Although he wasn't clear on the exact details, a moment of reflection allowed Andreas to grasp the general concerns of the other party.
It's either about the Dragon Soul or Malygos, isn't it?
Although the Dragon Soul had been recovered by the Dragonflight after the War of the Ancients, according to the information provided by Malfurion, the Dragon Aspects had never been able to find a way to destroy the artifact, nor could they reclaim the power they had infused into it.
Neltharion might have anticipated the possibility of losing it and tampered with it in advance; at the very least, the Dragons had yet to devise a method to crack its secrets.
The matter of Malygos was even more troublesome. It was said that the Blue Dragon King had been missing since the end of the War of the Ancients, and no one knew which corner of the world he had crawled into to descend further into madness.
With Ulduar fallen, Tyr missing, and both Odin and Ra-den losing contact, the Dragon Aspects had become the final line of defense for Azeroth—and currently the only Guardians still capable of action.
As the Guardian of Magic who controlled the Arcane, Malygos's strength among the five Aspects was second only to Neltharion, the Earth-Warder. This was one of the primary reasons Neltharion had chosen Malygos as his first target.
With Malygos missing and Nozdormu perpetually wandering the timeways, Ysera, the Green Dragon Queen, had to remain in the Emerald Dream most of the time as the Dreamer. This was why she was known as "The Sleeping One."
With her siblings absent, the heavy burden of maintaining the physical world fell solely on Alexstrasza's shoulders. Thinking of this, Andreas felt a strong urge to help the Red Dragon Queen say, "I have it too hard."
Ysera intended to help Alexstrasza share the burden. By blessing Nordrassil, she brought Druids—who were equally passionate about maintaining natural balance—into the Emerald Dream, which to some extent reduced the time she herself was tethered to the Dream world.
However, considering the massive mess the Dragonflight was in, relying on only two sisters to handle everything was likely overwhelming. It was no wonder Ysera's eyes were always filled with fatigue and worry.
As he followed the main group toward Goldrinn's lair, Andreas thoughtfully rubbed his chin.
Come to think of it, where exactly is Malygos hiding? I vaguely remember in the original history, the Blue Dragon King seemed to have stayed in his home at the Nexus, wallowing in isolation.
Thinking of the small group of Blue Dragons currently residing in Mazthoril, Andreas planned to pay them a visit after the battle with the Satyrs ended. Perhaps the Blue Dragons guarding that area would know some clues.
While contacting the half-mad Malygos carried risks, Andreas wanted to obtain certain things through the Guardian of Magic. If things went smoothly, he might even be able to help the grief-stricken Blue Dragon King return to some state of normalcy.
...
Goldrinn's lair was quite far from the Pillar of Heaven. The reclusive Wolf God was unwilling to stay too close to the other Wild Gods; he had chosen a patch of undulating hills to the northwest of the Pillar of Heaven as his territory.
When Cenarius led the way into Goldrinn's domain, several massive white wolves, over three meters tall, suddenly leapt out from the forest.
"So it is Cenarius, the Forest Demigod." One of the white wolves bowed its head respectfully in greeting. "Our Master Goldrinn is still in a deep sleep. Do you have urgent business with him?"
"I do." Cenarius nodded solemnly. He took a Worgen from Malfurion's hands. "Some within the Druidic order blindly attempted to master Goldrinn's rage without his guidance."
"They failed," Cenarius said, pointing to the strange, half-man, half-wolf creature. "This is the result: a twisted being that is neither man nor wolf. They are completely lost in wild fury, losing their reason and attacking everyone indiscriminately. Furthermore, they spread a dangerous virus; anyone bitten by them is forcibly transformed into one of their kind."
The leading white wolf gradually frowned. It leaned its nose in to sniff the Worgen in Cenarius's hand. "There is indeed a trace of our Master's aura, but it is extremely impure, chaotic, and manic. No wonder they could not control it."
The white wolf nodded to Cenarius and the Druids behind him. "I understand. Please follow me. However, I cannot guarantee whether our Master, who is slumbering to heal his wounds, can be awakened."
Goldrinn's lair was located in a spacious cavern deep within the hills. This was not Cenarius's first visit. After Goldrinn's white wolf kin guided the group to their destination, Cenarius entered the cave with familiarity.
Following Cenarius inside, Andreas immediately saw the giant wolf curled up in the deepest part of the cave. His eyes were tightly shut, and his body shimmered with a faint, moon-white glow. The moonlight shining down from the hollowed cave ceiling fell perfectly upon him.
Andreas looked at Goldrinn thoughtfully and instinctively asked, "Moonlight?"
Cenarius looked back at him. "Yes, moonlight. You must have heard the saying 'wolves howl at the moon,' right? The wolf kin have an inextricable link with the moon; they receive their greatest strength bonus during a full moon."
The moon... could it be related to Elune?
Azeroth was different from Earth; it had two moons. The smaller one was called the Blue Child, and the larger one was known as the White Lady. The Sisterhood of Elune generally believed the White Lady was the incarnation of Elune, but as far as Andreas knew, Elune herself had never admitted this.
Once a year, the two moons would intersect and overlap. Azeroth's Arcane energy would reach its most active period of the year on that day, a phenomenon known as the "Embrace of the Twin Moons."
Goldrinn seemed completely unaware of Cenarius's arrival. He continued to silently absorb the power of the moonlight to repair the wounds he had suffered during the War of the Ancients.
The white wolf sighed regretfully. "It seems our Master is still unable to respond to your call. Lord Cenarius, I am sorry you made the trip for nothing."
"Please, wait." Andreas suddenly stepped forward and asked the quite intelligent white wolf, "May I try? Perhaps I have a way to awaken him."
Malfurion froze for a moment. He followed Andreas's gaze to the beam of moonlight projecting from the cave ceiling, and a look of realization dawned on his face. "I see."
Turning to the large white wolf, Malfurion requested solemnly, "Skoll, this Andreas Moonshadow is a favored one of the Moon Goddess Elune. Perhaps he truly has a way to help Goldrinn awaken from his deep slumber."
"A favored one of Elune?" Skoll looked at Andreas in surprise. After Cenarius nodded in confirmation, Skoll hesitated for a moment. "Very well. But please, do not use means so violent that they harm our Master."
Andreas bowed with a smile. "I understand. I will be careful with the intensity."
Led by Fandral, high-ranking Druids like Shaun and Lensa made way for Andreas. Walking up to the Wolf God Goldrinn, Andreas gently placed his hand on the giant, furry head.
Andreas did not immediately invoke the power of the moonlight. Instead, he attempted to establish contact with Goldrinn's consciousness through Shadow magic. Under the expectant gazes of those around him, Andreas called out to Goldrinn's sleeping soul countless times, but all contact was like a stone sinking into the ocean—there was no response.
Nothing for it then. Let's give this a try.
Looking up at the twin moons in the Emerald Dream, which seemed no different from the physical world, Andreas closed his eyes and entered a state of meditation.
"Respected Elune, your servant requests your aid."