Author's Note: I am very happy that I finally got to work on this story. This is my first fanfic I have ever written, so this should be a ton of fun and a great learning experience. The general idea of this is based off of a dream I had a long tme ago. Since I have always loved the Warcraft/World of Warcraft games, I decided it would be a great idea to write this story about them. First off, I do not own the Warcraft series. All of these characters are fictional and are from the games (which belong to Blizzard Entertainment, not me) or I have made them up. I know that this chapter is pretty long, but I just wrote this to explain the main storyline. Also, yes, "Enthris" is a town I made up. I thought it was kinda funny that that I realized that the main character's name, Calonos, is somewhat similar to my name after I made him up. Calonos - Clayton...Whatever...It doesn't matter in the slightest. Anyways, I wrote this prologue because I'm not very good at writting short summaries. Well, I hope you enjoy my story. You all have my thanks for giving it a chance out of the hundreds of thousands of other fanfics on this site. Please leave a review. So let's get started...
Prologue - From Scars To Redemption
"Sometimes I wonder if what we fight for is really worth it. Are we truly willing to make the required sacrifices, or are the costs too great? Sometimes, they can be too great. Death, destruction, or even worse can result. I no longer fear these things. All I have ever asked for was forgiveness. My name is Calonos Lightfury. I have done many terrible things in my twenty-four years. I have murdered innocents, destroyed numerous towns and cities, and countless other awful deeds. I was a monster. I truly was a puppet of devastation. However, my actions have been forgiven, but not forgotten. Who could forget them?
I was born in the Redridge Mountains with my brother, who is two years younger than me, Reide. We grew up in a small town in the foothills near Lakeshire called Enthris. Our loving mother and father, Angela and Polyus, cared for us throughout our childhood. They gave us all the love and care a child needs. They made us feel safe. They taught us about the Light and those who follow it. Unfortunately, our town and our parents...are no longer there.
When I was eight, Enthris was attacked by a band of orcs from the Blackrock clan. They burned everything in sight to the ground, there was nothing left. The sights of our friends dying all around filled us with fear and dismay we never could have imagined possible. Blood was everywhere, and death was all around us. Fire was burning everything we had cherished. It was as if happiness and joy themselves were being consumed by the flames of the orcs' hatred.
Reide and I had to endure the horror of watching our own parents fall to one of their wretched axes before our very eyes. I remember feeling the warm streams of tears fall from my eyes. Reide wept over them, crying endlessly. He looked at me, wiping the tears away that stained his face. 'Calonos, why would the Light let this happen to us? What have we all done for this to transpire?' He sounded so innocent. I held him tight in my arms, knowing that I was the only family he had left. He gripped me even tighter, begging for all of this to stop and just go away like some horrid nightmare. Soon after, a group of the Blackrocks came and tore us from each other. We both screamed and struggled to break free from their iron grips, but it was no use.
They hauled us away from each other. Reide stretched out his hand, thrashing the air frenetically and screaming 'No! No! Let me go, you disgusting green monsters!' That was the last time I thought I would ever see him.
As for me, when Reide vanished from my sight, I knew there was nothing I could do for him. I worried about him, but all I could do now was try to fend for myself, and survive the orcs' brutal demands. They slammed me down into the dirt and bound my ankles, shouting in a tounge I could not understand. The iron chains were hooked to the saddle of one of their riding wolves. I was dragged across dirt and rocks to my imminent fate. I winced in pain as my back was cut and slashed by the razor-sharp rocks that scraped and dug into me. I was scared and engulfed in pain. My whole body ached and my strength was nonexistent. I did not know what would happen to me or where I was being led to. Would this be where I would meet my end?
They dragged me deep into the mountains of Redridge, farther from chances of escaping. Minutes passed. Hours passed. It seemed to be an eternity before they shouted the order to stop. Mountains surrounded us. My back was dripping with blood. I did not know where we were. Fear and confusion overwhelmed me. I could only wait and see what would become of me. Death? Slavery? Only time could tell.
Two orcs rushed over and unshackled me, forcing me to stand up. My legs shook uncontrolably; I was too weak to resist. I could barely even stay on my feet. They pushed me along, screaming orders I couldn't even understand. I looked ahead to see who I assumed was the head of the marauders. He carried a plain, wooden staff and was dressed in purple, tattered robes, and walked over to me, guarded by two warriors who wielded axes that seemed even bigger than my entire body. He looked me straight in my terrified eyes and raised his staff and struck me in the side of the head. My face hit the earth and it felt like being kicked by a horse. The taste of soil disgusted my tounge, but I still lay there motionless with anxiety.
