A Lonely Perspective

"In any case, we must keep the Forsaken calm until their master returns; all work will continue as usual." Belmont concluded symbolically, offering no further options, raising suspicions that the Forsaken's future was not being taken seriously. "Right now, we have a more pressing problem."

He handed over a tightly bound scroll of paper. He first gave it to Veronalara, who was closest to him, and then passed it down the line. The Dark Ranger's eyes widened immediately when he saw the wax seal. It was a red wax seal with the Horde symbol stamp on it.

She immediately knew who had written the letter. "Horde? This doesn't seem to be the work of our spies."

Belmont nodded. "Indeed not." His orange eyes locked onto the letter in Veronalara's hand. "This is a letter from the Horde's Great Chief."

"Grommash?" Prefist was taken aback. "What did the letter say?"

"Read it for yourself," Veronalara said, handing the letter to the Death Knight. As the Death Knight read, she said, "More than the contents of the letter, I'm curious about the Witherer's attitude. He must have anticipated this. Not only did he leave alone, but he also revealed his identity to the world before he left. These are things we didn't know."

Prefist, his face grim, handed the letter to Nathos. The Death Knight commander stood with his hands on his hips, looking at Belmont with suspicion; clearly, he agreed with Veronalara's words.

When Nathos passed the letter to Tatsel, Tatsel then handed it to Meryl, the mage waved his hand in refusal; he already knew what the letter said.

"Unfortunately, the owner did not give clear instructions."

"Then we can't make that decision either." Veronalara stood up. "The important thing is how to respond to Grommash."

Stormwind City

"Shaw, any new news?"

"The Forsaken, Your Majesty, are in Alterac, north of the Eastern Kingdoms. You should all have heard of them. My news concerns them. And..."

He suddenly stopped speaking; Rogers had interrupted him. The Fleet Admiral looked at the master spies with disappointment. "We were discussing the Horde, Shaw. To hell with the Undead."

"No, this might be related to the Alliance," Varian said. "Shaw, continue."

The leader of SI:7 nodded and continued, "The Forsaken have always been a mysterious organization. They were first exposed to the world during the Gate of the Heavens incident. For a long time afterward, our spies repeatedly sent people to investigate this organization, but to no avail. Until recently, our spies monitoring Orgrimmar sent news that Grommash had sent a messenger to contact the Undead ..."

"The Holy Light!" Genn said in a deep voice, "Has Grommash fallen so low as to collude with the Scourge?"

Shaw shook his head and spoke in a calmer voice, hoping the Worgen King would also calm down. "The Forsaken are not the Scourge. They also contributed to defeating the Lich King, a fact that Highlord Tirion of the Argent Crusade can attest to."

"Then tell me, can the Forsaken's rotten and chaotic brains distinguish between good and evil?" Genn continued. "Don't forget that they conquered Stromgarde and Alterac, two of the Alliance's former capitals."

Shandris raised her hand to stop the argument between Shaw and Genn, saying, "The issue now is not distinguishing them from the Scourge, but whether they will join the Horde. If they choose Garrosh's side, we will face a new enemy."

These words resonated with most. Jaina stood silently to the side, her outward calm masking her inner turmoil. It had only recently, a slip of the tongue by Sylvanas, that had revealed Nathanos's continued existence to her. Although the mage and the Alliance hero weren't exactly sworn brothers, Nathanos's request years ago for her to take his parents away had always been a source of deep guilt for Jaina. She had only taken his father; his mother had perished. Now, the people in the Map Room were discussing the Forsaken, and soon the conversation would turn to Forsaken leader. When Shaw mentioned the origins of that mysterious organization, her heart leaped into her throat.

"Who created the Forsaken is a question worth exploring, Your King," Shaw sighed, seemingly unwilling to discuss the matter.

"I've heard Danas mention the Forsaken's performance during the attack on Stromgarde. Their army is well-trained, well-equipped, and even has a navy. The guy who can command such a large army must be someone of great importance."

The spymaster nodded gravely. "Actually, everyone here has heard of him to some extent. He calls himself the Witherer, a name that sounds rather tragic. But apart from Archbishop Velen and your Night Elf friends, everyone else has had some connection with him." As he spoke, his gaze swept over Genn, Muradin, Varian, and Jaina in turn.

"I know him? I don't recall ever knowing an Undead!"

"Me too!" Muradin stroked his beard. "I only remember splitting open the heads of the Undead."

Jaina didn't say a word, only waiting with a heavy heart for Shaw to reveal the truth. She regretted not bringing Sylvanas along, yet was also somewhat relieved that the Ranger-General wasn't there.

"That's because you don't know his name." Shaw coughed and said, "We have confirmed from multiple sources that the leader of the Forsaken is indeed the Witherer, but his real name is Nathanos Marius."

"This is impossible!" Muradin roared. Genn also stared wide-eyed at the master spy. Jaina noticed that Varian's expression mirrored his.

"Nathanos... he's still alive?" The Dwarf representing the Bronzebeard tribe in the Council of the Three Hammers couldn't believe his ears. In his memory, most of those persecuted by the fallen Prince Arthas, besides himself, had vanished from the world. He didn't even recognize the few survivors. Now, however, he heard a familiar name. "Nathanos, Arthas's close friend, and also my old friend. I never expected..."

Genn took over the conversation, equally astonished. "I remember this man participated in the Second War and the subsequent expedition to Draenor. Although he didn't hold any military rank, he was well-known for his unique command abilities. How could someone like that become a villain commanding an Undead army? I really can't understand it."

