As the lid opened on the case, Vain Glory gaped in awe.
"So this is the Mask of Life?" he said.
Wanting to get a closer look, he reached in and grabbed the mask. As he pulled it out, the mask flared to life, sending tendrils of energy up his arms. Vain Glory began to glow, brighter and brighter as the mask poured energy into him. Within moments, he was shining so bright that it seemed one of the twin suns had descended into the room. Then, with a boom that shook the room, the energy exploded from Van Glory's body.
As the light dimmed, the Toa's ears were assaulted by thousands of voices. When they looked toward Vain Glory, they saw him fending off a swarm of creatures; the Ignika lying on the floor, all but forgotten.
"What are those creatures?" asked Hahli.
"The Mask of Life filled Vain Glory with enough life energy to support a thousand beings," said Truth. "When he was no longer able to contain it, it was released into everything around him: the stones in the walls, the dust on the floor, the light coming through the window. Now, each of those inanimate objects has a mind, a voice, and a need to be cared for."
The room started to fade to black as Truth sped up the clock.
"I need not show you what happened next. Eventually, Vain Glory was locked up where he could no longer bring things to life. And there he would remain for hundreds of thousands of years."
"And where would that be?" asked Jaller.
"The Space between Worlds, where nothing exist, but can be reached by other dimension."
"I passed through there on my way to Karda Nui, correct?" asked Takanuva.
Truth paused, a look of uncertainty on his face. "Yes," he said, an unusual tone on his voice.
"Anyway, as with everything that happened as we prepared to make the world you inhabit, this was recorded in the Annuls of Preparation, our most precious document. It, too, would sit for hundreds of thousands of years, looked at occasionally by ourselves, until one day, it vanished."
Truth lowered his sword, signaling that their journey had stopped, but the world was just as dark as before.
"Where are we?" asked Matoro.
"The Space between Worlds, follow me." Truth turned and walked away as the Toa followed.
"What are we standing on?" asked Nuparu. "If nothing exists here, then why aren't we falling?"
"Even I don't know that," replied Truth. "It baffles us even today."
After a bit of walking, they came upon a figure, hunched over on the ground, if it could be called ground.
"And again, we sure-find Vain Glory," remarked Kongu.
"Hmm, indeed," replied Truth, "Vain Glory remained like this for longer than your universe has existed. And here he would have stayed, had something unexpected fallen into the picture." He pointed up.
The Toa looked where he was pointing and saw something plummeting towards them. All of them strained to see what it was.
As soon as Takanuva recognized it, he gasped. "No, no it can't be," he whispered.
"What?" asked the others.
"It's my fault," he said, his voice wavering as he dropped to his knees. "It's my fault Vain Glory escaped."