(A/N): Welcome back to Destiny's Divide! In this installment, we're checking back in with Takua and Penny as they head to Ko-Koro! This was originally going to just be one chapter, but considering that the first draft of this was originally a staggering 16k words, and that my first drafts usually tend to get longer instead of shorter the more I work on them…yeah, I made the decision to split it in half so that I don't drive myself nuts trying to edit a single big chapter. So you'll be getting one-half of the Ko-Koro storyline from MNOG this update, the adventure into the Drifts in the next one, and then…heh, well, I won't spoil anything, but let's just say that things'll get…weird.

In any case, bundle up, grab some hot cocoa, and enjoy!

If there was one thing Ruby loved about Mata Nui, it was how calm the mornings felt.

When the sun rose from its hiding place below the horizon, it brought with it the light and warmth of a new day and the promise that it would be better than yesterday. While sunrise on Remnant carried a similar beauty and reassurance, it also came with its own anxieties - pressure to train and rebuild and complete missions while there was still daylight, before the Grimm could strike under the cover of darkness. But here, on an island free from the shadowy nightmares, one could enjoy the burning skyline and the golden glow for what they were, instead of what they represented. And of course, the metallic cries of various Rahi starting their own mornings was so different from the calls of birds back home, yet it was beautiful all the same.

Ruby let out a sigh as she nestled deeper into her makeshift bed, her big crimson cloak serving as a cocoon-like blanket for herself and Weiss. Most of their gear and clothes (save for what they felt comfortable sleeping in) were sitting in a small pile within easy reach, but she didn't move to get dressed quite yet. Instead, she looked down at the icy queen that clung protectively to her exposed sides, whose chest rose and fell softly with each gentle snore.

"…heh. Not gonna let me get up and get moving without you, huh Weiss?"

"Mmmmngh."

She laughed softly and repositioned her arms to bring her friend - girlfriend, Ruby reminded herself with a faint blush - closer into her embrace. The heiress mumbled softly as her cheek came into contact with a bare shoulder, instinctively nuzzling closer with a confidence her waking self lacked. It didn't take a genius to guess what she was dreaming about…or rather, who.

"Hmm…guess I can just lay here for a little longer…" she admitted quietly as she planted a gentle kiss on her girlfriend's forehead. Weiss hummed contentedly and blushed in her sleep, which made her own heart flutter.

"Not too long, I hope."

Ruby let out a small squeak as she finally looked beyond her partner, staring up at Kopaka as he sat across from them. The Toa of Ice balanced his sword across his lap, running some kind of palm-sized shard of ice along its edge to sharpen the blade itself. Nearby, Gali hovered with her legs crossed and her hands on her thighs, eyes closed behind her mask as she meditated while bobbing up and down.

"Ah…heh, yeah, no need to worry about that," said Ruby sheepishly. "Anything interesting happen during the night?"

Kopaka said nothing, merely focused on sharpening his sword.

"…right, probably not. If there was, you would've woken us up. Or you would've just…dealt with it yourself…"

More silence. The Toa of Ice spared one glance at her, nodded, then went back to work.

The awkwardness didn't stop the little rose from trying to start a conversation. "So, um…you've got most of your Kanohi now, right? You found your Mask of Strength yesterday, and you and Weiss already found a bunch of masks before we teamed up. That means you just need, um…shoot, which one was it? The one that makes you float?"

"The Miru," Kopaka replied icily.

"Right, that one. Then you'll help Gali and I find the rest of hers, right?"

A silent nod.

"Nice. Then we just meet up with the other Toa and beat up Makuta. You guys get to wake up Mata Nui, the Matoran get to live without his shadow over them, and we get to go home. Everyone wins! …except Makuta, obviously."

The Toa of Ice hummed. "You make it sound so simple."

Ruby shrugged her bare shoulders. "Eh. It helps to look at the big picture when I get scared or overwhelmed. Or when I start to worry we might not be getting back after all…"

Kopaka raised an eyebrow under his mask. "And how often do you worry about that?"

"More than I want to admit," said the little rose with a quiet sigh. She looked down at Weiss, who even in her sleep felt guided to seek out her warmth. "I…there's so many people waiting for us on Remnant. They must think we're dead, that we're all just…gone forever. Jaune, Nora, Ren, Oscar…Weiss has her whole family, Blake has her parents, Yang and I have our…"

Silver eyes widened and wavered slightly at the realization. "…oh gods. Dad and Uncle Qrow must be terrified about us going missing."

"More than the others?" asked the Toa of Ice.

Ruby nodded tersely. "There's more to it than that. The women in our family…have a bad habit of going missing, and each time it happens my dad breaks a little more. Yang's mom ran away and refused to fight, even with the incredible power she was gifted. That was my dad's first wife. His second was Summer Rose, my mother, and she…"

A bitter chill washed over her, as tears welled up in her eyes.

"…she disappeared when I was really little. If she's lucky, she's dead. If she's not…Salem turned her into something horrible."

Kopaka bowed his head solemnly, respectful enough to not ask for details. "My condolences."

Ruby forced a smile at the Toa of Ice's attempt to be warm and comforting. It wasn't much, but he was clearly trying, and that was what counted.

Looks like Weiss managed to thaw you out a little bit, after all.

