Cataclysm

Sylvanas took a step back and gasped. She knew the name. Ysera, the Keeper of Dreams, Queen of the Green Dragonflight. Sylvanas had heard tales of Ysera from the Night Elf during the Three Wars at Mount Hyjal; the Keeper had slumbered in her dreams for millennia. Now she had awakened.

It seems that this war that took place in the Wyrmrest Temple has changed many things.

"We must talk," Ysera emphasized again. Her voice deepened, resonating even more powerfully in her dragon form.

The Ranger of the Silver Covenant noticed the anomaly and quickly approached, but Sylvanas gestured for them all to retreat.

"Your Excellency Ysera, I apologize for trespassing on the Wyrmrest Temple, but please do not misunderstand, I had absolutely no intention of disrespect."

"Whatever your purpose in coming here, it is no coincidence, Sylvanas. Perhaps it is destiny that has brought you here to help us."

The dragon and the Elf stared at each other. Sylvanas wanted to tell Ysera that she had come only to find her missing nephew, but if she said that, Ysera might be disappointed. For some reason, Sylvanas didn't want to see the Green Dragon Queen sad.

"What help can I offer? After all, you are a guardian dragon, the most powerful being in this world. Why would you need my help?"

Perhaps Sylvanas's words were too humble and self-deprecating, for Ysera sighed helplessly, her voice still loud. "Do not underestimate your own power. In these dark times, before the Cataclysm, Azeroth needs mortals more than ever."

The Cataclysm? This was the first time Sylvanas had heard this term. What did it mean? A catastrophe?

"I have a hard time understanding what you're saying."

"Come closer, Windrunner. You'll see everything in the dream."

Sylvanas approached Ysera with a mixture of doubt and skepticism, each step making the dragon in her vision appear even larger.

When she was only five steps away from the Awakener's claws, Sylvanas suddenly felt the ground beneath her feet turn into a surging wave, offering no foothold. Maintaining balance while swaying was easy for a skilled Ranger, but the Female Elf quickly discovered that she wouldn't fall even without exerting any force, as if she had become a roly-poly toy.

This is a dream!

Sylvanas quickly realized that within seconds, Ysera had dragged her into a dream.

She felt unbearably hot all over, and a blazing sun, unlike anything Northrend had ever seen, appeared overhead, hanging high and seemingly very close.

This was no longer Northrend, Sylvanas felt no chill. She was surrounded by a vast ocean, the mountaintop she stood aloof on the waves.

A deep rumbling sound came from afar. She had never heard such a sound before, but with her keen intuition and experience of many voyages, she immediately knew where the dream had taken her when she looked down.

The Maelstrom —the heart of Azeroth.

Moments later, the seawater around the Maelstrom began to churn violently, the waves high and turbulent, as if some terrifying force was churning the surging surface. Even from her high vantage point, Sylvanas knew she was not safe. Even the once-solid rocks trembled. Facing the churning ocean and collapsing mountains, the Female Elf sensed something terrible was about to happen, something very, very bad. And then, without warning, it all happened.

Suddenly, a jagged crack appeared at the center of the Maelstrom, and the azure seawater abruptly turned fiery red, then blood red. As this occurred, the surrounding environment changed drastically; dark clouds shrouded the blazing sun, fierce winds lashed out, and the earth trembled violently. Sylvanas had to cling tightly to a protruding rock to avoid being blown away. Her eyes were fixed intently on the boiling, blood-red seawater below.

Giant waves crashed against the steep cliffs, the spray reaching unimaginable heights; the Female Elf could feel the scorching heat emanating from the bursting foam. The rumble grew increasingly violent, and before her horrified gaze, the Maelstrom, after a moment of Tranquility, suddenly erupted with a deafening roar. A visible black shadow, carrying towering lava, burst forth from beneath the sea. The fiery wave surged towards Sylvanas ...

The Female Elf suddenly pushed aside the Ranger surrounding her and jumped up. She was trembling all over and covered in cold sweat, her hands reaching out to grab something in the air.

"It's Deathwing, Deathwing!" Sylvanas screamed. But then someone grabbed her trembling hands, holding them tightly to calm her down. Sometime during the night, Ysera had already transformed back into her Night Elf form.

"Breathe! Breathe!" the Green Dragon Queen murmured.

Sylvanas inhaled deeply the cold air surrounding the Wyrmrest Temple, and now the chill was creeping back into her body, indicating that she had returned to reality. The nightmare had left her utterly exhausted.

"That hasn't happened yet, has it?" Sylvanas gripped Ysera's arm tightly, a movement that startled the latter.

"I thought you needed a good rest to understand the truth you've seen." Ysera smiled faintly, then shook her head in disappointment. "Yes, that hasn't happened yet, but the Cataclysm is already unstoppable. Before the crisis arrived, the Wyrmrest Accord, which was best positioned to stand up against Deathwing, had already fallen apart. Deathwing's goal has been achieved."

Sylvanas looked back at the tower behind her. The Wyrmrest Temple was still there; the Twilight's Hammer had failed to destroy it. Ysera's "disintegration" could only mean that there were internal conflicts within the Dragons. As long as the conflicts were resolved, everything could be salvaged.

"Deathwing has only won a temporary victory. He has merely made you distrust each other, not completely annihilated you. As long as the Guardian Dragons still have the belief to unite against Deathwing, then there is still hope."

Ysera seemed to have been waiting for Sylvanas to say this. With a smile, she clasped the Female Elf's hands together and asked, "So, are you willing to help us?"

Sylvanas nodded, though this was different from her original intention in coming here. She had also considered telling Ysera about Belorell, but she didn't want the Green Dragon Queen to think that her reason for offering help was just to make a deal, to get the Dragons to help find the Elf boy.

"This matter must be warned to others." Sylvanas said, while carefully considering who to inform: Jaina, the Alliance, Dalaran, and... the Forsaken.