspection would reveal that he was still holding something – but it brought the Baterra swimming toward him to an abrupt halt.
Behind him, the stranger spoke again. “Baterra, this being is no longer a threat. Further threats may lie to the south; seek them there.” The two creatures turned and left, disappearing into the jungle.
Takanuva waited until they were gone before dropping the illusion, making his weapons reappear. He turned to the stranger who had saved him. “How did you know how to stop those creatures?” he asked.
“They are programmed to kill anyone wielding a weapon,” the figure said. “Once they no longer recognized your weapons, they no longer saw you as a target. Your Agori companion is not armed, so they ignored him.”
Takanuva thought for a moment. That did make sense, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to trust this stranger. “Who are you?” he said. “And what brings you to this place?”
“The same thing that brought you here, I imagine,” the stranger said. “Perhaps, in return for saving your life, you will show us the way?”
“Us?” Takanuva said. “And just who would I be travelling with?”
“People who held power like yours once,” the figure said. “And we intend to get it back.”
Author’s notes: I wanted to at least acknowledge the Baterra, just to show that they’re still around. I can’t say whether we’ve seen the last of them, though.
9 Likes
Another really great story, good job.
Who could this guy be?
Also: “ Takua followed Tarduk along the edge of the forest,” I think you meant to put takanuva instead of takua
Good work!
That’s not a mistake, he, uh, transformed back into a Matoran… temporarily… somehow. That’s just a thing he can do now, don’t question it.
Honestly, considering I call him Takua in my head most of the time, surprised I haven’t made that mistake before.
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At least you didn’t say Takua Nuva.
No I didn’t get my days mixed up and forget to post a chapter yesterday what are you talking about
Chapter 6
“You’re… a Skrall?”
Takanuva had only faced a Skrall once, during the battle of Bara Magna. The black-armored warrior had nearly taken him down before Ackar intervened – they were strong.
But the hooded female in front of him now looked nothing like the Skrall he knew. She wore no armor, instead cloaked in a dark brown robe, and wielded no weapons – unless they were hidden in her cloak. She didn’t look like she could hold her own in a fight against a crippled Bohrok. Of course, Takanuva had learned long ago that looks could be deceiving.
“I am one of the Sisters of the Skrall,” she said said. “Once, we had great power. Our brothers feared us, and drove us out of their society.”
She frowned. “Then that… thing took away our powers. And now the only way we can get them back lies with Angonce. If what Tuma tells us is true, he can be found at the heart of the maze.”
Takanuva wondered if he should tell them that Angonce wasn’t there. But from what he’d heard from Tarduk, the Great Being fortress was… well, a maze. Perhaps Angonce truly did hide there, and Mata Nui and Tarduk simply hadn’t seen him?
“Right,” Tarduk said. Hopping up on Takanuva’s back, he whispered in the Toa’s ear, “I don’t think giving the Skrall powers is a good idea. They’re bad enough already.”
Takanuva wasn’t so sure. “If you do regain your powers, are you going to use them to help the Skrall conquer?” he asked.
The leader scoffed. “Help the Skrall? Let me tell you something, Shiny – we haven’t stood with the Skrall in 100,000 years. We will do as we have always done – make our own way.”
Takanuva was torn. If these Skrall were anything like the ones he’d heard about from the Glatorian, giving them powers was probably a bad idea. On the other hand, it sounded like they hadn’t conquered anyone in years with their powers – in fact, it seemed they’d let the Skrall drive them away. If he left them as they were, they might fall victim to some other conquering force.
“Where are the rest of your people?” he asked.
“I’d prefer not to say,” the Skrall woman said. “If I find what I seek, I will lead them there. If not… I’d rather you not know how to find us.”
Takanuva nodded. “All right, I get it. You don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you. So let me be clear – we can go to the maze, but I will be watching you closely.”
The Skrall leader pondered for a moment, then nodded. “I would expect nothing less.”
“Takanuva, are you sure about this?” Tarduk said.
