Fall Of The Empire
Rating: T-17+
Disclaimer: I don't own this. . . or do I? Nah, I don't. So don't sue me. I'm already in enough debt with my student loans.
Author's Notes: The final chapter in Legacy is here. Are you ready?
Thank you so, SO much for being SO SO SO patient with me. You all have absolutely no idea how much that means to me - it means quite a lot. I didn't mean to be away for so long, but everything I knew what was going to happen - happened.
I'm happy to announce that I'm back in the motherland of 'Murica and have been stuffing my face full of food that I've been missing for over two years. I don't even care that I gained a little weight, either. Good food is good, damn it. Enjoy it. Life's too short and it's the holidays.
Here's my present to you. Answers to most of the questions you've been asking. c:
I hope you enjoy the emotional torment as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Dark, I hope you love this chapter. I still absolutely love your giftfic and it means the world to me. To those who haven't read it, go ahead. It's called "Remnants" and she's actually pretty spot on!
Please enjoy.
I've had a really hard time getting back into writing lately - it's nobody's fault, just my work is very demanding and I've been pretty tapped because of it. So it might be a little rough. I know. Please forgive me. But if I didn't publish this chapter, it was never going to come out.
Warnings: Nothing, except for stylistic things FF loves to om nom. More blood and gore than normal. If you see anything with the first-person in it, it should be italicized. That is all.
. . . this text is here for a mysterious reason.
It was. . . decidedly strange to see Mumm-Ra as a human.
Lion-O was used to seeing him as a shriveled bag of bones, hardly larger than Kit or Kat. But his true form was different. So much more different. Some detached part of his mind began to analyze his greatest foe, examining his stature and features. Mumm-Ra as a human seemed to command a presence, even in Erica's memories. . . or was that some figment of his imagination? Was it something Erica projected for him?
Lion-O didn't know.
Mumm-Ra was slightly taller than Lion-O, although he seemed to tower over everyone present, dwarfing them all. He even looked like Erica in some respects - although his frame was different, more filled out and muscled. But there the similarities ended and the differences began. His skin was darker, his hair was close-cropped, and his body was riddled with more scars than even Panthro. He was streamlined, muscled, and his dark, black eyes reflected a cold, calculating gaze that made Lion-O shiver when he stared at the human's frozen face.
This was the true face of his fiercest enemy.
This monster had killed countless animals, billions of lives. . . this was the very creature that had murdered his father in cold blood.
And the worst thing about it all was he. . . he hardly looked like he was capable of such evils.
Human Mumm-Ra was incredibly disarming.
I'd go so far as to say he's soft and squishy, even.
"He looks different." Kit finally spoke up.
"Yeah." Kat continued.
Their voices were quit and subdued, and a quick glance down revealed their faces were pale and tight. Lion-O felt guilty for dragging them into this hell-show of war and guilt and sin. The awful things they'd seen so far were probably going to haunt the kittens for the rest of their lives. War, no matter who fought it, was never pretty. Lion-O wasn't petty or egotistical enough to think that his war was the only one that was ugly.
He didn't have to feel any sympathy or empathy for Erica or Sever to see that their war was bloody and gruesome.
"I know this one." Sever said, optics alighting on Mumm-Ra.
Sever spat out a name in a language nobody knew, his tone vile and venomous, his optics flashing.
The frozen scene, just like all her other memories, began to shrink, folding away into a broken shard of glass - wisely timed, too, as Sever looked like he was contemplating lashing out at Mumm-Ra's memory. Lion-O watched as the lion (who looked like he could be Leo's brother), disappeared, blue eyes regarding Mumm-Ra coldly.
This lion - Masai - had jumped to Erica's aid. His spirit had reached across the eons through the Soul Stone to protect Erica.
Lion-O's eyes flicked back to Erica.
But why? If he truly did love her, he'd know what has to be done. . .
She'd said they were in love. But surely Masai had been watching Erica through the spirit realm. He had to have witnessed the deeds she'd committed. So. . . why?
"The Demon. The Shadow. He slaughtered countless Terrans. . . and to think that you considered this monster a commanding officer."
It was a barb that Erica did not dignify with indignation.
"I respected him." Erica replied, glancing at Sever. "He was the one man you could go to to start and finish a job. I trained under him in the Black Pyramid. Masai never liked him, and I never blamed him. Ra. . . got the job done. He tried to bring back as many home as he could, but. . . war's war. Even I admit that what he did to Terrans. . . unsettled me."
Sever made a noise like a snort. "Regarding monsters so highly. You humans do love to worship your devils-"
"Your kind whispered his name on the battlefield in fear, as I recall." Erica shot back. For a moment, she was quiet, and then she crossed her arms, backing down. ". . . We had names for him, too. He was the first one to survive the procedure. Patient Zero. At ten years old. I might be zero-zero-twenty-one, but he is - was - zero-zero-zero. The original. I never saw him break down. Never even saw him cry. War shakes the unshakable, breaks the unbreakable, twists and corrupts and poisons everything. . . but he never even batted an eye.
"He waded through the shit, the blood, the gunfire and the magic with his sword, craved through it all and didn't even care. To us. . . he seemed like a god."
Lion-O felt anger lash through him. "And what of Mumm-Ra?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes on the human.
Erica looked to him, confused. ". . . huh?"
"What was your relationship with him?"
Erica was all but fawning over him. The way she regarded him, the way she talked about him - it made Lion-O's stomach churn in disgust. To think that she loved-
Apparently Erica understood what he was asking. She looked at the Cats, shaking her head vehemently.
"What? Jesus Christ, you all think - ew!"
Confusion morphed to disgust the longer she looked at them, and she bodily shuddered, rubbing hands over her arms.
"Goddamn, no!" Erica shook herself, like she was trying to get a bad taste out of her mouth. "Ra was my commanding officer. I considered us friends and he considered us acquaintances. Me? Love Ra? Ugh. I don't think he ever had a lover or looked for one actively. Don't think he ever got laid, either. Rumor had it he was asexual."
Lion-O stared at her blankly.
"A human that feels no sexual desire for a myriad of reasons." Sever explained. "In any case, we have wandered far off topic."
"Look." Erica said, raking her fingers through her hair, "War is hell. The person you're talking to can be there one moment and then explode all over you the next. I'm a really fucking selfish person, Lion-O. That's my answer for damn near everything. I'm selfish as shit. That and I didn't want to be alone."
"You made sure you'd be alone. You led him straight to the Sacrificial Chamber." Sever said, imitating a sniff.
