Later, a green form flew through the sky, either avoiding or going through wisps of cloud that hung lazily all around as if someone stuck them there. 'Perfect day for sun-soaring,' Lewa thought to himself with a content smile. However, as much as he enjoyed this, he urged himself to fly faster. It was not less than half an hour ago that he met up with Jaller and Takua, received word that Ta-Koro was being attacked, and left the two travelers in Ko-Wahi to seek out his fellow Toa. 'Hopefully, Kopaka-brother will seek-find them,' he thought. Finally, he spotted his destination—a small volcano that breathed out faint wisps of steam. He dove inside the crater, spied three figures on a ledge, and lithely landed.
"Greetings, brother," Gali addressed with a fist clank.
"Long time, no see," welcomed Kit.
"It's much-good to see you two, too," Lewa replied with a smile, then noticed that Tahu was still kneeling at the edge.
Kit caught on to this quickly, "He hasn't moved from that spot all night, not that I blame him."
The green Toa nodded in understanding and the group approached him. It was then that the red Toa acknowledged his brother's presence. "Ta-Koro is gone, Lewa," he said without meeting his eyes. "Buried by the very lava that sustained it." A glint of green on Tahu's mask caught Gali's eye and she knelt next to him. She examined the cut on his cheek worriedly; it looked like the infection had grown worse.
The Toa of Fire removed her hand. "You worry about scratches?" he said angrily. "My village is gone!" Then, a sad expression appeared on his mask as he continued, "Your power was nothing. Kit's power was nothing. My power was nothing."
Lewa listened with sympathy; he knew how it felt to witness the destruction of his village. 'Although there's one huge-big difference,' he thought to himself. 'The Le-Matoran and I've so far been able to rebuild our village-home after every attack. His has been lost-destroyed in a way that that's not possible." When the Fire Toa stood up, the Toa of Air placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and said with an assuring tone, "We are same-hearted, brother, and that heart will quicken us to stop the evil-spread."
"First we must be united," Gali pointed out. "Together we are strong."
However, Tahu just brushed her hand off his shoulder and walked away. With the feeling of failure weighing heavily both on his shoulders and mind, Kit could see that the proud, confidant Fire Toa she knew was now filled with grief and self-doubt. Finally, she, Gali, and Lewa followed him through the tunnel. When they were halfway through, they heard the voices of the Matoran; they sounded frightened. Glancing at each other, the three Toa and human girl ran to the exit. Once outside, they saw that all of the villagers seemed to be gathered around something. "What's going on?" Kit asked a Ta-Matoran.
"A messenger from Le-Koro brings ill news," the villager replied.
Immediately, the Toa and Kit began excusing themselves through the crowd as the crowd itself tried to make enough room to let them through. Finally reaching the epicenter, they found Vakama talking to a Le-Matoran. "Toa," Vakama exclaimed once he noticed the group, "I was about to send someone to send for you."
"What's happening, Turaga?" Tahu asked.
"Bad news, I'm afraid," the Turaga responded.
"So we've heard," Kit whispered to Lewa, who smiled.
Vakama ignored the girl's comment and continued, "This messenger has just informed me that three other Rahkshi have been spotted heading for Onu-Koro."
Tahu, Gali, Lewa, and Kit gasped in surprise and horror. "Are you sure?" Gali asked.
"Affirmative-positive," the Le-Matoran confirmed.
"Onua, he needs to be warned," Tahu realized and he took off in the direction of the nearest Onu-Wahi tunnel, the others following.
"Wait!" Vakama called, causing them to stop. "Beware, Toa and Kit; from what this messenger told us, these Rahkshi are not the same ones you fought before." The group nodded and started running.
