Sinestra

Katnara Prysto spread her arms to her sides. Her body began to expand rapidly. With heavy breathing, the Countess who had once dominated Alliance politics collapsed, supporting herself on all fours, her face stretched forward. Her robes tore into pieces, fluttering into the air before instantly settling back onto her body, transforming into hard, dark red scales. A sharp tail extended from behind her. Her hands and feet transformed into powerful, sharp dragon claws.

All these changes were completed in the blink of an eye; the original humans disappeared, and in their place came a magnificent black dragon.

Onyxia spread her enormous wings and leaped into the air. The black dragon flew towards Dragonmaw Fortress. Powerful muscles propelled her upwards, moving at full speed under the cover of night.

Seconds later, she shot into the night sky. A whirlwind formed behind her, sweeping away any trace of her.

The fortified fortress was situated in a crystal forest. In front of the fortress, one could vaguely see Stone-Gnawer mining crystals and some homeless gas elementals.

Onyxia had heard that the strangely shaped and ugly Stone-Gnawer tasted quite good, but the Black Dragon Princess wasn't there to hunt for food. She tried to minimize the noise she made as she landed, but the Stone-Gnawer still scattered in terror.

Okay, if you get discovered, you'd better quickly revert to human form.

Despite the formidable strength of the Dragonmaw Clan Orcs, they remained completely unaware of the dragon's silent arrival. Onyxia transformed back into Katarina, combed her long black hair, and surveyed her surroundings. It seemed the person she was waiting for hadn't appeared yet. They must have been delayed by something important.

Shadowmoon Valley under the cover of night was eerie, filled with various dangers in the darkness. However, Onyxia had nothing to worry about; who would dare to provoke a dragon? Right now, the only thing that could slightly annoy her was the raven perched on a crystal. The bird's sharp cry sounded somewhat grating as it twisted its head, as if searching for the corpses of the Stone-Gnawer, preparing for a delicious meal. However, because Onyxia was present, it dared not fly down.

The woman smiled smugly; she enjoyed seeing others fear her, regardless of what kind of creature they were.

The black dragon now shielded itself with magic and headed southeast. She was eager to see the Dragonmaw Clan's training camp for the Voidwalkers. This would take extra time, but observing from a distance shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Where are you going?

Onyxia was startled by the sound, then immediately felt delighted.

"Mother?" she called out, but she couldn't see where the voice came from.

"Don't reveal our identities to the Orcs." A slender Blood Elf suddenly appeared before the Black Dragon Princess. "That would attract your father's attention."

Sinestra, the first consort of the Earthwarden Neltharion. Mother of Onyxia and Nefarian. One of the few remaining members of the Black Dragonflight.

"The common people all say that the father is dead."

"If what they say were true, you wouldn't be here, silly child." Sinestra removed her veil, revealing Onyxia's horribly charred face. Her disfigured appearance instantly amplified the Black Dragon Princess's anxiety a thousandfold. Onyxia would rather not have seen Sinestra than see that face. Even with the veil concealing the ugly marks, the Black Dragon Princess could still sense the tragic past hidden beneath.

"Is it your father?"

"The powerful force within him destroyed all my spouses except me, and even I..." Sinestra touched her face; this was only part of what had ravaged her.

Are you also avoiding him?

Onyxia's mother nodded. "It's been many years. Ever since your father... disappeared, I've been watching from the shadows for a long time before I dared to step out."

"My situation is similar to yours, Mother." Onyxia's face was grim. She was terrified every day because of the thought of her failed mission in Stormwind City and the possibility of being wrathed by Deathwing.

"Daughter, your brother..."

"He's dead," Onyxia replied. "He was killed by the Alliance, and the cause at Blackrock Mountain has completely failed."

"Deathwing won't be happy." Sinestra shook her head, put her veil back on, and said, "Listen, my daughter. Your father has gone mad, that's common knowledge, and he's not dead yet. He's just lurking in the shadows. If he were to suddenly appear one day, all of Azeroth would be his target for destruction, including you and me. So until then, we must find a way to deal with him."

"Deal with him?" Onyxia stared at her mother in astonishment. To think they could contend with the Earthwarden was utterly delusional. Even the other Guardian dragons combined wouldn't be a match for Deathwing. "What do you plan to do?"

"I intend to continue your brother's experiments," Sinestra said. "Your brother is researching the Chromatic Dragon, an experimental subject created using the power of other Dragons. His plan was thwarted by mortals, which gave me the opportunity."

"You obtained Nefarian's experimental data?" the Black Dragon Princess asked.

Sinestra nodded, turned to the other side, and chanted a spell. A Dragon Egg appeared before them. Strangely, the Dragon Egg was quite unusual; its surface lacked protective stone spikes. Instead, it was covered with patchy red and white spots.

"This is?"

"The Dragon Egg of the Life-Binder."

"Alexstrasza?" Onyxia blinked in surprise, examining the Dragon Egg with skepticism. "Why does her offspring look like this?"

"It's not a offspring; this Dragon Egg is simply unhatched," Sinestra explained, stopping Onyxia as she reached out to touch it. "Don't touch it; it's fragile."

You're saying it can't hatch?

"Yes, it's more of a container than Dragon Egg. Your brother's report indicates that the egg contains Alexstrasza's purest power."

"How did it come into being? It couldn't have been created by that Red Dragon voluntarily wasting its power, could it?"

Sinestra was also puzzled by this question; she searched for a long time in Blackrock Mountain but could not find any information about the origin of the Dragon Egg.

"That's what I'm curious about too. Besides that, there's another question: why doesn't your brother use this Dragon Egg? His laboratory in Blackrock Mountain is piled high with the corpses and eggshells of five-colored dragon hatchlings. But this thing is kept in a dark room, protected by a magical barrier."

"The secrets here are perhaps only known to Nefarian," Onyxia sighed.

Sinestra chanted the spell again, retrieving the Dragon Egg. Now, they were about to get down to business.

"Mother, why are you here? Are you dealing with those Dragonmaw Orc?"

"Yes," Onyxia's mother replied, glancing towards Dragonmaw Fortress. "Continuing your brother's experiments requires a large number of Dragon Egg. Fortunately, I found a substitute in Outland. Those Void Dragon, in theory, are also creations of Deathwing."

"You and I both know the madness our father has committed. I was also looking for a hiding place, and luckily I found one, and I also gained new servants."

"What servant?"

"A large horde of Undead," Onyxia replied. "They don't belong to the Scourge; their leader is called the Witherer. He has also come to Outland."

Hearing the word "Undead," Sinestra frowned. She disliked those mindless creatures; Dragons were proud and found it difficult to lower themselves to associate with corpses reeking of decay. "Are you sure, Onyxia? Are you sure you want to control a group of Undead? They might not be of any use?"

"But they should be able to cooperate with your actions."

These words made Sinestra's eyes light up. She smiled and held out her hand to her daughter, "Then go and do it, and be careful to protect yourself."