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[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream I - Ghost Town

Tetak woke up. It was another morning, the same as the rest. He didn't mind the monotony, though. At least, he didn't think so…

Tetak's room was small; he lived in a sort of apartment-like complex. It wasn't so bad, after all, ko-matoran generally keep to themselves. There were never any major fights to be had and no noisy neighbors. If one were to listen closely enough, the only sounds that could normally be heard were clicks and clacks of writing as the scholars stayed up, lost in thought about the latest technological breakthrough and whatnot.
Matoran here rarely think of anything other than the future. Tetak thought to himself.

By now, he had gotten out of his bed and was on his way to his work. Tetak's work was special compared to his brothers'. He quickly stopped at the desk next to his bed to pick up blueprint ideas.

I'd be dead if I showed up without these. He thought to himself, still half-asleep.

With a sigh, Tetak placed them into his backpack. It was a handy little device that organized not just papers, but also small tools for his work. Without a word, he swung his pack on and left his room.

The hallway outside was empty. Nobody else was up at this hour, so everything was perfectly silent. It always amazed Tetak how a place like this; a place that was, at times, filled with matoran running back and forth to and from their work, could also be so calm. It was almost as if he was alone in the world. No bothers, no friends, no Great Spirit, no virtues or turaga; it was almost sad in a way.

Another sigh escaped Tetak's breath as he boarded the elevator. Empty as usual, but he was used to his solitude. With a click of a button, the elevator lowered five floors total. He could hear the gears rustle and creak all too well. For some reason, it always made him think of what it might be like to be underground. Listening to Onu-matoran as their tools picked and chipped away at the rocks, the heavy machinery buzzing in the distance while the carts went rolling back and forth. Sure, the work was far different than what Tetak was used to, but he would often fantasize on a whim. And he knew that was all it was; a whim.

There was no lobby in his building. The elevator led directly outside-it was located on the very side of the building and was made specifically for residents on the upper-story. Looking directly at the building, one would see a cylindrical bulge on the right side which stretched from the ground to one floor above the roof for those who star-gazed. There was, of course, a main entrance to allow access to the first floor, and stairs in case of an emergency.

Tetak started to head east, noting that it was still dark out. A slight wind blew in the air with a few flakes of snow dropping down. The mountain that they lived on was fairly large, and the location was generally an overlook of their city. As high up as his village was, however, there was one village that was up even higher: the village of lightning.

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Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Wind, Oct 17 2011 - 11:08 AM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream II - Darkness

Tetak was on a cart, heading to the village of lightning. It was a small transport that could only fit a handful of matoran. It was pulled by rahi that were known for scaling mountains. Inside the cart were three sections. Each section was at a different height of around five feet apart while the base of the cart matched the incline of the mountain path. This allowed everything to remain level on the inside. In the section with Tetak was another passenger; a matoran of lightning. When he first got on, Tetak did not say a word, but merely greeted her with a small smile and a nod. Trying to stay awake, Tetak pulled out his blueprints and started to look over them. The whole while, he couldn't help notice that the matoran of lightning was giving him a strange look. He couldn't help but slightly glance in her direction. The second their eyes matched, he quickly darted back to his blueprints.

"…It's crooked" She said, her facial expression seemed to be set to a glare.

"E-Excuse me?" Tetak said, looking up from his blueprints. He couldn't help but stutter when he spoke. After all, he rarely ever seemed to talk with others.

"Your Iden, it's crooked." She said flatly.

Tetak felt his mask and found that she was right. He tried to fix it, but his traveling companion had little patience. A few moments after Tetak had made several slight adjustments, she got up, moved right in front of him and forcefully moved his mask back in place.

"O-Ouch! Easy!" Tetak said, wincing for a split second.

"I believe the proper wording is 'Thank you.' I swear there must be something wrong with the Turaga…"

She was referring to Tetak's new job. Ko-matoran in his city were skilled with technology and worked to improve the day-to-day lives of the matoran among other things. matoran of lightning worked in energy. Their tolerance to electrical shocks made them perfect for working with wires in power plants. The Turaga had an idea to unify the two koro as their work seemed to go hand-in-hand with one another.

But our personalities, thought Tetak, clearly do not.
Tetak just held his tongue (something he was used to) and went back to his blueprints.

"… What is that?" The Matoran of Lightning grumbled.

"They're just some blueprints."

"I already know that. I'm not a po-matoran; I actually know what blueprints are."

Tetak hated matoran like this. It wasn't just limited to lightning either; he had seen this sort of attitude amongst his fellow ko-matoran as well and even throughout his brief travels around the city. He always seemed to be surrounded by pessimism. It's the reason why he'd decided to hold his tongue about everything. The universe didn't need any more negativity. Tetak was glad that his female co-workers were not all like this one.

"Do you think you could work on your attitude a little?" was what Tetak would like to say, but he didn't want to start an argument. He hated squabbles over trivial matters.

"They're for a new machine to help test energy levels in certain equipment."

"Hrmf, that's useless. Just use your hands and feel the shock." She retorted, clearly bored.

"Well, a lot of the other ko-matoran workers aren't used to shocks like you are. We-"

Before Tetak could finish and before the matoran of lightning had time to retort, the cart stopped.

"What's going on? We're not even close to the village…" Tetak's companion said more annoyed than concerned.

Tetak didn't budge. He suddenly got the chills. Outside, there was a large thump as if something heavy had dropped. The lights in the cart started going out, one by one. The only available light came from the matoran's eyes and heartlights.

"Run! Now!" The matoran demanded of Tetak. She had managed to get the side door opened. She beckoned to Tetak to follow and then jumped out of the cart. Tetak hesitated, but decided to follow. He grabbed the frame of the door and jumped.

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Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Wind, Oct 15 2011 - 06:59 PM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream III - Out of the Frying Pan...

Laza was groggy. She had never been a morning person, and today was no exception.
Arg… What happened? She thought to herself, her memory fogged.

The day had started off normally enough. She had woken up, gathered her things and headed to work. The Turaga had assigned her to a new work schedule that worked into the wee hours of the night. She had been a messenger between the villages of ice and lightning involving technological advances. She was supposed to share new discoveries and new inventions, however, the only ones showing up had been to accommodate ko-matoran to a lightning environment and vice versa. The two villages had separate ideals of importance (ko-matoran only thinking of new advances while Laza and her sisters focused on sustaining the city with the energy it currently demanded). They had generally not been working well together, Laza thought.

She'd even heard rumors of entire factories shutting down; not only within the two villages, but throughout the entire city. Apparently the Turaga had merged other koro together, and the results, rumor had it, had not been the best. Though, who could blame the Turaga? The merging of cities was unifying the matoran… Wasn't it? It did follow the three virtues… Did it not?

