Special

"Cousin?" In the middle of the night, Stephan pushed open Nathanos's door. His cousin was sitting at the table writing something. When he saw Stephen come in, Nathanos gave him a strange look.

"Why aren't you asleep yet, Stephan?"

Stephan knew that Nathanos was not asleep. His cousin found it strange; he only slept for a maximum of five hours a day, and then went out three hours before dawn to do this training in the dark, a routine he followed year-round.

"Cousin, my father..."

Nathanos's heart tightened; Stephan's words suddenly made him worry too. If Bred had to join the army, what about Jonathan? Would he be able to escape unscathed?

"Your father is not a farmer, cousin," Nathanos lied, hoping to ease Stephan's worries, but he didn't know the truth either.

"I'll see him again, won't I?"

"What did you say?" Nathanos looked at Stephan in surprise, only then noticing that Stephan had one hand behind his back, as if hiding something. He walked over, took his hand out, and pulled out a letter. Nathanos took it and read:

My dearest sister Daphne, my heart is bleeding, I am heartbroken. It is not the ugly and ferocious Orcs of those rumors that have broken my heart, but His Majesty the King, who has ordered a nationwide conscription. Poor Jonathan, my husband, he has been taken away. I knelt and begged them not to take Jonathan, I told them my husband was just a candy merchant, his job was to keep those lovely children smiling with his jam, but those villains hiding their faces in white armor showed no mercy whatsoever. Jonathan struggled, and like other poor souls, he was shoved into the wagon. What should I do, sister Daphne?

The letter was signed Sally Marius. Nathanos read it and then turned to Stephan. How should he answer Stephan's question? The soldiers conscripted by the kingdom weren't simply sent to the rear, but directly to the battlefield—a death sentence with negligible survival rates. But frankly, it was too cruel for Stephan; he was only seven. After a long deliberation, Nathanos finally sighed and said to him, "Perhaps we'll never see each other again." Silence fell. The two brothers looked at each other until Stephan lowered his head and sobbed a few times.

"I should have... I should have known," he said, tears streaming down his face. Nathanos pulled him into a tight embrace, breathing heavily. "Everything will be alright, everything will be alright."

Nathanos offered no comfort to Stephan; any form of comfort would be a lie now. When Stephan finally settled down and fell asleep, Nathanos carefully placed him on his own bed, then turned to look at the letter he had been writing to Larein on the table. He had wanted to ask his Priest friend to inquire about Bred's unit, but now he thought it was pointless. Whether he knew or not, Nathanos couldn't change the outcome unless he became an enemy of Lordaeron, but his father would certainly disagree. He tossed the letter into the trash can; it was getting late, he had to go.

Deep winter had passed, but the wind outside remained cold. Even in the pitch black, Nathanos could still see the path his father had taken when he left. How wonderful it would be if he could see that familiar figure again after nightfall. He exhaled a puff of white breath, gripped the two short swords at his waist, and imagined himself facing an Orcs. Months ago, after witnessing the Horde's raid on the Alliance, Nathanos had developed a certain impression of the Orcs' fighting style, especially that of the Orcs (Grom) who had nearly killed Uther. Nathanos felt as if he were right in front of him now.

How will he attack?

The Orcs was almost twice Nathanos's size. Grom's phantom charged forward, raising Gorehowl to slash downwards. Nathanos leaped back to dodge. As he regained his footing, Gorehowl Grommash appeared before him, wielding his weapon and sweeping it left and right. Gorehowl's blade seemed to come within centimeters of Nathanos's clothes, missing its mark. Grom jumped up, throwing a downward punch, forcing Nathanos to make a decision.

How could he dodge it? Cross his arms to block the punch? Nathanos was certain his bones would break. Roll forward? What was the point? They'd be back to square one. Point his sword at him? Sounds good, but the next second Grom grabbed Nathanos's short sword, and with his other hand, Gorehowl slashed down towards his neck with lightning speed... The fight was over. He lost.

Nathanos opened his eyes, and as expected, suffered a crushing defeat.

'Where did I go wrong?' Nathanos stared at his hands, puzzled and troubled. When he turned around, Sylvanas stood before him. To be honest, Nathanos thought this woman was impressive. When she decided to stay, he had been worried that his mother might not approve. But this Female Elf had won Daphne's favor after only a few words. Nathanos truly admired her social skills.

"How long have you been here?" Nathanos asked.

The Female Elf looked as if she had just woken up. She ran her fingers through her hair, walked to his side, and her gaze fell on his slightly rusty short sword. "Just a moment."

"There are still several hours until dawn, you shouldn't be here."

"I'm curious what you were doing standing here just now? Is the view here... nice?" Sylvanas couldn't see anything in front of her; if it weren't for the moonlight, she wouldn't even be able to see Nathanos's face.

The human sighed. "I do this every day; I'm used to it." The other nodded, pulling their cloak tighter. "What are you planning to do next?"

"Take my mother to Lordaeron, to my uncle's house, Stephan's father."

"I heard about that. The child's father is like your father?"

Nathanos nodded in response.

"Then why did you tell him he might never see his father again?"

"That's the truth." Nathanos glared at her. Sylvanas was used to his rudeness. "If I comforted him and told him that his family members who were taken away might return to us, I would be deceiving him. He's full of hope now, but what about when that hope is shattered? He'll hate me. Since we have to face it sooner or later, we might as well tell him now."

"You seem to really take care of your brother. So what's next? Are you going to stay in Lordaeron too?"

Nathanos sneered, "Of course I want to, but as you said, I might be taken away in a few days too."

Sylvanas reached out and took his hand, feeling the coldness of his palm. Nathanos was momentarily stunned by her action.

Do you remember what I said before?

"Of course, although I am very puzzled."

"Confused?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Why are you treating me like this?

What kind of question is this? Nathanos suddenly realized she really couldn't speak properly. Would this make her feel like she was just being presumptuous? The human felt a little regretful.

"Because you are special."