Chapter 142

Pale white beams of pure power scorched the earth, and lit up the darkness of the eclipse. 

Every second, a new beam of energy blasted a new hole in the ground, and the edge of the forest was beginning to swiftly disappear. 

Craters dotted the landscape, and every single Elite Night Elf that had turned on Tyrande had been vaporized. 

"All will perish in the name of Elune" The Avatar of Elune spoke in a resonating timbre. 

In both herself hands, she wielded a pair of glaives, and dashed at Maiev in a swirl of energy. 

White trails of mana coated her form, and enhanced her speed to beyond super sonic levels. 

Maiev desperately met Tyrande's attacks, redirecting one glaive with her circular weapon-the Umbra Crescent-then she tossed a poisoned dagger at Tyrande's foot. 

The Avatar never once blinked, and bull rushed her way through Maiev's guard. She moved in an extreme flurry of motion, sidestepping the dagger, and forcing Maiev to painfully slam through a dozen trees one after another. 

The Warden's body finally had its momentum halted when she crashed through a rotten building in the broken city of Deatholme, exited through that, and flipped onto her feet, sliding another 10 yards just to stabilize herself. 

Spitting out a broken tooth, and wiping her face clean of some dribbling blood, Maiev glared into a building that she had landed next to. Resting within was a demure, black haired vixen calmly sipping on some wine from a fancy glass. She sat in a big comfortable chair, and was cozily warming her hands next to a fireplace

"Well? Why. Aren't. You. Helping?" Maiev spat. 

"Mn, mn, mn, mn, mn. Is that any way to address the daughter who you haven't seen in oh, 12,521 years, 259 days, 23 minutes, and 22, no, 24 seconds?" Faedra tutted. 

"We will have words after this." Maiev growled, then prepared herself for the next onslaught. 

"Don't take this so personal. Like I said, earlier. This is simply business. Help will arrive when the time is right. Someone of your caliber should recognize the value of patience, I imagine." Faedra plucked a cherry out of her glass, and slowly devoured it, an expression of warm satisfaction colored her face as she chewed the red fruit. "Oh, and make sure to dodge this next one, it appears to be particularly lethal. Take this, you'll need it." Faedra inclined her head, tossed a massive Mana Stone at Maiev, then disappeared from her spot. 

"Devil's spawn." Maiev spat. 

Only the sound of the crackling fire greeted her in return. Scowling, Maiev doused the flame with a swipe of her weapon, then turned to meet the threat. 

An overwhelming buildup of energy was pulsing on the horizon, and heading her way. If Maiev didn't do something about it, she was sure to meet her demise. 

Pointing Umbral Embrace directly at Tyrande, Maiev closed her eyes, and began to draw the surrounding shadows into herself. Using the Mana Stone as fuel, she began to undertake an ancient magic of such incredible magnitude, she could only cast it when the Well of Eternity supplied her with mana. 

Currently, this Mana Stone hardly acted as a substitute, but she was in a bind, and desperate times called for desperate measures. 

Chanting the words to a spell, Maiev began to pull in vast quantities of Void energy into herself. 

"Dark by day, light by night. Punishers wake, upon thy reprobates take. The guilty shall know no rest, for the Avatar of Vengeance has taken nest!" 

Upon completing her spell, the shadows around Maiev waxed and waned until they became taught. The land shuddered, as if it were crying out, and a thousand-thousand piercing screams entreated the Mistress of Shadows for mercy. Those souls Maiev had imprisoned across her eons long life begged, pleaded, implored, and beseeched relentlessly. 

Sickly green nature energy attuned mana lashed out from Maiev's form at the shadows, causing them to squeal in agony. 

'MERCY~' The trapped shades called repeatedly, their haunting howls shook the forest. 

"There is no mercy." Maiev muttered, and clenched her fist tight, squashing the resisting shadows, and their desperate attempts at freedom. 

Upon crushing their hopes and dreams, Maiev absorbed their fear as if it were the most succulent of nourishments. 

Shortly thereafter, she became a translucent being coated in shadow. Her only defining features were her bright brilliant eyes, and the gleaming weapon, Umbral Embrace which promised a long and agonizing punishment. 

It was not a moment too soon either, as Tyrande barreled down upon Maiev's position like an unrelenting hurricane. 

