The end or the beginning

Alexstrasza, the Lifebinder, looked at her palm. Yes, it was all back—her power! She felt renewed, as if before the Demon Soul had been created. She nodded. "What we lost has been returned to us. The Demon Soul ... the Demon Soul no longer exists."

"Impossible!" Deathwing roared. "Lies! All lies!"

"No!" the Red Dragon corrected. "The only lie right now is that you are invincible."

"That's right," Nozdormu continued. "I've always wanted to prove that this is a ridiculous theory..."

Deathwing discovered he was being attacked by four new forces. He was no longer fighting against the afterimages of his opponents; he was facing a combined attack from four Guardian Dragons, each as powerful as himself, an attack he was simply no match for.

Malygos's suffocating clouds coiled around the black dragon's throat and nostrils. Nozdormu accelerated the passage of time on Deathwing, subjecting him to the relentless torment of years, draining his strength. His resistance was severely weakened by those attacks, allowing Ysera to effortlessly invade his mind and lead him to the most terrifying nightmares.

Then Alexstrasza ascended before him, like a vengeful goddess descending. She glared at Deathwing, yet a trace of pity remained in her eyes, and said, "Life is in my hands, Neltharion. And like all other mothers, I know the pain and hope it brings! For years, I have watched my children being raised as tools of war, mercilessly slaughtered when they were incompetent or disobedient! Knowing so many lives have been lost, I remain alive, powerless to stop it!"

"Your dead child is nothing compared to mine," Deathwing roared as he fought off the attacks of the other dragons.

"No, it was you who harmed your people. And my children, my people, their demise was also because of your conspiracy! I will make you pay the price."

She meant what she said. Deathwing could put up some resistance against other attacks, even against Ysera's Nightmare. But against Alexstrasza, he was utterly helpless. Her attacks were accompanied by pain, her own pain. Every Red Dragon was trained as a terrifying war machine to slaughter life; they caused countless deaths, including their own.

Deathwing had never experienced such pain. The agony seemed to break through his armor, erupting within his inner flesh, tearing at the very depths of his being.

The most terrifying dragon in the world let out a mournful roar that no one had ever heard before.

Perhaps it was that scream that saved him. The other dragons were jolted back by the piercing sound and suspended their spells. Deathwing finally broke free, turned and fled, flying away at incredible speed. He was still trembling and screaming, before quickly disappearing from sight.

"We can't let him escape!" Nozdormu suddenly snapped to attention.

"Go after him! Don't let him get away!" Malygos replied.

"I agree," the Dream Queen said calmly. Ysera glanced at Alexstrasza, who was still circling, even she herself was incredulous at her own performance. "Sister?"

"That's right," the Red Dragon replied. "Use every means to catch up! I'll catch up soon..."

"I understand..."

The three Guardian Dragons turned and flew away, constantly accelerating to catch up with the black dragon.

Alexstrasza watched them fly away, longing to join them immediately. She didn't know if, even with all their power restored, they could end Deathwing's evil deeds forever, but Deathwing certainly needed to be restrained. However, she had other matters to attend to.

The Queen of Dragons surveyed the sky and the earth, and finally saw the person she was searching for.

A massive shadow swept over the crowd. However, the dragon circling in the air was not black. When the Queen of Dragons landed before them, Nathanos felt she was even larger than before.

Looking at the humans and their companions, the Queen said, "My heartfelt blessings are upon you, mortals. Humans, Elf, and Dwarf! I thank you for everything you have done in this event. Remember, as long as I am Queen of the Dragons, the Dragons will always be your friends!" A forced smile appeared on her face. "Deathwing has escaped, but I cannot let him go unpunished any longer. Please forgive me for not being able to speak with you for long. I must leave. I hope my Dragon Egg are all intact; otherwise, although Deathwing was defeated, he still dealt a heavy blow to the Dragons."

Having said this, the dragon leaped into the air and swiftly flew in the direction Deathwing had fled.

"What a magnificent sight," Falstad remarked after watching the dragon fly away. Then he turned to his companions. "'As long as I am Queen of the Dragons, the Dragons will always be your friends.' That's truly inspiring, isn't it?"

"Does this also signify the end?" Nathanos's gaze lingered on the direction the Queen of Dragons had gone. He had been asked this question many times. When Orgrim was defeated, someone asked him if it was all over. He faced the same question when Ner'zhul was defeated. And now, even he didn't know how to answer. Every peace was fleeting, and Nathanos couldn't help but wonder if this was the beginning of another catastrophe.

"It'll end after we reclaim Grim Batol!" Nathanos envied the Dwarf's carefree attitude. "I'll definitely go back and tell my brothers this story in the Great Hall of the Aerie Peak! Don't be surprised when you hear the Dwarf talking about you in the taverns!"

"Falstad!" Rhonin said, bewildered. "There's something you..."

"I know!" the Dwarf laughed, knowing Rhonin was referring to Krasus. "I certainly won't tell," the Dwarf whispered to Rhonin, but everyone could hear him. The mage was a little worried; perhaps one day this fellow would get drunk and start rambling.

