Everything in Ta-Koro was finally starting to settle down. Partiers too tired to continue in their revelry were finding their ways back home or to friends' houses for the night, and so far nobody had gotten themselves into any danger. Yes, it was a good end to a good day, and as Vakama walked in the emptying streets of his village with his old teammates, he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace. Sure, Takua and Jaller were out on the biggest and most important mission of their lives, but he knew they would be alright. Jaller could fight like his father - or at least just as fiercely - and Takua was quick-minded enough to make good calls on a snap decision.

"Those two are gonna get into trouble, Vakama. Mark my words, there's going to be a fight."

The older Turaga blinked and looked over just in time to see Onewa get smacked upside the head by Nokama. "Don't say such things!" She scolded crossly. "The boys are going to be fine!"

"Ow!" Onewa shot her a dirty look as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not wrong though! You saw how they acted about this whole mess. Jaller was slighted and Takua didn't want to go. Something is going to go wrong, I just know it."

Nokama rolled her eyes. "Every set of friends has setbacks. We did and we're all fine."

Vakama, however, wasn't as certain. "Onewa has a valid reason for his skepticism, Nokama. The disagreement over being the Herald wasn't like their usual tiffs. I feel that, while they will be stronger in the end, nothing is going to try their friendship quite like this. I doubt it will the camaraderie, but it will most certainly strain it."

"More like smash it apart." Onewa grumbled bitterly. "There was more passive aggression in that conversation than there was real aggression during the Vis-OW! Stop it!"

Nokama had outright punched him in the ribs that time, and for very good reason; while many years had passed since those dark times, each of the Turaga still bore the scars, physical as well as emotional and mental. In a couple cases, the mental scars still felt fresh, Vakama's more so than the rest. "Don't you ever say that again!" Nokama seethed. "You know full well how things were and how they are now. If you ever make a comparison like that again I swear I'll-!"

"Enough, both of you."

Vakama's voice was quiet and grim, his hands trembling a little as the beginning of a headache stirred around the base of his skull. "Let's not fight about this, not any more than we already have. What matters is that Takua and Jaller have started their mission. Let's focus on that for now instead of drawing up past battles." As the pair murmured quiet apologies, Vakama offered them a weary smile before gently rubbing his temples, his headache growing surprisingly stronger in very little time. He hadn't felt something like this in several years. Not since...

"Oh no."

Nokama's expression swiftly changed from apologetic to concerned, whilst Onewa merely frowned a bit. "What?" The younger of them asked. "Forgot your stove on or something?"

Vakama barely even registered the statement, nor was he all that aware of the fact that he was collapsing. His head pounded as though the hordika from thirteen years ago had reawakened and wanted to fight its way out, his vision blurring and fading into darkness. He could barely even hear Nokama and Onewa as they reacted to his fall. And then?

The first vision in over a decade began.

^v^v^v^v^v^

Darkness. Nothing but pure darkness surrounded him, thick as smoke and just as choking. Every breath Vakama drew felt like a battle, every inhale a struggle he scarce had the strength to win. Somewhere ahead he could see a glowing light, as though some brave soul were daring enough to lift a torch and challenge the encroaching gloom that had already smothered everything else. Desperate to escape the strangle-hold that the darkness was imposing, Vakama stumbled closer to the light, a hand holding his chest while the other clutched at his own throat in a subconscious attempt to aid his breathing. Surely if he could just reach the light, he could breathe easier.

It felt like an unending struggle, though after what seemed like an age the turaga reached the beacon of hope he had sought, and much to his surprise he discovered that the light was not a torch at all; it was a child, eerily familiar and yet unrecognizable. "What is this place?" Vakama gasped out, coughing as his breathing grew far less laborious.

The boy looked curiously at him for a moment, as though he wasn't sure how to answer, but eventually he replied. "This is the island of Mata Nui. The suns are probably gone by now; they haven't come back for a long time."

Needless to say, this was not the answer Vakama had expected. "How?" He asked shakily, partially from shock and partially from his still recovering lungs. "What happened?"

The boy shook his head and turned, the shadows around them lifting to reveal that they were standing at the top of Mangai Volcano. All around them smoke was rising from the landscape, Le-Wahi destroyed and a vast crater betraying the destruction of Onu-Koro. He didn't even have to look for Vakama to know the other villages had met a similar fate. "A terrible darkness is rising, Vakama." The boy said grimly. "Hope is going to shatter if something isn't done." He looked up at the turaga almost pleadingly. "If a strong leader doesn't rise to the challenge of the coming days, others will lose their hope the same way I lost mine. But most importantly, Takua absolutely cannot fail. If he fails, this is what will happen; there will be no chance of alternative paths. No saving grace, no second chance."

"How can I ensure it then?" Vakama inquired, and while he generally sounded calm he could not hide his rising fear. "Surely there is something that can be done."

"You tell me, Vakama." The boy replied with a shrug and another grimace. "You're the one who was a proper Toa. You were always more of a hero than I was."

That statement caught Vakama off guard, leaving him in confused silence as his vision began to fade away. The boy, on the other hand, turned to look at the destroyed island again. "A storm is coming; Ta-Koro needs to be ready for it. Keep 'em safe for me, okay?"

