Our Ancient Enemy; My Old Friend

In recent history there has been three major events which lead to their most notable and deadliest foes.

The first was the creation of the Scourge. Although the Forsaken were born out of those Scourge that found their own will, it can be safely said that most Scourge will remain pathetic wretches who, if they could think anything, would be thinking, "please kill me." The master of these scourge at the time was the Lieutenant of the then-absent Lich King: Kel'Thuzad who ruled from his floating ziggurat, Naxxramas. Kel'Thuzad was the unbeatable enemy who survived raid upon raid of those adventurers who sought both glory and Azeroth's freedom. Many came back with reports of his death, but somehow... he survived.

The second notable event was the reopening of my Dark Portal. When this happened, all the forces of Azeroth stormed the ancient homeland of the Orcs which is now known as the Outlands. The self-proclaimed ruler of this land was Illidan, the corrupted demon/Night Elf. Many assumed him to be the enemy that one could never defeat. But eventually... they did. Illidan fell after several raids and his lieutenant Kael'Thas, prince of the Blood Elves, though he also died, was resurrected to summon he who would become the unbeatable foe of this second era: Kil'jaeden. Though many attempted to kill this monstrous demon, it only ended in the Burning Legion's commander slipping back through his portal into the Nether. Kael'Thas is defeated, but Kil'jaeden is merely waiting... he survived.

Now the third notable event was the fullness of the Lich King. Since Arthas merged with Ner'Zhul, the Lich King had been sitting on his throne waiting for the perfect time to strike from his icy glacier. He amassed for himself great armies and finally sent an attack on the southern lands. Orgrimmar and Stormwind were hit by his forces. Meager forces meant only to lure the unsuspecting races to the Frozen North, Northrend. And this is where things get interesting...

After the first notable event, the most powerful being, Kel'Thuzad, was never defeated. He survived until this third event and has become one of the easiest beings in Northrend to finish off. His defeat has been recorded and Naxxramas rules no more. How sad is it that a character of such power was so easily slain? But this leads to greater question: If such a being could not be slain in his day, will the Lich King survive this most recent event?

This question may be answered by the second event. Because while the assumption was that the most heinous of monsters to be beaten after the reopening of the portal was Illidan, it is no doubt that Kil'jaeden, though a late-comer to the scene, was even more powerful than the half-demon Night Elf. If the fates write the story of the Lich King in a similar way, then it may be possible to defeat Arthas, but will a second, more powerful foe take his place? And if so... whom?

The possible answer to this question is one of very... personal interest. Fate seems to be placing a lot of interest of late on the origins of Azeroth: the Old Gods and the Titans. Although the Lich King has nothing to do with these beings, stories of them have reached the ears of adventurers in startling amounts as they make their way to Icecrown. It would seem ancient powers are being stirred and an old friend of mine just may return.

For the entirety of my adult days I had been plagued by the presence of one of the darkest beings to ever see existence. The Fallen Titan, Sargaras, chose me as his vessel to create a portal from Draenor to Azeroth and bring orcs and demons to the unsuspecting humans in the First War. Sargaras had full control of my mind and body. There is no possible way to explain how that felt. To be trapped in your own body, compelled to do things you would never have dreamed of doing. After a while, however, one becomes numb to the sensation. You begin to accept all the atrocities that are being committed by your body without your permission. It's as though... you're watching events taking place from the comfort of your own home... It's something... I rarely talk about these days.

Sargaras is the most evil, darkest figure on the map of our known universe. He has been thought defeated and returned in force before. It is not hard to believe that he will return again. And if fate is to write his story in a similar manner to Arthas, Kil'jaeden will return as his lieutenant as Kel'Thuzad returned as the Lich King's.

As this thought crossed my mind I was beset by grief. The days I lived under the control of the Dark Titan were days I never wish to experience again. I am nearly in tears thinking of all the horrid things he did while claiming to be me as I watched through my own eyes. But the fates have been bringing the story of the Titans more and more to light and he is an inseparable part of that story. I can only pray that if he returns there will be some way I can help bring him to his knees.