Time Shard

Night had fallen when Sylvanas settled into an inn in the Lower City. Under the command of the Draenei garrison commander, patrols throughout Shattrath were busy maintaining order. Blue banners depicting the Naaru were planted throughout the city's alleyways and bridges, drooping low in the damp, cool air. Sylvanas glanced at the sea of stalls outside the inn, belonging to different races. The banners hung limply. Vendors were gathered around their stalls in family units, their exhausted children drowsy beside their parents. But Sylvanas could tell that their stomachs were full for the first time in months.

Sylvanas's cloak suddenly fluttered a few times, and a strange scent was carried on the breeze. It was strange because there was no scent, yet Sylvanas could sense it.

"My belly will be full of gratitude," a voice said. "It's not easy to find prey bigger than a rabbit."

Sylvanas held a wooden goblet in her hand, glancing down and sideways. She saw a High Elf woman dressed entirely in a snow-white gown, her flowing silver hair reminding Sylvanas of her sister, Alleria. But the elf Female Elf lacked any Elf aura; her demeanor was casual, and her speech seemed incongruous with her appearance.

Sylvanas looked at her food again. It was Talbuk, a small but fierce antelope; and Clefthoof Beef. Hunting them was definitely a challenge, but one Kodo Beast could feed the entire inn for three days.

As the Female Elf entered the inn, an Ogre let out a welcoming laugh. They should know each other, but can Ogre truly befriend Elf?

After finishing her drink, Sylvanas glanced around regretfully—it seemed she wouldn't have the chance to come here again. But she had nothing to complain about.

She took out a silver coin and placed it on the counter. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly sensed something. Sylvanas looked back; the Female Elf and the Ogre were still laughing and talking.

Was I mistaken? The Ranger frowned; he was sure someone was watching him.

"She's gone, Sephir. Why didn't you follow her?" the Ogre Larrik asked cautiously, turning his head to look in the direction Sylvanas had disappeared.

"There's no need," the Female Elf said, setting down her glass without making a sound. Larrik stared in astonishment at the glass, which had somehow been refilled. Then, Sephir downed the wine in the same manner as before.

"Didn't you say that Elf shouldn't be here?"

"She shouldn't have shown up, but that doesn't mean I need to follow her to find out what I want to know."

Larrik scratched his head, completely bewildered by Sephir's words. "Then what is your purpose in coming here?"

The Female Elf sat down at the table, smiling. She stared at the empty wooden goblet, which quickly filled up as she had expected. "Time is a magic thing, Larrik. If you use it wisely, you can have many opportunities."

"I don't understand, I don't understand at all."

"That's true." Sephir's voice sounded particularly stern. "It won't affect you at all, and..." she emphasized, "Even if you did find out, you'd forget it very quickly."

A chill ran through Larrik's skin, making the hairs on his arms stand on end. His large eyes were fixed on Sephir, the Elf who was smiling. No, the Ogre knew she wasn't Elf.

His memory was regressing; his words and actions from just moments ago were fading away, and he wasn't even aware of it.

"That's the magic of time." Sephir smiled, her own voice audible to her. Everything in the inn was returning to normal and receding; empty glasses were being refilled, curtains billowing in the wind were slowly drawn back down, people who came in were leaving, and people who left were returning.

Sephir looked around with satisfaction, but hadn't yet returned to the timeline she most wanted to go back to. That is, until the slender Female Elf retreated back to her seat.

"Not enough." Sephir stared at Sylvanas's profile as if examining a work of art. Her expression quickly hardened with anger; this face shouldn't be so healthy, it should be ashen and cold. Sephir shook her head and pulled out a tattered rag doll. This was the reason she could manipulate time. Bronze Dragon couldn't use their own powers in Outland; they could only do so with specific tools. The only drawback was that the tools themselves had limited power and couldn't be controlled, thus preventing Sephir from reversing time.

"We need to go back a bit more." Sephir snapped his fingers, and time continued to rewind. Sylvanas rose and went to the doorway again. This time, the point in time was when she had just arrived.

The moment Sylvanas stepped into the inn in her chainmail boots, she immediately sensed something was amiss. This place felt strangely familiar. The Female Elf frowned; she found the bar without even looking closely, then ordered a local drink without consulting the menu—all as if she knew the place intimately.

Impossible! This is her first time here, her first time in Shattrath. She shouldn't be familiar with this place.

After taking a Female Elf the wine, the strange feeling in her heart became even more real. The wine tasted exactly as she had expected. Sylvanas was certain that this was the first wine she had tasted since arriving in Outland, and she couldn't find the words to praise its flavor; only one word came to her mind—familiar.

"This is Arakkoa wine." Her puzzled expression drew explanations from the others. Sylvanas looked up and saw an Elf woman in a long white dress looking at her with a smile. "It's made from berries from the Terokkar Forest; it tastes excellent."

Sylvanas blinked; this woman gave her a very different feeling. A thought flashed through her mind: those strange feelings she had just experienced were all related to this woman.

"Arakkoa?" Sylvanas regained her composure, masking her true thoughts with a smile. "Those creatures covered in feathers, with sharp, hooked beaks and claw-like hands and feet?"

"Are you Forsaken?" the other suddenly asked.

Sylvanas's face stiffened. Why the sudden change of topic? What were the Forsaken? Her years of experience as Ranger told her that this woman was definitely up to no good.

"No, I've never even heard of that name."

"It seems I was wrong." The Female Elf took a sip of her wine and asked again, "Are you an adventurer?"

"I am here to see Starcaller. Do you know where they are?"

"On a platform on the west side of the city."

"Thank you!" Sylvanas immediately stood up. She had expected the other woman to stop her, but she hadn't heard anything like "stop" or "wait" as she walked out of the inn. The Female Elf looked back again; the woman had her back to her and was gulping down her wine.

"That's really strange."

Sephir took out the rag doll again. Looking at the Patch and ugly stitching on the doll, she simply removed the decorations and took out the real Time Shard hidden inside, which could manipulate time.

"We have to do it again."