Chapter VIII: The Beginning of the End
LORD HORDAK'S JOURNAL
18th DAY IN THE TWENTITH-FIFTH YEAR IN MY CONQUEST OF ETHERIA
Eternia is no more, without its precious leaders the people have lost hope and have begun to submit to Horde Rule and even though that old fool Angella has tried to unite the people her attempts have failed.
While I was busy overseeing the razing of a village, I received a message from my father on Horde World, the Tritheon was about to remerge and that I was needed at Eternos immediately.
"Mantenna! Mosquitor! Order your men to retreat we are needed at Eternos immediately, it is time," I ordered my forces as we left the village for Eternos to claim our prize.
When we arrived at Eternos we could feel the earth began to quake, I knew that victory was at hand and the Tritheon was about to reemerge.
Suddenly out from the center of the town there rose three massive towers; the first on the left was made of Galena and had large emerald serpent coiled around it; the second tower on the right was made of granite and had a large a human skull in front of it; and finally the tower in the middle was made of solid gold and gleamed like the sun, the Tritheon had returned.
"Marvelous, simply marvelous! the Tritheon within it is the power of the ages and the key to freeing Horde Prime," I said, I was taken aback by the sight before me, here was the greatest source of power in the cosmos, the power that dwarfed Castle Grayskull's power, the power that gave birth to King Hsss and the Snakemen and now it would be the power to free Horde Prime.
"What are we waiting for my lord, why don't we enter it now?" Mantenna asked me as I gazed out onto the towers.
"Because we must for He-Man and She-Ra to return from their vacation they are the key to entering the Tritheon," I explained to him as I turned to face him.
I knew that the Tritheon's return would send some signal to them to come back, and when they do I will be waiting for them, "come let us prepare for the arrival," I said I left to prepare for them to come.
TEELA'S DIARY
20th DAY IN THE TWENTY-FOURTH YEAR OF SKELETORS ATTEMPT TO ENTER CASTLE GRAYSKULL
Sadness has once again entered my life for Death has taken another loved one from me.
Today when I woke up, I went to go check on father as I always do, but when I got there the room was quiet and there was no sign that he had woken up yet. This was unusual since he was always the first one up.
I walked into his room and found asleep in his bed, I went over to wake him up but he did respond. I tried everything to rouse him but nothing worked.
I checked his pulse and drew back in shock, my father was dead!
It couldn't be true, first I lose my son before he is even a day old and now my father, the only parent, until a few years ago, that I had, was gone. I was utterly devastated
I ran back to my room and the safety of Adam's embrace, where Death could not harm me.
I ran into our room and woke him up to tell him the bad news, "Adam wake up!" I shouted as I roused him from his sleep.
"What's wrong Teela?" he asked as rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed, I could tell that he was half asleep but was still listening to me.
"Adam, my father is dead," I said in between my tears as flung myself into his arms. I felt safe in his loving embrace, I wish I could remain in his embrace forever like a kitten nestled close to its mother.
"Are you sure Teela?" he asked me as he got up and put on a bath robe. I nodded and took him to my father's to show him that I was not lying.
When we arrived I watched as Adam examined father, my heart was broken how could this happen; why is Kalion cursing me with these tragedies; it was too much for me to bear.
While Adam was trying to figure out the cause of father's death I went to bathroom, I looked in a medicine cabinet and found a bottle of Isotopic Disulphide. This substance is used as an antiseptic but if ingested it is highly poisonous.
I contemplated ending the pain that plagued me in this life by escaping into the next. I pondered what death would be like, what would it feel like when my lips touched the lips of Death's herald, Thanatos and Viper's sword plunged through my heart to claim my soul
I unscrewed the lid and sniffed the chemical, it was potent and I was beginning to doubt whether or not I could do this, but my heart could not bear the pain of this world any longer, so I took the bottle to my lips and let Viper take my soul!
PRINCE ADAM'S JOURNAL
20th DAY IN THE TWENTY-FOURTH YEAR OF SKELETORS ATTEMPT TO ENTER CASTLE GRAYSKULL
Teela had woken me up this morning saying that Duncan had passed away during the night.
