Chapter 13 Chapter Twelve

The drawing room of Wardenkeep is one of the few rooms in the castle that has been completed.Khadgar was standing inside now.He wanted to stand on the wall and help the defenders resist the Horde's attack, but Turalyon convinced him that the mage should rest and eat now after all. "Archmage or not, if you collapse from hunger or fatigue, you're only going to give us trouble." The idea sounded good, so Khadgar allowed himself to come here for a little rest.Someone dropped a bowl of stew in front of him, and Khadgar had to finish it off as if it was a mission. He could only remember so much, and now he thought he must have fallen asleep.He was dreaming, a bittersweet dream, because Khadgar was still young.

Khadgar's shaved face looked neat.He looked up at the starry sky and let the moonlight baptize himself.His shiny black hair was tousled by the night wind, revealing the only strand of white hair.He raised his hands, marveling at how young and strong they were, instead of blotchy and slightly twisted.He walked the streets of Lordaeron like a giant, miles at a step, his head brushing against the clouds.Even though it was night, Khadgar walked forward without hesitation, his feet knowing where they were going.He found himself heading towards Dalaran, and in a single step he forded Lake Lordamere and stood outside the mage city.There was a room in Violet Castle that was lit despite the night, and Khadgar focused his consciousness on that room.He began to float upward, gradually shrinking in size as he approached the room.By the time his feet hit the terrace, he had returned to his original size.The door leading to the room was wide open, and there were gauze curtains hanging on it to keep mosquitoes out, but the gauze could not block the soft moonlight.Khadgar gently pushed it aside and walked in.

"Welcome, Khadgar. Come, come to my side." When Khadgar saw Antonidas, he was not very surprised. This was the room of the leader of the Kirin Tor.Khadgar settled into a chair, and Antonidas handed him a glass of wine.Much to Khadgar's amusement, Antonidas looked older even though his long beard had just started turning from brown to gray - usually, thanks to Khadgar's white beard, Many strangers would think he was an older mage, despite the fact that Antonidas outlived Khadgar by decades. "Thank you," Khadgar said quietly, pointing to his young face and his muscular and slender body, after the two of them took a sip of the wine at the same time. "For this."

Antonidas looked a little uncomfortable, "I tried to make it as comfortable as possible." "I miss that feeling, being young. But there's nothing I can do—someone has to stop Medivh—and most of the time I don't really mind. But sometimes, I... really miss it." "……I know." Khadgar changed the subject. "I suppose it's not just an ordinary dream?" Antonidas shook his head and said, "No, unfortunately, I have some important news to tell you. The Black Dragon Clan has formed an alliance with the Horde." Khadgar tried not to choke on the wine. "Black dragon?" he repeated. "But what about those red dragons?" The two dragon clans are sworn enemies.

The archmage shrugged, "No one has seen them for a while. Maybe it's because they finally got rid of the orcs' control." He frowned. It's voluntary." Khadgar shook his head and said, "Are they planning to come to Watchfort?" "We don't know," Antonidas admitted. "Maybe. They've been here already, and Alterac too." His brow furrowed even tighter. "The orcs stole the Eye of Dalaran, Khadgar." "Eyes?" Khadgar knew what a loss this was for Dalaran. "But what does the Horde of Orcs want it for?" "I don't know, but they did come to steal it," said Antonidas with certainty. "Several death knights managed to break through our fortifications, took it, and used the black dragons to help them escape. Not long after, there were reports that the black dragons had slaughtered all Alliance troops watching Alterac, apparently On the orders of that traitor from Perenolde."

"I wonder how Perenold did it." "It's another mystery. Khadgar, I know you're busy with a lot, but I think you should know about this." "Thank you." Khadgar said the words with his heart. "Yes, I really should know." He frowned and began to think deeply. He stretched out his hand to stroke his beard, but found that his chin was so smooth now. "And maybe I can find the reason of the matter. First it is the Book of Medivh, and now it is the Eye of Dalaran. Why did they come to find these things?" Khadgar reluctantly put the wine glass in his hand on Antonida On Si's desk, stood up. "I should go back."

