One's Destiny

By Fatala

I was writing this chapter while watching Oedipus the King and Antigone in English class. I know, my bad but it was the best source of ideas. That could explain why this chapter took so long to get up.

Chapter 5: The Forger.

"The Kraawa!"

"How did that thing get down here!", yelled Whenua in shock.

"What's a Kraawa?", asked Jaller. Hahli and Takanuva seemed just as confused as their friends.

"A creature of nightmares. Only one has ever been found. It use to be held in the archives but it escaped soon after being caught. It must of fled into these tunnels when the Visorak came to Metru Nui."

"But what makes it so frightening?", asked Hahli.

"It's powers. Somehow it is able to take any attack, both energy and physical, and turn it into power. It uses that power to grow in both size and strength."

"Then what do we do?", asked Takanuva nervously as the Rahi continued to draw closer.

"We quick-speed out of here!", yelled Matau as they fell back further into the tunnel. The Kraawa continued after them not willing to give up pursuit.

"Maybe I can slow it down.", said Takanuva throwing a sphere of light at the Rahi. It stopped a few feet away from the Kraawa before bursting into a blinding shield of light. The creature yowled at the brightness of the light as it covered it's eyes. As it stumbled waiting for it's eye sight to clear the Toa took the opportunity to run.

"We can't fight in this narrow tunnel or it might cave in on us.", said Vakama as they ran.

"There should be a cavern up ahead.", Whenua said just before they ran into an enormous cavern. The ceiling domed high above their heads and it was covered with light stones giving light in the otherwise dark underworld.

"We'll have to hold it off here."

"Hahli, Jaller. You two should find a safe place to hide.", advised Nokama turning back towards the two Matoran. Instead of listening Jaller drew his twin edged dagger and walked next to Vakama.

"I'm not gonna sit back out of the way while you guys have all the fun.", answered Jaller defiantly.

"Fun? Ha! this is a far cry from what I would call fun.", replied Matau in an almost jesting tone.

Just then the Kraawa roared drawing the groups attention. They pulled out their weapons as they readied themselves for the up coming battle. 'We have unity and duty . . . but where is our destiny?', though Takanuva as he readied his staff.

First only the thunderous boom of its foot steps could be heard; it started faintly but grew louder as the Rahi drew closer. Then the twin red eyes of the raging beast began visible from out of the darkness. By the time the Kraawa entered the chamber each Toa and Matoran, alike, had taken up their positions. As soon as it was with in range Nuju used his elemental powers to create an ice barrier around the Rahi. The Kraawa easily broke through the layers as if it were nothing but tissue paper. But it wasn't meant to hold the Rahi but to be only a diversion. At that moment Onewa and Whenua activated their powers together which caused plates of stone to rise from the ground and rocks from the ceiling to strike the Rahi from above and below. The combined elements threatened to bury the Kraawa in an earthen prison if not a grave. The Rahi clawed at the shifting dirt furiously trying to climb out of it's would be grave. At seeing the Kraawa's attempts of escape Onewa activated his mask power. He figure that he could override the Kraawa's thoughts easily, but he was wrong. Onewa reached deeper into the Kraawa's mind searching for someway to control it. But the farther he went the more disturbed he became, normally he would have heard the Rahi's thoughts by now. Instead there was no thoughts, no will. It was if the Rahi was nothing but an empty shell. Suddenly a hauntingly cold laugh filled his mind.

"Foolish Toa.", the voice in his head laughed. Mental he looked around for the source of the voice that's when he realized it was coming from the Kraawa's mind. But how could that be possible? He had searched threw it's mind and found nothing. Unless . . . unless the Kraawa was only a puppet being controlled. "How very perceptive.", the voice commented coldly.

"Who are you?", growled Onewa mad at himself for letting his guard down. For a moment the voice was silent, when it spoke again it was a cold as ice and stung like venom.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you don't remember who I am. You abandoned me! You and those other traitors left me to die!" Onewa reeled at the anger radiating from the voice. As the voice talked he desperately tried to find away out of the pychi-realm, but his attempts were being held up by the voice's fierce emotion. "What do you hope to accomplish? You'll never break my control.", voice echoed as it realized what Onewa was trying to do. "Your trapped here within the prison of your mind just as I capture Kaonu before you."

