"Roodaka stepped to the window and looked up to see the Toa in their cocoons, hanging from a Visorak web. Her eyes devoured the sight of them struggling helplessly to free themselves. There was nothing quite so pleasant, she decided, as weak, pitiful creatures striving to avoid their inevitable doom."
Return to Metru Nui
Upon their discovery of Mata Nui, the Toa Metru set forth on a harrowing return to Metru Nui, where countless Matoran remain ensnared in the silent grip of the forsaken city. Their passage leads them through the abyssal veins of the earth, a labyrinth of shadows where the very air whispers of ruin. They tread past horrors unseen for ages—mutated Rahi, their forms twisted beyond recognition, flee in frantic terror; ancient Bohrok nests lie dormant, their slumber heavy with unspoken dread; and in a secluded hollow, they behold a sight of nameless foreboding—a pool of the fabled Energized Protodermis. Its shifting, mercurial surface pulses with malevolent possibility, an entity neither wholly alive nor inert. Here, the Toa grasp a chilling truth: this substance does not simply alter—it either grants ascension or brings oblivion to all it touches.
As their journey deepens into darkness, so too does the malice that seeks them. Without warning, the Rahi Nui descends—a predator forged from nightmare, a beast that feasts upon the very essence of Toa. Battle erupts in the choking blackness, a brutal clash of cunning and desperation. Yet victory demands a price. In the creature's death throes, Nokama is struck down, her essence flickering perilously close to the abyss. Desperation drives them to a presence lurking in the deep—a sentient horror, Karzahni, a plant whose roots feed not upon soil, but upon suffering. It offers salvation in exchange for a vial of the cursed Protodermis. Bound by necessity, the Toa descend into a forsaken warren of tunnels, where remnants of a cruel architect's ambition lie in wait. They unearth the ghosts of Teridax's past—visions of unholy experiments, whispers of the Visorak's coming, echoes of a design yet unfinished. In the heart of this accursed place, they wrest the substance from its resting place, sealing their pact. True to its word, Karzahni restores Nokama—but in its arrogance, it dares to taste the Protodermis itself.
It is its final folly. The substance does not transform. It does not grant dominion. It consumes. And as Karzahni's wails fade into the void, the Toa leave behind only withered remains.
At last, they reach the shores of the Silver Sea, their path to Metru Nui severed by an expanse of endless black waters. No vessel awaits them, no bridge spans the abyss. They scour the ruins for salvation, but what they find is a thing of dread. Hidden in the desolation lies a vault of Teridax's making, its gates sealed in flame, its guardian a creature of living inferno. It is there that Vakama, bearer of fire, meets his greatest trial. The battle that ensues is one of agony and reckoning—one from which he emerges victorious, yet not without cost. Burned in ways both seen and unseen, he carries forth the scars of a battle beyond mere flesh.
From ruin, the Toa forge their passage. With scavenged remains—twisted steel and the lingering roots of Karzahni—they craft a vessel, christening it the Lhikan II. And so, upon waters that gleam like molten silver, they set sail toward the forsaken city, toward a destiny carved in fire and shadow.
Yet behind them, unseen and unheeded, something stirs. From the ashes of the fallen horror, a single verdant tendril unfurls, pale and reaching. The dead do not always remain so. And their trials—though they do not yet know it—are far from over.
Arrival in Metru Nui
As the Toa Metru approached the ruined city of Metru Nui, Nuju's keen vision revealed a grim sight—Rahkshi, Rahi, and thick webs engulfing the crumbling skyline. Whenua's fears were confirmed: the Archives had been breached, unleashing a horde of Rahi upon the city. Their journey across the ocean was cut short by a violent storm, which wrecked the Lhikan II and cast them ashore, scattered and vulnerable.
Regrouping, the Toa pressed toward the Coliseum, navigating the desolate ruins of Le-Metru. A chilling discovery awaited them—Vahki unlike any they had encountered before. These machines, altered by Teridax's power surge, spoke fluent Matoran, reassembled their shattered forms, and wielded destructive energy. Though Matau and Whenua managed to destroy a squadron, the revelation of their transformation set an ominous precedent.