Go back and continue to be that mage with a young heart but an old body.Go back and watch Alleria and Turalyon deny each other, hurt each other, and be alone, even though even a fool knows that they are both stronger and happier when they are together.Go back, continue to fight against the orcs, try to close the door of darkness, and use your aging shoulders to bear the weight of this world. He sighed softly. "As you wish. Good luck, kid." Antonidas waved his hand.Khadgar awoke to find himself still seated at a table in the drawing room of Watchfort.He had returned to his old body, and looking at his wrinkled hands and white beard, Khadgar felt a deep melancholy and grief.

The mage stood up, put the dream behind him, and left the drawing room.He saw Turalyon and several others standing at the gate, gathered before a new captive.As Khadgar approached, the men looked up at him and took a few steps back.The archmage fought back a shudder at the sight of the once-human rotting face and glowing red eyes of the creature before him. "Khadgar!" Turalyon called out, noticing his friend. "I just wanted to find someone to find you." "I suppose it's because you need my help with this man? Doesn't the Light work on it?" Turalyon looked exhausted physically and mentally. "On the contrary. His reaction was so strong that I was afraid that the Light might kill him at any moment. I thought maybe you..."

"Of course." Khadgar crouched in front of the captive, looking into his angry eyes. "Death knight, do you have a name?" The creature merely growled, struggling to free itself from its restraints.But the soldiers quickly held him down. "If you want to come this way," Khadgar said, shrugging.He summoned his power, and it gathered into a taut beam.The spell pierced through the death knight's defenses as easily as Turalyon's power of the Light did, but even though the creature straightened, he was not overwhelmed with pain.Surely he will. "Your name is?"

The death knight stared at him with eyes that could kill.But he still opened his mouth and spoke in his own peculiar tone. "Jaz Soulbreaker." "Very good. Now tell me, how did the Horde reopen the Dark Portal?" Khadgar asked, and Turalyon and the others gathered tightly behind him. "Ner'zhul," the death knight replied. "Ner'zhul used the Skull of Gul'dan to forcibly reopen that rift." "Is that possible?" Turalyon asked. "It's entirely possible," Khadgar said. "It seems obvious now. We know that Gul'dan and Medivh, together, opened the Dark Portal in the first place. It is possible that there is still a link between his relic and the portal, and thus can be used to control the portal. Dao rift. Like the Book of Medivh."

