Confrontation

"Now shouldn't you tell me who your informant is? If you don't tell me, I can't guarantee he'll get close to me alive."

"He is one of the members of the Silvermoon Council, Dath'Remar Derahir."

"What?" Arthas couldn't believe it. He thought Kel'Thuzad's informant would be a city gate guard or Ranger-Captain or something. He never imagined that the other party would be a high-ranking official, and the Silvermoon Council was the highest ruling class of the Elven Kingdom.

Kel'Thuzad wasn't too surprised by his astonishment. In fact, he had been quite suspicious when Dath'Remar contacted him first, but Dath'Remar's thirst for dark power was beyond human imagination. This Elf had sold his soul to the Lich King long ago.

Such an easy defection? Arthas was skeptical and uneasy. He had once been as beloved by his people as his father. Terenas had urged him to take the time to remember their names and learn about their families. Only then could he better understand the people's needs, gain their approval more easily, and ensure the kingdom's long-term stability.

In contrast, the Sunstrider family had led the Elven Kingdom for millennia, and Arthas had always believed that Elf leaders deeply loved their people, and that the Elf were loyal to their leaders. But Dath'Remar, merely tempted by power, even with only a verbal promise, betrayed his own kind? He was a high-ranking member of the Silvermoon Council!

'Mortals can be influenced, corrupted, and bought off.'

Arthas smiled. Yes... that's better, indeed. The Undead soldiers know nothing but obedience; he has no need to worry about their loyalty.

"Has anyone gone missing?" Nathanos asked quietly.

Alleria looked him straight in the eye and replied, "Not yet, but it is indeed much quieter outside the South Wall than usual."

"This means something's not right," Nathanos said, frowning. He patted the walls built of white stone, which Alleria had told him contained the power of the Sunwell and possessed strong defensive capabilities. It wasn't that Nathanos doubted Alleria's words, but he had never liked defensive battles; compared to offense, defense meant losing much of the initiative.

Moreover, the way this door was opened was so unusual that, out of concern, Nathanos then asked, "Are the three key fragments that opened this door still safe?"

Alleria was about to reply that the key was safe when she was interrupted by a voice that suddenly came from behind her. What angered her was that the speaker's disdainful tone was directed at Nathanos.

"The key to the South Wall gate is Silvermoon City's top secret."

The two turned around at the same time as they heard the voice. The other person's appearance was roughly the same as the image that had appeared in his mind after hearing the voice, except that he did not have a goatee. However, his sinister eyes made up for the lack of cunning that was missing because of the goatee.

"How could you tell such an important secret to a human, General?"

"Congressman Dath'Remar, Nathanos has come to help us defend against foreign enemies!"

"But he seemed to have been one of those people around that patricide Prince before," Dath'Remar said, oblivious to Nathanos's expression, merely letting out a cold laugh. But when he saw Nathanos's calm eyes, he felt a chill run down his spine. The human before him showed no anger or other displeasure. He remained calm, accepting the mockery with indifference, saying nothing, a silence that made Dath'Remar tense up.

"That was before. Now Nathanos fights for Quel'Thalas," Alleria argued, while also finding it strange that Nathanos remained silent.

"Then please make sure that this human... your lover will not desert in the face of battle. Also, His Majesty asked me to tell you that you cannot grant him the power to lead a single soldier."

"What?" The Female Elf stared at the uninvited guest. Before this, when she sought help from the Silvermoon Council, Dath'Remar was one of those who contradicted her, constantly advocating to Anasterian that the Undead invasion was not a threat at all. Now he dared to interfere in military affairs right in front of her.

"With a formidable enemy at hand, we should understand the importance of unity, not mutual suspicion."

"I was merely relaying His Majesty's orders."

"Do you dare say you have absolutely nothing to do with this order?"

Dath'Remar shrugged, gave Alleria a perfunctory bow, and turned to leave. He could feel Nathanos's gaze fixed on him the entire time.

Why don't you argue with him?

Alleria's voice made Nathanos look away, and he gave a bewildered smile. "He just reminded me of something very important that explains why we haven't found the enemy yet."

"You mean Dath'Remar? I didn't hear anything of value from him, just suspicion about you."

"It doesn't matter. I won't forget the important matter because of someone else's words. This guy named Drahir puzzled me at first. You called him a councilor. So, why would someone like him come to the front lines? Is it just to inform you that I'm not allowed to lead troops?" Nathanos turned his head and looked again in the direction where Dath'Remar had disappeared. His words also aroused Alleria's suspicion and gave her a bad feeling.

"You mean..." The Female Elf stared at him, then smiled. She rarely disagreed with Nathanos, but this time, she was unwilling to believe her lover. "He's one of His Majesty's men, Nathanos. You're overthinking it. Perhaps Dath'Remar is just here on behalf of the King to inspect the situation."

Nathanos paused for a moment, then thought about it and understood Alleria's doubts. "You're right, I was just too nervous to even doubt my own people."

You're not often nervous.

Seeing the smiling Female Elf, Nathanos successfully ended the conversation. But he had a different opinion about Dath'Remar. The past few days had passed, and he had carefully considered why Arthas hadn't appeared: perhaps he had given up attacking Quel'Thalas, which was certainly the best-case scenario; or perhaps the Prince already knew the secret of the South Wall barrier, understanding that a rash attack would result in heavy losses, and therefore he wanted to find another way to open it faster and more effectively...

Nathanos knew his idea was audacious, but not impossible. If his fears were correct, it meant someone had definitely tipped off Arthas. A traitor had infiltrated the Elven Kingdom. At this critical juncture, this hidden enemy would surely try to contact Arthas, and Drasil had appeared at this moment. He claimed to be merely conveying the Elf King's decree, but such an order sounded more like a warning, hardly warranting the personal presence of a member of the Silvermoon Council. So, what was his true purpose in coming here?

