Pohatu Nuva was certain that at some point in his storied career, he had escaped from a tougher trap. He just wished he could remember when. Not that he had much time for recollection—Lewa Nuva was about two seconds away from being introduced to a shadow leech. Once that happened, the light would be drained out of him and he would become a dark Toa. The other Toa Nuva, if they survived, would have to fight him, just as the Karda Nui Matoran were battling their former friends every day. The thought brought back an instant-long memory about Lewa's takeover by a Krana during the Bohrok invasion on Mata Nui. The scene strengthened Pohatu's resolve.

Pohatu racked his brain. If he used a mask power or his power over stone in any obvious way, their three Matoran allies were dead. But what if I do it in a way that isn't easy to spot? he thought. What if I can take them by surprise? Everyone knew what a Toa of Stone could do—create rock, shape it, make it strike at his command. It was a good power, but it wasn't the whole story. What a Toa can create, he can also destroy, thought Pohatu. And I just love to break things.

He closed his eyes, hoping the Makuta would just think he was afraid to watch Lewa's fate. Then Pohatu used his power over stone in a way he hadn't in ages—to weaken the rock in the floor of the hive. It was a delicate procedure—fractures had to be created with pinpoint precision—and Toa of Stone weren't known for being delicate. But done wrong, Mutran would spot signs of it too early, and Tanma and his group were as good as dead.

The shadow leech had made contact with Lewa's mask. The Toa of Air screamed. There was no more time to wait.

Pohatu Nuva gave a mental yank on the section of stone he had weakened. The floor beneath Antroz's and Mutran's feet gave way, throwing them off balance for one crucial instant. As soon as he saw them start to fall, Pohatu triggered his Kanohi Mask of Speed. By vibrating his body's molecules at high speed, he was able to pass his wrists through the chains and free himself. Increasing his vibrations, he rocketed forward, using his hand to slice through the chains that bound the other three Toa. Then he was gone, headed for the chamber where the Matoran were being held.

By now, Mutran and Antroz had regained their footing. Lewa and Kopaka had retrieved their weapons and, along with a newly revived Toa Ignika, were ready for them.

"The Doom Vipers," said Kopaka. "Back when we first got to Metru Nui."

"Gotcha," said Lewa. "What about our silent friend?"

"He'll figure it out," said the Toa of Ice.

Pohatu suddenly reappeared, the three Matoran in tow. "Whatever we're doing, we better do. The other Makuta are right behind me."

"Doom Vipers in Ga-Metru," Kopaka replied.

Pohatu smiled. "Oh, yeah. Good choice."

One of the things that made Kanohi Nuva masks unique was the ability of the user to share their power with whomever happened to be close by. In this case, it was Pohatu conferring the power of super speed on the other three Toa and Matoran. Before Mutran's eyes, all six seemed to vanish.

"Move, you fool!" Antroz snarled. "I can hear them. They are headed for the vats!"

It was already too late. The speeding heroes smashed the vats to shards, sending half-formed shadow leeches tumbling out onto the cave floor. Chirox and Vamprah arrived just at that moment, with Kirop and Gavla as their Kra-Matoran eyes. "Stay there!" Mutran yelled. "Block the exit!"

Pohatu wanted to stay and fight. Racing at top speed had been enough to confuse and defeat a half dozen deadly Doom Vipers, after all, so it might work as well on Makuta. Speed was one of the few powers Makuta didn't have. But a tap on the shoulder by Kopaka (even while still flying at super speed) signaled that retreat was the better option.

Concentrating, he used the mask to set all six bodies to vibrate at just the right frequency. Then the party shot forward, actually vibrating right through the bodies of Chirox and Vamprah. Unwilling to leave without a parting shot, Pohatu slowed everyone down just enough that their passage disrupted the Makuta's substance. The two cried out in excruciating pain. Then Pohatu and his team were out of the hive mouth and into the sky.

"Let's bring it down," said Kopaka, pointing to the hive.

Lewa, Pohatu, and Kopaka combined their powers, striking at the relatively slender stone cord that held the hive suspended. But it remained intact, the damage they did being healed almost as quickly as they made it.

"That's not normal stone," said Pohatu. "It looks almost organic."

Toa Ignika suddenly pushed forward, shouldering the other Toa aside. Before they could react, he had triggered his own unique power, weakening the living stone. It snapped in two, sending the hive plunging toward the swamp below. The Toa Nuva could see the Makuta and Matoran fleeing from it as it fell.

"What just happened?" asked Lewa Nuva, giving Toa Ignika a long look.

"We won!" shouted Solek.

Kopaka shook his head. "We survived. And we made them angry."

"Is that a good thing?" asked Photok.

"Mad-angry types get stupid," said Lewa, tearing his attention from their silent ally. "A stupid fighter beats himself."

"With a little help from us," added Pohatu, smiling.

