Spherus Magna could be broadly divided into six regions. Civitas Magna filled the majority of the southern hemisphere; the Valley of the Maze was situated near the planet's north pole, with much of the area around it being colloquially known as the Northern Frost; connecting these two portions on opposite sides of the planet were Aqua Magna, the endless ocean, and Bota Magna, the vast forest; and between the sea and the jungle on one side of the planet was the great desert of Bara Magna. For most, these five were all that mattered. Few ever wished to speak of what lay on the side of the planet opposite Bara Magna.

"Valwahi" was the name this place had come to be known by. Ravaged by the Core War, the immense wasteland was devoid of nearly all natural life and resources, a permanent smog constantly roaming the fragmented, dead earth that remained. Even Bara Magna had more to offer than this dead realm. The Great Beings had investigated it long ago, but quickly deemed any effort to utilize it fruitless and washed their hands of the region. As a result, it became the perfect place to escape the Great Beings' sight...so long as one could somehow find a way to survive it.

Zaekura's eyes watered as she took in the bleak landscape. She absent-mindedly adjusted the breathing apparatus strapped to her face, catching Antroz's attention. The Makuta said, "If you begin to feel unwell—"

"Just irritated," Zaekura grumbled. "I'll deal with it."

The Sand Lord followed behind the two of them, eyes fixed on the ground. "I never would have expected to return here. To think this is the same land we fought so bitterly to claim all those years ago…"

"Little has changed in 100,000 years, if anything," Antroz said. "This place simply has nothing left to offer."

"It's worth being here," Zaekura said.

"I won't stop you, but I can't agree. The Valwahans are dangerous. They're the sort of people who relish the impregnable solitude of a horrid place like this over the relative comfort offered by Bota Magna. While it's true that some may feel they have no choice, the majority revile all the people of this world just as much as they do the Great Beings. They have no stake in our conflict."

"Beggars can't be choosers. If we're accepting Pridak's help, then we may as well ask here too."

The Sand Lord nodded. "I find it hard to imagine we will be worse off."

"Besides…our goal is a world where everyone can feel welcome. That means giving them a chance to be a part of it too."

Antroz hummed quietly. A shifting chunk of rock up ahead set her on alert. Throwing her arm out to stop Zaekura, she called, "Who's there?"

For a moment, nothing happened. Zaekura was just about to ask they move on when two figures stepped out from among the stone outcroppings ahead.

"I told you she'd know we're here," said an Agori with orange and gray armor.

"What a pity," said the other, a Toa of Water wearing a Noble Kaukau with a long crack down one side. "I was really hoping for a fight to kill some time."

Moving Antroz's arm, Zaekura stepped forward. "My name is Zaekura. I've come to speak with your leader, as he requested."

"We know," said the Agori. "We're here to take you to him...or loot your corpses if anything happens to you."

"You're wasting your time," the Toa said. "Our leader has nothing to gain from pampered Mahi like you."

The Agori shrugged. "I dunno, Gavla, could go either way. He's hard to predict."

"Don't be stupid, Sahmad, why would he possibly—"

"We're wasting time. Come on."

Somewhat tentatively, Zaekura and her companions followed the two of them through a sea of shattered stones, the path that was stable enough to walk on winding back and forth until eventually delivering them to a small camp positioned under a massive sheet of metal. A dozen or so people sat on crates and rocks watching the visitors, most of them Glatorian from the Earth and Iron Tribes. Their glares were every bit as inhospitable as the region itself. Right at the base of the metal sheet was a tent larger than all the rest, weathered and ragged but still standing strong. Sahmad sent Gavla inside, and she soon re-emerged with a Glatorian following her closely. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a square jaw and narrow eyes; his armor was thick, though noticeably worn and uneven, made of a multitude of disconnected plates colored black, brown, orange, and gray. Strapped to each shoulder was a curved black blade with red designs down their length, and around his neck hung a talisman of black stone with similar markings. Plucking a Thornax from a plant next to his tent, he took a seat on a metal stool, leaned forward, and locked eyes on Zaekura.

"Hmph. Surprised you actually came."

Zaekura was careful to keep her tone even and clear. "Am I right to assume you're the one in charge?"

Not breaking eye contact, the Glatorian raised the Thornax and bit into it. It took a few seconds, but he eventually managed to sink his teeth into its tough hide and tear a piece off, chewing it loudly. "What does it look like?"

"Of course. My name is Zaekura. What should I call you?"

He swallowed. "Skrall."

