Year Ten

"I have another chance to do what I was created to do – and this time, I won't fail. I swear it."

Retrieval of the power source and awakening of the Prototype Robot

Mata Nui trudged through the accursed Valley of the Maze, his every step burdened by the weight of failure and exile. The once-great deity, now confined to mortal flesh, sought a passage into the stronghold of the enigmatic Great Beings. Yet, the labyrinth refused to yield its secrets. Frustration clawed at his mind, and he voiced his ire to the winds. In response, the still air trembled, carrying forth a spectral voice—cold, distant, and immutable. It posed to him three riddles, their meaning veiled in layers of ancient wisdom.

For hours, Mata Nui pondered beneath the indifferent gaze of the stars. He grasped at scattered fragments of memory, weaving together the lessons of his forsaken purpose. In the end, he offered his answer: the Three Virtues. At his utterance, the rock before him groaned and split asunder, revealing a hidden passage into the unknown. His companion, Click, chittered in protest, sensing the foreboding depths beyond. But Mata Nui paid him no heed, stepping into the abyss, driven by a singular resolve—to reclaim his lost power and cast down the usurper, Makuta Teridax.

Far to the south, within the tenuous safety of the Mega-Village, the Agori clung to the illusion of peace. Yet shadows lingered even in tranquility. A marauder, Sahmad, descended upon Kiina and Ackar like a storm of ruin. The two warriors, however, were no longer defenseless; infused with elemental might, they repelled his onslaught. But their hearts remained heavy, for they knew Mata Nui had embarked on a perilous quest alone. Against his command, they steeled their resolve and set forth to find him. Meanwhile, in the barren wastelands, Gresh scavenged among the remnants of bygone wars. He uncovered relics of forgotten battles—armor forged in the crucible of time and blades honed to cruel perfection. Discarding his old shell, he donned the steel of the ancients, preparing for the tribulations ahead.

Descending the forsaken stairway, Mata Nui entered the Great Beings' fortress, where the air itself seemed to whisper of lost epochs. In a cavernous hall of searing heat, he beheld a dreadful sight—Tarduk, ensnared in chains, suspended above a roiling sea of molten fire. Without hesitation, he severed the bindings, wrenching the Agori from his doom. But as the walls trembled and the inferno surged, they fled, barely escaping as the ground buckled and sundered, birthing a volcanic titan in the structure's wake.

Mata Nui, unshaken, recognized the hand of the Great Beings in this illusion of nature. With relentless determination, he tore into the rock, unearthing a concealed hatch that led once more into the depths. He turned to Tarduk, bidding him remain behind. But the Agori, ensnared by curiosity, would not be so easily swayed.

Within the mechanized heart of the mountain, Mata Nui awakened slumbering knowledge. Through ancient screens and glyphs of cold light, the echoes of the past unraveled before him. His divine purpose had been clear once—he was forged to traverse the void, to observe the rise and fall of civilizations, to glean the means by which war might be silenced forever. Yet, betrayal had severed him from his path. Teridax's vile corruption had struck him down, sending him plummeting to the world below. In that fall, his memories had shattered like glass, leaving only jagged fragments of truth.

A grim revelation settled upon him—Spherus Magna's salvation demanded more than his own rebirth. A second colossus had been foreseen, a counterpart to his own vast form, yet it had never been brought into existence. Tarduk, having defied Mata Nui's command and entered the sanctum, listened with solemn intent. He speculated that if the Great Beings had designed a twin to the fallen god, then its power source might yet slumber within the Maze's depths. Together, they sought and found this forgotten relic, an ember of potentiality buried beneath the passage of eons.

Their return to the Mega-Village was met not with triumph, but with doubt and dissent. Mata Nui sought to awaken the Prototype Robot, the very husk that sheltered the Agori, yet Raanu, elder and steward of his people, recoiled at the proposition. He would not gamble their sanctuary upon the whims of a fallen god. That night, in the shadows of wavering trust, Gresh too voiced his suspicions. Did Mata Nui seek only dominion, another throne to reclaim? The god-turned-wanderer did not flinch. Offering up his blade, he bade Gresh to strike if he deemed him unworthy. But the warrior stayed his hand, for even suspicion could not quell the light of faith entirely.

