22Disclaimer - I do not own Warcraft
Nine Years Later
Silvermoon
Several years have passed since Sargeras' destruction. The high elves have moved back to Quel'thalas. With Azeroth's enemies finally gone, Illidan and the Scourge no longer had a need for a stronghold. Much to their surprise, Illidan has even told them about how to cure their magical addiction when Sylvanas asked for it and after that, they no longer relied on the Sunwell. It hasn't even been rebuilt since Illidan had it destroyed. With the treason and death of Kael'thas, the ranger general became the high elves' leader, taking a new role titled regent lady. Aside from the fact that she was the one with the highest rank who was still alive, Sylvanas was also the most trusted high elf leader and had the interests of her people as her first priority
To honor the memory of their fallen as well as to signify the shift in their leadership, the high elves have renamed themselves to the sin'dorei, the blood elves. Since they moved back to Quel'thalas, they were finally able to properly mourn all of their fallen people. While they did that after the Battle of Mount Hyjal, they weren't really given the chance to do so once Illidan began hunting down his enemies. Because the Scourge used Silvermoon as their main stronghold, the damage was not as severe even after the third invasion of the Legion. The demons didn't bother to completely raze it to the ground because their targets were no longer there
With Sylvanas now having to take up leadership duties, the new ranger general in her place was none other than her sister, Vereesa. At first, she was hesitant to do so but Sylvanas convinced her as she was the most experienced ranger after Sylvanas herself and that there was no one else the middle Windrunner sister trusted more. Vereesa eventually relented and soon enough, begun to enjoy her new position. The youngest Windrunner was far busier than her sister as she had to take care of her children and performing duties during the reconstruction of their home was a lot more difficult
Anya and Valeera were also welcomed back. As the dark ranger was close friends with Sylvanas, she would spend a lot of her time in Quel'thalas and helping the blood elves in however way she can. Her allegiance is still with the Scourge but thanks to Illidan helping them with their hunger for magic, both factions have a very friendly relationship. The blood elves were eternally grateful for that. Valeera has even served as some sort of liason between the two factions given that she experienced living in both factions. Like with Anya, her allegiance was still with the Scourge. They weren't the only ones welcomed back. Other dark rangers were also free to visit their former home as they pleased
Both Anya and Valeera would spend a lot of their time in helping Vereesa train new recruits for the Farstriders. If they're not training recruits then they would spar with other trained fighters like Vereesa, Nathanos and even Sylvanas. Their training under the Scourge was much more difficult given how dangerous their enemies were and resulted in them being better fighters by a slight margin. The two of them were more than willing to share their experiences with their former superiors and new recruits although they weren't allowed to be as harsh as the Scourge was to them
At the moment, Vereesa, Nathanos and Anya were having a sparing session in the rebuilt Farstrider Enclave. It was both rangers against the dark ranger two on one and Anya was easily holding her own thanks to all the benefits of being undead. However, not a single one of the three was going all out as they didn't want to seriously hurt one another
From one of the seats in the Enclave was Sylvanas who was observing the three spar. She would love to join this herself but she barely got any sleep last night and really needed to rest. Over time, she started to worry that she might get rusty but thanks to Nathanos, who she had gotten together with, she would have a couple days off every now and then which she used to spar with Anya. As Sylvanas continued to watch, someone approached her
"Regent Lady."
Sylvanas knew that voice all too well. "I told you, Valeera, just call me by my first name. I'm not a fan of being called by my title."
"Apologies, Sylvanas." Valeera said. Unlike with Anya, she wasn't particularly close to Sylvanas so she still chooses to call her by her title. "It is time."
"Already?" Sylvanas asked in surprise and Valeera nodded. "Then let's go." she said, getting up. The regent lady then turned to her sister. The three of them stopped what they were doing and followed Sylvanas
Lordaeron Capital City
Like with Silvermoon, the Capital City of Lordaeron has also been rebuilt and most of the humans have settled here as well. Unlike the blood elves however, only the Capital City has been rebuilt and not the outer areas such as Andorhal or Hearthglen. Stratholme has been partially rebuilt as when life could thrive once more, the second largest city became the main port to receive visitors whether that's by air, sea or portal travel, a network they have established to allow quick passage from Kalimdor to the Eastern Kingdoms
In the palace courtyard, Arthas was watching his children, Katrina and Terenz, named after Jaina's mother and Arthas' father, run around. "Be careful, you two." he yelled out when Katrina nearly fell. Over the last years, Jaina gave birth to the two kids. Katrina was older than her brother by a year and she would turn seven this year while Terenz would be six. As he observed his children, he recalled how the humans and blood elves got back to their original homeland
Flashback
One Month After the Destruction of Nathreza
Theramore Isle
Kel'thuzad travelled to Kalimdor and went straight towards the gates of Theramore Isle. He didn't bring with him any guards but up in the sky, Kayn and Allari were hovering and invisible to the naked eye. While the lich wanted to come alone, Illidan wanted to ensure his safety
"Halt, lich. State your business." one of the guards ordered
"I am here to meet with Prince Arthas and Lady Sylvanas." Kel'thuzad answered. "I have something I wish to discuss with them."
