Crisis

Dalaran, the city of magic. To most people, this was the most mysterious place in the world, a nation built entirely by mages. The tops of its round spires nearly reached the clouds. Every Mage Tower housed a powerful mage.

A Mage Tower on the western side of Dalaran rarely saw visitors. It was neither a commercial district nor home to an auction house. There were only fountains and flowerbeds here, things that could be found everywhere in Dalaran. Its owner had chosen this place as his research base for one reason alone—it was quiet enough. Yet troublesome guests always came calling, to the point that he no longer showed his true face.

In an upper level of the Mage Tower, in a dimly lit room, a petite girl sat on an ordinary stool. Her figure was hardly impressive, especially her height, but she was undoubtedly cute. There was a hint of foresight in her brows, telling the world that her understanding was far more frightening than that of ordinary people. If Nathanos had been here, he would certainly have mistaken this creature for a dwarf child, one who would grow as "tall" as Gudul. But she was clearly of another race, one Nathanos had only heard Gudul mention—the gnomes. She was a gnome clad in a white robe as pure as her hair, trimmed in gold. Her shoulder guards were as smooth as scales. She looked like a priest, holding a staff longer than she was tall. Yet her eyes shone with a golden radiance no mortal race possessed.

The female gnome on the stool was restless. She had come here to find the owner of this Mage Tower, but he had yet to appear. Or perhaps he was already here, merely enjoying the sight of her growing anxious.

"When are you going to show yourself?" the gnome girl asked the darkness around her. Her surroundings were pitch-black. She sensed that the person she sought was behind the shadows, but she could not determine his location.

"I really, really have something important to discuss."

A cold breeze answered from her left. She had been here for two hours already. Lowering her head, she hoped a long exhale would ease her troubled heart. On the heavy stone wall behind her hung a tapestry. An eye had been woven into the purple hanging with intricate, delicate craftsmanship—the symbol of Dalaran.

"I thought beings like you had the most patience, and no shortage of time," a calm, elegant voice echoed throughout the room.

The gnome girl had no time to appreciate the pleasant sound. She jumped down from her chair.

"Where are you?" She looked around, then said, "Never mind. That isn't important." She understood that the other party might not even be here. This was merely a form of magic for transmitting one's voice across a distance, something mages often did.

"I came to ask for your help."

"My help?" The voice suddenly became flat and stiff, carrying a hint of surprise. "You should know that the two factions we represent have had little contact lately."

The gnome girl was saddened by those words, but it was an undeniable fact. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and continued pleading, "Yes, that's true. But if an extremely urgent situation arises, I think it is necessary for us to unite."

"Have you gone to Malygos and Ysera?"

"No. I do not think they are as rational as you are."

"Ha... shallow flattery. Still, I am curious. What exactly have you come to me for?"

A sliver of hope rose in the gnome girl's heart. She lowered her voice. "It is an urgent matter. Eight years ago, Azeroth's timeline underwent a severe distortion."

"Wait. How long ago did you say? Eight years? That certainly is urgent." The voice made no effort to hide its mockery.

"Please do not interrupt me. It is precisely because we cannot deal with it that we came seeking help from our allies." The gnome girl shouted. This time, the other party fell silent and waited for her to continue.

"We sensed that something descended upon Azeroth, within the Kingdom of Lordaeron. But strangely, we found no trace of it at all. We found no anomalous unknown creature in any timeline. Yet no matter how we tried to repair the distorted timelines, it was useless, so..."

"So the future of this world has changed?"

The gnome hesitated before nodding. "Most of it remains the same, but the timelines concerning Lordaeron can no longer be repaired. And the history of the Forsaken has completely vanished. Even Sylvanas, the Queen of the Banshees, has disappeared."

"That does sound serious. So what do you want me to do?"

The gnome girl stepped forward and stared into a patch of shadow. She did not know whether the owner of the voice was there, but she knew he could hear her if she spoke in that direction.

"Find that threat."

"A threat? How can you be certain it is a threat? And if even you cannot find this person, how could I?"

"You must have a way. You are a mage. There must be some kind of magic that can accomplish this."

"Mages only study matters that interest them." The voice rang out again. The gnome nearly exploded with rage. This was simply a waste of time. She had been toyed with by someone who would not even show his face.

"So you mean to stand by and do nothing?"

"More or less. I should learn from Nozdormu. He is quite fond of standing by and doing nothing."

"Damn it!" the gnome cursed. She chanted a spell and teleported herself away. The room returned to its usual silence, with only the chair remaining.

Alterac Mountains

Nathanos prepared to face another battle, but this one was more dangerous than the last. There were four of them. At first, Nathanos was not worried about being outnumbered because none of them had received training. Even one against four, he did not panic. But to his surprise, Gray was not the only one who could use magic. The other children could as well—Gray had taught them. Small fireballs had begun to appear in their hands, more or less, while they muttered incantations. They surrounded Nathanos. Behind him was a cliff, leaving him nowhere to retreat. And if he did retreat, the space where he could evade would become very limited.

One of the children had a bit of talent and finished his chant first. A fireball flew toward Nathanos, but perhaps because it was his first time using magic, it moved slowly. Nathanos easily twisted aside and dodged it.

"Useless trash. Stand in front and stop him from interrupting our casting." Gray cursed, then told the other children, "The rest of you, move closer to him slowly."