Unlike Arcane and other types of magic, the competition involving mental Shadow Magic is not visible to the naked eye; the invisible struggle of the soul is harder to discern than a head-on clash of physical spells.
Andreas shook his head with a slight laugh, "So that's what you were asking. Celeste, is this child a battle fanatic?"
Celeste smiled and denied it, "No, not really~ According to Aurora, she just tends to be overly stubborn and nitpicky, and this isn't limited to the field of spell combat."
As the principal overseeing the affairs of Nalath Academy, Celeste had an impression of all the potential geniuses specially marked by the teachers, and Niana was one of them.
Niyana Starscar's family was not distinguished, but they could be considered a scholarly family; they had relatives serving as grassroots officials in the Republic Government.
Her personality was rather rash and needed correction, but she was born with extremely strong affinity for Shadow Energy and was noticed early on by the Church of the Dark Moon Shadow, with the High Priest of the Astranaar Diocese personally visiting to preach and recruit her.
Although Shadow Energy is highly corrosive and aggressive, under Andreas' guidance, the Church of the Dark Moon Shadow did not adopt an aggressive stance, instead using very gentle methods to subtly expand its influence.
Several millennia later, the people of the Night Elf Republic had long become accustomed to the coexistence of Light and Shadow within the Elune faith, and they would choose the church they wished to follow based on their own preferences and family traditions.
The Starscar Family had always been followers of Elune's Light Doctrine, and Niana, due to her innate Shadow affinity, felt somewhat out of place within the Starscar Family.
Due to being mocked and ostracized by her peers since childhood, Niana developed an independent and self-reliant personality early on.
Disregarding her family's advice, she resolutely accepted the recruitment offer from the Shadow of the Dark Moon District High Priest and, under that High Priest's recommendation, joined the newly established Nalath Academy for advanced studies.
As the denomination directly subordinate to Andreas, the Shadow of the Dark Moon naturally expressed support for the comprehensive magic academy newly established by His Excellency the Speaker.
A portion of the training for junior priests by the Shadow of the Night was transferred to the academy. Currently, the teachers for courses related to Shadow Magic at Nalath Academy come from the Church of the Shadow of the Night.
Just as the name of the academy suggests, Nalath Academy does not simply teach spell combat experience; rather, it focuses more on guiding students to think independently about how to apply the spells they learn to daily life and promote further social development.
Simply put, it is an educational approach that combines theory and practice.
Niana was one such student who frequently came up with various bold ideas. While most of the numerous papers she submitted were proven to be mere impractical flights of fancy, a few still contained significant inspirational value.
For example, her analysis and understanding of the two forces: Light and Shadow.
Celeste could no longer recall the detailed description of the paper, but she still remembered the viewpoints and conjectures within the text.
Simply put, Niana viewed Light and Shadow as two sides of the same mirror.
Neither energy was superior or inferior; while opposing each other, they also maintained a certain degree of symbiotic relationship.
Niana even made the bold conjecture that, provided certain special conditions were met, Light and Shadow should be able to seamlessly convert into one another.
Andreas had also read this paper once, but the signature section was blacked out at the time, so he did not know that the competitive young person before him was the one who proposed this novel viewpoint.
As a Transmigrator, Andreas naturally knew this viewpoint was correct; creatures like the Naaru, which embody the symbiosis of Light and Shadow, were irrefutable proof.
After exhausting the Light Energy within them, Naaru decay from pure Holy Light Creatures into Blighted Entities saturated with Shadow Energy.
However, this decay is not entirely unidirectional. As long as a Blighted Entity receives sufficient infusion of Light Energy, they can be resurrected as a brilliant Holy Light Construct.
Kara the Naaru in Version 6.0 is the evidence. After receiving the self-sacrificial Light infusion from Velen of a parallel world, this Dark Star was reborn, leading the Draenei to repel the Iron Horde's attack on Karabor Temple.
"Oh? So this child is the one who originally submitted that paper?"
After hearing Celeste's explanation, Andreas looked at Niana before him with great interest.
Having been married to Andreas for a long time, Celeste could tell at a glance that her husband was moved by a desire to nurture talent.
"What do you think? Should you take her on and mentor her carefully? It's been a long time since you personally mentored a junior, ever since Leticia grew up, hasn't it?"
"Hmm... but considering my status, is that appropriate? I feel like it might bring unnecessary trouble to the child."
Niana heard their cryptic conversation and tilted her head, asking blankly, "Um, what are you two talking about?"