Speaking of Weiss, even in her slumber she seemed to sense the sadness in her girlfriend. The pair of arms around Ruby's waist tightened ever so slightly, drawing the pair of them closer than seemed possible. She let out one choked sob and a few tears as she returned the embrace, snuggling into the warmth of the heiress by her side. It was obvious that although she did her best to hide it, Weiss was struggling to cope with the loss of not just her family, but her entire world. Everything she knew - her home, her city, her kingdom - was gone, and she was desperate to hold onto something - anything - that was familiar.

Then I'll hold onto you for as long as you need me, my queen.

"Don't get me wrong, this island is…beautiful, even with Makuta's shadow hanging over it," she said after a brief moment of silence. "The way the villages survive in a land without Grimm, the varied scenery, the tropical atmosphere, the strange yet wonderful technology…if the food weren't so metallic, I'd probably want to stay here forever." That got a brief chuckle out of Kopaka. "But we can't. We have a Duty of our own, to stop Salem and keep her from bringing about the end of Remnant. We can't do that while we're here on Mata Nui. We have to get back home."

"I understand," said the Toa of Ice with another nod, inspecting his newly-sharpened sword in the morning light. "And for what it's worth, I hope that you do find a way back to your world. If finding our masks and defeating Makuta doesn't give you one, I won't stop looking on your behalf."

Silver eyes once again threatened to well up with tears, and it was only the touch of Weiss on her bare waist that kept them back.

"That…that means a lot, to hear you say that. Thank you, Kopaka."

One more nod from the Toa of Ice as he sheathed his sword and stood back up. "I'll rouse Gali from her morning meditations. Try to awaken Weiss so we can pack up the camp and get moving."

"Easier said than done," said Ruby with a small laugh, wiping her eyes dry. "She is not a morning person. I had to use a whistle to wake her up back at Beacon -"

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of two Scrolls pinging at the same time. Instinctively, Ruby pulsed her Semblance and descended on the clothes pile like a bird of prey, emerging from the cloud of rose petals fully dressed and back on the "bed" with the device in hand. As she swiped through the backlog of messages that had happened while they slept - good gods, that was a lot of texts and banter between Neo and Emerald - Weiss sat up with a yawn and hugged the crimson cape to her chest in lieu of her girlfriend, her ivory hair spilling around her face in loose curls like a waterfall of white.

"Mmmgn…m'rning…" groaned the heiress sleepily, smacking her lips and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What's going on now?"

Ruby greeted Weiss with a soft, chaste kiss on the lips that made both girls blush. "It's Penny," she said once her heart stopped racing. "I think she's in trouble."

"Again?" Weiss sighed. "But it hasn't even been two days…ugh, fine. Where is she this time?"

"No idea, it doesn't say…but she sent a picture, at least." She expanded the attached photo - a big snowy field in the middle of a blizzard - and showed it to her girlfriend, as well as the pair of Toa that were walking over. Gali tilted her head in confusion, Weiss flopped back down with a defeated groan, and Kopaka narrowed his eyes behind his mask.

"She travels with no warm clothes and a Ta-Matoran vulnerable to the cold," said the Toa of Ice. "What could possibly possess her to venture out into the Drifts of Mount Ihu?"

Several hours earlier…

"…you know, for a supposed Chronicler you always seem to miss the most interesting stories, Takua."

The heat of Ta-Koro was almost stifling, especially to someone with only Aura to protect them, but it paled in comparison to the charged atmosphere of Jaller's office. Penny watched as the Matoran tactician shook his head and leaned over the war table between them, the brow beneath his yellow Hau furrowed in concentration. By her side Takua's eyes narrowed in annoyance, scratching his head and shifting from one foot to the other.

"I'd heard that the village was attacked recently, but it seems like everything's alright now," said the Chronicler defensively. "Besides, Penny and I were in Onu-Koro solving problems there, then we helped the other Le-Matoran free their people from a Nui-Rama hive - and their Toa. I'm sorry we weren't around to help with the defense, but we've been busy too."

The Captain of the Guard sighed. "Then I'm glad you, at least, have seen some small victories. The rest of us haven't been so lucky. It was more than just an attack that happened here, Chronicler - it was an invasion. We'd never have to contend with that many Rahi at once before…and when the bulk of the forces were routed, a new beast appeared, one that made the previous assault look like a swarm of angry fireflyers."

"The Kanohi Dragon," supplied Penny with a grim nod. "Ruby told me about it, and how much trouble it gave her and her team. Even the Toa struggled against it - they had to bring down a good chunk of Mount Ihu just to weaken it enough to deal the final blow."

Takua furrowed his brow behind his mask. "Huh…wow. I'm gonna be kicking myself later for missing that fight. Maybe."

Jaller glowered. "Still not taking your job seriously, I see. Even when it's an important job, like recording the history of Mata Nui."

"Well, sorry for not just sitting around waiting for bad things to happen like you are," snapped the Chronicler.

"That is not what - "

Penny did not like where this was going. She cleared her throat. "Takua…Jaller did not ask to see us so that you two could fight. You had a request for us, yes?"

The Captain of the Guard nodded and pointed to his map, grateful to get back on task. Takua stewed and sighed.

"My scouts delivered reports from the other villages earlier today, and none of them brought good news. All across the island Rahi are massing and threatening to close in on all sides, in numbers far too great to count. It seems like Makuta plans to attack every settlement simultaneously, like he assaulted Ta-Koro the other day and Le-Koro earlier this week."