The city had lost their toa recently. Well, not lost per se- it was more that their toa had ventured away to other areas in the universe that needed help. Of course their absence had been upsetting at first. There were always matoran who claimed the sky was falling; worrying that the Turaga had been secretly sending the matoran away or that the city was being evacuated and garbage of the like. Laza didn't like that type of nonsense.

Laza thought back to earlier in the day. Where had she been? … Snow… There was a light snow and it was cold. She'd boarded the kart to take her home… There was a matoran with blueprints which sadly turned out to be the ones she'd seen far too often… but then what?
Laza had not yet opened her eyes.

Am… Am I back home? She fancied the idea, but dismissed it.

Wherever she was now, it was all too quiet. She listened more intently. It was faint but she could hear muffled voices in the distance. She opened her eyes.

It was dark. She was in a dimly lit room on top of a large metal table. Tools were scattered around here and there; some on the walls and others on shelves near the walls. She slowly sat up. There was little light in the room; it was dimly lit with a sickly green glow. A doorway to her left seemed to emit a slightly stronger glow, though it was difficult to really tell. Her eyes adjusted slowly. More and more she could see the room was a mess. There were blobs of Mata Nui knew what lying around in the corners and it looked like there were machine parts scrambled in the mess. A few stasis tubes appeared to be lined on the walls here and there, but Laza could not recognize their contents. Whatever they were, they seemed to have some nice spikes to them.

Laza heard a mumble right next to her. A chill ran up her spine as she darted around to see the ko-matoran she shared the kart with on her way home. Suddenly she remembered a thud. Then the lights in the kart had gone out… She managed to jump out of the door and after she had landed in the snow of the mountain, she looked up and saw-

Laza grew tense. She quickly, yet quietly, jumped from the table and checked the room ahead. There was a pool of a liquid of some sort in the room, though that was all there appeared to be. It looked to be large enough to bathe a Muaka, with a little room to spare. Laza did not have time to question this further, however. She felt something hit her back and she went flying forward. The last thing she would remember; a flash of light… Well, that would be true if Laza were to ever wake up again…

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Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Wind, Oct 16 2011 - 01:23 PM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream IV - Gossip

Tetak's eyes opened. He felt as if he had been asleep for years. He looked around. Tetak was on a white-sand beach next to what appeared to be an endless sea. Behind him was a wall of lush forest.

Where in the name of Mata Nui…?

"Who is he?" a soft whisper seemed to echo from nowhere.

"An outsider?" came a second whisper, a little softer than the first.

"What should we do?" came yet another voice. Suddenly, the area seemed to be filled with soft whispers. Tetak couldn't pinpoint how many beings were talking. He frantically looked around at the forested belt, trying to scan for signs of movement. He couldn't see anyone no matter which direction he turned his head.

"Water. He should go to the tribe of water."

"No, you fool! Earth would provide more stability, more structure! We could use more of that."

"You're both fools! He should become air; we have very few of those."

"I wonder why." Tetak couldn't see the owner of this voice, but he pictured the speaker to be rolling his eyes.

"It would be easier just to kill it." Tetak froze.

"Don't say that! You're scaring it!"

Tetak slowly started to step towards the ocean. The voices didn't seem to take much notice, and he decided on an attempt to flee.

"Perhaps light may do some good," began another voice.

Turning around, Tetak sprinted towards the waters. His luck, however, would not hold out.

"Stop it! We can't let it get away!"

Suddenly, five tentacles made of water grabbed Tetak around his waist and dragged him under. Everything around him turned pitch black, but he remained conscious. Tetak held his breath for as long as he could, trying to free himself. He gasped and his lungs filled suddenly with… air? Tetak couldn't feel the arm of water around his waist anymore, and he seemed perfectly fine with that. He was now in, he guessed, a metallic shell or storage pod of some kind. Feeling around for walls, Tetak realized that was the most likely conclusion.

At least they were nice enough to give me an air supply Tetak grumbled optimistically. The voices were gone now, and he thought that he was unwatched. His hands grew cold on a metallic surface while he felt around for an opening of some sort to free himself. Despite being a prisoner, Tetak did not mind the solitude of his new prison.

… … … Nothing… Tetak grew worried, nearly frantic in his mind. Trying to cool off, he decided to sit in his own little bubble secluded from the world. And now he would wait.

***

Nia was walking back to her village, a large and levitating vase of water followed behind her on the dirt road. She didn't need much concentration for such a task, though. Her training had rewarded her well indeed.

All around her birds could be heard chirping. The afternoon star was high in the sky now- where it had always been. Various creatures wriggled this way and that. Incects were always flying and every now and then they could be seen fighting or scavenging among the other things they would do. The grass was green and the trees nearby, lush. To her left, a forest blooming with life glowed radiantly. To her right, a splendid meadow, far as the eye could see greeted her with its noble charm.

A blinding light caught Nia's eye in the meadow. At first glance she thought it might be a puddle of water that caught the light of day. Then she remembered that such an event would be unlikely; it never rained. Not here.

Nia stopped and in turn, her vase of water came to a screeching halt. The glare in her yellow eyes prevented her from deciphering what it was, exactly, that she was looking at. Taking a few steps into the field- an act that was, in its own way, dangerous- she started to make out a form. A chrome sphere emerged, then a doorway made itself known, and finally she could see what it was.

"A… transfer pod?" Nia had heard of such things, but had never had the pleasure of seeing one for herself.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she soon forgot her duties and her vase fell to the ground with a tremendous thump! Luckily for Nia, her vase had not shattered from impact. Unluckily for Nia, a whirlpool of blinding light soon arrived kicking up darkness; her actions had not gone unnoticed. Nia shielded her eyes until the light faded. Nia looked up at the newly emerged creature. He was yellow in color with a visor covering his eyes. He had small, black wings with propellers at the tips. His arms were long and each hand contained three long, bionic fingers. He carried discs as weapons. One swift movement of his arm struck with brilliant force. Nia's vase was no more.

"You do not belong here." His voice was cold.

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Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Wind, Oct 17 2011 - 10:47 AM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream V - Reality

"J-Jet!" Nia stuttered, caught off guard. The field around her was completely silent, she noticed. Insects had stopped their buzzing and the birds had hushed their songs. Everything seemed to be so still in this meadow. No, it wasn't that everything was frozen in time, but instead everything was strict. Birds would only chirp when it was time for them to chirp, insects would buzz when they were needed. Despite the afternoon star burning proudly in the sky, it always felt cold here, or at least it did to Nia.
"I apologize, Jet. I just saw the reflection of this pod and I was curious because I had never seen it before. Nothing ever really changes in the meadow, so it's only natural that I would want to investigate." Nia explained nervously. Jet always intimidated her. Then again, Jet intimidated a lot of people.

"…This does not belong here either," Jet said, eyeing the transfer pod, "Take it with you."