Takanuva thought back to something Tahu had said during the battle of Bara Magna. “I haven’t been sure of anything in years. Why start now?”
Takanuva stood before the valley of the maze. In the center, he could see the great Volcano, lava flowing from the top of it. It looked a lot like the Mangai Volcano on Mata Nui – and both were unnatural constructs.
“You know the way through the maze, right?” Takanuva said to Tarduk.
The jungle Agori shrugged. “I can figure it out. Might take a wrong turn or two on the way…”
The female Skrall glared dubiously at Takanuva. “This is your guide?”
“Hey, I got in there and back out just fine before,” Tarduk huffed. “Okay, maybe Mata Nui had to save me from a trap in the center fortress, but I got past the maze just fine.”
Takanuva grinned at the Skrall woman. “Oh yeah, there’s dangerous traps in there too. Tell you what, if you’re too scared, Tarduk and I will go in and tell you what we find when we come back out.”
The Skrall glared at him, and Takanuva was reminded of the saying about if looks could kill. “You won’t get rid of me that easily, Shiny.”
“Ok, first off, enough of that nickname,” the Toa of Light said. “My name is Takanuva. This is Tarduk. What’s your name?”
The Skrall leader turned away and started walking down toward the valley. “None of your concern.”
Tarduk looked up at Takanuva. “Friendly sort, isn’t she?”
Takanuva sighed. “She makes Kopaka look warm.”
A few hours, and a few wrong turns and close calls later, Takanuva, the Skrall woman, and Tarduk stood at the center of the maze. Before them, the massive Volcano rose high into the air. Now that he was up close, though, Takanuva could see chunks of exposed metal on the side of the fake volcano, cleared away by Mata Nui’s sword.
“There’s a hatch over this way,” Tarduk said. “Far as I can tell, it’s the only way in.”
“Or out,” the Skrall woman added, ominously. Takanuva wasn’t sure what she meant by that; he decided not to worry about it.
Tarduk shrugged and led them to the hatch. “I got to warn you, it’s a bit of a mess in there,” he said. “Lots of wires and tubes and stuff. It’s like a jungle.”
“Sounds like Le-Metru,” Takanuva said.
“I don’t know what that is,” Tarduk said.
“A messy jungle of wires and tubes,” Takanuva said.
“Oh,” Tarduk said. “Well, that about sums it up.”
As it turned out, Takanuva’s comparison was apt. Twice, he banged his mask on one of the tubes carrying lava through the fake volcano, and at one point he got his feet tangled up in wires. Tarduk, being a jungle Agori, was able to navigate with ease. The Skrall woman seemed to have as much trouble as Takanuva, though she didn’t complain.
“The Great Beings never cease to amaze,” she said. “Hiding their laboratory in a volcano. I wonder if even Ifihr knew about this.”
“Who?” Takanuva said.
“Someone who might have known about volcanos that aren’t volcanos,” she said. “Or he might not have.” Takanuva sighed again. Wonderful, now she was speaking in riddles, too.
“Ifihr?” Tarduk said. “I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere… where was it…?” He thought for a moment, then shook his head. “It must have been long ago.”[1]
Takanuva walked into a small open area. On the wall were plans, blueprints for a giant robot – the great Spirit Robot. Next to that was a screen. It was just as Tarduk had described, from his trip here with Mata Nui.
“Down that way is where Mata Nui and I found the power source for the big 'bot,” Tarduk said, pointing down a corridor. “And that way’s some sort of crystalline tubes of some sort. There’s a door there, but I couldn’t get it to open.”
“Maybe I can,” Takanuva offered. He followed Tarduk down the corridor, and came to another room. Six clear canisters lined the wall, silvery liquid contained within. Protodermis? They reminded him of the tubes that had turned the Toa Mata into Toa Nuva… could they be–
“Well, don’t just stand there gawking,” the Skrall woman said, pushing on him. Surprised, he stumbled forward, until his foot caught on a cord, tripping him. At the same time, his foot yanked the cord, and the end of it yanked something out of the ceiling, a jumbled mess of wires with something caught in it. The hunk of wiring swung down, toward the silver tube, striking it’s surface, and Takanuva watched in horror as the crystal began to crack, threatening to dump its contents all over the room. And then… it stopped.
