Don't own Warcraft or World of Warcraft.

Aspect of the Twisting Nether

"Neltharaku…" A voice whispered in his ear. The great Netherwing Dragon whipped his head around to catch sight of the caller, only to be met with nothing. The great beast huffed and gouged more grooves into the stone beneath him as he looked around, only to see the peaceful emptiness of Netherwing Ledge.

After enough heroes had done their bit in sabotaging the Fel Orcs who had enslaved his people, Neltharaku and the few who had escaped launched a brutal campaign which wiped out all of Illidan's forces from the floating rock and nearby base, freeing their people to live without the yoke of forced obedience around their necks. Now, Neltharaku was the leader of the flight but delegated a good deal of his responsibilities to his mate Karynaku and their son Mordenaku.

But, lately, Neltharaku had been plagued with unusual dreams, in some of which he feels as if a great being was judging him. In others, it merely felt as if someone called to him, but with no one in sight. This seemed to be a dream of the latter sort.

"Where are you?" The leader of the Netherwing dragons called, as he had done in similar dreams.

"I am here," the voice responded, as it always did, sounding as if it stood right in front of him.

Neltharaku growled deep in his throat. "Then why can I not see you?"

The voice sounded an amalgam of amused and sad. "Because you can only see what you expect to see and, as you cannot see me, I apparently do not meet your expectations."

Once more a talon dug deep into the earth beneath it, and a cloud of greenish flames escaped from Neltharaku's maw alongside a sound of frustration. "You just live to annoy me, don't you?" he asked the entity in exasperation, only to recoil some as the air around where he assumed the entity to be grew even sadder.

"No," the voice replied softly, as if reminded of something dispiriting, "no, I do not."

Neltharaku cocked his head and thought to quip something back, before pausing. There seemed to be more to that statement than what he gleaned at face value. Thinking more deeply into it, the large dragon realized that he had always thought of the voice as another living being, merely contacting him on a whim of some sort.

What if…the voice was of a being that no longer lived?

With that one assumption changed, it seemed that the key to revealing his contactor had been revealed, as the air before him wavered slightly before giving way to a crimson dragon even larger than he. Granted, it wasn't by very much, but that height difference gave away the centuries more this dragon had lived in comparison to him and his flight.

The dragon's scales were a shining crimson that seemed to glow in the Nether's dim light and make the light that reflected off of them dance. And his eyes were breath-taking in their own way; while only a normal amber hue, they burned with an intense love for him and everything around the pair. The scales on the scarlet dragon's right forelimb were a mottled, bruise-like purple, he was missing two talons on his left foreclaw, and three scars – as if someone had clawed him – ran over his right eye.

But despite these injuries and marks Neltharaku felt comforted by the larger male's presence, something in him drawn to the warmth exhibited. The red smiled, and Neltharaku could only stare.

"Well done, Neltharaku," The other dragon rumbled, and around them flowers grew in response to his joy. "You have figured out that I call to you not as a living creature, but as one who has seen all that I can hope to see in this life. You have passed one test, and will be rewarded thus."

Nelthraku shook his head to regain his bearings, and lowered himself slightly before the older male. "You have me at a disadvantage, great red, for you know my name while I know not yours."

A tree sprouted in seconds as the red chuckled slightly before sitting and gesturing for the nether dragon to rise. "You need not lower yourself to me, Neltharaku, father of the Netherwing dragonflight. I am Korialstrasz, former Prime Consort of Alexstrasza the Life-Binder. You are welcome to address me as Krasus as well."

Neltharaku nodded back politely before sitting as well. "What is this test you spoke of, Korialstrasz?"

Krasus looked up thoughtfully but spoke directly to the nether dragon. "Upon my death not even a year ago, I decided to traverse the entirety of Azeroth and Draenor one last time before either choosing one place to remain, or succumbing fully to the Spirit Healer's call and fading away. When I came across your flight, Neltharaku, I was amazed and humbled at how you and yours have ripped yourselves away from Deathwing's shadow to try and find a place in this world to belong, and the hardships which you have withstood.

"It is from that deep respect that I called upon beings greater than myself to name you an Aspect and bequeath unto more power with which you can protect your flight. They wanted a test to prove your worthiness of obtaining this power, and you have succeeded where others would not have. You have shown humbleness, patience, dignity and intuition in situations that would have overwhelmed anyone less worthy."

Neltharaku looked at the red in amazement and fear. "What beings did you call?"

"He called us, young one."

Both dragons watched as the ground around them dissolved, the Twisting Nether darkening until they were surrounded by black on all sides. Suddenly, six towering beings appeared all around them, their forms indistinguishable but their presences undeniable.

"We, child, are the Pantheon," another voice intoned. "We were the ones to give the Aspects their great powers, and so we shall now give you a similar power to make known that your dragonflight is to be welcomed amongst theirs."

"Now," Yet another, sterner, voice said. "It only seems fitting that, as once a child of Neltharion, it is Khaz'goroth who blesses you today."

"Neltharaku," A new voice rumbled, causing the nether dragon's bones and scales to shake from the pure force behind it, "I give you power of the energies which reside around you that once lay within the earth. Where Neltharion's world had been whole and stable, its energies lying solely within the ground, yours is scattered and unruly, the energies even more so. It was these energies which changed you, and now you shall have dominion over them. You shall protect Draenor, and all who reside in your realm as Aspect of the Twisting Nether."

The stern voice spoke once more. "May you use your powers wisely, Neltharaku of the Netherwing Dragonflight." And then the voices faded away, and the dream world returned to normal around Neltharaku and Krasus.

The new named Aspect turned to his companion, but was startled to realize that he was now much taller than previously, having to actually look down to see the red.

"Congratulations, Neltharaku," Korialstrasz said, smiling gently at the Aspect and dipping his head in respect for the netherwing's new rank.

"Don't bow to me, Korialstrasz. It is because of you that I am now able to lead my people as the leader that they deserve to have. As a thank you, I'll use as much energy as I can to make your form as corporeal as I can. It won't be much, but it should make you visible to the naked eye."

Neltharaku quickly summoned his new powers and transferred some of the energies he felt even more intimately to the red, doing so until the energies formed his body perfectly.

Krasus smiled at him and dipped his head appreciatively. "Thank you, Neltharaku. But now the next test approaches. Now, you must tell your people of what has happened and meet with the other Aspects to join their Accord. It will not be easy, but I will do what I can to assist you and your people."

Neltharaku smiled as well, and bid Korialstrasz closer with a wing. "That alone is more than I could have hoped to have asked of you, Krasus. With your help and the Titans' gift, I believe that this is the beginning of a new age for my children."

And so Neltharaku awoke, Krasus' ethereal but no longer invisible form beside him and Karynaku and Mordenaku regarding the two with something akin to wonder. It was a dawning of a new age for the Netherwing, and Neltharaku truly only had Korialstrasz to thank for that.

I'm actually quite happy with this one, even though the characters kind of got a little weird at one point. I hope you guys liked it! Korialstrasz is one of my favorite characters, and my heart kind of broke after I read Twilight of the Aspects.

Please review.

Ja ne!