The Azure Archives
"How long did you sleep for this time?" Tanadia asked, yawning and rubbing her eyes whilst Little Alleria, whom the question was aimed at, tried to pull up her boot eat the piece of bread in her mouth and sit on an unstable log all at the same time.
"Three hours." Alleria told her sister, pulling on her boot and falling backwards off the log when she lost her balance, dropping the piece of bread out of her mouth and into the dried dirt below her. "Ow..."
"And that's breakfast gone too." Tanadia muttered, watching her sister pick up the piece of bread and noticing the many, many grains of dirt on it already. "Here," She then said when she heard her sister sigh, handing her half of her bread. "I had roughly five hours of sleep, so I think you will need the energy more."
"Thank you." Alleria said, looking over to Sylvanas who was waiting for them all to get ready. "I love her, but losing dad has really made her a pain in the ass. We get no sleep and we're walking so much that my feet are actually jealous of my hands at this point."
Tanadia chuckled and cast a healing spell on her sister, making her smile at the warmth she got from it as well as feeling the pain in her feet begin to soothe. "Better?" She asked, watching her little sister nod her head. "Good." Tanadia said, looking over to Liadrin who made her way to Sylvanas. "Get ready, I'm going to go see what our plan is for today."
"It looks like it's going to be a clear day today." Sylvanas told the paladin, glancing over to her. "We should be in Ohn'ahran Plains by midday if the weather holds."
"We're closing the gap." Liadrin told her, watching Sylvanas smile. "We could get lucky and find them today, but I see us finding them either tomorrow or the day after should we make it to the Ohn'ahran plains today."
"Hey, what is that?" Tanadia asked once she made it to them, pointing up at the sky as something began to fly towards them. "Is that a dragon?"
Sylvanas and Liadrin noticed the dragon too, both of them drawing their weapons with Sylvanas nocking an arrow in place on her bow. "Tana, stand back." Sylvanas told the priestess, pulling the arrow back and waiting for the telltale sign of a breath of fire coming from it's maw.
The dragon landed in front of the four of them, Little Alleria making her way towards her family and drawing an arrow back on her bow too. "Sylvanas Windrunner?" The dragon asked, shifting from it's dragon form to a human visage form. "Are you Sylvanas?" They asked again, looking at Sylvanas who began to lower her bow a little.
"I am." Sylvanas confirmed, narrowing her eyes at the dragon. "Who's asking?"
"Merithra of the Green Dragonflight has found your mate." The dragon said, watching Sylvanas and Alleria both drop their bows down so they were no longer aiming arrows at him. "She sensed something powerful in your daughter, Cedani and has advised they seek out Kalecgos in the Azure Span."
"They... They're alive?" Sylvanas asked, feeling Tanadia place a hand on her back and feeling weak in her knees all of a sudden.
"They are." The dragon confirmed, noticing a map in Little Alleria's bag and pointing towards it. "May I?" He asked, having them all look over to the map. "I can show you where they will be."
Little Alleria made her way towards her bag, taking out the map and handing it to the dragon. "Will it be easy to get to and are you sure they'll be there?"
"Yes and yes." The dragon told them, standing beside Sylvanas and pointing at the location on the map where they will be. "There's a library of sorts here. This is where we believe Kalecgos will be and where one of our flight are taking them as we speak." He looked up at the sky and saw it was well into the morning now. "They should have arrived by now, so they are most likely in the care of the Blue Dragon Aspect."
"Wait a minute..." Tanadia muttered, looking at the map and frowning at it. "I think I overheard some of the Kirin Tor mages say they're going to the Azure Span. Something about leylines. They are expecting more mages to arrive sometime tomorrow and will have a portal open to their new camp in that area. If we return to where the main camp is, we can take the portal too and be closer to finding them than walking from here to the further southern point."
Sylvanas nodded her head slowly, smiling and looking back to the dragon. "Thank you for this."
"Merithra has a kind soul. This is what she wanted and I am more than happy to help her." The dragon retook it's original form, flapping its wings until it was hovering above them. "I must return to her now. I am sorry I can't help out more."
"You've done more than enough." Sylvanas told them, watching the dragon turn around and fly away. "They're alive.." She said, looking over to Liadrin who smiled at her. "Now we have to return to camp."
"At least we know where they are." Little Alleria said, hugging her mother who hugged her back. "They're safe and with a powerful dragon."
"Cedani is going to love every second of it." Tanadia said, making them all laugh as they knew it was true.
"Woah." Cedani breathed, climbing off the back of the dragon and looking up at the floating platforms around the Azure Archives. "This place is so cool." She looked back to her father who was thanking the dragon for the ride. "Dad. I can feel the magics in this place!"
