With Teridax's shocking rise to complete power over the Matoran Universe, Vengeance, the Dark Hunter with a life mission to fell the treacherous Makuta, grew more hateful, wicked, and erratic with each passing day. As the realization grew clearer that his last chances to fulfill his goal may have passed, wreckless fury brewed within him and began to dominate his existance. He grew increasingly inpatient and disobedient, drawing the ire of The Shadowed One himself, who ordered Vengeance to take time off from his duties to... contemplate... his allegiances.
Vengeance reluctantly obliged, retreating to a solitary shoreline cove at the northwest corner of the island to gather his thoughts. There he sat, silently, staring aimlessly at a point on the ground just a few paces in front of him. For four days and nights he sat, pondering future possibilities, running scenarios through his head. Just before dawn on the fifth day, he stood. He realized that the only possibility of gaining the upper hand on Teridax would be if the Dark Hunters all united in singular pursuit of this goal, something that would never happen without a leader who was completely dedicated to the task.
Eight nights later, The Shadowed One was walking back to his throne room after a day of surveying the land, when suddenly, Vengeance sprung upon him from a dark perch above. Vengeance charged his rhotuka, but before he could fire it, The Shadowed One destroyed it with a blast from his Staff of Protodermis. The two separated and The Shadowed One fired off several more blasts, but Vengeance easily deflected the attacks with his incredible shield. The Shadowed One reared back and charged with all of his might, his weapon pointed straight forward. They met with a thunderous clash and the very tip of the Staff of Protodermis just barely penetrated Vengeance's shield. The Shadowed One fired a blast, sending a small stream of Protodermis directly into Vengeance, but with much of it reflecting back from the shield. The substance instantly hardened on both Dark Hunters, and The Shadowed One could no longer control the staff. Protodermis continued to stream out and immediately harden, encasing the two in an ever-growing, solid mass, until all of the energy of the staff had been drained.
For several minutes there was complete and utter silence, until a faint reddish-orange glow began to emanate from the folds & creases of the protodermis mass. Vengeance was using his telepathic powers to activate The Shadowed One's powerful eye beam attack. Incredible heat and pressure built up in the core until the protodermis completely liquified from the inside. The outer shell glowed intensely and the chamber began to shake. Fractures appeared on the surface of the mass, and then, in an instant, it burst in all directions, sending a concussion wave rocketing down all corridors of the lair. Splatters of molten protodermis re-hardened on the walls and ceiling of the chamber, but where two encrusted Dark Hunters once stood, now there was only one.
The intense concentration of power from The Shadowed One's eye beams not only liquified the protodermis, but energized it. Trapped inside, he and Vengenace combined into a single being, now known as Shadowed Vengeance. He bears Vengeance's shield and telepathic powers, has The Shadowed One's eye beam strike and Staff of Protodermis, and small wings that aid brief gliding flights. Strangest of all, he contains the combined, conflicting consciousnesses of both warriors.
Time will tell how this shocking development will affect the future of the Dark Hunters, and whether what remains of Vengeance will manage yet to take down the powerful Makuta Teridax.