I felt bad for Teela; she had just gotten over the death of our son and now Duncan. I had followed into Duncan's room and examined Duncan, from what I could tell he suffered a massive heart attack during the night.
While I was examining Duncan for traces of foul play, I heard a sound coming from the bathroom. I rushed in there and to my horror I found Teela lying on the floor.
Her lips were stained blue and her skin was a pale waxy color, I opened her eyelids her eyes which normally looked like emeralds had faded to a light sea green color and her pupils were dilated.
I checked her pulse, there was none; I then saw she had a bottle of Isotopic Disulphide in her hand, she had committed suicide.
"No Teela, please come back!" I cried as I held her lifeless body in my arms, Teela my love, my life, my soul mate lay dead in my arms.
I looked at her angelic face for the last time, "Good night sweet Teela, and my flights of angels sing thee to thy rest," I whispered as I kissed her for the last time.
Why did Kalion allow this to happen, why did Death take the only thing in the world that mattered to me, it was too much for me to bear.
I was lost, I needed someone to talk to and the best person for that job was my sister, She-Ra.
I went over to her quarters and knocked on her door.
"Adam? What are you doing here our scouting mission isn't until noon?" she said as she showed me into her room and offered me a seat and a cup of Primian Tea.
"Sis, I have some bad news, Teela committed suicide," I told her she comforted me.
"Adam, that's terrible," she said she took me into arms and comforted me. I began to tell about what happen. The thought of not being able to hold my darling Teela, not being able to kiss her anymore, not being able to see her again was too much for me to bear.
"It's okay Adam, everything's going to be okay," she told me as she smiled at me and gave me a hug. She-Ra always knew how to make things better, it's a natural gift she seems to have and right now I'm grateful for it.
Later that day we buried Teela, "farewell Teela, I'll miss you," I told her as knelt beside her grave. I could hardly believe that my beautiful wife, the person whom I vowed to spend my entire life with was dead.
"Come on Adam, let's go," She-Ra whispered to me as she gently placed her hand on my shoulder and helped me to my feet. Before I left I blew my wife a kiss, wished that she rest in peace and silently left the grave.
PRINCESS ADORA'S DIARY
18th DAY IN THE TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF THE HORDE'S CONQUEST OF ETHERIA
Poor Adam, he found out this morning that Teela committed suicide, overwhelmed by the grief over losing her son and her father, she drank a bottle of Isotopic Disulphide I just hope Death came quickly for her and she did not suffer needlessly.
I have spent most of the day comforting Adam, there is a change in him, he seems darker more serious not at all like his usual lighthearted self, I fear that this change might make him do something he'll regret.
Around noon we went on a scouting mission, we had been getting reports that Skeletor had been seen in Galactic City causing all sorts of mayhem and it was up to us to put an end to his evil plot.
We raced through the streets of the city for half an hour until we found Skeletor at an old museum, no doubt stealing valuable artifacts!
"Your shoplifting days are at an end Skeletor!" I told him as I drew my sword and went to face off with him.
Before I could attack he grabbed me by the throat, "I should have done this when I destroyed your ship," he gloated as he tightened his grip, I could hear the bones in my neck begin to crack and feel the blood trickle down my throat. Everything was starting go black.
Before Skeletor could finish me off, He-Man knocked Skeletor to the ground and disarmed him.
"It ends here Skeletor!" he shouted as pointed his sword at his heart ready to kill Skeletor.
I ran up and placed myself between the two foes, "Adam wait, look in your heart, can you really kill Skeletor," I asked him, I knew no matter how much Teela's death changed him and no matter how much he hated his enemy he wouldn't take another life, even a the life of one as corrupt and evil as Skeletor
When he heard my words he dropped his sword, "Leave Skeletor!" he ordered as he pointed away from the museum.
"You have not seen the last of me He-Man!" Skeletor hissed as he got up bolted out of sight, hopefully he will be wrong but Skeletor seldom is wrong about these matters.
Once we sure that Bonehead had left we boarded our speeders but just as we were about to leave we heard a voice we hadn't heard in over sixteen years, the voice of the Sorceress of Grayskull.
