Cursing his own anxiety, Kalec continued on. He hoped that soon he would find whatever it was he was meant to find.

Then, a golden glow radiated from some point far ahead. Kalec gripped the magic blade tight. As he moved closer, he saw that there was some chamber there.

The golden glow brought back memories he had tried to keep down. Anveena's face appeared before him, both beautiful and innocent. She had touched him as no other had or ever could... and now she was gone.

His earlier ire at the red dragon burned anew. It was Korialstrasz —in the guise of the wizard Borel—who had caused Anveena such grief. It was the red's fault that Kalec had lost her forever. It was—

He stepped into the chamber... and saw Korlalstrasz as the mage Krasus being guided by a high elf toward a strange broken crystal.

Rage overwhelming him. Kalec let out a roar and charged the red.

Both Korlalstrasz and the high elf looked his way. The high elf —a ranger—released the dragon mage and moved to block Kalec from him.

The blue had no quarrel with her. She was clearly another of Korialstrasz's dupes, likely thinking his guise as Krasus made him a trusted friend, not an insidious, uncaring plotter. Kalec gestured and, despite some sudden, unsettling weakness that he blamed on his counterpart, his spell sent the high elf flying to one of the walls, where the rock sealed around her wrists and ankles. There she would keep until he had dealt with his foe.

"Kalec!" Korlalstrasz started. "You live! I thought—" The blue's rage suddenly registered with him. "Kalec, listen to me! There is something wrong with you—"

But Kalec was aware of the danger of letting the cunning red's words infiltrate his mind. Gritting his teeth, he swung at the cowled figure.

However, his blade was met by a fiery orange-red sword that sprouted from his foe's hand just as Kalec's had. Kalec had taught Krasus the spell during a quiet moment on the journey and the irony of that was not now lost on the red. The two shared one stinging blow after another, most of the offensive ones on the blue's side.Yet, not for a minute did Kalec think Korialstrasz's hesitation against attacking in turn anything more than a ploy. He had to strike down the older red before the latter could put whatever trick he had into motion.

"Kalec! You are not thinking for yourself! Another is doing that for you! Gaze upon the foul artifact near us and understand the reason!"

Despite himself, the blue dragon did glance for just a single breath at that which Korialstrasz had mentioned. For the first time, he saw the oddly-cracked, glowing sphere. Shards of it were missing here and there, yet, some force held it together.

Moreover, that same force seemed to also be the source of a strange pulsation. As Kalec's and Korialstrasz's magic-wrought swords clashed again—sending off showers of energy—the pulsations magnified.

But although he saw that there was likely a link between the actions, Kalec assumed that they could only be from one source... the cowled figure before him.

"A master of trickery as usual!" he growled. "But not a master of magic..."

Kalec's blade, about to meet the other yet again, suddenly curled around as if a tentacle. It wrapped around Korialstrasz's arm and burned bright.

With a cry, the red dragon released his own weapon, which faded to nothing.

The younger dragon tugged hard, pulling Korialstrasz toward him. In his other hand, a second weapon formed.

But the rock beneath Kalec's feet chose that moment to sprout life in the form of great vines that burst through cracks to tangle his feet. He managed to slice some, but in the end lost his balance.

Both opponents tumbled to the floor. Korialstrasz grabbed the younger dragon's arm. "Hear me! We are being manipulated! Sinestra has drawn us together into the very place she intended we end up! Do you not feel yourself getting weaker yet? Do you not recall the tales of my people's sufferings when they chose to stand guard over Grim Batol? The very reason for that hovers near us, areborn and redesigned monstrosity that surely still earns the title Demon Soul!"

A part of Kalec registered what the other dragon said, but it was not a great enough part to overcome the intense fury and mistrust he felt for Korialstrasz. "Spare me your lies! This is just as likely your devious trap as it is that witch's!"

With each passing moment, Kalec's strength waned more, but his unchecked anger kept him fighting. He would not give in to Korialstrasz! He would not!

The blue dragon focused all his magic on one spell. He did not seek to conjure any intricate attack, but merely wanted to make certain that when it hit Korialstrasz, there would be no doubt as to the outcome.

The cowled figure's pale visage distorted in clear recognition of what his younger foe intended. Korialstrasz's dismay further fueled Kalec's pleasure. In the blue's mind, Anveena's face smiled at his impending triumph.

Kalec smiled back at her, all the while ignoring Korialstrasz's entreaties.

"For you, Anveena..." he whispered.

The blue dragon unleashed everything.

Grim Batol shook again. Dwarves, skardyn, drakonid... all were tossed about as if tiny toys.

The pain!Zzeraku suddenly roared in the draenei's head. The pain! It tears me apart!

"What happens?" Iridi shouted out loud to the dragon.

"Keep at it!" called Rhonin, thinking she was speaking with him. "Keep at it—"

His voice failed him as the bound nether dragon suddenly shimmered. Zzeraku's body all but faded away for a moment. A terrible moan escaped the suffering leviathan.

The pain! I am being eaten!

Have courage! the priestess told Zzeraku. Have courage!

Her words, her strength, cut through his suffering. Zzeraku stared at her. Why do you do this for me? The draenei have love for my kind, after all that has happened!

Iridi was steadfast. I do it because you don't deserve this....

I—do not?

Then, elsewhere, yet another horrific roar sent further chills down the spines of all. Even the raptors cowered at its force. "I have this terrible feeling that we're too late," Rhonin said.

He was alive. Krasus was not surprised by that miracle, but neither was he entirely pleased. Kalec's attack had failed, but failed for a darker reason.

"Ah, the great Korialstrasz...defender of the lesser races, savior of Azeroth... the grandest fool ever born..." declared the voice of Deathwing's consort.

Krasus could barely move. It was painful just to lift his head enough to see her stride toward the re-crafted Demon Soul and touch it as a loving mother would a cherished offspring. The dragon mage doubted that Sinestra had ever treated Nefarian or Onyxia so, but then they had not existed solely for her ambition and madness. The Demon Soul had no mind of its own, no potential dream of independence....

"It shall—it shall never w-work!" he managed to croak. "In the end—you shall only have—have disappointment—and death..."

"Preach not to me, Korialstrasz," the black dragon mocked, now peering up in amusement at a stunned Vereesa. "Yes, my darling, you are also alive, albeit temporarily. You should thank me for that miracle. All the force this impetuous young fool sought to unleash was steered elsewhere through my good efforts...."

Krasus snorted. "It was—it was your vile whispering in—in the blue's mind in the first—first place that made him cast such a force of violence."

"Of course! He made such a wonderfully delectable choice! You can imagine how enjoyable it was to find out not only that he was alive, but that his thoughts were in such distress that I could easily manipulate them against you! Your continual interference in theaffairs of the world has left you with many like him, Korialstrasz...."