Seeking answers, Onewa led the group into the ruined Vahki Hive. There, they unraveled the truth: the surge that had destroyed most of the Vahki had also reshaped the survivors, slowing their speech to an intelligible pace and amplifying their lethality. Before they could process this revelation, the Toa were ambushed once more. In the chaos, Matau, using his shape-shifting abilities, deceived their foes long enough for the others to escape into the Moto-Hub. Yet danger lurked within—an entity of pure sound, impervious to their attacks. Only through strategy—Matau creating a vacuum and Nuju striking with ice—were they able to silence the creature forever.
Emerging from the ruins, the Toa glimpsed an eerie spectacle in the sky. What seemed to be stars were, in truth, the gleaming eyes of thousands of Visorak. Before they could react, a monstrous, mutated Lohrak descended upon them, wielding sonic power no ordinary specimen should possess. In the ensuing battle, Nuju forced the beast to retreat, but in the chaos, Onewa and Nokama were dragged into the depths of the Archives, where a horde of Suukorak awaited. Though the others managed to rescue them, the purpose of the Visorak was now clear—they were hunting the Toa Metru under orders from their viceroy, Roodaka.
Determined to reach the Matoran before the Visorak fully seized the city, the Toa pressed on through the Archives. Along the way, they encountered and healed a wounded Ash Bear before finally emerging onto the streets. The Coliseum loomed ahead—a symbol of their final hope. Yet hope turned to despair in an instant. Keelerak ambushed them, their paralyzing Rhotuka sealing the Toa's fate.
Suspended in cocoons high above the city, the Toa Metru were helpless as a terrible transformation overtook them. The venom of the Visorak seeped into their bodies, twisting their forms, warping their minds. The cocoons ruptured, and the newly-born Toa Hordika plummeted toward their deaths—only to be saved at the last moment by the Rahaga, strange, wizened beings bearing knowledge of their affliction.
In the ruins of Ga-Metru, the Rahaga spoke of Keetongu, a legendary Rahi said to hold the cure to their mutation. But time was against them. If the venom was not purged, their bestial transformation would become permanent. Though doubt gnawed at them, the Toa Hordika made their choice—the Matoran's salvation would come first. Matau proposed the construction of airships to ferry their people to safety, and so their struggle to reclaim Metru Nui from the Visorak began.
Their war was only just beginning.
Searches for Dume and the Avohkii
The embers of the Great Temple's ruin smoldered in the ashen air, casting a dim and fleeting glow upon the gathering figures of the Toa Hordika. Their prize had been claimed, yet the path before them stretched perilous and uncertain. Within the cold embrace of Onewa's stone, the Mask of Light pulsed with a faint and defiant radiance—a solitary beacon against the encroaching dominion of the Visorak. But in the forsaken streets of Metru Nui, shadows lengthened, and the patience of their enemies waned.
Far from the wreckage, deep within the Coliseum, Sidorak brooded upon his throne of conquest, his armored fingers drumming a measured rhythm upon its worn armrest. At his feet lay the shattered remains of a Great Huna—a relic of failure, discarded without ceremony. Beside him stood Roodaka, silent and impassive, her gaze unreadable as she bore witness to the quiet smolder of his ire.
"Their endurance is almost admirable," Sidorak murmured, his voice laced with disdain. "But they are beasts, and all beasts falter in time. Soon, the venom will strip them of what little remains."
Roodaka offered no reply. She had long grown weary of Sidorak's grievances, his self-importance, his need to assert dominion over a kingdom that had never truly belonged to him. Her mind drifted beyond his reach, toward the distant horizon where fate stirred in unseen currents. The Toa Hordika, for all their resistance, were but another step upon the path she had chosen. Her ambitions soared far beyond them.
