Chapter Summaries

Vareesa comforted Alleria with news that Sylvanas had gone to search for Nathanos, though she hid the truth about his disappearance and their earlier plan. Alleria began recovering, revealed that she was pregnant, and asked Vareesa to serve as Ranger-General while she waited for Nathanos to return.

• Vareesa told Alleria that Sylvanas had found a lead on Nathanos and gone to Kalimdor, lifting Alleria from her despair.
• Vareesa privately recalled that she had helped Nathanos keep Sylvanas away from Arthas's final assault, but Sylvanas had escaped and left to find Nathanos after learning he was missing.
• Vareesa gave Alleria food and a magic crystal, lying that Prince Kael'thas had supplied it, though Nathanos had arranged for the Windrunner Rangers to gather the crystals.
• Alleria accepted Prince Kael'thas's invitation to help restore Quel'Thalas but asked Vareesa to take up the Ranger-General's duty in her place.
• Alleria revealed that she was pregnant and said she hoped Nathanos would return to name their child.

Nathanos waited for Night Elf soldiers to leave Illidan’s prison, then entered the cavern using their spell and followed rats through its traps. At a fork in the cave, the Lich King told him to take the right path because the left led to where the Druids slept eternally.

• Nathanos waited outside the prison for two weeks until a Night Elf leader and her soldiers emerged.
• The Night Elf leader closed the prison door with a spell, and Nathanos waited two hours before opening it himself.
• Nathanos released rats into the dark prison passage to trigger traps, then followed them into a natural cavern.
• Nathanos defeated the Kobolds blocking the way and reached a fork in the cave.
• The Lich King told Nathanos to take the right path and said the left led to where the Druids slept eternally.

Nathanos infiltrated Illidan’s prison, freed other creatures to distract the guards, and killed a Forest Guardian blocking his way. He found Illidan, told him demons had returned, then hid as Tyrande arrived and called to the prisoner.

• Nathanos learned that Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage were coming to awaken the Druids, and he hurried toward Illidan’s prison.
• Nathanos released imprisoned creatures, triggering an alarm and a battle that drew many guards away.
• Nathanos fought and killed an antlered Forest Guardian with Quel'delar and a poisoned arrow.
• Illidan warned Nathanos that the Forest Guardian’s father was Cenarius, and Nathanos told him that demons had returned.
• Nathanos hid when guards approached, and Tyrande arrived at Illidan’s cell and called his name.

Nathanos followed Tyrande and Illidan after Illidan broke out of his prison and agreed to fight the Burning Legion, then watched Illidan reunite with his brother Malfurion. Meanwhile, Sylvanas's allied forces faced attacks in Ashenvale, where an old man approached her and claimed to know her.

• Tyrande told Illidan the Burning Legion had returned, and Illidan shattered his chains and agreed to hunt the demons for her sake.
• Tyrande and Illidan left the prison, while Nathanos followed them and worried about the demons' growing corruption.
• Malfurion blocked their path, and he and Illidan argued over Illidan's crimes and whether he should be trusted to help.
• Tyrande urged Malfurion to accept Illidan's help, but Malfurion warned that Illidan could destroy them.
• Sylvanas waited in the allied camp as demons and Night Elves attacked their forces, then an aged man approached and said he knew her.

Nathanos watched Arthas challenge Illidan to steal the Skull of Gul'dan, then heard the Lich King's voice direct him to witness Illidan's fate and go to Mount Hyjal. Meanwhile, Sylvanas met Old Bred, who mistook her for Alleria and asked her to pass a message to Nathanos.

• Arthas appeared at Illidan's camp and challenged him to prove his will was his own.
• Illidan and Arthas fought to a standstill before Arthas told him about Tichondrius and the Skull of Gul'dan.
• Arthas persuaded Illidan to seek the artifact, while Nathanos wondered why the Lich King had not exposed or controlled him.
• The Lich King's voice told Nathanos to witness Illidan's fate and then go to Mount Hyjal.
• Old Bred mistook Sylvanas for Alleria, asked after Nathanos and his mother, and told her to tell Nathanos to take care of his mother and remember, every moment.

