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This article was written by Dregran. Please do not add to it without the writer's permission.
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| Somewhere I Belong | |
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| Story | |
| Series |
Ignika Universe Saga, Downfall Arc
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| Setting | |
| Date Set |
35 AGCW
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| Media Information | |
| Released |
September 2025
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| Writer | |
| Timeline | |
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Somewhere I Belong is a side-story about Naho's and Tuyet's secret quest from Mata Nui to seek the Nui Stone. It is written from the perspective of Naho, taking place 15 years after Darkest Reign and 65 years before Order's End. It is the fifth published side-story in the Ignika Universe Saga.
Story[]
I remember Mata Nui’s words clearly: Tell no one about this quest. Seek the Nui Stone and bring it back safely. We may need it in our battle against Abaddon.
Personally, I don’t know why such a powerful artefact like the Nui Stone is being kept a secret. Mata Nui made us Toa and gave us a secret quest. Something about this just feels off. If the Nui Stone is so powerful, why not send powerful Toa to seek it?
“Watch your step, daydreamer,” taunted another Toa of Water, Tuyet. She was transformed into a Toa when I was.
“Sure,” I mumbled.
Tuyet smirked. She was interesting to say the least. I have never met a Ga-Matoran who speaks to her fellow Matoran like she does.
“I think this Nui Stone should be used by one of us,” Tuyet continued. “I nominate myself, as the stronger of us two. Mata Nui must have known that else he was a fool.”
She was an egotist and probably insane. Come to think of it, she didn’t talk fondly of anyone but herself.
“Why do you say that?” I don’t know why I bothered to engage in conversation.
“Well,” Tuyet stopped. “If we fought, right now, I would come out on top!”
She’s full of herself. I stop a few feet in front of her. “Why are you saying we should fight for the Nui Stone? Are we not taking it back to Mata Nui?”
I can hear Tuyet laugh, best described as a cackle.
“I will be the one to rule the Great Spirit Robot!” she gloated.
“Right,” I continued to walk away. “Whatever you say.”
There’s no point to trying to change her mind, I figured. Some Matoran are just like that – with their mind made up and their morals set in stone.
I look at the map Mata Nui gave us. He said it was a piece from the Scroll of Secrets that he created when the Great Spirit Robot was built. There’s strange lettering scrawled around the edges and on key parts of the map. It’s definitely not Matoran but it looks familiar.
Tuyet puts her arms on me and leans over my shoulder to see the map.
“Dead ahead, through the tunnel, then back underground the way we came, right, Toa-Sister?”
I shrugged her off and kept going. Any dim-witted Matoran can read the map.
Tuyet ran ahead and stopped in front of me, then raised her sword to my mask.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Without warning, she slammed her sword into the ground and the soil beneath us began to moisten.
“It’s quicker this way!” she yelled as the mud eventually gives way.
We land on our feet inside a cavern, covered in the same symbols that are on the map.
“Turn back… Danger awaits… Seek help…” Tuyet reads the writing on the walls.
“You can read the lettering?”
“Just a guess,” she said as she walked behind me. “I don’t think they wanted anyone to find this.”
I turned and readied myself, raising my axe.
“Who is ‘they’, Tuyet?”
She stopped. “Oh, come on, Naho.”
Tuyet turned and rolled her eyes when she saw my stance.
“This lettering is Glatorian, obviously put here when the Great Spirit Robot was being built. Mata Nui clearly didn’t make the Robot,” she continued.
“What do you mean?” I don’t understand. Mata Nui created the Great Spirit Robot and all of its inhabitants so he could explore space for another planet that had life. Every Matoran knows the story of our universe.
“Don’t be so naïve, Toa,” she said. Her tone was suddenly serious. “The Great Beings made the Great Spirit Robot and Mata Nui made its slaves. They put all kinds of fail safes in here so Mata Nui couldn’t betray them.”
The Great Beings? Plural? What was she on about?
“I suppose you lot weren’t told the full truth, after all.”
“The full truth…?”
Tuyet sighed. “Let’s just get the Nui Stone and get out of here. This place reeks of sloppy design.”
