' = Internal dialogue

¨= Normal speech

* = Sounds / Etc

-Chapter 71-

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-Medan PoV-

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As I kept committing insecticide, I felt like I was fighting an unending battle because the path I took through the wall they tore down to reach me… was only going downward, and being the curious being I am… I followed that path.

By now, I had probably killed several thousand just with my flame-like explosion that left green blood, and gore splattered all around the tunnel, leading downwards while maintaining a barrier around me.

Though I was not prepared to be suddenly assaulted from all sides by sharp steel-like extensions that seemingly came from nowhere, there was not even a slight vibration coming from the wall, no indication in the least, almost like they were waiting for my arrival.

Too bad for these creatures, I kept the passive barrier active at all times, leading to the fact their sharp blade-like appendage that came out from their foreheads melted off upon impact due to a last-second imbuement of fire into said barrier, leaving the creatures themselves to writhe from their positions in the walls, ceiling, and floor as the fire spread to their bodies without them being able to move before turning to ash after combusting violently in an eruption of white flames.

As I descended the narrow tunnel and reached a dead-end, the floor suddenly collapsed. I let myself descend further into what was now a several miles long and wide area with fresh tree roots and what looked like a beautiful marble structure with a pond of water in the middle, which was in the process of being corrupted by fel with the help of a few Crypt Fiends that were carrying odd containers that leaked green liquid into said pond.

As I was still mid-descent, I saw a 10-meter-tall beetle creature lunge directly at me from the side, coming from inside a crevice that barely fit the creature with its horn aimed at my midsection.

'These guys really don't learn, do they…' I thought with a wry smile as I gazed at their so-called trap, which was to attack me from all sides with what seemed to be some kind of weak attempt to overwhelm me.

In other words, it was quite a futile attempt, especially so after my recent boom in terms of pure power.

Even if their attacks hit me, they wouldn't even leave more than a scratch for more than a second or two at most; I could only smile as I met the sharp spear-like forehead of the Crypt Lord that was diving directly at me with my fist encased in a black-like layer of highly solidified earth.

*BOOOM*

My fist struck true as the sharp spike-like forehead weapon of the Crypt Lord shattered into a million pieces before its head and back exchanged places.

The undead beetle stopped dead in its tracks before swiftly losing whatever support it had around its neck, only for its carapace to shatter into a million pieces, making its solid head keep its trajectory clear backward due to my punch with no resistance.

A swarm-like attack now enveloped me before turning into a blinding light of fire almost instantly upon impacting my shield, which went its way back to the casters like a carpet bombing was taking place as they turned into green mush on the tunnel walls while shattered carapaces and gore was left in the destructive wake.

Suddenly, I felt a violent hum coming from underneath, seemingly coming from the Crypt Lord's corpse; it kept intensifying throughout the area until it suddenly stopped before a green light flashed up the entire underground where I stood alone, surrounded by corpses.

Then, pressure seemed to lift from the area I had no idea was even there. Still, I only felt the air change slightly due to the lessening of whatever was there moments ago.

'Could that have been the barrier deactivating?' I thought as my gaze checked out every corner of the area before realizing that the water was slowly turning into a murky green in the distance and had completely dried up.

'Something… is draining the magic from the area…' I thought as I saw the decline of the previous rich magic that practically oozed from the roots that hung from the walls, which were now visibly withering.

*RUMBLE*

The earth shook intensely briefly before a wall broke down in the distance behind the now-broken marble structure.

Water leaked into the soil, but to my surprise, no insects rushed through to greet me this time, only a narrow tunnel enhanced by a slight gray fog that swirled around unnaturally.

'This is in no way normal fog.' I thought with slight hesitation in my step as I made my way towards it.

'Something is going on here... and as usual, I have no way to know without jumping head-first into whatever awaits. Oh well.'

Without wasting more time, I made my way toward the fog and took one step into it, and before I knew it, I was in front of a shrine of some kind, surrounded by a lake where a lush green tree grew in the distance, the shrine was pretty basic, but the magic surrounding the structure was by no means simple, several draconic statues were standing above the shrine manacingly, each dragon seemed to have been a different color long ago, only remnants of said color remained.

