Rune Sword

Whoosh~, he ran, the vast expanse of white snow before him making it impossible to tell where he was. Alterac? No, beyond the snow lay a vast ocean, dotted with ice floes. There was no sea around Alterac.

Nathanos looked around, trying to find something familiar, like the houses of commoners in Lordaeron, or human footprints in the snow. But he found nothing, nothing at all except the heavy snow.

Where am I? He wondered, realizing his feet were out of his control, or rather, his vision was uncontrollable. The white breath he exhaled brushed against his face, but brought no chill. Nathanos felt warm all over, as if the world around him had become isolated from him.

His legs continued to run forward consciously, guiding him to a place in the direction of the coast.

What am I going there for?

Suddenly, a blue dot appeared in the white expanse of his vision, piquing his curiosity and prompting him to investigate. What was it? As he drew closer, the object slowly magnified. He saw clearly that it was a person, a person kneeling on one knee. There was no one else in the direction the person was kneeling, nor were there any statues or anything like that; he was simply facing the vast sea, all alone in the snow.

Even from behind Nathanos could tell who it was: a blue silk cloak, long golden hair, and silver shoulder armor and bracers—it was Arthas!

"Arthas!" he cried out; it was still his voice. Nathanos looked at the Prince, his back to him, with a mixture of confusion and excitement. At that moment, a flood of questions filled Nathanos's mind: What happened in Stratholme? Why did you do that? What are you doing here? Why are you kneeling in the snow...?

"You..." He walked a short distance behind the Prince, but perhaps the wind was too strong for him to hear Arthas's heartbeat. "Are you cold?" he asked, unable to voice any of the questions in his mind, only wanting to know if the Prince was alright.

Arthas knelt there motionless. Nathanos, curious about what he was worshipping, glanced down and realized that he and the Prince were on a cliff overlooking a beach with a few ships moored there. The flags of Lordaeron flew over the ships; they must be the expeditionary force Arthas had led.

Nathanos?

"Um?"

Arthas's sudden voice drew Nathanos's attention back. His voice was clear and vibrant, tinged with sadness, but it was unmistakably his. And he seemed unaffected by the cold wind and snow, leading Nathanos to wonder if the problem lay with them or with the environment.

"Can you do me a favor?"

He hesitated for a moment; he still had many questions to ask, but he was willing to listen. "What do you need me to do?"

"Could you... give me my sword?"

A sword? Nathanos grew increasingly puzzled. How could this be? Arthas hadn't used a sword since becoming Paladin. His weapon had always been that warhammer blessed by the Holy Light. Thinking this, Nathanos noticed that beside him, beside Arthas, the weapon he was so proud of was gone.

Just as he was about to say that he had never owned a sword, Arthas suddenly added, "It is right behind you."

His legs turned as if on command, drawing his gaze in the same direction. Nathanos was shocked; he hadn't been there when he ran over...

A weapon that sent chills down one's spine! The hilt resembled a roaring skull, its eyes fixed on Nathanos. The runes covering the blade emitted a cold blue light as it stood atop a snow-covered hill. The blizzard raged on, but the swirling snowflakes seemed to deliberately avoid the Rune Sword. The rings of blue light surrounding it made it appear half-revealed, alluring, like a lover half-veiled in a light veil. Nathanos had never seen a sword like this, a weapon that made him want to possess it at first sight. Time ticked by, yet he hesitated to reach out and touch it, even though Arthas had given the order.

Danger! Get out! These two simple words made him flinch. The voice came from the sword—a child's voice! This was Arthas's weapon? When did he acquire this sword? Why wasn't he carrying it with him but leaving it here?

What are you hesitating about?

The voice behind him sent a shiver down Nathanos's spine. He couldn't turn around to see if Arthas had stood up and was staring at his back, just as he had been staring at Arthas just moments before.

"Go and hold it tight!"

The orders have changed? Arthas only wanted him to have access to this thing; the previous orders were just an excuse. Why would he do this? Nathanos sensed the threat, and his instinctive resistance was futile. His body had already moved forward several steps beyond his control.

He was closer to the sword, and could see it more clearly. It was smooth and cold—a sword, no doubt, but something else was hidden within it. He didn't know why he could tell, but he could do it.

Nathanos watched as his hand slowly reached for the hilt of his sword. As the two met, the azure runes emitted a cold, dazzling light...

