My great thanks to TodaBruh, who kindly chose to use some of his free time to be my beta reader!
Glyu-Uno, homeworld of the Dragon species.
Alexstrasza woke up the morning after the most pleasurable night of her life feeling better than she ever had.
The memories of the pleasure she received thorough the night made her want to smile brightly at all times, a burning joy in her heart only enhanced by the warm sensation of power rushing through her veins.
She could feel her blood, and the power held within it, like never before. It sang to her of Life, a potent promise that she would always be able to safeguard that which was most precious to her: the lives of her people.
Her whole body burned with energy, and yet there was a serenity in that power that soothed her like few things in her life ever had. A loving embrace, a gentle love permeating every fiber of her being, the utmost certainty that she was loved echoing from within her very soul.
It was hard for Alexstrasza to not often glance towards Oedon, not when she could feel the goddess' love for her at each of the dragon queen's heartbeat, the soothing warmth of the red-eyed divinity's blessing wrapping around her very soul like a comforting blanket.
It felt much like having spent her entire life blind, and suddenly opening her eyes to see the sun. Her worries melting away, her every fear ceasing to exist by the simple, all-encompassing love of an Omniscient Goddess who knew her better than she knew herself, and loved her fully, flaws and all.
Alexstrasza had heard many sermonts of the Gods and their love for their creations, but it was one thing to hear of it, and another to feel it at every breath she took.
It didn't help that she could feel Life around her like never before. Her entire city glowed to her new senses like a galaxy's worth of stars, each flickering light the lifeforce of a living being, moving, talking, training, laughing, and more.
It had made her gasp the first time she had focused on her city and felt for herself all the lives living in it. Old and young, men and women, dragons and not, she could feel the lifeforce of each and every single one of them. They shone so brightly to her now, the warmth of their life utterly wondrous to her unprepared mind.
And of course… there were the Gods.
If her city was a galaxy of moving, shining stars, then they stood as the shining warmth of the entire universe compressed in mortal forms. Twins shining lights of such pure lights, such power and might, that everything else that Alexstrasza could feel, herself included, were but flickering embers in comparison.
It almost made her want to weep in awe, to see for herself the might of the Gods themselves, the beacons of lights that stood by her sides like life-giving suns to all around them.
Still, she had held herself back… if barely. She still felt so very, very small by their sides, but the light both gods gave to her senses was not oppressive, quite the opposite- they truly felt like the warm lights of living, benevolent stars who took pleasure in seeing life prosper around them.
Of course, her new changes weren't missed by her people. Her brightly shining pupils could hardly be hidden, nor could the way that Alexstrasza was just… more than she was the day before.
Her very presence caused her people to almost visibly glow with life, as if she brought colors to a world of monochrome simply by entering a room. Old wounds and aches seemingly disappeared at her coming, and people burdened by old age moved with a spring in their steps they did not possess in a long time.
Alexstrasza shone in a way that she could scarcely believe, an endless well of energy, combined with that ever-present loving warmth, giving her strength both physical and mental unlike anything she had ever known.
The green of plants shone brighter, the colors of flowers made her eyes go wide with wonder, and their fragrance made her want to smile in delight.
And Alexstrasza knew that, if she wanted, she could extend her senses far, far beyond her city. Across this entire world, perhaps beyond it into the cosmos above itself.
There was a part of her that wanted nothing more than to experience all of these new wonders more thorough the day, but she could not… not yet.
Duty called, and there was always more work to do. And this day was important: she had already planned a meeting with the leaders of the various Dragonflights today, even before she knew for sure how her request to the Gods would go, to either plan on how to settle everything for the Gods who would protect them… or how to go about things if her request for divine support was denied.
With the Gods quite willing to help, it was thus with eager anticipation that she had made sure to prepare everything for the meeting ahead, her entire city in a jubilant mood as the shadows of dragons flying towards the city could be seen in the distance.
She, along with her new gods and what feels like her entire city's worth of population, eagerly awaited the first of the dragonflights to arrive at the gates of the city.
The first to arrive were the Bronze Dragonflight, the Dragons linked to Time led by Nozdormu, her old friend hitting the ground before quickly shapeshifting into mortal form along with the rest of his people, and she wasted no time stepping forward and embracing him tightly.
"Alexstrasza! It is good to see you, my friend!" joyfully shouted Nozdormu, and Alexstrasza laughed and pulled back from the hug to smile brightly at him.
"It is good to see you, too, Nozdormu! It has been too long since we have been able to see each other, with the weights of our duties taking our time." she replied, glad to see her old friend in good spirit and health.
The bronze dragon smiled a bit sheepishly at that, though his eyes shone with joy nonetheless, even as they took in her new glowing eyes with interest.
"I'm sorry, I of all dragons ought to be able to make time for friendly visits… I'll do my best to come see you more often, alright?" he promised, and her smile almost shone like a newborn sun at his words.
"I'll take you up on that!" she happily declared, before turning to look towards Aeon and Oedon.
"Nozdormu, I would like to introduce you and your people to Lord Aeon and Lady Oedon, the new King of the Eldritch and his first wife respectively. They came here in answer to my request, and as you saw for yourself, the negotiations went well enough that I already received the blessing of Lady Oedon."
"Yes, I saw the changes in you." Nozdormu mused, before bowing respectfully towards the gods, followed by his people. "My Lord and Lady, you honor us with your presence." he declared, his voice respectful.
The two gods smiled.
"It is our honor to be welcomed by your people so warmly. We both look forward to all that we can accomplish by working together." Lord Aeon replied, his voice kind.
Alexstrasza beamed happily as they shook hands under the thunderous cheers of her people, and it didn't take long for all four of them to begin laughing together. Nozdormu teasing her about her new glowing eyes was met with jokes about how pretty his eyes would be if he received his own Divine blessing, even though Aeon quickly made it clear that he was actually hoping to set up Nozdormu and his people as followers of the Gate and the Key.
