The Legend Continues -- The First and the Last

[RWallace]

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting a story here.  It's for "The Legend Continues" contest.

 

The beginning of my story takes place during the "Quest for Unity" episode of the Netflix series and then there's a time jump that takes place after the series ends.  It should be obvious where that is.

 

Please let me know what you think.

 

---

 

Gali followed Lewa through the jungle, the words of Ekimu running through her head.  You know so little of your powers…

 

Lewa turned around and put his hand on her shoulder.  “What’s the matter, sister?  Your eyes look dark-serious.”

 

“It’s nothing,” Gali replied with a false smile, not wanting to trouble him with her worries.  But Lewa gave her a blank look and waited for her to continue.  “It’s just--I thought Ekimu would give us more answers after we revived him.  Why hasn’t he told us more about our destiny?”

 

Lewa shrugged.  “He told us what we need to know.  He can give us guidance, but our destinies are our own.”

 

“That’s true,” Gali agreed.  “And speaking of destiny, it is here that we must part ways.  I have an elemental creature I’m destined to find, as do you.  Safe journey, brother.”

 

***

 

Gali swam through the depths, past rocks and seaweed, searching for the elemental creature she had seen in her vision.

 

Not here.  I need to swim farther out.

 

Then a sound, like a whisper, passed through her ears as if it were carried there by the water itself.  “This has all happened before...”

 

Gali paused and circled about herself for the source of the words, but there wasn’t a soul in sight.

 

“Who’s there?” she called out, uncertain.

 

No response.

 

Gali cautiously glided forward, resuming her search for the elemental creature.  But then the whisper came again.  “This has all happened before...and it will happen again.”

 

She couldn’t place the voice, nor who it belonged to, but there was something familiar about it.  A cold chill rolled down her spine.  She inched forward, keeping her guard up.

 

Then the words came at her again, but this time in many voices and from every direction.  The overlapping voices swirled around her like a cyclone, repeating the same words time and again.

 

Have I gone mad?

 

The whispers were unrelenting, getting louder and louder…

 

Gali covered her ears and cried out in frustration.  “Leave me alone!”

 

At once the voices ceased, leaving her to her own thoughts.  What did the words mean?  And who did the voice belong to?

 

Something about these questions stirred an image inside her--of a world filled with blue light.  She tried to hang onto the image, but the more she focused on it, the harder it was to visualize.

 

It felt like a memory...but retrieving it was like trying to carry water in a bucket full of holes.  The more time passed, the less of it there was.

 

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so eager to wish the words away, thought Gali.

 

But with no other recourse, she turned back to the quest at hand: finding the creature she would soon come to know as Akida.

 

***

 

“Born of the elements, the Toa returned to the stars where all life began...”

 

Gali awoke and rubbed her eyes.  She was on a shore of fluffy sand.  An entire ocean lie before her, a bright and vibrant shade of blue.

 

Where am I?

 

The last thing she remembered were bursts of light, shooting from every Toa toward Makuta.

 

We did it, Gali thought.  We fulfilled our destiny and defeated Makuta.  So why am I on a beach?

 

The ocean’s tide brought a wave of warm water that washed over her feet.  She looked across the shore and saw a great creature in the distance.  It had four legs, a tail, and three great horns that protruded from its head.  It reared back on its hind legs and gave a roar.

 

And then she understood.

 

“This is my home among the stars,” Gali said aloud.  She recalled the land and each of the creatures that dwelled here.  But I miss my brothers.

 

“They miss you too,” came a voice.

 

Gali turned around and saw a tall being holding a wooden staff.  His body looked to be made of pure white, except for the golden mask covering his face, but there was a rainbow shimmer that enveloped his skin each time he moved.

 

“I recognize your voice!” Gali exclaimed.  “‘This has all happened before...’”

 

“...and it will happen again,” the being finished with a chuckle.  “I’m impressed.  It’s been over a thousand years since a Toa has remembered my words.  I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.  We’ve had so many conversations, my words were bound to sink into your skull at some point.”

 

Gali paused.  “We’ve spoken before?  Why don’t I remember you?”

 

“Time is different here, amongst the stars,” the being said, straightening his shimmering mask.  “But you’ve traveled to a land that exists within the confines of time.  And when that happens your memories tend to get...obscured.”

 

“I see,” Gali said, not sure that she understood what he meant.  “The golden mask you’re wearing...I recognize it too.”

 

“Indeed,” the being said.  “You’ve seen this mask many times.  And it has many names, but the one that I prefer is Vahi.”

 

“The mask of time,” Gali murmured.  “I wish my brothers were here to see it themselves.  I wish I was united with them once more.”

 

“You are united, but not one.”

 

“How can I be united with my brothers when I’m so far from them?” Gali asked.

 

“You are united with them through me.  I am with each of them, just as I am with you.”

 

“How can you be in more than one place at once?”

 

“As I said, time is different here,” the being said.  “And the mask allows me to have control over it.”

 

Gali gave a frown and asked the question that should have come before all the others.  “Who are you?”

 

The being’s eyes narrowed, and he let out a soft chuckle.  “You Toa used to call me Ioloch, but in truth I have no name to call my own.  I am caretaker of your stars--and the one who guides you to lands in peril--nothing more.”

 

“Lands in peril?”