"...Then, it's an honor to meet you, Skrall. Thank you for your invitation."

Skrall took another bite of the Thornax, still staring hard at Zaekura. "What do you want from us?"

"I wanted to see what you thought about us becoming allies."

Several of the Valwahans laughed. Skrall spit out a Thornax spike and sat up. "Allies? Really?"

"Yes. We share a common enemy, and I think we both have a lot to offer one another."

Skrall ate in silence for what seemed like hours. Once he finished the Thornax, he tossed aside its remains and said, "My grandfather was the last surviving member of the Skrall people. I carry that name to honor him, because he never got the chance to earn one of his own. My grandmother was from the Iron Tribe, and my father was from the Earth Tribe. Every drop of blood in my body has been rejected by you and your people."

He stood up, taking one lumbering step forward. Zaekura didn't flinch.

"Why would I offer any help to you?"

His breath smelled like burning rubber. Keeping eye contact with him, Zaekura said, "Because I'm the one who's going to overthrow the Great Beings."

Skrall threw back his head and laughed. "Ambitious! I have heard your war is going well for you. But my ancestors also held on for a time."

"Have you heard of what I am?"

"No. What are you?"

"I am a new Great Being."

Skrall's face went blank.

"I possess the same intellect they do. They tried to kill me for it, because they know that makes me a threat to them."

Skrall leaned back in. "If that's true...then that makes you a threat to us as well."

Zaekura shook her head. "Unlike them, I've learned to value those around me as people rather than as playthings. I've made it my mission to help those wronged by the Great Beings in any way I can. The only ones that have any reason to fear me are the ones cowering in the Valley of the Maze."

Skrall's eyes narrowed further. After a few seconds, he sat back down, resting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands. His eyes flicked to the Sand Lord. "I see you believe her."

The Sand Lord nodded. "She has promised a bright future for the Vorox. I have seen her lay the groundwork for it. If my word means something to you, then let me assure you: Zaekura is a friend to those of us the Great Beings consider...undesirable."

Skrall grunted. He closed his eyes for a time, opening them to finally say, "Valwahans don't make 'allies'. We don't care about your cause."

"Alright," Zaekura said. "I just wanted to offer."

"Of course...we could fight for vengeance. It'd be nice to say I had a hand in the Great Beings' demise, and I know the Zyglak are chomping at the bit."

Antroz shuddered. "So this is where the Zyglak fled…"

Skrall sneered. "Just what I expected. You disappoint me, Makuta."

Zaekura glanced between the two of them. "Sorry, what are Zyglak?"

Skrall craned his neck, beckoning into the surrounding crowd. Zaekura turned to see a large reptilian creature approach, their long snout lined with gleaming teeth, red eyes fixed on her with laser precision. Antroz tensed.

"We are the Great Beings' most hated mistake," the Zyglak said, voice coarse and venomous. "They created us without ever having meant to, and so shunned us in disgust. Rather than granting us the mercy of oblivion, they infected us with a plague to ensure we would be hated by all, forced to keep far away from the grand society they were building. Valwahi is the only place we can live in a semblance of peace."

Zaekura's eyes slowly widened. "That's...terrible. How have I not heard about this?"

Antroz shifted. "Discussion of Zyglak was...discouraged by the Great Beings."

"How easily did you agree?" the Zyglak said.

Antroz started to say something, but stopped herself. Lowering her head, she said, "I have no excuse."

The Zyglak growled. Zaekura said, "Wait, what's this plague you mentioned?"

"Are you afraid as well?" the Zyglak said. "There's no need. Our plague only affects organic protodermis, eating away at it until the host's tissues are destroyed."

Zaekura nodded. After thinking for a few moments, she said, "I'll need to take some precautions, but I should be able to study it no problem. If you'll let me take some samples, I can try to find a cure."

The entire camp went silent. The Zyglak stared at Zaekura. She was just about to say something when Skrall laughed again.

"You're an odd one for sure," he said. "Why bother? Their curse can't affect you—it's not your problem."

Zaekura looked over her shoulder at him. "Why should I need a reason to make their lives easier?"

Skrall kept laughing. "An easy life, eh? That doesn't exist in Valwahi."

"But without the plague to worry about, it'd be much easier for the Zyglak to leave Valwahi and find homes elsewhere if they wanted. Maybe a place where they can have an easier life. It opens possibilities for them."

The Zyglak clenched their teeth. "This...is a trick. You only want to gain our allegiance! The Zyglak will never fight for you!"