Ner'zhul needs Gul'dan, or at least his head, to reopen the Dark Portal.Without the head, Khadgar couldn't close it, at least not completely.Now he understood why the Dark Portal still left a crack when it crumbled.He had to get Gul'dan's head to truly seal the Dark Portal.And without the Book of Medivh, he wouldn't know if he was using the right spell. He felt someone tap him on the shoulder.Khadgar looked up to see Turalyon gesturing for him to come over.Puzzled, Khadgar obeyed Turalyon. "Good news," Turalyon said. "Our armies are driving the Horde back to the Dark Portal. We have also heard from Admiral Proudmoore that other orcs are also fleeing. There is a band of orcs - backed by black dragons, if you can believe it - —Several ships have been stolen from Menethil Harbor recently." Khadgar remembered the conversation he had with Antonidas in his dream, and sighed softly. "I believe. I... wait, you said 'ship' just now?" "Yes, they sailed southwest and into the Endless Sea." Khadgar grabbed Turalyon's armored robes. "Southwestern? Fuck." "What's wrong, Khadgar?" "They were not fleeing. Those ships...they were going to the Tomb of Sargeras. Gul'dan tried, and was killed for it." "Why did the orcs do this? Medivh is dead, and Sargeras has left. That tomb is empty!" His eyes widened slightly. "……Is not it?" Looking at it this way, everything is very clear. "Sargeras is gone," Khadgar said slowly. "But that doesn't mean the tomb is empty. We know the orcs are looking for fetishes - what if Sargeras left something there too? The Tomb of Sargeras prevents all Azer Creatures from Rath came in - but the orcs didn't come from Azeroth! Those defenses didn't work against the orcs at all, just like Gul'dan back then...yes, that's what it was." Khadgar turned to the death knight, half kneeling beside him. "Why did Ner'zhul send the orcs to the Tomb of Sargeras?" he asked.Jaz Soulbreaker laughed, spraying Khadgar's face with a foul stench from his mouth.After a while, the death knight stopped, as if he didn't want to say anything.Khadgar frowned, unleashing his magic again, this time he didn't want to play tricks.The Archmage's spell formed a lance-like beam that pointed straight at Jaz's forehead.Soulbreaker bent over in pain, but remained silent. "tell me!" "We... don't care about your world." Soul Breaker said in a low voice, clenching his fists. Khadgar's fingers moved deftly.This time, Jazz Soulbreaker cried out. "You'd better say something useful." "Ah!" The death knight bit his lips tightly, and his teeth sank deeply into the rotten skin. "Our destiny...far exceeds your imagination, human!" Khadgar's heart began to beat faster.These half-truths, these clues... What is the truth of the matter?His forehead was beaded with sweat, though it wasn't because he was trying his best to cast a spell.He tightened his grip, and the death knight began to twitch. "Khadgar..." said Turalyon, flinching back. "Soulbreaker, I can maintain the effect of the spell all day," Khadgar said.He found that the creature didn't respond, so he raised his left hand and held his right hand. "A fetish!" screamed the death knight. "From the tomb! Scepter of Sargeras!" "That's right. What can it do?" "With...with it, the Book of Medivh, and the Eye of Dalaran, Ner'zhul can—no!" Khadgar was amazed at the death knight's resistance.He, like Turalyon, hated torture, but they were so close to the truth... "What can he do? Tell me!" "He... he can open a portal to other worlds in Draenor!" Khadgar immediately stopped torturing the death knight.Jazz fell to the ground with a thud, laying on his stomach trying to recover himself.Khadgar sat down, froze for a few seconds, then looked up at Turalyon.The young man's face showed the same panic as himself. "Other... worlds?" Turalyon's voice was weak with shock. "Azeroth and Draenor... aren't the only worlds?" He looked at the death knight, trying to say something. "The world... not only our world. The endless world, countless innocent people will suffer because of them... May the Holy Light save us." Khadgar nodded. "I know it's hard to understand. We're dealing with a Horde of Orcs driven mad by despair and hunger. Their world is at stake, so they need to take over our world. Now they have to open more portals, take over Innumerable separate worlds. This same plot will be repeated over and over again, over and over again..." Turalyon listened reluctantly to Khadgar.The words seemed to fade away, drowned out by Turalyon's own thumping heart.The terrifying face of the death knight seemed to be gradually disappearing, replaced by a gradually flashing dazzling white light, which seemed to come from the paladin's mind. Throughout his life, Turalyon has protected his people, the Alliance, and all life in this world from the scourge of the hungry orcs.This is