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The garish neon lights of the night set off a colourful dance in a puddle of a dirty alley. The hustle and bustle of the main street could be heard here only as a soft whisper, giving peace to those who preferred tranquillity. Or for those who wanted to hide. A pair of yellow eyes peeked out from under the lid of one of the bulky trash cans. His lungs had not been filled with air for quite some time, but his instincts still forced him to gasp for breath as he searched the darkness in terror. Sudden steps struck his ears. He hoped that someone may have had mistaken the street, but the steps were getting closer and closer. Without waver, the undead pulled his head back into his supposed safe hide-out and waited in agony. |
A tall, well-built night elf woman appeared on the street. She walked ahead with confidence as if she knew exactly what she was looking for. Her silvery eyes were empty, not even a spark of emotion could be discerned in them. The container caught her gaze. Without hesitation she stepped closer and tore off the trash lid, forcing a desperate scream out of the cowering fugitive. |
"No, please don't! I beg you, no!" The revenant begged her, but she didn't seem to care and grabbed him by his throat, silencing him. |
Fighting with his tears, the undead looked up at his attacker. Her face didn't show other emotions but ice-cold professionalism. Then suddenly everything went dark. |
Two thousand years have passed since the Fourth War. Azeroth's technological advancement has been at a rampant pace mainly due to the relative peace that has since flourished. Although there were a few minor clashes, nothing that could be compared to the bloodshed caused by Sylvanas Windrunner has occurred ever since. The era of kingdoms and empires has ended a long time ago, and their place has been taken by smaller, democratic countries. The multi-racial cities - which have slowly become gigantic metropolises - have become more and more common, home to all creatures of Azeroth. Modern achievements have resulted in the obstruction of magic, and in some countries, outright prohibition, to the delight of many. |
The undead were an interesting grey zone, though. After the fall of Sylvanas, the Forsaken took a new direction and no longer tried to keep their people alive. Their numbers were dwindling fast, and at last they were thought to be gone. However, some money-hungry goblins figured out how they could profit from resurrecting the dead. They transformed the production of the undead into a company called ReLife, and offered their product primarily to bereaved family members. Death has always been lucrative, but never like this before. Hundreds of resurrected, perplexed undead appeared, causing chaos in several countries. Initially, the governments were determined to put an end to the company, fearing the wrath of the people, but just as the true-born and righteous rulers did, morals also disappeared from Azeroth. The goblins bribed leaders one after another and repeatedly lobbied for their interests in succession, further escalating tensions. In the end, the business was allowed to remain open, but serious regulations had to be met in the future. Such was the imposition of a mandatory lifetime on the resurrected, who had to return to the company where they were executed at the end of their second life. Many undead would escape rather than die a second time and return to one of the many worlds of the Shadowlands. And even though hiding ReLifers became a crime, there was no punishment severe enough to scare the mourning family members, and the number of lost resurrected increased rapidly. |
Eventually, the goblins began hiring bounty hunters to avoid further negative publicity and more strict rules. These professionals had only one thing to do: bring back the runaway products, alive or dead. |
The night bus halted at one of the bus stops on the outskirts. There was only one soul on the vehicle, but now she has got off as well. Her destination was the brilliantly lit and towering office building which curiously seemed to operate at such a late hour. |
"Last one." The night elf tossed a full garbage bag on the table of a reception point at ReLife Co.. The goblin sitting behind the desk looked up grimly from his treasured annual swimsuit calendar, but as soon as he saw who was standing in front of him, he changed his demeanour. |
"Ah, the Warden. Did you find the rest of the hiding undead?" |
"No, I packed my own home trash and brought it here, to the end of the world. For fun. Just like the previous two times today. You know. Third time's the charm." |
"We're cynical, aren't we?" The green creature growled and pulled a stacking trolley under the counter, then gestured toward the woman to push the bag over there. She complied with the request. "All right, we're done. You will receive the credit tomorrow morning. No transfer at night. We take over from here and identify him unless he was treated very badly by Miss Shadowsong." The goblin laughed while trying to push the load back. However, he was careless. The bag was wider than the trolley and part of it got stuck under the wheels, tearing it open and exposing its terrible content. At least half a dozen unidentifiable remains of undead fugitives were spilt on the ground, horrifying the neglectful worker. |
"Tell your boss not to be stingy with the bags next time." With that the night elf left contentedly, leaving behind the trembling man. |
Maiev Shadowsong didn't care much for goblins, but even less for the undead. She still remembered her former home - the blazing Teldrassil, the screams of her companions, the smell of burnt flesh, and the ensuing mournful silence. But all of this was dwarfed by the pain of her former deputy's death and resurrection. Such defamation of Sira Moonwarden and her former sisters was an unforgivable sin in her eyes. The hatred she felt toward the undead seemed endless as it occupied the empty space left by another wrath. She volunteered for ReLife Co as a bounty hunter and few did the job as successfully as she did. Her determination and cruelty made her famous among the ReLife'ers. Anyone who suspected that the woman known only as The Warden was sent after them often gave up themselves voluntarily or ended their life by their own hands. Anything was better than becoming the prey of that night elf. |
