Questioning Faith
Southshore was as bustling as ever. Nathanos hadn't been here in a long time, and like the first time, he was again invited by Larein. It seemed the war's effects on the area had subsided, a testament to the strength of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, which allowed everything affected by war to recover so quickly.
Without the houses clustered together, Nathanos found the environment here more comfortable than the main city of Lordaeron; it lacked both the oppressive feeling and the desolation of Marius Farm. Lost in thought, he accidentally bumped into a pedestrian on the road.
"Sorry." He glanced at the person, but fortunately the other person shook his head and didn't pursue the matter.
"Strange!" Nathanos turned to look at the man and noticed another person of similar build following him. They looked odd, both wearing hoods and walking with the air of learned men. However, they seemed very cautious, whispering and plotting something.
"A mage? Here?"
What was most striking was that both of them possessed an aura of magic, especially the one he collided with, whose magical power seemed incredibly strong. Although he only glanced at him, Nathanos could still see that the person had a full head of white hair, dark and deep eyes, and a face covered in wrinkles.
Who exactly are they? Nathanos really wanted to follow these two, but then he thought maybe he was being too sensitive. They might just be agents sent by Dalaran on some secret mission. Aren't all mages mysterious like this?
"Stop! There are intruders in the castle."
A sudden shout brought Nathanos back to his senses!
'What? Are there enemies here?' he thought with some surprise, but he quickly realized that it was just three children playing a game. The one speaking was a girl with light blonde hair and wearing a pink dress. She pointed to something on the ground with a serious expression. Nathanos noticed that it was a frog that had been caught.
"So you think you can escape this palace of the Holy Light and take our secret with you? Vesath, interrogate this criminal immediately," the girl said again. A dark-skinned boy stepped forward from behind her, looking somewhat frightened, perhaps because of his young age.
Vesath stepped forward and saluted the girl. "It is my honor, madam!"
"Madam! "Nathanos's lips curled up, finding their words amusing, and he continued reading.
"Tell me...tell me everything! Or I'll dig out your secret myself!" Vesath yelled at the frog. The little creature, bound by its ropes, puffed out its cheeks and croaked twice. Vesath deliberately took a step back and said to the girl with some fear, "He won't speak, madam. I know he's keeping a secret! An evil secret."
The girl frowned, and with a displeased expression, commanded the other brown-haired boy, "My warrior, destroy this monster!"
"These heretics will be purified, madam!" The boy's voice was much louder and more confident than Vesath's. He took a step forward, then made an attacking gesture at the frog, and then somehow he suddenly staggered backward as if he had been seriously injured.
"Ah! It struck me dead! I'm going to die..."
After he fell, the girl angrily said to the frog, "Mograine has fallen? You will pay for this! Rise, my warrior! Rise!"
The girl pretended to cast a healing spell on the boy on the ground. The boy immediately opened his eyes and stood up.
"I will fight for you, my lady!"
The girl said again, "We'll fight side by side!" As soon as she finished speaking, the three children surrounded the frog, who they thought was a monster and looked completely bewildered.
"What are they going to do?" Nathanos couldn't help but ask, but he immediately got the answer. The three children began to stomp on the frog without any mercy, each time with more force than the last.
Nathanos' eyes widened, and he shouted angrily, "Stop!" He rushed over and roughly shoved the girl in the lead aside.
"Sally!" the boy, "healed" by the girl, called out and hurriedly helped the person he was talking about to his feet. At the same time, Nathanos gave Vesath a cold look, which made him take a few steps back and cradle the poor frog in his hands.
"Who are you?" Sally stood up and shouted at Nathanos, annoyed that he had barged in without reason and disrupted the "battle".
Nathanos glared at her, a way of shutting her up. At the same time, his gaze fell on the child beside the girl. In truth, he knew the child's identity the moment Sally called out his name, and he was shocked by it.
Mograine —he certainly recognized the name, or rather, the surname. During the Battle of Blackrock Mountain, Uther had ordered a squad of Paladin to raid Orgrim's rear. A Paladin named Alexandros Mograine was the first to break through the Orcs defenses, making a significant contribution to the mission. It seemed this child was the son of that hero, but Nathanos found it strange. Why would Paladin known for his benevolence and honor have such a cruel descendant?
"Why did you hurt Sally?" Renault Mograine demanded.
"Save this 'intruder'!" Nathanos held the frog in his hand up to them. The two children were instantly startled, especially Sally, who tripped over a small stone and fell to the ground again. The frog was a gruesome sight. Its left hind leg was crushed, its right hind leg was severely fractured at a right angle, and its blood-red internal organs were spilling out of its abdomen. Even its tongue was sticking out, unable to retract into its mouth. A thin stream of white liquid flowed onto Nathanos's palm. He didn't feel disgusted; on the contrary, he felt a pang of sadness because the life in his hand was rapidly slipping away, and he couldn't save it, only help it escape the ravages of these "judges."
"You are the devils." He said these words harshly, leaving behind the crying Sally and the other two bewildered children.
He hadn't walked far when the frog in his hand showed no signs of life. Nathanos put it in a small wooden box and buried it in a secluded spot. His heart was heavy, not only because a small life had been treated unfairly, but more importantly, because of those three children—why had they done such a thing? Nathanos had never witnessed such a cruel game. He had thought only anger could make people lose their minds, like the time he had shot animals indiscriminately in the forest after his attempts to persuade Alleria had failed. But now, he discovered that besides anger, there was something else that could make people lose their minds—faith!
How could this be? He was bewildered. How could those who supposedly worshipped the Holy Light do such a thing?
"Arthas," Nathanos whispered the name of the Prince of Lordaeron. Today was the day he became Paladin, and Nathanos should have been happy, but at this moment he only felt worry. He hoped... he truly hoped that the Prince would not be blinded by his faith.