Dreams of Dawn

by Twilight Incubus

What if Malekith's journey to the realms of chaos went a bit differently after Finuval Plain? Before dying to the flames of Asuryan, he is granted a vision and an ultimatum by Asuryan himself. The god tells him that if he can pass through the six circles of seduction in Slaanesh's realm, then Malekith will be his champion. AU end times fic, Anti-hero Malekith. Full summary inside.

9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Destiny Arrives All the Same

After gaining a fair amount of distance from the scene, Malekith let out a light sigh of relief. He was already sick to death of politics and explaining things to people. Although he was still concerned about doing what Kairos Fateweaver wanted him to, it seemed inevitable now that he had to go to Wei-Jin at the very least. At least he could pay a trip to Lieutenant Kongyu's father and the idea of catching a black ark home seemed much more appealing than crossing the eastern steppes and the chaos wastes again.

'I suppose I can just skip over Nippon. I have no interest in going to another human kingdom and having to do this nonsense all over again. Still…it wouldn't hurt to learn more about what this Yamata no Orochi even is if I get the chance. Fateweaver wouldn't have mentioned it for no reason. He called it a great serpent. No…I'm not falling into another side objective. I need to get back to Naggaroth as soon as I conclude this ridiculous Cathay excursion. I'll go rendezvous with that black ark in Haichai and sail east immediately. I think dealing with Lokhir Fellheart should be my first priority. He might be willing to give up reaving if I promise him greater glory and status. If not, then I definitely need to kill him before he has a chance to sow dissention in the fleets. If I can seize all the black arks, nobody in Naggaroth will be able to challenge my new doctrines. It wouldn't hurt to ask him about Lumbria or Khuresh either. I'm really curious about what happened to Laithikir now. A shame she isn't still around. She was always my favorite admiral. I hope Lokhir can prove to be loyal. I'd rather not kill someone dependable. From what I remember, he venerates Mathlann a great deal. If I can somehow gain Mathlann's favor as well…then perhaps he'll see reason. I can't have a proper navy if half of Naggaroth wants to be pirates,' Malekith reflected on his future paths.

He was drawn from his brooding thoughts by Sung Lian who finally seemed to regain her voice now that they were out of range from the dragons, "S-sir?"

"Not now, Sung Lian…there are still people watching. I'd prefer we discuss the matter I wanted to speak about in a more private setting," he stated without even looking at her.

The shugengan nodded her head, "O-of course, your highness. Umm…so is it alright if we speak of something else until then?"

"I suppose…" Malekith sighed as he glanced over at the woman who was walking fast to match his pace.

"I…I can't believe you just dueled the Jade Dragon. You probably don't know this, but he's the Emperor's executor and executioner…as well as his favorite son. Plus, the Jade dragon is the master of the meteor wind and the administrator of Cathay. One could easily argue he's the most influential person in the empire after the Emperor and Empress themselves," Sung Lian ranted with anxious worry.

Malekith shrugged at her, "Your point being what exactly?"

"I've heard stories of him executing people on the suspicion of occultism and you cast dark magic at him without any hesitation." Sung Lian said disbelievingly.

"He wanted to be certain I was really the Witch King. I on the other hand wanted to use the distraction of fighting him to catch the Changeling off guard," Malekith stated factually.

Sung Lian shook her head, "You truly are amazing…and then the Jade Dragon shook your hand after all of that too. I've never heard of him doing ANYTHING like that for a foreigner before…let alone someone like the Witch King. Ousting that evil daemon must have impressed him. I mean the Storm, Jade, and Light dragons are the Dragon Emperor's favorites…and all three of them have shown trust in you. This is unprecedented. With backing like that, you really could ally with Cathay and mend the rift between our peoples if you wanted to. I can't believe how much they trust you. I mean I do, but I'm just a human. They're immortal dragons and royalty!"

"Calm yourself…it's not that big of a deal. They just realize that I'm someone worth dealing with. Other than Shen Zoo, I'm not so sure the other dragons really have much interest in being more than superficially allied against chaos. I highly doubt there's going to be trade or embassies anytime soon. I don't expect a warm welcome in Wei-Jin, and I'll be glad when it's over. The people here might be grateful to be alive, but nobody can outrun their reputation. The wider world considers me evil. I know many will not approve of my presence there," Malekith shook his head at her amazement.

"With all due respect, your grace, I don't think you realize how significant of an impression you made on Cathay by doing all of this. Have you even heard what the people are saying about you? I must have received over a hundred personal accounts about how you went out of your way to save everyone from peasants to pilots. How you tried to protect the princess and declared her life more valuable than your own. Captain Zhu told me that you volunteered to save me in spite of the Light Dragon's wishes. Some of the peasants are even saying you're a god. Don't let there be any doubts that everyone who was there to witness that battle considers you a hero. The people of Cathay will know your story and they'll be moved by it," Sung Lian replied shaking her head at Malekith's pessimism.

"Hmph," Malekith grunted in disgust.

"I don't remember Ashenwing ever mentioning a shapeshifting daemon. I can't believe you even saw the Changeling or knew it was going to be here. The Jade Dragon has been after that daemon for years," the shugengan tried to break the awkward silence.

She was clearly disappointed in Malekith's lack of reciprocation to her awe as he briskly passed everyone in his way without even looking at them.

"How are you recovering from the battle?" the elf changed the subject as he kept his gaze forward.

"I'm completely fine, to be honest. I'm more worried about you. Though I suppose you're alright if you were fit enough to duel the Jade Dragon and banish a daemon. The Light Dragon was kind enough to keep me somewhat updated on your recovery. She said you almost died…and that you were screaming in your sleep." Sung Lian trailed off.

"I was screaming in my sleep?" he asked bewildered by the news.

It seemed to make sense considering how many nightmares he had been having since the Realms of Chaos, but Malekith was concerned he might have said something in his sleep that Shen Zoo or Miao Ying could have misinterpreted.

"Did she say what it was about?" Malekith asked cautiously.

Sung Lian frowned, "Nothing detailed…she just said you would keep saying names and you would scream as if reliving past battle trauma."

"What names?" he demanded immediately.

Sung Lian shook her head, "I can't really remember what she said. Elven names, I think. The only one I remember was…Allisa I think."

"Allisara," he corrected her almost instinctively. He immediately regretted doing so because he knew she was going to ask about it.

"Who is that?" Sung Lian wondered.

"Someone who died a long time ago…" Malekith looked away somewhat annoyed. He was now paranoid that some of his personal memories might have been leaked while he was unconscious.

He had already told Shen Zoo a great deal about his past, but he was more concerned about Miao Ying hearing it. For some reason he felt ashamed about anyone learning about him having constant nightmares. It was bad enough that Shen Zoo seemed to know. It made him look weak and mentally unstable.

"Please don't misunderstand…I'm not judging you. I've been having nightmares too…it's not the sort of thing you can just forget about. That battle was traumatic for a lot of people and it's even crazier to think you fought far more terrifying monsters in the Realms of Chaos when you rescued the princess. I can't even imagine what you've been through. I feel like a heartless fool for not considering it sooner. I didn't really believe you were in the Realms of Chaos until the princess confirmed it. If you want to talk about it…" Sung Lian trailed off as she seemed almost desperate to pry into Malekith's feelings for some reason.

"The Realms of Chaos are…not meant for mortal eyes. Most people who return from there come back completely insane. It's almost ironic that I was insane when I went there by choice and more like my old self when I came out of it. Of course, I've never been entirely sane thanks to the Curse of Khaine. You are right to assume that it was much worse than this battle was. I doubt anyone would believe what I saw there even if I told them," Malekith decided to reciprocate to her slightly.

"I know it's probably not my place to ask, but what was it like in there? I've always wondered, and everyone says different things. I'll probably never get another chance to ask someone about their firsthand experience. I swear I'll keep it to myself, but I want to understand what you went through." Sung Lian asked.

Malekith looked over at her as the two passed by busy workers and made their way down to the lower plaza "The laws of nature don't exist there. The concept of time completely dissipates as well. I remember walking as if in a trance. It felt like years and hours simultaneously to me…an eternal fever dream or some kind of unholy meditative state that I could not wake from. I had apparently been in there for over two hundred years, but time relative to me felt like one year even though it was probably only a few weeks. The best way to describe it would be like a lucid nightmare. You quickly find yourself losing cognitive awareness and you stop questioning the anathema of its madness. There is evil there that does not sleep and the entire time I felt like I was being watched. There was a forest where the trees had eyes and I could always hear whispering. I remember tentacles violating people. I watched daemons rape mortal souls and eat away at their very spirits leaving them little more than empty husks. I've seen and committed horrific torture in Naggaroth, but nothing we druchii have ever done even compares to the inventive sadism of daemons. Rarely anything ever fazes me, but I found the entire ordeal disturbing. I'd rather not speak more of it for your sake and mine. Sometimes ignorance is bliss…that place almost broke me. Just know that I would rather spend the rest of my life imprisoned here than one more second in that wretched hell."

"Of course, your highness…thank you for telling me that much at least," Sung Lian bowed her head gratefully.

"This area seems isolated enough," Malekith stopped in his tracks and turned to face the woman. They were now near a balcony overlooking the lowest level of the city and nobody was in sight.

Sung Lian stopped and looked at him with eager anticipation as she wondered what he wanted to speak to her about in private.

Malekith looked down at the anxious and concerned Sung Lian, "Do you have Lieutenant Kongyu's amulet?"

"Y-yes, your highness," she answered immediately.

Malekith nodded, "Good…since I seem unable to avoid this trip to Wei-Jin now, I wanted to take it to his father."

"A-are you sure that's a good idea? Seeing a dark elf show up at someone's home might scare the commoners. I planned on doing it myself," Sung Lian replied meekly.

"No…I have to be the one to do this. Give it to me," Malekith ordered calmly.

Sung Lian did not hesitate to pull out the amulet from her pocket and quickly held it out for Malekith to take. The elf took it in his hand for a moment before storing it on his person.

Sung Lian looked around briefly before breaking the silence, "Why do you want to deliver the amulet to his father, King Malekith?"

"A true warrior shouldn't even need to ask why. He sacrificed his life for you and me. I don't really hold much compassion for humans, but I think it's important his father knows that he's the real reason we won here. Plus, I don't trust any of you to do this for me," Malekith elaborated with a distant forward stare.

Sung Lian was staring at him a bit bewildered, "The only reason I took the amulet was because I didn't think you'd want to go out of your way to see some old man in Wei-Jin. I owe his father my sincerest apologies as well as all my troops and their families. We would have all died without you. If I had only listened to you earlier, it might not have happened…if I hadn't become isolated beyond the gate then maybe he-"

"Don't dwell on what ifs, Sung Lian. It will drive you to insanity…nobody knows that better than I do. It taught me something though…not all humans are weak or unworthy. I didn't really believe Shen Zoo when she first told me that, but it seems I was wrong. He was strong and he died a true warrior's death. I'll remember him when my time finally comes, and I hope you will as well. He made his life worth ours…and so we must pay ours forward for his sake," Malekith said distantly.

"I certainly respect his valorous sacrifice, but you actually consider him strong? He didn't stand a chance against Ashenwing and he died suicidally just to break us free. You're the one who killed Ashenwing and all those daemons and northmen. You're the one who won the battle. Why do you consider him special in particular?" Sung Lian seemed confused by Malekith's logic.

Malekith scoffed at her, "Not only did he break us free, but he reaffirmed my resolve to sacrifice my life as well. Do you think magical power or physical strength is what makes someone strong? No…I know plenty of people with both and I consider them weak and pathetic. My mother is a perfect example. She's a far greater mage than I am but she has no conviction like I do, or he did. His will was strong. His reason for dying was strong. How many people willingly ride to their deaths in vain for someone like me? How many people rage against the dying of the light when there's no promise of glory or a new dawn? I've never seen a human wholly believe in that before like he did…one who believed in me. I hope to truly honor his sacrifice one day…but I'll start by giving this necklace to his father."

"That's truly commendable. I wish I could join you, but I don't think I'll be able to leave with Turtle Gate in this condition. I really wanted to go with you to Wei-Jin," Sung Lian sighed heavily.

"You will be joining me. I'll need your help finding out who his father even is. It's not something I want to involve the dragons in either. It would be best if just you and I went since we were there at his end. The storm dragon told me that all of the survivors of Turtle Gate are coming with us to Wei-Jin and that Miao Lu is going to watch it in our absence. Since you're the only non-dragon here who's halfway trustworthy and dependable, I'm counting on you to be my guide and to keep this discreet," Malekith explained.

"It would be my honor. In fact, I'll do anything you want for that matter. I'm truly grateful that you think that highly of me despite how dismissive I was of you initially. I owe a lot to you, and I genuinely want to repay you in any way I can," the shugengan nodded with eager acceptance.

"Good…that's all I wanted to talk about. Find his father and keep it between us. Now…since I'm awake, we might as well go and finish your census and heal survivors. The sooner we finish that up, the sooner we can pack up to leave," Malekith affirmed with a nod.

"Wait…since we're both here alone I had something I wanted to say as well if you'll hear me," Sung Lian nervously spoke up again.

Malekith sighed, "Very well."

"I never really got the chance to properly thank you for everything you did here. It's funny…you've completely humbled me in every way imaginable. You're even more compassionate than I am since you told the princess to let me keep my position. Then you saved my life when you had no reason to risk your own. Even now you're concerned about helping the wounded. It really makes me think that I should better myself to be more like you. I mean…you're a genuine hero. I can't believe high elves hate you…I bet you'd be an amazing king for them," she stated respectfully.

"No, I wouldn't…Naggaroth stands as proof of that. The high elves would sooner see Ulthuan sink beneath the waves than crown me king. Dark elves also hate me. I was quite literal about what I said before the battle. Nobody genuinely likes me, and you people only like the idea of who you think I am…or what you think I can do for you. I merely see past the glamour of praise and pride. You mistake my disposition for humility, but you are wrong. Do you know what people love more than a hero? To see a hero fall…die trying. I have seen it countless times over the millennia. If you don't die a martyr, you'll live long enough to see yourself become the villain. It's the story of my life. I wasted millennia trying to get people's approval, but it was like squeezing sand. The more I tried, the more it slipped away. My father was the greatest hero in elven history, and everyone hated and feared him until he sacrificed himself. I shouldn't expect any less than that…only nobody will mourn my death. These people would not have cared if I died, so don't pretend like I'm supposed to care that they're all of a sudden grateful," he rejected her statement with visible disgust.

"Is that really what you think? With all due respect, I wholly disagree with that mentality. It's so pessimistic. Three dragons seem to think otherwise about you being a villain. Minus the Jade Dragon's suspicions, all three of them have shown you great respect. Plus, I've seen enough of you now to know that you're honorable. People remember that kind of stuff," she frowned at his cold dismissal.

"Is all you wanted to say?" he asked dryly.

"N-no…there was more," she replied meekly.

"Fine…we might as well get it over with." he sighed.

"People will be talking about this battle for decades I'm sure…and about how incompetent I was and how heroic you were. To think a dragon-blooded shugengan like me was little more than a petulant snob when you first arrived. You've been so cooperative and patient despite everyone vilifying you. That's a strength of character that I greatly respect, and I hope to emulate. I wonder if I could have been as strong had I been in your position. It's pathetic to admit aloud, but I'm a weak-willed nobody compared to you. For so long I've always thought so highly of myself…yet beneath it all I was just frail and insecure. At first, I resented you, but now I just realize that I'm jealous of you. You're not human or Cathayan and you can inspire people here in ways I could never dream of without even trying. Even the great dragons of Cathay, the royal family, seem eager to be your ally. It's shameful to think I left you in the gallows for a whole day considering all that's happened. How is history going to remember me? The foolish Shugengan who couldn't defend her own garrison? The arrogant warden who pridefully rejected the hero that saved her and miserably failed to live up to her family's name? My ancestors are probably ashamed of me…because I'm certainly ashamed of myself. I'm not just mirroring the princess' words…I genuinely believe you're a hero and a good person. All I want now is for you to think better of me. Don't hesitate to ask me for anything. I'll gladly obey a leader like you, and I'll gladly prove that my words aren't empty praise," Sung Lian voiced her inner thoughts.

Malekith was surprised by her opening up this much and showing such vulnerability…especially to him after his cold-hearted rejection. It was slightly cringey for him to experience this from a human, but it was clear that Sung Lian was genuine in her desire to befriend him. He wasn't really sure what to say and remained silently stoic for a few moments.

"I've done far worse things than those chaos warriors probably ever did. It's why they trusted me enough to even get near their fortress. The malicious nature of dark elves is a reflection of me, and that gunner girl Dai Lin was right when she said that dark elves are much crueler than northmen. I'm not someone you should admire or aspire to be like. I'm not someone you should try to befriend either. I used to kill dreadlords for looking at me the wrong way or have people flayed alive for failing tasks. I turned a blind eye to rape, murder, and hedonism for millennia in my obsession to conquer my birthright Ulthuan. I let druchii die regularly, even if I could help them, because every time I look at them, I'm reminded of how far they've fallen since the days of Old Nagarythe. They disgust me. My people don't revere me the way yours revere the dragons. My people hate and fear me almost as much as the Asur do. The disdain you Cathayans had for me initially is nothing new to me. I am an effective warleader and an extremely cunning tyrant, but I don't inspire people with hope or heroism. I never have and I doubt I ever will. People follow me because I'm influential, I'm smarter than them, and I am a lot more powerful. They follow me because they fear what I'll do if they don't. I can count the number of loyal druchii under my rule with my fingers. I suppose I'm less uptight in this place because I know you humans won't risk angering Shen Zoo by ostracizing me. I'm fully aware that she's the only reason any of you bothered listening to my orders. I'll say this much though, Sung Lian…I find you far more tolerable than most of the other humans here. It's the only reason I bother sharing my thoughts with you. Despite all your shortcomings, I consider you trustworthy. Take pride in that at least. You're certainly more respectable than that useless bootlicker Miao Lu. If it's my approval you seek, then stop fretting…you already have it. At least for now." Malekith elaborated.

"Thank you, your highness. I am glad to hear that you approve of me. I will work hard to be worthy of it," she bowed her head.

"Well, with that matter settled, let's go," he said gesturing for Sung Lian to lead the way.

Later that Evening

The following hours were unusual to say the least. Malekith had never felt more awkward and uncomfortable in his entire life. Since his talk with Sung Lian and the Changeling incident prior, he had spent the rest of the afternoon helping the shugengan gather a census on survivors and healing the critically wounded.

