Reclaiming Himself
An hour later, Kalecgos returned to the familiar the Nexus. The battle was over, and the blue dragons were cleaning up the battlefield. The Arcanist had deliberately concealed his presence, and seeing the hopeful smiles on the blue dragons' faces, Kalecgos couldn't bear to tell them the bad news. He wasn't afraid of anyone seeing him in his disheveled state, but the fact that the Guardians had failed could very well cause terrible panic.
But the crisis had arrived, Kalecgos had to find a way to deal with Chromatus. He went to the Kirin Tor Howling Fjord. Dalaran had already evacuated, but they hadn't taken their belongings. Kalecgos transformed back into human form, found a chair, and conjured a steaming cup of beverage in his hand. The drink tasted sweet and fragrant, and with each sip, his fatigue lessened.
Prior to this, he had secretly spoken with Tethys, sending his sister and Lady Alleria to find him here. Bright flames danced in the brazier before him, yet Kalecgos felt no warmth. Today, he had nearly perished under the power of Chromatus.
"Brother?"
Kalecgos stood up and waved to Tethys and the Female Elf on her back. The mortal Arcanist smiled with satisfaction.
"Thank you for arriving in time," Kalecgos said. "I have something important to say." He coughed a few times and didn't look well.
"You're injured?" Tethys asked, her face showing surprise. Alleria was just as surprised; Kalecgos was already a Guardian, what could possibly harm him?
Kalecgos gave a forced smile, but her gaze was unusually serious. "Yes, you're not mistaken. I am indeed injured."
"Arygos' power shouldn't be enough to make you like this. What's going on, brother?" Tethys continued to ask.
"It is Chromatus," Kalecgos replied.
Alleria frowned in confusion. She had assumed that Tethys knew something about the name, but the female blue dragon looked just as puzzled as she did.
"That was a fully grown, Chromatic Dragon."
Shock and fear instantly replaced the confusion on Tethys's face. She clearly knew what Chromatic Dragon was; the implied meaning of those three words made her pale.
"I'm fighting alone," Kalecgos said softly, her tone devoid of complaint, but rather tinged with relief. If any of her blue dragon brethren had followed her in pursuit of Arygos, they would likely have suffered heavy casualties in the battle against Chromatus. "That Chromatic Dragon was called Chromatus; he was incredibly powerful, no match for me. Arygos is dead, already that monster's meal. The Prism of Focus is still in the Twilight's Hammer's hands; it was that artifact that resurrected Chromatus." Kalecgos a bitter smile.
Alleria looked at him curiously. One of the most powerful beings in all of Azeroth had actually conceded defeat. But the Arcanist wasn't being arrogant; his injuries were the best proof of that.
Tethys swallowed hard, now finally understanding why Kalecgos had suggested meeting here. "Brother, what should we do?"
The Blue Dragonflight leader also wanted to know the answer to this question. He didn't know how to defeat Chromatus, but he knew he couldn't win alone. "We must find the other Guardians to discuss a strategy. Ysera, Nozdormu, and... Alexstrasza."
"That monster, that Chromatus, what kind of abilities does he have?" Alleria asked.
Kalecgos stood up, his long, bright blue hair neatly draped behind his head. "This should have been none of your business, Lady Regent. I'm sorry." He fell silent after saying this, and Alleria simply waited patiently.
"The five-colored dragons are creatures that defy the laws of nature. They were created, and Chromatus is the only one of the Chromatic Dragon to live to adulthood. He can use the power of the five-colored dragons, and he has five heads."
"Five heads," Alleria murmured, each head corresponding to one of the five chromatic dragons. "What terrifying creatures, I can hardly bear to think about them."
"But I saw it with my own eyes," Kalecgos emphasized, his voice filled with the same fear as the Female Elf's. "Therefore, the power of the blue dragons alone is not enough to defeat him."
Tethys could no longer hide her confusion. "But how are we supposed to contact the other Dragons?"
Kalecgos turned to her, his eyes fixed on his sister. "By every means we can think of," the Blue Dragon Guardian's tone grew increasingly serious. "And we must hurry. I now possess the power of a Guardian, but it has proven insufficient to defeat the Chromatic Dragon on its own. I have exhausted all my strength in fighting it, and it remains weakened from its resurrection."
Tethys knew Kalecgos. Her brother always saw the positive side of things and never easily succumbed to negative emotions like anger or despair. But now, his expression and voice were filled with frustration and worry.
"Then I'll contact the green dragons." She glanced at Kalecgos, seemingly quite confident. "As for the Bronze Dragon, I'm sure the one who controls time knows what's going on here."
"Yes," Kalecgos agreed, falling into thought as well. "If we add the power of the other two Guardian Dragons, perhaps we can win." He quickly shook his head. "It's not enough." The Arcanist paced back and forth, her hair swaying rhythmically in the wind. "And the Red Dragon. We need the Life-Binder. We need her to give us hope." Kalecgos naturally looked at Alleria.
"I'm so sorry, madam," Kalecgos said. "You came here to find your child..."
"I'll talk to her again," Alleria said, smiling. "Last time, she had no intention of getting over it." The Female Elf's calm and realistic bitterness stifled her usual optimism; in fact, she was glad that Belorell hadn't been there, otherwise the chaotic scene would have surely hurt him.
"I will do my best this time as well, but let me make this clear: you'd better not let mortals get involved in your fight," Alleria said.
Kalecgos approached his friend. "I promise you. But please help Queen Alexstrasza find herself. With the Life-Binder and her Dragonmaw Clan, I believe there is only a theoretical possibility of defeating Chromatus."