Eye of Dalaran

Antonidas, the Archmage of Dalaran and leader of the Kirin Tor, was sitting in his study, studying a scroll that had just arrived. The scroll contained a grave problem: yet another village on the border of Lordaeron had been razed to the ground by dragons.

Antonidas reached up and rubbed his temples.

It's unbelievable that the Orcs Horde received help from the Red Dragon during the Second War.

Someone knocked softly on his door. "Come in, Krasus," Antonidas called. His magic had already told him who would come looking for him so late.

"You want to see me?" Krasus said. He entered the study, closed the door behind him, and deliberately appeared nonchalant. Antonidas thought this was to appease him, but his tactic failed.

"Yes," Antonidas replied, the two words almost bursting from between his long white beard. "It's been months, no! It's been almost a year. Where have you been?"

"I have things I have to do," Krasus said, downplaying the issue. He stepped forward and leaned against the edge of Antonidas's desk.

"Your own business? You serve the Kirin Tor, Krasus, you should be reminding yourself of that." Antonidas pointed out with a frown, "If you can't make time to fulfill your duties, perhaps I will have someone else take your place."

To his surprise, the gaunt mage before him lowered his head. "If that is truly what you desire, I will leave," Krasus said quietly. "However, I prefer to stay here, and I assure you, I have been keeping a close eye on Dalaran and the Kirin Tor."

Antonidas crossed his arms and studied him for a while before finally nodding. He didn't want Krasus to leave; this enigmatic mage possessed unimaginable magical power and knowledge.

"Take a look at this," he said, placing the scroll in front of Krasus. Krasus read the contents, his face gradually filled with fear and shock.

"Dragons!" Krasus exclaimed softly after reading it. The mage rerolled the scroll and carefully placed it on the table, as if the scroll might attack him. "Based on my research on Red Dragon, they are not interested in war or bloodshed. They are only forced to serve the Horde, they..."

"I know," Antonidas interrupted him, looking at him with a strange expression. "Krasus, you're supposed to be an expert on dragons. Do you think there's any way to stop them?"

"I..."

A piercing alarm shattered the silence of the sky. The two mages exchanged a glance. They knew what the sound meant— Dalaran under attack. Krasus remained silent, while Antonidas tried to pinpoint its source.

"The Secret Vault!" Antonidas finally exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Someone has broken into the Booty Bay room!"

Krasus's expression mirrored his astonishment. The Secret Vault was located in the heart of Violet Citadel, protected by the most powerful magic ever invented by mages. It contained many artifacts, as well as items that mages themselves could not use, nor could anyone else be allowed to possess.

The two nodded to each other and were silently teleported to the Secret Vault.

The world around them began to blur. The room filled with books disappeared, replaced by a huge stone chamber. Its floor and walls were roughly carved, and its ceiling was arched. The room had no windows, only a door. Except for an open space near the exit, the rest of the room consisted of shelves, chests, and bookshelves, all filled with things.

Standing among those objects were several people. Antonidas narrowed his eyes. Then, his senses detected the black halos surrounding their feet. But before they turned and revealed the gleaming eyes beneath their hoods, Antonidas already knew the true identities of these beings who had crossed the barrier erected by the traversing mage, and he was terrified.

"Death Knight!"

The dead Orcs used human corpses to regenerate themselves. These Death Knight possessed enough dark power to keep Antonidas on high alert, yet these creatures dared to come here!

They surrounded a figure, the one in the center clutching something in his hand. Antonidas focused his attention on the object. It was incredibly powerful, and its magic felt strangely familiar. The leading Death Knight shifted slightly, gently raising the object. Light reflected off its facets, casting a crimson glow that illuminated the entire room. Antonidas understood what kind of treasure could make the Death Knight overlook the other artifacts around them.

"The Eye of Dalaran!" Antonidas shouted. He raised one hand and cast a mysterious magical arrow, while using the other to summon other Kirin Tor members, trying to call for help so they wouldn't be left isolated due to the inevitable fatigue of the duel.

However, this was not a formal duel. The Archmage's magic arrow struck a Death Knight squarely in the torso, slamming him against a distant wall, smoke still rising from the hole in his chest.

Another Kirin Tor member teleported to his side; this was an elegant Elf. Antonidas turned to Prince Kael'thas, his handsome face contorted with rage. The Elf Prince raised and spread his hands, and a Death Knight in the room screamed in agony as his entire body burst into flames.

"Kael'thas!" he roared. The Elf Prince turned and looked at Antonidas with his piercing gaze.

"Don't let them teleport!" Antonidas shouted, conjuring a magical shield with one hand to deflect a deadly arrow aimed at him. The Elf shook his head, trying to process what was happening, then nodded. He glared angrily at the intruders, moving his hands to cast a spell.

The leader roared, "Death Knight, come to me!" He Eye of Dalaran high. The remaining members obeyed his command, forming a circle with their backs to him to protect him. Just as Kael'thas was finishing his incantation, a rolling black shadow appeared above the intruders, the Eye of Dalaran glowing, the shadow tinged with purple. The Death Knight's forms began to blur. In that brief moment, they escaped. Kael'thas cursed in Elf.

The Death Knight had left, but that didn't mean they were alone. Antonidas also cast a teleportation spell, slightly modifying it so that he could teleport to the same location as the Death Knight. In an instant, Antonidas found himself standing on a wide terrace. This was one of the upper levels of Violet Citadel. The Death Knight were gathered to one side, their leader standing proudly in the center, his chainmail hand grasping the Violet Eye. Krasus, Kael'thas, and several others followed.