He didn't really do it for any sentimental reasons, but it seemed worth doing since he could. Plus, anything to make him look less hostile to the Jade and Storm dragons was a definite incentive. Even with those pragmatic thoughts, a part of him also felt compelled to do it for reasons beyond his understanding. It felt bizarre healing humans when he wouldn't even do this for elves. He had never been compassionate even in his best days long ago, and he certainly wasn't now. Nevertheless, he was just relieved to have something else to do besides be interrogated by dragons.

To his bewilderment, many humans seemed far less apprehensive about approaching him now that he wasn't in the presence of the dragons. Many had offered him heartfelt thanks and words of reverent respect almost to the point of it being nauseating and seeming forced. They weren't afraid of him now, which was something he could not understand. One would think that slaughtering a chaos army with deific power would make him terrifying. The complete opposite happened…they supposedly saw him as some kind of divine savior.

One man had bowed to his hands and knees and swore on the names of his ancestors that he would never forget Malekith's heroism. Another promised to spread word of his story to his family and village. The strangest encounter had been a group of engineers and architects that said they wanted to build a statue of him in the lower plaza. Sung Lian had even stoked this idea by saying she would ask the Storm dragon for permission.

He also noticed a very peculiar cult-like attitude from most of the peasant militia they encountered. They wouldn't just bow…they actually knelt to him when he passed…which they likely understood to be a more western way of bowing. It was clear that they wanted him to know that they were paying him respect when he passed by with Sung Lian. Many were wearing necklaces now that looked to be in the shape of his own helmet oddly enough. They were mostly obsidian and iron with the circlet of iron part being made of copper. The eyes had jade gems in them to match Malekith's own green eyes. It was very odd, and he had no idea where or how they were getting these things and almost felt embarrassed to ask. True to Sung Lian's words from earlier, some people really did think he was a god oddly enough.

From what Malekith had learned, Cathayans didn't really worship gods since they venerated their ancestors and the dragons of the royal family. However, they seemed to have misinterpreted his words to the chaos horde and now believed he was one. It was truly baffling to say the least.

His answer to the question of where the necklaces were coming from was found when the elf and shugengan finally spotted the alchemist Xu Feng. She had apparently been making these necklaces and giving them to anyone that wanted one…which many did. To Malekith's dread, even Sung Lian wanted one. He just knew it was going to cause problems and it wasn't even his doing to start this strange fad.

Just like the gunners earlier that day, Xu Feng spilled out her heart and was practically falling over herself to praise him. He endured it as well as everything else, but things were getting far too out of hand. The last thing he needed was the Jade Dragon accusing him of starting a cult.

He maintained his usual detached attitude, but he found it almost humbling to be the center of so much adulation. It was an unfamiliar feeling and despite all of the words of endearment, he hated every second of it. This situation greatly reminded him of the Circle of Paramountcy and brought back the feelings he had in it. What right did he have to accept such preposterous notions and false glory? These humans were prisoners of the moment, and he knew their fairweather emotions would shift on a whim sooner or later. He saw Aenarion go through the same thing from the elves. Malekith wasn't even human, and he knew without doubt that very few of these people actually cared. They were just grateful to be alive and like sheep, they followed the herd in their feverish bliss of survival. In all of his wildest imaginings, Malekith never thought he would see the day that humans looked at him the way he used to look at Aenarion.

In some ways he could understand their perspective, and his own feelings on the matter seemed to mirror the same disposition he remembered his father always having. He never really knew his father or understood why Aenarion was so dismissive of adulation. He never knew the real burden of carrying the hopes and dreams of others. It was humbling beyond measure and emotionally crushing the more he thought about it. Aenarion never wanted to be a hero. He never wanted to be phoenix king or to be seen as an immortal paragon of valor. No…his father took up that mantle because nobody else could or would. His own dreams and desires were irrelevant to the greater good. None of this meant anything in the big picture and Malekith held to that thought to keep himself from being proud. He wasn't proud of anything that happened here. Malekith wanted nothing more than to go home and hide in his tower for a few weeks while he plotted on how to fix Naggaroth.

Despite everything he had done for these people, eventually they would hate him. He made peace with that, and he was just happy that he was able to save Shen Zoo and witness a rare few humans that reaffirmed his own resolve to fulfill Asuryan's will.

Glory was for arrogant fools, and he would never bask in that poison ever again. Whether they loved or hated him, he would do what he had to do. To some he might actually be a hero, but Malekith knew deep down that he would be the villain of many stories for the rest of his life. He no longer felt shame from that though…he would be as his father truly was. A necessary evil to combat greater evil. Only this time, he wouldn't waste elven lives for his own vanity or for Ulthuan's worthless throne. He would also pay his own life one day just like Aenarion did. And just like that longma rider did for him. This strange new perspective brought an unusual inner calmness to him.

Turtle Gate Assembly, Upper Plaza

After finishing the census and gathering for the assembly that Miao Ying had called for, Malekith soon found himself amongst their company again overlooking most of the garrison who were assembled down below. To his sides were the three dragons, two shugengans, and several magistrates. Notable officers from the garrison and the reinforcing armies were also there. The ones Malekith hadn't crossed paths with yet were staring at him intensely.

"Warriors of Cathay, I know many of you are probably wondering why you have been assembled here this evening. It's been several days since the great battle of Turtle Gate, and I am well aware that you are all quite busy with your duties or wish to retire for the night. I will begin by offering you my appreciation for the sacrifices you and your fallen comrades paid in defense of the Great Bastion. The Dragon Emperor looks favorably upon those who uphold their duty, and those of you who fought in defense of Turtle Gate have lived up to the highest calling of any warrior in Grand Cathay. May those that perished know the embrace of the spirit dragon and may their ancestors look down proudly knowing that they did not die in vain. As warden of the Great Bastion, it brings me great pride that even despite my absence, you fought valiantly to defend my long-lost sister, Shen Zoo. You fought to return her light to Grand Cathay and that is no small deed. While nothing can ever erase the pain and horrors for those of you that survived, know that I consider you all heroes of the empire," Miao Ying announced to the garrison before pausing.

People began to cheer for her as they looked up with wondrous awe at being thanked by the storm dragon. Yuan Bo was standing right next to Malekith and had both of his arms crossed.

He shook his head and looked at Malekith, "A well-rehearsed script. It's quite rare for her to thank people. She has no choice since she can't claim any glory from this victory."

Malekith said nothing as he looked over at Shen Zoo who seemed fascinated by Yuan Bo's reaction to the elf's emotionless expression. The Jade Dragon narrowed his gaze and spoke quietly, "When this is concluded, there is a matter of grave importance that I wish to discuss with you. It involves high elves and dark elves…so you'll find it quite relevant."

"Very well," Malekith nodded.

"It brings me great shame to admit that I was unable to safeguard you personally from that monstrous horde. I promise you all as Xen Yang's favored daughter that I will not fail you again. With that said, it seems a celestial intervention arrived, nonetheless. Perhaps it was meant to be for it brought about an unlikely savior. I know many of you already know him, but there is one person who deserves everyone's reverence for this victory more than any other…King Malekith," Miao Ying paused.

A strange silence filled the air as everyone anxiously watched the dragons and the stoic Witch King standing further back. Miao Ying glanced back at him and gestured for him to come forward.

With dread, Malekith approached as he looked over the assembled crowd. His face was completely emotionless. He was somewhat surprised that the crowd was deathly silent but didn't have much time to wonder why before Miao Ying spoke again, "I am rarely surprised by anything, but his aid here was unprecedented to the likes of which I've never experienced. This was more than act of mutual cooperation. It was a shift in the very power of this world. He has promised to end the dark elf raids on Cathay. He has even humored the idea of being allies with our great empire. Your actions and the actions of the wider empire to come will play a significant role in his decision. He trusted us and he helped us…and anyone with any semblance of honor would not soon forget that in the tumultuous future to come. Long has Cathay stood mighty and alone, but I don't object to having an ally with his conviction. As warden of the great bastion and supreme matriarch of Nan Gau, I pledge my support and trust to him."

Cheering randomly erupted from the crowd after she finished her statement. Malekith could see Jin Tao at the very front of the crowd and almost cringed when the man started chanting his name at the top of his lungs, "MALEKITH, MALEKITH, MALEKITH!"

'What in the world is that fool doing?' the elf thought annoyed.

Like the herd of sheep that they were, the humans quickly followed suit and moments later all of the Turtle Gate survivors were chanting his name. It felt extremely weird, but he dismissed whatever emotions it stirred.

Miao Ying let it go on for a few more seconds than Malekith liked before raising her hand and speaking again, "In light of your great deeds and in celebration for our victory here, I am authorizing all of the survivors from the battle a leave of absence to attend the New Year's festival in Wei-Jin. There you will be properly honored. Consider it a reward for your dutiful sacrifices. The militia will be permitted to return to their homes once the festival is concluded. Shugengan Miao Lu and his warriors from Dragon Gate will watch and oversee the repairs of Turtle Gate in your absence."

Excitement seemed to sweep through the ranks as people cheered again and were likely overjoyed at the opportunity to attend this 'New Year's Festival' in Wei-Jin.

Malekith simply turned to walk away without saying a word, 'Is it really a good idea for her to let all these people spread rumors in the city about this battle? Does she hope to inspire morale among the empire or is it a political scheme to win favor for me?'

"Before I dismiss the crowd, would you like to say anything to the garrison, King Malekith?" Miao Ying asked loudly which put Malekith on the spot.

All eyes were on him in the following seconds causing him to stop and slowly turn around. He shook his head, "I have nothing to say."

"Are you sure?" Miao Ying asked curiously.

"And what is it you want me to say exactly? You already told them everything they needed to know," the elf shrugged.

Miao Ying sighed, "Very well."

"Please, Malekith…" Shen Zoo pleaded sadly at his stubborn contempt.

He sighed and took a deep breath before mustering his willpower to give a speech. Everyone was deathly silent as they desperately wondered what he was going to say.

Finally, Malekith spoke, "I'll be honest with you people. All day I've been praised and thanked…showered in adulation. I don't understand why. You call me a hero…as if there was only one in that terrible battle. I am not a hero. I never was and I never will be. I'm a leader and a killer. This is not some tale of redemption…it's a tale of sacrifice and duty. I did what I had to do, and I hold no illusions of it changing my reputation. It isn't some glorious thing for you to fawn over. A lot of people paid their lives to defeat that army…and a lot more will die in the years to come. I will probably die in your lifetimes as well, and I doubt any of you will care…so stop thanking me. Instead, I would ask that you learn from this. Learn what a warrior's sacrifice truly is. Give adulation to your own people who actually deserve it. Amongst all of you, I've met a few that stood out as worthy exemplars of humanity. Some who have altered my overall opinion of your species. Lieutenant Kongyu who sacrificed his life for me and Shugengan Sung Lian. The fire monk Jin Tao who helped me shoot down mortars on the wall and who rallied scattered defenders to the breaches. The annoying alchemist Xu Feng, who was instrumental in the battle's preparation. The pilots who delivered the warpstone bomb to the K'daii Destroyer. The Fierce Dragons of Nan Gau…who never once retreated and held the lower plaza the entire battle. The militia who were willing to learn from me and who fought more bravely than the celestial dragon guards. Even Shugengan Sung Lian herself, who volunteered for a suicide mission to destroy the enemy artillery. She helped me fight Ashenwing beyond the outer wall and she showed great temperance and humility by cooperating with my plan. Praise those people…they deserve it more than I do."

Dead silence filled the garrison after Malekith's speech, and everyone traded deep looks with one another as they reflected on his words. Right before it got to the point of being awkward, cheers and applause erupted from the crowd again. They then began to chant his name once more and seemed even more enamored for whatever reason.

'Why are they still chanting my damn name?! I don't recall a time where druchii ever have.' Malekith thought confused.

Miao Ying silenced them again after a while and announced loudly, "Well said, King Malekith. Your recognition for the unsung heroes of the battle is truly commendable. You are all dismissed for the evening. Those of you from Dragon Gate take the nightwatch. Everyone else from Turtle Gate, get some rest. We depart at first light tomorrow morning."

Malekith didn't stick around to see the crowd disperse and moved quickly to find some isolation again. In truth he felt himself starting to emote and didn't want anyone to see it. As he departed, Yuan Bo quickly followed behind him.

They walked for a short bit before the Jade Dragon caught up to him and looked over, "My father does that same thing whenever people cheer for him. Though it's quite rare for Xen Yang to show himself to the public."

"What was this matter you wanted to discuss with me?" Malekith changed the subject with relief.

Yuan Bo looked around briefly to make sure they were alone before answering, "My crowmen scouts have been keeping a close eye on Eastern Cathay during the Sea Dragon's long absence, and I recently came across some interesting news. My sister Yin-Yin has sought out an alliance with the high elves of Ulthuan. Apparently, she aspires to join forces with the high elves to help eradicate Naggaroth. Last I heard, she was docking in Haichai with a combined fleet and had high elf emissaries with her. It seems she intends to take them to the Celestial Court. No doubt it's to convince the Moon Empress to allow her to invade Naggaroth. I imagine the false news of your death has likely invigorated them to make the attempt, and if Yin-Yin gets to Wei-Jin before us, things will be problematic," Yuan Bo explained.

'Perhaps going to Wei-Jin is necessary after all. The last thing I need is the Asur to ally with these people. We can't afford to be in any outside wars while I'm cleaning up Naggaroth. Wait…the black ark is going to Haichai and there are Asur dignitaries there?! Damn it, even on the other side of the world I can't get away from the damned Asur. I guess that means I HAVE to go to Haichai as well. Damn Fateweaver knew about all of this. I wonder why he's convinced I would go to Nippon though? Gods, I can't handle more foreign politics,' Malekith thought dreadfully.

"That's certainly a problem…and not just for me. It might divide your nation between supporting Asur or Druchii. I'm not here to bring our war to your lands, but if you ally with Asur to invade us then I will be forced to defend my kingdom. I'll try not to put you in that position, but I'm not expecting this Wei-Jin trip to go well," Malekith shook his head grimly.

"My sisters say that you intend to end the war with the high elves…perhaps you can tell the Asur if we cross their paths. It will certainly alleviate the Moon Empress' concerns over the elven war affecting Cathay," Yuan Bo suggested.

Malekith scoffed, "The Asur won't trust me…and they won't trust you either if they know you have dealings with me. The reality of the matter is that you will probably have to choose a side. I won't try and convince you to side with me. Though if you could convince the Moon Empress to call off the Sea Dragon, then it could hopefully negate this impending disaster. Even as tolerant of this place as I am, I won't hesitate to kill anyone that invades Naggaroth…and I do mean anyone. I didn't survive all of this just to watch my kingdom go down in flames."

"Honestly, I think you'd make a better ally than the high elves. You're far more proactive, pragmatic, and influential. High Elves just trade with us, and they rarely concern themselves with our problems. They would not sully their pristine hands doing the things you did here. I doubt they care about anything except their own colonies and Ulthuan. You on the other hand clearly care about the greater good of the world. And you have already shown trust and given information regarding this new Everchosen…Archaon. You also rescued Shen Zoo…which the Storm and Iron Dragons failed to do. Shen Zoo thinks very highly of you. I don't know what your true opinion of her is, but Shen Zoo's favor carries a great deal of weight in Cathay. She is the patron dragon of aspiring heroes and champions. I have seen thousands of men and women dedicate their entire lives for even a chance to earn her favor. It was one of the most heavily sought after things in the empire prior to her disappearance. You succeeded where they failed. Not to mention, my brothers love Shen Zoo more than anyone else. Given her strong bond with you, I don't doubt that she will try to convince Zhao Ming and Li Dao to support you as well. That brings me to the crux of this point. I want to know where you stand on all of this. Do you want to ally with Cathay? If the Emperor permits, I will wholly support it. We could use an ally like you in these dark times. You could also end the war between the elves and weaken the great enemy. That is not something I would easily discard just because of your past. Cathay stands to gain more from an alliance with you than we stand to lose by upsetting the high elves. Logistically and morally I also believe siding with you would be the correct decision as it could prevent a pointless war.," Yuan Bo explained.

"I suppose I won't know where I stand until I meet the Emperor and Empress. Don't feel obligated to support me. Just make sure the Sea Dragon doesn't join in with the Asur," the elf said distantly.

"The Dragon Emperor likely will not care what the wider world thinks about you. I imagine he'll be cordial when he learns about your aid to our family. He's a bit aloof, but my father's favorite children are me, Miao Ying, and Shen Zoo. Our combined support guarantees he will at least be receptive to you. As for my mother…the Empress is quite compassionate towards humans. Shen Zoo and Miao Ying know that…and it's likely why they're trying to garner empathy by bringing the survivors here to Wei-Jin. I can tell that it makes you uncomfortable to be seen as their hero, but I would advise you to go along with it. The last thing I want to deal with is Yin-Yin trying to rile up half of Cathay against the dark elves again. She'll have no ground to stand on if the people accept you. The way this will all play out depends mostly on you. Whatever you choose, know that you've earned enough amnesty from me to have my support regardless of your decision. Also know that I will always prioritize the safety of Cathay above all else," the dragon man noted.

Before Malekith could respond to the Jade Dragon's ultimatum, Shen Zoo ran up behind them, "Malekith!"

He slowly turned around and looked at her, "What is it?"

"Thank you for saying something to the garrison. I think it was really nice of you to pay respects to others…though would it kill you to just smile and be happy for once? A lot of people believe they offended you somehow." she sighed.

"I have reports to read. We'll speak again later, King Malekith," Yuan Bo excused himself leaving Malekith alone with Shen Zoo.

She stared at him briefly before speaking again, "I'm glad to see you're getting along with Yuan Bo now. I told him all about what you and I went through. Between that and you banishing that Changeling daemon, he's convinced that you're on our side. Don't let his cold demeanor worry you. Yuan Bo seems to like you from what I can tell. Getting him on our side will likely convince mother to see reason as well."

"He said there were high elves heading to Wei-Jin along with the Sea Dragon," Malekith changed the subject.

Miao Ying quickly appeared out of nowhere as she strutted up, "We already know. Don't worry about it, King Malekith. I said I would vouch for you, and I highly doubt my mother and father are going to listen to Yin-Yin over me."

"Yuan Bo and I are also vouching for you too Malekith…and after Zhao Ming learns that you rescued me, I'm sure he'll come around as well," Shen Zoo added.

"I'm going to sleep…" Malekith said with complete disinterest as he walked away from them and back to the original room in the barracks he had slept in prior to the battle.

