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(A/N: Chapter 94 will soon be on Patreon!)
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(Now back to the story!)
He needed context—and he needed it now!
Can I go through one meaningful conversation WITHOUT being hit with some bombshell!?
Alastor really missed his workshop. At least when researching magic or technology, he wasn't constantly blindsided by revelations—or opening a dozen new cans of worms!
They weren't even good worms!
What was next!? Celestial toads!
"Aegwynn, what I meant to ask for was context! Why did you fight him at all?"
—and what could possibly have driven you to kill your own son?
Aegwynn calmly took a seat, her gaze settling on Alastor. Anduin, who had already heard this story, remained silent, knowing it was best that she explain.
"How well do you understand the Aether, Alastor? Or rather… the things that dwell within it."
Alastor blinked at the question, but he knew enough. From his limited foreknowledge of the Warhammer universe—and years of study within the Kirin Tor's libraries, along with Antonidas's personal accounts—he had pieced together a solid understanding.
"Well, aside from the obvious, the Aether is the primary source of a mage's power—but also their greatest challenge."
"Unless they're highly trained or particularly powerful, a mage must constantly struggle to maintain control while drawing energy from it."
"Not only because of its volatile nature, but because of the fel entities—daemons—that dwell within it and prey on mortals, especially mages or those with powerful souls."
(A/N: Reminder—daemons cannot simply take souls at will within the Warp. They require consent from the mortal in some form, allowing them to claim the soul and potentially even possess them. This is also why daemons seek to enter realspace: it allows them to indulge in their patron gods' domains and harvest souls more freely through direct slaughter.)
Aegwynn nodded.
"Yes… and that is exactly why I fought my son."
Alastor's eyes widened.
She couldn't possibly be suggesting—
"Are you saying Medivh was possessed!? That shouldn't be possible!"
"A high-ranking mage's mind is heavily fortified—strong enough to resist the whispers of the Warp and mental decay unless they willingly allow it."
"An Archmage's mind is like a fortress—and Medivh was among the strongest of them all!"
And that was before Alastor had introduced Occlumency, which had made it far easier for mages to control their magic, resist fel influence, and eventually defend against it entirely—especially while actively drawing power from the Aether.
With Occlumency, even novice mages could practice more safely, while experienced ones developed near-impenetrable mental defenses.
"Alastor… let me be very clear."
Aegwynn acknowledged his reasoning—but what she'd witnessed in her many years went far beyond normal circumstances.
"The daemons and fel entities you speak of are dangerous, without a doubt. But take it from someone who has guarded Azeroth for generations…"
"There are far worse things."
"Creatures that exist not only within the Aether, but beyond the great void of space itself."
"Daemons of unimaginable horror. Beings akin to gods. Eldritch beings that have slumbered—or watched—for eons."
Aegwynn's gaze drifted toward the window. Alastor followed it—and realized she was looking at Azeroth's world ring.
…Suddenly, he felt far less inclined to resent it.
Yes, it trapped Azeroth's people on the planet—but considering what he was learning, the protection it provided might very well outweigh the cost.
"The ring's shield does more than protect Azeroth. It also acts as a cloak—masking our world's presence, and the life upon it, from most outside observers."
"Unfortunately, some gazes still fall upon it—by chance or curiosity—and discover us."
"Azeroth's unique nature, along with the Aspects and the Guardians, have long served as its defense against such external threats."
"Especially those that cannot be dealt with through conventional means…..or without catastrophic loss of life."
Aegwynn glanced down at her hand, idly manipulating a wisp of magic with effortless precision—control that most Archmagi could only struggle with.
"I've served as the Guardian of Azeroth for generations, Alastor. Long enough to be called the strongest Guardian in history—not to mention the longest serving one."
"I've faced many such beings from the shadows."
"And among them… there was one I came to loathe above all others."
The wisp of magic in her hand collapsed as she clenched her fist, her expression darkening with raw, unfiltered hatred.
Anduin was affected as well. Despite his composure, his grip tightened enough to nearly crack the armrest of his chair.
Alastor frowned.
"Who was he…...or rather, what was he?"
"His name was Sargeras, Tyrant of the Burning Legion." Aegwynn said coldly. "A scourge that has set his sights on Azeroth since the time of Thoradin."
"How strong was he?"
"Extremely." Despite her disdain, she answered without hesitation. "Not only powerful, but exceptionally cunning."
"Even before I was born, he attempted to invade Azeroth through numerous means. During my time as Guardian, I had the… displeasure of facing his avatar across the centuries."
Alastor's frown deepened as he caught a specific word.
"Avatar?"
