Jaina's eyes instantly reddened. Tears welled up, swirling in her eyes and drowning them in a blurred sheen of light.
But she bit her lip, stubbornly refusing to let that tear fall. Then, unable to hold back her tears any longer, she turned and ran back into the fortress.
Arthas, unable to ignore injustice when he saw it, stepped forward, about to say a few words on Jaina's behalf.
Vereesa glanced at him. "Hm? Have you finished the Light homework Turalyon left you for today?"
Arthas quietly swallowed. "N-No."
He did not know why, either—ever since that day when he had caught that stunning glimpse of Allen, the bad habits in him had all suddenly surfaced.
He wanted to slack off, play around, watch the excitement, and loaf through the day.
Turalyon was far too strict, and the homework he assigned was far too demanding. Arthas really did not want to do it.
Vereesa's brows furrowed slightly. "Skipping your homework too. Do I need to tell Alleria?"
"No, no, please don't." Arthas immediately backed down.
In the end, he was still only a boy of thirteen or fourteen. "Jaina was too immature. She doesn't understand manners. I'll go talk to her."
He turned around and ran toward the fortress almost as if fleeing.
Vereesa smiled faintly. When she turned her head, Stella had already tucked her head down like a quail.
It's over. Big Sis is cleaning up the harem. Am I next...?
Vereesa did not look at her. Her gaze fell on Allen.
"Hmph." She raised her chin slightly, a hint of pride flashing through her sky-blue eyes. "Quel'Thalas has a treasury too. We will also choose a treasure and send it over—as thanks."
Allen's eyes lit up. Quel'Thalas had plenty of good things...
Varian stood at the side, the corners of his mouth pressing down on a smug smile.
All empty gestures. I was the one with foresight.
Allen followed Varian through some simple rehabilitation training, walked around the walls of Nethergarde Keep, then ate a dinner that was not especially tasty but was at least filling.
By the time he returned to his room, the sky had already darkened.
When he was alone in the room, Allen glanced at his own status panel.
[Character Name: Allen Prestor
Race: Human
Class: Wild Sorcerer
Strength: 25 (You're a mage, and this is how you allocate your points?)
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 33 (No one would dare say you aren't an archmage.)
Wisdom: 32 (He has noticed you.)
Charisma: 36
Unallocated Attribute Points: 1
Spells Learned: Meteor Swarm, Chain Lightning, Dream, Commune, Polymorph, Dimension Door, Speak with Dead, Knock, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Grease, Speak with Animals, Shield, Comprehend Languages, Magic Missile, Disguise Self, Locate Creature, Animal Friendship, See Invisibility, Detect Thoughts, Lucky, Portal: Karazhan, Metamagic: Distant, Twinned, Subtle.
Features: Wild Magic Surge, Tides of Chaos]
...
The six attribute points he had gained in Dalaran had casually been added to Strength. Now, only two of his attributes had yet to reach 25.
He still needed more than ten attribute points!
He suddenly remembered that he might still have some quest reward left unclaimed.
He opened the quest panel.
[Main Quest: Cast one great spell: 0/1]
What?
That doesn't count as a great spell? You—
Suddenly, the door opened.
Vereesa walked in, holding a towel in her hand.
Allen put away the system panel and looked at Vereesa.
"What is it?"
"Are you tired?" Her gaze fell to the floor, refusing to meet his eyes.
"If you're tired, I can help wipe you down today." She said it as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world, yet the tips of her pointed ears had already turned red.
Allen looked at her but did not answer the question. "When are we leaving for Draenor?"
Vereesa's eyelashes trembled slightly.
"You—" She opened her mouth, wanting to tell Allen not to go, but swallowed the words back down.
"I've rested enough already." Allen's tone was calm. "Let's leave tomorrow."
"But..." Vereesa's voice dropped lower and lower, so low it sounded as though she were speaking only to herself. "It's dangerous there. I don't want you to be in danger again."
"Don't be silly." Allen rose from the bedside, walked over to her, and lowered his head to look into those sky-blue eyes illuminated by moonlight. "Besides your sister, isn't Morgan there too? Of course we have to go help."
Vereesa said nothing. Her lips moved slightly before pressing tightly together again.
Allen knew the words she had left unsaid—those fears about danger, about death, about "what if you never come back."
But if nobody intervened, then in the original timeline, Draenor would be shattered apart.
And the Sons of Lothar Expedition, in order to prevent the explosion of an entire world from affecting Azeroth, had resolutely remained on the other side.
The vast majority of the Sons of Lothar died because of it.
To honor them, the Alliance erected five statues in the Valley of Heroes in Stormwind—Turalyon, Danath, Alleria, Kurdran, and Khadgar.
Even though they had not actually died, the next reunion would still come one or two decades later.
Allen could not stand by and do nothing while knowing Vereesa would suffer the pain of losing her sister.
Nor could he face Morgan's wife and daughter and tell them that Morgan, the man who had left with him, would never return again.
Vereesa looked at Allen.
Moonlight streamed through the window, falling across his face and into those eyes that usually always carried a careless air.
Damn it, why do I suddenly want to kiss this man again...?
[Side Quest Triggered: Save the Sons of Lothar]
[Quest Description: You know their fate. You know how many people remained on the other side when that gate closed. You know how painful it was for those left alive when the statues were erected. You want to change all of this—then go save them. After all, you are a prophet, aren't you?]
[Quest Objective: Save the Sons of Lothar 0/1]
[Quest Reward: Unlock a new class]
...
The next morning.
The gates of Nethergarde Keep slowly opened beneath the morning light.
Vereesa carried a longbow on her back, her silver hair deliberately braided into a tight braid that hung behind her.
Allen wore white mage robes and leaned on the short staff Atiesh in his hand.
Stella carried her bulging engineering backpack on her back, standing between the two of them, her little face filled with the stubborn declaration of "I'm important too."
Varian stood at the gate, watching the morning light fall across them.
"What a shame."
A trace of regret lingered in his voice. "I really wanted to march to Draenor alongside you all too."
Allen looked at him with a grin. "Then come with us."
"Mr. Allen—!" Mathias's voice shot up an entire octave.
"Hahahaha." Allen waved his hand dismissively. "Just kidding, just kidding."
Varian looked at Allen, and for once, he was not smiling.
"Allen, you have to come back from Draenor."
Allen stood with the morning light at his back. The dazzling sunlight made it difficult for Varian to clearly see the expression on his face for a moment.
"I'll come back."
"With everyone."
He said.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---