A Shocking Secret: Keeper Loken's Betrayal

When introducing Rod, Uther still used the term "priest," because Rod's current combat skills absolutely did not qualify him as a proper paladin—not even as an apprentice.

As for introducing him as a mage, that would be an insult to the Holy Light. Uther had to ensure that Rod would walk the true path of the Holy Light rather than study other spells.

Uther's words plunged the Keepers of Tyr present into silence. How could they not know about the disasters that had recently befallen Lordaeron?

Though they were Tyr's guardians, they were also citizens of Lordaeron. They had merely concealed their identities and lived hidden among the populace. Their families had been passed down for thousands of years.

Every generation's male descendants became guardians of Tyr.

Moreover, Tyr's guardians had deep ties to paladins. After paladins emerged, the Keepers of Tyr secretly learned to wield the power of the Holy Light. In a sense, they too were a branch of paladins.

"Are you Lord Uther, Uther the Lightbringer?" one of Tyr's guards asked.

"That's right. I am Uther the Lightbringer."

The leader of Tyr's guards stared at Uther for a long while, then swept his gaze over the knights behind him, who likewise carried the power of the Holy Light, before finally settling on Rod.

"Then, Priest Rod, can you tell me about your experiences?"

If not for the Faceless One monster inside, he honestly would have wanted the commander of the Knights of the Silver Hand, Lord Uther the Lightbringer, to take the Warhammer of the Silver Hand.

If anyone in this era was qualified to inherit that legendary weapon, then apart from Uther, there was no second suitable candidate.

"My name is Rod. I received the guidance of the great Holy Light, and I also met an ancient Titan Keeper. He told me what happened here—the Titan Keepers suffered a betrayal! Loken betrayed the Titans. He exiled the chief keeper Odin, then joined forces with Odin's adopted daughter Helya to seal him within the Halls of Valor on the Broken Isles. Highkeeper Ra was also framed by him and trapped in Pandaria, where he fell into despair. As for Ulduar, Keeper Mimiron was likewise framed and lost his body. The entire group of Titan Keepers is now fractured and leaderless. Tyr, Archaedas, and Ironaya discovered Keeper Loken's betrayal, so they left Ulduar, the city where the Keepers lived. But Loken colluded with Yogg-Saron! He sent Yogg-Saron's Faceless One generals to surround and attack them. Keeper Tyr covered his companions' retreat and fought two Faceless One generals to the death, which led to his fall. Now all of Ulduar is ruled by the evil traitor Loken. Even the Old God Yogg-Saron will escape his prison in the future and unleash a bloody catastrophe. Our world is in danger. Am I right, everyone?" Rod stepped forward and dropped several bombshells.

To others, these were earth-shattering secrets, but to Rod, they were merely plotlines familiar to every Warcraft player.

Each revelation was more shocking than the last. Uther and Jaina both looked stunned, because Rod had never told them any of this.

The Titan Keepers had actually suffered an internal betrayal. Tyr had actually been killed by his own colleagues. It was simply too explosive.

Meanwhile, the Keepers of Tyr collectively turned their eyes toward their leader, as though seeking the truth. There were some things ordinary Tyr guards did not know; only the leader did.

The leader of Tyr's guards was also trembling as he stared at Rod. The betrayal among the Keepers was something known only to each generation's leader.

Naturally, they would never leak such intelligence. That made Rod's source obvious: a Titan Keeper had told him.

Not to mention the matter of chief keeper Odin—details that even they did not know.

"Uther the Lightbringer... and Lord Rod." The leader of Tyr's guards slowly repeated the two names, a glimmer of remembrance flashing through his eyes.

"Two thousand years ago, the greatest ruler of mankind, the first human emperor, Sthoradin the Great, entered this place with faith and courage in his heart. With his life and weapon, he delayed Zakaz's awakening and bought us precious time."

"We guard Tyr's eternal rest, and we remain vigilant against Zakaz's shadow. Its minions have never stopped whispering through the cracks in the seal, attempting to corrupt everything."

"What you said about the seal weakening is no lie. In recent years, the evil whispers coming from deep within the tomb have indeed grown clearer, while the power of the sealing runes has slowly drained away. We pray day and night and reinforce the seal, but... the results are limited. Perhaps the time has come."

"Respected Lord Rod, may I ask which Titan Keeper you encountered?" The leader of the Keepers of Tyr could now confirm Rod's true identity.

"That great being did not tell me his true name. He said that telling me everything now would affect the plans to come, but he would assist me from the shadows! This time, I came under his orders to eliminate Zakaz, the Faceless One general who serves the Old God. He has been sealed away for tens of thousands of years, and Sthoradin the Great's weapon severely wounded him thousands of years ago. He is at his weakest now. This is the perfect opportunity to destroy him," Rod said.

Don't ask. He was a mysterious man.

"In that case, I have no more doubts. Lord Uther, Lord Rod, we will enter the tomb with you and help you destroy the Old God's servant. For the great Tyr!" The guardians raised their weapons high.

"Thank you all for your help and understanding! For the Holy Light." Uther nodded.

Several of the strongest Tyr guards, along with Uther, Rod, Jaina, and several of the Knights of the Silver Hand's most elite paladins selected by Uther, headed toward the dark green, bottomless lake.

The leader of the guards approached a massive rune-covered stone at the lake's edge, pressed his palm against it, and began chanting an ancient, difficult incantation.

As the chant rang out, the lake's surface began to rotate soundlessly at its center, forming a massive vortex. At the heart of the vortex was not dark lake water, but a stairway descending downward, glowing with faint white light and leading straight into the depths beneath the lake.

The entrance to Tyr's Tomb opened before them. A gust carrying ancient dust, faint Holy Light, and... a chilling, cold, slick aura of shadow rushed out from the passage.

The real adventure had begun!

This time, Rod's group would face the Old God's strongest servant.