Kopaka skied down an ice ramp as fast as he created it, changing its direction at will. Under his armored boots, his double-sided ice blade had been split to resemble attachable snow skis, maximizing his travel speed. He did not want to be the one to hold up the Toa's scheduled meeting. When he left Tahu, it was under the assumption that Gali and Lewa would move him to keep on schedule. Right now, the most important thing was to stick to the last made plan. For that reason, he had left early.

This was the place we were to meet. But I see no one, he observed, jumping off the ice slide and retrieving his blade. Perhaps Onua and Pohatu really did perish…perhaps Tahu is really gone as well… What, then, is the key to beating these foes? Wairuha Nuva? Some other Kanohi? He looked at the situation from more than a few angles. Only one answer seemed promising: The Seventh Toa? Nokama did say it was to be a Toa of Light, and the Rahkshi were creatures of shadow…

But where is he? Kopaka wondered. Surely wherever he is hiding, he has seen or heard the destruction caused by the sons of Makuta. If he has not already joined our cause, how pure can his heart be? Kopaka paused, letting his thoughts roam. Another mystery, on an island that seems filled with them. Perhaps this 'Toa of Light' will bring answers with him when he arrives…

In an effort to help the Matoran celebrate the coming of the Seventh Toa, he had kept his views on the matter primarily to himself. His opinion might change once he had new information to logically do so, but right now, he just saw this newcomer as one more Toa on the team. That was something he felt like he could do without.

If this Toa provides no more helpful information, Kopaka thought, I will find the answers to Mata Nui's questions myself—alone, if I must. I—

HISSSSS!

"What—!?" he called in alarm, turning his head to see a very, very unwelcoming sight. He readied his ice blade and shield calmly, then raised them in front of him in battle stance. "Six of you, now?" he asked the six assembled Rahkshi in front of him, all pointing their staffs at him while their heads shifted back and forth eagerly. Kopaka's eyes narrowed and his telescope adjusted. "Very well. Then this shall be a tale the Matoran will tell for years to come!"

The six Rahkshi lined up, each pointing one end of its staff at the Toa Nuva of Ice. Lerahk was the first to make a move by jumping high in the air and preparing to bring its staff down on the Toa. Its staff of power was ready to poison whatever it touched, including Nuva armor and bio-tissue.

Kopaka said nothing as he channeled his awesome power through his ice blade, exploding the blast he had charged. The hearts of the Rahkshi would have been chilled by his silence…if they had hearts. Kopaka first created a spherical wave of cold, which slowed down and frosted even the Lerahk's armor. Once it was a sitting target, Kopaka condensed his energies into a single beam of ice. The beam washed over the green Rahkshi, freezing it solid in a pillar of ice several bios tall.

The other Rahkshi scattered, no longer sure who was hunter and who the hunted. Turahk landed high above the Toa of Ice, then used its staff of power to send waves of dark energy at Kopaka from behind.

Kopaka jumped and trembled to feel the cold touch of fear. I…I can't beat them all…I'm going to fail! he thought, helplessly. He could see it now, his ego, abilities, and intellect rose so far above the others, they wouldn't even mind if he was lost to the Rahkshi. They would think it was amusing. Kopaka shut his eyes tight, but then just saw the faces of his mockers. Turaga Nokama laughing at his hubris, Turaga Whenua laughing at him as a representative of the Ko-Matoran, Gali keeling over from enjoyment that he was getting what he deserved by not working with a team.

But last, last came Tahu, whose thunderous laughter came booming over and all around him. With each chortle and each 'ha', he could feel the temperature rise. As it did so, their Kanohi began to spin in circles around him, giving him flashes of a Ruru, Rau, Hau Nuva, and Kaukau Nuva. Tahu will laugh at me… Kopaka thought through the chaos. And Gali…and the others…even the Matoran will laugh at one not fit to protect them.

'Protect them.' That was Kopaka's job, his purpose—his duty. Never before had he swerved from that purpose…and he wouldn't start now. He began to push back against the mental onslaught. NO! I will not be defeated! I will not give in to fear! I…will… Kopaka spun and launched a projectile of ice at Turahk. "Not!" he finished. The projectile hit Turahk's staff, which cancelled the effect and also half-froze the rest of the Rahkshi.

A hissing sound interrupted what felt like a large victory. Kopaka turned to see the black-armored Rahkshi stalking closely behind him, following up the attack. With a high-pitched and long hiss, it swung its claw-ended staff at him.

