�You could have anything.� It was a deep, mellow whisper that lingered in her ears as she sat in silence. A saucer of delicate porcelain sat in one hand while the gold-rimmed teacup was pinched between manicured fingers.
Esreiella closed her eyes and turned her attention on the soothing pops and crackles from the warm hearth. Such annoyances weren�t unheard of in her practice. Demons tried so hard to sink their claws into warlocks with a scrap of competence and lure them to the Legion�s sway with promises and wishes. Not once had she ever given in, and she had no intent to change that as she set her tea aside.
She had all she needed, and took comfort in that thought with a blanket draped over her legs, a comfortable armchair to support her and a heavy tome full of profane magics.
�But you could have so much more.� The whispers had changed to the right ear.
�No thank you.� Esreiella stated in a casual manner, flipping through pages to a marked spot. A particularly grizzly scene with a beheaded demon had been illustrated as a reagent to a ritual.
�Why fight this life anymore?�
�I would rather be living in the futility of eminent destruction than a slave.�
That response earned a dark chuckled and a few seconds of silence. Suddenly there were more than whispers as the feeling of dread flooded the room. Esreiella refused to budge nor bat an eye. It was her home after all, and no demon was going to scare her away.
Tendrils of black reached through the air, blocking out the light with their magic until there was naught but darkness. As quickly as they had arrived, they retreated and reformed into a man sitting casually on her sofa.
Esreiella knew his face. Ashlan, a fellow from an allied household and possible suitor from her youth. His hair was long and dark, features were chiseled and aged to maturity compared to the teenager she had known. He was handsome, but she knew that he had died when the Scourge rolled through Lordaeron. Additionally, the glowing green in his eyes gave too much away about a demon playing its tricks. He still smiled in his charming way, but it did little to sway her.
�A familiar face never hurts.� The demon grinned with pearly white teeth that looked as friendly as they were ready to take a bite out of her.
�I�m a bit busy.� Esreiella tried to sound bored.
�I can see that with your�very heavy book, but aren�t you a little curious why I�m here?�
�No.� She did not bother to look up from the page with her flat reply and a sudden burst of magic snapped the covers shut in her hands.
�You could be so much more than you are now. Powerful�happy��
�Servitude does not equate to happiness.�
�Assumptions! We don�t need mindless slaves to do our bidding. Your world has such an overstock of the feeble minded that they�re practically lining up for a taste of power they wouldn�t otherwise know. You, though. You already have power, but we would like to see that used to our advantage. With all the infinite magic of the Legion, we�re more than willing to strike a deal with additional benefits. Think about it, my fair lady. You could be a queen in your own right if you just turn your gifts to our favor.�
�You�re giving me one wish.� Esreiella smirked, clearly amused by his offer.
�And infinite wishes doesn�t count. Not that you�ll want for anything.�
A silence passed between them as the warlock considered his offer.
�I imagine you�ll want me to sign a contract.�
�Of course!� He said gleefully with a flourish of his hand. From nowhere a bright flash formed into a scroll and pen. Ink a deep color of red dripped from the pen as he unrolled the parchment with a flick of his wrist. �All you have to do is sign on the line and say �I wish��. Whatever you ask for will be granted immediately.�
Esreiella hesitated, but she lifted her blanket and rose from the armchair. The demon�s smile only grew with ever step she took closer, and he looked close to bursting as she gripped the enchanted pen.
The first flinch reflected in her face as her fingers tensed. The line on the contract began to blur as the possible consequences began to fill her mind. She finally resigned to closing her eyes as she drove the pen forward, writing out her signature with quick script. Her eyes opened to the delighted sight of the demon rolling up the parchment.
�Go on now. Make your wish.�
�I wish�� Esreiella started as her pulse hammered in her ears. He nodded eagerly, waiting to fulfill her selfish desires. �I wish for every scrap of the Legion to disappear from existence.�
The demon�s smile faded and slowly he started to rise, towering above the diminutive warlock.
�What have you-� His words cut out and he seemed almost frozen in his movements.
The world grew still before everything seemed to erupt at once. The demon�s human appearance turned to his true form, all horns and hooves on grey, mottled skin before he was alight as a pillar of fel energy. A cacophony of roars filled the air and crashes as the energy was ripped from her den straight through her second floor and attic towards the sky.
Esreiella rushed away, moving faster than she had ever known pieces of debris and house fell all around her. The roars seemed to echo on all fronts as she burst out the door and as far as she could see across the bay, more pillars of fel energy were piercing the sky.
The sight would have stunned her had she not felt a sudden searing pain course through her body. The blinding agony made her drop to the wet pavestones, screaming as if she were being flayed alive. Her arms wrapped about herself, so sure that her skin was peeling away as the searing turned a slow rip that left her heaving. It felt like an eternity of torment before her senses completely blacked out to spare her mind the induction of insanity.
There was no clear answer on how long it had taken at that moment. Only drops of cool rain plinking down on her forehead had been around to rouse her. Every fiber of her being was sore and alight with a strange buzzing that was slowly creeping out.
Azeroth was still present, she thought. Pieces of her home were littering the yard, giving away the happening as fact rather than a dream.
Esreiella raised one hand to the sky, still not bothering to leave her spot on the cold stones. Her fingers splayed wide as her energy focused and� nothing.
No fel fire. No summoning. No souls. Her magic was gone.
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