I heard more shouts and yelling. Footsteps grew closer to me, and I felt the steel of a razor-sharp axe barely kiss the back of my neck. The orc readied his axe and raised it above his head, waiting for the final order to put an end to me. I heard the leader bark the order in that damn dialect.
My eyes shut and I began sobbing, waiting for that sudden rush of pain...but it never came. I heard a cry of pain, but it was not my own. The axe dropped the to ground and so did the orc. I looked up and saw an arrow that dug into his neck. Furious, the orcs' leader raised his staff again and shouted another order. Before the the orcs could respond, a wave of blue and gold charged in and trampled many of the Blackrocks under the force of Alliance soldiers. I heard a yell I could actually understand. ' A child! Don't let these bastards harm him more!' The sharp, metallic sounds of steel clashing hurt my ears, but I did not care. The Light had given me a second chance. A surge of joy and hope returned to my body, but my strength was still gone.
Past the point of exhaustion, I struggled to lift my head up again until my fatigue devoured me. I fought to stay conscious, but the images of battle and death became blurs to me. The salt of my sweat burned my eyes, forcing me to keep them shut after a few seconds. I lay there, praying that the Alliance soldiers would be victorious. Soon after, my conscious dwindled away from me. My exhaustion dissapeared, and I felt no pain...and everything went black.
A few days later, I awoke in a nice, comfortable bed. It felt like something was constricting me. I lifted up my tunic to find I had bandages wrapped all over my body. Relieved, I fell back into my pillow, letting out a huge sigh, knowing that the danger was over. However, once again, I was confused and clueless as to where I was or how I got there. Around the time I woke up, a man in a brown, leather vest and chocolate brown hair greeted me with a smile, the first I had seen in too long. 'Well...you're finally up!" he said in a deep voice. 'You're a very lucky boy, you are. If we hadn't have been there when we were, then you would've been headless!'
I sat up in my bed and looked at the man. He seemed friendly and I felt like I could trust him, but I still needed answers to my questions. 'Sir, you have my most sincere thanks for tending to my wounds, but I must know. What happened out there, and where am I now?'
He looked at me and understood my situation. 'Why, lad! You are in Stormwind City. And as for your other question, we were on a patrol of Redridge when we noticed the burning remains of the village Enthris. We cursed ourselves for being too late, and searched the area for any sign of survivors. I assume that you were from that town, yes?'
I slowly nodded and lowered my head in silence. I felt a small tear drop fall from my eyelid. 'Mother...Father...I'm so sorry...' I began sobbing until a realization came to me. My head shot up instantly. 'Reide! Where is he?! Sir! Do you know where my brother is?' I panicked.
The man lowered his head in deep thought. 'Come to think of it, I do remember us finding another boy a bit younger than you. We sent him with a small protection group to Stormwind before we tracked down the orcs that took you.'
More happiness returned to me. Reide was still alive. I was so greatful, and I tried to jump out of the bed, but the man held out his hand, telling me to stop. 'Easy, boy! I know your eager to find your brother, but you still need to let your wounds heal. You took quite a beatin' out there! Even our priests were a bit surprised at your wounds. Most children your age would be dead from such punishment. You are much stronger than a normal child your age.'
He was more than right about my injuries. I was bruised and cut all over, but lucky to be alive, and I owed it all to this man and his fellow comrades. 'Hmm...You're right, sir. I must regain my strength. As I said earlier, I cannot thank you enough. Do you have any idea as to where my brother is, sir?'
He smiled at me. 'Please, the name's Ulthrist, and you are quite welcome, lad. Now, I think your brother went to the Cathedral of Light. My fellow officers said somethin' about him begining his trainin' in the ways of a paladin.'
I looked at him in surprise. 'A paladin? Reide?' I questioned.
'That's what they said. But don't worry about him. I'm sure he will be just fine. Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot to ask. What is your name, lad?'
It took me a minute to answer, but i finally muttured. 'Calonos...Calonos Lightfury.'
We continued to talk for the next few hours. I eventually asked him about joining the Alliance's army and my reasons for asking. He told me that he would be more than honored to have me among the ranks...in good time of course.
The next day, Ulthrist took me to Stormwind's Keep to speak with the child king, Anduin Wrynn. On the way there, I began to think to myself that I felt that this was something I had to do. I wanted to join the Alliance's ranks in order to pay the the kingdom of Stormwind and the rest of the Alliance back for saving our lives, to help make the world better to the best of my ability, and to be able to see Reide again, possibly even fight alongside him someday. I was introduced to the child king and his advisor, Verkus Alsiret. That man would come to plague all of Stormwind in the future.
Soon after, I made a full recovery from my wounds with a few scars as reminders of what happened to me. Once I was back on my feet without someone always having to support me, I began my training with Ulthrist in the ways of the sword. I was to become a warrior of the noble Alliance.
