Actions of All Sides

Dath'Remar Sunstrider's eyes held a faint trace of anxiety.

He looked at the portal above the Well of Eternity, which radiated an unmistakable aura of evil and destruction. The Highborne court mages had formed a circle around it, working day and night to reinforce the portal.

Something was wrong. Very wrong. Yet he could not say exactly what was wrong...

That deity had promised to grant the elves unimaginable power, but what was the price?

It seemed that neither Her Majesty the Queen nor his fellow kin had considered that. Just then, the portal trembled, and a tyrannical roar came from within. "Prepare to welcome the warriors of heaven, Night Elves!"

A three-meter-tall humanoid creature stepped through the portal and entered this world. Its sturdy body was covered in armor burning with green flames, two curved horns jutted from its forehead, and its hands ended in a pair of glowing green claws. It also held an enormous whip in its claws. With a crack of the whip, more than a dozen Felhounds appeared at his side. Groups of towering soldiers continued to emerge from the portal, carrying burning battle-axes.

"Hakkar the Houndmaster will lead his Felguards to assist you, eliminate the rebels, and stabilize the portal! Do not disappoint the gods!" The tyrannical voice from the other side of the portal rang out once more.

Dath'Remar felt a chill run through his entire body. These creatures were demons—the Burning Legion made up of demons?

He wondered what results his people had found from the investigation he had ordered.

Just then, a Highborne mage hurried over, pulled out a crystal, and handed it to Dath'Remar. "My lord, Suramar City has sent word. It seems... it seems the situation is not optimistic."

Dath'Remar frowned and sent his consciousness into the crystal to inspect the message. The situation truly was grim. Upon receiving the order, the Highborne of Suramar City had immediately begun searching for books related to demons and the Burning Legion, while the Prophets had started conducting divination rituals.

Yet there had been only one result: their eyes had been seared by green flames, leaving behind nothing but empty sockets. Only one elderly Prophet had endured a little longer. He had seen the entire Kalimdor Continent engulfed in green evil fire, the land torn apart, and the Night Elves standing at the brink of destruction.

Dath'Remar steadied himself and took several deep breaths. "Return to Suramar immediately. Order the entire city to remain on alert, and have Archmage Elisande accelerate the prayer ritual. We need... divine guidance."

He then turned to another mage. "You. From now on, order every Highborne to slow the portal's progress without being discovered. Also... transfer the apprentices and exceptionally gifted mages back to Suramar City in batches. The future of the Council of Truth and the Highborne cannot suffer any mishap."

At Blackrock Hold, Krasus and Rhonin had earned Lord Ravencrest's trust by displaying their immense power and had been appointed as the lord's personal mages. Although Ravencrest still had many doubts, as a lord who had spent years on the battlefield, coupled with the increasingly strange situation in the capital of Eldarath, he decided to mobilize his forces and remain on alert. He also dispatched messengers to notify the lords of other territories.

Krasus and Rhonin then encountered another creature at Blackrock Hold that, like them, should not have existed in this era: an orc. However, he was not being treated nearly as well. After being captured by Night Elf Sentries, he had been locked in a cage in the square, drawing a large crowd of Night Elf civilians.

Brox sat quietly in the cage, thirsty and hungry. After all that turmoil, he had also realized that he had likely returned to some point in the past. The spatial disturbance the Great Chief had sent him to investigate was probably the cause, but unfortunately, he had no idea how to return. At that moment, a female elf crouched beside the cage, holding out a cup of water and silently watching him.

"Tyrande, be careful! This beast might suddenly attack and hurt you!" a male elf traveling with her said, staring at Brox warily.

"He will not, Illidan. There is no killing intent in his eyes. He possesses intelligence and awareness as well. The Moon Goddess's radiance should not be biased simply because he is of another race," Tyrande replied gently.

Just then, another male elf patted Illidan on the shoulder. "Relax, little brother. A heart full of suspicion will not help you learn the Druidic Path."

"Malfurion is right. Guard, release him. He is an orc, and he can help us fight our enemies as well." A mature male voice sounded from behind the crowd as Krasus strode over.

When Illidan saw Krasus, his previously unruly demeanor immediately faded. He bowed to him. "It is an honor to meet you, Master Krasus. Your magic astonished me. Might you spare some time to offer me guidance?"

Malfurion looked at his brother helplessly. This Illidan had no interest in the Druidic Path at all. The forest demigod Cenarius had suddenly appeared and begun recruiting Night Elves to teach them the Way of Nature. Malfurion had advanced by leaps and bounds along the Druidic Path and become Cenarius's prized disciple. Unfortunately, his brother had always been absentminded. Cenarius had privately told him that Illidan was unsuited for the path of a druid. His future belonged to magic... and power.

