Ysondre clearly didn't stay arrogant for long; after all, besides Isariios, the remaining individuals were all formidable characters she couldn't possibly contend with.
Just a few minutes after uttering her harsh words, Ysondre's proud head, still deluded by the Nightmare, was forcefully pressed into the mud by Malygos.
"Why are you two always just watching?" The Arcane glow in Malygos's eyes gradually faded as he unhappily questioned Nozdormu and Alexstrasza. He felt that ever since Neltharion's corruption, he was the only Guardian Dragon left to do the fighting.
Nozdormu ignored Malygos, while Alexstrasza consoled him, "It's enough to just teach these deluded children a lesson; why do you always use such heavy-handed methods?"
"My methods aren't heavy-handed at all," Malygos said, seeing Ysondre still trying to lift her head in defiance. He applied a bit more force with his claws. "Look at her; her mind is completely deluded by the Nightmare. Every move she makes is aimed at taking my life."
"Let me see if I can purify the corruption on her." Alexstrasza stopped engaging with Malygos and stepped forward to the Green Dragon's deputy. After observing her for a moment, her expression grew increasingly solemn.
She tried several spells, but they didn't calm Ysondre down. Instead, the clash between the Red Dragon's magic and the Nightmare's corruption caused Ysondre to shriek and writhe in agony.
Seeing that her power not only failed to restore Ysondre to normal but instead intensified her suffering, Alexstrasza temporarily abandoned her plan to purify the Nightmare herself.
She turned her gaze to Arthas. "The Red Dragon's power is too intense for her. I might be able to increase the power output, but I'm afraid she would turn to ashes after the purification is complete."
"I'll try," Arthas said, also without a clear idea. After all, while the Nightmare was a derivative of the Old Gods' void energy, it was intertwined with the Emerald Dream, which represents life. He wasn't sure if Holy Light could still dispel the void.
The worst-case scenario might be that Ysondre's tolerance for Holy Light was even worse than her tolerance for Alexstrasza's power.
Arthas walked up to Ysondre and noticed that although the giant dragon was still struggling under Malygos's massive claws, and still cursing enemies disrespectful to the dream, her eyes remained tightly shut, as if she were still in the dream.
This discovery made Arthas dispel the Holy Light gathered in his hand and instead draw Frostmourne.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we told you to heal her, not kill her!" Malygos quickly tried to stop him. The evil aura emanating from that demonic sword made even the Dragon King tremble with fear. There was no way it could be a tool for healing.
"The Red Dragon Queen's healing abilities aren't working, so I suspect Holy Light won't be much help either," Arthas stated directly. "I'll give it a try. Anyway, both the Red Dragon Queen and I are here; she won't die that easily."
After he finished speaking, to the shocked expressions of the three Guardian Dragons, Arthas plunged the demonic sword directly into Ysondre's throat. Dragon blood was about to gush out instantly, but the coldness surging from Frostmourne immediately froze the wound with a thick layer of ice.
The aura of death began to spread towards Ysondre's head. This vibrant Green Dragon, sensing the approach of death, began to struggle and wail frantically. However, under the restraint of Malygos's power and magic, she couldn't break free from the shackles and could only watch as her strength and life slowly drained away.
The Green Dragon tried to use the Nightmare's power to resist death, but it was clear that while the abilities the Nightmare granted her were corrosive and dangerous, they were not effective against the power of death. Arthas's power, channeled through Frostmourne, easily destroyed Ysondre's defenses as if entering an unmanned territory.
Just as everyone thought Ysondre was truly going to die, and Alexstrasza was about to speak up to stop Arthas, a surging life force suddenly erupted from Ysondre's body. The three Guardian Dragons looked in the direction from which the life aura spread and found that the portal leading to the Emerald Dream suddenly opened, overflowing with massive amounts of life energy that nourished Ysondre's dying body.
At the same time, the suppression of death caused Ysondre's soul and body to nearly separate. At this moment, the true power of the Dream Dragon was unleashed. After her soul left her body, Ysondre's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and green light swirled in her eyes. Clearly, she was now free from the Nightmare's control.
Arthas pulled Frostmourne from the Green Dragon's body, summoning Holy Light to descend from the sky, cleansing the impurities from the Green Dragon's body and simultaneously healing her wounds.
Malygos then snorted coldly, and the Arcane energy that erupted like a lightning storm seemed to strike something in the void. Following a faint, mournful howl, that will and magic dissipated together.
"You're really fast, Nozdormu," Malygos chuckled. The Bronze Dragon King behind him had just withdrawn his control over time and space. It was he who had first controlled that hidden will, allowing Malygos's magic to hit its target directly.
Nozdormu nodded slightly, maintaining his usual serious demeanor, then looked at Ysondre, who was gradually shaking off the Nightmare's control and returning to normal.
Ysondre, whose mind was gradually clearing, had just shaken her head and stood up, realizing where she was, but was then startled into a daze by the three Guardian Dragons before her.
She quickly bowed, performing a dragon's respectful gesture.
"Weaver, I am so sorry for offending your majesty just now. Many of our members have been deluded by the Nightmare. Guardian Dragons, please help the Green Dragonflight. Ysera has also been entangled by the Nightmare!"
"That's precisely why we're here, child. Tell us in detail what happened in the dream so we can figure out a solution."
...