Twin glaives and circular blade clashed again and again. Both Night Elven women acted more as instruments of nature than as individuals with free will as they repeatedly sliced into one another. 

Pale moon mana mixed with the shade of Void, and mini explosions happened all around them. Pushed through a dozen buildings, Maiev raked her weapon across the ground, and opened a portal. 

Wailing black souls escaped the crevice in a hurry. 

Clenching her fist, Maiev applied green shackles to them, then sent them at Tyrande. 

The Avatar of Elune coldly swiped her way through the shades on her way to destroy Maiev, however, the shades instantly reformed, and chased after Tyrande like a fog. 

"This is a long time coming, Tyrande. You cannot escape vengeance." Maiev harshly rasped. 

"The light of the moon be with you, shade." Tyrande boomed. 

Lifting a hand, Tyrande gestured towards Maiev, and a heavy gravity pressed down on the area. Along with this gravity came the conceptual weight of the moon, locking down fast movements, and teleportations. 

Tyrande then began to blast the entire region with vertical pale beams of moonfire. The entire area behind, to the side, and around Maiev was constantly being burnt, funneling the Aspect of Vengeance towards the Aspect of Elune. 

Maiev was beginning to lose to the cold, overpowering nature of the moon. However, she did not waiver or lose her composure for an instant. 

"You always thought yourself a good leader, priestess. That because Elune chose you, you were destined. Well I have found us a new Goddess! Azura, Azura, I call upon thee! Break this eclipse, and balance day, by equilibrium's night! Azura, Azura, heed thy servant's cry, an offering of souls to your star I make. By your blessing, may the world wake!" 

Upon finishing her plea, Maiev released the shades she had bound, and they floated up into the sky, only to be swallowed by a portal that led to Oblivion. 

Her translucent form left her, and she found herself gasping on her knees as the influx of power disappeared, and hef mana ran dangerously low. 

Before Tyrande could lunge forward, and finish the job, an overwhelming pressure descended onto the world. 

The air, ground and sea shuddered and shook, then a woman's voice emerged from the portal. 

"Elune, false god on high, you must respect the ebb and flow of sun and sky. Begone from this hemisphere!" 

A channeled beam of sun natured mana, and Void energy spilled out of the portal, and blasted the moon, forcing it away from blocking the sun. 

As Tyrande was rushing forward, she suddenly had the white moon's mana robbed from her body, and pulled back from whence it came. 

Stumbling to her knees, Tyrnade gasped as she too did not deal with the sudden stress of losing her Avatar state well. 

Low on mana, Tyrande struggled to her feet, and stood over a defenseless Maiev, blade in hand. 

"Ha. Ha. Do it." Maiev said with conviction between heavy breaths. 

Tyrande paused for a moment, then brought the glaive down next to Maiev's head. 

"Coward." Maiev spat. 

"Too much Kaldorei blood has been spilt this day. I will not sully the memory of all our people have accomplished with further violence." Tyrande quietly, and firmly intoned. 

"An impassioned statement, Lady Tyrande. It almost drove me to tears." Faedra emerged from nearby stealth, and slow-clapped. 

"The World Tree is intact, and not a single quel'dorei has been slain. Allow myself and my husband to leave these lands, and we shall never return." Tyrande said, as she leaned on her glaive for support. 

"So much faith that Malfurion remains alive? Such devotion is commendable, but that decision is out of my hands." Faedra splayed her hands out to the side, and ever so slightly shrugged. 

"If not you, then who?" Tyrande frowned. 

Landing on the ground with a super sonic thud, Syra churned up dust and debris like a hurricane. 

"Where is he?" Syra all but growled. 

Following behind her, Nightsong silently observed everything that was going down with a critical eye. 

Looking her daughter in the eye, Faedra knowingly smirked. 

"Syra dearest, meet your grandmother, Maiev Shadowsong. Oh, and did I mention, this is the wife of the man your Varrus was locked in mortal combat with. It's been quite silent from the direction they've been fighting in for quite some time. What ever shall we do with her?" Faedra sarcastically intoned between sips of wine. Her immaculate dress, and flawless skin stood out in stark contrast to the gloomy sky, ruined city, and bedraggled state of both Maiev and Tyrande. 

