Princess of Nothingness

by Slann22

From Pact Worlds to Veskarium, the activation of a mysterious weapon was detected that threatened to destroy many planets, which repeated itself shortly thereafter a few months later. It was discovered that the attack came from a hitherto hidden planet located in a ravaged region of the galaxy. Over the next few years, an expedition was organized to explore the site.

118. Princess of Nothingness

Princess of Nothingness.

Talking to the Archduke turned out to be as pointless as talking to Hordak . At that moment, she wished she had the power of Shadow Weaver or at least Empress of Eridani to command obedience to her guests and subjects regardless of any law. In fact, maybe she had that power, she wasn't sure. It just wasn't Etherian Way to impose your will on others . So she ate a big piece of her wedding cake, no one even touched it because of what happened yesterday. None of her friends had eaten anything and they were all hungry, but she was hungry for two. She didn't eat her fill of the cake, but it was enough for now. It was already late afternoon and she still had to talk to two people, first she decided to start with the one with whom it would be easier, but would talking to a monster wearing a human mask be easy?

Catra, Adora and the Brother Blade were waiting for her in the council chamber. Adora looked a bit better now, she probably got a little sleep, Catra was nervous, her tail was wagging vigorously and her eyes were darting, and Melog was walking around the corridor, purring softly, only stopping from time to time to rub against Adora. As soon as they saw her, they stood up.

„Ready to chat with Lady Cala?" she asked, smiling, although it wasn't a sincere smile.

„I still think we should talk to Shadow Weaver first." Adora said with a fierce face.

„I prefer to question Lady Cala first. She can tell us a lot about Shadow Weaver, thanks to which we will learn something about her plans, which will make it easier for us to catch the Dark Sorcerer in a lie." she explained to her friend.

„As long as she wants to talk to us, we won't do anything to her if she chooses to remain silent." Adora said, crossing her arms over her chest.

„One did not force her, the other will have no qualms about it" Catra said through gritted teeth. Seeing the pure hatred in her friend's eyes, she felt uneasy.

„It seems to me that Lady Cala has no love for Shadow Weaver, and she likes to brag even more than Horde Prime although it's hard to imagine that this is possible.„ She murmured and closed her eyes, trying to gather her thoughts, and then stretched out her hands to her friends about Brother Blade and asked.

„Is everyone ready?" and when everyone nodded yes, she moved them to the place where they kept the monster.

As soon as they got there, they heard the humming of a quiet melody. It was quite pleasant to the ears, and she would have gladly stopped to listen to it if she had not been aware of who the creature was who was humming it. Lady Cala was kneeling with her legs crossed. She was now in Human form, her dress partially torn, her hair disheveled, hanging loosely over her shoulders and chest. Her eyes were closed and her face was decorated with a dreamy smile. She seemed so beautiful and innocent. And then she started singing.

Mother reborn

To bring the Thorn

Mother revived

To fulfill destiny.

Mortal seed

Beaded with despair

Planted in the soil of pain

It will give an abundant harvest.

This is not your war

But it is you who will perish

Mere tools unaware

That their souls are at stake

Everything started

Before the beginning of time

And it will last

Until the very end

A wonderful Creator

In Their wickedness

They guided my Fate

That I would come to you

They made me a gift

Very generous indeed

Which delight and despair

I'll bring it to you!

And then Lady Cala opened her eyes.

„Hello, Glimmer. Hello Adora and Catra! How nice to see you! Sorry I didn't say hello right away, but I was inspired! Did you like my song? Artistic skills are an extremely important element of classical education!" she giggled.

„Well, at least you'll have a way to while away your time in your cell, because you won't be leaving it anytime soon. Our grandchildren will be the next ones you talk to if you don't bother to give satisfactory answers." Catra said, smiling predatorily.

„I have time, Catra. However, one thing intrigues me!„ She stood up and walked closer to the force field and rested her head on her shoulder and said to her with a concerned face. "I have a feeling that your mother would be unhappy with the conditions in which you are imprisoning me, although I'm not sure whether she would be more angry that I don't have a four-poster bed here or that I'm not coughing up pieces of my lungs... She's a very complicated woman?" she shook her head with concern.

