Comic 21: Dreams of Darkness

"My name is Vakama. This is my nightmare. The unconscious beings scattered around me are the other Toa Metru. The armored colossus in front of me is the reason they are on the ground. I'm hoping that I wake up from this vision soon... or I may never wake up again."

- Toa Vakama's inner monologue

Dreams of Darkness was the twenty-first issue in the original BIONICLE comic series and the sixth issue in the Metru Nui sub-series, as well as part six in the City of Legends storyline. It was originally packaged with the November/December 2004 edition of the LEGO Club Magazine, and was later collected in BIONICLE 3: City of Legends. This comic saw the Toa Metru fight against a monstrous lizard, while Vakama struggled with nightmares.

Opening
''The Toa Metru face their greatest crisis. Branded criminals by Turaga Dume, they are pursued by the Dark Hunters and the Vahki. Three of their number have been imprisoned, along with Toa Lhikan. And every second brings Metru Nui and the Matoran closer to final disaster.''

''The excitement and joy over becoming Toa Metru has been replaced by grim resolve in the face of such overwhelming danger. The shadows are closing in on the city, and the heroes of Metru Nui are starting to wish this was all just a bad dream.''

But for Vakama, the nightmare has only begun...

Plot
It starts out with Vakama. He is having another vision. We see a creature in front of him. Near him are his fellow Toa. Vakama's Disk Launcher won't work. A hand spits out of the mouth of the creature and grasps Vakama. Everything starts to fade. Then we see Vakama in a web. Nidhiki is coming after him. He tells the toa that his time has run out. Then Vakama is out of the web. Vakama sees Toa Lhikan. Lhikan tells the toa to beware and listen to the warnings of his visions. We then see Vakama with Turaga Dume he tells him to look at what is in front of him. He looks at a web and out comes the Toa Metru. They are very angry at him. Nuju tells Vakama to look into the mirror. Vakama looks and he wakes up to see Nokama and Matau watching him. Then the ground starts to shake and the Tahtorak comes out of the ground, looking for an answer.

The Tahtorak starts destroying everything in sight. Matau flies around, trying to distract the beast. Squads of Nuurakh approach and attempt to apprehend the gigantic monster. They fail. Vakama fires a weakness Disk at the ground below the Tahtorak and the Rahi falls into the ground, still screaming for "the answer." Then Vakama tells of his vision to the fellow Toa. We see what he saw in the mirror, himself as a twisted monster.

Credits

 * Greg Farshtey - Writer
 * Randy Elliott - Artist
 * Pete Pantazis - Colorist
 * Ken Lopez - Letterer
 * Jaye Gardner - Editor
 * Toby Dutkiewicz - Layout & Design
 * Tahtorak designed by Justin Lamb

Characters

 * Dume - In vision
 * Krahka - Mentioned only
 * Lhikan - In vision
 * Mata Nui - Mentioned only
 * Matau - In reality and vision
 * Morbuzakh - Mentioned only
 * Nidhiki - In vision
 * Nokama - In reality and vision
 * Nuhrii - Mentioned only
 * Nuju - In vision
 * Nuurakh
 * Onewa - In vision
 * Ultimate Dume - In vision
 * Vakama
 * Whenua - In vision

Locations

 * Metru Nui
 * Great Furnace - Mentioned only
 * Onu-Metru - Mentioned only

Objects

 * Airship
 * Kanohi
 * Great Hau - In vision
 * Great Huna - In reality and vision
 * Great Kraahkan - In vision
 * Great Komau - In vision
 * Great Mahiki - In reality and vision
 * Great Matatu - In vision
 * Great Rau - In reality and vision
 * Great Ruru - In vision
 * Noble Kiril - In vision
 * Kanoka
 * Weakness Disks
 * Lightstone - In vision
 * Toa Tools
 * Aero Slicers - In reality and vision
 * Crystal Spikes - In vision
 * Disk Launcher (Vakama) - In reality and vision
 * Earthshock Drills - In vision
 * Hydro Blades - In reality and vision
 * Proto Pitons - In vision

Organizations

 * Dark Hunters - Mentioned only
 * Matoran - Mentioned only
 * Rahi
 * Tahtorak - First appearance
 * Toa
 * Toa of Air
 * Toa of Earth - In vision
 * Toa of Fire
 * Toa of Ice - In vision
 * Toa of Stone - In vision
 * Toa of Water
 * Toa Teams
 * Toa Metru/Toa Hordika
 * Turaga - In vision
 * Vahki

Miscellanea

 * Chutespeak
 * Elements/Elemental Powers
 * Ice
 * Shadow
 * Matoran Language - Mentioned only

Quotes
"WHO DARES DISTURB THE SLUMBER OF THE TAHTORAK? [...] TELL ME THE ANSWER, OR I WILL CRUSH THIS PLACE TO RUBBLE!"

- The Tahtorak

"Sorry. I was just thinking...The Tahtorak wanted an answer to a question we can't know. Its efforts brought only destruction...and destruction was all it found. It's a funny thing about looking for answers, Nokama...Sometimes you are far better off not finding them."

- Vakama

Extra Features

 * Comic middle: Advertisement for the six upcoming Rahaga sets.
 * Comic end: Advertisement for the movie BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui; teaser for the Toa Hordika sets; advertisement for special edition Vahki sets with the golden Vahi mask and the Disk of Time.
 * Rear cover: Advertisement for BIONICLE-related merchandise: shoes, backpacks, and t-shirts.

Continuity

 * This issue takes place concurrently with BIONICLE 2: City of Legends.
 * The answer Which the Tahtorak sought was as to how it arrived on Metru Nui.
 * The Tahtorak was previously glimpsed within the maintenance tunnels below the Archives in BIONICLE Adventures 3: The Darkness Below. It would later reappear in BIONICLE Adventures 8: Challenge of the Hordika.

Trivia

 * On the first page where the opening narration brings the reader up to speed, Matau's Toa Disk can seen at the top of the page.
 * The Tahtorak was designed by Justin Lamb and the winning entry of a build-a-Rahi contest.