Lion-O wondered what Sever was referring to, and then mentally decided to put his Thunderian shillings on the rocky cavern that Mumm-Ra had entered alone.
"What is the importance of that?" Cheetara asked.
Sever said nothing.
"Human?" Tygra prompted.
Erica shook her head and shrugged. "I got the creeps - I didn't go inside and didn't ask him what he'd found. I don't know what it is."
She seemed to be telling the truth. But Sever didn't seem to be willing to divvy up the goods.
And it wasn't Soul Sever who was standing trial.
Lion-O filed the information away for later and decided he'd ask the Terran later.
"But. . . but why isn't Mumm-Ra squishy anymore?" Kat asked, brow furrowing.
". . . you're right." Tygra said, looking at the kitten. "It doesn't make any sense."
"Age?" Panthro guessed.
Cheetara stared at the memory fragment near Erica, her eyes clouding in thought. "Age, perhaps. But if humans were never meant to wield magic, and had to undergo such lengths to embed it in themselves. . . the power of the Stones may have warped him."
Erica offered another shrug. "You lot read my journal. Markata used to be just as human as I was. I don't know what happened to him - or why he looks how he does now. I didn't ask, and he didn't tell. Your guess is as good as mine."
"I support the Cat cleric's theory. It's highly likely the Stones he controlled warped him, although I cannot verify it. It does, however, sound the most plausible." Sever intoned.
Silence fell.
Nobody moved to end it, though Lion-O impatiently waited for Erica to key up the next memory. The human responded by gently pushing the glass shard away to join the hundreds of others floating around them. The lion watched as she stretched out her hand, about to beckon another. . . and then she stopped. Her hand fell back to her side, and she stared at the memory shards. She took in a deep breath, sighed, and. . . did nothing.
"We're not done here." Lion-O said, his voice flinty. "We haven't seen everything yet."
"What more do you want?" Erica asked, staring at the shards, "This bullshit voyeuristic jaunt through my life is getting on my nerves. Nothing else here but feel-good memories. Or old gory war moments. It won't change anything. If you really want I can show you what it's like for me to slash my wrists open."
"So you're saying you've stated your case, and you believe that we lowly animals have seen enough to understand the scope of your circumstances?"
Lion-O knew he was telling her that he wasn't judging well in her favor. Erica refused to look at him, though, her body tense as she stared into the dark.
"Yes." She replied.
"You fought in a war and committed egregious war crimes. You willingly aided Mumm-Ra here on Third Earth. You betrayed my cause, and have committed murder on an unknown amount of innocent animals. How do you respond?" His words were caustic, acidic, and biting. . . not that Erica seemed to notice.
"Sounds about right." She said dismissively. "Forgot sedition and treason, though."
Lion-O growled. She was mocking him. Maybe if he screamed in her ear she would notice him.
". . . and yet," Cheetara added, her tone much softer than his, "The animals readily accepted you as one of their own. And one loved you. Only later, you turned against animalkind. . . why?"
Where Lion-O hadn't struck, Cheetara had. Erica flinched, like she'd been slapped. Her hands shook.
The pieces still weren't connecting. Not quite. Why was the unanswered question. Erica seemed to buckle under their combined gazes, fidgeting.
"I don't want to talk about it. You don't get to see everything," She replied, her tone shaky, "Jesus, a little empathy would be nice-"
"And what do you know of empathy, human?" Sever demanded, his optics washing out, "Your kind is the reason why I have lost everything. When your higher command approved biological pathogens in warfare. . ." Sever trailed off, his hands clenching at his sides. He was very clearly resisting the urge to either punch her or wrap his hands around her neck.
"Biological pathogens?" Panthro parroted, ". . . how do you make sickness on the battlefield?"
The darkness flickered, but it was not of Erica's doing.
Lion-O caught glimpses. Villages. Terrans. Happy faces, sunny skies, laughter and children. . . and thin metal canisters falling from the sky. They bounced off the ground, rolled to a stop, and began to hiss. . . and. . . Lion-O's stomach at the glimpses that flashed next.
Panthro shook his head in horror. "There's no honor in that." He said, his voice hollow and horrified, ". . . why. . ."
"Humans bottled their diseases and launched them into populated areas to spread their illnesses. Or nerve gas. Or neurotoxins. It was deemed an efficient war tactic." Sever said, his voice cold.
Erica looked at Sever, a glint in her eye. ". . . so that's what happened, is it? Your family got sick. And you traded your body for their souls. . . I wonder how many souls you kept trapped, believing them to be your family. . . how many people did you kill trying to force their ghosts into machines-"
Sever didn't stop himself from wrapping his hands around Erica's throat this time.
Nobody stopped him.
"You walk a fine line." Sever said, his voice deathly calm. His optics were pure white, and heat emanated off his cybernetic body. His wings twitched, eager to start slicing.
"Speak your next words wisely."
Lion-O swallowed.
Sever deserved his pound of flesh as much as they did. . . but the implications of what Erica was saying were too great to ignore. His mind flashed back to Sever's lair, at the monstrosities and aborted experiments he'd seen littering the room and the cliffsides around it. Had every one of those been inhabited by an animal of Third Earth? Had those souls he'd seen in those canisters - had they even been Sever's real family?
And that was just on Third Earth. Sever said he'd slept in the void often. . . how many other planets had he visited in his time alive?
How many perverted cathedrals of demented science had he erected and abandoned?
Lion-O wanted to believe the souls he'd seen had been Sever's family. He truly did.
But the failed experiments. . . they yawned before him, a littered junkyard of machined corpses.
But who drove him to that? A voice whispered in his mind.
The humans did. Another murmured.
And that justified killing others? Yet another contested.
Nobody said anything or moved to pry Sever's hands off of Erica's throat.
She didn't even try it herself.
". . . You're right." She finally said, her voice tight from his grip, "It's not my place to judge."
Sever released her, slowly feeling his talons off one at a time.
Her skin was bruising already. He'd left marks.
As Erica glanced at him, Lion-O realized something.
Fear glimmered in her eyes. Fear not caused by Sever.
Clever, he had to give her credit for that. But now I've seen you're not the only one who can deliberately manipulate this landscape.
Erica had intentionally deflected questioning by starting conflict. . . she was stalling. She was deliberately attempting to hide something.
The why.
And if she wanted to play this game, Lion-O was more than willing to oblige.
"We've seen your story in its entirety, then." Lion-O said, staring at her evenly, "Sever if you could end-"
Sever cackled, the sound dark and gleeful. "Not all of it."
