Here have an incorrect quote to make up for my poor updating.
Bolvar: You really need to adjust your attitude
Sapphire: For questions and complaints, please contact the manufacturer *points to Arthas*
The wind shrieked at Sapphire like a vengeful demon. She stumbled on the slick ice that covered the very pinnacle of the Spire. One wrong step or a gust of strong wind could knock Sapphire off the edge to fall. Hundreds of feet would pass before Sapphire's body would impale on one of the saronite spikes or splatter against rock or ice. Neither fate appealed to her, so she persisted.
After what seemed like hours, she finally fell against steps carved of ice. She looked up through her wind tossled hair at the stairs and the colossal hunk of ice that made up the Frozen Throne. Broken chains swung from pillars of ice. At the top of the stairs, where Sapphire used to remember an empty chair, was now a mass of ice. A dark mass discolored it.
Sapphire got to her feet again and climbed.
There, cocooned within layers of ice, was the Lich King. Even from far away, Sapphire saw his charred flesh and that dreaded Helm.
Pain blossomed out from Sapphire's chest, and she clutched at her heart. It pounded like a war drum. She cried out in agony. Her veins pulsed with each heartbeat.
Go away, little one.
"I need answers!" Sapphire growled through clenched teeth.
Answers will only cause you more pain.
"Like you care!" Sapphire snapped, gasping from pain. Her heart pounded so loudly that the wind was drowned out. She approached the Lich King, looked at the empty void within the Helm's eye slits. Suddenly they exploded with a red blazing fire.
Sapphire recoiled back at first, yet she felt something was wrong. She did not see anger or malice within those burning embers. She saw fear in those eyes. And Bolvar knew that she knew. With a sudden urge, Sapphire reached out to touch the ice. Suddenly everything went dark.
Darkness clouded around Sapphire like a storm. Mere seconds ago, she stood before the Frozen Throne, trying to speak with Bolvar, and the next she stood in a shapeless void. Where was she? Had she somehow stumbled back into Thros without even realizing it? Was Gorak Tul behind another attempt to manipulate her? Or was it somehow connected to Bolvar?
There seemed to be a ground of some kind, for Sapphire was standing on something, but it appeared as the same emptiness black as the sky. Sapphire knelt down and touched the ground. Neither hot or cold, hard or soft. It was...nothing.
Sapphire felt panic in the back of her mind but tried to keep herself calm. Living her entire life surrounded by walking corpses skewed her own thinking of what was natural and normal. This place was too strange even for her. The sheer emptiness was discomforting. What if she was stuck here?
The girl started to walk around, seeing if there was any kind of wall or surface besides the ground. Anything she could use to give herself a sense of direction. It felt like she was going in circles.
She walked for what seemed like hours, perhaps even days. Fear crept into her heart, yet she continued on.
Something small and stark against the void caught Sapphire's eye, and she immediately started running. At first its appearance was vague and indistinct. But as it grew closer and larger, details came into focus. It was a man, or at least looked like one. Sapphire saw only the shape of his body and the brown hair at first and was soon horrified to see why he had not noticed her or attempted to approach.
Nearly every inch of him was dominated by chains made of dark metal. Spikes dug into his flesh, yet Sapphire saw no blood. The man's shoulders were hunched over and he seemed like he was in pain yet was not physically struggling in the chains. The chains were somehow coming out from out of the darkness. There was no clear source from the chains.
"Hello?" Sapphire hesitantly whispered.
The man whipped his head up to look at her and Sapphire was met with an unfamiliar face, yet clearly, he recognized her.
"Sapphire! What are you...Get out, before He sees you!" He snapped with a familiar voice.
It was Bolvar. She'd never met him before his body had been burnt by dragonfire. In this strange realm, Bolvar's body appeared as it used to with healthy flesh, a head full of soft brown hair, and green eyes instead of the harsh fire that Sapphire had saw just moments ago.
"Who is He? I don't even know how I got here!" Sapphire cried out, confused and scared.
Bolvar now strained to free himself from the chains, yet it was futile. In the savage part of Sapphire's mind, she thought to just leave him like that. Bolvar kept her locked up! If he had his way, Sapphire would remain in Icecrown Citadel for the rest of her mortal life. And after? Sapphire was reminded of the frozen bodies still dotting the halls. Even in death, her body would remain trapped in metal and ice.
