The Departed Are Gone

"You truly do know me!" Wisdom flickered within Tyrande's pale blue eyes.

Andy looked at this spiritual leader of the elves, his shock beyond words.

"Of course I know you. You are the High Priestess; the entire Elf Race knows it, and I am no exception!" Andy did not believe Tyrande could see through his identity as a transmigrator; if she could, she would be far too formidable.

"Heh." Tyrande shook her head, smiling as she walked down the steps. "I have said it before: I am the one closest to the Moon Goddess. The Moon Goddess has already informed me of your arrival—you are not from this place!"

A thousand waves crashed within Andy's heart. Was this female elf's acting simply too superb, or was this so-called Moon Goddess truly powerful to such an extent?

"I..." Andy found himself speechless.

"Very well, can you tell me about yourself?" Tyrande's tone remained as gentle as ever, her voice sweet. The watery eyes on her fair face nearly caused Andy to lose his composure entirely. Only then did Andy understand why Malfurion and Illidan had vied for Tyrande back in the day; setting aside her wisdom, this appearance alone was enough to make one unable to extricate themselves.

Andy watched Tyrande for a moment, weighing where he should begin. Should he tell her directly that he was a transmigrator, or should he fabricate a story?

"In fact, the Moon Goddess has already foreseen the events of this world: the catastrophe of the Well of Eternity, and the current wars in the Eastern Kingdoms," Tyrande said softly.

"Then why didn't you stop them?" Andy stared at Tyrande.

"We were powerless to stop the catastrophe of the past, and we dare not intervene in the wars of the present." Tyrande smoothed the slightly messy dark green hair at her forehead. "Although we have long had contact with humans, those hidebound human nobles view us as outsiders!"

Andy sighed inwardly; this was an unavoidable reality. As humans developed from small settlements into their current kingdoms, their hearts had long since swelled with arrogance.

"The Moon Goddess also foresaw some things for the future, but they are very vague, save for one point..." Tyrande did not finish, lifting her eyes to look at Andy.

Andy felt a jolt in his heart and asked, "What is it?"

"The Moon Goddess said," Tyrande spoke with a look of piety, "that someone from the seaside could become the guardian of the elves, and perhaps even protect the entire world!"

Tyrande looked straight at Andy and said slowly, "You happen to come from the seaside, and the timing is not off by a single moment!"

Andy's first reaction upon hearing this was to let out a long, silent breath, followed by a burst of laughter! Of course, Andy dared not actually laugh out loud.

That's more like it, he thought. If Tyrande had known the truth about him being a transmigrator, they would have been terrifyingly omniscient. As it turned out, she only knew his situation to the extent that he had come from the seaside.

"Are you sure you aren't joking?" Andy tucked away his private thoughts. "I don't even have the ability to protect myself right now. A second-tier beast could scare me half to death. How could I become any sort of guardian?"

"This may be temporary; everyone needs to grow!" Tyrande thought for a moment before saying, "Besides, the Moon Goddess only provides me with guidance; the specific circumstances will still require time to verify!"

Andy didn't count on actually becoming the world's guardian as the High Priestess claimed; he only hoped to survive safely in this world. At the same time, Andy felt fortunate and even a little grateful to that old creator for not throwing him directly into the Eastern Kingdoms.

Tyrande glanced at the troubled Andy, assuming he was worried about the father he had mentioned. She pressed her delicate, onion-like fingers onto his shoulder and said softly, "Do not worry! Andrew has already made arrangements. He is Malfurion's top disciple, and with my instructions, things will go very smoothly."

"Someone, come!" Tyrande commanded softly.

A moment later, the Moon Guard named Weiwei walked in from the doorway, knelt on one knee, and said, "High Priestess, what are your orders?"

"There, Weiwei, enough with the formalities. Take Andy to see if Andrew is ready. If he is, have them depart as soon as possible; do not delay!" Tyrande smiled.

"Yes, High Priestess!" Weiwei bowed and gestured for Andy to follow.

Although Weiwei did not want to see that Andrew from the bottom of her heart, she would not defy Tyrande's orders. To the Night Elf, Tyrande was a god-like existence. Countless people had received her selfless blessings. While such blessings could not directly extend their lifespans—as they could not be used casually—they were enough to alleviate many illnesses within the Elf Race.

"Andrew, are you ready?" Weiwei asked with a cold face upon seeing Andrew outside the Temple of Elune.

"Mm, Hilar has already gone to fetch Cooper," Andrew smiled.

Weiwei nodded and turned back without a word, causing Andrew to crane his neck in her direction.

In truth, Andrew did not know why Weiwei always gave him the cold shoulder. Was he really that annoying, or was he simply not handsome enough?

"Senior Brother, I'm back!" Hilar's voice came from above Andy's head.