This time, Kael'thas and Antonidas were prepared. Spells were already prepared in their minds and on their lips. The Death Knight leader turned and glared menacingly at Antonidas.

The Archmage smiled gently.

"This terrace can block your teleportation spells; you have nowhere to escape," Antonidas shouted, prepared to capture or kill the Death Knight, leaving only a question so the Kirin Tor could understand why these people were here.

"Perhaps," the leader said softly. "But what can you do if we can fly away?"

As he spoke, a gust of wind swept behind him, cutting across the entire terrace and making Antonidas lose his footing. A rustling sound followed, growing louder, before darkness descended upon the terrace. The Kirin Tor looked up to see a colossal figure hovering overhead, its black wings almost completely obscuring the light. Only the flames within its body revealed its full form; its metallic face and golden-red eyes stared down. Antonidas could almost feel his heart pounding; his clothes were quickly soaked with sweat.

"Foolish humans, do you really think we're the only ones?" the leader of the Death Knight laughed. Antonidas had never seen such a massive dragon in his life, and it was now flying towards the terrace.

Krasus's face gradually turned pale, and he softly uttered the black dragon's name. "Deathwing."

When he heard someone call his name, the powerful black dragon turned his head and gazed at Krasus. The mage did not flinch, but Antonidas staggered back two steps, looking very uneasy.

Deathwing! Here?

While they were still in shock, Talon Blood Maw had already climbed onto Deathwing's back. "I've got what I wanted. Let's go!"

Antonidas suddenly regained his senses and instinctively hurled a Lightning Bolt at the black dragon, but it bounced off its metallic head. The Archmage then realized how ridiculous his attack had been. Kael'thas and the other mages shook their heads; they dared not attack. If the black dragon were provoked, it could very well reduce the entire Violet Citadel to ashes.

Antonidas cursed as he watched the other Death Knight mount their dragons, soar into the sky, and disappear from sight. A deep sense of loss filled him. He and the rest of the Kirin Tor had been entrusted with protecting the city and its inhabitants, but tonight he had failed. He gazed at the stars, searching for any trace of the invaders, but they were all gone, taking with them the Eye of Dalaran, one of the most powerful artifacts in the city of mages.

Lordaeron

'How interesting,' Nathanos thought to himself as he reviewed the messages sent from Stormwind City. The others— Uther, Turalyon, and Khadgar —were discussing the theft of the Medivh's Book on the other side.

He should have been involved, and Turalyon had welcomed him to the Alliance, but Nathanos would need some time to get used to integrating into the group.

'One guard's skull was shattered, another had a severed spear embedded in his neck, so what about the last one?' Nathanos focused his gaze on the dead librarian. 'This man's death is too strange. Why didn't he hear the commotion outside the library? He should have shouted to attract attention. But he didn't, he didn't even run away! He seems more like he was ambushed. Could it be...'

"Nathanos?" Turalyon called out, turning around to find the others looking at him as well.

"This is the third time you've read those reports. Have you noticed anything?"

"Indeed!" Nathanos put down the documents in his hand and came to the front of the group. "I suspect that there was more than one group of enemies who went to the Royal Library that night."

Turalyon and Khadgar exchanged glances, then Turalyon pressed, "To put it more clearly, you mean those three people died at the hands of different people?"

Nathanos nodded and pointed out, "If I'm not mistaken, the first one to die was the librarian. He was ambushed, perhaps under the pretext of borrowing books or something, when he turned around. It was a small incident that went unnoticed by the guards. Then, the second group of intruders appeared and killed the guards."

This was a bold guess, but Turalyon and the others clearly looked puzzled. Nathanos, leaning on his desk with one hand and staring at the model of Tower of Observation, continued, "Their goal is the Medivh's Book, because only that one treasure is missing from the entire library, but it was obviously taken by the murderer who killed the librarian, and the people who came afterward were too late."

Khadgar's thoughts became clearer. "In other words, those intruders who killed the guards are very likely still looking for the first killer."

"Medivh's apprentice is indeed very clever!" Nathanos said to Khadgar, but Khadgar ignored the compliment. He was now very anxious, as no one present knew better than him how important the Medivh's Book was.

"Then we must find the first person!" Turalyon declared, but then he suddenly frowned. "But we have no leads."

"Of course!"

All eyes were once again on Nathanos, especially Khadgar, who was about to ask what the clue was, but he suppressed his excitement and remained calm.

"At least we can be certain that the first person was someone of high status, because he had access to the Stormwind City Royal Library. Furthermore, you can think about why that person would steal this book!"

"As far as I know..." Khadgar paused, then coughed and continued, "I mean, I've heard Medivh say that the book itself is magical, and most of the text isn't in any language of Azeroth, but in the language of demons!"

The word "demon" sends chills down one's spine.

"So, almost no one knows how to use this book?" Uther asked.

The monk nodded.

"Books aren't just for reading," Nathanos said again. "Don't forget, it's a treasure."

"A trade? Using this book as a bargaining chip!" Uther suddenly realized that this did indeed make sense.

Turalyon stroked his chin and agreed, "Yes, but no one would dare to sell this book at a reputable auction house; it must be some kind of private transaction."

"Damn it!" Khadgar slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Who on earth dares to be so audacious?"

Turalyon patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Don't worry, we know. Perhaps we can brainstorm and think about what kind of people would want this book! A mage, or some collectors!"

"Collectors don't kill people, and mages don't kill people with daggers," Nathanos retorted succinctly. Turalyon in agreement.

"Salute to you, General Turalyon!" A soldier entered and saluted Turalyon.

"What's up?"

"King Terenas summons you; there is an emergency."