That news was received with little fanfare, as Nozdormu had already foreseen it, same as his people. Alexstrasza's old friend merely nodded, and mentioned that while he had a number of matters that needed to be negotiated, his people had long since been prepared for the day they would officially serve Lady Yog-Sothoth.
That was the advantage of being linked with Time: it made preparing for the future much easier.
The next dragonflight to arrive was the Blue Dragonflight, led by Malygos. This time things were a bit more tense at first, as Aeon fully intended to patronize the blue Dragonflight, and it was thus the first meeting between the Blue Dragonflight and their prospective Patron God.
Alexstrasza had imagined quite a few ways this meeting could go-
"-and that's why math-based magic possess that singular benefit over, for example,-"
-but none of them included both Malygos and Aeon going off in their own little worlds while dozens of shapeshifted blue Dragons surrounded them, writing frantically on various notebooks with utterly focused expressions on their faces.
"It appears that we have already lost our new God to the dangers of scholarly debates." Nozdormu said with visible amusement at the sight.
Alexstrasza just stared blankly at the scene, desperately trying to remember how this happened.
"Alas." Oedon deadpanned, even as her eyes shone with suppressed laughter. "My dear Aeon has found his people, and is now forever lost to us."
She moved a hand, as if to wipe a tear. "Our love was not strong enough in the end, to hold him back from that pit without end known as…"
Her voice turned grave.
"A geek convention."
Nozdormu blinked-
And then threw his head back and roared in laughter.
Alexstrasza stared in incomprehension, and Oedon's lips twitched before she visibly took pity on her as her mind was suddenly filled with the knowledge required to understand the joke.
Her mouth dropped open, before she failed to contain a few chuckles.
"Oh, by the Gods…"
She looked at the gathering of visibly entranced blue dragons, and shook her head.
"No wonder Aeon wanted them…" she muttered with amusement.
Nozdormu visibly struggled to calm down, his lips pulled into a wide grin.
"I'm never letting Malygos live this down. Ever." he declared with all the joy of a man given prime blackmail materials to tease a friend with for the rest of eternity.
"Indeed. It appears that, instead of focusing on a more standard form of diplomacy, my dear husband has decided to convince the blue Dragonflight of accepting his patronage through the power of throwing knowledge at a bunch of natural scholars." Oedon remarked, shaking her head with clear fondness.
"They never stood a chance." Nozdormu declared gravely… even as he struggled to not start laughing again.
Alexstrasza let out a long sigh, groaning slightly. "And here I expected a formal meeting…"
"In all fairness, our own negotiations hardly ended on a formal note… though they were all the more enjoyable for it." Oedon said with twinkling red eyes.
The dragon Queen blushed as Nozdormu raised an eyebrow at her, a knowing look in his eyes and a slight smirk on his lips. "Oh, passionate negotiations, eh? Should I worry about how exactly our planned meetings are meant to go?"
His eyebrows danced up and down meaningfully.
"Nozdormu!" Alexstrasza exclaimed, swatting his arm.
Her old friend laughed, and the dragon queen couldn't help but smile. It has been far too long since they had been able to all laugh so freely…
"Ah, there goes the next group."
Alexstrasza looked up, and her smile widened as she saw a number of green dragons coming their way, led by Ysera, her… very dear friend.
"Alexstrasza!" Ysera cheerfully cried out the moment she hit the ground, turning into mortal form in a blink of an eye before Alexstrasza was swept up in a tight hug, and the dragon queen relaxed instinctively in the familiar warmth of her old friend's arms.
"Ysera." she mumbled while tightly returning the hug, both women hugging each other for a moment more than necessary before they both pulled back.
Ysera immediately looked at Alexstrasza, taking in all the changes before smiling brightly, a hint of a blush on her cheeks.
"You look more beautiful than ever. And those new eyes…" she swallowed. "They are very striking."
Alexstrasza blushed at the words, but she quickly moved on and smiled brightly in return.
"The blessing I received is… I'm still adjusting, but it's wondrous to experience, Ysera. I can feel your lifeforce, like a warm star bathing me in its light…"
Alexstrasza trailed off with a smile as she lost herself in the sensation for a moment, making sure to remember exactly how her friend felt to her new senses, before snapping back to the present to see a fading blush on Ysera, and a warm smile on her lips.
"That's good to hear. I did know that things had gone well, but it's a relief to hear it from your own mouth."
The dragon queen smiled. "Yes, things went even better than I could have hoped for. But come, let me introduce you to the gods!"
Turning, she quickly brought Ysera before an amused Oedon and Nozdormu, while Alexstrasza smiled brightly at her new patron goddess.
"Ysera, this is Lady Oedon, Outer Goddess of Life, Blood, and much more. Lady Oedon, this is Ysera, leader of the Green Dragonflight and caretaker of the Dreamlands."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Oedon. And you have my eternal gratitude for choosing to watch over my friend's dragonflight, and even blessing her as you did." Ysera declared warmly.
Oedon smiled at her kindly. "Alexstrasza is a wonderful person, and someone I am proud of being able to call my Avatar. If anything, I should be the one grateful for this opportunity."
Alexstrasza blushed a bit at the genuine approval and joy in Oedon's words when describing her, and both Nozdormu and Ysera' faces lit up at the goddess' words.
"Come on, we should try to introduce you to Aeon too." the dragon queen declared, glancing towards the still clearly animated scholarly debate going on between Aeon and Malygos, with all the blue dragons around them still frantically writing down every word spoken.
Ysera took one look at the gathering and blinked, before a look of bemused amusement took over.
"Oh dear. What's this?"
"A gathering we will have to brave the dangers of in order to get this diplomatic summit moving forward." Oedon replied with amusement.
"Careful ladies, that's Hell we're walking into." Nozdormu warmed gravely, even as his lips twitched into a smirk.