At a hidden entrance on Teldrassil, close to the dream, Hamuul finally met the "person seeking help" Broll had mentioned: the Kaldorei High Priestess, Tyrande Whisperwind.
The thought of turning back instantly popped into Hamuul's mind, but he immediately suppressed it. He merely said, rather formally, "Good day, Priestess."
"Good day, Arch Druid Hamuul. I presume Broll has already informed you of the plan of action. I am truly sorry to let our Night Elves friends see such... an awkward scene. But the situation is now at a critical point, like an arrow on the bowstring. I want to enter the Emerald Dream to seek the truth, which might bring me some peace of mind." Tyrande first reassured Hamuul, preventing him from thinking he had stumbled into Kaldorei political strife. Although it currently looked very much like it, that was indeed not the case.
If she could, Tyrande would also wish it were just a "simple" political struggle, but now that the Ancient War of the Shifting Sands and the Emerald Dream were involved, she feared that a force intending to overthrow the entire world was at work.
....
Isarios stood beside Ysondre with a worried expression, and Ysondre also repeatedly spoke kindly to the Green Dragon Lord. She hadn't done it on purpose, but under the corruption of the Nightmare, she saw other normal creatures as if she were seeing mortal enemies, which was why she had been so harsh on Isarios.
Isarios touched his still throbbing wound, what else could he do but smile bitterly? He, of course, knew his friend hadn't meant it, but no normal person would be happy about taking a heavy blow out of nowhere.
Fortunately, Ysondre had returned to normal, and one of the gates to the Emerald Dream had successfully opened. At least they now had a chance to enter the Dream to save the Green Dragonflight.
"My Lords, please be very careful. The Nightmare is rampant in the area where Queen Ysera is. Although they cannot directly corrupt the Green Dragon Queen, they have caused her to become lost in nightmares, and many monsters from Ysera's dreams have consequently appeared in the Emerald Dream. The uncorrupted Green Dragons are fighting hard to resist."
Ysondre gave her final warning. The Emerald Dream was no longer the paradise it once was; now it was full of dangers, everywhere were monsters transformed from the Nightmare, or maddened Dream Guardians.
"After we enter the Dream, it's best to remain in our mortal forms, otherwise the Nightmare will target us as well. If we're ambushed in their home territory, even we will be in danger," Alexstrasza reminded her two brothers. "Arthas, you don't need to risk going in with us. Isarios will guide us in the Dream. I'll trouble you and Ysondre to guard this entrance, please."
Arthas nodded in response, "You must also be careful. Although the Old Gods have not yet fully broken free, a moment's inattention could still lead you into their trap."
The three Guardian Dragons agreed with Arthas's view, but if Ysera wasn't rescued, Azeroth would forever be on the defensive when facing the Old Gods and numerous crises. Even knowing it was a trap, they had no choice but to venture in now.
Watching the three Guardian Dragons and Isarios disappear beyond the greenish portal, Ysondre suddenly exclaimed, "Enemies!"
Arthas immediately drew Frostmourne, but then heard several wild laughs from within the Dream's gate. Immediately after, a transparent dragon claw shot out like lightning, smashing fiercely against the portal's frame.
Ysondre roared, spewing Dream Breath. The dragon claw, in pain, tried to retract, but the portal flickered erratically due to structural damage. Arthas seized the opportunity to swing his sword, and Frostmourne's deathly chill immediately clung to the dragon claw like a maggot on bone, eroding it upwards.
"Lal!"
In her shock and anger, Ysondre cursed the name of her former colleague. Unfortunately, the opponent still took the opportunity to retreat into the Dream at the last moment, and the opened gate closed again due to the damage.
"It truly was a trap." Arthas's expression remained unchanged; rather, he had long expected that the Old Gods and Xavius would not allow the rescue of Ysera to proceed smoothly. However, he was not worried about the safety of the three Dragon Kings. Even within the Dream, the Old Gods' current exposed tentacles and Xavius, that coward, were simply incapable of dealing with Dragon Kings who still possessed the power of a Guardian.
The opponent's objective now seemed very clear: to delay time, destroy the only portal controlled by Ysondre, preventing outside reinforcements from entering quickly and those inside from exiting at will.
To escape from the closed Dream, Ysera must be awakened. Only then could the Green Dragonflight regain control of the Emerald Dream.
Without the Guardian Dragons, the Dragon Army's organizational efficiency would inevitably decrease, making it much more difficult to timely mobilize dragons from various regions to resist the Old Gods' minions.
However, Arthas was very curious why Lal could hide behind the portal without being discovered by the three Dragon Kings and one adult dragon. He posed the question to Ysondre.
"Dream portals are different from Arcane portals; they don't point to a fixed location. That means one portal can connect to countless different places, depending on where you want to go or where the gatekeeper who opened the door for you set the destination. I sent the Red Dragon Queen and the others to the core of the Green Dragonflight, but Lal must have been hiding somewhere else, calculating the portal's opening and closing times..."
Ysondre transformed back into her Night Elves form. Wearing a blindfold and a magnificent emerald-green leather armor, she answered while anxiously gnawing on her thumbnail.
"Only the Hinterlands gate is broken, aren't there still three more large portals like this?" Arthas asked. Besides Seradan, there were similar portals in Ashenvale, Feralas, and Duskwood. Why was Ysondre so anxious?