"Thank you again." Athrodar said, watching the dragon flap her wings and fly off into the distance shortly after. "Right, now where is Kalecgos?"
"Dad, look at this place." Cedani said, taking hold of his arm and hugging it against her as she began to drag him towards a nearby building. "Let's go find somewhere comfortable to rest should we need it."
They had found a nearby building that looked both abandoned but also stuck in time. It was clean, comfortable and most of all, welcoming. "I think this place used to be an inn or something similar." Athrodar said, sitting down on a nearby chair that looked way too big for him. "This was definitely made for a dragon." He said, hearing Cedani laugh. "What?"
"You look like a baby in that chair." She said, giggling at him when she saw him try to stand up but found it difficult as sank down into the oversized chair. "Do you need help?"
"Please." Athrodar said, hearing his daughter laugh at him some more. "Please stop laughing at me."
"I can't help it." She said, helping Athrodar out of the chair. "There you go." She said, hugging her father once he stood up in front of her. "How are you feeling, by the way? Are you still in pain?"
Athrodar, noticing for the first time since before the dragons spoke to them, felt no pain where he had previously. "I.. I feel fine?" He said, confused and lost on how that was so. "I didn't receive any healing, yet I feel fine." He looked down at his body, lifting up his tunic and noticing his cuts and bruises were healed. "How did..?"
"Maybe Merithra healed you with you knowing." Cedani said. "She is Ysera's daughter. The Green Dragonflight had the ability to heal, so maybe she healed you of your wounds by just being close?"
"That's... Actually amazing." He said, letting out a small laugh and looking at his daughter. "These dragons are full of surprises."
Before Cedani could respond, there was a loud rumble as if something big was nearby, looking up at the hanging lights above them and watching it sway back and forth. "I think Kalecgos is here." She said, looking out the door they had walked through earlier and slowly walking towards the exit. "Let's go see."
"Cedani wait." Athrodar said, taking hold of her hand and letting out a small laugh. "Your curiosity will get us in trouble one day, little one." He told her, watching her pout at him. "It's okay to be curious, but sometimes you need to think before running out to see the big dragon that may or may not be outside."
"Okay papa..." She muttered, walking beside Athrodar who slowly made his way out of the building they were in, both of them laying their eyes on the giant blue dragon that was surveying the area. "I think that's him."
Athrodar slowly made his way towards the Blue Aspect, not wanting to surprise him and watching the dragon shift into his visage form, taking the form of a blue haired human. "Come." He said, pulling his daughter lightly as they both made their way towards the Aspect of Magic. "Let me talk first, I don't think he is expecting anyone to be here."
Kalecgos looked up and around the Azure Archive, getting a wave of nostalgia as he looked upon the birthright of his Dragonflight and catching a glimpse of both Athrodar and Cedani. "Odd. I didn't think anyone would be this far south so quickly." He said, recognising Athrodar as he had kept up to date with the more important members of this world. "And so far away from the rest of his family too..." He muttered, making Athrodar and Cedani stop moving.
"Do all the dragons know who we are?" He asked, looking over to Cedani who shrugged her shoulders at him.
"There are plenty of books written about the recent wars and you and mama have played parts in them." Cedani told her father. "Plus he is the Aspect of Magic. I think knowledge is his thing."
Kalecgos chuckled and nodded his head at Cedani's assessment. "More or less, yes." He said, looking at the younger elf and raising an eyebrow at her. "Though I don't think I've ever come across an elf who isn't a Death Knight, able to wield ice magic." He said, stepping towards her. "Frost, sure. But not ice." He looked over to Athrodar who tilted his head at him. "They're similar, I know. But ice magic is... Let's say a cousin to frost magic. It has similar attributes, slowing down enemies, being cold. One is born of arcane however, that being frost. Whilst ice magic is born of death." He looked back over to Cedani and frowned at her. "But she looks very much alive."
Cedani flinched a little when an arcane spell was cast on her from Kalecgos, but quickly relaxed when she realised it wasn't doing her any harm. Athrodar on the other hand, grew concerned at the spell that had now encased his daughter in a cage liked arcane spell. "What are you doing?"
"Examining her." Kalecgos told her, glancing over to Athrodar and noting his concerned look. "It's completely harmless. I just want to see where this power came from... If it came from anywhere or it was natural." He let out a small laugh. "If it's natural, that makes me even more interested in her."
"I used to be a Death Knight. We believe she inherited some latent powers I had stored away inside of me." Athrodar told him, watching Kalecgos nod his head slowly.