Malekith's Dream

Flying high through the frigid skies of a primordial and jagged mountain range, Malekith saw a golden white dragon. It was an eastern dragon, and it was easily twice the size of Shen Zoo's dragon form. In addition to its size, the creature's scales almost appeared to glow as if they were diamonds.

Fire and lightning crackled through the air as the colossal dragon landed at the very peak of a mountain. From the looks of it, this mountain was definitely the highest one around and it stabbed into the very heavens themselves. The view was spectacular as the mountain peak barely pierced the gloomy clouds.

The sky above was pitch black and the stars looked brighter and more beautiful than Malekith had ever remembered seeing them. The dragon coiled around the mountain peak as it stared skyward.

Malekith quickly realized that the dragon was staring at the moon. Mannslieb shined like a silver disc above, but there was something odd about it. The celestial body had strange artificial lights on its surface. Perhaps it was the pitch-black night and impossibly high altitude, but Malekith had never seen anything like that on the moon before.

The dragon seemed mesmerized by it as he continued to gaze longingly. Though it was difficult to discern its thoughts, Malekith could tell that the dragon was lonely and curious.

After gazing for a considerable amount of time, the dragon eventually flew further down the mountain peak to what appeared to be some kind of nest. It was colossal and filled to the brim with treasures and trophies of all manners. Countless half-eaten shaggoth corpses decorated the area as well as the bones of other unknown creatures.

The dragon's nest also had a ridiculous amount of rare metals and crafted items. The dragon coiled into its nest and boredly began to gnaw at one of the shaggoth bodies there.

The creature was drawn from its meal when a blinding light flashed into his nest. With furious and territorial aggression, the beast moved in to strike.

The dragon stopped when he saw a woman standing there. He looked at her a bit baffled and was no doubt confused about how she managed to get this high onto his mountain.

"A hairless monkey?! How did you get all the way up here?!" the dragon demanded. His voice was authoritative and powerful as it echoed across the skies.

The woman looked at him with a piercing otherworldly gaze and spoke calmly, "I've been watching you for a while, Xen Yang…son of Kalgalanos the Black and Xiheyang the Sun Serpent. You are a mighty dragon, and yet you hide on this mountain ignoring the rest of the world."

"You've been…watching me?! How?! None of your pitiful kind have ever reached my mountain at the throat of the world!" Xen Yang bellowed.

"I am not one of them…I come from a faraway place. Another world in fact," the woman answered.

The dragon scoffed at her, "Another world? Don't be ridiculous…you look no different than the apes I eat on a regular basis."

"Your world is primitive and wild. You stare into the heavens and wonder about it and yet you cannot even begin to comprehend its grandeur. You are trapped on an island in the midst of the black seas of infinity and it was not meant that you should voyage far. Heed my words, Xen Yang…I come from that place. I can share my knowledge with you," she stated.

Xen Yang eyed her up and down with confusion, "And what exactly are you?"

The woman's body then began to glow before she transformed into a form similar to his. Xen Yang was awed by the sight of it and even more awed by how beautiful she was in a draconic form of silver and black.

"My name is Quai Yin," she answered as she coiled around and moved closer to him.

The golden white dragon reared back defensively and was completely shocked by what he had just witnessed, "How did you do that?! A-are you a dragon as well?!"

"I want the same thing you want Xen Yang…and I need your help," she replied.

"My help…no I don't trust this! What in the world are you?!" he demanded.

She shook her head, "Does it matter? You wish to know the truth about the heavens? About where I come from? Join me then…"

"What exactly do you need my help with?" he asked confused.

"Like you, I am alone in this world, and I have no friends or kin to call my own. It's quite lonely. I have wandered it for many years, and I see nothing but chaos and savagery. I seek to rebuild a civilization, but I can't do that without your power. In my travels I encountered the 'hairless apes' as you call them. There was one amongst them who wore a coiled crown. They call him the Silent King. He seeks to destroy the Cyrexi hive queens. He possesses great magical power…otherworldly power," she stated.

"Then go join the rest of the hairless apes in their subterranean hovels. I have no interest in them or the crude monuments they build. The insects that prey upon the creatures of the earth are of no concern to me and I have no interest in being your companion when I don't even know what you are," Xen Yang rejected her words.

She flew closer towards him and spoke cryptically, "And how long before they find you here? You should know that the Cyrexi killed your mother. The last and greatest of the primordial sun serpents…gone forever. You are all that's left of her lineage. Your father lies entombed beneath the earth and the dragons of the west are all answering the call of the Silent King. Even the great Krakanrok, lord of all shaggoths, has joined them."

"They…killed my mother?! That's impossible…" Xen Yang seemed distraught by this news.

"The swarm is hunting all of the great wyrms. Their hive queens have united to take over the world," Quai Yin explained.

The celestial dragon gritted his teeth, "They will not succeed. You've made your point, outworlder. I will help you, but I want answers."

"Thank you, Xen Yang," she bowed her head at him.

A brief silence passed before he spoke again, "How are you able to transform like that? Are you really a dragon?"

"It's a form of ancient magic. I can teach you…if you'd like," she replied.

Before the vision could continue, Malekith heart knocking on his door causing him to jerk awake.

End of First Dream

Jerking upright, Malekith found himself sitting against the wall. He felt a strange anxious confusion at how he got into this position but was horrified when he saw that the entire room looked like a wreck. Furniture was flipped over everywhere and there were slash marks all over the walls.

The knocking repeated from the door as he sat still and tried to make sense of his surroundings, 'What happened?'

In the corner of the room, he saw a mirror with unnatural stains on it and stood up to go examine his reflection. Upon looking into the mirror, he saw what appeared to be daemons clawing at the other side as if it were a window. They called his name desperately as a chaotic flux began to fill the room.

A powerful voice then sounded from nearby as he saw his sword Avanuir levitate by itself off the ground and float into his view, "Do not be rattled by the attention of the ruinous powers. Slaanesh fears you…she fears the power you now wield. The servants of chaos will never stop hunting you…for they know what you represent."

"Avanuir? Are you speaking to me?" Malekith asked disbelievingly as he grabbed his blade by the hilt and looked at its bizarrely divine glow. He was shocked that his ancient blade could speak and wondered why it sounded female. It spoke in the voice of an older woman but carried a regal elven authority in its tone.

"The time for half-measures is over. The time of reckoning has come. Gather your allies and rivals around you…ride upon the tides of fate. Khaine and Asuryan are not the only gods who protect you Malekith…Witch King of Naggaroth. Long ago this sword was given to you by your father. Do you know what it is? Why Shalaxi Helbane jealously guarded it in the heart of Slaanesh's realm beneath the Circle of Six? Why Asuryan told you to recover it?" the blade responded.

Malekith stared at his sword confused, "Is there a soul in Avanuir? I never realized that before…who are you? What makes this blade so important other than its sentimental value to me?"

"It is the final cronesword…one of five, the severed thumb from the hand of Morai-Heg. The Widowmaker is not the only godly elven blade that daemons fear. Do you think it mere coincidence Asuryan sent you to retrieve it? Do you think he alone protects your mind from the ruinous powers or from the madness of Khaine? Wield it in my name and become the chosen of the gods. It is your destiny." the voice announced.

"Wait…YOU'RE Morai-Heg?! The crone goddess?!" Malekith gawked in disbelief that his ancient weapon was supposedly a finger of a god.

"Seek out Vaul and he will unlock this weapon's true power…the dragon prince will lead you there in time." the voice replied before the second dream ended.

Turtle Gate, Real World

Knocking continued causing Malekith to sit upright in his bed once again. This time it seemed he was actually awake and the sight of his room being undamaged was reassuring evidence. Without wasting time, he got out of his bed and quickly reached for his belongings before answering the ceaseless knocking.

Upon opening the door, he saw all three of the dragon siblings waiting outside. The Jade Dragon had a concerned look on his face as he looked at the elf suspiciously, "It sounded like you were having quite the nightmare in there."

"Ughh…are we ready to depart?" Malekith asked without acknowledging the comment.

Miao Ying nodded, "Yes…and thanks to Shen Zoo's courtesy, we even allowed you to sleep until right before departure. Come, everyone's packed and we're ready to leave. We will be riding on a palanquin."

"As you say, princess," Malekith nodded as he double checked to make sure he had all of his belongings before following the storm dragon. Yuan Bo and Shen Zoo walked at either flank and were oddly silent as they exited the barracks.

Malekith glanced down at Avanuir on his waist as he thought about the strange dreams he just had, 'I don't know what's real and what's not anymore…but is Avanuir really a finger of a goddess? Morai-Heg is the last deity I'd expect help from. She called it a Cronesword…how strange. I suppose it's worth investigating at some point. Also, what was with that dream I had with the dragon? I dreamt of the Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress…why? And better yet…how? It seems Quai Yin is the one who taught Xen Yang how to transform. Is she even really a dragon? She said she came from another world. How is that possible? I might ask her when I meet her. It's clear she knew the Silent King. This rabbit hole keeps getting deeper the more I delve into it.'

Several Days Later, Outside of Wei-Jin

The following days were spent on a long march to the capital of Cathay. They traveled the Imperial Road and passed through many towns and villages along the way as they traveled east. Malekith had spent the majority of the journey with the three dragons riding on a large golden palanquin. They all seemed adamant about keeping him under constant supervision, but that didn't stop the odd human or two from talking to him or explaining things about Cathay's culture to him. Plus, they loved to point out every last landmark the group passed.

Normally he wouldn't care, but he was grateful to have something to pass the time as he spent a large portion of his time learning about Cathayan customs, architecture, geography, and its wider populace. From what he learned, Cathay was far more populated and civilized in the north and east. The further south and west one got, the less populated, less industrious, and more savage it became.

Yuan Bo for some reason had been extremely patient and instructive in trying to educate Malekith on the empire's many laws and its demographics as well. Apparently, the south had beings other than humans that lived within the kingdom such as monkeymen and tigermen. He also explained the diplomatic situation with Ind and Nippon to the point of boring Malekith half to death as well.

The only notable thing he cared to learn about was the Monkey King, which Yuan Bo had spent the past hour explaining.

"So, if he's that powerful, is this Monkey King some kind of god?" Malekith asked the Jade Dragon.

Yuan Bo frowned, "I wouldn't say that…he's more like a primordial force. Perhaps it would be more accurate to describe him as a sacred beast or worldly fiend. There are several within Cathay such as the great vermillion bird, the mighty Lion Turtle, and the Great White Tiger. He is older than you might think, though only our parents truly know his origin. I have done extensive research on him, but I'm often too busy to uncover any substantial truths. Not to mention, Li Dao gets upset if I even go near the southern provinces. He probably knows more about the Monkey King than any of us, but Li Dao rarely shares his insights and he's not much of a scholar. All I know is that the Dragon Emperor allows the Monkey King to exist just as the Moon Empress allows the sacred jungle of Chi'an to exist even though it's haunted. It's quite evident that the monkey fears the Emperor and Empress since he had never dared to challenge Cathay until their long absence. It shames me to admit, but he is more powerful than any of the nine individually. Other than the threats north of the bastion, he is the second biggest threat to Cathay, followed by the Naga, and then the dark elves. I'd argue greeknskins and ogres are also a threat since Zhao Ming won't secure the western borders properly."

"So, the Monkey King really had a skaven advisor…that's ridiculous. I'd sooner let a daemon give me advice than a Skaven," Malekith noted.

"Indeed, it was quite insulting…we despise that creature in the royal family. None more so than Li Dao…he often has his hands full with repelling monkeys in the south and keeping them on the outskirts of our borders. I'd say they're an even bigger nuisance than Naga are…but fortunately they despise the snakemen as much as we do and have proven to be a useful buffer. Tigermen are respectable but I've always despised the monkeymen. I once asked father if we should purge them, but he said no. Xen Yang does not wish to see the Mountains of Heaven suffer the same outcome as the Mountains of Mourn. The last thing we need is another Great Maw poisoning Li Dao's mind," the jade dragon sighed.

"So, this Great Maw…it's made of warpstone right? I can see why that would affect the Iron Dragon." Malekith asked.

Yuan Bo nodded, "We believe so. The western deserts are coated in warpstone and that only occurred after the Dragon Emperor purged most of the ogre empire in ages past."

"You know, there is a maelstrom south of Ulthuan that geographically appears to be on the opposite side of the world from where this Great Maw is. I wonder if they're connected?" Malekith pondered.

The Jade dragon's eyes lit up with intrigue as he placed a hand to his chin, "Hmm…I would be most interested in seeing that for myself. I rarely leave the far east. I've been to Lustria and as far as the Dark Lands before, but my duties prevent me from exploring the world. Yin-Yin is the most traveled of the nine. She's been everywhere from Nippon to Tilea. Though in the past millennia she hasn't ventured nearly as far. Her last three attempts to establish colonies failed rather dramatically. She could not establish a foothold in Lustria, the Southlands, or even the many islands that dot the Far Ocean. It doesn't help that the high elves have already colonized most hospitable places. After her foolish attempt to colonize Elithis, the high elves prevented all but our trade vessels passage through the southern straights of Lustria and the Gates of Calith between Khuresh and the Southern Wastes. They even blocked us from the Fortress of Dawn's straight preventing our military fleets from sailing around the Southlands which practically nullifies the Great Canal's usefulness in transporting the dragonfleet across the world."

"I can see why you Cathayans aren't fond of Asur if they're blockading your military fleets like that," Malekith noted.

"I suspect her aspirations for invading Naggaroth go beyond getting revenge against the dark elf raiders. She likely seeks to regain sea access for further military expansion and colonization. With that said, I find it puzzling that she was able to talk them into helping her invade Naggaroth. I also find myself curious how dark elves are able to freely travel the world's oceans when the high elves dominate the most strategic ocean routes. Aren't most of Naggaroth's major cities in the East? How do your fleets bypass them?"

"We usually travel through the Underworld Sea. It's a subterranean ocean river that goes from Hag Graef to Clarak Spire in the west. We can bypass the Citadel of Dusk and the Fortress of Dawn by doing so which gives us free access to the Far Ocean and the Great Ocean. The Sea of Dread is the area we have the least access to, but some fleets risk sailing through the Gates of Calith if they have a black ark. The Asur don't even try to attack them unless they have a dragonship…which they rarely do in the far east," Malekith clarified.

Yuan Bo nodded, "I see…that is quite fascinating. So do Dark Elves raid Ind ever?"

"Not nearly as often as Cathay, but I know the Fellheart Clan does. Lokhir Fellheart's red blades were supposedly made out of something from a temple there." Malekith answered.

"Hmm…so theoretically if we established peace with Naggaroth, you could give us access through this Underworld Sea to reach the Old World if the High Elves turn against us?" Yuan Bo thought tactically.

Malekith sighed, "In theory yes, but the Underworld Sea is extremely dangerous. It's full of subterranean monsters and autarii clans who attack even druchii ships. They won't risk attacking a black ark though which is why most fleets don't sail through there without a black ark flagship."

"Look, it's a tigerwoman on the road! I never see them this far north. She must be going to the festival!" Shen Zoo pointed out a tigerman as the palanquin passed.

The tigerwoman was interesting to see as Malekith took in its features. It looked female if he had to guess and was wearing nice looking clothes and walking with a group of tan Cathayans. She was taller than all the humans and looked muscular, but also graceful. She even bowed her head as her entourage moved to the side of the road for the palanquin to pass.

"Southerners…they look like spice traders. By the looks of that tigerwoman, I'd say she's probably a curry chef. It's a delicacy from Ind that has become quite popular in Cathay and even Nippon," Yuan Bo noted.

"Are these monkey and tiger men some form of beastmen? That's what they sound like to me," Malekith wondered.

Miao Ying quickly cut into the conversation, "Not exactly. At least they're not as barbaric and evil. Tigermen have a strict code of honor and behave quite orderly for beasts. Monkeymen are annoying pests, but they're not malevolent like your typical beastmen are. In some ways they're worse though because they're clearly smarter than beastmen. Li Dao believes they are touched by chaos, but none of us really know for sure…other than mother and father. Tigermen all venerate the Great White Tiger, but they're also reverent to the dragons of Cathay. Monkeymen are only loyal to the Monkey King though…and their own greed. If you ask me, the Jade Dragon should concern himself with the south more than the north since I have things quite under control in my provinces."

"Yes…that's why you needed the Witch King and Shen Zoo to rescue Turtle Gate," Yuan Bo sassed.

Miao Ying huffed at him petulantly, "Well YOU apparently needed HIM to catch this Changeling daemon for you!"

"And I am most grateful for his help…as I hope you are as well," Yuan Bo countered.

A brief tension arose from the sibling squabble, but thankfully it passed quickly as Shen Zoo seemed to lighten the mood.

"It looks like we're finally here! Look Malekith, there's Wei-Jin!" Shen Zoo announced excitedly as she changed the subject and pointed over the horizon.

The view from their distance was impressive to say the least. Wei-Jin might have been the largest human city Malekith had ever seen and even from their range, he could tell it easily capable of housing hundreds of thousands of people. It was clearly bigger than even Marienburg the largest human city in the Old World. To his fascination, there was also a massive miniature city with a palace floating above it.

"This place reminds me of Saphery in some ways. Is that the Imperial Palace floating above the city?" Malekith asked.

"Yes, it is, Malekith. The Celestial Court is in that massive building directly below it at the heart of the city. Very few people are actually allowed into the palace itself. Typically, only Shugengans, dragons, and dragon guards can ever set foot up there. Most people reach it by airship, longmas, or the central lift," Shen Zoo explained.

The sight of a waterfall endlessly streaming down from the floating palace into the river on either side of the city was a beautiful sight to see. The mere sight of the palace not even touching the earth seemed to add a mystic divinity to it. Nothing quite emphasized being above the masses than literally living in the sky above them.

"You remember what I told you about the Wu Xing Compass, correct?" Yuan Bo asked briefly, "that is it right there near the palace. We use it to control the winds of magic within Cathay. You no doubt knocked it out of alignment, so I will be busy dealing with that once we've handled this meeting."

"That's the Temple of Two Moons next to it. Mother also has a beautiful garden up there. The highest tower on the palace is where father usually resides. He spends a lot of time in his orrery stargazing," Miao Ying added.

"Cathay is far more impressive than I imagined it to be, and I'm not just saying that to be nice. I'm amazed humans could build things like this…though I suppose they owe you dragons for that," Malekith noted.

Shen Zoo chuckled, "You'd be surprised how industrious and hard-working the people are. Many of our greatest marvels of engineering and architecture came from human design. And you thought I was wrong when I tried to convince you that humans were worthy…"

"Some of them are…" was all the elf replied distantly.