Maiev slowly got to the exit of the building. Her hand reached for the handle when loud shouting and gasping got her attention. |
"Warden!" A middle-aged moustached man yelled as he approached her at a rapid pace. Behind him stood a woman, presumably his wife. She desperately tried to hold back her spouse but to no avail. The man pushed his companion away and marched until he reached the night elf. "You are that Warden, right?" the man angrily squeezed the words out between his teeth. |
Maiev surveyed the figure. Short, clumsy, weak physique. She didn't see the point in dealing with such a lousy man but she nodded. This was enough for the man, he grabbed the bounty hunter's jersey and tried to pull her towards him. |
"Disgusting murderer! What have you done to my son ?!" |
"Dear, no!" His wife screamed but the husband hushed her. |
"Leave me, woman! This loathsome whore was the one who brought back our son unrecognizable! Nothing is sacred to you, you bastard?" |
Maiev grabbed her attacker's arm without batting an eye and easily twisted it, forcing his owner to scream in pain. |
"Oh yes. Probably more things than for to you." She said it coldly and let go of the man. She bid farewell to the woman hurrying to her husband. "Take better care of your partner. I hear they're going to raise the price soon." With that, she walked out of the building. Behind her, the couple sobbed in each other's arms. |
This wasn't the first time Maiev had to deal with angry relatives, but she never cared. Those who were unable to accept death and tried to bring back their loved ones in such a disgusting way did not deserve sympathy in her eyes. Although she despised and hated ReLife Co., she knew that even if every employee were to be slaughtered by her, it would only be a matter of time before someone else started and tried to make a profit from the mourners. There would always be tragically deceased children, missed apologies. Likewise, a market for a product like ReLife. The only thing she could do was to prevent the dead from reforming the Forsaken or even worse... the possible birth of a new Sylvanas. This thought has kept her alive for the last few years. |
The key turned in the old lock of the front door and a loud click indicated that the latch had retracted into the cavity, then another click and light brightened the only room in the tiny studio flat. Maiev closed the entrance behind her, then unlanced her boots and carefully placed them on the shoe rack. She sat down bored on the old sofa placed on the long side of the room, which also served as a bed. Maiev's own gaze and the weathered painted wall adorned with her sharpening tools acquired over the years looked back at her. The huge, wall-mounted mirror perfectly showcased the landlord's creativity, which tried to create a feeling of spaciousness in the small basement apartment, which, unfortunately, was still 22 square meters in spite of all their efforts. But it didn't bother its current tenant. The night elf rarely stayed here, but on the rare occasions when she came home she had everything she needed. A small shower, a toilet, a built-in wardrobe, the aforementioned sofa, a mini fridge and a hotplate, though she couldn't tell if the latter still worked or not as she never used it before. |
Maiev decided to leave showering for the morning and instead focus on her well-deserved sleep. Before that, she had taken her old, battered phone out of her pocket to see if a new assignment had come, but she was surprised to find that she had missed three calls. All of them were from her brother, Jarod. She glanced at the mobile's clock, which showed three o'clock in the morning. There was no way she'd call him at such a late time. Now there were two things on her list for the next day. But as she plugged the phone into the charger it suddenly started to ring. Her brother's face appeared on the display, announcing the identity of the caller. She answered the call quickly and lifted the phone to her ear. |
"Good evening, sister." A familiar voice greeted her. "Excuse me for the late time disturbance." |
"Always the formalities, brother. Please, get to the point. It's late and I just got home." She could hear his brother's relief in his voice. He must have been worried all this time. |
"I'm sorry, I will right away. We hold Lysende's birthday party tomorrow as you know. What do you think, can you come? Just to know whether to count on you or not." |
Maiev sighed deeply. She had completely forgotten her niece's birthday. Not that she was interested in her or in her silly party, but she tried to act like a family member for the sake of her brother - with little to no success. |
"How old will she turn?" |
"Fifteen" He answered. She sighed again as she counted quickly in her head. Sixty years remained... A bitter expression appeared on her face. After a long silence, she spoke again. |
"I'll be there. Two o'clock, right?" |
"Yeah. Then I'll tell Shandris to spread the table for you, too. I'm counting on you." The man said goodbye, and then a beep sound signalled the end of the call. Maiev lowered the phone gradually. |
"Sixty years" She repeated. Her words echoed in the almost empty apartment. What is sixty years? Not a significant time. A blink of an eye for an immortal night elf such as herself. But her brother had only that amount of time left. Such a pathetically short life. She tossed away the phone furiously and buried her face in her palms. She quickly glanced at a sheet of paper on her bedside cabinet between her fingers, then closed her silver eyes. Shortly after she looked at her phone, which had landed just under the light switch without its back cover. The battery was lying in the other corner. At last, Maiev got up to turn off the light, while wondering to herself why she wasn't aiming at the switch with the phone, then she wouldn't have had to take that two-step distance. |