Takanuva breathed a sigh of relief.
Then the crystal shattered.
Author’s notes: Huh, wonder who Ifihr is? My goal when writing the Skrall sister was simply “2001 Kopaka if he were a female Skrall”
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Pretty good, as always.
uh oh
Not to worry, nothing than being crush by a giant door can’t repair
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Takanuvanuva.
Or maybe Tarduk gets awesomeified.
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“Then the crystal shattered.”
One of two things are going to happen:
- Angonce shows up to save their hinies.
- Olmak ex machina
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Yeah, cue the Great Being to save them.
Chapter 7
“Takanuva! Toa Takanuva!”
Jaller’s voice echoed in his head as he collapsed, crushed under the weight of the Mangaia gate. He could feel his form seperating from Makuta’s, the master of Shadows trying to escape, but it was too late – the door slammed down, crushing their still partially-fused bodies. Takanuva’s mask flew free, and in his last moments, he heard Jaller calling out his name–
Wait. That wasn’t Jaller’s voice. Jaller’s voice didn’t sound like that. And he hadn’t heard Jaller call his name when the Mangaia gate crushed him; the next thing he’d been aware of was–
“Takanuva!”
The Toa of Light opened his eyes, and saw Tarduk looking down at him, hanging from some tubes up above. Abruptly, he remembered where he was, what had happened. He sat up, turning to see the shattered vat. Some Protodermis was still spilled across the floor, but most of it was gone.
“Are you okay?” Tarduk asked.
“Yeah, I’m… fine,” Takanuva said. “Where’s–?” and then, he saw her, the Skrall woman, laying unconscious on the floor a bit behind him.
Or… was it her? Takanuva could have sworn her cloak was just a drab dark brown, not marked with lines of red. Was she okay?
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tarduk said. “You look different.”
Takanuva glanced down at himself, and gasped. His armor had changed, the white and gold mixed with bronze and crystal. He almost looked like-- no. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t have–
Pain exploded in his head, and he cried out, falling to the floor. As he did so, he saw the Skrall woman, now sitting up, looking at him. Was she doing this? Gritting his teeth against the pain, Takanuva tried to activate his mask, hoping that a bright flash of light might stun her, stop whatever she was doing. But instead, something else happened, something he wasn’t expecting.
For a moment, he saw into the Skrall woman’s mind. He saw her desperate drive to survive, against threats she didn’t understand. Behind her tough exterior, she was… scared.
At the same time, Takanuva could feel her seeing into his mind. She saw the people he’d helped, the struggles he’d faced, as a Matoran and as a Toa. She saw that she didn’t need to be scared of the Toa of Light, unless she tried to hurt those he sought to protect.
Takanuva couldn’t tell if the experience lasted an instant, or an eternity. But when it was over, he found himself lying on the floor, the Skrall looking down at him. The pain in his head was gone.
“What… was that?” she said.
Takanuva sat back up. “Wait, I thought you did… whatever that was?” he said.
“The mental attack, yes,” she said. “That mental bond thing we just did? That wasn’t me.” She frowned. “At least, I don’t think it was.”
Takanuva held his hand up to his mask. It felt familiar, but different. It was an Avohkii Nuva now, he realized. Because he was a Toa Nuva. The energized Protodermis from the vat had transformed him, and apparently the Skrall had been affected too.
“Hey, so uh, is it safe for me to come down now?” Tarduk said. Takanuva looked up at him, still clinging to the pipes. The splash of liquid must have missed him – he looked just as he had before.
“It should be,” Takanuva said. “Just… be careful not to touch the liquid. Sometimes it transforms, but other times–”
“It destroys,” Tarduk finished, dropping to the floor. “Yeah, yeah, I know. This stuff caused a whole war once, you know. Everyone wanted to control its power. Guess the Great Beings wanted to use it too.”
