For ten thousand years, the lights in the eerie Thunder Throne were lit once again, only this time the master of this vast palace was no longer the proud Mogu, but a group of even more sinister and bizarre Undead.
The Undead Scourge of Naxxramas first rode out from the naxxanar on Undead Gryphons, beginning to set up fixed teleportation arrays on top of the palace city. After the necromantic arrays were complete, more of the Undead Scourge appeared in every corner of the Thunder Throne, collecting any items that still held value.
Despite the presence of such a group of "uninvited guests," the vast palace still appeared very spacious. The Mogu had moved out quite a few items when they evacuated from here, but in Arthas's view, the most valuable item was the Thunder Throne itself.
This palace was built on the highest point of Thunder God Isle, which was originally the location of a mountain. Lei Shen gathered a large number of slaves and laborers to help him hollow out, fill in, and transform the original mountain into its current appearance.
According to Lei Shen himself, this was originally the location of the temple mountain built and inhabited by the Titan Guardian, which was part of the Kun-Lai Summit mountain range before the Great Sundering, the holy temple of the Mogu God and Great Guardian, Loken: Mount Thunder.
In reality, the existing Kun-Lai Summit is not entirely a natural mountain range; it was formed by the ancient Mogu using Titan technology for secondary processing and modification of the original landscape. The core of Titan technology—the Nalak Engine—is hidden deep within the Mogu'shan Vault later built by Lei Shen.
In the palace training ground, Nalak obediently lowered his massive head. Lei Shen placed his hand on Nalak's head, and magical energy flowed between Nalak's scales and horns. Soon, he learned of the events of the past ten thousand years through Nalak's memories.
The real changes occurred not long after he died in Uldum. His Mogu warlords became restless again and soon began to fight and kill each other, attempting to seize the vacant throne of the empire.
Meanwhile, a group of his trusted confidants secretly transported Lei Shen's body back from Uldum. Originally, they wanted to use the technology possessed by the Zandalar wizards to resurrect Lei Shen, but unfortunately, most of the Zandalar higher-ups who knew this technology also died in that Uldum battle.
Unable to do anything else, Lei Shen's confidants could only prepare Lei Shen's remains and bury them in a mausoleum, hoping that future generations would find a way to resurrect Lei Shen.
It was also at this time that the dark magic of the Thunder Throne leaked, and the entire area where the palace city was located became unsuitable for life. The remaining Mogu hastily gathered some items from the palace city and then all left, establishing a new center of power in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
Nalak did not follow these Mogu. For this Cloud Serpent, Lei Shen was the only master he recognized, so he became the Guardian of this imperial palace until today.
"Ridiculous."
Regarding the disintegration of his empire, Lei Shen merely sneered. He had long realized that most of the Mogu were short-sighted fools; without him, they indeed reverted to the previous era of warfare. But none of this mattered. Since he had been reborn, restoring the glory of the Mogu Empire was only a matter of time.
"Is this what you want to see? I have already told you, I am the Mandate of Heaven, and everything I do is to fulfill the mission bestowed upon the Mogu by the gods."
Lei Shen knew that the memories he could see, Arthas could surely see through him. However, Arthas had no interest in the collapse of Lei Shen's rule. "What mission? I only see the fated death of a dictator, a tyrant, and what was destined to happen after his death."
"Hmph, you are merely an inferior being corrupted by the Flesh Curse. Although I don't know where you acquired such power, you cannot possibly comprehend the greatness of this mission."
Lei Shen did not care at all about being called a tyrant and dictator, because he knew he was a tyrant and dictator. In that chaotic era where a hundred kings contended, without the power of a tyrant and the iron fist of a dictator, he could not have united the scattered Mogu.
The method of ruling the Mogu and other creatures was not important. All Lei Shen wanted was a unified empire, so that he could better utilize everything he had "inherited" from Loken.
Upon reaching the Storm Peaks, Arthas moved his fingers, instructing Lei Shen to open the passage to the secret laboratory. The dominated Lei Shen could only comply.
The persistent thunderclouds above the imperial city provided abundant energy for the complex pipes and circuits. After Lei Shen absorbed a considerable amount of energy through the main control panel, he operated the control panel while secretly attempting to use this power to break free from Arthas's control.
Soon, reality delivered a resounding slap to Lei Shen's face. He had originally thought that he had just been resurrected and his power had not yet reached its peak, which was why he had not shown any overly obvious intentions of resistance.
Arthas wanted to use him, and why wouldn't he want to use Arthas? He knew better than anyone that to open the secret laboratory deep within the imperial city, he had to go through the main control panel of the Storm Peaks, and activating the control panel would also grant him immense power.
Lei Shen had intended to use this opportunity to break free from the shackles of the Domination Rune, but he had completely underestimated it. Even as his strength gradually returned to its peak, the Domination Rune etched onto his body remained indestructible, and even seemed to be growing stronger.
"Quite incredible, isn't it?" Arthas's faint voice entered Lei Shen's mind. "You made a rookie mistake, which was trying to challenge a power you don't understand."
"You win." Lei Shen instantly understood that he had no possibility of turning the tables in the short term. He indeed did not fully understand Arthas's power; he had only guessed it might be some kind of mind control ability based on his control of the Undead.
Lei Shen was not unfamiliar with mind control, as the Mogu's original ancient enemies, the Old Gods and their minions, possessed such power, and thus they naturally had means of resistance. But judging from the current outcome, his guess was probably completely wrong.
Arthas was not surprised by any of Lei Shen's actions. He understood that this first Mogu Emperor was never one to follow rules. From his daring betrayal of Loken, it was clear that Lei Shen was a man of strong initiative and very clear objectives.
Subduing such an ambitious individual was not easy, but destroying Lei Shen directly seemed too regrettable, as he still held Loken's Guardian power, and even more precious, a portion of Aman'Thul's remaining blessing.
Lei Shen should have basically mastered Loken's power over the long years, which is why he was able to defeat the Four August Celestials and rule all of Pandaria. But regarding Aman'Thul's remaining blessing, Arthas guessed that he was likely still in a very preliminary stage, otherwise he would not have died in the attack of the Origin Engine.
But it no longer mattered. Whether Lei Shen was willing or not, his will and power were now at Arthas's disposal, and soon, once he met Loken, Arthas would have even more ways to make Lei Shen obey him.
Accompanied by the humming of the stone slabs, the dark secret buried for ten thousand years beneath the Thunder Throne finally surfaced.
