Truth

"The Night Elf call this place the World Spine, but you may have heard of it by another name: Northrend."

Standing atop the mountain, Malygos appeared behind Nathanos. With a wave of his hand, he sent the Infinite Dragon that Nathanos had brought there flying away.

Why were I brought here?

"This is a good place to talk." Malygos sat down, looking much more composed than before, as if the whole world had nothing to do with him.

"I have returned to this place countless times, the birthplace of the Guardian Dragons. Here, the Titans bestowed immense power upon the five dragons. I have often wondered, if I had refused that blessing, would I have been spared the responsibility of protecting the world?"

Nathanos frowned in confusion, sensing that Malygos was foreshadowing something. "Speak plainly!"

Why don't you ask me to help you change your fate?

Nathanos felt a surge of hope for new life... his own life.

"You..."

A smile gradually appeared on the lips of the King of Eternity. He didn't say anything at first because he knew that Nathanos already had the answer in his heart.

"Why don't you continue?" Malygos said softly.

"I want to go to the seaside..." The Undead, at a loss for words, made this request. Malygos didn't express any displeasure, but stood up and began chanting a spell. When Nathanos opened his eyes again, he saw the waves surging towards him, stopping a short distance below his feet.

"You can continue now. Why won't you let me change your fate?"

"I don't like asking for favors."

Even if you beg me, I can't do it!

Nathanos faced him, speechless with shock. He wondered if he had misheard. The being who controlled time couldn't change the past?

Malygos noticed his confusion and reminded him, "Don't forget Broxigar."

Orcs? Nathanos's eyes widened as he looked at the surging sea. In the Night Elf kingdom, there was no sea, but now the entire continent was shattered, like... a world ten thousand years from now.

History hasn't changed, so how should we define people like them who went back 10,000 years to experience all of this firsthand?

The Undead gazed at the sea and remembered all those he had seen die at the hands of the Burning Legion, including those from his own time and this period.

Now, he had lost another comrade. Nathanos had never imagined he would grieve for an Orcs, but now he did. Broxigar was a valiant Warrior and a noble comrade. He leaped through the portal, knowing terrible doom awaited him, but he hesitated without hesitation. Orcs know war takes time, and he had bought time for it.

Nathanos knelt by the sea, seeing it as a gift to Broxigar. Without the Orcs' sacrifice, this sea would not exist. Sargeras would likely cross the portal immediately and kill them all.

This is why Nathanos's questions were brought to a head by Broxigar's sacrifice. He couldn't understand. Perhaps Malygos knew everything.

"Did Broxigar bring history back to its original course, or was he simply a part of that history?"

Malygos clapped his hands, as if this question would save him a lot of trouble.

"For you to ask such a question... is already the pinnacle of a mortal's ability to glimpse time. But none of that is correct. In fact, even without you, the Burning Legion would have failed, and the Well of Eternity would have exploded."

Nathanos stood up, enraged by the King of Eternity's explanation. "Was Broxigar's sacrifice meaningless?"

"That's not what I meant." Malygos picked up a seashell from the shore, squeezed it, and it immediately turned to ash. "What I meant was that the past cannot be changed. Broxigar has shown you this with his life, Nathanos. This era should not have humans and Orcs, but even if you appeared, what was destined to happen still happened, only the process was different."

"So, I can no longer change my fate." Nathanos gazed bitterly at the scattered debris drifting ashore. The tide brought many things, mostly fragments of plants, as well as trash from the Night Elf kingdom. Shreds of clothing, wrecked furniture, rotting food, and of course, many corpses. Thankfully, however, there weren't many corpses; no one lived here.

"The past cannot be changed, but who knows what the future holds?"

"Don't you know?"

"Nozdormu lost control of future time a long time ago, otherwise... I wouldn't exist."

"I do not understand."

"Eighteen years before the Dark Portal opened, the Caverns of Time trembled. Events that were supposed to happen in the future vanished without a trace. Some who should have disappeared are still here, and some who should have died are still alive. As the Time Lord, Nozdormu would not stand idly by. But on that day, he could no longer see the future; everything before him was a blur." Malygos paused, his facial muscles tense, not wanting to show any sorrow.

"And the reason for such a major change... is the birth of a mortal..." The King of Eternity turned to look at Nathanos, and he saw surprise and fear in him.

Eighteen years before the Dark Portal opened, Nathanos clearly remembered this time; it was the year he came into this world.

"Nozdormu was anxious and fearful. The changes in the future foreshadowed anomalies in Azeroth, and he wanted to find the cause. He sent many of his sons to search the entire world, but nothing major happened during that time, and he couldn't find anything unusual. Later, Medivh fell, Stormwind City fell, and the Alliance was formed—everything seemed normal. He couldn't find anything until Alexstrasza was imprisoned by the Orcs. Deathwing was plotting during the war. By then, the Dragons was already fragmented, Malygos had gone mad, and Ysera was naive. To protect himself, Nozdormu decided to settle things peacefully. He recalled his sons to avoid the wrath of the Worldbreaker, and it was because of this that you escaped the most dangerous period."

"Did I do something to change history?" Nathanos asked, unaware that a sword of Damocles had been hanging over his head all along.

"You changed a person—your wife, Alleria Windrunner. She was supposed to disappear with Turalyon's Alliance Expedition across the Dark Portal, but she stayed, and even more incredibly, she is now the Regent of Quel'Thalas."