Elsewhere, in the shattered remnants of Ga-Metru, the Toa sought guidance from the Rahaga, their newfound mentors in war and suffering alike. Beneath the broken sky, Norik knelt upon the ancient stone, the tip of his staff tracing forgotten sigils into the dust. His crimson eyes, gleaming in the dim half-light, reflected the weight of the tale he now wove.
"He is no mere beast," Norik intoned, his voice a solemn whisper that carried through the silence. "Keetongu is wisdom given form. If redemption is what you seek, then you must find him—before the venom devours you whole."
His words fell upon the Toa like an unspoken doom, heavy with the truth they dared not name. The poison within them festered, growing stronger with each passing day, twisting their forms, fraying the last threads that bound them to who they once were. They could feel it—an insidious presence, gnawing at the edges of their minds, whispering of surrender. To delay further was to succumb.
"We have no choice," Vakama declared at last, his voice edged with resolve. His claws clenched, as though fighting against the instincts that sought to betray him. "We find Keetongu. And we end this war."
Their path was set, carved in the cold stone of inevitability. Yet, as they steeled themselves for the peril ahead, the storm of destiny gathered upon the horizon. In the heart of the city, the forces of the enemy stirred, and Roodaka's silent machinations neared their fruition.
Metru Nui itself seemed to tremble in anticipation. The reckoning approached.
New missions
The Toa Hordika and the Rahaga, each venturing to their designated Metru, soon find themselves ensnared in peril, as the shadows of the Visorak tighten around them. In Ga-Metru, Nokama and Gaaki embark on a clandestine mission, only for disaster to strike—a Visorak Rhotuka spinner wounds Gaaki, and Nokama's desperate invocation of a storm nearly consigns them both to oblivion. In the frozen spires of Ko-Metru, Nuju and Kualus are deceived by the Oohnorak's insidious mimicry and fall into a deadly ambush within the depths of the Archives, where a Kahgarak awaits.
Elsewhere, Roodaka, the cunning and ruthless viceroy, broods upon her own merciless ascent to power. She harbors an unwavering belief—one among the Toa will succumb to their growing darkness and betray the others. Meanwhile, Whenua and Bomonga, embroiled in a bitter dispute, are suddenly interrupted by Nuju and Kualus, who crash into them in a desperate flight from the monstrous Kahgarak. The ensuing battle rages through the underground tunnels, culminating in a catastrophic collapse orchestrated by Whenua, burying them all beneath the ruins. As unconsciousness claims them, Kualus is plagued by spectral visions of the Toa Hagah's forgotten past.
Matau and Nokama, tasked with scouting the Coliseum, find themselves ensnared within the Visorak's venomous webs. In a reckless bid for survival, they seize control of a Visorak Battle Ram, only to face annihilation when Roodaka, enraged by the recent turn of events, commands its destruction. Elsewhere, fractures begin to form among the remaining Toa, as tension mounts and tempers fray—Vakama, consumed by frustration and doubt, nearly turns his fury upon Whenua.
As the night drags on, Matau and Nokama hurl themselves into a desperate escape. Regrouping amidst the chaos, they listen to Norik as he weaves a tale of the past, but Vakama, increasingly volatile, rejects both counsel and camaraderie. In the depths of the Coliseum, Sidorak stews in his failures, while Roodaka watches the unfolding events with a knowing smile, her conviction unwavering—one of the Toa will fall.
With their forces reunited at last, the Toa Hordika and the Rahaga establish a fragile sanctuary, knowing that their trials are far from over. The battle for their fate—and their very souls—has only just begun.
Vakama's betrayal
Vakama's mind and spirit teetered on the brink of collapse, his solitude deepening with each passing day. His long, brooding walks became a ritual, a means of escaping the growing rift between himself and his comrades. During one such excursion, a Muaka lunged at him from the darkness, yet when he attempted to strike back, his Rhotuka Launcher failed him. Before he could react, the beast fled, and Norik emerged from the shadows, urging him to return to his brothers. But Vakama, burdened by resentment and doubt, turned away.
