Actions of All Parties

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

He stared at the portal above the Well of Eternity, which radiated an unmistakable aura of malice and destruction no matter how one looked at it. The Highborne court mages had formed a circle, working day and night to reinforce the portal.

No, something was very wrong, yet he couldn't quite pinpoint what...

That deity had promised the elves unimaginable power, but at what cost?

It seemed neither Her Majesty the Queen nor his own kin had considered this. Just then, the portal trembled, and a roar brimming with savagery echoed from within: "Prepare to welcome the champions of the heavens! Night Elves!"

A three-meter-tall humanoid creature stepped through the portal into this world. Its burly frame was clad in armor wreathed in green flames, two curved horns sprouting from its forehead. Its hands were a pair of claws radiating green light, one clutching a massive whip. With a crack of the whip, a dozen Felhounds appeared at its side. More towering soldiers, wielding burning great axes, continued to march through the portal.

"Haka the Hound King will lead his Felguard to aid you, crush the resisters, and stabilize the portal! Do not disappoint the god!" The brutal voice from the other side of the portal rang out again.

Dath'Remar felt a chill run through him. These creatures were demons—the Burning Legion of demons?

He wondered what results his orders for his people to investigate had yielded.

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

Frowning, Dath'Remar immersed his mind into the crystal to examine the message. The situation was indeed grim. Upon receiving his orders, the Highborne of Suramar City had immediately begun searching for texts on demons and the Burning Legion, while the prophets started conducting divination rituals.

But there was only one outcome: one by one, their eyes were seared by green flames, leaving only hollow sockets. Only one elderly prophet held out a little longer, glimpsing the entire Kalimdor Continent engulfed in green balefire, the land torn apart, and the Night Elves teetering on the brink of annihilation.

Dath'Remar steadied himself, taking a few deep breaths: "Return to Suramar at once. Order the city to full alert, and have Archmage Elisande intensify the prayer rituals. We need... the guidance of the gods."

He then turned to another mage. "You, from now on, order all Highborne to delay the portal's progress without being detected. Also... transfer the apprentices and exceptionally talented mages back to Suramar City in batches. The future of the Council of Truth and the Highborne must not suffer any mishap."

At Blackrock Hold, Krasus and Rhonin had gained the trust of Lord Ravencrest by demonstrating their formidable power and were appointed as the lord's personal mages. Though still full of questions, Ravencrest, as a veteran lord accustomed to warfare, decided to muster his forces and prepare for battle, given the increasingly suspicious situation in the capital, Eldarath. He also sent envoys to notify the lords of other territories.

At Blackrock Hold, Krasus and Rhonin encountered another being that, like them, did not belong in this time period: an orc. However, his treatment was far worse—captured by Night Elf Sentries and locked in a cage in the plaza, drawing a crowd of curious Night Elf civilians.

Brox sat quietly in the cage, thirsty and hungry. After all the commotion, he had realized he was somehow sent back to some point in the past. The Great Chief had sent him to investigate spatial anomalies—this must be the cause, but he had no idea how to return. Just then, an elf lady crouched beside the cage, holding out a cup of water, watching him calmly.

"Tyrande, be careful! This beast might lash out and hurt you!" A male elf accompanying her eyed Brox warily.

"He won't, Illidan. His eyes hold no killing intent. He has intelligence and awareness too. The Moon Goddess's light should not be biased just because he is of a different race." Tyrande replied gently.

Just then, another male elf patted Illidan on the shoulder: "Relax, brother. A mind full of suspicion does no good for learning the Druidic Path."

"Malfurion is right. Guards, release him. This is an orc; he can also help us fight our enemies." A mature male voice sounded from behind the crowd as Krasus strode over.

Seeing Krasus, Illidan immediately shed his usual unruly demeanor and bowed to him. "It is an honor to meet you, Master Krasus. Your magic astounds me. Might I ask if you could spare some time to offer me a few pointers?"

Malfurion looked helplessly at his brother. This Illidan had no interest whatsoever in the Druidic Path. The forest demigod Cenarius had recently appeared in the world, recruiting Night Elves to teach the Way of Nature. Malfurion himself had advanced rapidly on the druidic path and was Cenarius's prized student. But his brother remained distracted, and Cenarius had privately told Malfurion that Illidan was unsuited for the druidic path—his future lay in magic... and power.