"I'm afraid not. My other three colleagues are deeply corrupted. With them backed by the Dream, I have no confidence in seizing control of the portals. And before, their letting me out was probably intentional, because I've been resisting the Nightmare's corruption. They thought I was an unstable factor, and pushing me out actually lightened their burden," Ysondre said helplessly.
"So, besides waiting for Ysera to awaken and regain control of the Dream, we have no other options?"
Ysondre hesitated for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. After a brief silence, she replied with some uncertainty, "Actually, the connection between the Dream and reality is not completely severed. It's just that people who haven't comprehended nature and balance can only enter and exit the Dream through portals. If they were Druids, they could enter the Emerald Dream through special methods of slumber in places closely connected to the Dream, using their own power."
Upon hearing this, Arthas thought this method might be somewhat effective. However, Malfurion was also currently slumbering in the Dream, perhaps even drugged into a deep sleep by the deluded Fandral. As for finding other Druids... could they really play a crucial role in the Green Dragonflight's fight against the Nightmare?
If Cenarius were still alive, it would be great. As the Forest Demigod, Ysera's adopted son, his connection to the Dream was incredibly profound, and he should be able to easily open a path to the Dream. Unfortunately, he had already been sent away by Grommash's axe, which meant...
"Wait... can Titan Guardian enter the Dream?" Arthas suddenly asked this question.
Ysondre looked at Arthas in surprise, wondering why he knew such secrets. But Arthas was already used to this; if he were to reveal all the information he knew, it could even rewrite everyone's worldview in this world.
"It should be possible... After all, the power of the Green Dragonflight and Queen Ysera are both inherited from Freya. But where do we find this Guardian who has been missing for tens of thousands of years?"
"Hmm..." Arthas did not answer Ysondre's question. He was considering whether to quickly rescue Ysera through Freya. While that would swiftly consolidate the Dragon Army's power, he guessed that the Old Gods would immediately retreat like a turtle, leaving this ticking time bomb still on Azeroth. If they waited until Kil'jaeden arrived and the Old Gods caused trouble, the losses would be even more severe.
Having made up his mind, Arthas no longer intended to stay at this abandoned portal. He summoned Invincible, mounted him, and prepared to leave Seradan.
Ysondre quickly called out to him, "What are you going to do?"
"Are you still going to stay here and guard an abandoned portal?"
Arthas countered. Ysondre also knew that staying put would be futile. This gate was completely destroyed and would only be repaired once the Emerald Dream was pacified and the Green Dragonflight had withdrawn from elsewhere, providing time and materials.
"I'm going to Darnassus to ask Priestess Tyrande some things. I suggest you come with me, otherwise, staying here will not only prevent you from fulfilling your duties, but if you're controlled by the Nightmare again, you might also bring disaster to everything around you."
Ysondre cast a final glance at the towering ancient trees and the Dream portal that had stood in the Seradan forest for countless centuries, sighed, transformed into a dragon, and followed Arthas into the sky.
...In the dream reflection of Malfurion's barrow in the Emerald Dream, Tyrande released her grip on the bowstring, exhaling deeply, yet her expression remained incredibly solemn.
"What on earth happened here? Why are the souls of these Druids all mad?! And what are those deformed monsters?!" Tyrande found it hard to believe that the Emerald Dream, which should have been a peaceful place of slumber, had become a scene of hell. It was just as she had expected; dark forces were already corrupting it.
Broll, in his bear form, knocked out a mad Druid and said in a gruff voice, "Malfurion's soul isn't here! We've already reached the deepest part of the barrow!"
"This cave is filled with madness and ill omens," Hamuul said, stroking the plant roots spreading through the barrow, sensing the terrifying whispers of madness within them. "We're too late, but I sense some lingering traces of Shandris."
Broll also found traces of Malfurion, but his expression quickly turned grim. "He went to a deeper layer of the Dream—someone expelled his soul, separating him from his body, making it difficult for him to wake up... Wait, look, these seeds and plants are..."
"It's moonglow wheat!" Tyrande said, gritting her teeth. She had read Quintis's texts, which mentioned moonglow wheat as an ingredient for primal curses, and among those curses were types that separated the soul from the body.
"Could it be that it really is Fandral?!" Hamuul whispered in disbelief. "Did he truly betray all of us?"
"We must leave immediately and inform the Cenarion Circle about the situation here, to warn them about the traitor Fandral!" Broll was about to lead them out of the Dream, but the next moment, his nature magic failed.
"Damn it, this place is cursed, we can't leave from here! This barrow has become a cage where you can only enter but not exit!" Broll cursed, while trying again to use magic to escape.
"Don't worry, Broll, if we can't leave, we'll find Malfurion and tell him everything. He'll know what to do!" Tyrande gripped Elune's Scythe tightly. This longbow had been with her for thousands of years, and together they had vanquished countless evil entities.
"But, Priestess, the deeper layers of the Dream are not safe. If anything happens to you, Fandral will become even more unrestrained!" Hamuul also agreed with Broll's plan to leave immediately. Tyrande's status was special; if she and Malfurion were both trapped in the Dream and couldn't leave, Shandris alone wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
"Don't treat me as someone who needs your protection. Besides being Elune's Priestess, I am also a warrior, and I have experienced far more severe wars and trials than you," Tyrande shook her head. "And we can't leave now anyway. Besides moving forward, are we just going to wait here?"
