The Children of Deathwing
As previously discussed, Ebyssian was the only uncorrupted Black Dragon alive. But there were other Black Dragons that lived, even after the Maiden's stopped hunting them. Some had managed to thrive in the untamed wilderness, where even Huntsman feared to tread, and others had even taken on the guise of mortals, similar to Ebyssian. But perhaps the most notable of all were the multiple clutches that Deathwing had fathered that remained scattered across the land.
Within each of these scattered clutches were the progeny of Deathwing, but with few Black Dragons left and even fewer who knew of their existence, these eggs often fell prey to either vengeful Dragons from other Flights, Maiden's or simple scavengers that simply lucked out with finding them.
Out of these unfortunate clutches, two Whelplings survived long enough to hatch. Whilst only young, these twin Dragons would grow to become terrible vessels of vengeance and death. Their names were Nefarian and Onyxia.
Already at this young an age, the twins were well aware that their lives were in danger. In order to escape death at the hands of either Maiden or Dragon, they fled to the Dragon Lands to the far west, where no Human had set foot in for millennia. However, they seemed to have traded two dangers for another, for the savage Proto Dragons still existed, and the twin Whelplings were seen as easy prey. The threat of the Grimm was also more apparent here, untamed as the land was by Humans.
They would have died within the first month were it not for fate guiding the two Whelplings to an abandoned Titan Fortress. This great keep had been built by the twin Titan-Forged long ago to serve as a seat of power, and none had dwelt there since their deaths. It was the perfect safe-house for them. They quickly went about redecorating this great keep, turning it into their own dread lair they called 'Blackwing Lair'.
As the twins grew, so did their legend. Soon, news reached the surviving Black Dragons scattered across Remnant of these two children of Deathwing. They travelled to this new home, and there they thrived for generations, unnoticed by all others.
The twin Dragons would continue to grow, and as they did, so did their malevolent behaviour. Onyxia took on the form of a Human noble named 'Lady Katrana Prestor', and she used both her beautiful form and seductive magic to charm her way into the high places of the world, particularly in the land of Atlas.
Nefarian meanwhile, performed crude and torturous experiments. He and his closest followers amongst the Black Dragons travelled the world, capturing both Grimm and Whelplings from other Dragonflights. With these captives, he performed experiments, attempting to combine the two to create a new species: one that had the grace and intelligence of a Dragon, but had the cold instincts of the Grimm.
Fortunately, these hybrids proved volatile and unstable, not many living past their first year without magical assistance, and even then they proved to be stunted and malformed. The only purpose they served were as living bombs, diving into the hearts of curious packs of Grimm and Proto Dragons. Yet despite these failures, Nefarian saw it all as progress in his research.
And so Nefarian and Onyxia continued to grow their forces, mating with other Black Dragons to regrow their Flight. Yet it soon became apparent that if their work was to continue, they would need more than just Dragons.
In ages past, before Neltharion became Deathwing, Dragons were worshipped by the early Humans as Gods. The most devout of these followers were known as 'Dragonsworn', and they would give their life for their Flight. Yet when the Dragons went into hiding, Mortal worship became less and less common, before disappearing all together. The only Flight to continue interacting with Mortal races were the benevolent Green Dragons with the Kaldorei.
Nefarian and Onyxia began to realise that even though they held a low opinion of the Mortal races, they could not deny their uses. Human followers tended to be more subtle in society then any Dragon, and they were more expendable then the Dragons were too. And so they decided to make an army.
Under the guise of a 'Lord Victor Nefarius', Nefarian began to wander the Human kingdoms as his sister did. He searched for someone who was simple enough to trick and manipulate, but also charismatic enough to gather more to their cause. And in Vacuo, he found a suitable target.
In the desert city was a man named Cho'Gall, founder of a doomsday cult called 'the Twilight's Hammer'. The cult was convinced that the end of days were fast upon them, and that it would end in fire and fury as the very world broke apart and only those who believed, who truly believed, would ascend as new Gods. As one would expect, the cult was not taken very seriously.
