Chapter 3 The Last Guardian Chapter 2 First Contact

Am I wrong? asked Medivh, and Khadgar immediately felt the Juggernaut's gaze again. Again he felt like a helpless beetle, but this time it was more like being slaughtered on the entomologist's workbench. The wax of the flame-burned presentation envelope dripped onto the stone floor of the observatory. Khadgar noticed this, his eyes wide open, his face pale and bloodless, his mouth gaping open but unable to speak.He tried to use his vocal chords to control the air around him, but all he could get was a muffled hiss. From under the thick black eyebrows came a suspicious look. "Are you ill? Moros, is the child ill?"

"I guess I haven't caught my breath," Moros said without a tone. "It took a while to climb the stairs." Khadgar finally recovered and said, "The letter!" "Aha," Medivh said. "Oh yes, thank you, I almost forgot." He went straight to the brazier and threw the remaining paper ash on the coal pile.Scattered blue flames immediately flashed spectacularly to shoulder height.Then it slowly turned into an ordinary flame, emitting a reddish halo, bringing warmth to the room.As for the letter of introduction - including the parchment and the seal with the Kirin Tor mark on it, there is really nothing left.

"But you haven't seen it yet!" Khadgar yelled, taking a breath before adding "I mean, my lord, I didn't mean to offend..." The astral mage laughed and sat down on a large canvas carved wood chair, the brazier matching his face.There was a smile on his wrinkled face.However, Khadgar did not feel relieved at all. Medivh leaned forward in his seat and said, "'O great and respected astral mage Medivh, master of Karazhan, I convey to you the most knowledgeable and powerful magic researcher from the Kirin Tor. Greetings from all walks of life and people from all walks of life, the king's advisory group, doctoral supervisors, secret revealers...' They have been doing this all the time, and they never forget to brag about themselves everywhere. How can I, let such a A great organization is writing to greet you?"

"I don't know that," Khadgar said. "I was just introduced to—" "Don't open it privately," Medivh interrupted him. "But you opened this letter on the way here." The astral mage raised his head and looked at the young man opposite, Khadgar's heart almost rose in his throat.Something flashed in Medivh's eyes, and Khadgar began to wonder if the Master Mage was powerful enough to cast spells without speaking. Khadgar nodded slowly, preparing himself for punishment. Medivh laughed loudly: "When?" "While... uh, on the boat from Lordaeron to Kul Tiras," Khadgar said, not sure whether what he said would please or annoy the potential teacher in front of him. "Because our two days' sailing was so boring and..."

"Curiosity is your good side," Medivh cut him off again.He smiled: "If it were me, I might have opened it as soon as I left Dalaran's Violet City." Khadgar finally heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Well, I thought about it too, but I'm afraid there are some surveillance spells nearby, well, at least it's around there." "So you want to stay away from any possible spells, lest someone call you back to your hometown after you open the letter privately. You carefully resealed it after reading it to fool the cursory inspection. You thought I would just open the seal without Will notice your trick." Medivh laughed again.But his expression became a little serious. "How do I do it?" he asked.

Khadgar was bewildered. "Do what, my lord?" "Know what's in the letter?" Medivh said, his head bowed. "The letter I just burned told me that young Khadgar was very good at reasoning and brains. I'm impressed." Khadgar looked at Medivh, and at his happy smile just now, the smile evaporated almost instantly.Now this face is just like a statue of an ancient god, just and ruthless.Those benign eyes now looked furious.Those thick eyebrows intertwined, like a gathering thundercloud. Khadgar murmured for a while, and finally said, "You read my mind."

"It is indeed a way," Medivh said. "But it's not correct. You got it wrong once. But you have a little idea, thinking of thinking to read." "You've had letters like this before," Khadgar said. "Letters from the Kirin Tor. So you have an idea of ​​what their letters might be." "It's also possible," said the astral mage, "because I did receive similar letters, and they did show such a boastful tone in them. But you should remember the content of the letter. Verbatim. Your assumption is indeed the most common, but still wrong. Wrong answer twice."

Khadgar pursed his lips.His brain was running fast, and his heart was beating so fast that it would shatter his chest. "Telepathy," he said finally. Medivh's eyes were still unpredictable, and he spoke without tone: "To be specific." Khadgar took a deep breath: "This is a law of magic. It means that if someone uses a certain item frequently, a small part of his magical aura will be unconsciously attached to the item. Then because The rhythm of the magic aura is always maintained as a whole, so that the caster can establish a sensory connection with the owner of the item. For example, using this method, a lock of hair can be used to perform a charm, and a small copper coin can automatically fly back next to the master."

