The Power of a Promise: Prologue
By: Ryu Niiyama
"My moon, you have my love and my loyalty always. I shall love you until the end of time."
She could not see the figure kneeling at her feet, brow pressed to her knuckles, yet when she opened her hand and felt warm lips pressed lingeringly against her flesh, she was content. The words that would come, she'd said them a thousand times and yet never before…and she knew she die for them…kill for the promise within a simple vow.
"My Star, there is nothing that shall ever separate us. I shall protect you and I shall love you until the gods themselves go to their rest. Our love is my power."
"I love you, Adora."
"I love you more, –"
An elbow to the ribs startled her from her sleep and her eyes snapped open, peering upon a disheveled mass of hair and narrowed eyes in the shades of blue and gold. "-Catra, what are you doing?" An annoyed growl issued from the magicat and a tail looped about her waist, tightening in warning. "What's with you Adora, do you have to use the bathroom or something? You keep squirming…quit it." Adora rolled her cerulean eyes in annoyance even as she settled back against the pillows. Catra, already halfway settled into her slumber, let out a contented purr as she tucked her face against Adora's neck while her hands began to knead Adora's sides; the pinpricks of her claws a familiar discomfort. Somewhere between pain and adoration, the Eternian woman drifted to follow her lover in slumber.
Elsewhere, deep within the bowels of Hordak's stronghold, a fist slammed once against protective glass, once more and an enraged scream sounded when it would not give. The fist pounded again, opening up a small fissure, again, spidering the cracks all along the surface, again, roaring in unimaginable pain as the glass shattered and the amniotic fluid gushed out in a torrent. The being stumbled forward, glass biting into flesh, tears and amniotic fluid streaming down a face twisted with rage and despair. Reaching down, the mildly disoriented being griped a large shard of glass, palming it as a makeshift weapon even as specters of a forgotten dream whispered like knives upon the spine. Stumbling forward on unsure steps that grew stronger with each passing moment, the newly awakened figure moved about the lab, the place a mockery of technology and magic both, staring at the vats that held partially grown clones.
The sound of footsteps, forced the awakened one into hiding and cautious eyes watched as a robed figure entered the room. "Brothers? Are you here? Cleaning and organization of this room has not been yet authorized by Brothers Hordak and Wrong-Hordak, please return at -!" The clone did not finish his recitation before he was tackled from behind and his throat slit by the sharp glass. The clone gurgled as he was flipped over, his eyes dimming with death as he reached out futilely towards his killer.
"Br…brother…?" The clone let out a wet exhale as his hand fell to the floor at his side, lifeless. His killer already working on divesting him of his robes. The figure took one look at the glass in hand and made a choice, leaning forward to perform the macabre work.
"No…I'm not."
This idea has been pinging around my brain since I finished She-Ra but after reading the Revelations prequel comics and seeing the show the plot bunny started threatening me with insomnia. The actual chapter 1 will be longer but I wanted to get the opening salvo out.
I am only familiar with the 2003 Masters of the Universe and the Netflix Revelations series (and comic) so I pull heavily from those two to knit this together.
R. Niiyama
11/2021