X X X

The Makuta regrouped in Antroz's cavern. Mutran had wanted to go after the Toa immediately—they had just destroyed countless samples of his best work. All that was left of the shadow leeches were the ones Chirox had been examining. It would take days, maybe weeks, to get the equipment needed from Destral and regrow the leeches.

"No," said Antroz. "Let them think they have won a battle. Let them grow overconfident. It will make their destruction that much sweeter."

Mutran was in no mood to listen. His labors had been wiped out in an instant by a mere four Toa and some idiotic Matoran—and he knew exactly whose fault it was. "You!" he screamed, advancing on a frightened Kirop. "You led them to the hive! This is your failure!"

"Mutran!" snapped Antroz. "Inflict your punishments later! We have a war to win."

"Shadow Matoran," spat Chirox. "They are just as much a waste of space and air as they were before we transformed them. Why do we need to keep any of them alive?"

"You know why," Antroz answered. "Matoran of Light have an unusually high potential to become Toa. We are here to see to it that if any of these Matoran ever become Toa, they will be our Toa—Toa of Shadow."

"Our Toa? Our Matoran? Why not simply give up our dreams of conquest and settle into quiet lives as very tall Turaga?" The words had come from Makuta Icarax, who was standing in the passageway, his tone heavy with contempt.

Antroz seemed unfazed. "Good. You've arrived. I have work for you."

Icarax laughed. "I am not seeking employment, Antroz. You called, and I came, but only to tell you I am not some Rahi for you to order about. I care not at all for you, or the Brotherhood's precious Plan."

"Do you care about the Mask of Life?" interrupted Mutran. "I know its shape. I've seen the carvings, as we all have. I didn't realize it before, but that silent Toa—the one who brought down the hive—he was wearing the Kanohi Ignika."

"That makes no sense," said Chirox. "Six Toa Nuva came here. Three are with us, the others are being hunted by our brothers down below in the swamp. And none of them are wearing that mask!"

"Is that enough to pique your interest, Icarax?" asked Antroz, making no effort to hide the sarcasm in his voice. "We are going to lay waste to Karda Nui, seize the remaining Matoran, and kill the Toa Nuva. While you're here, you may as well make yourself useful—find the mysterious Toa and get that mask."

Icarax swung his blade, sparks flying from it as it struck the stone wall. "Since you asked so nicely, brother, what can I say? I will return with the mask…shall I bring it with or without the head that wears it?"

Antroz turned his back on the warrior, saying simply, "Amuse yourself."

X X X

Takanuva's vision of the past continues…

Toa Lewa, master of air, rider on the wind, emerald-armored hero in the making, had just discovered something very important. He really, truly, deeply hated the water. Hydraxon's exercise for the day had to do with searching for masks. Someday, he explained, the Toa might find themselves in a situation where Kanohi masks were not easy to come by, and they might have to seek them out. To prove his point, he took all of the Toa's masks and hid them in various places. Each Toa was given a map carved into a stone tablet that detailed where his or her mask could be found.

As the mysterious voice had warned them, without a mask their powers were halved. Lewa found himself wishing it had also warned them about insane trainers, unfriendly teammates, and how water was so very…wet.

He took a deep breath and plunged into the ocean again. His Mask of Levitation was supposed to be down here somewhere, but it was so dark he couldn't see. What I could really use is a "Mask of Light" right now, he said to himself. Right, like that's ever going to happen.

Lewa swam further down, disturbing a school of rainbow-colored fish. They looked to him like most fish—placid, slow-moving, with dumb expressions on their faces. At least, that was how they looked until they closed in around him, darting and diving, and biting him with needle-like teeth.

At first, Lewa just found this annoying. Then, the fish started finding chinks in his armor, and their attacks began to hurt. Angry, Lewa tried to summon an underwater cyclone to blow them away. But without his mask, he couldn't generate a force of sufficient power to scatter them. His lungs were starting to ache for fresh air, and the school of fish wasn't letting up. Lewa kicked his legs and shot to the surface. He climbed back onto the beach and sat down in the sand, staring at the water as if it was his worst enemy.

"Giving up?" asked Hydraxon. Lewa turned to see his trainer sitting on a rock, twirling a dagger.

"No," answered the Toa of Air. "Just…frustrated."

"Then you and Gali should get along just fine," Hydraxon said, gesturing over his shoulder.

Lewa rose and looked past the trainer into the woods. There was Gali, standing at the bottom of the tallest tree he had ever seen. Her Mask of Water Breathing was wedged among some branches way at the top. Scars in the tree showed where she had tried to use her hooks to climb it, but the trunk was covered in an oily substance that made it almost impossible to scale.

"Looks like she has a problem," said Lewa. "Bet I'll get to my mask before she does."

Hydraxon sprang from his perch and executed a perfect, sweeping kick, knocking Lewa to the ground. "It's not a race!" he said sharply. "You 'heroes' are incredible. Kopaka has spent all day staring into an active volcano, trying to figure out how he can freeze his way to his mask. Tahu has been melting and re-melting the same iceberg all day, trying to free his. And the other two are no better."

