In the end, Noah didn't dare stay in the Warcraft universe any longer.
Even though he was genuinely curious about what that world would look like twenty years later.
Would that kid, Thrall, live or die?
What kind of Horde would Durotan lead?
Would Stormwind be sacked again, or would King Llane still end up with a dagger in his heart-courtesy of Garona, right on the throne?
Would Lothar be cut down by Orgrim Doomhammer once more?
Would Khadgar actually age?
And what about the Draenor he had thrown into chaos-would the Naaru really go looking for trouble with Deathwing?
All of it intrigued him.
But he would probably never know the answers.
Compared to satisfying his curiosity, Noah valued his own safety far more.
The Void was an absurdly massive threat.
And the Titans of that universe were infinitely more terrifying than the ones he knew.
They could traverse time and space at will.
That was Noah's natural counter.
No matter how hard he bombarded them with elemental magic, the gap in power was too large.
Elemental spells would barely matter.
Space and time magic were usually broken tools.
But against beings immune to those tricks?
He would be helpless.
After having the System scan the entire Karazhan library, Noah summoned Odin with the System's assistance.
It wasn't because he lacked the strength to do it himself.
It was because he didn't want the dimensional fluctuations to be detected by something unpleasant.
If some powerful entity noticed him crossing universes, the result could be catastrophic.
The System masked the fluctuations using the same mysterious power it used to train him.
That power had always fascinated Noah.
Naturally, the System didn't explain it.
Knowing its habits, Noah didn't bother asking anymore-though he couldn't help feeling a bit envious.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Odin's power finally responded.
With the All-Father's help, Noah entered the spatial tunnel.
Only then did he truly relax.
He had been worried.
What if some high-level existence intercepted him mid-transit?
What if someone left a tracking mark on him?
If he accidentally led the Burning Legion back to his own universe...
He didn't even want to imagine it.
Muttering complaints under his breath, Noah sped through the tunnel.
Minutes later, a glimmer of light appeared ahead.
Space twisted.
And he was home.
Seeing Odin and the Ancient One waiting for him, Noah nearly collapsed on the spot.
"What happened?" Odin and the Ancient One stared at him-especially at the blood-stained tears trailing from his left eye.
Their expressions darkened.
"Did you use Dragonborn magic?"
"Did you encounter something terrifying?"
"Dragonborn magic?" Noah blinked, then shook his head.
"No, Your Majesty. The fight was troublesome, but it's over. I just ran a few experiments after getting what I wanted. I'm a bit drained, that's all."
Despite how miserable he looked, Noah was actually fine.
The real issue was that his Holy Light had been completely depleted.
His body was struggling to adapt to the sudden absence.
That was expected.
No matter how good his constitution was, the first use of such power was bound to be rough.
Fortunately, his physical stats let him weather most of the backlash.
"I see," the Ancient One nodded gently.
"Congratulations, Noah. It seems you obtained what you were searching for."
"Thank you, Master. And thank you, Your Majesty," Noah exhaled.
"That universe was too dangerous, but at least I got what I wanted."
It really had been dangerous.
He hadn't even encountered the true heavyweights.
Starting with Gul'dan was bad enough.
Then came a Naaru.
If his magic hadn't been so anomalous in that universe-
If Gul'dan hadn't been careless, or perhaps willing to sacrifice everything-
If that Naaru hadn't dropped its guard at a critical moment-
Things would not have gone so smoothly.
Their chances of killing him were slim.
But they would have been a massive headache.
Then a thought struck him.
Why hadn't Odin run into trouble there?
Was Odin actually that strong?
"Dangerous?" Odin paused, then spoke oddly.
"That doesn't sound right. Even if I found that universe on short notice, I wouldn't call it dangerous. The Light energy there was very easy to sense."
He looked at Noah.
"You didn't provoke an Angel, did you?"
"An Angel?" Noah froze.
"Where would Angels come from? I didn't see a single one!"
Odin frowned.
"You didn't see any Angels? You never heard the name Imperius?"
"...The power I obtained is called the Holy Light," Noah said slowly.
Then it hit him.
"Imperius? The Archangel of Valor?"
Noah's head spun.
"What the hell is going on?"
The realization crashed down on him.
Odin had meant to send him to the Diablo universe.
And somehow-
He had ended up in the wrong place.
A place with absurd stakes.
He started with Gul'dan.
And ended by picking a fight with a Naaru.
Noah felt dizzy.
He had just mocked the Bruce Banner of another universe for his bad luck.
And now the joke was on him.
He stared at Odin.
Odin stared back.
Neither of them spoke.
Eventually, the Ancient One broke the silence.
"It seems you experienced an accident similar to Dr. Banner's," she said calmly.
"Fortunately, you are unharmed-and you achieved your goal. Is that correct?"
"Yes," Noah nodded with a sigh.
"The process was rough, but the result was acceptable."
It was acceptable.
The journey was a disaster, but he got what he came for.
He could only blame Blizzard's tangled lore.
Who knew why Odin would find that universe?
Or how Noah would end up in the Warcraft hellscape by mistake?
Imperius's story really only kicked off in the third game.
And Noah hadn't played that one.
Even if he had gone to Diablo, he would've been mostly blind.
Aside from knowing Baal and a few cinematic appearances, everything else was a mystery.
Lucky or unlucky?
Hard to say.
But the Holy Light was his.
That was what mattered.
Noah wasn't one to dwell on the past.
He felt unlucky.
But it was over.
"That's good," the Ancient One said softly.
She took out a tissue and gently wiped the blood from beneath Noah's left eye.
"You've suffered quite a bit."
"The dark energy conflicted with the new power," Noah shrugged.
"Some accidents were unavoidable."
"That's fine," she said, putting the tissue away.
"Rest for now. Once you recover, it will be time to take on certain responsibilities."
"I understand, Master."
Noah's tone became serious.
He knew exactly what she meant.
He had been preparing for this for a long time.
The Time Stone was already his.
He could have inherited the position back then, but his strength hadn't felt sufficient-and the Ancient One still faced her own crisis.
After he drove back Dormammu, the matter returned to the table.
And it wasn't just him.
Thor was the same.
Before Noah left, Odin had mentioned Thor's inheritance of the throne.
The only real obstacle was Hela.
Now?
Noah was confident he could handle that.
With his elemental set complete, all that remained was stabilization and full transformation.
He didn't plan to erase the side effects of the Dormammu battle.
The experience was still fresh.
He would use it.
He would consolidate everything and have the System integrate it all.
Light and Dark.
The four elements.
Space and Time.
A unified Domain.
He didn't know how strong it would be.
But he knew it wouldn't disappoint.
"Oh-damn," Noah suddenly snapped out of his thoughts.
"How long was I gone?"
"About three days," Odin replied with a smile.
"Relax. You moved quickly. You didn't miss anything."
"Is that so?" Noah finally smiled.
"I was worried I'd come back late and Thor's position would already be gone."
"Let's wait and see," Odin said, shaking his head.
"The future belongs to the young."
He looked at Noah.
"Good luck, children."
"It's your era now."