Two thousand years have passed since the Fourth War, and Azeroth has left behind her old bloody past. Science took the place of magic. Instead of healers and herbalists, doctors and medics healed the sick and injured in hospitals. The problems of the locals were no longer to be solved by adventurers but by a designated official organization. Tales told in the light of a campfire on a cold winter night have disappeared into oblivion; the masses were entertained by the impersonal television and the internet. Life expectancy increased significantly, and mortality decreased. Life has become safer. |
However, not everyone was able to keep up with the changes. Good examples of this were the Taurens, who continued to insist on their nature-respecting lifestyle but were finding it increasingly difficult to shut out the modern advancements which slowly took control over the everydays. In the end, they retreated to a tiny area of their long-time home in Mulgore, where the government created a reservation for them, in hope of preventing future conflicts with the Taurens. The night elves were no more fortunate either. A few hundred years after the Burning of Teldrassil, the kaldorei drifted to the brink of extinction. They survived only because they regained their lost immortality, so their numbers stabilized over the years. However, at the same time, countries have introduced new regulations for night elves, fearing that they would overpopulate due to their everlasting life. A night elf couple was only allowed to have children if they gave up on their immortality, and, similarly to the undeads brought back by ReLife, they underwent euthanasia after a preset time. Thus, their life spans were shortened to the average human's length. In exchange, they were allowed to have two children. Some tried to circumvent the system, secretly giving birth to their children, but these young people were prevented from entering the records and had no official identity. They did not exist on paper and were forced to hide with their parents. In time, the majority eventually accepted the inevitable.Even though they were tired, Tyrande and Malfurion tried their best to guide their handful of people and lead them into the new age, but after thousands of years of stagnation, many night elves could not come to terms with the accelerated changes. What was a curse for couples longing for children, was a blessing for them: euthanasia, which they only called The Passing. Most of the so-called Old Elves who had not found their place in the changed society preferred this, so probably only a few dozen remained who still remembered the old Night Elf Empire. One of them was Maiev Shadowsong. Although it was already autumn, the sun shone with a springlike liveliness through the long, wide windows. Joyful girls" cheers filled the fourth-floor flat's living room. At least a dozen adolescents clustered around the couch with their glittering cell phones in their hands, apparently showing photos to each other. While one was searching for a new attraction the others clung to the screen of one of their other companions, sighing visibly, then continued giggling. In the middle was sitting a dark-haired young night elf girl, holding a big bowl instead of a phone, filled with popcorn and other snacks which she offered to her friends when she was not occupied by any display."Wait, which episode was that?" she turned suddenly to one of the Draenei girls, pointing to the cell phone."This is a special edition! Only those who have bought all the DVDs so far have seen it!" her partner replied proudly. She must have been one of those who purchased the entire collection. Or just pirated it. Maiev, at least, had strong doubts that any of the girls present would have enough money to start shopping as a collector.She was sitting in the other corner of the room on a bean bag that had seen better days, sipping grape juice. She was particularly irritated by the silly and immature behaviour of the girls, but she had no right to say a word. After all, she came here happily and voluntarily. Okay, not happily, but really by her decision, even though she knew exactly what to expect. The last fourteen times were no different either. She dutifully sat through the event each time on one piece of furniture, handed over her usually unsuccessful gift, then left. It would have been an outright lie for anyone to claim that she had a close relationship with her niece, but at least sometimes she tried to fake enthusiasm for her brother's sake. This included attending the annual birthday party and the Winter Veil dinner. But that was more than enough of the girl who, in her opinion, was spoiled. Back in her days at her niece's age they were preparing for adulthood. They were receiving their ritual facial tattoos, signing up for studying from a master, perhaps for church service, and were more serious overall. At least, no doubt she was."Good heavens, seriously ?!" suddenly a human girl shouted with joy. "Show me!" she pulled the tablet out of her friend's hand and the other chits turned their gaze too. A moment of silence followed, then they broke out in a wild beast-like scream."What's so funny, girls?" the voice of the night elf male entering the room broke the scream. He smiled kindly at the children and placed in front of them the huge tray full of cakes he had carried inside. He was apparently not bothered by their bad manners, and he was delighted to see the teens quickly grabbing the muffins and not giving a damn about etiquette, covering the carpet with crumbs."Nothing, Dad!" said the blue-haired girl, but her pal proved to be less tight-lipped."The protagonist of the Worgen Diaries will be in the next year's Shirtless Men's Calendar for charity reasons and the promotional picture has just come out!" said a freckled half-elf proudly. This made both father