The Dawn of the Cataclysm

Roars and clashes intertwined across the battlefield. Smoke rose everywhere, corpses littered the ground, and blood flowed in rivers, yet figures continued slaughtering one another.

Suddenly, a massive roar rang through the entire battlefield. The battlefield fell silent. Everyone, whether Alliance or Horde, stopped attacking and turned toward its source.

Alpha and Sylvanas also stopped fighting upon hearing the roar. Alpha in particular found it strangely familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before—like in a dream. A dream! The Emerald Dream! No, Alpha remembered where he had heard it. Ignoring the battle before him, he hurriedly searched for Varian. Sylvanas watched Alpha's actions in confusion, but silently followed him.

Malfurion listened to the familiar sound and murmured toward the distance, "He still came." Tyrande, beside him, looked at her husband in confusion. Hearing the roar, Thrall discovered that the elements around him were emitting fear and trying to flee. As he soothed them, he sensed something as well. "I can feel that scorching, evil power approaching this place."

Varian and Garrosh both felt fear upon hearing the roar. Varian touched his trembling hand. "Damn it, what exactly is that thing?" Garrosh found that he could not move even a single step. Both of them sensed more than the others—the rage that no one else could feel.

"King Varian, that's a dragon's roar! Leave there quickly!" Alpha shouted as he ran toward Varian. Hearing Alpha's cry, Varian thought, A dragon? Haven't all dragons gone into hiding? Why would there be a dragon here? No, this sense of fear definitely isn't from an ordinary dragon. Garrosh spoke. "Varian, even if you want to leave now, it's too late. Look over there." He pointed in a direction with the massive axe in his hand.

Varian looked in that direction and saw a black dragon flying toward them. At that speed, it would arrive before long. Malfurion, Tyrande, Thrall, Vol'jin, Alpha, and Sylvanas had all gathered there by then. Varian asked Malfurion, "Do you know what that is?" Malfurion replied, "Under normal circumstances, you would never want to know what it is. But now it's too late." Looking at the approaching black dragon, Malfurion uttered four words: "Deathwing."

When the dragon—Deathwing—flew over, it did not linger. It was as though it could not see the people fighting below. No, rather, no one present was worthy of its notice. It had come here solely to announce to the world that Deathwing, once the ruler of Azeroth, had returned.

When everyone thought the dragon was about to attack them, it merely released its overwhelming pressure before flying away.

Yet that pressure forced all the soldiers present to collapse onto the ground, unable to rise. Only a few commander-level figures could barely withstand it, though their injuries worsened as a result.

The leaders of the Alliance and Horde now understood that the true crisis was not the threat they posed to one another, but the threat of that dragon.

Malfurion looked at Varian and asked, "Your Majesty, given the situation, we cannot continue fighting. If we keep exhausting ourselves like this, we will have no strength left to withstand the dragon's attacks." Varian had already made a decision, but asked, "If I withdraw my troops now, how can I guarantee that the Horde won't stab us in the back?" Malfurion said, "We Druids will remain on the battlefield until the last person has left before withdrawing. And trust Thrall."

The Horde was holding discussions as well. Garrosh said, "While the Alliance commanders are all here, kill them all." Thrall stopped him. "Warchief, now is not the time for us to fight each other. Look at the soldiers around us. They have already lost their ability to fight, and there is still a dragon threatening us. We should withdraw at once and prepare our defenses." Vol'jin and Sylvanas joined Thrall in stopping Garrosh. Garrosh looked at Varian and the others, then at Thrall. He understood that if he insisted on fighting, Thrall and the others would certainly remove him from the position of Warchief. Garrosh said, "I can agree to withdraw, but how can we ensure that the Alliance won't pursue us?" Thrall said, "I'll stay behind."

Afterward, both sides began withdrawing with tacit understanding. The moment the soldiers heard that they could leave, they hurriedly supported one another as they departed the battlefield.

Malfurion and Thrall, the last to leave, exchanged a look. They understood each other's worries.

Deathwing continued flying, looking down upon everything in Azeroth. Wherever it passed, the elements began to riot, the ground rose and fell, and the sea devoured everything. Once-great land became vast oceans, lush green forests turned into seas of fire, and the entire continent underwent earth-shaking changes.

After Deathwing passed over the steel fortress of Orgrimmar, thick smoke billowed everywhere, and even steel melted.

After leaving Kalimdor, Deathwing flew toward the Eastern Kingdoms. Its first stop was Stormwind.

In Stormwind's Valley of Heroes, the statues of heroes were damaged. Deathwing left two claw marks oozing magma upon the city walls, and the waters of the moat evaporated.

Deathwing then continued flying over the Eastern Kingdoms. Lava flowed merrily through the Burning Steppes, while the black dragons lingering there roared in welcome for their leader's return. On the nearby Twilight Highlands, Cho'gall sensed Deathwing's power and issued order after order.

After circling the Eastern Kingdoms for a long time, Deathwing flew into the Maelstrom and vanished from the world's sight. But the disaster it brought had only just begun.

The messenger departing from Dalaran finally arrived in Stormwind, but the Stormwind before his eyes no longer possessed its former prosperity. He hurried to the Mage Quarter and used an intact teleportation array to search tirelessly for King Varian. On the Horde's side, messengers were likewise searching for Warchief Garrosh.

A day later, Varian received news from Dalaran. Only then did he understand the severity of the situation. Even the Kirin Tor could not withstand Deathwing's attacks. Upon learning that Stormwind had nearly been destroyed, the king was furious, yet also felt deeply powerless. He was furious that his capital had been ruined, and powerless because his strength alone was simply not enough to deal with that dragon.

Malfurion stepped forward. "I suggest that we form an alliance with the Horde. This is no longer a problem that either side can solve alone. This is a problem facing all of Azeroth." Varian said with a grim expression, "You're asking me to cooperate with that butcher Garrosh? Impossible." Malfurion said, "It won't be just the two of you cooperating, but the entire Alliance and Horde. I propose a council of leaders." Upon hearing the words "council of leaders," Varian fell silent. Though he was the leader of the Alliance, the council's decisions held supreme authority.

Things were simpler on the Horde's side. Thrall somehow persuaded Garrosh to stop the war. Perhaps it was Orgrimmar's devastation, or perhaps it was the casualties of war. In any case, Garrosh agreed to end the conflict. At the same time, the chieftains of the Horde's various tribes began gathering in Orgrimmar to discuss how the Horde should survive in the future and how it should face the Alliance.

The war ended just like that because of Deathwing's appearance, but the disaster Deathwing brought had only just begun. In the end, Deathwing had not yet shown its fangs. It had merely announced the arrival of the age of the Cataclysm.