Habit?

Nielas Aran, Medivh's father. Just as Nathanos caused the death of his mother, Medivh's father also died because of him; in a sense, their fates were quite similar.

"What do you mean by this, Medivh?" Nathanos roared, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the Guardian and her son. "You know perfectly well that I..."

"Does my meeting with my mother make you angry and sad?"

"Don't be so presumptuous. You think you can influence me like this?"

Looking into their eyes, Nathanos realized for the first time that he felt guilty. If the warm scene before him didn't evoke any emotional response in him, probably no one would believe it.

"Stop talking," Aegwynn stopped them. "We should go inside and talk."

It was a cause for celebration to be able to drink Calming Flower Tea in the dangerous swamp. But Nathanos felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. After his rebirth, he had lost his sense of taste, so he could only judge whether the tea was good or bad by looking at the expression of enjoyment on Medivh's face.

"My son was right to bring you to me, son," Aegwynn said to him. "I know your predicament very well, and I can help you understand yourself accurately."

"I know myself better than anyone else." Nathanos clenched his teacup.

"You can only see your own reflection in a mirror, Nathanos. And that mirror is everyone else."

Principles are often disguised as correct. Aegwynn's words left Nathanos speechless for a moment. He hadn't yet figured out how to refute the former Guardian, so he simply downed his tea and, adopting the attitude of a student seeking knowledge, said, "Please enlighten me."

Aegwynn nodded slightly in satisfaction. She tried to touch Nathanos's left hand, but the latter withdrew it, and its owner looked at her in confusion.

"Hmm! This hand is just colder than before."

Medivh coughed twice. "Mother, I think we should stop joking. Nathanos has no patience for wasting time."

"Thank you, you really know me." Nathanos turned his head to the side dismissively, closed his eyes, and the only remaining light in the room disappeared.

Have you gotten used to it?

"What?" Nathanos thought he had misheard. Medivh's mother had actually asked him such a question.

"Have you gotten used to this Undead body?"

The sound of a teacup shattering rang out, and the cup, still carrying the aroma of Calming Tea, was now a casualty of Nathanos's actions. He could no longer bear it and stood up. He decided to leave this wretched place and find somewhere where no one would ask him that question.

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"Habit? Habit of being a dead man? Or habit of being a monster?" he roared, unleashing his fury upon Aegwynn. Yet, these two, once the most powerful humans in Azeroth, remained remarkably calm in the face of his rage. To be honest, Nathanos suddenly felt a chill. He felt that all his reactions were part of their plan, which explained their composure.

"Medivh said you have no patience for wasting time. Obviously, you think you're in that situation right now."

Isn't that so?

Aegwynn shook his head slightly and smiled. "Why don't you change your mind? If you're willing to change, perhaps you'll sit down and listen to my opinion again."

The eyes of the Guardian Mother made Nathanos realize that she, too, was about to be buried. There had been times when he had thought that after everything was over, when his parents had also grown old and gray, he could stay by their side and talk to them.

That kind of life was long gone for him, and if he could experience it again... why not? Aegwynn spoke to him in a tone so much like his mother, Daphne.

Nathanos finally sighed in relief and bowed to Aegwynn. "Please forgive my rudeness, madam. I... I just hate myself. I never imagined I'd become like this. I should..."

"To rest peacefully underground?" Aegwynn interrupted him and asked.

He nodded in response.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Fallen leaves returning to their roots is indeed the final destination, but are you content with that? Aren't you ashamed? You still have unfinished business, you still have unpaid sins. Are you just going to rot in the soil with regret and pain?"

The image of his head being severed still causes Nathanos immense pain. "I wouldn't have done that."

"And then what?" Aegwynn asked.

"I should save my mother, I should stop Arthas."

But reality goes against your expectations.

The two locked eyes. Even when Nathanos briefly lowered his head, he did not avoid Aegwynn's gaze.

"So who's to blame? Fate?" Nathanos asked bitterly, desperately wanting an answer. He hoped Aegwynn would tell him it wasn't his fault. Of course, he could accept it if she said it was all his responsibility.