Jaller gestured to the rings of dark obsidian pieces around colored markers to illustrate his point as he spoke. A chill ran down Penny's spine as she tried to count just how many enemy tokens were carefully arranged, only to lose track after a hundred.

"The one saving grace comes from the Turaga's belief that destruction is not their intent," he added. "Rather, Makuta means to keep us locked inside our villages like good little Matoran, so that we can't help the Toa while they finish collecting their Masks. Vakama thinks that the attacks will happen as soon as the Toa move to confront Makuta himself…until then, all we can do is fortify the villages and wait."

Takua clearly had a biting remark in store, but a sharp glance from the freckled Huntress kept it at bay. Jaller did not seem to notice, thankfully.

"I've had to recall all the scouts I sent to other villages, to have them aid in the defense. All of them have safely returned…except for one regiment in the North March. I haven't been able to contact them since the siege of Ta-Koro."

Penny tilted her head. "The…North March? What is that?"

"An icy pass up in the highest mountains of Mata Nui, where the raging fires of Ta-Wahi meet the ice and snow of Ko-Wahi." Jaller pointed to a red piece along the mountainside. "My Guard has a small outpost there, only reachable by cable car. They watch against Rahi from the frozen heights. They also keep an eye on the Ko-Matoran."

"Is that really necessary?" Takua blurted out. "Watching the Ko-Matoran, I mean. I thought we were all in this together."

"We are," agreed the Captain with a nod. "But even considering the isolated nature of our villages, the Ko-Matoran are an especially elusive sort. They've been seen little during the past moons, and heard from even less. But it may not be that they are troubled; silence has always been their way. I keep a regiment of scouts there to coordinate with them when they are spotted, and to share intel."

Jaller sighed. "I fear the servants of Makuta have taken those scouts, but I have no way to confirm this, and no one to send for an investigation. Which is why I need you two to take the cablecar to the North March, and search the area around the outpost. If the scouts are alive, make contact with them and get a report for me on the Makuta's efforts in the mountains. If they're not, well…see that the dead are given their due. And let me know either way."

Penny looked down pleadingly at Takua, who was doing his best to look like he didn't care.

"Well, Penny's not gonna be able to say 'no' to this, which means I guess I'm getting roped into this too." The Chronicler sighed. "Fine. We'll do it. But don't think for a second that this makes me one of your little guardsmen that you can order around."

Jaller seemed to accept that with a nod, though he narrowed his own eyes. "After everything you've done, believe me - asking you to join the Guard is the last thing I'd ever do."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Takua spun on his heel and marched out of the room, while Jaller sighed and looked down at his table again. Penny looked between the two for a moment, then turned to face the Captain.

"I am…sorry for Takua's behavior," offered the freckled Huntress.

"It's fine, Penny," said Jaller. "It's nothing to worry about."

She frowned. "…in my experience, people who say that usually are not fine, and that there almost always is something to worry about."

That got a rare chuckle out of the Captain. "Guess some things are the same across both worlds, huh?" Then he let out another sigh. "It's just…frustrating, I guess. He might have forgotten the last thousand years of trouble he's caused for the entire island, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can just let that go."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Well, there was that time…" Jaller started, then shook his head. "Sorry. I'm not allowed to say anything, not even to you. Turaga's orders."

"But - "

"You'd better catch up with him before he gets too far away. Don't you need to be next to him to stay alive?"

Penny wanted to mention how the range of their connection had increased recently, and how she had taken to keeping the lightstone on her hip at all times as a safety precaution. But she recognized that she was broaching a sensitive topic, and understood Jaller's statement as one of dismissal. So she curtseyed respectfully, said goodbye, and walked out of the office and returned to the ramparts.

Unlike the other villages she had seen, Ta-Koro was built as a fortress first and a settlement second. The mighty wall that formed the perimeter was proof of that, as was the stream of crimson-armored Matoran that constantly patrolled its perimeter. Penny couldn't help but notice that security had been increased significantly since her last visit - not only were there far more Guards on patrol than there were last time, she also noticed several more heavy weapons set up inside of towering turrets.

They are preparing for war, she thought to herself. For their own sake, I hope it does not find them.

It did not take long to spot Takua stomping away, and it took even less time to catch up to him with long, quick strides. He looked up at her, touched her hand briefly to restore their connection, then kept walking wordlessly alongside her.

Strange… thought Penny as she looked at the lingering green glow against her palm, which took a little longer to fade than usual. The spark of energy seems to linger on my Aura longer, and it feels…different, somehow. Does this mean that the connection is growing stronger? Or does it mean the opposite - is this a sign that it is getting weaker, and my time is running out once more?…

Pushing the thoughts of her own mortality out of her mind - how did humans manage to do that almost constantly? - she cleared her throat and talked to Takua.

"So…it was nice to see Jaller again."

The Chronicler scoffed as they kept walking. "Oh. Yeah. Delightful. A real treat."

Penny frowned. "That was…sarcasm, yes?"

"What, me? Being sarcastic? No…couldn't be me."

…okay, that was most certainly sarcasm. Her frown tightened.

"At least he did not threaten you with a disk to your throat this time," she offered hopefully. "That is an improvement from the last meeting, yes?"

Another derisive laugh. "Oh yeah. Big change in our relationship. Such a welcoming and friendly greeting. I feel so appreciated."

She furrowed her brow. This was getting quite annoying.

"Takua, do you…have an issue with Jaller and the Guard?" Before he could open his mouth, she added, "If you answer that with sarcasm, I will use my Semblance to string you up and carry you upside-down by your legs. And I will not release you until we reach the North March."

