BC1 - Golden Mask Gained

The others were already exclaiming over the grand temple. But Onua’s mind turned immediately to more practical matters.

“Look,” he said, pointing to the life-size carvings of the six Toa cut out of the temple walls, complete except that the carvings wore no masks at all. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I am, if you’re thinking our masks would fit perfectly over these carved faces,” Tahu said, ripping off his Kanohi Kaukau and holding it over the carved Tahu figure.

“Wait!” Kopaka said. “Let’s not throw away our powers foolishly.”

Tahu frowned at him. “Who says we’re throwing them away?” he challenged him. “It was your vision that led us here. Now you say we’re being foolish?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Kopaka said.

Gali placed a hand on Kopaka’s arm. “It’s okay, brother,” she said. “I think Tahu is on the right track – this time.”

“Thank you, sister Gali.” Tahu smiled at her. “I appreciate the support.”

Gali smiled back, and Kopaka scowled in irritation. Whatever had been bothering those two earlier seemed to be over. Kopaka opened his mouth to argue further, but something stopped him.

Maybe this isn’t the wrong thing to do just because it seems impulsive, he thought. Then he frowned. What am I doing? Am I turning into Lewa or Gali, trusting passing whims and feelings?

Tahu pushed the mask onto the stone Tahu’s face. As the mask melted into the stone he pulled off his Kanohi Miru, and then his other masks, placing each one onto the carving’s face.

Lewa and Pohatu followed Tahu’s lead. Even Gali stepped forward toward her sculpture, her Kanohi Kaukau in hand.

Onua glanced over at Kopaka. “Normally I, like you, would be against this rush to move,” he commented. “But I’m getting the strangest feeling that this is what we are meant to do.”

Kopaka nodded. “I – I, too, am beginning to get that feeling.”

That was enough for Onua. He had already observed enough to know that the Ice Toa wasn’t one to make rash decisions – not without good reason, anyway.

The two of them walked over to their own likenesses. Onua pulled off his Kanohi Kakama. Taking a deep breath, he set into place on the stone Toa’s face. The stone seemed to suck it in, swallowing it into itself. Onua fed it another mask, and another. Soon he was placing his last mask onto the carving. It melted into the carving like the others but remained visible, tinting the stone black. Without any mask at all, Onua’s face felt strange and vulnerable.

For a moment nothing happened. Onua felt his heart sink. Had they just given away their Masks of Power for no good reason? Had this all been a trick of Makuta?

Then there was a peak of sound, like great bells blended with laughter. Onua gasped in amazement as a new mask suddenly appeared on the face of each stone carving – a golden Kanohi, glowing with light and power.

Onua carefully lifted the golden Kanohi from the carving’s face and placed it on his own. He staggered back a step as waves of power blasted through him. Then he smiled. This new mask united all the powers of the other six – only it was even stronger!

“So this was what we were really seeking,” Gali said, sounding awed. “Now we truly have the power to take on the Makuta….”


- BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa, Chapter 10

(Note: This is the version of the scene of the Toa getting their Golden Kanohi from the first BIONICLE book. Other sources portray the event differently, but this is the most consistent version.)