Icecrown Citadel (28)

It's better to just die!

This terrible idea was like a relief to Nathanos!

He was making up his mind, but he was constantly troubled by questions from the depths of his soul.

What should be done about the Forsaken?

It has nothing to do with me anymore!

You still have family and loved ones...

They all hate me.

Are you planning to abandon all of this?

I should have done this a long time ago.

Nathanos moved toward the edge of the cliff and closed his eyes. He could already feel that death was the only true release for him.

They came silently, and they left silently. No one noticed, no one knew.

He knew he wasn't alone. Others were watching him. They wore masks, and black and white wings supported their bodies. Valkyr? Why were they still here? Nathanos didn't know, nor did he want to know. They had followed him since his return. They, too, had seen the decaying body beneath Nathanos's clothes.

He wouldn't have killed them if they hadn't come to stop him.

Nathanos stepped one foot off the platform; if he shifted his weight just a little further forward, he could end his life.

The bottom of the abyss beneath the Frozen Throne is made of spikes forged from Saronite. They are powerful enough to utterly destroy his body.

Peace and tranquility returned!

Just a little bit...

"When did my child learn to give up on themselves?"

The silence was broken as Nathanos quickly retracted his right leg and turned to look at the person behind him.

"Mother?" He couldn't believe his eyes. "I thought you had passed away like King Terenas and the others, and had found peace."

"Because I still have attachments to this world, I can linger for a moment." Daphne approached and gently stroked Nathanos's face. She knew what her son wanted to ask. "It's you, Nathanos. Because of you, I cannot go to the afterlife in peace."

"Me?" Nathanos blinked, then nodded. "I do owe you an apology, Mother."

"You have done your best, my child." Daphne reached out and took Nathanos's arm. The Witherer was surprised to find his mother could touch him. "I have never blamed you, my child. How similar your fate is to Arthas, yet you have always sought a way to redeem yourself. In the body of death, you have not lost your soul. You are still you?"

"Am I still me?" Nathanos smiled bitterly. He wished he could still be himself, but reality...

"You probably don't know what I've been through, Mother."

"I have only one question," Daphne asked seriously, "Do you hate them?"

Nathanos never expected his mother to ask him this question. So she already knew? Alleria, Stephan, and all those who thought he was a monster.

"I don't know," he said gruffly.

"You don't even hate Arthas, so how could you possibly hate your lover and your family? Even if they did something to you, can you really hate them?"

"I just don't understand," Nathanos roared, "Why did they do that to me? If Alleria still loves me, if Stephan remembers that I'm still his brother, why did they..."

"You care about their opinions too?"

"They are the people I trust most," Nathanos emphasized through gritted teeth. His mother's face showed a slight look of surprise. But within seconds, Nathanos realized his mistake. Those people he spoke of were indeed the people he trusted most, but that didn't mean he understood them. He had been limiting them to his own preconceived notions.

Alleria believed the Female Elf would accept him because he was her lover. They would always trust each other.

Stephan was a child he had watched grow up, and from the moment Stephen was born, he, as the older brother, swore to protect him forever. He thought that even if he became Undead, his cousin would still acknowledge him as his older brother.

This was all the outcome he had envisioned, his own idea.

"Nathanos, they are who they are. No matter how close they are to you, they still have their own thoughts," Daphne's voice was reassuring. "They are not wrong. No one is wrong."

The Witherer felt his fragile, naked body. When he heard his own voice again, he couldn't help but feel pain at his hoarse voice.

"Yes, that's not wrong."

Darkness transformed into wind and snow that swept past his vision. He was not wrong, and neither were the others.

Daphne watched as the cloud of gloom between Nathanos's brows dissipated somewhat, but then she suddenly looked back, a hint of anxiety creeping onto her kind face.

"You cannot die yet, child," she said. "Your people are waiting for you."

"Why bring this up all of a sudden, Mother?" Nathanos realized something; he understood that Daphne was merely a spirit.

"Thanks to their efforts in preserving my soul, we are able to meet here," Daphne said, pointing to the figures above and behind her. Nathanos glanced at them, and when he turned his gaze, he only saw his mother give him a smile.

"I'm proud of you."

"No!" Nathanos reached out to grab his mother's face, and the moment he touched her, Daphne vanished, as if he had banished her soul.

"What are you doing? Bring her back immediately!" The Witherer shouted at the Valkyr, who had seven pairs of conical wings in his sight.

"We cannot do it," said the Valkyr at the front. "Hello, the Witherer. My name is Agatha, and as you can see, I am a Valkyr. We can resurrect the dead, but we cannot let a soul linger in this world; she must go where she belongs."

"Then why did you do this?"

"We need you," Agatha said, her black wings fluttering in the air. "And your mother wants to see you. Please don't misunderstand, we're not forcing her to do anything."

"You... need me?"

"The Lich King has been defeated, and our pact with him has been dissolved. Without new contractors, the Valkyr cannot survive, just as the Scourge cannot survive without the Lich King. Your appearance has given us hope."

Nathanos narrowed his eyes warily, still filled with rage even now. "What contract?"

"We obey your orders, and you will protect us. I believe you are well aware of our capabilities, especially after you removed your armor; you must be desperate to repair your body. Our power can preserve your mortal form for countless years."