The Silverstream Academy was a small pond, and Kael'thas had become a leviathan. His perfect test score and the subsequent, unreplicable success on every assignment that followed had made him a legend—and a liability.
Three weeks after the Mana-Siphon test, a pristine white raven bearing the seal of the Aetherium University—the pinnacle of global learning, built on the foundations of the Hero Faction—landed on Hemlock's office windowsill.
The invitation was unprecedented: an unsolicited early summons for Elara Vane.
Hemlock, pale and sweating, handed Kael'thas the letter. "Vane, this is… extraordinary. The Aetherium rarely scouts below the top-tier academies. They've invited you to take the Aetherium Entrance Trial early. They want to see the 'source of the Vane anomaly' firsthand."
Kael'thas scanned the elegant script. Aetherium University: Grand Capital, the High Plateau. His mind supplied the memory: the High Plateau was the site of the Battle of the Void Rift, the last stand of his Dark Legion. The main lecture hall, the Sanctum of Heroes, was built directly atop the ruins of his former command structure.
It was a dare. A sign of the victors' arrogance.
"I accept," Kael'thas said instantly, crushing the letter slightly in Elara's hand.
Theon Graylock was the first to confront him after the announcement. He was furious, his own meticulously plotted path to the Aetherium now compromised by his eccentric rival.
"They're not inviting you because you're a genius, Vane," Theon spat. "They're inviting you because they suspect your methods. They think you've found a loophole in the system, and they will close it. This is an interrogation."
"Then I will pass the interrogation with perfect marks," Kael'thas declared, his voice firm. "The loophole is the difference between true knowledge and comfortable ignorance, Graylock. I intend to prove that their perfect system is full of holes."