Galen slowly approached Algalon, a wry smile playing on his lips, his demeanor seemingly casual, almost bashful.
To an outside observer, he might have appeared like a shy young man, hesitant and unassuming. But to Algalon, the celestial observer, this was a blatant act of defiance, a challenge to his authority!
"Just what do you think you are, mortal?" Algalon demanded, his voice resonating with cosmic arrogance and an air of superiority. "I have witnessed the demise of countless worlds, consumed by the creators' flames. The inhabitants of those worlds did not even have time to utter a cry before they vanished, their existence erased forever. Entire planets, from their genesis to their annihilation, are but a fleeting moment, a mere flick of the finger in the grand tapestry of creation. And yet, I have never been moved by their destruction... I feel nothing for the loss of trillions of lives. So, tell me, why should I heed your request, you insignificant speck of dust?"
Galen felt a surge of revulsion, a profound disgust welling up within him.
What in the name of the Light is this creature? he thought, his inner voice filled with disbelief.
Is this truly the behavior one should expect from an observer appointed by the Titans themselves?
From what Galen knew, Algalon and his kind, these planetary observers, were beings of pure energy, born amidst the celestial tapestry of the stars. They were ostensibly allies of the Titans, but in reality, they served as the Titan Pantheon's celestial emissaries, their servants!
As the eyes and ears of the Titan Pantheon, they tirelessly patrolled the cosmos, seeking out new worlds teeming with life, potential additions to the Titans' grand design. They also inspected the worlds already shaped by the Titans, ensuring that their development adhered to the Titans' established blueprints, correcting any deviations from their intended course.
"The fate of Azeroth is not yours to decide, Algalon," Galen declared, his voice firm and resolute, imbued with an unyielding determination. "But your fate... your destiny will be decided by me!"
So high and mighty, are we? Galen thought, his eyes narrowing. Is such arrogance truly necessary? Then I shall show you the true meaning of power! I shall teach you humility!
Galen knew that Algalon's power, while formidable, was not absolute. His true strength lay in the authority vested in him by the Titans, an authority that surpassed even that of the esteemed Chief Administrator Odin and the powerful Great Guardian Loken. He was, in essence, a cosmic envoy, a celestial bureaucrat!
In principle, this elevated status granted him a position of supreme authority, a status deeply ingrained within the very souls of the Titan-forged guardians. They were inherently inclined to obey Algalon's commands, unable to resist his directives, forced to yield to his judgment!
But the guardians present in Ulduar at this time viewed Galen as their new leader, their champion. The authority granted by the Titans still held some sway over their souls, but its influence was significantly diminished, weakened by time and circumstance.
"My destiny is mine to forge, not to be dictated by fate!" Galen retorted, his voice echoing with defiance, matching Algalon's arrogance with his own unwavering resolve!
Subsequently, the Storm Lord Thorim and the Frost Lord Hodir, their ancient power surging, launched a coordinated assault, unleashing the raw elemental fury of thunder and ice upon the celestial observer!
"Guardians! You have betrayed your creators! You dare to defy the authority bestowed upon me by the Titans themselves!" Algalon roared, his form flickering with celestial rage.
He knew that his forte was not direct combat, that he was no match for the combined might of two Titan-forged guardians!
In a desperate attempt to escape, Algalon swiftly opened a Stargate portal, preparing to flee to the far reaches of the cosmos. He intended to seek out the other members of the Titan Pantheon, report the dire situation on Azeroth, and implore them to intervene directly!
But at that crucial moment, a colossal golden sword descended from the heavens, its radiant blade severing the nascent Stargate portal, disrupting its formation and preventing Algalon's escape!
A massive vine, thick as a mountain, erupted from the ground, snaking around the unprepared observer, constricting him in its unyielding grip. It was Freya, the Life-Binder, who had intervened, her connection to nature thwarting his desperate attempt to flee!
"I apologize, Observer," Freya stated, her voice calm yet firm, "But you will not be departing from this world today."
"Hmph! Minion of Eonar, you have earned my ire!" Algalon snarled, his celestial form crackling with cosmic energy.
He extended his right arm, preparing to unleash a devastating attack upon the Life-Binder!
But in the instant his fist was thrown, Algalon's entire right arm vanished, disappearing from this plane of existence. When his fist reappeared, it had traversed a distance of dozens of meters in the blink of an eye, striking Freya with incredible force!
An attack that transcended the boundaries of time and space!
It was a testament to Algalon's unique abilities, a power granted to him by the Titans, allowing him to traverse the vast distances between the stars.