"How many people you can save has nothing to do with your abilities, Nathanos." Aegwynn tried to grasp Nathanos's wrist again, just like before, this time without flinching. "No matter how powerful one person is, they can't save everyone."

"I don't want to save everyone. I just want to save..."

"You want to save the person you care about most, right?"

"Since you know what I'm thinking, I won't argue anymore."

Aegwynn smiled. "You care about your family, you care about your loved ones, but why don't you care about yourself? Why don't you save yourself?"

This sudden question caught Nathanos off guard; instead of causing confusion, it brought a powerful sense of conviction. Caring for himself? Saving himself? He had never considered it, because everyone understood the irreversible nature of life and death.

"Really... is it possible?" Nathanos couldn't help but ask.

"Who knows?" Aegwynn took a sip of tea. "I just haven't thought about it."

Medivh, who was sitting to the side listening, couldn't help but smile slightly. But that smile quickly disappeared.

The hope was so slim, and it was still unclear whether it was truly real, but Nathanos found solace.

"Thank you, Mrs. Aegwynn."

The first three words made the person he was talking to frown. "No need for thanks, child. If you weren't sitting here, I wouldn't have anyone to talk to."

"I'm chatting all the time," Nathanos said, pointing to his head. "There's this guy who's been nagging me nonstop ever since I resurrected, assigning me all sorts of tasks. I'm going crazy!"

"Speaking of which, I believe my children should have told you how to get rid of the Lich King."

Nathanos glanced at Medivh. "He did say that. However, I'm not sure if I can seize the opportunity when it actually comes. What should I do?"

"Observe, act, and provide feedback. You only need to do these three things."

"It seems to be more detailed than Medivh said; he just told me to wait."

Aegwynn and Medivh laughed simultaneously. The atmosphere softened, becoming warmer. They discussed many more issues, mainly Nathanos and Aegwynn doing the talking. Medivh's only responsibility was to refill his mother's empty teacups with the teapot as needed.

Their topics were varied, some of which were raised by Aegwynn, such as the Well of Eternity water that Nathanos and Medivh took away from Mount Hyjal.

"This thing is too dangerous." Aegwynn carefully took the container that Nathanos used to hold the spring water—his water bag, which now had some runes on it.

"The Lich King will not ignore this thing."

"That's precisely the troublesome part, Mother. It's highly improbable that Nathanos carries this with him. And if we hand it over directly to the High Elf, I fear the reshaping of the Sunwell could easily attract the attention of the demons on the Eastern Kingdoms," Medivh said.

"Then let's hide it for now," Aegwynn said succinctly, offering a solution.

They all nodded in unison, including Nathanos, though he really wanted to get the antidote to alleviate his Fel Addiction to Alleria as soon as possible.

"But where should we hide it?"

"Leave it to me," Medivh said to him. "I'll hide it somewhere only you and I know. Of course, how you ultimately use it is up to you."

Nathanos pursed his lips tightly, and after a moment said, "You'd better make sure you're safe."

"Of course!" Medivh's voice was stiff and rigid.

After resolving a thorny issue, Nathanos asked Aegwynn with awe, "The conversation has been all about me, Lady Aegwynn. That seems a bit unfair. Could you tell me why you came here? This isn't exactly a good place to live in seclusion. And it seems you've been here for a while now; the fields next to your house look like they've just been harvested."

"I'm waiting for someone, someone who will change my destiny. She'll be here soon."

Nathanos was startled and asked doubtfully, "Who... can change your fate?"

"I am no longer the guardian, child. Don't look down on me. Besides, everyone has someone in their life who has a profound impact on them, right?"

"Yes." Nathanos wholeheartedly agreed. He had seen many such people; Lothar and Turalyon were prime examples.

"You will meet them too," Aegwynn added.

Nathanos smiled, disagreeing with the answer, and said, "I don't know, perhaps I've already met her." He thought of Alleria, the Female Elf's smile always etched in his mind.

"Maybe not, but you will meet eventually; you will meet at a specific time."

"I hope he's the one who can save me. If he is, I can wait forever. Time has no meaning for me now."

These words shattered the previously lively atmosphere. Aegwynn's expression changed, her calm turning into surprise and confusion, as did Medivh's.