"Yes... I have a feeling that might be the case. There are no studies on such a thing since it's not every day a Death Knight is brought back to a living state." He glanced over to Athrodar again. "In fact, I believe there were only a handful that have. All of them being your late daughter's guards and yourself."
"Yes, well... We didn't think this would happen when we went through that." Athrodar told him, looking at his daughter and smiling a little at her when she smiled at him, knowing he hated talking about his past after Victoria died. Her passing had left a permanent hole in his heart that would never be filled, so anything to do with that time normally was left unspoken when he was around.
The examination went on for a few minutes longer, giving Kalecgos all the information he needed before he dropped the spell and allowed Cedani her freedom of movement once again. "Thank you for remaining calm." He told her, looking at the arcane ball on his hand and smiling at it the longer he looked at it. "Turns out your theories were correct. I'm surprised it took three children to pass on, but perhaps that may be all it takes." He looked over to Athrodar who had placed a hand on Cedani's cheek, smiling at both father and daughter. "She is unique, I can tell you that much. But she is also far, far away from her potential."
"Always something you want to hear." Cedani said, looking over to Kalecgos. "Do you think you could help me learn more?"
"I could try." Kalecgos said, looking around the Azure Archive. "But I am also here for something else." He looked back to the two elves with me, smiling at them both. "Why don't you make yourselves at home whilst I explore this place some more?"
"We can do that." Cedani said, cheerful as always and taking hold of her father's hand. "We found what looked to be an inn or somewhere of comfort nearby. We can go there."
Kalecgos nodded his head and smiled at her. "Alright. If I need you, I will come and find you." His attention returned to the many platforms and the building carved into the mountainside nearby. "Right now however, I am going to have a look around."
Cedani watched Kalecgos begin to wander around the Azure Archives, looked down at her hand and casting a small ice ball in her palm. "I am actually looking forward to this." She said, smiling and looking over to her father. "I get to learn some real magic from the Aspect of Magic himself."
"For now however, we should return to that building and get some rest. I haven't slept since last night and was rudely interrupted by a little, excited elf yelling up at a dragon." Athrodar said, watching Cedani try to pull an innocent face and narrowing his eyes at her. "Don't do that. You're not going to get me to say I forgive you that easily."
"But I'm so sorry" Cedani said, pushing out her bottom lip. "I got excited."
Athrodar rolled his eyes and lowered himself a little, moving his arms around Cedani and picking her up and over his shoulder. "I'll forgive you when we wake up later." He told her, feeling Cedani try to kick, punch and squirm her way to freedom. "Keep moving and I will never let you down."
"But daaaaad!" Cedani cried, hating that he was carrying her now. "This is degrading! And in front of the Blue Aspect!" She cried, looking up and over to Kalecgos who had noticed them and began to laugh. "Oh great... Now he's seen us."
"Shouldn't have woke me up like that then. If the dragons landing in front of us woke me up, I wouldn't be doing this right now." Athrodar entered the building and knew Kalecgos couldn't see her, placing his daughter down onto her own feet and preparing himself for the onslaught.
"I hate it when you do that, papa!" She yelled, sending a barrage of punches his way and hitting him on the chest, arm, shoulder and torso. None of them were to her full strength, but she still wanted him to feel her frustration at the action. "And in front of my new teacher! I can't face him now without knowing he saw you carry me like a child!"
"You do make it too easy to embarrass you." Athrodar told her, moving his arms around his daughter and hugging her, not expecting the same back and smiling when she kept her arms to her side. "I love you, little one." He whispered, kissing her on the cheek. "I'm happy you are here though. You're the only one out of your siblings that I haven't spent time with recently."
Cedani began to smile, moving her arms around Athrodar and hugging him tightly. "I'm happy I'm here with you too, papa." She said, squeezing him a little tighter. "Alleria pushes us all out of the way to be close to you, but now she's not here and I get to be alone with you." She pulled back from the hug and smiled up at him brightly. "Like you said, we've not spent time together recently and I miss spending time with you."
"Come on." Athrodar said, looking around the building they had returned to. "Let's go find somewhere to sleep. I am shattered and could probably sleep for an entire day once I close my eyes."
Cedani laughed and nodded her head in agreement. "I know what you mean."
Sylvanas, Liadrin, Tanadia and Little Alleria all returned to the main camp in The Waking Shores, looking to find one mage in particular and spreading out just to make it quicker. "Oh, Cyndia!" Tanadia said, coming across the Ranger-General and stopping her from leaving when she took hold of her hands. "I'm looking for Thal'ena. Please tell me she hasn't left yet."
