Dark World

Void Lords, beings born from the depths of shadow, were enormous entities composed of pure shadow energy. These creatures were far more cruel and merciless than mortals could comprehend. Born from the depths of the chaotic Void and driven by the endless realm, their sole purpose was to spare no effort in devouring all matter and energy in the material universe to satisfy their insatiable hunger.

Thus, from the very moment the material universe came into being, these dark spirits of the Void had sought to twist reality into an eternal purgatory. After suffering several painful failures in their secretly plotted invasions, the Void Lords finally set their sights on their greatest enemies—the Titans of the Pantheon. In their eyes, these powerful beings of order were a major obstacle to their grand plans.

So they decided to lie low and watch the Pantheon from the shadows, observing them travel between worlds and shape one world after another. The Void Lords fell into endless jealousy. They began to envy the Titans' power, and after a long period of planning, they decided to corrupt a Titan and turn it into a powerful tool in their hands.

They dispatched their most stealthy servants to approach the unsuspecting Titans. At great cost, these servants of the Void Lords were sent into the material universe. They lurked in the shadows, watching the Titans with venomous eyes.

But things did not go as planned. Before these hidden Watchers could unleash their power to corrupt the Titans, they were plucked out one by one by a Titan of the Pantheon. Not even the souls of the Void Lords' creations could escape his grasp.

This disastrous failure could not make the Void Lords give up. They began to show themselves throughout the material universe, constantly seeping their power into reality. Their fallen, corrupting power twisted certain unwary inhabitants beyond recognition. Yet in the face of these twisted and fallen creations, the noble and kind Titans remained unmoved. The Void Lords' plan had clearly failed once again.

At last, the Void Lords decided to abandon those Titans who had already awakened and matured. They turned their attention toward those yet to emerge, hoping to seep their influence into a Titan's body at its most vulnerable moment—before it awakened.

Even the cunning Void Lords did not know which worlds contained sleeping Titan spirits. Thus, they decided to expand their search. They gathered their power and sent dark creatures to every corner of the universe, hoping that by sheer chance they might encounter a World Soul and complete their evil plan.

Countless creations of the Void Lords flooded into the Dark Void. Over endless ages, they heavily polluted the mortal realms, tirelessly carrying out their masters' command to search for sleeping Titans. The strongest among these creations later came to be known by a name we are all familiar with—the Old Gods.

Though the wandering Titans could sense the dark energy that existed throughout the universe, they knew nothing of the hidden Void Lords or Old Gods. While the Pantheon dealt with the demons ravaging the Dark Void, these Old Gods successfully took root in numerous worlds.

The truth before Sargeras made his once resolute heart increasingly uneasy. Gazing at the black world before him, he began to realize that it was utterly unlike any world he had fought upon before. Although he had heard that World Souls sometimes fell into dreams while sleeping, causing changes in the surrounding star systems—something Aman'Thul had mentioned in passing—what lay before him was clearly not the sweet dream possessed by other World Souls as Sargeras understood it. This was a dark, unrecognizable nightmare. The tentacles cast forth by the Old Gods had rooted themselves deep underground, completely wrapping the Titan soul within in shadow.

That was right. The Void Lords' wide-net strategy had finally caught a big fish, and they already had that fish firmly in their grasp. They only needed to wait until the time was right for a powerful weapon to be born.

"No... what exactly is all this, my brother? That World Soul... his fate should not be this, but..." Sargeras's heart was filled with pain. It was as though he could hear the mournful cries of the World Soul tightly entangled by the Old Gods. Everything before him weighed heavily upon his heart and filled him with a nameless fear.

Forcing himself to calm down, Sargeras decided to enter this world and investigate it carefully. He wanted to see whether there was still a way to save it. Concealing his power, Sargeras quietly infiltrated this world saturated with Void energy. There, he encountered a group of familiar creatures.

Nathrezim. Among demons, they were one of the few truly cunning races. Sargeras had seen this kind of demon countless times on the battlefield. Even with all Sargeras's experience, the vicious and sinister schemes they possessed made him uncomfortable. And now, in this place permeated by the Void, demons had appeared.

This is no good sign. Sargeras's heart sank further as he sensed that something was wrong. He released his power and knocked all these fallen creatures to the ground. This time, Sargeras restrained his methods somewhat, leaving several alive for interrogation. There were questions he wanted answered.