His plan had worked. Lion-O watched as Sever's skeletal features twisted into something of a sadistic smile. If anybody could force Erica to talk, it was Sever.
Erica paled for the first time since he'd seen her.
"Don't they deserve to know?" Sever said, advancing on the human a second time.
Erica's legs were shaking, and they almost buckled as she tried to take a step back.
"I-It's not important. It d-doesn't. . ."
"But it does." Sever said, his voice sinister. "And they deserve to see it all. Shouldn't they know the ending to your little story?"
Erica shook her head, and Sever reached down, but she ducked away, trying to escape. Sever was quicker, however, and instead of grabbing her, he grabbed at the wires still latched into her, dragging Erica back to himself. Erica tried to grab onto something - anything - but she had no talons. Her nails were flimsy and caught nothing. She yelled and frantically wriggled around, fighting against him.
Lion-O watched, still, as Sever managed to seize her, forcibly inserting his talons into ports along her back, burrowing into the delicate metal there.
He almost felt sorry as Erica begged the Terran to stop.
Almost.
And then she froze, glitching away from reality. . .
And the darkness shifted.
If anybody had anything to say about Erica's desperate cries for help, no animal said anything.
Not even Kit and Kat.
Though, for some reason, Lion-O couldn't shake off a growing sense of dread. Erica had been deliberately avoiding answering this question. . . and this was coming from the same human who seemed to enjoy throwing herself suicidally into battle, unafraid of where a blade might impale her. . . what scared her so badly about what they were about to see?
As Lion-O glanced around the dark, he could not see hide nor hair of Erica or Sever. . . where had they gone?
Just as he was about to say something, the world snapped into focus, disorienting him, and he blinked. He was inside of a decidedly alien room - a human room, if he had to guess. The architecture seemed to reflect what he'd seen of humanity so far: war-mongering, bloodthirsty, robotic savages. The room was entirely compromised of all gray, straight lines and edges. But at least the humans had been kind enough to warn their own kind of the dangerous machinery and areas with black and white and yellow paint. He even recognized the word DANGER around it.
How thoughtful.
A door whooshed open, and Lion-O jerked his head up when he heard plastic smacking against metal.
Erica stood before him, looking almost identical to how he saw her in the present. Her uniform was tweaked slightly, and the black boxed that were mounted on her back looked more polished and refined - less battle-scarred.
She'd dropped a cup.
Where it landed, a dark fluid sloshed out and made quite a mess, staining some of her left pant leg and boot. She sported a gauze wrap on her left wrist, and a sizable bandage bulge under her jacket on her right shoulder - but none of these seemed to be the cause of the cup falling. Neither, it seemed, was the shock of the door opening to her right.
Her neck was craned back, and she was looking up. A bank of screens materialized in the room a heartbeat later, human writing and video images flickering across it rapidly. Her legs started to shake, and she wheezed, having difficulty breathing. Tears clouded in her eyes.
Another human rushed through the door, almost tripping over himself while he reached out to grab Erica. Half of his head had been shaved, and the other half flopped over, long enough to brush down his cheek in a strange, spiky-feathery way. Twin black boxes were mounted on his back, too, and his tattoo displayed 009.
"Did you hear the news?" The man said, grabbing Erica by the shoulders, artfully dodging her injury. "Kid, did you hear the news?!"
"Is it true?" Erica asked, her entire body shaking, "Is. . . it. . .?"
The man laughed, reaching down and scooping her up, and as easily as if she were a cub, he swung her around, grinning and laughing.
"Why are you crying, kid?"
It finally prompted Erica to laugh, although it was watery. She threw her arms around the man's neck, crushing him.
"Lafayette. . . oh, jesus, I can't-"
No thinking. Celebrate! C'mon - I've got a bottle of booze with your name on it!"
Erica almost fell down as he tugged her away by the hand, leaving the room. The cup, kicked by a boot, went skittering away, rolling to a stop against a wall with screen displays. The room itself seemed to be a sort of place for those in the Black Pyramid to relax and re-arm themselves, just judging by what Lion-O could see stowed around. The screens flickered, getting his attention, and he wasn't sure what, exactly, he was looking at. It was scrolling too fast for him to read.
Almost as though Sever (or Erica) had known what the issue was, the screens flickered.
And froze.
WAR ON TERRA OVER. HUMANITY PREVAILS!
Humanity had won.
Lion-O's blood boiled.
The Terrans had been the victims of a planet-wide genocide. It didn't look as though humanity was even capable of handling peaceful negotiations with the survivors, either. Lion-O bit the inside of his cheek in order to keep himself from cursing. He had to contain himself. He had to learn the why, though a childish part of him wanted to shoot a scathing look at Kit and Kat and demand, "Does she deserve your faith now?"
He didn't want to break whatever spell Sever had cast to finally, finally grant him his wisdom.
The memory flickered, changing.
Days. . . weeks. . . . time had elapsed. He wasn't sure how much.
Guns and swords were absent, replaced instead with drinks and holding hands.
The war was over. Terra had been claimed for humankind.
But how many Terrans did you slaughter before you were satisfied?
Even Erica partook in this revelry, although she remained grouped with the other Black Pyramid members. Animals, he noticed bitterly, were suspiciously absent from the party. Though he was, again, surprised to see how few there were compared to the general population. The Black Pyramid had been reserved for only a precious handful of humans.
. . . did that have something to do with the surgery? Lion-O briefly remembered a doctor, and Erica, looking up at her gratefully before they'd begun to operate.
Time sped forward, alcohol and music and dancing never faltering despite the days passing by. Erica was thoroughly out of sorts. She'd drunk herself into a stupor several times, passing out in decidedly undignified positions. And once, Lion-O thought he spotted her in a crowd, doubled over, vomiting.
And then the party was over.
And colonizing began.
It was obvious who the new subject of subjugation would be.
The animals.
Quick to assert their dominance in a new fashion, the humans spread themselves through the ranks of animalkind, barking orders, punishing. . . killing. It made Lion-O's lips curl into a snarl at the atrocities they committed in front of him. Lion-O watched as one dog-woman was whipped, repeatedly. . . and animals simply watched, staring at the spectacle, or worse, outright ignoring it. Accepting it as commonplace.
And that infuriated Lion-O even more. He knew the animals were at the mercy of the humans, with their collars and their suppression technology - but they didn't even try.
Not even Plun-Darr had been that bad. . .