Kopaka blocked the swing, catching his ice blade inside the grip of the staff. But he found himself quickly being pushed down under the towering and powerful figure, easily eight feet tall. "Unnnhh! This Rahkshi's strength is tremendous!" Kopaka grunted, feeling himself pushed onto one knee. He raised his shield's edge to brace the tip of his sword in an effort to push back. His arms simply weakened more before he collapsed into an awkward sitting position, propping himself up. "Or could it be…" I am losing mine…and this creature is stealing it.

The Toa of Ice looked back up to see the Rahkshi's glowing eyes standing out from its black armor, standing even stronger than before. With a shift in its frame that resembled amusement and even pleasure, the creature stood over his head and raised its staff high. No… Kopaka thought bleakly, feeling like he was going to pass out. He rolled onto his hands and knees, facing the ground. "It cannot end like this…"

"And it will not, brother!"

Kopaka looked up to see Tahu, Gali, and Lewa arriving on a ledge. At that sight, he could not help but breathe out a sigh of relief. Even Tahu, who had been visibly corrupt before, was now cleansed and standing tall. Lewa called upon a gust to move Kopaka out of the Rahkshi's reach. While it roared in frustration, Tahu pointed both his swords at it, sending swirling flame between it and the Toa of Ice. When the foe jumped back to dodge it only found itself caught in a water blast that swept it away.

"We owe these Rahkshi something from our last encounter," Gali said.

"Makuta should have taught his 'sons' better manners," Tahu stepped in.

Lewa ran his swords along each other. "I guess we'll have to quick-learn them, Tahu."

Tahu shouldered past Gali and Lewa, toward Panrahk and Guurahk. "I will show those Rahkshi real power—"

Gali caught his shoulder, using her axe, not her hand. "No, Tahu! You will just blunder in and make things worse!"

Tahu roughly shoved the Toa tool off his armor. "What? You would have been Tarakava bait long ago, Gali, without me!" He started back for the Toa of Water.

Hmmm…not the time for anger-fighting with each other… Lewa wondered to himself. Usually, Gali tried to make the lesson learned, but with more convenient timing. And Tahu, for all his temper, couldn't possibly miss who was friend and who was foe—especially with Gali and the Rahkshi right in front of him. The Rahkshi… he thought, remembering their new and fearsome powers. He looked around, spotting the white-armored Rahkshi pointing its staff at the two Toa. That Rahkshi must be causing the shout-loud up here… Lewa dramatically pointed his katana, unleashing a screaming tornado at the Rahkshi. "I will quick-fix that!"

The white Rahkshi spotted the elemental air racing for it. It moved fast enough that it wasn't swept away, but its staff was removed from its hands and thrown afar. The Rahkshi trembled with anger, the Kraata hissing and screeching from its armored head.

Up on the ridge, Tahu and Gali's attitudes changed. "Ohhh…what…what were we fighting about, Tahu?" Gali asked.

Tahu turned back to the Rahkshi. "I don't remember. Whatever it was, it can wait until later. Let's go!"

Gali once again readied her aqua axes, but this time was in full charge for the two remaining Rahkshi in brown and green. She dove off the ridge launching a constant stream of water at the two. "The first thing you Rahkshi need to learn is to bathe regularly…" She landed on her feet next to where Kopaka had recovered to full strength. The sons of Makuta were still being drenched from above even when she landed. "There! That's better!"

"Gali! Look out!" Tahu warned from above.

Still wet as they were from the weight and force of Gali's attack, the two Rahkshi had recovered quickly. The Guurahk and Panrahk worked together, shooting fragmentation and disintegration beams from their staffs at the midpoint of the cliff, sending tons of rock at Gali and Kopaka.

Tahu instinctively launched intense heat and flame at the projectiles, shouting to his brother, "Lewa! I can turn the rock to magma, but you must save the others!"

The Toa of Air replied, pointing his weapons and sending another lifting wind downward, "Don't worry, Tahu! I will send them quick-soaring!"

Tahu's blast slowed the descent of the Rahkshi's attack long enough for Lewa's maneuver to work. Gali and Kopaka landed safely away from the assault. Gali looked over her shoulder at where the destroyed rocks had landed. "Toa of Air, I promise never to call you a bag of wind again!" she smiled.

Tahu and Lewa were already floating down to the other two Toa, courtesy of the Nuva capabilities of Lewa's new Kanohi Miru. "You called me a wind-bag?" Lewa asked, smiling and continuing the joke.

Kopaka wasn't listening. "Where are the Rahkshi?" he asked, looking to where he had last seen the brown and blue creatures.

"The Rahkshi took advantage of our distraction to escape," Tahu explained. "Not just the two, either—all six are gone. Lewa says it looks like they were headed south, to Le-Wahi. We must find Takua and Jaller before they do!"

"Onua and Pohatu are gone-lost as well," Lewa reminded the team.