Medivh's eyes were slightly closed, and he brushed his chin with a finger: "Continue." Khadgar paused, feeling the pressure from Medivh's gaze.He had heard of this spell in magic class, but he didn't master it very thoroughly.But how exactly did Medivh use it to... "The more a person uses a certain item, the stronger the sensory bond will be," Khadgar could only endorse and think all the way, "so an item is used enough times, or it is artificially forced to add a sensory bond." field, then powerful telepathy can be cast on it." His speech was organized faster and faster, "so a written document contains more information than a blank parchment. Magical aura, and when people write, they put all their energy into the paper, so..." Khadgar paused to reorganize his thoughts. "You did use your mind to read, but what you read was not my mind—it was the mind of the person who wrote the letter when he wrote the letter—you restored his mind at that time from the words on the letter."

"Without actually opening the letter," Medivh said, his eyes dancing again, "so what practical value does this little trick have for a scholar?" Khadgar was dazed for a while, and his eyes began to wander, trying to avoid the sight of the astral mage. "You can tell what's in a book without reading it." "This little trick is very valuable to researchers," Medivh said. "You come from the Dalaran High School. Why don't you use it?" "Because...because..." Khadgar thought of old Querigan, who could find any information in the library, even the small mark on the edge of the page, "I think we should also Use this method, but it should only be used by the top of the parliament."