"I also vaguely recognize this name," said Falstad Wildhammer, the lord of the Wildhammer Dwarf. "I remember he was also present when Rhonin went to Grim Batol to investigate the Orcs. Just how much did he do?"

"The point isn't about his life," Shaw pointed out the crux of the matter. "The point is that he still exists, in the form of Undead. Many years ago SI:7 launched a raid against him, and it seems that the secret operation was unsuccessful."

"So, was the capture of Stromgarde his revenge against the Alliance?"

"If that were the case, he should have continued to expand. But he didn't send anyone to attack our strongholds in Hillsbrad and the Plaguelands."

"Perhaps they're thinking of using the living people in those strongholds to threaten us someday," Rogers said, a startling statement that particularly shocked Jaina. Now that Theramore is so close to Alterac, could Nathanos have the same purpose in helping them escape to their own territory?

Just as Jaina was weighing the veracity of her guess, she noticed that everyone's eyes were once again focused on her.

"Jaina, your city is now very close to Alterac," Varian said worriedly.

Taking a few deep breaths, the mage tried to relax, and replied, "There's something I haven't told you, for fear of causing misunderstandings, but now I have to say it." It was good that Sylvanas wasn't here. She thought again. "The plan for Grommash's impending attack on Theramore wasn't discovered by our intelligence network, but by Forsaken. They helped me, they helped Theramore, and based on that alone, I don't believe they're as evil as the Scourge."

Everyone was startled. Jaina had originally intended to mention that Nathanos had also told Sylvanas about the method of teleporting away from a city. However, the Alliance was hostile to the Undead, and Sylvanas's decision to withhold information knowing Nathanos was still alive would certainly be seen as an act of betrayal. Furthermore, it was unclear whether Nathanos had ulterior motives for bringing Theramore to the Dalaran Crater. After much deliberation, Jaina chose to keep the matter a secret.

Shaw's heart tightened, and he was the first to recover from the female mage's description. "The intelligence about Garrosh's secret war was almost top secret, yet the Forsaken managed to find out. It seems the Witherer's espionage work was quite thorough." Nathanos —this name had long referred to that Alliance hero. Now, Shaw preferred to call the person she was referring to by the name the Witherer.

"It's possible. Since the Horde has been infiltrated so deeply, what about the Alliance? Could it be that Nathanos also knows the contents of our current meeting?" Genn asked, looking at Shaw. The spymaster remained silent; he dared not make a decision without certainty.

"So, the Forsaken are the enemies of the Alliance," the King said.

This prompted Jaina to immediately object, her expression filled with emotion. "They saved my city."

"Perhaps it's just to prepare your people for war and hold off the Horde for a while longer, so they can take advantage of other places."

"Maybe they want our approval?" Jaina said, feeling that her guess was quite likely, but she noticed that Rogers and Genn both gave her disdainful looks.

"Whose approval do they have?" Rogers burst out. "We all know how evil Undead can be. For example, Arthas, Alexandros Mograine, and..." The Fleet Admiral noticed the King's warning look and almost blurted out the name of the former Regent of Stormwind City. She quickly corrected herself, "Do they even remember who they are? Let alone the Forsaken we don't know, even the familiar Acherus Death Knight, even without the Scourge, are still a terrifying bunch."

"The Forsaken are not the Scourge," Jaina reminded her again. "They have the approval of the Ashbringer, and some of them remember who they were and still miss their living relatives."

"So you're planning to play the diplomat again?" Varian raised an eyebrow. He saw the anger in Jaina's eyes, but he didn't give her a chance to speak, saying preemptively, "You're not ready to make any decisions right now, given your mood..."

"I'm calm," Jaina replied. "I thank you for your concern. I will return to my city to prepare for my decision."

"Jaina, you are attending the King's meeting!" Varian's voice remained kind.

The female mage's face drained of color. She immediately lowered her head. "If I have offended you, Your Majesty, I apologize."

"You haven't offended me," Varian said. "It's not wrong for a person to have their own opinion. But why not listen to other people's opinions?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Jaina's gaze searched for a face that could offer her support.

"You can't do this!" Someone Jaina never expected stepped forward to stop her. The priestess Tyrande served the merciful Elune, Jaina had assumed she would have a different opinion. "They're all dead!" the Night Elf leader said calmly. "Worse than death. Can you imagine how their living loved ones would feel seeing them like this? Loving people reduced to mere wreckage in this world. That's something no one wants to see. People would rather remember them as they were. Remember them as vibrant, healthy, happy... as living people."

"I suggest the same," Archbishop Velen's words startled Jaina. This wise man, deeply trusted by the Naaru, should understand the power of the Holy Light better than most, and how it could alter thoughts and hearts. He had even escaped his own planet with the Naaru's help, allowing some of the Draenei to survive. Noticing Jaina's doubt and confusion, the Draenei elder stepped closer to the mage. "I agree with Tyrande. Don't forget the fact that they are cursed with death; they certainly deserve pity. But if we truly care about them, we should strive to let them truly die, rather than continue as they are."

"That...that's just too cruel! They clearly have their own reason, yet the people they care about deep down not only don't accept them, but also want to destroy them. Do you think their souls can find peace?" Jaina gritted her teeth, turning her head to the side. Velen retreated with a guilty expression. Tyrande also fell silent.

Shandris sighed, and Jaina could tell from her eyes that Shandris didn't support her idea either. "We can also consider your idea from a risk perspective, madam. Have you thought about what risks you would face if your efforts failed? Perhaps your intentions are good, but you don't really understand what the Forsaken want, do you? If the Forsaken are provoked, there is a high possibility that a war could be started."