Kael'thas's Panic over the Three Artifacts

Twilight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting mottled light across the library within the Violet Citadel of the magical city of Dalaran. Kael'thas Sunstrider stood before the towering bookshelves, his fingertips gently brushing an ancient gilded volume—The Sunwell: Magic and Eternity. A thin layer of dust coated its spine; clearly, no one had opened it in a long time.

"Your Highness."

The old attendant's voice came from outside the door, cautious and restrained. Kael'thas did not turn around, merely tilting his ear slightly.

"The Starfall family's representative... has come again."

Kael'thas's fingertips paused. This was the third time this week.

"Take them to the side hall." His voice was calm, as though they were discussing the weather.

The attendant hesitated. "They... insist on seeing you in person. They said..."

"Said what?"

"They said their chieftain's daughter has begun biting her own arms."

Kael'thas finally turned around. The dusk light outlined his gaunt figure. His golden hair, once as radiant as sunlight, had now dimmed as though coated in ash. An exquisite silver box sat on his desk, its lid engraved with the Phoenix crest of the Sunstrider family—it was one of the few treasures he had brought out of Silvermoon City.

He opened the silver box.

Inside lay three thumb-sized Arcane Crystals, glowing with a faint blue fluorescence. A week ago, there had still been twelve.

"Give them this." He took out one of them and lightly tapped it with a dagger. The crystal split into four pieces, its fragments rolling across the tabletop like shattered stars.

The attendant stared at the fragments, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Your Highness, the ones given to the Firewing family last time..."

"The Firewing family still has three magisters serving Dalaran." Kael'thas's voice suddenly turned blade-sharp. "What has the Starfall family contributed? Other than their 'noble bloodline'?"

The attendant lowered his head and carefully collected the fragments onto a velvet tray. The crystal edges glimmered in the twilight like silent mockery.

After the attendant left, Kael'thas abruptly swept the silver box onto the floor. It struck the marble with a piercing crash. One crystal rolled out, glowing faintly in the shadows.

He dropped to one knee, trembling fingers reaching toward the crystal—only to stop just before touching it.

A commotion rose outside the window.

Kael'thas walked to the window and looked down at the courtyard below. The Starfall family's representative—a well-dressed middle-aged elf—was loudly berating the attendant. Suspicious dark-red stains marked his robe cuffs.

"This is worse than a child's toy!" The elven noble snatched up the crystal fragments and hurled them to the ground. "My daughter's bloodline predates the founding of the Sunstrider dynasty!"

The fragments bounced across the cobblestones before rolling to the feet of a pair of pearl-studded satin shoes. Their owner—a veiled elven noblewoman—slowly bent down to pick up a fragment. Her movements remained elegant, but Kael'thas noticed that the moment her fingertips touched the crystal, they spasmed uncontrollably.

The noblewoman clenched the fragment tightly in her palm, her knuckles whitening from the force. Her veil trembled slightly, as though she were... sniffing it?

Kael'thas abruptly drew the curtains shut.

Darkness enveloped the study. Kael'thas felt around for the silver box and took out a thumb-sized dark-purple crystal from a hidden compartment. This was the last of his stock, meant for the most desperate moment.

The crystal pulsed warmly in his palm, like the heartbeat of a living creature.

"Father needs it," he murmured, yet he did not move for a long time.

A bead of cold sweat slid down his temple. A familiar burning sensation rose in the depths of his throat—the hunger of Mana Addiction. In three thousand years of life, he had never felt this craving so clearly. Back when he had left Quel'Thalas for Dalaran to study, even without the Sunwell's energy, he could leisurely pick an Arcane Crystal in a color he liked to ease his Mana Addiction. But now, after repeatedly distributing crystals to the nobles, his reserves were nearing exhaustion. He did not even dare imagine how he would survive the days ahead.

The room deepest within the Violet Citadel was forever shrouded in artificial starlight. When Kael'thas pushed open the heavy obsidian door, a sickly sweet stench of decay rushed at him—the smell produced by high concentrations of magic accumulating over time, like rotten roses soaked in honey.

"Father?"

There was no response.

