Loud, rumbling tremors shook the ground, causing jagged bedrock to jut forth like knives through flesh. The sky darkened as obsidian black clouds blocked out the sun, casting the world into an inky darkness.
"Run!" Lion-O shouted as their new homeworld, Third Earth, was torn asunder by the passing comet, causing havoc on the surface of the planet. "Thundercats!" His words were drowned out by the collapse of stone structures all around them.
"Lion-O! Look!" Pathro points to the only building that wasn't collapsing - an enormous geometric structure of Permacrete, set into the base of low cliffs.
"To the building!" Lion-O shouts. The Thundercats, including Lion-O, Tygra, Cheetarah, Panthro, WilyKit, WilyKat, Bengali, Pumyra, and Lynx-O ran toward the building. Cheetarah arrived first and swiftly swept through the building, ensuring it was safe, before waving the others in.
"It's clear!" She called out before running out and scooping up WilyKit and then WilyKat. The rest of the Thundercats ran through the opened door, with Lion-O ushering them in and entering last. Inside the building, the air was silent and silent, and the ground was still, giving a sense of eerie calm after the chaos outside.
"What is this place?" WilyKit asked.
"I don't know, but it seems safe, for now," Lion-O replied, surveying the room. Permacrete walls, devoid of any decoration, met at Permacrete floors and ceiling. Small lights line both the top and bottom of the wall, giving an eerie glow across the building.
"This hallway goes in a circle. I only saw one door but didn't look to see what was inside," Cheetarah informs Lion-O.
Panthro stepped up to Lion-O, leaning in closely. "We need to talk," he said urgently. Lion-O nodded silently and turned to the others, "Stay here. Panthro and I will try and figure out what this place is." he informed them before walking down the hall, with Panthro by his side.
"Lion-O, somethings not right about this place," Panthro stated uneasily.
"I agree," Lion-O replied warily. As they turned a corner, they were instantly cut off from the sounds of their friends.
"Lion-O, something is wrong with this place," Panthro repeated.
"I feel it too," Lion-O replied. As they arrived at the door Cheetarah had told about, Lion-O gripped the Sword of Omens, and with Panthro's signal, they pushed the door open swiftly, slamming it to the wall, ready for anything. The room stood empty, except for a massive circular gate. A swirling energy filled the circle as runes around the edges glowed with a faint hum emanating from the gate. Suddenly, the building started to shake, causing Lion-O to spin around. "The Thundercats!" They turned and started running down the hall, meeting the others.
"The doors collapsed. Then the ceiling started to give." Tygra spit out breathlessly.
"Have you found a way out?" Pumyra asked frantically.
"We found something," Panthro stated. The shaking worsened, and sections of the hallway began to collapse.
"We have to go now." Lion-O called out, "Follow us." As the Thundercats followed, the odd humming grew louder and the energy field of the circle churned like a storm. Cheetarah did a sweep of every inch of the room in seconds. "Lion-O, there is no way out." She stated with a sense of urgency.
He looked toward the portal, wondering what lay beyond.
_______________________
WilyKat gazes into the crackling campfire, the flames illuminating his solemn face. It feels like eons have passed since they traversed the Star Gate and arrived on a planet hauntingly similar to their own, yet plagued by a lethal infection. While the undead were a known threat, the alien viruses proved to be an unprecedented challenge for the Thundercats, lacking immunity. Strangely, WilyKat remained immune to the planet's afflictions, becoming the caretaker for his fallen companions, burying each with reverence.
Now, the weight of the Sword of Omens rests in his hands, a relic that has remained dormant since the demise of Lion-O, the final Thundercat to succumb, leaving WilyKat as the solitary survivor. Despite his futile attempts to harness the Sword's powers, he finds solace in the belief that he may not be the last of his kind, nor the inevitable "Lord" of the Thundercats. This bittersweet realization imbues him with a sense of melancholy hope.
He turns the spit slowly, the aroma of roasting deer meat filling the air. The crackling flames beneath sear the fat, sending sizzling droplets into the fire. He knows to keep away from the locals, who scornfully dub him a "Mutant" due to his appearance, a reminder of his youth spent battling mutants alongside the Thundercats. As he reaches for a piece of the cooked meat, a sudden gleam catches his eye - the Eye of the Sword. WilyKat instinctively reaches for the hilt, and an ethereal red light floods the surroundings, unlocking Thundercats history and revealing a glimpse of a Thundercat he doesn't recognize meeting his demise on a distant planet in another universe. Mumm-Ra, his ancient adversary, seems to sense WilyKat's presence through some mystic connection. As the vision dissipates, WilyKat grapples with the heavy realization that he is the sole survivor of his kind, until the Sword assures him otherwise, urging him to seek out a new generation of Thundercats on this planet before Mumm-Ra's arrival.
