The Tomb of Sargeras : Standing Alone The Tomb of Sargeras < br > By Robert Brooks Part Four : Standing Alone Khadgar slowly climbed to his feet , shivering . Every inch of him ached . Shards of melting ice slid off of him and clattered to the ground . Was this what death felt like ? The numbing cold , the misery of utter failure ? The hallway was dark . Khadgar absently conjured a ball of light , revealing the wall of collapsed rock where a doorway had once been . Gul ' dan was on the other side , wielding the means to drag Azeroth into an apocalypse . Khadgar shoved away his horror . Gul ' dan had not flung open the gates for the Legion yet . Perhaps the archmage ' s history lesson had worked . He summoned another arcane wedge , then jammed it against the pile of stones , chipping it away . There was still hope . There would always be hope . He had to believe that . Kil ' jaeden was quiet . Gul ' dan was not . " I don ' t believe Khadgar was lying , " the orc said . He was calm . On Draenor , the garn were calm , too , just before they feasted . " The other one . The other Gul ' dan . He died here at the Legion ' s hands , yes ? " " — YES , HE DID . — " Gul ' dan lowered his head . " So . The Burning Legion does not honor its pacts . " With this power , he did not need the Legion . He could claim Azeroth alone and rain fire upon all who opposed him . The first victim would be Khadgar . But fire was too glorious an end for him . The other Gul ' dan had raised this island ; it might be fitting to sink it back to the deep . How long could an archmage survive underwater ? It would be amusing to find out . " There was always a part of me that believed our arrangement would not last , " he said . " — THAT IS BECAUSE YOU ARE A FOOL . AS MUCH NOW AS THEN . — " Kil ' jaeden ' s words echoed with disapproval . Gul ' dan laughed . " A " forewarned " fool , at least , " he said . But Kil ' jaeden was not done . " — I WAS THERE WHEN YOU FIRST BOUND YOURSELF TO US . FALSE AMBITION HAS ALWAYS POISONED YOUR MIND , GUL ' DAN . — " Anger pierced Gul ' dan ' s contentment . " False ? " He used his new strength to reach through his link with Kil ' jaeden . He saw the eredar ' s face . " You planned to discard me from the beginning . " Kil ' jaeden ' s blazing eyes met Gul ' dan ' s without blinking . " — NO , GUL ' DAN . WE TEMPT THE WEAK WITH TRINKETS AND FLEETING REWARDS . WE PROMISED YOU MUCH , MUCH MORE . — " Gul ' dan sneered . " Bigger bait for a bigger fish . But you would have gutted me all the same . " " — YOU DIED BECAUSE YOU BETRAYED US . YOU WERE MEANT TO HELP MY HORDE EXTERMINATE ALL RESISTANCE ON THIS WORLD . YET AT THE MOMENT OF TRUTH , YOU ABANDONED THEM . YOU SPLIT THEIR ARMIES TO CLAIM THIS PLACE . OUR PLANS CAME TO NOTHING . YOU EARNED YOUR FATE . — " " That was not me ! " Gul ' dan roared . " — BETRAYAL IS IN YOUR NATURE . I DRAGGED YOU HERE BY THE SCRUFF OF YOUR NECK BECAUSE YOU ARE STILL TOO FOOLISH TO UNDERSTAND YOUR FULL POTENTIAL . EVEN NOW , YOU BELIEVE THE POWER YOU HOLD IS SIGNIFICANT . YOU LACK VISION . — " Kil ' jaeden had been sitting on a gigantic throne made of metal and polished crystals , strata of materials that Gul ' dan had never seen . Now he stood up . Gul ' dan ' s heightened senses were granting him a glimpse of another world . There was a smell to it . A " weight " to it . He wondered what this land was called . He wondered if he would ever visit it . What would it take to conquer such a place ? " — I HAD HOPED YOU WOULD HAVE GREATER VISION THAN YOUR OTHER SELF . PERHAPS YOU STILL WILL . — " " I ' m afraid you ' re about to be disappointed again , " master " , " Gul ' dan said . " I see no reason to overcome my " false ambition " . " This was hopeless . It would take Khadgar days to get back into the chamber with the wedge . He might have only seconds to stop Gul ' dan . The pile of rocks looked endless . Perhaps there was a better point of attack . A place where the walls weren ' t so thick . A place where the floor was thinner . Anything . Maybe he should conjure more arcane elemental s ? No . They were not strong enough . Khadgar ' s thoughts would not let him focus on the here and now . " What will the end of Azeroth look like ? How much of it will burn ? How many of its people will be enslaved ? How many of its champions will fall to corruption rather than die ? " " How many more worlds will they conquer on the Legion ' s behalf ? " Then a voice changed everything . " You seem to be doing as well as I expected , Archmage . " Khadgar didn ' t turn around , not wanting his relief to show . " I ' m glad we made enough noise to get your attention . Is here a place where we can break through ? A spot with less rock between him and us ? " he asked . Maiev Shadowsong stepped next to him , studying the wall of debris . " We can find one . Is Gul ' dan alone ? " That was a strangely difficult question to answer . " Let ' s say yes , for now . We don ' t have much time . " " Of course not , " she said . " Maiev . " Khadgar