Disclaimer: I don't own Warcraft III, Blizzard.
Chapter 1: the Baby Nathrezim
The flames of the Tree of Life marked the end of the second failure of the Burning Legion in its quest to conquer the world of Azeroth. Even with cunning plans and mighty demonic soldiers, the Legion was still no match against the united army of the humans, orcs and night elves. However, Azeroth was not the only world where the Burning Legion had failed to set aflame in destruction.
Years and years ago, it attempted to invade a world which was not created by the Titans, and was so seriously defeated that it took millennia to recover from its losses. Since then the Legion dared not to touch any worlds not created by the Titans again. Little did the dread lords and warlocks know that the result of that invasion also included a hero whose destiny would intervene with the Legion and the fate of the worlds . Here is how his story began…
Luthius smiled as his eyes surveyed what was once a base in the shadows of the clouds, satisfied with the success of the attack. Surrounding him were bloodied corpses of fallen demons and huge, gigantic rocks that littered everywhere in the battlefield. Since the battle had ended, the Flying Swords of Light, hundreds of them hovering in the mid-air and one in his hand, were no longer necessary. Luthius held up the Sword in his hand, and all of the other Swords de-materialised. He then released his weapon, yet the enormous blade, as long as its owner's height, never reached the ground. It also de-materialised as soon as Luthius opened his palm.
It had only been the second day since Luthius' God had told him about this invasion. This demonic army, who called themselves the Burning Legion, was foolish enough to launch an invasion on a world created by the Ultimate Lord, who also created the Titans, including the Lord of the Legion, Sargeras. The Almighty God had foreseen it all, and sent his two servants, Luthius and Aerye, to counter them. The two cosmo-crossers had not only the power to stop the invasion, but also the power to cross into their cosmos known as the Twisting Nether and destroy the entire Burning Legion. However, their Creator had requested them to let Sargeras live and the Nether intact, so they did. Luthius never question his God, but could not help wondering why the God of Love and Every Goodness in All Cosmos would allow such an evil to exist.
His mind fled to the moment when he and Aerye found the base of the Legion, and challenged it alone. At first, the Lord of the Legion and his minions laughed. The mocking last only shortly, ended when Luthius sent out his Flying Swords of Light flying everywhere, spilling the guts of every demon in their paths. Aerye blasted everything standing in the way of her spells. Chaos spread throughout the base, but there was nothing the demons could do. None of them could even approach the two cosmo-crossers without being either cut in halves or blown into bits. Sargeras and a couple of his lackeys tried to summon burning, rocky demons that landed from the sky like meteors, but their stony bodies were sliced through by the Swords like knives through butter and blown apart into lifeless rocks. Sargeras then realized that their power displayed was enough destroy the Legion ten times over, and ordered to retreat back into the huge red portal. After the Lord of the Legion and several demons were gone, Aerye sent a huge fireball that blew up the Demon Gate. Luthius and his swords took care of the rest.
A feminine voice broke his reverie. Luthius turned, and walked to its source. The leaves rustled as he went through a bush and came up to a girl about his age. He then froze, unable to believe what he saw.
Aerye was kneeling down amongst a sea of turned-over carts and dead demons, but not quite what one would expect in a battlefield. They were very little to start with. Then Luthius noticed their large heads and small wings and horns, and realized that these were baby demons, whose parents must be part of this invading army.
"I did not do this, Luthius," Aerye said as she looked up.
"I can't believe this…" Luthius said as he kneeled down next to Aerye to examine a baby. "These are crushing wounds…" he muttered as he pointed at the crushed chest of the baby. "They must have knocked over the carts and trampled on their babes…"
"They must be desperate to escape," said Aerye. She stood up and looked at the piles and piles of dead babies. "Poor children to die so young… what could they be thinking, to bring their children to battle?"
For a moment Luthius was puzzled. However, the mystery was solved when he looked up and noticed something at a distance.
"I think I have the answer," said Luthius as he stood up and walked away. Aerye followed.
They reached a clearing with the ground red with blood. Aerye gagged at the sight. Amongst the blood there littered small fragments of bones, some of which still had little flesh attached. In the middle of the clearing was a table, on which there lay a bloody corpse. It took a while for Aerye and Luthius to see that it was a disembowelled baby demon with his limbs ripped apart from the body.
"Oh, my…" said Aerye. "What… what had they done to that?"
Luthius picked up a bone from the ground, examining little bit of flesh on it. He frowned in disgust. "Apparently they cannibalise on their children's flesh."
"What!" Aerye cried out. "How… how could they do such a thing?"
"I don't know," Luthius took a deep breathe. His mouth twitched in abhorrence. "This… this is unspeakable evil."
Just then, a wail broke the silence of the battlefield. They rushed back to where the carts and the crushed babies were. There, under the shadow of a tree, was a small cart. Luthius and Aerye went to investigate. Inside the cart, there lay a small baby. It was obviously a male, for it was nude. His skin was pale, but that did not hinder his beauty. Two little horns grew out of his large head, and he lay on his small, red bat-like wings. His mouth was opened wide, and small drops of tear came out of his tightly closed eyes.
"A survivor!" said Aerye as she took him out of the cart. "It is good to at least have one alive." She hugged the baby and kissed him on his forehead. "Come on, baby. It's all right."
Just as Aerye tried in vain to stop the noise, the clouds in the sky opened a little to allow a light shone right onto them. The calm, peaceful feeling of awe flooded their hearts, and Luthius and Aerye knew that their God was calling them. The baby stopped crying at once as they went on their knees.
"Luthius, Aerye…" a voice called out from the sky.
"We are here, Lord," Luthius and Aerye replied.
"This is the baby Nathrezim I've given you, Luthius and Aerye," the Lord said gently. "His father's name Algammon, who has abandoned his child for the safety in the Twisting Nether. You shall take care of this child, as if this is your son, for I have chosen him to do great things. The future of many, including the Burning Legion and every cosmos I created, directly or indirectly, lies in his hands, and so you must train this child to be a force of good and justice."
"How can this be, Lord?" Aerye asked. "This child has a dark heritage."
"All that is tainted can be cleansed," there was a smile in His voice. "The Luthius beside you is of an even darker heritage. Yet he is now one of my most prized servants."
"It shall be done as you've told, Great Lord," said Luthius. The light disappeared and they stood up. For a moment Luthius and Aerye were silent, unable to find any word to say. In their hearts they felt that their God had given them a mission.
It was Aerye who broke the silence. "What shall we call him, Luthius?"
Luthius scratched his head. "Well… Lord didn't tell me what he shall be named… how about we name him with the same name as his father, Algammon?"
"That will be fine," Aerye smiled. She held the baby up. "Algammon, Algammon. What do you think about us taking you home?" Algammon laughed and Aerye held him in her arms happily. "Let's go back to our pocket cosmo."
The two cosmo-crossers disappeared from the forest as they crossed back into their world.