Takua's eyes widened behind his mask, shuddering at the mental imagery. Then he sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry for being so flippant. You don't deserve that. It's just…it's not just that he threatened me back in the forest - I can't shake this feeling that we've always been at odds with each other. My head might not know it, but my heart tells me that this isn't the first time we've fought, nor will it be the last. And I don't know why. He might be remembering arguments that as far as I know never even happened, and I'd have no way of knowing."

"Was there anything you saw just now that could remind you?" Penny asked gently, grateful for some actual answers. "Something that bothered you about the way the Guard works?"

"That's just it, Penny. The Guard doesn't work."

Several Guardsmen within earshot along the wall turned from their patrol, turning away from the Lake of Fire as they speared the Chronicler with glowing yellow glares.

"No offense, guys," he said with a scoff. "I meant that the system as a whole doesn't work, not the folks in it. Keep watching the lake. I've heard that those lava waves get really dangerous around this time of year."

"Takua!" hissed Penny. "Do not disrespect them! They are fighting to protect the Matoran!"

"They're fighting to protect the Ta-Matoran," he shot back. "What about the other villages? What about Ga-Koro or Po-Koro? Who's protecting them, besides the Toa?"

"We have been to the other villages," said Penny, furrowing her brow. "We have seen that they can fight as well. There is the Onu-Matoran Ussalry, the Le-Matoran Gukko Force, the Ga-Matoran Marine Militia - "

"Give me a break!" snapped Takua as he stopped in place, turning and looking up to face her. "Ta-Koro has some of the best warriors on the island, veterans of thousands of battles whose skills can rival even the Toa and your friends. Under Jaller's command they're all taking walks around a volcano and digging trenches, oblivious to the suffering of the world around them! I mean, come on, Jaller even told us just now that he's been sending scouts to the other villages - where were they, why didn't we see them, and why weren't they helping? Why didn't they report that half of Po-Koro was sick, or help Ga-Koro when everyone was trapped in a sunken hut? Why didn't they navigate the lava spill in Onu-Koro, or assault the Nui-Rama hive in Le-Koro to free the captured Matoran? And why does it have to be us that goes and cleans up their mess out in the snow? Don't they care about what happens outside the walls?!"

"Of course they care!" she countered with a pit in her gut. She did not enjoy raising her voice at Takua. "But Mata Nui is a big place with many different landscapes. The Ta-Koro Guard cannot be everywhere at once, and - "

"My point exactly, Penny!" The Chronicler threw his hands into the air. "We're too scattered, and that makes us vulnerable! The Turaga make a big deal about how the Toa need to stand in Unity, but we need to be doing that too, and we can't work together if we're all spread out like this! The only reason the other Matoran even need their own defenses is because the Guard can't get there quickly enough to protect them! The only reason that we've been able to solve problems everywhere is because no one else wants to go outside the borders of their own village, or take a trip down the big scary tunnels that Whenua's people painstakingly dug out for them! And the only reason that Makuta keeps getting away with all his evil plans is because no one on this stupid island is looking out for each other!"

Silence fell over the village at Takua's final outburst, and Penny suspected that if Matoran were capable of crying, her friend almost certainly would do so now. Even she felt tears well up in her eyes as she stared down at the emotional little Ta-Matoran, who suddenly seemed to find the ground a lot more interesting (and easier to look at) than her own gaze.

"This…is not just about your conflict with Jaller, is it?" she asked slowly. "Or your grievances against the Ta-Koro Guard?"

He heaved another heavy sigh. "No…no, I guess it isn't. Guess it's something…deeper. Something I can't remember…but it's winding me up all the same."

Penny bit her lower lip and racked her mind for words of comfort, searching for something she could say to soothe the lost little Matoran's building anxieties. Finding none, she opted to drop to one knee and pull Takua into a tight embrace, wrapping her arms around his armored frame and squeezing with all her might. Unlike the first time she'd given her friend a hug in the smoldering air of Ta-Koro, he actually returned it - he buried his masked face into her shoulder and closed his eyes as his brow trembled.

"I hate this…" he muttered, his fingers digging into the back of her dress. "I hate how I have to chronicle everyone else's story without even knowing my own. Did I always believe everything I just shouted? Or was I so entrenched in Jaller's ideas back then that I never dared question it? Who was I before I got banished? What did I even do that got me banished in the first place? What if…"

Takua's voice wavered. "…what if I did something really bad? Something unforgivable, like what Ahkmou did. What if it drives you away? What if it makes you hate me? What if it makes you…leave me?"

Ah. So that was the true heart of the issue. Penny tightened her embrace.

"I am certain you will remember eventually," she said softly. "And no matter what you did in the past, I will forever stay by your side Takua. Do not be afraid of that."

Takua scoffed as the pair withdrew. "Right. Yeah, dumb fear on my part. You won't leave, because I'm the only thing keeping you alive."

"No." Penny gave her brightest smile as she reached down to take the Chronicler's hand in her own. "I will stay by your side because you are my friend."

The rest of the walk to the cable car was quiet, but peaceful. They finally approached the boxy-looking mess of gears and mechanisms that kept a rectangular carriage suspended across a wire bridge, guarded by a lone Ta-Matoran who saluted and ushered them inside. Penny sat on one of the seats and pulled Takua onto her lap, holding him like a child would hold a teddy bear for a long trip. The Chronicler relented and rested his head back against her chest, closing his eyes as they settled in for the ride.

