Vahi

"It's one thing to control time...and another thing to lose control of it all. The Kanohi Vahi can only be used in the direst emergency--when there is nothing to lose."

- Turaga Vakama, BIONICLE Chronicles 3: Makuta's Revenge

The Kanohi Vahi was the Legendary Mask of Time, and one of the three most powerful known Kanohi in the Matoran Universe.

Metru Nui
For many centuries before the Kanohi Vahi was created, legends about it abounded, foretelling the possibility of a Great Mask of Time coming into existence and the various powers it was speculated to have. Despite this, no one was even sure if a Vahi could be made. Disregarding these doubts and anticipating the creation of a Vahi, the Brotherhood of Makuta created the being called Voporak, so that if a Vahi were ever to come into existence, it could be tracked down and taken for the Makuta's forces.

Shortly before the Great Cataclysm, Teridax (in the disguise of Turaga Dume) requested the Matoran Vakama to create a Great Mask of Time. Teridax did this because he intended to use the Vahi to speed up the process of erasing the Metru Nui Matoran's memory with the Matoran Sphere. Although he tried many times, Vakama was never able to make a functioning Great Mask of Time, as he did not have the right power level of disks. It wasn't until after the Vakama had become a Toa Metru and helped to retrieve the Great Disks that he was able to create the Kanohi Vahi. Immediately after finishing it, Vakama used the Vahi against Teridax to slow his attacks down. However, Vakama's control over the Vahi was incomplete and was unable to prevent himself from slowing down. However, the sacrificial intervention of Turaga Lhikan stopped Vakama from his certain doom.

During the battle, the Vahi fell into the Silver Sea.

Time Trap
After the Toa Metru were ready to take the Matoran and leave to Mata Nui, Vakama stayed back to retrieve the mask from the sea. Although originally gold, it had turned orange from exposure to the sea. Vakama found it, but it had a hairline fracture and Time energy was radiating from it, causing the underwater Rahi to live out their entire lives in seconds. Vakama was forced to fix it underwater. He succeeded, but a water current threw Vakama into the Great Barrier, stunning him. Voporak then took the mask from Vakama, and the Toa of Fire fell unconsious into the ocean. Voporak took it to "The Shadowed One", who was looking for the murderer of Nidhiki and Krekka. Meanwhile, Vakama met Teridax and two formed an alliance to get the mask back. Vakama recovered it and Teridax defeated The Shadowed One and Voporak. Teridax then tried to take it from Vakama, who ran to the Protodermis Reclamation Yard. Vakama then threatened to destroy the Vahi there, and explained to Teridax that if he did, the fabric of time would be ruined. Teridax then negotiated with Vakama; he and the other Toa Metru and Matoran could live on Mata Nui for one year, if Vakama didn't destroy the Vahi. Teridax vowed that after the year of peace, he would strike again, and teleported Vakama into the underground tunnels leading to the island above.

Mata Nui
1,000 years later on Mata Nui, Vakama, now a Turaga, gave the Vahi to Tahu Nuva, warning him to use it in only the most dire emergency. While Tahu was tempted to use the mask against the Pahrak-Kal at one point, he decided against it. Tahu later attempted to use the Vahi to slow down the collected Bohrok-Kal, who were in the process of freeing the Bahrag. However the Krana-Kal gifted the Bohrok-Kal with an impregnable shield when they were moments away from victory, which not even the Vahi could prevent, forcing the Toa Nuva to defeat the Kal through trickery instead. Tahu then gave the Vahi back to Vakama. The mask was wanted by several organizations: the Brotherhood of Makuta, the Dark Hunters, and the Order of Mata Nui. However, unlike the former two, the Order of Mata Nui was happy with the Vahi being kept by Vakama. Gali found the mask deep in the ocean and returned it to Vakama.

Vakama then took the Vahi with him back to Metru Nui. He hid it in the Coliseum and checked on it every day, for security. However, during the Destiny War, Voporak returned, and claimed the Vahi. After Teridax was killed by Mata Nui, Voporak took the Vahi with him out of the Matoran Universe.