The shadow on the throne shifted. A ray of sunlight leaked through a specially made opening in the ceiling and fell upon Anasterian Sunstrider's withered fingers. The ring that had once symbolized the Sun King's authority now hung loosely around his knuckles, its Phoenix gemstone dull and lifeless. Everyone had thought he had fallen in Silvermoon City, but unexpectedly, Arthas had turned back and abandoned his assault at the final moment of his attack on the Royal Palace, allowing the Sun King and his senior ministers to escape alive. After wandering along the edge of Eversong Woods for some time, he had arrived in Dalaran not long ago to reunite with Kael'thas.

"You are late." The Sun King's voice rasped like sandpaper scraping rusty iron.

Kael'thas dropped to one knee and offered the dark-purple crystal with both hands. The instant the crystal touched the old king's fingers, it suddenly erupted with blinding light, illuminating the entire room as brightly as day.

Anasterian seized the crystal, moving far too quickly for a living man. His sleeve slipped down, revealing the inside of his arm—the veins beneath his skin had turned an eerie purplish-black, as though something alive was writhing within them.

"The purity is insufficient!" The Sun King suddenly flew into a rage, and the crystal gave a cracking sound beneath the strain in his palm. "What I want is a crystallization from the Sunwell's core! Not this inferior trash!"

Kael'thas remained kneeling. "My supply of high-grade crystals was exhausted last week. I bought this one from someone else at a high price."

"Useless trash!"

Crystal fragments burst outward, cutting a bloody line across Kael'thas's cheek. One shard lodged deeply in his brow bone. Blue-gold blood slowly ran down the bridge of his nose, but he did not even blink.

"You can refuse!" Kael'thas suddenly laughed softly. "But what will you do when your Mana Addiction acts up?"

The shadow on the throne froze.

"Do you still not understand the situation?" Kael'thas raised a hand to wipe away the blood on his face, deliberately making the gesture look elegant and composed. "A dynasty that lasted thousands of years has already fallen. Fewer than one in ten of our people remain. Quel'Thalas has been destroyed, the Sunwell has been corrupted, and you are still throwing a tantrum?"

Anasterian suddenly lunged forward, his clawlike hand closing around Kael'thas's throat. The old king's pupils expanded to their limit amid the light and shadow, nearly swallowing the whites of his eyes. "Who do you think caused this?!" A rotten stench blasted across the prince's face. "Me? No. Rather than become this neither-human-nor-ghost thing, I would rather perish together with this world."

Kael'thas forcefully pried open his father's wrist and walked out without another word. The Sun King, sprawled on the ground, suddenly began to cry silently. A ruler's dignity, pride, and glory had all been ground to dust before Mana Addiction.

When he returned to his room, Kael'thas found no peace. Three Goblins were waiting for him.

"Goblin, what do you want?" Kael'thas asked in confusion.

"I am Rivendare, from Treasure Bay. I have come to collect a debt." The Goblin calling himself Rivendare grinned as he handed him a sheet of paper.

"A debt?" Kael'thas took the paper and looked at it. It was actually the Rescue Cost reimbursement invoice he had signed for Jaina. When he saw the attached list, the full forty thousand gold coins in rescue costs made his head spin. After recovering, he asked the Goblin, "How did you get this invoice?"

"Lady Jaina is busy and had no time to collect the debt herself, so she entrusted me to make the trip. So, will you pay?"

Kael'thas's head felt as though it were splitting apart, and he was just about to think of a way to refuse. Then a flash of teleportation magic appeared, and white-bearded Archmage Antonidas Upside Down stepped out of a Portal. He said to the Goblin, "I heard Jaina sent someone to reimburse the expenses from the last rescue of Silvermoon City. I happened to have time, so I came to take a look as well."

Goblin Prince Rivendare was extremely cunning. Afraid that he would fail to collect the money if he came alone, he had sent someone to notify Antonidas before visiting Kael'thas. Sure enough, once the Archmage appeared, Kael'thas could no longer voice his refusal. He could only summon his subordinates to carry over a large chest of gold and magical items to settle the forty-thousand-gold debt. Fortunately, aside from Arcane Crystals, Kael'thas still possessed quite a bit of other wealth. Otherwise, he truly would have had no choice but to mortgage Silvermoon City.

Just as the Goblin and Antonidas were dividing the gold, an alarm suddenly sounded. The Archmage cried out, "Damn it, who is stealing from my magic warehouse? I must go first. You can have the rest." With that, he put his share into a Space Bag and vanished with a Teleportation Spell.

The Goblin happily packed up all the remaining money. Together with his two accountants, he bid Kael'thas farewell with smiles. The prince had no mood to exchange pleasantries with them and simply waved them away.