Lewa got back to his feet and glared at Hydraxon. "You gave us these stupid tasks. Each of us is just trying to get ours done. It's not so easy to do when you're on your—"

The Toa of Air abruptly stopped, as he realized what he was saying. Hydraxon smiled and began a slow, sarcastic round of applause. "A light dawns," said the trainer. "I didn't realize it would take a few years. Think about the missions I gave the six of you—and tell me when I said you couldn't work together?"

Lewa looked down at the sand, feeling a mixture of anger (mostly at himself) and a little embarrassment. It was true, Hydraxon had never insisted they pursue their masks alone. They had just split up as soon as he handed out the maps. Lewa had never even considered working with anyone else, and he doubted any of the others had either.

Hydraxon tossed his dagger from hand to hand. "It's a great weapon—sharp, perfectly balanced, accurate. But it takes more than talent and practice to use it correctly…it takes the brains to throw it at the right target. You Toa have plenty of power, but I'm not seeing much in the way of common sense. Without it, all that power isn't worth a pile of protodites."

Lewa looked again at Gali, who had summoned a small rainstorm to try to wash the mask out of the high branches. "Looks like I am going to get wet again," he muttered, already moving to help her.

Gali was surprised when she saw the Toa of Air approaching. She was surprised even more so when he used his weakened elemental powers to add some wind to her rain. The tree began to sway back and forth, until finally the Mask of Water Breathing came loose and fell right into her hands. "Um…thanks," she said. "But wasn't that against the rules of the game?"

"No," said Lewa. "Turns out trying to go it alone is playing the wrong game completely." He looked away, still feeling a little uncomfortable about what he was going to ask. "Well, uh, so…can you give me a hand now?"

X X X

Even with all their differences, Tahu and Kopaka had discovered one thing they agreed upon: they couldn't stand each other. Despite that, the night after the mask-searching exercise found them hiking through the mountains together. "There's an easier way to go about this," Tahu said. "Find Hydraxon and make him take us where we need to go. If the door is barred against us, I bet he would make a great key."

"Are all fire-types like you? Or are you just uniquely an idiot?" growled Kopaka. "We don't know the extent of Hydraxon's powers. We don't know that he wouldn't be able to warn our 'hostess' somehow. We don't even know that we could defeat him."

Tahu's sword went from red-hot to white-hot in an instant, then cooled down again. "Speak for yourself, frosty."

"Excellent. Fine," Kopaka snapped. "What was I thinking? Of course the answer to every problem is violence and destruction. Who needs conversation when you can have carnage?"

Their argument was cut off by the sight of an imposing fortress in the distance. The place bristled with weaponry and was ringed by armed guards. An army of Toa might have been able to conquer it, but two would just be a moment's distraction for its defenders.

"Think they'll let us in if we ask nicely?" asked Tahu.

"I don't know. Think you can fight your way through all of them?"

Tahu shook his head, laughing. "You're not the only one who can come up with a strategy, Toa of Snow. Now get your hands up."

Kopaka looked at his companion, puzzled. Tahu had already raised his hands, his sword giving off just enough of a glow that both Toa would be visible to the guards. Suddenly, it made sense. As he lifted his hands into the air and resumed marching toward the fortress, even Kopaka had a hard time suppressing a smile.

X X X

The fortress guards did exactly what Tahu had hoped they would do. They brought the Toa they had "captured" inside and right to their leader. If Tahu had expected the ruler of this land to be some massive, heavily-armored warrior who could snap a Toa in two with no effort, he was to be disappointed. The figure that awaited them was a Toa, although one whose armor looked quite different from theirs. It looked older, and as though there had already been several additions, creating multiple layers of protection while keeping her sleek, wise, and powerful form from becoming too bulky. Even more surprising, that armor was blue—like Gali, she was a Toa of Water. She looked up from what she was tinkering with, a small vehicle with multiple legs.

"Like it?" she asked. "I am thinking of calling it a 'swamp strider.' Who knows, there might be use for it someday."

Tahu's surprise was doubled now that it was clear the mysterious voice that had awakened them belonged to her. Kopaka seemed to take the revelation in stride, though, saying, "Who are you?"

"My name is Helryx," the female Toa replied. "I was the very first of our kind. It might interest you to know that I saw you created, Kopaka, all of you."

"We want some answers," Tahu interrupted. "We feel we're entitled to them."

Helryx smiled. "Then answers you shall have, Toa of Fire. All that you want…and perhaps more than you can stand." The Toa of Water put down her tools and approached Tahu and Kopaka. She looked from one to the other and then nodded, as if giving her approval. "Brave. Daring. Strong. You and your team are ready to become true heroes. But…this universe, like all others, demands a price from its heroes. Sometimes, they have to suffer; sometimes, they have to die. That is the price for living a life that matters…for having the power to change, to protect, to act." Helryx gestured for the Toa to follow her. "Come, my brothers. It's time for you to learn what price will be asked of you."