"But, it doesn't belong to m-" She attempted to explain.

"Take it with you." Jet repeated, his voice monotone.
Nia knew arguing with Jet wasn't an easy task. Reluctantly and still with a bit of curiosity, she concentrated and lifted the metal pod into the air as she had done with her vase. She turned to leave.

"Wait," Jet called out to her.

Nia turned. She didn't want to spend any more time in this meadow than she could help.

"You're forgetting something." Jet extended a finger of his left hand and gestured towards the shards of the vase on the ground.

You know, you were the one who broke it in the first place… Nia thought to herself a little agitated. Nevertheless, she merely concentrated on the shards and carried them alongside the pod as she left. Focusing on several objects at once did cause her some stress, but she could handle it. So long as she could leave this place sooner, she would put up with it. Before she went back onto the road, she looked back. Jet had already disappeared.
***
Tetak waited in his prison. He felt safe there, no voices, no monstrous water and no strange atmosphere. It gave him some time to gather his thoughts.
Where am I? How did I get here? Think… Tetak recalled waking up. Then he'd gone to the cart towards the village of lightning. That's where he met that aggressive matoran. Blueprints- he'd taken blueprints with him. Slowly the scenes meshed together until he recalled up to jumping outside.

That's right. I landed in the snow of the mountain and when I looked up- Tetak remembered. The rahi pulling the cart up the mountain had collapsed.

We… We were attacked… But by what? He couldn't remember anything after that.
Whatever the case, I don't want to leave this place anytime soon. What kind of place is this? Being spied on like that out in the open… And then I was attacked, by water of all things… Tetak didn't want to think about it.

I'll just stay in here… It's suitable, right? I could always try hibernating. After all, in here there aren't any strange voices or peculiarities, no monsters or strange things that want to kill me. After all, in here there's- Tetak looked around. What exactly would a place like this have to offer. He suddenly remembered the hallway in his apartment building; being alone in the world and sighing. No Great Spirit, no three virtues, no matoran or toa… could that really become a reality? Tetak let out a large sigh. No sooner than the sigh escaped his breath did his prison open to reveal a world filled with light outside. Tetak shielded his eyes.

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[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream VI - Island

Nia observed this new character carefully. She had traveled a short distance, just until the meadow was out of sight. It was then that her curiosity got the better of her. After she had opened the transfer pod, she found the most curious creature. He looked like she did, only … different. For starters he was around half her height, but looked to be an adult. His face looked tense… almost as if it were solid bone aside from his mouth and eyes. He looked very mechanical, which wasn't too strange, after all Jet was mechanical as well, but he had no visor and his hands had three fingers just like Nia. His face was white as was his torso and hands, but his feet and strange armor were blue. Even more peculiar was what he was wearing; a dark blue cloak with a hood that nearly covered his face. She could tell he was mechanical by the way he moved- the little gear grinding sounds.

Tetak looked at the person outside. She looked strange, almost like a toa, but different. She was light and dark purple with yellow lights highlighting her arms and legs. She had patches of light blue on her mask and arms and leg armor. He had a feeling he'd seen her before, if not her than her mask at least. Now that he took a closer look, her mask seemed to be… flexible? Tetak had never heard of such a thing before. In fact, she looked considerably less mechanical than a toa. What was she?

Nia extended her hand towards this stranger.

"Hi. My name's Nia." She said with a smile.

Tetak was hesitant, but meekly extended his own hand out towards Nia.

"I-I'm T-Tetak." He managed. He had always stuttered when he spoke, but on top of that he had just been through quite a turn of events. To say he was a little uneasy would be a very large understatement.

Poor thing; he's shaking. Nia thought to herself. She grabbed his hand and gently helped him out of the transfer pod.

Tetak jumped a bit as Nia tugged at his hand, but he started coming out of the pod. He took a look around. It looked like he was at the entrance to a forest of some sort on a dirt road. It looked to be in the afternoon by now. Tetak could hear birds and insects singing away. He could hear rustling in the woods in the distance. It seemed like a lively place for rahi.

"W-What is this place?" Tetak asked. He was glad he was with someone who seemed friendly. He'd rather be with Nia than those strange voices any day.

"Right now we're on the road back to my village. It's a small place just outside of these woods. If you're lost then you're welcome to join me if you'd like." Nia smiled.

Tetak nodded. He really didn't have much choice in the matter. He had no clue what this place was or where to go otherwise.

"Are-" Tetak hesitated while asking this, "Are you a t-toa?"

"…Toa? I don't think I've heard of that name be-" Nia stopped for a second. Toa…? Now that she thought about it, the word did strike a bell. Her expression became blank as she was lost in thought.

"N-Nia?" Tetak was worried.

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing. I'm not familiar with the term. I'm… Well, I suppose you could call me a Glatorian."

"Glatorian?"

"That's right! What about you? I don't think I've ever seen anyone like you before."

"I'm a m-matoran." Tetak just thought of something. "Wait, you said you didn't see anyone else like me?"

"No, I just found you in that pod. Why? Were you traveling with a friend?"

"I, err…" Tetak wasn't sure how to answer the question. After all, he didn't know what happened to the other matoran he was with. For all he knew, she was still back in the city.

"It's nothing…" He mumbled. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have a-a map back in your village? I'd like to get back to th-the southern continent." He was sure he wasn't in the southern continent anymore.

"Southern… continent? You really don't know where you are, huh?" Nia felt sorry to have to explain this to him. "This is Yume Island. I've never heard of a southern continent before."

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Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Wind, Oct 20 2011 - 02:15 PM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream VII - Awake

Laza felt groggy. Asleep in her bed in her room, the light dancing across the floor as it always did. At least, that's what she expected to see. She was sure this was going to be another day of monotony. She hated monotony. She slowly pressed her hand down and felt… something squish? That couldn't have been right…

Laza picked herself up and opened her eyes. Sand. A very bright shade of sand was glaring at her right in her eyes.

Sand…? It almost reminded Laza of a beach. Suddenly, almost as if answering her very thoughts, a wave came crashing down in front of her. It wasn't too large of a wave, maybe two feet tall. Even so, Laza's feet got wet.

Looking out, Laza couldn't make out anything on the horizon; only a long, long sea greeted her eyes.

Before she could turn around to observe further, she perked up a bit. A noise of some sort was in the distance. It sounded like a soft murmer… at first.

"Another one…" Came the first voice

"I say they're more trouble than they're worth…"

"No, this one should not die."

Laza stood on her feet.

"Who are you?!" she demanded the voices.

"This one is different than the other."

"Yes, very different."

Laza was merely agitated.

"Answer my question!" she called out again.

"It has such a fiery spirit… Perhaps the volcano would suit her well?"

"No, this one seems to be different than fire… I think lightning might be good."

