That colossal shadow hung in the sky like a twisted mountain, the stench of decay pouring from him, accompanied by a horde of undead Proto-Dragons under his control.
Fear spread across the battlefield, other Proto-Dragons had scattered and fled; Titans Keeper Tyr was severely wounded.
At this moment, only the five Dragons were still fighting.
(The Dragon Aspectss battle Galakrond)
Neltharion roared to the sky, his voice like thunder, piercing through the wind and fear—it was not a roar of destruction, but a call to battle.
The other three Proto-Dragons desperately entangled the swarming undead Dragon horde, carving a path to the giant beast for Neltharion and Malygos.
Malygos—his closest comrade-in-arms, and the wisest among them—suddenly dove, his claws gripping a massive boulder.
As Galakrond roared, he gathered his strength and hurled the boulder with thunderous force into that fanged maw.
The heavy rock slid down his throat, and the giant beast let out a suffocated groan, his massive body thrashing violently, a tearing cough in his throat. Galakrond lost control of the undead Dragon horde; they fell into chaos, beginning to fight among themselves.
Malygos followed up with a Frost Breath, completely freezing the boulder deep within Galakrond's throat.
Neltharion's vertical pupils suddenly constricted—a dangerous and daring idea formed in his mind.
He roared orders, pushing the undead Proto-Dragons into Galakrond's maw.
One, two, three... Death and decay were forcibly stuffed down Galakrond's throat.
Finally, the prehistoric beast, amidst earth-shattering roars and frantic struggles, was choked to death by his own undead servants, plummeting to the earth with a crash.
Ekseltus, who had been observing from the side, clearly captured the emotions surging in Neltharion's soul at that moment:
A strong sense of responsibility, determination to confront a terrifying entity, and the pure satisfaction and sense of power gained from fighting alongside trusted companions and ultimately changing the world's trajectory.
This emotion and the fragments forming this memory converged in the multicolored Dragon's foreclaw, removing NZoth's later twisted "power above all" ideology, restoring Neltharion's original motivation for accepting the Titans's blessing:
"That was the first time he experienced the immense power, capable of changing the world, unleashed by fighting alongside his companions."
—Divider—Then, the scene shifted.
Black Dragon Neltharion soared through the vibrant skies of Azeroth, his scales shimmering in the sunlight.
At this time, he was not a destroyer, but a shaper.
His Dragon claws guided the ley line energy, calming restless elements, triggering volcanic eruptions, and solidifying lava to create gentle valleys and fertile plains.
He witnessed mortals building homes and thriving on the land he had shaped.
He flew low over forests, feeling the pulse of the earth and the exuberance of life.
Ekseltus could clearly sense the deep and calm pride in Neltharion's heart at this moment, as well as a sense of responsibility intrinsically linked to the land beneath his feet.
This emotion was extremely pure, stemming from the self-worth derived from guardianship itself, rather than the possessiveness and desire for dominion twisted by NZoth.
This emotion and memory also transformed into fragments, recording Neltharion's thoughts at this very moment:
"He once believed that this land was his responsibility and his pride."
—Divider—Subsequently, the dream arrived at a massive forge chamber, Aberrus.
Neltharion gazed intently at the life taking shape in the forge—the Dracthyr.
His will guided the fusion of mortal and Dragon essences.
Ekseltus sensed Neltharion's thoughts at the time:
He understood the potential of mortals and the might of Dragons, while also perceiving the fragility and transience of mortals, as well as the difficulties Dragons faced in increasing their numbers.
He yearned to combine the strengths of both, to create a perfect Guardian.
They were not merely weapons created to fight the Incarnate Dragons, but a pursuit of an even stronger "Guardian power."
Ekseltus noticed that tentacles and whispers representing corruption had already appeared in the dream.
They were twisting Neltharion's view of the Dracthyr.
Gradually, fear took over: What if these perfect Guardians went out of control?
He must "completely" control them, just as the Titanss sought to completely control the Five-colored Dragon—
Ekseltus intervened in time, eliminating the stubborn obsession with "absolute obedience" that arose from corruption, preserving Neltharion's original intention when creating the Dracthyr:
"He longed for a perfect, never-betraying Guardian power."
—Divider—As the dream gradually approached the present, the scene became increasingly oppressive.
Neltharion was curled up alone in the depths of his Highmountain lair.
Once, he soared through the sky, majestic and valiant; now, he was suffocated by the weight of the earth.
Ekseltus could feel his pain and exhaustion—this pain was not physical, but spiritual.
Becoming the Earth-Warder meant carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.
This should not have been a burden to crush a Dragon, but the dormant Old Gods were sealed deep within the earth.
His massive body trembled slightly, each breath incredibly heavy.
This weight was both a crown of glory and a heavy chain.
"He was a hero crushed by the burden of responsibility, and also a prisoner longing to break free from his shackles."
This pain was so real, a key weakness later exploited by NZoth.
Ekseltus sighed, still gathering this memory and emotion.
After all, this was all that Neltharion had experienced; without it, he would not be the complete Earth-Warder.
—Divider—The final fragments were filled with twisted tentacles, accompanied by whispers that reached the depths of the soul.
Neltharion stood before the dragon soul, the golden disk emanating destructive power.
The other Dragon Aspectss were flying towards him, trying to stop their mad brother.
He forcibly activated the dragon soul.
Destructive energy surged forth, directly targeting the closest Blue Dragonflight!
Malygos bore the brunt of it.
Ekseltus's gaze was like a torch, penetrating the pervasive corruption in the dream, keenly catching a detail:
In the instant the destructive torrent was about to completely engulf Malygos, Neltharion's will, controlling the dragon soul, showed an extremely subtle deviation.
It was this seemingly insignificant deviation that prevented the destructive energy from directly hitting Malygos.
Although the Blue Dragon King was severely wounded and almost the entire Blue Dragonflight was annihilated, Malygos miraculously survived.
Ekseltus captured Neltharion's deepest thought at that moment.
It was not the pleasure of destruction felt by his already chaotic outer mind, but a desperate, twisted self-justification.
His uncorrupted part needed to find a reasonable explanation for this betrayal, a reason that could convince himself to continue doing this.
The core of this reason was stripped away by Ekseltus, restored to a pale yet true monologue:
"At that moment, he convinced himself this was for a greater order."
What was this order? It was already vague, probably just a forced excuse.
Ekseltus slowly withdrew his will, which had delved into the core of the dream.
He watched Deathwing, still twitching in pain even in his slumber.
These stripped-away emotional and memory fragments would be key to saving Neltharion.
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