122 Chapter 62: The Sunwell Plateau

"They won't stop firing, will they?" Alleria asked as she pulled another arrow from her quiver.

Sylvanas looked at her older sister, noticing that she was hiding behind a column to prevent any missiles from hitting her. Sylvanas herself was taking cover behind the remains of a wall that had been destroyed by an explosion much earlier. She was wounded but it was not a serious wound. Just an arrow that stuck in her left upper thigh. Next to her squatted Verena who removed the arrow and used a necromantic spell to close the wound.

"It seems they try to buy time for whatever reason. We need to stop Kael'thas before he succeeds with whatever he wants to achieve," said Sylvanas and pulled an arrow from her quiver.

"I still can't believe that he is back. Not only did the Burning Legion steal his corpse right in front of our noses but they also found a way to bring him back," replied Alleria.

"I doubt it's the right time to figure out how the Burning Legion managed to do that. We have other things to worry about. These felblood archers and mages are a pain in the ass. We won't be able to get closer if they keep firing. We need to kill them as fast as possible."

"Do you have a plan, sis?" Alleria asked.

Sylvanas checked her surroundings quickly. "Not yet." Her gaze fell on Rhonin and Vereesa that were waiting for an opportunity to attack, just like her. "Or maybe I do have a plan but it has its risks."

"I trust you, sis."

Sylvanas gave Alleria a barely recognizable smile before she looked back at Rhonin and Vereesa, gaining their attention when she cleared her throat.

"Can you bring us behind their defensive line, Rhonin?" she asked.

Rhonin raised an eyebrow. "Behind? Are you suggesting that I should teleport us right behind their archers and mages?"

Sylvanas nodded.

"You know that they will attack us as soon as they notice our presence. We are unprotected if we do that."

"Not if Rommath and Aethas act quickly and wrap barriers around us. Many of them will already be dead by the time they notice our presence," Sylvanas replied.

"I suppose we have no other choice, right?"

"Do you have a better idea of how we break their defence?"

The red-haired man shook his head. "Not really."

Sylvanas looked back at Alleria. "Your and Lor'themar's units will stay here while mine and Vereesa's units will go behind them. That way, we can attack them from both sides. If they turn around to fight us, you can aim at their uncovered backs."

Lor'themar and Alleria nodded. "We will wait for your signal."

"There will be no signal. Just fire at them as soon as they turn around."

"Understood."

"Prepare the teleportation spell," Sylvanas said to Rhonin.

"As you wish," her brother-in-law responded.

Sylvanas' gaze fell on Nathanos and Zetai. "Get ready."

"We are ready, my queen," replied Nathanos.

Sylvanas looked at Aethas and Rommath who nodded at her and began with the preparation of their spells. Her gaze fell on Rhonin who was still channelling his spell. "I'm ready," he said after a few minutes. "Come to me and I will bring us behind them."

Sylvanas didn't need to be told twice. Together with Verena, Nathanos, Zetai and eight Forsaken she moved along the stone wall, that served as their cover, and reached the archmage without getting hit by anything. Rhonin waited until everyone was there and then carried out the spell.

As planned, they appeared about ten feet behind the archers and mages that were firing at them for hours. None of those Sunfury soldiers noticed their presence before the first arrows and spells flew through the air. When they turned around, several of them were already dead and more of them died as arrows and spells hit them from the opposite side.

The Sunfury soldiers shouted something in eredun, demons and felblood elves ran towards Sylvanas and her companions. Half of them died before they reached Sylvanas' group. Sylvanas shot arrow after arrow, killing several of Kael'thas' loyalists. She even used dark magic to kill tougher demons like wrathguards.

The barrier which had been created by Aethas and Rommath dissolved after it had absorbed several spells and destroyed lots of arrows. Her group was no longer protected by magic but fortunately, most mages and archers among Kael'thas' soldiers were dead already. Sylvanas and all the other rangers took out all of the remaining ranged soldiers within a couple of minutes.

The remaining Sunfury soldiers were tougher than expected but all of them fell in the end. Without exception. Sylvanas pulled those arrows, that could be used again, out of the bodies of the foes she had slain, letting her gaze wander while doing that. Two of the Forsaken that had come with her had died but all other creatures had survived this manoeuvre. She had lost far fewer soldiers than in the first three hours.

"Your plan worked out better than I have expected," complimented Rhonin as he approached her. "I doubted that it will work out flawlessly, but once again you proved me wrong. Remind me to never doubt any of your plans again."