As Norik rejoined the others to continue their search for Keetongu, Vakama's path took a darker turn. Ambushed by a group of Boggarak, he was dragged before Roodaka, who whispered poison into his thoughts. She fed his insecurities, convincing him that his so-called friends had long since abandoned him. But her ambitions ran deeper—she sought to overthrow Sidorak, to crown Vakama as the leader of the Visorak Horde, and to wield his team's elemental powers in her grand design to free Makuta Teridax. With cunning words and veiled promises, she ensnared Vakama's shattered will, offering him command of the Horde. But first, he would have to prove his loyalty—by capturing the Rahaga.
Determined to fulfill his new purpose, Vakama made his way to the Great Temple, where Rahaga Gaaki delved into ancient texts in search of Keetongu. A noise stirred her unease, but Norik dismissed it as mere fatigue. Yet the disturbance was no illusion—Vakama lurked in the shadows, awaiting his moment. As Norik confronted him, pleading for reason, Vakama remained unmoved, his betrayal already sealed. In an instant, he struck, overpowering the Rahaga and leaving Norik buried beneath the rubble.
When dawn broke, the Toa Hordika arrived at the temple, only to find Norik battered and barely clinging to life. With his last strength, he spoke of Vakama's treachery and the cryptic message he had translated: "Follow the falling tears to Ko-Metru, until they reach the sky."
Vakama, now enthroned as the Leader of the Visorak Horde, delivered the Rahaga to Sidorak, securing his place in the ranks of the enemy. Meanwhile, his former comrades traced the river's path from the Great Temple to the border of Le-Metru and Ko-Metru. A fragile web bridge collapsed beneath them, plunging them into an underwater chute that hurled them into the frozen expanse of Ko-Metru, where a stream of Protodermis soared into the heavens.
Guided by fate, they ventured into the cavern beneath the ice and called out to the ancient guardian, Keetongu. When the mighty being emerged, he listened to their tale and offered his aid—but only if they could prove themselves in battle, embracing the wild, untamed power of their Hordika forms. Their final trial had begun.
Battle of Metru Nui
Upon reaching the Coliseum, the five Toa Hordika shattered the defenses and confronted their lost comrade, Vakama, who met them with scorn. Before the Visorak could strike, they ascended to the higher levels using their Rhotuka—save for Matau, who, driven by desperate resolve, pursued Vakama directly to the central spire. Grasping his former brother-in-arms, Matau pleaded for his return, only to be met with betrayal as Vakama lashed out in fury.
Meanwhile, the remaining Toa navigated the corridors toward the captive Matoran Spheres, only to be ambushed by a monstrous Kahgarak. The beast's onslaught cast them into the arena below, where Norik arrived just in time to free them from their predicament. Elsewhere, Matau clung precariously to the Coliseum's edge, the battle raging beneath him.
Above the chaos, Sidorak and Roodaka confronted Keetongu as the Rahi colossus ascended the spire. Sidorak's attacks missed their mark, but Roodaka's strike, imbued with shadow, sent the titan plummeting down the structure, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. As Sidorak moved to confirm the kill, Roodaka betrayed him, abandoning her would-be king. With grim determination, Keetongu rose once more and delivered swift justice, ending Sidorak's reign in a single, fatal blow.
At the spire's edge, Vakama wavered, clarity returning to his mind. He lunged for Matau's hand, but the Toa of Air lost his grip and fell. In a final act of redemption, Vakama leaped after him, catching his fallen brother and using a Visorak web to save them both.
As battle consumed the Coliseum, the Rahaga joined the fray against the Visorak. Roodaka, mounted atop a Kahgarak, declared that she desired only one thing—the Toa's elemental powers. At that moment, Vakama and Matau descended, and Vakama, in a shocking maneuver, hurled Matau back toward their allies. Enraged, the five Toa struck Roodaka in unison with their Rhotuka spinners. As the viperous Vortixx reeled, Vakama renounced his alliance with her, proclaiming that his true place was with his team. Undeterred, Roodaka taunted him, claiming that even if she fell, the Visorak horde would still reign. With her authority over the swarm, however, Vakama uttered a single command—disband. Bound by instinct, the horde scattered, freed from their servitude.