Nefarian though, had found the perfect pawn. He whispered promises into Cho'Gall's ears, claiming to be the Son of a great and powerful God who would return and remake the world in his image. He promised Cho'Gall and his followers that if they served him, then he would ensure that his Father would ascend them to Godhood when the time for unmaking the world came to pass. All of it was lies, but Cho'Gall believed them.
And so he and his followers grew rapidly in number, becoming a mighty force of their own. Many travelled to Blackwing Lair, where they saw their Dragon masters in the flesh. They would travel the world, gathering more followers or performing missions of great import. This new change delighted Nefarian and Onyxia. Through deceit, they had transformed an innocent (if slightly insane) cult into a zealous militant organisation, one that in the days to come, might rival even the White Fang.
Despite this success though, the cult nearly faced collapse when Cho'Gall, founder and leader of the Twilight's Hammer, was assassinated. A power vacuum was quick to form, but before any blood could be shed, a new leader stepped up to the mantle, a man known only as 'the Twilight Father'. The Twilight Father was so quick to step up to leadership, that many believed that he had assassinated Cho'Gall. But due to the fact that he gained both Nefarian's and Onyxia's blessings, they remained quiet.
In truth, Cho'Gall had outlived his usefulness, and Nefarian and Onyxia selected the Twilight Father as a replacement, ordering him to murder Cho'Gall to prove he was willing to take matters into his own hands. He accepted the task readily.
And so, both the Black Dragonflight and the Twilight's Hammer grew in size and number. Their task was a simple one: to sow chaos and destruction in preparation for their Fathers return.
As they continued their work, the Twilight's Hammer brought an ancient prophecy they had uncovered to their attention. The prophecy, whilst extremely vague, told that when a Maiden fell from grace and a Champion did yield to death, then the World would break and their Father would return.
Nefarian and Onyxia were overjoyed at this news, but their joy turned to ash when they heard the prophecy in full:
When Unity is shattered as it was before,
When a Maiden falls from grace,
When a Champion heels at Death's door,
He will return to hallowed place.
The land will weep and the world shall break,
Black wings will fold as Twilight falls,
Yet Death will claim the Blackwing Drake,
From Silver Eyes, justice calls.
The twin Dragons were confused by the prophecy, particularly of the final line. The Silver Eyed warriors were ancient legend, able to kill Grimm with a single glance. Their confusion though, paled in comparison to their anger. They were furious that their work would be undone, by a mere Mortal no less. They immediately ordered their Twilight's Hammer and Black Dragon forces to find and slaughter every last man, woman and child who had Silver Eyes, regardless if they held the gift or not.
And so their forces obeyed readily, murdering thousands of innocents in the dead of night. For a time, Nefarian and Onyxia relaxed. Yet they would soon be troubled once more when news reached them of a child named Summer Rose. A child who had Silver Eyes. Rather than panic as they had before, they decided to make sure Summer would never be a threat to their plans themselves.
First, they baited Summer Rose away from the safety of her home in Vale, Black Dragons herding Grimm far away to a village near Mistral. The plan worked. Summer travelled to Mistral and the trap was sprung. First came a horde of Grimm, the vile beasts being easily defeated by a combination of Summer's prowess and her heritage. Next they sent Twilight Assassins after her, their deadly poisoned blades cutting through her Aura and into flesh. She defeated them too, but a combination of the poison and her own fighting made her weak and vulnerable. Just as they had hoped.
In the end, Nefarian and Onyxia themselves arrived to finish what they had started, having worn her down with the Grimm and Assassins. Despite the odds being against her, and her body slowly weakening from fatigue and poison, Summer fought on bravely, fighting for several hours before her weapons finally fell from her hands, and she slumped to the ground defeated.
It was there that Nefarian and Onyxia performed one final act of malice. Using dark magic, Onyxia tore Summer's soul from her body, ripping it to shreds. Still alive, Nefarian then proceeded to devour her whole, slowly whilst causing as much pain as possible.
With spirits high, Nefarian and Onyxia returned back to Blackwing Lair, hearing no more tales of children with Silver Eyes. As far as they knew, all trace of the ancient line had been snuffed out. But they had failed, for Summer had had a child, a child that possessed the ancient gift. A child named Ruby Rose.