Kel'Thuzad on the Frozen Throne came from another timeline. In his hands, he still held the Book of Medivh, obtained after the siege of Dalaran—destined by fate, it would still be used to summon the Lord of the Burning Legion.
The Lich King inscribed a massive magic circle here. Once preparations were complete, he opened the Book of Medivh, loudly chanting incantations, and began summoning Archimonde.
Everyone knelt aside, quietly awaiting their master's descent, not daring to make the slightest sound.
However, the progress deviated. The Lord of Demons did not descend upon Azeroth to lead them in conquering this world; only his phantom arrived.
"A change has occurred in the Twisting Nether. Servants, I need more energy to enter this world. You," Archimonde pointed at the new Lich King, Dar'Khan, "lead your minions to accomplish this task!"
"As you command, my master!" Dar'Khan prostrated himself, obediently accepting the order.
"As for you, assist him," Archimonde pointed to Evil Arthas.
"As you command," Arthas lowered his head, kneeling on one knee.
Subsequently, Archimonde's phantom vanished, and everything calmed down again. He didn't even bother explaining what caused his inability to descend, because no one dared to question him.
Dar'Khan, Arthas, the Dreadlords, and Kael'thas, the only living being present, all wore different expressions.
Arthas was the first to rise. He suddenly placed Frostmourne on the blood elf's shoulder, his tone undisguised with disgust and threat: "Convince me not to transform you into an undead that I can completely trust!"
"The Sunwell," Kael'thas uttered the word.
Arthas retracted the sword, revealing a cruel yet satisfied smile.
"Before that, we need to expand the Scourge's power. The Vrykul will still be our most loyal warriors." Returning to this starting point, he was certain that the Scourge he led would embark on an even more glorious path!
Finally, he glanced at Sylvanas. The Banshee Queen had reconstructed her damaged body.
'Will she betray me again?'
—
"Welcome to my Dawn Citadel."
Xidar extended a polite invitation, bringing Aiden into the fortress created with cutting-edge Naaru technology.
Although Aiden was mentally prepared, he was still incredibly shocked when he first saw this super-fortress quietly floating in the Twisting Nether—like the Tempest Keep in Outland, it was incredibly massive, a combination of a castle, magic tower, and spaceship. Aiden couldn't comprehend its principles at all.
"It's truly magnificent; it amazes me!" he exclaimed.
"Come, we still need to contact my people." Xidar led him to a compartment filled with mechanical and void creatures carrying out their respective duties, all serving this void fortress.
The Naaru activated a projector, displaying flickering light spots that constantly changed positions. Aiden noticed one particularly radiant spot; he guessed that it should be the Dawn Citadel they were in.
He didn't know how the Naaru communicated, but suddenly, projections of several other Naaru appeared in the compartment. They all stared at Aiden.
"It's him."
"Indeed."
"He has finally arrived."
"Long awaited."
The Naaru in the projections spoke with excitement. Aiden sensed that the object of their discussion seemed to be himself, which puzzled him. Did the Naaru even know he would come here?
Thinking about it, it was possible because in the original World of Warcraft, the Naaru indeed possessed precognitive abilities.
"We will hurry over."
"Stay in contact."
The projections disappeared, and the compartment returned to normal.
Aiden couldn't help but ask, "What were you… discussing?"
"About you," Xidar honestly replied, "We have been waiting for a long time."
"But… why?" Aiden was full of doubts. Why were they waiting for him? Could it be that even his banishment to the Twisting Nether by the power of the hourglass had been foreseen by the Naaru?
"Because you came," Xidar's answer made Aiden even more confused.
He decided to ask directly, "I just want to know, how can I return to the real world?"
"After resolving Sargeras' threat."
"Alright," Aiden finally received a definite answer. "But, how can we deal with him?"
Xidar said, "We will help you."
"Sargeras, he should be very powerful, right?" Aiden was somewhat ashamed. He was well aware of his own limitations; how could his small frame withstand one of the most powerful beings in the universe? Moreover, the Twisting Nether was the Burning Legion's home base, and the opponent possessed countless minions. Not to mention anything else, either Kil'jaeden or Archimonde could easily crush him.
"You are also very powerful," Xidar explained before Aiden could refute, "Any tangible existence is very powerful in the Twisting Nether. Just as it is almost impossible to erase the spirit and will in the material world, in the Twisting Nether, tangible existences are also almost impossible to destroy."
"But," Aiden pointed to the void fortress, with energy crystals embedded in the ground and the surrounding walls incredibly sturdy, "isn't there also matter here?"
"No, there isn't," the Naaru denied. Xidar suddenly brought Aiden into a darkness, becoming the only light source Aiden could see. "Look at it again," Xidar pointed around.