"Yes. For reasons unknown to me, Sargeras never set foot on our world in his true form—only an avatar."
"…And how strong was this avatar?" Alastor asked cautiously—
—and nearly choked on the answer.
"Demigod."
Are you frakking kidding me!?
That was the same level others like him, Malfurion, Tyrande, and Aegwynn were on!
Each of them possessed unique circumstances, fortune, and potential that allowed them to reach the fabled stage of strength.
Even Tyrande—who was, in truth, an incarnated goddess—had only reached that level while in her mortal Night Elf form largely because she still housed her original divine soul.
But this… this was an avatar—not an incarnation or anything similar—and it stood on the same level!?
Which meant only one thing: whoever this Sargeras was, he was not merely a god—or something akin to one—but a being even greater than Tyrande had been in her time as Lileath.
And Lileath—Elune—was one of the principal deities of the Eldar Pantheon!
Thankfully, Aegwynn gave him a moment to process the latest revelation before continuing.
"Decades ago, I believed I've had my final battle with Sargeras in Northrend."
"There, my companions held off his minions from the Burning legion while he and I fought. Eventually, our battle carried us far from the others."
"I won in the end and destroyed his avatar. At that moment, I believed I had finished him—or at least ensured he would not return for several centuries."
Alastor understood why she would think that.
If such a powerful being had been forced to rely on an avatar—no matter how strong it was—to conquer their world, it suggested limitations.
At best, it could have meant his true body was weakened, and the destruction of the avatar might have delivered a fatal psychic backlash.
Unfortunately, that was the most optimistic—and least likely—scenario.
A far more realistic outcome would have been that the destruction of the avatar merely weakened him, forcing him into temporary inactivity.
"Unfortunately, I realized far too late that it had all been part of Sargeras's plan. He allowed me to destroy his avatar so that I would come close enough for him to transfer his spirit into me."
"Years later, when I became pregnant, his spirit passed on to my son—Medivh."
"For decades, I remained unaware that my son—my successor as Guardian—carried my greatest enemy within him. He acted through Medivh at times… without even his knowledge."
In that moment, Alastor saw a flicker of grief in Aegwynn's eyes—and he genuinely felt bad for her.
It was one thing to lose a child.
It was another to know that child had been nothing more than a vessel for your greatest enemy.
But then her expression hardened once more.
"More than a decade ago, I discovered traces of fel energy in the Redridge Mountains through an informant."
"That alone was strange—given its proximity to Deadwind Pass, where my former tower, Karazhan, stood."
"It was a place I had created six hundred years prior and later entrusted to Medivh, so he could grow familiar with it in preparation for becoming Guardian."
"Given his abilities, he should have detected such corruption immediately and investigated. Yet I heard nothing—which only deepened my suspicions."
"So I went to investigate personally… and found Medivh dealing with daemons within a hidden location in the Redridge Mountains."
"I was shocked—and furious. His presence felt…...wrong, Diminished. I attacked immediately and by doing so destroyed the entire base."
"It was at that moment, Sargeras fully took control of my son's body and fought me directly. He mocked me—taunted me for not noticing sooner. And… as much as I regret it, I lost control my anger and went into a bersekk rage."
"Even so, I managed to severely injure him—thanks to the intervention of Medivh's apprentice, who was in fact not allied with him. He struck his own master, giving me an opening."
"But the spell I used was too powerful. It collapsed another mountain onto them—killing both Medivh… and Khadgar."
"By then, due to my uncontrolled anger I also sustained severe injuries myself—many of them cursed. After informing your parents and Anduin of what had transpired, I disappeared from the eyes of the world to recover."
As she spoke, Aegwynn's thoughts briefly drifted back to that moment.
She remembered seeing Alastor as an infant after delivering the news to Llane, Anduin, and Taria.
As expected, Llane and Anduin had been devastated. To learn that their closest friend—brother in all but blood—had been possessed by an ancient, malevolent entity… and had to be killed…
But then the throne room doors had opened.
The young Crown Prince Varian Wrynn entered, too distressed to notice the heavy atmosphere, holding his newborn brother—Alastor.
The infant giggled happily, tugging at Varian's hair, while the young prince struggled to make him stop—casting pleading looks at his parents and surrogate uncle for help.
The scene had done wonders to lift the mood. Taria took the baby into her arms, much to his delight, while the tension in the room eased—if only slightly.
Normally, even Aegwynn would have found such a moment heartwarming.
But at the time…
All she felt was shock.
Even in her weakened state, she could sense it clearly—the immense power within that child's soul.
After bidding them farewell and receiving their thanks—grim though it was, death had been preferable to Medivh's continued possession—Aegwynn departed.
