Let Me Forget

The world appeared and disappeared before his eyes, perhaps because of the swirling snow. This land was different from him; here there was no reason, no emotion, only hatred. At least, except for the last one, he still possessed the first two. Confusion took deep root in the corners of his heart, twisting like vines, piercing through his decaying core. He, who had once been human, had been murdered, and his existence was now defiling this farm that had once been called "home."

What is the meaning of his existence?

He continued to playfully tease his two Undead Hound. They had also died, and now they were back in life. Whether in life or in death, these two "good dogs" had always faithfully followed him.

At this moment, they are rubbing their fleshless mouths against their owner's palm.

How long has it been since his resurrection? The question is meaningless; death brings curses, and it brings eternity. All his actions now are aimless. Freed from the Lich King's control, he no longer needs to carry out the task of spreading destruction to every corner of this land, wantonly ravaging the land once so beloved by human souls.

Now, he has lost the right to love it and just wants to stay on the farm, one day at a time. He is not sure how long he can stay here, and he really hopes it can go on forever.

To hell with Veronalara and Enya's warnings.

A moment later, he suddenly remembered that it was Winter Veil. His thoughts drifted far away! He remembered that day when Alleria came to see him, and they talked about their weddings. His family was all there. His father and mother were busy preparing a sumptuous meal, and his cousin Stephan was building a snowman with his father in the snow. It was a truly Tranquility and serene scene.

The snowman in my memory was stacked very well, just like the one in front of him.

A snowman? Nathanos stared in astonishment at the snowman in front of him.

This is... something I stacked up?

He blinked, making sure this wasn't a hallucination. Just now, when he was recalling what had happened, he didn't seem to be daydreaming; instead, he seemed to have built a snowman.

Two hunting dogs circled the snowman, curiously observing this "fourth guy." One of the dogs even slapped a paw print into it.

"Almost there." Nathanos became interested and drew an arc on the snowman's face with his hand, a smile.

The snowman was smiling too, just like him. But happiness isn't just expressed through smiles; it can also be expressed through the eyes. Nathanos picked up a twig from the ground and began carving lines on the snowman's face. Had it not been for the sudden arrow piercing the snowman's skull, this new companion would have been born!

He turned to face the attacker. Was it Crimson Crusade? Or a SI:7 assassin?

Nathanos squinted. None of them! There were three cloaked figures approaching him. Behind them were human knights and infantry. The air shifted. Nathanos turned to look at the roof of his house. Ten masked humans were glaring at him menacingly. He recognized them—secret agents of Stormwind City's SI:7.

The man standing among them was not masked. He had deep brown eyes and, despite being the leader of an assassin organization, was completely unpretentious. Nathanos recognized him; he was Mathias Shaw, the leader of SI:7.

"He's finally here?" Nathanos's lips curled into a smile. It seemed Stormwind City needed to find a new master spy.

These were the only people he saw before him, but Nathanos suspected there were many more lurking around. He hadn't seen so many living people in Lordaeron in a long time. Shaw had undoubtedly prepared a great gift for him.

Just as he was about to question the living, the cloaked figure in the middle gave a loud command. The figures on either side aimed simultaneously, unleashing a hail of not-so-sharp arrows at his hounds. Nathanos's "companions" crashed heavily to the ground. Each time they tried to rise, more arrows pressed them back down.

'Why didn't they just give me my dog, or just give me a quick death?'

Nathanos didn't dwell on why these cloaked figures weren't doing this; perhaps they wanted to capture him. But whatever the reason, he wouldn't give in.

His nose, still retaining its sense of smell, twitched and sniffed, usually helping him identify others, but the scent he detected surprised him. Nathanos could tell they were Elf just by their long ears, but when he smelled their scent, his initial desire to resist vanished instantly. In its place, he trembled uncontrollably. Nathanos's eyes widened. Why was she here? Why was she the one leading these people to surround and kill him?

The Elf standing in the middle gave another order, but this time everyone present could hear the tremor in her voice.

As arrows forced him to his knees, a beast-like fear and frustration overwhelmed Nathanos.

"Nathanos!"

A woman's voice called out his name.

No! That's impossible!! Why?

He knelt on the ground, his hands gripping the damp earth. The pain in his legs was a long-forgotten sensation; since breaking free from the Lich King's control, he had regained most of his senses. At the same time, he was beginning to be affected by his emotions. Doubt stiffened his body, while impatience consumed him. He wanted to kill all these people, leaving only him and her. He wanted to demand of her why she had done this!

But something in the cloaked woman's voice filled him with endless sorrow. The name Nathanos became a command; with just that one word, she penetrated the rage that possessed his soul and took complete control of him.

"Nathanos!" she cried out again, this time with a sob in her voice. It was as if she were pleading with the owner of that name to stop resisting.

"Nathanos!" As his name was called for the third time, his clenched fist loosened, and he raised his head to face it all.

That voice. Of course...

... It's Alleria.

She pulled down her hood, and the dim light of the Plaguelands illuminated her Elf face. Her smooth, vibrant skin did not wither and fade like the land itself. Her golden hair shone as brightly as he remembered.

She's still alive!

For a fleeting moment, Nathanos was delighted to have seen Alleria's face. But when he realized Alleria already considered him an enemy, sorrow choked his throat. The Female Elf bright eyes were now filled with grief and pain.