"I have to go!" The dwarf climbed onto the gryphon's back and showed a simple smile. "I miss the ale!"

Rhonin excitedly grasped Falstad's hand. "Thank you!"

"No, I should be thanking you! I've seen many people like you before, but now you've proven that mages can also have a brave heart, and so can all of you." Falstad's gaze swept over the crowd. "The Elf Lady will always be my dream, and..." He frowned when he saw Nathanos, then looked at Alleria. "I envy you."

The human smiled and shrugged.

Goodbye, everyone. Until we meet again!

A long howl erupted from the Gryphon's beak, and the crowd could faintly hear Falstad's loud laughter mixed in with the sound. The Dwarf seemed to be celebrating in this way that they would finally no longer have to fight the Red Dragon.

No one tried to stop him, for the message had to reach Aerie Peak as quickly as possible! Not just Aerie Peak, Alleria also wanted to return and tell the others: Quel'Thalas, Lordaeron, and the other kingdoms.

"Then I must go too!" Rhonin said suddenly after the Dwarf left, his eyes filled with guilt as he addressed Nathanos. "I'm so sorry, Nathanos. Because of me, you were dragged into this conflict, and others were implicated as well."

"It doesn't matter. I never care about the process, only the result. If I had known the outcome back then, I would have risked it again and fallen into Deathwing's clutches."

Rhonin burst into laughter, "If there's a next time, that person should be me."

The two nodded to each other. Nathanos thought to himself that Rhonin really did resemble Khadgar.

"Although there are many things I don't understand either, I think everything will be clear when I return to Dalaran." Rhonin looked troubled. It seemed he was about to face endless questioning from the Kirin Tor Council, and he needed to think carefully about how to answer them. Then there was Krasus; Rhonin didn't know if he would ever see him again. He hoped so, otherwise his doubts would remain unsolved mysteries.

"I hope we can meet again." Rhonin was a little impatient. With a simple spell, he disappeared from the spot.

Nathanos took a deep breath, and his hand was grasped by another, more slender hand. He turned to look at Alleria.

"I also need to go back and report this to the Silvermoon Council. I guess they will accuse me of dereliction of duty again."

"I understand..." Nathanos nodded. This was a brief reunion, and she would soon be leaving him... Perhaps... Looking into the Elf's expectant eyes, the human's pupils slowly widened. "Alleria, you want me to go with you..."

The Female Elf chuckled twice, seemingly satisfied with his reaction. "What do you think?"

"To be honest, I've been away from my family for a while now, and although I love adventure, I don't miss them."

Sylvanas stared at him, inwardly cursing Nathanos as a fool. The human also found it strange; it seemed that every time Alleria needed him, he used his family as a shield. But this time, however, the Silvermoon City Ranger-General didn't let his prey escape.

"I will send someone to inform your family, and I will tell them that they will agree to let you come with me to Quel'Thalas."

Nathanos was about to say something, but his mouth was already stuffed with Alleria's fingers.

"Do you think you can force me to spend some time alone with you?" The Female Elf blinked, instantly easing the tension in his body. Finally, he nodded in agreement to her invitation.

Two days later

The remnants of the Orcs army in Grim Batol finally raised their banners in surrender. They knelt dejectedly before the victorious Alliance forces, their fate sealed. They were to be taken westward, where Alliance ships would transport them to pre-built concentration camps.

Nathanos was taken to Windrunner Tower Quel'Thalas. He didn't go to Silvermoon City with Alleria; that opulent city was rife with intrigue and suffocated him. Only here could he think clearly and find peace of mind.

That night, Alleria and Nathanos stayed together, talking for a long, long time, sharing their experiences. When they ran out of things to say, they healed each other with their hearts and bodies. After it was all over, Nathanos wanted to hold the exhausted Alleria and drift off to sleep, but he found the Female Elf looking at him thoughtfully.

"What are you... looking at?" he asked somewhat guiltily.

"Who is more beautiful, me or the Queen of Dragons?"

The human brain seemed to pause for a moment; why would she ask that question?

"There's nothing between us, and that wasn't my intention, you know that..." the human explained nervously. "Her mortal form is indeed very beautiful... and also very strange, with two horns on her head."

"Hehe..." Alleria suddenly laughed. Nathanos felt like he had been tricked, and waited until she stopped laughing.

"Then... between me and Sylvanas? Who's prettier?"

"What... what's going on?" Nathanos exclaimed in surprise.

Alleria's expression darkened slightly. How could she not see her sister's feelings for Nathanos? Sylvanas had sent Vareesa back to rescue Nathanos alone, and then suddenly disappeared to find this human when they escaped from Grim Batol.

"It's nothing, I was just asking." Alleria gave Nathanos her warmest smile, then closed her eyes and lay quietly in his arms. "Whether you're thinking about them now or not, forget about them, Nathanos. The person lying in your arms is me."

He listened, then slowly embraced her, whispering in her ear, "Of course, my lady."