^v^v^v^v^v^

It was only as Vakama returned to reality that he truly figured out who the boy had been. The eyes had been his own, the face and frame identical to his childhood self. But it was the words he said that made the picture complete. The boy he had seen wasn't himself at all;

It was his brother.

Somehow, Vakama had caught a glimpse into what Mihkoro likely would have felt if he were still alive, words given life through an echo of time that Vakama never got to see. And now he had to act on what he'd seen. "An attack..."

"What?" Nokama asked, her face pale as she presently knelt over the Fire Turaga's prone frame. "Vakama what happened to you?"

"A vision." He replied grimly, shaking his head as he slowly, shakily, got back to his feet. "Ta-Koro is in danger; if we don't prepare fast we will be destroyed." He looked at Onewa. "Find Tahu; we're going to need him." He turned to Nokama next. "See if you can find Gali, this won't be as simple as a one-Toa task. Not by a long shot."

Onewa frowned even as he started moving. "And what are you going to do, oh fearless one?"

Vakama ignored the snappy remark, even as he made for the wall. "Sound the alarm."

It wasn't long before the matoran were gathered, every member of the Ta-Koro Guard armed and ready at their posts while the turaga made sure everyone else was ready to fight or run at a moment's notice. Even Gali and Tahu were present and armed, neither saying a word as they stood side-by-side on the wall, watching as an unnaturally dark cloud spread hastily across the sky towards them, blanketing the island in an otherworldly darkness.

"Reminds me of the Coliseum all those years ago." Tahu remarked grimly, the grip on his blades tightening.

"A little." Gali agreed quietly. "But we were the ones attacking back then; now the tables have turned against us."

"Bah, you worry too much."

"And you too little. Perhaps this is more similar than I thought."

Tahu offered her a small laugh in return before he focused in the encroaching darkness. By now it was almost overshadowing Ta-Koro, and as it did so three strange beings could be seen drawing near at an alarming rate. Lizard-like and seemingly built entirely of metal, mere seconds passed before the unusual flying creatures had not only reached the walls, but had - despite the spears and elemental blasts thrown at them - soared over them completely, dropping down into the village below. A blast like an explosive going off shattered a nearby building as the beings hit the ground, throwing the assembled matoran into utter chaos and scattering them. In a span of a few seconds, an entire plan had been decimated, all because of one small oversight. "Gali, try to head them off!" Tahu yelled over the noise. "We can still salvage this if we can bring those things down!" Even as he gave his order, the Toa of Fire had jumped down from the wall and was in pursuit, his weapons already glowing with heat and trailing wisps of smoke. He didn't wait to listen for an answer either; he trusted that Gali would either listen to him or have a better idea that would work instead. Right now his priority was putting a stop to the siege by any means necessary.

It didn't take long before Tahu was close enough to attack, lashing out on the green-toned creature whilst the other two - a blue one and a brown one - stomped off further into the village, each going different directions. "Oh come on! Can't they just stay grouped up and make life easier?!"

The answer was a clear and resounding 'no', apparently, and it was only a matter of time before the Fire Toa realized he may have bitten off a little more than he could chew. The creature was already proving itself to be physically stronger than he was, and even on the few chances to counter that he was given, he was barely able to land a strike that seemed to leave any damage. Sparks flew again and again as Tahu's blades clashed with the creature's staff, the Toa's anger only burning hotter as the fight progressed. Surely he should have been able to bring this monstrosity down by now!

That was when he heard it. A yell of alarm and fear, resounding from a building nearby that was on the verge of collapse. Had that been who he thought it was? Without even thinking, Tahu reacted on instinct alone and looked away from his opponent to call out. "Hahli?!"

Wham!

The next thing he knew, Tahu was being knocked flat, his head throbbing and eyes blurred with pain. Something sticky and wet was trickling down his face, the scent of blood and something rancid assailing his nostrils as he struggled to roll over and get up. He could hear something moving closer, more than likely the creature closing in to finish the job while he was unarmed and disoriented.

"Hey ugly!"

The sound of surging water drowned out everything else as the being was hit with the force of a super-pressured geyser, and a few moments later Gali's voice could be made out, her hands grasping at Tahu's arms as she tried to help him stand. "Tahu are you alright?!"

"Of course not!" He snapped back at her, brushing her hands aside as he got to his feet. "My village is under attack, and you're busy fussing over me getting a couple scratches!"

"Everyone's evacuated already." Gali said crossly, leaving Tahu where he was so she could free Hahli. "Ta-Koro is lost; we have to get out of here before more of it sinks into the lava. They're blasting down the supports as we speak."

Tahu's anger only boiled hotter at that. His village, destroyed? They had been able to protect it for years, against hordes of bohrok and crazed rahi, and now this? Destruction at the hands of three lizard monsters that barely seemed like they should've been as powerful as they were? It wasn't right! He should have been able to stop this from happening! He, Tahu Nuva, was too good for failure!

"Tahu come on!"

Gali's yell drew him back from his seething, falling in behind her as she led Hahli to the bridge and freedom. However, even as they made a break for more solid ground, Tahu could tell something was wrong. Why could he only see two Turaga? Half-way across the bridge, he caught a glimpse of Nokama's face and understood; Vakama hadn't escaped. Without a word he turned back towards the sinking village and ran for the gates. He already lost his village, but he was not going to lose anyone who dwelt in it.

Even if it killed him.