Alexstrasza didn't get the joke, but Oedon seemed to catch it as she covered a laugh by faking a cough.
"Come now, I will do my best to guide you." her goddess declared with a grin, as they all moved towards the gathering.
"Aeon!" Oedon called out sharply, her husband pausing mid-words to look at his wife. "We have more than just the blue dragonflight to meet today, remember?"
Alexstrasza chuckled as both Aeon and Malygos turned sheepish, even as every blue dragon around them visibly drooped sadly as their fun was interrupted.
Then Aeon turned towards Malygos with a smile and said "Let's continue this later, alright?"
Alexstrasza wasn't the only one who stifled a laugh at the way that every blue dragon, Malugos included, visibly perked up excitedly and nodded eagerly. If they had tails, Alexstrasza was sure they'd be waving happily right now.
I don't think I need to worry about Aeon and the Blue Dragonflight not getting along. If anything, I'm now worried about the opposite! Alexstrasza thought with amusement.
Either way, Aeon stepped forward, taking Ysera's hand and bowing, kissing the back of it with a grin that made Alexstrasza's old friend blush.
"My lady, it's an honor." he said, amusement clear in his voice, and Alexstrasza's lips twitched as she held back a laugh at the look on Ysera's face.
"Oh my- I-I mean, the honor is mine, my Lord!" Ysera stammered, Nozdormu stifling a laugh at the sight.
"Then you would not mind us getting to know each other more later, my Lady? I am certain we will find much to... discuss, together. Perhaps over a meal of my own making?" the smile on the god's face could outshine the stars. "It would be my pleasure to make sure our future meetings are most enjoyable for you, my Lady."
Ysera gaped at the shameless flirting, her skin burning a flushed, dark purple, quite clearly having not expected such straightforwardness from him.
"I-I-I believe it would be wise to have Alexstrasza with us to prote- I mean, help us all get to know each other, my Lord."
"A wonderful idea! The more the merrier, after all!" he beamed, mischievousness radiating from him like a sun, and Ysera's jaw dropped before she flushed even darker.
Then he leaned forward, whispering something into her ears that made Ysera's eyes bulge before they snapped her way, a second before she blanched… then looked away with a skin shade of purple so dark and flushed Alexstrasza was hard-pressed to think of the last time she'd seen Ysera blushing so hard.
Aeon then stepped back, looking much like a Hunter who caught his prey, a toothy smirk so smug it was almost a physical force.
"I dare say this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship built on mutual benefits, wouldn't you agree, my Lady?" Aeon purred the words, the smug amusement coming from him stronger than ever.
Ysera said nothing, seemingly lost into her own world as her lips moved but no sounds came out of her, her eyes looking at anywhere but Alexstrasza and Aeon.
"Dear Aeon, don't break the poor cutie, at least buy her a drink first." Oedon spoke up, red eyes twinkling with mirth.
Aeon looked at Ysera with a grin. "The lady does look a bit thirsty…"
Alexstrasza blinked. Why did he glance her way with a knowing glint in his eyes?
And why was Ysera somehow blushing harder?!
Wait, did he whisper-
Alexstrasza began blushing just as hard as Ysera. Yes, her and her old friend had occasionally slept together in the past, but did he- was he planning to- With Oedon and- All four of them?!
The dragon-queen gulped. Oh. Oh dear. Oh no, they were all hot.
She was so screwed.
Ysera's eyes met hers.
Help! They screamed.
They already got me! She silently screamed back.
Ysera blanched.
Already?! She seemed to shout.
Alexstrasza blushed.
Ysera turned pale.
We're so screwed. Her eyes seemed to whimper.
They are so good at it, too… Alexstrasza whimpered back.
You're not helping! Ysera's eyes screamed back at her, before finally looking back at Aeon with a wooden smile.
She opened her mouth to say… something, only to be interrupted.
Munch munch munch.*
They all turned, staring blankly at Nozdormu who was now holding a bag of… something white that he was happily eating?
He blinked at them, before waving. "Oh, don't mind me. Please, keep going!"
At the side, she saw Oedon leaned towards Aeon with a curious look on her face.
"Is that popcorn?" she whispered to him.
"Yog-Sothoth and my True Self." he whispered back with a grin, which made Oedon's lips make "O" before she smiled in understanding.
Alexstrasza let out a sigh. "You know, I had expected a more serious meeting to decide the fate of our people."
Nozdormu opened his mouth, a smirk on his lips-
And then he froze, Alexstrasza's eyes widening in concern as he suddenly turned away from them, looking into the distance with a vicious curse escaping him, the bag he was holding disappearing instantly.
"What-"
Alexstrasza paused as she felt a hand settle on her shoulder, turning her head to see Aeon looking grimly where Nozdormu was looking towards.
"Sorry Alexstrasza, it seems you're going to get your wish after all." he muttered softly.
She sent him a concerned look, but before she could say anything Malygos spoke up.
"Hey, look! The black Dragonflight is here!"
Alexstrasza smiled as she saw the rapidly approaching forms of Neltharion and his dragons, though her smile held a touch of worry in it.
He and his people were the protectors of their kind, the warriors who chose to stand and fight to protect all dragons, and as a result they were the most hit by the forces of the Abyss during their invasion. And ever since those days, Neltharion and his people have been… more short-tempered and brutal than before. Things weren't helped by the fact that his city was the most plagued by Abyssal cultists, and it seemed like not a month could go by without news of more death, horrors and destruction caused by demonic cults.
She had tried to reach out to him and his people, but all of her efforts had ultimately done little to help. The lands surrounding his city were poisoned by Abyssal corruption, full of bandits, cultists and worse, and several areas were entirely lost to demonic corruption. Combined with the occasional assassinations attempts, hit and run attacks by cultists and demons, and worse, Neltharion's people had really not recovered well from the Invasion.