Just then, a nearby Po-Wahi stone rise exploded outward, raining down dried rock and earth. Gali quickly knelt to examine some of the debris that had flown outward, confirming it was elementally based (something that could only be done for a short time). She stood next to Kopaka once more. "I believe we have just found our two missing brothers, Lewa."

"It certainly sounds like them," Kopaka muttered.

X X X

Through the dust and smoke, Onua came barreling through. His quakebreakers and Kanohi Pakari Nuva made short work of anything left in his way. "Brothers! Seal that cave now!" he shouted. Behind him, Pohatu Nuva and Turaga Whenua were similarly running as fast as they could.

Tahu and Kopaka—two of the most powerful Toa—stood together. Though they had their differences, when there was danger, they could move and act as one. Both Toa spun into a back-to-back position, pointing a blade at the cave exit where their allies were escaping. Elemental fire and ice raced toward the cave entrance.

Pohatu, happy to finally have a straight shot at an exit, shouted to his brother, "Onua! Share your mask with me! I'll do the same." The combined powers of the Kanohi Pakari Nuva and Kakama Nuva gave both Toa immense strength and speed. Pohatu reached behind him to lift the Turaga with his new physical strength as he and Onua raced out of the cave. No sooner had they escaped than when Tahu's heat melted the rocks into a drift of slag. Nearly instantaneously, Kopaka's will refroze the new magma back into solid rock over the cave entrance, creating a seal.

Onua approached the two as Pohatu set the earth elder down. "Good work…the Kraata are sealed in for good now…I hope."

Pohatu approached, holding one of the squirming creatures in his climbing claw. "All except for this one…I caught him as he slipped out." He looked closely at the shape of its serpentine body, face, and color. "This one looks different, though."

Whenua approached the Toa of Stone. "Have a care, Pohatu—this Kraata has reached the ultimate stage of its evolution."

Lewa stepped forward, asking the question that Tahu, Kopaka, and Gali were similarly wondering. "What is go-happening here? What was that cave?"

"That was a Kraata pit, disguised as a Krana pit," Pohatu said, trying his best to convey information without revealing his feelings about it. "The Turaga have known about these creatures for some time, and hidden them away. During our little tour, an attack from the Rahkshi outside released the Kraata within, while trapping us at the same time. They are what power the Rahkshi suits of armor, similar to the way the Krana powered the Bohrok."

"So do we need to collect the Kraata similar to the Bohrok?" Gali asked.

"Or better yet, would removing these Kraata render the Rahkshi helpless?" Kopaka followed.

Tahu turned to Whenua. "Answer us, Turaga. Now is no time for secrets."

Whenua raised his hands to calm the warriors. "Of course, Toa of Fire. We have known about these dark creatures but did not consider them a threat. There were no Rahkshi for them to inhabit. There is no need to collect the Kraata other than to keep them from Rahkshi armor. They will not reveal any knowledge like the sets of Krana did. Makuta must create more, which we believe takes energy."

Whenua turned to the Toa of Ice and Toa of Stone. "Removing the Kraata would theoretically end the armor's autonomy, yes. But it would be much more difficult than a Bohrok and its Krana. They are more intelligent and grafted into the armor."

"And what of this Kraata?" Gali asked, pointing to Pohatu's writhing and screeching captive. "It is somehow special?"

"Kraata go through seven stages of growth before reaching their most potent behavior and potential," Whenua said, moving toward the find. "I explained to Pohatu and Onua that it is through the Kraata that Makuta was able to infect Kanohi masks which then controlled the Rahi from afar. Most Kraata must be in physical contact for a certain amount of time before a Kanohi becomes tainted with Makuta's darkness."

"Most Kraata?" Kopaka inquired.

Whenua nodded. "It's darkened purple body shows that this Kraata is known as a shadow Kraata. Of all the Kraata, only such as these can successfully bind with any Rahkshi type. However, they have another use—they are also capable of infecting masks from a distance. This particular Kraata is a stage six shadow Kraata, meaning it could infect Kanohi at a large distance…and quickly. Only the grip of your Nuva Toa tool keeps it from using its power. But where there is one, there may be more…"

Tahu shook his head, interrupting, "We must leave you to deal with this, Turaga. The Rahkshi must be stopped, and stopped now!"

"Tahu!" Gali cried. "We can't leave him. What if there are others?"

"It was him, his brothers and his sister who decided to keep this information from us," Tahu said. "The way I see it, this is their problem. They chose to keep this from us."

"And it is our duty to protect them," Onua stepped in, taking a steady stance. "That is the elder of my people, Tahu. And we will respect him as is appropriate."