"When are your crowmen messengers going to get back to us, Jade Dragon? I'd like to know where mother and father are as soon as possible," Miao Ying complained.

"Be patient, Strom Dragon. They should be here soon," he stated calmly.

She shook her head, "You said that two hours ago."

Yuan Bo ignored her complaining as his gaze turned towards a flock of approaching crowmen. He smugly pointed them out, "They're here now…sister."

"About time…" she scoffed.

One of the winged creatures was quick to land on the palanquin as it handed a scroll over to the Jade Dragon with its human-like hand.

Everyone watched with anxious anticipation as Yuan Bo silently read the scroll. Shen Zoo tried to lean in and read it over his shoulder, which Yuan Bo actually allowed. Miao Ying had her arms crossed as she stared at the Jade Dragon expecting bad news.

The silent Sung Lian, who had also been riding along with the royals on the large palanquin looked at Malekith in the silence as she nudged him.

The elf looked over at the Shugengan confused until he noticed that she had also received a scroll from another crowman. She held open the scroll for Malekith to read along with her: 'Exalted Shugengan Sung Lian…In regard to your request to locate the family of Lieutenant Kongyu Tang, we have found them in the central plaza of Wei-Jin's merchant quarter. The patriarch of the family and the father of your longma officer is Kongyu Wan. He runs the esteemed Workshop of Wonders and the Jade Wing Tea Parlor often frequented by nobles. The family is quite wealthy and has four children including the lieutenant himself. He was the only son. Two of the three daughters are married to other merchant families and the youngest is fifteen and eligible. As per your request, we have sent them word that you demanded a meeting. Kongyu Wan graciously informs that he will we waiting at the Jade Wing Tea Parlor for your arrival. Sincerely, Shi Lifen, third administrator of Wei-Jin.'

Malekith quickly handed the scroll back before any of the dragons could notice as he nodded at Sung Lian. Fortunately, the three dragon siblings were all more focused on Yuan Bo's scroll at the moment.

Upon finishing his reading, the Jade Dragon closed the scroll and sighed heavily, "This is not good."

"Let me guess…Yin-Yin is already there?" Miao Ying deduced logically.

Shen Zoo nodded, "That's what the message said. It also said father was absent as well."

"You have got to be joking! Is that all the message says?!" Miao Ying protested.

Shen Zoo frowned, "I wonder where father would be?"

Yuan Bo shook his head, "I don't know…there was no mention of his whereabouts from my report. It's quite possible he's busy or away. Mother will surely inform us when we see her. The real problem is Yin-Yin has arrived to the capital with a large high elf delegation. She's likely already arranging a meeting with the Celestial Court and with mother."

"This is going to be much more difficult if father isn't there and Yin-Yin is already in the city," Miao Ying huffed.

"I thought you said we were ahead of Yin-Yin, Yuan Bo! What are we going to do?" Shen Zoo shrieked.

He frowned, "We have no choice…we need to go immediately. The rest of the army will have to catch up with us. Shugengan Sung Lian, get a longma for yourself and King Malekith. We need to fly at once."

"As you command, Jade Dragon," Sung Lian bowed her head before jumping off the palanquin.

"Ughhh…Yin-Yin is always getting in the way and making a mess of things!" Miao Ying groaned.

"You can fly a longma I hope, King Malekith?" Yuan Bo asked.

The elf nodded, "It's not that different than a Pegasus."

Celestial Court, Wei-Jin

Stepping through the magnificent doors into a vast chamber, a group of Asur followed proudly behind a regal figure. She was none other than the infamous Sea Dragon Yin-Yin, Grand Admiral of the Dragon Fleet of Cathay and ruler of the Eastern Provinces.

She had exotically styled hair and wore extremely eye-catching attire. That added to her arrogant stride and pompous features made the dragon princess stand out considerably. She almost made the Asur following her look humble by comparison…almost. In addition to the high elves, she also had a retinue of her own shugengans and officers as well, though only the most important ones.

As they entered the magnificent chamber of the Celestial Court, rows of seats lined with shugengans, magistrates, scribes, and everyone else important that one could think of was in attendance. Yin-Yin motioned for them to stop briefly and examined what was going on in court since nobody had noticed their arrival yet.

Seated front and center in the chamber on one of two thrones was a woman who looked even more prestigious than Yin-Yin herself. The woman had gorgeous porcelain features, long black hair styled with elaborate side buns, and wore an eastern dress that was probably worth more than an entire city. To her sides, various handmaidens, attendants, and advisors were seated on their knees. The woman was unquestionably the Moon Empress Quai Yin. Her face was mostly veiled, but little could hide her divine beauty or deific aura of regality.

One figure was standing in front of them all in the center of the chamber and was speaking to the court, "Lords and Ladies of the Celestial Court…heavenly Moon Empress, I thank you for gathering here today. As some of you may know, the Empire of Sigmar to the west has been in contact with me for the past few years. I believe there is much to be gained for both of our empires with improved relations and I sent for a delegation to meet me here in order to further Cathay's influence over the world and share culture with the western nations. They have graciously accepted and sent their Supreme Patriarch along with an escort of wizards and nobles to discuss trade expansion and other matters. Allow me to introduce Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt…speaker of the Imperial delegation."

A tall, robed man wearing a golden metal mask with spikes strode forward next to Zhao Ming and nodded at him. Several other Imperials were with him, including a dark-haired woman with a scythe. She had a creepy aura about her. In addition to the woman there was also a warrior-priest of Sigmar and several nobles by the looks of it. They didn't seem clueless which implied they understood Cathan to some degree.

"Prince Zhao Ming," a nearby female shugengan attendant spoke up, "the Empress has approved of your guests visiting the city, but we were under the impression they would not arrive for several weeks. We graciously welcome them here, but I would ask…do they even speak Cathan?"

Zhao Ming looked at Balthasar gesturing for him to speak. The Supreme Patriarch immediately did so as his deep powerful voice filled the chamber, "Some of us do, Shugengan. I have spent several years studying the language and customs of Cathay. Forgive our early arrival. We traveled here by airship. I understand they're quite common in Cathay. We are honored to be here. Allow me to introduce the most notable members of our delegation. The Elector Countess of Wissenland, Lady Emmanuelle von Liebwitz. Her advisor and court wizard Grand Magisterix Elspeth Von Draken. Arch Lector Kurt Mannfeld of Nuln. Also, the merchant prince Heinz Kasel."

"An Elector Count is one of the highest-ranking members of their Empire that rules one of its kingdoms. In their culture, they are second in authority only to their Emperor," Zhao Ming clarified for the court.

"Why is she not speaking to us then if she carries the highest authority from the westerners?" the shugengan asked.

The elector countess strutted forth with prideful opulence as she bent her hand to the side and leaned over. She then spoke in Cathan, "The Supreme Patriarch is the expert on this place. I was most interested in visiting personally, however, as I heard your lands were quite exotic and beautiful. I must say, I am not disappointed. It is a great pleasure to meet you all and your beautiful Empress. I do look forward to attending any future balls and I am simply dying to buy one of those beautiful eastern gowns I've seen the ladies around here wearing."

Some of the Cathayans in court looked a bit offended by her lack of a real bow and her uppity, posh tone. The shugengan speaker was quick to voice it, "It is a great honor to attend the Celestial Court, and it is only by the grace of the Moon Empress that you have been granted this audience. I would ask that you properly bow to her and respect our time."

Balthasar was quick to rescue the situation as he moved up and bowed properly to them and motioned for Emmanuelle to do the same, "Forgive the countess. She is still learning your customs. She only recently learned your language. We are grateful to be here."

His diplomatic intervention seemed to alleviate some of the stress in the court and Zhao Ming himself.

"May I ask what authority does your delegation carry in your foreign empire, Supreme Patriarch? Do you speak on the countess' behalf?" the shugengan speaker asked as she stared at him intensely.

"The Emperor Karl Franz has placed me in command of Solland and I am its current regent while it goes through its annexation from Wissenland. I am also the head mage within the Empire, and I carry a great deal of influence among the nobility. In addition to aiding the young countess in governing Solland, I also speak for our Emperor here. He regrets that he could not make the trip himself, but these dark times require his immediate oversight as I'm sure you're quite aware. Rest assured that I am qualified to do diplomacy on behalf of Sigmar's sons and the whole of the Empire," Gelt stated authoritatively.

"We acknowledge you, Supreme Patriarch, and your delegation. We will gladly hear your requests now," the shugengan speaker nodded with approval.

Yin-Yin then looked at the high elves behind her, "This is going to take forever…I'm shocked my brother is actually doing diplomacy for once. He got westerners to travel all the way out here? Maybe this time in Wei-Jin is doing him some good after all."

One of the elves crossed his arms and spoke casually, "It is of no concern, Sea Dragon. Personally, I think it's a good idea for the humans of the west and the east to improve relations. The Asur deal with these Sigmarites quite often and they're more or less dependable…for humans."

"Their colleges of mages were also trained by our high loremaster as well. So, they're quite a bit more sophisticated and intelligent than in ages past," a female archmage added.

"If the Empress accepts this, then I'm certain she will accept an alliance with Ulthuan. I long for the day we strike down the vile dark elves once and for all," Yin-Yin noted.

"Prince Imrik, do we have to be concerned with their Empress questioning our authority to speak on behalf of Ulthuan?" the female archmage asked the long-haired blonde elf male.

"No, Naesala…with the Witch King dead, it should not be a concern for them to agree to this. We're already planning the invasion anyways," Imrik responded to the archmage.

Another male elf standing further back shook his head, "You told us this wouldn't be a waste of time, Sea Dragon. I was under the impression you were going to help us hunt down the Blessed Dread. I don't like leaving my fleet in port and being this far inland for pointless diplomacy. We were told there would no long waits...it would seem that was a lie."

"Tactful as always, Aislinn…" Naesala shook her head at the infamous admiral.

"The fleet is in danger the longer we stay in this place. We know there's at least two black arks in the Jade Sea right now. If your empress so much as questions our willingness to help you people, then I will leave immediately. I don't have time for this," Aislinn stated condescendingly.

Yin-Yin sent him a fierce glare, "Mind your attitude here, elf…you're lucky I even brought you here. It's a great honor to attend the celestial court, so mind your manners and stuff your pride until we're done...or did you want to duel me again?!"

"I tire of this dragon princess, Imrik. This better be as beneficial as you believe it to be. We should be interrogating that sorceress we captured for the whereabouts of the Blessed Dread," Aislinn scoffed impatiently.

"We have…she won't talk," another female elf interjected. This one was a princess bearing the iconography of Tiranoc.

"You didn't have to come here, Aislinn. I know you are no politician," Imrik pointed out.

He smirked at the handsome dragon prince as he pointed further back, "The only reason I bothered coming at all was because your dragon princess refuses to hand over the sorceress prisoner to us."

"I already told you that you can have the bitch as soon as I present her to my mother. I need someone from Naggaroth to confirm that the Witch King is dead. My mother won't authorize an invasion otherwise," Yin-Yin groaned.

The sorceress in question was standing behind all the high elves and was chained, gagged, and under heavy guard. Two loremasters and another mage all had her under constant watch as well as several guards holding her chains. That wasn't even counting Yin-Yin's dragon guards pointing crossbows at her.

She glared with pure hatred at the high elves and at Yin-Yin as she tried to speak through her gag in vain.

"Well, make yourselves comfortable…I'll bring you up once Zhao Ming and the westerners are done talking. My mother will be enraged if we interrupt," Yin-Yin sighed.

Later, Malekith and the other Dragons

The group wasted no time flying ahead of their entourage and making for the Celestial Court with all haste. Malekith and Sung Lian were both riding longmas as they followed the three dragon siblings at high speed over the outer walls of the city.

He could see countless people below looking up and pointing to the sky with wondrous awe at the sight of three dragons flying in tight formation. It was probably a big deal to see one Cathayan dragon flying over a city…let alone three.

Malekith expected someone to intercept them in the air, but nobody did. A large group of patrolling longmas did follow behind them though. Before long, they touched down in the heart of the massive city right outside of the celestial court.

The three dragons all quickly transformed upon landing before Malekith and Sung Lian could even get off their longmas. The escorting longma patrols that followed them touched down not long after. Their faces seemed mesmerized by the sight of three dragons together and even more surprised by the sight of Malekith dismounting a longma.

Yuan Bo didn't even bother acknowledging them as he immediately made his way to the entrance. The others followed behind him with haste since he was practically speed-walking.

As they entered the large entrance doors, Yuan Bo paused briefly and looked at Malekith, "Are you ready? This is going to be ugly."

Malekith didn't say a word as he put his helmet on. Shen Zoo was quick to question his action, "Why are you putting your helmet on?"

"I have my reasons," was all he said in response.

Shen Zoo frowned at his remark, but Yuan Bo and Miao Ying seemed to understand.

The storm dragon shook her head, "Promise us you won't do anything stupid in there…we'll defend you, but everything you say and do will be heard by the entire court. Nobles from across the empire attend this court. Be mindful of that."

"Let's go," Malekith ignored her as he walked in front of Yuan Bo and took point.

The Jade dragon sighed before looking at his sisters, "If Yin-Yin becomes erratic, let me handle it."

"Hmph…she's not who I'm worried about. These high elves better not do anything stupid either. I get the impression King Malekith is the type of person who would kill them in there," Miao Ying huffed at him as she walked inside.

Shen Zoo then turned her gaze towards Yuan Bo, "Please try to make this work, Yuan Bo…if we let the high elves insult him, Malekith will leave or worse."

"I'll do what I can, but this is going to be disastrous. Hopefully your return can gain us the Iron Dragon's support. For whatever reason, mother listens to Zhao." he nodded before walking inside with Shen Zoo.

Sung Lian meekly followed behind the two of them and tried her best to remain invisible. The shugengan was gravely concerned about what was about to happen.

Celestial Court

"We accept your terms and your gifts Sigmarites," the speaker shugengan announced before leaning next to the Empress to hear her whisper something.

She then looked over at Balthasar Gelt, "We will continue the negotiations for your other requests tomorrow morning. There is another delegation that we were actually scheduled to hear prior to your early arrival. You are welcome to stay, but I would ask that you please stand aside and allow them forth."

The sigmarites all nodded and bowed their heads as they moved aside and watched with intrigue as Yin-Yin strode forth with her delegation of high elves. The western humans all acknowledged the passing Asur with respect, but the elves seemed too haughty to reciprocate other than Imrik.

"Well met Sons of Sigmar. My apologies for interrupting your hearing. Ours should not take long, I hope," Imrik spoke to them.

"Amazing to see high elves this far east. I didn't know your people had dealings with Grand Cathay," Countess Emmanuelle exclaimed.

Imrik didn't reply as he quickly followed his people behind Yin-Yin to the center of the court.

Zhao Ming shook his head and crossed his arms as he made eye contact with Yin-Yin. She was giving him a funny look…almost as if she was amused by him also having a delegation of potential allies.

"My apologies for that, friends…I didn't expect her to rudely interrupt us," Zhao Ming spoke quietly to Balthasar and his entourage.

The supreme patriarch didn't seem fazed as he nodded, "We understand. Besides, it seems worth seeing what this is all about anyways. Who is that woman?"

"My sister, Yin-Yin…the Sea Dragon. She commands our fleets and rules the eastern provinces." he said dryly.

"She is quite beautiful wouldn't you say, Elspeth?" Emmanuelle added unnecessarily as she nudged the magisterix.

Elspeth von Draken remained deathly silent as she eerily stared at the elves with curious stoicism. The woman had not spoken once since arriving and seemed completely apathetic to everyone and everything.

"Not as beautiful as me of course," Emmanuelle added as she playfully poked the magisterix.

"I expected the empress to speak to us herself…but I understand her not doing so," Balthasar stated to Zhao Ming.

The Iron Dragon frowned, "She only speaks in court on occasion. Usually for matters of grave importance. Perhaps tomorrow she will. My mother is very benevolent and kind. I'm certain she will show you her gratitude in some way later. I'll speak with her tonight and smooth things over."

"Of course, your highness," Balthasar nodded.

"I call for silence and I ask you all to please be seated. The Sea Dragon and her delegation have the floor. Princess Yin-Yin, you may now address the Celestial Court," the shugengan speaker announced.

Everyone in the court went silent as they seated themselves and anxiously stared in fascination at the arrival of another delegation of foreigners on the same day.

Yin-Yin smugly announced herself to the court, "I thank you all for attending the Celestial Court today and I proudly welcome my delegation of high elf visitors from the faraway land of Ulthuan. May I introduce Prince Imrik of Caledor, speaker of the delegation. Archmage Naesala of Saphery. Admiral Aislinn the most distinguished elven admiral. Last but not least, Princess Saria of Tiranoc."

The shugengan speaker cocked her head in confusion when she saw the gagged dark elf being led up behind them, "Is there a reason one of the elves is gagged?"

"Yes, speaker of the court, I have also brought a dark elf sorceress prisoner captured from one of the dreaded black arks plaguing our coasts," Yin-Yin answered.

The speaker looked briefly at the Empress as the court began to murmur and gossip wildly about this bizarre situation.

"Speak then about your delegation's business, princess," the speaker nodded.

Malekith

The Witch King hatefully passed by everyone without a word of acknowledgement as he stormed his way to the inner chamber of the Celestial Court. The three dragons were silently following behind and seemed a bit concerned about his aggressive rush to get there.

All of the humans they passed practically fell to the ground or fled in fear of Malekith, and quite a few dragon guards had mobilized to intercept him. All of them stood in stupefied silence and bowed as they saw the elf had three dragon royals and a shugengan following behind him.

It didn't take long to reach the outer hallway to the inner chamber, and Malekith could hear the insufferable sound of Asur voices inside. He briefly stopped out of sight to hear what was being said. The dragons and the shugengan stopped behind him and seemed equally curious.

"For that reason, we believe an alliance with Cathay would be to our mutual benefit in seeing the druchii vanquished once and for all," Imrik stated.

For the first time that day, the Moon Empress spoke, "Yin-Yin…I believe this matter was settled years ago. Why bring it before me once again? I thought I made it clear that you were not permitted to war with Naggaroth."

Yin-Yin quickly bowed to her mother before speaking, "I assure you mother, this time is different. The dark elves are in shambles. Their Witch King has been dead for over two hundred years, and they are in the middle of a civil war. This is the opportune time to strike. I even procured the allegiance of their mortal enemies, the high elves, to help us. Am I wrong to seek vindication for all the people killed or abducted by those fiends? Am I wrong to seek out a long-term solution for the safety of the eastern provinces? We cannot let this opportunity slip by us."