"Lightning? Have you forgotten?"

"… Right… lightning should not be tampered with."

Laza couldn't tell how many voices there were. Two? Ten? She couldn't know for sure. She didn't see anyone in any direction. Across from the sea appeared to be some sort of jungle. The trees seemed tropical and strange. There was a soft buzzing coming in that direction, but she ignored it.

"I don't see much use for this one…"

"Perhaps it is flawed like the other?"

"Yes, flawed indeed. It should be fixed."

Just then the sands around Laza began to shift under her feet. Quick as a flash, Laza started running, but it didn't appear to be of any use. The sands were like liquid under her feet. Suddenly, ropes began to tie to her left hand. It solidified its grip as it turned to stone. Laza pulled, but it was no use. While she struggled the sands were swallowing her. Already her feet had disappeared.

In her frustration, Laza stopped. This wasn't getting her anywhere and it deeply aggravated her. She started to growl and as she did so the sands seemed to pulsate violently around her.

"Let… me… go!" The instant she shouted, the rock around her wrist crumbled. Laza managed to dart across the sands despite its current state.

"Stop it! It mustn't get away!"

A wall of stone appeared around two feet in front of Laza. As she hit its surface, however, it turned to dust. Laza was taken aback, but she couldn't afford any hesitation. She continued her stride without missing a beat. Thirty feet. Twenty feet. The jungle seemed to be getting closer and closer.

Almost there… Almost there… Laza couldn't explain what was going through her head. She was only sure that if she could just reach that line of vegetation, she would be free of these strange voices.

More ropes appeared around her. Laza tried to maneuver herself to dodge them. She leaned backwards, forewards, side to side. One of them caught her foot and pulled her down as it solidified.

"No!" Laza grabbed a nearby rock and smashed the bonds on her foot. She wasn't about to go down easily. She would fight to the very end.

"Don't let it flee!"

Laza was facing the beach as she picked herself up. There she saw a giant tidal wave of murky water. It looked to be hundreds of feet tall. Even if she were to out-run it, she knew there would be no means of escape. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she would be safe if she could only make it to the forest. She turned around and continued running.

Ten feet.

The sound of the wave came closer and closer.

Five feet.

She could feel water dripping over her. She was wet already, the wave was a mere instant away. She could just picture it in her mind; drowning in a violent current, doomed to a cold grave forever at the bottom of the sea.

She grabbed hold of a tree and pulled her way through the vegetation. She made it.

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Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Wind, Oct 20 2011 - 02:16 PM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream VIII - Lost

Laza quickly ducked behind the nearest tree she could find as she fled from a watery grave. Covering the top of her head with her arms in a secure crouch, she waited… but the giant tidal wave did not appear. After what seemed an eternity, Laza slowly got up and looked beyond the tree at the battle field she had just crossed. To her shock, the beach was now long gone and replaced with jungle. The jolt of her surprise made her flinch backwards, and she stepped on something alive. Quickly spinning around, she saw a very thick snake-like creature slither away into the bushes of the jungle out of sight. Insects started to buzz across her face, and she swatted at them. This, unfortunately, knocked Laza off her balance and she fell on her backside. Just then a large bird swooped down to where her head had just been moments before. The jungle was filled with noises of strange rahi, birds, insects and everything in between.

"What kind of place is this?" Laza muttered to herself half-defeated and annoyed. She had never liked waking up. Out of all mornings she had experienced, however, this one was her least favorite by far.

***

Nia had seen several types of people in her life. She had seen others lose their temper and lash out violently, she had seen others break down and cry right in front of her, even confessions of love between two youths in a dream of fancy. But she had never quite seen anything like this before. This little guy in front of her –matoran she thought he'd said- looked as if he thought he was about to die. Ever since she had told him the name of the island, he had clammed up and now he was shivering violently. He had made an attempt to conceal himself under the black cloak he wore, the hood drawn over his head, but it could not hide his shaking.

Nia wasn't sure what to do. Should she lie and say she actually knew all about this… southern continent? She could offer her sympathy, but she honestly wasn't sure what she was sympathizing with. She ran her thoughts through her head, but then she looked back down at Tetak.

I can't waste my time thinking about this, just look at him! I don't know what to say, but… I should say something…

Nia walked over to Tetak and put a hand on his shoulder. Tetak jumped at this and timidly looked up at Nia.

"I… I'll help you." Nia smiled.

"W-Wh-What?" Tetak's voice was a mere whisper.

"The Southern Continent; I'll help you find your way back if it's that important. Promise." Nia reassured him with a warm expression.

"Th-Thank yo-you…" Tetak had been petrified. He felt lost. He was lost. The thought of him never seeing his home again- it scared him deeply.

"Come on." Nia grabbed Tetak's left hand and he walked on her right. They continued their journey to Nia's village, but Tetak was quiet for a long while. He was pondering his life; his old life back in the Southern Continent.

Nia didn't bother him. She had a feeling it would be best to give Tetak his space… for now.

Review

Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Wind, Oct 21 2011 - 05:03 PM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream IX - Found

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

Tetak and Nia halted their walk. There were many noises in the jungle, but the rustling in the bushes up ahead indicated a creature was approaching. And it was getting closer.

"Get back," Nia whispered to Tetak. She stepped in front of him and kept her eyes on the bushes.

***

Laza was covered in dirt, vines and cobwebs. She kept moving through the forest, grabbing tree branches and trunks for support. Twigs snapped beneath her feet and gnats swarmed her face. She swatted at them continuously, but they were persistent. Laza could not tell where she was headed. The vegetation was thick and she couldn't see more than twenty feet ahead of her.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

She hoped she would find a way out of this place soon. It was dark underneath the trees, but it was bright enough for Laza to see. She wouldn't want to be in this place when the sun was down.

Pushing back a large bush, a bright light greeted her eyes along with a silhouette of-

"Toa… Nikila?!" Laza exclaimed in disbelief.

***

Nia looked down at this newcomer. She looked very much like Tetak, the … matoran, if that was the right word. She wore the same colors as he did. Her face was round and smooth, while Tetak's had ridges and curves. But they were both white and each had blue armor. Their similarities physically were almost uncanny, really.

"Y-You!" Tetak exclaimed as he saw Laza. It was the loudest Nia had heard Tetak thus far, and she imagined it would be the loudest she would hear him for quite a while.

"You!" Laza looked at Tetak. Nia couldn't tell if they were both relieved to see each other, or if they were both even more on edge. Maybe it was a mixture of both?

Laza looked back up to Nia. No, she couldn't be Toa Nikila. Her mask was the same – the mask of possibilities, but her coloration was different. Also, she looked… softer… than a toa.

"Who are you? What are you doing with him? Where did that cloak come from? And just where are we?" Laza kept shooting question after question.