. . . or had it?
But these animals, they just stood there. . . and. . .
Lion-O swallowed at what he saw in their eyes.
The human shouted, bringing the whip down - and a cat-man stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
The human man snarled, whipping around, face ugly as he shouted at the cat, his hand closing around a device to activate the cat's collar. . .
. . . but it fell off, dropping at the cat's feet.
Lion-O had no pity for the man. And the catman was not kind as he exacted his revenge.
It was bloody. It was painful.
And the human screamed.
And, as Lion-O realized with growing horror, he was not alone.
Collars snapped off everywhere, and as a unified movement, the animals attacked, murdering and slicing, claws and teeth and swords and guns and blood flashing in the fight. The humans were easily outnumbered, and their guard lowered from their victory. And the animals, with strength and numbers on their side. . . it was an easy win.
This was not to say the humans did not fight back. They did, desperately.
The animal's bloody revolution was not easily won.
But with every human that fell, morale among all of animalkind increased. And with every animal that was felled, their ferocity and viciousness only intensified, making them demons.
But again, the scene flickered. The bloodshed and screams and death were left behind, favored instead for a hallway.
Caliche and Copper were leading Erica by her hands, tugging on her wrists and fingers impatiently. Caliche pushed at her back, guiding her forward. The Black Pyramid soldier was blindfolded, and she looked relaxed and wholly amused, smiling.
Lion-O, however, was no fool. He could see it in the kitten's eyes - they knew exactly what was transpiring. And they were quick to shepherd her deeper through the corridor, but for what purpose? Were they hoping to usher her away from the danger?
"Look, kids, I'd love to stand around and play today, but I can't. I really can't. I've got work to do in the terraforming sector-"
"It'll be quick." Copper said, his voice tight.
"Promise." Caliche continued.
"Alright, alright," The human said, lips quirking up. "But hey, we gotta make it quick, okay? Okay."
As they pulled Erica through a doorway, Lion-O recognized the room as the grassy meadow with a familiar low hill, topped with a towering, beautiful tree.
But the only other set of doors leading into the biome was guarded by a pair of burly-looking dogs. Three more stood by the door the trio entered in, collars at their feet and bloodthirst in their eyes as they watched the kittens and Erica enter. As the kittens practically shoved Erica away, to the tree, the dogs shuffled in place to guard the door.
Lion-O was quiet for a moment, a chill stealing down his spine. He was not blind enough to pretend not to see what was about to happen next.
They were kind in their cruelty, he decided. Kind enough to provide her a quick and painless death.
But if Erica met her end here, how was she still alive?
". . . Kit. Kat." Lion-O said, his voice so tight he could barely force the words out, "Don't look."
"W-what?" Kit asked, her hands clenched in front of her chest. Her eyes were wide, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
She was trembling.
The kittens may have seen Thundera fall, but. . . outright slaughter was different.
"What are you saying?" Kat asked, hands clenched tightly at his sides. He looked pale as a ghost.
Copper and Caliche tugged Erica up under the tree.
Caliche stared at the dogs, nervously glancing between them and Erica. Finally, she looked back to her brother and gave a nod.
Copper untied her blindfold.
"Look up ahead. It's a surprise." Caliche said, pulling a serrated knife out of a pouch on her side.
"I'm. . . not seeing anything?" Erica said, blinking at the landscape. She planted her hands on her hips.
"What are they doing?" Kat asked.
"It's ahead. Look." Copper said, taking a few steps back. He too, drew a short blade.
"No. No. No!"
Whether it was Kit, or Kat, or both, Lion-O didn't know.
"I'm pretty sure I don't-" Erica said, turning.
The kittens struck at once.
Lion-O felt relieved to see Erica dodge the strike, but both knives raked down her right arm, which she'd raised to defend herself. Blood flowed immediately, dripping freely in a sickening amount. The dogs, seeing the initial attack fail, began to approach, weapons drawn.
Copper and Caliche pressed the assault, desperate to kill her before the dogs could get their hands on her, and Erica backpedaled, words streaming out of her mouth in a flurry, incomprehensible-
Nobody expected the room to explode, consuming the advancing dogs in a hailstorm of twisted metal and fire. The flames were quick to devour the greenery, eagerly lapping it up and setting things aflame. Something in the meadow-room or one of the rooms beyond filled the air with cinders and ashes, drifting to the ground like snow.
A human staggered through the decently-sized hole in the wall, opening their mouth to scream, but it was quickly cut short as a jackal fell upon them, talons scratching and clawing at their face and throat. Further beyond, Lion-O could hear the sickening sounds of the revolt, humans dying as animals reclaimed their freedoms. A voice boomed over the intercoms, drowned out by the screams of those dying and in pain-
Erica staggered backward, wounded but alive. Copper and Caliche advanced on her, their eyes glowing in the light of the fire, golden and. . . and broken.
"S-Stop." Erica begged, her voice shaking. She almost fell over herself as she tried to back away from the kittens, who continued to approach.
Their hands quivered where they grasped their weapons.
"What's happening?" Erica asked, her voice barely heard over the screams.
A human woman tried to escape through the hole in the wall, but a goat-woman set upon her, flaying her back open. Other animals and humans began to pour through the hole, the fire and fight escalating in the meadow.
It hadn't reached Erica, Copper, and Caliche, though.
Not yet.
The flames set the tree ablaze, years of beauty and greenery quickly turning into embers and ash.
"We're. . . we're taking our lives back." Copper said.
"From the humans." Caliche continued.
They even finish their sentences, just like Kit and Kat.
Wheels clicked. These might have very well been Kit and Kat's ancestors, much as Leo was his.
Erica's back hit the wall. She shook her head in denial. A woman screamed, high and long - and it quickly dissolved into a watery gurgle. It didn't take much imagination to figure out what had happened. Tears began to crawl over Erica's face, and she shook her head harder, breathing choppy.
"We asked to bring you here." Caliche said. She was crying, too. "They wanted to. . . to. . !"
"We said we'd do it. Make it quick. It won't hurt - we p-promise!"
Erica laughed. Or maybe she sobbed. It was hard to tell - but the sound was ugly and filled with disbelief.
"Why? Why are you doing this? Please. . . please stop."
"Because we love you." Copper said, breaking down. He started to cry, too, shaking all over.
"Because we. . . we don't want you to suffer."
More animals began to fill the room, swords, knives, and guns drawn, blood and gore coating their fur, their claws, their teeth. . .