She had hoped this day would serve to change that, but why exactly were Aeon and Nozdormu suddenly so on guard?
"Aeon? What's going on?" she asked quickly.
Her new god and lover did not reply at first, his gaze fixed on the approaching dragons, before he relaxed and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Good. There's still time..." he muttered, which did nothing to settle her growing fears.
"Aeon, what-"
He raised a hand, his expression firm.
"You're about to find out."
Nozdormu glanced at him, nodding firmly once.
Alexstrasza exchanged a look with Ysera and Malygos, who seemed as lost and worried as she was.
The dragons gathered around them noticed the shocking change in mood, as they all shifted, subtly gathering around their respective leader with worried expressions, as if they were all readying for a fight to break out at any moment.
Then Neltharion hit the ground, followed by his people, shifting into mortal form, and Alexstrasza blinked.
For a moment, her heart leapt in her throat, as Neltharion looked sickly, weak and shuddering unnaturally, his eyes flickering between baleful demonic light and weary black eyes gripped by despair and growing madness-
And then she blinked, and it was gone. Neltharion stood tall and proud, strong and unyielding, his expression firm but not hostile.
"I have come, as requested." he spoke with a booming voice, the very picture of a confident leader striding forth without fear.
Aeon stepped forward, his expression shockingly neutral, and something in Alexstrasza's blood made her instincts scream at her that something was wrong, deeply wrong.
By her side, Nozdormu watched the approaching dragons with a grim face, his expression sending a thrill of fear in Alexstrasza's heart from the memories of the last time she had seen the usually cheerful dragon looking so grim: the Demonic Invasion.
Oedon was nearby, her expression as neutral as Aeon's, but something told her that the kind woman was now nowhere to be seen, something cold and calculating in her red eyes sending shivers down the dragon queen's back.
Ysera and Malygos shifted in discomfort, their faces showing openly their worries and concerns about what was going on, a mirror of her own expression.
The dragons accompanying them huddled closer still to their leaders, equal looks of worry and confusion shared between them… except for the bronze dragons, who instead looked on with the same grim expression of their leader, all of them looking ready to jump and fight for their lives at a moment's notice.
Alexstrasza looked back at Aeon and Neltharion slowly making their way towards one another, knowing that something was deeply wrong.
She squinted towards them, the sound of her heartbeat suddenly flooding her mind, the feeling of the blood rushing through her veins flooding her body, her brains squirming unnaturally as she tried to see-
IMPURITY
She froze.
Neltharion's soul was covered in putrid red Abyssal corruption, only shards of light still free-
No, he was healthy and strong-
No, he was sick and falling to madness-
No, he was healthy and strong-
No, he was sick and falling into madness-
No, he-
No, he-
This is wrong!
Alexstrasza cried out in pain and horror, a hand going to her squirming brain as Abyssal magic trying to mess with her senses suddenly broke apart, and she saw Neltharion and his people as they truly were.
She saw the sickly, putrid corruption of the Abyss, saw the growing taint of Damnation, saw the way it sought to consume them-
"No!"
She screamed, tears of horror in her eyes as she staggered before the Truth revealed to her.
"Alexstrasza!"
Malygos and Ysera screamed out in panic at the sight of her sudden reaction, while before her things suddenly happened very quickly.
Her scream caught the attention of the black dragons, Neltharion's eyes- redredred- staring at her with cruelty- madness- despair- wrongwrongwrong- as he slowed down-
And Aeon moved.
The black dragons didn't had the time to blink before he stood before Neltharion, his right hand hitting him right in the heart, Neltharion freezing in place with an expression of pain, shock and growing rage-
ARCANE LAKE
And then a great, white light bathed all watching, encompassing all Black Dragons present.
"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!"
Alexstrasza flinched as all black dragons screamed in agony, none louder than Neltharion, who was suddenly bathed in a red glow of- IMPURITY- Abyssal corruption.
She could almost see something in that moment- A tall, humanoid man made of the very fabric of the Cosmos standing unyielding before a beautiful, yet terrifying woman with glowing red eyes and a face twisted by cruelty sitting on a dark, twisted throne… though that expression was now making way to rapidly growing shock and fear.
And then the light vanished, and all that was left were the collapsed, groaning forms of all black dragons, sobbing and shuddering and muttering to themselves incomprehensible words like "The whispers… the whispers are gone… They're gone!" in voices broken by trauma and soul-deep relief.
Aeon stared at them for a second, before turning back towards all of them and shouting with a booming voice that echoed across the city
"Healers! They need healers! They've all suffered from major Abyssal corruption, they need healers right now!"
For a moment, there was silence.
And then everything dissolved into chaos.
It was only hours later, after some of the most chaotic and stressful hours of her life, that Alexstrasza finally sat down with a sigh of exhaustion in a meeting room guarded by rows upon rows of guards, with the various leaders of the Dragonflights and the two gods present.
Neltharion was there as well, looking physically fine but mentally and emotionally exhausted. Nonetheless her old friend had categorically refused to simply lie down on a bed, especially with the situation being what it is.
Alexstrasza and her fellow dragons couldn't help but send him concerned looks, but he waved them off with a tired wave.
"Lay off it. I'm alive and well enough to sit at a damn meeting table." he said gruffly, though it did little to hide the clear signs of exhaustion upon him.
"We're only concerned for you, Nel." whispered gently Alexstrasza, and her old friend's face softened at the clear worry in her eyes.
"I know, Alex. I know, but after everything that has happened, I can't lie in bed and do nothing. I just… I can't." he replied, and there was something raw and vulnerable in his eyes that made Alexstrasza look at him with saddened understanding.
"So… I think I speak for all of us when I say, what the hell happened?!" Malygos spoke up, looking around in clear worry. "All I know is that you and your people were suffering from major Abyssal corruption, and that somehow no one noticed it except the god in our midst today. So, seriously, what's going on?"