"Kaonu?", Onewa voiced the name in confusion. He shook the questioning thoughts from his head at concentrated again on finding an escape.

"Your powers are nothing compared to mine.", the voice said as it knocked him back with a strong mental blow and caused his body to stagger back a few steps. "I have waited so long for my revenge. I will make the rest of the Toa suffer as well but for now I will destroy you. With your own powers I'll tear you mind to shreds, leaving you nothing more than a mindless vegetable.", the voice laughed menacingly. Onewa gripped his head in pain as millions of psychological daggers pierced his mind tearing his consciousness to shreds and assaulted his senses.

"Onewa. Onewa! What's wrong!", Whenua yelled as he grabbed the Toa of Stone by the shoulders. Something was wrong, Whenua knew it and yet there was nothing he could do to help his brother. The problem wasn't physical but mental, which was far from Whenua expertise. Never before had he seen Onewa so devoured by fear and pain that was causing his body to shake and seizure. Suddenly Onewa's body seemed to involuntarily wretch itself out of Whenua's and fell limply to the ground.

The pain was too great, Onewa could no longer stay conscious as this invisible enemy tore through his memories. His life was flashing before his eyes. So many memories. The mysterious entity smiled evilly as he finished to ripping the Toa's world apart leaving a empty shell.

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Far from the Toa Metru's fight against the Kraawa the six former Toa Nuva entered what use to be Makuta's lair beneath the Mangai Volcano. They had only been there once before; when Takanuva defeated Makuta but it still was a chilling place. Even without the master of shadows at home the dark sanctum still gave off the presence of pure, unrelenting evil. The chamber was filled with inky blackness which was only broken by the pool of energised protodermis which glowed with a metallic shine. They couldn't just wait around and do nothing while the Toa Metru did all the work, not when so much was at stake. Tahu had lead the other Turaga Nuva into this forbidden place. Why? He didn't even know. Something, some sort of invisible beacon had lead them here, what sort of beacon it was; he didn't even want to know.

"I have been waiting for you. Oh how the mighty have fallen." The six new Turaga spun around to find that they were not alone. From the perpetual darkness came a tall, muscled stranger. His armor was a burnt/reddish brown with several streaks of black on his arms and legs. Tahu and the others looked up at the pair of dark purple eyes which glared menacingly at them. Then the menaceness turned into a wicked smile. 'Time to return the lost sheep to the fold.', he thought.

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The Toa had been fighting feverishly since the Kraawa climbed out of their trap but so far it seemed that all was in vain. Nuju had sent ice crystals with force, Takanuva had distracted it with blinding lights, Matau whipped tornado force winds, Nokama had turned the ground to mud, while Vakama turned the ceiling into molten protodermis. But nothing they did could stop the mighty Rahi which seemed to shrug off the attacks with ease. Jaller and Hahli had so far held back with Whenua, who was watching over Onewa's lifeless body, but now at seeing the Toa's plight it was finally time to act. Hahli took aim and fired a kanohii disk which hit the Kraawa in the leg. The attack didn't even draw blood or hurt but it was enough to draw the Kraawa's attention. It paused at seeing the small Ga-Matoran below. A flash of a memory too distant to comprehend flashed threw it's mind causing it to pause. Jaller took this oppertunity to strike with his blade while the Rahi's guard was down. The Kraawa flinched as blood began to flow from the wound Jaller had just inflicted. Then suddenly a horrible pain wrenched threw it's body; no, not from Jaller's attack but from something else. The Kraawa roared in pain as it felt the very core of itself being torn apart and reshaped into something else.

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Darkness poured into every part of their bodies as power, anger, and memories long forgotten began to resurface. Their very souls were being forcable torn apart and rearranged into something darker, something evil. One fell to his knees coughing up what appeared to be black blood. The ground beneath it began to smoke and give way as the blood ate through it like acid. Another suddenly shreiked out a cry. The sould wrenching cry of one who has found the light, only to be violently torn away and thus into eternal darkness. His body began to flame and wither in the dark flames but he did not die; alas, that would be a blessing compared to what he was becoming. Slowly and painfully their new body were stripped away revieling the true form of the beast within.