The guards who questioned the lich were understandably suspicious. Since they weren't part of the group that attacked the Tomb of Sargeras or Argus, they never knew that Kel'thuzad had been responsible for saving some of their comrades from certain death if he had the chance. They were about to deny him entry when another guard came from within the city
"Let him pass." the new guard ordered and it was clear that he was of higher rank. "The Scourge has never done anything other than fighting this world's enemies. This is something both Prince Arthas and Ranger General Sylvanas have acknowledge. If Kel'thuzad came here on his own, then it is to show that what he's here for is not to pick a fight." he explained and looked at the lich. "Kel'thuzad, I will allow you passage but we will be keeping a close eye on you." he said. Kel'thuzad nodded and followed the guard inside the city
A few minutes later in the main conference building, which was still not fully rebuilt, Kel'thuzad waited until Arthas and Sylvanas finally entered
"Ranger General Sylvanas, Prince Arthas." Kel'thuzad greeted them
"Kel'thuzad." Arthas greeted back and the ranger simply nodded. "You mentioned you have something important to discuss with us?"
"Indeed, I do, Prince Arthas." Kel'thuzad said but Sylvanas raised her hand before he could continue
"Before you go on, shouldn't we also invite the night elves and the Horde?" Sylvanas asked
"Not at all. What I wish to discuss only concerns the Alliance and not the others. If you wish to inform them then feel free to do so." Kel'thuzad responded. After a few minutes, he decided to finally spill it. "If you wish, you can return to Lordaeron and Quel'thalas without being considered as hostiles." he said and completely surprised them. This was not something anyone would expect at all
"You don't seem to be joking about this, Kel'thuzad." Sylvanas took note. "What's the catch? I thought Silvermoon and Lordaeron were your strongholds?"
"The keyword being 'were'. When Lord Illidan became the Lich King and took control of the Scourge, he chose Silvermoon as our primary base of operations since the Corrupted Sunwell was still a perfectly usable resource. Lordaeron was only turned into a stronghold as it was the area of the Eastern Kingdoms closest to Northrend. However, this was only for the sole purpose to fight and destroy the Old Gods and the Burning Legion. With them now gone, there is no need for us to stay there." Kel'thuzad explained
"Hold up, lich." Arthas said, still in disbelief. "Something doesn't make sense. Why would you just return our homeland back to us? Is the Scourge really willing to have no strongholds anymore? And isn't it still corrupted after both you and the Legion controlled it?"
"Not necessarily. For now, we have begun rebuilding Khaz Modan, Dalaran and Alterac. These locations are where the Scourge will make our home and with our enemies gone, we will instead focus on studying what we have found on Nathreza. The naga are also going to settle in the Broken Isles and Kul'tiras seeing as those two are the closest ones to the Great Sea." Kel'thuzad explained once more. "Since only Lordaeron and Quel'thalas are the only ones in question here, Lord Illidan has used Dusksoul to purge the corruption from both us and the Legion in those two locations. All that remains is just a dead forest. While we are willing to give you your home back, you will have to ask Alexstrasza and Ysera to heal the land yourselves. The other areas of the Eastern Kingdoms will also be of free us to you if you want. Three large settlements is more than enough for us to conduct our research."
"And you're not going to threaten us or anything?" Arthas asked suspiciously but he already had a good idea what his reply would be
"That would entirely depend on you. As you might recall, you people were never our targets to begin with." Kel'thuzad reminded them
Arthas and Sylvanas were silent upon hearing this since he had a point. The Scourge never really did anything to them directly. They just got caught up in the middle of the crossfire and were forced to fight for the sake of this world and their own
"Listen, Kel'thuzad." Sylvanas eventually spoke. "This will not be an easy decision for us to make. We've already made our home here and we'll have to discuss this with what remains of our leadership first."
"That is fine with us. However, we will not wait for your decision forever." Kel'thuzad said, something that wasn't unreasonable. "As of right now, Lordaeron is completely deserted. If none of your people are there in ten months, the the Scourge will claim it as ours once more."
