As the Kaldorei continued to expand their empire, more and more joined one of three forces, steadily raising their strength. Among those recruits, a person with a great future would appear from time to time.
One of those who attracted my eye was a young priestess named Maiev Shadowsong. She was a headstrong girl with strong convictions, but her talent and hard work put her above her peers. Sadly, she had poor attunement to Elune, making it hard for her to rise to the top of the Sisters of Elune.
-"Your Excellency, Malorne."
-"Welcome, child of Shadowsong. Allow me to call you Maiev from now on."
-"Of course."
-"I called you here to have a talk. I can see your growing frustration."
-"Your Excellency, I just can't understand why those who are weaker than me are chosen to higher positions while my work is left unacknowledged."
-"You are unfortunate, Maiev. You are a powerful warrior, already one of the strongest in the three forces, but your weak connection to Elune makes it hard for you to rise in the ranks."
-"This..."
-"But don't mistake that for lack of acknowledgment. Elune herself brought your situation to my attention, and after watching you for some time, I decided to invite you to the Watchers."
-"It's an honor."
-"You have great potential in shadow magic, so I'll teach you for some time along with a few more talented in that field. In the future, you will act as their leader as well as Lunara's deputy."
-"Thank you for giving me a chance, your Excellency."
-"You earned this yourself."
A year of harsh training followed, but by the end of it, a special unit of Watchers, known as Wardens, emerged. Maiev quickly absorbed my teaching, becoming a master of shadow magic.
She quickly showed her talent in leading her team when, on one of their first deployments, they were able to enter the newly uncovered vault of keepers and secure artifacts inside despite the heavy presence of dwarves. They completed their mission unnoticed and with no casualty on either side, marking the start of their future legendary reputation.
Maiev earned the prestige she desired and deserved, becoming looked up to by her fellow Watchers and respected by leaders of other forces. Her loyalty only became stronger with time, especially to me, as she saw her current success as being made possible thanks to my acknowledgment of her.
Years later, another person appeared who gained my attention. This time, two brothers and one young priestess gained my attention thanks to their individual talents.
An older brother named Malfurion Stormrage quickly became Cenarius's pupil, and with his talent, he became the first Archdruid not to be a direct descendant of Cenarius. His calm demeanor and wise disposition made him rise to the top with no opposition.
His younger brother, Illidan Stormrage, showed great aptitude in arcane magic and using other powers that most of Kaldorei couldn't control. He joined Watchers and even applied to become a Warden, but he had to train more to be accepted by Maiev.
The last of the trio, the priestess named Tyrande Whisperwind, also proved to be exceptional in her field. She had many similarities to Maiev, but her connection to Elune was the total opposite of the Warden's. She rose through the ranks of Sisterhood, becoming chosen of Elune with record speed.
They have known each other since childhood, growing up in the same city, and because of that, both brothers had strong feelings for their childhood friends. She didn't want to change their relationship, though, knowing that choosing one would mean losing the other.
When she became Chosen of the Moon, Elune spoke to Tyrande personally, making the priestess her oracle, thus giving her way out of the pursuit of two brothers, as the oracle of a goddess had to offer everything to their god. Her decision saddened the two brothers, but they understood that she wanted to prevent fracturing their friendship.
Tyrande also proved herself prone to attracting trouble, as during one of her normal missions, she caught the eye of Queen Azshara. She wanted Tyrnade to become her handmaiden, and as she thought her order to be more important than the word of Elune, I had to step in before she could cause conflict between Highborn and the three forces.
-"Queen of Kaldorei, cease your foolishness."
-"My, if it isn't Malorne. With what empty words will you lecture me this time?"
-"While you are the ruler of the empire we are part of, you do not possess power over the three forces."
-"And who decided this? You? By what right, that you are a lover of the goddess? Heh. You are in no position to deny what I want."
-"Your people are not slaves. Tyrande rejected you. Leave."
-"Why did she reject me? Only because you brainwashed her. No Night Elf wouldn't wish to serve their queen."
-"Just leave. Don't start conflict when one is not necessary."
-"Coward."
Azshara then left with her guards, leaving me, Tyrande, and Maiev hidden nearby, alone. Tyrande was apologetic for causing all of this and shaken by seeing the true colors of a person who she admired in the past.