"U-uh… Th-That… Err, that i-is…" Tetak didn't know where to start to try to explain things; especially when he didn't know the answers himself.

"Well?!" Laza demanded.

"Calm down," Nia chimed in. "One question at a time…" She was a little sheepish, but she was just as curious about these two as this other matoran was. What exactly was a matoran? Where did these two come from and what was the Southern Continent? Nia didn't think asking Tetak would be a good idea, seeing as how startled he'd been. But now, just maybe she could get some answers.

***

Laza had cooled off or, at least, cooled off compared to her frantic state earlier. She and Tetak had told their stories to each other. They both seemed similar, waking up on a beach, hearing strange voices. What didn't match up was how Tetak found his way into the jungle. Being dragged underwater and then being found in some sort of pod well away from the beach just didn't make sense. Then again, being attacked by strange voices wasn't exactly normal to begin with. The more and more she thought about the situations, the less they seemed to hold any logic. It was annoying to think about, so she moved on.

The person she had mistaken for Toa Nikila was actually a Glatorian… whatever that was. Laza had never seen anyone colored purple before, aside from a few highlights on an Onu-matoran. She had found Tetak and offered to help him… And that's when Laza herself arrived.

Yume Island; just what kind of place would this turn out to be?

Review

Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Wind, Oct 23 2011 - 03:09 PM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream X - Lumberjack

The journey to Nia's village was quiet. Tetak and Laza had seemed too exhausted to keep up their conversation. It was likely they were both wondering the same thing. As if there were a maze in front of them, and each running through the twists and turns on their own, wanting to see the correct path for themselves first before checking with the other.

Nia was uncomfortable at this time. Not just one, but two very strange visitors had stumbled upon her lap. She thought back earlier to this morning, when she grabbed her water jug, thinking it would be like any other day. She began to wonder if it really was a coincidence that she herself should meet these two matoran? Did she really believe in something as powerful as destiny? She chuckled silently to herself. Who knew the world could be so flexible?

Tetak kept his face pointed low, down to the ground. The hood of his black cloak was covering his eyes and at times his pace would slow. He would have to pick his head up on occasion to find he was lagging behind, and in turn he would jog back behind Nia.

Laza had her head to the side, looking around the woods here and there at the front of the group. She would huff to herself every now and then, her arms constantly crossed in frustration. When a fork in the road appeared, she would turn and wait for the others, tapping her foot vigorously in the dirt. Nia would almost feel obligated to run up to her. But she continued her pace, keeping focus on the floating jar next to her.

Eventually something caught Laza's eye. It was a gleam in the distance, around two feet into the trees. Curious, she pushed back the vines and moss and saw a curious object. Her face lit up as she realized what it was. Brushing off fungus and dirt from its handle, Laza started to tug. Pull as she might, the blade remained stuck in the tree.
Nia and Tetak eventually caught up to her.

"What's this?" Nia asked.

Tetak, hearing Nia's voice, looked up towards her, and then noticed what Laza was doing. He sheepishly positioned himself so he could glance into the trees where Laza was tugging.
"It's… an…-" Laza began as she pulled with all her might. Finally, with a pop, her body flung backwards as she hit the ground.

"Yes!" Laza exclaimed as she held her prize up into the air.

"A- an axe…?" Tetak said, a little uneasy in a voice that was almost a whisper.

The axe had a light purple handle. Laza started to brush off the dirt and grime with her hands; it had obviously been long forgotten. There was a single blade which curved into a point in the back past the handle. It looked a little large for a matoran, but Laza had little effort supporting its weight. She started to test its balance by swinging it around lightly.

Tetak jumped out of the way. Although the axe would have missed him by half a foot, he was still jumpy.

"Don't you know what this means?" She exclaimed to Tetak.

"I-I don't r-really, um-"

"It means we can use this to cut down some trees and vines! We can make a raft! We're getting off of this island!"

Review

Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Wind, Oct 24 2011 - 10:23 AM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream XI - Stutter

Tetak just stared, dubious, at Laza.

"L-Leaving the… U-Uh…"

"That's right!" Laza didn't pay Tetak much mind; she had already taken a swing at a nearby tree.

"B-But that's- err, I mean…" Tetak was afraid of disagreeing with someone so confident. He winced as Laza struck the tree a second time, this one louder and more forceful than the first.

"Come on…" Laza grunted as she pulled her axe from the tree, "Break!" she demanded of its strong structure as she gave her final swing. In turn, the tree fell.

Tetak winced again as the tree fell, its splinters seeming to scream out as they snapped one by one ending in a tremendous thump! It seemed to Tetak that the tree came down far too easily, but he didn't pay it much mind. He was too busy trying to voice his opinion. He should speak up, shouldn't he? After all, he did have something to say… didn't he?

"Uh… E-Excuse… me?" His voice was meek.

"What is it?" Laza's voice seemed calm, but at the same time a little irritated. She didn't look at Tetak, but instead moved on to the next tree, swinging away as if Tetak were a pest.

"I-I don't r-really think th-that a r-raft would… err-uh, th-that is to-to say it sounds like the i-dea is uh… i-it sounds-"

Laza had reached her limit. Listening to this matoran babble on and on was turning into torture. She hated nonsense; she always preferred to get to the point and stop wasting time. "Spit it out!" she cried as she shot an annoyed glare at Tetak.

"It sounds dumb!" Tetak shouted unfortunately as he was startled. He immediately covered his mouth with both of his trembling hands and gave Laza a very sheepish look.

"It what?!" Laza was fuming.

Tetak shyly pulled the dark, dark hood of his cloak over his eyes. He wished he could have worded himself differently. Why was it he couldn't think of the right words to say? His heartlight was running nervously and Tetak only wished he could just disappear in his cloak.

"I'm sure he didn't mean that." Came a voice that was music to Tetak's ears. "He only meant that this idea… it doesn't seem like it would work in the long-run." Nia tried her best to explain.

"And why wouldn't it work?" Laza's eyes were filled with gloom and disgust. She rested the head of her axe on the ground and leaned against it, preparing to listen to more nonsense.

"Well, if you think about it, to leave the island you'd have to go back to the beach at the edge of the island, correct? Well, wouldn't you just run into those voices again?" Nia's voice was calm and thoughtful. She had her hand on the side of her face and looked up, not directly at Laza, and seemed to be running through some ideas in her head.

"Oh come on, I'm sure this island has more than one beach. And besides, the voices can't be everywhere on the edge of the island."

"That's another thing; we don't know much about what's lurking out on this island."

"But don't you live on this island?" Laza snapped, amazed she could have to point out the obvious.

"… I'm afraid I seldom leave my village. I was just out here getting water," Nia pointed to her floating jug. "I always travel this route."

