Chapter 18: Evolution
I was shaking in my bedroom, still trying to process the overwhelming pressure Kha-Beleth had put on me. It was a harsh reminder that his influence reached far beyond Sheogh, even into Azeroth where I thought I might find refuge. It was a cunning move on his part, making me realize that I was never truly safe, no matter where I went.
"Fuck that," I muttered, trying to calm myself. I turned to my book, intending to distract myself by writing down the events I could recall from memory. It was a habit I'd picked up since arriving in Dalaran.
But as I started to write, the tremors continued, making it hard to focus. I sighed and closed the book, staring up at the ceiling. I attempted to steady my breathing, but each inhale felt suffocating, drowned in stress.
In a burst of frustration, I slammed my gloved hand down on the table, leaving an imprint in the wood.
'Never again,' I vowed to myself as I made my way back to Sheogh. Upon my arrival in the throne room, I destroyed another stone, activating a portal to Urgash's gaze. Stepping through, I emerged in Kha-Beleth's throne room.
To my surprise, Kha-Beleth was nowhere to be found. Instead, the only presence in the room was a decrepit cadaver, its empty gaze fixed on me.
"You've arrived, Val-Beleth. I am Toross Mordal, the new leader of the Legion of Voracity, much to my dismay," he announced, his voice echoing through the chamber as he floated toward me. He was unlike any demon I had encountered before, with features that hinted at an ancient human ancestry.
"Now, follow me, child. We have much to do," Toross Mordal commanded, conjuring a stairway of purple magic leading to the top of the throne room. "Kha-Beleth may be the strongest demon, but he is still mortal and prone to failure."
I felt a bead of sweat form on my brow. Toross Mordal was openly criticizing the king in his own throne room, showing no regard for decorum or respect.
"It's baffling how much respect everyone holds for him," Toross continued. "Yet he has failed, and without Urgash's timely awakening, he would have failed to destroy Ashan. Despite this, he alone is remembered, while the Six Overlords are forgotten."
"The Six Overlords also faced defeat," I interjected as Toross turned to look at me.
"Did they?" he replied, his mouth perpetually open. "They destroyed the Shantiri Empire, and even forced the Angels to descend."
"But don't forget, the six were ultimately defeated, and without the Faceless intervention, we demons would have been wiped out," I countered.
"You're overestimating the angels' strength," he replied as we finally reached the top, where six small eggs were sitting.
"Choose one, but don't tap into its full power or you'll meet a gruesome end. I speak from experience, even with eggs of lesser power," he cautioned.
I reached out and touched the white egg, containing Ylath's essence. It felt like being engulfed in a tornado, my body wracked with pain. I cried out, but Toross seemed unfazed, only regarding me with pity.
"Your king is quite ruthless," he remarked as he descended to the ground. "He grants you immense power, yet your mind is ill-equipped to comprehend its true potential. You're not a chosen one or a prodigy, just an ordinary individual playing with forces beyond your grasp."
I cried out in agony as I felt my armor being torn from my body. I writhed on the platform Toross had conjured, attempting to release the egg, but it seemed impossible.
"Try to channel the power within you, rather than resisting it like a disease," he advised calmly as I continued to struggle.
I followed his advice, attempting to circulate the overwhelming power coursing through me, but it proved to be too much. It felt like I was being crushed under the weight of pure wind and tornadoes.
"Survive this ordeal, or your body will become the vessel for Ylath's resurrection," Toross warned sternly. "And then I'll have no choice but to kill you," he added, summoning a great sword made of purple energy. Its tip touched the ground, dissolving the surface.
"Now, fight back," he commanded firmly as I wrestled with the energy, struggling to tame it. It felt like trying to calm a raging storm. Debris of magma fell from my body, trembling under the strain. I focused with all my might, sensing a foreign presence within me, intent on my destruction.
With a roar, I concentrated fiercely, cornering and crushing the invader within me. Finally, the tempest subsided, replaced by a gentle breeze.
