- “Master Ronin did everything he could to retrieve this relic and remedy its dark power, but in the end, he too succumbed to the very thing he sought, paying a price no mere mortal could fathom.”
- ―The Librarian
The Matter Orb was a Dark Realmian relic once sought after by Master Ronin to help in his retribution against the Aetherians. Forged using a dark-infused crystal derived from the Dark Realm, the Matter Orb could remotely siphon the realm's dark energy into itself and empower its user for a myriad of effects, although the process of extracting such energy was extremely dangerous and painful for inexperienced users of the dark arts.
Background[]
At some point in time, the Matter Orb was forged in the Dark Realm, allowing whoever used it to siphon off dark energy from the Dark Realm, although the process was extremely dangerous, especially to users who had no knowledge of the dark arts. With this energy, users could gain eternal life and obtain unspeakable dark power, which was said to be so powerful that it could destroy worlds.[1]
Discovery[]
Sometime later, the Matter Orb was brought out of the Dark Realm and left in the Eclipse Universe. In 2250, one year before the outbreak at Fort New Trinity, the Matter Orb was discovered by Alain Bourden and an Eclipse Military secret reconnaissance team at an undisclosed location. Under the direct orders of the Galactic Council of Alliances, the Matter Orb, along with any relic that bestowed incredible power, was locked away in the depths of Vault Zero on the fortress world of Luna to ensure they never fell into the wrong hands. Through Alain's brief research on the Matter Orb prior to its vaulting, he discovered that the relic served as a link between reality and the Dark Realm, and theorized that its powers could be fatal to mortals should they expose themselves to too much of the relic's power.[2]
Master Ronin's Ambitions[]
Learning of the Matter Orb[]
Through the Convergence, a universal event in which multiple universes converge with one another for a brief period of time, the Goruxian warlord known as Master Ronin came to learn of the Matter Orb through ancient Dark Realmian texts that found their way onto his homeworld of Sparvis IX. Vengeful over the death and destruction of his race at the hands of the Aetherians, Ronin sought to locate the Matter Orb and retrieve it for his ultimate plan.
Shortly before the Convergence ended, Ronin discovered traces of the Matter Orb's energy signature through mysterious signals his flagship the Sanctorium picked up. Determining that the Matter Orb was in the Eclipse Universe, Ronin, along with a rebooted fleet of drones he found, departed from his barren homeworld aboard the Sanctorium and crossed over to the Eclipse Universe through the use of the Convergence.
Upon arriving in the universe, Ronin was able to learn of Vault Zero, the holding chamber of the Matter Orb, after raiding smaller planets that had connections to the Eclipse Military. Knowing that he would have to directly engage a key Eclipse Military base in order to obtain the exact location of Vault Zero, Ronin waited until the Convergence ended before setting his eyes on the Oracle space station, an Eclipse Military base that served as a mobile server farm for some of the Eclipse Military's most prized secrets, as well as a testing facility for weaponized Hybrillium projects.[1]
Locating the Matter Orb[]
After successfully attacking and raiding the Oracle space station, Ronin learned that Vault Zero was located on the Eclipse Military fortress world of Luna. Learning that it was heavily guarded, Ronin used the intel recovered from the space station to devise a plan to infiltrate the planet under the guise of Eclipse Navy warships. To help with his plans, Ronin attacked the Ravenclaw Blacksite on Europa, where he obtained experimental weaponry and super soldiers serums being produced at the facility. Ronin then attacked the Red Tern shipyard, where he forced the workers at the shipyard to construct Eclipse Navy warships that would typically be deployed from Luna. After raising the alarm at Red Tern, Ronin and his fleet of disguised ships left for Luna while the responders from Luna traveled to Red Tern.[2]
Vault Zero Heist[]
Upon passing the Luna Defense Fleet's defensive perimeter around the planet, Ronin's armada began their surprise assault. As the decoy ships attacked the Luna Defense Fleet and Eclipse Navy, Ronin and some of his forces gained access into Vault Zero, where they were able to locate and secure the Matter Orb. After Ronin's forces were defeated by the four heroes of the Eclipse Universe, Ronin fled back to the Sanctorium after escaping with the help of the Matter Orb, where he departed from Luna while the rest of his forces were destroyed by Allied ships.[2]
Channeling the Orb's Power[]
After the heist, Ronin was confronted by the heroes, who were able to board his ship while he began to unlock the relic's full power. Knowing that there was no turning back, Ronin began the process of siphoning off the Matter Orb's dark energy, and although he showed signs of extreme pain, he was able to control the energy he absorbed. As the battle raged on however, Ronin's behavior began to become more and more aggressive the more Ronin siphoned off more dark energy. Using this to their advantage, the heroes were able to trick Ronin into a rage, to which he responded by throwing the Matter Orb onto the ground, causing it to shatter and for him to absorb the remaining energy within it.
This proved to be a fatal mistake for Ronin, who collapsed onto the ground from his excessive use. As a portal to the Dark Realm opened behind him, Ronin's soul was forcefully ripped from his own body, unable to sustain the overloading darkness within it, and was banished to the Dark Realm, where he became a fixture of the realm itself, ultimately giving him the eternal life he sought, but at a serious cost. Ronin's body soon melted down into the Cube of Darkness, which soon entered the portal to the Dark Realm, causing the portal to disperse shortly afterwards. With that, Ronin's schemes within the Eclipse Universe came to an end.[2]
Legacy[]
The Matter Orb was seen in The Librarian's vision shown to Umbra Ops in order to explain to them the Cube of Darkness' creation and the repercussions it would have. Ronin, who still lived on within the Dark Realm, biologically evolved into a Darkling capable of better controlling dark energy as a side effect of his interactions with the Matter Orb.[3]
Master Ronin would be granted a replica Matter Orb manifested by Prima Materia to use as his main weapon in the Boss Rush tournament while serving as a member of the Thirteen. After Ronin's defeat, the replica would dematerialize and fade out.[4]
References[]
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