The continent of Barordak Nui is home to nothing, other than a large glacier that slowly consumes a few small plains of land, home to small matoran villages.
The Glacier has been the subject of many legends for these matoran, the most prominent one being it is the horrific curse put upon them by a dangerous beast, who may or may not be real.
The small third of the continent covered in plains and forests is abuzz with matoran preparing to board the Glacier with spikes being hammered into the glacier's side, and rope threading and looping between the spikes to ease the vertical climb. The Po-Matoran Hoei and Ko-Matoran Cas are crafting metal spikes.
"What do you think we'll do when we reach the top?" Hoei asks as his hammer sends sparks flying. "Also, why do we have to make the spikes? This is a Ta-Matoran's job!"
"Everyone has to lend a helping hand in times of need. My skills of navigation aren't needed for a vertical climb and your Kohlii chiseling skills can be repurposed to make these stakes,"
Hoei and Cas continued their smithing as they watched Le-Matorans on Gukkos drive in stakes while other matorans looped rope. Progress was being made, slowly.
"My first question still isn't answered, what happens at the top?"
"Ko-Matorans take over the world"
"Oh har har,"
"I'm being serious, first the Ta-Matorans drop from the cold, then the Le-Matorans from the thin air up there. I'd put the Onu and Po-Matorans at the same time, freezing over like the earth beneath them. That leaves the Ga-Matoran who can warm the ice and turn it to water."
"Nice idea, too bad we don't work like that,"
And Hoei was right, all matorans could live on that glacier, except for if monsters come or a blizzard makes a live wax museum. So the two went on with their work, dropping stakes into a basket, which is carried to the Glacier for Le-Matorans to use.
Now this work would have been much quicker had Toa been there, but these Matoran have forgotten the meaning of that word, for their Toa had died hundreds of thousands of years before most of their legends.
Hours passed and the sun was setting behind the Glacier. The light was shining through, distorting the typically white ice into a blur of pinks, purples, and yellows. Some tired Matoran were falling asleep at their workstations and others passed out on the floor.
Lopek, a Le-Matoran, was positioning himself on his Gukko bird so that any chance of slipping into sleep would give him a stab in the leg. He reached into his spike bag and noticed he was running low. Looking up at the wall, a foreboding feeling filled him. Dread seeped into every pore of his body and lingered. At this point, the sun was down and the dark ice seemed cloudy as if something was being hidden within.
"Alright Dehn, let's take a sleep-rest now," Lopek said to his Gukko, descending in a spiral towards the ground. He was picking speed as the ground got closer.
Sleep drifted into Lopek and when his shin got pricked by a spike, he bolted awake to crash into Hoei and Cas' smithing tent. Now having a Gukko bird crash into you isn't fun, but when you get tangled up with spikes, hammers, an anvil, a tent, and two other matorans, it's even less fun.
Hoei pulled a spike from his arm and cut himself free. He also helped Cas get out, but not the Le-Matoran or their bird. Once everyone was settled, Hoei punched Lopek, spinning him around. Cas jumped in between the two and pushed her arms out.
"Hoei! That's not how you greet people!" She said, staring into Hoei's eyes.
"We've already been introduced," Hoei stood there, staring straight through Cas and at the Le-Matoran, twiddling his fingers.
"Listen, I'm very sad-sorry for crashing into you," Lopek said, looking at the toppled tools and anvils of Cas and Hoei's tent. Seeing their workstation in disrepair did make Lopek sad.
"I don't have the energy for this," Hoei turned and walked over to a mass of sleeping cots where matoran went to rest.
"Sorry about Hoei, sometimes I think he's a Ta-Matoran in disguise," Cas said, cleaning up.
Lopek helped Cas clean up and when everything was done they said their farewells and went to sleep.
Hoei had a dream that night. It started with him on the top of the Glacier, staring down at the land below. Only a few miles unfrozen remained, Barordak Nui was almost covered in eternal frost. Then the Glacier started to rumble, almost knocking Hoei off his feet and tumbling down the side. Hoei backed up from the side and bumped into something behind him.
He wasn't expecting to meet something up there. It was big and its heat was radiating in mass amounts. Whatever that thing was, it was alive. And it was big. Slowly turning around, Hoei braced himself to see the worst being he could imagine. When he turned around, nothing he might have imagined could be farther from the truth.
A large person stood there. Unmoving, staring off into the sky, across night and day. Through the stars and the oceans. A Bohrok could be pounding into its heart and nothing would have made that person move. Hoei looked hard at the person. They had red armor on them and were about twice the size of Hoei. They wielded a sword made of pure flame. It sizzled and crackled in Hoei's face.
"Uh… hello there?" Hoei said, walking up and prodding their leg. The silence was the answer. "Well uh, nice to meet you. I guess."
The person stomped their foot. The shockwave that came out almost immediately sent Hoei to the ground, slamming his head against the ice. The shaking of the Glacier also stopped. As Hoei looked up, the whole world seemed to have stopped. Hoei didn't dare to speak or make any noise.
After some time, the large being walked off. Hoei woke up at the break of dawn and went straight to the Po-Matoran Turaga, Stohn.
After hearing about Hoei's dream, Stohn looked up to the sky and pondered what it meant. His gaze into the sky reminded Hoei of the being. Some time had passed before Stonh spoke.
"Was there… anger, in their eyes?" Stohn asked, returning his thoughts to the present.
"Not that I could see,"
"Was there regret? Was there passion? Did they show any emotion?"
"No. They stood there with a blank face,"
"What about when they turned away?" Stohn's interest in the being's emotion was growing, and Hoei noticed.
"What do these emotions have to do with anything, Turaga Stohn?"
Caught, Stohn said "Emotions tell us what someone is thinking. Often, other beings in dreams are trying to tell us something about the real world. This could be related to destiny, Hoei, and their emotion for that destiny could be shown to us,"
"Destiny? Is that person related to my destiny?"
"Maybe. It's best not to get your hopes up though." Stohn seemed to pause with his words. Something was nagging him. "Destiny can lie,"
That sent Hoei into a flurry of thoughts. Destiny can lie!? One of the three greatest virtues could lie to him? To any matoran? What about Duty! Does Duty lie? Do we no longer have to hold our Duty in high regard and start disobeying everyone around us? Are we no longer United!?
"What's wrong with you, Stohn! How could you forget?" Hoei stood there motionless as he looked at Stohn. He looked into his eyes, trying to find emotion. One was there, buried beneath tired and old eyes. It was grief.
"I know the one in your dream." Before Hoei could respond, Stohn raised his staff to Hoei's lips, signaling him to listen and not ask questions.
"That being was a Toa."
