(AUTHOR'S NOTE:Darzon(s) our now in the future, so the Darzon that was in the future in the last chapter is now the present time Darzon, or simply Darzon, while the first Darzon will be referred to as the past Darzon. I know time travel's confusing, but bear with me, you're in for BIG SHOCKER in this chapter!)
Chapter 2: A Dark History
The Darzons shot out of the portal landing on burnt, dead, charred land. The past Darzon looked up to the skies. It was a deep red, as if the storm cloud's were filled with blood instead of water. He looked around. All he saw was black land and scorched earth.
"Do these portal's always mess up like this?" grunted past Darzon as he slowly and painfully got to his feet. You need to move pretty fast when you're traveling through time, needless to say if you land, it's going to hurt pretty bad.
"What, you mean the falling part? It happens. Time travel is a very delicate art and we're not a very delicate person." stated Darzon as he solemnly looked around at the wasteland.
"At any rate, why are we at the Burning Steppes?" asked past Darzon recognizing the dead landscaped. Darzon's expression became increasingly depressing.
"We aren't at the Burning Steppes…We're in Ashenvale ten years in the future." murmured Darzon as he knelt down and stared a small burnt sapling in sadness.
Past Darzon could not believe this! Ashenvale, the grand, luscious, beautiful, forest of Ashenvale had been to reduced to this landscape of death and fire! And only ten years in the future! It was inconceivable!
"That's impossible! Who could do such a thing, and why!? Is this why you brought me here?" asked Darzon, discussed by the defiled land. Darzon nodded.
"Come with me, I will allow Salandria and Dornaa to explain." Darzon stated as he walked through the landscape. Past Darzon couldn't shake the feeling that he had heard the name Slandria before, but followed and oddly stared at his future self as Darzon carefully watched the skies above vigilantly. He decided not to ask fearing that he could not take another surprise hit like the fate of Ashenvale.
The two came upon a wall of jumbled rock that stacked up against a large rock. Darzon pulled a small yellow gem from his bag on his belt and faced it towards the rocks. A stream of energy similar to the time portal Darzon had used began to flux into the rocks. They began to reshape and move around and disappear altogether. In mere moments a cavern stairwell appeared. Past Darzon reluctantly followed himself down the stairs. They entered a large underground cavern full of people and bronze dragons. Past Darzon had never seen something like this. Many of the people and dragons spoke in serious tones as they stared at maps and parchments. When the two arrived the room stood silent. The two received glances of surprise and happiness as they ventured deeper into the caverns. Past Darzon was extremely confused by this strange place. Still he decided to wait until he was informed of what was going on before he started questioning what was happening and where they were. Eventually Darzon ventured into a large circular room with stairs descending to the center. At the center was a small group of people and a large dragon speaking with a blood elf woman and a draenei woman.
"Salandria, Dornaa, Look who I brought!" snickered Darzon as he placed his hand on his past self's shoulder. A look of uncontrollable joy grasped everyone standing in the room, especially the elf and the draenei, who rushed over and hugged both Darzons.
"You did it Darzon! You were able to bring yourself back! Cheered the draenei huggin present Darzon.
"You look just like you did all those years ago." said the blood elf as tears poured down her face, tightly wrapping her arms around the past Darzon. Past Darzon looked at his future self with a confused look in his eyes. His future self just smiled and hugged the draenei.
"It's me, Darzon, Salandria. Don't you remember me?" asked the elf in a jubilant tone.
Darzon stared at her with a contemplative look. He had met many blood elves in his time, and he was pretty good with faces and names. She had long elegant white hair and a very petite body. Her ears were slightly longer than the typical elf and her eyes and a very bright green shine to them. She was young, very young, a little lounger than Darzon, most likely in her early adult years. Although something about her seemed so familiar Darzon could not remember her.
"Well, I guess I shouldn't expect you to remember me…I was but an orphan back then even though you look exactly the same." giggled the elf.
Suddenly a memory flashed on in past Darzon's head. It was Orphan's Week and past Darzon had been given a small blood elf child to look after. She was a rambunctious little squirt, but loveable nonetheless. She loved the band Tauren Chieftan and wanted to be a rock star. She also loved to ride around on the different mounts he had acquired in his travels. He even remembered an odd incident where she had been attacked by the Bronze Dragonflight. Her name was…
"Salandria, it's you! You've grown so much!" laughed past Darzon as he began to squeeze her tightly.
"Yes, time has a tendency to do that with people." the elf said
"So, what trouble brings me here said past Darzon, his joyful mood become stern. Salandria, Darzon, and the draenei become equally serious and led past Darzon back down to the center where they had been previously.
"As I'm sure you have noticed, Azeroth has taken a turn for the worst…" began Salandria. " Ten years ago, Nozdormua suddenly emerged with from a time portal with a most detestable companion…the infamous Neltharion, more commonly known as Deathwing."
Past Darzon's eyes widened.
"With them, they brought an army of chromatic, twilight, and, most of all, infinite dragon's with them. You see Nozdormu's disappearance around the same time as the Infinite Dragonflight's arrival was no mere coincidence. He was actually their leadre, along side Deathwing. He had gone back in time to simply stage Deathwing's demise only to bring him to the future." explained Salandria.
