Coming Home

[Malakim]

Malakim had spent so much time and effort trying to hide from his past, he had gone to Outland to hide from his past, to save himself from hurting anyone else he cared about. After all if he was an entire dimension away from them it would be a lot harder to hurt them if they were so far away. It was hard to be away from people that might have cared for him, but he thought it was for the best. He had already done so much to hurt those people that were closest to him, that it shouldn't be too much of a sacrifice to give up his own happiness for their safety.

Yet...

He couldn't help but send letters home, he tried to pretend that it was to keep him sane in this war torn world of outland, but that was just his excuse. Malakim needed to hear from them to know they were okay, that she was okay.

Surprisingly they had been corresponding, she actually wrote letters back to him on occasion, and he held onto each letter as if they were more precious than any amount of gold. He read them often and this morning was not different.

He stole out early towards the edge of Nagrand, Kiwi was still sleeping safely back at the town. The troll approached the edge of the world with a new letter he had recieved. He sat on the dry ground staring out towards where the sun would rise, as he opened the letter. It was good news for once, things were going well for her, her family. It was great to hear good news from back in Azeroth, and at the bottom of the letter it said, come home.

It was strange to see those words, but it made him smile more than he could ever remember. Home... it sounded so nice, and he could definitely use some rest from all the fighting. Malakim pulled out a blank piece of paper and began to write his letter back with the words I am coming home.

When he finished his letter, the sun had begun to edge out over the horizon. The troll smiled and tucked his letters back into his pack, once everything was secure he began to walk back towards Garadar and a ride back home.

He hadn't made it more than a couple steps before the air around him grew heavy and it seemed as though it was getting darker outside. Malakim turned to see if a cloud was passing by the sun, but instead was greeted by the shadows taking on the form of large spikes and impaling him through his shoulders.

As blood began to run down his body, he heard a deep echo from the shadows, "Hello son."

[Malakim]

Malakim growled at pain as he tried to look up at the figure that had caused him this much pain. Walking out of the shadows towards the troll was a large demon, he must have been at least twice as tall as Malakim was. He was a giant shadow almost completely featureless except for a pair of burning red eyes and a pair of horns... Horns like the ones Malakim now had.

He knew who stood before him but yet he couldn't help but ask the question, "Who, who are you?"

The demon's eyes stayed fixated on the impaled troll, "What don't you recognize your own father? or were you too busy trying to screw me over since the moment you were born to be bothered with remembering what I looked like?"

Malakim struggled against the shadows there were grinding against his bones to no avail, "I don't know what you are talking about, but I do know that it was you, you killed my mother, you were the reason I was all alone my whole life, so forgive me if I don't feel too badly for you."

The demon laughed at the troll as he tried to struggle against the darkness and the empty words he spouted at him, "You stupid fool, you believe that all your problems are my fault? You believe that I could have that large of an impact on your life when I was only in it for maybe an hour? All I gave you was power which you used to spit in my face, to try and save that foolish wench of woman that was your mother. Take some responsibility for your own failures, they were all your fault not mine."

The demon commanded the shadows with ease, they wrapped around Malakim encasing him in darkness. The last thing he heard before the darkness overtook him was the demon laughing and saying, "Open your eyes fool and see what you are."

[Malakim]

The darkness surrounded him, it cut off all sound, all light, everything from him. He was alone, alone with his pain and his thoughts, at least that's what he thought. Soon the troll was visited by images and visions, he could see things of his past, of what he had done to people, of everything bad that had ever happened.

It started with the image of him when he was first born, a demon child, a being of darkness. He saw the fights he got into as he stole food to survive in the desert of Tanaris, and the trolls and prisoners that he hurt in Zul'Farrak. He saw the evil of his darker half, and how it was always present of the people he hurt, and those that had gotten killed because of him.

The troll looked down towards some invisible ground to try and shake these visions from him, but it didn't matter where he looked or what he did the images were burned into his mind. Twisting what he thought he wanted to be of all he had done. What had he truly accomplished? All that happened was death and suffering to those that got closest to him. His father was right. Why bother fighting against his own nature? Maybe he would be happier fighting in outland destroying all those that opposed the darkness. It was rather obvious now, only the darkness had been there for him whenever he needed it. It saved him when he was younger from certain death.

The dark shell evaporated around the troll and he slowly fell to the ground, he looked up at his father, with his own red glowing eyes and smiled.

The demon laughed, "You see now? I was the only thing that was ever good for you, only with my power can you accomplish everything you ever wanted."

[Malakim]

The troll hung his head at those words, something about them was so familar. He shook his head back and forth as if he could rattle is loose.

I think you could do anything

Malakim dropped to his knees, pounding at the ground and the shadows began ripple.

Ashakul stared down at his son, "What are you doing boy? What is going on in that head of yours?"

The troll never heard the demon say those words, it ached at him, "Who said those words?"

By the time the demon was screaming at Malakim, "Who said what boy!?"

