Before anyone could answer his question, a steady, heavy march echoed from the direction of the corridor entrance.
Kirin Tor battle mages filed in, one after another, their staves raised high.
They formed two lines stretching from the entrance deep into the hall, sealing the entire space so tightly that not even a drop of water could slip through.
Every corridor. Every exit. Every possible escape route—blocked.
The hall descended into chaos. Some people screamed. Some collapsed to the ground. Some raised their staves to resist, yet didn't dare move.
By the time they were bound and taken away in the Kirin Tor's arcane chains, no one could believe it—there had been a traitor within the Cult of the Damned.
It was obvious. Someone had sold them out.
Someone cried out, "Master Ner'zhul! He's not here! He's the traitor! He's the Kirin Tor's spy!"
Another angrily shot back, "Bullshit! How could Master Ner'zhul be a traitor?!"
Someone else speculated, "It must be Kel'Thuzad! He's jealous of Master Ner'zhul—he betrayed us!"
A coward wailed, "Ner'zhul is the true necromancer! The real dark mage! You've arrested the wrong people—!!!"
Allen watched expressionlessly as one person after another was taken away… until the last one.
Since he had returned to his original appearance, no one recognized him.
Still, he let out a sigh.
Emmy Malin was brimming with excitement. She had only just arrived in Dalaran, and already she had made such a major contribution. When she returned, her father would probably see her in a whole new light.
She stole a glance at Allen's profile, a complicated feeling rising in her chest. This swindler… maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
"Why are you sighing?" she asked.
Allen said, "One person is missing."
Emmy froze for a moment, then comforted him, "We did our best. Most of them were captured. It's normal for one or two to slip away or something unexpected to happen. Don't blame yourself."
She paused, then added, "As long as the key figures of the Cult of the Damned were caught, that's what matters."
At that, Emmy suddenly chuckled to herself. Thinking about the key figures of the Cult… the founder of the Cult of the Damned was standing right in front of her, chatting casually with her.
Allen shook his head.
Because the one missing wasn't just anyone—
It was Kel'Thuzad.
...
"You want to continue pursuing Kel'Thuzad? He's not even listed among the Cult's leadership," Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver said, looking at Allen with curiosity.
He was one of the Kirin Tor's Council of Six, overseeing this operation to purge the Cult of the Damned.
The other archmages had gone to reinforce defenses against the rumored imminent attack. He had been left behind to handle the aftermath.
Ansirem fell silent for a moment.
Just a few days ago, he had heard that the young man before him was being hailed as the successor to the Guardian—someone chosen by Medivh.
Even Krasus—that elusive figure—seemed to hold him in high regard.
He had thought it was exaggerated.
Until today.
With Allen Prestor's help, they had so easily eradicated the cult that had lurked in Dalaran's shadows.
Allen believed that with Teron Gorefiend dead, Kel'Thuzad must now be responsible for stealing the Eye of Dalaran.
"Allen—! You must go to Dalaran and protect the Eye of Dalaran—!"
Vereesa's words echoed in his mind.
Allen shook his head. "I have to capture every member of the Cult of the Damned."
"Alright, alright. I'll give you Kel'Thuzad's address and records. Be careful, young man."
...
Allen stood before Kel'Thuzad's residence.
There was a small garden in front of the door, but instead of flowers, the beds were filled with meticulously trimmed boxwoods.
Each shrub had been shaped into a perfect sphere, spaced with such precision it looked as if they had been measured with a ruler.
The stone path was spotless, without even a single fallen leaf. Not a blade of grass could be found between the cracks.
Allen pushed open the garden's iron gate.
Morgan, Stella, and Emmy followed behind him. Their eyes swept across the unnaturally tidy garden, and Stella couldn't help muttering under her breath, "This is way too…" She couldn't find the right word.
Allen said nothing. He walked to the front door, used Knock to open the lock, and stepped inside.
A dark gray doormat lay in the entranceway, every strand of its fibers brushed in the exact same direction.
The living room was small, but everything sat precisely where it was supposed to be.
In one corner of the room stood an exquisite cat tree. Beside it were two bowls.
Under the bowls was a small square cloth, each of its four corners folded into identical triangles and neatly tucked beneath the bowls.
But the cat was gone.
The bowls were empty, and there was no cat on the cat tree either.
Allen crouched down and brushed a finger across the floor.
[Perception Check: Success]
[Your gaze sweeps across the bookshelf, the desk, and the empty bowls. Everything is excessively orderly, almost pathological. Yet in the home of someone this obsessively neat, there is dust on the floor. Clearly, he has not returned for several days.]
Emmy was searching through the desk. In the very bottom drawer, she found a locked box.
Allen used Knock again to open it. Inside, more than a dozen letters were stacked in perfect order.
Every envelope bore the same symbol—
A bleeding eye.
He picked up one with his fingers and opened it.
The stationery was made of high-quality parchment, smooth and thick to the touch, with edges cut perfectly straight.
[To the esteemed Mr. Kel'Thuzad:
Your discourse regarding the true nature of necromancy left a profound impression on me. We share the same goal—to transcend the boundary between life and death and explore domains mortals were never meant to tread. If you are willing, I would like to engage in deeper exchanges on this matter.
Teron Gorefiend.]
Allen set that letter down and picked up the one beneath it. The tone was far warmer than the first. In his reply, Kel'Thuzad expressed cautious interest in cooperating with Teron Gorefiend.
The third. The fourth. The fifth—
The dates grew closer and closer, and so did the tone of the correspondence.
Kel'Thuzad detailed his theoretical ideas regarding necromancy in the letters, while Teron responded with specific magical guidance.
In the final few letters, words such as "cult," "organization," and "recruitment" had already begun to appear.
So it really was Kel'Thuzad.
He was the true leader behind the gathering, the one directly communicating with Teron and obtaining authentic necromantic knowledge from the death knight.
As for the passionate "cult leader" at the gathering—
He had merely been a puppet pushed onto the stage.
But the date of the final letter stopped half a month ago.
Which made sense.
Because half a month ago, Allen had killed Teron Gorefiend himself.
[Side Quest: The Bleeding Eye (Completed)]
[Objective: Discover the truth behind the Blood-Eye symbol in Menethil Harbor, 1/1]
[Reward: Drawing 1 random low-circle spell, 2 free attribute points granted, class level increased by 1...]
[...]
[Draw successful. Congratulations. You have obtained the spell: Animal Friendship]
[Animal Friendship]
[Circle: 1st]
[Effect: Choose a beast within spell range that you can see. The beast must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become charmed by you for the spell's duration.]
[Sorcerer Level 2 → Sorcerer Level 3]
[Unlocked a new Metamagic Spell and 1 second-circle spell!]
For his new Metamagic option, Allen chose Subtle Spell.
[Metamagic — Subtle Spell: You can cast spells while silenced.]
For his second-circle spell, he chose See Invisibility.
[See Invisibility]
[Circle: 2nd]
[Effect: Gain the ability to see invisible creatures and possibly reveal their presence to others.]
After choosing his rewards, Allen turned his attention back to Kel'Thuzad's room.
Then, suddenly, he noticed that inside the drawer, there was also a hidden compartment.
He pulled open the concealed inner compartment.
The moment he saw what was inside, even he looked surprised.
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