The Northrend Gale and the Dragon King

"You..." Vereesa raised her head, her tear-filled eyes staring blankly at him. Upon catching the faint, teasing smile on his face, she suddenly understood something.

"Go to hell, you jerk!" Flushed with shame and anger, the young woman grabbed his collar and shoved him back with all her might.

"Hey, hey, calm down!" Seeing her reach for her blade as if she were ready to drag him down with her, Lanlos hurriedly reached out and grabbed her wrists.

Sensitive due to the emotional turmoil from moments ago, Vereesa clearly felt that scorching heat transfer to the back of her hands. A wave of inexplicable emotion surged in her heart, causing a faint pink flush to bloom across her cheeks.

"Let go of me!" Startled by her own physical and psychological reaction, she quickly shook off his hand and stood up.

Seeing her stand and move away, Lanlos actually breathed a sigh of relief. It was no wonder; due to the stimulation of Shocking Grasp, the magic within the Arcane Aberration had suddenly gone haywire. The escaping energies collided and compressed, creating a massive explosion. Although he had used Fel to sacrifice that energy the moment it happened, he had been a fraction too slow, and at such close range, he had nearly been wiped out.

Of course, he wasn't playing dead while lying on the ground; aside from calming the chaotic magic rampaging through his body, the feedback from the Sargerite had given him a pleasant surprise.

Mana Burn:

Analysis Progress: 7%/100%

Remaining Time: 373 hours, 55 minutes, 41 seconds

Suggestion: Acquire more theoretical knowledge to significantly increase analysis speed...

In about half a month, the progress bar had moved slower than a snail.

But without a doubt, this was exhilarating news. If the circumstances hadn't forbidden it, Lanlos would have wanted to drop a beatbox right there on the spot.

Mana Burn was an absolute nightmare for any spellcaster, and not just because of its effects.

To this day, Lanlos could not forget the sensation of his veins feeling as if they were burning from the inside out.

Even with his resilient mental fortitude, he still hadn't been able to cast a spell successfully under that kind of agony!

One could imagine that once he mastered this metamagic technique, it would be a formidable weapon.

"Lanlos, look at this!"

Vereesa's exclamation pulled the mage's attention back. He slowly sat up, silently pulling his tattered robes tight.

Following the young woman's gaze, he looked toward the spot where the Arcane Aberration had perished. That object was hovering steadily in the air, its irregular exterior a deep blue. Under the setting sun, a mesmerizing luster flowed across its surface.

A crystal the size of a fist?

The unusual aura made Lanlos feel the magic within his body surging inexplicably, as if cheering and urging him to grasp it quickly.

This feeling made him somewhat uneasy, but he did it anyway.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was the item Velania had asked him to find, right?

Lightly touching the surface of the crystal, the continuous stream of magical aura left Lanlos somewhat dazed. He suppressed the excitement of the magic within him and slowly reached out to take hold of it.

Nothing happened.

Exhaling a long breath of relief, Lanlos calmed down and habitually controlled his magic to probe the secrets of the crystal.

However, to his surprise, a sudden change occurred.

Upon contact with Lanlos's magic, the crystal suddenly erupted with brilliant, flowing light. Like a magnet, it instantly devoured his magic, and along with it, Lanlos's consciousness!

Hum!

A sound like metal being struck exploded in Lanlos's mind. His senses were instantly stripped away, leaving only a vision that stretched and extended infinitely.

As if his magic had merged into the crystal, he was led by it and instantly darted into the Ley Line.

Rising higher and moving further away, he saw the full view of the eternal land of Quel'Thalas, and even more, the shocking prosperity and splendor of the Sunwell.

Suddenly, a massive force pulled at his consciousness. Moving at an incalculable speed, his perception traveled wantonly through the Ley Line, and scenes both familiar and strange blurred into his line of sight.

Crossing the snow-covered Alterac Mountains and passing through the lush, verdant Hillsbrad Foothills, the magical kingdom of Dalaran, shrouded in mist and arcane energy, became clear in his view.

Before Lanlos could examine it closely, that irresistible force struck again.

This time, he arrived beneath a sky that was dark year-round. It was a familiar wasteland; aside from the lack of green Fel, it was no different from Mardum.

No, there was one difference.

A grim, ancient tower rose from the ground. There was no light, no sign of life, and aside from the chilling breeze that made his hair stand on end, this place felt as if it had been forgotten by the world.

Karazhan? Deadwind Pass? How could it be here?

Just as the question mark surfaced in his mind, the scene before Lanlos's eyes underwent another earth-shattering change.

The desert of Uldum and the pyramids of the Halls of Origination, the towering Mount Hyjal and the World Tree, the silent elven ruins of Azsuna in the Broken Isles...