At Ko-Koro, or what was left of it, Kopaka observed the villagers. Not so long ago, he was guiding the Chronicler and the Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard to his village only to find the front gate was shattered to pieces and they came under attack by three Rahkshi. After leaving the two on the frozen lake, he walked back to the koro to see if everyone was alright. He found most of the Matoran, and Turaga Nuju, trying to make their way through the rubble to get back into the village. Apparently, all but a few managed to get out of the village during the attack. Once inside, the Ice Toa used his mask power to search caved in huts, trading booths, anywhere he could think where a Matoran might be and pointed the Ko-Matoran in the right direction. Soon, all of the missing Matoran were found and, fortunately, none of them were killed or badly hurt. Kopaka was just picking a Matoran out of his wrecked hut when he heard a caw from up in the sky. A Le-Matoran landed his Gukko in the clearest spot he could locate, hopped off, and saluted to Nuju. When prodded, the green villager relayed his message—three other Rahkshi were heading for Onu-Koro. Instantly, Kopaka came to the same conclusion that Tahu had. He had to warn Onua that the village of earth was in danger; the Toa of Earth was strong, but he knew he couldn't fight those three monsters by himself. Through Matoro's translation, the Turaga thanked the bird-rider and answered that the villagers could handle themselves from here when the Toa of Ice asked if they'd be alright while he was gone. With a somewhat reluctant sigh, Kopaka left for a nearby tunnel.
"C'mon, we're almost there," Tahu called to the group.
"Right behind you, brother," Lewa called back.
He and Gali ran after the Toa of Fire while Kit brought up the rear. Suddenly, she stopped so fast she fell over and skinned her knee on the tunnel floor. Hissing through clenched teeth, yet forcing herself to ignore the pain, she stayed perfectly still and listened. She wasn't sure, but she thought she had heard a sickingly familiar screech, which was why she stopped so quickly. A minute had passed without hearing anything before Gali called to her. "Are you alright? What's wrong?" the Water Toa asked, a little concerned.
"I thought I heard something," Kit replied.
"What sort-kind of something?" Lewa inquired.
"Rahkshi?" Tahu asked with what seemed to sound like a hint of hope. Kit said nothing, but gave them an uncertain look. "Come," Tahu commanded, a tinge of impatience in his voice. "We have to keep moving."
With a tired groan, Kit made herself get up and running again. It wasn't long before the frantic cries of Onu-Matoran were echoing throughout the tunnel. When they reached the village, for Tahu, Gali, and Kit, it was a pure case of déjà vu with the Matoran scattering here and there in a panic. A screech caught Tahu's ear and located a whitish-silver Rahkshi that cornered Takua. Anger at the creatures that destroyed his home boiled up inside of him like the lava he controlled. "Wait, Tahu!" Kit called, but it was too late; the Toa of Fire had leapt into action.
"Rahkshi!" he shouted as he sailed over Kurahk and placed himself between it and Takua.
The Rahkshi, however, raised its staff and fired energy rings. Tahu attempted to block the attack, but it struck full force. Dark energy rippled throughout his body and he could feel it leech into his mind. Unable to fight it off, he collapsed, vaguely hearing Takua say his name. The Matoran grabbed his kohlii staff, as if to protect the Toa when something grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him into the air. A screech echoed and the Rahkshi gave chase. Hearing the screech, Kit turned toward the ceiling and saw a familiar bat-like monster carrying a struggling Takua in its claws. 'Darcius,' she thought, 'I should've known it was only a matter of time.' "Lewa, get me up there and catch Takua," she called to the Toa. Lewa was a little confused for a moment, but he did as Kit asked and summoned an upward gust of wind to lift her up past the Rahkshi, who were sent off balance, and she landed on the bat monster's back. The sudden addition of weight surprised the creature and it lost its hold on Takua, who Lewa deftly caught. Before Kit could do anything else, it started flying in a bucking-like motion, leaving her little else to do but wrap her arms around its neck and hold on for dear life. 'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all,' she thought to herself. The monster pitched forward, causing Kit to slip off over its head and fall to the ground. As she fell, she saw the creature flying toward her, growling and teeth bared. She crashed to the ground, but not before letting loose an energy beam that sent it flying through the ceiling. Groaning, she began to get up, hand to her head; though her Toa armor suit absorbed most of the impact, it was still a rough landing. Her vision cleared up in time for her to spot Gali kneeling over Tahu. "Gali, no!" she called, but her warning came too late as the red Toa regained consciousness.
