To Live and Feel

This is perhaps one of the strangest ideas I ever had, it's a slight crossover between perhaps the 2 most weird universes to cross. Bionicle and Lord of the Rings. They have naught in common and that's not really needed. It's focussed in Middle Earth, with the Ignika, Mask of Life, creating a human body for itself to learn what it means to live and feel. Some things that you'd perhaps would liek to know: the Ignika is a Mask and object, correct, but is has a limited form of conscience. It is the Mask of 'Life' but it cannot ressurect the dead (techniclaly it can, but one has to die using it to ressurect one of the dead, but this will not happen here). The Ignika will not become an object Sauron desires to have (none in Middle Earth can use the mask anyway), it will not join the fellowship. At most it will meet some of the fellowshop characters briefly in a chapter or so. This is the story of an object that desires to feel and live. This is Middle Earth seen through the 'eyes' of that object. Like it or hate it, your choice, but no flames. Disliking can be said without flaming. Thanks.

1. Birth

In the depths of the lake, something stirred. It was barely a flicker of energy, so minute that the creatures of the water took no notice. But if any of them had possessed senses acute enough, they might have detected the merest hint of…consciousness? Confusion? Or fear?

No, not fear. More like curiosity. Reaching out with a tendril of its power, it examined its surroundings. Water. Mud. Plantlife. Strange organic creatures it had never seen or met before in its long existence. And still so much more above the waters, the shear amount of new things boggled its conscience.

What should it do? It did not know. The Mask of Life, the Kanohi Ignika, for the first time in its long existence, did not know for sure what to do. It had been created long ago, to sustain a universe until that universe was strong enough so it no longer needed the Mask. It had been used by a living creature to bring Life and order to the universe, and then it had been discarded. No, not discarded, more like placed somewhere to rest. The Ignika was a powerful object, coveted by many and feared by almost all in the universe it came from. To prevent abuse, the creators of the Mask had placed it in a different dimension all together, a dimension where none of the universe the Mask had helped to create could ever reach it. There, in that new dimension, on the bottom of a pure lake, the Mask would be allowed to rest forever.

That had been so long ago and the Mask had remained on the bottom of the lake ever since, never wondering, never thinking, just resting. Yes, the Mask could think. It was more than just a simple object or Mask. It was the Mask of Life, an object so powerful it had to have conscience so it would be able to protect itself, to prevent itself from falling in the wrong hands. In the universe it had come from, the Mask had created guardians, mostly creatures it evolved with its powers, to protect itself. But here, the Mask had felt no need for that. It could not sense any evil beings desiring to claim it for themselves. The Mask had decided its purpose had been served and time to rest had come. It would never leave this lake.

At least, that's what the mask had believed. But something had disturbed that thought, not too long ago. The Mask remembered what it had been to be worn and used by a living being. The price for using the Mask of Life was death, and the bearer of the Mask had been afraid to die. Not so long ago, a creature had fallen into the lake and had sunken to the bottom of the deep, pure waters. Its sudden presence had disturbed the Mask's slumber and intrigued, it had examined the creature and its mind. But as soon as the Mind of the creature had made contact with the limited conscience of the Mask, the Mask had broken the contact. The sheer amount of panic and fear of death had alarmed the Ignika, even gone as far as frightened it.

The Ignika had understood that this creature did not belong underwater, that it was dying even. Drowning. The creature was afraid and did not want to die. The Mask of Life did not enjoy seeing living beings die, not in an unnatural way at least. After all, it viewed Life as the greatest of gifts that had to be enjoyed until one's Life reached the natural point of ending. But this dying creature was far from the point of natural death. The Mask of Life did not like that. With its power, it had changed the creature into something that could survive in this watery environment. The Mask of Life had no idea what the creature had been (a human, it would later learn) nor what it had changed it into, but it saw the creature was now safe and no longer dying. The newly transformed living being could breath water and survive in this lake. Its life was saved and the Ignika was satisfied.

Now that the creature's mind was no longer full of panic, the Mask touched its mind again. The creature would never remember its life before the Mask had transformed it, but the memories of that life still laid dormant inside the being's mind. And what the Ignika saw in those memories, struck it with awe. The world above these waters was amazing and vastly different than the world the Mask had been created in. Everything around the Mask and in this world was organic, as opposed to the biomechanical life in the universe the Mask had come from. But there was more. Not just the world or life. No, what truly amazed the Mask was the feelings and emotions it had detected in the being's mind. The bonds it had with others of its kind, the feelings, the emotions. The happiness when being with family, the fun it had with friends while playing in the sun or in the forests of this world. And so much more.

