Alas, the sacred spear... charge! [New release: explosive update 14/50]

Falling Moon.

This is a hidden plateau nestled in the dense forest northwest of Shadowmoon Valley, adjacent to the coastline of Shadowmoon Valley and across the sea from the Tanaan Jungle to the north. It is also the largest nest of the giant shadow ravens native to Draenor in Shadowmoon Valley.

Indeed, it is a place of exceptional beauty, yet quite desolate.

Apart from some Draenei anglers, few dare to venture into this rarely trodden land, risking attacks from the enormous ravens. Even the Shadowmoon orcs, who have lived here longer, seldom come because of legends about certain "elves" hidden in this forest.

Superstitious orcs avoid disturbing these mysterious and dangerous creatures.

"The 'elves' the orcs speak of are actually herbaceous beings native to Draenor. Although there are no forest spirit settlements here, those annoying and noisy mo’arg still travel in groups through the forest. They use their height and stealth advantage to ambush any outsiders who dare enter the woods.

Besides that, elemental energies are active here.

Somewhere beneath our feet, in a cave, an ancient rock elemental sleeps. We’d better tread lightly and not disturb it."

Dick held Nari’s hand as they walked through the dense forest. He was so familiar with the terrain it was like walking in his own bedroom. Choosing the easiest path, he led Nari up the plateau without alarming the ravens or those bothersome mo’arg.

They reached the cliff edge overlooking the sea.

Looking up, they saw the dazzling and magnificent sunset over the Tanaan Jungle. The evening clouds spread across the waters of the Zangarra Sea like fiery embers, with the shimmering waves hinting at a raw natural beauty.

“How is it?” Dick turned to Nari and asked.

“Doesn’t this view remind you of the sunset over the Makare Coast?”

“Yes. I haven’t seen such a tranquil and beautiful dusk in many years.”

Nari gazed at the evening clouds draping the sky like a cloak. She sighed, glanced once more at their tightly clasped hands, and then looked up at Dick.

She said:

“But I’m more curious—how do you know all this? You just awakened recently, yet you know so much about the world of Draenor.

You even brought me, a ranger who’s been in Shadowmoon Valley for many years, to this secluded place. This place should be unfamiliar to you, yet you acted as if you’ve been here countless times.

More importantly, you only woke up yesterday, yet you know about Ner’zhul’s role among the orcs and even the existence of the Shadow Council. Do you have any idea how much effort it took me to uncover even a fragment of information about that warlock group?

Dick, how many secrets are you still hiding from me?”

“I told you, no serious talk tonight. But it seems that some archbishop has grown so used to blending work and life during over twenty thousand years of exile.”

Dick picked some red and green blossoms from the ground and wove them in his hands. Sitting on a rock, he said helplessly:

“Look at this beautiful environment. Can't you just say the things you should say in this situation?”

“What do you want me to say? What do you want to hear?” Nari said with a stern face.

But her constantly wagging little tail betrayed her nervousness.

Though she had fought among the stars for twenty-five thousand years, was a renowned legendary hunter, a dignified archbishop, and a core figure of the Draenei clan’s power, she was still a complete novice in these matters.

Nervousness was only natural.

More importantly, if Nari appeared too practiced now, then the one who should be nervous would be Saint Diakum.

“Say again the things you told me outside my coffin during those twenty-five thousand years.”

Dick laughed heartily, pulled Nari down to sit beside him, and naturally wrapped an arm around her waist.

This sudden gesture stiffened the once supple body of the legendary ranger.

“You’re not going to war, relax.”

The Watcher Saint glanced at the crooked wreath he had woven, realizing his hands were accustomed to holding weapons and lacked the craft to make proper gifts. Unable to present it, he tossed it aside with a sigh:

“All your muscles are tense. You know this is a date, right? This is what I owe you on my last night in Krokuun.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Dick. We can’t ask you to sacrifice more for us.”

Nari sighed.

“It’s us who haven’t found a way to awaken you all these years. They wanted to place your holy sarcophagus in Ambory Village as an inspiring relic. I opposed it, but… I’m sorry. There was a time when even I lost faith.

I shouldn’t have hidden that from you.”

“I don’t want to hear that.”

Dick’s face turned stern.

“I’ve noticed you’ve grown timid. The hundred-year-old you once boldly asked me out for a walk. Why the hesitation now?”

“Because we’ve both changed.”

Nari shook her head.

She sighed, forcing herself calm, then closed her eyes and rested her head on Dick’s chest, listening to the heavy beat of his heart.

