Chapter Summaries

Carl Bloodhoof and Glen Runetotem rescued survivors from a burning ruin, where Carl encouraged a young girl whose father was badly injured. When a crimson barrier appeared in the sky, Carl set out to confront the danger while Glen took responsibility for protecting the refugees, and they promised to meet again.

• Carl Bloodhoof and Glen Runetotem lifted a beam off a trapped Tauren and helped the refugees treat his shattered leg.
• Selsa Windsong thanked Carl for saving her and her father with a small white flower, and Carl promised to introduce her to his son and invite her family home.
• Carl and Glen spoke about the difficulties of becoming fathers, and Carl said he was still searching for his own answer.
• An explosion and a vast crimson barrier appeared in the sky, stirring Carl's fury and convincing Glen that his friend was about to act alone.
• Glen agreed to lead Selsa and the other refugees to safety, while Carl set off without holding back; they promised to reunite and share a drink.

Devos was stopped from reporting the souls’ plight after Lady Moonberry explained that a soulseed had chosen to help them, and Devos decided to stay and observe. In Ardenweald, the Winter Queen and others pooled anima to send Moonberry to accompany the reborn hero, whose past sacrifice they remembered.

• Devos failed to break through the barrier trapping her outside and opened a portal to report the situation to the Archon.
• Lady Moonberry told Devos that the soulseed had willingly shared its anima with the stranded souls, and Devos chose not to report the matter and remain as an observer.
• In Ardenweald, Nia, Lord Herne, Korayn, Ara'lon, Elothir, Te'zan, Huln Highmountain, and others gathered to await news from Moonberry.
• The Winter Queen explained that the gathered residents had pooled their anima to send Moonberry and the soulseed a gift, despite Ardenweald's limited reserves.
• The residents remembered the hero who had saved Ardenweald, willingly accepted a difficult fate, and departed to protect the future.

The Winter Queen negotiated with Bwonsamdi to deliver a golden feather to a child, offering him a place in Nokxian Grove in return. Bwonsamdi accepted, then realized the task could draw him into trouble with Mueh'zala and a pirate ship.

• The Winter Queen found Bwonsamdi's hidden palace in the gap between the In-Between and Ardenweald.
• Bwonsamdi refused to help deliver the golden feather because he feared attracting Mueh'zala's attention.
• The Winter Queen offered Bwonsamdi a place to rest in Nokxian Grove, and he accepted the deal.
• The Winter Queen gave Bwonsamdi the golden feather and told him it would guide its recipient to someone who could help them both.
• After the Winter Queen vanished, Bwonsamdi complained that the deal had also tangled him up with a pirate ship and Mueh'zala.

Vel'th slaughtered the Centaurs and used their corpses to feed a creature forming inside a Storm Cocoon. Tamara and her allies ambushed him, and their attacks sent him crashing into the cocoon.

• Vel'th killed the surviving Centaurs and ignited the corpses to fuel the creature gestating above the blood pool.
• Tamara fired a Gale Arrow as bait, then followed with a silent Azure Arrow that cut Vel'th's ear when the Storm Cocoon disrupted its aim.
• A little Tauren and Tamara unleashed a barrage of Arcane shots and arrows at Vel'th.
• Vel'th detonated curses and corruption in the corpses, blasting aside the arrow storm.
• Tamara's allies blinded Vel'th with intense light, then struck his chest and hurled him into the Storm Cocoon.

Vel'th overwhelmed Sian with a vision of the Black Empire and nearly drew him into a bargain for revenge, but moonlight restored Sian's awareness. Tamara steadied her disciple, only for Vel'th to reveal that he had hypnotized them and begin another shadow spell.

• Sian's arrow crumbled before reaching Vel'th, who vanished and seized him by the throat; Sian's desperate strike broke the Green Guardian's Bow.
• As Sian despaired and begged for power, a voice from the depths offered him a bargain and showed him Ny'alotha and other ancient dark realms.
• Moonlight pierced Sian's vision and pulled him back, leaving his throat unharmed and his arrow still nocked.
• Tamara calmed Sian and warned him not to let anger overpower his hunter's discipline.
• Sian realized Vel'th had hypnotized them, but Vel'th laughed and cast Shadow Word: Awaken.