Time was up. The kittens had to act, lest Erica be torn apart by a steadily-increasing supply of animals.
"No!" Erica screamed, flinching away from the kittens as both of them raced to her, knives drawn, flickering in the firelight.
She wasn't. . . She wasn't attacking them.
This was the human that readily launched herself into battle. The one that had taken Terran and animal lives without a second thought. Lion-O had crossed blades with her before. He knew she had no qualms about killing. She hated them. She hated animals.
So why wasn't she at least trying to defend herself. . . ?
As Copper and Caliche raised their knives again, an animal sped forward, knocking aside others and leaping over another, a blinding blur of speed, intent on striking first before the kittens-
A sword flashed through the light, arcing in front of Erica.
Caliche's knife scraped against it, screeching down the long sword. Copper's blade was parried aside, and his paw was captured by that of the new animal.
A tiger stood there, chest heaving, blood matted in his fur and around his mouth, a nasty gash oozing blood on his chin.
"No." He replied, his tone cold as ice.
Erica staggered back, hitting a wall, and she slid down to the ground, wheezing and hiccuping. She covered her mouth with her hands, shaking.
"T-This can't be. . . h-happening. . ." She whispered. "Please. Please stop."
The kittens paused, looking at her, and then to the tiger. Copper collapsed against the ground, mewling quietly to himself.
Caliche fought against him, striking at the tiger with her fists. "If we don't, they'll. . . they'll rip her throat out! They'll tear into her guts! I love her! I love her! Let me do it!"
"I-It'll be quick," Copper pleaded, "P-Painless. . . s-she t-taught us h-how. . ."
The tiger stared down at them, glanced briefly to Erica, and then reached down. With a decisive strike, he hit the base of Caliche's neck.
The kitten collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Copper cried out his sister's name and came to her aid, shaking her shoulder and trying to rouse her.
The tiger strode over the kittens, never paying them a second glance, and reached down, seizing Erica by the arm. He hefted her up, forcibly holding her steady as her shaky legs almost dumped her to the ground.
"Stand." The tiger ordered. "Run."
"S-Siberius. . . w-what-"
An animal howled. The tiger began to run, dragging her along behind him. "RUN!"
Erica did, stumbling behind him. He released her only to block the incoming strike of another animal, his sword clashing against theirs. Siberius let out a snarl that set Lion-O's fur on end, and he ducked under the animal's guard, body checking them. Erica stood behind him, shaking like a newborn cub as she took in the dead bodies and the animals that were set to tear her to shreds.
"Fight!" Siberius ordered, parrying away another blow. "Fight or die! Masai waits!"
Animals were quick to embroil Siberius in combat, momentarily separating them. Erica stood there, staring stupidly at another animal that approached, blood dripping down their blade.
"Please. . . please stop." She mumbled, her voice quivering.
The animals paid her no heed. They were not as kind as Copper or Caliche. They wanted her blood. Erica backed away, blood dripping down her arm.
"FIGHT!" Siberius roared.
"STOP IT!" Erica screamed.
The boxes on her back flew open, swords extending in record timing to block the incoming strikes. This gave Erica enough time to draw the blades on her hip, and she lashed out, wounding the two dogs that had been advancing on her. Her swords hovered in the air around her, and she heaved, looking as though she were about to be sick.
Siberius had managed to fend off the animals that had been pursuing him, incapacitating them.
"I didn't mean. . . I didn't - w-what-"
He walked over to Erica, grabbed her arm, and dragged her in close to him, staring at her with a pair of molten gold eyes that glittered in the light of the fire. Ash coated everything, turning her blonde hair a shade of gray, and black where it touched her blood.
"Fight or die. I don't care what you mean or didn't. Fight or die. These are your options."
The words seemed to sink into Erica, finally. Much in the same manner as before, Lion-O watched as the tears began to stop, and she stared at Siberius, quietly compartmentalizing everything that was happening. She needed to be a soldier now, more than ever.
The tiger, satisfied with what happened, released her. When he ran, Erica followed.
The scene flickered, providing Lion-O with only glimpses. Erica fighting. Siberius protecting her. Humans and animals laid dead in puddles of their own blood and gore. And death, everywhere. So, so much death. Dead human corpses littered the hallways as she ran, outnumbering the animals. It was very clear who the winner of the uprising would be.
The world glitched and came into focus again.
Erica was standing before Masai, and the lion was holding her tight, all but crushing her to his chest. They were standing in a small storage room, filled with boxes and crates. Siberius was standing at the entrance of the room, a gun drawn, his sword sheathed at his hip, keeping a close watch on the hallway. A tiny, furry. . . bear-thing? Yes, a miniature bear of sorts jumped at Erica's arm, poking and prodding at her injuries.
"Erica! I'm contacting medbay, don't you worry," The bear said, concerned yet calm, "We'll get you patched up in a jiffy."
Erica pulled herself away from Masai, staring down at the little bear.
"Oh. . . I can't. I just. . . Sunny, there's. . . there's no medbay anymore."
"Sunny?" Lion-O breathed.
Now that he looked at the tiny bear, the coloration looked. . . vaguely the same. But he did not look like the Berbil that Lion-O had come to know. But Echo and Erica had only ever called one thing on the planet Sunny. And it had tended and moved to her in the same manner.
"What? Erica, I don't understand. Server connection is spotty due to the recent Terran attack, but medbay center is still up and running. You appear to be confused. . ."
Masai glanced down at the bear, shook his head.
And he lifted his hands.
What followed was. . . signals. Or signs. Or something of the sort. Whatever it was, Lion-O had never seen anything like it. But Erica watched, and after he was finished, she nodded her head. Whatever he'd said, she'd understood. But it was entirely non-verbal.
"Right. Escape pods. Got it. Let's go. Sunny, pack up. Siberius, we're heading out."
Erica reached down, and in a fluid motion, grabbed at the mini-bear's arm. It began to fold and twist in a very unanimal-like way, until it was securely fastened on Erica's back, like a pack of sorts.
Then there was no doubt about it. It was Sunny. But how had the Berbil survived milennia, as Sever and Erica had?
As they ran, the fragments became more and more rapid, staccato like a gun firing. The group running. Getting into scuffles. Pausing by doorframes. One memory fragment showed Erica sitting on the ground, staring up at Masai, who had a sword poised up to strike. When he brought it down, the scene was entirely different, the group running again. . . although Erica was clutching her stomach as she ran. It was almost as though Sever or Erica were having problems showing them the memory or remembering it. Lion-O's brow furrowed.