I guess I have no choice but to follow her. Tuyet wasn’t what she seemed. Was she even a real Matoran before the transformation?
Of course she was. Mata Nui created her.
We walked for hours. The corridor narrowed and we had to squeeze through some passages. Tuyet knew every turn to take a fork, always ‘just guessing’. She said the writing was Glatorian – what does that even mean?
When we finally reached a steel door, Tuyet stopped.
“It’s through here, but…” She turned to me. “Place your hand on the lock there, Naho.”
Why was she smiling? Why couldn’t she do this?
“Why should I?”
“Oh, come on, trust me, your fellow Toa of Water.”
I hesitated but walked forward and placed my hand on the lock. It clicked and the door whizzed open, disappearing into the stone below.
Tuyet pushed past me and entered the room first.
There was nothing here but a single glowing stone, floating on a podium. It had the same markings as the cavern walls – must have been that ‘Glatorian’ language Tuyet was talking about.
“Now, how do I activate this?” She looked at the stone from all angles. She reached out but pulled her hand away before touching the stone.
“Maybe…” she muttered.
“I’ll be taking that,” a raspy voice said from outside the door.
I spun and held my axe to face to the intruder.
A tall black and silver figure stood in the doorway. His clawed hands held two short swords. One of his arms had a wrist blade, and more weapons were on his back. This was a Selavian warlord.
“Who are you?” Tuyet asked. She was calm and didn’t move from behind the stone.
“Mantax, the Selavian who will kill you and take the Nui Stone,” he said.
“Mantax… you’re one of the Infernal Legion!” I heard a story that he fought and defeated two Toa from the Order of Mata Nui.
He remained unmoved by my words. Instead, he raised his sword and pointed it at the Nui Stone.
“You will lose this battle, Toa,” he grunted. With incredible speed, he lunged forward. I was knocked to the side and Tuyet grabbed the Nui Stone.
I was too slow to see what happened next, but when I looked Tuyet was pinned against the wall and Mantax was holding the Nui Stone.
I pointed my axe. I am a Toa of Water. I can create and control water.
I blast Mantax with a stream of water from my axe. It pushed him away from Tuyet and he dropped the Nui Stone.
The small chamber filled with water up to our waists. Now we should have an advantage. Toa of Water can control water; I just need to focus.
I lift my axe and aim at the Selavian but nothing happens.
Mantax chuckled and got to his feet.
Tuyet stood with the Nui Stone in hand. It glowed a bright white light.
“Ah, so this is how you use it…” Tuyet trailed off and pointed the stone at my chest.
“Thanks, Toa-Sister,” she said.
I fall to one knee. What happened? I look down at my hands.
“No!!” I hear Tuyet shriek. I glance up in time to see Mantax stab through the Nui Stone and into her chest.
The stone shatters with blinding light and I collapse.
---
When I wake, Mantax and Tuyet are gone. There is no sign of the Nui Stone. I have failed.
I stand and grab my axe. I can’t face Mata Nui like this.
It was my Destiny to fail.
I walk back through the doorway and out into the corridor. Eventually on the surface, I find the place that Tuyet broke through the ground. How did she know that this would work?
It didn’t matter. Our quest ended early.
I must go into exile. A Toa should be brave, powerful and vigilant. I am none of those things. I have let Mata Nui down.
I walk to a beach and keep on going. I must find somewhere for a failure like me. I will find somewhere I belong.
Characters[]
Trivia[]
- This story was written for the Writing Prompt: Write a story where a hero ends their quest early...
| Ignika Universe Saga v:e | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matoran Universe | History | Rise and Fall — The Malia Chronicles — Sworn to Duty | |||
| Rising Arc | The Unveiling — The Seeking — The Rising | ||||
| Downfall Arc | Darkest Reign — Order's End — The Downfall | ||||
| Side stories | Memoirs of the Wicked — Skakdi Days — Builder's Duty — Guard Duty — Somewhere I Belong | ||||
| Spherus Magna | |||||
| Discovery Arc | The Aftermath — The Matoran Hunter — Journey to the Edge | ||||
| Side stories | The Nightwatcher | ||||
| Related | Stuck in Time | ||||