Tahu's face gave tell of his emotions, even behind a mask—frustration at Onua for giving his leader an order. But, he owed Onua a few favors from the past, and the Toa of Earth's wisdom rivaled Gali's. For once, he held his tongue.

Onua, waiting for Tahu's response, saw him back down. He minimally nodded, showing thanks, then continued, "Pohatu, help me seal the creature first. Then we can leave to challenge the Rahkshi."

Onua first encased the shadow Kraata in a form-fitting cocoon of earth. Pohatu followed up with a block of stone around it. Then an extra layer of ice enclosed the stone. Pohatu glanced over at Kopaka for an explanation, but simply got a neutral look, as if asking him why he was surprised.

Whenua took the imprisoned Kraata and set it down. "Thank you, Toa. Now, go and protect the Matoran's Chronicler and the Herald of the Seventh Toa!"

X X X

Hahli thanked Mata Nui that Le-Koro's village looked largely untouched since she had last been there. The high-altitude village certainly had its own troubles during the Bohrok Invasion, but since its razing by the Levahk and Tahnok swarms, it had been rebuilt remarkably well. It was that familiar design that greeted her at the village ladders and gates.

She immediately ran for Turaga Matau's home, finding that he wasn't there. Hahli was worried at first, then got her wits. She went back outside, finding Sanso, one of the musicians she had spoken with during the Kolhii season. "Sanso, do you know where Matau is? I have an urgent matter to bring to him," she asked.

"Why yes! Haven't you heard? The Rahkshi have attacked not only Ta-Koro, but Onu-Koro and Ko-Koro as well!" Sanso exclaimed. "He is a few trees down, fast-helping to build shelters for the fire- and earth-brothers."

Hahli frowned at the reminder, but nodded at the goodwill. "Thanks, Sanso. Be safe," she said, before taking a ladder down to a lower tree. That tree looked to primarily house Ta-Matoran staying with the Matoran of air. The Onu-Matoran, far preferring a lower altitude, had been moved to the lowest tree still considered safe from Rahi and the Rahkshi. She didn't see Matau here, and with the Onu-Matoran coming here more recently, she assumed it was likely that he was still making room for them. Moving across the branches and open face of this plant, Hahli descended to the lower site.

There, Hahli saw Onu-Matoran and Le-Matoran coming together, building makeshift homes using vines, plants, synthetic foams, and soil for strength. Scanning the area, she saw the Turaga of Air using his Kau Kau Staff to help saw through certain materials for building. "Turaga!" she yelled across the area as she began to run over.

"Maiden Hahli!" Matau exclaimed, surprised. "Why are you see-visiting us? Have the Rahkshi now destroyed Ga-Koro?"

"No, no…at least, not yet," Hahli replied, with a stifled shudder. To quicken their talk, she pulled out one of the Crystals at random, showing the Crystal of Peace. "I know about these crystals. I have five of them. I only lack the Crystal of Faith. To obtain it, I need for you to tell me where the Temple of Faith is. I've already learned all this from the other Turaga."

Matau nodded. "True-sure," he answered. "The Temple of Faith is uptree of my home. Find a way to the top and you will find it, no doubt-fear."

"Thanks," Hahli said, turning away.

"Hahli," Matau said, temporarily stopping her. "Be smart-careful. And good luck fine-using the Crystals."

Hahli nodded and left, travelling back up to the Ta-Matoran camp, then back up into the main sector of the village. She went to Matau's home as he had said, finding a ladder that led to an upper chamber. From there, she was closer to the skylight. Fashioning a hook and rope into a grapple, she swung it, catching it on the rim of the opening. She swung over the interior of Matau's home, then pulled herself up and out on top.

On top of the domed hut there was another walkway, not visible from the village below. At the end of the path, three branches spread outward from a single point, forming the Temple of Faith. At the ends of the branches, locks had been grown or forced into the trunks of the trees. On those locks were more inscriptions. Hahli pulled out the Charms of Unity and Duty, the Charm of Accuracy, and the Charm of Faith. These answered the different statements that read 'Strength of Numbers', 'Word of Honor', 'Faith grants this', and 'In Darkness, Light.' Tree branches groaned as the plants moved, their mechanical components causing them to do so. A bundle of leaves was raised into the center of the area, carrying the green-glowing sphere, the Crystal of Faith, within.

Feelings of completion and satisfaction washed over Hahli as she stowed it with her others. I've helped the island—I have made a difference, she thought. Now I just need to finish it. Climbing back into Matau's hut to exit through the village square, Hahli forced herself to keep moving fast, running to her next location. That location was the strange dome near the Eastern Ta-Wahi Telescope that seemed to accept the crystals, near the sunken ruins of Ta-Koro.