"How can someone like him even board the ship? I refuse to sail along with this cultist!" A tall, thin high elf glared at the heraldry and symbols engraved into the heavy armor belonging to a man who stood like a statue further in front of them, gazing to the horizon.

  "Do not look at him, you can get us into trouble. Haven't you seen Theron snooping around him? He has to be someone influential!"

  "I do not care! He looks just like a death knight to me!"

  Kael Gull stood near the elegant railing of the elven ship and listened to the bickering of a few high elves behind his back. They had to think that speaking Thalassian meant he could not understand them, but that was no longer the case. He understood their assumption, his conversations with Lor¨themar were always in the common language of the Alliance, as it was the first language he had learned and the high elf did not seem to have a problem with it.

  Keal judged that suddenly starting to speak Thalassian would make him look even more suspicious and decided to feign ignorance.

  In the end, there were three high elven ships sailing to meet with the Silver Hand's expedition. Based on Theron's brief communication with his superior, it was thanks to the High King's mistrust, the High King's intention was to guarantee some level of independence to the high elven forces, making them not entirely reliant on the military personnel of the Silver Hand's paladins. That was why there was much more rangers and mages of the high elves than originally planned, turning a small force of pilgrims into a solid military unit capable of independent operations.

  "Be quiet, his nanny is here!" Kael heard and not long after, quick footsteps neared him until a tall person stopped next to him, following his absentminded gaze.

  "We will meet with the others at sea, the fleet will regroup to the west of the Isle of Quel'Danas before heading north." Lor'themar informed him dryly.

  "Have they identified the source of the corruption?" Kael asked without moving a finger.

  "Who knows? Our main mission is to observe, not to investigate." The high elf wanted to quickly inform their alien passenger and leave, but was startled by Kael's following words and halted his steps for a second.

  "Than I am on a wrong ship." Kael Gull kept looking to the horizon, seemingly searching for something at the open sea.

  "Our next stop is Northrend." Lor'themar said indifferently, as if to imply that the high elves were not changing course one inch because of the inquisitor and left the deck.

  The winds blew stronger on the open sea, not that Kael felt anything at all due to his power armor. Still, he did not remember when he last sailed on a wooden ship in this way and the situation was novel to him, even amusing. Watching the marine life around them peeking out of the water from time to time, his eyes always ended up wandering to the northern horizon, where somewhere in the distance was the culprit behind the machinations with the chaos artifact.

  Although his investigation of the local humans proved disappointing, he knew that there was still something he could count on, something that would never disappoint. It was the corrupting influence of the Archenemy. The lingering feeling of wrongness was still fresh in his mind every time he remembered his reckless behavior in Dalaran. Khorne was as real as he had always been, despite his presence being faint.

  If this world's humans would fail him, his enemies would certainly not.

  He did not know how long he stood on the deck of the high elven ship, but at some point, a shout in Thalassian on his right informed him of another fleet that was nearing them from the southwest. There were many ships flying different flags, there was the heraldry of a lion flown by many ships and a depiction of a shield with crossed swords carried by many, but there was one flag all of them shared, even the ship Kael was standing on. It was the flag with a white gauntlet in the middle representing the Knights of the Silver Hand.

  The inquisitor watched the ships converge, until a ship flying a blue flag with a golden lion aligned with the one that was sailing under his feet. He left the elven ship's bow with slow steps and soon laid his hands on the railing on the ship's side. He was propped against the polished, wet wood and gazed directly at the bow of the ship belonging to the forces mobilized by the Kindgom of Stormwind.

  "What to say,? That is the high elves for you." Kael Gull shook his head when he realized that his ship was not slightly ahead by accident.

  "Does not matter, I am not going to observe anything." The inquisitor swiftly stepped over the wooden beam he was holding and bent his knees to allow for grater momentum buildup, as the ships were not just a few meters apart. The high elves around him watched him as if he was a lunatic and the soldiers on the opposing ship looked confused by his action as well.

  The inquisitor jumped and saw the bluish black depths pass quickly under him, until his body slammed hard against the side of the Stormwind's ship. While he was pulling himself out of the wood, where he had embedded himself by his powerful jump, the observing high elves paced back and forth frantically, whispering among themselves. The soldiers of Stormwind were much louder and managed to summon their superior by their excited shouts.

  Kael was about to step over the railing of his new ride when multiple swords pointed at his head.

  "You have entered our ship unauthorized! Do not move!" One of the soldiers threatened him, feeling safe only due to their numbers.

