//------------------------------// // Interlude: The Shattering // Story: Sunset Shimmer: Path of the Damned // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Sunset sat on the Frozen Throne as she waited for her forces to be made ready for the initial assault on the rest of the world, as there were more living creatures to slay and she had plans for what to do first, but before that happened she had to do something with the Helm of Domination. She had found that it did gave her control over the Scourge, which was one of the more commonly known powers of the item, though at the same time, when she concentrated her mind and cut out all distractions, she was able to peer into the vast realms of Death, so named the Shadowlands, something she knew about thanks to the information contained in the Helm. She could tell that someone was very interested in her and what she was doing, as she could sense a dark power observing her from the safety of his realm, which she was sure that Arthas had sensed during his time as the Lich King, but so far the powerful being was just watching. It was clear that the dark presence in the Helm understood that she wasn't to be messed with or angered and might be giving her some space, though she did know that, in due time, she'd deal with the figure in some manner, allowing her to open her eyes and focus on the pair that was floating in front of her. After her first meditation station with the Helm she found two figures, who looked a lot like the val'kyr, floating near her and the Frozen Throne, where she discovered that both of them were blue skinned and wearing armor that had no doubt been forged in the afterlife, as if they were warriors of some kind. She studied the pair for a time and found that one of them was female, who seemed to be far more experienced in the art of flying, while finding that the other was male, had an unkempt beard, and had next to no knowledge of how to fly, as his companion had to remind him of the lessons she had given him previously. Sunset also found that they were hanging around her predecessor for some reason, hence the reason she had this world's version of Arthas stay on the peak of the Citadel with her, patiently waiting for her to speak like an obedient soldier. Since the pair were from the Shadowlands, usually unseen to the mortals of the worlds, she had determined that the reason she could see them was due to the Helm of Domination, given all of the powers that it seemed to possess, even though there was a slim chance that her power was far greater than she assumed and this was due to all the powers she had stolen so far. Either way she was interested in them and knew that, if she left them alone, they would likely haul her predecessor to the afterlife while her focus was on something else, though Arthas didn't seem to care about them, rather he seemed to be ignoring them, even if one was Uther, his former mentor that he killed with Frostmourne. "What is interesting to me is that you two are here, in the land of the living, without orders from your leader." Sunset said, because thanks to the Helm she knew that these two, Kyrian to be exact, were those who ferried the souls of the dead to the afterlife, where they would be judged and sentenced to one of five afterlives, which all depended on what they did while they were alive, yet these two came without the blessing of their leader. "We are here to claim the soul of Arthas Menethil, who you wrongfully raised into undeath." Uther stated, showing that he either didn't understand what was going on, meaning he was a novice in terms of the Shadowlands, or he was so fueled by his desire for vengeance that he couldn't see right from wrong, and his mentor, a female Kyrian of importance, remained still as she and Uther flapped their blue feathered wings, "For all the wrong he has committed, against both myself and the rest of this world, I shall cast him into the Maw, where he rightfully belongs." "And yet that would break the machine of death, wouldn't it?" Sunset remarked, causing the pair to stop as Arthas stood still, knowing that she knew what he had gleamed during his time as the Lich King and that she already had a even deeper understanding of things than he did, "I thought so. You have a central location, a figure to be exact, who studies the souls brought to it and that sends them out to the rest of the Shadowlands, to the afterlives they belong to... breaking that chain of events would have serious consequences for all of your reality. Oh, and don't even dare mention that raising everyone to serve the Scourge will do the same thing, due to the fact that there are other timelines where I changed something but didn't attack it, meaning those souls would have gone to their final resting place... I would say that I've actually helped your realms out." The female Kyrian opened her mouth to say something, anything to refute Sunset's statement, before lowering her hand as she realized it was true, there were worlds that Sunset had created, simply to see what sort of timelines she could make in her search for her cursed weapon, that were still alive and those who died there were brought to the Shadowlands with nothing happening to them. "I... as much as it pains me to admit it, you would be correct." the Kyrian replied, as she couldn't believe that she was even agreeing with the figure in front of her and Uther, especially after everything Sunset had done to claim her weapon, but in that moment she realized that, if she continued to show that she wasn't aggressive, she might convince the being to hand over Arthas' soul, releasing him for his punishment in the Maw. "Indeed... though I'm afraid that it will be a long time before you two are able to see the Shadowlands again." Sunset said, where she pulled herself from the icy throne and drew Frostmourne, something that surprised the two figures for a