"Fire has no brothers!" Tahu said venomously, fully under Korahk's spell of anger. His mask showed all of the signs of infection and his eyes were a sickly green. Gali and Kit stared in shock and horror as they slowly backed away a few steps. "Fire consumes all!" the Fire Toa proclaimed as he slammed his magma swords to the ground, letting loose a stream of fire.
The two just managed to dodge it—Kit taking shelter amongst the surrounding huts, Gali, as expected, onto a stalactite. Chest heaving, Kit looked around her for Takua and found him with Pewku heading for a chimney. She was about to make her way there when Tahu jumped into her path. "Tahu, it's me, Kit. Remember?" she pleaded. But, Tahu began swinging his swords, which she just barely dodged. "Tahu—please," she begged in between dodges, "I don't—want—to hurt you." The crazed Toa continued to advance when the entire cavern started to quake violently. Kit took advantage of Tahu's confusion and forced him back with a blast of energy. For a moment the quaking stopped and Kit turned to find Pohatu and Onua on a nearby ridge. Though she knew what would happen later, she still couldn't stop a gasp of horror when the ceiling came crashing down, forcing the two Toa to find cover.
Tahu, meanwhile, had regained his bearings and was about to launch another attack on the preoccupied human when a jet of water came at him from nowhere. "Tahu," said Gali's voice, "remember who you are. Remember your destiny."
Fighting the surge of water, the Fire Toa proceeded toward her with a deadly glare and snarled, "I have no destiny!"
Before he could say or do anything else, a white blade touched Tahu's shoulder and he turned into a statue of ice. "Sorry, brother," Kopaka apologized.
"Brothers, let's take him to safety," said Gali, and Lewa and Kopaka picked up the frozen Toa.
The cavern began to shake again and stalactites and boulders were falling everywhere. The group ran in a zigzag route toward a tunnel. It was all they could do to avoid the pieces of ceiling. Finally, they made it inside just before their escape caved in. Kit took a moment to catch her breath as she looked upon the blockade. 'Hope Takua's ok,' she wondered, then took off after the Toa.
Out in Ko-Wahi, at one of the many chimney structures that sprouted out from the snow, Pewku popped out. Right behind her, Takua also climbed out, coughing from the slight haze of smoke. He landed on the snow with a soft thud and adjusted his mask that had become slightly dislodged. Pewku approached him and barked. Now came the fun part. "We gotta find Jaller," Takua told her, remembering what Lewa said. He hopped onto her back and urged her on. He had no idea where Jaller was or how they would find him, but he hoped they would find him soon.
"Are you sure this is absolutely necessary?" Kit asked for the third time, uncertainty in her voice. Kopaka and Lewa were busy securing a revived, and very ticked off, Tahu to a flat rock.
"You have a better suggestion?" Kopaka growled with effort as he pinned the red Toa's left hand.
Kit remained silent; for some reason she was just finding it quite disturbing that Tahu had to be restrained in order to keep him from harming anyone or himself. Gali used her aqua axes to pinion the Fire Toa's wrists and Lewa used a thread of vine to bind his ankles. Once they were sure he was secure, the three Toa stepped back and immediately Tahu began struggling. As the Toa observed, Kit could feel her legs shaking a little, wanting to move and get out of there. She had seen this scene on the DVD many times, but actually seeing it for real was very different. Yet still, she managed to make herself stay where she was, feeling a need to be there for the Fire Toa. The Toa then gathered around Tahu, Gali saying that they had to use all of the healing powers they possessed. Lewa readied one of Tahu's magma swords, which glowed weakly, and Kopaka did the same with his ice blade. When the two placed the weapons together over the panting Toa of Fire, a surge of yellow energy erupted upon Tahu and he groaned in pain. Though she knew the Toa would be alright, Kit still found herself unable to watch. She closed her eyes and clenched her fist. After a moment, Gali finally said, "That's enough." The weapons were drawn away and Tahu nodded into unconsciousness as the energy dissipated. Now, it was Gali's turn as she formed a ball of water and released it onto the Fire Toa, where it engulfed his entire form. Then, the water drained away and the scorches on Tahu's armor, the scratch on his cheek, and the infection on his mask disappeared. It was as if the water had washed away any sign of the poison. Even his eyes had returned to their normal red; he basically looked brand new. Despite all of this, he didn't even stir. Gali sighed, exhausted from the energy drain, and the color of her armor seemed to fade to a dull-grayish shade of blue.