The scene shifted to Suramar City. Everyone living in this City of Magic was Highborne, and it was also the headquarters of the Council of Truth. Its usual peace and tranquility had vanished. Countless towering Mage Towers shone with magical light. On the platform at the summit of the tallest Mage Tower in the center of the city, a group of Highborne were casting spells with all their strength. A massive magic array formed beneath their feet, and at its center, Archmage Elisande, who looked like a beautiful young girl, controlled an enormous mana crystal.

"It is complete! We can begin at any time!" an elderly mage shouted.

Upon hearing this, Elisande immediately activated the crystal. A massive pillar of light began gathering above it, while numerous Mage Towers throughout the city simultaneously fired beams of energy that converged at the crystal's peak before shooting into the sky and violently spreading through the heavens.

A hemispherical purple energy barrier slowly descended, enveloping the entire city of Suramar. It blocked not only danger, but also sunlight and moonlight. The entire city glowed with deep purple magical radiance. The sun could no longer shine within.

Everyone watched the scene silently, some with sorrow on their faces. Archmage Elisande took a deep breath and turned around. "Now, we have lost our connection to the Well of Eternity. Without its supply of magic, we... can only rely on the power of the Nightwell within the city." The Nightwell had been created from the waters of the Well of Eternity. It was essentially a miniature version of the Well of Eternity, and now it had become their only salvation.

Just then, an elderly Archmage suddenly shouted, "The situation may not be so terrible. We should immediately hold a prayer ritual and beg for the God of Magic's aid! The Queen wishes to summon an evil god, so why must we defend passively? We have our own deity too!"

Elisande froze for a moment, then nodded. "Everyone, rest while you can. A ritual to summon a deity is far more exhausting than creating a magical barrier. Besides... no one has ever succeeded with the method left behind by our ancestors."

A magical message arrived. Everyone stopped talking and looked toward the image crystal that had activated on its own. "News from the Border Watchtower: those outsiders known as the Pandaren, aided by the Four August Celestials they worship, cast an unknown spell and separated their land from the continent. Wrapped in mist, it drifted toward the Endless Sea before vanishing without a trace."

"Troubled times indeed. It seems these Pandaren have also discovered or foreseen some abnormality. Still, I wouldn't have thought that the Pandaren, who have always avoided worldly disputes, would make such a tremendous move this time. It truly does not fit their peaceful, low-profile style since they overthrew the Mogu's rule," Elisande said with a sigh.

The next day, atop the Mage Tower, an even larger and more intricate magic array had been completed. This was a summoning array passed down by their ancestors during the uncivilized age. After the God of Magic and Eternity had first bestowed a divine miracle, this method had been imprinted in the minds of their ancestral shamans.

At the same time, a staff had been bestowed upon them, one that the Highborne had enshrined as a divine artifact in the Mage Tower for generations—"Origin of Divine Power, Azeroth Binder."

Yet no one had ever lifted this staff or gained its recognition.

Now, the staff floated silently at the center of the magic array. The Highborne formed a circle around it and began casting. A Divine Eye, recorded in ancient books as having appeared above the Well of Eternity, slowly took shape and began emitting three kinds of energy: black void, green fel, and golden Titan Divine Power.

Meanwhile, their deity Hu Feng was racing to restore his energy. During this period, Hu Feng had not been observing Azeroth, because while remodeling the planet Sargeras, he had accidentally discovered two Old Gods in a dormant state!

These two lackeys of the Void Lords must have been secretly cast down during the battle between the Void Lords and the Dark Titans. Fearing discovery afterward, they had remained dormant ever since. Hu Feng immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

If they had been awake, his location would have been exposed long ago. But now, facing two sleeping Old Gods while possessing Void Energy himself, if he handled this properly, they would become the first high-end combat power of his still-forming small faction.

Thus, Hu Feng began guiding Void Energy to alter the minds of the two Old Gods and imprint various marks of loyalty upon them. The Void Energy Hu Feng wielded was even purer than that of the Void Lords, and since the sleeping Old Gods lacked active consciousness, the modification progressed smoothly. Still, the constant expenditure of immense energy left Hu Feng exhausted every day. Yet he treated it as training and practice, and persisted day after day.

Just as Hu Feng completely altered and imprinted the mind of one Old God, a familiar summons entered his mind. It came from the staff he had created with Titan Divine Power. After enduring the passage of time, the staff had already developed a rudimentary self-awareness and intelligence.

However, its master Hu Feng had ordered it to remain with the Highborne, so that if it found a mage worthy of its recognition, it could assist them in battle. Naturally, this staff was also the Highborne's only means of actively communicating with their deity.

Now, the call had come. If nothing major had happened on Azeroth, the staff would never have agreed to summon him.