The Elemental Plane

"Our Pantheon has some minor troubles to deal with in the Astral Realm as well—a race known as demons." Vanidak's voice rang in the ears of the many Keepers.

"These evil creatures are comparable to the things currently infesting Azeroth. Every world they set their sights on is ultimately destroyed by their invasions. They are a great nuisance to the worlds we have shaped and ordered, so we dispatched warriors specifically to eliminate these loathsome parasites."

"Well, you can probably guess what happened next. Much like these Elemental Lords, their power was laughably weak against us. The warriors we sent easily crushed their armies. But unfortunately, after these damned creatures are killed in the Dark Void, they are reborn in their stronghold, a place called the Twisting Nether. This troublesome trait gave even us a headache. Little ones, can you guess how we finally dealt with them?"

"We await your wisdom, Your Formlessness," High Keeper Ra said respectfully.

"Mm, you need not be like this, Ra. Excessive humility is not a good thing. Everyone should have a will of their own. But let us not stray from the subject. Back to the crucial point: our brothers used their power to create a prison in a region of space with unique properties—a prison for demons. There, demons could never leave that star region. Even if they died, they would only be reborn there. And by the way, I was the one who picked that fine location for them."

"Your idea has enlightened me, Your Formlessness." After hearing Vanidak's description, Ra seemed to understand his intentions. He said, "You wish for us to create a prison for these unsolvable troubles as well, imprisoning them there for all eternity. Is that correct?"

"Bingo. Exactly right. That is precisely what I mean."

Having finally found a solution, High Keeper Ra breathed a sigh of relief. He asked Vanidak, "Your Formlessness, are there any special requirements when selecting a location for such a prison?"

"Mm... perhaps not for me. But given your power, I suggest choosing places similar to the elemental powers in question. The planes formed that way will be more stable. That is roughly the idea."

"For example, the Fire Elemental Lord's lair—the Firelands," Odyn offered from the side.

"Mm, correct. In that case, you can probably seal these Elemental Lords within their own lairs. Tsk, tsk, tsk, how interesting," Vanidak said with great interest. "They certainly never imagined that after being defeated, they would be locked in their own homes and never allowed out again. Forever."

"This is the punishment they deserve." High Keeper Ra raised his voice. Looking toward the other Keepers, he solemnly announced, "Then the plan is set, my brothers and sisters. It is time to depart. Follow the divisions we established earlier and drive these order-disrupting elements back to their homes!"

"Your will, High Keeper!"

Having found a solution, the Keepers acted swiftly. They each chose the locations of the Elemental Lords' lairs, then sought the aid of a sea-witch Titan-Forged named Helya, who was skilled in magic. In a hidden plane on Azeroth, they created four interconnected minor dimensional realms and named this plane the Elemental Plane. High Keeper Ra and Helya then banished the defeated and helpless Elemental Lords, along with nearly all their servants, into these completed magical prison realms. If nothing went wrong, this would be their prison forever. Forever.

Ragnaros and his Fire Elemental servants were banished along with his homeland—the Firelands, a place burning with fierce flames and flowing lava—to an ember-strewn corner of the Elemental Plane. The Stonemother Therazane and her earth elementals were firmly locked within the crystal caverns of Deepholm. She might never see Azeroth's sun again for the rest of her life. Al'Akir had hidden in the Vortex Pinnacle within Skywall, his palace. Not long ago, he had suffered another crushing defeat. Before the miserable fellow could carry out his vicious plans for revenge, he was dragged screaming into the Elemental Plane alongside his wind elementals. Finally, there was the Water Elemental Lord Neptulon. After his defeat, he hid in a deep-sea trench, hoping to evade the Keepers' pursuit. Yet just as he believed himself safe, he and his water elementals were sucked into the endless abyss of the Abyssal Maw prepared for him.

The successful sealing of these Elemental Lords and nearly all their servants left only a handful of elementals on Azeroth's surface. Having lost their leaders, those chaotic creatures had no will to keep fighting and scattered in every direction.

The Old Gods' mighty elemental army had finally been successfully dismantled.

After accomplishing all this, the Keeper legions could finally focus all their efforts on the Old Gods and their servants. Following their brief earlier clashes, the Old Gods had discovered that their servants were no match for these creations of iron and stone. The cunning creatures hid their Aqir armies deep underground, constructing vast tombs in the depths beneath the shattered planet to dwell in while evading the Keepers' pursuit.

