Kopaka: Toa of Ice, Matoran of Rebellion

Disclaimer: Read the prologue.

Chapter Two

Amongst the rubble of his crashing into himself…which didn't appear to hurt at all or even seem to hurt in any way, shape, or form, he sat up. He looked around...nothing out of the ordinary...just a giant crater of where he landed...but other than that nothing was out of place. It was a beautiful ocean in front of him, and lush green forest to his back.

He turned himself around and got up. He noticed a large, icy mountain way off in the distance. He said nothing as he began to walk in the direction of the mountain. Kopaka let his sword and shield rest on his back as he walked, and listened to the different noises of the giant forest. He never had hear that many creatures or even any for that matter. Karzahni never let any Matoran explore the outside.

Kopaka silently thanked the stars as he walked through the jungle. For as deep and foreboding as the jungle was, the trees did not collide with each other in the canopy, so he had a clear view of the mountain so he did not lose his way.

The sun faded off into the distance ever slowly setting. Kopaka would not have worried at all about being in the darkness, if it wasn't for the one thing that really bothered him. Ever since we went into the forest, the mountain got no closer to him. It stayed off in the distance no matter how far he walked.

He took a few more steps and stopped, never letting go the sight of the high mountain. It was almost as if it was teasing him...never letting him get out...never letting him get near...never...

"No..." he silently said to himself. "I will not let this emptiness consume me again."

He sat down and crossed his legs. He set the sword and shield down to his left and closed his eyes. For a good five minutes he heard the birds, wild animals, and other unnatural noises in this forest. But his ears must've been playing tricks, for the noises began to get farther and farther away. There was also no wind throughout the entire forest, he noted. It was then the silence was broken.

He opened his eyes to a scratching sound. However, with the sun now gone there was nothing to guide him. The mountain view had disappeared, and no stars would shine to light his way. He quickly grabbed his sword and shield and readied himself.

The scratching continued. The sound itself sounded like the thing was dragging itself along the ground.

"So...it is you who has stumbled into my forest..." a voice spoke. The voice was deep and menacing, almost feral.

Kopaka said nothing, as he tried to focus on where the thing was. But the thing made no effort to stay hidden.

A large beam of light shown brightly from the darkness between two branches. A hand reached out to one of them, as the body came into view.

Well...half of it anyway.

A top half of what seemed to be a Toa-hero was outstretched between two branches, holding itself up. It's mask was cracked and broken, and looked like a Hau.

"It's...a matoran..." the thing spoke.

Kopaka showed no fear and head his sword out to the thing.

"You are really scared...I can tell." the thing spoke, as it swung a little back and forth.

Kopaka stood still in the stance and said nothing.

"Very well then, I will show you some respect..."

The thing outstretched one hand to Kopaka, and darkness seemed to flow off of it's whole body. Kopaka batted the hand away with the sword and the thing only laughed.

"You know...I won't kill you yet...it'll be better if I corrupt you instead to do my bidding...as so much in the forest does for me already..."

Kopaka's eyes widened. This thing was keeping him from reaching the mountain he sought after for so long.

Kopaka only grunted as he jumped at the thing, but the thing was faster than it looked, and dodge the wild jump. It grabbed Kopaka's leg and flung him back, bouncing into the ground.

"Foolish matoran...you-" the thing stopped and raised it's head.

"Oh...so that's what you are..." the thing's back cracked as it stretched.

"You...are not just a matoran...you're light is mightier than others...you are a Toa-hero waiting to happen. I kill you now I and it's less trouble for me when I rid the world of that disgusting Makuta...but you wouldn't know anything about him...would you?"

The thing flung itself high into the air, and attempted to land on Kopaka. Kopaka leaned back and raised his sword straight into the air, the thing landed on it and let out a cry of pain.

Kopaka threw the thing off his blade, and nudged the thing with his foot.

The thing jumped up on it's hands.

"Well...feisty aren't you?" the thing spoke.

It shot up and backhanded Kopaka and he flew into a tree. He fell to the ground and the thing walked on it's hands towards Kopaka and jumped into the air again, but this time, the darkness surrounding it held it up into the air.

"You don't know what I am...little one." it spoke softly, almost calmly.

It backed up and touched a branch. The darkness went from his body through the tree, and the tree died instantly.

"I'm not of this world..."

He picked up Kopaka by his neck and held him up to it's "face". Kopaka took this chance to shove his sword right into the thing's mask.

Dropping Kopaka, it grasped the sword implanted in it.

Kopaka suddenly felt like holding his hands out, and did so towards the thing. His sword began to freeze the creature, and it didn't move as the sword held it there. The sword, when finished, detached itself from the thing and flew back into Kopaka's hands. Kopaka looked at his sword, and gasped a little at what a Matoran just did. What he did, to this creature.

After a few seconds the creature fell on the ground as shattered into thousands of pieces across the ground.

Kopaka noticed the mountain view in the distance again, yet, it seemed very close now. He didn't hesitate as he started jogging towards the base of the mountain.