XIX

He was on a routine mission. The time had come for him and his brother to harvest the crystals, each one bursting with elemental energy. His task was to collect the Crystals of Earth, which lay somewhere in the caverns of Terak, just beneath his feet.

Makuta had to say, the view from his airship was amazing. There wasn't much to see, seeing as Terak's ground was all obsidian, with dark ravines and sparse trees littered carelessly around. But every once-in-a-while, he could see a hint of glowing violet in one of the massive ravines, the same violet that tinted his own armor.

He glanced toward the inside of the ship. "Nirah!" he called. "There's a plain up ahead. Land us there."

"Yes, Master Makuta," Nirah said back.

Makuta noticed the emotionless tone. "No need to call me 'Master.' Just 'Makuta' will do fine," he said warmly, walking inside. He put his hands on Nirah's arms. "Thought this was what you wanted… Going out for a flight, just you and me? I can take control, if you're tired."

Nirah sighed, standing up from the navigator's seat. "You can do that. I just… Something seems wrong about this."

"Wrong?" Makuta chuckled, taking the levers. He glanced at the half-empty fuel gauge before looking back at Nirah. "Whatever are you referring to? Us?"

"That's not the best way to put it," Nirah sighed. "But yes."

"Oh, so you've decided to go back on whether you like me or not?"

"No, not that. But at some point, someone's going to find out about us, and after that, well… as a mask maker, you of all people would know how Okotans are with their traditionalism. They wouldn't understand."

Makuta let out a short scoff in acknowledgment, but smiled. "I'm a mask maker, Love. I'll make them understand." He looked at the altitude gauge. "We'll continue this after we land. Hold on to something that's—that isn't me."

Nirah grinned, letting go of Makuta and grabbing the railing. "Couldn't help it."

Makuta's grip tightened as he pushed the levers forward. His stomach twisted as the ship began to lower. The floor was just beginning to become diagonal when he pulled the controls back, leveling out the ground.

The airship was around fifteen meters from the rocky floor by now. "Nirah, the anchor!" Makuta called. "Throw it into the closest ravine!"

Nirah obeyed, taking the anchor in both hands and hurrying to the edge. With a mighty throw, the anchor sailed through the air until it made a distant chunk in the ground.

Makuta let the ship lower around six meters from the ground before locking the controls. He briefly removed his mask to wipe away some sweat. He never would get used to landing the ship himself.

But then again, he wasn't alone. He had Nirah with him.

"Nirah, let's go!" he said, standing. "Don't worry about otaki diggers—the airship's noise would scare any away."

Nobody answered.

Makuta sighed, sliding down the anchored rope to the ground. "Nirah, are you on the ship?" he called after landing. "Just so you know, I'm going into the cave."

Again, no reply.

"Alright, your loss. Going in now." Ignoring the silence, Makuta climbed down into the eerie purple light.

As he walked, he saw a piece of obsidian beginning to crumble from the wall. He took it with relative ease and found it strangely light for a rock, let alone one so dense.

The next thing he knew, Makuta was in the midst of a palace-like grotto, with glowing, violet crystals levitating from the ceiling like a crystalline chandelier. Directly in front of him sat, in a crystal throne, the elemental creature himself: Terak, Creature of Earth.

And just at the creature's feet lay Nirah's lifeless body.

"No!" Makuta fell to his knees, taking Nirah's hand. There wasn't a pulse. "You…" He shot his head up, glaring at Terak. He felt his face heat up. "You killed him."

"It was okay to kill him," Terak said plainly. "Ekimu told me it's necessary."

"Makuta?"

He inhaled sharply, shifting in bed. "Ekimu, the sun hasn't risen yet," he mumbled.

"The sun doesn't tell mask makers what to do," Ekimu said cheerfully. "Come on, get up. We have a lot of preparing to do—the protectors are coming to the square soon."

Makuta blinked. "What are you talking about? Is there some sort of festival going on?"

"Only the Festival of Masks, of course! Come and get your best armor on. Oh, you'll have to make breakfast for yourself—I already finished mine. I'll be at the square within the hour. Don't be late!"

And just like that, Ekimu disappeared, leaving Makuta very, very confused.