It was Penny's hope that things would stay this warm forever.

The first thing Takua noticed about Ko-Wahi was just how cold it was.

As the cable car came to a grinding halt with a whir and a hiss of steam, the pair was greeted by a world covered in a thick blanket of white. Instead of the familiar huts formed out of fired clay in Ta-Koro, the North March outpost consisted of compacted white bricks that somehow stacked into rows of perfect domes. The air was crisp and cold, and crackled within the Chronicler's organic lungs with each breath he took. Despite how clear and gray the skies were, it was anything but peaceful - rather, it felt like the world had died, and he was only here to see the aftermath.

He hopped out of the cablecar and landed on the ground, feeling the white blanket crunch underfoot with some displeasure. "Ew. What is this stuff? It's like…water. But it's not like regular water, and it's not hard like ice. Whatever it is, I don't like it."

"That is called snow, Takua," said Penny with a soft laugh as she stood up from her own seat, stepping out to join him with a slight wince. "Although…I agree. It is not pleasant to walk on."

Takua cast a glance at his companion, mustering up the courage to look at the human's horrifying feet. "You sure you're gonna be okay not covering those? I know you said that you wanted to feel everything, but I don't think human skin is supposed to be that color…"

"It is not," she admitted with a small frown, sitting back in the cablecar to examine her blue-tinged extremities. "This was not a problem that I had when I was a robot, nor was it something I experienced during the evacuation of Atlas. Hmm…"

The Huntress looked around with a pensive hum for a good while, her eyes eventually falling on a nearby pile of spare cablecar parts and billets of tanned Rahi hides. With a wave of her hand she sent out a dozen glowing teal threads into the stack of materials, pulling out liftarms and pins and other metallic pieces. By her will alone she guided them into new arrangements, shaping them into boots as large as Takua's mask before disassembling and reassembling them into a different shape.

"Give me a moment, Takua," she said with her lips pursed in determination. "I will need to ensure that the boots do not fall apart without my Semblance to bind the parts together. If you wish to look around, feel free. I will be with you soon."

"Right…" said the Chronicler. "I won't go too far, I promise. Plus, finding me in all this white shouldn't be too hard."

At Penny's nod of affirmation, Takua turned and started poking around the rows of huts that presumably belonged to the Matoran stationed in the North March. The interiors were sparse and undecorated, usually only containing the bare essentials. Bedrolls made from the skins of lava-eels, obsidian-forged throwing disks, shields hewn from wood in the Charred Forest…all of it was standard Ta-Koro Guardsman equipment, and Takua didn't want to touch any of it.

There was one odd little thing that caught his attention, however - a small white canister made of polished marble, shaped to resemble the vessels that the Toa themselves had arrived in. Opening the lid revealed a glowing faceted crystal that resembled a lightstone, except that it radiated heat along with a small amount of red-orange light. Even holding it while open near one of the huts was enough to make the interior walls melt; Takua wisely made sure that the cap was screwed on tightly before stuffing it into his rucksack and continuing his investigation.

None of these huts look like they've been damaged in battle, thought the Chronicler with a frown behind his mask. No other signs of a struggle, either. So it doesn't look like there was a Rahi attack. But where is everyone? If the Rahi didn't do this, what did?

The answer - as alarming as it was - came into view as soon as he rounded a corner.

He yelped and backed away as he almost ran headfirst into an unmoving Ko-Matoran, but the person he nearly collided with gave no such reaction. It didn't take long to figure out why - the white-armored villager was completely frozen, entombed in a statue-like layer of ice that perfectly captured the Matoran's desperate attempt to flee. Indigo eyes stared dimly and helplessly through a faded blue Komau, and only the twitching of the eyes and the faint pulses of light on their chest gave signs of life.

Horrified beyond any rational thought, Takua just stared at the frozen Ko-Matoran as his mind reeled at the implications. How long had they been like this? When did this happen? What had happened?

Does it matter? A small voice within his mind countered pointedly. You know you have something that can help here. Use it, while there's still time.

That thought was enough to ground him, encouraging him and giving him the will to act. He tore into his pack for the oddly-hot lightstone, unscrewed the lid, and held it out to the frozen villager.

The results were instantaneous. As soon as the wave of heat touched the ice it began to crackle and melt, water trickling down faded-blue legs and dripping from pearl-white arms. The Matoran inside seemed to sense what was happening, because they shook and thrashed against their frozen restraints to further break free. After an agonizing minute of Takua bringing the hot stone closer to stubbornly-frozen joints, the layer of ice finally shattered altogether, and the stranger inside was free.

"Easy there, buddy," said Takua as the unfamiliar Matoran fell on all fours, bringing the stone close enough to warm them up. "You okay now?"

The Ko-Matoran looked up at Takua, then gave a deep, thoughtful hum as they looked around. They (or he, as Takua realized) didn't seem too bothered for someone having literally been frozen - if anything, he seemed the same sort of confused and unsure that one feels after a particularly long nap. After staring silently at their rescuer for a moment, he nodded slowly in gratitude…and then sprinted away from the outpost and into a snowy valley.

"Huh?" The Chronicler paused for a moment as his mind processed this new turn of events. Then indignation kicked in. "Hey, wait! Don't go yet! We have questions for you!"