Tetak could have sworn Nia had been carrying around the pod he'd arrived in up until now… Perhaps he was imagining things. He still dared not to speak. Tension was high in the air and he had not yet calmed down completely. Perhaps he was just going insane? Perhaps he had always been insane…

"Besides," Nia continued, "I've never heard of any other continents or islands outside of Yume Island. The sea could be vast. How do you know you would survive the journey?"

Laza seemed to be mulling something over in her head. After a few moments, she huffed, picked up her axe and barked, "Take us to your village." Her arms would be crossed for the remainder of their journey to Nia's home.

Review

Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Wind, Oct 26 2011 - 11:01 AM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream XII – Home Sweet Home

Dusk was approaching as the trio arrived at the village. Nia looked and saw more or less the same thing she saw every day; the families were hard at work finishing a new house- the new addition to the village had been the main point of conversation for quite some time now, the light of the sun was hitting the surrounding trees; the leaves burning brightly like fire in the distance, etc. It was just like any other day aside from one, or rather, two alterations.

Tetak was nervous. Well, that was something he had grown accustomed to today, but this wasn’t his usual nervousness. Awkward- that was the proper word- he felt awkward walking into the village. Then again, anyone would feel awkward with everyone shooting strange glances in their direction. There were at least two dozen sets of eyes glued to the two matoran and Nia as they walked. Tetak pulled his hood up further, feeling the need to do something, and moved closer to Nia. Trying to find something else to focus on, he watched a villager light a glass lamp with a black metal flame. She extended her arm out and light exploded from the middle of the lamp in a small but brilliant explosion of many colors; greens, blues and pinks. What remained was a strange floating yellow orb that illuminated the door to a small single story house. There was something enchanting about watching this. Tetak wasn’t quite sure what element was used; perhaps plasma?

Laza felt intimidated. Villagers were whispering and pointing in their direction. On top of that, Tetak made himself look guilty of murder with the way he was acting. She looked back into the crowd, however, and matched their gazes with a stern face. She almost wanted to laugh. The instant she made eye contact with anyone, they would immediately retreat. She decided to make this a game. The last one making eye contact wins.

“My house is this way,” Nia turned and smiled to her companions, feeling a bit guilty from the way her village was acting. She led them down a dirt road, took a right and then stopped near the edge of the forest. Nia’s house was small and looked weathered by time. The roof was light and made from wood while the rest was made from light grey stones.

Tetak sheepishly took a step inside.

“Thank you,” he whispered; a habit of his. The inside looked surprisingly roomy compared to the outside. The house was only one layer and despite how roomy it felt in comparison, it was still small. Laza wore a victorious smile on her face when she walked in, Tetak noticed.

“I know it isn’t much, but you two are welcome to stay here and rest. I’m sure you’re both tired after today.” Nia’s voice sounded fatigued as well.

“I thought we were going to meet this turaga?” Laza questioned.

Nia was puzzled for a split second before she realized what Laza meant.

“You mean the village elder? It is late now and I’m sure you two would like some rest. You can also use this time to sort out your thoughts. I’m sure all of this is still really strange to you, so I’m sure it would be a good idea to rest and clear your heads a bit.” Nia sounded concerned and sincere.

Laza didn’t like Nia’s tone. She knew she sounded sincere, but something felt a bit off… She couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was. Nia sounded very logical and organized. It was almost as if she had this all planned out for them and it didn’t matter what Laza had to say. A surge of sharp doubt chilled its way through Laza’s spine.

Nia was busy pulling out a few makeshift beds from crates and things within the house.

“I’m sorry I don’t have much, but it should do for tonight at least.”

“And just who said I was tired?” Laza muttered with a low rumble.

There was a brief moment of stillness in the room. Tetak wasn’t sure what Nia was thinking, but her silence scared him a bit. It was like the calm before a storm.

“I-I think Nia has a… a point.” Tetak managed to say, “A-After all… I have a few um… points I’d like to… to think over tonight…” his voice was atrocious with lies.

“… … … Fine…” Laza was still mumbling. She grabbed a blanket of one of the beds and crawled in. “Good night!”

Tetak turned to Nia, “Thank you… for allowing us to-to stay.”

Nia gave Tetak a small grin and gingerly proceeded to her own room.

She closed the door behind her and Tetak got into his bed. He lay there for what seemed hours not able to go to sleep. He was too nervous and high strung. Thoughts of the elder ran through his head as well as everything that happened to him today. He looked over at Laza for a moment. She was still gloomily lying down, her back turned to him. As much as he hated to admit it, Tetak was actually glad she was around. He turned back, facing the wall opposite of Laza.

Maybe it’s because I’d go crazy if I were here alone in this bizarre world.

“Hey!” a familiar voice shook Tetak’s nerves so much that his body sat up with a jolt. A hand quickly covered his mouth to stifle his screams.

“Stop it!” Tetak regained his composure. Slowly, he looked up into Laza’s eyes; her terrible, ghastly eyes.

“Let’s talk” she released her grip over his mouth.

Review

Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Gales, Jan 03 2012 - 06:35 PM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream XIII – Crazy

“Where do you think we are?”

The question was simple, logical and straight to the point. The answer, however, was none of the above.

“…” After a few moments of silence, Laza decided she had waited long enough.

“I see… I guess you haven’t figured out any more than I have…”

If there was anything Tetak was comfortable with, it was logic. How did they get here? How did Tetak end up in that pod after he was attacked? What were those voices, and how would he and Laza ever get home? Yume Island was void of logic. It was no wonder he’d been acting so frantic.

“L-Let’s think back from the beginning…” Tetak looked down at his blanket as he spoke, his eyes illuminating the cloth in a dim blue glow.

“… We were in that cart together when the lights started to go out.” Laza said flatly.
Tetak gave a small nod.

“W-We jumped outside… A-and I s-saw-“ Tetak jolted as he thought. He closed his eyes. Something flashed in his brain, as if two electric wires a mere two centimeters apart shared a small illuminating spark. A dull chuckle echoed in his head and the imagery that followed was… a strange silhouette of… spikes with a sickly green glow surrounding them. For some reason, Tetak was reminded of a creature deep in sleep… but why was he thinking about that?

Tetak opened his eyes and he thought he saw the same green glow outside of his mind. He shook his head and everything was covered in a very dull purple glow as before. Tetak dismissed the thought.

“You saw…?” Laza’s eyes matched her voice: impatient.

“… I-I don’t remember… I just k-know it was… something…” Tetak’s voice trailed off into a mumble. Then he remembered he was in the middle of a conversation. “Ah, um… What do you… remember?”

“I remember more or less the same thing… I don’t recall much after we jumped…”

There was a pause for a moment. Outside a soft wind whistled in the night.