"This..."
Broll and Hamuul exchanged glances. Unable to persuade the Priestess, they finally decided to continue following Malfurion's trail. Tyrande was right; as long as they found Malfurion and told him the circumstances, given Malfurion's connection to the Dream, Fandral's curse would be very difficult to keep him trapped.
However, Tyrande, who understood Malfurion better than Broll and Hamuul, was now very worried about Malfurion's safety... She wasn't sure how clever Fandral's methods were, but they certainly couldn't completely deceive Malfurion. Yet, Malfurion had shown no reaction for so long, which could only mean he had encountered a more serious problem or trouble and had no time to pay attention to Fandral's petty schemes.
During the time Shandris was negotiating with Fandral, she had to find Malfurion as quickly as possible.
"General Shandris, someone wishes to see you."
A Sentinel ran to report, and Shandris, overwhelmed by a pile of documents, replied, "Who? What is it? If it's not urgent, don't bother me. Go find an officer below."
With Tyrande gone, she not only had to handle daily government affairs but also manage the Sentinel Force and negotiate with the Cenarion Circle, represented by Fandral. The Cenarion Circle was impatiently pushing to go to the Silithus front, and she had to delay this matter repeatedly, at least until Tyrande found the truth.
Fandral was certainly no pushover. Although he didn't yet know that Tyrande had secretly entered the Dream, he was pressing hard, ready to force the Sentinel Force and the Cenarion Circle to confront the Nerubian army in Silithus together at any time.
During this time, Shandris also finally received reliable news from the Sentinel Force: although there were Qiraji sightings outside Silithus, the Beetle Wall at least remained intact.
"But… General Shandris, that person's identity is very special. It would be better if you met him yourself."
"Hmm?" Shandris saw that the Sentinel still insisted on her meeting the person now. She considered it for a moment and told the Sentinel, "Have him meet me on the terrace."
A few minutes later, Shandris met someone on the terrace she had never expected.
Arthas Menethil.
"Prince? How did you come to Teldrassil? Why weren't we notified first—" Shandris seemed a bit caught off guard, as she had never expected to encounter Arthas here.
"Don't worry, General Shandris, this is neither a diplomatic nor a political meeting. I am here to visit a friend in a private capacity," Arthas explained his purpose. "Where is Lady Tyrande?"
Shandris's eyes flickered, seemingly unwilling to answer the question, until she saw another person beside him.
"Shandris Feathermoon, long time no see. I suppose… it must have been several hundred years," Ysondre said with a forced smile, meeting the daughter of an old friend being one of the few good pieces of news recently.
"Ysondre?"
After a moment of hesitation, Shandris remembered the identity of this guest: a Green Dragon, a friend of Archdruid Malfurion, and also a friend of her adoptive mother.
The simultaneous arrival of the Green Dragon and the Prince greatly puzzled Shandris, but the fact that these two seemingly unrelated individuals appeared together indicated that the problem was certainly beyond her conjecture. She instructed the guarding Sentinel to close the terrace door and activated several protective spells on the terrace.
"It's safe here. If there's anything, you can speak now—my mother, worried about the Arch Druid's safety, entered the Emerald Dream to find him."
Instinct led Shandris to make the most correct choice. She still didn't know the purpose of Arthas and Ysondre's visit, but for them to make a special trip, it was likely not a small matter.
"Hmm, it's pretty much as I expected," Arthas rubbed the stubble on his chin. The Arch Druid Shandris mentioned could naturally only be Malfurion. "Ysondre, what do you think?"
"Malfurion is also trapped in the Dream? This shouldn't be… The place where he sleeps is not in the same location as where the nightmare attacked…" Ysondre murmured to herself. This matter was very strange, but she couldn't immediately find a connection.
"Nightmare?" Shandris keenly caught Ysondre's words. "Are you saying the Arch Druid's predicament is related to a nightmare… Could it be… those moonglow wheat?"
"Hmm? Do you know something, Shandris? Please tell me what you know. This is very important to me… and to the Green Dragonflight," Ysondre quickly asked Shandris for help, hoping to get more useful information.
Shandris paced back and forth a few times, sighed, and explained everything, "We can't be sure, but the current Arch Druid Fandral Staghelm has been extensively acquiring moonglow wheat and soil for planting recently. Those wheat might have been used as a cursing material. My mother suspected Fandral's motives were impure because of this, and Malfurion's slumber might also be related to it."
"moonglow wheat—" Ysondre finally understood. "That stuff can indeed prevent the soul from reuniting with the body, but… why would Fandral do that? Why would he harm his own mentor? He doesn't seem like someone who loves power to the extent of doing anything necessary."
Shandris shook her head, "We don't know either, otherwise my mother wouldn't have risked entering a dream with unknown circumstances. If you are looking for her, you might have to wait a while. Besides my mother, even I don't know when they will return."
"Then it seems we've come all this way for nothing again, Arthas."
Ysondre was a little disappointed, but Arthas didn't think so. He wasn't here necessarily to find Tyrande, but confirming the status of Tyrande and Malfurion would allow him to better plan the next steps.
"That's not necessarily true, Shandris. I have a plan. Are you interested in hearing it?"
Shandris said, "If it can help us out of this predicament, then I would naturally be very happy."
"Are you aware of Fandral's recent schedule—such as any meetings?"