 

“Yes.  You had a realization in Okoto: that the land pulls its elemental power from the Toa.  But Okoto is far from the only land your elements touch.  There are so many worlds in this universe and you’ve had a hand in nurturing them all.  When shadows have covered these lands, I have guided you to them, to restore them to their glory once more.”

 

This has all happened before...and it will happen again.

 

Gali felt a tremor surge through her palm.  Ioloch gave her a smile and pointed out into the ocean with his wooden staff.

 

“You feel it now,” he said.  “Good.  I feel it too.”

 

Gali stretched her hand outward.  The ocean’s surface went perfectly still.  No waves or splashes.  The water turned perfectly clear, like glass.  An entire ocean of water before her, and not a single drop was disturbed.

 

“This star, like you, was born of the element of water,” Ioloch said.  “It will obey your every command.”

 

Gali moved forward and took a step into the ocean, onto the surface of the water.  But her foot did not sink into its depth.

 

“Woah,” she said.  She had wielded the element of water before, but had never commanded it with such precision.

 

“You are the element,” Ioloch reminded her.  “Alas, our time together is coming to an end.  You and the Toa are needed elsewhere.”

 

“Where?”

 

“To a place you’ve been before, but in a time that is altogether different.  You may not remember the land, but it will feel familiar.”

 

“What of the people of Okoto?” Gali said.  A slight tremor crept into her voice.  “Will I remember them?”

 

“The ways you have learned and grown will always be with you.  Your name is a constant, as is your sense of purpose.  But no one can know for certain what you will keep and what you will not.”

 

“I see,” Gali said.  “Any last words you’d like me to try and remember?”

 

“Guide your brothers.  Help them back to unity.”

 

Gali nodded her head.  She knew what she needed to do.

 

She clapped her hands together.  Water shot out of the ocean and spun around her, couching her body within a sphere.

 

Ioloch raised his staff in the air and gave her a knowing smile.  “May we meet again.”

 

When he brought his staff to the ground Gali shot upward, encased in her sphere.

 

She traveled through space with such speed!

 

The further she got from her star, the hazier the images that filled her mind became.  Even now she felt memories slipping from her mind.

 

Within moments, the face of Ioloch eluded her grasp...

 

...there were only five faces, apart from her own, that stayed with her.  But these faces she held tight in her memory.

 

I’m coming brothers, Gali thought.  We’ll unite, as is our duty, and fulfill our destiny.  We will be together again.

Edited May 27, 2017 by RWallace

[Wiriamu]

For your first story, it's an excellent one. Short and sweet, but profound all at the same time. I love your interpretation of the whole "timeless heroes" concept-great work, and it leaves me wanting to know more. You could definitely see this linking G2 to G1 somehow, though the exact process might be a bit tricky. Well done.

[RWallace]

For your first story, it's an excellent one. Short and sweet, but profound all at the same time. I love your interpretation of the whole "timeless heroes" concept-great work, and it leaves me wanting to know more. You could definitely see this linking G2 to G1 somehow, though the exact process might be a bit tricky. Well done.

 

Thank you for the feedback!  My first draft was quite a bit longer.  It had an explicit link between the two generations, and also got into some of the mystery surrounding the Temple of Time, but ultimately I liked the idea of giving people bread crumbs and then letting them use their imagination to fill in the rest.

 

By the way, I've read stories of yours before -- I'm a longtime BZPower lurker -- so the compliments mean a lot.  I appreciate it.

[Wiriamu]

 

For your first story, it's an excellent one. Short and sweet, but profound all at the same time. I love your interpretation of the whole "timeless heroes" concept-great work, and it leaves me wanting to know more. You could definitely see this linking G2 to G1 somehow, though the exact process might be a bit tricky. Well done.

 

Thank you for the feedback!  My first draft was quite a bit longer.  It had an explicit link between the two generations, and also got into some of the mystery surrounding the Temple of Time, but ultimately I liked the idea of giving people bread crumbs and then letting them use their imagination to fill in the rest.

 

By the way, I've read stories of yours before -- I'm a longtime BZPower lurker -- so the compliments mean a lot.  I appreciate it.

 

You're too kind.

[Constraction_Deva]

Love how you were able to put so much material into a short story. I like the idea of having the Toa's homeworld act as a hub for their future quests and can definitely see this tying into G1.

[RWallace]

Love how you were able to put so much material into a short story. I like the idea of having the Toa's homeworld act as a hub for their future quests and can definitely see this tying into G1.

 

Thanks for the compliment.  My first draft of this story was over 6,000 words long (I cut it down to about 1,500 before posting it), so I tried to make the most of every word I used.

 

 

By the way, I hope everyone who reads my story feels comfortable giving me their reaction.  I'd like to hear from as many people as I can, regardless of whether they liked it or not.  If anyone has criticism that they don't feel like posting, but would still like to share, I do check my messages.

[Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva)]

I don't really see the G1 connection, seeing as we already have definite origins and histories for the Toa Mata.  But I do like the concept of the Masters going to other worlds to help them out, and Okoto being just one stop during their eternal vigil.

[RWallace]

I don't really see the G1 connection, seeing as we already have definite origins and histories for the Toa Mata.  But I do like the concept of the Masters going to other worlds to help them out, and Okoto being just one stop during their eternal vigil.

 

IMO, it isn't possible for G2 to act as a prelude to G1, so I agree with your assessment. I had a different idea in mind, but I cut it because it turned into such exposition. Regardless, I'm grateful for your feedback and read.

Edited June 18, 2017 by RWallace