Truth sped up time once more as he said, "Vain Glory's minions returned several years later, having gathered as much information as they could. They also brought the Annals of Preparation, which detailed the creation of your world, the World Within."
A portal opened in the space before the banished Great Being. Vain Glory sat up as the mud being and light rays stepped through.
"What have you found?" said Vain Glory.
The mud being smiled as he knelt before his master. "See for yourself."
Vain Glory placed his hand on the mask and reeled back as the knowledge of an entire universe flooded into his mind. He pulled his hand back, his breath coming raggedly.
"Amazing," he said. "Do you have the Annals of Preparation?"
"Indeed," said the mud being, pulling the book out of its substance.
Vain Glory flipped through a few pages before looking back up at his minions.
"While I catch up on my reading, I want you to deliver a message..."
Truth sped up time once more.
"Vain Glory sent a message to the one being in the World Within who could be of use to him, the one being who could free him."
The Shadowed One remembered when the time had come to meet the mysterious messenger who had left the tablet Nerek had translated. He had been sitting in his throne room when a portal suddenly opened nearby. A being made of mud and wearing a Kanohi Olmak stepped through.
"Are you the one who left me this message?" asked the Shadowed One.
"I am," said the mud being. "If you want to meet my master, you must come with me."
The Shadowed One got up from his throne and walked towards the portal. The mud being stepped through, but the Shadowed One hesitated for a moment.
"I wonder if I can trust this 'Vain Glory,'" he wondered. He shook his head. "I should know better. No one can truly be trusted. Not even yourself."
The Toa Mahri and Takanuva watched in shock as they saw the being who came through the portal: the Shadowed One. The leader of the Dark Hunters bowed as gracefully as he could before the bound Great Being.
"So you are the being they call the Shadowed One?" he asked.
"I am," replied the Shadowed One. "And why, may I ask, have you brought me here?"
"Well, it may not be obvious," said Vain Glory, "but I am bound to the fabric of this plane of space-time. I believe that you have the power to free me."
"Me, my lord?" stammered the Shadowed One.
"Yes, your eyebeams can disintegrate whatever they strike. It is my belief that they can destroy space-time as well."
"I will try, my lord," replied the Shadowed One, "but, what if they can't?"
"Then I will send you back to your world and search for someone else who can free me."
The Shadowed One's jaw dropped for a moment before he asked, "You'll just let me go?"
"Why wouldn't I?" replied Vain Glory. "I have no reason to kill you, and no doubt there are those in your world who would miss you. But if I'm right, I will reward you beyond anything you could possibly imagine."
The Shadowed One paused. "Well, I hope you're right." He looked at the part where Vain Glory was pointing and fired his eyebeams at the seemingly empty space where the Great Being's chains were.
At first, nothing seemed to happen, but after a few moments, the space began to glow a strange shade of red. After almost a minute, the space began to drip, as though it was melting. Finally, Vain Glory gave a final tug, and the chains shattered.
A gleam of triumph passed over Vain Glory's face. He stared at his hands, unfettered for the first time in more than a hundred millennia.
He turned to the mud being and withdrew the life energy from within it. He grabbed the mask it wore and placed it on his face.
"You have freed me," he said, "and now you shall be rewarded. I know what it is you want more than anything, the City of Legends, Metru Nui."
The Shadowed One's eyes lit up. "Yes, with our combined power, Metru Nui will bow before us."
"Indeed," replied Vain Glory, "but first, we need an army." He willed a portal to open. "Come with me, I know some people who would be all too eager to help us."
The Shadowed One smiled as he remembered what had happened next. The trip through the Inferno, meeting all the beings he had heard about in legend, and having them all bow to him - it had been such a delight. And now, his army of spirits was wreaking havoc on the once mighty Metru Nui.
"My dream has come true at last," he said.
"Well, I find that very amusing," said a voice behind him.
The Shadowed One whirled around and was staring face to face with the last being he had ever expected.
He grasped the rail behind him as he staggered backward.
"No, no it can't be," he stammered.
"And why not?" asked the spirit. "So many others showed up tonight, I felt it was a shame to stay out of the party. Funny thing though, I can't really enjoy myself if I can't hit anything."
With that, the spirit lunged at the Shadowed One. He screamed as his mind was torn to pieces as the spirit took possession of his body. Within moments, he had slumped over on the ground, driven into unconsciousness by the spirit's attacks. An instant later, he arose, but a new light shone in his eyes.
The "Shadowed One" looked at the masses of spirits swirling below him. He cracked his knuckles in anticipation as he said, "Time to kick some undead butt."