Shandris thought for a moment and replied, "There should be quite a few. Recently, he's been busy deploying troops to Silithus, so he should be in frequent contact with members of the Cenarion Circle. Why do you ask?"
Arthas smiled and continued to ask, "Then do you know if there's anything Fandral particularly cares about? Like any specific items?"
"Not really. Although Fandral's actions have been suspicious recently, I have to admit, he is a qualified leader, an upright Druid, and has almost no particular hobbies or weaknesses—except for this matter concerning the moonglow wheat, but there's no evidence for this, so we can't make the Council believe our claims."
Arthas nodded and continued, "Hmm… but I heard that Fandral and his son were war heroes of the Night Elves, only his son sacrificed himself in a battle, leaving his wife and daughter to depend on each other in Astrana in Ashenvale. He himself is buried outside that town, and that Arch Druid still often goes back to visit?"
After hearing this, Shandris was about to answer but suddenly thought of something, looking at Arthas with an incredible gaze. Arthas merely showed a mysterious smile, but this smile sent shivers down Shandris's spine.
At this moment, in the distant Icecrown Citadel, the Helm of Domination within the Frozen Throne suddenly lit up. Lothar and Ogrim, sensing the situation, immediately arrived at the Frozen Throne platform.
After receiving the message, Lothar and Ogrim exchanged glances. "Are you going or am I?"
"Unfortunately, Grommash also sent me a message about some progress in Draenor. I'm tied up for now," Ogrim immediately replied. He had other tasks.
"I understand. You heard the latter half too. Finish your business quickly; there's another big task coming up soon," Lothar shook his head. "Ever since you guys opened that cursed portal, Azeroth hasn't had a peaceful day."
Ogrim heard his arch-rival's complaint but didn't directly respond to Lothar. He turned and walked towards the teleportation rune leading away from the platform, saying as he walked, "No one wants this, but it's useless to talk about it now. We've already died once. Our responsibility now is to keep those who are alive from dying."
"Hmph, you deserve to be working for free now. Get lost," Lothar scolded Ogrim with a laugh. As Ogrim's figure gradually disappeared into the teleportation rune, he suddenly remembered something. "Hey, tell that Spider King for me, this time he has to come with me."
....
"Knock, knock."
Istaria scurried to the door when she heard the knocking, peering out through the wooden door's viewport, only to see two unfamiliar elven women.
"Who are you looking for?" The elven girl opened the door, looking at the strangers with some confusion.
Shandris glanced at Ysondre behind her and introduced herself, "I am Shandris Feathermoon, Sentinel—"
"Shandris... Feathermoon?! Oh my Elune, you're really Shandris Feathermoon, the General of the Sentinel Force?!" The girl seemed quite startled; of course, she had heard of Shandris Feathermoon's name, and that name carried considerable weight among the Night Elves.
Seeing Istaria, who was like a fangirl in front of her, Shandris sighed inwardly. She shouldn't have come to contact Leyara and her daughter; their identities were too sensitive during this period. If Fandral Staghelm found out, who knew what kind of uproar it would cause.
However, Arthas insisted on coming to see them, but then he suddenly disappeared. Shandris had no choice but to go to Leyara's house with Ysondre first.
Leyara happened not to be home at the moment, and Istaria, without much thought, let the two of them into the house—no Night Elf would ever bar a legendary General of the Sentinel Force from entering their home.
After the two entered the wooden house and sat down in the living room, Istaria excitedly went to prepare tea and snacks for the two guests, leaving Shandris and Ysondre looking at each other.
"She is Vastann's child?" Ysondre asked—the story of the Staghelm family was known to almost everyone, and the Green Dragonflight, closely related to the Druids, was no exception.
Although Ysondre had never seen Vastann in person, she had heard of this brave and strong Night Elf.
Shandris nodded, looking somewhat wistfully at Istaria's busy back in the kitchen. "She is very much like her father. Elune above, she wasn't broken by the pain of losing him."
Ysondre glanced around. The small house was simply furnished, with no luxurious furniture or decorations, no different from other Night Elves' wooden houses.
"I don't sense any aura of corruption or evil here."
The Green Dragon looked back at Shandris. Even with her eyes covered by a cloth, she could still clearly "see" everything in the world.
"Let's hope so... Leyara and Istaria are Fandral Staghelm's last familial ties. If Fandral Staghelm truly falls and brings defilement into his granddaughter's home, then I dare not imagine what terrible things that Arch Druid would do." Shandris still had a hint of worry in her eyes, as Leyara was not yet home, making it impossible to confirm the state of Vastann's widow.
Ysondre deeply agreed. She recalled her three Green Dragonflight companions, who were like siblings to her, falling to the Nightmare's corruption and becoming pawns of the corrupting power. "I don't want a former hero to become a monster who can wantonly harm even his own family and kin..."
Their conversation didn't last long. When Istaria returned to the living room with tea and snacks, they tacitly stopped their discussion. Just then, the wooden house's front door was pushed open again, and both of them looked towards the doorway.
"Talia, I'm home."
"Mom!"
The mistress of the house, who was about to enter, was about to call her daughter but froze, seeing a apologetic Shandris.
...
Outside Astranaar, in the quiet elven cemetery, Arthas walked through rows of tombstones and finally stopped in front of a very prominent grave.
"The Tomb of Vastann Staghelm. May nature forever protect his soul."