"If that's the case, then Nozdormu did nothing? After all, I seem to have made a mess of things."

"He buried himself under the yellow sand, lost in confusion, struggling in endless doubt. Fear took hold of him, and then... I was born!"

"How are you... different from him?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell you in a bit." Malygos sighed, then continued, "After the war ended, the Alliance Expedition disappeared behind the Dark Portal, but the Queen of Dragons remained in the hands of the Orcs. Shortly afterward, Krasus prepared to rescue his queen. Nozdormu didn't want to wait any longer, so he sent his trusted aide Krodormu, to Dalaran to seek Krasus's help, but Krasus didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the Bronze Dragon. Although he was rejected, Nozdormu had already decided to use the Demon Soul incident to lure out the culprit who caused the time instability. He succeeded; your appearance completely changed the fate of Vareesa Windrunner and Rhonin. So he decided to eliminate you."

"But I've been through so much and I've never been attacked by Bronze Dragon."

"Because I stopped him. I sent my own offspring to protect you in secret," Malygos explained. Nathanos could hardly imagine how many battles had taken place behind his back, for Grim Batol was a thing of the past.

Why are you helping me?

"You just asked me what the difference is between me and Nozdormu. I can tell you, I am essentially his opposite. He clings to a predetermined history and future, unwilling to admit that he has lost control of the future, while I... seek change and gladly accept everything. I couldn't see the future, and I doubted you, but you survived facing the Horde and Deathwing. Even when you sacrificed yourself against the Scourge, you exist in another way. You didn't disappear in any way, and that's no coincidence." Malygos shook his head. "I feel you... are very different."

"Perhaps my existence will make the future worse."

"Who knows? Everything needs to be tried."

The sea gradually calmed down, just like this conversation.

Nathanos closed his eyes. "Thank you."

"Is there anything else you want to know?"

"The Well of Eternity, what is it that keeps Nozdormu trapped inside Well of Eternity?"

"The universe was once a void, then three forces emerged: the Titans, born from the planets; the Naaru, intelligent beings spreading the Holy Light; and the Void, which devoured everything. Before civilization arose on Azeroth, the Void cast four powerful Old Gods upon this land: N'Zoth, C'Thun, Yogg-Saron, and... Y'sharrj. They enslaved the elements and each ruled the planet, until the Titans arrived. Aman'Thul, the Allfather, personally uprooted the Old Gods from the depths of the earth and shattered him into pieces during his battle with Y'sharrj. Y'sharrj's body dissipated..." Upon landing, Y'Shaarj's dying breath polluted the Pandaren's homeland. Although Y'sharrj was dead, he brought severe disaster to Azeroth. A massive breach appeared in the earth's surface, and Azeroth trembled in agony. To mend the wound, Aman'Thul built the Well of Eternity into that breach. While Y'sharrj was dead, his influence remained; a portion of his body was sealed Well of Eternity, and it was he who seized Nozdormu and dragged him into Well of Eternity. Learning from Y'sharrj's lesson, the Titans knew they couldn't directly destroy the Old Gods, so they sealed away the remaining Old Gods.

"An Old Gods exists Well of Eternity?" Nathanos laughed. "Then why has no one noticed, while I have?"

"Because you encountered the Old Gods in Neltharion's lair. Nathanos, do you miss the world it wove for you?"

Malygos's eyes narrowed. Nathanos was speechless for a moment. He couldn't help but long for his living self, but in the dream, he knew that the living could never accept the dead. He, and even the other freed Undead, faced this cruel reality.

"One last question: Can the dead be resurrected?"

Didn't Medivh's mother tell you the answer?

"So you knew! You and Medivh..."

"Guardians don't have the ability to travel through time. I set up magic on Atiesh to bring you back to this era. The purpose is to help you understand this world better."

The Undead drew Sulfuras, stroking the blade. "It was a thrilling journey. I've figured out a lot of things and resolved many questions."

"So... what are you going to do, Nathanos Marius?"

The Undead's eyes were fixed on the line where the sky met the sea, and it said firmly, "What I'm about to do... will happen in the future!"

"It seems you've thought it through." Malygos laughed, preparing to open the portal back in time.

At that moment, something drifted close to the Undead on the sea, bobbing up and down twice before sinking. Nathanos initially ignored it, but then he suddenly had a strange feeling. The thing actually carried traces of magic.

Nathanos stepped into the water and bent over.

It's Broxigar's Battle Axe!

Yes, it was his battle axe. Nathanos had seen Orcs wield this weapon countless times. Despite its considerable size, the double-edged battle axe was surprisingly easy to handle, feeling as light as a feather. The axe hadn't even gotten wet.

"How is this possible?" he muttered to himself, gazing at the sea with a heart full of doubt.

No ghosts flew out from the seabed. The Undead looked down at the battle axe, then looked up at the sea, and then back at the battle axe.

"Azeroth will not let any hero who defends it be forgotten," the King of Eternity said behind him.

After a long while, Nathanos looked up into the distance. An image flashed through his mind: Broxigar standing guard at the portal, fiercely slaying demons and shouting for more demons to come.

The Undead suddenly raised their battle axe high above their heads; this is how Orcs salute their fallen heroes.

"I should go back," he murmured, remembering what Broxigar had told him. "But I must first see the chief of the Horde; I have a story to tell him."