After the first expedition to find a site for New Atero was unsuccessful, Tahu and Gali embark on a second quest, this time with Ackar and Kiina to aid them. But the dangers of the newly reformed Spherus Magna pose an imminent threat, some being clo...
"I never knew you were so brave, Kiina," Gali said.
Kiina shook her head. "It's nothing. The Lords only care about themselves, so they'll be fighting for months. By the time they realize the cube is gone, we'll be ready for them. Which reminds me, Ackar, we've got to discuss the defenses of New Atero. I was thinking a line of-"
"I don't think that's what Gali meant, Kiina," Ackar interrupted. He placed his hand on Kiina's shoulder. "It's what you said about Mata Nui."
Her heart stopped. "W-what do you mean? I just had to lie to the Lord of water about him."
Ackar looked at Gali. They were both thinking the same thing. "I think we all know that wasn't a lie, Kiina," Ackar said.
Kiina wrapped her arms around Ackar. Everything went silent.
"It's okay. I miss him too," Ackar whispered.
Kiina stepped back. "We'll get past this. I know we will," she said. Her face lit up. There were no tears to run down her helmet this time.
"And we'll be here to help," Tahu said, stepping forward.
"Whatever it takes," Gali added. "We shall fulfill his wishes, and much more. We'll make him proud."
Ackar waved forward. "Come on," he said. "A new world awaits us. We're close, I can feel it."
As they were walking, Tahu caught up beside Ackar and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Ackar, what the Lord said about the Toa, about how we were based off of your kind, do you think it might be true?" he asked.
Ackar remembered not long ago, Mata Nui had compared his skills to the name "Toa". At the time, he had no clue what it meant. But after working with Tahu and Gali over the past few days, he knew that "Toa" meant something more than just skilled. It meant a hero.
Ackar noticed something on Tahu's armour. It flickered a distant memory in his head. There was something familiar about the pattern on his wrist. He took Tahu's hand to examine.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Tahu asked. Ackar looked closely at the pattern.
"Kiina, does this look... familiar to you at all?" Ackar asked, pointing at the design engraved in the armour.
Kiina examined Tahu's wrist. Her eyebrows raised slightly. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She instead reached into her bag and pulled out a small curved metallic piece.
"I had to remove this while fixing your leg," she said. She turned the piece over to find a small pattern engraved within it. Tahu took the piece and held it beside his wrist.
"A perfect match!" he exclaimed. "But what does it mean? Who engraved this?"
"Those answers may not come yet," Ackar said, "but for now, maybe it could mean both our races aren't as different as we thought."
With all the attention on the armour piece, none had noticed that the ridge they were ascending came to a stop.
Beyond it lay a vast flatland, untouched by life. It was surrounded for Kios by tall mountains, providing a natural wall protecting the land inside. A river ran through a gap in the mountains and flowed through a forest and past the ridge where they were standing.
"This is it!" Kiina exclaimed. "We found New Atero!" she shouted, jumping into the air.
Tahu looked over the region and smiled with pride. The orange sunset appeared over the mountains in the distance and shimmered off his golden armour.
"This is where the new world starts," he stated. "Here is where salvation lies. New Atero shall be the greatest city ever conceived."
He turned to Gali. "Even greater than Metru Nui." He said.
Ackar paused. He thought about the new society coming to this place. They would need a symbol of hope to unite. There was something about Tahu's words that gave him an idea.
"Atero Nui," he said. "That will be the name. Not New Atero."
The Toa agreed that name would give hope to both races uniting. The name of a fallen city from Bara Magna, and the suffix from the Matoran language meaning "Great" both combined. Just like the society that will live in it.
"They'll accept it. Beings from everywhere can call this place home. It will protect them from whatever threats lie on this planet. We cannot stop what longs to not be stopped, but we can delay it, as we've proven today," Tahu said.
Tahu raised his flame sword high into the air and led the group down the other side of the ridge into the region beyond.
"So let them come! Let them know we won't fall so easily. Our past will protect us from our future, and whatever lies next. Our unity is the first step to salvation. We've made it this far, and we're not stopping until we're all the way there. My friends, it is time to begin."
And as Tahu descended the ridge, the sunset became hidden behind the mountains, but glittered off his sword until the shadows reached the very top of it. It was then that Tahu lit up the sword brighter than any of them had ever looked upon, lighting their way into the darkness beyond.
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