Deliberate Concealment
"Why are you deliberately hiding this, Undead?"
After Malfurion and Nathanos reached their hiding place, the Elf finally couldn't help but ask.
"Telling the truth will have consequences! The most important thing right now is to get Blackrock Spire Hold ready to defend itself. If you tell Ravencrest that Azshara betrayed her people, what will he think? Can you guarantee he will believe you? Do you think the Elf who are still unaware will accept it? Can you guarantee the truth won't cause panic? Keep this to yourself, Malfurion, or you might end up as a prisoner here!"
"But the truth will come out someday, and then how will we explain it?"
"At that point, there will be no need for explanations. We can only pray that Ravencrest stands against the Queen."
Nathanos's words left Malfurion with no reason to refute them, and when he saw Ravencrest again, he found that he no longer had the courage to tell the truth.
Blackrock Spire was placed under martial law, with guards doubled compared to usual, and the armory still had many ballistae under assembly. Ravencrest had ordered the evacuation of the Night Elf civilians around Blackrock Spire. So far, he had done nothing wrong; the only questionable move was deliberately distancing himself from Nathanos and Broxigar. They were placed in a small square to await further instructions. Nathanos didn't seem too bothered by this; he knew the Night Elf didn't easily trust other races, and while Ravencrest had sidelined them, he hadn't confiscated their weapons, merely assigning two Night Elf to "protect" them.
"So you were rescued by Malfurion and Tyrande."
Broxigar nodded, feeling rather bored, so he began to talk to Nathanos. "And you, Undead? How did you escape from Azshara's palace?"
Nathanos would never reveal Medivh's whereabouts to anyone. He replied, "The Queen's attention is entirely focused on the Burning Legion. I escaped when she wasn't looking, but I'm sure she's hunting me down now."
"Speaking of the Burning Legion?" The Orcs's eyes narrowed as he warily stared at Nathanos. "Why are you turning against your master?"
"There are many things you don't know, Orcs. I can only tell you that I have no master; I am just a wandering ghost."
"Ah, you mean to say you're a mentally sound, freed undead?" Broxigar laughed mockingly.
The Orcs's expression was not enough to enrage the Undead before him. Driving his dead body, having struggled in the world of the living for so long, Nathanos had long been accustomed to prejudice and hatred. "Gain freedom? I will never be free. My soul is imprisoned in this decaying body and cannot find peace. The only thing I want to do now is to find the meaning of my existence."
Broxigar didn't understand what Nathanos was talking about, but he felt less hostile towards the Undead, at least he no longer needed to carry his Oak Axe around when facing him.
Ravencrest's meeting seemed destined to last for hours, with Nathanos and Broxigar talking incessantly. The two guards watching them couldn't understand a word they were saying, only ensuring they didn't wander off. But the foreigners seemed to be having a good time, and the larger, greener figure even laughed heartily.
"So you've been here all along."
The Undead and the Orcs turned around at the same time and found that Illidan, dressed in a mage's robe, had already walked over.
"I know you, brother of Stormrage. Where is Malfurion? Why isn't he with you?"
"Lord Ravencrest still has many questions for him to answer." The Night Elf smiled slightly—meaning you might have to wait a while—and then his golden eyes remained fixed on Nathanos, as if admiring a work of art.
Why are you looking at me like that?
"I've seen many intelligent races other than the Night Elf, certainly not you, but I can assure you that your friend..." Illidan looked at Broxigar, "I can assure you he's still alive, but you... you're dead. I can feel your coldness even from two meters away. Can you tell me why you can still stand and walk? Is it some kind of magic?"
"The word 'curse' is more fitting, Illidan. I am indeed dead, but my soul still burns!"
How should we deal with this explanation? Illidan suddenly had his own opinion. "I believe this 'curse' is painful, and you must have made a huge sacrifice to be willing to bear death."
These two words stirred something within Nathanos. Sacrifice meant no reward, sacrifice meant being willing. But that wasn't Nathanos's intention. There were too many unexpected events and too many unknown possibilities, far beyond his control. Suddenly, Nathanos seemed to have found an answer to a question—would his appearance affect history?
"Yes, sacrifice. Two words that bring pain and sorrow!"
The Orcs, his face serious, turned to Nathanos: "Have you tried to lift this... 'curse'?"
"What a luxurious idea, Broxigar. Which of your comrades who died on the battlefield have come back to life?"
The crowd fell silent. The heavy atmosphere was broken by Nathanos, who looked in the direction Illidan had come from. The mage had clearly been involved in Ravencrest's meeting.
"Illidan, what's the situation inside?"
Broxigar braced himself; the Orcs could hardly tolerate it. He had witnessed the atrocities committed by the Burning Legion, and even though these were things that would happen in the future, he still could not stand it.
"Are we going to kill a demon? Count me in."
"The lords and nobles were more interested in saving the queen than in dealing with the demons."
"Speaking of which, Illidan," Nathanos said, arms crossed, asking curiously, "What kind of person do you think Queen Azshara is?"
"I don't blindly worship the Queen like the other Night Elf," the mage said, keeping his voice down. "The Queen is beautiful and worthy of respect, but I must say, her palace is far too extravagant, and the High Elf who follow her are nothing but flatterers."
"So... you have doubts about Azshara, right?" Nathanos nodded slightly. He already knew Illidan's attitude, and he thought to himself how wonderful it would be if Ravencrest were like him.
"Yes, I don't believe in her; I believe in what she possesses!"