Celeste was only responsible for offering advice; whether to accept it depended on Andreas' own decision.
After pondering for a moment with his head lowered, Andreas finally made up his mind.
"Niyana Starscar."
"Here!"
The previously unremarkable Old Fogey suddenly adopted an air of authority. Niana instinctively closed her long legs, straightened her body, and answered loudly.
"I can accept you as my second apprentice, but if our relationship is leaked externally, it will inevitably bring considerable impact to your normal life. Can you accept this cost?"
Niana felt a mix of shame and annoyance for having been momentarily intimidated by the Old Fogey's imposing manner. She raised her head and challenged him, "I haven't seen your true capabilities yet. My mentor can be obscure, but they must at least possess genuine talent and learning."
"Heh~"
Andreas was not angered by Niana's defiance. Just as he had told Celeste in their private conversation earlier, he disliked children who only knew how to be obsequious; such overly cautious personalities struggled to nurture sufficient creativity and spiritual insight.
"Very well, I shall let you witness the essence of Mental System Shadow Magic."
The golden-rimmed black pupils of Andreas' eyes suddenly turned deep violet. Attracted by these magnificent amethyst-like eyes, Niana's gaze became increasingly hazy, and she quickly slumped toward the ground.
Celeste quickly stepped forward to support her, placing Niana's limp body onto the sofa in the Principal's office... "Where is this..."
When Niana regained consciousness, what lay before her was a desolate battlefield strewn with countless corpses and architectural debris.
Fel Energy stained the entire land a spectral green. Scattered green orbs of light trailed long tails as they fell from the distant sky. The heavy smell of sulfur mixed with the stench of corpses rushed into her nostrils.
"Ugh~"
After all, she was a sheltered child who had never been on a battlefield. Niana, smelling the strange odor, couldn't help but clutch her chest, squat down, and dry heave.
"Environmental adaptability needs improvement."
A familiar voice came from one side. The Old Fogey, still wearing a common cotton magic robe, appeared beside Niana.
The previously unremarkable Old Fogey now exuded a sharp, intimidating presence. Holding his staff, he no longer displayed his former cheerful and approachable demeanor, looking at her with eyes that sparkled with divine light.
"Lift your head, observe this battlefield, and tell me your observations within one minute."
Niana rubbed her temples. Her memory seemed to have a gap; she temporarily couldn't recall what she had just experienced or why she had appeared on this horrific, unfamiliar battlefield.
After looking around at the surrounding scene, Niana's face gradually revealed a look of shock.
"This is my home... an illusion?"
"Clap clap~"
Andreas' serious face broke into an approving smile. "Not bad. Although your adaptability to the environment is poor, your reaction speed and alertness are decent."
"This is an illusion I constructed, a scene virtualized based on the memories in your mind."
The method for constructing this illusion was referenced from C'Thun. Previously, during the battle with the Old Gods, Andreas witnessed the entire process of C'Thun building its illusion from the perspective of an observer.
C'Thun's method of illusion construction gave him some inspiration. After the war ended and he returned home, he researched it for a period and successfully recreated and improved this blend of reality and void in his own way.
The 'void' aspect is because all events developing within the illusion are false, running according to the caster's weaving.
The 'reality' aspect is because these scenes and characters are constructed using the subject's surface memories, and the combination of void and reality makes it easy for people to confuse the real and the illusory.
The illusion Andreas used on Niana was not at full power; he deliberately left many flaws for her.
However, the fact that Niana realized she was in an illusion so quickly made Andreas increasingly satisfied with her performance.
"My memories?"
Niana's expression darkened slightly. "You can peek into my memories?"
This familiar conversation made Andreas momentarily dazed. The formerly naive Little Druid had unknowingly grown to a point where the younger generation looked up to him.
"Heh heh~"
Smiling thoughtfully, Andreas waved his hand and explained, "No need to panic. I cannot read your memories. These scenes are constructed based on non-core memories that subconsciously spilled onto the surface."
"The fact that this scene subconsciously appeared in your mind under my mental guidance shows that you value your home and family greatly... Look down."
Andreas stretched out his hand and pointed at Niana's feet. Niana, realizing something, tensed up completely and slowly lowered her head, her body trembling slightly.
A female corpse, eyes wide open in death, lay right at her feet, still staring at her. Her gaze contained lingering affection for Niana and reluctance to leave the world of the living.
"No..."
Although Niana knew everything she saw in the illusion was fake, she couldn't help but cover her eyes with her hands. She didn't want to see any more corpses of her loved ones around her.
"Why create such a cruel illusion?"