Sylvanas gave him a small smile. "I was Ranger-General for over a hundred years, I know a lot about battle strategies."

Alleria came to them. "I don't want to interrupt you but we should go to the next chamber. There is still a mad king we have to stop."

"You are right. We must go."

More Sunfury soldiers got in their way as they walked through the bordering corridors but they didn't hold them up for long. They were not able to stop Sylvanas and the others from walking through the corridors of the Sunwell Plateau. No one was able to prevent them from reaching the main hall.

The circular-shaped hall was huge, the colour scheme of the walls and floor was red and purple. In the room's middle was something no one had expected to be there. The elves had noticed its aura days ago but they had still doubted its existence. They had doubted it until this very moment.

Now that they had seen it with their own eyes, they no longer doubted the rumours. It was true that Kael'thas Sunstrider had found a way to restore the Sunwell he had blown up with the help of other magisters. He had done that to save his people from the corrupted energies that had been radiated by it. It had happened seven years ago after the fall of Quel'Thalas when Kael'thas had still been himself.

He might have restored the Sunwell but no member of the Alliance believed that he had done it for his people. They had no doubts that he had done it for his own selfish reasons. It was very likely that the Burning Legion had wanted him to do that. Sylvanas knew they had to stop him by any means no matter what he was planning to do.

She spotted him right in front of the Sunwell. He looked much different than the last time she had seen him. He had his arms raised in the air, his hands were glowing greenish just like the crystal in his chest. Only two of his three verdant spheres were rotating around his head. The third had been taken away from him by Jaina. She had started to examine it right before servants of the Burning Legion had appeared out of nowhere and stolen Kael'thas' corpse.

The mad king was speaking words in eredun, so were the felblood mages that stood around the Sunwell. It seemed that they were performing some kind of ritual. A ritual which had to be stopped by any means.

There were dozens of demons and felblood elves in the room whose purpose was to buy the mad king as much time as possible. They bought him time but it was not enough. The ritual was not completed when the last minion died. "Complete the ritual, I will take care of these intruders in the meantime," Kael'thas shouted to his magisters.

He stopped performing the ritual and cast another spell instead. A huge domed barrier was wrapped around the Sunwell and the magisters that were still using its power for their ritual. He stepped out of the barrier and let his gaze wander from creature to creature. Surprise, anger or determination could be seen on the faces of Sylvanas' companions. Most of them gave Kael'thas sinister looks.

"Don't look so smug! I know what you're thinking, but Tempest Keep was merely a setback. Did you honestly believe I would trust the future to some blind, half-night elf mongrel?"

He chuckled before anyone could respond to him. "Oh no, he was merely an instrument, a stepping stone to a much larger plan! It has all led to this...and this time you will not interfere!"

"We will kill you again if we have to," hissed Sylvanas. "You will not succeed."

Kael'thas looked at his daughter-in-law. "Why are you so angry, Sylvanas?"

"You know exactly why. Don't act so innocent. If it was not for you, my son wouldn't have to live with a fel crystal in his heart. We wouldn't refuse to talk or show emotions nor would Kelrian look like a demon."

"They are still alive and much stronger than before. I don't see a problem with that, to be honest. You should be grateful that I made them much stronger than they would have ever imagined."

Sylvanas' crimson eyes were narrowed and reflected pure hatred. "Arthas is not the only one who deserves a special place in hell. You are not much better than him," she hissed as she released an arrow.

If Kael'thas was hurt by her statement, he didn't show it. The arrow was fast but Kael'thas was still able to see it. The frozen shield he erected in front of him within mere seconds protected him from the arrow. It protected him from more arrows but it didn't last for long. It was destroyed eventually, leaving the mad king unprotected against the arrows and spells that were raining down upon him. He was much powerful than he had been before his death but he was not invincible. And he was alone.

He caused Sylvanas and her companions a lot of trouble, killed several Forsaken, sin'dorei and humans and endured much longer than they had expected. He never ran out of mana because he constantly drained it directly from the Sunwell. He may have access to unlimited power but his body was still vulnerable. His body was his only weakness. The more injured he got the less power he received from the Sunwell.

Eventually, he fled behind the barrier, hoping it would protect them. The barrier might protect him from arrows and spells but it didn't hinder his opponents from passing it. He expected them to kill his magisters first so that he would have time to recover and heal his wounds. But they didn't do that. He didn't need long to find out why they were not attacking his magisters.

All of his magisters had been killed before Sylvanas and her companions had passed the barrier. "NO! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE!" Kael'thas screamed at the familiar man.