Cyndia frowned at the High Priestess. "Aren't you supposed to be looking for Athrodar and Cedani?" She asked, looking around their camp and spotting Little Alleria in the distance. "In fact, I am certain you all left three days ago."
"We did." Tanadia confirmed. "We received word that Athrodar and Cedani are with the Blue Aspect Kalecgos. We returned here because I remember talking to Thal'ena about the Kirin Tor going to the Azure Span due to some leylines and doing some studies there." The High Priestess took hold of Cyndia's hands now. "Please tell me she is still here?"
"I... I'm not sure." Cyndia said, looking around the camp too. "I know your aunt left with your brothers yesterday. Thal'ena might have gone with them, or returned to Stormwind. She may have even gone with the Kirin Tor to help them with their studies." The Ranger-General told her, catching a glimpse of Sylvanas in the distance talking to a mage. "You should return to Sylvanas though. She looks to be talking to a mage as we speak."
Tanadia looked behind her and began to smile. "Okay, good. Thank you anyway."
"No problem." Cyndia said, watching the High Priestess run off towards Sylvanas.
"Oh good, you're here." Sylvanas said, placing a hand on Tanadia's cheek. "Can you find your sister and Liadrin? This mage here was about to leave with a group of mages through a portal to the Kirin Tor camp in the Azure Span and has agreed to let us tag along just so we can find Athrodar and Cedani."
"I'll go find them, mom." Tanadia told her, watching Sylvanas give her the same loving smile she always gave her whenever she called her mom. "It shouldn't be too hard."
And much to her credit, it wasn't. Tanadia had found her sister arguing with a gnome and a troll, both mages but not a part of the Kirin Tor. She was saved by you sister when Tanadia apologised profusely to them and dragged Little Alleria away, both of them running into Liadrin on their way to Sylvanas. The Paladin had found herself near where the food was stored, trying to find a few pieces of bread, meat and anything else she could get her hands on before they left. Once they had returned to Sylvanas though, they were quickly teleported to The Azure Span as the mages were already leaving.
"Of course it's cold." Little Alleria said, wrapping her cloak around her tightly and letting out a long sigh. "Where else would a dragon set up their home."
Sylvanas looked around the camp and beyond, trying to find what looked like the perfect place to go if you wanted to learn magic and finding it off into the distance when she just made out a large platform floating in between a mountain pass. "There." She said, pointing towards it. "It looks far, but I am certain that's where they are."
Just as they were about to leave for their new destination, Khadgar stopped them when he saw Sylvanas and made his way towards her. "The last time I saw you, you were heading home to Windrunner Village." Khadgar said, watching Sylvanas give him a small, but sad smile. "Between then and now, much has happened and I can only give you my sympathies."
"And I appreciate that." Sylvanas told him, looking over to where she believed her husband and daughter to be. "Before this conversation gets any further, what can you tell me about that place?" She asked, pointing towards the mountain pass.
"Ah." Khadgar said, looking at where she was pointing. "That's the Azure Archives. Kalecgos spoke to me shortly before he left to go there. He looks to find a way to bring his Dragonflight back from the brink of extinction and he hopes he can call them home, to this place and have them start over."
"That's right..." Tanadia muttered, having Sylvanas look over to her. "The Blue Dragonflight is scattered. After the Nexus war, all the remaining Blue Dragons have gone their own way in hopes of surviving as long as they can."
"Why do you ask?" Khadgar now asked, watching Sylvanas look back to him.
"My husband and daughter should be there, if what the green dragon who told us they were was telling the truth." Sylvanas said, looking back to the mountain pass. "How long do you think it will take us to get there?"
"Hmm..." Khadgar looked at the mountain pass that would lead them to the Azure Archives. "There are hostiles in between here and there, so if you're planning to avoid them. I'd say at least a day, maybe two. If you're going to fight them, I'd say a day at most, but it's risky." He saw Sylvanas begin to think about it. "There are a lot of hostiles between here and there." He told her, just to hit home his point of the dangers of getting there as fast as possible.
"Well..." Sylvanas muttered, looking over to her daughters and Liadrin. "Looks like we are going to take this slowly then."
"Better safe than sorry." Liadrin told her, placing a hand on Tanadia's back. "No point trying to get to them and dying in the process."
"Thank you." Sylvanas said, smiling at Khadgar. "We best be heading off, good luck with whatever it is you're doing out here. I'm sure our paths will cross again soon."
"I'm sure they will." Khadgar agreed, watching the four of them set off to find the rest of their family.