already dangerous, but look at now... more worlds!Anyway, how many were the orcs talking about?One?two?two million? Turalyon was now on the verge of madness, trying to understand what he couldn't understand.He cared for the innocent, and it was his duty to help them.But now, is it possible for him to do so?so much…… The heavy heartbeat in his ear suddenly stopped. In that pure place, in that radiant white light, Turalyon saw the light itself.It hangs in the air and glows.It should look like some kind of hard crystal, but at the same time it's so soft, unspeakably soft.It was soft as tears, gentle as a forgiving heart, soft as Alleria's pale skin.Gold thread adorns it.Turalyon didn't know at first whether the golden threads came from or led to the Light—now he knew, it was both. All of this is the Holy Light, and the Holy Light represents everything. Turalyon was filled with awe. He was deeply intoxicated by the beautiful and bright body of the Holy Light, feeling that it gradually brought him peace and hope. Now he was like an empty vessel. Don't lose heart, there is a sound, it sounds like a copper bell, it sounds like a bell, and it sounds like the sigh of the ocean.The Light is with you.We are with you.No matter how vast the darkness may be, the Light will dispel it.No matter what world, no matter what creature, the Light is always there, everywhere, in all souls.Know this, and travel with a cheerful heart, Turalyon. As if in answer to its singing, Turalyon's heartbeat resumed again.He realized that his heart hadn't stopped beating.Although he seemed to have passed a century just now, in reality it was less than the blink of an eye. Khadgar gave Turalyon enough time to understand this reality.Finally, Turalyon raised his head.His eyes were very clear and piercing, and his face was even more determined. "We need to stop them," Turalyon said firmly. "We cannot allow other innocent worlds to suffer... catastrophe. It will end here, right here in Azeroth. Others should not suffer as we have. The Light shines on other worlds besides ours. world, and it needs our help right now. We will help." Khadgar heard a murmur among Turalyon's soldiers.Turalyon frowned, obviously hearing that too. "If you want to say something, say it clearly," he ordered.The soldiers who had been talking just now exchanged glances.A soldier stood up. "Sir...why can't we just let them leave like this? If they have other worlds to occupy, maybe they will just go away and won't come to harass us anymore." "Even though it might be as simple as you say it is, we can't let that happen. Don't you understand? We need to stop them. We can't sacrifice more innocent lives to save our own world." Tulla Yang said so. "Besides that," Alleria said loudly as she walked towards the crowd.She looked dusty, sweaty, and splattered with black orc blood. "After they have robbed enough, what else can prevent them from returning to Azeroth?" Obviously, Alleria's excellent hearing allowed her to hear the conversation just now.Though Alleria looked paler than usual, Khadgar thought, she was still calm. "Will you still be willing to face them when the orcs have grown to be several times larger than they were during the Second World War, fully united, and can open the continent of Azeroth from anywhere?" Khadgar saw the disappointment in Turalyon's eyes.The paladin had hoped that his warriors would understand his point of view, and more importantly, he hoped that Alleria would understand him too.But it seems that Alleria is still full of hatred for orcs.She doesn't care about other worlds.She just wanted to kill those orcs with her own hands, and she didn't want others to share this cruel and special pleasure with her.She turned to look at Turalyon, a blush flashed across her face, and then disappeared. "Sir, while we were fighting, I saw something that I think you should know about. We noticed a group of..." Khadgar listened absently to her melodious voice.There are still some troubles in his heart.He always felt that something was wrong.When he understood, he took a deep breath. "I'm an idiot!" Khadgar yelled, interrupting Alleria's report. "They haven't failed! They're just retreating! They've found all the fetish they need, and now they're going back to Draenor! All this attack was just a feint, to divert our attention, and now they've done Arrived!" Jazz Soulbreaker looked up at him, shock and panic in his glowing eyes.The death knight jumped to his feet, snapping the strong cords that bound his hands, feet and chest.Fear gave him miraculous powers—from somewhere within him, Jaz dodged Khadgar's Psychic Spear and held up his shield against the Archmage's attempts to regain control of him. "You will not interfere with us!" Jaz yelled, leaping over Khadgar, choking the mage's throat with his mail-clad hands. "You