As the silhouette of Orgrimmar appeared on the horizon, Aegwynn gasped. The orc capital was far larger than she had imagined—towering Steel Wall, massive gates powered by gears and steam, and the menacing spire of Grommash Fortress in the center.
"Lower altitude," she commanded, "Circle the city three times, once on the outer ring, once on the middle ring, and once on the inner ring."
Nefarian began to hover. Aegwynn closed her eyes and formed hand seals. In a magical vision invisible to ordinary people, countless points of light spread out from her body, like golden dust scattered across the city. Each "dust" was sensing the fluctuations of Arcane Energy.
First lap, outer city. Aegwynn sensed a few magical items—mostly healing potions and enchanted weapons, nothing special.
In the second lap, in the central city area, several strong fluctuations caught her attention, but she quickly determined that they were the elemental totems of Shaman.
The third lap, the inner city. As Nefarian flew over Flame Ridge, Aegwynn suddenly grabbed a dragon scale. "Slow down! There's something down there!"
In her magical vision, a strange blue-purple halo flickered deep underground; the energy signature was undoubtedly Eye of the Storm. However, it was obscured by the thick strata of the earth, making it difficult to determine the specifics.
"Teacher?" Nefarian asked anxiously, "Did you find it?"
Aegwynn didn't answer immediately. She intensified her probe, and golden dust poured down like a torrential rain. Suddenly, one of the faint fluctuations "raised its head"—it felt like being watched from behind by something.
"Go! Leave immediately!" Aegwynn shouted.
Nefarian ascended with all his might without hesitation. Just as they plunged into the clouds, a purple beam of light shot into the sky from somewhere in the fortress, passing right through the spot where they had just been hovering.
"Someone has discovered us," Aegwynn's voice was tense. "Not an orc. I've never seen this magical fluctuation before. Something's definitely wrong."
Nefarian was so frightened he almost reverted to human form. "S-Should we retreat?"
"Let's go back," Aegwynn said softly.
Theramore was shrouded in a thin mist before dawn. The aroma of bacon and fried eggs wafted from the Deren family's kitchen, but the atmosphere around the table was as heavy as lead.
"At least seven Arcane anomalies," Aegwynn drew a diagram on the tablecloth with a fork dipped in jam. "The main energy source is underground in the center of Orgrimmar, in the Flame Ridge area."
Deren stared at the jam-like spots. "Divert? Why disperse the Eye of the Storm's energy?"
"A deception," Aegwynn squinted. "Using the fake to conceal the real."
Onyxia came down the stairs, carrying several rolls of drawings. "Darling, I found the design from last time—oh, good morning, Ms. Aegwynn." She immediately straightened up when she saw Aegwynn.
Aegwynn waved to her in greeting.
"This must be confirmed," Deren stood up, "But first we need to find the exact location of the Eye of the Storm."
Aegwynn shook her head. "My detection was interfered with. The underground structure is hindering magical detection, and" she hesitated, ""when I intensified my magical detection, I felt something 'watching' me there."
"A magical creature?" Deren guessed.
"More ancient." Aegwynn's expression was unusually grave. "Something even more ancient."
Her words were interrupted by the sudden opening of the door. Anveena walked in, rubbing her eyes, her long golden hair disheveled. "Brother, I'm hungry."
Deren's eyes lit up. "Perfect! Ms. Aegwynn, I have an idea."
Anveena suddenly froze, feeling a bad premonition as her brother and the beautiful older sister stared at her together.
Deren revealed to the former Guardian the secret that Anveena was the humanoid incarnation of the Sunwell.
Anveena sat on the swing in the garden, looking blankly at the serious-looking Aegwynn and Deren in front of her.
"Let me... unleash magical fluctuations?" She tilted her head. "But I'm just a child who can't do anything."
"You are the embodiment of the Sunwell," Deren crouched down to look her in the eye, "The entire magical fabric of Quel'Thalas was once a part of you."
Aegwynn took out a Crystal Ball: "Focus your attention and imagine you can see the magical energy inside."
Anveena reluctantly took the Crystal Ball, glancing at it perfunctorily. "Hmm, it's blue?"
"Seriously!" Aegwynn snapped. "If Theramore is blown to bits, your Deren will die too!"
These words struck Anveena like lightning. She sat bolt upright, a golden light flashing in her eyes. The Crystal Ball suddenly shone as brightly as day, its intense light even piercing through the contours of her hand bones.
"That's fantastic!" Deren exclaimed, "That's it!"
Aegwynn frowned. "The energy control is a complete mess. But the potential is truly astonishing." She turned to Deren, "You want to use her as a living probe?"
Deren nodded. "If you can train Anveena to precisely release specific magical fluctuations, and combine that with Nefarian's flight ability, you can expand your magical perception range." Deren wondered if magic and electromagnetic waves shared some similarity. The Sunwell was once a massive source of magical power. After being transformed into a human, could she be trained to become a magical fluctuation transmitter? This way, Aegwynn, the highly skilled former Guardian, could receive more magical fluctuations, thus improving her detection capabilities.
Upon hearing that her Deren was going to die, Miss Sunwell immediately perked up, appearing ready to sacrifice everything for him.
"I can try," Anveena whispered, twisting her fingers around the hem of her skirt, "For my brother."
Aegwynn sighed and drew a slender silver staff from her sleeve, "Lesson One, Focusing Energy. Watch closely, Little Sunwell."
A point of starlight shone from the tip of the silver staff, then split into hundreds of points of light, forming complex three-dimensional runes in the air. Anveena watched, mesmerized, and unconsciously reached out her hand. Surprisingly, the points of light began to flow towards her fingertips.
"A natural affinity for energy," Aegwynn murmured, "Just like a young Medivh."
Deren quietly stepped back, allowing the former Guardian to focus on teaching. He went to the study, where Onyxia was studying a map of Orgrimmar.
"How is it?" Black Dragon asked, looking up.
Deren smiled. "We have a living detector now. It's time to formulate a strike plan."
" Garrosh wants fireworks?" A dangerous glint flashed in Deren's eyes. "We'll give him a performance he'll never forget."
"That's what I like about you. If the enemy is ruthless, you have to be a thousand times ruthless in return." The Black Dragon Princess grinned. "I'm just worried that the orcs won't be enough for you to take your revenge on."
"How's the bomb modification program going?" Deren asked. "It's a crucial means of retaliation."
" Jaina's side is already preparing materials, and the two Dragon Egg Rapid Transport Device are in place. The craftsmen are building more to ensure the follow-up plans are completed," the Black Dragon reported. Deren had been busy with other matters these past few days.
"Alright, hurry up and prepare. Implement the design according to the blueprints; we don't have much time left." Deren looked at the sky outside and said slowly and anxiously.
This is the third update. Please vote and subscribe. If we get more than 400 monthly votes, I'll add another update.