Quai Yin shook her head, "Is that why you brought this dark elf witch to court? To convince me? Since you went through the trouble of bringing this prisoner here, let her speak. I will make my decision afterwards."

"Ungag her," Yin-Yin commanded before looking back at her mother, "the witch has secrets about Naggaroth's happenings, and she can confirm that their king is dead."

The Moon Empress stared stoically as she awaited the sorceress to speak. Upon being ungagged, the sorceress spat angrily on the ground in hateful defiance. No doubt she understood that she was doomed either way and probably wanted to be spiteful before the end. Her brazen act of disrespect caused the nobility in the court to gasp in horror and it angered quite a few people.

Yin-Yin swiftly backhanded her for doing so before grabbing the sorceress by the hair and forcing her to her knees in front of the empress. She then spoke aggressively, "Tell her what you told me!"

"Urghhh!" the sorceress shrieked in pain before succumbing to her humiliation on her knees.

"Tell her your Witch King is dead!" Yin-Yin commanded.

The sorceress then laughed smugly, "Ahaha, did I say that? Maybe I did. Though I wonder…is he really dead though? The First Sorceress doesn't seem to think so. Our dread king is not so easily vanquished. What I wouldn't give to see the looks on your faces when he returns."

"He is dead! My father watched him die at Finuval Plain over two hundred years ago! The High Loremaster Teclis slew him!" Archmage Naesala spoke hatefully.

"Hmm…well maybe that's just what you want to believe. This is rather amusing though…Asur allying with humans to attack Naggaroth. Are you so afraid to invade us without help? How did that go for you the last three times?" the sorceress sassed.

"About as well as your pathetic attempts to conquer Ulthuan have," Aislinn spoke with pure contempt.

"Oooh I'm so wounded by your wittiness, Aislinn," the sorceress smirked sarcastically, "by all means I dare you to try invading Naggaroth. We already know about your incoming invasion. You might want to consider the consequences of getting thousands of Asur enslaved or massacred for thinking they can surprise us. Could you even land an army past an armada of black arks?"

"Spare us your empty threats, sorceress, we know that the druchii won't unite with your false king dead," Aislinn spat.

"Do you want to know where Lokhir is, Aislinn? He's probably halfway to Karond Kar by now. Every second you waste here he slips further away. Oh wait, you're looking for that fleet we ambushed and all your precious enslaved Asur friends, aren't you? They'll be at slaver's gate before long. You should hurry if you want to save them. Corsairs tend to get a bit…excited with the Asur prisoners," the sorceress taunted.

"Spare me your hollow goading, witch, we know you're terrified," Aislinn shook his head in disgust at her.

"Forgive our prisoner's extremely rude disposition. The Asur here can all confirm that the Witch King is indeed dead, Empress. We do not necessarily need your help, but we would welcome it as the Sea Dragon has expressed a willingness to help us hunt down black arks," Imrik explained.

The sorceress laughed again, "Just wait until Malekith returns…we'll see how confident you feel then. You Asur talk big, but I'd wager all of you would shake in your boots if you stood face to face with him. I'd love to see it for myself…watch as you all fold like wheat in the wind. Would you challenge him to a duel, Aislinn? I'd pay to see that."

"Can we please gag her again? Spare us your incessant prattling and feeble threats, sorceress…your pathetic Witch King is dead and he's never coming back thank the gods!" Archmage Naesala hissed.

It was at that moment Malekith decided to make his entrance as he walked fearlessly and disrespectfully into the center of the court clearing away dragon guards in the process. Those that tried to stop him were quickly frozen in place by magic which drew considerable attention. His metallic deep voice then echoed menacingly throughout the chamber, "Dead, am I? According to whom?"

Everyone in the chamber jerked their heads in pure disbelief and some with terror at the sight of the ominous armoured figure stepping forth. His coiled horns and dark armour greatly intimidated the members of the court and some of the sigmarites that were still watching from further away.

"Is that the Witch King they were talking about?!" Countess Emmanuelle asked confused.

"I'd wager he is," Elspeth Von Draken spoke for the first time as she calmly drew her scythe.

Balthasar reached for his staff as he readied himself for danger. The arch lector quickly drew his hammer as well and stood in front of the countess Emmanuelle.

"The Witch King…how did he get to the Celestial Court?" Zhao Ming spoke aloud with disbelief.

The Asur looked even more petrified than the humans. They all looked like they had just seen a ghost, and all of their proud, righteous faces went pale and bleak as a deathly silence filled the chamber. Everyone was too stunned to move or say a word as Malekith walked further inside. Not only did he confirm himself to be alive in person, but the Witch King was in the heart of Cathay of all places. Words could scarcely describe the tension or the horrified expressions of the high elves.

The sorceress being held by Yin-Yin looked equally as shocked to see Malekith, but her eyes lit up like a divine savior had come to her rescue. She was beaming so proudly and with such blissful joy that it might have been the happiest Malekith had ever seen another druchii before.

She then began to laugh hysterically at the reactions of the high elves and smugly taunted them, "Hahaha! The Witch King is here! Who's afraid now, Asur?! The gods surely have a great sense of humor! You should see the looks on your faces! They're even better than I imagined! Go ahead and duel Aislinn! See what happens!"

"I-I-Impossible…" Imrik barely managed to get out one word.

Malekith didn't even look at Yin-Yin or the Asur as he turned his gaze towards the Moon Empress, "Forgive my intrusion, Empress Quai Yin, but I will not stand idle if your people choose to aid the Asur in attacking Naggaroth. If you seek war, then you will have it."

Quai Yin turned her gaze towards Malekith and addressed him calmly, "I welcome you, Malekith, Witch King of Naggaroth. The Jade Dragon sent word that you were coming. I'll admit I find your presence here peculiar, but I am not blind to what has transpired since your arrival to Cathay. I do hope you did not injure anyone on your way inside."

"What is the meaning of this?!" Archmage Naesala demanded furiously, "you humans are in cohorts with the druchii?!"

"N-no, this isn't right. Mother what's going on?!" Yin-Yin asked urgently.

The sorceress looked up at Malekith and spoke reverently to him, "It's wondrous to see you again, your highness!"

Malekith glanced down at her and spoke darkly, "Silence yourself, sorceress. You've spoken quite enough."

She didn't seem offended by Malekith's cold tone as she obeyed and watched with anxious wonder at what the Witch King was going to do. From what Malekith could tell, she was definitely a high sorceress based on her regal skimpy attire and her staff. He had seen her before in Karond Kar, but he didn't remember her name. It seemed likely that she was either part of the Emerald Maw's fleet or the Blessed Dread's.

"Who authorized his entry here?!" Zhao Ming demanded angrily.

Zhao Ming and Yin-Yin both moved up defensively as they prepared themselves for a battle in defense of the court. Yin-Yin threw the sorceress to the ground in the process as she seemed irate with fury that the Witch King himself would brazenly appear in the royal court.

"I did," Yuan Bo stated as he walked up behind Malekith and revealed himself finally.

"As did I," Miao Ying's voice followed as she came up on his other side. Their dual entrance mesmerized the nobles in court who were amazed to see the Storm and Jade Dragons side by side.

Yin-Yin looked at them disbelievingly, "Does this have something to do with the attack on the Bastion? It's not often I see you abandoning your post, Miao Ying."

"I came personally to ensure that there would be no misunderstandings or unjust decisions. King Malekith is under my jurisdiction and the Jade Dragon has also offered his support in the matter," she stated condescendingly to Yin-Yin.

"I vouch for King Malekith's right to be here as well," Shen Zoo followed last as she walked up between Miao Ying and Malekith.

An audible gasp erupted throughout the chamber once again as people began to gossip and emote wildly at the Light Dragon's appearance.

Countess Emmanuelle nudged Zhao Ming confused, "Your highness, who are they?"

"My siblings…" he answered.

Quai Yin did not seem surprised as she no doubt already knew about the situation, but she nodded approvingly, "It would seem the missives were indeed true. Welcome home, Shen Zoo. I am very happy to see you alive, my dear daughter. I know your father will be overjoyed as well."

"Thank you, mother. I am overjoyed to see you again. Forgive our rude interruption, but you must listen to us. A lot has happened, and we would be happy to clarify any misunderstandings for you and the court," Shen Zoo bowed her head.

Zhao Ming immediately forgot the tension in the room as his eyes locked onto his youngest and beloved sister, "Is that really you, Shen Zoo?"

"It's me, brother," Shen Zoo nodded her head.

Yin-Yin looked baffled by seeing her siblings all together and equally as shocked by Shen Zoo's appearance, "Shen Zoo…y-you're alive?!"

"I am Yin-Yin," Shen Zoo stated factually.

"How in the world is the Witch King here?! Why are you Cathayans conspiring with him?!" Aislinn demanded. Most of the Asur still seemed stunned in silence, but some were starting to recover now as they reached for their weapons defensively.

Yin-Yin seemed to be frothing with rage as she walked towards Malekith reaching for her sword. Yuan Bo quickly intercepted her as he drew his sword first, "Step back, Yin-Yin!"

"What is the meaning of this brother?!" she bellowed disbelievingly.

"Step…back." He repeated slowly.

She didn't budge as she glared at him, "Why? You authorized the Witch King entry here? What's going on?"

"I would do as he says, Yin-Yin…we will not allow you to attack him. King Malekith is here by our request, and he is our guest," Miao Ying interjected as she moved closer as well.

"The two of you would stand against me?! Why are you defending our enemy?!" Yin-Yin hissed.

"Make that three of us," Shen Zoo stated, "I will not allow anyone to attack my rescuer."

Zhao Ming's eyes went wide with shock, "Rescuer…the Witch King rescued you?!"

That unusual bit of news caused the court to start gossiping wildly as they exchanged various opinions about the motives or possibility of such an event occurring.

"Rescuer?!" Yin-Yin shrieked as she stepped back shaking her head, "you must be joking!"

Shen Zoo stared at her sister seriously, "It's no joke…Malekith saved me from the Realms of Chaos, and he carried me all the way to Turtle Gate from the north pole while I was unconscious. He protected me numerous times from greater daemons, and he's done nothing but help Cathay since we arrived. I swear that on my honor."

"That's preposterous!" Yin-Yin shouted.

"Are you calling me a liar, sister?" Shen Zoo replied sharply.

Yin-Yin quickly stuttered, "I-I…but that's just impossible though. You're telling me the evil witch king would do something selfless for your sake?"

"Yes…King Malekith is my friend. Even Miao Ying and Yuan Bo saw the value of granting him this audience. He didn't want to come here. He's doing it for us and deserves some appreciation for his deeds," Shen Zoo replied.

"Appreciation?! Do you people have ANY idea who the Witch King is?! I can't believe this…where's the rest of his army at?!" Imrik shook his head.

"There is no army…King Malekith crossed the Great Eastern Steppes by himself. He arrived at Turtle Gate on the back of a Manticore according to Shugengan Sung Lian. He warned the defenders of Turtle Gate about a chaos army and led its defense prior to my arrival. It's quite clear to me that he considers Shen Zoo his ally and he has been cordial to me and the Jade Dragon as well," Miao Ying interjected factually.

The Asur had finally recovered fully from their shock and were now glaring hatefully at Malekith as if they were considering reckless violence.

"He has been completely honest with me the entire time I've known him. Besides, how do you explain an elf risking his life to save thousands of humans at the Great Bastion? It's not something high elves would ever do. He nearly died defending the garrison when he had no ulterior reason to do so and practically destroyed half of the chaos army by himself." Miao Ying noted.

"He did?" Imrik seemed mesmerized by the news.

"We heard turtle gate was recently attacked. Apparently, there was a great magical shockwave that knocked the Wu Xing Compass out of alignment. That was him?!" the shugengan speaker spoke up from afar.

Miao Ying nodded, "It was indeed…the Witch King led its defense and defeated the army with some kind of divine magic. I have thousands of eyewitnesses to confirm his deeds including Shen Zoo's, my own testimony, and that of Turtle Gate's warden, Shugengan Sung Lian."

An explosive uproar erupted within the stands, and everyone continued to gossip madly with complete fascination and disbelief. What they were bearing witness to seemed impossible.

"I also vouch for his integrity. He unraveled the Changeling, a sinister shapeshifting daemon of Chi'an Chi, from my own army after I arrived to Turtle Gate. With his help, I was able to banish it. The humans there also revere him as a hero from what I've seen. What I found most curious was his tempered humility and willingness to help even the peasants. I'll admit that I was very skeptical, but he has saved countless lives since arriving in Cathay. Plus, his rescue of Shen Zoo eclipses the attempts made by the Iron and Storm Dragons years prior. In addition to that, the Witch King has promised to put an end to the raids on Cathay. I see no reason why we should not use this opportunity to put an end to a pointless conflict. I'll make my position clear, mother…I do not support the Sea Dragon's idea of attacking the dark elves when their king has proven himself to be an ally to the royal family. I also disapprove of the idea of getting our kingdom involved in the elven civil war. The Sea Dragon should worry about culling chaos cults from her provinces before trying to launch a transcontinental invasion," Yuan Bo added.

Yin-Yin was seething with bitter disbelief that the golden siblings of her family were making her look like a fool and defending the Witch King.

Miao Ying glared at Yuan Bo for mentioning her failure to rescue Shen Zoo, but quickly interjected, "The Witch King and I had a long talk about peace between the forces of order in this world. He desires an end to pointless war and has offered his aid in repelling the Great Enemy. Based on his actions at Turtle Gate and his rescue of Shen Zoo, I am inclined to trust him despite his murky infamy. To be honest, I find him surprisingly humble and patient for an elf…especially a dark elf. He has asked us for nothing, and I believe his intentions are for the greater good. I understand the Dragon Emperor is currently absent, but I know father would agree with me."

"You can't be serious! This is all some kind of druchii scheme!" Archmage Naesala rudely interrupted as she stepped forward with seething rage, "the Witch King promised to help you fight chaos?! Are you all fools?! He summoned daemons to attack Ulthuan! He sent a greater daemon named N'kari to kill the Everqueen centuries ago! He's pure evil and you can't trust him! By the gods, how could anyone be so delusional?!"

"Mind your tone, elf…I don't care about what he's done to your people. He's shown that he's no enemy of ours through his deeds and not empty words or patronizing offers," Shen Zoo said venomously.

Hearing Shen Zoo tell off the archmage caused Zhao Ming to go wide-eyed. Seeing the benevolent Shen Zoo retorting with contempt was not a sight he was used to seeing.

"Keep your delegation in line, Yin-Yin. I do not appreciate interruptions," Quai Yin commanded the Sea Dragon sternly.

The high elves all seemed taken aback at the Empress' remark and Malekith himself was somewhat surprised that the Empress wasn't nearly as dismissive or hostile of him as he initially assumed she would be. Even Miao Ying and Shen Zoo were a bit surprised that their mother understood the situation so well. Dead silence filled the chamber.

The Empress slowly turned her gaze to Sung Lian who was standing meekly behind the dragons and Malekith. She then spoke to the Shugengan calmly, "Shugengan Sung Lian…step forward."

"Y-yes your celestial grace," Sung Lian moved up and bowed on her hands and knees to the Empress.

Quai Yin quickly gestured for her to lift her head, "Raise your head, child. You are the Warden of Turtle Gate, and I would hear your account of King Malekith's arrival. As a human, I wish to know your perspective on him."

Malekith was somewhat baffled why the empress would ask the Shugengan when three of her children already confirmed everything, but he silently watched as Sung Lian lifted her head and spoke, "It was over a week ago when he arrived on the back of a manticore. He dismounted outside of the outer wall and was carrying the light dragon in his arms. It was confusing to see a dark elf north of the bastion, but he told us who he was and why he came. He then requested an audience with the storm dragon and warned us about a massive army of northmen and chaos dwarves coming. He claimed to have stolen the manticore he arrived on from them. I did not believe his story initially, nor his unusual intentions but I allowed him entry into Turtle Gate on the condition he be restrained. To my shock, he accepted my terms, and it made me skeptical that he was actually the infamous dark elf king. He sat in the gallows for an entire day enduring insults while we tried to determine if the woman he brought was truly the Light Dragon. She awoke that next day and seemed greatly distressed, asking how she got there and if we had seen an elf. She was terribly upset when she found out that we had imprisoned King Malekith and confirmed his story to us. I was chastised by the light dragon for my lack of hospitality to her rescuer, and she said she would strip my position for my incompetence. King Malekith then broke himself free of his chains with magic and intervened on my behalf telling her not to do so. He could have freed himself at any time and instead he chose to prove that he was there to help us by humbly waiting in chains. I remained skeptical in the following day despite the Light Dragon's assurance of his trustworthiness, but he…he surprised me. I don't know much about dark elves or their king, but I saw him training peasant militia how to fight with elven spear formations. He trained ironhail gunners how to shoot like dwarves and motivated them. He taught people how to make dark elf crossbow cartridges. He even volunteered to defend the front line by himself. When I asked him why, he said it was what his father would do. I saw countless people…my own men starting to trust and like him. It's shameful to say, but he humbled me as a leader, and I decided to entrust him with Turtle Gate's command for the battle with Princess Shen Zoo's blessing. I figured a millennia old elf king was probably more experienced than I was. That battle itself is where I truly started to believe that he was as good as the princess claimed he was. He challenged the chaos army and drew their attention towards him to tank the worst of their forces. I watched him save countless people and he even saved me from the daemon leading the enemy army beyond the outer wall where my longma riders were trying to destroy enemy artillery. I don't know what he did, but he unleashed magic on a scale I've never seen before, and he killed most of the enemy army nearly dying in the process. The princess claimed he was more powerful than her. I didn't believe that until I saw it for myself. When the battle ended, I helped him walk back into the garrison right as the storm dragon's reinforcements were arriving from Dragon Gate. They were cheering for him before he collapsed and fell unconscious. The Storm Dragon healed him for two days afterwards and in that time, I heard countless accounts from my men about the heroic things he did. The strangest part of it all was his rejection of our appreciation. I refuse to believe that he did this to manipulate us, and I'll stake my family name on his honor. It is not my place to tell your grace what to believe, but I wholly believe that he is a good person despite his prior life. He said something interesting to me when I spoke to him after the battle…he told me that dark elves hate him as much as high elves do. I found that strange that one so worthy could be despised by his own people, but I suppose he's not like other elves. Nobody from Turtle Gate dislikes him now. He also said most people who come back from the Realms of Chaos return completely insane, but that he came back with his sanity restored to its old self. I don't know about the politics of elves, or the full scale of what he did in the past, but I can say with confidence that he's definitely not what other elves believe him to be. He leads by example…he's patient…he seems prideful but is genuinely humble and dismissive of praise. He treated my men like his own…and I don't think he dislikes humans. Honestly, I believe he likes humans more than other elves."

