Shadow Trails in Azeroth

The River Styx is a real but invisible river.

It is said that it is a conceptual river that extends from the kingdom of death to the material world, connecting the concepts of life and death. It flows through every living world, and only the dead are waiting for the angels of the shadow realm. In the short time of arrival, you can get a glimpse of the mystery of the River Styx.

Now that the curtain of life and death is still very stable, that river is the only road that allows creatures from both worlds to pass.

But anyone who knows the existence of the Styx will not easily embark on this path, because although the Styx connects the two worlds of life and death, the area where it flows through the kingdom of death is a more terrifying place than the hell described by various myths and religions. .

Once you go upstream along the River Styx, after crossing the curtain of life and death, you will reach the Abyss area of ​​​​the Shadow Realm.

It is a place where all hopeless souls are "exiled". The souls that can fall into that area can no longer be described as heinous.

According to the rules of the Shadow Realm, only those souls that cannot be saved, cannot be assimilated, cannot be used for any form of protection and fighting, and do not even have the slightest intention of atonement will be thrown into the abyss.

That means that the last mercy in the concept of death is also deprived. Once the souls fall there, what awaits them is eternal torture, until the last trace of energy in their souls is drained out, and then they are tortured day after day. Turned into a ball of sorrow that has no value other than sorrow and hatred.

The most terrifying thing is that the Maw is inaccessible and cannot be exited.

In the countless epochs that have passed since the Firstborn shaped the order of the death world, no soul has been able to escape from the Maw.

Therefore, that terrible place of suffering is occasionally used by the four kingdoms to exile and punish compatriots who have made mistakes, such as the sinful prince Renathor who started a rebellion in Revendreth.

Not long ago, he was thrown into the Abyss by his father, Emperor Denathrius.

That means that the ruthless emperor has completely stripped off all the rights of Reinasol, at least on the surface.

"So, we are going to enter the Maw along the River Styx? We are going to throw ourselves into a place of suffering where the most evil souls in the universe will go. There we will be chased and intercepted by villains, and we may even become their victims. Plaything, and this is what you call a means of "smuggling"?"

In the captain's cabin of the Nagfar, Fenner, who didn't get up until noon, was eating food while looking longingly at her smelly brother sitting on the chair.

She blinked and summoned her warrior wisdom, expressing concern over Blake's decision and the upcoming adventure.

"Bad people? Are they worse than me?"

Blake dismissed Fenner's concerns. He held his pipe in his mouth and played with the magic quill in his hand, letting the elegant and delicate thing spin twice on his fingertips.

While thinking about the answer to the big question about the nature of the arcane force in front of him, he casually said to Fenna:

"Besides, I also have 'friends' there. I can guarantee that after we go there, we will be as relaxed and happy as we were back home. You have to know that even in the well-known hell, there are VIP rooms for the distinguished. of guests.

The only thing you need to worry about is the risks of sailing on the Styx

This was my first time exploring an unfamiliar route that almost no one had traveled. "

"Don't worry, Dad."

Princess Nagfar heard the captain's father's worries and appeared beside Blake with a whoosh. She confidently patted her chest and assured her father:

“I have walked this Styx route, and I can take you across the gap between matter and death with my eyes closed. I know all about the reefs and dangerous areas in that river full of suffering souls.

For some time in the past, I had to go there once a week. "

"Well, I know my good daughter is the best."

Blake grinned and glanced at Nagfar, who had almost no change in appearance. He whispered:

"The field strengthening of the Crown of Governors is about to end. Have you thought about the form of your promotion?"

"Um!"

Princess Mononoke nodded vigorously, but she was unwilling to reveal her wish to strengthen herself as a ship girl as if it were a secret. She seemed to want to wait until a suitable time to reveal the surprise.

The well-behaved boat spirit saw her father doing the exercises and stopped disturbing her. However, before leaving, she made a face at Fenner who was eating heavily and reminded her in a low voice:

"Although we are in the captain's cabin and no one will come unexpectedly, can you please put on your clothes anyway?"

"Wait until I finish eating. I'm hungry."

Fenner waved her hand carelessly.

It wasn't like she wasn't wearing any clothes, but her open nightgown couldn't block the spring sunshine at all.

But the stupid warrior obviously didn't care about this. A few minutes later, Fenner put the last piece of beef into her mouth, ending the simple meal that this warrior should have.

She wiped her mouth gracefully, looked at her brother who was writing fast, rolled her beautiful eyes, stood up silently and turned behind her brother, put her arms around his waist, and put her head on his shoulder. He said almost to his ear:

"You're full. Do you want to exercise after dinner?"

"My brain is racing. For a spell caster, this is the best way to exercise."

Blake replied indifferently:

"You can go to the deck to practice sword dancing and run hundreds of laps, which is obviously more suitable for warriors, or you can jump into the River Styx and swim a few laps, and be careful of those resentful residual spirits dragging you into the water.