"You'll need to heal a bit; your torn form is quite hideous," Toross remarked from behind me.
I spat out wind in response. "You're one to talk," I retorted.
He huffed, and a glowing dot on his body emitted Earth magic, enveloping me in its healing embrace. As I started to recover, I glanced at Toross. "You have eggs like mine?"
"Six lesser eggs, yes," he replied, still gaping. "I acquired them by killing their owners during the first war. They were quite difficult to tame, resulting in the transformation you see before you," he said, gesturing to his hideous form. "Now come, it's time for you to learn how to wield this newfound power."
"How?" I asked, examining my regenerated form. My armor had turned gray with pulsating red veins running throughout. I seemed to have grown taller, and two small tornadoes were trapped within my shoulders, encased by spikes of red armor.
"How, you ask? We are demons, we learn through combat," he declared as we vanished in a thunderclap of purple lightning, reappearing outside the throne room. "Now, child, it's time for you to fight me. My only advice: survive."
With his words still echoing, I summoned gusts of wind and crackling of lightning beneath my feet and dashed toward Toross. To my surprise, I moved faster than I ever imagined, breaking the sound barrier multiple times before crashing into a nearby mountain, creating a massive crater.
"Ouch," I muttered, shaking my head as I climbed out of the pit. Toross was nowhere to be seen; I had moved too quickly to track him.
"Your speed is impressive," his voice sounded from behind me. Before I could react, his decrepit fist struck my helmet with incredible force, sending me hurtling toward the ground at a dizzying speed. I crashed, creating another cataclysmic crater.
Gritting my teeth, I slammed my two gloves on the ground, summoning multiple tornadoes all around me.
"Impressive, but ultimately futile," he remarked, appearing in front of me. We instantly locked into a fist fight, but it was clear I was outmatched. With every attempted punch, he effortlessly deflected my blows. His movements were swift and precise, while mine felt sluggish and uncoordinated.
As we traded blows, Toross's strikes came with the force of earthquakes, each impact shaking the ground beneath us. I struggled to keep pace, my attempts to counter or evade proving futile against his superior skill. With every passing moment, I found myself pushed further back, unable to gain any ground against his relentless assault.
Then, in a devastating punch, he sent me hurtling skyward at incredible speed. I quickly regained my composure and looked down at him, formulating a plan. I conjured a double spell, combining fire and air. I created a bow made of flames and formed an arrow crackling with lightning.
"You can't fly, Toross," I called out to him as I took aim. "Your earth dragon egg grounds you. If you could fly, you wouldn't need to create platforms to stand on during our fight."
"Of course I can fly," he retorted, his voice echoing with power. Suddenly, his head cracked and stairs materialized between us. In an instant, he closed the gap and stood before me, despite the distance we started with.
"Do not think that flying will save you from me, child," he warned ominously, his presence looming over me like a dark cloud.
'Shit,' I cursed under my breath as I quickly dematerialized my spells and conjured a shield of fire and lightning between us. But Toross's fist was too powerful; it easily pierced through my defenses, striking me squarely in the face. I grunted in pain as my body was sent flying once again, with Toross following closely behind.
As I soared through the air, Toross propelled himself forward with incredible speed, creating platforms beneath him to close the distance between us. With each strike, I struggled to defend myself, unable to match his strength and agility. He maneuvered around me effortlessly, striking me multiple times in quick succession.
Drawing upon the power of my dragon egg, I summoned a massive tornado that engulfed Toross. With all my strength, I conjured wings made of air magic, attempting to put distance between us. Meanwhile, I set the tornado ablaze, hoping to trap him within its fiery whirlwind.
"You've forced my hand, child," his voice echoed through the tornado as he effortlessly cleaved through its force. "You have a bright future ahead of you."
He raised his sword high above him, and a beam of purple energy surged from its blade. The beam sliced through the clouds, aiming directly at me. With a crazed smile, he swung his sword at me, and I narrowly avoided the deadly strike. The impact created an explosion of cataclysmic proportions, shaking the very foundations of reality. It felt as though Toross had just cleaved Sheogh in half with a single swing.