In the dark underground palace, the only things emitting an eerie, bloody light were the several large vats placed against the walls, filled with an unknown, mysterious, blood-red substance that looked like a large amount of grease mixed into water, forming distorted bands of light within the liquid.
This substance was sealed in giant glass vats, and complex pipes on the walls drew this liquid substance and transported it to the upper laboratories, where it was used as experimental material by the Mogu, who, precisely by leveraging the power of this substance, had researched Flesh Shaping magic to an extremely profound level.
Lizardmen, constructs, and various twisted, deformed flesh monsters could all be shaped and influenced by Flesh magic due to the mysterious properties of the substance, allowing Loken's empire to create a plethora of terrifying abominations incomprehensible to mortals.
Arthas's gaze pierced through the darkness, reaching the deepest part of the underground prison, where, amidst the grotesque bloody light, two blue points of light flickered faintly like will-o'-the-wisps in the dark night.
"Loken, stop playing dead."
Arthas walked quickly forward and soon stood before the Great Guardian Loken; the noble Titan Guardian was now in a disheveled state, his hard, rocky skin covered with many gruesome wounds, the most prominent being the one over his heart, and from these wounds flowed the exact same blood-colored liquid as that in the surrounding vats.
Can rocks bleed?
Of course, rocks cannot bleed, but creatures corrupted by the Flesh Curse undoubtedly can; yet, facing the abnormality on his body, Loken knelt distractedly on the metal floor, his arms cuffed behind him by thick metal chains to the stone wall, like a stone construct completely devoid of magic, showing no reaction to Arthas's arrival.
If not for the lingering spiritual light of consciousness in his eyes, and the twisted, swirling blood-colored liquid within his body still proving that he was "alive," Loken's demeanor would have been indistinguishable from death.
"This is the master of the Mogu, the high and mighty Great Guardian Loken." Loken looked at Loken arrogantly and disdainfully, mercilessly mocking the creator of the Mogu.
Loken's voice finally elicited a reaction from Loken, but he merely raised his head slightly, as if seeing an ordinary ant, and then quickly lowered it again.
Loken seemed to have anticipated Loken's reaction; he walked over to Loken, pacing back and forth as he scrutinized him, while asking Arthas, "What do you hope to find from this fellow? You've seen it, he's a complete coward, an idiot, and a good-for-nothing! What can you get from such a moron?"
"After I learned the truth of everything, I attacked him without hesitation, seizing his power and blessings, but I didn't kill him…" Loken suddenly stopped, turning his head to look at Loken.
His solid arm suddenly swung out, his clenched fist striking Loken's face with lightning speed, directly knocking Loken's head askew.
However, even such insult and provocation still did not move Loken; he merely gave Loken a detached glance and continued to lower his head, remaining silent.
"Because I want this useless Mogu God to personally admit his mistakes, I want to see him kneeling before me, weeping and repenting, I want the Gods to know that I am the true inheritor of their will!"
Loken roared, his voice echoing through the empty underground palace, lightning crackling around him like a God, the blazing white light almost illuminating the entire dungeon.
It had been over ten thousand years, and Loken had thought he would no longer act impulsively, but whenever he saw Loken in this state, an inexplicable anger always flared up in his heart; he was a proud and noble Mogu, and his creator should also be proud and noble, not this rotten potato who didn't care about anything!
Loken's anger quickly subsided, not because he had calmed down, but because the Runes of Domination on him lit up, forcing him to compose himself.
And Loken, at this moment, showed a slightly different reaction for the first time; he suddenly lifted his head and stared at Loken, but not to scrutinize this betrayer and thief, but to scan the runes controlling Loken with a slightly puzzled gaze.
The Great Guardian of Azeroth, the chief administrator appointed by the Titan, encountered something he completely did not understand on Azeroth for the first time.
And soon, what Arthas said next forced him to respond to this young human.
"Loken, you've seen it, I am different from Loken; I can completely dominate your will, but I don't want to use such crude force directly on a being who once guarded Azeroth. So, are you interested in talking now?"
"Who are you? What do you want to do?"
Loken's voice was somewhat dry and hoarse, like the rough noise produced by two rocks grinding together.
"Arthas. I need the coordinates of the facility containing Y'Shaarj's heart."
Loken did not answer immediately, but tried to analyze Arthas's purpose; after a while, he continued, "I cannot tell you the location of that highest-level containment facility."
"Why? Because it might destroy Azeroth?" Arthas suddenly laughed, "Don't joke, Loken, since you've already abandoned your duty to guard Azeroth, why bother with these things, or are you saying—"
He hinted at something, and Loken remained silent at this moment.
Loken, standing nearby, couldn't help but say, "It's useless to talk to him; just control him the way you control me!"
Arthas said nothing, only staring at Loken, his gaze resembling Loken's earlier scrutiny of Loken—it was a father's surprise at a rebellious child, a master's anger at a disloyal servant, a noble's indifference to a base individual.
"I—"
Under this judgmental gaze, Loken suddenly, as if by some strange impulse, wanted to speak in his defense, but he quickly shook his head self-deprecatingly, "Go back, I won't tell you anything, not because of any duty, but because all of this is meaningless."
Loken's heart had long lost its purpose and mission; pain, regret, anger, and all so-called emotions were less significant than the bewilderment of witnessing a great edifice collapse in an instant. Pain can strengthen a person, regret might even make one move forward, and even anger can give a person power.
Only Loken understood what that feeling was like—it was his life's work turning into nothing in an instant, the answers to everything already predetermined, all their efforts and struggles futile.
The moment he learned the truth, Loken knew he was no longer a Great Guardian; he was a child lost in a vast snowfield, looking back and seeing no footprints from where he came, and walking forward without knowing where the path led.
Seeing Loken about to revert to his initial silent state, Arthas didn't give him the chance. He enveloped Loken in Holy Light and began to examine the wounds on his body.
He didn't know until he looked, and even Arthas was startled.
The largest wound on Loken's body was the crack in his chest, which was already filled with viscous, strange blood-red substance. These substances reacted violently to the Holy Light, like cold water touching hot oil, causing the red viscous liquid to boil instantly.
Such a reaction clearly stimulated Loken, but he could endure the pain. However, as the wound was being cleansed by the Holy Light, an endless wailing echoed in his mind, like millions of steel needles constantly piercing him.
"Ugh ah ah ah—!"