Medivh nodded. "And that's because..." Khadgar thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Who would write books if all knowledge could be obtained with thought spells alone?" Medivh reminded.He finally couldn't help laughing—Khadgar finally realized that he had been trying to be serious all this time, "You're not bad, at least not too bad. Do you know what your nemesis spell is?" ?” "Fifth Watchman," Khadgar replied. "Can you create a magic ball?" Medivh asked, "One or two, but not for too long," replied the young man, suddenly aware that the tension in the conversation had begun again. "Are you majoring in elements?" "Major in the fire department, but I also know about other departments." "What about natural magic?" Medivh asked, "Cultivate, select, collect? Can you plant a seed and make it bloom and bear fruit?" "No, my lord, my training is all in the city." "Can you make puppets?" "It's not written in the textbook, but I understand the principle, and it's difficult to operate," Khadgar said. "If you insist..." Medivh blinked, then said, "You're coming by boat from Lordaeron? What kind of boat?" Khadgar was uncomfortable with the sudden change of subject. "Yes. Um...a Tiranian sailboat, the Gentle Wind," he replied. "We're not talking about Kul Tiras," Medivh changed the subject again. "Is the ship full of humans?" "yes." "Have you talked to all the crew?" Once again Khadgar felt that the meeting had an interrogative air. "Not many," Khadgar said. "I'm afraid they'll laugh at my accent." "The crew of Kul Tiras have always liked to have fun," Medivh said. "Is there really nothing but humans?" "No, my lord," Khadgar said. "The Tirans told me stories of fish-like humanoids called murlocs. Do they really exist?" "Indeed," the astral mage said, "Have you encountered other races before? Except humans of all races." "Meet some dwarves in Dalaran," Khadgar said, "and some dwarven artificers in Violet City. Know dragons from some legends; The skull of a dragon." "What about the trolls, what about the goblins?" Medivh continued to ask. "Trolls," said Khadgar, "four are known. There may be a fifth." "This kind of nonsense knowledge must have been taught by Oronda," Medivh muttered, but still motioned Khadgar to continue. "Trolls are bigger and wilder than humans. They're slender, with facial features that look like an extended version of a human. Hmm..." He thought for a moment. "The tribal social system. Has almost disappeared from the civilized world, and is on the verge of extinction in Lordaeron." "Goblin?" "Smaller, about the same size as a dwarf. They are similar in terms of being good at creating inventions, but they are more inclined to destructive inventions. They are not afraid of death. According to the information I have read, their entire race is basically the head-knocking type. .” "Actually, it's only the geniuses among them," Medivh said. "You know demons too, don't you?" "Of course, my lord," Khadgar replied immediately, "I mean I learned it from legends, my lord. I know the correct way to seal and protect myself. All mages in Dalaran have learned this from day one .” "But you never tried to summon them yourself," Medivh said, "or saw someone else summon them." Khadgar was dazed again, wondering if the question was a trap. "No, my lord. It never occurred to me." "I have no doubts about this, and you haven't even thought about it," said the astral mage, his voice was suddenly soft and hard to hear, "I have thought about it. Do you know what a guardian is?" "Guardian?" Khadgar felt the conversation take another sharp turn. "Does it mean the guardian? Or the guard or something? Is it the name of a race? Or the name of a monster? Or some people who specialize in dealing with monsters?" Medivh smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, you don't have to know. It's part of the system." He looked up. "So. How much do you know about me?" Khadgar glanced at the butler Moroes, only to realize that he had disappeared at some point, escaping into the darkness.The young man stammered for a while, "The mages of the Kirin Tor have great respect for you," he hesitated for a long time, and finally said this routine. "Everyone knows this," Medivh interjected. "You are a powerful independent mage, and some say you are also a personal advisor to Lion, King of Azeroth." "Let's get back to the topic," Medivh nodded to the young man. "Anything else..." Khadgar hesitated, could Medivh really read his mind? "what?" "There doesn't seem to be anything special...to explain this reverence..." Khadgar said anyway. "And fear," Medivh added. "And jealousy," Khadgar added, and immediately felt that he had fallen into some kind of questioning trap, so he immediately added, "There is no direct evidence to explain the Kirin Tor's feelings for you." "As it should be," interrupted Medivh, stretching his hands over the brazier to keep warm. "It should be so." Khadgar couldn't believe that the master mage still felt cold, but he was sweating profusely from nervousness. After a long time, Medivh raised his head, his eyes seemed to be brewing a storm again. "Back to the topic, how much do you know about me?" "Nothing, my lord," Khadgar said matter-of-factly. "I don't know anything?" Medivh raised his voice, his voice seemed to break through the observatory, "You don't know anything? What are you doing here? Are you too lazy to investigate the person you are about to meet? ?You know, I may just be an excuse your mentors made up to get rid of you, and hope you die on the way! This is not the first time this has happened!" "But there's really no clue. You haven't done anything spectacular!" Khadgar responded fiercely, and when he recovered, he remembered who he was talking to, "I mean, You haven't done as much as I can find out, er, no, I mean..." He was eager to explain, appearing to be in a hurry, but Medivh just chuckled: "Then what did you find out?" He asked. Khadgar