So I ended up playing WoW from last summer till February 2017, and ever since I finished all the main story and Legion stuff, that I wanted to write something regarding Illidan. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading as much as I am enjoying writing it.
Special thanks to StylishKiller for being my beta reader and correcting my dumb mistakes. :'D
Cover picture made by the amazing Astri-Lohne on deviantArt
Italic - Flashbacks or thoughts
Chapter 1
It was another dark day on Fel Hammer. Hell, all days were, people couldn't even distinguish if it was day or night, they would just rest whenever they had the time, just to be up and running to war soon afterwards.
Sitting at the edge of the upper floor, was Feylenne Starflare, staring at the new Demon Hunters who had just arrived to the Order Hall for the first time. With the fall of Gul'dan, Illidan's Illidari were now preparing to overrun the Tomb of Sargeras, so newcomers were now more welcome than ever.
Feylenne had joined Illidan a long time ago, soon after he left the Burning Legion. While she was a Holy Paladin, there wasn't a day that would pass without her hearing people badmouthing him and his ways, not even paying him the minimum of consideration for trying to bring down the Burning Legion from the inside, even putting his own life at risk. They only cared of their own well being, of being safe, but at what cost? They wouldn't care.
That kind of society, that kind of hypocrisy: Feylenne was tired of it.
That was when she decided to go look for him and his kind – his demon hunters. She had decided to put behind a life of recognition for her healing mastery, to follow a new path.
She was tired of simply healing others in need, while there was a bigger fight to be fought. Her kin, all of Azeroth, were in danger; if others wouldn't see the truth and help the ones that were fighting this war, then she would.
However, on her ritual of becoming a demon hunter, something peculiar happened: the demonic essence entered her body, just like any other person who had joined Illidan's forces, but unlike them, while their past powers disappeared right away, hers didn't.
Feylenne's healing powers were still present, even as a fully-pledged Demon Hunter, using glaives to rip her enemies apart instead of using her Holy Paladin weapon, she could still heal her colleagues in battle, and this matter didn't go unnoticed by her master.
The sounds of steel clashing echoed through the canyon, screams travelling across the area of both humanoids and fel creatures. Illidan's army was contesting an area newly controlled by the Burning Legion; this was Feylenne's first mission as a newborn demon hunter as well.
Her demon blood burned her from within, as she screamed at her enemies, raging at them with her glaives. Having to fight blindfolded was a new feeling for her, but her demon senses were now there to guide her through the war field.
As she jumped into the air, slicing a fel gargoyle's head, she heard someone from her teammates screaming in pain. Landing, she looked around quickly, trying to determine from where the scream came from. Someone could be needing help.
Then, she heard a growly laugh. "You can scream demon elf you." Clenching her teeth, she dashed towards the sound, her demon wings spreading across. "We're outnumbering you, you Illidari fall today ahahah..."
"Zalaeth!" Feylenne screamed, jumping to hit the demon, however a shadowy figure arrived first, bringing the demon to the floor with it, rolling across the floor. Feylenne noticed that other demon hunter was fighting with it, so Feylenne rushed to Zalaeth's side.
"Leave me be, go fight!" Zalaeth groanned at the touch of the blood elf, as Feylenne analyzed his wounds. "I'm just a number; we need to get hold of the canyon!"
"Shut your mouth..." Feylenne whispered a chant, as her fingertips shone of green light, just like the demon marks on her body.
The night elf's flesh started rejuvenating until the wound completely closed. He stood up, grabbing his glaives from the floor. "But...how? You're a demon hunter now."
"I... just don't know." Zalaeth replied, insecurity lingering in her tone. She was saying the truth. She had no idea how she could maintain her healing magicks now that she had given herself to the demon inside her.
Both of them separated to go back to fighting the demons, but there, flying still atop of them, stood Illidan, who had felt the presence of a magic different from fel energy, and so grabbed his attention.