“Twenty-five thousand years of exile have changed much. I once thought I wouldn’t change, but I overestimated my resilience and underestimated the difficulty of this journey. I thought I was strong enough, but under the wear of time, I am just an immortal coward.

Just as you once predicted, I fear becoming the failure in fate and can only force myself to keep moving forward.”

She paused, then looked up at Diakum leaning against the rock.

She traced the familiar face with her hand, as if touching memories from the past.

Dick watched her, witnessing the light in Nari’s eyes slowly change, as though the heavy shell of her soul, forged by over twenty thousand years of hardship, was being peeled away bit by bit. Finally, in the depths of her heart, she found the nearly forgotten self.

At last, under the Watcher’s gentle gaze, Nari smiled. She could finally face herself and the man before her with peace.

She said:

“I’ve missed you so much, Diakum.

Time hasn’t diluted the tacit understanding we built during the war years as I feared; disasters haven’t erased the complex feelings of admiration and closeness. You know, when I heard of your resurrection, I rushed here without so much as fixing my appearance.

It wasn’t a rational decision, but… to hell with reason.

I’ve missed you.

Every day, every night, in every dream, I speak to every moon about home and about you, who seem forever left there.

I’ve grown old.

But you are still young.”

“The marvel of fate is right here. I like mature women.”

Dick reached out and touched Nari’s chin. Admiring the face that had hardly changed from memory, his fingers brushed over the scar on her neck.

That scar, torn by demons, had stolen her sweet voice, leaving her only this hoarseness to express her feelings.

“Come here!”

He called, and Nari, the archbishop, flew into his arms like a moth to flame.

Embraces, kisses, and comfort—two immortals whose combined ages exceed fifty thousand years poured out their hearts on this secluded cliff, beneath the distant sunset.

---

The surge of emotion was a natural and inevitable culmination—not just mutual attraction between a man and a woman, but the echo today of a desperate war over twenty thousand years ago that changed the fate of all the Eredar!

The relationship between him and Nari had long transcended mere feelings; theirs was a deeply complex bond.

For short-lived beings, such complex relationships often hindered further intimacy.

But the Eredar are immortals!

They have lifetimes enough to bear such complexity. For them, the more intricate the relationship, the easier it is to transcend base desires and become true soulmates.

For these long-lived, spiritual connection often outweighs fleeting physical pleasure.

Of course, that said, since species must reproduce and genes must persist, even immortals have built-in “reward programs” in their bodies. They rarely fall truly in love, but the closeness of souls can trigger impulses similar to those of short-lived beings.

Dick once again confirmed that the little tails of Eredar women are undoubtedly the universe’s most wonderful gift!

These lively little appendages not only express mood and emotion as part of a lady’s beauty and grace but can serve as perfect “grabbers” when necessary.

He shared this discovery with Nari.

Unfortunately, Nari was clearly a novice in this area and had little experience to share. Though the Watcher Saint had rich theoretical knowledge, this body that had slumbered for over twenty thousand years still needed time to adapt during its first “holy spear deployment.”

So, the sunset painted the evening clouds like a shy onlooker, urging the reluctant sun not to intrude at such a moment and risk disturbing the “old souls.” Should the Watcher Saint grow angry, he might even thrust his holy spear skyward to create a solar shooting spectacle.

Meanwhile, the bolder stars silently ascended, climbing the heavens as if weaving the most beautiful and tender reunion night for the two star-crossed lovers.

They forbade any insensitive night breeze from disturbing the sweetness of the moment. Even the grass at the cliff’s edge seemed to behave, bearing the weight of two centuries-old souls as they rolled and pressed upon it.

This was loneliness amassed over fifty thousand years; even if every star’s light were ink, it could scarcely compose a poem to soothe such a soul.

At this moment, indulgence might warm hearts better than restraint.

As if to make up for twenty-five thousand years of missed sweet words, they would spend one night expressing it all through action.

When the moon reached its zenith, this lonely confession finally drew to a close.

Nari leaned against the rock, motionless, while the legendary ranger pinched her twitching calf and whispered hoarsely:

“So tired.”

“As it should be.”

General Diakum, lying by the stone, played with the little tail’s faint imprint in his hand and spoke softly:

“The emotions stored up over twenty thousand years should erupt like a volcano. If I hadn’t been gravely wounded and unconscious back then, perhaps by now we’d even have children—probably more than one.

After all, as the last ancient Eredar of the Draenei clan, we should lead by example and answer civilization’s call to propagate.”

“Dick, are you proposing?”

Nari closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and hammered his side fiercely.

“Don’t say such spoiling things now! I won’t accept it—not only because my duties and identity forbid me from rashly abandoning my post, which would cause great trouble for our people.