He shook his head gently. "Nature did not protect you, nor did it protect your family. The Nightmare still found your father... Heh, how ironic. The hero who once fought against the Old Gods' power is now a pawn of the Old Gods' minion. You, who died on the battlefield, became Xavius's tool to corrupt your father."
"Do you hear what I'm saying, Staghelm?"
After a brief silence, a voice emerged.
"Who are you, and why do you disturb the peaceful slumber of the souls here!"
A transparent illusion appeared above Vastann's grave. He rebuked Arthas for disturbing the dead's rest.
"Interesting..." Arthas stared at Vastann's "soul," a half-smile on his face. "Should I call you Vastann, or should I call you Xavius? Hmm, what do you say, Nightmare King?"
Vastann looked confused and agitated at the same time. "What nonsense are you spouting? This is the resting place of the Kaldorei. How could a defiler like you intrude? Leave quickly, and we might still forgive your transgressions!"
No sooner had the elven soul finished speaking than a corrupt sword radiating frost pointed at his chest. Arthas's voice was cold, "You attempt to feign being a soul to deceive the Lord of the Dead? Xavius, cease this ridiculous charade."
Vastann's expression changed repeatedly. His original face twisted as it changed at a bizarre speed, and a dark, malicious energy gradually spread throughout his body.
"Lich King... How could you be here?"
Xavius's face was extremely grim. He sensed that his illusion of Vastann had been targeted by a powerful entity. He immediately projected his consciousness here, only to find that he was not in Teldrassil, but in the forests of Ashenvale.
And when he saw Arthas in front of him, his face was even grimmer, as if he had eaten a cockroach.
Yogg-Saron's death had wailed for quite some time on the Old Gods' exclusive "communication channel." The screams of an Old God were not commonly heard, but being washed away by the River Styx was not a treatment every Old God could enjoy. Now, all Old Gods and high-ranking Void-side beings on Azeroth knew that Yogg-Saron's soul had been cleansed, leaving only an active body for others to use.
If this were during the Dark Empire, N'Zoth and C'Thun would have been laughing their heads off, already feasting on Yogg-Saron's corpse. But now they were all imprisoned in cages. Yogg-Saron had been killed, so was it their turn soon?
That's why they were so eager to implement their plans. Xavius, who had originally intended to further corrupt the Dream, was also rushed and prematurely detonated the Nightmare within the Emerald Dream. Although it still caused immense trouble for the Druids and the Green Dragonflight, it was far less severe than the Emerald Nightmare he had envisioned.
To further his plan, he set his sights on the Night Elves' World Tree. Back then, Yogg-Saron had corrupted Andaril, creating the prototype of the Emerald Nightmare. Now, he also intended to emulate Yogg-Saron's "great achievement" by turning Teldrassil into a hotbed of corruption, thus both severely harming the Night Elves and further releasing the Old Gods' power.
Actually, from the beginning, the best way was to lure Malfurion to fall, but the difficulty of this task was too great. If Malfurion hadn't gone insane and stepped into the core of the Nightmare himself, Xavius wouldn't have been able to tarnish Malfurion, even if he tried his hardest.
So Xavius settled for a lesser alternative, choosing Malfurion's apprentice, the current Arch Druid Fandral Staghelm. This Druid was perfect in terms of personal character, with almost no bad habits, but he had a fatal weakness: his lingering grief over his son's death.
Xavius "skillfully exploited" this weakness, creating an illusion of Vastann to deceive Fandral Staghelm, leading him step by step towards the brink of madness. To make his fabricated "Vastann" more real, he even maintained a soul-like illusion specifically at Vastann's grave. This way, even if Fandral Staghelm became suspicious and personally went to Ashenvale to confirm, it would only further solidify his belief.
However, the plan proceeded even more smoothly than he had imagined. His son's death had carved a deep chasm in Fandral Staghelm's heart, and anyone attempting to approach it would see the dark abyss within.
Xavius was ecstatic about this. He controlled Fandral Staghelm with almost no effort. Although he hadn't yet made Fandral Staghelm completely subservient to him, that day was not far off.
So, while easily deceiving Fandral Staghelm, he turned his attention to the Green Dragonflight. To eliminate obstacles to the Nightmare's spread, he chose to attack the Green Dragonflight. The Sleeper, Ysera, was the first to fall victim, which put the Green Dragons on the defensive from the very beginning.
But he had no idea that Arthas, who had just slain Yogg-Saron, would appear next to one of his illusions and point Frostmourne at his materialized fake body.
Xavius knew that his petty tricks could not deceive Arthas, the Lord of the Undead, so his first reaction was to sever the connection with this fake body and escape into the Nightmare.
But how could Arthas let him succeed? Before Xavius could make another move, Frostmourne's blade pierced through him. Xavius now discovered in horror that a part of his consciousness was frozen within the current fake body, unable to escape or self-destruct.
"You can't do this to me, you'll regret it!"
Xavius could only issue a powerless threat. Arthas paid no mind, simply asking, "Give me Vastann's true soul, and I will consider releasing this will of yours."
"Vastann?! His soul dissipated long ago, how can I give it to you!"
"Don't play games, Xavius. You can fool others, but you can't fool me. The reason your fake body was so easily believed by Fandral Staghelm is because you used the aura of Vastann's true soul. You must know where he is." Arthas's voice grew colder, and with it, the power of the runeblade began to intensify.