Such pain and discomfort were difficult even for a Guardian to suppress. He began to emit a low growl, seemingly wanting to cast off this influence from his mind.
Arthas also stopped at this moment, no longer stimulating the wounds on Loken's body.
Loken then raised his head, panting, and slowly said, "Now do you understand? I am beyond saving."
Arthas frowned. The problems on Loken's body were indeed tricky, but not entirely unmanageable, yet Loken was acting so passively… He looked at Loken again, but this time, he was scrutinizing Loken's soul.
Yes, Titan constructs also possess souls, and their souls are quite special. To withstand their immense power, the souls of Titan Guardians are far more resilient and powerful than those of mortals.
"Flesh Curse, you were contaminated by this curse a long time ago," Arthas concluded after a thorough examination, a conclusion that somewhat shocked Loken, "But besides that, there's another curse. It's devouring your emotions."
This discovery made Arthas immediately realize that all doubts seemed to make sense. Loken had become disheartened at an astonishing speed after learning of the Pantheon's destruction. His inherent personality might have played a decisive role, but it wasn't the whole picture.
There was a curse hidden deep within Loken's soul, difficult to detect. This curse would not directly cause any harm to Loken, but it was slowly devouring Loken's hope, positivity, enthusiasm, and a series of other positive emotions.
However, this erosion was so slow that, barring any accidents, it would likely take tens of thousands of years to change Loken's personality.
But precisely at this moment, an accident occurred. Loken learned of the demise of the Titan gods. Struck by such a drastic change, Loken instantly lost his composure. He began to doubt himself, gradually becoming passive and pessimistic, ultimately evolving into the despair that consumed his heart.
Such a heavy blow was undoubtedly the best umbrella and catalyst for the curse within Loken's heart. Loken didn't even notice the change; he only felt that something was wrong with himself, and wouldn't suspect that someone had tampered with him.
Initially, Loken might have been in shock and subconsciously wanted to find answers and a future direction, but for a Guardian whose very meaning of existence was bestowed by the Titans, it would take a long time to emerge from the impact of the Pantheon's destruction. Yet, it was precisely this long period that allowed the seeds of despair to take root and sprout within Loken's heart.
However, even at this point, this seemingly weak curse still wouldn't harm anything; it merely made Loken more passive. Under the influence of these numerous factors, Loken finally gave up completely.
The subsequent events were everything the Thunder King experienced. He found Loken, attempting to seek answers, but the utterly decadent Loken could give him nothing. He merely informed the Thunder King of the Pantheon's destruction.
The Thunder King was, of course, also very shocked, but he was different from Loken. His personality destined him not to be as melancholic as Loken, and he had not been subjected to this curse, so he immediately decided to usurp everything from Loken.
This also led to Loken's complete disappearance for over ten thousand years thereafter. Loken, having been stripped of some of his power, was also imprisoned as a result. In the sunless dungeon, Loken was still instinctively thinking, but having lost hope, he could only arrive at the same answer—everything was meaningless.
His thoughts caused the Flesh Curse to spread further, but the Flesh Curse was still unable to completely transform a Guardian. However, those corrupted powers, mixed with the Guardian's essence, became the blood-red substance that the Thunder King used as experimental subjects.
Countless coincidences created the current reality. Arthas had even thought, if the Pantheon had not been destroyed, what would have stimulated Loken—Loken's betrayal, would the internal strife among brothers have been another planned drama?
Unfortunately, Loken had already left Ulduar before Loken's fall and went to the southern Titan facilities. It was during this process that he learned about the Pantheon. If the Pantheon had not been destroyed, Loken, upon finally returning to Ulduar, would most likely have witnessed the Guardians fighting each other and Loken corrupted by the Old Gods.
"It seems you had already fallen into certain dark schemes. Even if you hadn't learned of the Titans' demise, your fate would likely not have been better than it is now."
Arthas felt a sense of melancholy. The Titans appointing Loken as the High Guardian might have been due to his more unique personality compared to his other brothers. Loken possessed a more delicate and emotional inner self than his Guardian brothers, but unfortunately, this had become a self-imposed prison for Loken.
"I—" Loken was somewhat uncertain and surprised. He didn't know whether what Arthas said was true or false. Without Arthas's soul-piercing ability, he couldn't verify the truth.
Arthas didn't say much, merely waved his hand to erase the hidden curse. However, this could not directly change Loken's current state; he remained as decadent as before. Tens of thousands of years of accumulated doubts and confusion could not be dispelled overnight.
As for the Flesh Curse, clearing it was much more complicated. Moreover, the Flesh Curse on Loken's body had further exacerbated his emotional changes. As an inorganic life form, a Guardian should not, by rights, be overwhelmed by his own emotions.
"I have shown my sincerity, Loken. Stop acting half-dead. The power the Thunder King stole was not enough to gravely injure you. You can break free from the chains binding you at any time, can't you?"
Loken was silent, then stood up. With just a slight exertion of force, he easily broke the iron chains as thick as a man's arm. With a sweep of his large hand, the steel shackles on his wrists were crushed like mud.
"What do you want to do with y'shaarj's heart?" Loken asked.
"Destroy it, of course."
Loken sighed, "I actually don't recommend you do that. There's a reason why the Titan Father God contained such an extremely dangerous corrupted entity."
"Then what do you mean?" Arthas looked at the slightly changed Loken.
"We can talk about y'shaarj's heart later. I need time to think—your naxxanar is quite good, suitable for me to temporarily seclude myself."
Loken knew that he was destined to leave the prison that had confined him for over ten thousand years today, but he still resisted returning to the world. Since he had to leave anyway, he might as well stay in Arthas's naxxanar and think things through properly.
Arthas ultimately did not agree with Loken's plan to ascend Naxxramas, but not because he refused it, but because the Scourge still needed to be stationed there for some time to search the abandoned palace for usable items.
Even after being 'looted' by the Mogu who left, there were still many high-value items in the fortress, including a complete set of material processing machines in the prison where Loken was located, and a Golem factory next to this set of machines, which was in standby due to loss of energy supply.
The Titan technology mastered by Loken included the casting process of constructs. The Mogu Empire, in its heyday, even tried to make various improvements to this process in order to create a large number of mechanical constructs as armed forces.
Unfortunately, this grand plan ultimately failed. Loken and his craftsmen poured all their efforts into it, but in the end, they only managed to create a batch of semi-finished products.