The area I found myself in had small holes in the ceiling that seemed like a spider's web, allowing me to see into the night sky outside. 'Outside?' I thought with the hairs on the back of my neck standing up as I realized that this place was not normal by any means. I knew for a fact that I was deep underground moments ago.

I felt my arm tingle and felt a presence wash over me, and I could only make out the feeling of saying something along the lines of... 'Home.' I then turned my head toward a dead spot of mana and froze when I laid eyes upon the being there.

"You... do not belong here." The calm voice of the feminine figure wearing a lavish and revealing white dress said with certainty that it made me go into a defensive position. Everything around me suddenly exploded in size, as the shrine was now several times larger. As the fog cleared a bit more, only to reveal a figure standing and staring at me curiously.

She wore a moon-like symbol above her forehead that hummed with power. Her entire body was pale blue, much more so than the night elves I knew. And long white hair down to her knees.

Light blue eyes stared at me in curiosity as she took one slow step forward in the distance and appeared in front of me before I could even react.

"Hmmm. Ah, I have been expecting you…You are early..." She said as she studied with a kind smile, then her hand extended toward my face while keeping eye contact. Her smile now seemed amused for some reason.

Something told me that she was by no means an enemy. However, I should still be wary, as the being in front of me felt many times stronger than myself due to how the magic around her acted, and this entire place was still a mystery to me.

So I took a step back, which made the unknown night elf take back her hand while still having that amused smile and said, "Ah, I meant not to make you wary."

I stilled as I gazed into the being's eyes, which looked right back with clear white orbs radiating power while she maintained her smile as the fog now cleared entirely around us, revealing several more giant statues of different dragons that surrounded the lake in a circle with a white statue of an elf standing in the middle.

"Who are you?" I asked, slightly wary, because this was a wake-up call from my previous high regarding my own power that left me feeling close to invincible only a short time ago.

The being in front of me was something I had never felt before. Her whole being radiated power, almost to the point of blinding me when I truly focused on her, yet... something told me she was not really all here.

The deity-like night elf let out a giggle that was more like a melody than anything else, then responded, "You know my identity already blessed one. There is no need for fear in my domain." And pointed toward her forehead as the lake now lit up due to a moon that appeared as an illusion that seemed to fade above us. The moon was so close it felt like I could touch it if I reached for it.

"Elune…" I replied with a confirmative nod, now increasingly wary. Even if I knew the being in front of me was not inherently evil, I still felt the pressure she let off. However, that pressure soon disappeared when she noticed me taking several steps back.

"I apologize. It has been an eternity since I have been around anyone not around my own level of power." She said in a soothing tone and then pointed toward a table. Two beautiful blue and engraved chairs suddenly appeared near the lake.

"Care to have a seat with me?" She asked in a somewhat placating tone as she gestured for me to follow.

I nodded and slowly walked over as she walked by my side, and we both sat down when we reached a dark blue table made of unknown materials; two crystal goblets took shape, and a beautifully inscribed bottle appeared beside them. The bottle was also see-through, revealing the clear light blue liquid within.

"Where are we?" I asked as she turned her gaze toward one of the dragon statues in the distance, and after a minute of leaving the question unanswered, she replied, "You and I are where the blessings reside, where only the worthy may enter."

Which honestly did not answer my question in the slightest, which seemed to amuse her further, but as I was going to ask again, she continued, "You are beside the heart of the world tree, where I and the draconic aspects blessed my children for longevity and immortality." She said as she pointed her hand toward an area behind me.

As I turned around, I could see a crystalline core that hovered inside a layer of thick bark that opened itself up just to show me its location for a brief moment.

Elune continued, "We are also sitting before what you have on your arm has traces of being part of in the past long gone." The only thing Elune showed any inkling toward was the knowing smile that briefly crossed her face, only to turn back into the kind one she had before.

She was clearly not going to explain that one.

'I have never heard of this before… and what does she mean by that super-cryptic sentence?' I thought as my wariness dissipated, and I turned back to the moon goddess before me.

She waved her hand as the bottle tilted, and liquid seemed to find its way into the crystalline goblets while she stared into the distance with a calm smile.

I momentarily looked at the goblet before returning to the moon goddess before me. I then asked with a sigh, "Why am I here?" This brought the goddess's eyes back to mine.