Raanu, burdened by recollections of the world before the Shattering, finally came to Mata Nui under the hush of night. He had witnessed the birth of the first colossus, had seen its rise into the heavens. With wary resignation, he granted his reluctant blessing, yet with a grave warning—should Mata Nui betray them, no power in existence would shield him from retribution.

The exodus began. The Agori and Glatorian, guided by the specter of uncertainty, abandoned their steel refuge and sought solace in the cold embrace of the mountains. In the lingering quiet of an emptied fortress, Mata Nui turned to Click, the small creature that had been his only steadfast companion. He entrusted the little being to Kiina, who clutched it as though she held her own heart in her hands. With sorrow glistening in her gaze, she whispered her farewell.

And then, the god breathed once more.

His spirit, unbound, severed from the fragile coil of flesh, surged into the Prototype Robot, weaving itself into the fabric of slumbering might. The colossus stirred, ancient gears grinding against the silence of time. After one hundred and fifty millennia, the titan of old opened its eyes to the world anew, standing upon the precipice of destiny once more.

Journey's end

With the celestial might of his newly forged vessel, Mata Nui bent the heavens to his will, summoning the sundered remnants of Aqua Magna and Bota Magna toward the barren expanse of Bara Magna. Yet, the stillness of his divine work was shattered by the arrival of Teridax, his presence a blight upon the stars. Clad in the towering husk of the Great Spirit's form, Teridax spoke with a voice that was both scorn and mockery, calling Mata Nui his brother. As a prelude to his conquest, he smote the peaks of the Black Spike Mountains with an annihilating force, reducing Skrall warriors to smoldering ash. With silvered words tainted by the venom of ambition, he extended his hand, offering unity in dominion over all creation. But Mata Nui, steadfast in his purpose, cast aside such darkness.

Teridax's response was swift and merciless. The heavens trembled as his will tore stone from the mountain's heart, sending a cataclysmic mass plummeting toward the cavern where Agori and Glatorian sought refuge. Yet before the crushing tide of death could claim them, Mata Nui's might shattered the descent. His victory was fleeting. Teridax lunged, his power a maelstrom of ruin, and the battle for dominion began.

Mata Nui faltered, his vessel a mere prototype against the overwhelming supremacy of Teridax's form. Gresh, the warrior of cunning, beheld the unfolding disaster and devised a desperate stratagem. The Glatorian and Agori unleashed a volley of Thornax blasts upon a singular point, an irritant to a god, yet enough to divert his wrath. Enraged, Teridax turned his power upon them, hurling their bodies like dust upon the winds of war.

In the chaos, Gresh beheld an opening—a gateway into the abyssal depths of the Matoran Universe housed within Teridax's colossal form. As he moved to investigate, the gates of hell yawned wide, and from within spilled an army of Rahkshi, their spines gleaming like serpents poised to strike. Ackar and Kiina stood defiant, steel against darkness, as battle ignited the sands. Among the din, Gresh mistook Takanuva for yet another of Teridax's spawn and assailed him. The clash was brief, for understanding dawned, and the Toa of Light and the warriors of the wasteland stood as one.

Elsewhere, Sahmad wandered the desolate expanse, his heart embers of vengeance for the fallen Iron Tribe. In his journey, he came upon Telluris, whose monstrous Skopio XV-1 lay crippled, a ruin wrought by Kiina's cunning. With promises of aid, Sahmad led Telluris north in search of salvation. Upon their path, they found Metus, a man untouched by dreams, a harbinger of the returning plague. The realization struck like the toll of a funeral bell—the Dreaming Plague had risen anew.

Upon the battlefield, war became pandemonium. Nektann, warlord of the Skakdi, led his ravenous horde into the fray, their bloodlust mirrored by Rahkshi of unspeakable power. Skrall, driven by vengeance, descended upon the warring masses, and the dunes of Bara Magna drank deeply of the slain.

