Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle.

Author's Note: Don't worry people, this story's not going anywhere, I just decided to follow a suggestion and divide it into chapters.

Darkness. He was surrounded by darkness so pitch black he couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. He couldn't even tell which way he was going and, at the moment, he didn't really care, as long as it was away from there. However, that was easier said than done. How long had he been running? Minutes? Hours? Despite his legs beginning to feel very heavy, he forced them to pump harder and faster to keep moving. Worse, his legs tiring was already bad in itself, but it almost felt as if the darkness itself was trying to suffocate him. Suddenly, he tripped and fell. Slowly he got on all fours and panted hard as he tried to catch his breath. Silently, he prayed that he needn't run anymore. But, that prayer was not to be answered, at least not in the way he had hoped. "Toa," a hissing, mechanical voice spoke from the nothingness. Instantly, his rapid breathing ended with a sharp gasp and his eyes widened in fear.

"No," he cried out as he covered his ears, in a vain attempt to block out the voice. "Keep away!" He quickly got to his feet and ran. Yet, from somewhere in the shadows, an evil-sounding chuckle came.

"Where do you think you're going, little Toa?" a different voice with the same mechanical tone asked.

Stumbling over his own feet, he tripped again. This time when he gathered the strength to get up, the sight of what he saw made his blood run cold with fear. Though the figures' forms were masked in shadow, their six pairs of eyes were fixed solely on him and glowing with anticipation. "Stay away from me," he told them. "I want nothing to do with you." He took no more than two steps back when one of the hidden figures spoke.

"We're afraid you have little choice in the matter."

The next thing he knew, he felt himself falling as if the ground beneath his feet just disappeared, as if it was never there. He didn't know if there was any end to the pit or if it was bottomless because of the darkness. No matter how hard he tried, his elemental and mask powers wouldn't respond to his commands. And so he continued to scream at the top of his lungs as he continued to descend. Down, down, down . . .

"Oof," said Lewa as he landed on the floor. His eyes immediately flashed open, wide and as bright as fireflyers. He breathed fast breaths as his vision darted all around his surroundings. He saw a window, a door, his air katana, and his cot, from which he evidently fell. He let out a sigh of relief. He was in his hut in his village of Le-Koro; it was just a dream. Realizing what just crossed his mind, Lewa softly groaned as he got himself into a sitting position. This was the fourth nightmare he had this week alone. He edged his back against the cot, wrapped his arms around his bent legs, and let his chin rest atop his knees. Why was this happening? When was it going to end? Images of the nightmare were flashing through his mind when the door was swung open suddenly. Taken totally by surprise, Lewa gasped at the sight in his doorway.

"Toa Lewa, are you alright?" a gentle, elderly voice asked.

It was a voice Lewa knew very well and, hand to his heartlight, he urged himself to calm down. It was Turaga Matau. "It occurred-happened again, Turaga," he replied. "I had another nightmare."

"Another one?" asked Matau. "Speak-tell me about it."

Rather reluctantly, Lewa shared the details of the dream, all the while shaking as if he was reliving it all over again. Matau listened and watched; he knew this was very difficult for the Toa, but he felt it was absolutely necessary if he was to, hopefully, help Lewa. Although, the more he listened, the more he didn't like what he was hearing at all. Once Lewa was done, the Turaga gently ushered him back onto his cot and closed the door behind him as he left the hut. There, he waited. Inside, as tired as he was, Lewa was a little afraid of going back to sleep. However, after a few minutes, his eyes shut and his head nodded off to the side. Outside the hut, Matau smiled when he heard Lewa's soft breathing and silently walked back to his own hut, letting out a quiet yawn along the way.

The next day, Lewa found himself helping Onua and Kopaka fend off a quartet of Nui-Jaga who were threatening a team of Onu-Matoran tunnelers. Within a few moments, the three Toa sent the insectoid Rahi skittering down the tunnel. "Thank you, Toa," said one of the Matoran.

"Just doing our duty," winked Onua and he stashed away his quakebreakers. Just then, Lewa let out a little quiet yawn. Kopaka noticed.

