Your Parents Will Be Fine

There was a period of time when speculation on this matter was quite popular, with some even composing related poems and legendary novels that circulated among the populace.

Though she knew it was futile, that these things held no meaning for her now, Tiffany still wanted to learn more from Malone.

Perhaps one day... Mr. Malone could truly lead her away from this nightmarish place, and by then, all this information would be useful.

Tiffany thought this to herself.

"The Orcs... they came from a world called Draenor; they are not native to this world," Malone explained.

"To put it simply, the Orcs are like the humans of that world, just more savage and bloodthirsty."

Seeing Tiffany's confused expression, Malone rephrased it in a slightly more understandable way, but it didn't seem to help.

Malone knew it wouldn't be easy to grasp.

Perhaps for people on Earth, understanding concepts like other worlds or dimensions was simple, but the natives of Azeroth likely lacked similar knowledge, and Tiffany wasn't even a mage.

"I don't quite understand..." Tiffany said with a hint of sadness, "But Mr. Malone, do you mean you know where these Orcs came from?"

"Yes, I do," Malone nodded.

Perhaps the details of the Orcs' crossing of the Dark Portal weren't exactly as depicted in novels or games, or perhaps those narratives didn't cover every detail.

However, with the memories of Maicomarlon, an Orc warlock who was a member of the Shadow Council, Malone had participated in the entire process.

Combining Maicomarlon's memories with information from Blizzard's lore, Malone could arguably be considered one of the foremost experts on the Orc invasion.

He said "one of" because the fallen guardian Medivh and the Orc leader Gul'dan, the masterminds behind this event, might know more than Malone.

"Then, can you tell me about it?" Tiffany requested.

It wasn't entirely out of curiosity—the current posture between Tiffany and Malone was too intimate, and Tiffany felt that saying something would help ease her awkwardness.

"Alright..." Malone hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Malone didn't want to tell Tiffany why he was in the Orc camp.

In fact, the answer to that question contained Malone's biggest secret, and he didn't want to tell anyone—not even Teron Gorefiend, who treated him like a brother, nor Tiffany, whom he admired.

"There was a human mage, his name was Medivh..." Malone wasn't good at storytelling, but fortunately, the content of this "story" was exciting enough on its own.

Malone began from the very beginning.

He started with how the Orcs were lured into this world by Medivh—of course, Malone didn't mention Medivh being possessed by Sargeras, otherwise, just recounting Sargeras's story would extend the timeline by tens of thousands of years.

"So the Orcs came to our country through a portal!" Tiffany exclaimed in realization.

"I've heard of such things; my father mentioned them. The King's fortress has portals that can lead to the north of the continent or other places."

As Tiffany spoke, her eyes suddenly welled up.

"My father, my mother..." Tiffany's tears began to fall, "They were in Stormwind... sob, they were inside when the Orcs captured Stormwind..."

Malone stopped telling the story. He looked at the sobbing Tiffany, at a loss for what to do.

"They... they'll be alright."

Malone could only offer Tiffany dry, perfunctory comfort.

"Sob sob..." Malone's comfort had no effect; Tiffany continued to cry.

"I saw it, the camp, there are so many Orcs in this camp..." Tiffany cried, "There must be tens of thousands of them. With such numbers, they will surely..."

The thought of the tragic fate of Richard, Mary, and their other companions made Tiffany tremble all over—she wasn't afraid for herself, but for her parents.

Malone didn't know what to say. He racked his brain, trying to think of something to comfort Tiffany. Fortunately, he thought of something.

"Perhaps your parents are alright," Malone said.

"You're lying!" Tiffany didn't believe him at all.

Tiffany knew Malone was trying to comfort her, and she was grateful for his effort, but only the most foolish girl would believe such a simple lie.

"I'm not lying," Malone quickly explained.

"While I can't be certain that your parents... will definitely be alright, I can tell you that many people did escape Stormwind."

Malone stated with certainty.

"Really?" Tiffany looked at Malone with surprise. This miraculous news made the girl forget to cry.

"Yes. Your Marshal, Anduin Lothar, took your Prince, Varian Wrynn, and many citizens of Stormwind, and they escaped by ship from the port. They will travel by sea to the north—perhaps they have already arrived—to seek refuge in the Kingdom of Lordaeron."

Malone's words made Tiffany's eyes widen.

"Sir Anduin Lothar! I know him!" Tiffany exclaimed. This name made her start to believe Malone's words.

Tiffany had certainly heard of Anduin Lothar. As Malone said, this outstanding commander was the Marshal of Stormwind, and it was he who led the valiant soldiers away from Stormwind to confront the invading Orc army.

Tiffany didn't know where Sir Anduin Lothar was when Stormwind fell, but she believed that the Marshal, known for his bravery and wisdom, would not be defeated.

Tiffany believed that if Sir Anduin Lothar had been in the city, responsible for its defense, the Orcs would never have been able to capture Stormwind.

"Right? Do you know Lordaeron then?" Malone continued to ask.

"Yes!" Tiffany replied as if answering a quiz.

But soon, the young girl lowered her head again: "But I don't know much about Lordaeron. I only know their royal family's surname is Menethil, and it's a very large country in the north..."

"That's enough," Malone said with a smile. "Lordaeron is a powerful nation. King Terenas is an excellent monarch. Under his leadership, humans will eventually defeat the Orcs, and Stormwind will be rebuilt, becoming even more prosperous and magnificent than before."

What Malone said was not just to comfort Tiffany; these were things that were about to happen in the world of Azeroth.

Although Malone didn't know what would happen to Tiffany's parents in the grand sweep of history, often, people don't need a definitive answer, but merely a sliver of hope, don't they?