"I understand. Thank you, Kel'thuzad." Arthas said, grateful at the chance that Lordaeron would no longer be under the Scourge's control
"One question, Kel'thuzad." Sylvanas said before the lich could leave. "Was this Illidan's idea?"
"Not his own for you see, when it was decided that we no longer need to have that many strongholds, Lord Illidan asked me if I was fine with letting you have your home back. I agreed for my interest now lies in researching." Kel'thuzad explained, surprising them once more as he wasn't the madman they once knew him to be
"I see." Sylvanas said as the lich finally left. She was finally glad for the chance to return to Quel'thalas but was also sad that her sister, Alleria, would not be with her
Over the years
Northern Part of the Eastern Kingdoms
Months after Kel'thuzad's visit, the Alliance took him up on his offer and arrived at Lordaeron seven months later. Alexstrasza and Ysera came along with them and together, they began healing the land. Since the Red Dragonflight had their home, Wyrmrest Temple, destroyed in the battle against Deathwing, they have agreed to help heal the land and make their new home here. Even with the battle in the Tomb of Sargeras, a decent number of red dragons survived. As the archlich had said, Lordaeron was nothing but a deserted and barren wasteland by now
The high elves who went with them headed straight for Quel'thalas and like with Lordaeron, it was just a barren wasteland, both locations completely uncorrupted. Some red dragons came with them and healed the land. When Silvermoon became a place where civilization could thrive many months later, they renamed themselves to blood elves
Since the Alliance didn't want to leave their allies in the dark, they also informed the Horde, the draenei and the night elves of their plans. Expectedly, the night elves didn't want to come with seeing as they still had their home but the other two were interested
After healing the land, Alexstrasza and the rest of the Red Dragonflight decided to make their new home in this land and be closer to the ones they're supposed to protect
Theramore
Not everyone who lived in Theramore chose to leave as well. A lot of people got comfortable with staying in their new home. However, a large majority returned to the Eastern Kingdoms after they had successfully built a good number of ships. Because of this, Theramore Isle ended up serving a similar to Stratholme, a trading port and place for which people from other areas of Azeroth would land. Durotar had its own but Theramore was preferred since it was a city built mainly as a port
Durotar
While some of the Horde made their settlements in the Eastern Kingdoms, most of them still remained in Durotar and for good reason. There was almost nothing for them in the Eastern Kingdoms but having some settlements there was a good idea
Since Sargeras' death, the rebuilding of Durotar has begun and after many months, fully repaired. Even the Goblins have found a place among them. By the time their groups arrived in the Eastern Kingdoms, Lordaeron and Quel'thalas has been partly repaired and the Horde stayed there until they could venture down to the south
Ashenvale Forest
The home of the night elves has finally begun healing. While Ysera went with her sister to aid the Alliance, Eranikus and Merithra remained behind and helped the night elves. With Azeroth's enemies now gone, there was nothing left that would threaten Ashenvale Forest and eventually, they managed to purge the corruption. With their home now safe once more, they finally began constructing all of their destroyed villages and Sentinel bases. The night elves have also begun to create a city near where Teldrassil once stood and named it Darnassus. Their new city became the capital of their lands much like how Zin Azshari was the capital so long ago
The Green Dragonflight have also decided to live among the night elves as they slowly began to heal the Emerald Dream, something they were not able to finish thanks to the Burning Legion. There were now a good number of them but they were all still very young, at least by dragon standards. Slowly but surely, the Green Dragonflight is slowly thriving after the near extinction they suffered during the Emerald Nightmare and by living among the night elves, there was no longer a need for druids to remain asleep as they ventured the Emerald Dream, which began healing over time
Stormwind
While the humans and blood elves went back to their former homes, the draenei instead settled in the lands once known as Stormwind. It was turned into a stronghold of the Scourge but it was completely razed to the ground by the Burning Legion during their hunt for the demon hunters. With the war over and the Scourge no longer having a need for the area, Velen took this chance to finally build a proper city for his people and reconcile with his son, who eventually forgave him
Pandaria
Despite the horrific tragedies in Y'Shaarj and the Burning Legion, Pandaria has recovered quite well. Most of their population has been completely wiped off the face of Azeroth. Not even the ones who went to aid in the Tomb of Sargeras survived, even Chen. They were all killed when the Avatar shattered the floor or when they fell into the pool of fel. The only ones that survived were those that Wrathion had hidden underground. The one saving grace for them is that the Legion never bothered to corrupt their lands since they were so insignificant for their invasion
Since then, the Pandaren have been informed that the war was over and they begun rebuilding. With the Mantid now wiped out as well, the Pandaren pretty much had control of the entire continent without the threat of facing enemies
The Alliance and Horde also sent a very small group to aid the Pandarens in their rebuilding effort and over the years, the Vale of Eternal Blossoms and the Valley of the Four Winds have been rebuilt and their population has been thriving since
A member of the Shando Pan and one of Chen's most trusted lieutenants, Jinto Reedwine, took up leadership. Just like everyone else in the world, he did not appreciate how the Scourge have done things but given that both the Old Gods and the Burning Legion were now gone, at least they were grateful for the chance to live in true peace. Not that they would want to wage war against the Scourge anyway
