Breath of Evil

Wherever Prince Valerian could see, the sky from top to bottom was ruled by roaring warships. Rolling cannon fire outlined the mountain-like silhouettes of those colossal vessels, while countless flames fell toward the earth like millions upon millions of stars plunging into a river of stars.

Up close, he found those starships especially terrifying, as if they commanded raging winds and wielded thunderbolts. From far away, however, they were merely falling black specks, drifting as lightly as leaves dropping through a forest.

Only then did Valerian recall how insignificant humanity truly was, and how vast this expanse of space could be. Even the fusion flames of an interstellar warship several kilometers long were no more than scattered fireflies beneath a bright moon.

Lieutenant General Stukov's flagship occupied the best position. This steel behemoth stood high at the crown of the sky, its crystal-like pale violet hull reflecting the orange-red glow of naval gunfire. The view from its bridge was broad and unobstructed.

Standing here, Valerian should have been able to easily see the Tal'darim Altar and Arakan Citadel, all the way to the borders of The Shattered Temple. That region lay beside the sea, crisscrossed by rivers and dotted with hills, broad lagoons, and mangrove forests.

Yet endless purple fog shrouded the entire Steppes of War on Bhekar. Void rifts constantly emerged from the ground, while red light that seemed to come from the lowest depths of hell licked at the towering shadows cast by temple structures like flowing fire. Deep within the misty forests, malicious howls rang without end. Screams and groans unlike any human voice seemed to rise from within one's own heart, sending chills down the spine.

In the Khalani language of the Protoss, the word Terrazine literally translated as the Breath of the Creator. The Tal'darim