Alexstrasza's pupils constricted, the name she had long buried deep in her memory resurfacing.
"What did you say? Guardian, Archaedas? Are you sure you didn't mishear?"
Valastrasz was about to reply, but Alexstrasza began pacing back and forth alone. "This... why are the Guardians appearing in the mortal world again? Is something about to happen?"
"Your Majesty, does this portend something bad?"
Valastrasz was somewhat confused. Legend had it that the Guardians were the protectors of Azeroth before the Guardian Dragons, so why would their reawakening make Alexstrasza so nervous?
Alexstrasza heard Valastrasz's question and hesitated. "Very well, given your status, knowing these things is not an issue. I want to ask you, where did the Dragon Legion come from? Who protected Azeroth before us?"
"Before the Guardian Dragons, the Guardians protected our world, but they also had other duties. So the Titans created the five-colored Dragon Legion, based on the proto-dragon Ghalakrond, to assist the Guardians in protecting Azeroth."
Valastrasz's answer did not surprise Alexstrasza, as this was the story passed down through generations of the Dragon Legion.
However, this was not the truth of the matter. Only the oldest dragons knew what truly happened back then.
"We are not a species created by the Titans, but rather we received the Titans' blessing and evolved from proto-dragons into our current form – the Titans' power made our bodies stronger, our lifespans longer, and our wisdom grew day by day."
"And the reason we were worthy of this grace was because we assisted Guardian Tyr in killing Ghalakrond."
"Kill?! But, wasn't that the progenitor of all dragons—"
"Yes, he was the father of all dragons, but his body was too massive, and lacking food, he began to consume the corpses of his own offspring and kin. The corpses of his deceased kin caused putrid sores filled with death and shadow energy to appear on his body. The shadow of death emanated from within him, and countless deceased beings were resurrected as undead, wandering the world."
"To prevent Ghalakrond from devouring the entire world, with the help of Tyr, the King of Order, we eliminated Ghalakrond, who had lost his sanity and become half-undead."
"After that, to prevent ill-intentioned individuals from using Ghalakrond to bring disaster to our world again, I and the other Dragon Aspects unified our stories, trying to downplay Ghalakrond's existence. So, we are not truly creations of the Titans..."
Valastrasz murmured in disbelief, "So... the ones who truly bestowed upon us the duties and powers of Guardians... were the former Guardians?"
Alexstrasza nodded gently. "Under Tyr's assurance, the Guardians agreed to bestow upon us the Titans' blessing and authority, making us the new Guardians of Azeroth. Although this power still originates from the Titans, it was the Guardians who granted us the authority."
"After that, we rarely heard news of the Guardians. We only knew that they seemed to have had an internal conflict and sealed off the Titan city of Ulduar. We used a former Titan structure as the Dragon Temple and inherited their responsibilities."
"By the way, the authority each Guardian wields is different. And the one who bestowed power upon the former Earth Guardian, now Deathwing, was Archaedas."
A hint of nostalgia appeared in Alexstrasza's eyes. "I thought I would never hear that name again... But... in any case... when the Guardians reappear in our sight, it can only mean that something has happened in a place we haven't noticed."
"Then do you know the movements of the Guardians? Or are they still all in Ulduar? But if so, why would Archaedas appear in Blackrock Mountain—it's a long distance from Storm Peaks."
"A single Nefarian couldn't possibly alarm the Guardians... Even Neltharion's fall didn't provoke a reaction from Ulduar..." Alexstrasza pondered for a moment, "I once thought they wanted us to handle this matter ourselves, but now it seems that's not the case. Did the Guardian tell you anything else?"
Valastrasz organized his thoughts; those events had almost shattered and rebuilt his worldview.
"That Guardian didn't speak much with me... But Prince Arthas seems to know a lot. He gave me Nefarian's corpse, not actually to bring back for containment, but to give to... Lord Malygos."
Alexstrasza's exquisite features almost scrunched together. "Give it to Malygos? I think it's best not to. Malygos's condition has only recently stabilized. Seeing Deathwing's son, I'm worried he might have another outburst."
"He—he knew this might happen, so he specifically asked me to tell Lord Malygos some things, and also asked me to seek your help." Valastrasz lowered his head. "Your Majesty, as you know, Lord Malygos is very likely not to see anyone."
"Indeed, I guess the greatest possibility is that after Malygos sees Nefarian's corpse, he'll immediately use magic to chop off his head and hang it at the top of the Nexus."
Alexstrasza said with a hint of helplessness, "What else did that prince say? Tell me everything."
Valastrasz hesitated for a moment before continuing, "He said... the Dragon Legion might face utter destruction."
After speaking, Valastrasz paused, and only after seeing that Alexstrasza's expression was relatively normal did he continue, "Deathwing... was driven mad by the Old Gods, and... the Guardians of Ulduar might also be controlled by the Old Gods."
"If you don't believe it, he said you can recall how humans appeared on this continent."
Alexstrasza frowned. Valastrasz's relayed words indeed reminded her of something.
It happened many centuries ago. There was a great explosion in what is now Tirisfal Glades. That familiar energy alarmed the Dragon Legion; at that time, even the elven empire had not yet risen.
The Dragon Guardians wanted to investigate, but they were stopped by a message from Ulduar. At that time, they didn't realize anything was wrong; instead, they felt relieved to receive news from the Guardians after such a long time.
From then on, that matter faded from the dragons' memories: since Azeroth's original Guardians said it was fine, they naturally didn't need to worry unnecessarily.