"Takua? Is everything okay?" Penny arrived around the corner wearing a pair of metallic leather-lined boots, which seemed to allow her to walk through the snow without fear of freezing her feet. "I overheard you talking. Did you find someone?"

He turned back to his friend as he covered the glowing stone. "Yeah, sorry. I found a Ko-Matoran trapped in ice and thawed him out with this, but then he took off running…not sure why he'd do that."

Penny's gaze followed the footprints in the snow left by the freed Ko-Matoran, and Takua joined her in watching him as he stopped and turned the pair. The stranger stood silently for a moment longer as if he was studying the new arrivals, then plunged his fist into a mound of snow. A soft click echoed across the snowy valley as a hidden mechanism went to work, eventually revealing a doorway that opened up into a yawning tunnel.

"…I think he wants us to follow him," said the Huntress as she gently patted Takua's head.

"Sure looks that way." He stuffed the capped stone back into his pack, slung his rucksack back over his shoulder, and touched Penny's hand to restore their connection. "Alright. Let's go see what he has to say…assuming he says anything."

And so the pair crossed the snowy valley and entered the ice-walled tunnel, following the Ko-Matoran as he descended himself. The air inside was slightly warmer, but still carried a lingering touch of cold and dread like the specter of winter hung over them. Takua found his apprehension growing with each step he took in this strange new world. This was not where he belonged, and the sooner he found out what happened to Jaller's troops, the sooner he could get out of this frozen abyss.

At least…that was what he told himself.

Eventually, he and Penny emerged into a natural crystalline cavern, one that was just spacious enough to comfortably house a dozen or so Matoran. Walls of hard, compacted snow surrounded them on all sides, lined with tools, weapons, and empty supply packs that hung from sculpted hooks. Interestingly, one section of the wall seemed to have patches of ice that were polished to a mirror-like shine - and each panel had a different image displayed in the glassy surface, which was even more baffling.

And in front of those odd panes, not even looking back at the new arrivals, was their mysteriously silent Ko-Matoran.

Penny approached him with her trademark smile. "Salutations! My name is Penny Polendina, and this is Takua the Chronicler. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

The stranger gave no response for a long moment, merely staring at the glassy ice patches without even turning to face them. When he finally did speak his words were quiet and short, carried on the winds like a deep, gentle whisper.

"I am Kopeke. You have my thanks, Chronicler."

Okay, good, so he does speak.

Takua nodded, though the unease never left his chest. "Can you tell me what happened? Where are all the Ta-Matoran stationed here?"

"The Makuta led them into the ice, and I fear they will not return," Kopeke answered after another terse pause. "I was caught in a polar vortex that grazed the outpost. Had you not come and saved me with the heatstone, I would be facing a similar fate."

Penny's smile faded as she stared down at the ground, the implications all too clear. Takua put a hand on her leg, then bowed his head.

"Well…guess that answers that," he said solemnly. "There's nothing else we can do for them at this point. Jaller's gonna want to know about this…"

The Ko-Matoran was silent for another moment, watching the unmoving images framed within panes of glass-like ice on the wall. It was only after Takua looked closer that he realized they were more than just decoration - they were mirrors that somehow reflected the world beyond the outpost, capturing every glittering detail down to the individual snowflake. From this vantage point Kopeke could see everything; the cable car, the cliffside, the huts at the base of the landing, and even the pathway they'd taken to get there.

He must be a sentry guarding this tunnel, thought Takua to himself. Well, at least it's nice to know that it's not just the Ta-Koro guards who take themselves too seriously…

His thoughts were interrupted by the chittering of a small creature and the sound of small claws digging through snow. Takua looked underfoot to see a tiny little Ussal Crab - one that was no bigger than his mask, even - enter the outpost carrying a stone disk on its back, which it pulled off and deposited at Kopeke's feet with a small chirp. Wordlessly he picked up the stone, examined it for a moment, then flipped it over and began digging into it with a sharp icicle. The scraping sounds echoed off the walls, and while he couldn't see what Kopeke was writing, it must have been a lot given how quickly he was carving circles and letters into the slate.

"Turaga Nuju wishes to speak with you," informed Kopeke after yet another moment's silence. "He says that he has foreseen a great Duty that only you can accomplish, and he wishes to brief you on it. Immediately. Consider your initial task finished - I will send word of your findings to Captain Jaller in your stead."

The Chronicler tilted his head. "Nuju wants to talk to us? Why? What would he want with - "

"I do not wish to be questioned," interrupted the stoic sentry. "If you seek answers, do so in Ko-Koro. There you will find meditation and contemplation. It is Turaga Nuju's way to think on all things, and from his Sanctum on Ihu's peak one can see far ahead and far behind."

That…was more words than he'd heard from Kopeke before. Clearly, the need to speak bothered him greatly, and it pained him to keep doing it. Yet he did so anyway.

"In Ko-Koro, we respect knowledge above all else. One must have great knowledge even to step foot within it. You are the one who seeks to chronicle this era, and so you will doubtless travel the icy drifts in search of answers. But true sight reveals many things, and knowing the future can be dangerous. Sometimes the choice is yours to make. Sometimes it is made for you."

He handed the stone tablet back to the waiting crab, the back of which was now absolutely covered in writings. Takua squinted and tried to read it, but the scribbled circles were too small and messy to read at this distance. He could only hope that whoever was receiving it - Nuju, maybe? - had better eyesight than him.