Tamara, Baine, Bashana, and the hunters overwhelmed Vel'th and pinned him down so Sian could take revenge. Before the high priestess could finish questioning the demon about Tally and the missing storm elements, Vel'th revealed that the Storm Cocoon had concealed his real plan, and something evil began emerging from it.

• Tamara, Baine, Bashana Runetotem, and the hunters coordinated their attacks, interrupting Vel'th's teleportation and leaving him badly wounded and pinned to a stake.
• Sian approached Vel'th with his axe, but the high priestess asked to question him first, and Sian reluctantly stepped aside.
• Vel'th taunted the group by admitting he had killed Sian's mother, and Tamara encouraged Sian to claim his revenge.
• The high priestess asked Vel'th what had happened to the elements and where Tally's body was, and he revealed the Storm Cocoon blocked magical detection.
• Sian realized they had neglected the cocoon, but Vel'th announced it was too late as a crack opened and storm and shadow surged from within.

Vel'th merged with the Storm Cocoon, transforming it into a monstrous Nightmare that threatened everyone nearby. The High Priestess stayed behind to confront it while Tamara fled with Sian, and a tremendous blast followed them.

• Vel'th sacrificed himself to complete the Storm Cocoon, unleashing a colossal Nightmare that corrupted the storm elements and devastated the camp.
• The High Priestess ordered Tamara, Aldo, and the children to flee, but Aldo took the children away while Tamara stayed briefly with her teacher.
• The High Priestess prepared to face the Nightmare, breaking her promise to Moon and beginning an ancient ritual with her short staff and a flame-wrapped crystal.
• Tamara decided to leave with Sian and ran after Aldo as the High Priestess remained alone in the storm.
• An explosion and scorching shockwave knocked Tamara and Sian down, and Sian saw flames and lightning engulfing the wilderness as a furious beastlike roar sounded.

Aldo shielded Baine and Bashana from the spatial distortions around a growing fissure, then used magic arrows and scrolls to stabilize the smaller cracks. As Bashana prepared to investigate where the fissure led, Cairne and the other reinforcements remained trapped elsewhere in Bloodhoof Village, fighting the creatures pouring through the spatial breaches.

• Aldo rescued Baine and Bashana from shifting spatial fissures and endured numerous cuts while guiding them to safety.
• Aldo threw magic arrows and scrolls into the largest fissure, causing it to expand and the smaller cracks to fade.
• Bashana asked to approach the fissure because Tamara and Sian were still behind it, and Aldo agreed while warning Baine to stay back.
• Cairne fought off mutated abominations while Magatha tried to close a massive fissure blocking the reinforcements.
• Cairne ran to help Hamuul, who was surrounded by mana-draining vines, while Dezco held back drakes and venomous spiders.

Sian struggled to protect the unconscious Tamara from a growing horde of Nightmare creatures. After discovering that the monsters hunted by sensing life force, he used a bottle of herbs to draw the horde into chaos, leaving their escape uncertain.

• Sian carried Tamara through the Nightmare creatures and used arrows and corpses to distract the pursuing beasts.
• Two aberrations attacked Sian, but a scarlet shockwave burst from him and blasted them away, allowing him to kill them.
• Wounded and exhausted, Sian searched his supplies and recalled that Peacebloom Pollen and Purple Lotus could affect creatures through their unusual properties.
• Sian realized the aberrations chased life force after they ignored a fresh corpse and attacked a nest of prairie marmots instead.
• Sian mixed Peacebloom Pollen and crushed Purple Lotus with medicinal wine, then hurled the bottle into the horde, causing the Nightmare creatures to howl and fall into chaos.

Sian and Tamara escaped the fleshly aberrations with Liman’s help, but Liman sacrificed himself to seal the cliff passage and save them. Elsewhere, Vel'th emerged from his cocoon into a second rebirth, awakening with a new sense of power.

