By the time Andreas and Fandral hurried back to the holy Mount Hyjal, the small-scale skirmish had already been suppressed.
The culprit, Illidan, had been captured and was temporarily being held under the personal supervision of Malfurion.
"...What on earth were you thinking?"
Malfurion rubbed his temples, feeling a massive headache coming on. He was utterly exasperated with Illidan, who still held his head high, refusing to admit any wrongdoing.
"We just finished calling upon the entire race to reach a consensus on using Arcane energy with extreme caution from now on. And immediately after, you go and create a new Arcane font behind my back—and you even named it the New Well of Eternity?"
Bang!
Malfurion slammed his fist onto the table in fury. "Are you intentionally trying to oppose me?! Do you even realize what you've done!"
"Hmph!"
Illidan sneered with disdain. "To ban the Well of Eternity entirely just because you fear its negative effects... that is the act of a coward."
"My brother, you have no idea of the Burning Legion's true strength. You surely don't believe that banishing them this time constitutes a permanent victory, do you?"
Illidan spoke with unwavering resolve. "The death of demons does not mean their true annihilation. Their souls are reshaped within the Twisting Nether, and sooner or later, they will regain their physical forms."
"Sargeras and the Burning Legion will surely return. We need the power of the Well of Eternity to face them."
"Absurd!"
Malfurion's chest heaved with anger. "The Well of Eternity is the very root that attracts the demons! Its power radiating into the Great Dark Beyond caught their attention, and that is what tempted the Highborne into summoning them to Azeroth in the first place!"
"What we need to do is strictly control Arcane energy so that demons can no longer easily locate Azeroth, rather than making a grand display of a New Well of Eternity. That will only make the future situation worse!"
"Heh~"
Illidan let out a cold laugh. "Brother, it seems we cannot reach a consensus. But things have already reached this point; you might as well face reality. Can you blow up a Well of Eternity a second time? The Dragon Soul has already been reclaimed by the Dragon Aspects, hasn't it?"
"You!"
Seeing Illidan's unrepentant expression, Malfurion's purple face turned red with rage.
"Enough!"
Maiev slammed the table and stood up in anger. She glanced sideways at Jarod, whose forehead was still wrapped in bandages. Fire burned in the protective Maiev's eyes.
Jarod had been the first to discover Illidan's act of pouring the Well water. During the process of trying to stop him, he had been ruthlessly wounded by Illidan. Upon learning the facts, a furious Maiev, who had just arrived on the scene, engaged in a fierce battle with Illidan and finally managed to capture him with Malfurion's help in restraining him.
"Archdruid, this man who sided with the demons is beyond saving. Hand him over to me, and I will make sure he spends the long years ahead in deep repentance!"
Malfurion gave a bitter smile and pressed his hand down, signaling Maiev to calm down first.
"High Priestess Shadowsong, as his elder brother, I apologize to you and Commander Jarod on Illidan's behalf."
"Who asked you to apologize for me! I am not in the wrong!"
"You, shut up first!"
Tyrande watched the chaotic argument before her, rubbing her temples as her head throbbed.
"Everyone, please control your emotions. Let us discuss the matter at hand..."
"Mentor."
The travel-worn Andreas and Fandral returned just at this moment. Scanning the room and seeing Illidan with his hands bound by magical chains and the injured Jarod, Andreas gained a general grasp of the situation.
Malfurion breathed a secret sigh of relief; Andreas' return provided a perfect excuse to change the subject.
"Andreas, Fandral, thank you for your hard work. Have the maps been drawn?"
"Yes, though only for the areas surrounding Mount Hyjal."
Andreas handed the parchment map to Malfurion and interjected into the conversation. "Everyone, I already heard about the New Well of Eternity on my way back."
"If I may speak plainly, now is not the time to discuss Illidan's guilt or his punishment. What is more important right now is how we deal with this Arcane font."
Andreas' question struck the core of the issue, and the various leaders present all showed bitter smiles.
Tyrande rolled her eyes in annoyance. "If we knew how to deal with it, we wouldn't be sitting here idly arguing."
Maiev's gaze toward Illidan remained extremely hostile. She spoke in a cold, slightly raspy, yet magnetic voice: "Never mind that the Dragon Soul has been reclaimed by the dragons; even if we still held it, we could not possibly blow up the holy Mount Hyjal again."
"Hmm..."
Andreas rubbed his chin, pretending to be in deep thought. After a moment, he proposed: "Then let us find a way using existing resources. We don't necessarily have to destroy it. The key is to mask the Arcane energy leaking from the New Well of Eternity to avoid attracting demons."
Seeing everyone present nod in agreement, Andreas smiled and held up his right index finger. "I have a proposal. Why don't we use the energy of the New Well of Eternity as a supply to cultivate a brand-new World Tree atop Mount Hyjal?"
Andreas' proposal followed the natural course of the original history and was the most suitable choice for the current situation. Blowing up the New Well would inevitably cause a massive impact on Mount Hyjal, and the Highborne Arcanists—who were already showing early signs of mana addiction—would resolutely oppose it. Doing so would only escalate conflicts and do nothing to solve the problem.
The leaders present were stunned for a moment by Andreas' proposal. Malfurion was the first to show a look of realization and pleasant surprise.
"Exactly! If we use the energy of the Well to nourish a World Tree, we should be able to prevent the Arcane energy of the Well from leaking out!"
At this point, Fandral threw a wet blanket on Andreas' plan. "Andreas, and Mentor, I mean no offense, but we have yet to find a way to reactivate the withered seeds of G'Hanir even to this day."
"If we want to execute this plan, we must first complete this step; otherwise, it is all empty talk."
Andreas wordlessly rolled his eyes at Fandral. This guy's temper is too blunt. Can't he let people be happy for a moment before looking for a solution...
Malfurion's joy faltered, and worry reappeared on his face.
"He's right... after Aviana died, the Mother Tree G'Hanir, which was symbiotic with her, also withered. All the seeds lost their vitality. If we want to plant a World Tree, we must first find a way to restore the seeds' life force."
"Leave that problem to me."
A steady and soft female voice came from outside the temporary council chamber.
Three Night Elves with horns on their heads walked in together. One could vaguely see the sky outside the door covered by massive dragons.
Malfurion rose in surprise to welcome the distinguished guests. "Honorable Dragon Aspects, why have you..."
The leader, Alexstrasza the Life-Binder, smiled and nodded to the crowd as they bowed in greeting.
"Malygos sensed a powerful magic source appearing at the summit of Mount Hyjal. We did not expect it to be a miniature Well of Eternity."
Andreas hid behind Fandral's broad frame to quietly observe the three visitors.
The one leading, who radiated the charm of a mature woman, must be the Red Dragon Queen, Alexstrasza. Standing beside her were a man and a woman; their identities could be guessed from the color schemes of their attire.
The languid woman draped in green silk should be Ysera the Dreamer, while the male with the indifferent expression and an ethereal aura was naturally Nozdormu the Timeless One.
Malygos isn't here? Has his condition acted up again...
"Getting back to business."
After a few pleasantries, Alexstrasza resumed a serious expression.
"Malygos cannot come due to personal issues. Your proposal just now was very interesting. If we can successfully plant a reactivated seed of G'Hanir, theoretically, a World Tree rooted in the New Well of Eternity can mask the Arcane energy it radiates."