Preparing to Migrate
"Lady Maiev, the troops are ready. Apart from the two thousand Hand of the Bright Moon members Lord Snyder took with him, everyone is equipped and ready to depart. The mage forces have established a portal to a location outside Suramar City." Maiev's lieutenant, Naisha, came in to report to her.
Maiev had already donned her equipment. Her owl-shaped helmet was striking, and the weapon in her hand bore elemental patterns. Her pointed pauldrons and broad cloak gave her an imposing appearance.
"Move out!" Maiev rose and said to Naisha.
Hearing Maiev's order, Naisha went out to command the troops.
Everything in the room was filled with memories of Maiev and Snyder, bearing witness to every step of their love, but she felt no reluctance to leave. She knew Snyder was doing something great, and all she could do was support him.
Outside, hundreds of thousands of residents had long since prepared and were waiting for Maiev's order. The elite soldiers were also equipped and ready to depart: thirty thousand Warriors, ten thousand mages, ten thousand Shamans, twenty thousand Hand of the Bright Moon members, and Maiev's own trusted followers. (Snyder had selected one person from every ten households; the rest were reserves.)
After receiving their orders, the mages began casting a teleportation spell. When the spell was complete, a deep purple portal appeared in the square.
"My lady, the spell is complete, and the portal has stabilized," Naisha said, coming to Maiev's side.
"Have the Hand of the Bright Moon and the Shamans follow me through the portal first. Naisha, you'll be responsible for the remaining elves and for keeping the portal stable. I'll have the Sisterhood stay behind to help you." With that, Maiev used Blink to appear in front of the portal. (The Sisterhood consisted of Maiev's trusted followers in the Sisterhood of Elune.)
The Hand of the Bright Moon and the Shamans received Maiev's order and prepared to enter the portal.
"Come, warriors! Forward, for our new life!" With that, Maiev entered the portal.
After a moment of dizziness, Maiev and the army she had brought appeared outside Suramar City. She suppressed the discomfort of long-distance teleportation and surveyed her surroundings.
"I'm glad to see you, Lady Maiev." Elisande and her trusted followers had come to welcome Maiev.
"Likewise. Elisande, how are the preparations for the portal coming along?"
"The preparations are complete. We only have to wait for Lord Snyder to raise the land and send us its location, and we can open the portal," Elisande replied.
"This teleportation will cover a great distance. You must be certain everything is right." Maiev was still uneasy and cautioned her again.
"Esteemed Lady Maiev, I am Oculus, Suramar City's chief portal mage. I can guarantee that as long as Lord Snyder provides the location and there is enough magical energy, I can establish a stable portal," Oculus said.
"You don't need to worry about magical energy. Elisande, have you solved the housing problem? After all, more than a million elves will be arriving at once."
"We can spread the elves out around Suramar City. I've already built temporary shelters, though there aren't very many."
"That's all right. The Shamans Snyder left behind can help you build houses." As she spoke, Maiev signaled the Shamans to find suitable places and begin building temporary shelters.
"How many troops does Suramar City have? I need detailed information about them. It will determine how I deploy them next," Maiev asked.
The trusted followers and noble representatives Elisande had brought were stunned. This woman who had been parachuted in actually wanted to take control of their army.
"They're ready. All of Suramar City's troops are at your disposal." Elisande paid no attention to the nobles behind her. She now had only one thought: to secure a good future for Suramar City's residents. Besides, these nobles lacked strength and were nothing but a group of ants. Elisande valued their past ties and would not strip them of their benefits, but Snyder would not concern himself with useless people. They were destined to be purged; there was no place for them in Snyder's kingdom.
"Lady Maiev, where should these books go?" While Maiev and Elisande were talking, Prince Tortheldrin of Eldre'Thalas had also arrived in Suramar City with his people.
"Put all these books here. Take care to keep them intact." Prince Tortheldrin directed a squad of soldiers carrying ancient Night Elf books that had been sent through the portal. The deep bewilderment was gone from his sunken eyes. After learning that Snyder had water from the Well of Eternity, his eyes had filled with light again. Seeing Maiev there, he hurried over.
"Lady Maiev, all the books from Eldre'Thalas are being transported. We didn't leave Malfurion a thing. The elves willing to follow us are also gathering and preparing to come here. As for the army, I'm placing it under your command now."
"Good. Prince Tortheldrin, you must keep these ancient books safe. For now, assign some soldiers to build shelters. I'll have the Shamans help you shortly."
"Next, I'll have the Hand of the Bright Moon and the elite troops of Suramar City and Eldre'Thalas take over all of Suramar's defenses. The remaining troops will serve as sentries and patrols to maintain order here."
Everyone present obeyed Maiev's orders. They were all shrewd enough to know that the founding of a new country meant a new cake had been made. The royal family would take half, and they would divide the rest among themselves. How much cake they received would depend on their performance, so everyone diligently fulfilled their duties, hoping only to secure a larger share for their own side. The exceptions were a few conservative nobles, who naively believed things would be the same as in the ancient Kaldorei Empire and that Snyder had merely restored the empire.
But some conservatives believed Snyder would not obediently give them the benefits they thought they deserved, so they had a major operation planned.
With the conclusion of the Bronze Dragon Aspect Nozdormu's blessing, the ceremony ended successfully. Everyone had received what they wanted.
Malfurion and Snyder put away their respective seeds. Snyder planned to plant his on the new continent, while Malfurion threw his into the Little Well of Eternity. (This has been changed so the planting happens after the blessing; otherwise, it is no different from the original.)
In an instant, a towering tree shot up from the ground. Its enormous roots engulfed the Little Well of Eternity and burrowed deep into the earth. Thanks to the nutrients its roots drew from underground and the dragons' blessings, its trunk was tall and sturdy, and its canopy was even more luxuriant. Thus, the World Tree Nordrassil was born.
While everyone was still in shock, Snyder walked over to the demigod Cenarius.
"Esteemed Cenarius, I hope my people can have Druids, a profession that protects nature. I hope you can bless my seed so that the Druid profession can be passed down." (Here, Cenarius is also present at the blessing ceremony. As the most respected demigod among the Night Elves, he should be there too.)
"Snyder, you don't need to address me so formally. We are both demigods, and looked at another way, you are even a manifestation of the Will of Azeroth. Of course I can bless it for you. I have never refused anything that could protect nature." After speaking, Cenarius glanced at Tyrande. He was evidently displeased with her earlier attitude toward Snyder, but with the Dragon Aspects present, he could not easily express it.
Cenarius waved his hand and began casting nature magic. The weeds on the ground beneath his feet began to grow as well. Green energy surrounded the seed and slowly rose, enveloping it. Nature's energy flowed into the seed, and it visibly grew larger as the power of nature made it develop further.
And so, a unique seed came into being. It bore inscriptions traced by elemental power, the marks left by the Dragon Aspects, a body created by nature magic, and a soul nurtured by the source of magic.
Thus, Faledor, the Mother Tree of the Eternal Elves, was born. (If any readers suggest a suitable name, the author can change it.)