"Cruel?"
Andreas shook his head and said, "This isn't cruelty; it's just a deduction of one possible future outcome."
"Lift your head and look at the sky."
Following Andreas' finger, Niana saw green meteors falling from the horizon.
"Those are Infernals, the Burning Legion's standard siege weapons, and a type of Fel Energy construct."
"If we suffer an invasion by the Burning Legion in the future, these constructs will likely be the first wave to attack Azeroth."
Niana raised her head high, afraid to look down at her feet. Watching the countless green meteors fall to the ground, she unconsciously swallowed.
"Why are you making me look at this?"
Andreas smiled slightly. "On one hand, it's to show you how realistic illusions constructed by Shadow Magic mental spells can be. On the other hand, it's to show you one of countless possible futures."
"If we fail to resist the Burning Legion's attack, the scene before your eyes will eventually become reality."
"Illusion..."
Niana took a deep breath, barely suppressing the urge to gag, and intensely registered the surrounding sensory stimuli: scent, temperature, wind direction, and light.
"It's too real. Shadow Magic can actually create such lifelike illusions?"
Andreas twitched his mouth and chuckled derisively. "What do you mean 'real'? I deliberately diluted a lot of the mental fog so you could realize you were in an illusion. Otherwise, you'd definitely still be weeping while clutching the corpses of your family."
Just then, an Infernal stepped forward toward Niana, raising its stone left fist, which was burning with Fel Flames, and striking toward her.
Niana's face turned pale. All the spells she had learned at the academy seemed to have been completely forgotten in the face of this sudden situation; her mind was blank.
"Snap~" Andreas happened to snap his fingers right then. "I won't torment you anymore. Let's go back."
With the snap of the fingers, Niana, who was sleeping on the sofa in reality, immediately jumped up, her eyes wide.
She fearfully touched her left arm and smelled the faint, elegant incense in the Headmaster's office, finally relaxing her tense body.
Although Celeste didn't know what the two had experienced in the illusion, seeing Niana's rattled state, she knew it hadn't been a pleasant experience.
Celeste curled her lips into her signature mischievous, dark smile. "How was it? Is your Old Fogey qualified as a mentor?"
"Mhm mhm!"
Still shaken, Niana hurriedly nodded. Before leaving the dream, the Infernal's heavy punch had landed on her left arm, and the incredibly real pain gave her a deeper understanding of this lifelike illusion.
Being able to construct such a realistic illusion, which was reportedly a scaled-down version, Niana had a firsthand appreciation of Andreas' power.
"...Old Fogey, who exactly are you?"
Niana's moon-white eyes looked at Andreas with confusion. "Even High Priestess Annabelle couldn't achieve this kind of ability, and there shouldn't be any men in the Church of the Dark Moon Shadow, right?"
"Pfft..."
Celeste covered her mouth and laughed. "That's right, there are indeed no men 'inside' the Church of the Dark Moon Shadow."
'But above this church, that might not be the case.'
Andreas gave Celeste an annoyed glance. "Who I am, you will know sooner or later."
"Since you've decided to follow me and study, there are some things I need to make clear beforehand."
"For a period in the future, I might become busy, and the time I spend personally teaching you won't be much."
"During this time, you should continue to stay at the academy and fill up your knowledge reserves. I will take time out to come to the academy to guide your progress."
"Once you officially graduate from Nalath Academy, you can follow me permanently to study. Don't complain about being tired then. Take advantage of these last few years to thoroughly enjoy your leisurely academy life."
...At the Astranaar Moonshadow Family Manor, a large group of people, including Fandral and Vastann who had come to mooch a meal, were gathered around the huge dining table, fighting over the food.
Everyone's forks were practically moving fast enough to leave afterimages, clashing like swords and shadows above the dishes and bowls.
Shandris slowly chewed and swallowed the braised pork she had just snatched before leisurely asking, "After so many years, are you planning to take on an apprentice again?"
Andreas also won his fork duel against Fandral, smugly picking up the perfectly colored, fragrant, and flavorful ultra-thin twice-cooked pork from the platter.
"Yes, talent is rare. I plan to properly train that child named Niana after a while."
"After a while?"
Aurora, who failed to snatch any food, bit her fork dejectedly and looked at Andreas, asking confusedly, "Dad, do you have something you need to be busy with recently?"
"Something like that."
Sighing softly, Andreas put down his bowl and cutlery and said meaningfully, "The high-ranking officials of The Republic probably won't be very peaceful lately. You all should prepare yourselves mentally."