-"Don't feel bad, Tyrande. The queen is not truly a bad person, just misguided."
-"She seems to hate you, your Excellency."
-"She was spoiled rotten by those around her, and one day, she demanded that I become her mount."
-"She dares!"
-"Calm down, Maiev. After that, her distaste with me only grew as she noticed that most of her people held me in higher esteem than her."
-"Why, Your Excellency, allow her to continue like this? She and other Highborn are slowly ruining the empire."
-"Tyrande, I'm but a guardian."
-"But Your Excellency is the best person to lead the Kaldorei."
-"A leader is not always the best person to lead, but one to bring the people together."
-"Your Excellency, you shouldn't allow Azshara to behave like that in front of you."
-"Maiev, no need to waste time on such minor things. I can only see this as a child throwing a tantrum. Just don't antagonize her anymore."
-"Yes."
-"Tyrande, do you have any more questions?"
-"I wanted to ask for advice about the power of the moon."
-"Come with me then."
Small conflicts started happening between Highborn and the three forces from that time on. What was more troubling was indulgence in Arcane, disturbing the nature around Well of Eternity. Despite warning the queen multiple times, she always ignored my words and continued to wield the power carelessly.
I was in Emerald Dream, trying to contain the aftermath of overusing the Well of Eternity, when I detected a drastic change in magic. Arcane was no longer a dominating force, as Fel magic suddenly appeared.
-"This? Ysera, go to Dragon Isles and gather the dragonflights."
-"Yue? Did something happen?"
-"I hope that I'm mistaken, but prepare for battle just to be sure."
-"I'll be on my way."
Leaving the Emerald Dream, I located Lunara and Maiev. Two of them were discussing some matters concerning strongholds at the borders of the empire.
-"Grandfather."
-"Your Excellency."
-"Gather the Watchers and Wardens. Be quick."
-"Yes!"
When the two of them left in a hurry, they attracted the attention of Cenarius.
-"Father? Did something happen?"
-"Not yet, but will soon. Tell your druids to gather and be ready."
-"Good. Can you tell me more details? Seeing that you made a move, this must be a serious matter."
-"Fel magic suddenly appeared in the Well of Eternity."
-"This... It should be impossible. Unless..."
-"That's what I'm afraid of. It's better to be safe than sorry."
Starting to organize our forces alarmed Sisters of Elune, who also started to prepare when told about the details, and not a minute too soon, as an eruption of Fel magic suddenly shook Azeroth.
With the capital of the Kaldorei Empire around the Well of Eternity, meteorites started to rain down, burning everything with green flame. Screams of bystanders rang on every street as countless demons poured from the Well.
The moment the demons appeared and started the slaughter, our forces who were nearby started to fight to buy time from the civilians. Watchers focused on killing the demons with assistance from druids, while Sisters of Elune evacuated everyone.
Maiev acted as commander on the battlefield, and she even took command over Sentinels, who were the regular army of the empire. Under her lead, despite suffering losses, the capital was evacuated before a true massacre could occur.
Now, a massive caravan started traveling toward the border regions to avoid the calamity that had just happened. Meanwhile, leaders of three forces gathered to decide on the course of action.
-"Your Excellency, please tell us what to do."
-"This is for you to decide. I'm afraid that I won't be able to help you much in the days to come."
-"Father, what do you mean by that?"
-"As the portal expands, more powerful beings can enter the Azeroth. I'll have to focus on that. Maiev, Tyrande, Malfurion, Illidan, you are the ones that have to lead your people forward."
-"..."
-"I've already alarmed the dragonflights, but they will need some time to appear. Any questions?"
-"No, Your Excellency."
-"Then may the moon light your path."
Returning to Emerald Dream, I walked to the point where the Well of Eternity was connected to. Stopping in front of it, I started to use Fel magic to control the portal.
I was successfully able to restrict the passage, but closing it with my power would be impossible. There was a being of power beyond mine on the other side.
As I continued to wrestle with the portal, Malfurion took the position of the grand commander, dividing tasks between Maiev, Tyrande, and Illidan. He focused on saving the people and preserving strength, waiting for dragons to arrive.
