Andreas had the same dream once again. This time, he felt the light that usually seemed unreachable was right before his eyes. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he still could not touch that brilliance which was only a hair's breadth away.
"Sigh... As expected, then..."
An ethereal sigh drifted through the boundless darkness. Before Andreas could discern the source of the voice, his consciousness suddenly snapped away from that peculiar space and returned to his own body.
"Puh-hah!"
He sat up abruptly from a lying position, gasping for air with lingering fear.
"...Can't you just be more direct? Why does everything have to be so mysterious?"
Looking around, Andreas found that while he was unconscious, he had been moved to a vacant lounge.
"Is anyone here? Shandris? High Priestess?"
Andreas rolled off the bed and tried calling for the two people he had last seen before passing out, but he received no response.
Creak~
Pushing open the door, Andreas found that the room where he had been resting was located along a courtyard corridor. Around him were a dozen or so doors that looked identical.
A large number of marble pillars, as white as jade, stood along the outer edge of the corridor. In the center of the courtyard, many unknown flowers and plants were growing, emitting a faint, refreshing fragrance.
"Where is this? Inside the Great Temple?"
By now, the sky had already brightened, and a crimson sun hung high in the heavens.
There wasn't a soul near the courtyard, which Andreas found rather eerie.
Reasonably speaking, shouldn't there be a strict defense system inside the Great Temple? Even if it's sleeping time for most, a 24-hour shift shouldn't be a problem, right?
Andreas knew nothing of the temple's layout. He could only follow a mysterious sensory guidance, wandering somewhat aimlessly through the vast temple complex.
The whispers that had previously caused him to fall unconscious had completely vanished at some point. In their place was an inexplicable attraction, guiding Andreas through a series of twists and turns within the sanctuary.
Finally, Andreas stopped before a side hall with closed doors and windows. The calling he felt came from within this modest side hall.
I want to see exactly what you're planning.
After a moment of hesitation, Andreas firmly pushed open the heavy doors.
Gaaaa-creak~
It was unclear how many years it had been since these doors were last opened. The hinges supporting the turn emitted a harsh, piercing sound of heavy rust and friction.
As the doors opened, a certain presence that had been locked inside was liberated. A chilly aura emanated from the side hall, originating from a deep purple gemstone resting upon a marble platform at the deepest part of the room.
This nearly spherical gemstone floated directly above the platform. As it rotated, it continuously released a pure energy—cold and profound—into the surrounding air.
Gulp!
Andreas swallowed nervously. Ultimately, he decided to follow the calling, slowly shuffling his feet toward the gemstone.
His right hand trembled as he reached out, finally grasping the floating gem. Pure energy immediately surged into Andreas' body.
Waiting anxiously for a moment, Andreas was surprised to find that he suffered no harm or corruption.
He opened his hand and looked thoughtfully at the deep purple gem, which seemed capable of absorbing all light.
"If I'm not mistaken, this gemstone must be the legendary Eye of Elune, right?"
Andreas was fairly certain that the pure power coming from the stone was the antithesis of the Light—the Void... or rather, Shadow energy.
However, the Shadow energy, which was notoriously difficult to control in the eyes of the world, was currently as docile as a kitten, flowing quietly through Andreas' body without showing the slightest sign of causing trouble.
"Let me think..."
Struggling to recall the process from Patch 8.15 where Tyrande prayed to Elune for the power of vengeance, Andreas formulated his next plan.
"Although I don't know why there's no one guarding this place, the next step... should be to find a Moonwell for a sacrifice, right?"
Thinking of this, Andreas tugged at his silver beard in frustration.
"Where am I supposed to find a sacrificial offering from the enemy? Do I have to go outside the city, kill a demon, and bring back its head?"
Then, Andreas shook his head with a bitter smile, dismissing the idea. "Given the Moon Guard's blockade around the city, that's simply not realistic... Forget it, I'll find a Moonwell first and see."
Speaking of Moonwells, the first thing Andreas thought of was the statue outside the Temple of Shimmering Moonvessel. That small lake at the foot of the statue, emitting faint energy, was likely one form of a Moonwell.
...
"...I'm starting to suspect this was intentionally arranged by High Priestess Dejahna."
After spending some time finding his way, Andreas arrived unopposed at the small lake before the statue of Elune.
Andreas looked around wordlessly. The most important passage into the main hall had absolutely no priestess guards; anyone could see this was abnormal.
Just as Andreas suspected, High Priestess Dejahna was currently standing atop the highest tower on the west side of the main hall, silently observing Andreas' movements.
Beside her, Maiev frowned and asked, "High Priestess, are you truly certain Elune will grant her blessing to him? A man?"
Dejahna smiled and explained, "Maiev, the Goddess bestows her grace equally upon all who believe in her. Do not harbor prejudice against males because of the structure of our Sisterhood."
"But..."
Dejahna waved her hand, cutting off Maiev's doubt. "I know what you want to say. Do not worry. His existence will not shake the foundations of the Sisterhood. At least... not for now."
...
"Hmm... I remember it being something like this."
Andreas was entirely unaware that he was under surveillance. He attempted to place the Eye of Elune into the large Moonwell before him.
The moment the gemstone touched the water, the originally pale blue lake rapidly changed color. Centered around the Eye of Elune, a deep purple hue covered the entire surface of the lake in the blink of an eye.
Due to the lack of a blood sacrifice ritual, Andreas had prepared himself for no response. However, as the Moonwell changed color, various phenomena began to manifest.
The bright sky suddenly grew dark. The sun, which had been diligently radiating light and heat, seemed to be shrouded by a layer of purple gauze, gradually withdrawing its brilliance.
In its place, the moon—which should not have been visible during the day—hung high in the dark purple sky, shining several times brighter than usual.
This world-altering phenomenon was not limited to the vicinity of the Seat of the Sky. Even in the outskirts of Zin-Azshari, where a fierce battle was raging, changes appeared.
A green-haired elven woman holding a longbow and wearing a moon-white priestess gown suddenly experienced a dramatic change in expression. She looked up at the moon hanging high in the sky.
"This feeling is... Elune?!"
In the center of Zin-Azshari, by the shore of the Well of Eternity which continued to spew forth demons, an exquisite woman with brilliant golden eyes also looked toward the sky with a solemn expression.
"Elune? Why wait until now to stand forth and declare your position?"
...
Splash!
A massive channel of energy of incredible quality was constructed between the bright full moon and the deep purple Moonwell on the ground. The originally calm well water suddenly began to boil.
Enveloped within the flow of energy, Andreas felt as if he were in the eye of a storm. A massive amount of Shadow energy was crudely poured into his body.
"Ugh!"
The unbearable Shadow energy turned Andreas into a bloodied figure within seconds, but at the same time, another gentle energy streaming from the sky was repairing the wounds he suffered.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhh!!!"
The Shadow energy penetrating his body began to break through a critical point. Andreas' constitution was gradually being altered under the flushing of pure energy.
His originally pale purple skin became even darker. His golden eyes now only had a thin outer ring of gold, the pupils turning completely into a deep, abyssal purple.
Dejahna watched solemnly at the center of the world-altering phenomenon—Andreas, who was now completely shrouded in dark light.
"The Night Warrior... or rather, the Dark Side of the Moon?"