Determined to end Roodaka's influence, Vakama loosed his own Rhotuka upon her. Yet, in that moment, Norik realized the terrible truth—but too late. As Roodaka's laughter filled the air, the force of the attack shattered the Heartstone upon her chest, breaking the seal that had once imprisoned Makuta Teridax. From the void, a dark hand arose, consuming her as she vanished into the abyss, leaving behind only a fragment of Protodermis.
The Toa had unwittingly unleashed their greatest enemy.
Even so, Vakama did not waver. With grim resolve, he declared that he no longer feared Teridax. Turning to Keetongu, he reasoned that their journey as Toa was not yet complete. Seeing the truth in his words, Keetongu unleashed his power, restoring the Hordika to their former Metru forms. Their duty unfinished, the Toa Metru gathered the dormant Matoran and loaded them onto their airships. With final words of farewell to their allies, they ascended toward the Great Barrier.
Yet as they neared their escape, Onewa's voice broke the silence. Teridax was free. And darkness loomed once more.
Time trap
As the Toa embarked on their journey back to Mata Nui aboard the airships, Vakama declared his need to return to Metru Nui and retrieve the Mask of Time. Urging his comrades to continue their voyage, he leapt from the ship, diving into the ocean to swim back. While making his way to shore, he discovered the Kanohi Vahi, partially buried in the ocean floor, cracked and leaking volatile Time energy. Recognizing its instability, he carefully repaired the mask using a precise beam of Fire before retrieving it. However, before he could make his return, a sudden waterspout hurled him into the air, dashing him against the rocky coastline. As he lay weakened, a shadowy figure emerged and seized the mask from his grasp before he succumbed to unconsciousness.
Meanwhile, in the stronghold of Odina, the Shadowed One, leader of the ruthless Dark Hunters, schemed to return to Metru Nui, convinced that his fallen operatives, Nidhiki and Krekka, had been slain by Toa. Before departing, he appointed Lariska as his second-in-command, leaving her to oversee their dominion in his absence.
Vakama awoke in a bewildering reality where he found himself once more a Matoran. Metru Nui stood unscathed but ruled under an iron fist by the supposed "Toa of prophecy": Vhisola, Nuhrii, Tehutti, Ehrye, Orkahm, and Ahkmou. Disturbed by the city's martial law, Vakama suspected the Mask of Time had somehow altered reality. Searching for his fellow Toa, he discovered they had reverted to Matoran as well, stripped of their memories. To his horror, Onewa had been reduced to a coward, and Matau had perished in a Chute accident.
Determined to uncover the truth, Vakama and Nokama ventured into Teridax's lair. Along the way, they barely evaded ensnaring Morbuzakh vines. Upon arrival, Vakama was assaulted by a parasitic creature, a grotesque fusion of Krana and Kraata, which latched onto his mask, bestowing him with a vision. Within this vision, a Toa of Sonics named Krakua foretold the perilous journey of six future Toa into the abyss, a journey necessary for Krakua's very existence. Before the message could be fully relayed, Turaga Lhikan—shockingly alive in this reality—intervened, tearing the parasite away. As Vakama reeled in disbelief, he hurled a Kanoka at Nokama, only to watch it pass through her as if she were a specter. The truth struck him—he had not traveled through time but had been ensnared in an elaborate illusion crafted by Teridax. The Nokama before him was, in fact, a Visorak Boggarak. Exposed, the deception crumbled, revealing Vakama as the Toa Metru of Fire once more.