and daughter visibly embarrassed, signalled by their light purple skin turning dark on the cheeks. The sight made Maiev feel something akin to joy for the first time since she came here. Or in general...She was never above picking on Jarod, though she had abandoned that habit in recent years. There was no need for her, his wife and two children did the job in her place. But her amusement was short-lived as she saw small flames materialize slowly, reminding her of the inevitable.Shandris appeared in the doorway, holding a cake decorated with burning candles on a plate. Suddenly, all laughing stopped and instead they began to chant Happy Birthday. Slowly she walked over to the girls, carefully placing the cake in front of the blue-haired one, and then she joined the singing. When they reached the end of the song, she patted her child's head lovingly."Wish for something, Lysende!" she said in a velvety motherly voice. Her daughter returned the smile and closed her eyes. She kept thinking for a moment, then took a deep breath. She blew out all fifteen candles on the first try which made a thunderstorm of applause and cheers break out around her.The sound of laughing was now replaced by the rumble of bags and wrapping paper. Gift followed gift and Lysende opened them one after the other. Meanwhile, the excited friends continuously changed their place by her side to see how pleased she was with their present. She thanked each package extensively with a triple peck. The small pile of gifts they carried together quickly disappeared, leaving only one modestly packed goodie left. The birthday girl suspiciously skewed at her aunt, who had just raised the fourth bottle of grape juice."What's wrong?" the Draenei girl turned to her questioningly. "Won't you open it?"I will, just ..." Lysende reached out reluctantly for the gift. She took a deep breath and decided it was better to get over with it as soon as possible. She knew by experience that her aunt probably bought her some outdated embarrassing junk again, but there was nothing she could do about it. She quickly tore off the paper, but when she saw what the packaging was hiding, she almost dropped it scared."A knife?" her associates looked at her surprised."A pocketknife, to be precise," Maiev said coldly, still gazing at the grape juice as if she could turn it into wine by looking at it long enough."Have you lost your mind?" suddenly snapped the otherwise always peaceful Jarod and snatched the gift from his daughter's hand."On the contrary" she finally turned to face her brother. "It's time for her to learn how to defend herself."From what? The Burning Legion? The Old Gods? The Horde?! None of them are a threat anymore! And for everything else, there's the police!"Sure, the police ..."For Elune's sake, sister! There's no need for a teenager to walk the streets with a weapon in their hand!"Like I said, this is a pocketknife. It is advisable to keep it in her pocket, not in her hand." she corrected her brother in a matter-of-fact tone."Maiev! Why can't you just accept that those days are gone? Lysende will never have to kill any demons or take part in any battle, she doesn't have to be like ..."Like me?" the night elf finished the man's sentence. Her words were followed by stillness. The young girls were staring at Jarod and her sister in confusion, but no one dared to speak. None of them understood what the Legion or the Old Gods were. Finally, the silence was broken by the glass's clacking noise as Maiev reluctantly put it back on the table. She glared at her brother, but he couldn't stand it, and looked down at the carpet. "I see." she said dryly, then left without a goodbye. The sound of the slamming door seemingly absolved the children, who almost immediately started to chit-chat again. Unlike Jarod. Regretting his words, he looked at the pocketknife he was still holding in his hand. The handle was adorned with ancient kaldorei writings, which would translate in common language to Courage, Justice, and Family. His mournful contemplation was interrupted by his wife's touch."Honey." Shandris gently brushed her husband's face. "Come, let's talk a little bit alone" Slowly, her hands ran down on his arm and eventually their fingers were softly intertwined. Jarod quietly followed his love into the kitchen. A loud noise indicated that the accordion door was slowly slid, giving privacy to the couple."I overreacted, right?" he said softly, still looking at the floor."A little bit." his partner replied, pouring tea for the two of them. "A pocket knife is not the end of the world, and you know, it can be used for other things than murder."Jarod was not surprised by his wife's opinion as she served for thousands of years as the leader of the Kaldorei Sentinels. She knew the atrocities of war just like he or Maiev had, but while Jarod tried his best to forget those times, his wife was drawing strength from them and balancing her past and present perfectly. How he wished his sister would be able to do so! But Maiev was different, she was still fighting in her head. Even though they had defeated the enemies of the past, she couldn't conquer herself."I'm scared of what's going to happen to her when our time runs out, Shandris." said the night elf softly. His voice was meek and weak, as if he was already dead, lamenting for his sister to be left behind."I know my dear, I know." she gently embraced him, filling his heart with warmth. "But you can't help her if she doesn't want you to. All you can do is leave the door open if she wants to come in one day."There must be another way." Jarod shook his head. "I just have to find it."You may not be the solution."I'm afraid you're right... If only she could find someone who understands her... Who can heal her wounds, just as you did with mine." he pulled her closer to him. Shandris's eyes were filled with tears. Boundless happiness filled her soul through her husband's words. The thousands of years of waiting, longing, hopelessness, all worth it for such moments. A drop of tear ran down on Jarod's finger as he raised his wife's gaze to his own. For a moment they stood there admiring each other and the love that bound them. Then he leaned slowly closer, breathing a gentle kiss on the other's lips. "Why didn't you buy something normal?" Maiev asked herself self-blamingly as she ordered another pitcher from the bartender. Anything that has that worgen actor's ugly face printed on it would have done, her niece would have been ecstatic. But no, she had to give her a pocketknife, angering the last living person she was important to. |