It proved that the Mogu alone could not replicate the mechanical army that the Titan constructs and Old Gods used during the Creation War. Loken was unwilling to admit this fact. While temporarily shelving the experiment, he also mixed a portion of his will and power with the material extracted from Loken to create an experimental gigantic construct.
Then this construct was left in the factory to collect dust for ten thousand years. As an irreplicable experiment, the giant construct called 'Dark Will' had no practical strategic value. Loken's actions were more like an act of petulant venting.
But Dark Will still represented the highest craftsmanship of the Mogu Empire. Even Archlich Kel'Thuzad praised this creation, calling it a whimsical idea under Mogu Flesh Shaping Magic.
Loken also stood in the middle of the laboratory at this time. The blood-red substance on him had significantly diminished under his suppression. After all, the Flesh Curse was only for secondary constructs, and the Guardian's power was completely sufficient to reverse this corruption.
"These Golems are quite dangerous... I'm not referring to their performance itself, but the part used as energy is prone to problems."
After a simple observation, Loken came to this conclusion: the Golem itself was fine, still using technology derived from Titan technology. It was just that the blood-red substance supplying energy to the machine was quite dangerous and evil, and the consequences would be unimaginable if it leaked.
Moreover, because these machines also contained the power of the Old Gods, they were extremely susceptible to the Old Gods' influence. In Loken's view, this kind of construct was an out-and-out time bomb.
"What else can you do besides talk and make excuses afterwards?"
Loken questioned Loken unhappily. Loken only sighed in response, "This is indeed my fault. If I hadn't been blinded by despair and darkness, the Mogu would not have become like this."
He had been imprisoned for too long. Although he still sensed the drastic changes on Azeroth, in the past ten thousand years, he had no mind to care about anything happening outside. He believed that letting Azeroth fend for itself was also a solution.
And now, upon careful reflection, Loken also realized how dangerous and ridiculous his ideas were. Although the Pantheon had vanished, Azeroth still existed. If the Titan's task could be successfully completed, then perhaps everything still had a turning point.
Loken looked around everything in the laboratory, realizing how many mistakes the Mogu had made during this period without his guidance. He finally made a decision. He spread his palm, and a blue astral energy frame appeared in his palm.
He handed this frame to Arthas, "This is the coordinate of the facility storing y'shaarj's heart, but before you decide to destroy it, please listen to what I have to say next.
"y'shaarj's heart is the only remaining organism that does not have a complete self-consciousness but possesses the complete characteristics of an Ancient God. The Titans hoped to analyze the weaknesses of the Old Gods through experiments and completely purify the other Old Gods on Azeroth.
"It's just that this process is quite long. The life forms of the Old Gods are far more complex and dangerous than we initially expected. And before the experiment was far from over, the Gods of the Pantheon left Azeroth for reasons unknown to us, leaving us Guardians to complete their unfinished tasks.
"However, what the Titans could not accomplish, we Guardians could not possibly complete quickly. So, while guarding the Old Gods' prisons and overseeing various planet-level projects on Azeroth, we slowly advanced the experiment.
"But things gradually began to take a turn for the worse. We were shocked to find that some of the Creation Engines left by the Titans began to be corrupted by the Old Gods. This was completely unexpected. The anomaly in the Genesis Matrix prevented us from replenishing the missing personnel for various reasons, which directly led to the subsequent abandonment of most Titan facilities.
"Facing the dilemma brought by a series of problems, I began to seek solutions and help, and the best way I thought of was to ask the Titan Father for help... Later, as you know, I got an incredibly terrifying and dark truth."
At this point, the divine light in Loken's eyes dimmed a little. Although he had begun to try to emerge from his decadent, stating the fact of the Titans' demise again still inevitably made him feel Sorrow.
Adjusting his state, Loken continued, "Things also began to go in a direction we could not control here. Because of me, most of the Titan facilities in the south were offline and unguarded. I once received a message from Ulduar, but at that time, I chose not to respond.
"Now it seems that the prisons set up by the Titans cannot completely isolate the influence of the Old Gods, but precisely because of this, our research on y'shaarj's heart is even more important.
"The original experimental results did not yield answers that satisfied the Titans, but this does not mean that we gained nothing. Among the redundant experimental results, we extracted parts that might have a positive effect on further experiments, and a very crucial point among them is: the processed Ancient God essence showed a strong reaction to other active Ancient God tissues, even reaching complete inactivation."
This information indeed aligns with some of what Arthas knew. Perhaps this is also why the Titans had not completely purified y'shaarj's heart for so long, because they hoped to extract weapons against other Old Gods from Y'Shaarj's remnants.
For the Titans, destroying the Old Gods was not difficult; the difficulty was how to kill the other Old Gods without harming Azeroth. This was the real problem that plagued the Titans.
Loken finally said, "You said N'Zoth has begun to covet y'shaarj's heart. I guess he may not only be trying to seize Y'Shaarj's essence, but also very likely to gain control over things that could threaten him. That's why I said that destroying y'shaarj's heart is not necessarily a good thing, because it very likely means that we have fewer trump cards to deal with N'Zoth."
For this, Arthas also had to fall into deep thought: the two Old Gods he had previously eliminated—C'Thun and Yogg-Saron—were both completely removed from Azeroth by him using relatively special means. These means would not cause too much severe damage to Azeroth, but they were not without any impact.
The appearance of the Styx made the weight of death on Azeroth heavier, and the possibility of Undead appearing increased sharply. But fortunately, Arthas, as the Lich King, could control this, so as not to cause an uncontrolled Undead Scourge.
And while the Origin Engine is a great weapon, using it to kill N'Zoth would likely cause irreversible changes to the entire climate of Azeroth.
The reason C'Thun could be purified was because the area around Silithus was all desert and uninhabited, and the Origin Engine had minimal impact on these areas. But N'Zoth's prison is located deep beneath the sea. If the Origin Engine were used to clear the ocean, perhaps the planet itself would not be greatly affected, but it would undoubtedly be a disaster for all life residing on Azeroth!
"So, you want me to keep y'shaarj's heart preserved?"
Loken nodded. "The experiment isn't over yet, and we only have this experimental material from Y'Shaarj left."
Arthas was noncommittal. He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then ultimately rejected the proposal.
"It still needs to be completely destroyed. Y'Shaarj is too dangerous. Even if only a little residue remains, he can still affect an entire continent."
"Is that what you think?" Loken didn't say anything. "Then do what you want to do. I'm just here to offer suggestions."
