EPILOGUE
The island of Kangaro, 1,000 years later
“That’s not how I remember the Turaga telling it.”
Janar glared at the Le-Matoran sitting across from him. “Leran, you sometimes forget to put your mask on in the morning. Your memory is not the most trustworthiest.”
“That’s not true!” Leran protested, crossing his arms. “As a matter of fact, I did remember to put my mask on this morning! So there!”
“How do you remember the Turaga telling it then?” asked the Ga-Matoran Kota.
“Well, obviously you skipped over the part where the Toa Tenebrae had to fight the Rahi Nui!” said Leran.
“That wasn’t the Toa Tenebrae,” Janar replied. “That was the Toa Metru; the new Toa Metru.”
“Well then, what about when the Toa Tenebrae drove off those Frostelus from Kangaro? What about that part, huh?”
Janar opened his mouth to refute Leran’s claim when he noticed a tall figure approaching them. The warrior was clad in gray and black armor, with a thin sword attached to his back. A gray Kanohi mask adorned his face, with yellow eyes glowing behind it.
“Mata Nui,” he whispered. “Is that… is that Toa Krakua?”
Kota and Leran both turned to see the newcomer. “It is!” the former gasped. “I didn’t think he’d ever come back.”
“Darn it,” Leran muttered. “I left my tablet back at my hut. I was gonna have him sign it….”
Janar got to his feet and walked over to Toa Krakua, trying not to look too excited. This effort was in vain as his ‘walk’ was more like a ‘run,’ and when he spoke, his words came out as a jumbled mess without any verbal punctuation.
“Hi Toa Krakua welcome to Kangaro how can I help you you look so cool.”
The Toa of Sonics looked down at Janar, a small smile on his mask. “Hello, Janar. Kota, Leran. It’s good to see you all again.”
“Oh my goodness.” Kota covered her mouth with her hands. “He remembers our names.”
“He probably just read our minds,” said Leran. “He wears a Mask of Telepathy, remember?”
“No, he doesn’t! It’s obviously shaped like a Hau.”
Krakua smiled at the Ga-Matoran. “No, I’m afraid Leran’s correct, Kota. I had my Kanohi Suletu reshaped to resemble a Hau in honor of a friend of mine. Plus, it makes people trust me more if they don’t know I’m reading their minds with my mask.”
“That is so cool,” said Janar. “You are so cool.”
Krakua chuckled. “Well, I owe it all to your Turaga. If it wasn’t for him, I would still be a Matoran just like you guys. Speaking of which, I don’t suppose he’s around? I was hoping to speak with him.”
“I’m here, old friend.”
From behind the three Matoran approached a Turaga elder clad in bright green armor, using his Air Staff to keep himself balanced. Tired red eyes glowed behind his Noble Kanohi Faxon as he regarded Toa Krakua with a warm smile.
“Welcome back, Toa Krakua,” said Turaga Lesovikk. “How may I be of service to you?”
Krakua shook his head. “I’m not here for any favors, Turaga. Just thought I’d stop by and catch up with you.”
Janar turned to Turaga Lesovikk. “Is it true that you sacrificed your Toa power to create Toa stones? I was never clear on that part whenever you told it.”
Lesovikk chuckled. “Yes, Janar, you were on the right track. After defeating Karzahni and Makuta — all in one day, I might add — I felt that I had finally avenged my fellow Toa and achieved my destiny. Even with the Empire of Makuta defeated, I knew that the universe was going to need a lot more Toa.”
“Who were the other Toa you helped create?” asked Kota. “You didn’t just create Krakua, did you?”
The Toa of Sonics laughed. “What, am I not good enough?”
“No!” the Ga-Matoran said hastily. “That’s not— that’s not what I meant!”
Turaga Lesovikk chuckled. “Relax, Kota. I know what you meant. What say we retire to my hut and get our Toa visitor something to eat? Then perhaps I can regale you all with another story.”
“Yes!” Leran said excitedly. “I want to hear more about the Toa Tenebrae!”
“Oh, I’m afraid there’s not much more to say about them, Leran.” A twinkle gleamed in Lesovikk’s eyes. “But that’s not to say there are other heroes whose stories are worthy of legend.”
As the three Matoran and Toa Krakua followed Lesovikk, Janar ran up to walk alongside the Turaga. “For what it’s worth, Turaga,” he said quietly, “as cool as I think Krakua is, you will always be my favorite hero.”
Lesovikk chuckled again as he glanced at the Matoran. “And why is that, Janar?”
“If it wasn’t for you, I would still be living in Karzahni, along with Kota and Leran. You saved us from that horrible fate and brought us here, as well as create a new generation of Toa. I know the others and I might joke about how old you are… but that doesn’t mean we don’t respect you. Because we do, Turaga. We owe so much to you.”
Lesovikk smiled at him. Janar expected the Turaga to say something that would downplay his words, as he often did whenever someone gave him praise, but instead the elder merely patted him on the shoulder.
“Everyone is a hero to someone else,” Lesovikk said quietly. “Someday, Janar, that might even be you… if it isn’t already.”
Janar’s eyes widened behind his mask and he felt himself beginning to smile. It was easier to see his expressions ever since he abandoned the mask Karzahni had given him in favor of a Kanohi Volitak, a mask that had been worn by one of Lesovikk’s fellow Toa in his stories. Perhaps his choice of masks was more prophetic than he had first thought.
He was still smiling by the time they got to the hut, dreaming of stories of his own even as Turaga Lesovikk began his.
“Gather around, my friends. Listen again to our legend… of the BIONICLE.”
THE END — FOR NOW
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