"Wisdom is ever the burden of the Turaga," finished the Ko-Matoran as he turned to face the wall of mirrors once more. "I do not expect it from you."

…okay, I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult, thought Takua with a frown. I'd ask, but I get the feeling he won't answer. Either way…I think that's all we're gonna learn here.

Penny took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Thank you, Kopeke. Do you know the way to Ko-Koro?"

The sentry was silent for another moment, then pointed to one of the tunnels on the opposite wall. "Take this path for twenty-seven bios, then exit on the first tunnel to your left. You will emerge from the underground paths and arrive at the Bridge of Ice - make your way across it, and you will reach another outpost. Pakastaa and Talvi are stationed there. They will lead you to the village proper."

With another nod and bow of thanks, Takua and Penny finally took their leave.

Here's hoping the other Ko-Matoran are a little more talkative than Kopeke, thought the Chronicler as they entered another tunnel.

"He's gone? What do you mean he's gone?!"

Sonya's voice echoed across the walls of the Sanctum, breaking the solemn silence once more. She knew how loud she was being right now - and in the throes of her anger towards her fellow scribe, she had long since stopped caring. The other Ko-Matoran looked back at her calmly - too calmly - through his slate-gray Ruru, as if her outburst was barely more than a snowbird chittering next to his head. Despite their nearly-identical masks, color schemes, and appointed positions, the two were almost complete opposites in terms of demeanor and temperament, and right now that annoyed her more than anything.

Jaa blinked slowly. "I believe the meaning speaks for itself, dear sister. Matoro went out into the Drifts to hunt for Rahi parts, and he has not returned for several hours now. I saw him depart myself."

"And you just let him go out there?" Sonya growled.

"Was there a reason I should not have?" asked Jaa.

The female scribe gave a short, humorless laugh. "Oh, I can think of several reasons why he shouldn't be out there. There's a storm out in the mountains, the Rahi are massing to attack at any moment, Makuta's proven in the past that he's more than willing to use violence to punish any Matoran who goes too far outside their village, and did I mention that there's a storm out in the mountains?! It doesn't matter how hardy or stubborn he is - Ihu will claim him all the same!"

"That depends on his own skill as a Rahi-Trapper," answered Jaa calmly, "and on Mata Nui's plans for him. So long as both are in his favor, he will return as he has so many times before. Be at peace, young one. Matoro will return, of this I am certain."

Part of Sonya knew that her friend was right, that Matoro had always made his way back from the Drifts before, and that he was more than capable of doing so again. But that did nothing to ease her anxiousness, especially not when all of Mata Nui seemed to be approaching its darkest hour. Was it written down somewhere in the rows upon rows of transcribed visions that her bond-mate was destined to die this day? Had she missed it by accident? Or had she overlooked it on purpose?

Eventually, she let out a long sigh. "I…you're right, brother. I'm sorry for my outburst. I just…worry about him."

"We all do, Sonya," intoned Jaa gently, putting a hand on her shoulder and patting twice. "And none worry more than Turaga Nuju himself."

"I like to think that I give him some pretty strong competition for that title," she said with a small laugh.

"Indeed," answered Jaa, chuckling himself. Then he turned his gaze to the Sanctum entrance, which darkened with the shadows of two coming figures. "Ah. It would seem we have guests in these hallowed halls. Will you tend to them? It may help take your mind off your troubles."

Sonya peered at the unfamiliar pair that strolled into the most sacred part of Ko-Koro. One of them was a Ta-Matoran, and the other was…huh. Another one of those humans from beyond the island walked alongside the villager of fire, looking around in wonder.

"Very well," she answered. "I can greet them, Jaa."

With a nod of solidarity between the two, she took a deep breath to calm towards the new arrivals. herself and crossed the Sanctum. Sure enough, the red-armored Matoran with yellow eyes carried himself with the confidence of a fiery villager, although his sky-blue mask and faded gold legs marked him as unusual. The human, on the other hand, was a far cry from Kopaka's ally - her hair was burnt-orange instead of pure white, she had strange brown blotches across her maskless face, and her cloth armor was green and white instead of blue. She also seemed far more upbeat and cheerful, as opposed to how tired Weiss looked upon first arrival.

"Welcome, travelers, to the Sanctum," she said, doing her best to put on the wise, insightful voice befitting a Scribe. "I am Sonya, scribe for the Wall of Prophecy and keeper of the words inscribed therein. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

The human smiled and bowed reverently. "Salutations, Sonya! I am Penny, and this is Takua the Chronicler. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

"…wow, you really do just greet everyone like that, don't you?" Takua said with a small chuckle.

"It is a force of habit," admitted Penny sheepishly.

"So you are the ones we have heard so much of…" mused the Scribe. She bowed in turn. "Welcome. It is an honor to have you in our village, Chronicler. You may join us in our meditations if you wish - we may be secluded, but all are welcome in the Seeking."

Penny tilted her head. "The Seeking? What is that?"

Sonya gestured to the wide expanses of text behind her. "Written upon these walls and tablets are the great Prophecies. To understand even a fraction of what they mean takes years of meditation and patient decryption. Our greatest Seers undergo many Visions in the Inner Sanctum, which are transcribed as they occur and studied after the fact by the wisest Matoran in Ko-Koro. Through this, we hope to learn what was, is, and has yet to come - ideally, before it happens."

"That is…incredible," gasped the human as she stared up. "You can see into the future?"