"Fine," Zaekura said. "I still want to help, if you'll let me. I don't want anything in return."

The Zyglak stepped back.

"She has already begun similar work with my people," the Sand Lord said. "This is the best chance you will have, and it will cost you nothing."

Skrall got up to pluck another Thornax. As he started eating it, Zaekura turned and said, "While they think about it...you were saying you might want to fight for vengeance?"

Skrall tossed his meal up and down. "...It's tempting. But all signs point to it also being suicide, and I'm only interested if I can live to enjoy my triumph." He yanked a Thornax spike out from between his teeth. "We'll pay attention. Keep going at this rate, maybe you'll be able to convince some of us. Right now, though?" He sat back down. "I can think of better ways to die."

"Alright," Zaekura said. "Thank you for hearing me out. I hope we'll be able to convince you, and that we'll get a chance to meet again."

Skrall smirked. "...Tell you what. About a kio north of here you'll find two Skakdi. Let them know I sent you, and that I want them to send one unit back with you."

"One unit…? What—"

"You'll see."

The crowd murmured, until Skrall gave them a once-over, silently asking if anyone had a problem with his decision. No one had anything to say then.

"...Alright," Zaekura said. "Thank you for your generosity, Skrall."

Skrall nodded once, and then went back to eating. Zaekura turned back to the Zyglak. They still hesitated, one eye on her and the other staring blankly into nothing.

"How about this? In a week, I'll come to the border of Valwahi, near where Bota Magna meets the Northern Frost. If you or any of the Zyglak are willing to let me take some blood and tissue samples, meet me there."

The Zyglak grumbled, and after a few seconds they turned to leave.

"Oh: what was your name?"

They glanced back at her, but gave no answer, disappearing into the rocks surrounding the camp. So, Zaekura and her party headed north.

"All things considered," she said once they were out of the settlement, "I'd say that went pretty well."

"Zaekura," Antroz said, "are you certain it's wise to take on curing the Zyglak?"

The only response she got was a sigh.

"I am not against helping them. My concern is that if their plague spreads, it could put countless lives in danger."

"I said I'd take precautions. Don't worry, Fangs, I know what I'm doing."

"Hm. Even still…when will you have the time? I fear you may be taking on too much."

"I appreciate that. Honestly I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to pull it off, but I'll figure it out. I can't just turn them away."

The ground slanted sharply, leading them up a tall stone ridge. As they neared the peak, they could make out several figures gathered there: a Skakdi of Earth, a Skakdi of Stone, and half a dozen machines of some kind. Just as Zaekura was about to call out to them, the two Skakdi shouted and picked up weapons. The Stone Skakdi fired a blast from his. Antroz moved in front of Zaekura and turned invulnerable, blocking the shot.

"What's a Makuta doing here?!" the Skakdi said. "And the Sand Lord?!"

The Earth Skakdi was already advancing. Zaekura said, "Wait, wait! Skrall sent us!"

Both Skakdi froze in an instant. The one of Earth said, "Why would Skrall…is this some kind of trick?"

"Think, Reidak," said the Stone Skakdi. "How would a bunch of outsiders know about Skrall without having met him?"

The Earth Skakdi growled, slowly lowering his weapon.

"Sorry if we snuck up on you," Zaekura said. "We weren't entirely sure where we were going: he just said to head a kio north to find two Skakdi."

The Stone Skakdi came forward. "Now why in Karzahni would Skrall send you to us rather than just crushing you on the spot?"

"He said he wants you to send 'one unit' back with us. I'm guessing he means…" Zaekura looked at the nearest machine. They stood on two legs, just a bit taller than a Toa, each with two short arms ending in large, flat shields carved into a variety of intricate designs. Their bodies were round, and the front and top of their heads were covered with what looked like a curved pane of glass. One turned its narrow eyes upon her, chittering through its large teeth, and then skittered off like a busy insect.

"He wants us to give you a Bohrok?!" the Stone Skakdi said. "No way! I just finished fixing them—why should you get to profit off of my hard work?"

Reidak nudged him with his elbow. "Think, Avak. Skrall will make a hammock out of your spines if you push him any harder. But if you're willing to die for just one Bohrok, don't let me stop you."

Avak snarled. With great reluctance, he walked over to a Bohrok with white armor. "Alright. Take this Kohrak, then; it's broken down more often than all these others combined."

Zaekura tentatively moved closer. "Okay…but, what exactly are these 'Bohrok'?"