  "Technically, I have not yet entered. See?" The inquisitor laid down his already lifted leg, still staying on the outside of the ship's deck.

  "We will see if you keep being funny when the captain arrives." An officer snorted, keeping his weapon pointed at Kael.

  They did not have to wait for long, the highest ranked soldier arrived shortly with a heavily armored man in tow. A man who bore a symbol of a white gauntlet on his chest with no golden lions to be seen on him anywhere.

  "What is going on here?There will be no fighting on this ship until we arrive at Northrend!" The commander shouted, clearly not happy to face a complication this soon after their departure.

  "We have a high elven spy here trying to enter our ship!" A hot headed soldier answered quickly, only to turn red with shame a second later.

  "A spy? Is this supposed to be a covert entry of our ship? Pull your head out of your ass and report something sensible!" The commander immediately snapped at the eager soldier, but the soldiers of Stormwind had their antics interrupted by the figure belonging directly to the Silver Hand.

  "Calm down, we have no need to be afraid of a single man. Let him explain himself." The paladin in silvery armor gestured in Kael's direction and the inquisitor answered without waiting for the soldiers to react.

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  "The high elves say they are here to observe rather than take action against the corruption. That role is too passive ,unacceptable, thereby I have changed ships to join the actual investigation." Kael Gull said in the language of Lordaeron, hoping that the faction was using the same language.

  "That is. . .commendable." The paladin of the order nodded with a faint smile, but his calm voice was immediately followed by the commander next to him.

  "I do not need unruly passengers on my ship! He is not even a soldier!" The commander lamented, but he himself was silenced a second later.

  "Since when is this ship yours, Loyd? I am still the captain here! " A third person emerged and joined the merry band of armored men staring at each other. He did not seem hardened by battles as the other men, but was decorated with many medals as if to compensate for his inexperience and small height. "I do not understand the drama, we have all seen him traveling with the high elves. He is a part of the expedition."

  The three looked like they were going to argue for some time, but the inquisitor was not paying attention to them anymore. Far in the distance, he felt a buildup of energy with a taint of an aura he had experienced before.

  "The weapon has been destroyed!" Kael whispered and turned his head around, looking away from the arguing men, beyond the elven ships, to the east where far away a thin line of a shore could be seen. Shortly, a massive explosion of light of teal, unhealthy color could be seen coming from the distant island and all eyes focused on the ominous display.

  In a stupor, the people stood still until the faint sound of the explosion reached them along with an unease that was hard to describe. Before the leadership of the expedition could react, they were surprised by the adjacent high elven ships that turned sharply towards the island, not bothering to contact the rest of the fleet and explain their actions.

  "What are the stupid pointy ears doing?! We are supposed to sail north!" Loyd, the commander of the soldiers on board received another shock, watching the slender elegant ships turning towards them with their sterns.

  Kael's muscles tensed, as he considered jumping back to join the elves, but was stopped by a realization. He drew his chainsword and rushed towards the steering wheel, unimpeded by the surprised soldiers around him and he gripped it with his other hand.

  "Chaos is here, no time for bitching." The inquisitor rotated the wheel sharply and the ship began to turn to join the high elven ships, separating from other human vessels that continued north.

  "Lunatic! What are you doing?! We cannot leave the fleet!" The captain started roaring together with the commander while they ran towards the steering wheel, but were slightly discouraged by the chainsword that roared into life.

  When it looked like a bloodbath was inevitable, all of them looked towards the stern to watch in awe as the whole Stormwind fleet turned to follow their ship, shortly followed by the rest of the expedition.

  "Drop your weapon, you will spend the rest of the journey in chains." The commander informed Kael, much more calm than before, as if all his anger had been exhausted.

  However, he was interrupted again, this time by a muscular figure of a man levitating towards their ship. It was clearly the work of the mages present with the expedition and the large hammer of the levitating man touched the deck of their ship shortly. He was none other than Uther the Lightbringer himself who decided to solve the situation personally.

  "What is the meaning of this? Am I not the leader of this expedition?!" Uther thundered and the other military personnel turned into sheep.

  "Lord Uther, this elven intruder hijacked. . .. "

  "Your decision was correct, but I cannot have you ignoring the basic discipline!" The paladin said in a deep voice while furrowing his brows, but lost interest in reprimanding his subordinates shortly afterwards. "Full sails! The high elves are getting too far ahead!"