She grasped the goblet elegantly and took a sip before gently putting it back on the table. And after another moment, she looked at me and replied with a gentle smile, "The world tree, I wish for your assistance in preventing its destined demise."

That made me rise to my feet instantly as I felt my anger boil; something had made me forget that we had only recently started our assault on the Burning Legion marching for Mount Hyjal.

She only waved her hand, and I was forced into the chair again.

Then she explained in a soothing tone, "You have no reason for anger. Time is non-existent here. As for your mind… I apologize for not mentioning this before our conversation truly began." Then she lifted both her hands and held her palm upward as blue orbs lit up above her hands as she continued, "This shrine of mine calms the mind, soothes the soul, and unfortunately results in thy losing the sense of urgency."

This made sense, but my instinctive wariness of a being like her remained, no matter how soothing this area was supposed to be. As she explained herself, my shoulders lost tension, and I forced myself to take a sip of whatever she was serving.

'Cold!' was my reaction once I tasted the wine, and I almost winced due to the chill that went through my entire body. Elune saw my response and kept studying me with a slightly amused smile.

I then turned back to the goddess and realized she was waiting for me to finish the goblet as she looked back and forth between it and me.

I obliged, and we both sat in silence as we drank the wine while studying the lake, which now had blue-illuminated fish swimming lazily around in the depths as the moon above glowed radiantly in the illuminated ceiling, which I could only guess was due to her magic.

This left a stunning scenery, and Elune turned out to be correct. It was indeed very soothing, but in the end, this only lasted for several more minutes before she interrupted the atmosphere by saying, "Of course, I did not expect you to not fulfill my request without reward."

Then her hand lit up once more as the orb she had above her palm expanded slightly, then started shaping itself into a giant blue seedling, "You will be rewarded with this seed of the very world tree around us upon a time of need and responsibility that will come with it, which is not without its benefits. "

"I will also assist in healing thou friend who has been cursed by the Corrupt Titan."

"That… sounds like a good deal… but what does the seed even do? What surprise? And are you sure we can't heal him on our own?" I replied questioningly. She clearly knew something I did not.

Elune just closed her hands and kept up her smile, and then she replied, "Your people will get a major blessing of mine as long as the seed is placed within the heart of your home.

Her smile waned as she looked thoughtful for a moment before she continued, "And thy friend's sickness cannot be cured by anyone above the level of a being of old that can create, as its sickness is not as much a sickness as it is a mutation of being, as we speak, the curse is eroding and overwriting your friend's entire being, there is not much time left before your friend crosses the point of no return."

"The sickness is fueled by magic most foul, but that is not what ails your friend the most."

She then pondered on how to further explain for a moment before she continued, "Your friend is a very... odd human. Traces of Vrukyl are in his blood; one of his ancestors must have been cursed by a deity of significant power as all mana rejects his touch; thus, fel magic cannot fester upon nor twist it to its goal. Instead, his soul will be consumed by the imbalance brought by the change, then destroy him from within."

"How do you know all this?" I asked.

This question made her look at me like I was stupid for a moment before her smile returned, and she replied, "Your friend is bonded to one of my daughters."

'Of course…' I thought, indeed feeling quite stupid.

Then, after a few more minutes of silence, while taking a sip of the wine every now and then, she asked, "Is this a fair reward for thy assistance in saving the world tree from its supposed demise?"

I nodded, and then she rose, and the entire area around us seemed to shift. Then, all of a sudden, we were high up in the air on a gigantic branch of sorts; Elune walked over toward the edge while I followed, then gazed down, and for the first time, I saw a glint of anger in her eye before it disappeared just as quickly.

"Oh, such violence, oh how I wish it would be gone from this plane…" She said as she studied the area below. I followed her gaze and realized we were atop the world tree and far above the clouds. Her gaze seemed to penetrate a specific area where she could see something I could not, and with a hint of anger in her eyes, too, which was quite surprising to see from the deity of the moon.

She then looked toward another area where dark clouds had gathered.

