Ruby Sanctum

Belorell felt a pang of regret. He hadn't prepared adequately; leaving Dalaran, his clothing was utterly insufficient to protect him from Northrend's frigid weather. Therefore, he could only cling even tighter to the Gryphon carrying him. The Elf boy wanted to know where he was flying, but he dared not speak, for the icy wind would fill his throat. The only certainty was that he had been flying for a long time; the moon was high in the sky. Belorell cautiously turned his head to look, but there was no sign of Dalaran. Had he already left Crystalsong Forest?

"Where are you taking me?" he asked, his vision revealing a frozen tundra—a sight he had never seen before. His excitement was indescribable; the cold wouldn't dampen Belorell's enthusiasm. Everything he saw was unlike anything in Quel'Thalas. Some things from books were standing alive before him: herds of shovel-toothed deer, towering Magnataur, and Kobolds gathered around a small hill.

"That's amazing."

The Gryphon shook violently, a sudden action that startled Belorell, Elf clung even tighter to the Gryphon's neck.

"What's wrong?"

The Gryphon let out another cry, as if reminding him that they were almost at their destination.

Belorell bravely raised her head and looked ahead.

Under the moonlight, a long, pale silhouette stretched towards the horizon, its snow-covered arches and spires tightly connected, a style unlike any other race's architecture. Belorell thought it resembled a Mage Tower, yet it was far taller and more majestic than any Mage Tower he had ever seen, inspiring awe and reverence.

"Should I go there?" Belorell asked. He seemed to have no other choice; the Gryphon had already begun its descent, landing beneath the towering structure in the ice field. Only then did Belorell realize that he hadn't witnessed the entirety of the tower-like structure. It turned out that part of the building was buried beneath the ice field, and the huge crack in the ice had become his entrance.

Belorell carefully jumped down from the Gryphon's back. He looked up and saw nothing but the Northrend sky and a few wisps of white clouds drifting across the blue-grey night. Looking further up, Belorell felt a pain in his neck.

"Where is this place?" the Elf boy asked the Gryphon, after all, it was the one that had led him here. But when he turned around, the Gryphon had vanished.

What's going on? Why am I suddenly all alone? Belorell looked around in confusion, but there was no one else there. Could that Gryphon have some kind of invisibility spell?

"Well, it's exactly like what Brann Bronzebeard wrote in his book: a wondrous and unexpected opportunity that opens up a magical journey." As he spoke, his body finally reacted to his surroundings. Belorell forgot he was still in the freezing cold; the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. After a few sneezes, the Elf ran towards the tower.

The distance didn't seem far, but he had actually underestimated the size of the tower. Under the archway at the bottom, Belorell felt as small as an ant.

"What kind of creature would need such a large door?" With this question in mind, he stepped inside. Throughout the entire ordeal, Belorell heard nothing suspicious, and it remained unknown whether anyone was even there.

The first rays of light shone onto the ceiling beams of the hall, turning the pale stone surface golden. The air seemed to freeze. Belorell gasped in astonishment. He had imagined what he would see upon entering the tower, but the sheer size of it was beyond the young Elf's expectations. It could easily hold hundreds, perhaps more—it was practically a plaza, except this plaza was no longer the simple flag-filled space he remembered. Instead, it was an interior area sculpted from exquisite marble, decorated with flowers and geometric patterns everywhere. A beautiful sphere, shimmering with white light, hung below the center of the ceiling beams; it was this sphere that illuminated the entire space.

Belorell finally understood how the Explorers' League felt when they saw the wonders of the world. He found it hard to describe what he was seeing, and accepting the information here even slowed his pace.

It took him a long time to adjust to the surroundings before his gaze settled on the portals lining the walls of the hall. Belorell had noticed the five portals, each a different color, much larger than those in the Sunfury Tower. What lay behind them? Curiosity drove Belorell to the red portal. Excited yet fearful, as he had been when leaving Quel'Thalas, he mustered his courage and stepped through.

Krasus, in his High Elf form, resided within the Ruby Sanctum, tending to his unborn children—one of his favorite places. The Ruby Sanctum had once been a veritable home for the High Elf. The leaves of the trees were a warm red, and the gentle hills were fragrant with flowers. It was warm and spacious.

If there was any place that filled his heart with more joy than this, it was caring for his queen Alexstrasza and their offspring. Dragons would choose to place some of their Dragon Egg in a sanctuary beneath the Wyrmrest Temple, a safe haven suitable for their environment.

The Queen of Dragons went to the top floor of the Wyrmrest Temple, where representatives of all the dragons except the Black Dragon gathered to consolidate the unity within the Dragons.

This work is of paramount importance. The recent fall of Malygos, the Blue Dragon Aspect Malygos, has unsettled the entire Dragons, for Alexstrasza herself was responsible. In the painful Nexus War, dragons slaughtered each other, and many perished. Since that war, the Queen of Dragons has cherished the bonds between Dragons, but Krasus doubts whether his beloved is aware that these bonds have become fragile and strained.

At least one thing is certain: this parliamentary session will not be pleasant.

Krasus walked around, looking at the unhatched Dragon Egg. His worries lessened for a moment. He focused his mind, cast aside his anxieties, and firmly believed that the Queen could handle everything.

His idea was quickly dismissed by one of the Dragon Egg, a uniquely shaped Dragon Egg. It had no spikes, and its red and white shell was quite peculiar. If other Dragons saw it, they would surely assume it was the offspring of another race mixed among their unborn members.

The truth, however, was known only to Krasus and Alexstrasza. It was indeed the Queen's offspring, but it was incapable of hatching, for it was the product of the Queen's union with a mortal. Krasus repeatedly urged the Queen to destroy what she considered a disgrace, but the Life-Binder refused to harm any life. The duty of the Red Dragonflight was inviolable.

With no other choice, Krasus sighed and placed the Dragon Egg back on the ground where it had been.

"That..."

The Red Dragon maintained a calm expression, but astonishment permeated his entire being. How could there be other people here? And that voice... He turned around and saw a child with Elf appearance, just like himself, standing not far away.

"Today is getting more and more interesting."