When he decided to hand over the coordinates of the containment facility to Arthas, he also handed over the choice to the children of Azeroth. Although he hadn't found any solution to the problem in ten thousand years, he realized one thing: the Guardians alone couldn't protect Azeroth.
Even though, by Titan standards, the existing intelligent races were almost all degraded Titan creations afflicted by the Flesh Curse, they were still lives born from Azeroth. Their bones and blood came from Azeroth, and even the Flesh Curse couldn't change that fact.
Loken displayed an uncharacteristic decisiveness. Once Arthas made his decision, all that remained was execution, and every Titan Guardian was born to execute orders.
"There's a teleportation facility in the Thunder Throne built with Titan technology. I can modify it so the teleportation destination can directly reach the sealed location in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms."
While Loken began modifying the Thunder Throne's teleportation device, the Scourge was also collecting high-value items and creatures within the Thunder Throne.
Although most of the creatures shaped by the Thunder God and his magic were unstable, they still held immense research value. The potential of this flesh-shaping magic was considerable, and the Mogu were clearly stagnating on this path now.
The Mogu's innate magical talent, on the contrary, made them lose their ambition, and coupled with the fact that their rule in Pandaria had long since crumbled, their civilization not only failed to progress over more than a hundred centuries but even regressed to the clan era before the First Empire.
Fortunately, the bloodline of the Titan creations still flowed within them, preventing them from regressing directly to a primitive society.
Loken and the Thunder God both noticed this. Loken felt more self-reproach; the Mogu were his followers, almost his children, but because they lost guidance, under the influence of the Flesh Curse and various other factors, they had fallen to their current state.
The Thunder God, on the other hand, was enraged. He swept across the land, unified the realm, and used thunderous means to suppress all discordant voices in Pandaria, making Mogu civilization flourish, even more so than when Loken was still guiding them. But his unworthy descendants nearly led the Mogu to ruin and extinction.
If not for the Pandaren's nature being diametrically opposed to that of the Mogu, the Mogu would probably have been entirely eliminated by these races with whom they had a blood feud, becoming just a passage in history books.
No matter what, the wheels of time rolled forward. It was no longer the ancient era familiar to Loken and the Thunder God. They both needed to relearn everything about Azeroth, especially the Thunder God, who also hoped to break free from Arthas's control, his subjective initiative much higher than that of Loken, who had just emerged from his slump.
A few days later, Loken finally completed the modification of the Thunder Throne's teleportation device. Due to years of disrepair and the impact of the Great Sundering, even he took some effort to restore it to a usable state.
Arthas had Kel'Thuzad station the Scourge on Thunder God Isle. This location was not far from the main continent of Pandaria, allowing for immediate support and convenient monitoring of the Mantid movements to the south.
Kel'Thuzad gladly accepted the order. There were many lost ancient technologies on Thunder God Isle waiting for him to unearth. This Archlich was not very interested in war itself; he was more engrossed in studying the essence of magic. The Mogu's flesh magic was a goldmine waiting to be discovered.
The elite Scourge led by Arthas himself, along with Loken and the Thunder God, departed from Thunder God Isle in the glow of the teleportation device. The next moment, a wave of damp air washed over them, and the illusory space before Arthas gradually solidified. They had arrived at the containment facility buried deep beneath the mountains of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
The space they were in was a massive grotto. Faint air continuously flowed out from the cracks in the stone wall before them, indicating that a larger space must exist behind this stone wall.
"It seems the geological changes caused by the Great Sundering buried the entire facility."
Loken stepped forward and touched the stone wall. After a moment, he said to Arthas, "Have your subordinates retreat. I've found the main gate."
Arthas signaled them to retreat to a safe area. Loken then began submitting authentication information to the facility's main gate, which was buried within the mountain.
"Zzz… Zzzzz—Authentication successful. Welcome back, Great Guardian Lei."
After a brief static, a familiar intelligent voice echoed in the grotto. Loken's heavy fist impacted the grotto's stone wall, and the power of the storm surged out, tearing and pulverizing the rock layer covering the facility's main gate.
A massive steel gate came into view, adorned with carvings rich in Pandaria's local style, while the overall structure of the building was identical to Ulduar.
Under Loken's instruction, the gate slowly opened, causing the entire cave to tremble, a testament to the gate's immense weight.
As the gate opened, the lighting facilities supplying the entire hall gradually illuminated, and it was then that they saw a tall stone statue, almost the same size as Loken, standing with its back to the gate.
"Norushen, it's time to wake up."
Loken called out the Guardian's name. A sound like rolling and cracking rocks emanated from the statue. Norushen, the Guardian of the Purification Chamber, awoke from his ten-thousand-year slumber.
"Great Guardian, you're back." Norushen's voice was like an emotionless machine, yet within that voice, everyone seemed to detect a hint of grievance.
"You've worked hard, Norushen."
Loken responded to Norushen with a heavy heart. He had discovered, when he connected to the hall's authorization just now, that after his offline status from the southern Titan facility, Norushen had detected the main system's abnormal offline status. He desperately wanted to leave the hall to find Loken, but he bore the heavy responsibility of guarding the heart of y'shaarj and could not leave it for even a step.
Norushen dispatched some of the servants responsible for maintaining the hall to go outside, attempting to contact Loken and figure out the cause of the system anomaly, but none of them managed to find Loken.
After a long period of fruitless searching, Norushen also gave up on continuing to look for Loken. He resumed his oversight duties, believing that one day the system might return to normal.
But Norushen did not wait for Loken's return or the main system's recovery. He only waited for a catastrophe that swept across the entire ancient Kalimdor continent. This also affected the Titan facility he was in, causing an anomaly in the hall's energy supply. Without support, they had no way to repair the damaged facility.
Over the long passage of time, the other Titan creations in Y'Shaarj's crypt could not resist the erosion of time. They gradually lost their functions, completely degenerating into stone statues or metal, until eventually, Norushen was the only Guardian left in the entire hall.
Norushen didn't know how long this lonely vigil would last. To enable the hall and himself to endure longer, he shut down all non-essential devices, retaining only the facilities that maintained the imprisonment of the heart of y'shaarj, and he himself fell into slumber at that time.
Until today, the dust-covered hall was reactivated. When the backup energy system was turned on by Loken, Norushen finally awoke from his slumber.
When he discovered that the one who had awakened him was none other than the long-lost Loken, he finally felt a sense of relief.