It was only right to let him suffer in his own form of imprisonment! She should just walk away. Indeed, Sapphire turned around and walked a few paces away. If she couldn't escape this void, at least she did not want to be anywhere near Bolvar.
Yet as she did so, Sapphire could not help but hear the clanking of the chains and Bolvar struggling.
Sapphire rushed back to Bolvar and looked for some way to remove the chains. There was no lock, no key, no end to the chains even. It was almost like the chains were a giant snake, intending to crush what little life in Bolvar there was. Sapphire grabbed one heavy link and pulled it to no avail.
Suddenly, a whisper of icy air twirled around them. Sapphire shivered. Her scar from Frostmourne twisted as if it were tearing back open. She half expected blood to come pouring out from it.
"No!" Bolvar used his chained body to shove Sapphire to the ground. Sapphire hit the strange ground. She started to get to her feet when another figure came from the void. It was shrouded in dark mists, obscuring its true shape except for what looked like horns or antlers. Sapphire let out a hiss, expecting it to be Gorak Tul.
Still defiant mortal?
Bolvar growled in anger. "Leave specter! I will never yield to you. The scourge is mine!"
I created the Scourge. You are nothing but an extension of my will!
Sapphire stood there, not comprehending, at first. This creature looked at Bolvar, and only Bolvar. To test this, Sapphire got up, clearly moving around and obvious. Bolvar eyes flashed quickly over to her. He seemed to be just as confused. This being couldn't see Sapphire, yet Bolvar could. This made no sense.
Before Sapphire could do anything, Bolvar tensed up and started to scream more. The being had lifted his arm and was reaching out to the man in chains. Sapphire winced as she listened to Bolvar's cries of suffering.
This horned one tortured Bolvar without hesitation. Based on their interaction, he had done it before. Sapphire was confused. The Lich King was meant to the be one who caused suffering. He was supposed to be at the top of the Scourge, yet this being claimed to have created the Scourge.
In the back of her mind, Sapphire thought of her own father being in these very chains, tortured into compliance. No, that can't be.
She could just walk away. This void had to have some way of escape. She got in so theoretically she could get back out. Not Thros, but similar. Atheist nothing seemed to be able to harm her. This horned creature clearly couldn't because he did not even see her.
Yet...Bolvar was clearly trapped her. The problems with the Scourge? They started here. Bolvar was fighting back against this evil entity. He forced Sapphire to be held against her will and keep secrets from her. Yet he had an idea that he was somehow protecting Sapphire. Everything is worse than Sapphire could have imagined.
Sapphire sighed, then ran over to Bolvar. She tugged at the chains in another attempt to free him. Bolvar glanced at her, agony in his eyes.
"I have tried. It won't work," Bolvar whimpered.
It will work. The others broke quicker, but eventually you will fall.
The horned one believed Bolvar was speaking to him. The one advantage Sapphire had was that she was apparently invisible. She attempted to transform into her bear form, but she couldn't feel the spirit of the bear within her. Neither that nor the owl. It was like she was cut from the world.
Yet there was something inside her that could help. Deep inside her heart...Something growled.
"I...I need to turn into the beast. I can help you then. I only turn into it when I'm scared or angry though!" Sapphire said. She let go of the chains and tried to think of being angry, but it did not come to her. She had never willingly turned into the beast. How?
The horned one sent another surge of pain through Bolvar and Sapphire looked on helplessly. He bowled over in pain. She turned to stare at the horned shadow.
"This person made the Scourge! He caused so much pain and death!" She snarled. "He...He caused my suffering! My father would not have turned out the way he did without this...thing. I wouldn't have suffered...My father would not have put Frostmourne in my heart!"
She felt rage, but still nothing wakened the beast. Sapphire yanked her hair with both hands and screamed with frustration.
Bolvar's words came out as a whisper. "No... Arthas did not put that shard in your heart, Sapphire."
The girl slowly turned around to look. The man grunted as he straightened his back. A tear ran down Bolvar's cheek.
"You stabbed yourself."
The entire world seemed to shatter like a fragile wine glass. It splintered into shards like the one that pierced her heart. The one still there, causing her pain. Memories flooded back. The terror, the fear. Sapphire did not understand. The Lich King could not be defeated. Yet there was his corpse in front of her. Voices reached her, but the words meant nothing. Eventually these voices faded away as the people, the murderers, left one by one.
