Parting Ways

Freedom! Freedom!!

Nathanos should have shouted out loud, or jumped into the river to express his joy with the splashing water. Just days ago, he was the Lich King's slave, spreading death in his name, and now... he was free.

Indeed, he should be overjoyed. But where is the joy under the curse? When Nathanos came to the vicinity of the Thondroril River, he saw through the reflection in the water that he was still trapped in the Undead, still a hideous monster.

"I... am still a slave to death." He angrily shattered his reflection in the water with a punch, but the restored image reminded him of the truth, forcing Nathanos to look away. He was almost at Marius Farm; he couldn't think of anywhere else to go. Quel'Thalas was far away, several days' journey. Before setting off there, he needed to find a place to stay.

When he arrived, someone was already waiting for him.

"Medivh?" The last time I met the Guardian was half a month ago, and that was also when we parted ways here.

"I told you long ago, the time to gain freedom is coming soon."

Medivh looked at Nathanos with amusement, but the other man seemed completely displeased.

"You look like you're in pain. Don't you feel good about being free again?"

"What good is regaining my freedom? In the eyes of others, how am I any different from Arthas? I am still a tormented slave."

As night fell, the desolate scenery of the farm added to the melancholy in Nathanos's words.

"There's some truth to that. It seems you really have no reason to be happy."

"I don't need you to remind me. Take your things and leave." Nathanos tossed the book written by the Guardian to its owner. "Is this why you're here?"

Medivh opened the book, flipped through a couple of pages, closed it, and confirmed it was true. He then said to Nathanos, "I did come for it, but I will not take it with me. I said you need my knowledge to understand the whole world, but you don't need it now, and it's too dangerous for you to carry it. I will hide it in a place with the water of the Well of Eternity. You can take it when you need it."

"Speaking of which, I'm going to take that spring to Quel'Thalas now."

"I advise you not to do that," Medivh, shaking his head.

"Why?"

"Do you think the Blood Elf would accept the magical energy brought by an Undead?"

"I will go to Alleria," Nathanos explained. He believed it would work; as long as a Female Elf testified for him, the Blood Elf would accept his good intentions. Of course, this was not for their sake, but for Alleria's.

Medivh chuckled, which angered him.

"You disagree?" he demanded sharply. At least death hadn't changed his temper.

"No!"

"Then what are you laughing at?" he roared, for his answer seemed to have made the Guardian burst into laughter.

"After we broke up, I kept thinking about this, wondering if love between mortals could build a bridge between life and death."

Nathanos narrowed his eyes, showing as much patience as possible with his ambiguity, and he also wanted to know the answer to the question, "What is the result of your thinking?"

"The chances are slim."

"So, there is such a possibility, but it's extremely slim?"

The two fell silent for a moment, mainly because Medivh didn't speak again. He realized that the tiny hope he had expressed was magnified infinitely in Nathanos's eyes. But the mage knew that such hope was blind and fundamentally flawed. Because what they were talking about was completely different; Nathanos's hope didn't come from the living, but from Alleria. He only cared whether the Female Elf would accept him.

"Don't put all your hopes on Alleria, Nathanos."

The person in the voice sneered, replying with a hint of anger, "You dare to question the bond between her and me? How foolish! Have you forgotten that she went to Kalimdor to find me? Although I don't understand why she left so quietly, I know that when we meet again, all the problems will be solved!"

So this was the root of all the problems! Medivh suddenly realized, and this was even more exciting than achieving a breakthrough in magical experiments—something he himself had overlooked. Sylvanas's actions had inadvertently led to all of this.

The mage lowered his head to hide his smile, then broke the silence. "I'll give you a piece of advice, Nathanos: The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

Nathanos glared at him, his jaw clenched. A moment later, the anger vanished from his face, replaced by disdain. Foolish mage! There's no need for words between Alleria and me.

"I'll also give you a piece of advice, Medivh. My heart and hers... are connected."

Coast of Lordaeron

Arthas arrived here accompanied by Kel'Thuzad, where he was greeted by dozens of ships.

"Is the pain getting worse?" the Lich asked.

Escaping from his own kingdom was a humiliating disgrace, Arthas wished he could tear the heads off those three Demon Lords. However, he had more important matters to attend to at the moment, so he answered Kel'Thuzad's question decisively.

"Yes, as my power dwindles, I am losing control of my Undead soldiers. The Lich King has warned me that if I do not return to Northrend soon, I will lose everything."

"No need to worry, Your Majesty. Everything is ready. You may depart at any time." The Lich said, looking at the ships docked at the shore. Everything needed for the journey to Northrend had been prepared, perfectly meeting Arthas's needs.

"You have always been my loyal friend, Kel'Thuzad ..." Arthas paused, wanting to continue by saying Nathanos's name. But now, his former friend was gone, a fact that haunted the Death Knight.

Nathanos did indeed defect. But at the most crucial moment, instead of colluding with the three Demon Lords, he made a deal with Kel'Thuzad, handing over a decent army to the Lich beside him. With the help of these soldiers, he was able to escape the trap with great difficulty.

Nathanos seemed to be saying that they were even, but Arthas knew that things were far from over. He wasn't sure what Nathanos would do after breaking free of his control, but in any case, they would be enemies from now on.

"I don't know what the future holds, or even if I will ever return. But I want to entrust this land to you, so that my kingdom may endure forever!" Arthas tightened the reins of his Invincible army and walked toward the ship, with only Kel'Thuzad's voice echoing behind him.

"Leave it to me, Your Majesty. Leave it to me!"