They all looked at Aeon, who shared a look with Nozdormu before sighing.
"What happened is that the Goddess of the Abyss knew to play the long game. When the Invasion happened, she knew that she might not win it all in one attack. So instead, she used the invasion as a smokescreen to cover her long-term plans to get what she wanted."
Aeon nodded towards Neltharion. "Since the black dragonflights are the warriors of the Dragon species, she targeted them especially hard. Using the chaos of the invasion, she ensured that a number of cultists and demons would stay hidden within his city, so that once the invasion was repelled, they would work in the shadows, slowly working on corrupting every level of the Black Dragonflight's civilization. Using the losses in the palace of Neltharion and its staff, they used the opened jobs to infiltrate cultists into positions where they could snuck in Abyssal artifacts that would slowly work on corrupting the minds of all present. Neltharion himself was the target of concerted corruption attempts over years. Slowly, carefully, while making sure that neither him nor anyone else would notice it, they began flooding his body, mind and soul with more and more Abyssal corruption. The more they succeeded, the easier it was to hide the growing corruption within him, to the point that he never noticed anything wrong. Or rather, they made sure he would rationalize away any hints of the truth. No matter how exhausted he became, how short-tempered, how paranoid, things would conspire to make him believe it was a result of him failing to defeat the cultists, being seemingly abandoned by everyone, the deaths of his people, etc."
Everyone grimaced at the blunt description of what had been going on, while Neltharion himself merely clenched his hands into trembling fists and ground his teeth in a mix of rage, horror and guilt over his own perceived failure at not noticing anything.
"Nel." whispered Alexstrasza, and her old friend froze before letting out a long, frustrated breath.
"Thanks." he whispered with a nod, and she gave him a small, sad smile before looking back at Aeon.
The god smiled grimly, glancing at Nozdormu.
"And yes, for those of you wondering, Nozdormu didn't foresee any of this until essentially the last moment. He and Yog-Sothoth were mostly blind to all of this."
"How?" asked Malygos. "How could the Gate and the Key miss this?"
Aeon sighed.
"She's not perfectly omniscient. Even her sight can be blocked, or misdirected. Considering that the Goddess of the Abyss herself was involved, it's not surprising that this happened."
He raised a hand, his expression firm. "That isn't to say she didn't notice anything. As far as I can see it, the Goddess of the Abyss spent the last few years crafting false trail after false trail to better hide the truth of her plans. Countless pawns were sacrificed in schemes whose' sole true purpose was to buy time and provide a smokescreen for her true plots. Plans that, by all indications, were genuine threats and attempts at killing or subverting the Black Dragonflights were foiled by Nozdormu and his people…"
He sighed. "It just wasn't enough. Yog could tell that the Abyss had more planned, that there was something she wasn't seeing, she just couldn't tell what it was."
"Until you came here in person." finished Alexstrasza knowingly.
"Indeed." he replied.
"But… Why let Neltharion meet you at all? They had to suspect that it would destroy all their plans." pointed out Ysera.
"Because the Abyss is scrambling, just as everybody else, to deal with the news of my existence and my status as King of the Eldritch." Aeon answered. "More, Yog-Sothoth saw an opportunity: she might not know what the Abyss had planned, but by ensuring I would come to this world as quickly as I did, she ensured that the Abyss would not have the time to plan anything. I am an outside context problem: An Outer God of tremendous power who came out of nowhere, and suddenly involved himself with you all. Even the Goddess of the Abyss was left scrambling to change her plans, and it left the demons already here in this world with no other orders than to keep business as usual. Moreover, demons are creatures of Chaos: the moment uncertainty entered the equation, the various demons in charge of corrupting the Black Dragonflight began fighting each other, struggling to decide whether they needed to make a move now, or whether that would be utterly stupid as long as I was on planet. So in the end, they did nothing, allowing Neltharion and his closest advisors to come here."
"Well. I dare say that Yog-Sothoth's plan worked out, in this case." Malygos said with a relieved sigh.
"That it did." agreed Aeon, smirking fiercely in satisfaction at the spectacular blow struck against the Abyss' plans.
"Though that does not mean that all of the Abyss' plans are gone." Oedon spoke up, expression serious.
Aeon let out a breath, nodding at his wife. "Unfortunately, that is correct. The Abyss' plans involved more than just Neltharion and his closest advisors, after all."
"Do you know of the demons' other plans?" questioned Alexstrasza.
"I do. As the King of the Eldritch, my powers far surpass those of even Yog-Sothoth, and not even Slann, Goddess of the Abyss, can hide her plots from me." confirmed Aeon. "Or those of the God of Hell, for that matter."
"Hell?" exclaimed Ysera with surprise, speaking for them all on this one. "What does Hell have anything to do with this?"
"Because Asmadeus knew of some of his Abyssal counterpart's plans. The advantage of having long since acquired spies in Slann's court." Oedon answered.
"That's correct." confirmed Aeon. "Asmadeus doesn't know everything, but he knew enough to plan accordingly." Aeon turned towards her. "Alexstrasza, Asmadeus wanted you and your dragonflight primarily, though the others would be a good bonus. His plan, therefore, was a defeat in detail: He knew enough to know that Ysera's dragonflight would be brought down by the Emerald Nightmare, Slann's tool of corruption and destruction aimed at bringing them low, through subversion or death. Asmadeus would thus let Ysera be pushed to the brink, and then make her an offer she wouldn't be able to refuse."
Ysera hissed at that name, and Alexstrasza turned grim. The Emerald Nightmare was a region of the Dreamlands that had become utterly corrupted during the invasion, and the Demon Lord who had bound himself to it had been a vicious thorn in Ysera's side ever since. It made a grim amount of sense that the Abyssal Goddess would have a plan to use the Nightmare to tie down the Green Dragonflight once Neltharion and his people had become sufficiently corrupted to go on the warpath.