Vakama confronted Teridax, revealing that Voporak now possessed the Mask of Time. This forced an uneasy alliance between the Toa and the Master of Shadows to reclaim the artifact. However, upon tracking Voporak, they found the mask had already slipped from his grasp. Teridax, ever the tactician, unleashed an army of Rahkshi to distract the behemoth while he and Vakama pressed onward. Arriving at the Great Temple, the Makuta commanded Vakama to infiltrate and spy upon the Shadowed One, while he handled a separate confrontation. As if on cue, Teridax called out to their hidden pursuer—Keetongu, who emerged from the shadows.
Within the temple, Vakama clashed with Sentrakh, the Shadowed One's enigmatic enforcer, while outside, Keetongu engaged in a brutal duel against Teridax. Both battles reached their climaxes as the Great Temple erupted in an explosive cataclysm. Though victorious against Sentrakh, Vakama found himself bound in chains of solid Protodermis, courtesy of the Shadowed One, who swore vengeance for his fallen Dark Hunters. As the two villains debated his fate, Teridax struck a bargain—Vakama in exchange for the Mask of Time. Yet, the Shadowed One refused, deeming the Toa's punishment a greater prize.
Seizing the moment, Vakama shattered their tenuous alliance by revealing Teridax's true betrayal—Nidhiki and Krekka's deaths were by the Makuta's hand. The Shadowed One, seeing remnants of his fallen Hunters in Teridax's armor, turned his wrath upon his would-be ally. Their ensuing battle devastated the temple ruins, with the Shadowed One's disintegrating eyebeams ravaging Teridax's form. Amidst the chaos, Vakama snatched the Vahi and took flight using his jetpack, only for the Shadowed One's laser blast to strike, sending him plummeting. The Dark Hunter leader prepared to finish his quarry, but Teridax, ever opportunistic, hurled him into Voporak, subjecting him to rapid aging. Defeated and weakened, the Shadowed One barely escaped with his life.
Vakama, now lost in the void of unconsciousness, awoke in the lair of Karzahni. The twisted being revealed his survival—born anew from a fragment left in liquid Protodermis by the Toa Metru themselves. Karzahni boasted of his role in Teridax's deception, shaping the illusion to ensnare the Toa's mind. Yet, as Vakama sought the greater truth, Karzahni posed a final riddle: who had placed the Toa's names within Teridax's mind?
With chilling certainty, Karzahni unveiled the grand deception. Vakama and his team had always been destined to become Toa. Mata Nui, foreseeing Teridax's manipulation, had rewritten the stars, embedding the true names in the Makuta's thoughts while the decoys—the original Toa candidates—were misled. This subterfuge had been orchestrated by a hidden force—the Order of Mata Nui. Before Vakama could probe further, Teridax arrived, annihilating Karzahni and forcing the Toa to flee.
Cornered in a reclamation chamber, Vakama gambled everything, threatening to destroy the Mask of Time. The stakes were too great—even for Teridax. A reluctant truce was struck: Vakama would leave with the Vahi, while the Makuta would grant the Matoran, Keetongu, Turaga Dume, and the Rahaga a year of peace. Though seething with fury, Teridax agreed, vowing his inevitable return. As Vakama ascended through the tunnels, he swore the Matoran would one day reclaim Metru Nui.
Yet, Teridax, ever the manipulator, uncovered the missing Matoran pod lost in transit. Awakening Ahkmou, he wove his web of deceit anew, ensuring that even in slumber, his influence endured.
The Toa Metru, at last reaching the island of Mata Nui, faced one final challenge: the Matoran, still entrapped in their pods, remained comatose. In a final act of sacrifice, Vakama relinquished his Toa Power, awakening the first of their people, and thus became a Turaga. His brethren followed suit, bringing forth the Matoran from their slumber. Yet, the pods' effects had stripped them of their past lives, erasing all memory of Metru Nui, the Toa Metru, and the dark schemes of Teridax. To protect them from the coming storm, the newly anointed Turaga spun a false legend, veiling the truth until the arrival of the prophesied Toa Mata.
Thus began the Dark Times, as the Turaga prepared for the return of the Makuta, and the battle for Mata Nui's future.