Illidan absorbed the power of the Skull of Gul'dan, transformed into a demon, and defeated Tichondrius. Though his actions stopped the Legion's corruption of the forest, Malfurion and Tyrande rejected him, and Illidan left to begin a new journey.

• Illidan claimed the Skull of Gul'dan's power and endured the storm as it transformed him into a demon.
• Illidan slaughtered the demons surrounding him and fought Tichondrius, defeating him with the Warglaives of Azzinoth.
• Nathanos shot Tichondrius's hand as the demon tried to strike Illidan before vanishing into the Twisted Void.
• Malfurion and Tyrande confronted Illidan, and he told them that the forest would recover and that he had become a demon.
• Malfurion disowned Illidan, while Tyrande watched in disappointment, and Illidan left.

Nathanos followed a mysterious summons to Mount Hyjal, where Thrall and Jaina met Malfurion and Tyrande as the Burning Legion approached. Medivh revealed that he had caused the Legion’s return and urged the leaders to unite, then flew off to save Nathanos.

• Nathanos reached Mount Hyjal and secretly watched Malfurion and Tyrande meet Thrall and Jaina.
• Sylvanas spotted Nathanos hiding nearby and chased him through the woods.
• Medivh arrived as a raven, transformed, and told the leaders that he had brought the Orcs to the world and opened the way for the Burning Legion.
• Medivh identified himself as the Last Guardian and called on the leaders to unite against the Legion.
• Medivh left Jaina to answer the leaders’ questions and flew after Nathanos and Sylvanas.

Nathanos confronted Medivh as his sealed memories resurfaced, and Sylvanas tried to reach him despite Medivh's warning. By pretending to be Alleria and holding him, she calmed his tormenting memories and promised they would all be safe and sound.

• Sylvanas caught up to Nathanos, who stopped after Medivh spoke to him telepathically.
• Nathanos recognized Medivh and recalled his warning that he would suffer unimaginable pain if he stayed.
• Medivh explained that the Lich King had sealed Nathanos's memories and warned Sylvanas not to interfere as Nathanos collapsed in agony.
• Sylvanas approached Nathanos despite Medivh's warning and held him, discovering how cold his body was.
• Nathanos mistook Sylvanas for Alleria as she soothed him and promised that they would all be safe and sound.

Sylvanas held the dead Nathanos and struggled with her feelings while Medivh warned that her closeness could worsen his fate. She agreed to leave him, then faced a choice between returning to Quel'Thalas and joining Jaina's army for the final battle against the Burning Legion.

• Sylvanas held Nathanos and admitted to Medivh that she regretted speaking to him as her sister rather than from her own heart.
• Medivh said Nathanos faced a conflict worse than death and ordered Sylvanas to leave him, warning that her actions could harm him.
• Medivh revealed that the Bronze Dragonflight had tried to erase Nathanos from time, but someone had secretly protected him.
• Sylvanas reluctantly agreed to leave Nathanos after Medivh promised he would suffer less without her near him.
• Medivh offered Sylvanas the choice of returning to Quel'Thalas or joining Jaina's army against the Burning Legion.

Nathanos awoke from a vision of a blizzard and confronted Medivh in a ruined house. Medivh explained that death was another beginning for Nathanos and that the world had made it his trial.

• Nathanos saw Arthas at a candlelit table in the middle of a blizzard before he woke in a ruined house.
• Nathanos recognized Medivh by his staff and accused him of failing to warn him what death would be like.
• Nathanos remembered attacking an unarmed old woman and questioned why he had returned from death.
• Medivh told Nathanos that the world needed him and that death was his trial.
• Medivh said he had once been the world's Guardian, had brought destruction, and was now correcting his mistakes.

Medivh told Nathanos that he had escaped the Lich King’s control over his body but would need to wait for the Burning Legion to weaken the Lich King before gaining true freedom. Nathanos asked how he could help the High Elves, and Medivh pointed him toward Teldrassil’s life-giving essence before asking whether he knew of the Well of Eternity.