This time his mind was not clouded by darkness it was bright light, and in the middle he could see two trolls sitting on a bed, with flowers everywhere. The female troll was holding her arms around the male as he licked her face, and she said, "I think you could do anything Mala..."

From his position on the ground Malakim whispered, "She believes in me, she told me I could do anything."

Ashakul laughed, "What?"

"She thinks I can do anything, not with your power, not with some sword, not with anything, she believes I can do everything with my power alone, and to be honest I don't like your power it smells funny."

"Again, you try my patience boy? what makes you think you can leave me this time? Your foolish mother had to banish me last time... you do not know the incantation. Besides you have my mark child" he motions at Malakim's horns. "What makes you think you can leave me now?"

The troll chuckled a bit, "I am not yours to do with as you please father, I am my own being and if you are so concerned about marks then you can have them back."

The hunter reaches up and ran his fingers along the length of the horns protruding from his head. After making a brief pass over them he grabs a hold of them and begins to pull downward. At first nothing happens, but then ever so slightly the sounds of bones snapping can be heard. Finally with a last grunt of strength and a sickening sound of bone breaking free of itself, Malakim's horns rested freely in his hands.

The hunter stared down at the bones that used to rest atop his head that now lay in his hands, "You can take your mark back demon, I have no need for power from such a worthless power." with those words he tossed the horns at the ground in front of Ashakul's feet.

"Now, if you will excuse me I have to a person to meet someone that actually cares about me for who I am, not what I can do or who she thinks I should be."

Malakim turned and started to walk from the demon who stood shocked at the sight of his own son who just broke the horns that were his by blood and tossed them to the ground as if they were common trash.

"You think it is that easy fool? You think you can just walk away from everything that you should be, you are a destroyer by blood you are mine! and you will obey your father."

Malakim just smiled as he started to walk away, "You are nothing, you are right I blamed you for everything, and it is my fault all the pain that everyone has been caused all the problems in my life. It is all me, but I am going to fix that I will make it better, and I owe you nothing. You are not a father to me, you are just a shadow of my life, a life I own and will turn out how I desire."

With those words finally said to the being he had placed so much of his own problems of his own issues, he just waved to the demon and began to walk away towards the town of Garadar.

"You will not escape me child, I will destroy you before you get to do some good in this world."

The world shook around Malakim, the darkness encroached around him and the shadows took on the form of large spikes once again. Thrusting forward and piercing the hunter in several limbs, both his legs and his right shoulder.

The next thing he new he was being flung throught the air towards... the edge of the world. He could see the dirt that marked the nearing of the cliff on Nagrand that just ended with a drop to the void. Still he was sailing over the cliff and falling straight down, into the nether.

Ashakul yelled down, "Do you see how pointless it is son, you could have joined in my army as a son should but you had to be difficult you had to resist with the same strength as that whore did so long ago."

As Malakim went sailing over the edge of Nagrand seeing his whole world go by, for once, for the first time in his whole life he wasn't upset. He wasn't angry or even pissed. His mine flashed to all the happiness that his life had in it, the people that had been influencing him, those people that cared for him, the troll he cared for with all his heart, and he was at peace. With his world falling as impending death sank upon him he smiled, he smiled at how wonderful everything was in his life, that no matter how much everything hurt from time to time. Right now he was happy with himself for resisting the darkness, and being who he wanted. There was just one more thing left to do...

Removing his sword from his position on his back the hunter slammed it into the side of the land that was the edge of Nagrand slowing his fall to an eventual stop. There he held onto life as it was bleeding out of him at the very edge of the world and of his own life.

Straining against every drop of pain, every sore muscle, every punctured wound in his body he climbed to the top of the land, to get himself back to the world that would deliver him to the one he cared about. Finally poking his head above the cliff Malakim saw the demon still standing there, almost awaiting the troll's return.

Ashakul stared down at his son, "So it would appear you are as strong as I thought, it is a shame to destroy one of your potential."

Malakim smiled at the demon, "I am glad you think it is that easy to get rid of me, you just didn't think of one thing."

"Oh and what is that son?"

"I don't play fair."

The hunter reached up with his gun and shot at the ground around the demon's feet.

Ashakul laughed a bit, "Unfortunately son, it would seem you are a bad shot."

Malakim just smiled and for the briefest of moments all was quiet, then the sound of dozens of traps springing to life filled the air.

The demon's smiled left his face as after the clanging of traps breaking open was replaced with what had to be a hundred hissing noises. Ashakul looked around and he was surrounded by piles of snakes each fighting to get closer to the demon latching onto the shadows, it wasn't long before the darkness that was Ashakul's body was replaced with the bodies of snakes.

Malakim pulled himself up to flat land once more clutching to the wounds across his body, he smiled and waved to his father as turned his back and waved to the screaming demon, "You all play nice now."

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Malakim stumbled through the portal that led to Silvermoon, he told her that he would meet her there, and hoped that he wasn't too late. Limping towards the inn and leaving small puddles of blood behind him Malakim made his way to a table at the Silvermoon inn.

The troll looked up at Suntouched and asked the bartender as he wiped the blood from his face, "Do I have any messages?"