Another arrow struck his shoulder. Nathanos glanced down; his gaze fell upon the hounds lying on the ground, convulsing. They were in pain too, their eyes fixed on their master. He was as helpless as they were. Nathanos's gaze drifted to his fingers. A surge of hatred overshadowed his excitement at reuniting with Alleria.

"Alleria!" The furious words burst from his cracked lips. He wanted to explain, to get Alleria to stop this mad behavior.

"I've come to find you, my love. To help you... find liberation."

"I have not become the Lich King's henchman. I have my own Will. I am not like the Scourge that destroyed Quel'Thalas," he roared. "Why do you want to destroy me like you destroyed those monsters?"

Alleria struggled to wave her hand, as if to protest that none of this was her intention. "Then what's the difference between you and Arthas? He killed his father, you killed your own mother!" Tears streamed down the Female Elf's face, piercing Nathanos's heart even more. How could she...

"I...don't want to see you like this." Alleria raised her bow and arrow, aimed at her lover's head, and then murmured in a voice that Nathanos could not hear, "Belorell doesn't want to see this either."

A sinister laugh twisted Nathanos's greyish-brown lips. The mind-controlling shadow had long since dissipated, and the thought of revenge against the Lich King had repeatedly made him clench his fists. Anger and hatred still consumed his heart, but just as his Will returned to his own, the person he cared about most, the one he had risked his life to save, arrived with a band of villains, intending to bury him in the earth.

Nathanos stood up, and the Ranger guarding Alleria immediately became alert.

"Alleria?"

A single call is worth a thousand words; it is both an inquiry and a plea. Though the Female Elf stood frozen before him, he still reached out his hand to her. She stared at the hand that had once held hers so tightly—how warm it was!

"I'm sorry, Nathanos. I can't watch you live like this."

His last glimmer of hope crumbled; his anguish was undeniable, his shock and disbelief utterly exposed. She couldn't bear to look at him any longer; tears welled in her eyes. She forced herself to draw the bowstring, only to find Shaw on the rooftop watching her with pity and approval. Alleria trembled violently, her fingers clenched tightly.

"Alleria?" Nathanos's voice followed her.

She closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "I'm so sorry."

"Alleria?... Alleria!"

She abandoned him. How could she abandon him like that? She understood him. She understood him better than anyone else in the world, even better than he understood himself; she had always been able to understand him. His thoughts suddenly drifted back to the last Winter Veil, when they were bathed together in the orange glow of the scarecrow, bathed in the soft moonlight. He held her tightly and pleaded with her.

'Don't leave me, Alleria. No matter what happens, no matter what, don't leave me.'

'I never will, Nathanos. I never will!'

Oh, yes. Those vows, as tender as the sea and as steadfast as the mountains, sounded so sweet to her ears at that moment. But now, she made the opposite choice—she rejected him, wanting him to find so-called peace.

'It seems no one can refuse you anything, Nathanos. I especially can't.'

Memories clung to him, gripping his heart, yet one image in his mind was more vivid than any memory, more persuasive than any words. It convinced him to persevere, to drag this body to see Alleria, in his imagination, that she would accept him, instead of as he was now.

"Then give me a quick death!!!" Nathanos roared.

A quick and painless way to die...

... On the land of Marius Farm, infected with the plague!

Nathanos lay sprawled on the rotting planks. The cold wind howled across his face. He couldn't hear his heartbeat, which ironically calmed him. Blood gushed from his chest and flowed into the farm's soil. He stared, unblinking, at the sheds high above and the distant stars. It was daytime, but he could see. Then... he closed his eyes, hearing his last words before losing consciousness.

"Vendel'o eranu".

"Finally... this moment has come. I must thank Alleria; she extinguished the last glimmer of hope in Nathanos's heart, hope for the living." A raven perched on a nearby branch. It watched helplessly as Alleria's arrow pierced Nathanos's heart. The Female Elf wept for a long time before the "corpse." During this hesitation, the two Undead Hound struggled and fled. At dusk, they carried Nathanos's body into the house. A great fire was lit. To prevent him from rising again, both humans and Elf devised methods to destroy the evidence.

"This fire not only set fire to the farmhouses, but also to the hope of this world." The raven took flight, and Alleria and Shaw both noticed it. For some reason, they felt that the bird brought an ominous aura.

As the smoke cleared, the lingering smell of rotten, charred wood kept people at bay. Despite the loud noise, no one wanted to approach the fire. Even mindless Undead knew the danger of flames.

The Undead Hound returned to this place, their bodies still bearing the wounds of arrows. In the past, only Nathanos's commands and fresh flesh could attract them, but now they began to rummage through the ruins, knowing their master was inside.

Marius Farm stepped into the moonlight. Two Undead Hound growled, their front and hind paws busily moving.

A noise came from the ruins, startling the two little creatures, who retreated, but their heads remained facing this direction. A grotesque hand emerged from the collapsed eaves, reaching towards the sky as if to grasp something. The arm was covered in dark purple blood, and the scars were studded with wood chips.

Then came the other hand holding the arrow, and then both legs kicked over the heavy object, allowing him to see the light of day again.

He rose from the flames and from the ruins.

Finally, the eyes!