Arthas Menethil sat motionless atop Invincible's back, ready to attack, but the Lich King's whispers made him wait.

"I've been waiting for two days already, how much longer do I have to wait?"

'He's here!'

The three simple words gave Arthas a jolt of energy; he even thought that Frostmourne was exactly like him.

"The shadows have captured an Elf, Prince. He claims he wants to speak with you," the acolyte said, kneeling before him.

"Bring him here!"

Arthas excitedly gave the orders; the long wait was finally about to end. Not long after, a slender Elf appeared before him. When this Elf saw Arthas, or rather, when he saw Frostmourne, the fanaticism in his eyes made Arthas suspect that this living being might charge at him at any moment.

He didn't speak first, but instead glanced at the Elf, who bowed gracefully to him with a slightly mocking smile. "You... must be Prince Arthas."

"You are Dath'Remar de la Shire?"

"It is an honor that you remember me, Prince Highness."

"I'm not here to listen to your nonsense. You've made me wait here for two days." Arthas pressed Frostmourne against Dath'Remar's neck. The latter was clearly no longer the composed man he had been earlier, and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.

"Of course, of course. But getting here is not an easy thing, and I believe that valuable intelligence is worth the time to acquire."

He looked exactly like Blackmoore, that good-for-nothing who couldn't even keep an eye on the Orcs. Arthas asked, his lips pursed, "Is it about that wall?"

"Yes."

He gave a cold laugh and withdrew Frostmourne. "Go on."

"The key to open that door has been divided into three pieces, placed in the Sanctum of the Sun, the Moon Temple, and the Dawnstar Spire. Once you obtain the key, the South Wall gate will fall down on its own."

At this point, Arthas once again pressed his sword against his neck. "Then why can't you just steal the key? You're a member of the Silvermoon Council."

"That's true, but Anasterian strictly forbids anyone from taking the key fragments, so I don't actually have the authority to do so."

After confirming that Dath'Remar had not lied, Arthas secretly planned to send the Crypt Lord to raid those three locations and easily obtain the keys.

"I'll ask you one last question: Is Nathanos here?"

Question slowly filled Dath'Remar's face. He didn't understand why Arthas would ask such a question, but Arthas clearly didn't give him much time to think. He wanted to answer, but... he was surprised to find that he couldn't answer. A sharp pain piercing his heart from behind made him instantly lose consciousness.

Although Invincible was now Undead creature, it still retained some of its habits from its previous life, such as becoming agitated in the face of sudden situations. Not only it, Arthas also tensed up. The arrow from Dath'Remar's back had killed him instantly; if someone could do that at night, then that person must be...

... He looked up; his opponent was in an excellent shooting position. Arthas knew who he was, but he still wanted to see his old friend's face clearly.

Two more arrows shot out from the dim light, one after the other, this time aiming at the two shadows. The fourth arrow cleanly pierced the acolyte's forehead, leaving only Arthas.

Having finally managed to stabilize his Invincible, Arthas gripped Frostmourne tightly, feeling more nervous facing Nathanos than facing Uther.

'There's no need to be afraid; your strength now far surpasses what it once was.'

The Lich King was right! Arthas gradually calmed down and shouted in the direction from which the arrows came, "Nathanos! I know it's you. Do you dare to come out and face me?" The Prince was filled with fear and unease, questioning himself about how he could have said such a thing. It should be that he couldn't face Nathanos.

The sound of light, steady footsteps slowly approached. Arthas opened his dull, lifeless eyes wide; he had never seen him dressed like this before.

Nathanos favored black leather armor, appearing before Arthas like a messenger of the night. Half his face was hidden beneath a cloak, his black, gem-like eyes gleaming like starlight, as if showing Arthas the entire universe. His left arm was completely covered by armor, the wristband a silvery white, seemingly quite formidable. His right hand, however, wore only a fingerless glove, without a wristband or armor; the thin clothing offered no protection. Arthas remembered Nathanos mentioning that when drawing the bow, the hand pulling it must be free of strain to maintain optimal form. A quiver full of arrows sat behind him, and two sharpened short swords hung at his waist.

"This is the first time I've seen you standing before me fully armed," Arthas said, his voice trembling with surprise. The Lich King also murmured his displeasure.

"Because I never imagined I would stand before you like this, Arthas!" Nathanos's voice pierced the air, dropping the title of Arthas. As he stepped forward, he focused his gaze three times on the sword. Just like in his dream, exactly the same!

"I'll only ask you one question!" he said, "Are you the Prince of Lordaeron... or a slave to this sword?" Arthas felt as if his heart had been pierced.

A mix of emotions surged within Arthas, and for the first time, his hand wielding Frostmourne trembled—a genuine wavering. At that moment, he felt the whispers in his ear grow louder and clearer, commanding him to kill this human.

"I am...I am the Lich King's servant!" Arthas raised his Rune Sword once more. Unlike before, his eyes suddenly blazed with blue flames, devoid of any emotion.

"I... I possess power unmatched by anyone. The power to bring the dead back to life, and the power to annihilate the living."

Is this his resolve? Nathanos held his breath. The Prince had completely changed. Just moments before, in that brief moment of hesitation, Nathanos had been filled with hope that Arthas hadn't been utterly enslaved, that there was still a good part of him, that he still possessed a conscience, that he still remembered his original self—the one who fought for the people.

That's all in the past...

The person before me now is merely an empty shell; his soul has been taken by that sword and given to the so-called 'Lich King'.