Chapter 2

"Makuta! Come on, wake up!"

Makuta jerked awake to see Ekimu shaking his shoulders. "Ek… Ekimu?" he murmured.

"Good, you're awake," Ekimu sighed in relief. "Makuta, I could hear you all the way from my room. What's wrong?"

"Er—nothing," Makuta said quickly. "A nightmare, that's all."

"Again?" Ekimu gave Makuta a confused look. "Maybe there's a reason for that. Do you know something that could contribute to this? Anything?"

Makuta thought a moment, searching for a likely answer. "Puberty?" he said pathetically.

Ekimu stared at Makuta for many seconds. Then, they both burst out laughing.

"Yes, I guess that would do it," Ekimu said, struggling to regain his composure. "But I'm pretty sure you've already reached adulthood, no?"

"No, I'm still just a little boy who will never grow up," Makuta chuckled, and both of them laughed once more. But the sentence Makuta had said began to reverberate in his mind, along with many other things he had heard. For someone with the mask of Control, he sure doesn't have much self-control… scared of the dark… pathetic… just a little boy who will never grow up…

Makuta closed his eyes, trying to rid his mind of the thoughts that were now screaming the words.

"Well, we've got lots of work to do tomorrow," Ekimu sighed. "Goodnight, Makuta."

"Goodnight, Ekimu."

As Ekimu left for his own bed, Makuta sighed. I shouldn't have lied, he thought guiltily. I should have told him about my dream… what was it about again? Sand, yes… a beach? Desert? Possible. Some strange beings I had to fight, but what were they? What were those things? Ugh, I don't care.

He sat up. I think then there were shadows, yes, and then a voice… that voice… not like any voice I've heard… I remember something it said… "You won't forget me…" But I want to forget…

Makuta looked out of his window. Twin moons shone brightly in double crescents, twinkling like stars. "I'll never be able to sleep," he muttered as he looked out. "Not after that."

With a sigh, he placed his head in his hands, eyes closed. If only I could control my dreams. Then I wouldn't have to… Wait, hold on a minute. His eyes opened. I have the mask of Control, don't I? And if I could command a wall to move, surely I can do something to that voice, can't I?

Makuta lay down in his bed, wearing his mask this time, closed his eyes, and prepared to dive once more into the mysterious realm of dreams.


The cliff rose imperiously above the sea. Blue waves glistened as they crashed against the cold rocks, which almost seemed to fall down into the deep ravine below.

The calm breeze felt soothing as it blew against his armor. Closing his eyes, he stretched out his arms to take in the wind and sea spray.

Suddenly, he heard a shuffling sound behind him. He turned around to see Ekimu. Seeing him, he heard him call his name: "Makuta! Take a look at this!"

Makuta smiled, nodded and began to run to Ekimu. But before he could meet his brother, the ground began to shake and crumble. With a loud crack the cliff began to fall away; but Makuta was still on it! Desperately he ran for stable ground and took a giant leap. He managed to grab onto a ledge with one hand. After a moment fruitlessly wasted on a glance downward, he turned back to his brother to cry out for help, but he found he couldn't find even a whisper in himself. Ekimu had turned from Makuta and was walking away.

Finally, Makuta found his voice: "Help me, Ekimu!" He saw Ekimu stop and watched him slowly walk towards him. Makuta breathed a sigh of relief. But when he met up with his brother, Ekimu smiled coldly. "B… Brother?" Makuta whispered.

Slowly, Ekimu held out a hand. "I'll help you," he said, narrowing his eyes. Makuta reached out for his hand gratefully, but Ekimu quickly pulled it back. "Did I really say I'd help you? A weakling?"

"But you—"

"You must have misheard,"Ekimu cut off. "What I really said was 'help everyone'!"

And with that, Ekimu kicked Makuta across the face, forcing him to let go of the ledge and fall, down, down, down into the murky depths of the unforgiving sea.


Makuta came to on the ocean floor. He had no idea how long he'd been out. Getting up and looking around, he found he was in some sort of sea temple. There was a stone statue a few meters ahead.

