Dark Clouds Still Linger

"Again!"

"Shut up!"

"Get up, you idiot!"

"Ah!!!" The Orcs Grata suddenly stood up and shoved his companion Brodoq hard. Brodog had no time to defend himself and fell down like a sapling.

"Ha ha...!" Grata laughed, his sharp teeth flashing in his savage grin. "You've lost this time!"

"Damn it!" Brodoq stood up and angrily sat down on the rock next to him. This time it was Grata's turn to shout; he was mocking Brodoq, trying to get the Orcs who had just been humiliated to fight him again.

However, Brodoq sat there sullenly, seemingly disdainful of the way Grata had won.

"Are you angry? You did this once before," Grata said, then relaxed completely, as if Brodoq had decided to end the game.

Brodoq glanced at him. He was certain of victory if he attacked now, but so what? It would just mean starting over again. Months had passed, and since the Dark Portal closed, he and Grata had spent almost every day in a tedious game. Aside from the initial despair and anxiety they felt after hearing about everything that had happened from the Horde soldiers who had escaped from the other side, nothing else mattered to them. At first, they were somewhat terrified, but now, they were completely orphans of the war.

Horde Great Chief Orgrim was Doomhammer and captured, and his promises of a new world and a new home vanished. Draenor seemed to have returned to its former tranquility, but everything had changed. Brodoq thought this peace would continue until a few days ago when two strangers arrived in the village—two utterly repulsive people. They went to see Ner'zhul, the chieftain of the Shadowmoon Clan. Brodoq witnessed Ner'zhul receive them, and they talked for several days.

"How strange!" Brodoq muttered.

Grata was kicking a wild animal's bone nearby; days like these always needed something to do. He heard Brodoq's voice, but he paid it no heed. The word 'strange' no longer seemed strange, just like the world itself; it had lost all meaning, though it hadn't always been this way. He looked up at the crimson sky before him, the sun, now unobstructed by any clouds, a fiery ball indistinguishable from the sky's color. Grata remembered the world's azure skies and warm sun of years past, the verdant hills and valleys, the herds of robust Kodo Beast migrating in droves, and the Talbuk grazing on the lush grass. He had fished by the deep, cool shores of that lake, but he had been so ignorant then, unaware of the happiness of that life. Now, what he cherished was gone. In the days to come, water would become precious, the unpolluted water treasured by the Orcs, sealed in barrels and distributed uniformly.

Grata pulled his thoughts back to the present, casually kicking the skull in front of him, sending up a cloud of red dust that made his lips dry. He picked up his water pouch and took a small sip. His green skin, covered in dust, no longer appeared as shiny, but it highlighted his black hair. He loved his hair, because the entire continent seemed to have been completely swallowed by red, as if soaked in blood, with only this one unique color.

The whole world is so strange.

The strangest thing was that he and Brodoq were ordered to stay here, left to waste time playing those pointless games. He looked up at the towering archway ahead. That was the Dark Portal, only now it lacked the green energy it once possessed. In other words, the portal was clearly worthless. So what was the point of Ner'zhul sending them here?

On the other side, in the very center of the Shadowmoon Clan village, there was a simple wooden house. It was pitch black inside, with no lights, but the three people talking could still tell each other's location.

"I've said it many times, the Horde is finished!" The voice that came out was that of an old Orcs, his voice hoarse, and he coughed violently twice after he finished speaking, as if his life was coming to an end. "More than half of my people went to another world with Orgrim, but now it's hard to say whether they are dead or alive."

"That's true, but as long as we get in touch with them..." He was answered by a person with a similarly hoarse voice but exuding a terrifying aura.

"Contact?" The old Orcs felt like he'd heard a joke, but he pressed on, "How? You'd better not be joking, Blood Maw!"

"Of course, deceiving you is of no value to me, Ner'zhul!"

The identities of the two figures in the darkness were no longer a mystery. Ner'zhul, chieftain of the Shadowmoon Clan, was one of the few clan chieftains who did not follow the Horde to Azeroth. The Death Knight, Talon Blood Maw, had returned with the defeated Horde members; he stood to Ner'zhul's left.

