Whispers in the Dark.
"Free... at last..." Cho breathed as the skeletal abomination collapsed before the heroes.
"Death to the traitorous Lich!" Gall cried, before the blue energy fuelling the construct faded away.
"Why do I feel like defeating giant creatures is becoming fairly standard for us now?" Jaina asked, summoning drinks for everyone.
Before anyone could answer, they were teleported away from their most recent kill. Instead of returning to the central chamber, they instead found themselves in a small portico, attached to a large, circular chamber, with runic symbols glowing on the walls and floor.
"Where the hell are we?" Arthas asked bluntly, he moved to step into the chamber, but Thrall stopped him.
"Those markings," Thrall said cautiously, when the Prince gave him a rather outraged look.
"What about them?" Sylvanas asked, but Alleria and Gromm knew why Thrall was concerned.
"They are the shamanistic symbols of our ancestors," Gromm explained, as they noticed the floor was covered by a thin layer of water.
"Symbols of powerful magic," Alleria added. "Why are they here in this unholy flying fortress?"
"We don't have time to theorise, the longer we waste in here, the worse things might get out there," Muradin said urgently, stepping into the chamber.
The moment Muradin's foot stepped into the chamber, the symbols lit up, and the water turned into a thick, almost opaque mist that rose up and surrounded them. A visage of the Lich King appeared before them, towering eight feet tall and shrouded partially by the mist.
"Well done heroes, you have battled against some of my greatest creations," The Lich said coldly, emphasising how he was not complimenting them. "Now only one thing stands before you."
"And what would that be?" Arthas asked.
"The truth," The Lich smiled slightly. "You may not remember the visions of the future and alternate time you saw in the Caverns of Time, but the dragon's magic did not work on me, I remember everything, and I even took great pleasure in learning more by torturing a dying Bronze dragon."
"So?" Muradin laughed.
"Why are there Shaman symbols here?" Thrall asked quickly.
"I was once a shaman, son of Durotan, the lessons I was taught on Draenor have not been forgotten." The Lich stated. "Witness how history should have unfolded, before your infernal meddling!"
With that the Lich vanished, and it was a few seconds before the mists formed into a familiar image in the centre of the room. A ghostly image of Arthas and Muradin standing before a sword encased in ice silenced the heroes, and they could only watch as the Lich tormented them with what 'should' have been.
"Now, I call out to the spirits of this place. I will give anything or pay any price, if only you will help me save my people." The ghostly Arthas said loudly.
The ice shattered, a chunk hit Muradin and knocked him down, as Frostmourne flew high into the air. Athas moved to help his friend, but as the snow was stained red with Dwarven blood, Frostmourne landed next to the prince. Without a second thought for his fallen friend, Arthas dropped his trusty mace, and wrapped his gloved hand around Frostmourne's grip.
"So that's why it was angry at me..." Arthas breathed as the mist shifted and reformed before them. The next vision surprised everyone, and scared Arthas even more.
King Terenas sat up at the sounds of approaching footsteps, before a familiar figure in unfamiliar armour made him rise to greet his returning son. As his son knelt before him, leaning on a weapon that was clearly not the mace he had departed with, Terenas shook it off and greeted Arthas with fatherly warmth.
"Ah my son, I..." Terenas began, before Arthas spoke in a loud whisper.
"You no longer need to sacrifice for your people, you no longer need to bear the weight of your crown, I have taken care of everything."
Arthas rose, removed his hood to reveal chalk white hair and greyish skin, before wielding Frostmourne and approaching the throne. As his two henchmen moved towards the guards, weapons raised, Arthas advanced on his father, malevolence in his cold eyes.
"What is this?" Terenas exclaimed, as Arthas forced his father to kneel. "What are you doing my son?"
He looked into his son's eyes, and saw no warmth in the familiar pupils.
"Succeeding you, father!" Arthas said plainly, his voice cold and cruel.
Arthas watched in horror as his ghostly duplicate raised Frostmourne, before impaling his father on the cursed blade.
The crown fell from the king's drooped head, smashing to the floor and rolling away, specked with blood from its deceased owner.
"This kingdom shall fall, and from the ashes, shall arise a new order, that shall shake the very foundations of the world!" Arthas said loudly, as his guards killed his father's guards.
Arthas dropped to his knees, shaken by the visions, but the mists were not done in playing their cruel game on the Prince.