Moreover, we have only just reunited. You’ll have to give me some time.”

“Honestly!”

Dick squeezed her hand hard, making Nari cry out in pain.

She pulled back her tail angrily and stared at him. Under his gentle, probing gaze, she sighed:

“You made me wait over twenty thousand years. Why should I rush to your side like a puppy at your call? I have my career and my life. Most importantly, Argus is not yet reclaimed, Diakum.

You and I, who bear the world’s oath, must not shift our focus before this great mission is complete.

You know, all the ancient Eredar, including you and me, have not had an easy time. We cannot break our vows now—especially you, the foremost ‘Keeper of the Oath.’

I... I can’t be so selfish.”

“Nari, don’t bring up such heavy matters now.”

Dick shook his head.

He gazed at the supreme starlight above, and after a few seconds of silence, said to Nari resting on his shoulder:

“Among these stars, do you think any belongs to Argus? Could he still be watching us? Waiting for the day we return in glory?”

“Uh, from an astronomical standpoint, it’s unlikely we can see Argus’s starlight here.”

Nari brushed her damp hair aside.

“We have crossed star seas for over twenty thousand years. According to star charts from the Holy Light Legion, we have left the farthest galaxies once explored by the Naaru and arrived on the other side of the physical universe.

Our distance from home surpasses conventional astronomical scales. Even if the Naaru’s ships hadn’t crashed, returning via star sea navigation would be extremely difficult.

Perhaps Eredar in other worlds still have hope, but the Draenei clan can only pray for fate’s blessing to make this possible.

Many of our people have come to regard the ancient oath as a legend.

But that’s not their fault.

Time has been too long—long enough for those facts to be forgotten.”

“So, is that truly why the Draenei remain isolated?”

Dick asked:

“Because our people have forgotten Argus’s world oath, they’ve become more pragmatic and begun to care about their own lives rather than an intangible future?”

“It’s partly that, but mostly because of the crash of the Genedar.”

Nari traced circles on Dick’s broad chest with her finger.

She sighed:

“The crash cost us more than just a ship, Diakum. The three guardian Naaru who crossed the star seas with us perished in that disaster.

Without the Naaru’s connection, we’ve effectively lost contact with other Eredar clans’ refuges. For over two hundred years, we, who should have been sentinels, have been trapped on this world.

We don’t know what has happened in the star seas; we don’t know if the millennia-long war between the Holy Light Legion and the Burning Legion still rages.

We have been abandoned by the stars, Dick.

The path left to us seems only to rebuild civilization here.

Archbishop Hataru and his most trusted great engineer Rommel have tried to repair the Naaru’s communicators, but with little success. Only Naaru can operate them; we mortals can’t even comprehend how they work.

The prophet who could foresee the future was gravely wounded before the crash and exiled the fallen Kara’mun. Then, during the crash, he singlehandedly protected most of our people. For a hundred years after, he was in a terrible state, recovering at the Karabo Temple until recent years.

But the price of this protection was that Velen lost his gift and ability to prophesy.

We don’t yet know if this loss is temporary or permanent.

So, I know you’re dissatisfied with the current plight of the Draenei, but please don’t blame Velen.

He means well but is powerless.

Velen lost his wife in the Genedar crash. After the tragedy with Commander Kil’jaeden, fate dealt him another blow.

He is also a victim of that disaster.”

“Hmm?”

Dick said, surprised.

---

“So, Velen’s son is still with him?”

“Yes. The Genedar picked them up during the evacuation. That boy renamed himself ‘Eredas’ to commemorate all that happened on Argus.”

Nari propped herself up, kissed Dick on the cheek, then sat up and began dressing.

She said:

“He serves incognito in the Krokuun Legion of Telmor, determined to become a great guardian officer like Kil’jaeden once was. Only the archbishop and other high-ups know Eredas’s true identity.

That’s also a form of protection for him.

And I don’t know if you’re aware, but Faria and her companions joined the Holy Light Legion. They have been fighting demons and saving civilians across various worlds. Before the crash, I heard Faria was honored with the title ‘Blade of the New Moon.’

That title isn’t from the Holy Light Mother, but from the people of the worlds she personally saved, a mark of respect for this holy warrior. Once a rookie, she is now a legendary general of the star seas.

And the Twins—

You definitely can’t guess what they’ve achieved in the Holy Light Legion. They were appointed by the Holy Light Mother as the Twin Archbishops of the Legion, already the highest commanders of that radiant force.”

“That’s what I feared.”