• Nathanos asked Medivh where Alleria had gone, and Medivh said she had left without revealing that Sylvanas had visited him.
• Medivh reassured Nathanos that Alleria did not hate him and said they might meet again.
• Nathanos asked how to escape the Lich King, and Medivh explained that the Lich King could no longer control his body but could still track him.
• Medivh told Nathanos to wait for the Burning Legion to weaken the Lich King, predicting that it would happen within three months.
• Nathanos asked how to help the High Elves, and Medivh said Teldrassil’s life-giving essence could help Quel’Thalas before asking whether Nathanos knew of the Well of Eternity.

As the allied forces prepared to defend Mount Hyjal from Archimonde, Medivh brought Nathanos to the World Tree to obtain water from the Well of Eternity. Medivh revealed that the Sunwell had been created using just one vial of that spring water.

• Jaina arrived at the leaders’ meeting and warned Thrall, Tyrande, and Malfurion that Archimonde and his demons were advancing.
• Malfurion said the Night Elves would give up their immortality and prepare to defend the summit, while Tyrande acknowledged the cost to her people.
• Medivh explained to Nathanos that the World Tree sealed the magical spring beneath its roots and that the Legion wanted the spring’s power.
• Medivh told Nathanos that Dath'Remar Sunstrider had created the Sunwell with one vial of water from the Well of Eternity.

Nathanos chose Alleria over sacrificing Teldrassil’s energy to restore the Sunwell, while signs of Archimonde’s invasion spread across Azeroth. The chapter ended as the Horde, Alliance, and Night Elves prepared for battle and Archimonde threatened the defenders.

• Nathanos rejected Medivh’s test and chose not to drain Teldrassil’s energy, declaring that he owed the world nothing and was Alleria’s lover.
• Jaina and Sylvanas felt the heat and burning air signal the end, then steadied themselves to fight for Azeroth.
• Thrall sensed a demonic presence and ordered Cairne Bloodhoof and Vol’jin to prepare the Horde for battle.
• Malfurion opened a gate before Teldrassil as a corrupted green sky advanced, and Tyrande and Shandris prepared the Night Elves to defend the World Tree.
• Nathanos heard Archimonde announce that the time to settle the score had come.

Archimonde's army attacked Jaina's camp, but Jaina's barrier stopped its Hellfire assault and Sylvanas led the refugees in a counterattack that overwhelmed the crowded demons. As Sylvanas released a grief-filled wail, Nathanos listened with Medivh, who drew the Well of Eternity's power from the World Tree.

• Archimonde summoned portals and sent demons and Scourge creations toward Jaina's camp, followed by an attack of falling Hellfire.
• Jaina and her mages raised a barrier that destroyed the Hellfire, while Sylvanas urged Jaina to conserve her strength for the planned retreat.
• Sylvanas charged beyond the defensive line, inspiring refugees from several destroyed homelands to follow her and attack the Legion's forces.
• The packed demons fell under the mortals' counterattack, and Sylvanas, surrounded by corpses, unleashed a terrifying wail of grief and hatred.
• Nathanos asked Medivh about the wail, then saw him drawing the Well of Eternity's power from the World Tree.

Medivh used power from the World Tree to create a small amount of water from the Well of Eternity, while warning Nathanos about formidable enemies and ordering him to reclaim Medivh's book from Kel'Thuzad. The hidden magic in the waterskin made Nathanos suspect the Lich King could detect it.

• Nathanos and Medivh discussed the Burning Legion, Deathwing, and the Old Gods, and Medivh told Nathanos to recover his book from Kel'Thuzad.
• An explosion outside the camp revealed that the humans and Jaina had blocked the road with falling rocks to slow the demons.
• Medivh finished drawing power from the World Tree and enchanted Nathanos's empty waterskin with purple runes.
• Medivh converted some of the energy into a small amount of water from the Well of Eternity and explained that some beings could still sense it.
• Nathanos suspected that the Lich King might detect the water's hidden magic.