Hearing the Aristocrat's words, she felt a wave of anger wash over her. She jumped to the energy barrier and, clenching her fists, shouted.

„How dare you mention it! You…" she let out a string of insults so vicious that even Catra's ears fell flat, and Brother Blade looked at her in shock.

„Ouch! What terrible language! Who would have expected such a vocabulary from such a noble lady! Is this how your parents raised you?" she asked, clicking her tongue a few times. She wanted to hit her, but Adora put a hand on her shoulder.

"Do not listen to her. She wants to provoke you." Her friend said, and then turned to the aristocrat. "Why did you come here? Someone ordered you to kill me?" she pierced Lady Cala with a sharp look. The Carurystal woman sighed heavily and sat down.

„Unfortunately, I was forbidden to harm you. Yesterday's events were entirely my initiative. I found a trick in a deal my Master made with Shadow Weaver. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that was playing too much with his will anyway. – she said and smiled sadly, as if she had to tell them tragic news.

„But why did you want to do it? We've never met before, you have no reason to hate me. – Adora said with absolutely no understanding in her voice.

„ I had no reason to kill you? You don't understand anything!" Lady Cala gritted her teeth in a furious grimace. "You stupid idiot and your lover, a feral animal, have ruined my existence!"

All three of them stared at Lady Cala in disbelief, so ridiculous were her accusations.

„How were we supposed to do anything to you?" Catra growled. "You made the choice. Since you arrived, no one has done anything bad to you, although we had reasons not to trust you, we tried not to let you feel it."

Then La dyCala burst out laughing. She was so amused that tears ran down her cheeks.

„How narrow minded you are! Do you really think you understand what's at stake? You are not players, not even pawns! But luckily you have me here! Let me explain everything here in a way that even your happily ignorant minds can understand the truth!" Lady Cala said and started walking around her cell with her hands behind her back. "It all started when a sorceress found the Mirror. It was a very unusual mirror. It contained the Truth about the world. The sorceress was a bitter woman until now. She had great knowledge, or so she thought, but not the power she dreamed of. She faced the prospect of spending a very long life as a mere teacher, with all dreams of greatness fading away like mist in the sunlight. The sorceress had no intention of accepting her fate. So she decided to listen to the whispers of the mirror. It told of wonderful secrets that neither the members of Mystacor's council nor any of the princesses they knew had ever heard of them. However, as she gained knowledge, her contempt for the ignorance of the inhabitants of this planet, especially those who were given great power by virtue of birth, grew. Hunger grew along with the contempt. Hunger for power. A mirror could remedy that. It told her about a ritual that gave her what she had always wanted. However, it was extremely dangerous, but fortunately the mirror knew a way to limit the danger. At first, the sorceress wasn't sure, she hesitated whether to use the mirror. But then the Horde arrived, and the sorceress took it as a sign from fate...

„Yes, yes ... Even we ignorant people know this story." Catra said, smiling contemptuously.

Lady Cala bowed to her and said.

„I was taught that a good story requires a foundation, but since you lack patience, I will skip some of the more boring parts." she cleared her throat and continued. "As you probably remember, the ritual did not go quite as planned by our dear sorceress. However, you certainly do not know who the creature that came at her call was. For it was the Devourer of Light, one of the thousand of thousands Masks of the Great Outer God Nyarlathotep! Creeping Chaos. Emissary of the Outer Gods. Their soul. The personification and patron of free will."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that both Adora and Catra began to listen more closely to the monstrous aristocrat's story when the name Nyarlathotep was mentioned, as if they had heard of him before.