She would've fallen if Kopaka hadn't caught her. "You did all you could," he said reassuringly to his sister, and he stole a glance at the still unconscious red Toa, a concerned look in his eyes. He slipped his left arm underneath Gali's legs and said to Kit and Lewa, "I'll take her to the river."
The two nodded and the white Toa disappeared into the bushes and ferns of the jungle. Girl and Air Toa turned their attention back to their fallen comrade, both sharing similar thoughts and yet lost in what they were keeping to themselves. Feeling as if he had to do something to let Tahu know they were there for him, Lewa gently clanked his fist against his brother Toa's limp hand. Seeing this, and realizing how worried the green Toa must be, Kit walked around the rock, patted his shoulder comfortingly, and said, "He'll be ok, don't worry." Lewa gave her a small smile.
Meanwhile, Kopaka had reached the river and gently set Gali down on the bank where she dipped her arms in the water. Immediately, she could feel the power of her element rejuvenating her, restoring her strength as blue ripples of energy raced to her. Her armor was beginning to recover its natural blue hue. Still, as she knelt, disturbing thoughts crossed her mind. Her recent arguments with Tahu, her having to remind him the importance of unity with the other Toa, the possibility that two of their brother Toa were lost forever, and how the Toa of Fire lost himself in his anger; it was as if the team was splitting apart, had become disjointed somehow. "Kopaka, do you think the Turaga were right about us?" she asked the Ice Toa sadly. "Have we lost our unity?" She waited for a reply, but none came. "Kopaka?" she questioned, only to find that the Toa of Ice was nowhere to be found, as if he was never there. Shaking her head, she sighed and tried to focus on getting her strength back.
Elsewhere, Takua rode on Pewku as the crab trekked along a windy path on a sheer cliffside, keeping an eye out for any sign of Jaller. He just silently hoped that his friend was ok when he thought he heard a voice echoing. Before he could figure out what it was, a tremor caused the cliff to shake and he held on tight to Pewku's shell while the crab did likewise to the ground. Somehow, he heard a familiar yell over the roar of the small quake. 'Jaller!" he thought, then the shaking stopped and he urged Pewku forward. It wasn't long before he saw a hand hanging from the edge and he grabbed his kohlii stick. Sure enough it was Jaller and he reached out with the stick as he instructed, "Grab on." The Captain of the Guard grabbed hold while still maintaining his grip on the mask, and the Chronicler swooped him onto Pewku's back, who took the added weight in stride.
"Well, well, well, whatever happened to 'I quit'?" Jaller asked, happy that his friend had come back, yet still a little angry at him for walking off on him.
"I could've," replied Takua with a shy smirk, "but I didn't." Then, getting a little more serious, he told Jaller of the Rahkshi attack at Onu-Koro.
"But the Mask of Light was never at Onu-Koro," Jaller pointed out.
"They don't want the mask," Takua corrected. "They're looking for the herald."
"You're sure?" Jaller inquired; it didn't make any sense to him that the Rahkshi would go and attack someplace where the herald was not.
"Oh yeah, real sure," Takua answered with certainty in his eyes; he came to the realization that the Rahkshi were looking for him, the true herald, as he was fleeing the village.
"Then we better find the Seventh Toa," Jaller pointed out as they continued on with the Avohkii as their guide.
Back at the jungle, Gali meditated until she heard the approach of another. She turned to find it was Lewa. "Sister, he is open-eyed," the green Toa announced with a smile. Getting to her feet, Gali walked back the short distance to the clearing where she found Tahu in a half-sit up position.
"Brother, are you well?" she asked.
"No," the Fire Toa replied gruffly as he rubbed his wrist. "No I am not well." Then, he continued more gently, "But I—I am alive, and in your debt, my sister." He held out his fist and, after a slight moment's hesitation, the Water Toa clanked hers with his.
"Now aint this a sweet Kodak moment?" a voice asked. Taken by surprise, Tahu and Gali turned to find Kit with a big grin on her face. The girl, however, couldn't help but laugh at their blank features.