"We first learned of Deathwing's possible survival during your time when a spy uncovered a meeting between Sintharia and Overlord Mor'ghor of the Dragonmaw. Sinthari explaine to Mor'ghor that her mate, Deathwing, was very much alive and she asked Mor'ghor for Netherwing eggs for the black dragon flight's twisted experiments." said the draenei with disgust.
"Though a select few were worried of this information, many dismissed it. Unfortunatley, the world would pay for that mistake…" whispered Saladria.
"Wait a second, this makes no sense. I thought Nozdormu was concerned only with preserving the timeline…Why would he go back and change something? It makes no sense!" past Darzon exclaimed.
"We didn't understand it at first either. You see, from what we were able to uncover this is our theory. Nozdormu knew where, when, and how he would die. Seeking to change his fate for a 'better' future in his eyes, he studied the time-lines very carefully to see how he could alter the time line. According to him, with his death, the world would be brought to destruction, but with our own bronze dragons still loyal to the annals of time, we have been able to surmise that his theories are implausible." explained the draenei.
"Along with Deathwing, Nozdormu created the Infinite dragon flight, 'enhanced' bronze dragon's who would serve their evil deeds. They possessed the same powers of the black dragons and bronze dragons which, though making them powerful, mutated them into the odd dark beings you saw in your time. Nozdormu then sent his new dragons back at key points in time that would distract everyone from his true motives. He knew that adventures would attempt to stop these events and therefore they would be too preoccupied to notice the small changes he made…Small changes that would lead to the end of the world." Salandria explained.
"Once Nozdormu brought Deathwing out with his new dragon flights, they razed they world, destroying the Horde, the Alliance, and even the remaining dragon flights." growled the draenei.
"Ok, so Nozdormu ruined the time ways by saving Deathwing and ushered in the apocalypse of Azeroth and now we're trying to change it. What does that have to do with me?" asked past Darzon confused why he was so important. True, he was a very capable warrior, but he had never really done anything major. What was so special about him that could save the world.
"You, along with the others who were bale to travel back in time within the Cavern's of time, are special unique individuals who are not affected by the same laws of time. No one knows why or how, only that you can travel through the time ways without damaging the time lines." said Salandria.
"Well where are the others then?" asked Darzon with a puzzled look.
Saladria and the draenei looked at each other with sad looks.
"You're the only one left Darzon. Nozdormu knew which adventurers were these unique individuals and slowly picked them off by one. His initial hope was that you would be killed while attempting to save the time ways, but some of you made it. Once Nozdormu and death wing began to wreak havoc upon the world, he slowly found these adventurers and picked them off one by one." Salandria muttered as she stared at the rocky ground at her feet. "Your future self survived and managed to make it to me and Dornaa here." Salandria said as she gestured towards the draenei female.
"We managed to send him back to your time and retrieve you so you can save the timeline."
"Well if I'm able to save the timeline…Why do you need me? You have Future Me, can't he do it?" asked past Darzon.
Tears began to roll down Salandria's and Dronaa's cheeks as they slowly turned to Darzon. A sad smile sprawled across his face a he stared deep within the eyes of the two young girls.
"He can't stop it…because he is going to be killed…" sobbed Salandria.
Darzon jumped out of his seat and looked frantically at his future self and then at Salandria. His future self couldn't die! That would mean he himself was going to die! He didn't want to die, he liked being alive! There was so much he had to live for; he had never even been to a Tauren Chieftan concert yet!
"How's that…How do you know that?" asked past Darzon asked in a frantic voice.
"With the few bronze dragons we have we were able to see his fate in the future. Though we are unsure of the details, we know he will die… Soon in fact." sobbed Dornaa as she held Salandria tightly.
"Wait, but if we stop Deathwing and Nozdormu…Stop this madness…I can save the time lines…And myself right?" asked Darzon.
"That is what we have surmised." said a large bronze dragon, taking over of the briefing for the two sobbing girls.
"You will have to excuse Salandria and Dornaa…They have grown very fond of Darzon…you. He's been like a father to them." said the dragon. "But the only thing is that these two girls are the only ones who can kill Nozdormu…"said the dragon as he turned to the girls, still sobbing, now being comforted by Darzon.
"You see, Salandria and Dornaa have a special gift much like you have the gift to travel through time harmlessly. They are the only two people who have the power to hurt a time entity such as Nozdormu. That is why, if you remember correctly, Salandria was assaulted by bronze dragonspawn when you first brought her to the Caverns of Time. Her power was sensed by us and was considered a threat. Fortunately I intervened. Dornaa had a similar experience." explained the dragon that past Darzon now recognized as Zaladormu from all those years ago.
"We have also been able to gather this information: though these two young girls are extremely, gifted, they need someone with your 'power' to face Nozdormu or they will be defeated." Zaladormu sighed.
Darzon looked around the room. All eyes were on him. He held on his shoulders the fate of the past, present, and future. He held the fate of all the inhabitants of Azeroth on his shoulders. He held the fate to see Tauren Chieftan live in concert on his shoulders.
"Where…" Darzon started. "When do we begin!"