was grim . She had come back ; she deserved to be warned . " I have failed . " She gave him a flat look . " And ? " " You and I are not capable of stopping him now . " " I do not see you running . " Well , there was no arguing with that . " Then that ' s settled , " Khadgar said . " This way . " She led him down the eastern tunnel . Kil ' jaeden leaned forward . The air seemed to quake . " — FROM THE BEGINNING , YOU BELIEVED YOU WERE DESTINED FOR POWER . YOU ARE . YOU ALSO BELIEVED YOU WERE DESTINED TO BE YOUR OWN MASTER . — " His next words thundered with finality . " — THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN . — " " No ? " Gul ' dan said softly . " Given the circumstances — " " — EVERY CREATURE SERVES A MASTER . EVEN I . THAT IS THE CHOICE OF ALL : SERVE ANOTHER , OR DIE ALONE . — " Gul ' dan was unmoved . " Perhaps you will bow to me one day , Deceiver , " he said . " — HOW FAR CAN YOU GO ? HOW MANY WORLDS CAN YOU RULE ? THE POWER YOU HOLD WILL NOT LAST FOREVER . YOU ARE NOTHING BEFORE THE LEGION . — " " We shall see . " " — SERVITUDE IS NOT IMPRISONMENT . YOU WILL SERVE ME . OTHERS WILL SERVE YOU . IMAGINE BEING THE MASTER OF SO MANY . IMAGINE THE RANKS OF THE LEGION AT YOUR COMMAND . IMAGINE WHAT YOU WILL BURN FOR US . — " Gul ' dan regarded Kil ' jaeden . " All his power . All his fury . Yet he cannot " make " me obey any longer " , he thought . " I do not need his empty promises " . Kil ' jaeden seemed to feel the distance growing between them . " — ENOUGH , GUL ' DAN . MAKE YOUR CHOICE . YOU CAN PROVE YOURSELF LOYAL . RETURN YOUR POWER TO THE PORTAL , AND THE WAY WILL OPEN . OR YOU CAN BETRAY US YET AGAIN . YOUR ONLY SATISFACTION BEFORE WE DESTROY YOU WILL BE MEANINGLESS VENGEANCE ON INSIGNIFICANT MORTALS . — " The eredar offered a parting thought . " — KNOW THIS : YOU CAN CALL ME " DECEIVER , " BUT I DID NOT LIE TO YOU . NOT ONCE . NOT IN THIS WORLD , AND NOT IN YOURS . — " With that , Kil ' jaeden pushed Gul ' dan ' s mind away . The chamber was quiet , and Gul ' dan was finally alone . Kil ' jaeden was far away from this place . The only disturbance was a slight tremor . Khadgar was trying to claw his way back in . A useless effort . And as for the Burning Legion . . . It was not a difficult decision . Gul ' dan ' s days of servitude were done . There was nothing that could stop him . He would have no master . A speck of doubt crawled in his belly . He grimaced and waited for the power coursing through his veins to melt it away . It didn ' t happen . Gul ' dan was getting annoyed . Perhaps this was a mortal weakness that could never be overwhelmed : self - doubt . He examined his feelings . He was supremely confident in the strength he held . Where was this uncertainty coming from ? The floor quivered again . " Khadgar " . And he was no longer alone . Gul ' dan could sense Maiev Shadowsong , too . She had come back . That was unexpected . When Gul ' dan had observed them earlier , he had noticed enmity between them . They had overcome it unsettlingly fast . Now they were working together . They wanted to break in ? Wonderful . Let them rush to their deaths . Killing them would clear Gul ' dan ' s head nicely . And then there would be nobody left on Azeroth to oppose Gul ' dan . " Except . . . " There . That was the doubt . Khadgar had been utterly defeated , and yet he wasn ' t giving up . Shadowsong objected to the archmage ' s very presence , and she was risking her life to aid him . They were just two . There were others . Those others . . . Together . . . they had faced the Iron Horde and won . Together . . . they had " run " toward battle against the corrupted Horde . They had entered Gul ' dan ' s citadel and torn it to pieces . Together . . . they had opposed the Burning Legion . They had defeated Archimonde . If they would not flee from " him " , they would flee from " nothing " . Genuine horror spread through Gul ' dan ' s mind . He was standing on a unique world with creatures far more tenacious than even the archmage . Gul ' dan would have to face " all " of them . Alone . Answering to no master . But alone . Gul ' dan had no measure of his new power , but he had a measure of " theirs " . He stood in the tomb for a long time . Thinking . Calculating . Rocks tumbled in the chamber . Khadgar shoved through the hole and pulled himself inside . Maiev followed , her umbra crescent poised to strike . Together , they ran toward him . Gul ' dan only watched . They struck . He brushed them away without lifting a finger , and they were hurled across the chamber . Maiev rotated in midair and gracefully hit the wall in a smooth crouch , and Khadgar simply blinked from the air back to the ground , landing easily . They tried again . This time Gul ' dan actually had to move ; Maiev ' s blade missed his throat by a hair ' s - breadth . Khadgar rained down ice . Gul ' dan clapped his hands . Walls of green fire slammed together . Khadgar should have been squashed like a bug . Instead he leaped free . And there was