Faced with these crafty opponents, High Keeper Ra had Keeper Archaedas wield his Earth Power. Every rock and clump of soil faithfully obeyed Archaedas's will. Through them, he sensed the underground nests of the Aqir, then launched surprise attacks that directly collapsed their dwellings. The Old Gods' plan was declared a failure, and their insect armies had no choice but to return to the surface.

When those insects had barely poked their heads out of their nests, what greeted them was not Azeroth's sunlight, but the shadows cast by the Titan-Forged. The prepared Keeper legions surrounded those creatures the moment they emerged, and the outcome was only too obvious.

The battle between the Titan-Forged and the Aqir once again became utterly one-sided. Before long, the Keepers had destroyed nearly all the Aqir. Only a few lucky survivors escaped, burrowing back underground and never daring to try returning to Azeroth's surface. The Aqir's rout also signified the complete defeat of the Old Gods' Aqir army. They no longer had the strength to launch a counterattack.

Having finally crushed the Old Gods' Aqir army, the many Keepers' confidence surged. This meant their work had taken its first step toward success, but Vanidak's reminder had also made them understand that the hardest battle had yet to begin. The Aqir were merely insignificant cannon fodder under the Old Gods. The real problem lay with the N'raqi armies directly under the Old Gods' command. That would be an enormous challenge.

At the Keepers' frontline command post, the Keepers who had completed their tasks on their respective fronts gathered once more. Looking at the map before them, they all turned their eyes toward its very center.

That was also the center of the Black Empire. The sprawling temple cities built around Y'Shaarj, the strongest Old God, testified to the Old God's power.

"Here, my brothers and sisters." Odyn pointed to the center of the map and declared loudly, "This is the heart of the Black Empire. I believe that if we can overthrow the mighty fortress built here by the Old Gods' servants, then we will surely be able to crush the enemy completely and cleanly!"

"Yes, Odyn, I agree with you. The Old God at the center of the Black Empire is Y'Shaarj. He possesses a form as vast as a mountain. He is likely the most powerful Old God in the world of Azeroth at present," High Keeper Ra voiced his own opinion. "If we can defeat him, then the other Old Gods will certainly be no match for us!"

"I support this battle!"

"I agree as well!"

"I think it is a good idea."

"Mm... a wise choice!"

The many Keepers responded in succession. Seeing this, High Keeper Ra gave the order. All Titan-Forged, attack the heart of the Black Empire.

War was always merciless. The Keepers advancing toward Y'Shaarj's mountain-like form endured one brutal battle after another. Y'Shaarj continuously dispatched his powerful N'raqi forces to intercept these invaders, while the Keepers fought with equal tenacity. Everywhere they passed was littered with the severed limbs and broken bodies of Titan-Forged and N'raqi.

At last, at the foot of the mountain Y'Shaarj had become, the Keepers encountered the final and strongest resistance: an elite guard directly under Y'Shaarj's command.

"Tyr! Support Freya! He is in trouble over there!"

"I'm on my way, Odyn! Behind you!"

Odyn spun around and blocked the thick tentacles of two N'raqi launching a sneak attack. He fought with all his strength and slew one of them, but as the other's tentacle was about to strike his body, Odyn had already prepared himself to be wounded.

Crack! Boom!

A thick bolt of lightning descended. The N'raqi that had nearly succeeded was blasted away by the massive current, turned into a charred mass, and convulsed continuously where it landed.

Seeing Odyn standing there in a daze, Ra, who had come to his aid, roared at him, "Wake up, Odyn! A battlefield is no place to stand around blankly!"

Seeing the other man come to his senses and leap back into the fray, High Keeper Ra shouted toward the sky, "Thorim! Hodir! How much longer do you intend to make me wait!"

"Almost ready, High Keeper!" Thunder gradually began to rumble, and dark clouds gathered across the entire battlefield.

Loken and Mimiron descended from the sky. After unleashing Arcane Missiles that blasted several N'raqi off their feet, Mimiron looked at the increasingly dense clouds above and the terrifying sparks flickering within them, then shouted, "Guys, the big one is coming!"

Loken added, "Get to low ground, and if you cannot, lie flat on the ground!"

Thorim and Hodir's voices also came from within the dark clouds.

"Take cover! We're coming!"

"Lightning! Storm!"