Fandral: "...I have a bad feeling. What trouble are you stirring up now?"
"Bang!"
In the Government Affairs Hall of the Great Moon Temple, Tyrande slammed her palm heavily on the table, the loud sound causing Maiev's eyebrow to twitch slightly.
The High Priestess stared at Andreas with a fake smile and asked, "...Speaker, I think my hearing is failing. Could you repeat the proposal you just made?"
Andreas' expression remained unchanged, still calm, as he said, "Of course. I propose extending the rotation mechanism to the high-level officials of the Night Elf Republic."
"Including members of the High Council, as long as a successor can prove their sufficient capability and obtain enough votes of support from the original Council, they can take their place."
Such a major decision could not be made by Andreas alone. Fandral, who had received the news in advance, woke Malfurion from the Emerald Dream overnight. Military leaders, including Jarod and Shandris, were also present in the Government Affairs Hall to observe.
As the only one who could restrain the short-tempered Tyrande, Malfurion stood up and patted the High Priestess on the shoulder.
"Tyrande, calm down."
"Since Andreas has put forward this proposal, he must be prepared. Let's continue to listen."
"Hoo..."
Under her boyfriend's soothing, Tyrande barely controlled her emotions. "Alright, I'd like to see what good explanation you have."
Andreas shrugged and said, "Actually, there's not much deep to explain. What is the purpose of us introducing the rotation mechanism in the middle and lower ranks?"
Maiev didn't have much emotional reaction to Andreas' proposal. She leisurely took over the conversation, saying, "To maintain the vitality and fluidity of the management, and to prevent the growth of pathogens that corrode the great tree from a stagnant pool."
"Exactly."
Andreas surveyed the high-ranking officials of the Night Elf Republic present. "My current proposal is merely to expand the scope of this law, extending the rotation to ministerial-level high officials and the Council."
Malfurion sighed and said, "Andreas, I'm afraid it's not that easy."
"Admittedly, the starting point of your proposal is good, but we need to consider a very realistic problem."
"With the current talent reserve of the Night Elf Republic, who can replace us and ensure that their directives are carried out without fail from top to bottom?"
Malfurion's question hit the crucial point, and Maiev nodded in agreement, adding, "If the authority of the successors cannot be guaranteed, the country might fall into chaos due to a sudden change in power."
Andreas smiled and said, "That's why I established Nalath Academy, to train excellent reserve talents."
"The first batch of students is about to enter graduation season. Do you all want these excellent and driven young people to gradually learn to drift with the current under the corrosion of stagnant water?"
"I don't demand immediate implementation of rotation; that's clearly unrealistic. In the foreseeable future, for hundreds or even thousands of years, it's unlikely that anyone with the qualifications and prestige to replace us will appear."
"But such a promotion channel is necessary. Our race is already somewhat lethargic due to eternal life. If we don't inject new vitality into society, I'm worried that more people will visit the Psychological Counseling Center each year."
Jarod, with his flawed personality, was the first to raise his hand in agreement. "I have no objection. If a junior has enough ability to replace me, I am willing to offer up the position of Military Chief."
"Oh?"
Maiev squinted at her younger brother and sneered, "Are you sure you're not just trying to be lazy? It seems I'll have to ask Sarahill to keep a closer eye on you."
"Sister, spare me..."
Malfurion was not a person who liked to contend for power and profit. Counting the many matters of the Cenarion Circle and the Emerald Dream, his burden was already heavy enough.
In recent years, Fandral had acted as his agent in political affairs. The Archdruid quickly smiled gently and said, "I have no objection either, but the prerequisite is that there must be suitable candidates and that the process of power transition must be smooth."
After tens of thousands of years, although Tyrande still harbored considerable obsession with power, at least she had learned restraint and forbearance under Andreas' long-term suppression, and would not explode at the slightest provocation as before.
"Hmph! Since everyone agrees, I have nothing more to say. I just hope that one day truly excellent talents capable of replacing us can be cultivated."
...As Andreas said, when the decree was issued from the High Council, it immediately caused a fierce shock among the high-level political circles of Astranaar.
There were certainly many who could see through the power in their hands, but there were also many who wanted to hold onto power forever.
The topic of high-level rotation remained highly popular for several years afterward, with strong proponents and staunch opponents alike.
Thanks to the Night Elf Republic not being a country blindly pursuing democracy and freedom, although the discussions were intense, at least there were no ridiculous incidents like demonstrations or street politics openly occurring.
It proved that finding replacements for high-ranking officials was not an easy task.