Everyone was hanging on Sung Lian's words with fascination, disbelief, and in Zhao Ming's case awe. The Iron Dragon seemed the most moved by Sung Lian's account…no doubt because he cared a lot about humans, and it was unbelievable that the Witch King would protect smallfolk.

Quai Yin quickly glanced at the Iron Dragon taking in his reaction before looking over her other dragon children to see theirs. All of them except Yin-Yin had the same look of approval and trust in Sung Lian's emotional account. Though Zhao Ming was obviously the most affected. Even the sigmarites seemed interested and curious about this incredible tale of heroic redemption from a villainous figure.

"Shen Zoo's light can pierce the darkest of hearts, and I have never known her to misjudge someone before. I thank you for your honesty, Shugengan. It seems apparent to me that the Witch King does not desire conflict with Cathay. With that said, I reject your proposal, Yin-Yin. It would be dishonorable for us to wage war against the dark elves after their king personally performed great deeds on behalf of the royal family. Not only that, but he is apparently receptive to diplomacy if he is promising to end druchii raids on our eastern shores. He has more than earned the right to be in attendance here. I will not speak for Xen Yang, but I believe he would agree with me," Quai Yin noted.

A long silence passed as everyone looked at each other and pondered what this was going to mean for the wider world.

Yin-Yin slowly glanced at Malekith confused as she found her voice again, "You're…ending the raids on Cathay? Why?"

Malekith ignored the high elves as he looked at Yin-Yin, "Princess Yin-Yin, I heard about the massacre at Beichai from Shugengan Sung Lian. I understand two black arks were involved. A girl at Turtle Gate was a survivor of it. With her help, I identified them…The Blessed Dread and the Emerald Maw. I intend to rein them in and stop their ravaging of Cathay. You can thank Shen Zoo for that. She convinced me to come here and to help your people. Though I've been absent in the Realms of Chaos for over two centuries, I still bear the responsibility of that attack and the millennia of raids prior to it. I know you desire revenge or some form of vindication, but you killing me won't stop the druchii. Nor will it get you any closer to securing your eastern shores. See for yourself what's happened. I've supposedly been dead for two hundred years and the incompetent Asur are no closer to exterminating my people. The only person who can stop them is me. I find your idea of invading Naggaroth wasteful and foolish. The last time someone attempted that, tens of thousands died at the Circle of Destruction permanently rending the earth with Dhar. Why waste the lives of your own people fighting mine, when there are far greater threats in the world such as chaos, greenskins, skaven, and undead to deal with? I didn't come here to make false promises or win allies, and I am not here to offer reparations either. I am putting an end to the raids though. In respect to the Jade Dragon's wishes, I will also keep the Elven War out of your lands as well. To be honest, I knew very little about this empire or its people prior to meeting Shen Zoo. It's surprisingly admirable for a human empire and I was greatly impressed by the Great Bastion. It puts the Northern Watchtowers in Naggaroth to shame. I have encountered several humans here that have slightly changed opinion on them as a whole. To be honest, I didn't think any human nations were worthy of respect other than ancient Nehekara. Cathay has proven me wrong in that regard."

Yin-Yin was glaring at Malekith with a mixture of anger and receptiveness, but she could not find anything to say as she bitterly looked away with disgust. It was clear that she felt conflicted about this situation and was obviously embarrassed that her other siblings made her look like a fool by siding with the Witch King over the high elves.

"You Cathayans can't seriously be this foolish. I suppose their lives are so short that they know nothing of the world's history. You people are making a terrible mistake," Aislinn shook his head and finally released his disapproval.

Miao Ying crossed her arms and scoffed, "The royal family are all dragons and we've been alive longer than Ulthuan has even existed. Don't preach about history to us. I know full well who the Witch King is and of the horrible things he's done. I also know that someone evil wouldn't risk their life to save humans of a foreign empire that have every reason to hate him. In the past I would never humor the idea of having dealings with him, but King Malekith has proven he is no enemy of Cathay. He has proven that he values the life of Shen Zoo above even his own. All you high elves have proven to me is that you think you know what's best for us and you have the audacity to believe we need your guidance like the human nations of the west. I find it insulting as I'm certain the Dragon Emperor would as well. You should consider yourselves grateful that he isn't here. I can only imagine how offended he would be to see dignitaries act as arrogant as your lot. It is only by my mother's mercy and grace that I haven't banished you from this court already. You have not earned this audience with the Celestial Court and the Sea Dragon was out of line for bringing you here."

The Sea Dragon glared at her older sister for her cold declaration but could not rebuke it. She had no political leverage over the Storm and Jade Dragons who were the Emperor's favorites.

Yin-Yin then looked back at her mother with confused anxiety as she tried to gauge the empress' reaction. She was quick to ask about it, "Mother…this isn't right. You're not honestly buying this nonsense, are you? Surely, we can't just denounce the high elves like this. It would greatly hinder our relations and further damage our trade negotiations as well."

Quai Yin looked at her daughter blankly before answering, "You've done more than enough to do that already when you needlessly tried to annex Elithis. What grounds can you stand on to deny the words of your brother and sisters? I see three of my most vigilant, morally sound, and responsible children standing in defense of a known tyrant and dark sorcerer. I see a Shugengan staking her family's honor on him. Yuan Bo and Miao Ying would not support someone like him for an immoral or mistaken purpose. If King Malekith has earned their support, then it's clear to me that he is trustworthy. What reason would I have to deny the Jade and Storm Dragon's joint testimonies when they both rarely agree on anything? How am I to denounce Shen Zoo's account when she is considered the most benevolent of all the dragons? Have you ever known her to be wrong about someone's heart? Sometimes the right decision is to show forgiveness and choose the path of peace and wisdom. It is painful and it does not erase the past, but it is the morally right path to follow. Could you honestly strike him down knowing that he pulled your sister out of Realms of Chaos and brought her here by himself despite the risks it entailed? Could you look your siblings in the eyes and call them delusional? What would you say to the people whose lives King Malekith saved at Turtle Gate? Would you call them all liars and traitors? Would you denounce their feelings in the name of your own justice?"

"I-I…n-no," Yin-Yin replied meekly in defeat to her mother's stern tone.

"What do you think your father will think of this? Do you expect him to demand Shen Zoo's rescuer be executed or for us to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives to satisfy your lust for vengeance or glory? What would that accomplish other than weakening the forces of order? Actions speak louder than words and there is nothing you can say to invalidate what the Witch King has done for our family. King Malekith is correct…there are far greater evils in this world than dark elves. If he can see the greater good, why can't you?" Quai Yin asked.

Yin-Yin melted beneath her mother's words as if the weight behind them was crushing her body and pride. She could say nothing in her own defense and bowed her head in shameful defeat.

Quai Yin then spoke to Malekith again, "You saved my youngest daughter Shen Zoo, King Malekith…may I ask you why?"

"I didn't really intend to initially. She just…she was helpful in the Realms of Chaos, and I felt indebted to her. Despite my reputation, I am not without honor or appreciation for those that prove their worth. She was determined to earn my trust and she succeeded. I am well aware that my people are on very poor terms with yours. I also know many of the druchii will not approve of my decision to cease their reaving out here, but I will personally enforce it and kill those who defy my decree. I cannot promise reparations or improved relations, but there will be peace. You have my word on that," he bowed his head to her respectfully.

"It is difficult to take you at your word considering your history, but I am inclined to accept it after hearing these testimonies from my children and from the shugengan. Your deeds are greatly appreciated, and I am certain the Dragon Emperor would find them even more endearing than I have. Winning over Miao Ying and Yuan Bo guarantees his approval. What sells it for me however is the fact that you've gone out of your way to help the small folk of Cathay. That proves to me that you seek the greater good and that you see value in the lives of others. I apologize that Xen Yang could not be here to offer you his personal thanks as well, but I am certain he will repay your aid when he returns. It warms my heart to see that you think so highly of Shen Zoo. Returning her light to Cathay is more than an act of kindness…it is the feat of a hero, and it will not soon be forgotten. On behalf the royal family of Cathay, I accept your terms of peace. I do hope that you succeed on your path of penance and that our empires can turn the page on a tragic past to a new beginning." the Empress replied with stern approval.

"His word means nothing! I've seen enough of this Prince Imrik, let's go! It's clear we're not wanted here!" Naesala bellowed angrily.

Hearing the archmage brazenly object to the Empress' acceptance of Malekith caused the entire celestial court to glare at the high elves with appalled faces. The longer this went on, the worse they were starting to look.

Malekith could barely believe how well this was going, and silently thanked the gods that the Moon Empress was a reasonable being.

"Not yet Naesala. I will not leave until we have an understanding here," Imrik denied her.

Yin-Yin then looked at Malekith seriously, "The Blessed Dread has been terrorizing the Eastern provinces for centuries. What are you going to do about that?!"

"Lokhir Fellheart will doubtfully obey me if I rein him in. He harbors delusions of grandeur, and I am fully prepared to execute him if he defies me. He will probably be among the first I intend to purge. I don't want my admirals out here if the Asur are planning to invade. If he does not see reason, I'll send you his head. To be honest, the only reason I haven't killed him already is because I had great respect for his family and his ancestors. My tolerance of druchii sedition is over…they will obey or they will die. That applies to every single one of them," he answered honestly as he looked down at the sorceress who seemed shocked by Malekith's unusual cooperation with foreigners.

Aislinn's eyes lit up when he heard that as he seemed a bit more receptive now. No doubt he was baffled that the Witch King was promising to potentially kill the Sea-Lord's most hated adversary.

The Sea Dragon shook her head, "That's not good enough…I want all the Cathayans your people enslaved set free! Until I see that, I refuse to believe you."

"Logistically, that's going to take a while, but I have no objections to that demand. Don't expect it to happen until I end the civil war in Naggaroth first though. It is a process that will take years and we don't have the time to ship thousands of slaves across the ocean right now. If you're willing to be patient or sail your fleets to Clarak Spire on the western shore, we can meet you halfway," he sighed.

Yin-Yin sighed in defeat as she looked over at the high elves, "What about them? I can't rightfully trust you when you're the sworn enemy of my new allies. You said you're going to keep the elven war out of our lands, but I can't rightfully do nothing if you intend to kill them. I will not be labeled as treacherous, and I imagine they'll turn hostile if I accept this. I will not trade one problem for another."

"I suppose it depends on what they intend to do now that I'm back. I would prefer not to fight with them," Malekith answered before shifting his gaze to the Asur.

They were all silently anxious and confused by how cordial Malekith was being to the Cathayans and seemed at a loss for words regarding the unprecedented political situation.

Imrik himself seemed to be deep in thought and was no doubt concerned about the issue of Malekith somehow stealing Cathay's allegiance right in front of them. He knew that he couldn't just leave things like this as it would be considered a political disaster in Ulthuan if the druchii started allying with humans.

The Witch King looked over the various high elves who all leered at him. Most had false bravado to hide their fear, but they were all clearly anxious and baffled about what to do. Malekith had somehow won over the royal family of Cathay, and they were powerless to do anything about it.

A long silence passed as Malekith thought about how he was going to make peace with the Asur. He knew they wouldn't believe him even if he said it and wondered how he was going to deal with the black ark that was obviously coming for their fleet in Haichai.

"Your empire has chosen your side already, Sea Dragon. So be it! We'll keep our war out of your lands, but this changes nothing for the Asur and Druchii!" Archmage Naesala broke the silence as she gripped her staff and stepped towards Malekith defiantly.

Imrik shot a horrified look at Naesala for making the situation worse and quickly voiced his disapproval, "Wait, Naesala, don't speak for the rest of us! This is a matter for the Phoenix Court to decide on. It's clear the Witch King might be reasoned with if he's out here helping humans and dragons. At the very least he might consider non-aggression."

"Are you mad, Imrik?! Don't let your dragon obsession fool you into thinking this is anything other than some extravagant druchii scheme! I don't care what they think! It's clear they think very little of us. What is there to salvage here? Sorry your little mission to win over dragons failed, but I refuse to accept anyone who would side with the Witch King." Naesala shot back.

Princess Saria, who was standing next to Imrik shook her head, "Naesala, please calm yourself. You're going to cause irreparable political damage if you don't. You don't speak for the whole of Ulthuan and we did not travel all the way here just to make things worse."

"It doesn't matter, Princess Saria. Naesala is right…Ulthuan will stand on its own as we always have. We don't need their help and we'd be fools to think the Witch King can be reasoned with," Aislinn cut in.

Malekith was silent for a moment as he looked more closely at Naesala. She seemed somehow familiar to him and after a brief moment he realized why. She looked eerily similar to the mage he killed at Finuval Plain.

"Hear this, Witch King! The Asur will defy you just as we always have. You may have these people fooled, but we know your true nature. We know of the pathetic envy you wallowed in as you desperately committed endless injustices upon our empire. How you ceaselessly desecrated the wonders of Ulthuan all in your vain attempt to claim a throne that was never rightfully yours. You are no king to us and you never will be! You're a false king, and you wear the sins of your crimes upon your burned flesh. You do not scare us! Beneath that ancient armour is nothing more than a burnt husk of a sad, weak, and spoiled brat! I'll bet you're even more hideous beneath that helmet than a chaos warrior! These dragons may protect you here, but you can rest assured that we will slay you for good soon enough!" Naesala continued to rant. Her words caused many people in the celestial court to gasp with anxious concern.

The sigmarites seemed to find the firsthand witnessing of elven politics fascinating. All of the dragons were silent as they watched Malekith to see how he would respond. Quai Yin remained emotionless and calm and did not intervene. Yin-Yin in particular had an intense stare focused on Malekith as if she was weighing his worth.

"Very well…" was all Malekith chose to say. He saw little point in voicing his true thoughts or delivering the verbal smackdown that he wanted to. The Asur were just as resentful as he expected them to be, and the idea of lasting peace seemed impossible the more he tried to think of solutions.

The entire court remained silent as they watched Malekith actually take the high road and not succumb to rage or retaliation. Yin-Yin seemed greatly surprised by how tempered Malekith was being.

The sorceress in particular looked immensely disturbed and confused at seeing the volatile Witch King act completely stoic and unfazed by the insults he had just received. Malekith was known for killing people that even looked at him the wrong way. He instead seemed at a loss for words.

"What? Nothing to say, huh?! Of course not, because you know I'm right! You know that you're nothing in the eyes of Asuryan and no amount of your evil scheming can ever change that! Your day of reckoning is coming!" the archmage continued to vent spitefully.

Unfortunately for Malekith though, Shen Zoo seemed unreasonably angry on his behalf, "Are you just going to let them insult you, Malekith?! Show them! I refuse to let you endure this for no reason!"

"Stay out of this, Shen Zoo…there's no point. I'd have better luck reasoning with greenskins than Asur," he replied coldly.

"Show us what exactly?" Naesala smirked as she looked down her nose at the Witch King.

"He's not burned. Malekith IS Asuryan's chosen," Shen Zoo announced much to Malekith's absolute dread.

'She did the one thing I didn't want her to do…why?! No good is going to come of this. They'll be even more determined to attack Naggaroth if they know I have a legitimate case to be Phoenix King now,' he thought annoyed.

"What?!" Naesala jerked her head doubtfully, "you expect us to believe that? The Witch King is horribly burned from his failed attempt to pass through the Flames of Asuryan. I don't know what lies he's told you, but he's horribly burned and hideous beneath that helmet. He was rejected by the Creator God and no Asur would ever accept someone denied by Asuryan!"

Miao Ying shook her head and spoke condescendingly to the archmage, "He is not burned…we've all seen his face."

The Asur looked surprised by that announcement, but none of them believed the Storm Dragon as they all flung out various denials of spite.

Realizing he had no choice now, Malekith slowly reached up and removed his horned helmet in front of the entire Celestial Court and the Asur. His long black hair came free as he holstered the helmet to his waist and stared face to face at Archmage Naesala. Her expression quickly switched from rage to a gawking stare. To say all of the Asur present looked shocked was the understatement of all understatements. Their faces twisted into pure disbelief and a collective chorus of gasps erupted from their lips like the sound of a warhorn. Sea Lord Aislinn who had been haughty and stoic the entire time took a step back as his eyes widened as far as they could open.

Imrik's jaw dropped, and his prideful demeanor immediately evaporated. Princess Saria reflexively covered her mouth and practically shrieked. The others had similar expressions and they were rendered completely speechless once again. The sorceress who had been silently watching the entire scene unfold in silence had a dreamy-eyed look of awe at the sight of Malekith's face revealed and was also mesmerized by this incredible new development.

"You look just like her…" was all the sorceress could mutter as her eyes stayed affixed on her king.

Holding up his hand, Malekith conjured up the Flames of Asuryan in his palm. The sight of the flames stupefied the Asur. Malekith shook his head at Naesala, "I wonder how you would measure up to the flames of Asuryan? You do not speak for him. Would you care to find out if you're worthy?"

Naesala was emotionally overwhelmed and could barely move as Malekith threw the flames at her feet causing the archmage to jerk back reflexively with fear and fall to the ground. As she tried to get up, Malekith pinned the archmage with magic on her knees, "If I am not a king, then why are you on your knees before me?"

Nobody in the court knew what to say in the following silence as Malekith stared down at Naesala. He then shook his head at her, "I did not pass through fire, death, and hell to justify myself to a witless Asur girl who knows nothing about the Creator's will or the sacrifices it takes to earn Asuryan's favor. I did burn in the flames. I was unworthy of my father's mantle. Perhaps I still am, but I died in those flames. From the ashes I was reborn a phoenix and by Asuryan's will I was sent on this path. I don't say this out of pride or to rub your nose in it. I am beyond such petty concerns anymore. I say it out of duty, and I merely speak an uncomfortable truth that you are all too naïve to see. How righteous do you feel knowing that I am Asuryan's champion, and the creator has personally appointed me to fulfill his will? What moral high ground can you possibly claim now? You call me a monster…I won't deny that. I committed great injustices upon your ancestors for selfish reasons. I am a monster, and many would say I am evil, but I have always considered myself a necessary evil. I can do what you can't…and what you won't. It is why Asuryan chose me to fulfill his will. I'm not like you Asur and I'm certainly not like the druchii either. I don't revel in sadism like my people do. Everything I've ever done has been for a grander purpose. A crown and a throne don't make a king. Actions make a king. Power makes a king. The will of the gods makes a king. Who we are is defined by what we can do and what we have done. It is defined by the power our name carries and the influence we have on our allies and our foes. Tell me girl…why does my mere presence invoke terror in you still? Flaunt yourselves, all you want, but I'm more powerful now than I ever was. I don't need these dragons to protect me from your lot. I would advise you stay your hand…for none of you are not my equal in sorcery, combat, or intelligence. The Cadai understand that better than you do, and they will not aid you in your endeavors to see me slain. You are not my equal in the eyes of the gods. You only serve your own vanity and not their will. Teclis isn't here, and he won't be able to harm me with the Flames of Asuryan ever again. What could you possibly do other than further embarrass yourselves before the Celestial Court of Cathay? Sung Lian was right…I think I'm starting to like humans more than elves. Asuryan dislikes Asur and druchii…he believes in balance not too dissimilar from the way of Feng Shui that these Cathayans teach. It is a lesson the druchii will learn and one the Asur should as well."