Makuta stepped closer to the statue and looked up at the statue's face. It bore a striking resemblance to a skull. He was then reminded of what he had come across in his dream: a skeleton.

The moment the thought came into his mind, he turned around to find almost a dozen skeletal creatures lurching towards him. Makuta's eyes widened. But then, he realized, they couldn't hurt him. Not if he didn't want them to.

Makuta planted his feet in the silt and allowed rage to enter into him, filling him with power. They dared to threaten him?!

He held up a hand in confidence. A slight tingling feeling told him his mask had activated. Immediately the skeletons glowed with light, and they all froze, still as stone.

Carefully, Makuta formed his hand into a fist. "Tear yourselves apart!" he commanded. Almost instantly the skeletons began fighting amongst each other. Some slashed at their new enemies with the swords they possessed; others shot at each other with their bows, eyes blank as they followed Makuta's command. Those not lucky enough to be armed resorted to kicking, punching, biting or even tearing out their own bones to weaponize them.

Makuta leaned back against the statue to watch the battle. But as he moved, his heart skipped a beat. He wasn't leaning on a statue.

"Not a wise course of action," a familiar voice said. "You know, destroying a potential army."

Makuta jumped back. "You!" he gasped.

"Yes, it's me," the figure said. He was a humanoid skeleton, with red-and-black armor. Two gunmetal-gray horns adorned his head, and in his hand was a giant staff divided at one end by three large, black hooks.

Makuta managed to push back his shock. "Okay, cut to the chase. Who are you, and why do you keep haunting my dreams?"

"Keep haunting your dreams?"The skeleton snorted. "My friend, this is only the second time I've been here. And to answer your first question, my name is Kulta."

Makuta blinked. "My father knew a Kulta once," he thought aloud.

"That he did, before he stabbed me in the chest and threw me off a cliff," Kulta replied bluntly.

"What?!"

Kulta held up both hands in dismissal. "My boy, you take things too literally. We were good friends for a long time. We were inseparable… emphasis on 'were.' See, this beautiful, talented young woman—your mother—entered the picture. Soon, it became less 'Kulta and company,' and more 'Ekuta and Makimu.' Then, after the two of them finally made it official, it felt like he'd thrown me off a cliff by abandoning the friendship we'd shared for so long. And everyone I'd known had never liked me anyway, so I decided to make my little cliff analogy literal." Kulta stretched his arm over his head in mock drama. "And so here I am, forever trapped at the bottom of the sea."

Makuta closed his eyes and shook his head. "Why?" he asked.

"Ah, that is a question I ask myself all too often," Kulta sighed. "The only good part about being dead is that I don't have to breathe anymore, which is useful when you're a hundred meters underwater. Speaking of which... how are you holding your breath this long?"

Makuta suddenly realized his lungs were screaming for air. He jumped up and started to swim upwards. He heard Kulta say something, but he couldn't distinguish any words. He could make it if he tried hard enough, right? He had to believe… But no… he couldn't hold his breath much longer… spots were appearing before his eyes… It was too late… too late…

"Too late," beamed Kulta.


"Too late… too late…" Makuta mumbled.

"I'll say it's too late," Ekimu said, shaking his brother's shoulders. "You've been sleeping in for over an hour! Come on, get up!"

Makuta woke up completely. Scowling, he pushed his brother out of the way and stood up. "I'm awake, I'm awake," he muttered.

Ekimu folded his arms. "Someone's cranky today!"

"Yeah, and he's my brother!" Makuta shot back. Then, he took a deep breath and sighed. "Sorry," he muttered. "I'm just tired. Don't take it personally."

Ekimu's expression softened slightly, but he was still frowning. "You've had another dream, haven't you?"

Makuta narrowed his eyes. "So what if I did? Sleeping is the proper time for dreaming."

Exasperated, Ekimu nonetheless suggested, "Don't forget that if they worry you, you can always tell me about them."

As if I'll ever do that, Makuta thought stubbornly. He turned back to Ekimu and put a hand to his head. "So, Ekimu—may I take a break this morning? I don't feel very well."

Ekimu smiled. "Of course, Makuta. I understand."

No, you don't, Makuta thought as Ekimu walked out. And I want it to stay that way.