"Tired?"

"Had a rough-hard night last night."

"Everything alright at Le-Koro?" Onua asked.

"Yeah, everything's sure-fine. Which quick-reminds me, I should be getting back." After bidding farewell to his brothers, the Air Toa took off down another one of the surrounding tunnels. No one saw the red eyes that were watching them.

He was surrounded by darkness, the darkness where he couldn't figure out if it was really alive or if he was just imagining things. Lewa remained where he stood, unable to decide whether to stay put or try to find a way out that place. Suddenly, he heard a frightening cackle. 'That quick-settles it,' he thought, 'I'm out of here.' But, just then, a pair of huge, serpent-like forms caught his eye, though he wished they hadn't. Worse were the twin pairs of piercing eyes that gazed upon him, cold and merciless. He was about to sprint away when something coiled up his legs, his torso, all the way to his shoulders in what felt like the blink of an eye. He felt it constrict, tightening its grip around him. He struggled to free himself, but whatever had him held him as effectively as a chain.

"You're not going anywhere," a hissing voice spoke.

"You belong to us now," a different voice added, though it too, had a bit of a hiss to it.

Looking up, he saw that something in the shadows was coming for him. He didn't know how, but he just knew that whatever was heading towards him was what was restraining him. Panic began to race through his entire being and he called to his brothers and sister, but there was no answer. The thing was getting closer and he could almost make out a familiar shape.

Lewa sat up in a flash, wide-eyed and gasping for air. 'Calm down, calm down,' he urged himself once the realization that he was in the real world came to him. Slowly but surely, his breathing returned to normal and he managed to relax. As he braced his back against the wall behind him, he made a mental note to talk to Matau in the morning. Then, doing his best not to let himself think of the nightmare, he went back to sleep. Outside, hidden in the shadows of the night and the foliage of the jungle, a huge form observed the Air Toa with its ominous red eyes. If the creature could, a sinister grin would've crossed it features. The Toa's resolve was weakening, it could feel it; soon it would be time to strike.

Matau sat in the middle of his hut, deep in thought. Earlier, he received a visit from Toa Lewa, who shared his latest dream with him. Now, he was trying to decide where to go from here. It was now becoming clear that not only Lewa might need more help than he could offer, but that what he had been fearing for the past three weeks had to be true. With a heavy sigh, he got up and went outside, hoping that a short walk might help him clear his head. 'Mata Nui, help me,' he said to himself.

Late that afternoon, Gali and Onua were busy trying to fight off a pack of Kavinika wolves. Some Onu-Matoran tunnelers had managed to break through a rock face, finishing a new tunnel entrance. Unfortunately, in doing so they found themselves face to face with the group of Rahi, who thought the Matoran would make a tasty meal. Now, the two Toa were trying to fend off the Kavinika while the little ones made their escape, a task they thought would be easy. However, the pack outnumbered the Toa and both guardians didn't really want to harm the creatures, just get them to find somewhere else to hunt. But, the Kavinika were either very stubborn, or not getting the message; they just wouldn't back down. One of the Kavinika leaped at Onua, but the Toa jumped into the air. Almost too late, he spotted another Kavinika trying to head him off. Without thinking, he twisted his body to avoid the Rahi's attack and flipped as he descended. Upon landing, he felt something in his ankle clench and cried out in pain as he fell to one knee, clutching it. "Onua!" Gali called, "Are you alright?"

"I twisted my ankle," the Earth Toa groaned.

Sensing weakness, the Kavinika closed in. Both Toa eyed them warily. "I'm afraid we're going to have to try something a little more drastic, brother," said Gali. The Toa of Earth was about to agree when a blast of wind sent three of the Rahi tumbling heads over tails on the ground. A shower of large rocks followed the wind, courtesy of Pohatu.

"Hey, Kavinika, go fetch," the Stone Toa called out to the yelping Rahi, who were trying to seek shelter from the stones. Kopaka helped Gali walk Onua towards the tunnel, the plan being that once they were all inside, the Earth Toa would use his powers to block the tunnel so the Rahi couldn't pursue any further. Tahu, Pohatu, and Lewa fended off the beasts as they inched their way inside.