Imrik seemed to recover first from the bunch and spoke slowly, "Are you implying Asuryan…spoke to you? That's impossible."

"Would you believe me if I said yes? I doubt it. Though I wonder…would the phoenix guard even attack me now? They know the creator's will better than anyone. I guess you'll find out if I ever see them on a battlefield again. Only now do I understand what Asuryan wanted. The druchii are pathetic…and so are the Asur and those backwoods Asrai. Your spoiled generation speaks the names and achievements of your ancestors as if they were your own. They are not! I hold more respect for Bel'Shanaar, whom I served for a thousand years, than all of your current leaders put together. You are nothing and nobody to me. You stand upon the shoulders of dead giants and think yourselves tall. You cling to the memory of Ulthuan's ancient glory and yet none of you were alive to see it like I was. You weren't there to see as I fought to defend it against the horrors of the ancient world. To see it as it is now wounds me more than you could ever imagine. You are too proud to wake up and realize that our people are dying and that even if you did kill me and all the druchii, Ulthuan is still doomed to fade. Your philosophies are flawed, and your delusional pride will be your undoing. What has the past two hundred years of my absence taught you? Did it get you any closer to reclaiming lost glory or destroying Naggaroth? I'm done trying to force you to see things my way. You can keep your fading island and you can tell King Finubar that I won't try to conquer you ever again. That is the only grace Asuryan will grant you. I will lead my people to greater heights, and I will save this world like Aenarion did while you fester in your decline. You can either get over it or die mad…but you will not stand in my way. Be grateful that I'm offering you lasting peace even though I have more than enough power to conquer Ulthuan now."

"You're offering us lasting peace?!" Imrik seemed amazed but skeptical of the idea.

Yin-Yin seemed far more receptive to Malekith now after taking in his words and watched the Asur intensely to see if they would swallow their pride.

"You're lying! This is all some trick! You expect us to believe Asuryan chose you after your pathetic attempt to usurp Bel'Shanaar's throne? You've truly gone mad…and you're delusional if you think we will ever accept YOU as Phoenix King!" the archmage hissed as she managed to break out of Malekith's spell and stand up.

"You already have a Phoenix King…and I don't envy him. The idea of ruling over people who hate me is not appealing. It astounds me that I ever desired such a cursed position in the first place. I'm the Witch King and I'm perfectly content with that now. I'd rather invest my time in saving those still loyal to me and rebuilding Naggaroth as a proper kingdom. I don't think you heard me correctly girl, I don't want Finubar's throne…nor do I ever have any wish to deal with Asur politics or courts ever again. If Finubar truly does understand the will of Asuryan then he will accept peace with me. I won't war with you anymore, but I will defend Naggaroth's shores if you're determined to seek out your vindication at the cost of thousands of elven lives. I imagine you'd throw away what's left just to kill me if you could. By all means try…see if Asuryan helps you. Let me make this perfectly clear. Your words mean nothing to me, Archmage of Saphery. You don't know anything about me or the Creator God. You call yourselves Asur, but I am now the one who fulfills Asuryan's will, not you. It's certainly an unfair irony since I haven't lost my favor with Khaine either. Perhaps it's the only real thing I ever had in common with Aenarion. I finally understand my father, and I will carry on his mantle for better or worse. I don't need Ulthuan to do that. I never did in the first place. You just keep the vortex protected and I'll leave you alone."

"You are not the true heir of Aenarion! Prince Tyrion is!" Naesala tried to invoke his anger.

Malekith showed no emotional response to her words and shook his head, "I fail to see why you think that petty declaration means anything to me."

"Nothing you do can change the fact that it's true!" she spat with zealous hatred.

"Is it though? Prince Tyrion may be a great warrior who wears my father's armour and even looks like a younger version him, but he is not Aenarion and neither am I. He's a descendant of my brother. As I recall, Morelion gave up his birthright when Durthu brought him and Yvraine back to Ulthuan. He swore his life to defend Yvraine afterwards, and he married some princess in Cothique after renouncing the seat of House Tinuron to me. By Ulthuan's laws of inheritance, I'm technically the lawful heir of Aenarion even if you don't accept it or find it null in accord with my civil war. By Asur law I'm still the reigning Prince of Nagarythe and not your self-righteous Shadow King either. If you were truly not self-serving you would accept your own laws regardless of your feelings. Not that it matters now though. I'm not here to debate such a pointless thing or make a case for my legitimacy. I learned long ago that Asur politics ignore their own doctrines when they don't suit their current agenda. Nevertheless, we're all heirs of Aenarion. Me, Prince Tyrion, the Everqueen Alarielle, Prince Teclis, and Queen Maruviel's descendants in Laurelorn. Though unlike them, I actually knew Aenarion. I was trained by Aenarion, I went to war alongside Aenarion! He's not just a name or title for me to prop up my pedigree…he was my father and there is no one in this world I held greater reverence for than him." Malekith replied coldly.

"That's preposterous! You're not the lawful heir! You expect us to believe that?" one of the overzealous nobles interjected.

Malekith shrugged, "I don't care what you believe, but don't pretend like you don't hold prejudice against Aenarion's heirs. Prior to the Sundering, I remember the way your ancestors treated me…even the way they treated my brother Morelion…and my niece Maruviel. Cursed they called us…and yet I was the first person everyone in Ulthuan called to fix their problems while they frivolously indulged in undeserved opulence in the phoenix court. I protected the colonies, and I did all the fighting for them. They saw me as little more than a necessary tool. I imagine it's no different than the way you probably see Prince Tyrion. I'd be willing to bet your Prince Tyrion isn't fond of the courts of Ulthuan is he? You all fear Khaine, and those touched by him, but he is a necessary evil just like me. You proudly cry out Aenarion's name as the great paragon and hero of Ulthuan, but I remember your ancestors forsaking him and hiding in their gilded towers while he fought to defend Ulthuan from legions of daemons with the blood of my people. How the princes of Saphery, Ellyrion, and Eataine called him a tyrant. He gave everything to defend Ulthuan and even made his own son fight daemons when I was barely older than a child. I didn't get to run away like Yvraine and Morelion. I didn't get to sit in a pretty tower of Inner Ulthuan while the world burned around us. I saw how your cowardly ancestors quickly forsook Aenarion and his entire bloodline the moment they knew peace. How they shunned him in life and condemned his heirs as eternally damned before his blood was even cold. I wonder how quickly you'd forsake Prince Tyrion if you didn't need him to be your attack dog or political figure to invalidate my royal status. If you truly believe in Aenarion as you claim to, then you would have elected Prince Tyrion to be the Phoenix King. I certainly consider him worthier than that politician Finubar whose only real skill appears to be diplomacy. Do you think I consider Prince Tyrion my rival? That I yearn for what he has or who he is? That I hate him? I don't…at least not anymore. In fact, I'd say he's more like me than Aenarion. When I looked at him, it was like gazing into my past or into a mirror. I was like him too once. He is likely in the same position beneath Finubar as I was beneath Bel'Shanaar. How do you think he'll feel in a thousand years when he sees your pathetic and incompetent courts running Ulthuan into the ground all in the name of your own worthless vanity and failing traditions? That despite all his deeds, Ulthuan still does not appreciate him. When you finally run out of excuses or druchii to blame for your own flaws…do you think he'll stand idle, or will he take action and become the villain for the greater good of Ulthuan? It's what Aenarion did. It's what I tried to do. I imagine he wouldn't be much different than I am had he lived my life or had he grown up with Morathi as a mother. Don't presume to think I hold petty contempt for my kin…I know better than you do the suffering they've endured, and until one of Aenarion's heirs sits upon the Phoenix throne, I will never believe that you revere him the way I did. How dare you insult the memory of my father by pretending like Saphery ever gave a damn about him. The only Asur in this room who have any right to lay such a claim is the Caledorian dragon prince and the Tiranoc Princess next to him. Their kingdoms actually fought alongside mine. Caledor the Dragontamer and Bel'Shanaar were worthy, and I regret ever turning against them. I should have just stayed in the colonies where the elves and dwarves actually appreciated me. I'd have better luck herding cats than convincing Ulthuan's princes that they're wrong."

Naesala's anger evaporated in an instant as she actually seemed to be reflecting on Malekith's verbal riposte. She bit her lip as she thought of something to say, but the words never came. She knew Malekith was right about one thing. How could the Asur claim to revere Aenarion more than the Witch King if they held resentment and fear for Aenarion's heirs? She remembered Teclis speaking about it once and how it greatly troubled Tyrion in his youth to be heavily judged by the courts of Ulthuan for seemingly no reason. She also seemed a bit baffled to hear Malekith speaking well of the twins and expressing respect for Tiranoc and Caledor.

Princess Saria who was from Tiranoc also seemed baffled that Malekith spoke well of her home kingdom and of Bel'Shanaar her ancient ancestor. She too found the Witch King's words difficult to swallow as she thought about how people treated Prince Tyrion or how some of the other princes and princesses in court thought he was crazy. Until now she had never considered what that must have been like for Prince Tyrion.

Many of the other Asur were beyond surprised to actually hear Malekith voice his inner thoughts and feelings. They all knew him as the singular greatest evil in the world, but it was difficult to wholly hate someone when you could see their humanity and somewhat empathize with their feelings. Until now, not one of them had ever pondered on the Witch King's supposedly twisted point of view regarding the elven schism. They also found it strange to hear that Malekith said he was a lot like Tyrion. Amongst them all, Imrik seemed the most receptive to this rare insight on the Witch King's point of view. Unlike the other Asur though, Imrik was not too fond of Tyrion or Teclis. He found them a bit too wonderful for his tastes and hated how much everyone else liked them even more than him…the heir of Caledor the Dragontamer. They were glory chasers who bathed in praise while his feats went unnoticed. Despite that, hearing Malekith speak of the tough life they probably lived gave him a lot to ponder. It almost made Malekith seem humbler than the perfect twins.

He had always imagined Malekith to be a selfish, egomaniacal lunatic who betrayed Ulthuan and who had no remorse for the tyranny he sowed. Imrik also knew that Malekith was somewhat correct in his assessment of the stubbornness of Ulthuan's court. They were too obsessed with tradition, and many were too proud to change with the times and seemed more interested in attending balls than reclaiming Ulthuan's splendor. They were too cautious and passive…which is why he left to attempt his own reclamation of lost glory. Fewer still among the Asur had sympathy for the depraved druchii or their mad king, but in that moment, Imrik could understand Malekith. Nothing could ever truly justify all of the Witch King's infamous deeds, but for the first time in millennia, Imrik and some of the Asur started to believe that his motives weren't as evil as they had grown up hearing about.

In some ways Imrik even admired Malekith's logic. He said he would do what Ulthuan can't and won't. It was the same mindset Imrik himself had when he sent out his armies to Lustria and Bretonnia. They weren't just empty words either. Malekith had somehow won over the dragons of Cathay even despite his horrendous reputation. That was impressive even to someone as prideful as Imrik. He also began to wonder about Malekith's other statement. What would the Asur do if they didn't have a unified enemy like the druchii to blame? Even amongst the courts there was always tension between certain kingdoms such as Tiranoc and Ellyrion. Even without the druchii threat, they would still be as cautious and obsessed with politics as they've always been. They'd stand giving speeches while Ulthuan falls.

The dragon prince then turned his gaze upon the Cathayan dragons as he made sense of the recent happenings. Malekith was like Tyrion…just like him. Just like Aenarion's heir, Malekith swooped in and stole his glory right out from under him. He looked like a fool in comparison, and he was supposed to be the dragon prince here. Securing the allegiance of Cathay was supposed to be his big moment to win influence in Ulthuan. Now that was taken from him. Yet even despite that, Imrik did not feel resentment for Malekith the way he did towards Tyrion. He was actually inspired by this turn of events. If the Witch King really did want peace, then he could potentially help more dragons and the elves as a whole. Imrik thought about the greater good and came to a bit of an epiphany. If someone as tyrannical and evil as the Witch King could swallow their pride and do the right thing, then why couldn't the Asur as well?

Hearing about the Witch King saving humans and dragons was certainly uncanny, but their great respect of him seemed to be irrefutable evidence that Malekith could be reasoned with. Imrik knew of the horrid crime of the druchii stealing dragon eggs and corrupting them into black dragons. He had always resented them the most for that…but it seemed Malekith had some kind of connection to dragons as well. It was rare for such an ancient and wise creature to bond with an elf…and it was something Caledorians took great pride in. He wondered what his own dragon would think of this and would certainly ask when he saw Minaithnir who was perched outside of the city. His own dragon chose him for some grander purpose…and these dragons all chose Malekith.

After a long silence, Imrik spoke, "It is a rare thing for someone to be chosen by a dragon. I have always admired them and believed that they can see into the hearts of others. I can't speak for the rest of my companions here, but you're clearly a more complex person than I've ever given you credit for, Witch King. I would ask though…what is your opinion on dragons?"

"Not quite the same as yours Caledorian, but I like these Cathayan dragons well enough. My original dragon Sulekh died to the Asur several millennia ago. The only reason Teclis even grounded me at Finuval Plain was because I didn't want Seraphon to suffer the same fate. I value her life more than any druchii's…that's for sure," Malekith answered.

Imrik nodded with approval, "It surprises me to hear that considering how twisted black dragons are, but I understand. The bond with a dragon is not something that can be easily explained. Nevertheless, I'm willing to give you a chance if you're serious about peace."

Everyone in the court perked up when they saw Imrik being reasonable. The other Asur looked at him like he was insane though.

Naesala shook her head, "Have you lost your mind, Imrik?!"

"He's right about everything he said. Even I can't deny that. Ulthuan will never regain its lost glory if we sacrifice what's left to kill the druchii. Besides, I at least want something good to come of our journey here," Imrik defended himself.

"Well, I don't care what you think, Imrik. The vile Witch King will never sway me with his poisonous words. He's trying to manipulate us, can't you see? My mother was killed by daemonettes at Finuval Plain…she was killed by him. Whatever his intentions were initially to start this horrible war, nothing he says or does can ever erase the hatred I have of him. Nothing could ever make up for the lives he stole!" Naesala regained her fury.

Saria frowned at her, "Maybe not, but is revenge worth our lives as well? Nobody is asking you to forgive him…but surely there is some merit to what he says. Besides, if someone like the Witch King truly desires to combat chaos, then we should let him. I have my own Tor's safety to consider. You'd have me conscript everyone for this invasion when the druchii already know we're coming? It's foolish. The Phoenix Court should discuss this. We're only dignitaries here, Naesala."

"I thought you looked familiar…was your mother named Amelysta?" Malekith asked the archmage.

Naesala's eyes shot wide as she shrieked, "H-how do you know that name?!"

'So, it wasn't just a reflection of my subconscious in the circle of carnality. Her mother actually ended up there?!' Malekith thought horrified by the notion.

"I don't say this often, but I regret killing her the way I did even prior to my journey in the Realms of Chaos. With that said, the cycle of hatred has to end at some point or we'll only destroy ourselves. Believe me, nothing would bring me greater satisfaction than killing Alith Anar who crucified my best friend Alandrian. We can't change the past though…all we can do is put an end to pointless conflict for the greater good. I have many regrets about the elves I killed over my life…none more so than Bel'Shannar and even your mother. After seeing Slaanesh's realm for myself, I feel disgust that I ever subjected another elf to such a cruel fate. All I'm offering you is peace...you can keep hating me." Malekith tried to talk the Asur down.

"Peace…you want peace now?! After all of this?! I refuse as I'm sure countess others will as well! I don't care what the phoenix court says! We will have justice and you will not slink away into the shadows unpunished! You expect me to believe you've had some immaculate change of heart and that you're good now?!" Naesala regained her fury.

Malekith shook his head at her, "What a pitiful way you see the world in hues of black and white. How easy it must be for you to stake the entirety of our people's decline and failures on my pointless ambitions. The number one regret I have is all the elven lives that were wasted over me ever wanting to rule over hypocrites and cowards who hated me since I was born. I once thought that by becoming phoenix king I could make the elves prosper and save them from themselves. You have all shown me that it's impossible. Unlike myself, you cannot live with your own failures or learn from them. Where does that always bring you? Back to hating and blaming me. Back to pretending like you are innocent victims and disregarding any notion of accountability. As long as there are those who continue to dwell on what once was, there will always be those who are unable to accept what can be. You will resist and mock my efforts. I'm grateful, because it only proves me right. I know now what I must do, and you will not stop me. I don't need you and I don't need Ulthuan. Unlike you people, I know what it's like to lose…to feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail, nonetheless. I ask you, Asur…to what end are you willing to deny the creator's will? To what end will you deny the future? Dread it…run from it. Destiny arrives all the same and now it's here…or should I say I am."

"There will be peace…when you hang from a gibbet for the sport of crows! When you answer for the Sundering and countless people you killed. When every last druchii lies dead and the world is finally free of your tyranny and justice is delivered…then we will have peace," Naesala spat.

A brief silence filled the chamber as everyone stared at Malekith with anxious anticipation. He took a deep breath before speaking calmly, "Asuryan taught me a valuable lesson. Revenge isn't justice, and it will not quell your despair…that's a bitter lesson I had to learn for myself. The past is set in stone. I don't expect any forgiveness from you. My penance if you even want to call it that is to the gods and to my own people who need their King now more than ever. I won't waste my time trying to win you Asur over. I've already wasted five thousand years on revenge and trying to convince the Asur to see reason. Those who wronged me died a long time ago and I felt nothing at their passing. That pain never went away until I let go of the past and looked to the future. I know what I did...I know who I am, and I won't pretend like I'm a good person now if I ever even was. You can hate me until the world ends, but it will only destroy you just as my hatred almost destroyed me. I'd encourage you all to learn from my example…don't squander what's left of our people. Don't even do it for me…do it for the greater good of all elves. For your unborn sons and daughters."