Having remained here for thousands of years, the black dragons have also begun rebuilding their flight here. Wrathion, Seldarria and Sabellian have successfully earned the forgiveness and trust of the other dragonflights to the point that all the dragonflights were now at peace with one another. With the Old Gods gone, there was nothing that would drive any of them insane and the other flights would even visit them from time to time to check up on them or just to repair their damaged relationship. Like with the bronze dragons, they have opted not to have an Aspect of their own for fear that what happened to Neltharion might happen again for whatever reason
Scourge Territories
As Kel'thuzad had said, Khaz Modan became one of the main strongholds of the Scourge. The damage to it wasn't too bad so it became the main place where they would research the Light and the Void. Another reason was that if something was too volatile, then it won't attract too much attention given that there is a large chamber beneath it. Agatha took charge of this and is the one who is the de facto ruler of the former home of the dwarves with Matron Mother Malevolence assisting her in the studies. After several years, the shivarra has earned her keep within the Scourge. In secret, they have also built more of the gunships but given that times have been peaceful and no one had any interest of conquests, the newly built gunships were instead landed in their various outposts and disguised as a large stronghold
Dalaran on the other hand, is now under the de facto rule of Kel'thuzad. Like in life, it is still a city of magic. Anyone was welcome to study here even if their from the Alliance and the Horde. The only differences are that the city isn't as beautiful as it once was and the fact that all kinds of magic is being taught. From Void to arcane to fel and even necromancy. Although the Scourge did agree with the other factions that necromancy would only be taught to very high ranking individuals who have proven themselves responsible. Kel'thuzad didn't really have a problem with that since that didn't apply to the Scourge
On the other hand, Alterac has become the Scourge's main military stronghold. It's position was high up in the mountains that anyone trying to invade it from the ground would have a very difficult time and would just get slaughtered. The Paraxis was also landed on a clearing and now serves as the main stronghold that in case of emergencies, can relocate itself to anywhere on Azeroth as a mobile military base. Maiev, being the strongest and most powerful member of the Scourge after Illidan himself, stronger than even Illysanna and Kel'thuzad, became the de facto ruler. Over the years, the demons that were loyal to Malevolence followed their leader's lead and pledged themselves to Illidan. Like Malevolence herself, they too have earned a place among the Scourge. Among them were a group of nether dragons and along with the blue dragons, have taken residence among the undead here in Alterac. Ever since Illidan took control, the Scourge have expanded from being composed of just undead to include blue dragons when he recruited Malygos, the naga when N'zoth was killed, and demons when Malevolence proved her loyalty
Kul'tiras on the other hand, became the one of the main settlements of the naga, whose numbers have thrived over the years. Surprisingly, Vashj didn't take up residence here and was instead ruled by another naga, Serena Darkscale. Some of the undead and demons also stayed here just as some of the naga are in the other areas controlled by the Scourge. Rather than just being a plain settlement, Kul'tiras also doubled as a military stronghold, this time by the naga
Naturally, all of these de facto rulers are still under Tomb of Sargeras has been completely redesigned and rebuilt. It is where Vashj and Illidan took up their own residence because it was the one area in all of Azeroth that reminded them of Zin Azshari and the happier times they spent. Of course they still spent a lot of time in Ironforge and Dalaran to learn more about their findings in Nathreza as well as Alterac and Kul'tiras to make sure they don't get rusty. Even though times have been peaceful, Illidan still trained nearly every single day. When the Tomb was fully rebuilt and that the naga have finally built their settlements, Vashj had the Tomb renamed to the Eternal Palace and the Broken Isles be renamed to Zin'jatar
On the other hands, the demons hunters were free to pursue whatever they want. The high elven demons hunters would often visit Quel'thalas as they were no longer considered as hostiles and they've made new friends although they still spend a lot of time with their faction. While they were welcome in Quel'thalas, they were still under the Scourge. The same went for most of the night elven demon hunters in their former homes. The only exceptions were Illysanna and Kor'vas. The two did visit Ashenvale but they didn't really do it as frequently as the others. They were still not at all comfortable with how the night elves did things and were more used to the freedom they had with the Scourge. Nonetheless, like with Illidan, they too have reconciled with the rest of the night elves. As the years went by, Illidan has also taught the other demon hunters how to shift from spectral sight to regular
In secret, Illidan also destroyed the Pillars of Creation and kept the Sargerite Keystone in the large chamber beneath Ironforge. He chose to destroy the Pillars so that nobody can ever use their powers for whatever purpose anymore. He was especially careful to completely destroy the Eye of Aman'thul given that it can affect time itself. The only ones who knew about the Pillars' destruction were the Scourge HIgh Command, Kel'thuzad, Illysanna, Kor'vas, Vashj, Agatha and Maiev. To the present day, only those seven knew about it
Present Day, Capital City
Arthas was brought out of his thoughts when his wife and queen, Jaina Proudmoore teleported near him
"Arthas." Jaina greeted
"Jaina, hey." Arthas said and didn't hesitate to kiss her. "So, what's up?"
