Unable to Awaken

For Broxigar, glory was paramount, but glory was built upon loyalty; only those who were truly loyal could become true warriors. Betrayal was the most despicable crime.

At this moment, Malfurion's brother did something that alienated everyone.

Broxigar stared at Illidan Stormrage with utter disgust, a look he rarely gave anyone. Even when facing demons, he only looked at them with hatred and wariness, because no matter how evil and terrifying they might be, at least they were loyal to their masters. Illidan, however, had fought alongside Broxigar and should have shared his joys and sorrows with his comrade. But now, Illidan's presence was solely for the purpose of seizing the spoils they had fought so hard for, caring nothing for anything else, not even for Broxigarh's closest family.

If they weren't currently bound by Illidan's evil sorcery, the Orcs would have charged at the Elf right now, snapped his neck, and sacrificed themselves for him.

Malfurion's eyes were shrouded in black shadows, impenetrable to light; he was completely in darkness. Fortunately, he didn't trip over himself in his panic.

Illidan's eyes were covered with black cloth, and his face showed no remorse.

"You reek of demons." Broxigar stared at the black markings on Illidan's body. In such a short time, Illidan's appearance had changed so much, and what was worse, his change was unsettling.

Malfurion couldn't see, but Broxigar's voice told him what had happened.

"Illidan!" The Druids's shout was full of anger and reproach.

"I knew you would be very angry, brother, that's why I covered your eyes so you wouldn't see what I've become."

"How... how could you! Why?"

Strangely, the disc is no longer in Illidan's possession. Shortly after he took it from his brother, Malfurion vaguely sensed that Illidan had once again tossed the Dragon Soul onto the ground.

The Warrior were utterly baffled. Illidan had once been a man who wholeheartedly pursued magic, but now he seemed completely indifferent to the powerful magical artifacts he had acquired.

"Clearly, I have gained new power." Illidan deliberately showed Malfurion his transformation, though he knew the other could not see it. "And now, I will use it to seize you."

"You've chosen betrayal? You're handing me over to your master?"

"Don't blame me, brother. But you're wrong about one thing: I didn't come here to see you. I have another purpose."

Malfurion was puzzled. Illidan's target wasn't him, nor the Dragon Soul, so what was he doing here? Another strange thing was that he had just used the Dragon Soul's power; Deathwing should have found them quickly. What was perplexing was that the dragon hadn't shown itself yet. Was something distracting it?

"What are you doing? Get away from him!"

Malfurion heard Broxigar's voice again. He thought Illidan was going to do something to him, but he sensed that his brother had left his side. It wasn't him, nor Broxigar. So who was it?

The Druids immediately thought of the unconscious Nathanos. Soon, Illidan's voice confirmed his suspicions.

"It's really a headache. I'm not even sure if he can stand up again."

"You're taking him away? Why?"

"You ask far too many questions, Malfurion," Illidan said impatiently. Then there was a sound; his Druids brother seemed to have placed Nathanos on the back of the Night Saber. "It was a pleasure to meet you briefly, brother. But I have important matters to attend to; it's time to go!"

"Halt! Leave Nathanos here!"

The Orcs desperately wanted to shake off the magic, but he was powerless to do so. His teeth clenched, and he glared at Illidan, yelling, "Put him down!"

"It's no use, Broxigar," Malfurion suddenly interjected. "I know my brother best; he must have some plan!"

Broxigar smiled at him with a hint of sarcasm, "Plan? You're 'blind,' you can't see what he's become, Malfurion. Your brother betrayed us!!"

The magic cast upon them vanished with Illidan's departure.

Malfurion staggered to his feet. Broxigar steadied himself by bracing himself against the axe handle, then whispered, "Your brother took Nathanos. What is he going to do?"

"I don't know, I'm sorry," the Druids said, his tone much gentler than the Orcs's, as he picked up the Dragon Soul.

"Illidan betrayed us!"

Malfurion shook his head in wishful thinking, becoming extremely embarrassed.

"I will settle the score with him, but if we are rational, we should leave here immediately. Neltharion could appear at any time."

Broxigar was deeply suspicious of Malfurion, but he wasn't blinded by greed and knew the black dragon's power.

The Orcs snorted in disgust. Action had to be taken... Broxigar resolved silently. He tensed his muscles, picked up his Oak Axe, and walked ahead. The Druids followed Broxigar silently, afraid that even the slightest sound would trigger Broxigar rage.

Broxigar wanted to find Illidan, but he was too busy getting to his meeting place with Krasus to pay attention. He could only pray that Malfurion's brother wouldn't do anything to Nathanos.

A strong wind rushed towards them, and to Broxigar's surprise, he felt heat. Looking up, he saw a dragon flying high in the sky.

It's Neltharion!

Broxigar's eyes widened, but if it were that evil black dragon, it would have already breathed its life force, turning the Orcs and Night Elf to ashes. So it couldn't be that black dragon, but Calygros. Since the second defense of Blackrock Spire Hold, he had almost forgotten about the Red Dragon, but the Red Dragon clearly hadn't forgotten Malfurion and him.

"I've finally found you!" Calygros exclaimed. "Where's Krasus? And where's that friend who's all black?"

Broxigar braced himself to greet Malfurion's arrival. Before Malfurion could speak, he explained to the Red Dragon, summarizing the whole situation in three sentences: Krasus was missing, Nathanos had been captured by Malfurion's treacherous brother, Neltharion was nearby.

A moment later, the Orcs and Night Elf leaped onto the dragon's back, Calygros suddenly lifted them into the air.

"Did you get the Dragon Soul?" Before the Orcs could respond, Calygros suddenly turned around and flew back towards Blackrock Spire.

In fact, he didn't even need to ask; the Red Dragon had already noticed Malfurion's hand in his pocket.

"You got it?"

"Yes, I also used it to help us escape, but I never expected that we would run into Illidan ..." Malfurion was filled with guilt when he mentioned his brother, and his guilt was mainly towards Nathanos.

"It seems you have lived up to Cenarius's expectations. Not everyone can resist the allure of the Dragon Soul."

Malfurion's remorseful expression vanished instantly. "I almost lost control, but thankfully Broxigar kept me in check."

A slight smile flickered across Calygros: "I'm so glad I sent him to help you, Druids."

The mission was very successful. The person Azshara wanted had been captured, but Illidan wouldn't simply hand him over to the Queen; at least until then, he had to awaken Nathanos.

Illidan tried many methods, but all to no avail; even splashing water on Nathanos could not wake him.

"This is bad." Illidan began to feel uneasy. He started to suspect that Nathanos was really dead, which would be an indelible loss for the Night Elf.

He then used magic to examine Nathanos carefully and was surprised to find that the other man was not unable to wake up, but rather unwilling to wake up. This unwillingness was not spontaneous, but induced. Something was preventing Nathanos from waking up from his coma.

After a moment of silence, Illidan began to use Fel energy to awaken the Undead. He didn't know if it would work, and he couldn't control the power well.