And finally, there was a door. Erica stood before it, resting her forehead on it.
". . . no chance." She murmured sadly, tears falling once more. A pane of glass, sporadically flashing red from a light within, revealed frenzied claws smearing blood at the glass as they attempted to break it.
"And I have to make a choice. Between me and you. . . and I c-choose. . . I choose you. I have to do this."
A bloodcurdling roar, followed by a tempo of muted thumps on the other side of the door. Erica scrubbed at her eyes, smearing blood on her face, and stepped away from the door.
"I'm so, so sorry."
She spun on her foot, bolting away from the door. Siberius was hot on her trail, following behind her.
The door, with its red light and bloodied glass, was quick to disappear from view.
The scene fragmented again. The scenery was cracked and broken, some parts blurry, and others not even in the memory, leaving dark, jagged spots. Erica stood before Siberius, a sad smile on her face as she reached up, grabbed the tiger's face, and kissed him. It was something short and brief, her face twisting in a sad pain as she separated from him, stroking the fur over his cheeks.
It was not a lover's kiss. But it was. . . it was a goodbye, that much Lion-O could see.
"Take care of him. He's prone to stupid decisions. And make sure Sunny keeps my book safe. It's my favorite."
Siberius clenched his jaw, staring down at the floor, his hands fisting at his sides tightly.
An explosion, muted but closeby, echoed through the hallway.
". . . you don't have to-"
Erica shook her head.
"What else is there to do?" She asked softly. "It's all gone. We're all dead. I'm a soldier - I better go out with a fight. Even if it's hopeless."
Dropping her hands, she turned away. The boxes on her back opened, and energy crackled in the air around her. She raised her hand to hit a panel to open a door, but Siberius caught her wrist.
". . . they. . . we loved you. You and the handful that cared for us. I know not all of humanity was bad. I know. Please understand."
"I do."
"The kittens loved you. They were trying to be kind."
Erica's hand trembled. She nodded.
Siberius released her, and she smashed her hand against the panel.
"Go." She ordered. "Please. . . don't let him do anything stupid. He's reckless and rash. And I can't be there to protect him any more. But you can, Siberius. He's your brother."
Lion-O didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't what he saw.
Erica entered some sort of hangar, human corpses littering the ground around her feet.
She wasn't looking at them in despair. In fact, she wasn't even looking at them at all.
Her eyes were steeled, glinting in the dim light, staring ahead at. . . at. . .
Mumm-Ra.
Or the beginnings of him, at least.
He was laughing, the sound insane and maniacal as he hunched over, his skin visibly shriveling around his bones, his clothes becoming less and less form-fitting as the seconds ticked on. It was disgusting to watch his body transform, cracking and shrinking, losing what little humanity he had.
"I understand now! I understand everything! The chaos, the destruction. . . the entropy! Don't you hear the whispers? Listen to its siren's call!"
Erica, in response, grabbed at the swords on her hips, drawing them slowly and deliberately. She never once let her eyes stray from her former human comrade. Mumm-Ra, one eye glowing a bloody red, grinned at he watched her, teeth cracking into sharp shards.
"I will bring order. I will bring law. I will bring uniformity. But I need something first. The spirits here told me of it, of how such power was to be obtained. The ceremony is almost complete. All that's left is you. . . and me."
The boxes on Erica's back opened, and swords shot out, extending and arraying themselves behind her in an arc. The laser edges blazed to life, becoming a blur of light as they spun around.
Erica ran forward, crying out as she stepped on an invisible platform in the air, jumping into the air and striking at him-
The scene froze.
And the memory cracked. The Erica of the present tumbled out, freed of Sever's wires. When she hit the invisible ground, she buckled, falling to her hands and knees as she shook, clutching at her ribs.
Sever followed suit a moment later, exiting the crack, optics flashing.
"And now you know." The Terran said, gesturing to the human on the floor. "You know the truth. Your kind reaped what you sewed." He laughed, caustic and bitter. "All of this suffering, and this is the fruit of your labor. Rotten. Disgusting. Just like you."
Silence hung thick in the air.
Lion-O didn't know if he had the ability to break it.
Luckily, he didn't have to.
The Stones in his gauntlet began to hum to life, crackling and washing away the dark with a gentle, serene light.
And another presence stirred.
"I c-can't remember any more." Erica said, holding herself and rocking gently, her fingers twitching on her ribcage.
"I'm sure you could." Sever replied, reaching down, talons set to grab her hair, wires descending from his back. "We only have to have you show us over and over again. Little by little, we'll stitch that broken mind together, won't we, human-"
An old, furry hand caught Sever, stopping the necromancer. The Terran looked up, optics dimming, wires stilling.
"Jaga?" Cheetara asked, her voice rough.
Lion-O had almost completely forgotten that the other Cats were there. What he'd just seen, it. . . it felt overwhelming. He was still having problems digesting what he'd just witnessed. Erica had loved the animals - and had favorites in particular. And they'd tried to give her a humane, quiet death. And yet, somehow, that had failed.
And through all that. . . Erica had instead chosen to fight Mumm-Ra, the blood of animals on her swords.
It made sense.
And then it didn't.
Lion-O swallowed, his mind and his heart churning. He thought this would be easy. He thought this would be simple. When he'd first been betrayed by. . . Erica? Echo? (he wasn't even sure any more), he thought it had been through a desire to see him suffer, or even for the power of the stones. Or, a part of him had childishly, stubbornly believed, jealousy that he had chosen Pumyra over her. But now. . . things were tilted.
It. . . it wasn't so easy any more.
Is that what drove her?
. . . then, what drove him?
"That's all." Erica murmured. "That's everything."
How was she still alive? How had she survived dueling Mumm-Ra?
Jaga released Sever's hand, and wordlessly the necromancer stepped back, unspoken communication passing between them. The Terran turned away, optics dimming, cables and wires retreating under his skirt and back into his wings. Lion-O looked around, taking in the dim glow of the Stones in his gauntlet, and then to the other Cats.
Cheetara had a guarded, but relieved, expression, her eyes flicking between Jaga and Erica.
Panthro was staring at the ground, looking slightly pale and lost in thought, and Tygra simply stared at Erica, something close to pity in his eyes.
Kit and Kat were holding onto each other, crying silently.
Jaga moved, stepping beside Erica, and Lion-O looked at him, glad to have something different to concentrate on. Jaga looked exactly as he remembered him, appearing as unruffled and calm as ever, standing tall and proud despite his ghostly presence. True to memory, Lion-O didn't think that Jaga had ever been afraid or unsettled in his entire life.