He stood by the window and saw lightning arcing in the distance around Dalaran's magic warehouse. He knew exactly what was happening, but he stood there silently without moving.

"Your Highness, a representative of the Windrunner family has come to request an audience," the attendant reported from outside.

"Let her in." Kael'thas remained where he was.

Before long, Vereesa Windrunner entered. She saluted the prince and said, "Your Highness Kael'thas, our people in Theramore need your help. Without the Sunwell's magic, their Mana Addiction has flared up. They need your assistance."

Kael'thas waved dismissively. "I heard some commoners followed the remaining ranger forces to Theramore. Since they have already left, there is nothing I can do for them. Besides, things here are also a complete mess. Let them find their own solution."

Vereesa still wanted to persuade him, but Kael'thas raised a hand and cut her off. "Say no more. Mana Addiction requires replenishing magic, and I have no extra crystals to give them either. When Mana Addiction strikes, they can only find their own way."

As he spoke, the light of a Portal flashed, and Archmage Antonidas teleported back. Three elves, restrained by arcane magic, were beside him.

The white-bearded old mage angrily snapped at Kael'thas, "Look, look at this. I caught three rats stealing from the warehouse." He dug an Arcane Crystal out of one elf's mouth. "They have absolutely no respect for Dalaran. We risked our lives to rescue them from Silvermoon City, and they repay us by stealing from the magic warehouse. Shameless! Kael'thas, what do you think should be done?"

Kael'thas said calmly, "Their actions disgrace the High Elves. Deal with them however you wish. I have no objections."

Seeing that Kael'thas had no intention of offering compensation, the old mage knew the boy's stockpile was almost empty as well. With no hope of recovering any losses, the furious mage's white beard flew wildly in the arcane storm, making him look like an enraged Gryphon. He did not even use a spell; pure magical shockwaves alone sent the three elves crashing to the ground.

"Stealing!" The first bolt of lightning pinned an elf to the wall. "Robbery!" The second made another elf convulse like a fish out of water. "Desecration!" The third bolt struck the last elf, sending him flying into a wall and smashing it apart.

"Stop!" It was Vereesa. Her arrow was already nocked on her bowstring. "They... they are proud Quel'dorei High Elves. You cannot treat them like this."

"Little girl, they are thieves." Antonidas slammed his staff heavily against the ground. Chains of lightning curled around the three elves like living creatures, suspending them in midair. Rare exhaustion filled the old mage's voice. "Even your prince has no objections."

"I... I... I won't care anymore either!" Vereesa burst into tears from anger. She turned and ran out. Kael'thas, however, let out a sigh of relief. Watching the ranger disappear, he suddenly felt a little guilty.

Vereesa wandered the streets in a daze, not knowing who she could share the bitterness in her heart with. Suddenly, a Goblin approached and asked in a low voice, "Beautiful elf lady! Want to try some Laughing Arcane Gas? Works in three seconds—you'll be laughing right away! Specially treats Mana Addiction, cheap and effective."

Vereesa was stunned. Wasn't this the Laughing Arcane Gas from Theramore? Seeing no reaction from her, the Goblin immediately leaned closer and mysteriously pulled a crystal tube from his robes. "Free trial pack! Dalaran's exclusive distributor!"

Vereesa's hand moved to the hilt of her sword, but the Goblin continued chattering. From somewhere nearby came the sound of manic laughter and clinking gold coins.

Vereesa slowly sheathed her sword. She turned and quickly left. Dalaran and her people had both become strangers to her. The last time her Second Sister had sent her out to seek aid, the world had changed afterward. Silvermoon City had fallen, and the elves had begun to degenerate. Your Highness no longer possessed his former grace. Her Second Sister was far away in Theramore, using that Laughing Arcane Gas to treat her people's Mana Addiction. Suddenly, Vereesa thought that perhaps her Second Sister had been right. The gas only made people laugh uncontrollably, stripping away the elegance and nobility the elves believed they possessed. But it was not some absurdity that could not be accepted. At least it was more acceptable than robbery and theft.

First update. In the game, artifact names are usually something-or-other belonging to someone, so I came up with this title to deceive and ambush you—truly lacking in literary virtue. I hope you readers enjoy it. There will be another one of Kael'thas's artifacts at six this afternoon. Please continue to vote and add it to your collections. My deepest thanks! Your support is what drives me to keep writing.