Jaaryn lay, moaning, on the ground. The protodermis had retreated, but he was in shock. He felt weak and hurt, like something was coursing through his veins. His mask was cracked and broken, his Fire Hacker was destroyed, and his whole body felt like it was on fire.
But that was nothing compared to the pain inside.
He'd been betrayed.
"Jaaryn!" yelled his partner. "Look out!"
Jaaryn turned to look at Aru. Toa of Water, she had the ability to change colors and mask shape, thanks to her Mask of Camouflage. His mask did something much different.
He turned to the molten protodermis and smiled. "So you want to play dirty, eh?" He triggered his mask, exploding a mountain behind him. The rubble fell, blocking the molten liquid's path. It only took a minute, however, for the protodermis to get through.
Jaaryn and Aru were completely unprepared. He watched someone swoop down and rescue Aru, but no one came for him. And in his last moments of life, he knew that he'd been betrayed.
Jaaryn painfully got to his feet. Two of his limbs pulsed green. His mask felt powerless - a quick test confirmed that. His once powerful Fire Hacker was now a useless piece of metal.
And his team had left him to die.
Once, the brave Toa defeated Makuta.
But Makuta struck back
He sent a shadow throughout the land
One that the Toa were powerless to stop
But new Toa came along
And with their help, the Matoran were saved.
So went the old tale. Jaaryn knew it front to back.
And waited for his own team of new Toa.
Jaaryn steered his boat closer to the shore of the island. Though he had once been a Toa of Fire, his powers were all but gone, and water merely a refreshing drink. Thus, he sailed with ease.
As he got closer, he could tell that he'd arrived at his destination. It was the island he'd lived on before Copan Nui. It was where he had become a Toa. It was Agra Nui.
It was his home.
Jaaryn dismounted near the north shore. The former Toa ate a ration bar and continued on. Marching through the pass, he heard a scream and looked. A Matoran was being terrorized by a brute with a sword. Jaaryn ran forward and slammed his sword into the creature's back. It screamed and crumpled.
The Matoran looked up at him in awe. "What's your name?"
It seemed like a lifetime ago since he had used his name. "Jaaryn. Toa Jaaryn."
The Matoran's face broke into a grin. "All hail Jaaryn, Hero of Agra Nui!"
Back at the stronghold, the Matoran, Zhengu, explained what had happened. "For years, Agra Nui has been under the power of a warlord named Hiolin. He terrorizes us and kills Matoran for sport. We thought...we thought we were alone."
Jaaryn felt touched by Zhengu's emotion. And he swore, right then and there, to be there for Agra Nui.
Jaaryn was going to die.
He could feel it in his bones it was his time. The swarm rushed on, and he grew dizzy, and right before Zhengu's eyes, he collapsed.
Hours later, he awoke in the resistance stronghold. Zhengu had brought him to the building after he'd defeated Hiolin, as Agra Nui's sole protector. Something didn't feel right, though...
He heard Zhengu's voice, and a voice he didn't recognize, too deep to be a Matoran's. So he's betrayed me, thought Jaaryn. I'm not above killing Matoran for revenge.
Zhengu walked into the room, followed by a Toa Jaaryn didn't recognize. Just a Toa, nothing evil. Jaaryn realized that the Toa must have been the voice he'd heard.
"Are you alright?" Zhengu was asking. "You took a pretty hard fall. I was afraid that Agra Nui would be overrun by the Makutoids, but then Matoro here showed up and chased them away. It was awesome! You should've seen him go. He blasted something yellow out of his staff, and they all just...died."
Matoro. The name rung a bell, but Jaaryn couldn't figure out why for the life of him. Then...
"IMPOSTOR!" yelled Jaaryn. "The REAL Matoro died to save the Great Spirit's life. You're nothing but a fake."
Matoro didn't seem shaken. "I did die, but my spirit has returned, as Mata Nui's has been exiled."
Jaaryn got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What do you mean?"
"The Plan has come to fulfillment.
"Teridax has taken over the universe."
The group, consisting of Jaaryn, Matoro and Zhengu, trudged up the slope. Zhengu, out scouting, had seen a threat beyond the horizon: Rahkshi. Big, mutant ones; apparently, Matoro had been right about Teridax. Now, the Toa climbed to meet their foe, with Zhengu carrying medical supplies and extra weapons.
Jaaryn's muscles cracked with every step, and his green-tinged limbs made the trek hard. But he would not give up. He had made a vow to be Agra Nui's protector, and be that protector, he would.
Gosh, I sound like Yoda, he thought, then shrugged it away, because he didn't know what a "Yoda" was.
They reached the top of the mountain to see total chaos. Many Matoran lay dead, others injured. Giant Rahkshi prowled, looking for their next victim. One of them spotted the group, and quickly attacked. Jaaryn parried the large silver creature's spear, while trying to avoid the poison blasts from a squad of normal-sized Lehrak that flanked it. Matoro just stood there, murmuring; his spear was gathering energy. Zhengu was frozen with terror. Then, without warning, the beast smashed into Jaaryn's midsection, knocking him unconscious and sending him to the far side of the mountain. Then, it unleashed a blast of pure energy, which hit Zhengu square in the chest. The Matoran fell to the ground.
Matoro glanced at is friend, lying motionless. Then, he looked in the direction Jaaryn had flown. He readied his sword and fired. Instantly, the Rahkshi dropped to the ground and the wounded were healed; Matoro noticed that Zhengu did not get up.
The funeral was short and brief. Matoro, Jaaryn, and a Matoran called Zyphex each said a few words, and then Jaaryn burned the body on a classic pyre.
But he would never forget this day.
Makuta had taken his friend. He had made the war personal.
And he would pay.
They were coming.
Makutoids, little insectoids, swarmed over Agra Nui. No one was on the surface. It seemed they had won.
Underneath the island, Jaaryn and Matoro hid with the Matoran in catacombs Makuta did not know about. One of them, a troublemaker named Ardros, frequently tried to leave and fight. Though he was skilled with a blade, Jaaryn knew that a Matoran against Makutoids would mean quick death for the Matoran. He also knew that he would have to do something.
"Matoro, get them off the island," said Jaaryn. "There are boats at the end of the tunnel."
Matoro opened his mouth to protest, but Jaaryn silenced him. "They need to be evacuated, and you're in better shape to do it. You get them out. I'm just an old cripple no one will miss when I'm gone." Then he left.
Matoro knew, with some degree of certainty, that he would never see his friend again.
Jaaryn emerged on the surface. It was covered in the little insects. As one, they turned to him. He tried to blast fire, but nothing came out. They came for him.
He didn't make a sound. He didn't even scream.