Shadow Trails in Azeroth

The night in Stratholme is slightly cooler.

Where Arthas lives, Varian Wrynn, who has become a formal member of the Knights of the Silver Hand, is comforting his frustrated little brother Arthas.

There was a hint of reproach in his tone:

"I asked your Majesty about the specific situation, and your Majesty told me that it was not that the Holy Light abandoned you, but that you voluntarily gave up the call of the Holy Light. I know that knowing the truth made you feel disappointed, but such a choice would be too reckless. .

You are using other people's mistakes to punish yourself, and you are also wasting your own outstanding talents. "

"Then what else can I do?"

Alsace sat on the chair. The eleven-year-old child looked extremely depressed.

He seemed to have grown up a lot in one day. He raised his head and looked at Varian. Facing this man who was like an older brother, he did not hide the pain in his heart.

He said in a dumb voice:

"That is the holy light that represents justice. It was the power that I was determined to pursue when I was a child, but now there is darkness in my heart.

I am no longer qualified to touch it like this.

Grandpa Faao asked me if I could stick to the justice in my heart?

I can't answer him. I can't even answer such a simple question. How can I claim to be a pursuer of justice under the illumination of the holy light? "

This somewhat mature and stubborn answer gave Varian a headache.

He whispered:

"My intelligence chief told me that one of his friends had predicted your fate. That person said that your extreme and stubborn character would get you into irreparable trouble sooner or later.

His prediction was really accurate.

It seems that I can't convince you anymore. Maybe I should send you back to Lordaeron City and let you and your father have a dialogue between father and son. "

"No! I won't go back."

Alsace said loudly:

"I can't face him now. I hate what he did to Marshal Lothar, but he is my father after all. I am very conflicted, Varian, let me stay here alone.

It may take me a long time to figure it out.

I. I might want to go for a walk, just by myself. Don’t they all say that when you travel alone, you can always figure out a lot of things? "

This answer made Varian raise his eyebrows. He looked around and whispered:

"You're going to see little Gianna, right? You want to seek her wisdom?"

"Maybe."

Alsace turned away and said in a strange tone:

"I don't necessarily want to find her, but I don't have many friends, as you know."

"I advise you not to do this."

Mathias Shore, the leader of MI7, who appeared quietly behind Varian, handed a briefing on the specifics of the Gilneas naval battle to his Majesty the King, and said to Arthas in a strange tone. :

"I heard that Miss Gianna is undergoing special magic training and may not be able to spare time to see you. In addition, a very dangerous person is not happy to see you having too much contact with Miss Gianna.

Please believe me, you won't want to mess with him now.

And for your current problem, I actually have a small suggestion. "

At this point, Xiao suddenly shut up again.

Alsace was puzzled for a moment, and he asked:

"Didn't you say you have some advice for me? Sir Xiao."

"Yes, I have a suggestion, but I don't have to choose to tell you."

Shore showed a fleeting smile, his expression turned serious, and he said to Arthas and Varian:

"As an assassin who walks in the darkness, I am naturally not qualified to comment on the sacred matters of Holy Light and Faith, but if His Highness Arthas just wants to go out for a walk alone and relax, I have a great proposal for you. you.

Maybe you can go talk to Lord Fordring.

Although they keep it secret very well, based on my observations and guesses about the transfer of various supplies and personnel within the Holy Light Church, I suspect that they are likely to have a big operation in the near future.

Perhaps you should join as a Reserve Knight of the Order of the Silver Hand.

Perhaps in this journey of service to the Light you will truly understand the relationship between power and its master.

Let me say something that may be a bit presumptuous.

I agree with my Majesty's assessment of you, Your Highness Alsace.

Your choice today seems so childish to me. After all, there is no good or evil in power itself, and power itself does not define what 'justice' is.

The only person who can define this concept is you.

And giving up your talent so recklessly will have no effect except making you uncomfortable. I don't think His Majesty Terenas will change his behavior because of your choice.

He was a king first and a father second.

Just the opposite of Marshal Lothar. "

"Indeed, although Shore's words were harsh, what he said was not wrong."

Varian also sighed and glanced at the military briefing in his hand. He said to Arthas in front of him:

"But who told you to be a child?