A bone-chilling cold spread throughout his body. Even as an incorporeal consciousness, Xavius still felt the cruel frost slowly eroding his life. What terrified him even more was that he found Arthas's power surging towards his main body, which was hiding in the Nightmare, through his connection to it.
This is impossible!
Xavius desperately wanted to deny this possibility, but he couldn't afford to gamble. Because once his main body was damaged, he would struggle to maintain the hard-won balance he had achieved against the Green Dragonflight and the Dream Guardians. The consequences of such an imbalance would be severe, and something Xavius could not bear.
After a brief moment of decision, Xavius shrieked, "He is resting in the Dream, but in a very, very deep place. There is some power protecting him. I couldn't directly steal his soul, so I took an aura tainted with his soul as a disguise."
"Thank you, idiot."
Arthas's left hand, not holding the sword, made a grasping motion. Xavius's consciousness instantly became covered in white frost, shattering into mere fragments. Accompanied by the wails of Xavius's shadow, a portion of the Nightmare King's consciousness was permanently erased.
Far away in the Nightmare, Xavius's mind felt as if it had been struck by a heavy blow, his spirit immensely dazed. However, the disappearance of the consciousness body provided him with no useful information. He could only choose to immediately retreat into the core of the Erin Rift and suppress the activities of other consciousness bodies.
He knew he was being targeted by a terrifying entity, but he wasn't sure who it was, possibly even his current Old God superiors. Not daring to take risks, Xavius even abandoned several Dream nodes that had already been overrun by the Nightmare, causing the Dream Guardians, who had been struggling against their enemies, to suddenly feel a sharp reduction in pressure.
"What happened, Grand Master!"
Malfurion cleared away the wildly growing Nightmare thorns in front of him and quickly rushed to Cenarius's side.
"I'm not sure either, but the Nightmare's activity has weakened. This is an opportunity, Malfurion, we must eliminate them completely." Cenarius's soul shook slightly. He also didn't know what had happened, only that the Nightmare's power was gradually declining.
Malfurion was slightly worried about the offensive plan. "Could this be another trick by Xavius, luring us to attack rashly and fall into his trap?"
His analysis was not without reason, so Cenarius changed his mind. "Then let's first clear the Nightmare near important nodes. Be wary of their counterattack. I still want to lead a team forward to explore, at least to confirm whether the Nightmare is feigning weakness or truly running out of power."
Malfurion therefore remained in the rear, guarding and clearing existing corruption. Soon, a slightly surprised cry made Malfurion freeze in place.
"I finally found you, Malfurion!"
"Tyrande?" Malfurion could hardly believe his eyes. "How are you in the Dream... Broll, Hamuul? Did you bring her in?"
"I asked them to bring me into the Dream, Malfurion. Some unpleasant changes have occurred within the Kaldorei, and I've come to inform you of this."
Malfurion's face showed a troubled expression. His people had clearly encountered trouble, but the Dream also needed him. His absence from either side would not be good. "Sigh... Tyrande, what exactly happened? As you can see, the Emerald Dream is currently being corrupted by the Nightmare. I may not be able to—"
"Malfurion, you fool, have you never wondered why you are in the core area of this Dream?"
Tyrande spoke up to remind her beloved. She truly feared that one day Malfurion would sleep himself into sluggishness.
This sentence made Malfurion awaken as if from a dream. His mind, which had been in a resting state within the Dream, became much more active, and he suddenly recalled the circumstances before he entered the Dream.
"I should have been sleeping in the barrow, why am I..."
Broll said nothing more, taking out a stalk of moonglow wheat and handing it to Malfurion.
Malfurion took the moonglow wheat, and with just a glance, he recognized its origin. "moonglow wheat... Hmm, the quality is quite good. You're showing me this... Could it be that I was cursed with moonglow wheat?"
"Indeed, Arch Druid, and this person is very likely your student... Fandral Staghelm."
After Istaria was sent away, Leyara sat opposite Shandris and Ysondre, her expression somewhat complex.
"You shouldn't be here while my daughter is still home, General Feathermoon. This is not good for anyone," Leyara sighed. "If you have any grievances against me or Vastann's father, you can directly complain and report to the Cenarion Circle. My daughter is innocent and shouldn't be dragged into politics—"
"Wait, Leyara, this is not a political struggle, and our purpose today is not to exert pressure." Shandris knew this matter would be troublesome to explain, but she didn't want Leyara to misunderstand her as doing something despicable, which would only intensify the conflict.
"No? Then what are you doing here? You're already here. How credible do you think your words are?"
Leyara wanted to press further, but Shandris's words made her look at the Sentinel Force General opposite her with suspicion. After a long moment, she couldn't see any trace of pretense on Shandris's face, so she said, "Then no matter the reason, my daughter and I are just ordinary Night Elves and don't want to get involved in any trouble. Please, General, have mercy and stop bothering us."
After speaking, Leyara also pointed to Ysondre beside Shandris.
"And this friend next to me, although you look like a Night Elf, I don't know your true identity, but I don't want to know. You two should go back where you came from."
Ever since her husband's death, Leyara had taken her daughter far away from the various whirlpools within the Kaldorei. They had lived peacefully for thousands of years; even the Legion's invasion of Mount Hyjal didn't affect their lives much. Now, seeing Shandris made her already relaxed nerves tighten again.