In short, don't bother me with your beauty. You don't understand the joy of doing questions. "

Although she has made such obvious objections, the warrior sister who eats marrow and knows taste will not give up so easily. As a determined warrior, she will never give up halfway once she has locked her target.

Seeing her younger brother putting all her energy into the damn test paper in front of Fenna that would make her head spin just by looking at it, the Elf Sword Master tilted her head and recalled the plots of those third-rate knight novels in her mind. Then she licked her lips and bent He lowered his waist and circled around like a cat.

This agile and vigorous elf cat seemed to have found something interesting. After eating, she wanted to find a quiet place to take a nap, and the pirate's desk obviously met all the cats' imaginations of a new nest, so she He stretched his body and squeezed in, curling his body into a ball, and then keenly noticed the "little mouse" in front of him.

The cat hesitated for a few seconds, then stretched out her paws towards the sleepy little mouse. A nasty smile appeared on her face, intending to play with the misbehaving little mouse.

"hiss"

The pirate who was working on the problem took a breath of air. He glanced down and met Fenner's bright eyes.

The warrior is defiant.

Obviously, she didn't feel that her charm was inferior to a set of damn magic questions, so she licked her tongue to send out a silent invitation, but Blake, who was addicted to doing the questions, shrugged, raised his head and redirected his attention. Come to the half-written topic.

As a spellcaster, he must remain focused under any circumstances. Only a warlock who can resist temptation can gain a glimpse of the mysteries of magical truths.

"The River Styx ahead!"

The voice of First Mate Sephiel, who was at the helm, resounded throughout the ghost ship, and Blake also raised his head and looked out the window.

Wrapped in the cold mist of death, the Nagfar, which seemed to be wandering, had reached the boundary between the material world and the River Styx under the guidance of the ship spirit.

They were still driving on the sea, but what appeared in front of them was a large waterfall that would never appear anywhere in the material world. That thing cut off the possibility of all ships moving forward, just like the sky.

Any sane adventurer knows this is the time to turn back.

But Blake didn't say anything. He reached out and took out the death rune that Hela gave him, flicked the pale rune, let it rise into the air and then dissipated before his eyes, turning into white smoke-like starlight gas, quickly wrapped the entire ghost ship, giving it the "right" to sail on the River Styx.

Yes, not every ghost ship can sail on the River Styx. After all, the Maw also has its own master, and the gloomy ruler does not like his domain to be casually invaded by inexplicable monsters from other worlds. Guys bother.

"In a few minutes we will leave the physical world."

Blake temporarily put down the magic pen in his hand and leaned on his chair. He picked up his pipe and took out a magic crystal. He hesitated for a moment, looked down at the busy Fenner, and said:

"Would you like to say goodbye to your friends?"

"Didn't we all say goodbye?"

The stupid warrior grabbed the struggling little mouse, raised his head, and said doubtfully:

"Is there anyone else who doesn't know you're leaving?"

"Yes, I have."

Blake sighed and said:

"There's a troublesome guy I don't know about yet, and I'm hesitant to tell her, but if we abduct Little Star too, the dragons will go crazy.

Especially the blue dragons. "

"Then tell her, she is so stupid, you can always convince her."

The elf cat shrugged and ignored the matter. She lowered her head and continued to play the cat-and-mouse game with the little mouse who refused to bow her head. She was determined to cause trouble for her bratty brother today.

This is the last free moment.

According to the way Blake moves, he will probably cause trouble once he goes to the Shadow Realm, but there won't be that much time for entertainment.

Blake hesitated for a moment, then sent a ray of magic power into the crystal in his hand. After a moment of shaking, the projection of a small star appeared above the crystal.

The evil god adjusted the angle so that she could only see her upper body.

"Hey, Blake, where are you? Why is the positioning of this magic power so strange? It doesn't seem to be the coordinates of the material world, right?"

The background of Little Star is obviously in the magic hall of the Eye of Eternity. She is standing in front of the focusing rainbow, and the dragon runes are blinking and extinguishing beside her, as if she is performing a complex magic seal carving.

She was so busy that she didn't even pay much attention to the magic communication in front of her when she was talking. This attitude of finally getting down to business made Blake feel strangely relieved.

It seemed as if the stupid blue dragon who had been following him around had grown up overnight.

"I'm going to another world."

Blake moved his fingers and said in a gentle tone:

"This will be my farewell to you. I'm sorry for not notifying you in advance, but I know you must be very busy recently. When I am free, I will send you my travel notes so that you can continue to write your own autobiography. .”

"Huh? Are you going somewhere else?"