breathed a sigh of relief, and then said, "You come from a family of mages. Your father was a mage from Azeroth named Nieras Ellan. Your mother is Aegwynn, and this "Aeger "Wen" may be a kind of title in front of the name, because it has appeared for at least eight hundred years. You grew up in Azeroth, and you met King Lane and Lord Lothar when you were a child. What happened after that What..." Khadgar's voice dropped, "I didn't find out at all." Medivh stared at the brazier and nodded: "Very well, you have found something after all. You know more than the average person." "And your name means 'Keeper of Secrets' in High Elvish," Khadgar added, "I also found out about this." "Your information is absolutely correct, though," Medivh looked suddenly weary.He stared at the brazier for a while, "Aegwynn is not a title," he said slowly, "That's my mother's name." "Then there must have been many Aegwynns in history, maybe it was a surname?" Khadgar hypothesized. "Only one," Medivh said darkly. Khadgar gave a nervous laugh. "But then she would have to..." "She was over seven hundred and fifty-five years old when I was born," Medivh said with a strange sense of repulsion towards his mother. "She was much older than that. I was her late-born child. It might It's one of the reasons the Kirin Tor is so interested in what's in my library. Isn't it for this library that they asked you to come?" "My lord," Khadgar said in as firm a tone as possible, "to be honest, all the high-ranking mages in the Kirin Tor really want me to come to you to get something back. I will try my best to satisfy them, But if you have any private secrets you wish to keep, I swear I'll fully understand..." "If I really want to hide something, you won't be able to get here through the forest alive." Medivh said suddenly and seriously, "I want someone to help me organize the library and sort the books in it. This is a A job to start with, and then progress to managing an alchemy lab. Well, no doubt you'll do well. You see, you know the meaning of my name, and I know yours too. Moroes!" "Yes, my lord," responded the servant, emerging suddenly from the shadows.Khadgar was startled (jumped regardless of the occasion). "Take the child to the guest room below and let him eat something. He must be very tired today." "Yes, my lord." "May I ask a question, Master?" Khadgar said, noticing the other's expression, and changed his words again, "I mean Master Astral Mage..." "Call me Medivh from now on. You can also call me Keeper of Secrets. I have many other names, and they don't know all of them." "What do you mean you know the meaning of my name?" Khadgar asked. Medivh smiled, and the whole room suddenly became bright and warm again. "You don't speak dwarf language," he asserted. Khadgar shook his head blankly. "My name means 'Keeper of Secrets' in High Elvish, and your name means 'Trust' in Old Dwarven. Therefore I employ you for your name, young Khadgar, young trust." Morroes led Khadgar to his new quarters, explaining daily life in the Tower in his ghostly voice as he walked.The food in the Tower of Medivh is quite ordinary - cereal and sausage for breakfast, and cold food for lunch. If there are two meat and one vegetarian, it is considered a luxurious and hearty meal.Cook takes a break after dinner, but always leaves a pile of leftovers unattended.Medivh himself has almost no concept of time, and Moros and Cook have long learned how to push their own duties to each other as much as possible. Moros reminded, though, that Khadgar had no such "privilege" as an assistant, not a servant like them.He must be willing to be there whenever the master mage needs him. "As an apprentice, this is what you should do," Khadgar said. Moros stopped halfway and turned around (they were passing through the balcony of a room that might have been used as a banquet hall or ballroom). "Son, you're not considered an apprentice," he said after panting a few times. "Half doesn't count." "But Medivh said..." "You can help with the library," Moroes said. "As an assistant, not an apprentice. Many people have been assistants here. But no one can become an apprentice to Medivh." Khadgar frowned, feeling a little flushed.He had never heard of the level of mages before apprentices. "How long will it take..." "It's hard to say, really," the servant gasped again, "no one has been able to do it for that long." Two questions immediately popped up in Khadgar's head. After hesitating for a while, he asked, "How many 'assistants' have you been here before?" Moros stared intently at the railing of the balcony.Khadgar didn't know if he was remembering or if he hadn't noticed his problem at all.A large table and some seats are sparsely placed in the hall downstairs.They were all surprisingly neat, and Khadgar guessed that Medivh probably rarely hosted banquets. "Dozens," Moroes finally said, "dozens at least. Most of them are from this continent. There is also an elf. No, two elves. You are the first from the Kirin Tor .” "Dozens..." Khadgar repeated, his heart sinking at the thought that Medivh might have welcomed dozens of young men in this way.A certain sense of superiority was gone. He asked another question: "How long were they there?" Moros answered quickly this time: "A few days, some only a few hours. An elf didn't even go up the tower." He tapped his blindfold with his index finger, "They saw something, you know." Khadgar thought of the figure at the door again, and nodded. At last they reached Khadgar's residence.It's not very far from that banquet hall. "Clean up yourself." Moroes handed the lantern to Khadgar. "The toilet is at the far end. There is a chamber pot under the bed. After you're done, come to the kitchen below. Cook will warm up the dishes for you. " Khadgar's room is wedge-shaped, more suitable for a monastery monk's confessional (small black room) than a mage's.Against one wall was a narrow bed, and against the