"Adam, Adora! The Tritheon was reemerged you are needed back on Eternia at once!" she told us telepathically, this was truly welcome news that we could finally go home, but there was one problem: we had no way of getting home.
"Sorceress, we can't go home, Skeletor destroyed our ship we're stranded here," I told her as a tear rolled down my cheek, the thought of never seeing Seahawk again broke my heart.
"There is another way home, Adora," The Sorceress said soothingly as if to calm me down, "On Primus there lives a strange inventor named Gwildor of Phenor, he has recently invented a device that uses Chrono Harmonic Distortion to open portals to anywhere in the universe. This invention is called the Cosmic Key, you must find Gwildor and convince him to use the key to send you home, it is the only way," her maternal voice echoed before it faded.
"He-Man, we have to get back to Guardian Headquarters to get ready to find this Gwildor," I told him, he agreed with me as we started our speeders and headed back to the base.
When we arrived back we informed Flipshot of our new mission and if he knew where to find Gwildor.
"Gwildor is a legend, no one knows if he is real or not but according to legend he lives deep in the Primian Mountains in a huge complex, but he is said onlt to be a legend but if this is important to you I'll assemble all of guardians and we'll begin searching for him," Flipshot said as he left the room.
"He-Man, do you think this Gwildor is real?" I asked my brother, it seemed very unusual for the Sorceress to place her trust in something that might not exist but if the Sorceress had faith in the legend, then it must be true.
"I don't know sis, but if the Sorceress believes in him, then he has to be real," he said resolutely, that answer was good enough for me if my brother believes Gwildor was real then so do I.
LORD SKELETOR'S JOURNAL
18th DAY IN THE TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF MY ATTEMPT TO ENTER CASTLE GRAYSKULL
Even though my plan to steal some artifacts from the Primian Museum failed, I have gained something far more valuable, knowledge.
I overheard He-Man and She-Ra talking amongst themselves after they caught me, apparently, they are looking for someone called Gwildor, he must know something important and if that is the case, I must posses this knowledge.
After they let me go, I headed back to my transport and left for Brakk's fortress.
During the journey, one thing echoed in my mind, Gwildor, this being must have great power, maybe enough power to give me the one thing Idesired after more than anything in the cosmos—Castle Grayskull and it's secrets. It was then I made up my mind I would find this Gwildor and use his powers to gain the secrets of Grayskull and crush my those who stand in my way like He-Man, She-Ra, Brakk, and the greatest threat to my goals Hordak! Soon I will posses the secrets of the cosmos and become all powerful and then all before me, Skeletor!
When I arrived back at Nordor, I went to find Brakk; if anyone knew anything about Gwildor it would be him.
I found him sitting on his throne brooding, "Brakk, who is Gwildor?" I asked as I approached his throne.
"Gwildor is a myth, it's said that he is a locksmith and inventor, he invented some sort of device called the Cosmic Key, it is said the key uses Chrono Harmonic Distortion to open portals. A ridiculous concept," he said as he chuckled at the notion.
A device that could open portals could be very useful to me; I could us this key to carry out my goals. This device will be the key to my victory and I use that key to open the door to my future.
"Brakk, may I borrow the Skull Copter?" I asked politely, I would use the copter to follow those do-gooders and capture this Gwildor before they do.
"Knock yourself out Skeletor," he said wearily, I thanked him for his kindness and left to prepare for my journey, by the end of the day I will posses the secrets of the Cosmos!
LORD BRAKK'S JOURNAL
144 YEARS AFTER THE START OF THE PRIMIAN-DENEBRIAN WAR
Skeletor is up to something, he thinks he'll find Gwildor and the Cosmic Key, while I knew that Gwildor is a myth, I feel it best to follow Skeletor just in case I'm proven wrong.
If the key is real, I could use its power to banish those accursed Guardians into a black hole and even better rid myself of that idiotic Skeletor once and for all.
"Slushhead! Optikk! Prepare the Terrapod we going mountain climbing," I ordered as I leapt from my throne and headed for the hangar, soon I will have the key to ridding myself of Skeletor forever!