few seconds as she made her move, using her magic to pull the female to her so she could stab her in the chest, piercing her armor with ease, while finding that Uther decided to flee, not that it mattered since able to repeat her actions on him in a matter of seconds. Sunset grinned as she slew both of the figures, the price they had to pay for interrupting her conquest of the world, even if she had done her studies before their arrival, before she readied her power and pulled them back into undeath, which put a darker smile on her face as she added Devos' power, who was the female Kyrian, to her own. "Devos, you will join my val'kyr and join them in raising the dead as servants of the Scourge," Sunset stated, which was just a stab for both of the figures, one was used to delivering souls to the Shadowlands and was now being forced to raise all those slain into undeath, before she turned towards Uther for a moment, "while you, Uther, will join your student and kill those who oppose me... you need a weapon to do so... maybe the corrupted Ashbringer, now molded into a true weapon of death by our smiths." To ensure that the Light couldn't take over, and bestow the blade onto someone else, Sunset had used her new extensive knowledge to mold weapons into Mourneblades, weapons of great power, not as powerful as her own of course, that she only bestowed upon those worthy of their power and the position on her Council. Her Sylvannas, for example, had a pair of scimitars that had been transformed into new weapons by the power she granted them, true weapons of death, while her bow received a boost by being remade in saronite, though she wasn't the only one whose blades were given a change of appearance and power. The Council also served as her Mourne Knights, her greatest champions who oversaw the rest of the Scourge, which meant each one needed weapons befitting of their station, hence why she had new weapons made or reforged to fit her new desire, just like how she took Shadowmourne and gave it to Arthas, the old Lich King one to be more exact. Uther and Devos would serve as great members of the Council as well and she already had a weapon in mind for the latter, since she might double as someone who could fight her enemies while raising others, so once she was done here she'd have a new weapon made for her as well. As Sunset started to move, to dismiss the figures in front of her, she paused for a moment as Kairoz landed nearby, who knelt after shifting into his guise, showing the newcomers that even dragons bowed to her, even if he had been raised into undeath as well. "Ah, Kairoz, how go the preparations?" Sunset inquired, as while she could easily read the minds of her servants, or use all of the powers that were available to the Lich King, part of her wanted to hear a report being given, even though there was little that was change her current plans to invade the rest of the world. "Good, but I have some news to share with you: He is returning!" Kairoz replied, something that caused the others to raise their eyebrows for a moment as they heard him say that, since most didn't have any idea what he was talking about, but, due to all of the things that the fallen bronze dragons had told her about, she had an idea as to what he meant. In that instant, as Kairoz made his report, there was a change in the air that Sunset felt and glanced to the south to see if they were right about what was happening right now, something that was followed by the ground shuddering for a couple of seconds, a sign that the last of the Aspects was about to return to Azeroth, before the Maelstorm shuddered, which was followed by all of Northrend, and the rest of the world, shaking violently. "He's back... Deathwing has returned to Azeroth at long last!" Sunset remarked, where she found that the entirety of the world was definitely shaking, the elements screaming in turmoil as the planet faced something similar to the Sundering, an event that shattered the supercontinent that existed all those years ago, and she was sure that the living shamans, as there were plenty left, were terrified of what was coming next. Sunset barely left any orders for the others, simply ordering them to get everyone off the ground, as she took to the air for a time and headed for the Maelstrom, as she wanted to see this with her own eyes and not have it be reported to her by one of her underlings, before she heard a voice speak. Pain... a loud raspy voice said, one that sounded like it was in constant pain or had permanent damage to the throat, which, given the information she had on the being in question, made sense since the dragon that would become the mad dragon Deathwing, all while Sunset paused as she felt the image of a hammer striking a red hot plate appear in her head, as if she was receiving a vision, Agony... This time Sunset could see a bunch of hammers working on a massive metallic plate that was red hot, meaning something had been heating it for a while to ensure people could work on it, though this confirmed her thoughts and Kairoz's words, the Aspect of Death was about to return to this world. My hatred burns through the cavernous deeps. the voice continued, which was when the workers hauled the plate into the air and, with some doing, nailed it to a massive body that looked like it was in the middle of breaking, where the dragon roared in pain as the plate was attached to his exposed flesh and burned when it came into contact with his still broken body. As the workers continued to fix Deathwing's body, as that had to be what she was seeing, the black dragon had a violent reaction to having his body pulled back together and fastened into place by the molten plates, as he attacked the cavern he was in, the earth itself responding to his actions. A swing of his tail on the floor of the cavern caused parts of Azeroth to crack, the ground breaking just a