Dick sat up, pulling Nari, now dressed in lingerie, close again. He whispered:

“Zera, the Holy Light Mother, is a dangerous Naaru. When I say ‘dangerous’ to describe this holy being, you should know she is far from benign.

She does fulfill her duty to save and fight evil, but that doesn’t mean every decision she makes is right.

We must find a way to call back the Twins and Faria!

If… they can still be saved.”

“Hmm?”

Nari looked at Dick in surprise, speaking cautiously:

“You’re not joking?”

“Of course not! Like your earlier question—how I know Draenor so well, how I know about Ner’zhul and the Shadow Council, what other secrets I have.”

Dick stroked the scars on Nari’s back and spoke softly:

“Because the Holy Light showed me, even while I was asleep, no, even during the time in Argus, I was like a traveler through different histories, seeing many changes and twists of fate as a prophet might glimpse the future. I know what will happen to Draenor.

I will do everything I can to prevent that despair from coming true. I also know where we must go next.

That world called ‘Azeroth’!

There we can find a way to save Argus. If we can’t find it there, our quest will end in despair.”

“Are these wounds on you from the past?”

“Yes.”

Nari did not ask what visions Dick had seen in the Holy Light.

Perhaps because their bodies and souls had just shared intimacy, she chose to trust the man beside her who had just revealed such a great secret.

As Dick’s fingers traced the scars on her back, she said:

“This wound was from an ambush by demons on the world of Shagara—the first stop after leaving Argus. The demons chased us, but we were prepared and defeated them.

A priestess named Askara wielded a Naaru beacon and called the Holy Light to burn the cruel demon army. She nearly died there but was saved by the Holy Light Legion and is now the Lightforged High Regent of an Eredar clan.

She is the second saint we recognize.

Of course, compared to you, it’s more of an honorary title.”

“Askara didn’t die? I’m so relieved. Even though I never met that sister in faith, in the history shown to me by the Holy Light, she died on Shagara.”

Dick said softly:

“The one who changes fate is rightly called a ‘saint.’ What about this cut?”

His fingers slid down to Nari’s waist, where a nearly waist-splitting scar lay.

Facing the question, Nari leaned into Dick’s warm embrace, recalling by the firelight:

“That was on a miraculous world called Odachi. The Holy Light Legion detected a demon invasion and came to aid. The Genedar was also in that star region, so under orders from High Regent Hadton, I led the rangers into that war.

You can’t imagine how crazy the people of Odachi were!

They repelled thirty-three large-scale demon assaults on their own. Even when suffering heavy casualties, they slaughtered arrogant fel demi-gods. Not even Conqueror Kil’jaeden’s personal intervention helped. Eventually, the Dark Titan sent an avatar demanding Odachi’s surrender.

Their leader, the ‘Fearless,’ refused the destruction decree and wounded the avatar with a sharp blade.

Although that world was ultimately destroyed, some Odachi were saved by the Holy Light Legion. Unfortunately, they chose not to join but stole a ship from the Void and vanished into the star seas.

Still, I believe those terrifying and fearless warriors continue fighting the Burning Legion. They are our comrades.”

“The Odachi left descendants? That’s impressive!”

Dick was genuinely delighted.

Few in the star seas could wound a Dark Titan, even an avatar. It proved the Odachi’s bravery. Though not allies, it was heartening to see demons gain a formidable enemy.

“So, this scar was also from a battle?”

Dick held Nari, stroking a short scar on her flat belly. She blushed and whispered:

“That one’s from accidentally cutting myself while slicing fruit.”

“Uh.”

Dick chuckled silently.

Then, as if studying history, he listened to Nari recount the origins of each wound.

This unique lesson inevitably involved close contact. In fact, perhaps from the beginning, this questioning was just another display of the cunning Watcher’s superb “tactical thinking.” As he wished, while teaching, a certain glance led them irresistibly together once more.

“Be quick this time!”

Nari, now clad in lingerie, turned to the saint, warning and urging:

“We must return to Ambory Village before dawn. One night of such indulgence is enough. Actually, I feel I’ve received far more comfort than twenty thousand years of loneliness required. The next few centuries will be enough for me to maintain chastity.”

“But the night is still long.”

The saint clearly didn’t agree.

He grasped that adorable little tail again, and with a tug, as if sounding a duel’s horn, he brought the archbishop into “battle” once more.

He said:

“After the next dawn, you and I will once again be warriors bearing the world’s oath, but I don’t want this date to end halfway. At least tonight, we belong only to each other.

Ah, may the Holy Light bless you, may the Holy Light bless us both.”

“Bastard, don’t mention the Holy Light now! You blasphemous heretic who deserves to be tied to the stake and burned.”

(The End of This Chapter)