"Syra, we are here on a mission of peace. This is all one big misunder-" Tyrande got out, but had her speech cut mid sentence as her head flopped into the sky. The power of Holy Void then utterly devoured her, both body and soul. 

"Where. Is. He?" Syra slowly, dangerously intoned as she decapitated the Priestess of the Moon without a care in the world, and took a step towards Faedra.  

Blade pointed at her neck, Faedra never once dropped her smile. 

"Why, my dear, I would hate to stand in the way of true love. Simply follow the path up towards that crystal city, and his location should become apparent. You did give him a bound object after all." Faedra scoffed. 

Syra remained silent, then disappeared in a blur. 

Nightsong eyed Faedra dispassionately, yet it was the General's gaze that finally cracked Faedra's seeming uncaring facade, and had her take a single step back. 

"I saw everything." Nightsong said, then held up her hand, and a spirit owl flew into her body. 

"My dear General, whatever do you mea-" 

"I will be watching." Nightsong interrupted Faedra, then left, chasing towards Syra. 

"Ha, about someone put you in your place. And such a violent scoundrel is your child? I approve." Maiev grinned in schadenfreude after witnessing the play that had just transpired.

"Unfortunately, she is more like her grandmother than anyone else in her family tree." Faedra tutted. 

"Hmph. So what now, my little helion. Tell me how this was all part of your grand scheme to have me take over the Night Elves." Maiev stood to her feet, and wiped dust off herself. 

"Now? We run." Faedra said in a dead serious tone. 

"From what? Tyrande lies dead at our boots, and we haven't heard any activity from the other battlefield for quite some time. If Malfurion were to intervene in Tyrande's demise, he would have done so by now." Maiev looked at Faedra as if she had gone mad. 

"Ah, but you are trying to rationalize the actions of your granddaughter. I need not tell you of all people the consequences of love lost?" Faedra took a long sip from her glass, and licked her lips in satisfaction as she delivered yet another slight at her long lost mother. 

"Careful, Faedra. I may be weak now, but that does not mean I shall tolerate such disrespect." Maiev coldly spat. 

Faedra merely quirked an eyebrow and replied with a smile, before Blinking away. 

A second later, an overwhelming amount of Holy Void energy erupted from Syra's location. 

It was so brutal, so emotional, it threatened to tear a permanent hole in the fabric of Azeroth. 

Standing on an empty plateau, what had set Syra off was an unbelievable sight. 

There on the ground, Malfurion had a dagger pierced through his chest, and Varrus's arm cleanly shoved through his back, and out the front. Meanwhile, Rho'dan was clasping onto Malfurion's hands. 

None of this would throw Syra into a hysterical fit ordinarily, however, what she saw was her husband, and his bodyguard staring blankly out into nothing, as if their spirits had left their bodies. 

Syra went to shake Varrus, when a voice stopped her in her tracks. 

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Prince Valanar, druid and Lightforged Darkfallen said from the side. 

"Tell me." Syra shoved her blade deep into the earth, and eyed him murderously. At the same time, her tone carried with it a hint of nervous, mad desperation. 

"Because their spirits have been stolen into the Emerald Dream. Any disturbance in the real world may break their concentration in the dream. Likewise, any damage sustained in the dream affects reality. Look, even now, a gash has formed on his arm, this was not there when I first arrived." Valanar pointed out. 

Syra hissed once she saw this, then pulled Valanar up by the collar of his robes. 

"You are a druid. Take me into the Emerald Dream." Syra demanded.

"It's highly risky, especially with my Undead state, and could be extremely dangerous." Valanar raised his hands, and cautioned. 

"That wasn't a request." Syra stared the Prince down with a heavy intensity. 

"Very well, I will help you enter the Emerald Dream. Will you be joining Lady Vandercross, General?" Valanar enquired from the silent Nightsong. 

"The Emerald Dragonflight shall rue the day they abducted my boy." Nightsong erupted with a cold fury no less than Syra's. 

"R-right! Then let us begin!" Valanar stuttered, then started to conduct a ritual. 

Syra clenched the handle to her weapon tightly as she saw several more wounds appear on his body. 

'Hold on my love, we are coming for you!'