Deception

"Oh! That was wonderful, but it ended too quickly." Bwonsamdi looked somewhat regretful as he pointed at Zul'jin. A wisp of soul drifted out of the Troll's corpse and into his palm.

"I told you long ago, you should have just surrendered to death back then!"

Death turned his gaze to Nathanos below, and as he triumphed, the barrier shattered like glass. Now only the two of them remained. Nathanos wasn't sure if Bwonsamdi would take his soul as he had with Zul'jin, but he would never allow that to happen.

Are you planning to take my soul next?

"It depends on my mood," Bwonsamdi grinned, seemingly in a good mood or perhaps interested in Nathanos.

So, what exactly does he want to do?

"If you're not my enemy, then stop beating around the bush and just say what you want! If you're going to kill me, you'd better do it now."

"Speaking like this in the face of death proves your courage. However, I will not kill you; the Loa Spirits have always respected the strong. You defeated Zul'jin, so you can leave alive."

As the moon rose to its highest point, Nathanos suddenly realized that Bwonsamdi cast no shadow. Was he just imagining things?

"You don't exist, do you? Or are you not here at all, and what's in front of me now is just a scary phantom?"

He stood tall, defiant of Bwonsamdi's mockery. He would do everything in his power to fight back against those who tried to control his destiny. Once he firmly held this belief, Bwonsamdi's influence on him diminished considerably.

"Hahaha...! As a Ranger, your reaction speed is too slow. It seems that my identity has frightened you and made you slow, right? You must be thinking about the relationship between me and the Lich King, but I have also told you that the person who turned you into this is my mortal enemy."

"I will never forgive him, and one day I will destroy him!"

Bwonsamdi disappeared from Nathanos's sight and then suddenly reappeared behind him.

"Then what are you doing here? Are you seeking revenge against the Lich King?"

Being exposed is not a pleasant feeling, and Nathanos hopes that what he wants to do will not be hindered by Bwonsamdi.

There are some things I have to do!

The other man laughed, a laugh that lashed at Nathanos's soul. "If your mother were here, I would let her hear what her son is saying. He keeps insisting on revenge, yet now he seeks the pity and approval of the living. How did she raise such a dutiful and naive son?"

"I don't need you to remind me what to do. I know what I want. I just want to..."

"To be saved?"

"I will!"

"I've had enough laughs today!"

Nathanos gritted his teeth in anger. Bwonsamdi had faced many mortals and was used to their rudeness. His anger was like childish tantrums, and he always responded with disdain and mockery. This infuriated Nathanos: "Don't treat everything with your godly superiority, Bwonsamdi. You are not the masters of this world."

"Life and death are opposites, and death is irreversible."

"Enough!" Nathanos fired an arrow at Bwonsamdi, and in an instant, Bwonsamdi's image vanished without a trace. But Nathanos felt he could still hear his laughter.

Indeed, those who control death are despicable monsters!

Just as Nathanos was both shocked and furious by Bwonsamdi's vicious words and arrogant attitude, he heard very fast and light footsteps.

"Another enemy?" The human picked up the fallen Quel'delar. The clash with the Troll had indeed caused quite a commotion, but thankfully, the troll was alone. Nathanos wanted to see who else might come.

"Nathanos!" a woman's voice called out his name.

No!

The man's eyes widened. Panic shattered all his preparations. A cloaked woman was running towards him, and something in her voice quickly made him stop. His name became a banishment; just that one word, spoken by the newcomer, made only one thought surface in his subconscious: escape.

Why run away? Nathanos himself wanted to know the answer to that question. She's not Alleria, she isn't, so what am I afraid of?

"Nathanos!" she cried out again, this time almost tearing her throat apart.

He stopped, only then realizing how far he had come from Silvermoon City. Turning around, he met the Female Elf's gaze.

The Moon Lady's soft light illuminated her Elf face. Her vibrant, smooth skin appeared slightly pale, a visual illusion Nathanos knew was merely a visual effect. He felt a flicker of joy at the realization that Sylvanas was still alive. But this joy quickly gave way to the worry and helplessness on her face.

His gaze fell on his twisted fingers, the mottled skin still bearing the blood of his battle with the Troll. A surge of shame overshadowed his excitement at reuniting with Sylvanas. The thought of her seeing him like this, this nightmarish version of himself, made him want to vomit. He involuntarily raised his arm to cover his ashen face.

'Perhaps I should observe her attitude towards me.'