But this was the extent of his advantage. Galen had assembled an entire contingent of Titan-forged guardians and Titan Watchers, a force of unparalleled power!
Seeing Algalon attack the healer of their group, the remaining Titan-forged guardians were incensed!
The Stone Watcher Archaedas, along with his three Vault Guardian brothers, charged forward, their massive forms shaking the very foundations of Ulduar!
Algalon, realizing the gravity of his situation, attempted to retract his arm from the void, but it was too late. The four Vault Guardians unleashed a barrage of their potent natal magic, their attacks striking with devastating force!
Stone Impale, Lightning Nova, Meteor Fist, and Frozen Orb rained down upon the celestial observer, a relentless assault that overwhelmed his defenses!
"Aaaagh!" Algalon cried out, his voice filled with pain and frustration.
He desperately erected a starry sky curtain, attempting to shield himself from the magical onslaught, but his defenses were crumbling under the combined assault of the four Vault Guardians. At that moment, Thorim, Archaedas, and Hodir joined the fray, surrounding him on all sides!
Thunder! Ice! Flying rocks!
Algalon's predicament worsened with each passing moment, the pressure mounting as the three elemental lords unleashed their devastating powers.
Just when Algalon thought his situation could not possibly deteriorate further, a shrill, comical voice echoed through the chamber, accompanied by the whirring of machinery and the clang of metal!
"Prepare to taste the power of my War Machine, celestial interloper!"
"Ah ha! Mekkatorque, I shall pilot the War Machine! You, activate the ion cannon mounted on its head!"
"Thermaplugg, unleash the plasma cannon upon this cosmic pest!"
"Blackfuse, Gazlowe! Ready the VX-001 laser turret and the ten-barreled rapid-fire laser cannon!"
"Full attack!"
"Aaaaagh!"
"Ke... Aaaaagh..."
Algalon, a being of pure celestial energy, found himself the target of an unprecedented assault, the combined might of nine Titan-forged demigods, augmented by the technological genius of the dwarves and goblins!
The smoke and dust kicked up by the barrage of explosions obscured everyone's vision, a swirling vortex of arcane energy and elemental fury. The Storm Watcher Emalon waved his hand, conjuring a powerful tempest that swept away the debris, revealing the aftermath of the devastating attack.
When the dust settled, everyone beheld Algalon's battered form, his once-pristine blue body lying prone on the observatory platform, surrounded by shattered stone and burning flames. White lightning crackled across his starlight-composed form, and his limbs spasmed involuntarily, twitching from the lingering effects of the thunderous assault.
The nine Titan-forged creations, along with Galen, a total of ten powerful beings, stood in a circle around the fallen observer, their expressions grim and determined.
Algalon, his celestial pride shattered, struggled to rise, attempting to crawl away from this nightmarish place!
This world... this Azeroth... is far too dangerous, he thought, his mind reeling. I must return to the celestial realm, to the safety of the stars!
Unfortunately for the celestial observer, nine massive, rock-solid feet had already encircled him, forming an impenetrable barrier, leaving him with nowhere to escape.
Algalon, his last vestiges of hope extinguished, abandoned his futile struggle. He forcefully turned his body over, lying supine on the platform, his gaze fixed upon the looming figures that formed a circle above him, their massive heads looking down upon him with unwavering resolve.
"Surrender, celestial observer," Galen declared, his voice resonating with an undeniable authority, sealing Algalon's fate. "Or face annihilation."
Galen had no intention of allowing Algalon to escape. This was a celestial being capable of traversing the vast expanse of the cosmos, a valuable asset in his quest to uncover the secrets of the Titans and locate their scattered remnants!
Most of the Titan souls had been captured and corrupted by the fallen Titan Sargeras, but some had managed to slip through his grasp, escaping into the uncharted depths of the universe.
The Life-Binder Eonar, although slain by Sargeras's blade, had managed to evade the Dark Titan's clutches, her essence fleeing into the cosmos, where she remained hidden, a beacon of hope in the darkness.
Therefore, even if Algalon chose death, Galen would not allow him to perish. He would use his power to restore the celestial observer, binding him to his will, and re-employ him as a cosmic scout, a valuable asset in his search for the Titans!
In the end, Algalon "willingly" chose to submit, his celestial pride humbled by the overwhelming power arrayed against him. He seamlessly integrated into the Crusader ranks, becoming a distinguished cosmic scout, his knowledge of the stars serving a new purpose.
