And then came the whispers, sending chills into her soul.
"Outcast. Traitor. Failure.", they said, each word hammering another spike into her heart. Every time she tried to close her eyes, all she could see was the blazing corpse of her beloved, her claws reaching out uselessly to save him.
"No. I am stronger than this.", she said, but it did nothing to quell the whispers. The words sounded hollow to her own ears. How could she say that, when she didn't believe it herself?
"Outcast. Traitor. Failure.", the voices whispered, filling her head with dark thoughts.
"No. I won't allow it. He wouldn't allow it.", she replied, but the void did not listen.
Perhaps it did not even hear. She had spoken quietly, too quietly.
"Outcast. Traitor. Failure.", the voices continued.
"Shut up.", she replied, "Shut up, shut up. I don't want to listen to you."
The chorus continued, but another voice joined in.
"But what if you must?", it asked, in a strange deep voice, one that sounded like it had been submerged in deep water and darkness for thousands of years, "What if you must listen?"
"Who are you? Leave me!", she wailed.
"I am the deep.", it replied, and it was an it, even with that male voice, "I have seen this world rise and burn endless times. My dreams will be reality. My voice will speak in the minds of all, and they will listen. They will join the chorus. I will be their god. I will be your god."
"Never. I don't trust you. Leave me.", she demanded, but the chorus surged in volume, and it was all she could not to crumple in a heap and start sobbing.
The voice replied, "You cannot escape your own mind. You cannot escape our song. You will listen to it. One day, you will join it."
"No, I refuse.", she growled, glaring defiantly into the whispering darkness. Another wave of whispers barraged her ears, but she managed to keep herself together.
The voice simply replied, "You will listen, or you will die."
Purple tentacles rose out from the darkness, wrapping themselves around her body. She struggled, but they only grew tighter.
Looming in front of her rose the face of Deathwing, grown to massive size and gruesomely distorted. Around him, the bodies of red dragons burned atop iron spikes, and if she looked they all bore the face of her former beloved, disfigured in screams of eternal agony.
The maw ahead of her opened wide, showing a vision of death and fire. The tentacles thrust her forward, and she screamed as the iron jaws closed around her.*
With a scream and a sudden jolt, Ebonia's eyes flew open, her chest heaving. Her heart hammered as she looked around the dark cave, her mind slowly recovering from the nightmare.
She noticed that the cave seemed mistier than it had been before, and the roots poking out of the walls seemed to have taken on a reddish tinge. That only put Ebonia even more on edge.
Trying and failing to shake off her nightmare, Ebonia stood up, her breathing slowing down to normal levels. She knew she had to get out of this cave, get some fresh air.
When she crawled out, though, she noticed she had a visitor.
Sitting quietly beside the stream, eyes closed in meditation, was an old night elf, with feathers across his arms and antlers sticking out of his long, lush green hair.
As she came closer, his eyes opened and he turned around, smiling. "Ah, you're finally awake, I see."
"Who are you?", sighed Ebonia.
"I am Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage.", the man answered, "And you are Ebonia, the uncorrupted daughter of Neltharion himself. It is good to meet you."
"Um, hello, Archdruid.", replied Ebonia, "What are you doing here?"
Malfurion answered, "I came here to investigate a strange energy source when the Dreamer herself sent me a message telling me it was you. I am rather curious. Why were you brought here?"
Ebonia said sadly, "I think it's because I loved a red drake, and he loved me, and when my father killed him I took him on one-on-one. Ysera saw it and brought me here, to 'heal' and 'plan for my future'. She seems to think I can be a hero, or something."
Malfurion seemed thoughtful. "Interesting.", he replied, "If the Aspect believes in your potential, then I do as well. Hmm..."
While he thought on it, Ebonia took a glance at the river. The water's surface seemed normal...until it shimmered and turned black, glowing orange eyes staring back at her.
"You will listen...", whispered the voice from her dream, "You will obey..."
"Ebonia?", asked Malfurion, and the vision in the river vanished like it had never been there, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just...blanked out for a second.", Ebonia lied.
Malfurion didn't seem convinced, but he didn't press the subject. "I think I have an idea. Many dragons live amongst mortals, and learn much from them. I think it would be good for you to do so as well."
Ebonia replied, "Well, uh, that sounds like a plan. But I've never tried to take a mortal form before..."
Malfurion frowned. "At your age, most dragons have undertaken a Visage Day ceremony. Have you not had one?"
Ebonia said, "No, but remember, I'm a black dragon. I've never seen any other dragon except for my father and his associates take a mortal form."
Malfurion nodded. "Ah, I see. Looks like you'll have to learn, then. I imagine that it's relatively simple, though, once you learn how to do it. I believe it starts with you choosing what you wish your mortal form to appear as?"
Ebonia thought about it for a moment. This was a very important decision for her, one that would affect her the rest of her days. She had to make sure that she would have no regrets on what she'd have herself look like.
She thought about where she was, and who was helping her. In that moment, she knew what she was going to do.
She imagined what she wished her mortal form to appear as, and felt a familiar tug as she activated her magical abilities.
Suddenly she felt her body transforming, shrinking down and rising onto her back legs. Her snout shrank into her face, her scales growing softer and turning into dark skin. Her horns flattened and split into thousands of fibers, forming a long cascade of hair down her neck. Her claws shrank into fingers and toes, as she approached a size similar to Malfurion. Her wings folded around her and transformed into an ebony cloak, her tail morphing into a silver-lined black tabard. In just a few seconds, she had gone from a massive terrifying black dragon...into a simple, small, night elf.
Malfurion had a look of astonishment on his face. "By Elune, you figured that out quickly!"
Ebonia studied her fingers, twiddling them curiously. They were so strange, so different. Not to mention the fact that she was standing on two legs and was considerably shorter than she'd been.
Malfurion said, "Well, I do have to approve of your choice of race. That makes things a bit easier. But there's still one problem: the Emerald Dream is believed to only be accessible by druids, and you do not have that connection to nature."
Ebonia shrugged. "I'm sure we'll figure it out. Remember, this is your idea."
Malfurion frowned and ran his fingers through his beard. "Hmm...I will have to think on this. Perhaps as we head to the grove, I'll think of something. Let's start moving, it's a long walk from here."
Ebonia nodded, and the two of them set off walking along the stream.*