„You see, my dear, the universe is old, older than you can imagine. In the Darkness Between the Stars There are beings who remember the beginnings of this universe and are even older than it. However, their minds are so alien from yours that even trying to understand what they are would shatter your self like a sheet of glass. They don't care about mortal lives either, any more than any of you care about insects, you only notice them when they start to irritate you and then you crush them with your sole. However, there is one exception. Nyarlathotep loves mortals in each of Their masks. It is a difficult and demanding love, rather like the love that a gardener gives to the flowers in his garden. Proper care sometimes requires pruning or pulling out plants that are growing inappropriately, but also protects them from bad weather and pests. It may seem objectifying to you, but it is still much more than some people received from their mothers." she looked pointedly at Catra , who clenched her jaw angrily, and Melog growled, turning red. "Horde Prime irritated him. The Creeping Chaos did not care about the deaths of millions. After all, dying is the only thing mortals can do well, although even in this aspect you can disappoint, as one sorceress proved. However, the destruction that Horde Prime wreaked was unacceptable. Destroying entire civilizations was an unimaginable waste of potential. Horde Prime was like a unruly, stupid brat who uprooted plants in his garden and trampled on young shoots." When Lady Cala began to talk about Horde Prime, Brother Blade began to look at the noblewoman in disbelief. Horde Prime has been referred to by many different terms, but never as a brat. „The Great Outer God began to devise countless schemes to punish this pompous idiot... However, significant complications occurred. When they touched the sorceress's mind, they learned everything she knew, even her deepest secrets, which she was not even aware of. What they heard disturbed them. For They remembered the terrible weapons the First Ones had created. Giving her to Horde Prime was like giving a spoiled child a can of gasoline and matches. Everything he had cherished over many eons could be lost because of this idiot's childish malice. So They made another plan, a great plan, because its key element was to be me." she bowed courtly to them and continued. "I was made! It cost an unimaginable amount of resources and effort, but I assure you it was worth it!" she performed a pirouette to present herself in all her glory. "I was created for one purpose only, to teach Horde Prime humility . For this purpose, I was to go to Etheria and become a character from the legends that this sorceress loved so much, i.e. She-Ra . Unfortunately, as you can guess, there was one obstacle in the way of fulfilling this plan. No one, not even Nyarlathotep, was able to determine Etheri's location... But fortunately, the great outer God had a certain sorceress there, whom he marked with a ritual that made it necessary for her to contact them, otherwise she would face a terrible and torturous death. But the cunning witch found a way to cheat fate, even if it was so degrading. She never made contact with the Creeping Chaos after that, perhaps out of scruples, but I personally believe she was simply too cowardly to face Nyarlathotep again. But the Creeping Chaos has countless minions who possess immeasurable resources. A large research center and observatory was built on the planet Nocturnus, controlled by a certain Doctor Sidonius." she looked at Catra, who pricked up her ears. "I think you know where this is going. After some time, it was possible to determine Etheria's location, so the construction of a teleportation machine was started , which would in the future transfer one miracle child to a planet cut off from the rest of the universe. However, it was difficult, years passed, the wonderful creature that I am appeared in the world, and scientists still did not find Etheria. But then something was detected, a portal opening straight from where Etheria was. We even managed to locate the place from which the gate was opened. However, the chief arch-blasphemer , leader of the cultists who owned the facility, forbade the Doctor from sending the divine child, despite the ancient scientist's strong assurances that the object sent to Etheria would be safe. It was decided to test the device on something much less valuable, something that was bought for pennies and no one cared about it. So they put a kid who absolutely no one wanted into an applesauce box and pulled a lever.„ Lady Cala smiled venomously at Catra, who stood hunched as if a heavy weight was pressing down on her. Adora walked over to her wife to hug her and she teleported next to her and did the same. She understood how difficult it must have been for her friend. The words of this monstrous creature confirmed everything Shadow had been saying all these years in the horde. She looked at Lady Cala , whose eyes sparkled with cruel joy.

„You are a monster." she said through clenched teeth, Lady Cala giggled.

„Haven't we already established this? Continuing. Unfortunately, the moment the kid disappeared through the portal, something strange happened Someone from Etheri, a Being called Light Hope, hacked into the facility's systems and caused the portal to explode, killing all the scientists except Dr. Sidonius, killing a vampire is really not easy. Meanwhile, I came to Carurystal, to a family that had the misfortune to have the surname Grayskull. Believe it or not, the founder of the family was simply a pirate. Because of you, I was condemned to a boring life, devoid of purpose and meaning." she looked at them with hatred. But then Catra burst out laughing and said.

„You blame a helpless child for being condemned to become a child soldier instead of you while you lived in luxury? Do you hear yourself, how stupid you are?" The cat girl could barely contain her bitter mirth. Lady Cala just smiled wider. However, she mentioned something the Aristocrat had talked about earlier and asked.