No matter what stupid things your child does, you can be forgiven. Your Majesty said that as long as you re-firm your resolve and go through the ceremony of sincerely calling on the Holy Light, perhaps within a year or two, you can return to your previous level of resonance with the Holy Light.

You are truly gifted in the path of the Light.

Think about it, Arthas.

I won't be with you tomorrow. I should leave to return to my country tomorrow afternoon. If you really feel uncomfortable staying in Northern Xinjiang, you are always welcome to the Kingdom of Stormwind.

Just like when I encountered misfortune, His Majesty Terenas generously helped me treat Lordaeron as my second home. The Kingdom of Stormwind can also become your second home. "

"Well, I will definitely go."

Alsace said seriously and seriously:

"I want to go there and become the bodyguard of Marshal Lothar. I want to become a 'Son of Lothar' just like you. Only in this way can I pay off the heavy sins owed to him by the Menethil family.

Also, take this thing with you. "

The little prince pointed to the long-handled warhammer with a square head and a square head on his hand, which was simple and elegant and engraved with the emblem of the Menethil family. He sighed and said to Varian:

"Before I performed the baptism ceremony, my father specially invited the craftsmen of Ironforge to strengthen it with precious light-cast steel. It now has a strong affinity with the Holy Light and is a weapon belonging to the Paladin.

But I don't want to use it anymore.

I don't even want to touch it anymore.

Take him away, Varian, it is more suitable for you, just think of it as a gift from me to celebrate your becoming a glorious paladin.

You've used it to fight Ms. Fenner before, so it might like you. "

"I can't just take it away, it's your family heirloom."

Varian does like the warhammer that is very easy to use, but he is a bottom-line person, and he will not take advantage of his friends.

He immediately refused.

However, Shore behind him coughed and whispered a few words in Varian's ear. The young king hesitated and took out a strange-looking two-handed heavy sword from his bag.

Its sword guard is shaped into a red double-winged heart shape, and the two-sided blade is covered with sharp teeth and creates a strange shape of a beast roaring above the blade.

That thing is like a barb, which not only enhances armor penetration, but the terrifying blade will definitely make the enemy feel heartbroken when struck with the sword.

"This sword is a legacy of the Wrynn family. My grandfather and my father both used it."

Varian held the sword in both hands, handed it to Arthas, and said:

"It's called."

"The Lion-Hearted Holy Sword! The warriors also call it the 'Lion-Hearted Slayer'. I know its name."

Arthas stretched out his hand and stroked the cold sword in front of him, with exaggerated blood grooves on it, and said:

"This is a weapon that truly belongs to a warrior. It is said to be an enemy-killing weapon forged by the Mountain King Modimus Anvilmar for the first king of Stormwind City.

The dwarves fortified it with elemental powers.

It is said that the warrior holding this sword is like the king of lions, never feeling fear, and every time he drinks blood, the violent power will be fed back to the warrior.

It witnessed the founding, rise, fall and rebirth of the Kingdom of Stormwind. "

"No, the power of the Lionheart Blade is not as exaggerated as the rumors say, but it is indeed a good sword. Because of this, I decided to give it to you, Arthas."

Varian said softly in a tone full of hope and blessing:

"I hope this sword can bear witness to you, just like it has witnessed the inheritance of my country and family. There will always be ups and downs in life, but as long as you are not defeated by disaster, you will always reach the top one day.

Besides, I can't take away your family inheritance from you without paying for it.

Just think of it as an exchange.

Let these two weapons witness our friendship, growth and future. "

"good!"

Arthas felt Varian's concern and anticipation.

He took the warrior blade with a very violent appearance without hesitation, and handed his warhammer of the power of Menethil to Varian.

He watched Varian leave his residence accompanied by Shaw and disappear into the city under the summer moonlight, and then reached out to touch the Lionheart Blade at his hand.

In addition to the pain in his heart, there is also a trace of unspeakable anger.

It was not directed at a certain person, but rather angry at the incident itself, but he didn't know who to swing the sword at, as if there was a huge, invisible monster that exuded malice and staleness blocking him.

That is an enemy that cannot be dealt with with weapons.

It was not a battlefield where forces were intertwined, but it was equally dangerous.

Arthas felt that there was a fire of anger burning in his heart, and he had to release this anger before the fire burned out his sanity.