"You... you're that demon! A merciless executioner, a butcher with blood on his hands—I know you! You... how are you here? You dare invade the territory of the great Old Gods? You will pay the price!"

One Nathrezim who appeared to be their leader seemed to recognize Sargeras. In a shrill voice, he let out a powerless roar and threatened this battle-hardened Titan. In return, Sargeras used the spells he had acquired through studying the Twisting Nether to show this fallen creature what it meant to be worse than death.

Clearly, the Nathrezim possessed many powerful traits, but loyalty to their masters was not among them. Before the harsh methods Sargeras displayed, these seasoned traitors quickly chose to reveal everything.

They were members of the Council of Nathrezim. After a successful invasion, they had discovered the existence of this dark world and sensed the Old Gods upon it. Strangely, this chaotic race had not chosen to wage war against them to claim ownership of the world. Instead, they had chosen to come and dwell alongside the Old Gods, intoxicated by their dark power.

They also revealed the information Sargeras cared about most: after occupying a world, these Old Gods continuously released Void energy. This power of the Void would steadily erode and corrupt any World Soul that might exist within it. If the Void successfully corrupted a newborn Titan, then once it awakened, it would become an unspeakable dark creature. The Nathrezim clamored that once they possessed these corrupted Titans, no one in the entire world—not even the Pantheon—would be able to stand against them.

At the same time, these twisted Titans could devour all matter and energy in the universe. Not even a speck of dust could escape their grasp. They were perfect weapons, and their appearance would lay the foundation for the arrival of the Void.

Sargeras, undefeated in his battles against demons, felt fear for the first time. From the Dreadlords' words, he learned that it was not only his brothers of the Pantheon who were searching for World Souls. The Void Lords lurking in the shadows were doing the same. He had never imagined, nor had he ever considered, that this fallen Void energy could so thoroughly corrupt a sleeping Titan.

But the lifeless, withered world before him lay bare before his eyes, leaving him no room to doubt it.

A blazing fury rose within Sargeras. The fire burning in his heart brought unbearable pain to his soul. With a casual sweep of his sword, he reduced these dark devotees to dust. Boundless rage multiplied his power, and the Dreadlords beneath his blade were destroyed so swiftly that they could not even scream. Their bodies were annihilated, and their souls could not escape, vanishing completely.

After casually eliminating these insignificant insects, Sargeras turned his attention, filled with endless fury, to the dark world before him. Looking upon his brother, corrupted by the Old Gods before he had even been born, Sargeras was consumed by grief as he considered what would happen if the corruption continued.

"No, no, my brother. Your fate should not be this. You should not suffer such torment. This is not your fault, but... but what should I do? Who can tell me what I should do to save you...?" Though the fury in his heart burned ever hotter, Sargeras's soul felt as cold as ice. He had no idea how to face the situation before him. Even the hands gripping Gorribar so firmly began to tremble slightly.

"There must be a way. There must be a way to purge that corruption. Yes, there must be a way." Sargeras seemed to find a path forward and comforted himself:

"Aman'Thul! Norgannon! They will surely have a way. Vanidak—yes, him too. My strange brother has a peculiar understanding of the Void. He must also have a way to save these World Souls. I... I will find them at once. I will bring them here to save you, my unborn brother!"

Having made up his mind, Sargeras seemed to calm down. He prepared to leave at once and seek out his brothers to resolve the situation before him.

However, just as he was about to leave, a surge of energy from the dark world stopped him in his tracks. That energy felt incomparably familiar. Every time he sensed it, his heart would surge with excitement, but at this moment, Sargeras's soul felt as if it had been cast into a frozen wasteland.

It was the fluctuation of a Titan about to be born!

Sargeras stood frozen in place for a long time, no one knowing what he was thinking. After standing there for what seemed like an eternity, Sargeras—the strongest warrior and guardian of the Pantheon—turned around to face the dark world that had left him so torn.

Slowly raising Gorribar in his hand and feeling the keen sharpness flowing from its blade, Sargeras murmured to himself in a voice so faint it was nearly inaudible:

"My brother, please... please do not blame me."

"I... have no choice..."