The Night Elves paid no attention to what was happening in Pandaria. Even if they learned of the Jinyu sage's prophecy of the future, they would only laugh it off as the delusions of a senile old madman.
What a joke. The Night Elves now dominated the continent, wielding the endless might of The Well of Eternity.
The entire populace stood united, they enjoyed excellent relations with the Dragon Aspects, and above them were the blessings of Sarodar, the God of Magic, and Elune, while below them shone the glory of Queen Azshara, the Light of Lights. They also had the Forest Demi-god teaching their people how to command nature.
Disaster? What disaster?
We are the favored children of the gods. We are invincible!
Well, putting themselves in the Night Elves' place and considering the state of the world, they had every reason to think so.
Speaking of the ability to command nature, Forest Demi-god Cenarius had recently been deeply troubled. Naturally, the problem lay with his two most valued Druid apprentices.
The Stormrage brothers possessed immense potential and talent. If they devoted themselves to study, then given enough time, they would surely become among the first Archdruids of the Night Elves.
And the elder brother, Malfurion, had indeed done exactly that. He held the utmost respect for Cenarius, his teacher, and was equally fascinated by the power of communing with nature, often approaching nature itself with reverence.
Malfurion improved at an astonishing pace, and Cenarius was extremely pleased with his chief apprentice. He decided that he would soon teach him how to enter the Emerald Dream.
As for the younger brother, Illidan... well, this young and impatient apprentice possessed even greater potential than his brother Malfurion. His mind was exceptionally quick, and he could often draw inferences from one example and make innovative breakthroughs.
But he simply could not bring himself to learn the ways of Druids and nature!
Illidan envied and yearned for magic. He longed to command immense Arcane energy like the Highborne and become a respected Court Archmage.
Thus, Cenarius could easily tell that Illidan's heart was not here at all. It had long since flown to Capital Eldorei, to the Highborne city of Suramar.
The reason he still remained here to study under the Forest Demi-god was not because he respected this ancient Demi-god, nor because his brother had persuaded him to stay.
The only reason was his childhood sweetheart, Tyrande Whisperwind.
Tyrande had said, "I hope you can stay here and study the ways of nature like Malfurion, instead of touching that dangerous Arcane energy."
All right, that was enough.
One sentence from Tyrande carried more weight than ten thousand words from Cenarius and Malfurion.
Illidan, the lovestruck youth who feared neither heaven nor earth, immediately abandoned all thoughts of leaving and obediently continued studying the ways of Druids.
That was also what worried Cenarius the most.
As the childhood friend of both brothers, Malfurion liked Tyrande, and Illidan liked Tyrande as well. As for Tyrande... well, she probably liked Malfurion more.
The relationship among the three was like a tangled knot. The brothers competed with each other, though it remained within the bounds of brotherly affection.
Although Illidan had stayed, he still kept a constant watch on Arcane matters and the latest news from the magical world.
"The Mage group of Suramar has developed an entirely new form of Arcane casting. It can increase the power of Arcane Missiles by several percentage points!"
"That God of Magic, Sarodar... I heard he only communicates with a very small number of Chosen Ones and even grants them divine power. I really want to know what possessing divine power feels like..."
"Elisande? Promoted to a member of Suramar's High Council? Who is she? There's no one like that in the Sunstrider family, is there?"
Well, Illidan knew countless times more about developments in the Arcane world than he did about the ways of nature.
When Malfurion could summon more than a dozen Treants at once, Illidan could not even cast a single Moonfire. Cenarius often watched this impatient young man with helplessness as he fired off Wrath again and again, the only basic Druid spell he had mastered.
But that should not have been possible. With Illidan's talent and potential, even if he was unwilling to study, his progress should not have been this slow.
Illidan merely shrugged it off, unconcerned. Every night, he continued to hole up in his own house, doing who knew what in secret.
Illidan had never given up studying Arcane magic, and he pursued it with extreme focus and dedication. Every night, he secretly practiced. Rather than a Druid, he was now more like a rapidly improving Arcane apprentice who had taught himself everything.