"Not much. Sylvanas and the others have arrived. They're on their way to Stormwind." Jaina said,
"Was that today?" Arthas asked in surprise
"It is, Arthas." Jaina responded and lightly poked him on the head. "Did you really forget that?"
"Yeah, I guess I did." Arthas said, rubbing the area she poked. "Let's go meet them and travel to Stormwind." he said and instructed their kids to go back to the palace
Stormwind
Some time later, Arthas, Jaina, Sylvanas, Vereesa, Valeera, Anya and Nathanos arrived at the draenei's new home via a portal. They were greeted by Rakeesh, who had since reconciled with his own father and purged of the fel, and led them to the centrail courtyard. When they reached their destination, they found that the Horde leadership, at least one of each dragonflight member and the night elven leadership waiting for them. Greetings were soon sent out by everyone
"Are we all here?" Thrall asked
"Not yet." Velen said. "The only one that's left is..."
The draenei leader wasn't able to finish his sentence as three portals appeared. From one of them came Maiev and Kel'thuzad, from another were Agatha and Malevolence, and from the last were Kor'vas, Illysanna, Vashj and Illidan
"Now that we are all here, it is time I revealed the reason for why I have summoned you all." Velen announced and set down the orbs given to him by Eonar. Everyone grew curious but after a while, the orbs glowed with energy and transformed into the physical forms of the Pantheon
"Wait, what?" Illysanna said in surprise. "The titans are restored?"
"No, young one." Aman'thul responded, looking at her. "Only our physical bodies are restored." he then glanced around until his gaze landed on the Lich King. "I take it you are the one responsible for the death of my brother, Sargeras?" he asked but Illidan didn't reply and simply stared at the Pantheon's leader. To his surprise, Aman'thul did something that was the opposite of what Illidan expected. "You have our gratitude." he said without any hint of deception. It was purely genuine. The titan then looked at everyone else. "All of you do. Had it not been for your efforts, it would have only been a matter of time before my brother used our powers for his own purposes."
Illidan was genuinely surprised by this and just smiled. He then looked at Malevolence who looked back at him in understanding. She then walked over to the Pantheon's leader and handed him a large tome
"What is this?" Aman'thul asked curiously
"That is everything that the Burning Legion knew about the Old Gods and the Naaru, the original copy." Malevolence replied. "It may be of some use to you in the event you choose not to stay here." she continued and the Pantheon gave her a grateful response. They were not used to seeing a demon not killing everyone in sight but if she was here, then that means she has earned her place
Khaz'goroth then looked at the two dragon aspects. "What about the Hour of Twilight?"
"That, great one..." Alexstrasza said hesitantly. "Has been completely averted. Thanks to his efforts." she said, referring to Illidan. "The Old Gods were all destroyed before they had the chance to break free but it came at dear price. Neltharion was corrupted by them and when he was finally killed, an entire continent full of life was also destroyed in order kill one of the Old Gods."
The titans were understandably surprised by this as they gave their powers to the dragon aspects so that they will be able to deal with the Hour of Twilight but Illidan Stormrage has prevented it from happening altogether. They were concerned if Azeroth was destroyed in the process but all evidence points to the contrary
"And what about the Pillars of Creation?" Norgannon asked
"I destroyed all of them." Illidan revealed, causing the Pantheon to gasp. "Two of them were used by my mentor to destroy one of the Old Gods while the other three were used by the Burning Legion to power a portal for their invasion. After everything was over, I destroyed them so that no one will ever be able to use its powers again, including me."
