"Across the multiverse," Evenson began, "the forces of darkness have a habit of becoming active at roughly the same time. We call these periods the Rise of Darkness."
He spoke calmly, as though discussing the changing of the seasons.
"Every world feels its effects, including Earth. The Battle of New York was only the beginning. Things will only become more dangerous from here."
The Ancient One wasn’t convinced.
She had prolonged her life for centuries and watched countless supernatural threats emerge and disappear. Never once had she identified any grand cosmic cycle like the one Evenson described.
Still...
Whether he was right or wrong would become obvious soon enough.
If the world truly continued growing more dangerous, his theory would prove itself.
So she let him continue.
"The armies of darkness aren’t all equal," Evenson said. "Most are little more than vermin. Some exist solely to embarrass themselves by invading a world, getting crushed, and accidentally delivering useful resources to the people they attacked."
He resisted the urge to add that, in his experience, an alarming number of villains seemed professionally committed to supplying heroes with loot.
"But some..."
His expression grew serious.
"Some are powerful enough to inspire despair."
"They consume one world after another without end."
"The Burning Crusade?" the Ancient One asked.
She assumed the catastrophe he’d mentioned earlier belonged among those unstoppable powers.
"The Burning Legion."
Even speaking the name caused Evenson’s voice to tighten.
"Long ago, the fallen Titan Sargeras created an immortal army of demons."
"They are endless."
"They march from world to world."
"Their only purpose is annihilation."
"The campaign they wage across reality is what we call the Burning Crusade."
His tone became almost ghostly.
"There are stories..."
"...that within Sargeras’s private sanctum lie the smoldering remains of countless destroyed worlds, collapsed into eternal cinders."
The Ancient One frowned.
"Will they come to Earth?"
That was all she truly cared about.
"I don’t know."
Evenson shook his head.
"No one understands the Legion."
"No one can predict where they’ll strike next."
The Ancient One quietly relaxed.
The universe held uncountable worlds.
Beyond this universe existed countless more.
Statistically speaking...
Earth being singled out by the Burning Legion seemed less likely than winning the lottery several times in a row.
"But they’ll come eventually."
Evenson’s certainty shattered that comforting thought.
"The Burning Crusade may arrive centuries late."
"It never forgets."
"It never skips a world forever."
She stared at him.
"Why?"
"What could Earth possibly have done to deserve that kind of attention?"
Evenson smiled with unsettling amusement.
"The universe looks infinite."
"But every universe has a focal point."
"A place where countless strands of fate converge."
"Sometimes it’s an entire star system."
"Sometimes..."
"...it’s a single planet."
"If that point is destroyed, the web of causality holding the universe together begins to collapse."
"The rest eventually follows."
He tilted his head.
"So tell me, Sorcerer Supreme."
"Which planet do you think serves as this universe’s nexus?"
The Ancient One didn’t even bother answering.
With that grin? Obviously Earth.
"What exactly were you waiting for?" she asked irritably. "If you knew something this important, why didn’t you come to me sooner?"
She had devoted her entire life to protecting Earth from supernatural threats.
Who else should he have consulted?
Evenson looked genuinely puzzled.
"For what?"
"So we could hide behind Kamar-Taj?"
"So your secret order of sorcerers could quietly keep the Legion away while humanity remained blissfully ignorant?"
He laughed.
"No."
"That’s impossible."
His expression hardened.
"No single organization can defeat the Burning Legion."
"If anyone hopes to stop them..."
"...everyone has to stand together."
He emphasized the final words.
"Everyone."
The Ancient One remained unconvinced.
"I still believe ordinary people should be kept out of battles like that."
It wasn’t arrogance.
It was compassion.
For centuries Kamar-Taj had fought mystical threats in secret precisely because ordinary humans had no meaningful way to defend themselves.
Evenson had expected that answer.
"So..."
He smiled.
"Would you like to see something?"
"What?"
"The Burning Legion."
He gestured toward the room around them.
"Not here."
"In another world."
"Our order preserved records of their invasions."
"If you’re willing..."
"...I’ll show you."
The Ancient One nodded immediately.
Understanding an enemy before facing it was always worthwhile.
Evenson snapped his fingers.
The chamber transformed.
The floor became a vast circular platform.
The walls dissolved into an endless sea of stars.
The ceiling vanished altogether, replaced by the night sky itself.
Evenson raised both arms dramatically.
"Behold the heavens."
"Stand in awe of the power of the stars!"
For reasons she couldn’t explain, the Ancient One felt as though she’d almost misheard him.
The phrase sounded oddly... off.
She dismissed the thought.
The illusion swallowed her before she could dwell on it.
In an instant, she found herself standing on a windswept hillside.
The battlefield stretched endlessly below.
Beside her stood Evenson and a gathering of robed spellcasters.
At their head was an elderly man with white hair.
He held a staff in one hand.
Cradled beneath the other arm rested a heavy tome bearing the emblem of a raven.
"Who is he?" the Ancient One asked.
She understood they were witnessing a preserved memory, not traveling through time.
Like watching a film.
Except there was no narration.
No subtitles.
Only history unfolding before her eyes.
"That," Evenson said, "is Khadgar."
"Leader of the magical kingdom of Dalaran."
"Archmage of the Council of Six."
"And the newly appointed Guardian."
Privately, Evenson offered silent thanks to Blizzard’s cinematic department for providing such spectacular educational material.
The Ancient One nodded before turning toward the battlefield.
Then she froze.
An army beyond comprehension surged across the plains.
It stretched to the horizon.
Perhaps farther.
Savage.
Monstrous.
Bloodthirsty.
Those impressions overwhelmed every other thought.
"That’s..."
She swallowed.
"The Burning Legion?"
Evenson shook his head.
"Only a tiny fraction of it."
Her eyes narrowed.
Among the countless monsters she recognized familiar shapes.
Doomguards.
She remembered one serving beneath Evenson during the Battle of New York. Even a single Doomguard had proven frighteningly powerful, more than capable of overwhelming most of Kamar-Taj’s disciples.
Now...
They marched in formation by the thousands.
No.
By far more than that.
Then she noticed another group.
Slender silhouettes moving among the demonic ranks.
She leaned forward instinctively.
What were those—
A sharp laugh interrupted her thoughts.
Khadgar stepped forward.
With effortless confidence, he raised his staff.
A beam of overwhelming arcane power erupted into the heavens before crashing into the advancing Legion.
The earth disappeared beneath blinding light.
When the radiance faded...
More than half the attacking demons were simply gone.
Erased.
The Ancient One stood speechless.
There was actually a mage...
...capable of wielding power on that scale.
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