The Clouds That Wouldn't Move

After they reached an agreement, Leiluo withdrew, leaving Gul'dan and ten thousand troops behind to give Sylvanas some support. As he was leaving, Sylvanas watched him board the ship with her own eyes—but she made sure he never saw her.

"Lady Sylvanas, are you really not going to say goodbye to the Great Chieftain?"

Gul'dan stood beside Sylvanas and spoke softly.

Sylvanas glanced at Gul'dan, then turned her gaze back to the ship. Only after it had left the harbor did she speak to him.

"Take your people and come back to Undercity with me."

With that, Sylvanas turned and walked away. By the time Gul'dan came to his senses, she was already far ahead.

Varian left at the same time as Leiluo. The Kul Tiran fleet was still on patrol at sea; without it, a war between the Alliance and the Horde might truly have been impossible to avoid.

Leiluo headed west, while Varian went south. Once the Kul Tiran fleet had escorted Varian's ship past Kul Tiras, it turned back. There was no choice: pirates had been rampant around Kul Tiras lately, severely disrupting its merchant ships, so the fleet had to be recalled to escort them. Fortunately, Varian's ship was already close to Stormwind City, and the entire route passed through the territory of the Kingdom of Stormwind, so there was no need to worry that anything would happen to him.

Perhaps the Kul Tiran fleet brought good luck while it was at sea. Barely half a day after Varian's ship parted ways with it, the sky suddenly darkened. Heavy black clouds loomed overhead like a giant beast, filling everyone with oppressive unease. This was the might of the heavens.

"Take care! A storm's coming!"

The first mate shouted a warning to the crew. They