She had long realized that she had no one left except his brother. The Wardens had long since broken up, and most of her former sisters were dead. The couple who were still alive did their best to lead a normal life, leaving the past behind, and as a part of that they avoided her as much as possible. Maiev became redundant, as did the work she had done for millennia. What was she thinking as she carved the handle of that damn pocket tool? That maybe she could suddenly arouse Lysende's interest in daggers and other sharp weapons, and teach her how to throw knives? Did she really believe her niece would look up to her and her useless knowledge and listen with sparkling eyes as she talks about the glory of the past? No, she hadn't thought it for a minute, but she had longed for it deep in her soul, though she didn't even dare to admit it to herself. Nor that she wished to be important to someone. To give a reason for her life. She was most terrified that she would soon be left alone, though she knew that it was inevitable now. |
The lock clicked loudly as Maiev clumsily turned the key. She drank more than she should have, again. But at least she left for home in time and avoided the shame of waking up on a public bench, an occurrence far too common when she tried and failed to escape her thoughts. Like a rag doll, she fell down on the battered couch. In the mirror opposite, her own mournful look met hers. Where was the glorious Warden who once she had been?! Her thoughts of her aggravating alcohol problems were once again overtaken by her own misery. In sixty years, she will lose the last person who was important to her, and will be left just herself. Alone and useless. She always ended up there and she hated having to face her own inertness. She turned her head away from the mirror so that she could not see her pitiful reflection tired by alcohol and self-flagellation. Her eyes were stuck on the paper on the bedside table. On the snow-white sheet, countless form fields were ornamented with her handwritten personal details, and a dashed line at the bottom indicated that only one signature was missing. At the top of the page, a double-underlined title revealed the nature of the document: Passing Request. Maiev looked at the paper for a long time, then reached for her pen. |
The first lights of the sunrise illuminated the tiny basement flat without mercy. Maiev irritably pulled the quilt over her head to get a few more minutes of sleep, but her efforts proved to be futile. She could not escape the thousands of years of routine and self-education. She was already awake. Slowly she sat up on the couch and searched for her phone, which - judged by the unpleasant pain in her side - could have been left in her left pocket for the night. She had received two messages. The first came from her brother, who wanted to apologize to her. Maiev flicked with her finger and cleared the notification. At that moment she wanted absolutely nothing to do with Jarod whatsoever. He's got a crust after how he talked to her yesterday! To set her as a horrible, deterrent example for his daughter! She glanced up from her phone into the mirror wherefrom a blowzy, ring-eyed and obviously crapulent, wretched night elf looked back at her. Okay, maybe she's not the best role model in the world right now. And probably not at other times either... |
Maiev resignedly opened the other message. It came from ReLife saying that she needed to appear in one of the downtown locations as a matter of urgency. She sighed deeply. So the time has come. She had known for months that they were planning to supply the undead with chips so they would not escape. Two consequences of this were foreseeable: one, that ReLife would have to raise the price to cover the increased costs and the other, that her work would become redundant. Maiev stood up awkwardly from the couch. She threw her alcohol-smelling T-shirt on the floor beside the other laundry and took a clean one out of the closet. At other times, she took great care of proper nutrition to keep herself fit, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to take a single bite down her throat at the moment. She tied her hair in a ponytail and put her shoes on. She folded the signed form from last night and put it in her pants" pocket next to her ID holder, which she used as a wallet. She took another look at herself in the mirror, but didn't really care what she looked like. It didn't matter where she was about to go. |
Despite being weekend, Lysende woke up early. Her mother didn't even try to avoid making noises as she attempted to get ready as quickly as possible, which made her daughter curious as she knew she was on a day off. Shandris worked as the captain in the district's police office, but even criminals apparently respected her rest days, as she almost never had to leave for work. However, this day was an exception. |
Behind the door of Lysende's room, she tensely eavesdropped in hope that she might catch some of the details. She knew that her father would deter her back anyway if she were to go out and ask questions, and would be more careful to speak even more quetly afterward, so she spared herself the trouble and immediately started to listen in instead. |
"I don't know more either, dear." |
"But you felt it too, didn't you? It was magic, and very powerful of that! Only an exceptional mage can be behind it!" Jarod's voice was alarmingly tense. |
"Yes, I felt it, and it bothers me. But if I'm well informed that the offender was caught using anti-magic nets. |