Avak was too busy grumbling to answer, so it was the Sand Lord who said, "They were used for mining and terraforming around the time of the Core War. After the Melding, the Great Beings had them decommissioned."

"And they should've stayed that way," Avak said. He popped open an access panel on the robot's back and began to fiddle with the components inside. "These stupid things weren't built to last, but Skrall insists we keep 'em running. I'll reprogram this one to follow you, but after that, you're on your own."

Zaekura nodded absently, closely examining the unit. Its armor was badly-scarred and lined with rust; when she looked into its eyes, she saw only clouded, faint light looking back at her. Reaching out, she set one hand on its face. "...You called this one Kohrak?"

"Yeah. Uses Ice-based tech." Slapping shut the panel, Avak stood up and stalked off. "There, done. Get going before I change my mind."

Zaekura took a few steps back. The Kohrak whirred, stuttered, and then marched in her direction. Zaekura grinned.

I guess I really can't stop taking on new projects.


The meeting chamber held more than its usual share of visitors today. Despite this, only one sound could be heard: that of Angonce's laughter.

"I mean really! She outsmarted you?! Hahaha, that's j—hah hah, hah! Oh!"

Ekimu glared daggers at him. The Makuta at the rear of the chamber kept their gazes trained on the floor.

"That's enough, Angonce," Heremus said. "There was no way any of us could have anticipated Ekimu would fail."

"I beg to differ!" Velika said. "What were you thinking, you dolt? You let an agent of Zaekura roam free? Let him compete in the tournament? You let your chance pass you by! Goodness, you even had two high-ranking Odinans there to help you, yet still—"

"Velika, please."

"No, I won't let this go! Because of his blunder, we've almost totally lost our grip on Civitas Magna! Now the people blame all of us for his recklessness!"

Ekimu removed his gloves. "Velika. If you've got a problem, then let's settle it."

"Everyone, please!" Heremus said. "Let us remain calm. The situation is not as dire as you fear, Velika: many of Civitas Magna's eastern districts still remain loyal to us, as does the whole of Atero."

"And that's hardly what's most important here," Seldoa said. "Zaekura continues to evolve at an alarming rate. We must do whatever is necessary to stop her now, lest we make the same mistake as Ekimu!"

Ekimu grunted. Angonce said, "There is a point under that ranting. We can't afford to waste time. I mean, for all we know, her mutation might be different from ours: who's to say she won't outpace even us if given enough time?"

Heremus shook his head. "You're jumping to conclusions, Angonce."

"Frankly, Heremus, I don't think you're worried enough about our situation. They beat Brutaka! That's pretty scary!"

"Brutaka was only a prototype—you know we have far more potent anti-Makuta measures if we need them."

Chirox and Mutran both looked up slightly.

Angonce ran his hands over his face. "Ugh…fine, fine. Aren't you at least worried that they've tarnished the Odinans' record? I can't imagine the Keeper was pleased to hear about this."

"No, he was not," Heremus said. "But he did assure me that he would see to it that the matter is resolved, and our trust in him has never been misplaced before. We should leave him to it, and instead focus our attention on reinforcing Atero's defenses."

Angonce didn't object. Ekimu said, "I've already recalibrated the Skull Spiders. They—"

"Absolutely not!" Velika said.

"That reminds me," Seldoa said. "Chirox! Have you put the finishing touches on that project of yours?"

"I have, Lady Seldoa," Chirox said.

"Very good. Go wait in my laboratory."

Chirox bowed and departed. Velika then said, "Mutran, I want your input on something in a moment. Gorast, you're dismissed."

Gorast bowed and exited the chamber, aimlessly making her way through the halls. Eventually, she stopped in front of a door and, after giving it some thought, stepped inside. She peered through the glass wall and into Vultraz's cell, missing the strange prisoner on her first glance. He was huddled in the corner next to the glass, partially obscured by a control panel on her side, dead quiet and keeping his face buried in his knees.

"What are you doing?"

Vultraz looked up. "Oh…it's you…I thought that…"

Gorast tilted her head. "I didn't expect to find you looking so pathetic."

Vultraz chuckled. "You don't know the half of it, Makuta."

He stood up then. The lower half of his torso was nothing but skeletal supports, a frame of metallic protodermis tinged with green and dripping with acid that continued to steadily pick him clean. Gorast blinked.

"In a strange way, it's comforting to see you," Vultraz said as he came closer. "I worked with my universe's Makuta Gorast for quite some time, and you really aren't all that different from her. Nice to see something familiar, I suppose."

