Varian gazed at the misty palace, knowing his time was running out.
In the mirror, several Orcs Chef lifted Varian's mangled body, secured it to a wooden box, leaving only his scalp exposed, carefully shaved off Varian's hair, and poured a spoonful of hot oil onto his scalp.
An Orcs servant brought over an obsidian plate with an exquisite silver hammer and spoon on it, asking Thrall to take a look. Thrall nodded, his face contorted with smugness and pride.
Clearly, Thrall intended to devour Varian's brain, just as he had done with High Archmage Antonidas.
"Serves me right, I'm such a brainless idiot," Varian thought to himself, then replied angrily, "I promise, no matter the cost."
The voice responded quickly:
"The price you'll have to pay is simple: treat Thrall and Agna the same way Thrall treated him, and take revenge on them with the cruelest methods. If you hesitate even slightly, then our deal is off, and the dream will remain a dream."
"Fine!" Varian gritted his teeth. "I will never let you down."
"Transaction complete."
A loud voice echoed through the hall, Varian's vision went black as he found himself back at Thrall's wedding banquet.
Upon seeing Varian standing unharmed before him, Thrall was initially taken aback, unsure of what had happened. He then grinned maliciously, "Interesting. Perhaps some kind of inexplicable magic? Varian, you're truly foolish. I will devour you again."
The three Dragon Kings, however, looked cautious. The Green Dragonflight, Ysera, whispered, "Damn it, this is the power of the Emerald Nightmare. It must be Xavius. Everyone be careful and don't act rashly."
Varian stared directly at Thrall and said loudly, "Thrall, you are not facing just me alone, but also my vast army."
Twenty thousand Stormwind City troops suddenly appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the wedding site. Among them were the main force trapped in the Firelands and three thousand soldiers who had sacrificed themselves in the Elemental Plane Wind. They had all returned safely, which meant that the deaths in the Elemental Plane of Wind were just an illusion.
Thrall looked terrified and pleaded with the Red Dragon Queen, "Take me away! We have a deal; you promised me."
The Red Dragon Queen, wary of the Emerald Nightmare's power, said calmly, "Thrall, I can overlook the hatred of Mount Hyjal, but I only make deals with the victors."
Unable to rely on the three Dragon Kings, Thrall could only plead with Jaina: "Jaina, Orgrimmar and Theramore are watching out for me. Please help me leave this place; I promise you a great reward in the future."
Jaina smiled slightly and said sarcastically, "I've heard that Savior 'Thrall wife, Agna, can punch Sargeras and kick the Pantheon. How could a mere 20,000 human troops be a threat to her?"
Varian glanced at the terrified Agna beside him, shrugged, and said, "I don't hit women."
Several soldiers walked over and easily subdued Agna. Then, a burly soldier came up to Agna and punched Agna in the face repeatedly.
Agna's features immediately became distorted, her flesh mangled, and she whimpered in pain.
Varian felt a surge of exhilaration and laughed, instructing, "Just keep going, don't stop, use all your strength, just don't kill anyone."
A Priest came over to treat Agna, assuring her that she would not die and prolonging her suffering.
Thrall looked at Varian with a fawning expression and said obsequiously:
"Great King Varian, humans and Orcs will always be good friends. As the saying goes, brothers are like limbs, and wives are like clothes. If you like Agna, then I'll give her to you."
Varian gave a cold laugh, stretched, and said, "I'm a little hungry."
Several soldiers seized Thrall and, as Thrall had done to Varian, nailed his hands and feet to the dining table. Varian, toying with a small silver hammer, instructed the army Chef, "Interesting little thing. The flesh of the great Savior must be very delicious. You know what to do."
The Chef understood immediately, took the silver hammer, and slowly crushed Thrall's hands and feet, then put them into boiling water and carefully prepared several delicious sauces.
Varian beckoned to the three Dragon Kings and Kalecgos, "Come on, let's eat together!"
The three Dragon Kings had uncertain expressions. Although they were not afraid of the 20,000-strong human army, they were terrified of the Emerald Nightmare. They neither participated nor tried to stop it, but simply watched from the sidelines.
Varian dared not offend the three Dragon Kings too much, and also feared the Dreadlord within Kalecgos, so he glared angrily at Jaina:
"Why won't the leader of Theramore drink with me?"
Jaina gritted her teeth. Her brief hesitation cost her her chance to escape. The Emerald Nightmare had already imprisoned the surrounding space, leaving her no choice but to nod reluctantly.
A plate of overcooked meat was placed in front of Jaina. Unexpectedly, it was surprisingly delicious and fragrant. Jaina ate it with gusto, making Kalecgos was standing next to her, swallow hard.
Varian exacted double the revenge on Thrall, ordering the Priests to heal him and help him grow back his limbs whenever Thrall's hands and feet were eaten.
To intensify Thrall's suffering, Varian ordered Herbalist to concoct a secret potion that increased Thrall's pain tenfold. After Varian had eaten his fill, he distributed the meat to the soldiers around him.
Kalecgos finally couldn't resist and, with Varian's permission, joined the meal and feasted.
The banquet lasted for a full day and night. Thrall's pupils were already dilated, and the endless torment was driving him to the brink of mental collapse. The former Savior was about to turn into a madman.
After successfully avenging himself, Varian gradually calmed down and began to understand the Emerald Nightmare's purpose: to test Thrall by torturing him, forcing the person behind it all to make a move.
You can't kill Thrall, but you have to torture him until the person behind it all can't take it anymore and comes out.
Unfortunately, the person behind the scenes remained remarkably calm, and even as Thrall was on the verge of madness, they didn't make a sound.
Time passed slowly, Thrall let out bursts of silly laughter, clearly having gone mad.
A ripple appeared in the space in front of Varian, revealing a hint of black and red color, and a strange seed fell out. The voice rang in Varian's ear.
"Feed it to Thrall."
The eerie seed opened its eyes, looking around as if it were alive. Green Dragon Ysera, cried out, "The Seed of Il'gynoth! It's going to Corruption Thrall's soul!"
Il'gynoth dwells at the heart of the Corruption World Tree, the terrifying embodiment of the Nightmare's Heart, a corrupted polymer, and is known for all sorts of strange prophecies.
Nozdormu shook his head and said:
"It's said that only by teetering on the edge of madness can one see more of the truth. If Thrall were to ingest the Seed of Il'gynoth, given his status as Savior, he would surely be able to bring us clear prophecies. Perhaps this is a good thing."
Varian ordered his soldiers to pry open Thrall's mouth so he could personally feed him the Seed of Il'gynoth, but at that moment, a pair of strong, powerful hands stopped Varian.
A loud and authoritative voice rang out. "Varian, what have you done? By the Holy Light, you have disappointed me greatly."
The voice sounded familiar, unlocking some long-forgotten memories for Varian.
Varian turned around in surprise and saw an old but resolute face, gray hair, a short beard like steel needles, and armor that shone with a bright gold color, with the symbol of the Silver Hand prominently displayed on it.
"Uther the Lightbringer!"
Varian was horrified.