cannot thwart our fate!" The death knight began to squeeze with both hands.Khadgar gasped and tried to push the creature away, but he was starting to feel dizzy.The edge of Khadgar's vision began to dim, and various colors continued to flash before his eyes.He couldn't push the hands away, and he couldn't think of a single spell. Suddenly, between the wildly swirling colors before Khadgar's eyes, a pure white light flashed.It stung Khadgar's eyes, but at the same time he felt a sense of warmth and peace, which was at odds with the pain of the hands squeezing his windpipe.Khadgar briefly wondered if he was dead, maybe he just didn't notice it. The light gradually expanded, and then slowly faded away.The hands wrapped around Khadgar's throat suddenly ceased to exert any pressure on the mage.Khadgar staggered, blinking, still dazzled by the white light.While coughing, he was still panting, trying to refill his lungs with air. "Are you all right?" Turalyon asked.He helped Khadgar to his feet, his hands still glowing faintly.Khadgar looked down and saw that his purple robes were covered in dust—all that had been left by Jazz Soulbreaker.He looked at Turalyon, struck again by the strength of the young general.Turalyon studied his gaze and smiled awkwardly.Khadgar grabbed Turalyon's arm and said, "Thank you." "It's the power of the Holy Light, not me." Turalyon was still as humble as ever when he spoke. "Well, your damned Light killed him so quickly," Alleria grumbled.Even Khadgar was surprised by the malevolence in her voice. "We could have asked him about those vans I saw." "Wagon?" Khadgar asked. "Explain." Alleria turned to Khadgar, clearly finding it easier to speak to the mage than to Turalyon. "I saw some orcs go through the Dark Portal. The black dragon was with them. They took some wagons, all covered up. They brought something back to their world." "They came here for the fetishes, not for the souvenirs," Khadgar muttered. "What do they want those vans for?" Alleria shrugged and said, "I don't know, I thought you did." "Another mystery. I thought we already knew all the truth." Khadgar patted his robes annoyedly, then looked at the crowd. "We're going to have a tough job. We need to send an expedition to Draenor. We need to find and kill Ner'zhul before he opens another portal. We need to take back the fetishes,— - especially the Book of Medivh - and the Skull of Gul'dan, and then destroy the Dark Portal." Turalyon nodded, quickly gestured to a scout, and said quickly, "A message to the Kings of the Alliance. The Horde is..." A black shadow passed the sun, and Turalyon stopped.He raised his hands to shield his eyes from the sun.Turalyon looked up, then laughed.The black shadow dispersed into several winged figures, and they spun and flew towards the crowd.These figures are not so slender as the dragons, they are wider and stronger, and smaller in comparison.They are covered with tawny fur, and their feathers are white and gold. "What wind brought you here?" Turalyon and Khadgar laughed together.Kurdran Wildhammer, leader of the Wildhammer dwarves, shook his head, looking awkward as he sat on the back of his own griffin. "Dark Wind," the dwarf admitted, letting his Skywings drop to the ground.The gigantic beast landed gracefully with a crow-like cry.It flapped its wings one last time before the dwarf leaped down.Despite the tense situation, Khadgar couldn't help laughing.It was good to see Kurdran. "You came very timely." The archmage stepped forward, took the dwarf's hands, and shook them enthusiastically. "We need to deliver a message as quickly as possible." "Huh? Me and my lads will scatter the greenskins at your word. We'll arraign you." He waved to the other Wildhammers, and they hurried over , waiting intently for instructions. "We need to speak to some of the leaders," Turalyon said, hiding his smile.Khadgar thought, whether Turalyon knew it or not, he could look serious if he wanted to. "Tell them: the orcs are retreating to Draenor, but they found a way to open a portal to another world." The dwarves' eyes widened, but they didn't bother Turalyon. "They also took some goods, which are obviously important to them, although we don't know what it is." Tulayan continued. "We plan to go through the Dark Portal, pursue them, and prevent them from opening new portals. We will do this with all our strength." "Young man, are you sure you want to do this?" Kurdran asked in a low voice.Turalyon nodded.Although everyone knew that they had to do what Turalyon had said, they remained silent about the cruel reality. "Now, let's go," said Turalyon. "Then the griffins will have supper." The dwarves nodded, saluted Turalyon, mounted their griffins, and soared into the air.Turalyon turned to his friends. "Now," he said gloomily, "we must prepare to leave our world."