"Your father ruled this land for seventy years, and you've ground it to dust in a matter of days." Uther said bitterly, as he approached the fallen prince.
"Very dramatic, Uther." Arthas smiled coldly at his former mentor. "Give me the urn, and I'll make sure you die quickly."
"The urn holds your father's ashes, Arthas!" Uther exclaimed, disgusted and enraged by the traitor before him. "What, were you hoping to piss on them one last time before you left his kingdom to rot?"
"I didn't know what it held. Nor does it matter. I'll take what I came for one way or another." Arthas chuckled.
They watched the ghostly former friends fight, until the spectral Arthas got the upper hand and prepared to strike down his former mentor.
"I dearly hope that there's a special place in hell waiting for you Arthas!" Uther snarled.
"We may never know Uther, I intend to live forever!" Arthas said as the Lightbringer died before him.
Arthas ignored the dead Paladin, instead picking up the urn, and promptly tipping the ashes out to be blown away by the wind.
"Enough games! Face us coward!" Alleria yelled at the shifting mists.
The Lich laughed manically, as the mists formed into two figures; Arthas in the Lich's armour, and a prone and bleeding Quel'dorei ranger.
"Finish it! I deserve... a clean death." Sylvanas said bitterly, clutching her bleeding stomach.
"After all you've put me through, woman, the last thing I'll give you is the peace of death." Arthas said coldly from atop his undead horse.
"No! You wouldn't dare..." Sylvanas cursed, as Arthas raised Frostmourne, black lightning shooting from the blade towards her. "Aah!"
The ghostly Sylvanas' scream caused the heroes to tense and cover their ears. They then watched several disturbing scenes being played out before them in the mist; the undead Sylvanas attacking her own people, Arthas killing King Anasterian, and the Sunwell being used to resurrect the fallen Necromancer Kel'thuzad, which led to its destruction.
"Monster!" Vereesa yelled at the shifting mists.
"Oh, there is so much more I learnt about what should have happened, but I shall show you the moments that matter to you, before I kill you." The Lich's voice echoed.
A towering demon laughed at the two fallen Orcs, both splitting images of the Orcs watching the vision before them.
"The boy believed you could be saved, but he didn't know what burns within your soul, that in your heart you know, we are the same." The Pit Lord mocked.
Gromm's red eyes burned brightly as he roared in anger, getting to his feet and charging the Pit Lord, Gorehowl gleaming in the moon light. Mannoroth moved to block the Orc's attack, but Gorehowl cleaved through the staff, and imbedded in the Pit Lord's chest. The fire that burst from the demon exploded outward, Gromm Hellscream fought against it, but the fire enveloped him.
"You saved me!" Thrall breathed, looking to Gromm in surprise. "You sacrificed yourself for our people."
The mist shifted and Thrall's hopeful mood was broken, as once again he saw a reflection of himself, slightly older, and this time confronted by a fiery figure.
"The Twilight Prophet knows that YOU and you alone – are our final obstacle. He's sent ME to remove to from the game." The figure stated.
"I do not fear death." Thrall said as the dark energy held him in place.
"Death? Who said anything about death?" the man laughed. "You may be this world's greatest shaman, Thrall – but you are only mortal. This is my master's curse upon you – turning your great bond with the elements – into your undoing!"
The heroes watched as Thrall was split into four elemental components, while the figure continued to mock.
"Even now, the elements are tearing you apart – and they shall feed upon your doubts and fears 'till the last spark of life on this wretched world has been snuffed out."
"Is this all you're showing us? Our deaths?" Jaina laughed, only slightly affected by the visions they had witnessed.
The mists briefly showed a coastal town being destroyed by an unknown device, but the vision was enough to silence Jaina. The last vision they saw, showed another fiery figure, a female night elf, burning Hamuul Runetotem alive, before the mists slowly faded away.
"Come then heroes! Face your deaths if you dare! I am ready for you!" The Lich beckoned, as the door ahead of them opened.
"What do we do?" Arthas asked after minutes of silence.
"Press on," Sylvanas said boldly, letting the visions strengthen her resolve instead of weakening it.
-AN-
Apologies for the increasing delays, but now that Legion has launched, I'm finding it more tempting to play WoW than write about it. I will continue to post the chapters I have written as often as I can, but when they run out there will be a hiatus until I write the rest.