"Now, Onua!" commanded Tahu. "Now!" Onua concentrated and, almost immediately, an avalanche of earth and rock covered the hole. Following the Toa of Earth's directions, the Toa trekked through the complex network of tunnels toward another exit. Just when they thought the tunnel wouldn't end, a light appeared and they walked out to find a starry sky lit by the light of a full moon. "Everybody ok?" Tahu asked.

"We're fine, Tahu," Gali answered. "But Onua's ankle's still hurt."

The Fire Toa nodded and saw that the group looked tired.

"We'll rest here for a while. Then we should head back to our villages."

All of the Toa agreed, and settled down. Kopaka noticed that Lewa lay down by a tree right away. 'He's so tired all of the time,' he observed, and made a mental note to keep an eye on the Air Toa.

Ten minutes passed and Gali decided to relax against a tree. Suddenly, she heard strange, quiet sounds that sounded close. Too close for comfort. Axes ready, she went to find out what was making the noise, only to drop them to her sides with a sigh of relief. It was only Lewa, who, apparently, was mumbling in his sleep. From the sound of it, he was dreaming, but, though his back was to her, Gali noticed that something was up with the Toa of Air. His arms were bent and pressed against his chest, and he was jerking his head side to side. Lewa was not only having a dream—he was having a nightmare, and a very frightening one. Stowing her axes away, Gali approached the Air Toa and knelt down. "Lewa?" she inquired quietly. When her brother didn't even stir, the Toa of Water reached out her hand for his shoulder. "Lewa, wake up."

This was crazy, almost insane. He could hear the evil, hissing voices that seemed to come from everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time. Because the voices kept overlapping each other, he couldn't make out a single word they were saying. Plus, every once in a while, he'd thought he'd spotted a blur of motion or got the feeling that something was very near. But every time he looked, there was nothing. "Who's there?" he called. "Show yourself." Only the inconceivable voices answered him. It felt like an eternity passed when he felt something touch his shoulder.

Lewa's eyes snapped open and, with a shout that one could only describe as that of a person nearly driven to madness, he pounced. It was then that he saw what, or rather who, he had in his grip. Gali looked back at him breathlessly with eyes that had a hint of fear in them. After getting over her surprise, she noticed that the crazed expression on Lewa's mask was replaced with confusion and disorientation. Soon, however, the disorientation changed into realization, as if his consciousness was slowly catching on that he was now awake. Equally breathless and with an expression of pure, absolute shock all over his mask, Lewa's flashing eyes glanced down at what he was perfectly positioned to do. His sister's hands were clutching his katana, the blade against her neck; one swipe and Gali would've been dead. Gali could plainly see the shock, horror, and disbelief in the Air Toa's eyes and on his mask. "Gali!" a voice called. Lewa looked to see his brothers lined up and looking right at him and Gali, including Onua, whose ankle had since healed. Their eyes were wide and bright, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Lewa looked at Gali, then at the remaining Toa, and back at Gali again. In a flash, he scooted off of her and backed away until his back bumped into a rock face. The Toa of Water sat up, instinctively rubbed her neck, and glanced back at the Air Toa. Lewa had his head bowed down and his entire body was shaking uncontrollably.

"I'm much-sorry, sister," he shakily whispered so quietly it could barely be heard. "I'm so much-sorry."

"It's ok, brother," Gali said soothingly as she stood up. "It's ok."

Meanwhile, Tahu and the others stayed where they stood, unsure of what to make of what they were seeing. Snippets of what happened back there flashed through Lewa's mind—the look on Gali's mask, the uncertainty in her eyes, his own blade against her throat, his brother Toa looking like they just caught a possible traitor red-handed. "Lewa," said a familiar no-nonsense voice that could only be Kopaka's. Looking up, he faced his fellow Toa and a silent tense minute passed before Tahu decided to step forward.

"Lewa, what happened?" the Fire Toa asked. In the past, Tahu would've immediately assumed the worst, but he had long since learned to know Lewa better than that and trust him and he waited for an answer.