• Sian used the last of his Peacebloom Pollen and crawled onward with his master despite his severe injuries.
• Liman revealed that he had secretly followed Sian and rescued him, then charged through the fleshly aberrations while badly wounded.
• Sian and Liman reached the chasm, where Liman admitted he wanted apples and dragged Sian and Tamara toward safety.
• Liman flung Sian and Tamara into the cliff rift, then crashed into the cliffside and buried the entrance as the Nightmare overwhelmed him.
• Vel'th opened his eyes as his cocoon broke apart and welcomed his second rebirth.

Cairne, Magatha, and Hamuul struggled to break the barrier as tentacles killed and wounded their companions. Aldo Thunderhorn rescued Xiao Na and Baine, sacrificing himself to get them out, while Snowfeather also fell to the monsters.

• Cairne attacked the regenerating barrier while Magatha and Hamuul worked to close the rift, and he spotted a gap above them.
• Aldo Thunderhorn, gravely wounded, rose again and ran through the tentacles to rescue Xiao Na.
• Cairne broke the barrier long enough for Aldo to throw Xiao Na to safety, and Cairne caught her.
• Aldo threw Baine out of reach before the tentacles tore his body apart.
• Snowfeather struck Baine and sent him beyond the barrier, then fell into the monsters, leaving her cracked bracelet behind.

Vel'th became a Gale Lord and confronted Xavius, who taunted him about Malfurion Stormrage and warned that Vel'th had been manipulated. Xavius revealed that Cho'gall's mission had ended because his master made a mistake that threatened to expose their true mission.

• Vel'th transformed into a Gale Lord and attacked the Emerald Nightmare rifts after recognizing their scent.
• Xavius mocked Vel'th and revealed that Malfurion Stormrage was searching for him.
• Vel'th accused Xavius of hiding from Malfurion and said he had learned about the Nightmare Lord over ten years.
• Xavius asked whether Vel'th liked his gift, then warned him that he lacked the caution needed to survive.
• Vel'th realized he had been fed Twilight's Hammer secrets too easily and reconsidered what had happened in Silithus.
• Xavius revealed that Cho'gall's mission had ended because his master had made a mistake that risked exposing their true mission.

Vel'th realized that the Nightmare Lord had used him as a pawn and left him to face the consequences of their schemes. Xavius reported to Queen Azshara that their plan was proceeding as expected, while the Nightmare Lord prepared to disappear before the Tauren could retaliate.

• The Nightmare Lord taunted Vel'th, revealing that Vel'th had been an expendable insurance policy and would take the blame for the betrayal.
• Vel'th recognized that the war he had started had concealed the Nightmare Lord's actions, and he was left in despair as the storm subsided.
• In Aln's Rift, the Nightmare Lord spoke with Queen Azshara and Xavius reported that their bait was about to make its final move.
• Xavius told Azshara that the bait would slaughter every living thing in the land to hide the truth, while Malfurion remained asleep.
• The Nightmare Lord sought permission to withdraw, fearing the Tauren's anger, as he and Azshara prepared to shift the balance amid the coming chaos.

Sian was beaten nearly to death while trying to protect his unconscious master, but his mother Tally appeared and comforted him with a warm, mysterious light. As Vel'th panicked at her return, Tally restrained him and brought down a giant axe, leaving his fate on the brink.

• Vel'th dragged and tortured Sian, who clung to his ankle and refused to let him harm his unconscious master.
• As Sian lost consciousness, he mourned the loved ones and places he might never see again.
• Sian saw his mother and the High Priestess, then felt a rosy light surround him as his mother told him to sleep and wake at dawn.
• Tally appeared before Vel'th, revealed herself as a mother come to avenge her child, and confronted the demon who had killed her.
• Vel'th tried to summon shadow magic and defend himself with lightning, but Tally restrained him with red spheres of magic.
• Tally charged Vel'th with a giant axe and prepared to split his head.

Carl and Tally attacked Vel'th, but a hidden poison and two demonic allies turned the fight against them. Sandresa and the stealthed Azresok prepared to attack the fallen pair.