Little Xingxing's movements stopped, and she looked back at Blake in surprise, with a trace of nervousness flashing in her blue eyes, and said:

"There is a war with demons here. The world needs you, and you want to be a deserter? Also, why don't you take me with you? I am also a member of the Nagfar.

I'm still the second officer!

You can't do that, stop there!

I'll rush over immediately. "

"It's too late, we're about to cross the River Styx."

The pirate glanced out the window. A pale, strange Gulf Stream that seemed to rise above the sky was already in front of him, and the ghost ship was also quickly approaching the sea waterfall at the end of the world in front of him.

The thick and noisy sound of running water was disturbing, and Fenna seemed to feel this too.

The little mouse was trying to break free from the cat's claws, so she increased her strength, allowing the cunning little thing to return to her control again.

"You are not allowed to abandon me!"

The little Xingxing on the other end of the magic communication had her hair blown up. She opened her teeth and yelled:

"Aren't we traveling companions? I thought you...you all cared about me! I didn't expect you didn't even say hello, stop!

It only took me a few minutes to orient myself and I could jump over.

Blake!

You are my human servant and you must obey the orders of your Dragon Queen. "

"I will return."

The pirate reassured:

"It's just a work trip. I'm going to pick up Maiev and I'll be back when I'm done. You see, my family and my friends are all here in the world, right?

How could I leave you? Am I such a callous person? Be obedient and be good. You are the dragon queen and you have to do your own thing. "

"Are you sure you will come back?"

Little Xingxing stared at Blake suspiciously. She thought for a few seconds and said:

"You swear! I swear in the name of Sister Moon Goddess. I am also a believer of Ms. Elune. You must say that Moonlight Walker will not lie to Moonlight Walker!"

"Are you dizzy? What kind of moon god does the dragon king believe in?

But if this reassures you, well, in the name of my fair, rich and beautiful boss, Lady Elune, I swear I will return to Azeroth. "

Blake said this with a serious face, and Little Star nodded doubtfully.

She always felt that there was something wrong with Black's oath, but before she could ask any more questions, the Nagfar had already sailed into the stagnant waterfall.

But the ship did not fall into the bottomless abyss with the water that dropped almost 90 degrees. Instead, it sailed smoothly into the foggy sky with nothing in front of it, just like flying in the void.

The pale river lying across the sky opened its arms to this lonely ship at this moment.

The cold and weird breath of death was also like an invisible giant beast opening its mouth at this moment, swallowing the black ghost ship that came to the door into the realm of death.

The crystal in Blake's hand instantly lost communication, and the projection above also shone with weird magic sparks as if there was a bad contact. The little star's prophetic expression froze in front of the pirate's eyes.

There are also those unspeakable worries and blessings, which are like being separated from heaven and earth in an instant.

"call"

The pirate let out a sigh of relief, and after several seconds, he removed the hand that was suppressing the unruly elf cat's head.

He lied to Little Xingxing and didn't tell the truth, but he would indeed go back to Azeroth, and the oath did not stipulate that he must stay in the world that had gone far behind him forever.

Vaguely, the evil god seemed to hear a vague thank you.

It was the farewell of the star souls from Azeroth.

The evil god has left the material world, and he who is still sleeping no longer needs to feel suppressed. He can continue to sleep soundly in the warmth of the cradle of the world, absorbing strength until the moment she wakes up and is born.

The elf cat, who finally had enough of playing cat-and-mouse with the little mouse, crawled out of her new nest with satisfaction. She picked up the handkerchief placed on the corner of the table and wiped her mouth, then glanced at her face with a charming look. The sad little brother stretched his body again and prepared to put on his armor and go to the deck to exercise, and take a look at what the River Styx looked like.

But before she had even taken a few steps, Blake pinched her shoulders and slammed her down on the desk. In front of her was the damn test paper with half of the answers written on it.

Those complicated magic formulas made her dizzy just by looking at them, but the idiot warrior burst into a hearty and proud laugh at this moment.

As she expected, her charm was always more than this damn boring test question.

"Do you feel sad because you deceived little star?"

Fenner, who was lying on the table, stretched her somewhat numb legs and asked without looking back. Black didn't answer. He felt a little irritable and decided to accept the elf sword master's request for a duel.

"She'll understand."

The evil god looked back at the pale world and the dead and cold scenery outside the window. He locked the hands of the Elf Sword Master with his superb monk skills, and whispered:

“This is not where she should be.

Children like her can just enjoy the beauty of world records, and let us dirty adults bear the burden of the heavy truth and torture. "

"yes."

The Elf Sword Master, who was seriously at a disadvantage in the duel, moved her body to prepare for a counterattack. Mixed with the low echoes of the battle, she sighed and said:

"She is still a young dragon. Facing death to save the world is indeed too heavy for her."

Ps:

To be honest, I'm not surprised that this chapter was blocked. It would be a surprise if you can see it.