Lewa stole a glance at Gali, and the Water Toa nodded with what he could sense was an encouraging smile. The shaken Toa of Air released a deep breath and prepared to explain. But, before he could utter a word, he felt something pull hard around his waist and towards the rock wall where he was now being sucked into a black hole. Tahu didn't hesitate and he had hold of Lewa's wrists in the blink of an eye. The other Toa didn't need to be told twice and grabbed onto the Air Toa's arms and torso. For a minute, there was a lot of pulling and tugging until it seemed that the Toa gained the upper hand. Tahu urged the others to keep pulling and, slowly but surely, inch by inch of Lewa's form was wrenched free. However, more black tentacles wrapped themselves around the Air Toa's legs and reached for his upper arms. Kopaka was about to use his ice blade against the things when two more tentacles formed out of the hole and pounded the ground with such force, the shock sent the Toa flying back. Two of the tentacles were successful at grabbing hold of Lewa's left arm and pulled it in. Tahu, though, somehow managed to hang on to Lewa's right wrist through the attack and gripped it tightly with both hands. However, his strength alone was not enough to keep the Toa of Air from being dragged into the darkness, which was now starting to envelope his figure. "Tahu-brother," Lewa cried, "help me--" Just then, the black hole engulfed his head, cutting off any further pleading. Tahu doubled his efforts at pulling the Toa of Air out, but they were in vain. His grip on his brother's wrist began to slowly slip down to his hand. For a moment, there was pause in the struggling, neither side gaining nor losing. Then, just like that, the Fire Toa lost his grip and fell to the ground. He looked in time to see the green hand about to disappear.

"No, Lewa!" he exclaimed and was back on his feet in a flash.

However, he was not quick enough to grab hold before the hand vanished, as did the black hole. For a brief moment, he frantically searched and felt around the rock, as if hoping he would find someway to go the same way Lewa did, but he knew it was useless. He started pounding the wall in frustration, feeling like he had let his brother Toa down. "Lewa, Lewa!" He was about to hit it again when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. He looked over to find Kopaka looking at him with a serious expression on his Akaku.

"Bashing that rock is not going to save Lewa, Tahu," said the Toa of Ice. "Let alone improve the situation in any way."

It was hard, but the Toa of Fire was successful in willing himself to calm down. As much as he hated to admit it, Kopaka was right, which left only one thing they had to do, and he hoped it would give them any clues as to where they could find the Air Toa. With a nod, he took the lead in a run towards Le-Koro, his remaining brothers and sister right behind him.

At Le-Koro, Kongu was about to call it a night when he heard something like the tramping of feet on the ground below. Looking down, he spotted the Toa. "Greetings, Toa," he waved.

"Kongu, is Turaga Matau here?" asked Pohatu.

"He's in his hut meeting with the other turaga. Why?"

"We need to speak with him," called Tahu. "Tell him it's urgent. It concerns Lewa."

The Le-Matoran saluted and ran to fetch the turaga. The Toa, meanwhile, made their way up onto the walkway. Within minutes, Matau appeared. "Toa, what has occurred-happened? Where is Toa Lewa?" the turaga asked.

"He's been captured, Turaga," Tahu reported.

The expression on the Turaga of Le-Koro's Mahiki fell, as if a great weight had just been placed on both his mind and shoulders. "Turaga Matau?" Gali inquired.

"Come with me to my hut, Toa."

"But Lewa--" Onua began.

"Before you are to rescue-save Toa Lewa, you must be warned-prepared for what I much-fear you are to face," the turaga interrupted, and he led them to his hut.

To say the least, all of the Toa were surprised to find that their turaga were gathered in a circle as if they were holding council. "I deliver-sent word to the other turaga earlier," Matau briefly elaborated.

"Why?" asked Onua.

Vakama stepped up. "Toa, judging from what Matau has shared with us, we fear an enemy from the past has returned and, for some reason, it has targeted Toa Lewa."

The Toa each sat down in a circle around the gathered turaga and prepared themselves to listen. Although, somehow, they all shared the feeling that whatever they were going to hear, they weren't going to like it.