Warden Shadowsong , trying " again " to carve him up . He reached out , intending to rip the very soul from her body . But Khadgar ' s power was there , redirecting Gul ' dan ' s strength until she could retreat . " Help me understand . " Gul ' dan ' s voice was strangely calm , even to his own ears . " Why do you fight ? You can do nothing here but die . " " Then kill us , if you can , " Khadgar spat . Shadowsong set her feet and slammed her blade twice against a pillar , a wordless gesture of agreement . Gul ' dan had no doubt that he could kill them both . But they should have been dead already . Their stubborn resistance was exactly what he would face on this world , over and over again . Khadgar and Shadowsong were only the first of many . " I cannot defeat them all alone . " Gul ' dan could kill these two . Or he could obey the Burning Legion . He closed his eyes . With a groan , Gul ' dan let his wondrous power slip from his grasp . Kil ' jaeden seized it and sent it straight into the tomb . The walls glowed ever brighter , rivaling the midday sun . Gul ' dan felt a keen sense of loss . All that power gone . The tomb was not simply using it ; it was consuming it . Terrible sounds , magnificent sounds , deafening sounds , they heralded the creation of a bridge that joined two worlds . Suddenly the way was open . Air rushed from another plane of existence , roaring through the chamber at hurricane speeds . Khadgar and Maiev dropped to the floor , holding on . And then he heard that familiar voice . " — WELL DONE , GUL ' DAN . YOU DO INDEED HAVE THE VISION I HAD HOPED FOR . — " Kil ' jaeden ' s words no longer rattled in his head . They no longer needed to . Gul ' dan felt something new from the Burning Legion : trust . It was a dizzying sensation . " What do I do ? " Gul ' dan asked . " — WATCH . SEE WHAT YOU WILL INHERIT . — " Kil ' jaeden pulled Gul ' dan through to witness the Legion ' s glory . Light spilled into the infinite shadow , illuminating the ranks of an army that stretched beyond sight . They were ready . They always had been . But they had never before had a clear path . Not like this . Whirling power beckoned them to another realm , and they gladly obeyed . " It is more than I had dreamed , " Gul ' dan whispered . " — IT IS THE BEGINNING OF AZEROTH ' S END . — " And there it was : Azeroth . Gul ' dan stood aside as the Burning Legion ' s forces surged forward . Ever forward . Soon he would join them . Not as a servant . As a leader . Khadgar ' s heart was pounding in his ears , drowning out his nightmare that had come to life . " Keep going , Maiev ! " he shouted , running . She kept pace but didn ' t respond . There was nothing more to say . " The Burning Legion is here . " Gul ' dan had vanished in front of their eyes , immediately replaced with others . So many others . There had been nothing that Khadgar and Maiev could do but flee . Already the Legion was pursuing them . Khadgar dared not look back . The walls around him were shimmering and crumbling . Somehow Gul ' dan had destroyed the five seals under Khadgar ' s nose , and the dormant portal was awake . " I can ' t rebuild the seals " , Khadgar thought desperately . He couldn ' t even conceive of the power required to accomplish that . So he ran . Sunlight poured through a doorway ahead . Maiev reached it first and wheeled north . " I am going back to the vault ! You draw them away ! " Khadgar veered east . " Good luck , Warden ! " " Fight and die well , Archmage ! " He spread his arms wide and took to the sky as a raven , channeling magic into a dazzling display of light and sound . It did the trick . A chorus of screeches erupted behind him . He risked a glance back . The ground was already writhing , swarming with the vanguard of an army that sought to conquer everything . The sky was darkening , hidden behind a blooming tower of green smoke that rose from the island . He saw a familiar figure there . Gul ' dan levitated in the midst of the inferno , his laughter serenading the horrors he had unleashed . He pointed at Khadgar . Flocks of winged demons rushed to obey . Khadgar strained to gain more speed . The Legion ' s forces would pursue him hard . That might give Maiev and her Watchers the time they needed . Or it might not . " But she came back " . It was a small victory amid such failure , but a victory nonetheless . He caught a draft of air and let it propel him through the sky . This was no longer about Maiev . Or Khadgar . Or even Gul ' dan . " There must be a way to stop the Legion " . Khadgar had failed . He needed answers . He needed help . If he stayed , he could do nothing but die . So he kept flying . The demons showed no signs of slowing even as he soared across the open ocean , leaving the Broken Isles far behind . He would warn the Kirin Tor . The Alliance and the Horde . Everyone . They would answer the call as Maiev had . He had to believe that . The great nightmare was beginning , and no one on Azeroth would be able to wake from it alone . END