“I just don’t get it…” Laza looked down at her feet as she hugged her legs to her torso, “How did we get here? What is this place?” Her tone was annoyed, but she seemed calmer than usual. She looked off to the side and seemed to trail off in thought.
“I-It’s not that bad-“ Tetak’s train of thought was cut off by a glare.

“’Not that bad?’ When I got here I was attacked by stone. It was like the island itself wanted me dead. How can you live on an island that wants to kill you?”

…But we found Nia, he shot a small glance to the door that led to Nia’s room. We’re lucky to have run into someone willing to help… right?

Tetak remembered his encounter when he first woke up here. Stone ropes, water whips, tidal waves… Who knows, maybe the mountains will start eating us alive?

That was when he remembered, “Did…” Laza gave an inquisitive look in his direction, “Did you… uh… ever hear… about the elements… attacking anyone before?”

Laza continued her gaze and seemed to calm down a little. “No, I can’t say I have… Although… Do you think those voices belonged to toa?”

Tetak was a little surprised at that idea. After all, the toa were meant to protect matoran, not attack them. And besides, those voices didn’t sound like they belonged to heroes.

“… What do you mean?”

“Well, what else could have done that?”

Silence greeted the room and sat a spell.

“Tetak,” Laza seemed almost hesitant to speak. To say this made Tetak a little nervous was an understatement, “I don’t like this.”

“W-What…. Do you, um….”
“I’m talking about Nia… I don’t think we should be here…”

Nia? … Wh-What? Tetak started to shake, “Wh-What do you mean?”

“Think about it,” Laza looked Tetak right in his eyes, “We both suddenly bump into her after we escaped from the beach, and all of a sudden she insists we stay for the night and meet this ‘elder.’ … And besides, you didn’t escape the voices according to what you told me earlier.”

It was true. As Tetak remembered, he was swallowed by the water. A sense of fear crawled up Tetak’s spine and made him shiver. Could this really be a trap?

“When we got here, she automatically wanted us to rest… I’m not even convinced the elder exists… Tetak, I think we should leave while we still c-“ Laza stopped as Tetak’s entire body started to violently quake. He looked almost as if he were going to cry; how pathetic.

It can’t be… That’s… That’s c-crazy, r-right?

“C…” Tetak’s voice was low at first, “Crazy… it… it’s crazy to think… that… It’s crazy to think that!” Tetak didn’t know what had come over him. His heart light was on fire, his face felt flushed and the words just seemed to flow without his control. Tetak’s breathing was heavy and his head felt light. He felt afraid of going out into this strange world. What would become of them? Nia knew this island… Nia could help them… Tetak thought back to when she first extended her hand and how he’d accepted it with his own.

The ko-matoran pulled his blanket over his head as he positioned himself for sleep. He didn’t want to talk anymore. No, he felt he couldn’t talk anymore. Tetak would wait for the dark clouds of sleep to take his consciousness and lead him into tomorrow.

Review

Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Gales, Feb 12 2012 - 10:59 PM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream – XIV – Tempest

Laza was careful not to make a sound as she prepared to leave. Lucky for her, the wind was starting to howl, and that proved to cover the grinding gears in her chest quite well. She slowly reached for her axe she had set along one of the bed posts and she slid it across her back. It fit snugly on her figure.

Laza looked over towards Tetak. He still seemed tense, even when asleep… well, if he even was asleep. She wondered for a brief moment if she should wake him up. As she stepped forward, the floor creaked under her sudden movement. Laza froze quickly, and waited to see if Tetak took notice. Sure enough, he was still covered by his blanket.

Two steps to the wooden door. The handle was simple, wooden and held together with rope. Now that Laza thought about it, the village didn’t seem very advanced in its technology. Back home Laza remembered elevators, apartments and narrow hallways. It was always cramped, small and over-crowded. Laza hated that. Other people had always just gotten in the way. Laza had always taken notice of politics. She despised politics. Whenever something new happened; a new robot that could assist with work replacing the matoran or a few disappearances at night, the matoran would always make a huge wave while Laza drowned. Even so, the robots merely assisted and the disappearances remained shrouded in mystery. Laza needed to do things on her own, get past all of the traffic to get to work, work apart from pointless debates to get things done and see the truth for herself. That was the way her personality worked and that was the way she liked to live her life.

Laza chuckled silently to herself. I suppose I’ve gone missing as well.

Slowly, the door creaked open as Laza nudged. It started to rain outside. The water felt good as it seeped through her ruru. Laza loved the rain; perhaps it was because storms were born from water. As she stepped outside, she could feel Nia and Tetak being washed from her future. The pitter patter of water sang playfully from the rooftops of the village. Laza closed the door behind her gently as she wished she had stolen Tetak’s cloak; she would now need to sneak out of the village unseen. It was better to vanish without a trace.

***

Tetak didn’t know how much time had passed. Minutes? Hours? Perhaps morning had already arrived? At any rate, he could not fall asleep. The more and more he lay in his bed, the heavier his heart felt. This was guilt, and it was a terrible habit of the ko-matoran.

His blanket was pulled over his Iden. Tetak decided to turn, yet again, to try to find a comfortable position. Something caught on his neck, and he realized that he had not taken off his cloak. That was fine with him, though, he’d be just as uncomfortable even if he’d remembered to take it off.

Perhaps… I should… apologize…? He’d been debating this for quite some time. The thought would pop into his head, and then he would dismiss it and hide under a small excuse.

Oh, she was out of line anyway, or she just wouldn’t understand… you saw how brutal she’s been, right?

Tetak had never realized that he talked to himself in his mind when he was alone. Perhaps it was his way of making up for his lack of social interaction?

Finally, the ko-matoran managed to build up a head of either courage or stupidity, and decided to sit himself up. He looked across the room towards Laza’s bed. It was too dark to make much out, but he figured her heart-light would be covered by her blanket.

“L-… erm… L-La…za?” He squeaked very meekly. Try as he might, his voice would not allow itself anything outside of a small stutter.

Tetak carefully got out of his bed and walked over. Perhaps Laza was asleep?

Lightning struck and Tetak jumped in fright. The combination of thunder and the image of an empty bed nearly gave him a heart attack.

“L-Laza?!” In a panic, Tetak looked around, eyes darting across the room, when his senses led him to open the door. The village was quiet, dark and empty.

He knew he’d have to go look for Laza. Tetak couldn’t stop shaking. In his mind, all he could feel was irrational fear and a strong need to find her. He knew he couldn’t do it alone.

Tetak opened the door to Nia’s room.

“Nia-“ Tetak called, but stopped.

“No!” The cry pierced Tetak’s heart and sent chills up his spine.

Nia was alone in her room. One hand grasping her forehead, the other digging into her wall, leaving marks as she slid closer to the floor. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were pure darkness. Tetak had never seen anything like this before, and he hoped he would never see a glatorian gone mad ever again.

