Remember

Every bone and nerve in Belorell's body was aching. It was for this reason that he was able to break free from the abyss of his subconscious.

What happened? He wasn't quite sure. Just now (or so he thought), he was about to be discovered by the Undead. But somehow, he was suddenly pulled back by an inexplicable force from behind, taking him away at the most dangerous moment.

He opened his eyes and looked at the trees. The tall, lush trees were like a giant canopy, almost completely obscuring the sky. The forest was full of life; birds sang, shadows swayed, sunlight was soft, and white clouds drifted by.

What a peaceful scene! Belorell even began to wonder if he had arrived in heaven. Just then, a discordant sound beside him caught his attention, and he instinctively looked to his left.

A small figure sat yawning on the ground not far from Belorell, rubbing the back of her head. Judging from her size, she was a Gnome girl. Her silver hair was styled into two buns on top of her head. She was dressed as Priest, Belorell wondered why, if she was a Priest, she wasn't helping to alleviate her pain.

The Gnome beside him turned to him. "You're awake?"

"Are you with the Alliance?" Belorell asked immediately. Her mother had mentioned that Quel'Thalas had joined the Horde, which theoretically made them enemies of the Alliance, while Gnome were members of the Alliance.

The Gnome girl rolled her eyes at him, brushed the dust and weeds off her clothes, and jumped to her feet, but she was only just tall enough to be eye-to-eye with Belorell. "If I were the Alliance, you would have been killed in your sleep, or you would have chosen to stand by and do nothing when that Undead found you."

"Did you save me?" The Elf boy looked at the other person curiously.

To everyone's surprise, the Gnome immediately held up one hand, made a scissor gesture, and emphasized, "And twice."

"What?" Belorell wanted to say something, but not knowing what to say, he swallowed his doubts and asked again, "In the Wyrmrest Temple... was it you too?"

"Of course, it's a tough job. Are you hurt?"

Belorell stretched out her arms and legs, looking distressed, and said, "It hurts everywhere, but thankfully, I'm not bleeding."

"That's good!" the Gnome added. "I was worried you wouldn't be able to continue the mission!"

A quest? What quest? Belorell looked at the Gnome strangely. This didn't seem so simple.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Chromie. You can call me that."

"Chromie?" Belorell sized up the Gnome, nodding in agreement that the name suited her well. "What was that mission you mentioned? And what exactly happened? I was clearly in the Wyrmrest Temple, and then suddenly I was in the Eastern Plaguelands, and now..." He glanced around, realizing he seemed to be in a new place again. "Where is this?"

"Hillsbrad!" Chromie smiled smugly. "As for what exactly happened, I ask you, do you remember what just happened?"

"Of course I remember, you saved my life."

"I mean that Undead, do you remember him?"

Belorell found it strange that Chromie would ask such a question. It was a rhetorical question; he couldn't possibly have forgotten. "I remember, after all, it just happened."

"Oh no! Sleeping is such a bad habit." The Gnome rubbed her temples. Belorell looked at her intently. "You've been unconscious for two days."

Two days?

The Elf boy was stunned. Had he slept for so long? Only now did he understand why Chromie had looked at him with such impatience, even though she had been by his side for the past two days.

"It was my superior who rescued you from the Wyrmrest Temple, and then he ordered me to protect you at all times. When you were discovered by that Undead, I took you away."

"Is there something wrong with that Undead?" Belorell seemed to have grasped the crux of the matter. Chromie kept bringing up the undead creature that crawled out of the ruins, subtly trying to steer the conversation towards that point.

"You just need to remember that the place is called Marius Farm, and your mother went there. If it's actually feasible..." Chromie hesitated for a moment, and Belorell thought she was searching for the right words, but it turned out to be a request expressed in a more tactful tone. "You can tell other people what you saw."

The Elf boy, though young, wasn't stupid. Chromie's request sounded like a complete conspiracy, and he began to suspect that the place called Marius Farm might be hiding some secret. "I don't understand!" Belorell shook his head.

"Just remember that," Chromie reminded him. "It's important."

Belorell pondered. The Gnome kept emphasizing that he should remember what had just happened. Was there anything special about that Undead? It was certain that the Gnome was intentionally hiding something, but judging from her increasingly anxious appearance, it seemed that what she wanted to express could not be clearly stated by her.

"All right."

Belorell nodded. Chromie breathed a sigh of relief, a smile on his face, and told her that he was a traveler who had just discovered Belorell, who was in deep danger, and had rescued him.

This flimsy explanation only deepened the Elf boy's suspicions. Chromie's clothes were spotless, making him look nothing like a traveler.

"Since this is Hillsbrad, then Silvermoon City is to the north, right?"

The Gnome girl nodded. "You want to go back?"

"Of course, after all, I've been out for at least three days."

"With your abilities and the turmoil in Hillsbrad, you'd have a hard time returning to the forests of Quel'Thalas alone. I'll help you..." As she spoke, she smiled at Belorell, then chanted a spell, opening a portal before the Elf. "I can't open the portal to Quel'Thalas, but there's a passage within Dalaran that leads to the Blood Elven Kingdom."

Now Belorell no longer doubted Chromie's statement, but he noticed that the portal was strange; outsiders could not see what was inside through it.

"Is Dalaran behind this door?" Belorell asked, pointing.

"My spell can't be wrong," Chromie confirmed. Before Belorell could figure out what was going on, she suddenly leaped forward, knocking the Elf inside. The portal, having accommodated Belorell, then vanished.

She looked up, turning her gaze away from the empty space where the boy had disappeared, and glanced with displeasure at the huge reflection lingering in mid-air—a reflection of shimmering golden scales and silently vibrating wings.

A pair of eyes were watching her.

"My mission is accomplished," Chromie said. "I will never do such a thing again, Nozdormu."