After some discussion, and following a casual suggestion from Andreas, the Dragon Aspects decided to exploit Malygos's subconscious hatred for the Black Dragonflight. They positioned Nefarian as bait at the very front to lure Malygos into attacking him.
At this moment, the Black Prince was flying back and forth over the ice lake with a look of misery on his face. The surrounding animals had all been frightened into their burrows by the overwhelming aura of the dragon, not daring to emerge.
Fortunately, Malygos eventually followed the plan. With a thunderous roar, he burst out from the snowy mountains, flapping his wings as he lunged toward the slowly flying Nefarian.
Seeing the prey take the bait, Nefarian—who had no desire to be beaten again—immediately accelerated his retreat, leading the relentless Malygos over a specific mountain ridge.
Alexstrasza, standing by the ridge in her mortal form, saw the target arrive and immediately reverted to her original dragon shape. While Malygos was single-mindedly pursuing Nefarian, her thick dragon tail slammed brutally into the side of Malygos's neck.
With the Dragon Queen taking the first move, Ysera, Saragosa, and Soridormi also transformed and charged out.
Soridormi and Saragosa pinned down the dazed Malygos from the rear, one on each side. Ysera flew directly in front of him, her dragon pupils flickering with a faint green light as she stared into Malygos's chaotic eyes.
As the Dreamer who governed the Emerald Dream, Ysera was attempting to drag Malygos into a deep slumber.
The filthy Malygos currently possessed a mindset little different from a wild beast, making him an easy target for Ysera's spell. His eyes grew heavier and heavier, looking as though they were about to close.
But at that moment, the sound of massive wings cutting through the air in the distance startled Malygos awake.
"Roar!"
The furious Blue Dragon King struggled violently under the restraint of Saragosa and Soridormi. Ysera tried to hypnotize him again, but it no longer took effect.
On the ground, Andreas frowned as he looked toward the source of the noise. Three black dragons were flying together from the south of Dun Morogh, stopping about two kilometers away from the struggle.
"Tsk... Why now of all times?"
Andreas looked at the three dragons still entangled in the air. Ysera was busy intensifying her hypnotic efforts, leaving only the Dragon Queen, Alexstrasza, relatively free.
Upon seeing those three black dragons, Nefarian suddenly pulled his head back and hid inside the cave.
"The leader is Sabellian, Deathwing's lieutenant. They must have been ordered to search for me and Onyxia."
Since it wasn't yet the optimal time for a break, Nefarian and Sintharia decided to avoid these three black dragons for now and not meet them face-to-face.
Coincidentally, Sabellian and his two black dragon subordinates were also terrified when they saw the aerial battlefield ahead. They hadn't expected to encounter such a situation while merely looking for someone.
"The Red Dragon Queen, the Green Dragon Queen, the Blue Dragon Consort, and the Bronze Dragon Queen... and..."
"The one pinned in the middle... is that Malygos?"
"Oh no, Alexstrasza is looking this way!"
The Red Dragon Queen's majestic and sharp gaze was fixed firmly on the three black dragons nearby. She deliberately adjusted her position and flapped her wings, appearing ready to launch an attack.
"Retreat! The four Dragonflight leaders are not ones we can afford to provoke. Fall back immediately!"
Under Sabellian's command, the other two black dragons followed closely behind him as they fled in the direction they had come. The posturing Alexstrasza did not pay them any mind; the priority now was capturing Malygos.
As the black dragons fled, Malygos finally "fell asleep" under Alexstrasza's physical hypnosis. Ysera looked at her sister with a somewhat resentful expression.
"...I would have succeeded if I had just worked a bit harder."
Alexstrasza smiled dismissively. "There are black dragons lurking nearby. To avoid long nights and many dreams, it's better to settle this quickly."
Malygos was tied up tightly with arcane chains summoned by Saragosa. They opened a massive portal to Coldarra and tossed him inside.
Before leaving, Alexstrasza and Ysera both thanked Sintharia and Andreas.
"Our thanks to both of you for the information and assistance provided."
"Sintharia, once Malygos recovers his senses, we will launch an offensive against the Black Dragonflight. The madness of the traitor, Deathwing, must come to an end."
Soridormi spoke with an equally flat expression. "However, we cannot be certain how many years it will take. We hope you can continue to wait patiently for a while longer."
Andreas didn't know exactly how long "a while" was in dragon terms.
But Sintharia was clearly satisfied with the Wyrmrest Temple's promise. She nodded and said, "It just so happens that I also need some time to recover from my injuries."
"I plan to follow you back to Dragonblight and reside temporarily in the Obsidian Sanctum. I hope you can provide protection for Nefarian and me."
"No problem. We welcome any untainted black dragons returning to Wyrmrest Temple."
Nefarian pointed his dragon claw at himself in surprise. "I have to go too? But..."
"Shut up!"
Sintharia roared angrily at her son. "Your performance has been utterly embarrassing. From now on, I will personally train you. Prepare yourself!"
Nefarian: "..."
"Goodbye... my beloved life of free research."
Having forcefully suppressed Nefarian's resistance, Sintharia turned her gaze toward Onyxia.
"Ony, what about you? Do you want to come with us to the Obsidian Sanctum to rest?"
Sintharia was much more lenient with her daughter than her son. This obvious double standard left Nefarian's eyes full of gloom.
"Hmm..."
Onyxia, in her Night Elf form, considered it for a moment. "Forget it. I'll stay in Moonshadow's Rest for now. Mortal life is quite interesting; I want to experience it for a while longer."
"Very well. But you must stay safe and don't let that madman find you."
Sintharia warned seriously, "I suspect Sabellian came out specifically to look for you. If he can't find you or Nefarian, that madman will not hesitate to label you as traitors."
...
After bidding farewell to the dragons amidst Nefarian's gloomy glances, Andreas stretched his body in the wide cave.
"Finally, one matter is settled. Now we just have to see when Malygos can wake up."
"It'll be hard."
Onyxia curled her lip. "You saw the state he's in. Just as Alexstrasza said, it will likely take quite some time for him to recover."
"...Allow me to ask, how long is 'some time' for the Dragonflight?"
"Who knows." Onyxia shrugged. "Anyway, it's usually measured in units of a thousand years. It might be longer, it might be shorter."
"As I thought... not entirely unexpected."
Andreas sighed. After composing his mood, he transformed into a golden gryphon.
"Leticia, Celeste, which of you wants to..."
Leticia was the first to speak up, her eyes shining. "I want to ride Ony!"
Onyxia rolled her dead-fish eyes at her outspoken companion. "Why do you make it sound so strange... fine."
Transforming into a black dragon whelp, Onyxia called out, "Hop on. I'm already sick of these endless white snowy mountains."
Celeste hesitated for a long time before eventually, sluggishly, climbing onto the gryphon's back.
Ready, Andreas flapped his wings and took off. "Let's go. Destination—Tirisfal Glades."
...
Amidst the swirling snow of the mountains, the three black dragons hiding nearby caught a faint glimpse of Andreas and Onyxia's departing silhouettes through the dense snowflakes.
"So the Princess has indeed betrayed us..."
Sabellian mused for a moment. "Flamegor, go back and report the situation to the King. Ebonroc, follow the clues and continue searching for Prince Nefarian. I will pursue the Princess."
"Understood!"
"Ebonroc, stay alert. I suspect... the Prince has also betrayed the King."