Aeon turned towards Malygos. "Asmadeus also planned to let the corrupted black dragonflight and Neltharion fight you, Malygos, and your dragonflight. He had heard that the Goddess of the Abyss had created an artifact that would let the fallen Neltharion have the upper hand against you, and fully planned to let him either kill you or corrupt you. Once that was done, his Devils would appear to your now leaderless Dragonflight, making promises of protection to your broken people."
Malygos' hands clenched into fists, his teeth visibly grinding in rage at the thought of his people being all but enslaved by Hell.
Aeon then turned towards Nozdormu, who smiled grimly back at him.
"Alright, lay it on me. What was the plan for me and mine?"
Unexpectedly, it was Oedon who spoke up next, her voice cold and unquestionably angry.
"The Demons of the Abyss got their claws on a number of Bronze dragon eggs during the invasion, did they not?"
Nozdormu froze, a look of rage, shame and pain on his face at those words. Alexstrasza winced in sympathy, as the fact that a number of demons managed to steal a considerable number of bronze dragon eggs during the worse of the invasion remain a source of great shame and rage for him and his people.
Oedon's expression softened with sympathy, though it did not make her next words any easier to hear.
"Slann herself corrupted the eggs, and experimented on them to create what she mockingly called the Infinite Dragonflight. Corrupted Bronze dragons serving the Abyss, who were raised to hate you and yours above all else, who will strike against you with the desire to corrupt or kill the entire Bronze Dragonflight in the next invasion. Asmadeus' plan, then, was to wait for an opportunity where the Bronze dragonflight would be weak to, once again, try and give you all an offer you could not refuse. He doubted it would work, with the Gate and the Key herself to potentially support you, but it was a potential plan."
Nozdormu remained frozen for a long moment, a storm of emotions in his eyes as he considered those words.
Then, he let out a long breath, inhaled deeply, exhaled again, and nodded slowly.
"Can… Can the dragons be saved?" he whispered with desperate hope.
Aeon and Oedon glanced at each other.
"Perhaps." finally replied Aeon. We will have to talk more about this at length later- we're going to need a damn good plan for this."
"Whatever you need, if I can give it, I will." Nordomu replied with steel in his voice, the mere possibility that hope yet existed enough for him to straighten in his seat and look at Aeon like a man ready for war.
"Understood." Aeon acknowledged, expression sympathetic.
"And that leaves me. What was the plan of both the Goddess of the Abyss and the God of Hell for me?" Alexstrasza asked grimly, already bracing herself for what she was going to hear.
Ysera with the Emerald Nightmare, Neltharion corrupted, Nozdormu with the Infinite Dragonflight, Malygos killed or corrupted by a fallen Neltharion…
What, then, were the dark gods' plans for her?
Aeon and Oedon's expression turned, if anything, more grim than ever, and Alexstrasza felt a shiver of dread run down her spine at the looks.
Finally, Oedon began speaking, expression somewhere between sad and coldly enraged.
"Both Dark Gods wanted to use you as a broodmother to create an army of loyal dragons for the Blood War." She said softly, even as Alexstrasza felt like she had been punched in the guts. "Slann intended to use the fact that all other dragonflights would be under siege to force you out of your city. Once that happened, they would have engineered a trap to capture you, at which point they would have used any other red dragons they successfully captured as hostages to make you comply, while they would have worked to corrupt you into an Abyssal demon in your own right. Any resistance would have seen your children tortured and murdered in cold blood before you, their blood thrown at you so that you would literally be covered in the consequences of your defiance."
Her friends recoiled at those words, looks of horror on their faces, but Oedon and Aeon merely kept staring at her with the same mix of sadness and cold rage.
The fact that both gods might very well have foreseen all of it happening, seen it all through their divine power, made Alexstrasza feel colder than she ever had felt in her entire life.
Oedon continued, her next words not helping Alexstrasza's sudden desire to puke in horror.
"Asmadeus would have come to you then, swearing to free you and your children… if only you would swear yourself and your children to him. And needless to say, you would not have been in a position to negotiate on the terms of the deal he would have proposed you. You would have been left with a choice, then: deny him and doom yourself and your children to the Abyss and its corruption… or accept, and doom yourself and your children to the cold cruelty of Hell, instead."
Alexstrasza stared, unable to speak as she imagined herself caught in that situation.
Ysera doomed to fight against the Emerald Night and its demon lord…
Neltharion rampaging against the various Dragonflight, and using whatever artifact Slann would have given him to destroy Malygos…
Nozdormu doomed to fight and kill his own people…
And herself, bound, slowly corrupted and violated over and over again for the sake of providing the Abyss an army of dragons to kill and slaughter with, or doomed to enslave herself and her people, her children, to Hell.
The dragon Queen t-asted bile in her mouth, and it took every bit of self-control she had not to puke in horror.
"I… I think we all need to take a break." muttered Neltharion, staring at his own hands as if he was watching himself kill and slaughter while helping bring about the destruction of all he loved with his own claws.
"Agreed." said Ysera with a shaky voice, her skin a paler shade of purple than Alexstrasza ever remembered seeing in her friend, as she glanced at Alexstrasza for a second before violently away with a full-body shudder. "I think I need to go the toilet, if you'll all excuse me-"
Ysera promptly got up and rushed out of the room, a hand on her mouth.
With a calm that Alexstrasza did not feel, she got up as well. "I need to… I need to go as well…"
She left, her whole body shaking and her eyes barely seeing anything as she followed after Ysera.
She had known it would be bad, just not this bad.
By the gods, but reaching out to the new King of the Eldritch had been the best decision of her life.
If she hadn't and this vision of an horrific future had come to pass-
Alexstrasza broke into a run, a hand coming over her mouth in a mirror move of Ysera.
