For a great house like the Moonsong family, which had thrived for a thousand years, completing a full clan relocation was destined to take more than just a couple of days.
The ever-dominant Queen Azshara offered no comment on the Moonsong family's subsequent actions; her silence set the tone for the Highborne society's attitude toward the matter.
Although Azshara's pride as the Queen of the Night Elf Empire prevented her from openly admitting her mistake, any discerning person could see that she harbored a certain amount of guilt over the family's tragedy. It was this guilt that allowed them to prepare for their departure unhindered.
Andreas had no intention of waiting for the Moonsongs to finish their preparations. Having completed his mission, he needed to rush back to the Resistance's frontline camp to put Malfurion's anxious mind at ease.
"So? How do you plan to leave Zin-Azshari? Surely you don't intend to travel on foot?"
Tyrande stood with her arms crossed, eyeing Andreas with a scrutinizing and distant gaze. Although this young Night Elf—who claimed to be a Druid—was her savior, Tyrande's perception of him was quite complicated.
Through their connection with Elune, both she and Andreas could sense a similar divine aura from one another, but that was precisely where the problem lay. The attributes of the divine power they wielded were polar opposites
. Tyrande inherited the most radiant side of Elune, and she felt an instinctive revulsion toward the thick Shadow aura emanating from Andreas.
Even within the Sisterhood of Elune, knowledge of the dark side of the moon had historically been restricted to the High Priestess and a few core members.
Although the young Tyrande had risen rapidly through the ranks thanks to High Priestess Dejahna's subtle promotion, she still lacked an understanding of many things—especially secret knowledge—compared to Maiev, who had received meticulous tutelage. This internal resistance caused her to remain somewhat lukewarm toward Andreas despite his role in her rescue.
As the saying goes, "it takes two to tango." As a transmigrator, Andreas wasn't particularly affected by the minor issue of attribute repulsion.
His unfavorable view of Tyrande stemmed purely from her personality and had nothing to do with external factors. Knowing the future developments of history, Andreas was well aware of Tyrande's temperament, her policy-making style, and the foolish mistakes she would eventually make.
While it might be biased to judge the young Tyrande based on events that hadn't happened yet, it was the "Chosen of the Moon" herself who had first looked down on him with a gaze of contempt, as if he were a pest.
Andreas was no Illidan; he wasn't a "simp" who could overlook every one of Tyrande's flaws.
Since he had no interest in sucking up to her, Andreas' attitude toward Tyrande remained strictly professional. This left Tyrande—who had been pursued by the Stormrage brothers and countless other male elves since childhood—feeling somewhat slighted.
"Priestess Whisperwind, please be patient." Andreas cast a flat glance at the displeased Tyrande. "Since I risked entering the palace to rescue you, do you think I would do so without considering an exit strategy?"
Before the eyes of Tyrande and Leticia—who was standing aside staring blankly at the sky—Andreas utilized his Druid magic to transform into a massive raptor. This bird of prey, covered in tawny feathers, was about two to three meters long with a wingspan of nearly eight meters, save for a ring of white feathers around its neck.
If another transmigrator had been present, they would have recognized it immediately. This strange creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion was a Gryphon. Andreas reckoned that Gryphons existed somewhere in ancient Kalimdor, though he had never seen one.
"Get on." The Gryphon turned its white-feathered head toward the astonished Tyrande and Leticia, speaking in a human tongue. "Queen Azshara is preparing to confront the Burning Legion. We can use this opportunity to slip out of the city."
Driven by hatred, Felice had temporarily cast aside her grief over losing her husband, pinning all her hopes on the obsession of destroying the Burning Legion. Andreas, being an outsider, felt too much self-reproach to criticize her decision.
At least she had a goal to look toward now, which was better than her previous state of total despair—even if that goal was incredibly difficult to achieve.
It would still take time for the Moonsong family to complete their relocation. The recovered Felice displayed her prowess as a noblewoman, quickly negotiating the withdrawal with several families with whom she shared good relations. When the time came, Highborne mages would cooperate to activate a teleportation array, sending the family members and their resources collectively to Black Rook Hold.
As the family heir, Leticia was to depart early with Andreas to serve as a vanguard for the family's settlement. Having lost the umbrella of Liander's protection, Leticia would now face harsh sunlight and a grueling environment. Felice intended for her to grow up quickly under Andreas' protection.
Leticia looked at the strange raptor with hesitation. As a noble girl with little experience of the world, she felt uneasy and worried about the unknown. Tyrande, however, mounted the Gryphon's back without a word, thoughtfully leaving space in front for Leticia.
Upon learning of the girl's ordeal, Tyrande felt deep sympathy for her. Had Leticia not resolved to follow Andreas in learning the way of the "Druid," Tyrande would have wanted to recruit the tragic noble girl into the Sisterhood of Elune.
"Leticia, come here. I will help you secure your seat so you won't fall from the sky."
"Uh... alright."
Felice stood in the distance, silently watching the Gryphon ascend. She pressed her hands together and prayed inwardly, Elune, please protect my daughter and let her grow quickly. Grant her the strength for revenge as soon as possible.
...
Thanks to Azshara's permission, Andreas encountered no resistance from the Moon Guards as he flew the two women out of the city. Conversely, the demons of the Burning Legion attempted to take to the skies several times to attack, but they were intercepted by the Moon Guard's flying cavalry riding Arcane Saber-Cats.
Boom!
Just as they left the city limits, a series of earth-shattering explosions erupted from the direction of the Well of Eternity. Protected by Tyrande, Leticia looked back to see soaring arcane radiance intertwined with fel-green flames, clashing violently without either side yielding.
"What's happening?"
Tyrande also glanced back, letting out a soft huff. "It seems Queen Azshara and Archimonde have had a disagreement and started fighting. Though the Queen has issues in many respects, once she promises something, she will definitely see it through."
Andreas added his explanation. "The Queen likely went to Archimonde to demand an explanation. With Archimonde's temperament, it would be a miracle if he agreed to hand over Tichondrius. The Defiler prefers to communicate through strength. Since the Queen is also a strong-willed person, the two are like a needle point against a wheat awn; a battle was inevitable."
"I see..." Leticia's expression was complicated. In truth, she didn't have a bad impression of Azshara; in fact, having been raised in the capital, she felt a fair amount of reverence for her. However, Azshara allowing the demons to run rampant in Zin-Azshari was an indisputable fact. Her permissive attitude had fueled the demons' arrogance and indirectly led to Liander's death.
"Don't think too much about it for now." Tyrande gently stroked Leticia's hair. "You grew up in Zin-Azshari, and your understanding of the outside world is still quite limited. Going to Black Rook Hold this time should show you many things you couldn't access before. The dead are gone; the living must learn to look forward and carry the hopes of their lost loved ones."
"Heh~" Andreas quipped playfully. "I didn't think Priestess Whisperwind was capable of saying something so sensible."
"Hmm?" Tyrande's brow furrowed, and she asked indignantly, "What is that supposed to mean? Do you know me well? Or are you just harbor a preconceived prejudice against me?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Andreas gave a flippant laugh, his dismissive tone causing Tyrande's blood pressure to spike.
Before Tyrande could lose her temper further, Andreas interrupted her to issue a reminder: "We've cleared the city successfully. Hold on tight, you two—I'm speeding up!"