Friends… Family… Those were alien concepts to the Mask. It was, after all, an object. Even with its limited the conscience, those things, those emotions, it had never experienced. But seeing all that in the beings mind had awakened something deep within the Mask. Like, a great desire to know more and experience more. The being that had wore and used the Mask long ago had been afraid to die, despite trying to be brave. The Mask had not seen or learned any emotions or feelings within him, aside from fear. But this creature's mind had been full of all kinds of feelings. Feelings the Mask had never thought they existed. Ever since reading the creature's mind, the Mask had been unable to rest, curiosity and wondering rendering it unable to rest as it had always done for so long.

What would it have been like to be that creature, or any of its kind? The Mask wondered. To have lived – to face death – to have others care for you for who you are instead of what you can do, as this one has been for so long…What would it feel like to have friends, family, to be trusted and liked instead of needed and feared? For that matter…What would it feel like just to feel?

Particles and stray molecules were drawn to one spot, called by the Mask. It had made up its mind. The Mask used its Will to give the molecules form and function, out of the mass it crafted torso and limbs, hands and feet. The Mask attached itself to the skull of the growing body and drew more molecules towards itself to cover the Mask itself. From the memories it had seen, the Mask knew no living being in this World wore Masks like in the universe the Mask had been created in. If the Mask made a body for itself that wore the Mask on its 'face', it would never be trusted. The Mask used the Molecules to cover itself, attaching them to its surface. Doing its very best, the Mask created a face for its body that at the same time hid the golden surface of the Mask completely under 'skin'.

The new body sat up unsteadily and 'inhaled' through the pointed thing on its 'face' – its nose, the Mask supposed – and immediately felt something was not right. The body inhaled a deep breath of water, a substance this body could not breath. The Mask realized its error. It had based its body upon that of the creature it had saved, and that creature had not been able to breath water. The Mask had simply forgotten this fact when making the body, because it had never needed to breath. Still, it did not intend to remain here, underwater, so it was best not to modify the body. Rather, it had to escape the waters. The Mask did not have the experience with its new body to know how to swim. It noticed a waterplant growing on the bottom of the lake nearby. Hesitatingly, still getting used to the sensation of moving independently, the new being – Ignika it would call itself, for that was its name – moved to the plant. Standing on one of its leaves, Ignika used its powers of Life to speed up the plant's growing process, but evolved it as well, making the plant grow more rapidly, but grow to gigantic size as well. Ignika kept its balance on the leaves while the plant shot upwards through the waters, until it surfaced, drifting on the waters like a giant lily.

Ignika's 'eyes' widened when it took in its first sights of the world above the waters. Slowly, the new being inhaled its first breath of air, for the first time also smelling the different smells in the air. It saw the blue sky above it, the sun beaming down on the body, all kinds of sounds filling the air. Ignika was fascinated by this strange, organic world, so fascinated that it was unable to move or act for a long time.

Finally, after taking in its surroundings, Ignika decided it was time to leave the lake and set a foot on land. Calling upon its powers once more, the new being grew more giant lilies to form a path from the middle of the lake to its shores. Ignika walked over the plants until it set a foot on dry land for the first time. The new being was fascinated by how moving on its own felt, how breathing, tasting, smelling, how it all felt. It was amazing and overwhelming at the same time. The Mask knew it would take a while to get used to it all, but it was not afraid, no… It felt… Ignika searched the memories of the creature once more until it found the feeling it was looking for. Yes, excited, that's how it felt. Ignika pondered how to best react upon feeling amazed, overwhelmed and excited. Maybe it was best to not act at all?

Ignika tensed slightly. It sensed Life nearby. Of course there was life everywhere around the body, but this Life felt very familiar. It felt like the creature it had saved in the lake. Ignika decided that's where it would go. It wanted to have friends and family. Eager and excited, Ignika began to walk in the direction of the presence to go and greet its new… friends? Perhaps, it hoped. Perhaps indeed.

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End of Chapter 1. Next chapter Ignika will come into contact with intelligent living beings and it will decide a gender for itself.