„What deal were you talking about?

Lady Cala looked at her gently and tilted her head as if considering an answer.

„Agreement between Shadow Weaver and Nyarlathotep. It is because of her that you have the honor of being in my distinguished company!" she bowed to them once again.

„Will you tell us what its conditions were?" She asked the Aristocrat, not expecting that she would give them an answer, this time the Aristocrat surprised her. She stared at them for a moment, now with complete seriousness, until she finally said.

„To save the universe."

They looked at her confused.

„Save the universe in what sense? After all, Horde Prime has been annihilated!" she exclaimed, but the aristocrat laughed.

„Horde Prime was a bit of a nuisance, but to immediately become a threat? Oh no! There are already powers in the galaxy that could deal with him, in the case of a Star Empire even without effort. You know, they're the funny guys who hosted your mother. No, Horde Prime's time has passed. I'm talking about someone completely different...„ She looked at Adora . "I'm talking about your compatriots, Princess of Power."

„But they were destroyed by Horde Prime ! He told me about it himself!" Adora exclaimed, looking confused.

„Oh, you really are so gullible. He was talking a lot of nonsense, if even some of it was true... The Primes were very powerful... they are extremely powerful... Horde Prime had no chance against them... Even if he was able to stand up to his masters."

She opened her eyes wide.

„Does this mean that the First Ones created Horde Prime?" she asked, she wasn't even surprised by this news. That explained a lot.

„Yes... At least partially. Unfortunately, I don't know everything, only what has been deemed appropriate to reveal to me. The First Ones waged war, a war against many adversaries, who together began to triumph over your Adora's compatriots. That's why they created the Heart of Etheria. But they weren't as stupid as you might think. They didn't put everything on one card. They decided to create an army, powerful, even invincible and, most importantly, absolutely devoted to their orders. The heart seemed to have more potential, although it wasn't initially intended to be a doomsday weapon, but eventually it became one, further proof that when you give mortals great power, they only have enough imagination to cause a really big explosion. The First Ones were few in number, and, having learned from the experiences of one of the races they had once defeated, they did not want to entrust their fate to the AI. But they discovered something, an ancient artifact with an entire pocket dimension. There was a creature living there that offered its help. With her help, a powerful clone army was created in a hidden sector... However, before it was ready, a rebellion organized by Mara broke out. It covered the entire Empire, especially the colonies that suffered most from the capital's imperialist ambitions. After losing Etheria, everything fell apart. The Empire fell and its capital, Eternia, hid in an inaccessible dimension. The rebels were forgiven for the sins of their former rulers. However, they were preparing vengeance. The Great Army was waiting in hiding, slowly conquering distant worlds and growing in strength. The being they released from the Artifact took over this army. However, the First Ones deceived their ally. They tore apart his mind, melted it down and forged it into something new. He became Horde Prime, the overseer of the Horde. He was ordered to exact revenge on his former enemies and traitors, but their plans were much more ambitious, as he was to rid the galaxy of intelligent life. He was doing quite well, but he was imperfect." Lady Cala smiled at Brother Blade. "His nature as a demented megalomaniac. Instead of being a tool to cleanse the galaxy, he began building an empire. Not very well functioning, which he was slowly destroying anyway, but it was still a violation of his orders. He fulfilled his mission slower and slower. However, its former rulers were dissatisfied, so they decided to introduce a new plan. I'm not sure what happened next, because obviously we have no contact with the First Ones, but first they decided to use a simpler method. So they sent a certain child to Etheria. I guess we now know what happened next." The aristocrat looked at Adora, smiling contemptuously.

„So everything is fine. After all, Adora ruined their plans! We are safe now!„ she said with hope in her voice. But when Lady Cala smiled broadly at her, she realized that she was very wrong.

„No, you're not. For the First Ones have Many Servants. Including a Hunger That Cannot Be Satiated. And believe me, they won't hesitate to use it. For you have destroyed not one, but two of their toys. He will not forget this for you. And after all, they have a Galaxy to cleanse." said the monster with a beautiful face and sat down cross-legged, resting his head on his hand. There was silence. She felt as if the entire room had become icy cold. She looked at her friends. Catra flattened her ears, and Melog curled up at her companion's feet. Adora stood firm, staring at the Aristocrat, but she could see that the princess of power was trembling internally. She herself… Well, she was absolutely terrified. But she pulled herself together.