The scene shifted to Suramar City. This City of Magic was home to all the Highborne and also served as the stronghold of the Council of Truth. The former peace and tranquility were gone. Countless towering Mage Towers shimmered with magical light. On the platform atop the tallest tower in the city center, a group of Highborne were laboring to cast a spell. A massive magical array was taking shape beneath their feet, and at its center, the beautiful, youthful-looking Archmage Elisande was controlling a giant mana crystal.

"All complete! Ready to begin at any time!" an elderly mage shouted.

Hearing this, Elisande immediately activated the crystal. A colossal beam of light began to coalesce above it. From the many Mage Towers across the city, streams of energy shot forth, converging at the crystal's apex before blasting skyward and spreading violently high in the air.

A hemispherical purple energy barrier slowly descended, enveloping the entire city of Suramar. Along with it, the sunlight and moonlight were blocked out. The city now glowed with a deep purple magical radiance; the sun could no longer shine in.

The crowd watched in silence, some with sorrow on their faces. Archmage Elisande took a deep breath and turned around. "Now, we have lost contact with the Well of Eternity. Without its mana supply, we... can only rely entirely on the mana of the Nightwell within the city." The Nightwell had been created from the waters of the Well of Eternity—a miniature version of it—and now it had become their only salvation.

Just then, an elderly archmage suddenly cried out: "The situation may not be so dire! We should immediately hold a prayer ritual to beseech the God of Magic for aid! The Queen wants to summon an evil god, but why should we merely defend? We have our own deity!"

Elisande paused for a moment, then nodded. "Everyone, rest quickly. Summoning a deity is far more exhausting than creating a magical barrier. Besides... the method left by our ancestors has never succeeded."

A magical message arrived, and everyone stopped talking to look at the image crystal that had activated on its own. "The Border Watchtower reports that the alien race called the Pandaren, with the help of the four August Celestials they worship, have released an unknown spell, separating their land from the continent. It drifted into the Endless Sea shrouded in mist, and has since vanished without a trace."

"Troubled times. It seems these Pandaren also noticed or foresaw something unusual. But I never expected the Pandaren, who have always kept to themselves, to make such a drastic move. This hardly fits their peaceful, low-key style since overthrowing the Mogu." Elisande sighed.

The next day, atop the Mage Tower, an even larger and more intricate array than yesterday's was completed. This was the summoning array passed down from their ancestors in the age before civilization. When the God of Magic and Eternity first bestowed a miracle, this method was imprinted into the minds of the ancestral shamans.

Along with it came a staff, revered by the Highborne for generations as an artifact enshrined in the Mage Tower—the "Origin of Divine Power, Azeroth Binder."

Yet no one had ever been able to lift it and gain its acknowledgment.

Now, the staff floated silently at the center of the array. The Highborne formed a circle and began to cast. A Divine Eye, recorded in ancient texts as having once appeared above the Well of Eternity, slowly took shape, radiating three kinds of energy: black Void, green Fel, and golden Titan Divine Power.

Meanwhile, our god Hu Feng was busy recovering his energy. During this time, he had not been observing Azeroth, because while reshaping the planet Sargeras, he had accidentally discovered two Old Gods in a state of slumber!

These minions of the Void Lords must have been secretly dropped off during the battle between the Void Lords and the Dark Titans, then fallen asleep to avoid detection. Hu Feng broke out in a cold sweat.

If they had been awake, his position would have been exposed long ago. But now, facing two sleeping Old Gods, and with his mastery of Void Energy, if handled well, they could become the first high-end combat power of his fledgling group.

So Hu Feng began channeling Void Energy to tamper with the minds of the two Old Gods, imprinting various loyalty marks. Since the Void Energy he wielded was even purer than that of the Void Lords, and the sleeping Old Gods had no active consciousness, the transformation progressed smoothly. However, the constant drain of massive energy left Hu Feng exhausted every day. But treating it as training and practice, he persevered.

Just as Hu Feng finished completely rewriting and imprinting the mind of one Old God, a familiar call entered his thoughts. It was the staff he had created long ago using Titan Divine Power. Over the ages, the staff had begun to develop a rudimentary self-awareness and intelligence.

But its master, Hu Feng, had commanded it to stay with the Highborne, and if a mage worthy of its acknowledgment appeared, it could aid them in battle. Of course, this staff was also the only medium through which the Highborne could actively communicate with their god.

Now, the call had come. If nothing major had happened in Azeroth, the staff would certainly not have agreed to summon him.