Unknown to anyone, she continued to keep watch over Alastor in the years that followed.
Because she knew, even then—
That child was anything but ordinary.
And she feared his existence might one day herald yet another trial for Azeroth.
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"So that's why you suddenly disappeared from the world's eyes."
Alastor finally understood why Aegwynn had cut off all contact. She had been recovering—and most likely remaining in the shadows to catch her enemies off guard.
"Wait… does that mean you knew about the Black Guilds?"
"Yes and no." Aegwynn looked genuinely annoyed. "Remember how I said I was informed about traces of fel energy in the Redridge Mountains?"
"After a few years—once I had fully recovered and began investigating from the shadows—I discovered that the 'informant' who gave me that information was, in fact, a black mage."
"His name was Ramsey—a champion of Tzeentch, part of the Dark Pantheon of Chaos, and an agent assisting the Scourge."
"I don't know how that bastard managed to hide his true nature from me, but from that moment on, I became wary of that entire group."
"It was clear they were not aligned with Sargeras and his Burning Legion, considering they deliberately sabotaged his plans—and used me as the tool to remove him from the board."
That realization still infuriated Aegwynn to this day.
It was bad enough that she had failed to recognize a prominent black mage—but to have been manipulated into furthering their agenda?
She had decided then that she would not only commit herself fully to this war, but also take great satisfaction in eliminating as many of their kind as possible.
As for Ramsey…
He had best pray to his patron that he dies before she finds him—because if she ever got her hands on him, she would take her sweet time tearing his soul apart, piece by piece.
Alastor and Anduin both felt a chill run down their spines at the expression on Aegwynn's face—the cold smile that accompanied it.
This is one terrifying woman… almost as frightening as my own mother.
Alastor shook his head, pushing the thought aside as Aegwynn let out a quiet sigh.
"Well… now you have the full story."
"Aegwynn, thank you for telling me this. I know speaking about Medivh like this couldn't have been easy."
"Think nothing of it. But I didn't tell you this merely to satisfy your curiosity, Alastor."
Aegwynn's gaze sharpened.
"Take this as a lesson—never assume you have seen the worst the universe has to offer, whether in the Aether or beyond the stars."
"There are monsters—ancient and new—that lie in wait, stirring only when the time is right. Never lower your guard against such beings. As dangerous as their power is, it's often their intelligence that makes them truly dangerous."
Anduin finally spoke, breaking his silence.
"She's right, lad. Life is unpredictable. We never know what the world—or fate—will throw at us next. A warrior must always be ready to overcome whatever trial comes, no matter its nature."
Alastor opened his mouth to respond, but seeing the seriousness in their expressions, he simply nodded.
"I understand. I'll be careful."
Aegwynn inclined her head, satisfied.
Alastor rose, bid them both good night, and finally left the chamber.
That was enough revelations for one night.
All he wanted now was some well-earned rest… preferably with his fiancées.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Anduin turned to Aegwynn, who'd also begun walking toward the exit.
"Why?"
She stopped, casting him a calm glance—but Anduin was not deterred by it.
"Don't give me the silent treatment, Lady Guardian. Why are you so invested in Alastor?"
"You're asking this now?" she replied evenly. "Shouldn't you have asked that when we first met again in Stormwind?"
"At the time, I only had suspicions. But now? Krasus, Tyrande… and you? That's not coincidence—that's deliberate."
Aegwynn regarded him with a hint of approval at his perceptiveness.
Truly this man was worthy of being called the Lion of Azeroth.
"You love that young man like a son, don't you, Anduin Lothar?"
"Without a doubt," Anduin answered without hesitation.
Aegwynn's tone grew more somber.
"Then stand by him—as you do now, descendant of Thoradin."
"That young man's future is far beyond what most could even imagine. A future that I—and others—have already placed our hopes upon."
"As you said, life is unpredictable. This war will echo through countless generations… yet it is only one trial among many."
"When the day comes that he spreads his wings beyond this world, a new age will dawn for Azeroth—and he will be the first to bear its weight and expectations."
"When that time comes, many will rally behind him. But those who knew the man before the legend… they will be his greatest pillars of strength."
"Stand beside him, as you do now. Because as much as we need him… he needs people like you even more."
"Demigod or not."
With that, Aegwynn said no more. She turned and left the chamber, leaving Anduin alone with his thoughts.
A future was drawing ever closer—one that centered around the boy he'd come to see as a son throughout the years.
As for Aegwynn's words about standing beside him…
Anduin scoffed softly as he also made his way out of the room.
As if that had ever been in question.
He would stand with Alastor—no matter what trials lay ahead.
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