A few minutes later, Arthas, wearing light armor, strode out of the residence with the Lionheart Blade on his back. His loyal guards wanted to follow, but the prince refused:

"Don't follow, Maven, and Farric, I just want to find the great knight. Don't bother me, let me be quiet."

As he spoke, he went to find the Grand Knight, but the direction Arthas walked was obviously the Holy Light Church's training ground. The two royal guards looked at each other, put on their weapons, and followed quietly.

His Royal Highness is just too uncomfortable. He is a young man, and children's emotions are always so changeable.

Besides, they couldn't let him walk alone at night just because of the prince's order. If anything happened, they would have to commit suicide to apologize.

But after the two guards secretly followed Alsace to the training ground, they were shocked to find that their prince was holding the Lion Heart Blade and slashing at the training dummy there.

He slashed and roared.

It seems that he wants to express his depression and anger in this way.

But that's all. The problem is that when the prince slashed the training dummy with one sword after another, a power completely different from the holy light was surging out of his body.

That's flame.

The flames projected into the material world with spiritual power are as red as blood, blooming blazingly, with a mixture of cold murderous intent and violent rage, like a fire that wants to burn out the dark things.

"Is that anger?"

As high-level warriors, the two guards looked at me and I looked at you. They both saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

This little prince of ours is really a genius.

He had just voluntarily given up the Holy Light in the morning, and in the evening he was favored by the power of anger. It only took him a few minutes to master the anger stimulation that lower-level warriors would have spent years trying to master.

There must be a very burning anger in his heart now. As for whom this anger is directed at, the two royal guards dare not think about it, nor do they want to think about it.

"It's late at night, don't go to bed! Why are you shouting so loudly here? Do you still have any sense of justice?"

Soon the noise in the martial arts training ground attracted several paladins who were patrolling nearby at night. When they saw Prince Alsace "honing his martial arts skills," they pretended not to see it and walked out again.

What happened in Alonsos Chapel this morning has spread throughout the Knights of the Silver Hand. Everyone knows that the talented Prince Arthas has turned his back on the path of the Holy Light.

Look at the fierce way he is wielding his sword now, it's better not to disturb him. What if His Highness the Prince cannot control his inner anger and wants to test the sword on himself?

"Hey! You guys!"

But when they were about to leave, they were stopped by Alsace, who was covered in sweat. The Lion-Hearted Slayer in his hand was a warrior's weapon, and it was heavier than the previous war hammer.

Arthas moved his aching arms and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He shouted to several paladins who turned to leave:

"Where is Lord Fording?"

"I have something to ask him about, something very important."

——

Two days later, in Tirisfal Castle where the space connection had been reset, a tired-looking Jaina dragged her tired body out of the basement.

Although she was very tired, her face was full of joy that the experiment was successful.

She completed the very important water element summoning ceremony in the ice magic system, which means that Jaina's attainments in ice magic are close to that of a high-level spellcaster.

Considering that she is only eleven years old, it can only be said that the talent of the daughter of the sea is really unreasonable.

Moreover, her water element is a "vampire water man" strengthened by the alienation control talisman, which is much more powerful than ordinary water elements.

"Oh, I can finally have a good rest for a few days."

The little mage returned to his dormitory, stretched out greatly, and planned to take a bath first and then have a good sleep. However, as soon as he opened the door, he saw a letter on his desk.

And her good friend, the high elf mage Ellie, was lying on the table, fast asleep.

It should be the letter that Ellie brought.

Jaina stepped forward and picked up the letter and took a look at it, and found that it was from Arthas.

"I wonder if his baptism of Holy Light went well?"

The little mage said this, opened the letter and took a look, his face turned red, and he hid the letter behind his back like a thief, as if he was afraid of being seen by others.

"This Alsace, it's so sudden. What's written in the letter is all weird stuff!"

She complained in a low voice, avoiding the sleeping Ellie, and read the letter. The blush on her face finally turned into a trace of worry:

"He said he was going to a far away place to conduct a 'spiritual practice'? He also said he was going to find the changes brought about by the power of anger? What happened to him?

So worried.

What's going on with you boys!

Everyone likes to guess riddles!

That's it, brother!

His servant Mr. Black does!

Now that Arthas has become like this, can't you learn from us mages and speak clearly? "