Just as the events in Ulduar were reaching their climax, Galen received a report, delivered by Onyxia herself, detailing the events that had transpired at the Wrathgate and within Naxxramas.
"So, Jaina assembled a small team and launched an unauthorized raid on Naxxramas, and their actions directly led to the Alliance's successful capture of the Wrathgate?" Galen exclaimed, his voice a mixture of surprise and amusement, as he listened to Onyxia's detailed account.
"That little girl is truly audacious," he chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "She gathered some of the Alliance's most promising heroes, the very future of Azeroth, for this daring mission. Had they been completely wiped out, the Alliance high command would have suffered a collective heart attack! Haha!"
Onyxia, in her guise as Katrana Prestor, observed her master's gleeful expression, a hint of exasperation in her eyes. You are hardly a paragon of virtue yourself, my lord, she thought wryly, refraining from voicing her opinion aloud.
"The Alliance will not be commending them for this," Galen mused, his smile fading slightly. "Merit is merit, and fault is fault. We cannot overlook their insubordination and lack of discipline simply because of their accomplishments."
Galen pondered the situation for a moment, weighing the consequences of their actions against the significance of their victory. He finally decided on a course of action: to offset their merits with their demerits. However, he resolved to reward the members of the team in private, acknowledging their contributions without undermining the importance of discipline and obedience. He considered bestowing upon them gifts such as soul essence, to enhance their power, or the rejuvenating waters of the spring of life, to prolong their lifespans.
Then, Galen picked up the ornate box containing the essence of Kel'Thuzad, the fallen archlich.
The box emitted a faint, ethereal soul fluctuation.
It was... fear!
Kel'Thuzad, the once-arrogant master of necromancy, was afraid.
"Long time no see, old friend..." Galen murmured, his voice tinged with a hint of melancholy.
When Galen had first arrived in Dalaran, he was a mere fourteen years old, a young and inexperienced mage. At that time, Kel'Thuzad was still the pride of Antonidas, his most promising disciple, and he had shown Galen around the city, introducing him to its wonders.
It was during that time that Galen had been turned away by Antonidas, his request to study under the archmage denied. It was also during that time that Galen had managed to swindle a substantial sum of 100,000 gold coins from the unsuspecting Kael'thas Sunstrider. And it was then that Galen had resolved to have Gandalf replace Antonidas as the leader of the Kirin Tor.
Galen slowly reached out with his mental power, probing the soul box, and began to delve into the memories of the Scourge Lich, seeking to understand the path that had led him to darkness.
He saw a young boy, tending sheep in a peaceful pasture, when a ferocious forest wolf suddenly emerged from the wilderness. Just as the wolf was about to snatch a lamb, a surge of frost magic erupted from the boy, freezing the wolf into a grotesque ice sculpture.
The boy was hailed as a prodigy by the villagers, and soon, a mage from Dalaran, clad in flowing blue robes, arrived and took the child to the fabled city of mage towers, to study the arcane arts.
Faced with towering stacks of ancient tomes and countless arcane artifacts, the boy displayed an insatiable thirst for knowledge, devouring magical lore with an almost feverish intensity.
The boy grew into a young man, and the protagonist of the vision became a junior mage. As he matured, his rise through the ranks of the Kirin Tor accelerated. By the time he began to grow a beard, he had already ascended to the highest echelons of Dalaran's leadership, becoming a member of the prestigious Six-Member Council, and the most trusted advisor to Dalaran's Archmage, Antonidas!
When he felt that he had reached an impasse in his mastery of frost magic, an alien race, with their strange green skin, invaded their world. During an encounter with a caster from this alien race, he obtained a forbidden magic tome, a relic from another world!
From that moment on, the promising mage embarked on a new and dangerous path of research!
One day, the middle-aged mage stood before his cluttered laboratory table, carefully holding a test tube filled with a volatile green liquid, its contents bubbling ominously. The table was littered with an array of colorful bottles, vials, and arcane instruments, and the flickering light bulb above cast eerie shadows across the room.
"It is... complete!" the mage whispered, his heart filled with a mixture of trepidation and elation.
BANG!
At that moment, the door to his mage tower was thrown open with a resounding crash!
An elderly man, with a long white beard that reached his chest, stormed into the laboratory, his eyes scanning the chaotic scene with a mixture of horror and disgust. He saw a large number of animal corpses scattered throughout the room, their forms twisted and unnatural. The old man could sense that they had been robbed of their life force, some decaying, yet possessing the unnatural ability to move!