Dark Mirror
In the alternate timeline of Dark Mirror, Artakha never teleported the six Great Disks to the city of Metru Nui. Instead, he kept them for safety on his own island. Later, after experimenting with them, he discovered how to create the Mask of Time from them, and did so.

Sometime after Tuyet rose to power, she requested that Artakha allow her to take possession of the Vahi. Agreeing to do so, Artakha allowed the Matoran Jaller and the Toa Kualus and Bomonga to retrieve the Kanohi from his realm.

While returning from the island of Artakha, the Toa Empire's group encountered the dimensionally displaced Takanuva, who pretended to be one of them in an attempt to steal the Vahi. While traveling, the group was ambushed by Lesovikk, who spared Takanuva when he attacked. Lesovikk then took the Vahi for himself; its current status since is unknown.

Powers
The Kanohi Vahi gave its user the incredible power to slow down or speed up time within a certain area.

As it is a Legendary Kanohi, if the Vahi was damaged within the Matoran Universe, its powers would begin to leak out and affect the mask's surroundings; If the Vahi were to be destroyed while in the Matoran Universe, all of the raw power within the mask would be released, mixing and merging all of the temporal continuum.

It is impossible to create a Great, Noble or Powerless version of the Vahi, as a weaker mask could not contain such an immense amount of power within itself. The Vahi, Ignika and Mask of Creation were on the same power level because Time, Life and Creation were equally fundamental forces of the Matoran Universe.

Example Usage
Toa Metru Vakama used the Vahi to slow down time around Makuta Teridax in Legends of Metru Nui. However, Vakama could not keep the Vahi's power from affecting himself also. When Vakama's concentration was disturbed by Lhikan's death, the mask's power pulled back into itself and the Vahi was thrown away from the Toa.

Known Wearers

 * Toa Metru Vakama - Wore mask twice (each time only briefly), used once.
 * Toa Nuva Tahu - Wore and used mask once (briefly).

Set Information

 * A golden Vahi piece was included in specially marked boxes of Vahki in 2004 that were sold at Target.
 * Additionally, two golden Vahi pieces were also released in the 404-piece Ultimate Creatures Accessory Set, which also contained two Disks of Time.
 * The Vahi was first introduced in 2001 as an amazingly rare mask for collecting various colours of the Toa Mata and Turaga masks.

Quotes
"If the mask is damaged, it shouldn't work at all. Instead, it's pouring out power like I have never seen before, and if it sustains any more damage..."

- Vakama, BIONICLE Adventures 10: Time Trap

"What is that? It looks sort of like a mask--but not any mask I've ever seen." "It is a mask. The Kanohi Vahi--the Great Mask of Time. It is the most powerful of them all."

- Tahu and Turaga Vakama, Makuta's Revenge

"The force of time is contained within that mask. Destroy it, and that power is unleashed upon the universe. Past, present and future all existing at once--warps and rips and hours folding in upon each other--madness and chaos as no two moments ever follow one another..."

- Vakama, Time Trap

"Imagine your body trapped between seconds, or half of you aging while the other half regresses. [...] All your plans and schemes would come to an end, because no matter what you attempted, I could walk into the past and undo it. Kill me today, and I will be waiting for you in some tomorrow to avenge my death. Think of it - can you rule a future that is in the past? Or a present that is still a century away? Could you ever be sure of what you've done and what you haven't, when months and years have merged together?"

- Vakama to Teridax, Time Trap

"Vakama gave it to me. Along with a warning--that its power might be too great for even a Toa to wield. And he was almost right."

- Tahu, Makuta's Revenge

Trivia

 * The Vahi was the first mask designed by the BIONICLE Team, appearing on Tahu's face in a concept promotional poster.


 * The orange Vahi was originally to be included with the BIONICLE: The Legend of Mata Nui computer game in 2001. After the computer game was canceled, the Vahi mask piece was given out at various U.S. LEGO promotions. Later, the mask's popularity led to it being included in 2003, Legends of Metru Nui, and Time Trap.
 * The Vahi appeared in several of the 2015 animated webisodes as an easter egg.

Vahi