Jaina nodded. "It wasn't just that cursed sword. From the time you began investigating the Cult of the Damned and the magical plague, every action you took was under the control of Death Power. Especially at Stratholme—you were controlled by their performance from beginning to end."
"Stratholme... what a distant name!" In Arthas's withered brain, memories surfaced of when he had still been a handsome prince, devoted to protecting his nation and its people. Thinking of Jaina's words, he asked, "I still remember what happened at Stratholme, though it seems strange now. Jaina, tell me what you discovered."
Jaina pointed at Deren. "My Tactical Advisor proposed a shocking hypothesis based on my account: the Uther at Stratholme may very well have been a fake. A Pit Lord in disguise."
"What? Even Uther might have been fake?!" Arthas immediately felt unsettled. This was far beyond anything he had expected. His mind went blank, and for a moment, he did not know what to say.
Jaina continued, "Thinking back, that Uther you and I met outside Stratholme was indeed suspicious. You studied under him for quite some time. Did you notice anything unusual about him back then?"
Arthas was in a panic. He wanted to recall the scene from that time, but his mind was utterly blank. He asked, "What did you find?"
Deren smiled. "You were once a Paladin yourself. Then a report came in saying there were demons in the city. Do you think a Paladin of that stature would just abandon everything and run away?"
"That's right!" Arthas suddenly clapped his hands together. "I did tell Uther at the time that Stratholme had been plagued by a Pit Lord, and that I had to purge the infected before the plague broke out. Yet all he did was try to