opposite wall was an equally narrow desk with an empty shelf.There is another closet for storage.Khadgar didn't even open his backpack, just threw it into the closet, and walked over to the window, which also practiced slenderism. The windows were of thin leaded glass, mounted on central hinges.Khadgar slowly pushed open half of the window, and the lubricating oil solidified at the bottom of the window was torn apart like ooze. The viewpoint here is still at a very high position on the tower. Under the light of the double moon, the mountains around the tower appear gray and bare.Looking from this height, Khadgar found that this place was obviously a huge crater before, and it became what it is now due to the weathering of the years.Could it be that a certain mountain was pulled out from here like a decayed tooth?Or is it because the surrounding mountains grow too fast, and the middle mountain hardly grows, leaving behind a magical place? Khadgar suspected that Medivh's mother had been here since time immemorial, watching the continents rise, sink, or even experience the creation of the world.Even by the standards of a mage, eight hundred years is too long.Even if they live for two hundred years, according to the textbooks, most human mages are as weak as a piece of thin paper, and they will die at the first touch.Seven hundred and fifty-five years old and then had a baby!Khadgar shook his head, wondering if Medivh was playing him? Khadgar took off his traveling cloak, and looked at the "innermost" facility—they were modest.But there was still a large tub of cold water, a washbasin, and a good tarnished mirror.Khadgar tried to heat the water with a mirror spell, but decided to let it go. The water in the tank was good, and Khadgar felt much more comfortable after changing into a cleaner set of clothes—a comfy knee-length shirt and gym pants.Almost ready to move.He took out a small table knife from his bag, thought for a while, and stuffed it into one of his boots. He returned to the hallway only to realize that he didn't know where the kitchen was.Food doesn't seem to be produced on the side of the animal pen, so the kitchen must be arranged in the tower.Probably on the ground floor or the first and second floors, so that the water can be pumped.And it has to be easy to get to the ballroom, even if it might not be used much. Khadgar found his way back to the balcony of the banquet hall easily, but he still had to find what he imagined was the crooked staircase leading to the kitchen.So he had to choose among several exits from the banquet hall.Khadgar chose the one that seemed the most likely, only to find it was a dead end—just a corridor that ended in an empty room with no other exits, much like his own.He took another path, with similar results. A third pick puts the youngster at the heart of a frenzied fight. This was completely beyond his expectations.A moment ago he had just stepped up a set of stone-paved steps, and he was wondering if he should ask Moroes for a map or a bell-hunting or something in case he got lost in the tower someday.The next moment, the ceiling above his head turned into a dazzling blood-red sky, and he was surrounded by heavily armed soldiers, ready to fight. Khadgar took a step back, but the hallway behind him disappeared, replaced by a rugged, barren land—a land completely different from the world he knew.The soldiers shouted and pointed forward, but their voices—although they were right next to Khadgar—sounded distant and indistinct, as if calling to him underwater. Is it a dream?Khadgar thought.Possibly he had been sleeping in his cabin for a while, and his current condition was a nightmare.No, he could almost feel the breath of death brought by the breeze, the temperature of the huge sun shining on his body, and the shouting and moving soldiers around him. It's as if he's out of touch with the world... He no longer occupies any corner of the world, and only has the slightest connection with the real world around him - just like he turned into a ghost. In fact, the soldiers were as completely oblivious to him as if he were air.Khadgar reached out to grab someone by the shoulder, and to his relief, his hand didn't go through the broken armor.There were obstructions, but only the faintest kind—he could feel the presence of the armor, and, once he concentrated further, the general outlines of the jagged armor. Khadgar found that these men had already endured at least a few consecutive brutal battles.Only a third of people don't have too many bandages on their bodies.Dirty armor and splintered helmets were stained with blood.Their weapons, too, were crimped and jagged, with splatters of solidified crimson.He fell into a battlefield. Khadgar surveyed their location and saw that they were camped on top of a hill.The hill appeared to be only a fold in the undulating land around them.The vegetation here has been cut down to form defensive mounds, and a stern-faced man directs the work.There are no safe fortifications here, no castles or forts.They chose to fight here simply because they had no other choice. A tall, broad-shouldered, white-bearded old man who was clearly their leader walked through the ranks, and the soldiers consciously spread out to make way for him.His armor was as tattered as the rest, but the difference was that under his breastplate was a crimson robe.Robes of this style simply do not exist outside of the upper echelons of the Kirin Tor Council.The kilt, the cuffs, the back of the chest were all adorned with powerful magical runes, some of which Khadgar had seen before, others of which he was unfamiliar.The old man's beard was almost waist-length, covering the armor beneath him. He wore a bone cap on his head, and a golden jewel inlaid between his brows.He held a jeweled staff in one hand and a dark red sword in the other. The chief was yelling at the soldiers as he walked, and to Khadgar's ears it sounded like