tiny bit, though when he swing his massive wings she discovered that a massive wave of water struck the southern end of the Eastern Kingdoms. Upon fixing his neck brace, and striking the ceiling with his head, Deathwing said that the 'world heaved with his torment', where she found that the Barrens cracked in half, part of it lifting up into the air a little as the southern half sunk, and a zeppelin crashed into Orgrimmar when he said that the 'wretched kingdoms quaked beneath his rage', in addition to the Thousand Needles area being flooded entirely. When the last of the bolts were fastened into place, and the plates had settled so his body didn't pull itself apart, Deathwing violently emerged from the realm that he had been hiding in for some time, breaking through the Maelstrom as he left Deepholm, the realm of earth, and she could see the massive dragon off in the distance. Flames danced around his blackened body as he flew through the air, setting certain locations on fire as the sheer intense heat broke other locations, like a dam for example, and both continents seemed at his mercy as he zeroed in on the city of Stormwind, landed, and roared as he declared that everything would be burned beneath his wings, though as he did that Sunset found herself smiling once more. "Things have gotten interesting." Sunset remarked, as with the return of Deathwing she knew her focus would be split, as in did she focus on destroying the world of the living like she did in the other timeline, or did she tear down the dragon that was in the process of breaking Azeroth, a world she designated as her domain. Sunset had a feeling that she could do both, with as massive as her army was, and there was no telling what the return of the Aspect of Death would have for the world as a whole, save for the ability to invade the Elemental Planes, but she was looking forward to everything that was about to unfold. "Thrall, you can't be serious about this." Jaina Proudmoore, a human mage of great skill, said, as she and the leaders of the Alliance had just learned something from the orc Warchief, the figure who stood as the leader of the Horde, similar to how Varian stood as the King of Stormwind and the main leader of the Alliance. "Jaina, as a Shaman of the Earthen Ring I must try to help the Elements, even if it is dangerous to do so." Thrall replied, as he and the others had witnessed Deathwing's return to Azeroth, in fact he had landed near the entrance of Stormwind, on top of two watchtowers, and the sheer intensity of his inner fire had burned claw marks into some of the stone, before he departed for parts unknown, "You must understand, this is likely the only chance we'll get to flee. Sunset wants a world to conquer, so she's not about to let the Aspect of Death bring ruin to Azeroth and will likely focus her attention on him and his allies, the Twilight's Hammer cult and whoever else is on his side... this is our best chance to leave for the Wandering Isle, since it seems to be the safest location for us to hide in. While you do that I must head to the Maelstrom and see what Deathwing has done to our world, or what he's set in motion, and try to appease the Elements, or at least calm them until either new heroes rise to save Azeroth or Sunset finishes the Aspect of Death herself." "I can understand your devotion, Thrall, but it will leave the Horde without it's Warchief." Varian commented, as while he had no love for the other faction that protected Azeroth, and sometimes they fought over locations or even provinces, he was more reasonable thanks to Jaina, plus Thrall was about the only figure he trusted to run the Horde. "I would have selected either Garrosh or Saurfang, as they are well respected in the Horde, but now they're dead, having fallen to the Scourge." Thrall said, which was a sad day for all of them, given how both orcs were on the battlefield, before an idea came to mind, one that might allow him to fulfill his shaman duties while ensuring that the Horde had a leader, for as long as it mattered since there was no telling what Sunset might do next, "While she has concerns for the safety of our collective people, I wouldn't trust Sylvannas with the position... that leaves either Cairne or Vol'jin." "While both are honorable, I know Cairne would only accept with the intent of passing the title back to you... provided you are able to return without Sunset finding you." Jaina remarked, though while she didn't like talking as if this might be the last time she and Varian might see Thrall, she had to accept the reality that they were facing a monster that was far more dangerous than Arthas had been when he became the Lich King, so there was a chance he might die during his quest, a fact Thrall was fine with, "Vol'jin might be more realistic, just in the off chance that something happens to you... oh why did things have to turn out this way?" Thrall and Varian agreed, because they had planned on a lasting peace with the downfall of the Lich King, who had been the greatest threat to their world, but with Deathwing up and about, doing whatever he wanted, Thrall had to step into the role as a shaman once more and tend to the Elements, but before they could say anything a swirling portal opened near them, one made of elemental energy. "It looks like my ride is here. Tell Vol'jin he's in charge of the Horde, and that I'm sorry I can't pass it on in person." Thrall stated, as the opening of the portal meant the other shamans were gathered at the Maelstrom, ready for him to join them in answering the call of the Elements so they could set things right. As Jaina and Varian nodded, watching as Thrall stepped through the portal, she could only hope this wasn't the last time they would see the mighty shaman who wielded the Doomhammer, that he would return to them in due time and come baring good news, but knew that only time would tell.