"Not all of us," corrected Sonya with a slow shake of her head. "Only those with a clear mind and pure spirit are occasionally blessed with glimpses of the future. Turaga Nuju is the only one to see them with any sort of consistency, though even his vision has grown…clouded of late. It would seem that dark times loom on the horizon for Mata Nui - and, perhaps, not all of them are the machinations of Makuta himself…"

Takua cleared his throat, seemingly doing his best not to sound as impatient as he actually was. "Speaking of Nuju, Kopeke passed along a message when we were at the North March. Apparently the Turaga wanted to see us as soon as possible. May we speak with him?"

A brief flicker of anger and annoyance sparked in the female Ko-Matoran's eyes, one that she quelled before her guests could notice.

"If you wish to speak with our Turaga, you must wait for Matoro to return," she said in a voice as cold as the mountaintop. "Nuju speaks in a language lost to the rest of us - my foolish bond-mate is the only one that can translate his wisdom, and he has chosen now of all times to go hunting Rahi in the Drifts. He has been gone for many hours now…it may be many more before he returns."

The Ta-Matoran's eyes flickered fearfully. "The…Drifts? Do I want to know what that is?"

"Only if you wish to hear about the most merciless and desolate part of Mount Ihu," answered Sonya. "The Drifts are what we call the snowy fields that lie within a natural valley on the western slope. It is the preferred hunting grounds of many cold-resistant Rahi, so our trappers often make voyages there to scavenge armor and weapon scraps either from them or their leftovers. But the winds in that area of the mountain are especially deadly, biting with a chill that rivals the breath of Makuta himself. On a calm day, an ill-prepared Matoran will freeze and grow weak in the space of a few hours. And in a storm, such as the one that currently rages across the mountains…that time is measured in minutes instead."

Takua gulped loudly before shaking his head to clear it. "Well, ah…that's unfortunate. Still, there's much we can do but wait for this Matoro person to come back. It's not like we can just go out there and find him ourselves, right Penny?"

The human didn't answer for a worryingly long minute.

"…right, Penny?" repeated the Chronicler, a little more desperately.

Penny bit her lower lip. Sonya could see that she clearly wanted to agree with her friend, but her heartstone (did humans even have one of those?) couldn't form the words. Eventually she turned to the Scribe and knelt, meeting her gaze.

"…you are worried about Matoro, yes?"

Sonya couldn't have lied even if she wanted. She nodded.

"And there is no other way to speak with Nuju?"

Another nod.

The human girl returned the gesture as she stood back up. "Then…we will go into the Drifts and find him."

"And there it is," said Takua with a resigned sigh.

"You must be aware of the severity of your request," warned Sonya. "Ihu is not merciful, even to the Ko-Matoran. If you go out there without a plan, or anything to keep you warm…there is a good chance you will not return. Are you prepared to take that risk?"

Penny looked down at Takua. "We still have the…what did Kopeke call that crystal? A heatstone?"

The Chronicler adjusted the blue bag on his back nervously. "Yeah…I've got it right here. But even with that, I'm not sure how far we'd be able to go. I'm from Ta-Koro, which means that I don't do well with cold. And you…Penny. Are you absolutely sure about this? I know you have your Aura to keep you warm in extreme environments, but if that runs out…"

"I will be fine," said Penny as she knelt and took Takua's hands in her own. "We both will be. After all, we have both done dangerous things before, and lived to tell the tale. Have you already forgotten our other journeys already?"

"Of course I haven't," Takua answered with a sigh. "But we're not talking about a dangerous Rahi or a possessed Toa. We're talking about freezing to death. That's not something you can beat up with a spear and a shield, Penny."

"…only because I have not tried yet."

As Takua groaned in exasperation, as Penny giggled at her friend's expression, Sonya chuckled in amusement. In her several hundred years of being a Scribe, she had seen and met many Matoran who came to the Sanctum in search of wisdom and knowledge. But rarely did they carry themselves with such confidence and grace as the two travelers, and when they did they almost never offered their services so easily. Even though this odd duo came here with a mission of their own, they were willing to help all the same - even if it meant braving the worst of what Ko-Wahi had to offer.

If anyone could do so and return with her beloved Matoro, surely they could.

Before Sonya could second-guess herself, she reached for a hidden button tucked away in a faded section of the Wall of Prophecies. A low rumbling filled the air as part of the icy sheet slid down to reveal a frosty tunnel, one that belched snow and wind into the Sanctum with each breath of the mountain. Though she resisted the cold like most of her people, she still felt a chill roll down her spine at the sight of the exit, because she knew exactly where it led - and what lay in wait on the other side.

"If you are absolutely certain, then take this passageway to enter into the wild wastes beyond our village," said the Scribe. "Matoro often leaves behind signal flags so that he does not get lost - if you follow them, you may come to him. And if you find him, tell him to return soon. It is too dangerous for any single Matoran to be out on their own now…we have Makuta to thank for that."

Penny and Takua stared at the newly-revealed passageway for a moment, as if they were having second thoughts. Then they looked at each other with a solemn nod, quietly thanked Sonya, and promised that they would return with her bond-mate. The Ta-Matoran went first, slipping into the tunnel with a barely-suppressed shiver. After crouching to fit, the human girl followed suit, and soon both were on their way to the Drifts.

Once they were gone, Sonya closed the tunnel and prayed to Mata Nui that she hadn't just sentenced the odd duo to an icy fate.