The light from the explosion of the Well of Eternity tore through the boundary between reality and the Void. Rhodes felt his body swept up in a violent torrent of energy, and the sights before him spun into a frantic blur—the verdant forests of Azeroth, the burning battlefields, the collapsing palace—everything vanished in an instant. In its place was the boundless, roiling Fel-fire of the Twisting Nether.
This was a green world, thoroughly corrupted by Fel. This was Argus. This was the Antorus, the Burning Throne.
He slammed heavily onto a dark green crystalline floor, an icy, searing heat radiating from beneath him. Gritting his teeth against the vertigo, Rhodes flipped to his feet. His instinct was to flare his Holy Light into a protective barrier, but he suppressed it immediately. In this world of demons, in the heart of the Legion's corruption, brandishing Holy Light was a death sentence.
Rhodes looked around and found himself on a massive platform of Fel crystals floating in the void. Below were churning currents of emerald energy; in the distance, shattered remnants of worlds drifted like cosmic debris. The air reeked of sulfur and despair, and every breath felt like a thousand whispers screaming in his ears.
And before him, an entity beyond description was slowly turning around.
It was a titan that spanned the heavens. For the first time, Rhodes felt truly infinitesimal. The planet before him looked like nothing more than a large table to this being. A planet-sized giant. His body was forged of bronze titan-steel, yet he was wreathed in eternal flames.
Sargeras.
Not the energy avatar from the altar, but the true, complete Dark Titan. Upon seeing Rhodes, the planet-sized Sargeras let out a cold snort and compressed his form, shrinking until he was a hundred-meter-tall giant. Dark metallic armor covered him, Fel-light pulsing through the gaps like burning stars instead of blood.
At Sargeras's feet, a mangled figure was wailing—Xavius. The former Satyr King was being melted and reshaped by Fel flames like a candle, his screams piercing but insignificant under the Titan's presence.
"No, Master! It was Rhodes's fault!" Xavius shrieked. "He introduced the mage Illidan! That mage betrayed you! He destroyed the portal! I have always served you!"
"RHODES—YOU DARE APPEAR BEFORE ME. YOU HAVE FAILED. YOU SHALL ENDURE MY WRATH."
Sargeras's voice exploded in Rhodes's mind, a weight of collapsing mountains. Rhodes's legs buckled, but he forced himself to stand straight. He had to look Sargeras in the eye.
"Great Lord Sargeras," Rhodes said, his voice trembling with a mix of genuine fear and practiced acting. "I... I failed. I could not stop the traitors... I could not save the portal..."
"FAILED?" Sargeras stepped forward, the platform trembling. He leaned down, his face of molten metal inches from Rhodes. "NO, RHODES. YOU DID NOT MERELY FAIL." His voice was terrifyingly calm. "YOU LET ANTS DESTROY A PLANET-SOUL I HAVE SOUGHT FOR MILLENNIA. AZEROTH IS GONE... BECAUSE OF YOUR INCOMPETENCE."
A hammer-blow of pressure hit Rhodes's chest. He tasted blood but swallowed it back. "Lord, let me explain—"
"EXPLAIN? YOU HAD BEST GIVE ME A REASON NOT TO TREAT YOU AS I TREAT HIM." Sargeras gestured to Xavius, whose limbs were being torn apart and regrown into twisted masses of tumors and eyes.
"Lord Sargeras," Rhodes said, playing his final trump card. "I remember you gave me a reward—a promise. If you wish to kill me, I wish to use that reward. Or, you could listen to my explanation."
Sargeras paused. "I HAVE NOT TURNED YOU TO ASH ALREADY ONLY BECAUSE OF THAT PROMISE. SPEAK."
"Lord, if I were a spy, why would I jump into the portal to face you? I could have stayed behind to celebrate victory! Furthermore, you ordered me NOT to interfere with the portal or the invasion. Xavius blocked me at every turn because he was jealous of your favor. If you had entrusted the portal to me instead of this failure, none of this would have happened!"
Sargeras narrowed his eyes. Rhodes was right; he hadn't fully trusted Rhodes and had kept him away from the core ritual. "XAVIUS HAS INDEED BEEN HOSTILE... AZSHARA'S REPORTS CONFIRMED YOUR CONFLICTS."
"Great Sargeras," Rhodes continued, seeing the Titan's anger shift. "Xavius and the Queen failed, but I am a Master of Space. I can return to Azeroth on my own. I can find a new power source and reopen the way for the Legion."
Sargeras's expression shifted. The prospect of a second chance soothed his rage. "I FORGIVE THIS FAILURE, BUT FORGIVENESS HAS A PRICE. XAVIUS WILL REPENT IN ETERNAL AGONY. YOU, RHODES, WILL PROVE YOUR WORTH."
"Your command, Lord?"
"YOU SHALL HAVE FULL COMMAND OVER THE NEXT INVASION. BUT IF YOU FAIL AGAIN, YOUR SOUL WILL BE MINE FOR ETERNITY. NOW—GO BACK AND OPEN THE WAY."
"Wait, Lord Sargeras," Rhodes said, pushing his luck. "I will serve, but what about the power you promised me? If I am to go back and fight those who defeated the Legion, I need the strength to crush them for you."
Sargeras laughed, a sound like grinding tectonic plates. "ARROGANT TILL THE END. VERY WELL. I PROMISED YOU POWER ONCE WE MET FACE-TO-FACE. FOLLOW ME, RHODES. I SHALL GRANT YOU FEL ENERGY BEYOND IMAGINATION."
Perfect, Rhodes thought. I'll let you buff me till your pockets are empty.