• Carl charged through Vel'th's lightning and dealt him a series of devastating wounds, but a poisoned cut weakened Carl before his final blow could kill the demon.
• Tally rushed to help Carl, detected a spatial disturbance, and used totems and Flame Shock against an invisible attacker.
• Azresok struck Tally with Shadow Shock, knocking her down beside Carl, while Vel'th called for both allies to kill them.
• Sandresa revealed herself as a Shivarra and mocked Azresok before saying they should begin their assigned task and taste blood.

Tally protected Carl from the demons, cleansed the poison from his body, and used red energy to help him wake. After the couple renewed their promise to survive for their son, they prepared to leave the barrier for a final battle.

• Tally shielded Carl from the rogue's attacks while Sandresa destroyed her totems with ice and waited for them to emerge.
• Tally removed Carl's armor, treated his hidden poisoned wound, and filtered the venom from his blood.
• Tally used red energy to wake Carl, who reassured her and promised to live to see their son grow up.
• Tally carved and attached a totem to Carl's belt, and Carl put on his armor and asked her to dismiss the protection so they could fight.

Carl and Tally fought Sandresa and Azresok, but the demons turned the battle against them with a coordinated ambush. Carl and Tally were both incapacitated as Sandresa prepared another spell.

• Sandresa and Azresok searched for two missing targets while Carl confronted Sandresa with her battle axe.
• Carl resisted Sandresa’s Frost Nova and struck her, while Azresok used Sap to stun Tally and then attacked Carl.
• Carl broke free, fought through Azresok’s poison, and unleashed Bladestorm, forcing both demons to evade and interrupt their attacks.
• Carl returned to Tally’s side, but Sandresa disoriented her with Dragon’s Breath while Azresok poisoned and paralyzed Tally.
• Azresok stunned Carl with Kidney Shot, then attacked her as Sandresa cast toward the unconscious Tally.

Carl broke free from Azresok’s attack and protected Tally from Sandresa’s spell, defeating both demons. After the battle, Tally cried over nearly losing him, and Carl vowed that he would never lose someone he loved again.

• Carl broke free from Azresok’s stun, seized the dagger lodged in his back, and knocked the assassin away with a blow to the jaw.
• Sandresa completed Polymorph, but Carl Charged to Tally and used Spell Reflection to turn the spell back on Sandresa, transforming her into a demon rat.
• Carl killed Azresok and destroyed Sandresa in her transformed state with three magma fireballs.
• Tally healed Carl and confessed how terrified she had been when Soul Link broke and she feared finding him dead.
• Carl told Tally that her voice had saved him in the darkness and vowed he would never let someone he loved be lost again.

Tally and Carl found the half-destroyed Vel'th, but Tally warned that killing him would unleash a catastrophic elemental explosion. Her attempt to purify him instead enraged the elements, and as the storm threatened Bloodhoof Village, Tally prepared to perform a grand ritual.

• Tally and Carl found Vel'th crawling at the battlefield's southern edge, and Carl stopped before killing him when Tally warned his body could explode with elemental energy.
• Tally proposed using her bond with the Storm Core to purify Vel'th, and Carl struck him to hold him still while she tried.
• Tally's Purification provoked the corrupted elements, which swelled Vel'th's body and unleashed a violent storm that threatened Bloodhoof Village.
• Tally's pleas failed to calm the elements, and the storm's growing wall blocked her Purification.
• Carl encouraged Tally and reminded her that their family would face the danger together.
• Tally regained her courage, gave Carl a pouch of ceremonial totem poles, and announced she would perform a grand ritual.

Tally and Carl fought the storm of twisted elements, and Tally began to fade after protecting her family. Sian’s power restored her and trapped the gale, but Carl’s attempt to distract her revealed a shocking sight in the distance.

• Carl used totem poles to cage the storm while Tally purified the elements and shielded them.
• Tally’s body began to shatter as she and Carl were wounded by the storm, and she said goodbye to him.
• Sian’s power flowed into Tally, restoring her body and strengthening the barrier around the gale.
• Sian appeared at the edge of the storm and scolded his parents for trying to sacrifice themselves and leaving without saying goodbye.
• Carl told Tally to look into the distance, and she saw a shocking sight beyond Sian.