He taught me everything I knew about weapons, combat, and many other factors to becoming a great warrior. The training was arduous and exhausting. He would make me spar with him using wooden swords and he made me practice archery. I would also have to meditate. By the end of each day's training, I would feel as weary as I did on the day of Enthris' demise. The work was unbearable. However, my mind would feel as much pain as my muscles would. Ulthrist would make me study mountains of books and scrolls that ranged from all topics such as histories, fighting techinques, weapon types, and hundreds of others. He even taught me the trade of a blacksmith. While the pain was excruciating each day, I gradually became stronger and wiser in what I was taught.
After the first few weeks of training, I was finally reunited with my brother. We were both so happy to see each other again after the longest three and a half weeks of our lives. Reide's training was no different. While he may have learned things I did not, his fatigue would always be equal to mine. I would see him every night at the end of our training. We would discuss how our training was coming along and what we were learning. Sometimes, I would even join him in prayer within the Cathedral of Light. Our brotherhood was one of the many things that encouraged us to keep us going in our training. We knew that soon we would be able to fight...and not with mere wooden weapons...
Over the next few years, our training increased as well as our skills and abilities. I knew I was getting stronger. I knew I was becoming a better fighter. My aim with a bow became more precise with every shot, the weapons I worked with felt light as feathers now, I learned how to ride a horse, and I could answer just about every question Ulthrist asked me about my studies. I was becoming the powerful soldier I wanted to be.
My brother was the same way. He became stronger, as well. His skill with weapons was oustanding and he was able to call upon the Light's power to heal injuries. He was my equal in almost every way. Before too long, our instructors would order us to spar with each other. He may have been my brother, but I held nothing back when fighting him, and he felt the same torwards me. That only made us stronger. There were times when I would be the victor, and there were times when he would best me.
Before too long, we had both completed our training and we were finally ready to join the ranks of Stormwind's finest. I proudly wielded my sword and shield that I would fight with. Ulthrist was still my master, but I took orders from the king as well. For three years, Reide and I took part in victories aplenty, together and seperate. Soon enough, I climbed the military career ladder and became a greatly respected captain of Stormwind's army. Ulthrist was so proud of me. Oddly enough, Reide soon became a powerful knight under my command. He always followed the orders I gave him. We fought alonside each other and carried out our directives without fail. Our foes came to fear us. We gained quite a reputaion and soon after, we became considered some of the toughest the Alliance had to offer.
Sadly, the days of our glory did not last very long, for King Wrynn was betrayed and murdured by his advisor. Verkus took his crown and control of the kingdom of Stormwind. While he did not deserve to wear the crown or sit in the throne, he was still the king of Stormwind, so we followed his orders. Many of those still loyal to Wrynn's rule fought against Verkus' forces. We battled with them, carrying the banner of Verkus. Many innocents were killed by my hands. I led many of Verkus' troops to slaughter and pillage all who resisted his rule. I remember hearing people scream in terror, defenseless against our might. I began to be as ruthless and cruel as the Blackrock orcs that almost ended my life all those many years ago.
When Verkus came to power, Ulthrist fled the kingdom to side with the Wrynn supporters. Reide's master did the same. I do not know if they are still alive or not. Before Ulthrist left, he told me, 'Calonos, is this really how you wish to see Stormwind? The Stormwind that has protected you most of your life?! You have the power to stop this madman! I trained you to protect Stormwind, not to allow it to plummet into corruption!'
To this day, I cannot believe what I said to my own master who taught me all that I know. I looked at him and said, 'You taught me to always obey my master! I serve King Verkus, for my duty is for the greater of the kingdom! You are no longer my master...now leave before I strike you down where you stand!'
That broke Ulthrist's heart. He left saying the last words he ever said to me, 'Do what you must for your 'master'. Just know that sometimes obeying your master and doing what is right can be two different motives. I pray the Light shows mercy on your soul, and I also pray that you do the right thing before it's too late. Farewell, Calonos. I hope we meet again someday.' I never saw him again after that. It was his words, though, that helped me begin to see the error of my ways. It was then I began to ask for forgiveness to the Light.
Now I reflect back on all of the horrible things I have done in the past few years in the name of that moster. The kingdom of Stormwind is now a terrible place, ruled by fear and cruelty. Because of Verkus, we've even been removed from the Alliance! It's time for a change. I am still a captain of Verkus, but I have a plan to rid us all of him.
I feel that this is the redemption that I seek. I wish to restore this kingdom to what it used to be, and with the power of the Light, the support of my brother, and all of those who stand behind us, I believe that someday, that dream will become a reality. Maybe someday, even I may learn to forgive myself..."