"I'm no longer your mindless slave," the man replied.

Sylvanas turned her head as soon as she heard this familiar voice. She couldn't believe her eyes at first when she caught sight of him. It was really him. She knew that he was still alive because Raesh had confirmed that he was. She knew he was not dead but she had not expected him to be there. Her heart would have beaten rapidly in her chest if she would still be alive when she regarded him from head to toe.

He looked different from the last time she had seen him. He was still taller than her but not as tall as he had been before his last transformation. His skin was no longer light greenish, but peach coloured instead. It was a little pale but still looked much healthier than his previous skin colour. He still had horns, two demonic fists and wings that were coming out of his back. His form reminded her more of a demon than a sin'dorei but at least his face looked humanoid again. He still had these weird coloured eyes but there were no tattoos on his skin. Neither in his face nor on his neck. He still looked handsome.

Kelrian was not alone. A female dreadlord stood next to him. Sylvanas only knew of one female dreadlord who was working with the Alliance, so she had no doubt that the one next to Kelrian was no other than Danara. She had never seen her in her true form before and she had to admit that she had imagined Danara differently.

Her physiques reminded her more of a humanoid creature than a dreadlord. She was not as tall and muscular as male dreadlords and her face had more similarities to the face of an elf or a human than to a dreadlord. She looked more like an elf who had consumed too much fel energy and turned into half-demon than a thoroughbred nathrezim. Nevertheless, she had no doubt that the woman she saw was indeed a nathrezim.

"YOU KILLED MY MAGISTERS! HOW DARE YOU, BASTARD! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR BETRAYAL!" Kael'thas shouted.

He cast a spell within a few seconds. It was a fireball but Kelrian neutralized the spell with a frost barrier. Kael'thas gritted his teeth angrily.

"Felomin Ashal," he shouted.

Kelrian was able to jump away at the last moment, avoiding the pillar of fire which would have burned him alive if it would have hit him. A pyroblast followed but Kelrian managed to teleport away. The pyroblast hit the opposite wall but nothing happened.

Kelrian appeared behind his father, kicking him in the back before he could notice him. A painful scream escaped the mad king's lips as one of Sylvanas' arrows hit him in the right hip. Kael'thas teleported away instantly, reappearing right behind the Sunwell.

"I have enough of this. I'll turn your world... upside...down," he pressed through gritted teeth. Kael'thas' spell lifted everyone into the air and prevented them from doing anything. Everyone except for Kelrian. He was the only one who was unaffected. He was not the only one who was surprised about that. Disbelief could be seen in his father's widened eyes.

"How is that possible? Why does my Gravity Lapse not affect you?"

Kelrian said nothing in return as he drew his sword from his belt. Kael'thas made a gesture with his hand. "Do not dare to come any closer... Otherwise, I have no other choice than to kill her."

Kelrian turned around and followed his father's gaze, catching sight of the sharp ice pillar that had been created where Sylvanas had stood before she had been lifted into the air. "If you do any wrong move, she will die."

Kelrian noticed the panic in Sylvanas' eyes. She was afraid of dying and he was afraid of losing her. He had to protect her by any means, otherwise, all his efforts would have been for nothing. Kelrian looked back at his father who had an insane look in his couldn't allow his father to impale his wife, so he had no other choice than to remain on his spot. "What do you want?"

"Put your sword on the floor," Kael'thas demanded.

Kelrian obeyed.

"Now kick it over to me."

Kelrian obeyed again.

Kael'thas' finger pointed at him. "Don't you dare to move. I just need to move one finger to skewer your wife like a pig. One wrong step and she is dead. Dead forever."

The mad king's eyes didn't leave his son as he squatted down to pick up the sword. He stood up again, holding the weapon right in front of him. "Now get over here."

Kelrian hesitated and turned his head to look at Sylvanas but his attention was brought back to Kael'thas as a loud hiss escaped his lips. "Don't you dare to look at her! Get over here! NOW!"

Kelrian walked over to his father who created a fel green dagger out of nowhere. He grabbed Kelrian's right arm and pulled him closer to the Sunwell, ramming the dagger into his forearm. Kelrian bit his bottom lip hard to prevent any painful noise from escaping his lips. His father turned his forearm and removed the dagger, letting Kelrian's blood flow into the Sunwell. Kelrian tried to pull his arm away to stop that more of his blood would land in the fount of mystical power but his father's grip was too strong. He was physically much stronger than he looked.