"That was probably the best decision as while the Pillars were meant to shape this world, one can very easily destroy it if they gain access to its full power." Eonar commented
"So, would you be staying here?" Arthas asked curiously
"No, we will not." Aman'thul answered. "We cannot recover our strength here and we still have to undo the damage caused by the Burning Legion."
"If you're planning to do that, then make sure that you don't undo what Sargeras has done to ensure that the Old Gods cannot come into this or any world again." Illidan requested and confused the titans. "Read the records we gave you. That'll explain everything." he pointed out and all the titans nodded in understanding. It was the least they could do to repay him
The meeting soon ended after that and everyone but the night elves and the four who came from the Zin'jatar remained
"Illidan, wait." Malfurion called out as his brother opened a portal. "Could you take us with you? I would like to see it."
"Of course." Illidan said and let them pass through first before he, Vashj, Illysanna and Kor'vas went through
Eternal Palace
They arrived at the main entrance of Eternal Palace. The three night elves, Malfurion, Tyrande and Shandris, were greatly surprised at what they saw, having never been here since it was rebuilt. None of the Tomb's original design remained and all of it was new. As they continued onwards, they were surprised when they arrived at the main courtyard. There was a statue that had three ladies on it but it was unmistakable who it was. It was a statue of Queen Azshara in all of her forms, night elf, naga and hybrid. Her elven and hybrid form were up front while her naga form was slightly larger and placed behind the two. The two humanoid shaped statues of Azshara were each holding a purple colored blade, a replica of Dusksoul while the real one was in the hands of the naga statue
"A statue of Azshara?" Tyrande said in surprise
"That was not something I expected at all." Shandris commented, looking at Vashj and assuming it was her idea
"Wanna know something that would surprise you even more?" Vashj asked a teasing tone. "It was Illidan's idea, not mine."
"What?!" Tyrande, Malfurion and Shandris said in unison. That was really something they didn't expect as Illidan didn't seem to be the kind of person to care about sentimentalities
"I just wanted to honor her memory." Illidan simply said. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't know half the things I do and I probably wouldn't have done what I did." he said
The group then spent some time together and explored the Eternal Palace. When they reached a large dining area, both Malfurion and Tyrande were in awe at what food were available and quickly decided they wanted to eat. With nothing too much to do, Illidan and Vashj decided to join them
"So, you guys feeling hungry?" Kor'vas asked, observing the other four
"Not really. In fact, I was hoping to explore more of the palace." Shandris answered
"Why not? I'm not feeling too hungry myself." Illysanna said and turned to the others. "Illidan, we'll show Shandris around. We're not feeling too hungry ourselves." she said and didn't bother to wait for a response knowing that Tyrande might want them to spend this time together
"Wait..." Tyrande called out but the three were already gone
"I'm not even surprised. We don't really eat at this hour of the day." Vashj shrugged
"Brother, the Eternal Palace, was this based of Zin Azshari?" Malfurion asked curiously
"So, you've noticed that." Illidan muttered. "Yes, we did. It was the last place that we ever felt at home." he explained and wrapped an arm around Vashj
"I'm sorry." Tyrande said, knowing the reason why
"Don't worry about it. What's past is past. All of that is now over." Illidan replied and to this day, it still amazed both Tyrande and Malfurion could have this kind of civil conversation with him
"Indeed. We really shouldn't dwell on the past. We should try to see what we can learn from it." Vashj pointed out
The four of them then began to eat and talked about various topics. Throughout their conversation, Illidan was having a deja vu, having experienced a near exact scenario when Azshara trapped him in his own mind. He never mentioned the details of what happened when the late queen trapped him to anyone, even Vashj. When Azshara had told him that the world he got trapped in was a result of his own subconscious desires, he didn't believe it too much but now, he was starting to. Illidan wasn't even aware he wanted something like this to happen until now
In the meantime, Illysanna, Kor'vas and Shandris explored more of the Eternal Palace and eventually, wound up where Illysanna made her home, which was on a small islet connected to the Eternal Palace by a small bridge. Since it had been a couple hours since they left the dining area, they decided it was finally time for them to have some food
Since it was her home, Illysanna was the one who cooked for her two Shandris' surprise, Illysanna was a much better cook than she originally anticipated
"Wow. This tastes delicious, Illysanna." Shandris exlaimed after taking a bite
"Thanks. I've been cooking this kind of fish since I left Ashenvale." Illysanna said gratefully
"You know..." Kor'vas said after taking a bite. "I still don't understand how you cook this and it's been months since you taught me."