"With those junks?" asked the man in disbelief. |
"It's more likely that they wants to work together and let us caught them. They were taken to one of the ReLife's site." |
"That's the only place with a strong enough anti-magic chamber in the area. I don't even want to know why the goblins are in need of something like that, but it came handy this time. Although if my suspicions are right and the mage does not resist ... "Shandris then spoke a few more barely audible words to her husband, then the closing door's sound indicated that she had left home. |
Hours had passed since that, but Lysende had not heard from her mother. Seeing her father's troubled figure, she didn't want to ask questions, and she didn't think for a minute that he would tell her anything. He protected her even from the wind. On the other hand her brother... Kur'talos was already an adult and had moved out two years ago. He could do whatever he wanted to. At least his sister saw it that way, and greatly envied him. |
She quickly pressed the refresh button on the news page to see if anything had been written at last about the turmoil that her mother had to leave for, but only the same boring articles appeared on the frontpage. One showcased the campaign against dwarf women's body-shaming, while another detailed the escalating gang wars between teenagers. Lysende sighed disappointedly and closed the browser. However her melancholy was soon forgotten due to the tiny window that appeared in the monitor's corner, signaling that the Worgen Diaries" Special Episode has successfully downloaded. She opened the file with excitement and was quickly immersed in the teen drama. |
Shandris edgily kept walking up and down in one of ReLife Co."s dimly lit hallways. It's been past ten o'clock by now, and it wasn't usual for her sister-in-law to wake after six o'clock. Then why on earth is she late? Even if she was stuck in a traffic jam, she should still be here by now. She knew where the woman lived, after all, she had always kept her eyes on the night elf since she reappeared after the last time she went missing. That time they hadn't seen her for almost seventy years. Their older son were born around that time, and instead of brimming over with joy, Jarod almost went crazy due to uncertainty, fearing the worst. The woman popped up out of the blue around Lysende's first birthday. They still don't know where she was or what she was doing, but Shandris decided she wouldn't let her disappear ever again, as she wouldn't be able to watch his beloved suffer like that one more time. She did not have a liking for Maiev, and only for the sake of her husband she brought herself to do what she was about to do. She would have to pull a few strings if she wanted to succeed, but she hoped that it would solve the sister-in-law problem once and for all. |
She sighed deeply. Her patience was about to run out. If they didn’t hurry, it is to be feared that the news would catch wing, and then she wouldn’t be able to smother it up. She pulled out her phone and started dialing. Meanwhile, every move of her was followed by a curious look from behind a glass wall. |
Maiev stuporously looked around in the vast, cold waiting room. Although the Registrar's Office was an impressive building from the outside, the city administration did not seem to consider the interior renovations important, saying it is not seen from the outside. Beside the war-wearied benches a few withered potted plants struggled to somehow uplift the place, with little to no success. Numbers popped up above the woman's head on a digital display, leading to the various windows those who wished to deal with their affairs. There weren't many visitors that day, after all, it was weekend. At such times the office was open only with reduced capacity, and solely the most important or sensitive matters were handled. These included the Passing Request. |
The night elf looked dispiritedly at the number in her palm. How many times did she think it through? As time passed it was all the more tempting to just stand up and end it all. No, she couldn’t exist without purpose, being useless. At first she wanted to end her life by her own hand, but she quickly conceded that she didn't want to suffer for hours before she could yield up the ghost, if she accidentally didn’t succeed. They may find her body, and her brother would have to identify her. She couldn't be a good sister to him, she was well aware of that, but at least she wanted to spare him from that agony. Or just her instincts tried to cling onto life under the guise of caring. It didn't matter, she rejected the idea of suicide. She knew that The Passing needed only her signature. They won't alert her brother about it. If she's lucky, he'll think she's hiding again. Then in few years the same fate awaits him. She just goes ahead... |
Maiev's phone started to vibrate. She pulled it out from her pants pocket annoyingly, expecting to be called from ReLife again. They had called her three times since morning, but she had declined all and thought the call was coming from there again, but instead Shandris's name was on the display. The blood suddenly froze in the night elf's veins. Maybe her sister-in-law saw where she was going? Or she could read minds and somehow at the party... ?! That's out of the realm of possibilities, only extremely powerful mages and demonic beings could do that, and Maiev realized that. Of course, she did not respond to Jarod's message, and she certainly wants to make her reconcile with her brother. She took a deep breath and tried to force self-discipline into her voice as she pressed the answer button. |
"Maiev! At last I reached you!" Shandris's voice was almost shaking with nervousness. "Didn't you receive the message from ReLife?" |
"Good day to you, too" said cynically as she did not like when someone spoke to her in an irritable tone. Since she didn't get a response from the caller, she had to answer the question instead. "Yeah, I got it, but I have other things to do." |