***

Laza looked back at the village in the distance. Dark clouds were covering the sky; she rather liked the sight. Not to say it made her excited or that she even smiled. Laza just thought the dark clouds looked beautiful. A storm was brewing.

Review

Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Gales, Feb 19 2012 - 12:14 PM.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Dare to Dream XV – Dreams of Reality

Laza was on her way to work. The sun was already setting, but that was normal. Laza had gotten used to seeing in the dark. To a le-matoran, the fact Laza wore a ruru might seem comical in that respect. Yes, a le-matoran would probably be skipping along merrily and laughing without a care in the world. A le-matoran might think of the stars and how pretty the city was at night, noticing all of the wonder and beauty of the world. Laza was not a le-matoran.

The mountain was cold. Snow was littered all over the peak, and Laza continued up a frosted path that led to a dent in the mountainside. There a building was embedded into the rock and snow. Laza looked to her left and saw the steep decline. At the bottom of the mountain lights could be seen as their glow was reflected in the running waters of a river. It looked warm; it looked pleasant and she was sure she could hear just the slightest bit of laughter. However, Laza’s heart remained as cold as the snowy path she took; it made no difference to her as her eyes drifted back to the building that was now not far away. A harsh breeze pushed Laza from behind, as if forcing her to go to the place she loved least in the entire city.

Nobody welcomed Laza as she entered the building. She didn’t expect anyone to, though. A draft of air could be heard somewhere in the building as well as a few creaks as she climbed a staircase to the second floor. She was meeting a ko-matoran scholar. Laza could have sworn he never slept, and she knew he certainly wasn’t accustomed to visitors. She knocked on his door.

“What is it?” an icy voice shot from the other side of the door.

“I’m here.” Laza blurted out, a sigh nearly escaping her breathe. She didn’t bother identifying herself; this scholar preferred to be undisturbed.

“What do you have for me?” The voice came irritated in tone and rough around the edges. It didn’t bother Laza, however. She became used to his tone over time.

“I have the latest report from my village regarding the last set of blueprints you sent.” Laza’s voice was monotone as she entered the room piled high with stacks of books and paper, “Project Fi’s design seemed to have a problem with-“

“With the power source, yes I know already! I’ve sent a messenger earlier today, no need for that report! Have you got anything else for me?”

“No, but I still-“

“Then your presence is no longer needed!” The ko-matoran pointed to the door.

Laza sighed, “I still need your design for project-“

“Those blueprints are not ready yet, come back later!” The ko-matoran throughout the entire conversation had not looked up from his desk, where he scribbled and scrawled away. At one point he had crumbled the paper he was writing on in frustration and thrown it away.

Laza was exasperated, “Not those ones. Your redesign for project Sigma that were due-“

“On the table next to the door,” The ko-matoran continued to scribble without losing a beat.

Laza hated his attitude. She had wanted time and time again to scream at him, to make a stand and put her foot down. Her boss, however, had set her aside and given her orders not to. She had been warned by the turaga that the ko-matoran could be very temperamental to work with, and that they could easily refuse to work with the other village. After all, they were trying advanced experiments with energized protodermis and investigating its use as a power source. Projects such as project Fi had all ended in failure thus far, and the ko-matoran had been pressured to make advancements by the turaga.

And they don’t appear to be taking that well at all. Laza had constantly noted. His attitude never changed. The projects always failed. Laza never carried a successful conversation with this co-worker and she never would. It was monotony, and Laza hated every second of it deep down.

Laza grabbed the blueprints next to her and took her leave with a noiseless trudge. Down the empty stairwell and out the door, past the dent in the mountain along the icy path, she bumped into a sky trolley that served as a connection between the two matoran companies.

Huh? Here already? Laza didn’t pay the thought much mind and boarded a car. Above her were the stars that sparkled like diamonds, below her the city lights flickered with a charming glow. Laza didn’t see either of those, however. Her eyes were glued to the cold, dark floor of her car as it took her to another place she hated to be.

The day went by slowly. There was gossip about a sick worker being abducted by Mata Nui in her sleep. Another popular theory was that punishment was being dealt by the Great Beings themselves. Laza knew it was all rubbish. She’d seen that same worker a few days back injure herself. She was probably just at home resting. What was her name? Halla? Nevertheless it seemed trivial and pointless. She took a look at the blueprints that were given to her.

Gibberish.

The blueprints were absolute gibberish! Anger at the ko-matoran flooded through her. She took another look and it was then that she noticed something impossible. The lines were moving to make even more nonsense. Crosses were uncrossing and dots were stretching into curves and edges in a dance of disharmony.

“Ah, those are the blueprints, right?” Laza’s boss took the paper from her hands and read it over. “Good good, it looks like we might actually make some progress this time!” She smiled.

Laza was at a loss for words. She shook her head and tried to organize her thoughts, “Don’t… Don’t you see anything wrong with those prints?” She felt sheepish- a thing she was unused to. She didn’t like it.

Her boss looked over the design for project Sigma a second time.

“Nope, looks fine to me so long as we learn something this time around.” She looked up at Laza, “Huh? Something wrong?”

“… No, I’m… fine…”

“… Did you get enough sleep last night?”

Sleep. For some reason, Laza couldn’t remember if she had gone to bed or not last night. That was odd, why couldn’t she remember?

“… I’m fine…”

Her boss decided to continue with her work as did Laza. It wasn’t long before Laza realized that everything she tried to read turned up the same way the blueprints did. Everything was gibberish. Eventually, Laza was sent home. She found herself at a cart heading down the mountain; she wasn’t sure why as she was already in her home city.

I’ve been following you. The voice sounded small and innocent, but it still made Laza tense.

“Who are you?” The cart was empty, but even if it were not, Laza would have no qualms of speaking out.

You’re a curious sort. Events like today happen often don’t they? Each day is more or less the same, never changing.

“Who are you?” Laza snapped again.

You’ve given up those early dreams of adventure and wishes of exploring, haven’t you? You’ve gone numb of all hope so you wouldn’t feel pain or sorrow.

“Answer me!” her voice raised high.

Tell me, do you feel happy?

“I’m asking the questions here!” Laza was nearing her breaking point.

You can still have adventure. You can still explore.

“Show yourself!”

Laza found herself back on Yume Island. It was bright out and the flora was flourishing as it swayed in the breeze. Trees with giant leaves rustled and tall patches of grass danced about. Even the dirt road seemed bright and chipper.

I’ll meet you again. The voice was gone.

Adventure? Exploring? Happiness? Perhaps a le-matoran might like the idea. Yes, a le-matoran would sing a jaunty tune and wave to the trees and the grass and the road. A le-matoran would continue down the path set before him without a question or a care in the world. Laza was not a le-matoran.

Review

Edited by Tekulo: Toa of Gales, Mar 29 2012 - 11:38 PM.