  Many who expected their leader to deliver justice in their place could only silently stare at Uther with wronged expressions. There were even some who questioned his inaction openly, but the two paladins of the Silver Hand present seemed to have their eyes only for the ominous teal glint in the distance. The expedition's commander even ordered wind and water magic to be used to increase the speed of their ships.

  * * * *

  In a sunlit garden of the Isle of Quel'Danas, on a solitary bench positioned in a cool shade of the hot day, there sat a colorfully dressed elf in an attire of a magister. His features were sharp, his thoughtful expression not betraying the dark thoughts he had in his mind, nor betraying the presence of a dark artifact he kept under his robe, hidden, its aura sealed.

  "Their shift is about to end, it is high time to move out." A raspy voice echoed in the high elf's mind, a voice that originated from the item he kept concealed under his robe.

  Dar'Khan Drathir, one of the magisters of Quel'Thalas stood up and leisurely walked towards a restricted area that could be entered only by a few. He would not be trespassing, as he was one of them, one of the magisters at the top of the high elven society.

  As if that would ever be enough of him.

  Dar'Khan passed the barrier protecting the inner part of the grand palace that housed the most important artifact of the high elves, the Sunwell. Under his robe, he kept a skillfully concealed an item that kept promising him power beyond compare. He had attained great achievements in the art of magic and knew the voice was not speaking of empty promises. He had seen the entities it spoke of, felt their presence that pressed to invade this world. It was all real.

  He weaved among the slender columns before he stood before a pond of blinding light, it felt as if all the mysteries of the arcane were just a simple hand's touch away, hidden in the water of the Suwell.

  "Good evening, Dar'Khan. I see it is our turn to guard the Sunwell." A bright smile of his fellow magister welcomed him and he smiled back at him.

  "Indeed. Let's guard it well." Dar'Khan spoke with a smile, struggling not to show any sings of irony in his voice.

  "Do not delay, we have less than six hours to perform the ritual." The dark voice in his head spoke to him, urging him to perform his role, to become the betrayer of his own race.

  How stupid they all were!

  Many thoughts were racing in his mind. The fool in front of him thought him his colleague, but his life would end very soon. The voice promising him great power belonged to a fool as well, he was not a kid to think that the entity had no plans to discard him when he was no longer useful for its schemes.

  To become the greatest lich who ever lived? What a joke! He would never trust a ritual he himself had not prepared!.

  After a moment of silence, Dar'Khan gripped the man opposite him and threw him towards the pond of brilliance next to them, a burst of blue light hitting the person's body in the process, turning his chest into mush.

  "A blood of an innocent." Dar'Khan mumbled while he stepped into the nexus of arcane power that turned slightly red.

  "A soul-rending tool." He threw away his robe, revealing a dark sword he carried underneath and stabbed it in the middle of the Sunwell. A surge of teal and red mixed into the natural dazzling blue light of the well.

  "What are you doing? You are insane!" It was for the first time he heard the voice in his head losing its deep characteristic, it reminded him of a hysterical woman he once argued in a debate about complex magic.

  "A deathly presence." Dar'Khan held the helm which housed the eerie voice fast in his hand, he pulled it to the front and positioned his left hand above it. When the entity in the helm realized what he was holding in his left hand, its voice turned silent and Dar'Khan felt a furious attempt of the entity to take control of his body.

  He knew that the sword he had been given had the power to rend souls and take control of its wielder, but sadly for the scheming voice, it could not do it in mere seconds.

  "The blood of the forgotten." He smashed the vial in his left hand against the helmet and the black liquid inside spilled on its surface.

  "Let us all merge into the greatest entity the universe had ever seen!" With a maniacal laugh, Dar'Khan began to cast a ritual of his own that seemed to have one single purpose, to integrate all he had sacrificed into a single being.

  "You ignorant fool! You will never succeed with this madness!" The voice from the helmet tried to persuade its deranged puppet, but it was already too late. He had chosen Dar'Khan due to his great ambition, but failed to understand how close it bordered with insanity. The high elf was clearly overreaching, performing a ritual beyond his ability and understanding, blinded by his arrogance.

  At the bottom of the mystical fond of power, the blood of the Old Gods and Dar'Khan's former colleague mixed and stained a particular shard from the shattered vial, filling up a symbol that had for some reason been engraved there.

  In the next second, all the energies poured into the Sunwell merged in a violent reaction, exploding into a grand spell utterly out of control.