Athrodar was walking around the Azure Archives, finding himself in a library of sorts and taking out a couple books to read whilst Cedani was with Kalecgos. None of what he had come across had been about recent events, but that just made him want to read them more. These were books of old magic, stories and history that might have been lost when this island had shrouded itself and hid from the world.
Once he had found his books to read, he placed them on a table and sat down, opening up the first one and having his ear twitch when he heard the sounds of a woman humming beside him. "Hmm..." They then said. "Not the book I would have chosen."
Athrodar, jumping out of his seat, looked at the image of a female elf, only they looked transparent and made out of arcane. On closer inspection, he had also noticed them to be a dragon. "What... Who are you?"
"Me?" The image said, raising an eyebrow and tilting their head at Athrodar. "The better question is who are you? And what are you doing in my library?"
"Your...?" Athrodar shook his head, suddenly having a nagging feeling like he knew this elf. "Do I know you?"
"I'd be surprised if you did." The mysterious woman said, stepping forward and keeping her hands behind her back. "I am Sindragosa. Or an image of her. A simulacrum to be more precise."
"Sin.. Sindragosa?" Athrodar began to think about that name, slowly nodding his head when he put two and two together. "Yes... Yes of course." He looked back to the image of the elf in front of him. "I remember you. Or, the real you..." He frowned at her, tilting his head when something crossed his mind. "You don't know who I am, do you?"
"Not in the slightest." Sindragosa said. "Though judging by your reaction, you know me." She looked around the part of the library they were in, seemingly looking for someone. "I sense an Aspect is nearby. Could you be a friend of Malygos?"
Something about the question made Athrodar sad. He wasn't sure if it was because he knew Malygos was dead, or if it was because he had just realised this Sindragosa, or the image of her, didn't. "How long has it been since you saw anyone from outside this library?"
Sindragosa began to think about her answer. "It would have to be... Just before everyone left to fight the Burning Legion." She looked Athrodar up and down, noticing he looked closer to her visage form than of a demon. "I take it we won that fight, otherwise you might not be standing here."
"You did win, yes." Athrodar said, remembering what he had read about that battle and feeling even more sad now. What he didn't realise however was that his face had shown his feelings to her because once she saw it, she stepped forward and crouched down a little to try and get into his field of view.
"What happened?" She asked him, looking over to Kalecgos and Cedani when they entered the room upon hearing a new voice. "You're not Malygos. But I do sense the Aspect is nearer now."
"No." Kalecgos said, shaking his head and stepping towards the image of Sindragosa. "I am not Malygos." He told her. "I am Kalecgos." He said, stepping towards her. "And you are.."
"Sindragosa, yes." She said, looking over to Athrodar. It appears I am at a disadvantage in this conversation as you both know who I am, yet I am at a loss for who you all are." She looked back to Kalecgos. "I know you're an aspect and a child of my flight. So that can only mean something has happened to Malygos."
"It's... A long story." Kalecgos told her, looking down at the floor when he recalled everything that had happened in the last century. "Both you and Malygos... Are gone." He looked over to Sindragosa and saw her nod slowly, trying to get an understanding of her reaction to this news. "How are you here?"
"I'm a simulacrum of Sindragosa, created by her in order to preserve her memories and knowledge." She said, walking between the three of them and looking up at a painting of Malygos on the wall. "Talking to your friend here, I understand a great deal of time has passed since she left." She looked out a nearby window and saw an empty Azure Archive. "And the rest of our flight? Where are they?"
Kalecgos sighed and began to walk away. "After Neltharion betrayed us, we were on the verge of extinction. We few who remain are scattered. Aimless and... Alone." He looked back to Sindragosa who had made her way towards him.
"Yet you came here." She said, smiling a little at him. "That tells me you still have hope for our kin." She looked over to Athrodar and Cedani who had made her way over to her father before returning her attention to Kalecgos. "Child of my flight, shall we work together to make that hope a reality?"
Kalecgos exhaled and smiled, almost laughing a little out of happiness. "Nothing would give me more pleasure." He said, getting a smile in return from Sindragosa.
"As for you two." She said, making her way over to Athrodar and Cedani. "I know you are not of our flight." She said, looking over to Cedani now. "But I sense you are here for a different reason, yes?"
Cedani saw the eyes of the great dragon looking at her and only her, smiling at the image of Sindragosa who couldn't help but smile back at her. "I am here to learn." She told her, looking over to Kalecgos. "Kalecgos has offered to help me learn my unique ability to use ice magic."
"That is also a long story." Kalecgos said when he saw Sindragosa look over to him. "Something I can tell you about some other time."
"Well then." Sindragosa said, looking back to Cedani. "I am sure I can help out too, with whatever is needed."