"What can I say, I guess the fish just likes me better." Illysanna said and poked her tongue out, teasing her friend who just growled in annoyance
After a while of eating, Shandris finally spoke. "So, you two live here?"
"No, just me." Illysanna said
Confused, Shandris turned to Kor'vas
"I actually live in the palace itself." Kor'vas said. "In fact..." she said and walked over to the window before pointing to another window on the fifth floor of the Eternal Palace that can be seen from where they were. "That's where I stay in. It's in the northwestern wing. I like the view from up there."
"That actually provides a very nice view of the sea." Shandris said and turned to Illysanna. "You don't like to live in the palace?"
Illysanna shrugged. "Not really. I've never been a fan of living in a large palace even when Zin Azshari was still around."
Silence then took over as the three of them enjoyed their meal
"So, you actually seeing someone, Shandris?" Kor'vas asked curiously
Shandris raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, Vandel does spend a lot of time in Ashenvale lately and Naisha is really talkative, at least with Maiev." Kor'vas said with a smirk
The night elf stuttered at this as she had just been found out. When she saw that neither of the two demon hunters were judging her for it, she just released a sigh. "We're just starting to know each other in all honesty. Before the Legion's invasion, the one before we travelled to Argus, Vandel actually lived close to one of our outposts so I saw him quite a bit." she explained how they knew each other. "I was always worried when I heard his son died but I had a lot on my plate. Lately, he is visiting Ashenvale frequently to mourn his dead child. When he told me that he met Illidan during that invasion, I can pretty much imagine he had little time to mourn his child." she continued and both hunters understood why they spent time with each other. "What about you two?" she asked curiously
Kor'vas simply shook her head negatively
"For a long time, we've wanted nothing but revenge against the Burning Legion and Illidan was the one who gave us the chance to do so. I was aware that focusing on revenge would have severe consequences but fortunately for me, it didn't, thanks to Illidan and her." Illysanna said, referring to her best friend. "When the war was finally over, I just wanted to relax a bit and enjoy, something I haven't done since the war ten thousand years ago."
"What she said." Kor'vas agreed. "There's also the fact that even though everything is now over, it just feels odd to have peace given everything we have gone through. To this day, every now and then, I still have a bad feeling that things are going to suddenly collapse." she said and her best friend nodded in agreement
"You two think so alike I'm starting to wonder whether or not you're siblings." Shandris said, completely surprised at how the two think
"Well, not by blood, at least." Kor'vas just shrugged
"Since we're on the topic of partners, there's something that's been bothering me." Illysanna said, getting their attention. "How do you think a kid from Vashj and Illidan is gonna be? I mean, she's a naga and he's a demon." she asked
"Speaking of..." Shandris said, getting an idea. "Can you two even bear kids after what happened to you?"
Both Kor'vas and Illysanna looked at each other in surprise. Neither of them knew the answer to that question and they haven't even thought about that since they joined up with Illidan
A few hours after the night elves left, Illidan went to the peak of the Palace. If there was one thing that he wanted about the design, it was to have a large balcony at the top similar to their old fortress in Silvermoon. As he was looking out to the distance, someone approached him
"Illidan." Vashj called out and he turned. "What are you doing? Plotting universal domination?"
He let out a laugh at that. "Indeed. I am thinking it would be nice to finish what Sargeras started and do what the Old Gods couldn't." he replied, his voice filled with sarcasm
Irritated, Vashj lightly slapped him on his torso. "You're concerned aren't you?" she asked seriously. "That the titans might reverse what Sargeras did to turn the realms into poison for the Old Gods and Naaru."
"Not really." Illidan replied and she narrowed her eyes. "The record we gave them earlier was really the original from Nathreza. However, I have rigged it with a spell that if the titans undo what Sargeras did, then the record would kill all of them and use their very existence to recreate it in a matter of seconds."
"So that's what you were doing in Ironforge all this time and I imagine this spell won't take effect if they just leave it alone and it was been designed specifically to avoid their notice." Vashj said and he nodded. She wasn't completely on board with what her lover had planned but having been forced into servitude of the Old Gods, she couldn't really blame him at all and she fully understood his motives. The Old Gods are not creatures to be trifled with and they only got lucky that their powers were completely depleted. Things would be an entirely different story if they were ever forced to fight one at full power. "You know, you thinking this far ahead sometimes creeps me out."
