At some point in the past, a legend-like rumor began to circulate among the Night Elf populace.
"Those possessed of golden eyes are destined for greatness in the future."
Based on the future history Andreas knew, this notion of "achieving greatness" would eventually manifest in a very dark, humorous way.
In historical records, there were only two individuals within the entire Night Elf race known to possess golden eyes.
One was the current ruler of the entire Night Elf Empire—Queen Azshara. The other was Illidan Stormrage.
When Shandris told him that he also possessed the "legendary" golden eyes destined for greatness, Andreas felt no stirrings of excitement. On the contrary, he felt a slight urge to laugh.
How ironic. The true owner of these golden eyes has already perished in battle. Is this what they call achieving greatness?
Although he continued toward the Seat of the Sky with Shandris to fulfill the mission accepted by his predecessor, Andreas' true objective now differed from hers.
His primary goal was to uncover exactly who was sending him those dreams and to see if he could seize an opportunity to increase his chances of survival.
That's right—survival. This was the most critical factor for Andreas at the moment.
Whether it was finding a potentially non-existent way home or using his foreknowledge to make a mark on Azeroth, the most important prerequisite was staying alive.
In his past life, Andreas had heard his raid leader repeat one phrase countless times during boss fights:
"You can't have DPS if you're dead!"
The War of the Ancients was the first planet-scale crisis Azeroth had faced since the dawn of mortal civilization... but it certainly wouldn't be the last.
To survive in a world as dangerous as Azeroth, powerful strength was the ultimate guarantee.
Through Shandris' accounts, Andreas had gained a general understanding of the abilities his predecessor possessed.
As one of the first generation of druids to follow Malfurion in learning the way of nature, Andreas was quite gifted in controlling natural forces. It was said that he had even received personal praise from Cenarius.
However, as a transmigrator, Andreas was well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of nature magic.
This power was stable and controllable, serving as an extension and manifestation of the will of nature and the spirits of the wild.
But stability also meant slow progress. Although it was one of the six fundamental forces of the universe, nature magic consistently lacked offensive output compared to the world-shattering capabilities of Arcane or Fel energy.
Malfurion's future feat of detonating the Well of Eternity didn't rely on druidic power; he used the Dragon Soul stolen by Illidan.
The second time the Burning Legion was thwarted—resulting in the death of Archimonde—wasn't thanks to druids either, but rather to the self-sacrifice of countless ancient wisps.
To put it bluntly, even the demigod Cenarius, the source of druidism, would eventually be slain by a mere mortal in the future.
Furthermore, Cenarius and the Green Dragonflight, who also mastered nature—including Queen Ysera—were easily corrupted by Xavius within the Emerald Nightmare. On this path of the druid, Andreas truly saw no bright future.
If, as Andreas suspected, it was the Moon Goddess Elune calling to him, then it meant he might have another choice.
An extremely dangerous choice, but one that could potentially grant him immense power in a short amount of time.
...
The Moon Guard maintained tight security around the Seat of the Sky. Since they were also Night Elves, it was unrealistic for Andreas and Shandris to rely on Shadowmeld to sneak into the city.
Fortunately, while these Highborne mages were arrogant, they wouldn't easily resort to killing their own kin.
At Shandris' suggestion, the two of them walked openly toward the entrance beneath the floating city of Lath'elazar, leading their Hippogryph.
"Halt!"
Several Moon Guards clad in enchanted light armor pointed their staves at the two. The squad leader at the front eyed them suspiciously.
"Who are you? Why have you come to Lath'elazar?"
Since Andreas had lost most of his memories, Shandris took the lead to avoid him saying anything suspicious. She had removed her leather armor, undone her ponytail, and braided her hair into simple country-style plaits, looking very much like an ordinary village girl.
"Honorable Moon Guards, we are pilgrims from the Ashenvale Forest to the south. We have come to the Great Temple to pray to Elune for favorable weather and a good harvest next year."
With the northeast completely blockaded by demons, Shandris had to fabricate a cover story for their origins.
"Ashenvale Forest? Prayer?"
The squad leader's brow twitched slightly, a faint expression of disdain surfacing on his face.
"Hmph~ Personally, I don't believe prayer will do anything to help the current situation. However... heh~ I'll let you pass for now."
At a wave of the leader's hand, the Moon Guards stepped aside with mocking smiles.
One of them gestured with his staff toward the rear. As azure Arcane light flashed, a winding mountain path appeared before them, coiling upward toward the floating city.
The squad leader used the butt of his staff to push Andreas' back forcefully. "Get moving! Don't expect us to activate a teleportation circle for mere commoners. Climb the mountain path like the rest of your kind."
Andreas looked up wordlessly at the winding, serpentine road.
Although the path didn't look particularly rugged—it was actually wide enough for four carriages to pass side-by-side—it was still a long climb.
According to Shandris' information, this road was intended for merchant caravans and large-scale troop movements. Ordinary citizens usually used the teleportation circles to reach the temple plaza of the Seat of the Sky directly.
"You guys—!"
"Wait."
Andreas grabbed Shandris' wrist just as the hot-tempered girl was about to snap.
When Shandris turned to look at him, Andreas shook his head calmly and whispered into her long, violet elven ear, "Don't be impulsive. The mission comes first."
Feeling the warm breath Andreas exhaled near her ear, Shandris' long ear twitched slightly, and an involuntary blush crept across her violet face.
"...fine. We'll do it your way."
Seeing the two submissively begin their climb, the group of Moon Guards behind them broke into quiet laughter.
"That's right. Commoners should act like commoners. Don't think you can enjoy the same treatment as the noble Highborne."
"The Divine Messenger will surely help us redefine the social order of the Night Elf Empire. You mud-covered peasants should stay right where you belong—on the ground!"
Fury flared on Shandris' face. Had Andreas not been holding her hand, the Night Elf girl would have likely lashed out already.
"Those bastards! Ever since the demon invasion began, their arrogant nature has only gotten worse. I didn't expect even the Moon Guards, who used to take pride in their status, to act like this!"
Andreas turned back to glance at the laughing Moon Guards, a strange, subtle smile playing on his lips.
"Let them be happy for a while. I just hope they can still laugh once they realize the true purpose of their so-called 'Divine Messenger'."