She finally left her hiding place. Sapphire had not meant to get stuck up there, but the advancing enemies had left her no choice. She fled to a small crevice on the Throne small enough for her to hide in. And so, she hid until she was alone. Alone with the corpse of her father.
It was hard to walk. She wobbled unsteadily, unable to understand what was in front of her. She saw his white hair splayed out on the ice. His face was soft and gentle looking despite all the horror he had wrought upon the world. Upon her.
What would happen to her? Would they come back? She had never left Icecrown! What was the world like? Was it better? She doubted it. Everything seemed much worse. Marwyn always warned her.
Frostmourne lay forlornly by his side. Some of the shards were bigger than Sapphire's hand. One stood out to her. It was the length of her fingers, yet slim. She picked it up, feeling how smooth and cold the metal was against her skin. It was so sharp, she had to be careful lest it cut her fingers.
Cut her fingers. That was the least of her worries. What was she supposed to do? What would happen? The unknown...it terrified her. Everyone was dead around. Small and fragile Sapphire.
There were no thoughts. She knew what she had to do. Her fingers tightened against the shard and turned it so it was raised to her heart.
With all the force she could muster, Sapphire stabbed her own chest. The metal plunged between bone and cut through flesh and muscle. Blood spewed everywhere.
Sapphire roared in anger and pain. Fur sprouted along her neck. Bones snapped and her body grew. Skin darkened to look like an old corpse. A tail whipped back and forth.
What? How is there a soul eater here?
With jaws of saronite, she lunged her head at Bolvar. Cold tangy metal entered her mouth, and she yanked it backwards. The links bent but did not break. She roared before again pulling back. Now the chain broke.
Bolvar freed one arm and he grabbed another chain. Sapphire watched in awe as his eyes glowed blue and pulled hard until the chain snapped.
No!
Sapphire turned her against against the shadowy figure and snarled. Bolvar was already freeing himself from this prison. The figure lifted one hand toward them, and chains shot out of the darkness. Sapphire leapt out of the way. These chains hit the dark void. Sapphire ran forward on all fours toward the figure. Whoever this was, they had not expected any kind of resistance and were taken aback by Sapphire's appearance. He recovered from the shock though.
Speaking words that Sapphire didnot know, the horned one raised up both hands and Sapphire saw dark blue and green energy burst forth.
Runes flashed around her right before she reached the being. A screen of magic surrounded her. Sapphire looked at the runes, surprised that she recognized them. She had seen them often enough. The same runes had been carved into Frostmourne's blade and decorated many parts of Icecrown Citadel itself.
Sapphire leapt forward, intending to hit the forcefield placed around her, but she went through the blue smokey magic as if it were nothing. Now she stood right in front of the horned one. She was not the only one shocked by this development.
This can't be...How, how did you learn to do that, beast? No...You are no common soul eater. Who are you?
Sapphire hissed at the figure and stood up on her hind legs.
"My name is Sapphire!" She said, speaking in this form for the first time.
The entity reached out to grab her, but Sapphire lashed out with her teeth flashing. She sunk her jaws into the shadow's hand and met flesh and blood. Metallic blood fiooded her mouth and the being let out an inhuman shriek. The blood burned her as if was boiling.
Before Sapphire could even scream from the pain, she was back home. She stood at the Frozen Throne, hand still on the ice that separated her and Bolvar. She stumbled backwards in agony from the blood in her mouth. Sapphire!
It felt like her heart had been crushed. Sapphire did not see her foot slip on the top of the stairs. Sapphire fell down the stairs, screaming in shock and pain. The whole world spun into a blur. Sky and ice blended into one.
Crack.
Something broke yet nothing seared with agony. Finally, Sapphire hit the ground hard, and the spinning stopped suddenly. Dazed and confused, Sapphire looked around. She tried to get up but couldn't get her bearings. She crawled forward. Her hand hit something that wasn't the ground. She picked it up, staring at it without comprehension. The thing was white and shaped funny. The texture was familiar. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought it was a bone. But what bone looked like that? Where did it come from?
That's when it hit Sapphire. The crack. Sapphire was staring at her own bone. From wear? She looked around at all her limbs. Everything was accounted for. There was no blood on this bone. Why did it look so strange?
Then Sapphire reached up to her head. She touched where her antler was supposed to be, and there was a jagged piece instead of smooth antler. Sapphire dropped the thing from her hand and passed out.