In recent years, apart from a few high-ranking officials who voluntarily wanted to retire and attend to their families and were succeeded by their deputies, the personnel fluctuation at the upper levels of the Republic was very small.
However, Andreas believed that this situation would gradually change over time.
When Niana Star-scar, along with the third batch of students from Nalath Academy, entered graduation season, Andreas temporarily put down his work and personally went to the academy in Moonshadow's Rest to participate in the Junior Apprentice's graduation ceremony.
In recent years, Andreas had little time to go to the academy to guide Niana due to his busy work.
However, the child herself was diligent enough, making significant progress in both personal strength and research into Shadow Energy, even without Andreas' constant guidance.
With Niana's graduation, Celeste's chosen successor for the Academy Head finally met her standards.
After confirming that this new Academy Head, a former druid, could carry on Andreas' educational philosophy, Celeste and Aurora officially resigned after that year's graduation ceremony.
"...Old Fogey, you're actually the supreme leader of the Night Elf Republic, Speaker Andreas Moonshadow?"
Niana had already graduated, so Nalath Academy's intelligence protection principles naturally no longer applied to her.
She quickly learned the identity of the recently resigned former Academy Head, Celeste, from her previously tight-lipped fellow graduates, and naturally deduced his identity by connecting it to her mentor's relationship with Celeste.
Andreas smiled and patted the Junior Apprentice's head. "What? Doesn't it seem like me?"
"No."
Niana, not giving face, showed a look of disdain and retorted, "Aside from occasionally showing authority, your every move completely lacks the aura of a national leader."
"Haha!"
Andreas laughed out loud happily, "It's best if you think so."
'This shows that my efforts to soften my serious demeanor are already showing initial results. I don't want to keep being called Old Fogey...'
As Andreas and the other two brought Niana home, preparing to introduce this new member to the others, Fandral rushed over with a serious expression.
"Andreas, something has happened in Dalaran."
Since the War of the Shifting Sands ended, the Night Republic had not had any in-depth official contact with Dalaran for a long time.
In recent decades, Dalaran had been busy building deeper trade ties with other nations on the Eastern Continent.
The dwarven kingdom of Khaz Modan and the gnomish kingdom of Gnomeregan finally connected with humans in the Arathi Highlands, and the southern kingdom of Stormwind also established ties through contact with the dwarves in the Dustwallow Marsh and Blackrock Depths.
Coupled with the newly established Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, Dalaran and Kul Tiras were preoccupied with establishing trade routes with these nations and had little time to engage extensively with the Night Republic, which had entered a period of recuperation across the sea.
Andreas had not paid much attention to them after peace was restored on the Eastern Continent; after all, she was too busy with her own affairs to constantly monitor others' business.
But it was this relatively passive intelligence control that caused the Night Republic to overlook some matters.
After Fandral's narration, Andreas understood the whole story.
After the War of the Shifting Sands, Malygos sent the mages who had been corrupted by C'Thun back to Dalaran along with the other members of the investigation team.
This decision itself was actually not problematic; after all, the mages who accompanied the investigation team were not Dalaran's elite.
Furthermore, with C'Thun already dead, the control exerted on these mages' minds should quickly be contained. Andreas believed that Dalaran's archmages could easily subdue these disoriented individuals.
However... as the saying goes, if mages don't court death, they're not mages.
Although Dalaran had explicitly forbidden research into Void energy many years ago, humans have a fundamental flaw: the more they can't have something, the more they want it.
These dozen or so "samples" corrupted by Void energy were the perfect experimental subjects for some people.
During a mysterious riot, all the madmen imprisoned in the Violet Hold escaped and were inexplicably spirited out of Dalaran.
The contemporary Kirin Tor Archmage was furious about this; it was clear that high-ranking Dalaran officials with inside knowledge were behind the incident.
But after much bickering and buck-passing among the members of the Kirin Tor's Six Council, no valuable clues were found. Everyone seemed suspicious, yet everyone also seemed innocent.
Facing this situation, the Council of Tirisfal decisively intervened, sending their contemporary Guardian to investigate.
Unfortunately, this generation's Guardian of the Council of Tirisfal was a complete maverick.
Magna Aegwynn, an excellent successor, was finally found by the previous Guardian, Scavell, after many years of searching.
Aegwynn was indeed exceptionally talented, ranking among the top Guardians in the history of the Council of Tirisfal, but her temperament was also very eccentric.
As Meryl Winterwind, a retired member of the Council of Tirisfal, put it, this person was like a donkey: she wouldn't move if led and would back up if pushed.