In the depths of the Matoran Universe, Tahu, weary and battle-worn, found himself within a vision of Ta-Wahi, where he met the Mask of Life. The Ignika, in its omnipotent will, cast him back into the form of his genesis—the Toa Mata. It whispered of a fated weapon, the Golden Armor, a beacon of hope against Teridax's dominion. Takanuva found his brother of fire, yet their moment of revelation was torn asunder by Teridax's wrath. A single strike of his malignant power shattered the sacred relic, scattering its fragments across the desolation. With grim resolve, Tahu and Takanuva embarked on the quest to reclaim what had been lost.

In their pursuit, Gresh, Takanuva, and Tahu clashed with Rahkshi and Skrall alike. The air trembled with the howls of battle, light against darkness, as each fragment of the Golden Armor was seized from the clutches of the enemy. As the last piece was claimed, Tahu adorned the sacred relic, and in that moment, the heavens ignited. A surge of radiance, pure and unyielding, erupted from his form, scouring the battlefield of Rahkshi taint. With the beasts of shadow vanquished, the Skakdi and Skrall, now leaderless, broke before the rising tide of the victors.

Yet, upon high, Teridax reeled. The sudden loss of his Rahkshi weakened his grasp upon reality. Mata Nui seized the moment, pressing him back, forcing the titan of shadow into the path of descending ruin. A fragment of Aqua Magna, an instrument of fate, struck Teridax with the fury of the cosmos itself. The blow shattered the Core Processor, unmaking the dark god, his essence scattered to the abyss. His death knell resounded through the void, and in his wake, the lost lands of Aqua Magna and Bota Magna merged with Bara Magna, uniting the severed world once more.

The great husk of the Mata Nui Robot, its purpose spent, collapsed in ruin. From its broken shell, the denizens of the Matoran Universe emerged, stepping forth onto the reborn Spherus Magna. Mata Nui, the architect of this rebirth, beheld the dawn of a new age. With the last of his divine strength, he cast forth his will through the Ignika, restoring the sundered lands, purging the wastelands of desolation, and healing the wounded souls of those touched by the Pit's cruel mutations.

As the embers of his strength faded, Mata Nui relinquished his form, retreating into the Mask of Life. The gathered warriors stood in solemn reverence as Tahu held the sacred relic aloft. The Great Spirit had spoken: their duty was clear. The burden of the world's fate now rested upon them. And as the first stone was laid upon the path to renewal, the legacy of Mata Nui endured, not as a god, but as the hope of all who yet lived.

Epilogue (until cancellation of Bionicle in 2010)

In the aftermath of the battle between Mata Nui and Teridax, Mata Nui's victory brought the fragmented Spherus Magna back together. Through the power of the Kanohi Ignika and the last reserves of energy from the Prototype Robot he inhabited, Mata Nui breathed life into the planet, healing devastated ecosystems and restoring those afflicted by the Pit Mutagen. As the planet flourished, the Prototype Robot collapsed, its mission complete. Mata Nui, now a spirit within the Ignika, entrusted his final wish to the people of Spherus Magna: to rebuild and seek out the Great Beings. As his spirit went dormant, the mask passed into the hands of Kiina, who gave it to Tahu to inspire the people to forge new lives.

Far from the heart of this new beginning, Sahmad, with his companion Telluris, set out to find the source of the Dreaming Plague that ravaged his people. Their journey would soon uncover the shadowy forces that lurked within Bota Magna, the jungle that had once thrived and now concealed dark secrets.

In Metru Nui, the Onu-Matoran Taipu was freed from rubble by his friends, Tamaru and Macku. Together, they worked to rescue others, rebuilding the Chronicler's Company as they escaped to the new world. However, Velika, the enigmatic Matoran, had other plans. Emerging from the Matoran Universe, he sought to control Spherus Magna by releasing Karzahni and Tren Krom, and forged an alliance with the Vorox of Bota Magna.

Elsewhere, Kopaka, ever the watcher, traced troubling signs. In the forests of Mata Nui, he discovered a procession led by the Toa Mahri, seemingly under the control of a golden creature. Fearing the unknown power, he followed the group to the shores of Aqua Magna, where a massive stone castle was created. His alarm grew as he realized the threat of an ancient enemy awakening once more.