"Kel'Thuzad!" the white-bearded mage roared, his voice filled with righteous fury, addressing the middle-aged mage by name!
"Teacher..." Kel'Thuzad stammered, his heart pounding in his chest. His long-held secret, his forbidden experiments, had finally been discovered!
"Destroy it all! Every single abomination!" the white-bearded man thundered, his gaze fixed on Kel'Thuzad, his expression a mask of disappointment and anger.
He waved his hand, and the mages who had accompanied him surged forward, overturning Kel'Thuzad's laboratory table, shattering his carefully crafted potions and destroying his grotesque creations. The sudden turn of events left Kel'Thuzad standing there in shock, clutching the vial of green liquid in his trembling hand, his mind reeling.
"Do not think that we are unaware of your activities within this laboratory," the white-bearded man declared, his voice trembling with barely suppressed rage. "You have been caught red-handed, engaging in forbidden magic and necromancy, Kel'Thuzad! What defense do you have to offer?"
Kel'Thuzad stood there, speechless, his eyes fixed on the ruins of his laboratory, the culmination of years of research and experimentation now reduced to shattered glass and twisted flesh!
"I shall seal your laboratory, and forbid you from ever using it again!" the white-bearded old man, despite his anger, still held a measure of compassion for his former student. Relying on his authority as the Archmage of the Kirin Tor, he suppressed the full extent of the damage caused by Kel'Thuzad's research into forbidden magic, preventing the spread of the dark secrets he had uncovered.
However, rumors of Kel'Thuzad's dark experiments continued to circulate within Dalaran, tainting his reputation. Shunned by his peers and ostracized by the magical community, Kel'Thuzad began to live in seclusion, his isolation deepening until, one day, he heard a call from the frozen north, a voice that resonated with promises of power and forbidden knowledge!
Having reached the limits of the arcane path as he understood it, he heeded this call, driven by a thirst for greater power, embarking on a perilous pilgrimage to the frozen wastes of Northrend!
The journey to Northrend was surprisingly uneventful, as the kingdom of Lordaeron was already attempting to establish a presence in the Arctic regions. However, after leaving the relative safety of Howling Fjord, the mage found himself struggling against the harsh conditions of the unforgiving northern landscape. His physical and mental strength waned, his body weakened, and his spirit grew weary.
When he finally reached the towering citadel of Icecrown, the Lich King Ner'zhul and his dreadlord lieutenants, who had been monitoring his progress, easily subjugated his will and enslaved his mind!
"Now, you stand at a crossroads, mortal," Ner'zhul's disembodied voice echoed from the Frozen Throne, a chilling whisper that resonated deep within Kel'Thuzad's soul. "You may choose to serve me, or you may choose to die..."
Already weakened and susceptible to the dreadlord's mental manipulations, Kel'Thuzad's ability to resist was shattered. After a moment of hesitation, he numbly nodded his assent, surrendering his will to the Lich King's dark designs.
"Very good..." Ner'zhul said, his voice laced with malevolent satisfaction. "Choose to serve me, and you shall be granted eternal life, and become the first and most powerful of my liches, a harbinger of the Scourge. Kel'Thuzad, you shall wield the power of the Lich King himself."
"But to obtain this power, a power that transcends the limitations of even the most legendary mages, you must undergo a series of trials, and prove your loyalty. Your first task... is to destroy Lordaeron, to bring ruin upon humanity, and pave the way for my dominion..."
"I will obey, my master," Kel'Thuzad whispered, his voice devoid of emotion, his eyes glowing with an unholy light.
And so, Kel'Thuzad returned to Lordaeron, a changed man, his soul twisted and corrupted by the Lich King's dark magic. He formed the Cult of the Damned, a clandestine organization dedicated to serving the Lich King's will, and began to sow the seeds of destruction within the kingdom, corrupting the nobility and releasing the deadly plague upon the unsuspecting populace. He was eventually slain by Prince Arthas Menethil, only to be resurrected as a powerful lich, fulfilling his dark destiny as the Lich King's most trusted lieutenant!
Galen silently withdrew from Kel'Thuzad's soul memory, the images of the fallen archmage's life fading from his mind.
Kel'Thuzad, he realized, was once a good man, a brilliant mage, but in his relentless pursuit of knowledge and power, he had strayed from the righteous path, succumbing to the allure of forbidden magic and the seductive promises of the Lich King.
With a sigh, Galen crushed the soul box, releasing the essence of Kel'Thuzad into the air. A surge of blue soul energy began to overflow, dissipating into the ether, marking the end of the archlich's tormented existence.