She felt as if she was back on the day she saw her husband's mutilated corpse. That almost became her shadow, her nightmare. Before Istaria's growth provided her with enough comfort, she would often be awakened in her dreams by the illusion of Vastann's tragic death.
Therefore, Leyara gave up her pursuit of the Druid path, even though she was already a somewhat accomplished Druid. To ensure her daughter had a more stable and peaceful upbringing, she preferred to abandon her former ideals.
Ysondre's eyes, covered by strips of cloth, emitted a faint green light. The inexplicable sense of being watched made Leyara very uncomfortable. She also knew that the "Night Elf"-like individual in front of her was definitely not a Druid, nor even a Night Elf. Leyara very simply used Druid magic to conceal herself.
Seeing Leyara issue a "notice to leave," Shandris glanced at Ysondre beside her, but found that she made no movement. The Green Dragon still maintained her calm demeanor. Shandris also breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, neither Leyara nor Istaria had suffered from Nightmare corruption, but this also made Shandris worried; thousands of years had passed, and Leyara still hadn't emerged from the shadow of losing her husband.
Even though she didn't resent the Sentinel Force and the Cenarion Circle, she deliberately avoided contact with these two organizations to prevent being affected by Vastann's tragedy again.
But today, she might have to tell Leyara a cruel truth.
"Leyara, I'm very sorry, but things have now gone beyond the control of the Sentinel Force, the Cenarion Circle, and even the entire Kaldorei race. I have a reason to be here. This is to ensure the safety of both you and your daughter, and also the safety of all Kaldorei."
Shandris's tone was solemn and resolute, which made Leyara hesitate. She was not a crude brute, but a smart person. Her aversion to the Sentinel Force and the Cenarion Circle could not override her keenness for the truth.
"Why would the safety of my daughter and I be linked to the entire Kaldorei race...?" Leyara's face turned grim. She suddenly stood up from the wooden chair. Shandris's words, both explicit and implicit, revealed the seriousness of the problem. "What exactly happened?!"
"We received some reports and evidence... proving that Arch Druid Fandral Staghelm may have betrayed his mentor and all Kaldorei. The High Priestess and members of the Cenarion Circle have gone to confirm, and from the current situation... this matter is highly likely."
These words struck Leyara like lightning, and she fell back into her seat. "Father... no, why would he...?"
"Because he loved his son too much."
Leyara was startled awake by a stranger's voice. She looked towards the sturdy figure standing at the doorway. Arthas, clad in armor, slowly walked into the room. "The Nightmare King used illusions to create a phantom of Vastann, deceiving Fandral multiple times in his dreams, causing Fandral to lose the ability to distinguish truth from lies. At the same time, he prepared to exact his revenge on the Night Elves. However, whether the one seeking revenge is Fandral or Xavius, only Xavius himself knows."
"You're finally back," Shandris breathed a sigh of relief.
Arthas waved his hand and tossed out a strange, dark red crystal. Ysondre conjured several branches from the wooden floor, catching the crystal steadily.
"This is... a Nightmare Seed..."
Ysondre said gravely. Such a thing shouldn't appear in reality, as it was originally a tree seed from the Emerald Dream. The one they were seeing now was in a state after being corrupted by the Nightmare.
"I went to Vastann's tomb. Unfortunately, it was also desecrated by Xavius. He attached an illusion with a Nightmare Seed as its core to Vastann's tomb, as a fallback to deceive Fandral. But Fandral's sense of indebtedness to Vastann was simply too strong. Xavius didn't even need to activate this fallback; Fandral fell into the trap."
Arthas looked at the Nightmare Seed and said regretfully, "Fandral is a good man. If he hadn't lost his son, Xavius would never have been able to corrupt him. Do you understand now, Mrs. Staghelm? Shandris didn't lie, nor did she threaten you. This is no longer a childish political struggle, but a moment of life and death for the Kaldorei race."
"I—" Leyara still found it hard to accept, but the Nightmare Seed, lying before her and emitting an unsettling aura, forced her to accept this rather absurd and cruel truth.
Her first thought was of her daughter. "Fandral, he wouldn't have already corrupted... Istaria and me? Istaria saw her grandfather just last month..."
"Probably not," Ysondre shook her head. "I was just checking if you showed any signs of Nightmare corruption. The good news is you haven't. And this also indicates that Fandral hasn't fallen to an irredeemable extent. He wasn't foolish enough to harm his closest relatives; he's merely carrying out seemingly harmless plans under Xavius's manipulation, plans that can actually affect the entire Kaldorei."
"Xavius's power works best in the Emerald Dream. In reality, it takes time for him to fully control Fandral," Arthas explained. "I've had some... dealings with this Nightmare King, and I know some of his tricks. Anyway, he hasn't reached the point where he can freely influence reality yet, but if the Green Dragonflight loses the doorway connecting the Dream and reality, or the World Tree's reflection in the Dream... that's another story."
"World Tree..."
Leyara suddenly thought of something. She murmured Teldrassil's name, then suddenly recalled Fandral's recent actions with shock. She abruptly looked up, "The planting of Teldrassil was handled entirely by my father. This tree was not blessed by the Guardian Dragons. If everything you say is true, then Teldrassil is not the new hope for the Kaldorei, but a countdown to the end of the world!"