a raging sea.But the soldiers seemed to understand what he said, and they were scattered and stationed behind each roadblock in an orderly manner, while the rest were responsible for filling the gaps in the defense line. Whitebeard's commander passed by Khadgar, and Khadgar subconsciously moved out of the way.This commander should have been the same as the other blood-stained soldiers, not paying attention to him at all. But this commander noticed.His voice suddenly stopped, and he hesitated for a moment. The foot he was stepping forward forcibly pulled and did not touch the ground, which made him almost fall on the uneven muddy ground.He stepped back and turned, noticing Khadgar. Yes, he saw Khadgar. The "not yet an apprentice" figured it out: the older battle mage could not only see him, but see him very clearly.The commander's eyes stared into Khadgar's eyes, and at this moment, Khadgar returned to the feeling of being watched by Medivh before—even, the gaze may even be more intense now.Khadgar gazed into the other's eyes too. What he saw in the other's eyes took his breath away.He looked away, interrupting the battle mage's gaze. When Khadgar turned his head again, he saw the commander nodding at him.It was a brief, even slight nod, and the old man's lips moved slightly.Then the white-bearded leader turned around and continued on his way, assigning combat tasks to his subordinates. Khadgar tried to follow him, asking him why he was the only one who could see him and not the other soldiers, and what exactly he had said to him.But all around him was a cry, the last cry of weary soldiers for battle.They collectively raised their swords and spears toward the blood-red sky, and pointed their shields in the direction of a nearby mountain range.In that direction, on the rust-colored and purple-colored land, crowds are pouring out with an irresistible force. Khadgar looked in that direction, as a black and green wave charged up the nearest ridge.At first Khadgar thought it was a gushing river, or a mottled mudslide.But he understood at once that it was an advancing army.The black ones are their armor and the green ones are their skins. This is a group of nightmarish creatures with a human-like figure.On their emerald green faces, the drooping lower jaw is very obvious, with a mouthful of fangs protruding from the mouth, the flat nose twitches like a dog from time to time, and those small, bloodthirsty eyes are filled with nothing but red hatred.Their ebony-hilted weapons and ornate armor shone with a strange brilliance in the dying sun of this world.After occupying the entire mountaintop, they collectively uttered a battle cry, the sound resounded through the heaven and earth, and the ground under their feet trembled. Soldiers around Khadgar echoed their call signs.Those green creatures rushed over here, and the humans shot at them with red arrow rain over and over again.The monsters in the front row fell to the ground with arrows, and were trampled to death by those rushing up from behind.Immediately after another wave of volleys began, another wave of savage monsters fell to the ground with arrows, and were once again swallowed by the huge army behind them. A flash of lightning suddenly flashed in front of Khadgar's right, and the monsters over there screamed immediately, and their bodies were swallowed by the flames that shot out from their bodies.Khadgar thought it was the battle mage who had done it, but he also realized that the action in general was nothing more than tickling the advancing herd before him. This group of green-skinned monsters rushed forward in a blink of an eye, and the black-green tide was crushing the fragile wooden barrier.The scattered wood chips could no longer hold back the storm.Khadgar could feel the defenses sag inward, and the soldier closest to him fell, pierced by a huge black spear.Where the warrior fell, a green-skinned nightmare was howling at him. Khadgar was out of his wits, stumbled back two steps, turned and ran. —and almost crashed into Moros's arms. Moroes was standing in the archway of the corridor. "You," Moros said in a calm tone while panting, "you haven't come down for a long time. I guess you're lost." Khadgar turned his head to look at the place just now—there was no blood-red sky of the alien world, and no green-skinned monsters. There was only an abandoned living room with an empty fireplace and some clothes on a few chairs.The air was filled with freshly stirred up dust. "I..." Khadgar gasped, "I saw...I..." "Going wrong?" Moros answered. Khadgar swallowed hard, looked around the room, and nodded silently. "Your dinner is ready," Moros coughed a few times, and then said, "Next time, cough, no, lost, cough." Then the servant in black turned around and quietly walked out of the room. Khadgar glanced back one last time at the hut he had been trapped in.There are no magical portals or magical space doors here.The scene of the battlefield just now (if it wasn't his own hallucination) had disappeared without a trace, and the room became the same as it was before he came in. There are no soldiers.Creatures without green skin.There are no human troops dying.Only the memory of that scene just now made Khadgar terrified from the bottom of his heart.It wasn't a hallucination, it was real, he could feel it. It wasn't the monsters and the blood that really frightened him.It was the battle mage, the grey-haired commander who seemed to see him too.That gaze seemed to see through his heart, knowing all his thoughts. Most terrifying of all, though, was the white-bearded old man in robes and armor, with Khadgar's eyes.Although his face is old and his beard and hair are white, his demeanor reveals great strength.But Khadgar would never have mistaken those eyes—the ones he had seen in that tarnished mirror moments (lifetimes?) ago... Khadgar left the living room, wondering if it was too late to get another blindfold? . . . . .