It took time before the meeting resumed. Every leaders of the Dragonflights had reasons to need time to themselves to come to grip with what they have learned, and while they were all thankful to have been given warnings of the plans of both Hell and the Abyss, it didn't change the fact that what they had learned would give them all nightmares for some time to come.
As it was, they had to spend a good 20 minutes merely reassuring Neltharion that they didn't hold all of this against him, and that he shouldn't blame himself for all that would have happened if he had indeed fallen to corruption.
The one dragon that was the most willing to charge forth into battle for all their sakes had become a guilt-riddled man, tormented by what had almost come to pass, and it took the combined reassurances and efforts of all four remaining Dragon leaders and the two gods present to eventually get him out of his depressive mood.
And even then, things were far from perfect.
"We still need to come up with a plan for cleaning my city of the demons and their cultists." Neltharion said, his expression still subdued but holding a spark of determination that reminded Alexstrasza of her old friend at his best. "From what I understand, the majority of the most corrupt of my people have just been freed of the taint of the Abyss thanks to my decision to come here with them, but there are others. All of them could become threats if left to their own devices, to say nothing of what will happen if the demons decide to stop hiding and come forth to attack my city en masse. Just because I'm free doesn't mean things can't go straight to the Abyss, still." he warned.
"Agreed." quietly declared Ysera, who still looked shaken but who grimly tried to hold herself together when they all needed to focus on planning right now. "Your entire city might become a battlefield in an instant if the demons decide they need to stop hiding. As it is, I almost fear that, by the time you return home, you will find your city on fire."
"It won't happen." Aeon said firmly, causing everyone to look at him. He smiled fiercely. "The goddess of the Abyss absolutely knows I'm here, on this world as we speak, and that I won't tolerate a demonic invasion when I'm right here. If they try, I'll smite all demons instantly, and Slann will be humiliated on top of losing all of her hard work. As long as me and Oedon are on the planet, Slann won't give the order to attack. She's smart enough that, if I push, I might even be able to force her into a full retreat of all of her forces. But… that depends. If I push too far, it could also end up with her deciding to go all-out, consequences be damned. If that happens, your entire world will become the first casualty of a war that will shake the entire local multiverse." he warned.
They all grimaced at that. A true, full blown Abyss-Eldritch total war would quickly get very ugly for countless souls across the multiverse, and their own people would be right at ground zero. Yes, the Eldritch would win it in the end, none here doubted that, but the destruction it would bring was night-imaginable in scale.
"So, what's the plan?" asked Malygos.
"We make the best use possible of the time we have." Oedon declared, Aeon nodding at her side.
"First, we'll give you a full briefing about all the plans and forces of the Abyss on this world. After that, I'd like to bless those of you who I will become the patron God of, though I'll let Yog-Sothoth handle you, Nozdormu." Aeon looked at the dragon, who nodded in understanding.
"After that, I'll open portals to your bastions, and you'll have to move quickly to gather all the people you'll need to brief in turn. With my blessing, you'll be able to cleanse anyone of Abyssal taint, and from there… Well, from there you'll have to clean house and strike as quickly and efficiently as possible. I can hide that you'll be moving by portals, but once you start moving armies, that will be very visible. Still, as long as I and Oedon don't make a move, we'll force Slann to have a choice between trying to make a stand with the forces that she already has on-world, or pull everything back and decide that her plans just won't work anymore. In the end, it'll depend entirely on whether we can convince Slann that the situation has become a sunk cost fallacy. If she decides that her plans are doomed no matter what, she'll be furious, but she'll still order a full-scale retreat back into the Abyss." Aeon declared confidently.
"In other words, we'll serve as a deterrent. We'll stand there, menacingly, and make it clear that escalating things will only end badly for the entire Abyss. At the same time, as long as your own forces can win against the Abyssal forces on their own, then ultimately Slann won't have any other choice but to wash her hands of the whole mess." Oedon said.
"That might work." mused Neltharion. "It'll be messy for sure, but it can work. A full scale attack from all dragonflights on all demonic forces at the same time won't be something the demons will expect, and with the Gods forcibly tying the Goddess of the Abyss' hands by preventing her from sending reinforcement… Yeah. We're looking at days of brutal, vicious fighting, but our goals won't be the annihilation of the entire enemy forces, merely convince them that retreat is the best option they have left."
"And with the Abyss retreating, Hell won't make a move either." Aeon finished. "If Slann's plans had succeeded, the Dragonflights would have become a microcosm of the Blood War: with some dragonflights corrupted by the Abyss, and others submitting to Hell. But forcing the Abyss back will remove most of the interest that Hell has in your species, and this world in general. They won't fully abandon their plans to try and get Dragons on their side, but they'll have to scramble and create new plans from scratch, plans that account for me and Oedon preventing any vert invasion from happening."
"That does mean that Eldritch support will be smaller, though, since you'll be trying to avoid making it seem as if you're outright fighting the Abyss." Alexstrasza pointed out.
"Well, yes and no." Aeon replied with a chuckle. "After all, it's not direct intervention if your people are using summoning magic and prayers to call forth lesser servants of the Eldritch Court, is it?"
Alexstrasza and her friends paused.
"We… don't have all that many pacts and allies, though." Ysera said sadly.
Alexstrasza, however, began smiling, having understood her God's meaning.
"But one of us here does have that authority, does he not?" she said, glowing eyes dancing in satisfaction as she looked at Aeon… the new God-King of the Eldritch.
Aeon's smirk was all teeth as he smiled back at her. "Many Eldritch will definitely see this as a wonderful opportunity to buy some goodwill from me. A chance to show off right in front of the new King of the Eldritch? This time, ladies and gentlemen, politics are on your side."
Nozdormu actually laughed at that one. "Words that even I never expected to hear!" he said with fierce satisfaction and cheerfulness.
"So with that all being said… I propose we get to the full briefing on all enemy forces and their plans, followed by me blessing those of you who are fine with me becoming your patron God, before I send you and your people back home to get things started." Aeon said, leaning forward.