An menousing figure watched in amusement at their transformation. 'Kaonu is no longer useful to me. Let him return to his original form it makes no difference, not anymore.', he smiled as he looked at his long lost allies.

"The Brotherhood is once more complete.", he said with an evil grin.

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Onewa didn't know where he was. His mind was numb with a throbbing pain. It felt as if he was floating threw an unending abyss of memories. Pictues of people and places flashed threw his mind, some he remembered while others were completely alien to him. 'Is this what Vakama's visions felt like?', Onewa asked himself. Suddenly a strange feeling assulted his senses. It wasn't painful but powerful non the less as it hit him with full force sending him hurling away from the sea of memories and back into the land of the living.

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The Toa Metru watched in confusion and horror as the Kraawa sheiked in pain. It's body was going threw a painful transformation. As it let out a mournful cry, the group couldn't help feeling sorry for the poor Rahi. The creature's body began to writh and shrink before their very eyes. The Kraawa had now backed into a corner, trying to hide in the shadows. Whenua was still watching over Onewa's prone form when suddenly he noticed his brother's heart light flash to life.

"Onewa? Onewa?", Whenua asked as the stone Toa slowly began to wake up.

"Kaonu . . .", Onewa whispered. It was like he was in a trance. Though he had never heard the name before, it still struck a chord in Whenua's memory.

"Nokama, watch him.", Whenua said to the Toa of water as he walked over to where the Kraawa had hidden itself. The other Toa openly protested what he was doing but Whenua reassured them not to worry. As he approached the corner he could hear faint sobbing, but it was not that of a Rahi but a Matoran or a Toa. "Kaonu?", Whenua asked gently. The Kraawa looked up at hearing the name, confused at what it had heard. 'Kaonu? That was my name . . . once. But that was long ago.', it thought in dismay.

"Leave me.", it answered; it's voice dry and scratchy from eons of silence. There was a moment of silence before Whenua spoke again.

"We won't leave you here alone brother." Why did he say 'brother'? Whenua didn't know; it had just slipped out. Yet it seemed so natural.

"B . . . brother?" It had been too long since he had heard that word. For so long he had been an unwilling slave to the darkness. His unity shattered, his duty forgotten, and his destiny forced away. But he was no longer a mindless Rahi.

Whenua extended his his hand out. 'Kaonu' looked at it for a moment before taking it. Instead of seeing the claw on a Rahi, as he had expected, Whenua saw a hand strangely similar to his own. Except it was mild orange in color. Helping Kaonu up, Whenua found himself staring at another Toa. His armor was orange and yellow with several areas of black. His mask was the Kanohi Mau, the Great Mask of Power Absorbsion and on his chest was a strange Earki: the Plasma Jasper. The others stared in disbelief at what they saw. Where once was the Kraawa now stood a Toa.

To be continued in Chapter 6: Old Enemies, New Powers.

First Vakama and Takanuva; now Onewa. I love to torture characters and have them go threw near death experiences. If anything confuses you please tell me and I'll be glad to explain it the best I can without giving anything away.

Now it's time for reviews:

No don't kill them Bioniclefangirl they're important for a future plot.

It's strange Dalek Gun 07, I wasn't try to make Nokama and Vakama a couple but it seems to be turning out that way. :P I was swallowed whole by the work but when I climbed out I was devoured by Writer's Block. Next time I better watch where I step.

I can't really answer that question, Eagles Heart because I never know what I'll think of for the next chapter. But right now I'm planning a happy ending with all the the good guys living.

I have to agree with you there, GW and CD.

Thanks Dragon of Atlantis. You are correct about the vision being about the past but there is alot moreto this vision than what I'm letting on. -

I know I explained this to you already Shadow Dragon 04 but I'll explain it to the other readers incase they're wondering. Basicly the first part was Vakama's vision while the second part was in the present. You wanted the new Turaga back you got them. Only problem is what will happen to them now. Muhahaha!

I'm glad you reviewed Raicathre. It was actually your review that got me out of my writer's block. 'beady eye' I feel like I'm being watched.

Until next chapter I have to go and update my other stories. Good night.