". . . There is no more need for secrecy. I've kept my silence long enough." The ancient cat said, looking at them, "I did not agree with this plan when it was first proposed. Look where it has led us - to the brink."
"What do you mean, Jaga?" Lion-O asked, ignoring how quiet his voice sounded, even to his own ears.
"We must entrust the future with the present, and not the past." Jaga replied, old eyes turning to Lion-O. "It was a mistake to believe that remaining there would serve us well. No more manipulation. No more omissions of the truth. With so much at stake. . . you deserve to know."
Kneeling down, Jaga placed a hand on Erica's back, and the human stilled. It took several moments, but she tilted her head back, staring up at him, confused, her eyes clouding over.
". . . I remember you." She said, quietly, "You. . . you take care of her, didn't you?"
"For a short time."
A weak smile. "She liked you. She liked everyone."
Jaga moved his hand, sliding it over one of hers, and started to pull. Erica reluctantly accepted his help, standing, albeit she was a little shaky.
She heaved a sigh.
"I'm not lying. There's nothing else to show - it's all black after that." She paused, and then quietly added, "Please don't make me remember it again."
"The human soul can only hold so much. It can only process so little. What transpired next. . . it was never meant for your kind. But there is somewhere here who does remember, and believes you deserve the truth."
Erica's brow furrowed. "What?"
Lion-O felt his gauntlet tremble, and the Spirit stone flashed brightly.
Another form coalesced, but this one was not nearly as tangible as Jaga. But the height, build, and silhouette looked vaguely familiar. Pink wisps connected it to the Spirit stone, tethering it as the light-phantom approached Erica and Jaga.
Is that. . .
The phantom reached a wary Erica, who flinched back as it reached up and laid a hand on her chest.
A gentle blue light expanded outward, shifting the landscape once more.
The hangar was there, again. Mumm-Ra, much shriveled and decrepit, held her. Or, more specifically, he held his withered hand in front of Erica. White wisps of light leeched off her body, consolidating in his palm.
With a disgusting smile, Mumm-Ra clenched his fist, turning away - and Erica fell. She landed in a messy heap, bloody and broken, sporting new gashes on her body.
Masai appeared, led by Siberius, and with bloody paws, the lion reverently collected Erica to himself. He cradled her, ignoring the way her body lolled. The anguish on the lion's face was apparent, and Lion-O felt empathy for him when he tried to rouse Erica, shaking her in his arms, but she did not stir.
"The Soul Stone," Jaga explained, "Was the first of the Stones of Power. It was created by stripping each individual soul from mankind - even Mumm-Ra's own - and condensing them into one. He abandoned his humanity to fulfill his quest for power. This Stone contains the hundreds of thousands of experiences and thoughts of many different humans. . . it gave Mumm-Ra unparalleled insight into any situation. It was also known as the Knowledge Stone."
Masai carried Erica to a strange metal and glass capsule, tenderly laying her inside and closing the lid. Soft lights illuminated her.
TIme passed.
Masai aged.
Erica did not.
"T-That. . . that idiot." Erica said, watching as the days, weeks, months, years passed before her. Masai visited every day, caring for the machine and Erica, repairing and installing components from time to time.
"He. . . he put me in a cryogenic pod."
So. This was the technology that had enabled Erica to live for thousands of years. Lion-O watched with fascination and awe as the years passed, Masai growing older and older, but Erica's body remained untouched by the hands of time. The only indication she was affected at all was her hair slowly growing, and the color slowly leeching from it, turning it from blonde to white. Her muscles atrophied, shrinking away on her frame, but she was a far fry from Mumm-Ra.
Sunny remained a constant companion, caring for the. . . cryogenic pod. . . when Masai was not available.
And eventually, Masai stopped coming.
But he's a lion. And directly linked to the Spirit Stone. . . is he my ancestor? I'd have to believe so. Which means that he took a partner. . .
The glass cover accumulated grime, obscuring Erica entirely from view.
And animals, much more familiar to Lion-O and the Cats, took to walking right by it, never once noticing it.
Lion-O was shocked when he saw Leo, striding forward, Panthera at his side, Omens clutched in his hand, determination in his eyes as he walked to confront Mumm-Ra and shape fate itself.
"I told him to live." Erica whispered, shocked, "And he. . . he spent his days. . . that damn idiot."
The Black Pyramid, damaged by Leo and Mumm-Ra's fight, descended.
"It was an act of love." Jaga told her softly. "But through this kindness. . . this option was born."
Mumm-Ra's ship exploded into a mass of brilliant colors, giant chunks of it breaking up in the atmosphere of Third Earth. Several blocks fell into the ocean, settling down onto the sandy floor. One such mass of black, charred from entry, glowed with broken, yet functioning lights.
Still more years passed, crystals jutting from the rock and engulfing the metal and glass case Erica slept in. Sharks came to collect the crystal, finding it beautiful enough to crown their underwater shrine. And there it remained, glowing with an ethereal light, until one day. . . a small Bask settled over it.
If we are to survive, his voice echoed in the past, we must do this. We will create a partition, and hope that things may be different. We will weave this tapestry, nudge it in the correct direction. . .
Bask opened his palms, revealing the Soul Stone, which he pressed down to the crystal's surface. When it made contact, it flashed, and began to sink into its surface as though it were nothing more than water. As soon as the Stone sank beneath the surface, the shark's crown cracked, and on a hinge, Erica's metal and glass case slid open.
She laid inside, body pulsing as the Soul Stone settled above her, and then evaporated into a white mist, which settled onto her skin.
A few heartbeats later, and her eyes opened, green bleeding out to a luminescent blue.
Bask settled on the edge of the pod, staring at her.
You kept a wish close to the very core of your being. Your soul was woven so tightly around it, we could not separate it. So we will grant it. We give you life. Pursue your wish.
Erica. . . no, no, this was Echo.
Echo blinked at him, and then she sat up, slowly, cascades of white hair settling into her lap.
Go now, he said. And change fate.
Bask reached in, grabbing Echo's hand, and pulled her up. The glass slid shut, sealing the case once more, leaving a crack in the crystal. Below them, the cries of Sharks filled the air, alarmed that their crystal was being stolen. Bask shoved Erica, pushing her into the water.