"Well, we were supposed to negotiate first before agreeing to anything…" Ysera mused, before sending a smile at Aeon and Oedon. "But I think I speak for all present when I say that any doubt we had about you has been thoroughly crushed at this point. I still think that we'll need to have a proper discussion about the details of what you becoming the patron God of ourselves and our people means, the duties and expectations we are supposed to uphold, but all of that can wait until after the matter of our very unwelcome demonic guests is dealt with."
All of Alexstrasza's old friends nodded at that, though admittedly Nozdormu was in a special category as he and his would be under the patronage of the Gate and the Key.
"Actually, what about you, Nozdormu? When are you actually going to receive your blessing and swear yourself to Lady Yog-Sothoth?" asked Malygos.
Nozdormu grinned back at him. "Actually, the ritual for it is all but done. We received instructions to speed up the final preparations yesterday, so once I'm back home with my people, we'll do the ritual and we'll be able to join you all as fully empowered agents of the Outer Goddess of Time herself."
"Yog once again moving quickly, I see." Aeon mused approvingly, before nodding. "Right, then. In that case-" he waved a hand, a hologram of the various Dragonflight's territories appearing above the table. Seconds later, numerous red circles appeared on the map. "Let's talk about our very unwelcome demonic friends, and how to best kick them all out of this world."
Alexstrasza leaned forward, glowing eyes taking with grim determination the full extent of the enemy forces before them.
Her old friends did the same, equal looks of grim determination on their faces.
Once again, the dragonflights would charge into battle.
But this time… this time, it would be on their terms.
I stood at one of the balconies of Alexstrasza's palace, my hands clasped behind my back as I stared out far into the distance, watching through Divine sight the various Dragonflight quickly mobilize for battle after their newly blessed leaders were sent back home.
Already, several skirmishes had broken out between the forces of the dragonflights and the demonic forces upon this world, and I could see by the growing movements of the armies on both sides that things were going to only escalate from there.
Oedon stood by my side, her own glowing red eyes seeing the same thing I was, her expression outwardly calm and focused, though I could feel the satisfaction coming from her as she watched over the growing fires of battles spreading across the lengths of the dragonflights' territories.
I knew quite well my wife's feelings when it came to children, as her original nature as a Great One had never truly faded. For anyone to deliberately bring about life, only to forge those children into weapons of war whose' only purpose was to suffer and die in the names of uncaring, cruel Gods…
If there was anything that Great Ones truly held sacred, it was children. The endless tragic stories of them trying to have children and losing them in a never-ending vicious circle had left its marks on the entire species.
What the Dark Gods intended for Alexstrasza specifically had enraged her like few things ever could.
For all that my wife was no warrior like I was, she did not shy away from battle if necessary.
She was, after all, a Goddess of Blood.
I did need to know my wife anywhere as well as I did to know that there would be a reckoning for the Dark Gods. Somehow, someway, Oedon was going to send them a very clear message about the importance of drawing lines in the sand.
Honestly… calling the war between the Abyss and Hell the Blood War, too? Heh, they really were asking for her to get involved.
"What are you plotting, my lovely wife?" I asked, a note of amusement in my voice.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, dear Aeon." Oedon replied primly, fooling absolutely no one with her act.
"If you storm both Hell and the Abyss, spear in hand, at least make sure to tell me first, I'll take pictures." I shot back, a smirk growing on my face at the mental image.
"Come now, I'm not you, dear Aeon, I wouldn't do such a thing." Oedon replied.
I gave her a flat look.
"... Okay, maybe if they really anger me enough." she grumbled, pouting slightly.
I snorted.
"Huh-huh. So, if not that, what are you plotting in that lovely head of yours?"
Oedon merely smiled at me for a moment, visibly enjoying the fact that for once, even I didn't know something.
Then, after bribing her through promises of desserts and massages, she told me.
For a long, long moment, I just stared at my wife, utter shock and disbelief making me gape like a fish at her.
And then I threw my head back and roared in laughter loud enough that I was pretty sure it echoed even in the depths of Hell and the Abyss.
Truly, there was only my wife to think up an entire plan on how to develop cults within the frontline of the Blood War, until the point she would have convinced enough demons and devils on each side to successfully pull off a Christmas 1914 Truce writ large!
The looks on Asmadeus and Slann's faces when they discover a Goddess successfully converted their forces to fucking pacifism of all things was going to be utterly glorious!
A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we continue the events of Love Azathoth!
Since I used a lot of content from WoW, just adapted to fit the current setting, there are a lot of dark themes mentioned throughout this chapter. Still, I mentioned in the past that this story isn't meant to be grimdark, so I've done my best to try and make sure there would be some light-hearted moments too. I hope I succeeded!
I've done my best to set up the Evils of both Hell and the Abyss, but since the overall message of this story is one of hope, both sides are in for… interesting times, to say the least.
For those wondering, what Oedon is going to do is basically what Ember from Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is capable of pulling off on Nocticula. We know that Demons can be redeemed, and I don't see why the same can't be true for Devils. And I mentioned in the past that while Oedon is most certainly willing to kill others, sometimes she does prefer to use very different methods from those Aeon would use to save the day.
In short, Oedon might very well become more feared by both sides than Aeon himself, simply because as a certain man once said… What power does Hell possess, if those within can't Dream of Heaven?
A pro-pacifism cult in the Abyss and Hell? Not so impossible as most would believe…
Finally, I've recently fallen into the world of Blue Archive, and I'm strongly considering making it a future jump. Aeon as sensei would be quite the thing, to say the least. And it'll be funny to see him deal with the general insanity of Kivotos…
ALSO: CHAPTER 100! WOOHOO!
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, we take a step back from the Dragons as Oedon goes to save a maddened Goddess of Blood… A goddess in blood armor is just as good as a knight in shining armor, right?