A solemn silence had befallen the conference room. The two Aspects and Anachronos sat around the glass table, none of them daring to speak. Alexstrasza was distracting herself by fiddling with one of the claws on her hand. Ysera's eyes were fixed on a spot on the floor, although it looked like she was watching something beyond. Anachronos was a bit more antsy than either of the Aspects, jumping at the slightest sound in the hallway outside. None of them dared meet another's gaze.

Finally, the door creaked open. Gaelara, one of Ysera's generals, walked in. As she beheld the three dragons sitting around the table, her expression changed- somehow, the sadness in the room seemed to be infectious. She waited for a moment for all eyes to fall upon her before she began to speak.

"My dragons have returned from Coldarra," she announced. "We recovered very few survivors. The rest... Almost all of them all dead."

"How many?" Alexstrasza asked, turning to face the green dragon.

"You... You'd rather I not tell you," Gaelara said, her voice somewhat raspy. "I'm not sure you'd believe me even if I did."

"There was an entire dragonflight there," Alexstrasza shook her head in disbelief. "You can't tell me almost every one of them is dead."

"What about the eggs?" Anachronos asked. His voice was a bit more hopeful.

"They're all gone," Gaelara said. "The twilights dragons were..." She thought better of her words, leaving the Aspects to speculate as to what she was going to say.

"We need to tell them," Ysera said, lowering her head.

"How?" Alexstrasza asked.

"We have to tell them," Ysera repeated.

Alexstrasza sighed, burying her face in her hands for a moment. "I will tell them," she decided at last. "Right now. We need to recall as many dragons as we can back to Wyrmrest. I'm going to call the Conclave of Wyrms."

"That hasn't been done in a very long time," Anachronos said. "And it might make us an even better target."

"With nearly every wyrm alive at Wyrmrest Temple, the Twilight Dragonflight won't have a chance, and they know it," Alexstrasza said. "And it needs to be done. With one dragonflight... with one dragonflight... with... We need to do it. There's nothing I can do to help them without a Blue Aspect, and I don't think we're going to get one at this point."

"I'm sorry, sister," Ysera said. "I will go with you."

The two Aspects made their way through the hall into a central chamber of the temple, where there was a large platform, a balcony of sorts. Normally, the center of the temple was used for dragons to easily pass from one level to another, but an announcement from here would carry throughout the temple. Both Alexstrasza and Ysera shapeshifted into their draconic forms. Ysera stepped forward first, and began to speak.

"Members of the Wyrmrest Accord, dragon and mortal," Ysera said. "The Dragonqueen has an announcement for all to hear."

The Green Aspect stepped back, allowing her sister to stand in the center of the balcony. The Life-Binder hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to begin.

"I regret that this announcement must be delivered," Alexstrasza began. "Kalecgos was chosen in Coldarra as the Aspect of Magic. Shortly afterwards, Deathwing and the Twilight Dragonflight slaughtered Kalecgos and the Blue Dragonflight. The Conclave of Wyrms will be called to address this matter. Other details will be released by advisors to the Aspects as soon as possible." There was a pause as Alexstrasza took a deep, loud breath. "I'm sorry."

Alexstrasza turned away from the balcony and returned to her humanoid form, Ysera doing the same. Gaelara was waiting nearby to escort the two Aspects back to the conference room. The night was already long, and there was no sign that it would let up.