Elune then turned to me and regained her gentle demeanor, "This is farewell for now, guardian of our dear young world-soul. I will fulfill my part of our deal next full moon, but first…" She said, then walked closer to me, leaned over, and kissed me on the forehead before stepping backward with a gentle smile as she started levitating toward the sky. Within a brief moment, I caught a semblance close to sadness in her eyes as she turned her gaze from mine and directly upward.

—

{Passive}

[Blessing of Elune]

Description: You have been blessed by the Goddess of the Moon, Elune, and as a result, you have received [Blessing of Elune]

-Movement speed during the night increased by 50%

-Touch of Elune: Hidden attribute: {Haste Unlocked}: You gain 10% Haste during night-time and a 10% Increase in damage during day-time.

-[+]Children of Elune or those blessed with a similar blessing will know your status and treat you respectfully.

[Note: This does not affect those who have deemed you a true enemy.] [Press + to activate and - to deactivate this effect.]

—

I was still staring up at where Elune had disappeared as my notifications had bombarded me momentarily, leaving me to stand on top of the world tree wide-eyed when I looked at the blessing.

After reading the entire thing, I was genuinely thankful for what the goddess of the moon had given me and the fact that she could help with Belmont's alarming issue. The seed, however….

I had no idea how that would impact the city. Still, it was a welcome addition, and whatever a goddess like Elune would give… probably has a deeper meaning. Regardless, I was thankful. I would do my best to save the world tree, even if I never planned to do otherwise.

My meeting with Elune considered… the implications of the conversation were downright horrifying, just the fact she knew that the tree initially wouldn't survive the upcoming fight between Archimonde and the night elves and its other defenders.

As I stared down from the tree, I kept my gaze at the dark cloud slowly disappearing from view as whatever supplied it with magic stopped doing so.

When I focused for a moment on the link between Jaina and me, I sensed that she was in one of the pathways underneath where the dark cloud had been only moments ago, but the link told me something more.

The simmering anger coursing through it surprised me.

'Something must have happened…' I thought as I sat down with a pondering expression.

-[Jaina PoV]-

I felt lost as we finally made our way inside the barrier, which turned out to be a greenish-blue meadow of sorts. The elves and orcs now split and walked their separate ways momentarily. I realized that things were not as peaceful as they seemed.

I was brought out of my musing as I felt a large hand on my shoulder. Thrall stood there with a complicated gaze as he looked toward the elves and back toward his own people before he sighed.

Hellscream was nowhere to be seen as he had walked away from us when we entered the barrier. However, the elf, who I assumed to be the scout from earlier, was waiting at Thrall's side while another elf whispered into her ear as she nodded before walking off to the side.

As Thrall pulled back his hand from what I assume was his way of showing his sympathy over my mentor's conversion into an undead, I was bristling inside over the fact that they had dared to desecrate all my mentor taught, by turning him into one or, if not the things he despised the most, Lichdom.

And it did not help that one male elf had started to make his way toward us with a face filled to the brim with disdain.

His entire demeanor screamed: I am better than you; even as he opened his mouth, I realized the need to clamp down on my growing anger toward the undead and the Burning Legion before I ended up turning this entire camp into a frozen landscape of icy death.

"Orders from the Warden state that you are to follow me to Watcher's headquarters." The elf said as he looked toward Thrall, then toward me, and snorted before turning around and expecting us to follow after his statement.

To my surprise, Thrall actually walked after the elf for a moment before seemingly realizing I was standing still and was not intending to follow the condescending elf, "Jaina, we should see what they want in case it is of importance, even if the elves have been less than courteous to my kind thus far. I believe we should respect them in their own lands." Thrall explained in a whisper with a complicated expression on his face.

'When did this orc, seemingly carrying his entire race on his back, simply adhere to a simple lackey? ...Medan is corrupting me...' I thought, with a blank expression, I did however, not recognize the orc before me. The last time I had seen him, he had been the one to give orders; why did it seem so unnatural for this orc to simply take them without question?

'Letting an unknown elf and… the Wardens order us around? Who in the blazes were they even?

Why should I follow a random elf in the first place?' I sighed as my previous anger was slowly replaced by annoyance.

"You are to come with us at once, or we will make you human!" The elf, seemingly ignoring Thrall's whispers while not managing to read the atmosphere in the slightest, shouted when he realized I was not stepping in behind Thrall.