Andrew looked up and said, "Good, come down quickly and take Andy; we are departing!"

Andy looked up at the sky in curiosity. My god, is that a Hippogryph?

A massive bird with a wingspan of over three meters, covered in dark green feathers, was flying above his head, flapping its wings as it descended.

The air currents stirred by the flapping wings were no less intense than the helicopters of his previous world.

The Hippogryph had a giant bird's head with a hooked beak, and beneath its chest and abdomen were powerful limbs tipped with massive talons.

"Get on quickly!" Hilar said to the stunned Andy.

Andy looked at the large Hippogryph, which was more than twice his height. He reached out, grabbed Hilar's slender, delicate hand, and used the leverage to leap onto the creature's back behind her.

"Alright, let's go!" Andrew waved his hand, transformed into a large bird, and flew alongside the Hippogryph.

This was Andy's first time experiencing flight on a Hippogryph. He was extremely nervous, his hands tightly clutching Hilar in front of him, which caused a blush to spread across her face. Hilar was only a girl of fifteen or sixteen, and being held by a boy—even if he was still just a child—made her feel quite uncomfortable.

The Hippogryph's flight was swift and efficient. The journey that had taken Andy several days of arduous walking was covered in half a day of flight, and he could already see the edge of the seaside village of Rut'theran.

What also surprised Andy was Andrew. Even at the Hippogryph's speed, Andrew, in his bird form, did not fall behind, flying alongside them with ease.

"Dad! Dad!" Before the Hippogryph had even landed, Andy began to shout.

Under the astonished gazes of the villagers, they watched the Hippogryph land slowly. Andy jumped down with the young elf girl, and most surprisingly, the bird beside them transformed into a human in a split second.

"Andy!" Uncle Niwa came forward, his face filled with sorrow.

"Uncle Niwa! Is my dad alright?" Andy asked anxiously.

"Your father..." Niwa looked at Andy.

Seeing the look on Niwa's face, Andy felt a sense of foreboding and ran shouting into his father's small house. Hilar looked at Uncle Niwa with confusion, but Niwa only shook his head helplessly.

"No!" A sorrowful cry rang out from the small house. Hilar's expression turned to shock, and she hurried into the room.

Hilar came up behind Andy and noticed his small, thin frame trembling in silence. She glanced at the elderly Elf lying on the bed; his complexion was a deathly gray, clearly having passed away some time ago.

Andrew also walked in, took one look at Old Man Dick, and shook his head helplessly; there was no longer any need to cast spells for him.

"Andy, I'm sorry!" Niwa said from the doorway. "Before Old Man Dick left, you were the one he was most worried about. He did have a brief moment of clarity."

"In the end, he couldn't wait for your return; he passed away just last night." Niwa secretly wiped away a tear and continued, "Old Man Dick was very gratified to hear that you went to find a cultivator for him, but he was also very worried about you, fearing you might encounter danger."

Andy could no longer hold it in and let out a painful wail. Although he had only been with Old Man Dick for a little over a year, the care and affection the old man had shown him were things Andy would never forget for the rest of his life.

"Andy..." Hilar crouched down, placing a hand on Andy's shoulder.

"Sigh, the departed are gone," Andrew said softly. "Andy, don't be too sad. I believe Old Man Dick wouldn't want to see you like this."

Andy stood up, sobbing, and walked toward the doorway. He bowed deeply to Niwa and said sincerely, "Thank you, Uncle!"

By evening, as the setting sun was about to dip below the horizon, a funeral pyre was erected on the beach outside Rut'theran Village, with the old man's body placed upon it.

Amidst Andy's wailing, the raging flames dyed half the night sky red. Under the strange gazes of the onlookers, Andy respectfully knelt and kowtowed three times to the old man. In Azeroth, there was no such custom for funeral rites.

"Andy, come with us. Let's go back to Darnassus," Hilar said.

Andy looked at her, then nodded silently. As he gazed at the twinkling stars in the night sky, tears streamed down his face once more.

The three of them rested in Rut'theran for the night. The next day, Andy bid farewell to everyone and prepared to return with Andrew.

"Andy, wait!" Niwa shouted, running over from a distance, clutching a large cloth bundle in his arms. "Andy, this is what Old Man Dick instructed me to give to you. He said you must not lose it; it is an heirloom of his family!"

Andy took it and opened the mouth of the bundle, revealing a bow. The bow body was black, its powerful, taut string glinting with a dark sheen. At both ends of the bow limbs were curved blades that shimmered with a cold light under the sun.

"Eaglehorn Bow?" Andrew frowned.

Andy glanced at him, then solemnly put it away and tied the bundle shut. This was the only thing the old man had left him, and he would protect it with his life.