Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. It’s time once again for a trip to Eternia, where the endless battle between good and evil continues. Join Ibentmyman-thing and Matthew K as they bring you a brand new story featuring some of your favorite Masters of the Universe characters. Welcome to Eternia…
In the aftermath of the white light that had briefly illuminated every dark corner of Snake Mountain, Jitsu was the first who noticed that something very important had changed, and he was not a man who wasted time or opportunity.
The others were intent on believing it was the precursor to some type of attack on the Mountain, thinking it to be He-Man or someone of his kind. Trap Jaw kept ratcheting the laser arm into its socket over and over, pacing the corridors, iron jaw clanging impatiently. Tri-Klops was doing a scan of Snake Mountain using one of those infernal eyes on his Veyesor.
“Can you see it?” Tri-Klops asked. “Like a layer of glistening dust coating everything.” He looked Jitsu up and down. “Even you. Do you feel it?”
Jitsu whipped a cloth from beneath his belt and polished his oversized golded hand until he saw his own gleaming, distorted reflection in it. Light from the few sparse torches played on it. “I feel nothing.”
Tri-Klops grunted and walked away, examining the walls. Jitsu listened to the soft whir of Tri-Klops’ Veyesor as another eye slid into place. Tri-Klops was a pragmatic sort who was searching for hard evidence of attack, but though he had more eyes than most, he wasn’t seeing what was happening right in front of them.
Evil-Lyn had swept down the hall and into Skeletor’s throne room with her usual air of haughty supremacy, and there was silence inside for quite some time. No grand declarations, no immature shows of power, nothing but a quickened silence.
Nobody else paid attention to the little drama. Jitsu waited patiently and was rewarded when Evil-Lyn sped from the throne room again. The expression on Evil-Lyn’s face and the silence she left behind told him everything.
He went to the entrance, and stared at Skeletor, slumped on his throne, his bony chin lolling on his chest. His staff — the source of so many “corrections” he had leveled against those in his employ — lay on the floor beside his throne.
“Master Skeletor?” Jitsu said, standing at the precipice of the throne room entrance. Skeletor did not allow entrance unless “summoned,” and was always aware of trespassers.
Jitsu took a step inside.
Nothing happened. Skeletor did not move.
“Skeletor?” Jitsu said, louder again, testing his theory.
The doors slammed shut behind him. Jitsu jumped, expecting them to have closed by Skeletor’s wish, but Evil-Lyn stood there, barring his exit.
“How much do you know?”
Jitsu let his eyes linger on Lyn, and then looked again at Skeletor. Evil Lyn had not disciplined him either. No flames from her hands, no spell of warning, no pain.
Skeletor remained crumpled on his throne.
His suspicions were confirmed. “I know that Snake Mountain belongs to the mightiest of the dark realm. And I also know that particular honor now falls to me.”
Lyn raised a hand. “You overstep.”
“Punish me then, witch.” He spread both normal and gleaming golden hands, bowed his head, and awaited her wrath.
A trace of doubt sped across Lyn’s yellow face. She leveled her hand at him, her face a taut mask of anger, and then she let her hand fall. Jitsu nodded.
“The light stole magic from Eternia.” Jitsu said, and walked to Skeletor’s throne. The great being was unmoving. If he were breathing at all, it was shallow. “Magic is the cheat that your kind uses in place of skill. The playing field has been leveled; however, while you use magic to survive. It is a only a tool to you. Skeletor, though… he needs it.”
Lyn‘s voice shifted. There was sudden urgency behind it. “He may die without magic to sustain him. You don’t understand…”
Jitsu smiled. “I understand one thing, oh great and powerful Evil-Lyn. Snake Mountain is now ruled… by me.”
“The others won’t stand for it.”
“Others? The cyborg? The blind man? The fish? The crab? The beast? Let them test me.”
Evil-Lyn was fast, Jitsu had to give her credit. Where the dagger had been secreted, he did not know, only becoming aware of it as it sailed through the air in a deadly arc for his heart. She was a scrappy survivor, and a lesser warrior would have felt the burn of her steel and would find his ambitions dead before realized.
But Jitsu was no lesser warrior. His golden hand was a shining blur and the dagger snapped, leaving her holding the hilt in her frustrated hand.
“That light brought a new day to this dark realm, Lyn. And this” — he raised his golden hand. “Shall bring it to all of Eternia.”
