"Hello, Ebonia."
Ebonia whirled around to see Sara floating in the abyss behind her.
"I know you must be suspicious of me.", she continued, "But believe it or not, the dream you had last time was not who you thought it was. I am here to help you, and warn you."
Ebonia was definitely still suspicious.
Sara explained, "These nightmares you've been having, they are related to external forces. The first few were all done by simple minions, but now their masters are taking note. A black dragon resisting their control...they don't like it. You won't even realize they are there, for they move in subtle ways and can twist reality itself to be however they want you to see it. The seeds of corruption have already been planted. It is only a matter of time to grow and bloom, and you cannot stop it."
Sara smiled slyly. "We can, however, delay it, perhaps even long enough for you to confront the masters face to face."
Ebonia snarled, "I don't trust you."
Sara shrugged. "I know you don't. But I'm your only hope. Eludian can do nothing for you. No one else can do anything for you."
"Who are you, really?", growled Ebonia.
Sara replied, "Someone who can traverse minds and knows all about them. A fierce enemy of my foes. The only one who can save you from a horrible fate."
"That doesn't tell me anything.", Ebonia said.
Sara shrugged. "Just like you can't trust me, I can't trust you either. You get to be rather paranoid handling things that can bend reality."
"What are these 'things' anyway?", demanded Ebonia, "You haven't actually told me."
Sara answered, "They are known as the Old Gods, beings so ancient and powerful that they were around at the dawn of time, and overwhelmed the mind of your father. He was far stronger than you, by the way, an additional reason why you are most certainly doomed."
Ebonia replied, "You know, if you're trying to be reassuring, you're doing terrible at it."
Sara held up her hands. "Just letting you know your odds."
"So, these 'Old Gods', they are why my father is the Destroyer?", asked Ebonia, "They made him the monster that he is?"
Sara replied, "Correct. I am pleased that you are listening."
She looked around, and tensed slightly. "They have sensed the dream. They are coming. I will see you another time."
Before Ebonia could respond, the space shuddered and distorted, surrounding her in a burning battlefield. Thousands of soldiers, orcen and human alike, lay burning across it, the very earth torn up around them.
Looking around, Ebonia could see red dragons skewered on rocky spikes all around her. Something flew through the smoke above her, and she looked up to see a nightmarish black dragon, fire trailing from its wings and burning across its body. It radiated a great power that threatened to tear through Ebonia's mind and body.
But worst of all, Ebonia saw familiar burn scars across the dragon's back, a milky white eye and a clawmark ripped across it.
This wasn't just any dragon.
No.
This was HER.
The nightmare Ebonia roared at the sight of several individuals running across at her. Most of them were fuzzy and indistinct, but one of them Ebonia could recognize as Eludian, the dead body of Faewing draped across his shoulder.
The nightmare Ebonia began to laugh as she descended, threatening to engulf the heroes coming for her in deadly fire.
Ebonia reached out, crying, "No!", and then suddenly everything was black.*
She woke up in a rainstorm.
As she stood up, she noticed that she was in her elven form still. But her body felt weary, sore, and somewhat heavy. She was definitely back in the physical world again.
She looked around, and noticed she was in a hidden glade with an old ruined house nearby. Around her tall trees reached up to the sky, their verdant leaves shrouding it.
There was no sign of Eludian or Faewing. That didn't seem good.
Ebonia cautiously started walking, looking around for Eludian or any signs of his presence. She spotted a large black nightsaber snoozing nearby, its black fur lined with white stripes and its huge fangs tinted red from its most recent meal.
Ebonia carefully made her way past it and found herself by a tall ridge, which oddly enough appeared to be made of wood. She started climbing it, and found herself overlooking a small night elf village, a tall tree in its center. Buildings had been grown directly from it, and a winding ramp allowed people to climb to the top.
No one appeared to be outside right now, probably because of the storm.
Ebonia looked around before walking towards the village, wrapping her cloak around her body as the rain soaked her skin. But as she walked, she spotted some orange things hopping around in a small camp nearby.
Ebonia stealthily walked over there, and got a closer look at them.
There were short furry humanoids with long noses, ears, and claws, and seemed to be in an argument of some kind. Nearby there was a pile of supply bags, so it appeared they were fighting over loot.
Some strange glowing green moss was growing on the nearby trees. Ebonia did not trust the looks of it.
Glancing back at the supply bags, Ebonia knew she should probably return them. But seeing as they were sitting right in the center of these creatures and their camp, Ebonia suspected things were about to get violent.
However, dragons were no stranger to violence.
Ebonia stepped towards the camp, and suddenly the orange creatures spotted her. "Elf! Kill it!", one of them cried, "Take its stuff!"
Ebonia replied, "You do not want to make an enemy of me."
The first one charged her, and Ebonia blasted it directly in the face with a fireball. The creature shrieked and crumpled at her feet, its fur burning like a touch.
"What!? Elves don't use fire! That's cheating!", one of them yelled.
Ebonia replied, "Well, I'm not your typical elf. I'd recommend running away about now."
She had no need to tell them twice. They took off at once, and quickly disappeared.
Now that they were gone, Ebonia started collecting the bags, but could not carry that many of them. Looking at the village and how far away it was, she sighed.
Donning her dragon form, she quickly and easily flew all the satchels to a nearby training ground, which was thankfully empty. After she dropped off the last load, she took on her mortal form and kept an eye on the packages, making sure the thieves didn't try and snatch them again.
Finally, the rain stopped, leaving the area a quiet peaceful night. After a few minutes, a night elf man ran in, looking frantic. But then he spotted the bags, and Ebonia nearby them.
"You! Who are you, and what are you doing with those!?", he demanded.
Ebonia replied, "Some orange humanoid creatures stole these bags. I took them here since I did not know who they belonged to. Are they yours?"
The man looked a bit more relaxed. "Um, yes, actually. Those nasty grelkin must have tried stealing them again. Thank you for returning them! They are very important, they're bags of supplies for those in need. But here, since you helped out without expecting anything in return..."
He grabbed one of the bags, emptied the supplies into other bags, then gave Ebonia the empty bag.
"Here. I'm not sure what you'll use it for, but consider it your payment.", he said, "By the way, what's your name? I've never seen you around before."
Ebonia replied, "Um...Kirana."
"It was quite fortunate for me to meet you, Kirana. My name is Melithar.", the night elf man said. "So, what brings you to Shadowglen?"
Ebonia replied, "I'm trying to find a friend. Have you seen anyone named Eludian recently? He'd most likely have a faerie dragon following him."
"Eludian? I only know of one with that name, and he's been in the Dream for many years. Has he awoken?", asked Melithar.
Ebonia nodded. "Yes."
Melithar replied, "Interesting...well, before you go, I must warn you. Do not trust him. He is the illegitimate son of a very dangerous man. We do not yet know if Eludian will follow his path or not, but you must be careful."
Ebonia nodded, although somewhat confused. "Very well then. I should probably be on my way."
"Elune light your path.", Melithar replied.*