Her stubborn donkey-like temperament made her reject all authority; experts and predecessors simply didn't exist in her eyes. This young Guardian was always self-centered, wanting the world to revolve around her.
Although many members of the Council of Tirisfal were very dissatisfied with Aegwynn's unconventional style, considering her astonishing magical talent, most people chose to grudgingly tolerate it.
After all, mages, as an eccentric profession, are prone to producing strange individuals with peculiar personalities, and Aegwynn was just one of them.
The problem Dalaran encountered this time stemmed from Aegwynn's strange temper.
Although her personality was elusive, Aegwynn possessed great talent in both magic and her insight into all things in the world.
After a secret investigation, she quickly identified the true mastermind behind the Kirin Tor's Six Council.
Logically, as the Guardian, Aegwynn should have reported to the Council of Tirisfal at this point, or at least given the Kirin Tor a heads-up.
But the donkey-like Aegwynn refused to do so. She directly subdued the Kirin Tor councilor who was secretly researching Void magic and had begun colluding with Void forces.
This overreach of authority enraged the Kirin Tor, and the Council of Tirisfal was also extremely annoyed by Aegwynn's self-willed actions.
When both parties summoned Aegwynn for questioning, this Guardian righteously used the experience of a certain "predecessor" who had done the same thing as a shield.
This so-called predecessor was Andreas.
"Sigh~"
Andreas slapped her forehead in exasperation upon hearing this. "Doesn't this fool consider historical and political contexts?"
The situation Andreas faced at the time was very different from Aegwynn's.
That Kirin Tor councilor he killed... what was his name again?
Ahem, in short, that foolish mage, in pursuit of immortality, had drained the life force of everyone in his magic tower and summoned demons of the Burning Legion. Moreover, his act of summoning demons was already a past event, with conclusive evidence.
Furthermore, Andreas was a night elf from Kalimdor across the sea. Although Dalaran was displeased with an outsider overstepping their authority, they were in the wrong first. Coupled with the strong support of the Council of Tirisfal, in a situation where the incident had already occurred, they could only grudgingly accept it.
But Aegwynn's actions were different. First, that mage only showed signs of colluding with Void forces; he hadn't put it into practice yet.
Second, Aegwynn was the Guardian protecting the safety of the magical world, a pure-blooded human, and the headquarters of the Council of Tirisfal was also within Dalaran's jurisdiction.
Dalaran's request was not excessive; they merely wanted an explanation from the Council of Tirisfal. If Aegwynn had just humbled herself and apologized, they would have let the matter drop.
However, Aegwynn's stubborn donkey-like temper flared up. She didn't believe she was wrong and maintained an unyielding attitude, refusing to apologize.
Both parties were furious with this emotionally inept Guardian. The Council of Tirisfal simply washed their hands of the matter and handed Aegwynn over to Dalaran to deal with as they saw fit.
Dalaran, who had originally intended to smooth things over, found themselves in a difficult position. To uphold the authority of the magical city-state, the Kirin Tor Council could not back down.
Aegwynn was extremely impatient with the grumbling of these white-haired old men. Young and impetuous, she decided to subdue these "weaklings" with her power.
And then the real, messed-up incident happened: among the remaining five Dalaran councilors, one archmage, under the immense, non-human level pressure from the Guardian, was forced to reveal his trump card.
Fel energy.
Yes, it was, predictably, fel energy again. Human mages truly embodied the phrase "life never stops, neither does courting death."
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone present. The archmage who had exposed himself, seizing the moment everyone was in a daze, opened a fel portal and escaped into it, disappearing without a trace.
"So?"
Andreas rubbed her temples, a headache forming. "Did our scouts find that traitor who colluded with demons?"
"They found him."
Fandral spread his hands helplessly. "Scouts from Shandalar reported sightings of unfamiliar individuals in the Borean Tundra. After investigation, it's largely confirmed to be the renegade archmage."
"The problem is, Guardian Aegwynn also arrived at this time. The two are in a chase-and-flee situation in the Borean Tundra, now approaching the area of Wintergrasp."
Although the Night Republic had not developed the Borean Tundra out of respect for the blue dragons, more than half of Northrend had already become the night elves' territory.
Especially the resource-rich region of Wintergrasp, which the Night Republic considered its forbidden land.
"Aegwynn, huh..."
Andreas frowned and pondered for a moment, feeling as if she had forgotten something.
'I'll check my memos later. Northrend, fel energy, Aegwynn... no, I can't remember.'