Other than studying magic, what made Illidan happiest was when Tyrande came to visit him and his brother during her leave from the Temple of the Moon.
Watching Tyrande's every movement, Illidan would often simply freeze, staring blankly at the female elf without looking away.
Unfortunately, Tyrande was not looking at him. She was chatting happily with Malfurion, asking in detail about his experiences and interesting stories from studying the ways of Druids.
Was my persistence really wrong? As a Priestess of the Moon, Tyrande—and indeed the entire Temple of the Moon—had always held a lukewarm attitude toward the Highborne and the Arcane.
"The Highborne love luxury and pleasure. They abuse magic and always act as if they are above ordinary people. I don't like them."
Whenever Tyrande made such remarks, Illidan would question his own secret actions.
But... only by possessing power could one protect one's people and the people one loved. That was what mattered most, wasn't it? Otherwise, what was there to talk about when it came to protection and responsibility?
The power of nature wielded by Druids was far too slow. And that power simply was not strong enough!
What was the use of summoning Treants? Mobile piles of firewood? It would be better to summon a group of Arcane Golems. Their destructive power was countless times greater.
How could a Forest Demi-god compare to the God of Magic? He was a genuine Titan!
Still, Illidan only dared to think such thoughts in secret.
At that moment, a burst of disorderly noise interrupted Illidan's daze. Coming back to himself, he quickened his pace and caught up with Malfurion and Tyrande.
"What's going on?"
There was no need for an answer, because Illidan immediately spotted the reason.
In the central plaza of the city stood an incomparably sturdy iron cage. Seven or eight soldiers stood guard around it, and judging by their armor, they were likely the personal guards of Lord Ravencrest.
The important thing was the creature imprisoned within the cage. Illidan had never seen such a beast before.
It had green skin, troll-like tusks growing from its mouth, and an incredibly robust body packed with explosive muscle.
Its ears resembled those of an elf, pointed at the tips, while a grayish-white ponytail was tied at the back of its head.
This unfamiliar beast seemed extremely listless at the moment. It sat slumped in the cage with its eyes closed, not touching the water and fruit placed before it.
"What exactly is this beast... Tyrande! Don't go over there. Be careful, it might lash out and hurt you!"
Seeing Tyrande part the crowd and walk to the cage, Illidan immediately grew nervous. He rushed over as well, secretly gathering Arcane energy as he warily watched the green beast's every movement.
"Relax, my brother. I can sense that this creature has no malice or hostility."
Malfurion stepped forward and patted Illidan on the shoulder.
When the soldiers beside the cage saw Tyrande, they did not stop her. Instead, they gave her a military salute.
Whether commoners or soldiers, all held groups like the Priestesses of the Moon, who selflessly healed the wounded and saved the dying, in the highest respect.
Tyrande crouched beside the cage and slowly reached a hand inside, placing it on the green beast's thick, sturdy arm. A gentle Moonlight Energy then enveloped the beast, soothing its mind, dispelling its fatigue, and healing wounds that had yet to close.
Brox opened his eyes. He calmly looked at the Night Elf healing him.
An orc receiving treatment from an elf—it was truly ironic.
But as a warrior of the Horde, he had to show respect to such a "shaman," even if she belonged to the Alliance.
Now, he had to find out what had happened to him and what had become of the companions in the patrol he had led.
He had to... return to Orgrimmar and report the situation to Warchief Thrall.
"Thank you, elf shaman."
Feeling vitality return to him, Brox spoke a sentence in Orcish that Tyrande could not understand at all, then heavily pounded his chest several times.
Tyrande paused. Though she could not understand what the creature had said, she immediately understood that his gesture was one of gratitude.
"He is not a beast. He is intelligent, and he should not be imprisoned in a cage."
Tyrande stood and spoke to the guards.
The elven soldiers could only look helpless.
"Honored Priestess, these are Lord Ravencrest's orders. We can only obey. This beast... ah, this creature, was captured in the forest outside Black Rook Hold. At the time, an incredibly violent and unknown energy fluctuation erupted there."
"Let's go, Tyrande. We can only help him this much."
Illidan shook his head. He had no interest in this strange green creature.
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