In Y'Shaarj's Lair, the Ancient God's heart was held captive by four massive runic chains in the center of the facility. Each chain contained vast amounts of order energy, suppressing the Ancient God's tissue activity at all times.
Over eons, even y'shaarj's heart could not resist such suppression and imprisonment. The core left behind by a terrifying deity had now shriveled and caved in.
But all of this was merely an illusion. Ancient Gods were not simple flesh-and-blood creatures. The heart appeared weak only because it had lost its energy supply. As long as power was provided to it again, heart of y'shaarj would fully revive in a short time.
Loken regretfully pulled up the logs from the facility's database. They recorded all experimental data since heart of y'shaarj was captured. However, due to the energy facility going offline and ceasing operation, the related experiments had stopped long ago, with the latest experimental data being from ten thousand years prior.
As expected, these experimental data still showed little progress. The fundamental nature of the Ancient Gods' life had yet to be discovered. The complexity of these entities from the Void far exceeded anyone's imagination.
But just as Loken was about to press the button to confirm the destruction of the experimental samples, he froze, as a warning popped up on the control panel.
"Error: Insufficient energy supply, purification protocol unable to go online. Self-diagnosing… please wait."
Loken even wanted to scratch the back of his head. This was truly a bit awkward. He had forgotten that the energy in Y'Shaarj's Lair had been nearing depletion for a long time. Even with temporarily activated hidden backup energy, it couldn't provide enough power for the purification protocol.
However, it didn't matter. Doing it manually was not difficult, after all, they were only destroying a piece of nearly inactive Ancient God tissue, not a complete Ancient God.
"The laboratory's energy supply isn't enough. We'll have to manually destroy heart of y'shaarj."
Loken informed Arthas of the situation. Arthas simply nodded calmly, and Loken then continued, "Get ready, I'm going to first remove the suppression measures covering heart of y'shaarj."
The seal on heart of y'shaarj was not only for the heart itself but also served as a defense against external influence and interference, as the initial design also considered whether there would be any Ancient God remnants attempting to release this heart.
Accompanied by the massive roar of engines, the runic chains binding heart of y'shaarj gradually faded and disappeared. During this process, heart of y'shaarj, which had been nearly inactive and unresponsive, suddenly twitched and pulsed.
And as the seal was completely removed, heart of y'shaarj's activity quickly began to manifest.
Countless whispers resonated inside the laboratory. Loken's expression was solemn; even if these whispers couldn't affect them, they still needed to be treated with caution.
These whispers were ethereal yet real, as if murmuring in your ear, or perhaps your own silent monologue within.
As forerunners with extensive experience in combating Ancient Gods, Loken and Norushen quickly shook off the influence of heart of y'shaarj. Loken then looked worriedly at Lei Shen and Arthas beside him.
Lei Shen's expression remained unchanged. It wasn't that he ignored heart of y'shaarj's whispers, but rather that the Runes of Domination on him had a higher priority. Those whispers would have to break through the control of the Runes of Domination before they could attack his mind.
heart of y'shaarj's residual power was simply incapable of achieving this.
As for Arthas, he heard something even more special.
"Who are you? A Child of the Stars, or an unforeseen one?"
"You are different from those vulgar people. You can become Our co-lord."
"The incompetent have been utterly destroyed by you. Eliminate the cowards and traitors, and the world will be held in your hand."
"The cycle is complete, the gate opens. Old Gods fall, New Gods ascend."
...
Chaotic voices echoed in Arthas's ears. These voices could not invade Arthas's mind as they did others. Arthas clearly perceived that these whispers all emanated from heart of y'shaarj.
Just as those whispers were still spreading, and Loken and the others were waiting for Arthas to react, Arthas suddenly, with a speed that no one could react to, almost instantaneously reached heart of y'shaarj.
He slightly raised his right hand and fearlessly placed it on the heart's surface. Upon contact, the heart immediately displayed a high intensity of activity inconsistent with its appearance, and Sha energy, like rising steam, was about to coil around Arthas's arm and body.
The next moment, a brilliant light almost covered the entire laboratory in gold.
The wave of Holy Light dispersed all corruption and whispers. y'shaarj's heart rapidly dissolved in the Holy Light, like snowflakes encountering the scorching sun. The Sha energy could not withstand it for even a moment, vanishing in an instant.
Without even a chance to utter its last words, everything of the strongest Ancient God, Y'Shaarj, was utterly annihilated at this moment.
When the wave of Holy Light subsided, Arthas withdrew his hand and stood silently in the center of the laboratory, seemingly deep in thought.
Loken came to his side and asked, somewhat shocked, "Are you truly human, and not something transformed from a Naru or similar?"
"Of course, I'm human. Why would you ask such a question?" Arthas looked at Loken with some confusion.
Loken certainly couldn't say that he had almost thought Arthas was being swayed at first, and then was so shocked by the intense Holy Light, like a supernova explosion, that he hadn't moved, and even the Storm power he had prepared had dissipated with Y'Shaarj in his shock.
Trying to say something to ease the awkwardness, Loken brought up a topic, "Did you hear what Y'Shaarj said to you just now? Don't take it to heart, those are just common tricks of the Ancient Gods. If you really fall into self-doubt, you might become like I was before."
Arthas shook his head. Of course, he wasn't thinking about what Y'Shaarj had said. It was just that after destroying Y'Shaarj, he suddenly realized something Loken had said was very true.
That is, N'Zoth was not trying to acquire heart of y'shaarj at all. Everything he did was to instigate the Alliance's power, to make them destroy the remains of this strongest Ancient God.
However, what N'Zoth's reason for doing so was, probably no one but N'Zoth himself knew. Although Arthas did not fear N'Zoth's power, there was one thing that indeed needed to be clarified: to unveil the mist shrouding the Ancient Gods. Otherwise, even if N'Zoth was eliminated, there were countless beings in the Void still coveting Azeroth.
-----------------
In the sea breeze of Pandaria, a sailboat bearing the Explorer's League emblem slowly sailed into the Alliance Vanguard's port.
Life at sea was boring and monotonous. Lili was the first to leap from the deck onto the pier, but as soon as her feet touched the ground, she heard a crisp sound.
"Click!"
The unusual landing sensation instantly put Lili on alert. She immediately looked down and, as expected, a delicate black and white mask had been crushed under her foot.
Lili's little face immediately drooped. Oh no, she had caused trouble again on her very first day ashore. This mask looked expensive. Would someone come looking for compensation soon?