"You were manipulated. This partition Leviathan created. . . it was impossible to separate the trauma of soul separation. The construct of the stone created this wall, allowing only a wisp to come out. Fragments of you remained, giving life to Echo. Other memories were forcibly repressed, and your emotions. . . Masai and Lion-O bear a resemblance. Leviathan believed it fitting enough to transfer Erica's love to a different subject."
Echo, covered in a dirty shawl, stumbled through the streets of Thundera, hardly more than a zombie, muttering and dragging herself, lost and confused. . .
Lion-O swallowed, his throat feeling tight and thick.
"Leviathan thought it best that the Soul Stone remain hidden in plain sight. Naturally, the Stones are drawn to each other. . . "
Erica shook her head, watching as the memories faded.
"You. . . you did what?" Cheetara demanded, eyes narrowing.
She opened her mouth to say more, but just like that, Jaga disappeared.
As did the landscape.
With a very disorienting jolt, Lion-O realized they were in Thundera's ruins once more.
"I can understand the Clerics secreting away the Book. They volunteered. It was a noble sacrifice. But this." Cheetara bristled, casting a scathing glance at the Spirit Stone. "It was not willing."
The Book of Omens had spurned her.
Echo had had amnesia.
Memories of his ancestors had been locked inside of the Book.
Omens had allowed her to use it, and had developed a deep connection to her, sharing in its power and knowledge.
"Annet said. . . these powers aren't mine. That I wasn't meant to be on this journey."
Lion-O understood, then. He understood everything. The big picture revealed itself in a spectacular, cruel fashion, and he was awed by the intricacies of it all.
Erica sank to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks.
And Lion-O, finally, realized what needed to be done.
The power of the Stones dissipated, cutting off the target of Cheetara's fuming tirade. Panthro's confused remarks. Tygra's attempts to calm down his lover.
Jaga was gone.
He was alone in Thundera once more.
His feet moved on their own accord, striding over the rubble and ruins of Thundera. His father had been a great king, and an even greater Cat. But Mumm-Ra was a cunning and wicked enemy, and had outsmarted him in the end. His city, his people, and Third Earth laid in ruins at his deeds and his ambitions. It was quiet as he approached Erica, phantoms dancing in his vision.
Gently, he knelt in front of her, his knees crunching in the dirt.
And Lion-O wrapped her in a hug, holding his friend tightly.
"I'm sorry." He murmured. "I'm so sorry this happened. I'm so sorry for what's been done."
Erica stiffened, but only for a moment.
A heartbeat later, and she wrapped her arms around him in turn.
"I am too." She whispered. "I'm so sorry."
It felt good. It felt like the world melted away, and he was there with Echo again in Thundera, friends with a mysterious creature that was trying to search for a place in his world.
But that was then.
And this was now.
He separated from her, looking her in the eye.
"You have to make a critical decision." He said, serious, "We've both made horrible judgements because of what we couldn't see. You're not Echo."
"You're not Masai." She replied. "None of you are. They've. . . they've been dead for. . . a long time."
Just as Echo was gone. He took in a steadying breath, calming and centering himself, and continued.
"I want to defend this planet. . . I want to protect the universe. I've seen what Mumm-Ra can do to galaxies. What he has done. But to do this. . . I need your help."
Erica's brow furrowed, and she glanced down at her chest, her hand coming up to cover her heart. For a moment, she was quiet, but then she looked back up to him, clearly confused.
"Take the Stone out?" She asked, "If-"
Lion-O shook his head.
"No." He said. "If I took the Stone out, I imagine it would kill you. It's made of human souls - yours included. I want you to help us. To give us both a chance at redemption. To absolve the sins of our ancestors. My sins. The sins of your ancestors. Your sins."
Erica stared at him, looking at him for a long, hard moment.
"One last fight." She said quietly, "One last war to wage. . . I think. . . I think I can-"
Lion-O's fur on the back of his neck prickled, and he raised his gauntlet, only just having time to conjure a weak shield before a vicious ray of purple lightning connected with it, crackling and setting the air itself on fire. He grunted, trying to keep his arm steady, but his eyes widened as a clawed hand raced down, talons clawing at his shield, shattering it. The hand reached through, grabbing his arm.
Lion-O instinctively grabbed at Omens, fingers trying to desperately grasp at the blade as agony raced over his body, purple energy skittering over his fur, singeing it. He only just barely managed to draw his sword out of his gauntlet before it was wrenched off of him. Built-up energy exploded, cracking against his eardrums with the percussion of the sound, and he was sent flying away, tumbling head over foot. His blood was awash with fire and poison, searing through his veins.
He came to an ungraceful stop, his head cracking against a rock.
Instant dizziness set in, and Lion-O shook his head, trying to clear the ringing, the blurring, and the nausea. He could hear the sounds of battle, of Kaynar's insane giggling, Tygra's gun firing. . . and ahead of him. . .
Mumm-Ra.
Erica stood in front of him. . . no, no, that wasn't right. She was slumped over, her feet dangling off the ground. Blood sloshed out of her, like a bag that had sprung a leak. It stained the ground where it touched. She made no sound, no scream.
Mumm-Ra's eyes connected with his own, and his lips stretched into a wide grin.
He threw his arm aside, drawing out his clenched fist, and Erica. . .
Lion-O watched as the human collapsed onto the ground, her entire midsection. . . Lion-O swallowed against the bile and the horror of what he saw.
She was dead.
The Soul Stone released itself explosively, a violent tempest of white energy that flared through Mumm-Ra's closed fist as it condensed into a solid form once again. Mumm-Ra wasted no time with chanting or casting a spell. He slammed the essence inside of the Knowledge Stone, a flurry of power crackling through the air.
Lion-O got to his feet, brushing aside his faint shakiness.
Omens let out a pained mewl at his side, and he swallowed against a tightness in his throat at what he saw.
It was cracked, only fragments of it remaining inside of the pommel.
And Mumm-Ra. . .
His golden gauntlet fell at the monster's feet. Mumm-Ra's gauntlet crackled with power, the Stones glittering brightly.
"One essence would have pierced Spidera's armor. Highly suspect I sent all three, don't you think?" Mumm-Ra said, the words dropping from his mouth like oil. "To think I had not foretold of this. . . but I do love theatrics. And what a brilliant play this has been. But all good dramas must come to an end."
Lion-O got his footing, gripping Omens tighter, willing the vestiges of power in his blade to come to life. Mumm-Ra had most of Omens, but not all of it.
Thundera. . . it had been the start.
And now. . . it was the end.
"ThunderCats. . . HO!"
And he ran, the weight of the world on his shoulders.