Life and death are opposites!

Nathanos shook his head, banishing Bwonsamdi's voice from his mind.

"Sylvanas."

The Female Elf was still panting, but she recovered in a short while. She pulled down her hood and tried to speak several times, but when she saw Nathanos's scarlet eyes, sorrow choked her.

But Nathanos was thinking: She hasn't attacked me yet, that's good!

"Nathanos!"

She called out the name, shocking its owner. Why did it sound so familiar? Nathanos felt her heart, which had long since stopped beating, threatening to burst from her throat.

"Sylvanas!" he couldn't help but exclaim. "Did you come here to laugh at me? You've already seen what I've become. Are you planning to humiliate me?"

"That's not how it is!" The Female Elf's voice rose above Nathanos's question. "Why did you come back?" Sylvanas asked, somehow knowing that Nathanos was about to erupt in anger.

"Shouldn't I have come back? I killed my own mother here! I died just like this land! Should I run away from all of this?"

Sylvanas waved her hand and shook her head. "Of course not! I mean... she misses you! The you from the past!"

Boom! A thunderous roar echoed in Nathanos's ears. Sylvanas's words reminded him. He looked down at his hands again, a way of helping him accept the fact that he was a dead man.

The past you. Nathanos had always thought "forever" was a terrible word, but "past" sounded even more terrifying. It meant he had lost what he once possessed.

"No! I believe Alleria. She came to me in Kalimdor."

"But didn't she leave in the end? You didn't see her, did you?" Sylvanas retorted, her heart calling out to Nathanos, "It was I who went to see you." But she couldn't say it aloud. She knew Nathanos still clung to hope; Alleria was everything to him. If her sister was willing to accept this human as he was now... But what if she couldn't? No, she would accept him. Nathanos had saved her life, and she was carrying his child. But what would the people of Quel'Thalas think? Alleria always put duty first, so when Arthas invaded Quel'Thalas, she fought to the death. If the other Elf knew Alleria had accepted an Undead, accepted a kindred spirit of the Destroyer of Kingdoms...

... Sylvanas dared not think any further.

"How did you know? Did she tell you?"

"She...she said. She only told me." Sylvanas's hesitant manner aroused Nathanos's suspicion.

What did she tell you?

"In Kalimdor, she met Medivh." Sylvanas began to describe her experiences from Alleria's perspective.

"The sun has set, you'll be alright. No one can hurt you now. When the sun rises again..."

"We will all be safe and sound." Nathanos uttered the last words he remembered hearing. But why did those words, spoken by Sylvanas, evoke such profound emotion in him?

"She did tell you, so she..."

You cannot see her.

"Why?" Nathanos asked desperately. Did Alleria not want to see him?

"Don't misunderstand, Nathanos. I don't know what Alleria thinks. But I know now is not the best time for you to meet. You've seen how much damage Arthas has done here. The situation in Quel'Thalas is worsening every day, and Alleria simply won't have time to see you..." Sylvanas explained with difficulty. She wasn't good at hiding anything, especially the truth, but if she couldn't fool Nathanos, she would have to resort to violence, knocking him unconscious if necessary, and then taking him away from Quel'Thalas. The problem, however, was that Sylvanas didn't know if she could defeat Nathanos.

"A very weak reason," the human replied. The Female Elf gripped her ornate longbow tighter.

"But I believe her situation must be very difficult." Nathanos closed his eyes. "I will still see her, won't I?"

Sylvanas breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, I'll definitely tell her after she's dealt with things here, and then... you can meet. At least not now."

The human nodded. "I will leave and tell her I will wait for her at Marius Farm."

The Female Elf relaxed, genuinely apologizing for deceiving Nathanos. But she truly didn't know what Alleria's attitude towards Nathanos was. At least, she hadn't yet had the chance to probe Alleria's opinion.

"I can't stay here too long." Sylvanas remembered that Alleria needed her help at any moment.

"Get out of here quickly. Shorel'aran (farewell)," Sylvanas said, and quickly disappeared from Nathanos's sight.

The Undead Hound, frightened away by Bwonsamdi, emerged from the bushes and returned to his side. Nathanos needed them at that moment.

He crouched down and stroked the back of one of the Undead Hound. "She's deceiving me, isn't she? She didn't even notice that she was holding Alleria's weapon." Nathanos's eyes locked onto the direction the Female Elf had disappeared in.

"Follow her, but don't get spotted."