Nathanos sensed something was wrong, clasped his hands together, and sat up straight like a child ready to be punished. However, Aegwynn wasn't a parent scolding him; she needed some time to gather her words before she could correct the Undead's mistake.

Nathanos knew that Aegwynn's words must be somber.

"Wrong, child. Time should be more precious to you now than before."

"What do you mean?" Nathanos, somewhat surprised. He was already dead; he didn't need to eat, sleep, or deal with all sorts of tedious tasks. What meaning did time hold for him?

Aegwynn looked sorrowful. She sighed and reached out to grasp the hand that Nathanos had been holding the teacup with, but now her palm was empty. The shards of the teacup remained on the table.

This was the third time Aegwynn had done this to him, but this time was different. Medivh's mother gently removed the gauntlets he was wearing.

Nathanos suddenly realized that he hadn't really looked at himself properly in a long time. The flesh and blood hidden beneath his armor finally saw the light of day. His hand and wrist were strong enough that he could easily crush a teacup. However, his skin looked as if it were covered in a layer of lime, dry and cold. Even in this sickly appearance, Nathanos was still certain that the skin and tendons in his hand were strong enough to draw a longbow.

Death did not take away his power!

"Is there a problem?" He wanted to say that he was perfectly fine, but those were the words that came out of his mouth.

"A very serious problem. I overlooked it and forgot to remind you." Medivh's words drew Nathanos's attention to him, but Aegwynn's subtle movement drew it back. The old man was gently scratching a small bump on the skin of his palm—a wound—with his manicured nails.

"This is what I left behind when I crushed the teacup earlier. Some of the shards pierced my glove, and then..."

He stopped, an overwhelming sense of fear forcing him to widen his eyes. Although Aegwynn hadn't yet voiced his question, he already understood what that statement—that time was more precious to him than ever before—meant!

"It seems you know."

"This... I!"

"Death grants you immortal life and takes away your sense of pain, but it does not prevent the final fate of any flesh and blood, which is decay and dissipation into nothingness."

Nathanos felt dizzy, his mouth opening and closing in sync with the rise and fall of his nose. This was a reaction of rapid breathing, though he had stopped breathing, he still retained some of the habits of the living.

"How much time do I... have left?"

"The Lich King's power can keep your body intact for countless years, but if you break free from his control, your flesh and blood will begin to decay. The power of death would normally make this process very slow, but if you get injured in battle, you will not recover. In short, you have no self-healing ability."

The statement that he lacked the ability to heal himself struck him like a clenched fist, slamming into his chest. And the only way to change this cruel reality was to force him to submit to the Lich King? That was even more unbearable than simply killing him.

"No, I will never let that happen. I must break free from the Lich King's control, even if I really... really become a skeleton, I will take the Lich King down with me before that happens! Freedom is far better than living in enslavement."

He was speaking through gritted teeth. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept in, and the swamp echoed with the rustling of leaves, as if the land itself were singing a joyful song.

The three people inside the house realized that the wind was strange, but Nathanos did not smile like Aegwynn and her son, because he did not know what was making the woodland so excited.

"Look, as we talked, the world was saved."

"The Burning Legion?" Nathanos suddenly realized. "The Legion failed?"

Medivh laughed heartily. "It's a pity I didn't hear Archimonde's scream when he died. But the ending was certainly exciting, wasn't it?"

Aegwynn looked at his son with pride, "Don't forget you still have things to finish."

"I know, Mother." Medivh stood up, as did Nathanos. The Undead knew that what Medivh hadn't finished must be related to him.

"If the Burning Legion fails, it means the Lich King will have to prepare to purge the remnants of the demons. Nathanos will also soon be summoned. I must take him to Lordaeron."

"Shall we go back?" Nathanos lowered his eyes. What's meant to happen can't be avoided.

"It's alright, child." Aegwynn saw through his thoughts and personally helped him put on the gauntlets. "Everything will be alright."

"I understand, Mrs. Aegwynn."

"So, let me ask you that very question again: are you used to it now?"

Nathanos smiled and nodded slowly.