"I see. Then halt it now and come to the given address immediately. We don't have much time, I don't want the Magic Authority to interfere, or worse, the Military." |
Maiev didn't understand a word of the woman, and honestly she didn't care. A new number appeared on the digital display. She looked down at the small note in her hand. It matched, it was her number. Suddenly as if time had stopped. Her stomach jumped to her throat and then sank back so deep she could not feel it anymore. |
"I have to go, it's my turn" she said almost mechanically. Not to Shandris, but to herself. At that moment, the ice-cold reality of the impending end hit her. It was not fear, but rather a regret for living in vain. If only she could have fallen in combat... But now it was too late to grieve about it. She would soon submits the request and from there, there is no return. Her mind was seemingly about to give up the fight, trying to make things easier by letting her thoughts slip out of her consciousness and her senses going dull. She slowly lowered the phone and tried to end the call, but accidentally pressed the speakerphone. At that very moment, Shandris's voice somehow made its way through the seemingly unpenetrable fog that was slowly settling on her mind. |
"Don't you understand?! You must come here immediately! Illidan is..." |
But Maiev could not hear the rest. She crumpled her number and threw it in the trash as she stormed out of the building. |
Shandris was about to give up waiting when Maiev finally arrived. Wherever she was, she must have run all the way there, as she didn't pant but she was breathing sensibly faster. It wasn't a secret in front of her either that her sister-in-law probably had been drinking last night and not even just a small amount, judged by her unusually untidy appearance and the dark rings under her eyes. Shandris swallowed. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to call such an unstable woman after all. But it's too late now, she knows he's here, she would certainly stand her ground. |
"I won’t even ask where you were." |
"All the better. Where is he?" As Maiev looked straight into Shandris's eyes, she couldn't decide whether the night elf's mind was clear or shrouded in madness. There was no visible difference between the two in her case. |
"There's an anti-magic chamber down the minus second floor." |
"I see, let's go." and with that she was set out, but the captain grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. |
"Before that, I want to be on the same page." Her words apparently hit the mark as she stopped and nodded slowly, signaling that she was listening. "I want you to understand that I took a big risk by calling you here. I don't want you to make a scene nor that you attack him and possibly kill each other." Though not meant to be a joke, her sister-in-law seemed to be entertained by the statement, as it was barely visible but a smile lingered about the corners of her mouth. "I am very serious, Maiev! The first small sign that..." |
"Calm down, Captain. I'll play by the rules." she no longer tried to hide her ever-widening grin, and this did not reassure Shandris in the least. What was she thinking when she came up with this ridiculous idea? Now all she could do was to fight the fire and try to avoid the tragedy. |
"I called you here to aid the police." |
"My subordinates couldn't get a word out of him, and neither could I. He probably doesn’t remember me. I hoped that a familiar face might help him to open up. |
"Why didn't you bring his brother here?" |
"Tyrande and Malfurion are currently not in the country. Both of them are visiting the Mulgore Tauren Reservation and recruiting new druid apprentices." the captain clapped. "They won't come home for another week, and this can't wait until that." |
"I just have to make him talk, right?" she flashed her canines. "If you leave it to me, he'll sing like a canary!" |
Shandris nodded and they walked to the elevator in the lobby. She pressed the call button. Suddenly, she was devoured by an uneasy feeling and feared that as the elevator descended below the ground, Maiev sank back into her old obsession. She searched her expression through the mirror in the elevator, but her face did not reveal anything, she stood stirless with a faint smile around her mouth. Shandris" doubt resurfaced. She already regretted calling her there. She should not have! How could she possibly think that it would help Maiev to let her return to her old sick mania? How will she explain it to Jarod? What did she do...? But she had no time to reflect on the matter any longer. A ringing sound signaled that they had have arrived at their destination. The door slowly opened, allowing the two women to pass through. |
Maiev's nose was suddenly struck by a familiar smell. The characteristic stench of demons swept through the narrow, dim corridor. Her heart strated to beat faster and faster with every passing second. If she had doubted her sister-in-law's words before, the rest of her skepticism was now dispelled. It took her a tremendous effort to keep herself calm and not to rush forward like a madman. Azeroth needed Illidan's power only, but she needed him. Though she tried to hide this even from herself, now she came dangerously close to realise and admit it. Suddenly a goblin appeared in front of them and walked straight to Shandris. |
"Has he said anything?" She asked the stranger. |
"Not a single word. He just stands behind the glass and listens. Honestly, I don't know what the holy nut would that thing be back there, but he gives me the creeps if I just have to look at him. That guy is dangerous, Lady Captain. So please take him out of here as soon as possible! At the end he may cause some damage and it will be very expensive! Very, very expensive!" |
"I understand, Garlobe, I'll be on it. Thank you for your cooperation on behalf of the District Police." Shandris gestured, and the goblin barely visibly grimaced, then hurried toward the elevator. |