Two guards armed with circular glaives approached from the side; the two were fully decked out in plate armor, green cloaks, and a helmet that hid their faces but showed clear blue light coming from their eyes.

'So those are the ones who I felt have been watching me since I arrived...' I thought as I put the pieces of the puzzle together.

'I have been a target for a while now, haven't I... These elves are up to no good...'

As the guards went into a combat stance, the elf smirked as if he was hoping for the conflict to happen.

It was abundantly clear that whoever had managed to make this situation come to be had absolutely no idea who they were messing with.

Just before it could escalate into a bloodbath, the elf scout from earlier intervened as she stood between us and the guards, "By the order of the High Priestess, you are to stand down.

The Warden has no authority over the temporary coalition of forces during the war!"

This made the guards tense up but not back down. The previously smirking elf waved his hand and looked the so-called scout in the eye with venom before turning around with the two guards following close behind.

The intervening elf sighed in relief as she gazed toward Thrall, then toward me, and smiled weakly, "I am sorry on behalf of my kind. The Warden and some of our people are not as kind toward the other mortal races." She explained as she gazed toward the withdrawing forces of the Wardens.

Then she turned toward me again and said, "My name is Shandris Feathermoon. I am the captain of an elite unit of sentinels directly under Lady Tyrande Whisperwind. I wish to relay an invite you both to attend the war council within an hour."

Then she briefly explained the reason for the upcoming meeting: "The barrier will not hold out more than a few hours at most, and we need to find a way to keep the demons out until the next barrier can be put up. Please attend for all our sakes."

Then, without missing a beat, she added hurriedly, "This is not a demand but a request." Clearly, Shandris knew that right now was not the best time to push any buttons as she undoubtedly had heard Thrall and seen my reaction while concluding that something was amiss and that she should step carefully. 'I like that one.' I thought while maintaining a wry smile as I nodded to her while she was retreating toward a tent where her squad seemingly sat and relaxed.

Thrall nodded with a smile, seemingly relieved but slightly bewildered by the recent event.

The sudden sounds of projectiles hitting the barrier sounded out with a dull thud. This made a few heads turn toward the barrier, only to see four skeletal dragons attempting to breach it using pure force.

But it was not to be as their bones simply broke apart, and the mindless drones fell toward the barrier and tumbled down the side until they fell to the ground outside with an audible crash.

After that incident, I decided to go toward the direction of where the war council meeting would take place as I felt something above me.

I couldn't help but smile when I sensed something on top of the world tree, seemingly hidden in a blue haze.

'How did he go from far underground to the top of the world tree in moments?' I thought incredulously while a soft smile braced my face for the first time since our arrival.

-[Medan PoV]-

After realizing that whatever was going on down at the meadow had passed, Jaina's link had calmed down, and I breathed a sigh of relief, without knowing she had managed to start making the top of the world tree freezingly cold as if I did not warm up the area with my flames then it would hail violently down where all the different forces rested, no, not the typical kind of hail, but the very sharp kind.

I had been sitting here for a few minutes just observing while calming the forming clouds as I still attempted to get used to the changes. It all felt much more accessible than before as if something that had held me previously shackled turned weaker.

This whole region around the world tree reminded me of where Xavius had pulled me into, and that is when it clicked.

'That shrine… was the same as the one I encountered underground.

Did Elune fabricate this whole scenario?' I thought with surprise and dread, quickly becoming frustrated and angry at the notion.

'I need to get stronger…' I clenched my fists, which made the air around me turn heavy as it shifted in response to my frustration briefly before I unclenched my fist and sighed, then leaned backward in a seated position with my arms supporting me on the side, as my legs dangling on the edge of the world tree's branch.

Even with the recent power-up, I was yet again brutally reminded that there are forces at work in this world that I am still very powerless to confront as I currently am.

Effectively bringing my previous self-confidence down to a healthy level from the towering high it was on only minutes ago before meeting Elune.

'Will it ever be enough? Will I ever get the power to not be controlled by these god-like entities at every whim?' I thought with self-mockery before I felt a tug on my link with Jaina as a smile blossomed on my face for the first time upon arriving here.

'… Somewhat I feel that we will manage…' I thought as I concentrated on the link between us.

-Chapter 71 End-