Meanwhile, Lewa, flying over the vast jungles of Bota Magna, encountered strange cybernetic reptiles and mysterious Agori tribes, prompting his capture by the villagers. His encounter would stir further questions of Spherus Magna's deepening mysteries.

As new threats arose, the Shadowed One, with Kojol's viruses and an army of dark outcasts, began to amass power, preparing for an assault on the fragile world. Yet, there was another danger: Marendar, a creation designed to hunt Toa, had been unleashed, and now prowled the planet.

A mission was assembled by Tahu, Gali, and Onua, to find the Great Beings and bring them word of Mata Nui's success. Their journey led them through conflict and peril, from a mysterious ambush by the Vorox to the growing tension between the Toa themselves. Gelu, a former Glatorian turned guide, accompanied them on this dangerous quest.

Amid these tensions, the truth behind Karzahni's death emerged. A conspiracy unfolded with the Toa and their allies questioning who among them could be trusted. As they searched for the truth, they discovered that Karzahni's death was no accident, and the shadows of betrayal loomed over their every move.

Ultimately, the struggle for control of Spherus Magna grew more complex, as Gelu and his companions were captured by the Vorox and forced into a deadly hunt. Kabrua, the Vorox leader, revealed a harsh truth: not all Vorox were savages, and some had become far more dangerous than expected.

The tale of Spherus Magna's rebirth is one of chaos, betrayal, and the struggle for survival in a world where the past is never truly gone, and where the future is as uncertain as the shifting sands.

Sahmad's journey begins with a search for the truth in the northern mountains, where he uncovers a mysterious triangular marking and the disappearance of his ally, Telluris. The dark force behind this is revealed when a monstrous, red tentacle drags Metus into the earth. Despite his attempts to confront the creature, Sahmad is also ensnared, only to wake in the distant future, 750 years later, in the city of "New Atero" on Bota Magna. His past, however, is not so easily left behind. Sahmad learns that Metus has perished from the Dreaming Plague, and in his attempts to understand his new reality, he encounters the impossible—a resurrected lover, who shoots him dead.

Awaking again, this time in a chamber surrounded by the Iron Tribe Agori, Sahmad soon learns he is trapped within an illusion orchestrated by Annona, a powerful entity who once fed on the souls of the Iron Tribe. Annona reveals her dark history, one of ancient power predating the Great Beings themselves. With the help of Telluris and Metus, Sahmad escapes the illusion and confronts Annona in a final battle, where she uses the insanity of the Skakdi to fuel her strength. As her attack grows stronger, Sahmad uses his power to erase the ability of all beings on Spherus Magna to dream, thus starving Annona of her sustenance.

In the end, Sahmad forces a deal with Annona, sending her to her doom in a world where beings like her will consume each other. With Spherus Magna saved, Sahmad, now free of his haunting dreams, prepares to join a greater force to defend the land. He pays his respects to the fallen Iron Tribe Agori before continuing his journey.

Meanwhile, a separate struggle unfolds in the forests of Spherus Magna. Kabrua's Vorox hunt down the Toa and Gelu, trapping them in a deadly game. Gelu and Orde discover that Kabrua is secretly connected to a dark Great Being with sinister plans for the future. The Toa are left with no choice but to confront this new threat while dealing with the remnants of the past.

In Bota Magna, Kopaka and Pohatu uncover a gruesome scene, discovering the remains of Tren Krom, whose mysterious death hints at deeper conspiracies. As they follow the trail, they encounter Gaardus, a living weapon created by rogue Nynrah Ghosts, who leads them to the enigmatic Red Star. There, they confront cryptic Kestora, whose strange behavior raises more questions than answers. The group is thrown into further uncertainty as the true nature of the Red Star unfolds.

In a nearby fortress, Velika, another dark force, plots the destruction of all those within, while Kopaka and Pohatu's journey takes them through dangerous laboratories and eerie encounters. Amidst the chaos, a new ally, Mavrah, emerges, guiding them through the ever-deepening mystery of the Great Beings and the sinister forces that threaten to consume all.