... A chill swept over him, taking away all the warmth from his body!

It's so cold! It feels like my blood is about to freeze! This is the correct feeling when you're in the middle of ice and snow, but everything feels so abnormal.

The sword wasn't in his hand; it pierced him. Nathanos gritted his teeth, feeling an unprecedented pain, but he couldn't cry out. He used all his strength to resist, trying to let go, but he couldn't. The sword was trying to snatch something from him. Nathanos didn't know what he was losing, but he had to stop it from happening.

"Let go!" Nathanos shouted at himself, and the hilt finally came off. He fell to the ground from the force of the blow, gasping for breath, as if he had escaped the clutches of a demon.

At that moment, Arthas walked past him and stood before the sword. Nathanos was about to warn him that the sword was dangerous, but Arthas gripped it first and easily pulled it from the snow.

Doesn't he sense the problem with the sword? Doesn't he feel its bone-chilling cold?

Nathanos forced himself to look up at Arthas, and the moment his eyes met Arthas's, he was stunned! Pale, bone-white hair, deathly ashen skin, and eyes flashing with blue flames!

Is this Arthas?

"Now," the familiar yet unfamiliar figure in front of me spoke, "We are the same."

Nathanos suddenly felt that the chill hadn't faded. It gathered within him. A black line appeared in his palm, starting as a crack and then tearing apart at a visible speed. No! This was just a visual effect; the real situation was that something was rapidly spreading, and Nathanos couldn't stop it.

"We are the same."

Arthas's voice echoed around him like a spell, driving him to madness, and making everything before his eyes spin!

"No!!!"

He woke up!

The first sound he heard was rain pattering on green leaves. Where was he? Nathanos stared blankly out the window, his mind reeling as he lay on his comfortable bed. The breeze blowing in from the window made him tense again, but then he found it so pleasant, bringing a relaxing coolness to his sweaty body. Although it was a little cold, it was only on his back; why was his front so warm? Nathanos looked down curiously.

Long, unicorn-like ears, soft, silky hair, slightly trembling eyebrows that gave her a playful air, and steady breathing. Alleria was nestled in his arms. Nathanos breathed a sigh of relief, momentarily forgetting the terrible dream.

His sudden awakening seemed to have no effect on the Female Elf; she slept soundly, which reassured him. This would be a perfect wedding, Nathanos thought, stroking his beloved's smooth, delicate skin. Alleria wanted a child, and Nathanos granted her wish that night. The two of them cuddled together all night, forgetting Jaina's words and all those unpleasant thoughts. Their world consisted only of each other.

Nathanos had never imagined this day would come, but he had thought about what his children would be like and how he would raise them. Alleria must have thought about it too, Nathanos couldn't help but smile, convinced that that day would definitely come, it would!

The following is the author's note.

To answer readers' questions, the first is about whether the protagonist dies. The author's answer is that he will definitely die. This is also why the author chose the Witherer as the protagonist. In Warcraft, the Undead, or Forsaken, are a very special group because they are not considered living beings among all races. In the eyes of others, the Undead are evil, and regardless of whether they have regained their sanity, many believe they should be exterminated. Even when the Horde accepts the Undead, it is only out of self-interest rather than genuine compassion for those who have risen from the dead. Therefore, the existence of the Undead involves the word "resistance." They must not only resist those who want to eliminate them, but also resist time, because the Undead not only lack reproductive ability but also self-healing ability, and their bodies decay. This aspect will be emphasized later, telling the story of how Nathanos survived after becoming undead, the birth of the Forsaken, and how he became a leader. Secondly, everyone knows that the person the Witherer should truly love is Queen Sylvanas, but so far the author hasn't described her much, leading some readers to think the author has gone astray. However, the author hasn't forgotten the true emotional connection between the Witherer and the Queen; it's just that they haven't reached that point yet. Thirdly, this is a spoiler: firstly, the Queen won't die, as stated in the first chapter; secondly, regarding the question of whether Nathanos will be resurrected, the author has already planned the plot—he can be resurrected, but in a very unusual way. Thirdly, there's the issue of why the timeline has encountered a major problem: the Bronze Dragon didn't intervene to stop Nathanos. This will be discussed later. Actually, a crucial character appeared in an earlier chapter and has been helping the Witherer.

The author has been on their way home all day, hence the late update.