Countless images flashed before his eyes, but Lanlos could always find familiar scenes or landmarks among them. Without exception, these were Ley Line hubs in Azeroth that were no less significant than Silvermoon City, but in terms of sheer power, none compared to what Lanlos was seeing now.

Coldarra, located in the far north of Azeroth, west of Northrend. It was a mountain surrounded by sheer cliffs, an isolated island cut off from the world. However, the residents here didn't worry about contact with the outside world, because they were dragons!

Massive, deep-blue behemoths flew and circled within his sight. If Lanlos could still control his facial expressions, his jaw would likely have hit the floor.

The Nexus, the habitat of the Blue Dragonflight, was also the place with the densest concentration of magic in the existing Ley Line system. Although they had suffered a near-extinction event during the War of the Ancients, the surviving blue dragons still fulfilled their duty of maintaining the Ley Line and protecting Azeroth.

It was a pity that, unable to bear the blow of betrayal, the maddened Dragon Aspect of Magic, Malygos, had distanced himself from his kin and had been missing ever since.

Keeping his attention on what was before him, the center was occupied by a towering spire deeply rooted in the earth.

No! How could this be a mere tower?

Countless massive stone blocks and platforms formed a hollow, sky-piercing spire. Endless arcane energy surged through it, using magic itself as the structural beam to hold countless platforms of varying sizes aloft in the air!

Rough, yet containing wisdom beyond comprehension.

Spectacular, but why have I been brought here?

Lanlos was full of confusion; neither his memories nor his knowledge contained any record of such a situation. Shaking his head helplessly, the mage began to attempt communication and return to his own body.

To his surprise, the entire process encountered no obstacles at all...

Cold winds like sharp blades scraped across the hills of Northrend, and the snowstorm that blotted out the sky buried everything on the peaks beneath frozen earth. In an empty, snowy plain, a cave almost completely sealed by ice emitted an unusual sound.

Heavy and long, like an infinitely stretched drumbeat, it struck the hearts of mortals with every beat, constantly battering the limits of endurance.

A dragon, a dragon in the truest sense!

Even curled up on the ground, one could still glimpse a physique that blotted out the sky. Though he had slept for many years, his ancient deep-blue scales remained untainted by a single snowflake or speck of dust. Purple Arcane runes covered his entire body, and every breath caused them to bloom with dazzling light.

Even in slumber, the pressure radiated by the dragon was enough to make the vast majority of creatures crawl on the ground, trembling in fear.

This was an irresistible existence, an existence that transcended the mortal realm; this, should not exist!

The breathing stopped, and heavy eyelids slowly lifted to reveal a pair of crimson eyes. The sounds of the entire cave vanished? As if, in fear...

"A disturbance in the Ley Line? I remember this aura..." Like the tolling of a bell, like the rumble of thunder, the dragon's voice echoed throughout the cave; the howling wind and snow outside did not even amount to a thousandth of its intensity.

"No, too weak. Merely an ignorant mortal who knows not the height of the sky..."

"I must have slept for too long, even my mind has grown sluggish to make such a mistake..."

Murmuring words that made no sense, the dragon fell silent. After a long while, he suddenly raised his head, and an inexplicable rage surged within his crimson eyes: "Filthy demonic power! Trying to profane the Ley Line of Azeroth once again? Foolish!"

"Pathetic mortals, you use magic with such reckless abandon, thinking yourselves capable of easily mastering this power, yet you always repeat the same mistakes..."

"Superficial! Ridiculous!" With a heaven-shaking roar, the entire cave suddenly began to tremble violently. As the Arcane runes on the dragon's body bloomed with increasingly dazzling light, an invisible ripple spread from his center, slamming into and collapsing the cave walls.

Rumble—

A corner of the lonely peak suddenly collapsed; ice shattered, the ground caved in, and it seemed as if all of Northrend could hear that heaven-piercing dragon roar!

Who was it? Who had the audacity to disturb this slumbering overlord?

Boom!

Accompanied by a thunderclap, a massive figure surged out from the avalanche. As his wings, weathered by frost and experience, unfurled, a giant shadow swept rapidly across the snow-capped peaks.

Judging by size alone, a large passenger jet could barely serve as a throw pillow for this dragon.

"So reckless! So treasonous!"

"I shall personally stop you from pushing Azeroth into the abyss!"

"Mortals, I will make you pay the price for your arrogance!"

Accompanied by the earth-shattering roar, the dragon spread his wings to their fullest, and a powerful storm, as if capable of tearing space itself, slammed into all directions.

The howling snow was shredded to pieces. As the dragon took flight, the silent snowfields beneath him shattered one after another, and the destructive avalanche engulfed the entire plain.

And his direction was none other than Coldarra.

"My fury shall crush everything you possess!"

"I am the creator of the mysteries of Azeroth!"

"I am the Spell-Weaver, the fury of the Arcane!"

"I am the Dragon Aspect of Magic!"