Indeed my brother, she does think. Alas, I do feel that she is not devoting too much thought. I know your intentions. What you will speak, what you will ask, what you will do, shall shatter flesh and crumble bones. It will also bring hope to heal something more than a mind. Our Lord go with you...
Kerrigan crossed her legs and tried to focus. Her minions had not run into anything new and so far everything had been quiet. It seemed that even the Terran and Protoss had calmed themselves. Perhaps the only thing that wasn't calm was right here in her lair. Nataphos' alien, subtle but distressing presence was still condemning all of them. To their dismay, he was nowhere to be seen, cloaked beyond detection again. Kerrigan closed her eyes and wondered where this was all going. She knew why most of her swarm were hidden away but where did Nataphos figure into all of this? Was he part of the mysterious race spoken of by the Protoss in legend?
"I assure you, I am not one of them. My people simply have not been encountered by either of your kind yet. They are cloaked as well as I usually am." Nataphos' said softly and Kerrigan nearly flinched, realizing he was talking scarcely a foot away from her, levitating in his usual meditative position.
"What have you returned for, pest?" the Queen of Blades growled, leaving her throne to walk away from him.
"Questions again, but mostly answers." Nataphos answered, levitating behind her.
"I would do anything to tear you to shreds."
"An answer I already knew. Tell me now, Queen of Blades, whether you wish it or not, you are still human. Why do you wish to be a Zerg? The power is within you to-"
"I am not longer human! I was reborn into something far greater, something far superior than even the most powerful Terran could ever be! That is why I am Zerg!" Kerrigan bellowed. Nataphos did not seemed fazed by the outburst. He seemed to think on her words for a moment.
"Most interesting answer. Now, an answer for you on your question. You asked what power it was that I am able to remain better hidden than even the most powerfully cloaked device, and how am I able to bring down powerful creatures with just the single swipe of my blade." Nataphos stated. Kerrigan was obviously interested, but did not show it. Instead, she simply became quiet and folded her arms across her chest, listening. The levitating man simply opened his palm and in a second, a gentle, translucent ball of light was floating in his hand.
"The Terran, Protoss and Zerg all exercise in varying degrees the powers of the body and mind. Terrans must integrate both body and mind since they are not strong physically compared to other creatures, and they are just yet starting to develop the mind, the use of psionic power." Nataphos' globe of light flickered from its form of a Terran marine and shifted into the likeness of a Protoss zealot.
"The Protoss depend more heavily on the mind. Even the lowliest of Protoss can boast a powerful use of the psionic power of the mind. This is even reflected in their advanced technology. Even death can be cheated once by them in the form of their Dragoon walkers." the light display now shifted in the form of a snarling hydralisk.
"Finally, your own Zerg. Your minions are nearly mindless, simply following the orders of the minds above them, and their minds in turn all are directed to you. Otherwise, their physiques outclass any of the other races by a large margin."
"Get to the point." Kerrigan deftly stated. Nataphos sighed and looked into the distance.
"Many years ago, my ancestors found a place to call their own, away from others and anything that could trouble them. They were all pious and devout in the belief of their Lord. All their descendants have been ever since. What they found at this place allowed them not only to commune better with our Lord, but to communicate with each other. Whole emotions, thoughts and memories could be shared between people in an instant. We could read and understand the motives, spirits and emotions of any other being at will. Those who became strong in it could read beings miles, even lightyears apart. At first, they thought they were simply exercising a function of the mind, a kind of advanced form of psionic power. Soon however, they realized they were exercising something more." Nataphos paused, his face set as if reminiscing, as if he had been there when it all happened.
"What was it?" Kerrigan asked, intrigued.
"The soul." Nataphos responded. Kerrigan remained silent.
"Each living being has a soul, a life force. That was how we were able to read even the souls from so far away, how we knew of the Terrans, Protoss and Zerg even before any of you ran into each other. We knew your histories, strengths, weaknesses, wars and intrigues. It is through the mystical use of the soul that we are able to bypass the physical and mental, manipulate it to our responsible use, and in extreme situations, unshackle a soul from its physical vessel." Kerrigan continued to stare at him, even the segmented stalks that made up what was her hair was still.
"However, to do that, to kill and release a soul to eternity is not done lightly. Life is precious, and dealing with souls carries great responsibility. Although we deem the evolutionary creations of the Zerg abominations, they are still souls to be respected. However, the time has come, for our Lord has bidden us. I am sent to teach you something. You had best follow." Nataphos announced and levitated out of the lair. Defiantly, Kerrigan remained inside. Who was she, the Queen of the most powerful race in the galaxy, to follow him? She had just barely thought that when she suddenly found herself standing outside the lair.
"Teleportation of other entities is another use. You do not follow instructions very well. Normally I would not care, but this you must see." Nataphos stated, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Kerrigan glared at him.
"Make this quick, or I swear, I will send my entire swarm after you." she threatened.
"I am sure that is no idle threat, though it would be pointless. Perhaps the Queen of Blades has forgotten what can happen when something goes wrong in the body, mind...or soul." Nataphos stated. Kerrigan simply turned her back to him and walked towards the lair. She had better things to do than this. That was when she heard the sound of his wristblades igniting. Slowly, she turned around. Nataphos reached down, evaporated a small patch of the creep with one of the brilliant blades of mystical energy, and picked up a pinch of dust from the ground. The thick fluid of the creep refilled the empty space while Nataphos' blades disengaged. Instead, Kerrigan noticed the grains of dust starting to float and change in Nataphos' hand, being bathed with the white energy. Still levitating above the creep, Nataphos knelt on one knee and blew the changed particles from his hand.
"Very soon, all what you see will be changed. You and your minions will understand fully when the mind and body are sickened. Hopefully then, you will be able to understand the full ramifications of a sick soul. The sooner you leave this place, the longer you will put off the inevitable." with that, Nataphos once again winked out of existence, only the whisper of his presence still suggesting he was around. The Queen of Blades did not have a chance to demand what he had just done. She decided to ignore it and once again turned to revisit her lair. Before she returned into the darkness, she thought she saw a movement in the corner of her eye. All what was there was the typical, pulsating mound of flesh that was a Zerg Greater Spire. Had it just...twitched a little more violently than usual?