After hours of fighting, Jaina rested briefly while Sylvanas revealed her fears about Nathanos and learned that he had stayed behind because Alleria would not flee. When Anatheron and Rygarius Frostwhisper attacked the defenders, Nathanos and Medivh prepared to watch the battle from a better vantage point.

• After four hours of battle, Jaina collapsed from exhaustion beneath the Mage Tower, and Sylvanas gave her cheese and urged her to rest.
• Jaina told Sylvanas that Nathanos had refused to leave because the people he cared about would stay, leading Sylvanas to think of Alleria and ask Jaina not to question her about Nathanos again.
• A sentry spotted the boulders blocking the road shifting, but a red lightning bolt struck the watchtower and killed him.
• Anatheron and Rygarius Frostwhisper emerged and announced the Burning Legion's renewed campaign, then attacked the defenders.
• Sylvanas asked Jaina if she was ready to fight again, and Jaina said she could do it.
• Medivh identified the attackers for Nathanos and said Archimonde was trying to break Jaina's defensive line, then suggested they find a better place to watch the battle.

Sylvanas fought Rygarius Frostwhisper and Anatheron while Jaina prepared the evacuation, defeating both enemies through quick thinking. She returned to camp exhausted and told Jaina that the allied army had to retreat.

• Sylvanas charged Rygarius Frostwhisper and Anatheron, then wounded Anatheron with an arrow.
• Sylvanas escaped Rygarius Frostwhisper's vitality-draining spell and redirected his Finger of Death toward Anatheron, who scattered into bats.
• Sylvanas shot Rygarius Frostwhisper through the eye and kept firing at his transformed body until her quiver was empty.
• Jaina supported the exhausted Sylvanas, and Sylvanas urged the army to retreat while they still had time.

Medivh took Nathanos away from the battle at Mount Hyjal to meet his mother, Aegwynn, in a remote swamp. Aegwynn recognized a striking resemblance between Nathanos and someone else, leaving Nathanos stunned as he grappled with his own thoughts about his mother.

• Medivh told Nathanos that Jaina had completed her mission and that the Burning Legion’s defeat was inevitable, then persuaded him to leave the battlefield.
• Medivh brought Nathanos to Dusty Swamp, where he described the dangerous creatures and revealed that an old acquaintance lived nearby.
• Medivh and Nathanos crossed a river to a cabin, where Medivh greeted the elderly Aegwynn as his mother.
• Aegwynn calmly sensed Nathanos’s tormented soul, and Medivh introduced him by name without mentioning his surname.
• Aegwynn looked closely at Nathanos and exclaimed that he and someone else looked exactly alike.

Nathanos spoke with Aegwynn about his guilt, his undeath, and the possibility of saving himself, then learned that his body would decay and could not heal if he broke free of the Lich King. After the Burning Legion’s defeat, Medivh prepared to take Nathanos to Lordaeron, where the Lich King would soon summon him.

• Nathanos met Aegwynn and Medivh, and Aegwynn encouraged him to face his guilt and consider saving himself.
• Aegwynn and Medivh decided to hide the Well of Eternity water because carrying it risked attracting the Lich King and demons.
• Aegwynn discovered that Nathanos’s body would decay if he escaped the Lich King’s control, and that he could not heal from wounds.
• Nathanos vowed to choose freedom even if his body eventually became nothing but a skeleton.
• The Burning Legion was defeated, and Medivh said he would take Nathanos to Lordaeron because the Lich King would soon summon him.

After Archimonde’s defeat, Sylvanas resolved to return to Quel’Thalas despite its dangers, while Jaina urged the survivors to build a new life. Medivh brought Nathanos back to his ruined home in Lordaeron, where Nathanos chose to face his brief peace alone.

• Sylvanas reflected on the devastation of Quel’Thalas and decided she had to return to help her kingdom.
• Jaina addressed the camp, honored the fallen, and invited the survivors to build a new home together.
• Jaina accepted Sylvanas’s decision to leave, and the two exchanged a quiet farewell.
• Medivh brought Nathanos to his ruined farm in Lordaeron and prepared to leave him there.
• Nathanos told Medivh to go so he could enjoy his brief peace alone.