Naesala bit her lip again as she thought of something to say in retaliation. To everyone's disbelief, she then began to start crying as several tears streaked down her face. She was quick to cover her face in shame, but it was quite clear that Malekith had emotionally wounded her.

Imrik finally stepped forward and intervened as he pushed Naesala back, "You've said quite enough, Naesala…do not speak again."

Malekith then locked eyes with the handsome Imrik as he took in the blonde elf's conflicted expression. Imrik frowned uncertainly as he tilted his head, "We will bring your message to the Phoenix Court, Witch King, but as you can see, there are many who will reject peace. There are many who want some kind of reparation for druchii cruelty. As the Empress said earlier, actions speak louder than words. I won't accept peace until I see you prove that you're not an enemy Ulthuan any longer. I want to believe you, but I can't until you help us."

"Help us? You think he would help us after that speech he just gave?" Aislinn scoffed.

"Fine…I'll start by telling you that there's a black ark headed for Haichai. I've had visions of it and wondered why until I heard of your fleet being docked there. Allow me to travel with you to Haichai and I will call them off before any conflict can erupt," Malekith replied.

Yin-Yin's eyes shot open as she interjected aggressively, "There's a black ark heading for Haichai?!"

Malekith nodded, "Yes…I'll order them to cease their raiding and allow your fleet to leave. Princess Yin-Yin and the other dragons may even join us as well to reassure you that I won't attempt any betrayal."

"Which black ark is it?! Is it the Blessed Dread?!" Aislinn demanded angrily.

Malekith then looked down at the stunned sorceress and spoke to her, "Which one is it, sorceress?"

"S-sire, we can't…you're not seriously going to tell them, are you?!" she objected.

"I don't remember your name, but I've seen you before in Karond Kar. You're the high sorceress that leads the coven there, yes? If you're here then I imagine that it's likely a Black Ark from that city…either the Blessed Dread or the Emerald Maw," Malekith replied.

She looked confused about the situation but quickly conceded fearfully as she did not want to piss off the Witch King, "We've only met twice before, your highness. I'm Maelyn Gloomwhisper, second daughter of the Moranin family."

'She's related to Furion then…no wonder she made it to high sorceress. She must be powerful if she could rise to rule the coven in Karond Kar when her family is established in Clar Karond. She could prove to be useful, but I need to make sure she won't send any messages to mother. I'll test her loyalty later when we're alone,' Malekith thought curiously.

"Tell me, Maelyn Gloomwhisper, which black ark is headed for Haichai? Don't lie to me." Malekith spoke threateningly.

"It's the Emerald Maw…the Blessed Dread isn't near Cathay at the moment," she answered fearfully.

"Where is it?!" Aislinn demanded.

"Don't answer that," Malekith commanded the sorceress before looking at Aislinn, "Lokhir is mine to deal with. If you want to chase down our fleets at sea, then I'll let the Emerald Maw destroy your dragonship."

Aislinn gritted his teeth angrily but finally nodded with acceptance, "Fine…we'll let you come along, Witch King, but this isn't over. I need to be there when Lokhir Fellheart dies!"

"Do you know when that Black Ark will arrive?!" Imrik asked concerned.

Malekith looked at the sorceress again and stared at her until she answered, "They're probably a week away. They were using the opportunity to attack you in port since they knew you were going to be at the capital. I sent a message to the sorceresses aboard the Emerald Maw that I would keep the Asur distracted long enough for us to raze their fleet. They said they were going to come rescue me, but I doubt they would. I was left here to be a sacrifice."

"You duplicitous hag!" Aislinn spat.

"Well, you work for me now, Maelyn. We'll have much to discuss in the coming days," Malekith noted.

"O-of course your highness! Thank you!" she lowered her head gratefully.

Princess Saria then risked speaking to Malekith as she moved up and looked at him anxiously, "If you're serious about proving your intentions, then there is something else you could do. One of our fleets went missing out here and its entire crew was abducted according to that sorceress. Is there any way you could negotiate their release?"

"Don't be absurd, Saria, there's no way he would ever agree to that," Naesala scoffed as she finally recovered from her crying.

Malekith sighed, "Fine…I'll tell them to let your people go on the condition that you leave the Blessed Dread alone."

Aislinn groaned with disapproval but bitterly accepted, "I accept, Witch King…the lives of Asur mariners is worth more than my revenge. I suppose there's some wisdom in your words after all."

"That's the most sensible thing you've said all day," Imrik sighed.

"Which Black Ark ambushed their fleet?" Malekith asked Maelyn.

She bitterly answered slowly, "The Emerald Maw..."

"Well, that makes this a lot easier then," Malekith nodded.

"So, you're going to Haichai then?" Yuan Bo spoke up as he stepped forward, "I will accompany you along with Yin-Yin."

"I'll go too," Shen Zoo volunteered.

Miao Ying sighed, "Well, after this New Year's festival, I must return to the Great Bastion."

"Zhao, do you want to come as well?" Shen Zoo asked the Iron dragon who seemed deep in thought as he watched the elves come to an agreement from a distance.

"Hmm?! D-did someone speak?!" he asked loudly as he looked around bizarrely.

Shen Zoo quickly approached her brother and nodded, "Yes, I did brother."

"Oh…Shen Zoo, yes, I will gladly accompany you if you are going. With mother's blessing of course. Though I am currently hosting my own dignitaries and can't abandon them until their business is concluded," the Iron Dragon replied.

Quai Yin nodded her head, "We will conclude that tomorrow morning so that you may go Zhao Ming. I would also encourage all of our guests to enjoy the New Year's festival tonight that many people worked tirelessly to prepare. That includes you and your high elven guests, Yin-Yin. It has been a grueling day for many of you and it would do everyone some good to unwind. I am adjourning the Celestial Court for the day. All of you go and partake in the culture of Cathay."

"Of course, mother…" the Sea Dragon bowed.

"As for you, King Malekith…we will speak privately later," Quai Yin concluded as she stood up. Everyone in the court stood up as she did so and bowed their heads as the empress departed with her entourage and up the stairs.

Once she was gone, Yin-Yin looked at Malekith, "I'm keeping this sorceress under watch until we get to Haichai for obvious reasons. I don't want her sending out any more messages."

"Fine by me," Malekith nodded much to Maelyn's dread.

"W-wait, your highness, surely you can convince her to let me go, right?!" Maelyn protested.

Malekith stared at her unfazed, "We'll discuss your future later."

Zhao Ming then walked up to Malekith with Shen Zoo at his side. He was giving the elf a strange look and Malekith wondered what this was all about.

To his bewilderment, Zhao Ming then bowed his head, "You have my sincerest appreciation for rescuing Shen Zoo. I don't care what anyone here says…that is above and beyond anything a foreigner has ever done for Cathay. I thank you…friend."

Zhao Ming then extended his hand to shake Malekith's. The Iron Dragon was strange to say the least. He seemed a bit unkempt and less regal than his siblings, but Malekith could sense his genuine appreciation and decided to reciprocate the dragon's handshake.

"You also have my thanks for looking out for the people of Cathay. Shugengan Sung Lian's words were moving. I am not much of a politician, but you will have my support for what you did. I hope the Dragon Emperor gives you a proper reward. I can't imagine anything worth the life of Shen Zoo, but if he does not compensate you for this, I will," Zhao Ming added as the two finished their handshake and let go.

Shen Zoo smiled at her brother as she hugged him. It undoubtedly went against the conduct of royalty, but Zhao Ming didn't seem to care as he hugged his beloved sister back.

Miao Ying's lip twisted into disapproval watching it, but she stayed her tongue and crossed her arms. Yuan Bo let out a heavy sigh before speaking, "I will be attending to the Wu Xing Compass. We'll depart first thing tomorrow morning."

Without another word, he left much to Malekith's relief. Miao Ying gave him a side eye as he passed and shook her head, "I have some business to attend to as well. We'll meet back up later, King Malekith, for the parade."

"Farewell, Miao Ying," Malekith nodded at her.

He then seized his opportunity to get out of this place as he looked at Shen Zoo, "You should spend some time with your brother, Shen Zoo. Sung Lian and I have something we need to do in the city for a bit. I promise you I won't leave."

"You two are going somewhere?" Shen Zoo asked the shugengan.

Sung Lian nodded, "Yes, your highness…we had to go visit someone in the merchant quarter."

Shen Zoo looked at Malekith curiously, "I take it you don't want us involved?"

"I guess you can come…" Malekith replied, "but it's nothing important. There was just a man I wanted to speak with."

"I see…well you have my blessing then. We'll meet back up later. Sung Lian, please make sure there are no misunderstandings from the guards and remain with him," Shen Zoo ordered.

"Of course, princess," the shugengan bowed.

Malekith wasted no time speed walking towards Sung Lian as he tried to make a break for the exit. He was cringing at the embarrassing ordeal he had just endured and wanted nothing more than to get away from the Asur and everyone else.

As they neared the exit, someone quickly chased them down, "Your highness, wait please!"

Malekith groaned mentally as he turned his gaze towards the source of the voice. He tilted his head in confusion when he saw it was one of the visiting sigmarites.

"Forgive me for delaying you, but it seems wrong of me to not introduce myself. No doubt you're probably wondering why we're here. I never pass up the opportunity to meet foreign leaders. Do you have a minute?" the person asked.

It was an absurdly dressed noblewoman. She had long blonde hair and was wearing a crown. Her outfit was mostly red, black, and gold. She wore thigh high red leggings and red sleeves with a puffy black outer layer tied between her elbows and wrists. She wore a revealing red corset which propped up her almost exposed chest, and she had a black outer dress skirt that extended from her hips to behind her feet. It left her legs exposed in the front and above the thigh highs Malekith could see her bare thighs and almost her underwear. On her feet she wore gold stiletto heels which had an obnoxious clicking sound as she ran over. Most of her attire had embroidered skull crosses on it which clearly signified that she was from the Empire. The woman must have been beautiful by human standards, but she seemed annoying and haughty based on Malekith's first impression.

Malekith had almost forgotten that there were sigmarites in the room and mentally chastised himself even further that THEY got to witness his embarrassing ordeal in the Celestial Court. The woman was staring at him with a bit of fearful anxiousness as her entourage quickly came over to defend her. No doubt they were greatly intimidated that the woman was so close to the dark elf king.

Malekith looked down at the woman and spoke dryly, "Awfully brave of you to get this close to me, Sigmarite."

"F-forgive me your highness! I meant no disrespect. I am the Elector Countess of Wissenland, Emmanuelle von Liebwitz. Lady Mayoress and Chancellor of the University of Nuln. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I never expected to meet the dark elf king before, but it's a great privilege to make your acquaintance," the woman introduced herself as she lifted up her skirt and did a cutesy bow.

She was met with a stone-faced look of apathy from Malekith which unnerved many of her entourage. Elspeth Von Draken quickly stepped up and watched Malekith warily as he looked at the countess with complete disinterest.

"I'm Malekith…Witch King of Naggaroth, though I imagine you probably know that already since you can speak Cathan," he replied finally.

Emmanuelle nodded eagerly much to his annoyance as she continued to talk, "I'm fluent in several languages in fact. Reikspiel, Merogan, Tilean, and even some Breton as well. I have a friend who lives in Marienburg who can speak Nipponese. I'd love to learn that one as well. Perhaps even elven one day."

"Get to the point…what do you want, countess?" Malekith sighed.

"I…well nothing specifically. I just couldn't pass up this opportunity to meet someone like you. I've read stories about the dark elves at Nuln's university. I never imagined their king was so incredibly handsome," Emmanuelle shamelessly tried to flirt with him.

Malekith was actually caught off guard by her brazen statement, but not nearly as much as Emmanuelle's entourage was. Elspeth actually sent the countess a glare and shook her head, "My lady, I don't think it's a good idea for you to waste the Witch King's time."

Emmanuelle haughtily waved the back of her hand at the amethyst wizard, "Not now, Elspeth, I am improving Imperial relations with the dark elves. I'm going to be the talk of the Empire!"

'My true penance isn't killing daemons or saving the world…it's having to endure endless politics!' Malekith thought dreadfully.

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C-c-c-cliffhanger…sorry boys but we're getting close to like 33k words. A lot of shit went down in this chapter. It was very long and filled to the brim with politics much to Malekith's dread.

Anyways, I'll go over the highlights as usual and elaborate on some things. To start off, our brooding elf king finds himself basking in adulation from Turtle Gate and he deals with a lot of self-reflection in the process. I was going to do a lot more interactions with the people there, but I didn't want to bore you guys by going way off into the weeds. I mean we've already spent half the damn story at Turtle Gate by this point and I'm sure most of you are eager to see more interesting things. Nevertheless, I hopefully gave you an idea of what it was like. We'll get some more interactions at Wei-Jin when they all get there.

Malekith later learns from Yuan Bo that Yin-Yin is bringing high elf emissaries to Wei-Jin and it turns into a race to get there first. Of course, they end up there at the same time because I know you people live for this drama like I do. Prior to leaving though, Malekith has a very peculiar dream about Xen Yang and Quai Yin's first meeting. Quai Yin talks Xen Yang into helping her and the mysterious Silent King. Both of them knew this ancient monarch and helped him war against the bug race of the ancient world. Now if you want an idea of what I'm referencing with this bug race. Look up "The Sleeper" which was this mantis creature that Gotrek and Felix encountered. It was super dangerous and powerful and could mind control people. The primordial progenitor race fought against them with the help of dragons and the Silent King. There's a lot of layers to that plot point which you'll learn about later. Malekith even finds out that Quai Yin is the one who taught Xen Yang how to transform and that she is supposedly from another world. In the lore of Cathay, it is said that the Moon Empress supposedly came from the moon and might not really be a true dragon. What is she though and what is her connection to the Silent King? Is the Moon Empress an Isekai anime protagonist? She did make a cool Lovecraftian reference so she's definitely an alien. Lots to ponder there.

After his first dream, Malekith awakes in another nightmare and his sword Avanuir starts talking to him. He finds out that the voice is Morai-Heg the crone goddess of the elven pantheon and that Avanuir is a cronesword. Now this is something I was hinting at since the first chapter. In 40k lore there are five croneswords. The fifth one is the only one not in possession of the eldar and is supposedly in the Palace of Slaanesh under the watch of Shalaxi Helbane. Malekith retrieves Avanuir in the Palace from Shalaxi Helbane…so Avanuir is a cronesword in this story. Now WH fantasy and 40k are not directly connected, but I thought it was kind of a cool easter egg and it will be relevant to this story since Avanuir is a very powerful spellsword.

Moving on from that, the dragon gang and Malekith make their way by palanquin to Wei-Jin and receive crowmen missives about Yin-Yin already being there as they near the city. Naturally, they decide to fly in and try to stop her. Malekith also learns about Lieutenant Kongyu's father, and we'll be seeing that interaction next chapter if our boy can get away from Countess Emmanuelle.

Now the Celestial Court scene itself was filled to the brim with important people. I decided to go all out and bring in lots of big names to really shake up the plot. Imrik and Aislinn being there is no coincidence since both of them are intrinsically tied to the plot points of dragons and with Lokhir (who's out by Nippon…you guessed it). In the end times both of them actually side with Malekith, so it's kind of a homage for them to be there and witness the Witch King's heroics in Cathay firsthand so I can build up better druchii and Asur relations. Princess Saria is from Tiranoc and is a descendant of Bel'Shanaar's house. We also learn Archmage Naesala is the daughter of the mage Malekith killed at Finuval Plain. Drama galore.

The Asur weren't the only fan favorites you got to see…I decided to throw in some fan favorites from the Empire as well. Balthasar Gelt, Elspeth Von Draken, and even Emmanuelle von Liebwitz. I assume most of you know their lore fairly well, but Balthasar and Elspeth are two of the best mages in the Empire. Emmanuelle on the other hand is the ruler of Wissenland and Nuln (eventually Solland as well) and she's well known for being haughty, extravagant, a shitty ruler, comically incompetent, and many other negative things. Her little encounter with Malekith is going to be funny and give her a bit of a redemption arc too. It feels good to start writing in the Empire characters. I hope you guys were psyched to see them because they're going to be important in Malekith's future dealings with the Empire.

Now…I'll address something else as well. I was somewhat vague in the descriptions of the dragons since we don't really have a canon appearance for the rest of them yet. I expect Yin-Yin's will be revealed in a year or so and chose the safe route to prevent any future retcons. As for Quai Yin and Xen Yang I doubt we'll ever get a reveal for them, so I took a few liberties. I imagine Quai Yin has black hair and Xen Yang has white hair. You know…Yin and Yang. Speaking of Xen Yang…where is he? I'll give you a hint…he's doing something important and Malekith will eventually meet him. I'll be impressed if anyone can guess what he's doing though. In Malekith's dream, we learn that Xen Yang is the son of Kalgalanos the Black who was the father of all dragons. I mean...that's not canonically confirmed, but it just makes sense to me. Xen Yang's mother is another creature though and that's why the eastern dragons diverged physically from their western kin. Xen Yang's mother was Xiheyang which Quai Yin calls a Sun Serpent. You'll learn more about her later...but her name is based on the Chinese Goddess Xihe who was a sun goddess.

Another side note to point out…Emmanuelle was born in 2485 and becomes elector countess in 2503 at 18…so it's clearly been a bit more than two hundred years exactly. Needless to say, she's quite young and acts like a bratty noble. Just thought I'd clarify that before the lore experts crucify me. Elspeth Von Draken is her advisor, but it's unusual for the Dark Lady to come along for political trips. Clearly Elspeth wanted to go to Cathay for a personal reason even despite not being on the best of terms with Balthasar Gelt. More on that later…

Aside from that, there was a lot of talking and back and forth in the court scene. Malekith gave the Asur a verbal ass whooping, but somehow got through to some of them and things didn't turn out nearly as badly as he expected. He'll even be joining them on the way to Haichai to call off the black ark headed for Aislinn's docked fleet. Now since you know it's the Emerald Maw coming, I'm sure some of you are a bit disappointed…but fret not there is an important named Druchii character on that ship not named Fellheart who happens to be from Karond Kar. I'll just tell you in advance…it's Rakarth. There are three black arks in the Jade Sea right now. The Emerald Maw, the Blessed Dread, and the Temple of Spite. Make of that what you will.

Anyways, I could drone on forever about a lot of minor things in this chapter, but that's the gist of the important stuff. If you want more clarification just PM me. Stay tuned for the next one and as always thanks for reading.