8,000 years before the opening of the Dark Portal, the Lord's Palace of Moonshadow's Rest.
After a deep slumber lasting 1,000 years under the meticulous care of his maids, Andreas opened his eyes. The maid dozing beside him failed to notice this change entirely.
With Elune's blessing in effect, Andreas immediately regained control over his body upon waking. Compared to when he fell asleep, not much had changed, except that the Shadow energy within him had strengthened considerably over time.
"Hehe~ You're finally awake. I thought you were going to stay in that coma until the end of time."
Xal'atath's voice was the first to enter Andreas's mind. Glancing at the strangely shaped longsword resting by the bedside, Andreas twitched the corner of his mouth.
"The fact that you didn't take the opportunity to slip away is quite a surprise."
"Hmph~ I said I wanted to personally see you tear C'Thun, N'Zoth, and Yogg-Saron to pieces. Until that wish is fulfilled, I will keep my promise and stay by your side to watch the show."
"Heh~ suit yourself."
The movement of Andreas getting out of bed startled the half-awake maid. When the young girl of delicate features saw the Lord getting out of bed on his own, her face turned pale with fright, and she hurriedly bowed, trying to beg for forgiveness.
"That's enough, don't be so nervous. I'm not going to eat you."
Seeing the tears hanging on the little maid's face, Andreas—who had spent a long time interacting with projected NPCs and hadn't seen a real person in ages—felt a sense of wonder. He patted her shoulder with a chuckle to comfort her. "Relax, I don't blame you. Go on, call Leticia and Celes here."
"Yes... Yes!"
As the little maid stumbled out the door, Andreas stretched his body and walked to the balcony of the master bedroom.
Looking down from the high vantage point, Moonshadow's Rest didn't seem to have changed much after a thousand years; it was as prosperous as ever.
However, the confused and hesitant expressions on the faces of a patrolling squad of Moon Guards made Andreas frown.
"What's the situation?"
...
The Lord had finally returned from Elune's calling, throwing the entire Lord's Palace into a state of excitement.
Surrounded by the crowd, Andreas felt a bit strange. Shandris, who should have arrived at the first possible moment, was nowhere to be seen.
"Leticia, where is Shandris?"
Suddenly called upon, Leticia trembled guiltily, her eyes darting left and right as she replied, "Sister Shandris? She should be on her way."
"On her way?"
Andreas raised an eyebrow. Leticia's demeanor made him suspicious.
Turning to look at Celes, this girl's abnormality was even more obvious; she looked as if she had lost her soul.
"...What is wrong with you all? Shouldn't my waking up be a happy occasion? Why is everyone acting so strangely?"
Turning his gaze to the still-calm Maclay, Andreas sighed and asked, "Speak up. What major event has happened?"
Maclay bowed slightly and said, "The thousand years of Lord Moonshadow's slumber were very peaceful. The only event that could be considered major is the recent exodus of the Highborne."
"Hmm?"
Andreas's relaxed expression immediately turned serious. "Explain in detail. What do you mean by an exodus?"
Through Maclay's explanation, Andreas finally understood the beginning and end of the matter.
The Highborne, led by Dath'Remar, had long been treated with suspicion and disdain by their kin, and their patience had finally reached its breaking point.
About three years before Andreas woke up, Dath'Remar abandoned the low profile he had maintained for 2,000 years. He publicly proclaimed that Arcane magic was a precious treasure bestowed upon the Highborne by the Moon Goddess and that research into it should not be stopped due to artificial prohibitions.
In post-war Night Elven society, a consensus had long been reached regarding the regulation of Arcane magic. The citizens living in Astranaar had developed an instinctive resistance, subconsciously rejecting the Arcane that had invited the demon invasion and resenting the Highborne who used it.
Dath'Remar's rebellious call drew severe condemnation from all sectors of Astranaar, but he and the Highborne seemed to have no intention of reflecting or correcting their ways.
Furthermore, Dath'Remar wasn't just talking. The Highborne began to blatantly promote and study Arcane magic, eventually reaching a point that even Malfurion could no longer tolerate.
Although Shandris mediated between the two sides repeatedly, both Malfurion and Dath'Remar had bottom lines they could not compromise on. Ultimately, the Highborne completely broke off from mainstream Night Elven society.
Malfurion ordered the Highborne to be exiled from Astranaar and forbade them from continuing to draw energy from the new Well of Eternity.
The Archdruid had long understood the Highborne's magic addiction; he intended to use this method to force the stubborn Highborne to turn back.
But the development of events was not as he expected. The exiled Highborne showed neither anger nor regret; instead, they joyfully took their pre-packed luggage and left Mount Hyjal without a word.
Before the stunned Malfurion could make a further move, the well-prepared Dath'Remar led over ten thousand Highborne directly to the transit port Andreas had built on the southern coast of Azsuna.
There, they boarded large galleons that had been prepared in advance. More than 30 temporarily modified passenger ships set sail, heading toward the unknown seas east of the Broken Isles.
When Andreas woke up, the ships had been at sea for less than two months. Malfurion had already come to Moonshadow's Rest three times in a towering rage—a rare sight for the usually good-tempered Archdruid.
Naturally, as an "accomplice" to the Highborne's escape, Leticia became the main target of the Archdruid's fury. This was why she was previously too guilty to look Andreas in the eye.
As for Celes, it went without saying. Her father and brother had suddenly left Kalimdor without a word, taking a huge risk to sail toward the unknown Eastern Continent. As a member of the Sunstrider family, it would be strange if Celes wasn't worried.
"Sigh~"
Andreas patted Celes's little blonde head to comfort her, then glared fiercely at the evasive Leticia.
"Such an important matter, and you actually made the decision yourself without consulting Maclay? I think you're looking for a beating, aren't you?"
"Eh!"
Leticia shamelessly rushed forward and grabbed Andreas's sleeve, acting spoiled. "But, Teacher Dath'Remar said this was help you had promised him long ago, I..."
"Are you a pig-brain!"
Andreas irritably flicked Leticia's forehead hard with his finger.
"Awoo~"
Seeing Leticia clutching her forehead with a wronged expression, Andreas snorted in anger. "I promised Dath'Remar I would try my best to help the Highborne, but I never agreed to personally send them off on their voyage!"
Even if I were to send them, I wouldn't do it so blatantly. Isn't this just begging to offend Malfurion...
Fortunately, the decision was made by Leticia, a descendant of the Highborne. Dath'Remar was her etiquette teacher, and because of Celes, the relationship between the two families had always been close. It was somewhat understandable that Leticia couldn't resist her teacher's request.
As long as the order didn't come directly from Andreas's mouth, he should be able to explain things clearly once Malfurion cooled down.
Onyxia, standing on the outer circle of the crowd with her arms crossed, reminded him in a flat tone, "Shouldn't the concern be something other than punishing Leticia? The Highborne probably haven't reached the other side yet. What do you plan to do? Recall the ships?"
Andreas rolled his eyes. "They've already set sail. How am I supposed to recall them?"
"Delier, you go and pacify the Moon Guards first. Try not to let them be influenced by Dath'Remar's propaganda."
Andreas frowned deeply. "If the Moon Guards defect in large numbers at this critical juncture, my mentor, who is already angry, will be even more furious."
"Yes, I'll go right away."
Seeing Onyxia standing far away, Andreas suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"By the way, is there any news from your mother and brother?"
"Yes."
Onyxia shrugged coldly. "They found that blue dragon in a large snowy mountain range in the middle of the continent, but before they could even talk to him, they got a thorough beating. Now they don't dare to provoke him for the time being."
"What? Are you planning to go see the situation yourself?"