Prelude

"What is it? Report!"

Hordak said it too harshly, but he hated being awakened in the middle of the night by anyone - especially Mantenna. The bug-eyed Horde member stuttered a bit, annoying Hordak and placing him in a far worse mood than he was already in.

"It-It's Eternia, sir," Mantenna spoke, getting a grip on himself. "E-Every since the C-Christmas incident, you asked us to monitor the planet in case - "

"I'm well aware of my orders!" yelled Hordak. "What is it?"

Mantenna gulped and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Sensors detecting an unusual fast-moving object in orbit."

"What do you mean?"

"It appeared for approximately one second, making it impossible for us to determine it's launch site and landing site. From what we can tell, it was a perfect orbit, going around the planet once."

"For only a second?" asked Hordak, a bit curious.

"Yes," Mantenna replied.

Hordak grumbled. "It must be a sensor error, you dolt! Nothing can make a complete orbit in only a second!" He smacked Mantenna in the head. "Wake me up with there's REAL news!"

Mantenna nodded, deciding it was best not to tell Hordak he had just checked the sensors. This was something - something powerful and something incredible. As Hordak stomped out of the room, Mantenna brought up the sensor information and slowed it down to the mili-second and watched it play out.

Observing it with his two large eyes, Mantenna began to see something in that object. It looked . . . it looked like a face . . .

***

The Sorceress snapped up from her slumber, her thoughts all a jumble. Something just happened. The spirit of Grayskull reached out and touched her - beckoning her to get up. She stood, and felt it. Putting on her outfit, she went to where she knew she was needed.

She ran down into the Throne Room - and stopped in her place. There, in the center of the chamber, was a large stone tablet. Carefully, she walked over to it and placed her hands upon it's words that were set in stone.

'First will come battle.

'Second will come darkness.

'Third will come unity.

'Fourth will come the fall.

'Fifth and final shall be the ending of all.'

The Sorceress fell to her knees, her whole body trembling at the words. This was a prophecy, created not only the spirit of Grayskull, but also the Elders and the Ancients. Great and terrible times were about to happen on Grayskull.

"No . . ." she muttered, hoping to find the strength within her to deny it.

After all that had happened. The return of King Hiss . . . the rising of the Great Towers . . . the Horde/Snake-Men War . . . Skeletor's taking of Grayskull . . . the Dark Cloud. For this - THIS - to smash her confidence so much was almost humiliating.

"I will be strong. I must be strong."

She fought the instinct to contact Prince Adam. Part of her knew that his knowledge of this prophecy would have nearly the same effect on him as it did on her. Although Adam had always been far more resilient about that sort of thing than she . . .

"No! I can not!" she yelled. "Curse you, Elders and Ancients! How dare you bring this upon us!"

But the Sorceress of Grayskull knew better than that. She did. The prophecy was not delivered as a threat . . . but as a warning.

Battle would come soon, followed by a time of darkness. Unity, which seemed strange to her, was next. And then - the fall, most likely of Grayskull. And then - the end of all on Eternia. Of all of this she knew for certain.

Dark days loomed ahead . . .