It wasn't until today, countless years later, when Alexstrasza's own offspring, a champion of the Red Dragonflight, accidentally encountered an ancient Guardian during the campaign against Nefarian, that these words suddenly made Alexstrasza realize something.
"No... it can't be what I'm thinking..."
Seeing Alexstrasza's reaction, Valastrasz finally revealed the last piece of information he knew.
"Your Majesty... Prince Arthas asked me to tell you that the explosion was the last... echo of Tyr, the King of Order, and Archaedas fell into slumber in what is now the Badlands not long after."
"So, Tyr died so early... So that's it, that's it, it all makes sense. No wonder no Guardian intervened in Neltharion's fall. No wonder after that, we never received any more messages from Ulduar. It wasn't that they confidently entrusted the world to us... but that they no longer cared about our world!"
As Alexstrasza spoke, her body trembled slightly. The news Valastrasz brought made her suddenly understand many things. Some things she had never understood or comprehended before now suddenly made sense.
Why the Guardians sealed Ulduar and then vanished without a trace; why no Guardian intervened to stop the Earth Guardian's madness when he fell and betrayed; why the Dragon Legion was repeatedly wounded, and even when Azeroth was threatened by the Burning Legion and on the brink of death, the former Guardians remained silent.
If it was truly as Arthas said, that the Guardians had betrayed Azeroth, then everything could be explained.
Alexstrasza suddenly felt the surrounding world turn black, and even her steps became a little unsteady. Fortunately, Valastrasz supported her in time, preventing Alexstrasza from falling.
"Your Majesty!"
"It's nothing... nothing, just a little sad..."
The orcs' enslavement of Alexstrasza had made her believe that nothing in this world could break her spirit again. However, when the truth was laid bare before Alexstrasza, she realized just how terrifying the facts hidden beneath the false facade were.
After a while, Alexstrasza recovered from that uncontrollable sadness—even though she was a Guardian Dragon, a protector of Azeroth, she was not invincible.
The previous Dragon Aspect whose spirit was broken, Malygos, who was still somewhat insane, all indicated that in terms of spirit, dragons were not much stronger than mortals.
They would grieve, they would rage, they would lose control, and even because their social structure was relatively simple and singular, they were far more likely than humans to fall into a quagmire of emotions and be unable to extricate themselves.
Once her emotions returned to normal, Alexstrasza asked.
"Where is Nefarian's body? I will personally take him to Malygos. My brother, it's time for him to awaken from his endless self-reproach and madness."
"I have temporarily sealed him within the mountains of Grim Batol. There's still a large amount of corrupt energy remaining in his body. If I brought him back to the Ruby Sanctum, I'm afraid it would affect the Wyrmlings and Wyrmlings."
"You did well, Valastrasz, but we must quickly take his body to Malygos."
Moments later, two massive Red Dragons, their wings blotting out the sky, soared from the Ruby Sanctum and flew into the mountains of Grim Batol at an extremely fast speed.
Not long after, they shot straight into the sky from the mountains, flying north.
...
"So, have you made up your mind, Dagran?"
Arthas asked Dagran, "Are you ready to betray Ragnaros?"
"This isn't betrayal, human, that Fire Elemental betrayed me and my people," Dagran stretched his limbs, which had been bound for a considerable time, and his expression was one of extreme disdain and hatred when he mentioned Ragnaros, "He enslaved us for hundreds of years. It's time for him and his minions to pay the price."
Dagran looked at Arthas and continued, "I'll tell you the information you want to know, but I'm very curious about what you're going to do."
"If you're curious, you'll find out by watching," Arthas shook his head. "Now, what are you going to do?"
"Hmph, I can't do anything. Besides this information, I'm afraid if I show up on the front lines again, Exoratus, that coward, will not hesitate to have his Elementals burn me to ashes."
"My people are still in the dark, still bound by Ragnaros's power. Don't underestimate them, human. I tell you, hidden deep underground are not only the people of that Elemental Lord, but also a more sinister force lurking in Shadowforge City."
"Thank you for the warning, but they won't be able to cause much trouble for now. Once Ragnaros rolls out of our world, those people will just be a rabble."
The Twilight's Hammer hidden in Shadowforge City, followers of the Old Gods, seemed like a big problem, but without the protection of Ragnaros and his elemental army, their current strength was very weak and could not influence the situation at all.
In other words, the Twilight's Hammer appeared here not because of the Old Gods, but because of Ragnaros, and it was the power of this Elemental Lord that was protecting this group of cultists.
"Also, I want to ask you for a person. You should know where he is—Reginald Windsor, have you heard that name?"
Arthas's words made Dagran lift his head slightly. He looked at the Prince. "How do you know he's in our hands?"
"My soldiers searched your dungeons. He's not in there now. Where did you throw him?"
Dagran said casually, "That guy's family elders have some connection with us, so for the sake of that hammer, I didn't take his life. But he was also badly injured at the time, and should still be receiving treatment in Shadowforge City."
The Dark Iron Emperor looked up at Arthas, hesitated for a moment, then continued, "If it weren't for the unsettled score with the Bronzebeard Clan, I really wouldn't want my people to oppose you—you're different from anyone I've ever met. You're not like other humans, nor like elves, dwarves, or Gnomes."
"But I also know that whether Ragnaros is dead or alive, I won't live much longer. For the help I've given you, can you grant me one request?"
Arthas smiled, "You are our prisoner of war now, you have no capital to make demands."
"But if it were you, you might agree, just as I said, you are different from others."