Maiev was placed in command of the army, now consisting of three forces and Sentinels. She planned guerrilla attacks on demons, killing how much they could and retreating quickly, slowing down the enemy.
Tyrande commanded Sisterhood to save those in need, working along with Maiev to prevent casualties. While the two had rocky relations in the past, both knew about the strength of the other and could leave their backs to each other.
Illidan took command of Wardens, who accepted him into their ranks some time ago. He showed his expertise in battle, being able to lead the small elite force to defeat commanders of demons.
While they were at a disadvantage, they were able to avoid needless casualties and successfully retreated to places more friendly to them. Yet prolonging the war was something that only made the situation more dire.
Dragon Aspects arrived a few days after the eruption and started fighting with the demons, who they identified as Burning Legion. Their strength brought much-needed respite, allowing Night Elfs to plan a counterattack.
Malfurion decided that destroying the Well was the only option, even if that left them mortal because of the loss of its blessing. Knowing the seriousness of the situation, no one opposed his decision, and they started preparing for the attack.
Because demons would receive endless reinforcements from the portal, they decided on all-out attacks to destroy it in one swift move. Gathering the elites, they started to approach the capital, preparing for the strike.
On the day of the attack, Aspects brought their dragonflights to launch a diversionary attack, drawing attention from Burning Legion commanders and making them leave the capital. When they left, the Night Elves struck.
Easily overwhelming demons defending the city, they entered inside and approached the Well of Eternity. On their way there, they met Azshara and Highborn, who still followed her.
As the confrontation was inevitable, Maiev was first to strike, attacking the queen. She harbored a deep hatred for her for her disrespectful actions against me. Rest followed her lead, trying to make way for Malfurion and Cenarius to pass.
As the plan continued to play out according to the predictions, I noticed the movement of the force on the other side of the portal. Using even more power to fight against it, I tried to buy them enough time to succeed.
The strike force was finally able to approach the Well after pushing the queen back. But they lost enough time for one of the demon commanders named Archimonde to return. Even when united, they were unable to defeat him, barely surviving his attacks. As the situation seemed hopeless, I decided to make a move, appearing and attracting the attention of the Archimonde.
-"Hou? You finally showed yourself Exile."
-"So you are aware of me."
-"Our lord informed us about your futile attempts to stop his arrival."
-"Cenarius, continue with your plan."
-"Father?"
-"No matter what, you have to destroy the well."
-"Yes."
I nodded and walked forward, passing heavily injured Illidan, who was burned by the Fel magic. Saving him, I contained the power he tried to use against the demon so that it was under his control.
-"Maiev, while most will despise him and those who follow him for this choice, I hope you won't shun him from the Watchers."
-"He will be punished in accordance with the rules."
-"Just know that no magic is evil."
Continuing to walk forward, I now stood in front of Archimonde, who blocked me from approaching the Well.
-"Our Lord suggested you join him."
-"He and I don't see eye to eye."
-"Pity."
Archimonde attacked me, trying to grasp my horns and neck, but was stopped by force that bound him. Five Spiritual forms appeared around him, manifested from the nature I had control over.
Gathering the Fel power around, I unleashed a destructive spell that tore him to shreds. Getting rid of minor problems, now I had to focus on the main one.
In the Well, I could see the shadow of Sargeras approaching the Azeroth. Using my full power reaming, I entered the portal myself to block him. My moon shone brightly, matching Elune's luminance, allowing me to temporarily use my power as the god of the Life Pantheon.
Using the whole of this strength to push Sargeras back, we entered a stalemate, being equal in power at this very moment.
~"Yue! How dare you stand in my way!"
~"I never crossed your path, Sargeras. It was you who touched something you shouldn't have."
~"No matter what you do today, this pitiful planet will be destroyed by my hand."
~"We will see about that."
As my powers started to run out, a surge of power could be felt around me. Suddenly, the whole portal became unstable, being barely kept by the powers of Sargeras. Seeing that, I gathered as much Fel magic from the surface as I could before detonating it inside the portal, destroying it.
Both Sargeras and I lost connection to Azeroth, being thrown back to Twisting Nether from which this portal originated. Luckily for me, I appeared far away from any demon, so despite being heavily wounded, I was safe at the moment. Knowing that Sargeras would try to seek me, I quickly healed myself and left hiding my traces.