- Ming springs from prison an evil ex-Shadow Lord and nemesis of Mandrake, and orders him to locate the three pieces of the ORB OF KONOS that will enable Dr. Dark to grant the Merciless One immortality.
- Mandrake has a precognitive dream in which Ming's forces spring an old enemy of his, former Shadow Lord Doctor Damian Dark, from Altos Prison, along with Dark's cohorts, the Psychic Warriors Ra, Lillith and Mara. Flash goes to intercept Ming's forces, but his ship is sent plummeting towards a nearby asteroid, at which point Mandrake wakes up. He tries to convince himself that it was all a dream, but Master Vandar (the leader of the Shadow Lords) appears to him and tells him that it was not and that Dark is free. Dark is seeking the Orb of Konos and Vandar tells Mandrake that he must be stopped from reaching the Amber Keep.
Lothar contacts Mandrake to tell him about the attack on Altos Prison, to which Mandrake says he already knows. When Lothar says Flash is on his way to try and stop Ming's forces, Mandrake tells him Flash must be recalled as his life is in danger, though there is no time to explain why. This time, though his ship suffers main engine failure, Flash manages to get away. Later, Mandrake apologises to Vandar, saying he knew allowing Flash to be warned of his fate was wrong, but he couldn't just let it happen. Vandar replies that Mandrake does not have the ability to alter destiny, adding that they must stop Dark or the Universe may not survive.
When Garax arrives back at Ice Station Earth with Dark and the Psychic Warriors, Ming tells him he was only supposed to bring Dark. In reply, Dark says he ordered Garax to bring Ra, Lillith and Mara because he thought they might prove useful and has them demonstrate their powers. Ming is impressed, but tells Dark not to do anything in future unless he commands it. He then returns Dark's Shadow Key (a ring with a red gemstone) and Dark uses it to reveal the history of the Orb, which taps the Shadow Void and has the power to grant immortality. However, it broke into three pieces during the destruction of Atlantis and these pieces were then separated and hidden in different locations. Dark asks Ming to help him to get to the planet Rylos, where the key to finding the pieces of the Orb is located.
Later, Dark (accompanied by the Psychic Warriors, Garax and two Ice Robots) arrives on Rylos where he uses his Shadow Key to open the portal which leads to the Amber Keep. Shortly after, Mandrake also arrives on Rylos along with Flash, Lothar, Rick and LJ, announcing their arrival to the Shadow Lords (of which he is one) as he and his fellow Defenders cross the Shadow Void. Inside the Amber Keep, Vandar assures the Shadow Lords that Mandrake is coming for the Vial of Knowledge, the one thing which can reveal the locations of the pieces of the Orb. At that moment, however, Dark and his party appear on the scene and Dark destroys all the Shadow Lords except Vandar, before taking possession of the Vial and capturing Vandar.
Shortly after, Mandrake and the others enter the Amber Keep. During the battle which follows, the Psychic Warriors use their powers to disarm Rick, who joins Vandar as Dark's prisoner as Dark orders Mandrake's party to call off their attack. Mandrake tells everyone to stop firing, then promises Dark safe passage in exchange for Rick, Vandar and the Vial, but Dark refuses and orders Rick and Vandar loaded onto the two hovercraft he and his party are using. However, Rick manages to escape and, moments later, Mara (who wants no further part in Dark's plans) also makes a break for it. Lillith calls after her, but Dark says he knows how to deal with traitors. He then deliberately flies his hovercraft at Rick and Mara, knocking them off the parapet. Luckily, Lothar manages to save them by lassoing them with his rope.
Dark and his party escape, taking the Vial and Vandar with them, and Dark forces Vandar to reveal the one place the Vial can be opened, the Well of Essence. Back at the Amber Keep, Lothar asks why the Vial is so important and Mandrake replies that only Vandar knows where it can be opened and both he and the Vial are in Dark's clutches. However, Mara uses her ability to see and hear through Lillith's eyes and ears to discover where Dark is heading and hears Dark talking about the Well. She tells Mandrake and the others what she can hear, to which Mandrake says he knows of the Well, which is in Antarctica.
Arriving in Antarctica, Dark's party (which now includes two more Ice Robots) gain access to the Well and Dark opens the Vial, revealing a ghostly apparition. Dark asks where the three pieces of the Orb are, but before the apparition can reveal this information, Mandrake and the others appear on the scene and Mandrake has Mara use her powers to bring him the Vial. In response, Dark orders Mandrake killed and Garax shoots Mandrake with his laser gun as Dark regains possession of the Vial. In the ensuing battle, Rick and Mara are confronted by Lillith and Ra who try to use their powers to take Rick's laser pistol from him, only to be buried when Rick fires his laser at the ceiling and causes it to collapse. Dark tries once more to consult the Vial, as Mandrake (who survived being shot with Garax's laser) begins to stir. The apparition tells Dark that the pieces of the Orb are hidden in three temples, but before Dark can learn any more Garax grabs him and throws him aside, preventing him from finding out anything he could use to betray Ming.
Mandrake staggers to his feet and goes to retrieve the Vial, prompting Dark to try to zap him with his Shadow Key. When Vandar calls out to Dark to stop, Dark zaps him instead and is about to do the same to Mandrake when Mara bursts through the wall and throws herself at Dark, causing both of them to fall into the Well. Vandar dies, leaving Mandrake unable to do anything except take the Vial and escape with his fellow Defenders, as Garax also flees and the Well is destroyed by the forces which have been unleashed. That night, Mandrake steps out onto the balcony and calls forth a vision of Vandar, who tells him a new Shadow Lord will soon emerge. Meanwhile, Dark has survived his fall into the Well, but has been left horribly scarred.
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