"Feylenne." A dreadlord approached her, snapping her back to the present time. "Lord Illidan summons you."
"...Yes." The blood elf stood up, making her way to her lord's chambers, escorted by the messenger.
As she entered the chambers, the dreadlord moved away with a bow, closing the doors. The place looked the same, like all times she had been there: dark, cold, with green light invading from the big holes on the walls, the closest thing to an actual window.
Leaving her glaives on top of the rock, Feylenne moved towards a big rock that mostly looked like an altar. "You called for me, Lord Illidan?" She kneeled.
"Yes." He motioned towards her to get up, and so she did. "And I believe I don't need to explain myself, as you've been here many times before, and you will be many times to come."
She allowed herself to give him a small smile. "If that is your command." However, her body language didn't look happy at all, quite the contrary; she looked insecure, even down in spirits. She was never a happy-go-lucky person, hell, no one in the Illidari was. After all, they were fighting a war no one else wanted to fight. They were to even sacrifice themselves if needed, to save Azeroth. But, somehow, she was different than her usual self.
Illidan shifted on the rock, as she made her way up the tiny steps, towards the big rock in which he was sitting. Now closer to him, she could easily see her work for that night: Illidan's back was full of cuts, most of them deep with blood already dry, that had run down the skin.
"My lord, if you allow me to ask, just what did you fight this time?" Her hands hovered through the cuts, never touching his skin. "After what happened at the Nighthold, we've been laying low to get ready for the big war... but you..."
"Just because Gul'dan fell, that doesn't mean Sargeras will stop sending Burning Legion minions to Azeroth and wait for our arrival." He replied.
"I know that very well, but why must you go alone? Aren't we your Illidari? We're here to help you fight, nothing more, nothing less." She started chanting, her hands glowing.
"Indeed, more the reason for you to stay here and train for when we fight Sargeras, I can't run the risk of losing numbers now of all times." He let out a strong grunt as he felt his skin react to the other elf's powers.
Feylenne moved her hands as if drawing a sigil. "I know Lord Illidan, but nothing would please us more than help you."
"You're already helping enough." He grunted once more.
Her hands shifted, listening to those words. She just kept healing him in silence, thinking about what he said. Did he think she wasn't made to go to war with the other ones because of her healing capabilities? Or was he satisfied with simply having her there? Either way, she didn't want to be captive and let others do her fighting for her. That was not the path she had decided to follow.
"What is wrong with you, Feylenne?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked towards his face. "My lord?"
Illidan looked her straight in the eyes. "Your shoulders are low, your hand movements aren't as precise and secure as before." Her healing stopped right away, as he managed to look right through her like water.
"I..." She looked at her hands. "I've been thinking… about my ritual of initiation."
"What about it?" He sat back, supporting his head with his fist.
Feylenne looked at the night elf. "Just... why, Lord Illidan? Why was I able to maintain my powers from before when I said goodbye to that life, and my brothers and sisters weren't?"
He stood there in silence for a few seconds, before sighing. "Is that what's been bothering your mind?"
"Yes... I've heard many whispers and noticed looks. I can feel the jealousy in the air when I approach, however it could be the demon within-"
"Jealousy is in all of us, not just demons." Illidan cut her words sharply, a frown showing in his face as the image of his brother Malfurion and his wife Tyrande showed in his mind.
Feylenne noticed this, and lowered her head. "A memory of The Priestess, I'm sorry Lord Illidan."
The demon hunter slammed his fist on the rock. "I gave you clear orders to not mention her or her name to me!"
The sudden change in his tone immediately made the blood elf kneel. "Forgive me Lord Illidan!"
"Get out! You've worked enough, it seems like you need to clean your mind to remember your true call!" Illidan exclaimed as he stood up, leaving to an off-limit area behind the rock hall, to which she could not see anything, as it was covered in many fabrics of different kinds and magic.
"As you wish, my lord." Feylenne whispered, turning around to leave, grabbing her glaives as the doors opened. "My true call..."