The two women looked at each other and continued their way down the hall. They passed numerous cells with different serial numbers, each one designed to test different things, but the black colored code numbers didn't tell much to the uninitiated viewers. |
Maiev's heartbeat continued to increase as she felt themselves approaching the place where her old prisoner had been held. "Soon... the next one will be the one! I sense you there!" Various thoughts rushed through the night elf's mind as by each step she felt closer to her goal. Time seemed to slow down, and even a blink of an eye seemed to be long minutes, waiting became almost unbearable just when they finally arrived. It took only a glance and the pair of fel-green eyes focused on her bursted a hole through the seemingly inpenetrable shell made from despair and hopelessness which had paralysed her mind until now. Maiev gasped, but for the first time in a long while she felt herself truely breathing. |
"Maiev...?" The prisoner's deep, husky voice broke the silence. Surprised, he stepped closer to the glass wall as if he could not believe his own eyes, even though Illidan knew better than anyone that his fel-vision was infallible, and the one in front of him was indeed his former warden. |
"Great, so he's talking to you." Shandris turned to her partner. "Would you ask him to cooperate with the police?" as she was speaking, the demon hunter listened curiously, then looked at Maiev and waited. The warden stared at him for a moment, then, as she awoke from a deep sleep, blinked two and stepped closer. |
"Illidan. I'm not gonna lie, it fills me with great pleasure to see you behind bars again." She said in an older Darnassian dialect, tapping the glass with her finger, then took a deep breath and continued. "Which will remain this way if you refuse to cooperate with Captain Feathermoon and her subordinates. Personally, I wouldn't mind the least." |
The man nodded slowly to Shandris, which made the captain blush. She had already tried to speak to him that day, but he had never responded, and now, hearing Maiev, she finally realised why. She was speaking the New Common Language, which Illidan obviously could not understand. She gestured bleakly to Maiev that she would take over from there, and this time she spoke Darnassian too. |
"I'm sorry, I forgot you didn't speak New Common Language." she said as she felt her sister-in-law's frown. "What an amateur!" probably thinking, rightly thought. "As Shadowsong said, we want you to cooperate with us." |
"If it hadn't been my intention, I'd been able to raze this pathetic anti-magic chamber to the ground long ago." |
"I see. Thank you and I apologize for any inconvenience that we may have caused to you. I guess you have a lot of questions and there will be more when you get out of here. You will be able to ask them from your probation officer, but we will have to interrogate you and register you into administration first. This will take some time. In the meantime, we still have to ask you to stay here. I hope you understand." she said kindly, and Illidan nodded again. "Great. Would you like to let someone know you're here? Perhaps your brother, Malfurion?" |
Upon hearing the name, Illidan's composed form seemed to waver for a moment. It was hard to read anything from his face, due to his lack of eyes, but his slightly opened jaw betrayed his feelings. Maiev immediately noticed the change in his mood and listened intently. She had never seen the demon hunter like that. If mentioning his brother is a weakness of his, it was better to keep that in her mind. |
"No." Illidan replied with an effort to force his voice into indifference, but Maiev saw through his act. |
"Are you sure? It would help a lot if there was a guarantor for you and..." |
"I said no!" Illidan snapped. His skin darkened and his fel-tattoos glowed menacingly. "Not a single word to my brother! The only person I need to know about my return is already present." He muttered ominously. The chamber that held him started cracking. He really wasn't kidding when he said only his benevolence was that kept him inside. |
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I don't want to force you, I won't bring it up again." Shandris tried to calm down the mage. Silence ensued. Illidan's skin slowly regained its former hue, but the tension remained in the air. The captain thought it was for the better to shorten the visit. "Maiev, we're leaving." She touched her shoulder and left toward the elevator. |
"Just a moment." her sister-in-law said, not taking her eyes off Illidan for a second. - I'll tell you right now: If you try anything, I won't hesitate to kill you again! |
"I'm glad to see you, too, Maiev." The man replied, flashing an arrogant grin. |
"And now? What's next?" Maiev asked as they left the downstairs elevator. Shandris paused upon hearing the question and seemed to hesitate. This was a good question, indeed. What's next? Should she carry out her plan, can she trust her sister-in-law? True, she had behaved down there and kept her promise, but would she be able to keep herself calm and work with Illidan in the long run? She looked at the night elf. The face that had seemed so tormented just a few minutes ago was now shining with life and determination. She had never seen Maiev so cheerful. With that, the matter was settled. She took a deep breath. From here, there's no return. For Jarod... |
"Normally, we would have to hand over powerful and dangerous mages like him to the army, they would probably imprison him for eternity. But I think he has proven his allegiance to Azeroth enough and atoned for the sins of the past." Maiev didn't seem to agree, her eyes narrowed visibly, but she held herself. |
"What do you mean?" |
"I'll let him go..." |
"Have you lost your mind?" the woman snapped. She was almost at Shandris's throat, but her sudden outburst got under control just in time by the better part of her wits, and she lowered her hand. "I thought you were just kidding down there. I don't agree with..." |
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