The colour of the Sunwell changed from golden to blood red. Kelrian could not believe that his blood was responsible for this drastic change. "Do you now see the potential of your blood, my son? I can think of many ways to use it. With your blood, I will create an army of invincible and unstoppable warriors. Not even the Dragon Aspects and the titans will be able to stop me. Your blood will guarantee a glorious future for the sin'dorei."

Kael'thas let go of Kelrian eventually. "You were a good boy, you deserve a reward." He snapped his fingers, evil laughter escaped his lips.

Kelrian noticed immediately that Kael'thas had lifted the spell on Sylvanas. Without hesitation, he rose in the air, spread his wings and shot over to Sylvanas, catching her before she would have been skewered by the sharp ice pillar. He landed next to the pillar, destroying it with his foot before he put down Sylvanas. "Are you okay?" he asked as he stared into her crimson-red eyes.

"Now that you are here, I am," she replied. She grabbed his right forearm and turned it around so that she could see the underside. Surprise was reflected by her eyes as she noticed that his wound had been healed by itself. She looked up again but Kelrian had already averted his gaze. He stared at his father who was muttering sentences in eredun. He pulled an object from his robe and threw it into the Sunwell which instantly began to bubble.

Kelrian moved without hesitation, sprinting towards his father who was continuing the spell he and his magisters had started. He jumped and spread his wings, flying towards his father. He picked him up and rose with him to the ceiling.

"What are you doing? Bring me back to the floor immediately. Do it or I kill your whore of a wife."

Kelrian did not listen to him. He wrapped his arms around him tightly, hoping that would be enough to stop him from casting. For some reason, Kelrian noticed that Kael'thas was still feasting his mana to the Sunwell, meaning the ritual was still going on. He had to stop it by every means, not wanting to find out what would happen if the ritual will be completed. There was only one way to stop him without killing him. He had to drain his mana.

Kelrian's fangs grew in size and became fel green. He rammed them into his father's neck but he made sure that he did not hit any vein or artery. He didn't want to suck his blood, he just wanted to drain his mana. Kael'thas struggled hard but Kelrian's embrace was too strong. Kelrian drained more and more of his mana, noticing that he became weaker and weaker but he was still not weak enough for Kelrian's liking. He was still struggling and repeatedly punched Kelrian in the sides with his fists. Kelrian ignored the pain and kept going until something unexpected happened.

Kelrian spat blood out, his eyes widened in shock. He removed his fangs from his father's neck and took a closer look at his father and himself, noticing that something had pierced his chest. It was the crystal that stuck in his father's chest. He had made it grow somehow and turned it into a weapon.

It came out of Kelrian's back, blood stuck on it. Kelrian was stunned by the pain. His whole body stopped moving, his wings stopped flapping. He was no longer able to hold himself in the air. His arms were still tightly wrapped around his father who was unable to get free. Together they fell steeply and landed in the blood-red Sunwell.

---

Kelrian expected to be in pain as he opened his eyes but he was not. He lifted his head, looking down at himself. There was no hole in his chest but that was not the only difference he noticed. He was completely naked and his body looked much different than before. He no longer looked like a demon but like a blood elf. He looked like himself before he had lost his left forearm which had been replaced by demonic flesh.

Kelrian lifted his upper body and checked his surroundings. He laid on a golden altar in the middle of a room which floor and walls were also golden. Next to him stood a blonde female human who wore a beautiful white-brown dress. She regarded him curiously, her gaze rested on his face.

"Where am I and who are you?" Kelrian asked.

The woman didn't respond to him.

"Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?"

The woman shook her head. "No, you are not dead and this is not the afterlife. It's hard to explain where exactly you are."

Kelrian gave her an irritated look.

"Let's say you are not in the mortal realm but you are not in the afterlife either. You are somewhere in between, I think. I do not know much about this place, to be honest."

"Who are you?" Kelrian asked.

"My name is Anveena Teague."

"Anveena Teague," Kelrian repeated quietly. "I never heard of you before."

"I was the avatar of the Sunwell."

"The avatar of the Sunwell?

Anveena nodded.

"The Sunwell has an avatar?" Kelrian asked highly surprised.

She nodded again.

"And what is your function?"

"That's hard to say. I suppose my function was to exist and store the power of the Sunwell until someone wants to restore it. I'm not a real living being. I was created shortly after the destruction of the Sunwell. I'm not a real person."

"I assume that my father used you to restore the Sunwell."

Anveena nodded.