Aiden used his mental perception to sense the surroundings, discovering that the energy nearby flowed according to some profound rules. Then, he opened his eyes and found himself back in the Dawn Citadel's compartment.
"Are you saying that the ship beneath our feet is actually composed of pure energy?" he guessed.
"That's right."
Aiden opened his mouth in surprise. He realized that the secrets of the Twisting Nether were more complex than he had imagined. He hurriedly took out the Heart of Sargeras and used his consciousness to explore it—it was a solid entity.
He looked up at the Naaru, who responded, "That's why the Titans are very powerful in the Twisting Nether."
"What are the Titans like?" Aiden was curious about what the Titans were like in the Naaru's eyes.
"They follow the rules."
"And you?"
"The Naaru respect life."
Aiden pondered: Xidar's implication was that the Titans prioritized adhering to principles over respecting life?
He thought of the experimental devices left by the Titans on Azeroth and the "key" they possessed that could format the planet at any time, feeling that the Naaru's answer was indeed very reasonable: the Titans needed life to evolve according to their established plans, and if the process deviated, they would not hesitate to destroy it.
Aiden realized that the Titans were not maintainers of universal order; they were merely maintainers of Titan order.
Because no one can represent the universe.
Life should have the opportunity to choose for itself. But thinking of the power of the Pantheon, he didn't want to stand against the Titans at all; just Sargeras alone was enough to give him a headache.
"Let's think about how to deal with this guy!" Aiden abandoned those distracting thoughts.
In the Twisting Nether, more than a dozen Naaru fortresses were rushing towards Aiden's location. Similarly, countless demons were also rushing there.
A conflict between the two sides was inevitable.
—
"What's wrong with them?" Varok Saurfang asked.
"Disagreement," Rhonin replied. The expedition had just returned to the surface. Over the past half-month of underground travel, the atmosphere of the team had become increasingly strange. And now, some heroes were finally voicing their dissent about the decision to withdraw.
"The Winter Claw tribe will not be confined to safe houses, enjoying food grown from the ground. That is the life of the encircled, eroding our fighting spirit and turning brave warriors into cowards!" Sejuani's voice carried an undeniable tone, and the warriors of her tribe stood beside their queen, expressing silent support. "This frozen wasteland is where we should be!"
Volibear stood beside her, his voice muffled, "I also support this choice."
Kayle stared at the unruly Sejuani, his expressionless, "Is there anyone else who is not prepared to return to Los Angeles?"
Lissandra and the Frostguard she led also stood over.
Kael turned his gaze to Braum and Ashe, the last two Freljord heroes.
Braum said loudly, "I never said I wanted to stay!"
Ashe said, "I and the Avarosan tribe will go to Los Angeles."
Similarly, Vereesa also faced a choice—now that the Lich King had revived, was she going to return to Lordaeron with Rhonin or stay here to continue leading the Silver Covenant?
The spider man Kirix looked at her, the expectation in his eyes making her unwilling to make the decision to disband the Silver Covenant. She looked at Rhonin, whose eyes also showed unconditional support: "I will be with you, wherever you are."
Varok Saurfang was the same. He was ordered to bring people to join the orcs who stayed in Northrend to form an advance team to establish an outpost for the arrival of the orcish Horde. But the events at the Frozen Throne had to be notified to the Horde. After some consideration, he decided to hand over all the orcs he brought to Nazgrel, waiting for the Warchief's subsequent orders.
When the expedition landed in Northrend, Aiden ordered the summoners to stay at Dauntless to establish a teleportation array, which could serve as a permanent forward base and a retreat guarantee if the operation failed.
However, now it was destined to only serve a one-time purpose. No one dared to guarantee that they could defend the fortress from the Scourge's attack. If it fell into the hands of the Scourge, the enemy would continuously appear in Los Angeles through the teleportation gate, which would definitely be a disaster.
Rhonin chose to stay and accompany Vereesa. He handed a crystal to Mograine, saying, "Please take Jaina to Dalaran and give it to Archmage Antonidas; he will understand everything."
"I will," the paladin nodded in agreement.
The summoners opened the teleportation gate. As they prepared to part ways, Miss Fortune looked at Sejuani and the others who were seeing them off not far away, sighed, and said to Kael, "My crew and I will also stay… If something happens, I can still take them and escape by sea."
"Alright," Kayle agreed.
Just as Liam's fleet arrived, three Kul Tiran warships were still here. Besides Miss Fortune's crew, there were no skilled sailors in Northrend.
The warriors walked into the teleportation gate one by one and disappeared. After everyone had left, Miss Fortune and Sejuani destroyed the teleportation array as instructed.
She sighed, "I don't know if I did the right thing. Sejuani, you won't spite me, right?"