After resolving Jaina's troubles, as the sun rose from the ocean east of Theramore, Arthas had already bid farewell to Jaina and was heading towards the Caverns of Time.
Jaina also left Theramore again to do the things she still wanted to do; freed from the constraints of Theramore and Dalaran, she finally had the leisure to do things she hadn't done or had missed before.
For this journey from Theramore, Arthas still chose the sea route; departing from Theramore's coast and traveling through the South Seas to the Caverns of Time was the fastest method.
As the sun was about to set once more, Arthas finally saw the mountain range where the Caverns of Time was located, and there, a small figure had been waiting for a long time.
"Ah! Arthas, you're finally here!" Chromie was standing by the shore, idly playing with the sand with her foot. When she saw Arthas's figure, she excitedly jumped up, "Thank goodness, you finally decided to come before anything bigger happened."
"Destiny has its own course, Chromie, you know that. Don't tell me these things; I understand you Bronze Dragons quite well," Arthas said somewhat ungraciously as he dismounted from Invincible, but this time, he was indeed at fault.
"However, it is indeed my fault. At least I shouldn't have touched that Bronze Dragon essence-made item in Eldre'Thalas."
Chromie's expression was peculiar after hearing Arthas's words. She waved her hand, "Actually, we Bronze Dragons already knew about that thing—Chronos's hidden spell formation failed approximately five thousand years after Eldre'Thalas was destroyed."
"Hmm? Then why didn't you retrieve that item?" Arthas hadn't expected such a reply from Chromie. He frowned for a moment, unable to understand the reasoning behind it.
Chromie merely shook her head, smoothing out the patterns she had drawn on the ground with her foot, "That was an order personally given by His Majesty Nozdormu."
An order personally given by Nozdormu?
The fog in Arthas's mind deepened. Dragons were perhaps the race that valued places of death the most; before they died of old age or sickness, they would fly to Dragonblight in Northrend to end their lives there.
And since the Bronze Dragons had long discovered the whereabouts of this missing young dragon, they should have sent it back to Dragonblight long ago, instead of letting it rot in an Elven mage's laboratory.
The madness of Malygos, the Blue Dragon King, was related to his inability to retrieve the remains of his mate, Sindragosa. Dragons valued this custom much more than other races, and Arthas couldn't quite understand the specific reasons for this action.
However, since it was an order personally given by Nozdormu, who controlled time, he must have foreseen something from this "mortal masterpiece," perhaps a turning point in destiny, or perhaps a divine revelation.
Arthas was not clear, nor curious, because his main task now was to return to his own world, where many things awaited him.
Just as Arthas was pondering the issue, Chromie turned to him and said, "Oh, by the way, His Majesty Nozdormu wants to see you. Let's hurry."
"What?"
...
Before Arthas could think much, he was carried into the Caverns of Time by Chromie, who had transformed back into a Bronze Dragon.
This dragon's lair, hidden in the Tanaris Desert, was actually a nexus of various times. From here, the Bronze Dragons embarked, searching for Azeroth's true destiny within the vast web woven by endless time.
And due to the unique existence of the Caverns of Time, one could see all living beings and structures frozen in time, from the day of Azeroth's origin to the rise of humanity.
This place was a realistic history book, a witness to Azeroth's journey from nothingness to existence, from decline to prosperity.
Bronze Dragons constantly flew past Arthas; those dragons stared at Arthas curiously for a while, wondering if it was his identity or his future that piqued their interest.
"How much longer until we arrive?"
In the Caverns of Time, the passage of time became very strange, and Arthas could not accurately feel its flow. He just felt as if he had been sitting on Chromie's back for a very long time.
"Don't worry, it'll be just a moment. You feel it's long because you haven't adapted to the chaotic time in the Caverns of Time yet, unable to find your bearings, but I think with your adaptability, you should be fine soon."
Since Chromie said so, Arthas had no choice but to calm himself, find his position within the tangled timelines, and prevent his perception from being confused by the temporal chaos.
Gradually, when Arthas finally returned to normal, Chromie also stopped.
"We're here—see, I told you it would be quick."
After setting Arthas down, Chromie transformed back into her Gnome appearance. She patted her robe and gestured to Arthas with an outstretched hand, "Please come this way, His Majesty Nozdormu has been waiting for a long time."
Arthas did not hesitate or waver; he strode towards the glowing portal Chromie was pointing to.
Upon entering the glowing portal, Arthas felt his vision blur, and the entire world suddenly became bright, no longer as dim as it had been in the Caverns of Time.
Looking closely again, wasn't this a corner of the Tanaris Desert?
"You have finally arrived, traveler from beyond time."
A void-like and overlapping male baritone resonated in front of Arthas. After a spatial distortion, Arthas saw a tall male figure resembling a High Elf emerge from a void.
He wore magnificent and intricate attire, with sand-like time flowing ceaselessly on his shoulders, and mysterious runes constantly swirling across his healthy, wheat-colored skin.
The appearance of this mysterious man brought immense pressure upon Arthas, causing him to instinctively unleash the Holy Light and Death energy within him to resist.
Clearly, the identity of the man before him needed no further explanation; he was the King of Time, Nozdormu, the Bronze Dragon King.
Arthas was silent for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "Is there something the Guardian Dragons need from me?"
Nozdormu, in his High Elf form, smiled slightly, "Prince from Lordaeron, traveler from beyond time, you need not be nervous. I bear no ill will. I summoned you simply because I wished to meet you."
Nozdormu's body floated in mid-air and did not land on the ground. "You must have many questions now. Please follow me; I will show you some things that might answer your questions."
Arthas did not answer directly but tried to see if he could contact Frostmourne and Ashbringer. Discovering that these two weapons were not shielded, he nodded gently and followed Nozdormu into another environment.
Unlike the vast, white Tanaris Desert, they walked directly into the depths of the cosmic starry sky, onto the remains of a broken planet.