“Leave it to the Great Beings to toy with something dangerous,” the Skrall woman said. She stood up, then walked over and held out a hand. Takanuva hesitated for a second, then took it, and she helped him to his feet.
“Well well, when’d you get so friendly?” Tarduk said.
"I… " she paused. “Well, Takanuva did help me get my powers back, even if it was an accident. So… thanks, I guess.” She looked uncomfortable saying it, like she knew she should but didn’t want to.
Takanuva thought about his mask for a moment. He’d heard legends saying that it could do more then just create light, but he’d never gotten the chance to test it. But now, it was a Nuva version, even more powerful. Was this a new power, or something it could always do that he’d never unlocked before?
“Ooookay,” Tarduk said. “Well, since we’re all friends now I guess, shall we keep exploring?”
“Right,” the Skrall woman said. “Shall we see what’s behind…” she drifted off, staring in shock at Takanuva. No, not at him; past him, at the other door.
Takanuva turned to see that the door was now open. Behind it was a bank of machinery, wires and cords running all over it. And suspended in the middle of it was a figure, clad in dark green robes.
At first glance, Takanuva thought that the figure might be dead, for he was deathly pale and disturbingly frail. But no, he was still breathing, just barely. Several wires were stuck into various parts of his body – it seemed as if this machine was keeping him alive.
Abruptly, his eyes flashed open, and he gazed at the people in the room. “To…a?” he rasped. “Ag…ori? And… Skrall? I must… be… drea…ming again.”
“Who are you?” Takanuva asked. “What are you doing here?”
“I am… I am… a Great… Being,” the figure moaned. “I am… I was… my name… is… Heremus…”
Then his eyes fell shut, and his head slumped forward again. Still alive, but dead to the world.
Takanuva stared at the screen next to the machine holding Heremus’ body. On it was a detailed description of the disease that afflicted the Great Being. Takanuva was right, the machine was the only thing keeping him alive, and even it wasn’t going to last much longer. In less than a year, he’d be dead.
“Can he… can he be saved?” Tarduk said.
Takanuva shook his head. “If anyone could save him, it would be the rest of his people,” he said. “Our only hope is that we manage to find them in time.”
He turned to the Skrall. “Well, what are you going to do now?” he asked.
“I… suppose I’ll see what happens if the rest of my people are exposed to that liquid,” she said. “If it restored my powers, maybe it can do the same for them. And then… we will do as we have always done. We’ll survive.” She looked at Takanuva. “My turn, Shiny. What are you going to do now?”
Takanuva opened his mouth, then stopped short. Energized Protodermis only transformed things that were destined to transform. If it had transformed him, that meant that the Shadow Takanuva was right – his destiny wasn’t over.
But maybe he’d seen a glimpse of what it truly was, when his mask power had activated a moment ago. His destiny was to help other people find their destinies. That’s what he’d done with the Bahrag, with the Shadow Takanuva, and now the Skrall. And he would keep doing it, starting with Heremus. He would see to it that Heremus was saved, if he had to go to the ends of the planet to find the Great Beings and make them save their brother.
And if some new threat rose to threaten the Matoran and Agori, as the Shadow Takanuva had warned? Well, then they would all find out just what a Toa Nuva of Light could do.
Author’s notes: this was actually my original ending for this story. However, I had a few more things I wanted to address, so there’s one more chapter to go after this.
One of the powers of the Avohkii is that it’s supposed to be able to spread peace and understanding. Takanuva never uses that ability in the main story, so I wanted him to use it at some point. It’s not able to turn any enemy into a friend automatically, but it will work on some people who don’t have a real reason to be enemies.
7 Likes
Oh hey, I was right.
Although now I’m curious as to what Takanuva Nuva looks like; did you have anything specific in mind in terms of colour distribution?
Ultimately, I just think it’s cool to have another Toa Nuva in general; that’s the biggest plot device from the original story that I can think of that never got reused as a “standard” part of the greater universe.
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