"Lili, be careful! There are many people on the dock!"
Chen Shu's voice came from behind her. Lili could only wait dejectedly for Chen Shu to reach her side. Seeing that she couldn't hide the fact that she had just caused trouble again, she could only turn around and say in a mosquito-like voice, "I'm sorry, Chen Shu."
Chen Shu sighed, "Oh no, Lili, you just got ashore, what have you done now?"
Lili pointed to the ground behind her, "I accidentally stepped on someone's— hey, where's the mask?"
Chen Shu followed the direction of her finger and found nothing there, only a few faint wisps of mist drifting with the sea breeze.
"That's not a funny joke, Lili!"
"No, Chen Shu, there really was a mask there just now!"
While lecturing Lili, Chen Shu looked back at the sea of Pandaria, the dazzling sunlight making him squint slightly.
It was truly a beautiful day today. Even the mists that had enveloped Pandaria seemed to have been melted away by the sun, though he didn't know since when.
....
"No, that's too dangerous!"
Jaina sternly rejected Arthas's plan.
Uther also didn't want Arthas to do such a thing. "Yes, Your Majesty, that's too risky."
"I must do it. There's something I need to investigate thoroughly, and no one else can do it in my stead."
Arthas shook his head. He had already destroyed the heart of y'shaarj, and Pandaria's Sha problem was resolved. Without the heart of y'shaarj, the Sha were like rootless water and would gradually dissipate on their own.
Even a powerful entity like the Sha of Fear found it difficult to resist this process, though under Kel'Thuzad's magic, they artificially slowed the Sha of Fear's demise to obtain more experimental data.
Jaina bit her lip and finally said, "If you really must go, then I'll go with you, just like when we went to find Varian before."
Arthas initially wanted to refuse, but Jaina's gaze made him sigh. "Alright, I understand. Let's do it this way—then, Teacher, I'll leave the rest to you."
Uther was still worried. How was this different from Arthas going alone, and it was even worse. If something unexpected happened and both Jaina and Arthas were simultaneously in trouble, the entire Alliance would face major problems.
But Arthas had already made his decision. Although he was Arthas's teacher, he was also a subject of the King of Lordaeron. Moreover, Arthas never acted recklessly. In the end, Uther could only carry out the task Arthas assigned him.
The Old Gods' creations in Mogu'shan Palace had been mostly cleared. The corrupted core, Sien, twisted and occupied by Old Gods' flesh, had also fallen beneath the Ashbringer's blade. The Mantid in the west needed more time to recuperate, and Pandaria's crisis was now resolved.
However, as the mists shrouding Pandaria dispersed, a shadow enveloped Arthas's heart.
N'Zoth was merely a small problem. He was the weakest of the Old Gods, and even after completely opening the prison that bound him, he could not escape the fate of death.
Azeroth faced more than just N'Zoth. The Burning Legion still lurked on the other side of the distant cosmos, and even beyond the real plane, greater conspiracies were being plotted. Even the Old Gods were merely pawns of the true mastermind.
Arthas seemed to have fallen into the same predicament as Loken, though the things he had come to realize were even more despair-inducing than what Loken had seen.
However, Arthas would not be disheartened like Loken because of this. The children of Azeroth would always fight on. There would always be greater crises in the cold, dark cosmos. One could not lose the will to fight due to temporary frustration; that would only allow one's enemies to easily succeed.
Arthas was not worried about Lordaeron's future, as he had long since arranged everything for Lordaeron. Compared to the Stormwind Kingdom, which was still troubled by nobles, Lordaeron had no such hidden dangers.
He needed time to digest and absorb what he had gained recently. He planned to hand Lordaeron over to his sister, Calia. With Uther and their assistance, Lordaeron's development would not go awry.
But before that, he had one more thing to do.
-----------------
Thrall's expression was quite serious, and his posture unconsciously straightened, because sitting before him was perhaps the most powerful, and even most formidable, man on Azeroth.
"Thank His Majesty, Arthas, for the prior warning. The Naga have recently harassed the coast of Durotar multiple times, and even some Naga clans have traveled long distances from Azshara's coast, attempting to breach Orgrimmar's back door."
Speaking of this, Thrall still found it somewhat unbelievable that the Naga, who usually operated along the coastline, had penetrated so deep inland and nearly broken through Orgrimmar's back door defenses located in Azshara.
After that, he immediately ordered the city defenses of Orgrimmar to be re-fortified. This warrior city belonging to the New Horde no longer looked as shabby as it did when it was first established.
"Please just call me by my name. This is just a private meeting, no need to be so serious. I'll also call you Thrall directly, is that alright?"
"Of course."
Thrall had no objections. Or rather, he was currently eager to foster good relations with the Alliance, although many orcs didn't quite understand or support his idea, such as the son of his old friend, Garrosh—though he didn't know why he had become somewhat despondent after returning from a vacation once.
The Dark Spear Trolls were fine; they were naturally far from human continents and had no direct conflicts with humans. Although their Troll brethren might have had some minor friction with humans, that had nothing to do with the Dark Spear Trolls after all.
But orcs were different. They had escaped human enslavement by hook or by crook. Thrall himself was born a slave, and even more of the new generation of orcs were born directly in prisoner-of-war camps. Those humiliating days were simply impossible to forget.
Yet, a portion of orcs understood that they were actually the so-called "invaders." They hadn't even protected their own homeland, Draenor, which was why they came to Azeroth. For this portion of orcs, having a peaceful land was already a great achievement.
As for Goblins… they themselves had settled in Orgrimmar simply to make money. Although Thrall's good friend, a Goblin named Gazlowe, was clearly different from ordinary Goblins, he was an exception and couldn't represent all Goblins currently residing in Orgrimmar.
Thrall knew better than anyone that the Horde's power in this world was too small compared to the Alliance. Although they had proven their willingness to give everything for their new home in the Battle for Mount Hyjal, this didn't mean their past conflicts with the Alliance were simply erased.
The balance of power had always tilted towards the Alliance, which made some orcs uneasy. Thrall needed to solve this problem to allow his people to live in peace.
"To make a long story short, Thrall, I know the orcs have now made Azeroth their second home. I previously condoned your contacting Orc tribes far away in the Outlands, allowing some of them to relocate to Azeroth, but you must know, there are no free gifts in this world."
"Yes, the Horde will not forget your benevolence. Although we cannot yet be called allies, I will always consider you a friend of the Horde."