"I have to do it otherwise we would basically be begging to be attacked." Illidan responded as she walked beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Vashj, there's something I've been meaning to ask. When you were under the Old Gods' control, what was it like?"
Vashj then lifted her head and looked at him. She was curious as to why he would ask that after all this time and he should already have an idea to what it was like. She was silent for awhile to look at him but Illidan avoided her gaze. Vashj's eyes soon widened in surprise when she realized what he was really asking her. "It was horrible. Death would be preferable to servitude to them." she answered before answer his true but unsaid question. "There were many times that I tried to kill myself but Azshara was always there. She told me to be patient and promised me that I won't serve them forever." she said and as expected, Illidan didn't respond but Vashj could see that he was really hurt with what she has tried to do and it made her realize that he has been in the same position as she was when he told them to head to Mardum. She then quickly forced him to look at her. "Hey, look at me, Illidan. It's fine. All of that is in the past and yes I was going the easy way out but we don't have to worry about that now and it's all thanks to you and I couldn't be more grateful."
Illidan smiled at this and held her hand, which was still on his face. "You're right, Vashj. I really shouldn't dwell ont that." he said. She then wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him into a kiss which he gladly returned. While both of them had very troubled pasts, they can now finally look forwad to living in peace with each other. Everyone on Azeroth can
This is the epilogue of the story and where it all ends. It is why I wanted to kill Sargeras in the first place, so that this kind of ending would be possible. The Old Gods are all but dead thanks to Sargeras turning the realms to poison them so things are pretty much over
Remember when I said how the Black Dragons would only take part now, yeah, it was just for the epilogue and nothing more. When I wrote this fanfic, I really wanted to have all the Dragonflights be finally at peace and you can't have that if one of them is extinct. As such, I decided to leave three alive and by keeping them in a very low number, it allowed me to add them into the story without jeopardizing what I originally planned
A lot of stuff also happened in this chapter and I only covered the important ones such as Lordaeron and Quel'thalas. I only wrote about Arthas and Sylvanas because they're the only ones who had any significant change since the Legion's defeat. The Horde, Draenei and Night Elves just remained the same and continued on whatever they were doing
In this chapter, I also decided to have the High Elves be renamed as Blood Elves. I can't exactly remember the reason why Kael renamed his race but here, it is to signify the change in leadership. Since Lor'themar was killed off panel, there was no Regent Lord to begin with so I was free to use that title for their new leader, Sylvanas. If anyone's wondering how Illidan cured the magical addiction when he wasn't able to do that in the canon, Azshara. In this story, Illidan knows a lot more than his canon counterpart all thanks to the queen. While the Blood Elves aren't part of Illidan's forces, they are still in his debt for his help. This is also where Valeera really comes into play. It was always something I originally planned since Illidan, the Naga and the Blood Elves were all once the same race and I wanted something to bring them a bit closer since they did have a common heritage. Having a liason seemed to be a half decent idea so I just went with it
Speaking of Illidan's forces, one of the things I wanted to keep from the canon was the variety of races that was under his command. Naga, Blood Elf, Draenei, Fel Orcs and Demons. In this story, rather than those five, he instead has the Scourge, Naga, Demons and Blue and Nether Dragons. About why the Scourge was willing to give back Lordaeron and Quel'thalas, I didn't want it them to be that overbearing. They're still the strongest force on Azeroth and they're stronger than ever thanks to their new forces but I wanted this story to have a peaceful ending. The Old Gods and Legion are gone so Scourge's destroyed strongholds no longer had any meaning. The stuff about what Illidan gave the Titans could be a double cross but don't be too surprised about that since after all, I've written him in a way that he rarely takes any risk
Lastly on this story, I can't be the only one wondering if a DH can have a child right? I mean, they're corrupted by fel so how would that even work? I didn't have an answer for that and I didn't really want to answer it on my own so I just left it at that. I did write a small bonding moment between Illysanna, Kor'vas and Shandris where they seemed to be sisters from different mothers. I already wrote one for their surrogate parents so I didn't feel the need to write another one. Instead, I just wrote one for Vashj and Illidan since they never really had a moment with each other since they reunited. All of that has been off panel and well, this story is about them after all
With all of that out of the way, I probably won't be writing another fanfic anytime soon. I know I said that at the end of my Bleach fanfic only to come out with another one half a year later, this time, I'm really planning on not writing another one anytime soon. The thing is, both Bleach and Warcraft were the only two stories that I really wanted to write a fanfic of and now, I've done just that. If I do write another fanfic, it's probably just gonna be a one shot and it probably won't be about those two universes. Writing this kind of long ass fanfic really takes a long time. Well, until next time