She clenched all four of her fists. "I told you not to compare me to that wretched shadow. All that matters is that she chose darkness, and I chose light."

"If that's true, then why does it bother you so much?"

She didn't answer.

"Heh…don't worry, I sort of get it. If I saw another version of myself running around, and he was a hyper-devout sap, I'd be sickened. Though, I don't think it'd send me into an existential crisis like it seems to always do for you Makuta."

"Shut up. You don't know anything about what makes a Makuta!"

"Seems like you don't either."

Gorast pulled back two of her fists, but stopped there.

"It is pretty amusing," Vultraz said, slowly crossing his cell. "You Light Makuta really believe there's something innately special about you, something that makes you inherently better than everyone else. Finding out that's just not true completely shatters your viewpoint."

Gorast stood there fuming. "...No."

Vultraz looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"No, it doesn't matter. I've decided it's not important."

"What do you—"

Gorast punched the glass, but not hard enough to damage it. "Your Makuta were failures. Kojol's a failure, Krika's a failure, Bitil's a failure…Antroz is a failure. Yarion lost their nerve. Chirox and Mutran just don't care. They're disgraces to the title of 'Makuta', every last one…so what?"

She began to grin.

"So what if none of them could live up to the title? All that proves is that they weren't worthy. That it isn't something innate to all of us. It doesn't take away any of the title's meaning."

Vultraz rolled his eyes. "Right. But I guess you're innately worthy, is that it?"

"No, I'm not."

Vultraz furrowed his brow.

"I've proven my worthiness. I've fought, bled, clawed, and pushed my entire being to earn the right to call myself a Makuta. Now that I see that, it just makes it all the sweeter."

She turned her back to him.

"No one's taking that away from me. And if those failures insist on sullying the title I worked so hard for, then I'll make them regret it. I'll show them how far beneath me they are…and make sure it's the last thing they ever see."

She left without waiting for a response.


ADDENDUM:

-I was not intending to take such a long hiatus, but I don't really know what to say at this point. Things are rough. I'm struggling creatively. Not giving up, though.

-It may not be "organic" or whatever to carve up Spherus Magna so broadly but this story is already well over 100k words and counting-we have more than enough going on.

-I kind of regret my decision to wipe out the Skrall in the backstory. Survivors are pretty common with these sorts of plot points but I didn't want to risk talking myself into going overboard, so I allowed myself only one Skrall survivor. That then shifted a little to the character you see now.

-Gavla may stand out as an odd choice. I thought putting her here would have the same spirit as her prime counterpart loving her corruption and mutation. She's joined up with the most dangerous people she could find, and wants nothing to do with the life she was built for. Not sure how much we'll see her doing, but having one Toa among a flock of Zyglak and Glatorian from disgraced tribes made me feel like I needed to explain.

-I want to try to do more with the non-"main character" races. I have some specific ideas in mind for the Skakdi, which of course mostly means the Piraka (the gang is on the loose), but sticking the whole team together in one place would be a bit boring. I put Reidak in Valwahi due to his resilience, and Avak due to his engineering skill and how much that would contribute to this...well calling it a "community" doesn't quite feel accurate...

-I go by "Pahrak" on most sites so I doubt it's surprising that I shoehorned Bohrok into the Melding Universe. (Though using a Pahrak here would've felt too on the nose; Kohrak was actually my first Bohrok set so it's second in line for special treatment.) Since Av-Matoran don't exist in this timeline, here they're just regular automata, which should avoid some...unpleasant implications. This runs the risk of conflicting with the Zyglak's backstory, but them being "leftovers of the process that created Krana" is vague enough that there shouldn't be an issue saying they were spawned by some other process this time around.

-A prior Section alluded to Ekimu experimenting on Vultraz; I wanted to re-establish that since it was a minor thing from so long ago. Vultraz's exact role going forward isn't 100% nailed down, but since he was an important catalyst in this story, I definitely want to find a good way to bookend his involvement.

-Gorast Gatekeep Girl—*shot*

-Okay…so. One reason for the hiatus was the fact that I wanted to focus on completing a draft of an original novel—that's done, and I want to wait just a bit before I seriously start editing, so continuing this story is now my top writing priority. However, we just started a new semester at work, which means bookstore staff like myself are going to be very busy for the next month or two. I'll write what I can when I can, but it's impossible to estimate a timetable. Just know that more Sections ARE coming soon.