The chieftain of the Shadowmoon Clan looked to his right. He couldn't see anything, but he knew there was another Death Knight there as well.

"He's telling the truth, Ner'zhul," Jaz Soulbreaker said with certainty, though he didn't know why Ner'zhul would ask him, since he and Blood Maw had come together and were both Death Knight.

Ner'zhul fell silent, hesitant. Out of concern for the other Orcs on the other world, especially the members of the Shadowmoon Clan, Ner'zhul had to consider what Talon Blood Maw had said. Besides, he had been a member of the Shadow Council; Ner'zhul absolutely did not believe he would act for the Horde. "Tell me your thoughts."

Blood Maw's patience was almost exhausted. He even thought Ner'zhul was a weak and useless person, and that he had wasted several days trying to talk to him. However, when Ner'zhul asked him to express his thoughts, Blood Maw knew that he was wavering.

"It's very simple, a spacetime rift. There is a spacetime rift between Azeroth and Draenor."

Marius Farm, Azeroth

It was quieter than usual here, and Sylvanas wasn't welcomed as she typically was, because there was no one else around. The Female Elf wandered around but couldn't find her "prey."

Since the war ended, she frequently came here to see that human. Whether there was anything to do or not, Sylvanas would come here every few days, have dinner with Nathanos, and take over the human's room so that he had to sleep somewhere else. The next day, she would leave only one or two silver coins and leave quietly, as if she were using this place as a hotel.

Sylvanas enjoyed spending time with Nathanos. Whenever she returned to Quel'Thalas, her sister would always find ways to steer the conversation towards Nathanos. Of course, Sylvanas would subtly avoid telling Alleria too much about Nathanos, which often angered Alleria. Sylvanas found the thought of her sister's angry expression amusing, so she visited Marius Farm even more frequently.

But she couldn't find Nathanos anywhere today, so she had no choice but to stay here and wait. The front door of the house was unlocked, Sylvanas believed that the guy would definitely come back, and then she would teach him a lesson and tell him that he shouldn't have kept her waiting so long.

A few minutes later, the Female Elf's long ears heard a sound; footsteps were approaching.

"Ah! You're here again?" The moment Stephan stepped through the door, he saw Sylvanas sitting in a chair, tapping on the table. Her eyes clearly showed disappointment, because the person she was waiting for wasn't Stephan.

"It's you, little guy?" Sylvanas stood up and looked at the little boy holding a fishing rod and a bucket.

"Yes, that's right! My name is Stephan!" the boy said awkwardly, muttering to himself, "My cousin is absolutely right."

Upon hearing this, Sylvanas asked, "What did he say?"

"Huh?" Stephan's eyes widened as Sylvanas approached him, her aura making Stephan incredibly nervous. "Uh! It's nothing, oh right! He said you're a beautiful lady, the most beautiful lady he's ever seen, that's right... that's it!" He gave an awkward smile, not even believing his own explanation. Sylvanas didn't press him further, covering her mouth with a smile, and crouched down to be at Stephan's eye level.

Tell me, where is your cousin?

Stephan immediately shut his mouth upon hearing the question, staring expectantly at Sylvanas without uttering a word. The Female Elf nodded thoughtfully; this must be Nathanos's doing! A slight smile played on her lips, and she took a gold coin from her pocket, waving it in front of Stephan's eyes. The boy's eyes followed hers, then he closed them, choosing this method to avoid the temptation. Sylvanas wasn't angry; instead, she was even more pleased. She untied a red cloth bag from her person, weighed it in her hand, and it made a clattering sound. Even a fool could tell it was a bulging money bag. Stephan instantly opened his eyes; the bag contained at least ten gold coins. The boy swallowed hard; this was enough for him to buy a good horse and become a knight.

"Have you thought it through?" The Female Elf looked at Stephan, Will was on the verge of "collapse," with amusement. 'Nathanos hiring him to guard the secret is a joke,' Sylvanas thought to herself.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but don't say I told you."

"Achoo!" Nathanos sneezed, a chill running down his back. He turned around, but there was nothing there. "What... happened?"

The new volume tells the story of the Dark Portal being opened again, and the protagonist will face a life-changing event.