Chromatus

"What are you going to do?" Onyxia took a step back warily, staring intently at the person who posed a threat to her.

Nathanos chuckled as he observed the Black Dragon Princess's nervous expression. Even these races, who pride themselves on being above mortals, can feel fear.

"No need to be nervous." The Witherer's laughter was starkly contrasted with her cruel tone. Anger, like a fireball in her lungs, surged through Onyxia's blood.

"Do you know? If someone is locked up for too long, without anyone to talk to, let alone two years, their spirit will be destroyed by loneliness within two months." Nathanos stared at Onyxia, scrutinizing her carefully. "You seem to be quite special."

Onyxia smiled dismissively. "Two years is just a blink of an eye for a dragon."

Dragons, like Night Elf, are long-lived species; a hundred years wouldn't bother them, let alone just two.

"No matter how different the Dragons' concept of time is from that of mortals, the passage of time is the same for everyone."

Nathanos's strange words left Onyxia increasingly confused. The Black Dragon Princess had absolutely no idea what the Undead's purpose was.

"So what?"

"You know what? I was imprisoned once too," The Witherer said. "That was a long time ago, during Second War. I was arrested for offering war strategies to the Alliance commanders and spent several days in a cage. That experience taught me something: when people are lonely, they always find something to do. Besides eating and sleeping, the only way to pass the time is to reminisce and predict."

"Recollection and prediction?" Onyxia raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed, recollection and prediction." Nathanos' tone turned stern. "Recall your past, predict what might happen in the future. And all of this will become memories!" He pointed his right index and middle fingers side by side at Onyxia's forehead.

Suddenly, a sense of irrational doubt filled Onyxia's mind. She seemed to understand what Nathanos was going to do, but she doubted whether it was even possible. No one was more skilled in mental magic than the black dragon; using such magic against her would undoubtedly be foolish.

"Do you think you can do it?" Black Dragon smiled calmly, as if he thought the Witherer had lost his mind and was talking nonsense.

"I told you, you will be the first person to witness the power of the Valkyr."

Onyxia looked at the Witherer, recalling how the Forsaken fed her, kept her like a pet in a cage, and isolated her from the outside world, reminding her every day of the Black Dragonflight...

"No, don't even think about it, I absolutely won't allow it..." Before Onyxia could transform back into her dragon form, a powerful energy strike to the back of her head suppressed her.

"We'd better not waste any more time." Nathanos saw that the spell came from the Kira. He carefully placed the bow and arrows he had made in the snow to cool them down, and then said to the other Valkyr, "Let's begin."

Onyxia felt as if the end of the world had come, her body utterly powerless. A melody, the incessant flapping of seven wings, spurred her on; all she could see were the shadows of the Valkyr swirling around her on the ground. Soon after, a second, third, and fourth spell sprang from the fingers Onyxia three more Valkyr, their oppressive force multiplying several times over, forcing her to kneel in the snow.

She strained to lift her head, letting out a piercing scream. She desperately hoped her mournful cry would tear apart the Witherer watching the spectacle.

"Master, are you ready?" Agatha asked. She, Daschira, Alsurra awaited Nathanos's command.

"Let's begin. I want to see all her memories."

The three Valkyr nodded to each other and landed before the Black Dragon Princess, chanting ancient incantations simultaneously. Onyxia saw three black halos surround her, slowly converging at her feet.

Just as the halo seemed to be merging into her body, the Black Dragon Princess took a deep breath. Her heartbeat seemed to slow down, and in this tense situation, just as her memories were about to be stolen, she actually relaxed.

No, no. She was certain this wasn't her intention, but rather the spells of those Valkyr, because her will to resist was fading away, and most terrifyingly, her mind was no longer filled with the methods used to torture the Witherer to death, but with memories of what she had seen and known in the past.

"She has too many memories."

"Filter out the useless stuff," Nathanos said. "I only watch clips of Deathwing, Nefarian, and his mother Sinestra."

"As you wish, Master."

The next second, Onyxia was even more certain that this was the work of the Valkyr. Fragments of the three people mentioned by the Witherer kept flashing through her memory. From ten thousand years ago to the present, every plan and action of the Black Dragonflight that she knew was no longer a secret. A pair of eyes were peering into her mind, the Witherer seemed to be deeply attracted.

Onyxia would never allow a mortal to defile her like this. She struggled to process her thoughts, conjuring up strange, fabricated images to distract the Witherer. Nathanos quickly frowned; the tactic seemed to have some effect. However, the ensuing side effects nearly caused Onyxia to faint; her head throbbed with pain. The resistance's side effects caused her entire body to spasm.

It's utterly unbelievable. Nathanos had no idea that the Black Dragonflight was secretly carrying out so many terrible plans on the continent of Azeroth. Some are in the past, but others are still ongoing. Onyxia is, after all, just a princess; her mad father might still be plotting something behind the scenes.

Nathanos was initially worried that Onyxia's memories wouldn't contain the answers he wanted, but now he was completely relieved. Onyxia not only knew, but was also very familiar with, the dark purple dragons mentioned in the latest report on the Forsaken — the Twilight Dragon, creatures that were also connected to her brother.

"Amplify the memories of Nefarian," The Witherer commanded eagerly, and soon he could see them more clearly.

In one scene, a human steps back and places the Dragon Egg on the ground. "Now, let me see the latest research findings."

The human stretched out both hands, one hand holding a staff that emitted a pale purple energy glow, while the fingers of the other hand trembled, presumably casting a spell. He chanted an incantation, and a stream of black Arcane Energy shot out from the staff head and coiled around the Dragon Egg.

A piece of eggshell fell. Nathanos found himself just as eager as Nefarian in the scene to see what would happen next.

The egg kept shaking, like a roly-poly toy.

"Ha, looks good." Nefarian gloated as he picked up the little creature that had just hatched from the egg.

Nathanos could hardly believe his eyes; he was certain that if he were still breathing, he should have stopped by now.

The little creature that emerged from the egg had five heads of different colors, and its body and neck were covered in strange spots. It had an extremely distorted and morbid appearance. Its tiny chest heaved. Its entire body was covered in mucus. Now, its ten eyes were staring at the person who had witnessed its hatching...

As the tide of pain receded, Onyxia collapsed to the ground, trembling and unable to breathe for a long time. She weakly opened her eyes and saw a pair of black shoes stopped before her. The Witherer was looking down at her.

The Undead's voice was unusually deep. "Chromatus?"