He descended in front of me with a smile. "Well, that was interesting," he remarked. "It shows that you can use the egg without even thinking about it."
As he reached out his hand toward me, I instinctively conjured a small wall of lightning and air magic to block him. "You're using it instinctively for defense," he observed. "If you hadn't done so during our fight, I would have killed you with my first strike. For now, it will suffice. You'll leave the egg in Sheogh because you don't have enough control over it to take it outside of this realm. But if you attempt to take it, you'll face the full power of this world, Azeroth."
"What is the threshold from which you consider me worthy enough to take it outside Sheogh?" I asked the old man, who gazed at the canyon he had created with a single strike.
"When you'll absorb it into your body and can transform into a dragon," he replied. Suddenly, a purple portal appeared behind me, and he pushed me into it with a single strike of his finger.
"You've absorbed a part of Ylath, you're already lucky to not have become a woman or a half dragon," he said as I deadpanned at him.
"And you couldn't have told me befo-" My voice was lost in the portal as I appeared in my chamber, falling to the ground and staring up at the ceiling.
I sat in my chamber for a while, trying to make sense of everything.
"The peak of Sheogh is truly something else," I mused, reflecting on the incredible display of power Toross had shown. His ability to effortlessly slice through a flaming tornado with a single sword strike was beyond anything I had ever seen. Despite being able to break the sound barrier, he moved so quickly that I couldn't even track his movements.
I grunted as I felt the effects of the regeneration wearing off, my body suddenly feeling heavier. Despite this, I forced myself to stand up and made my way to the door. I noticed that my mastery over air magic seemed stronger than my control over fire, but I still felt weak compared to Toross or Kha-Beleth.
As the sun began to rise on the horizon, I spotted a group of people gathered at the entrance of Dalaran, including Kael'Thas and some kings. Using my newfound mastery over wind magic, I enhanced my speed and headed toward them.
However, the journey was still quite long. I didn't want to draw attention by using too much magic, especially considering the unusual sight of a demon flying above a human city.
After about ten minutes, I arrived and witnessed Sylvanas departing with a group of elven rangers. Among the kings present were Daelin and Terenas.
"Greetings, everyone," I said with a smile as I landed in front of them, surprising everyone.
"It seems you've changed your armor, my friend," remarked Terenas with a smile. I glanced at a young boy standing near Terenas, his unmistakable blonde hair catching my eye. "Arthas, introduce yourself," Terenas instructed as he pushed his son forward.
The young prince stared at me with defiance as I glanced down at the tiny boy.
"I'm Arthas Menethil, future king of Lordaeron!" he declared proudly.
"I'm Val-Beleth, a member of the Legion of Knowledge," I responded with a smile.
I extended my finger to the prince, and he shook it with his tiny hand. With a smile, I greeted everyone else.
"Ladies," I greeted the two Windrunner women. Alleria scrutinized me while Sylvanas had a slight smile on her face.
"Why are you here, Val-Beleth?" asked Kael'thas with a dangerous tone in his voice. He was still trying to court Sylvanas, despite my expectation that he had moved on to other pursuits.
"I am here to bid farewell to Lady Sylvanas," I replied, meeting Kael'thas's gaze squarely.
"Since when do demons offer farewells to others?" he retorted.
"Since we are a civilized immortal race capable of displaying humanity," I countered calmly.
He huffed and departed without a second glance.
"Well, it seems the prince is quite persistent," I remarked, earning an eye roll from Sylvanas and a snicker from her sister.
"He's been rather insistent lately," Sylvanas explained, looking at me. "Thank you for your support. I'll try to persuade the king to send reinforcements for the war."
She then addressed the kings, "It was an honor to speak with you, your majesties."
Turning back to me, she added, "It was good to meet you, Val-Beleth." With that, she swiftly departed toward the horizon with her escort.
I bid farewell to everyone and then flew toward the training ground to test my new magic.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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