Arthas chuckled. Thrall was a smart man. He wanted to give the orcs a place to live, and Azeroth was so vast. As long as they didn't incite conflict within Azeroth and internally deplete Azeroth's vital forces, the orcs' existence was actually not a bad thing.
"I will not make any excessive demands, and I am very happy to be your friend, Warchief Thrall, but I want to make one thing clear: I will not allow anyone to ignite war within our ranks again. That would only waste our strength. But in return, we will also, at certain times, stand together against those who wish to break this agreement."
"For example… the Naga?"
Thrall realized something.
"Yes, but not just the Naga. They are merely pawns of an ancient evil entity, an entity I believe you have also heard of, which some heretics call the Old Gods."
....
When Thrall left Theramore, he looked troubled, for he had learned of the dangers lurking in the world he inhabited, and he and his nascent Horde could easily fall back into an abyss of no return if they were not careful.
Arthas stood atop the high tower, gazing at Thrall and his subordinates' departing Team until they disappeared into the swamp's dense tree shadows before turning to leave.
Arthas had already handed over all choices regarding the Horde's future—whether it would be utterly destroyed by a war—to Thrall. If Thrall still wanted his Horde to survive, he would surely make the correct choice.
"I truly feel for the first time that even a powerful nation could be overturned at any moment because of this."
Jaina stood beside Arthas, sighing from the bottom of her heart. During this period of her life, the entire world had undergone earth-shattering changes, and even Dalaran, always known for its magic and advancement, found it difficult to remain unscathed in the tide of the times.
When Jaina was young, she thought mages were such elegant and powerful beings, capable of destroying an entire army with just a single spell.
But looking back now, even the most powerful mages have moments where they are powerless. Their lives as mortals and their civilization are simply too fragile; they must be extremely cautious just to survive.
"Yes, that's why I decided to pursue the answer to the problem. For a long time, for various reasons, we always handed over the initiative to others."
Arthas held Jaina's hand, "But we have already solved most of the problems. Now we have enough space and time to take the initiative."
N'Zoth has been silent again since his last involvement in Pandaria, and Azshara has also become inactive as a result. Presumably, these two schemers are now negotiating with each other.
This is a good thing for Azeroth. After N'Zoth learned that the heart of y'shaarj was completely destroyed, he achieved his goal. His attention should now be entirely focused on how to escape.
And Azshara precisely does not want N'Zoth to escape from his prison. How long she can keep this Old Gods locked up will depend on Azshara's methods.
The Titan prison holding N'Zoth is still quite intact, and with Azshara interfering, that cage must be much stronger than those sealing C'Thun and Yogg-Saron.
N'Zoth will certainly bypass Azshara to seek external help, and Azshara might secretly obstruct N'Zoth's plan at first, but once she believes the time is ripe, she will surely feign releasing N'Zoth, actually intending to completely eliminate this Old Gods who lords over her.
"Then what exactly should we do? Azshara is hiding beneath the deep sea; we have no way to start."
After listening to Arthas's considerations, Jaina also felt somewhat helpless. The unfathomable Endless Sea had become a natural barrier, temporarily isolating all schemes and plots from the two main continents of Azeroth.
However, the Alliance's power also found it difficult to penetrate the deep sea; that area was completely outside the scope of land-based life activities.
"That's why I have to temporarily leave Lordaeron to find a solution to the problem... Our current methods cannot contend with N'Zoth at the bottom of the sea."
Arthas had also asked Loken if he could still contact the Titan facilities near N'Zoth's cage, but the answer was negative.
Whether due to the erosion of time or N'Zoth having already infiltrated the prison, almost all of the Titan facilities supporting N'Zoth's prison have been disconnected from the main system, except for N'Zoth himself, who has not yet escaped.
That place has now completely become a mist, and the Titan Guardian also finds it difficult to monitor the specific situation underwater.
"It seems now the only option is to find Nozdormu. There are more important things than eliminating N'Zoth."
-----------------
"You said Arthas can't come back temporarily?"
Calia could hardly believe her ears, but Sir Uther's helpless expression already explained a lot.
This made Calia very difficult. She knew her talent was far inferior to Arthas's. "I... I'm afraid I'll mess things up, Sir Uther. You know, I'm nowhere near as good as Arthas."
"Don't belittle yourself, Princess," Sir Uther calmly responded to the princess's worries, "All the citizens of Lordaeron are willing to serve you, and His Majesty trusts you."
Calia instinctively wanted to refuse, but thinking of Arthas, who was working hard to find an opportunity for peace while traveling, she couldn't just be a decorative vase and do nothing. And now was the time the kingdom needed her.
"I understand, Sir Uther. I will do my best with the regency."
Sir Uther smiled with relief. He had watched Calia and Arthas grow up and knew that Calia was not incompetent; it was just that her brother's brilliance was too dazzling, making her seem less conspicuous.
However, because of the previous incident with Lord Prestor, Calia had always been somewhat resistant to being in the public eye. She usually chose to stay in the palace or the monastery, living a reclusive life, and her most frequent activity was visiting the children in the orphanage.
After Sir Uther left, Sally, High Inquisitor Whitemane, who had been hiding behind, ran out, took Calia's hand, and asked, "Calia, did something happen?"
Calia lovingly stroked Sally's head, "Nothing, dear. It's just that I might not have much time to spend with you recently."
"I can also help you with things, just like I helped in the orphanage before."
Sally thoughtfully wanted to share Calia's worries, but Calia just smiled. Actually, the matter itself was not a big deal; it was she herself who couldn't get over the hurdle in her heart, afraid of messing things up again like before.
While chatting with Sally, Calia thought, Father, do you see? Your daughter is not useless; she can also contribute her strength to the kingdom.
"Let's go, Sally. Before I take over the government affairs, I need to check if you've been diligently doing your recent schoolwork."
"Okay, Calia—actually, I can already sense the Holy Light, look."
Before she finished speaking, Sally cupped a small ball of Holy Light in her palm and offered it to Calia for inspection.
Calia was somewhat surprised. For Sally's age, being able to summon the Holy Light was already not an easy feat. Many priests who practiced in monasteries from a young age might not be able to call upon the Holy Light even in their teens.
"Sally, I have a premonition that you will become a great priest. All of Lordaeron will remember your name."
Calia looked at the small Holy Light, praising Sally. From this girl, Calia saw the flourishing future of Lordaeron, which was precisely the goal she, Arthas, and their father had always fought for.