„What proof do we have that what you say is true?" she said, trying to sound unfazed. Lady Cala laughed and said.

„I have absolutely none. I don't know if everything I told you is just a lie. After all, what are we all, even me, just specks in the endless darkness? But do you dare to take the risk? Will you sacrifice the lives of the inhabitants of Etheria and other worlds because you consider my behavior inconsistent with your moral standards? It's a matter of your conscience, luckily I don't have one."

Catra, however, grinned menacingly.

„So that's what this whole speech was for? So you can scare us into releasing you! You are a faithful disciple of Shadow Weaver. Girls! Let's get out of here! We can handle it ourselves!" she looked at them and took a step as if she was going to leave. Lady Cala snorted contemptuously and stood up.

„Will you be able to handle it? So who? I was once read a fairy tale about the Princess Of Nothingness. A princess who, deprived of her kingdom and homeland, wanders around the courts, counting on support. I hope that the teachers who read it to me wanted me to learn humility... Personally, I think I'm too humble... I wonder which of you could be called the Princess of Nothingness. Are you Adora?" she looked at the Princess of Power. "You have renounced your nation... You have twice betrayed those you fought for... You have no one and nothing. The only thing that makes you valuable is the power you received through some sick joke of fate. But this power can leave you at any moment, or, what would be much funnier, consume you. Or Maybe you." she looked at Catra . "A kitten abandoned so many times… Unwanted… It's probably occurred to you more than once that it's your fault. That others saw what you were like deep inside. That you're not good enough. That you are a disappointment. Now you have turned out to be some kind of princess, inheritor of a fallen kingdom, heiress of a lost throne. But how long will your father, your friends and your wife be there for you when you become the same? It was easy now to keep her true self in check, but when times get tough, and believe me they do, won't the real Catra reveal her true self to the world again? What about your rights, Queen Glimmer?" she looked her straight in the eyes. "Ruler of a Kingdom built on the graves of the murdered… I wonder if your mother knew the truth that I learned yesterday…"

„What truth are you talking about?„ she asked, looking confused at Lady Cala .

„The truth about the fate of the true inhabitants of Etheria." When she said this, Catra lowered her head and Melog turned blue. "Oh, you already know! Who would have thought that you would be willing to share the truth you discovered with your wife and friend?"

„What is she talking about?" she asked Catra , who started talking in a low voice.

„Then, in the underground city, we came across a painting. It depicted the previous She"Ra. She... belonged to a race that no longer exists...„ she said quietly, and Lady Cala nodded.

„In fact, the First Ones exterminated the original inhabitants to steal She-Ra's power, and then brought in the workers, whose descendants now inhabit Etheria. You rule a kingdom that is not your own, Dear Glimmer... Just like you, Adora , you rule the power that your ancestors stole from the true inhabitants of the planet...

Then there was silence. She knew that most of what Lady Cala said wasn't true. She wanted to hurt them, sow seeds of doubt in their souls. She could only hope that nothing would sprout. But that last one… It completely undermined the way they saw themselves… The way she saw herself. Who was she then... Did they have the right to call themselves inhabitants of Etheria ? However, she decided that she would not give this woman the satisfaction.

„You are the Princess Of Nothingness." she said firmly, not taking her eyes off the monster with a beautiful face.

„What? „ asked the surprised Aristocrat."

„You have power, I cannot deny that to you, but it comes from the being from whom you come. Everything you have was given to you by your master and can be taken away by him at any time. You are just his tool, used to fulfill the purpose for which you were created. However, you have nothing behind it . No one who would care about you, who would worry about you. All you have is the void where others have their hearts."

Lady Cala stared at her speechless, then growled.

„I swear by the power in my veins that I will take your planet away from you and turn the lives of its inhabitants into a nightmare."

„Try it.„ she said quietly and, taking her friend and Brother Blade's hands, she teleported to her chambers, leaving the furious monster to pound its fists into the force field.