"What happened to the Sunwell? Where is my father? Please answer me. I have so many questions."

Anveena gave him a small smile. "One question after the other. We have plenty of time."

"No, we don't. My father needs to be stopped."

Anveena was still smiling. "You don't have to worry about that matter. Your friends have already stopped him and his master."

"His master? How? What do you mean?"

"Your father managed to summon Kil'jaeden into the mortal world but the Alliance managed to defeat him."

"They did?" Kelrian asked surprised.

Aveena nodded. "Yes, they did."

"Is Sylvanas alright?"

"She is alive, not really alive but you know what I mean. She is alive but an emotional mess. She believes she lost you forever this time."

Kelrian's eyes widened. "I have to go to her and let her know that I'm alive."

Anveena shook her head. "Not now. We are not done here."

Kelrian's eyes narrowed a little. "Not done here? What do we have to do?"

She pointed at his nude form. "I can't bring you back to the hall of the Sunwell like this. Especially because you have no idea why you are here. Your father managed to get out of the Sunwell but you were brought to this place. I'm sure you are wondering why," the avatar said.

"Of course I am. As I said, I have so many questions in my mind."

"You can ask anything you want but I don't think I will be able to answer all of your questions."

"I have the impression that I didn't land here by accident. Was it the Sunwell that brought me to this strange place?"

"That's not unlikely."

"But why?"

Anveena hesitated for a few moments. "The only meaningful reason that comes to mind is that the Sunwell chose you."

Kelrian's eyes widened significantly. He could not believe what he had just heard. "Chose me? Are you serious?"

"I see no other reason which makes sense."

"For what did it chose me?"

"It chose you to be its avatar."

Kelrian was silent because he had no idea what he should say in response. He had no idea what to think about it. This sounded so surreal to him. He had expected many explanations but not this one. What Anveena had just told him was hard to believe.

"The Sunwell needs a protector. It was corrupted two times in seven years. The Sunwell has twice been used and corrupted by evil creatures."

"My father and Arthas," Kelrian said more to himself than to Anveena.

The avatar continued. "The Sunwell needs a powerful guardian that can protect it from all evil."

"And I should be the one? Why me?"

Anveena shrugged. "I don't know why the Sunwell chose you. Maybe because you are a determined man. You would do anything necessary to protect your family, your kingdom and your people."

"You are right about that but there are many other creatures who want to achieve the same goals as I do."

Anveena nodded. "You have a point. As I said, I have no idea why it chose you. Maybe because you fell into the Sunwell with a serious injury. Maybe it saved you because it didn't want to let you die. Maybe because you are a Sunstrider. I don't know. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that it wants you to be its first guardian. The new avatar of the Sunwell."

Kelrian was silent, a thoughtful look could be seen on his face. Numerous thoughts went through his mind. It was not easy to assimilate what Anveena had just told him. There was a certain question in his mind to which he wanted to get an answer. But he doubted he would ever find out the answer to that simple question.

Why did it choose him? He was nothing but an ordinary blood elf. A mortal. He was not sure if he was worthy after everything he had done.

As Dreadfist, he had killed his own sister and would have killed everyone who was important to him if his son wouldn't have stopped him. And now his son had to live with a fel green crystal in his heart as the consequence for his father's actions. He caused so much pain to others and killed so many good-hearted creatures. There was no way the Sunwell would choose him as its guardian. Its new avatar. That sounded so surreal to him. It was hard to believe.

Kelrian was brought out of his thoughts by Anveena's voice. "Believe it or not. It's the Sunwell's will. It's your duty to fulfil the destiny it chose for you. Look at it this way. You were provided with power by the Sunwell since the day you were born. The Sunwell provided your people with power for millennia and it has never asked for anything in return. Now it asks you, the rightful heir to the throne of Quel'Thalas, to be its guardian."

"Do I have to make a decision now or do I have time to think about it?" Kelrian asked.

"You can think about it as long as you want. But be aware that time does not stop on Azeroth while you are here. The longer you stay here, the longer your wife will think you are dead. She won't stop being depressed as long as she doesn't know you are still alive," explained Anveena.

"What exactly do I have to do besides protecting the Sunwell? That can't be everything the Sunwell wants from me. I'm sure there are more tasks I have to do."

"There are but I can't tell you what exactly you have to do. I think you will find out what you have to do as soon as you become the new avatar."

Kelrian thought about her words for a few minutes. Suddenly, a determined look appeared on his face. "I will do it. I will become the Sunwell's avatar."