Forty-five minutes ago, north of the Western Plaguelands, Hearthglen, Mardenholde Keep.
Hearthglen was once a major trading hub in northern Lordaeron. Before the arrival of the Scourge, it connected the eastern and western parts of the kingdom, with countless caravans and adventurers passing through daily.
It was also the former fief of Tirion Fordring. Mardenholde Keep, the largest and tallest building in Hearthglen, served as its heart—and more importantly, it was once the home of the Fordring family.
Now, along with the Scarlet Monastery and Tyr's Hand, it had become one of the main strongholds of the Scarlet Crusade in the Western Plaguelands.
"High Lord, we have urgent military intelligence to report."
Inside the Lord's Hall on the second floor of the fortress, Shadowbreaker spoke to Taelan Fordring under the watchful eyes of four elite Scarlet Knights. Taelan glanced at the messenger. He didn't recognize the man, but the attire, armor, and insignia clearly identified him as a member of the Scarlet Crusade.
"Speak," Taelan said.
"Uh..." Shadowbreaker hesitated, looking pointedly at the guards flanking them.
Taelan turned to the four elite knights. "Wait outside for a moment."
The four men obeyed the order, but they only retreated to the walls behind them. They did not step out of the room as commanded. This wasn't out of concern for their leader; they had long been instructed by others to keep Taelan under constant surveillance.
Shadowbreaker couldn't afford to waste time. He unstrapped the toy hammer from his waist and handed it to Taelan. In a low voice, he whispered, "Your father is still alive. He wishes to see you."
Taelan's pupils contracted and dilated sharply. He frowned, blinking rapidly as he looked at the man and then at the hammer in his hand. He would never forget this hammer; it was his favorite toy as a child—a symbol of how much a boy had idolized his father.
"Who are you, exactly?" Taelan asked.
Shadowbreaker knew his illusory disguise wouldn't last much longer. He pulled out the cleaned, tattered banner and said quickly, "Look at this as well. If you still remember him, do not abandon your convictions again or remain a deserter of your own soul. Trust me, and leave this place with me immediately."
This banner represented Taelan's lifelong shame. It was the symbol of his surrender at Northpass, where he had watched the Order of the Silver Hand crumble. It marked the beginning of his descent into becoming a complete puppet for the Scarlet Crusade.
Knowing that this secret was only known to a select few former members of the Silver Hand, Taelan believed the man instantly. Without hesitation, he uttered a single word: "Fine."
"High Lord, you cannot leave." "Yes, you cannot leave your post without the consent of Grand Crusader Dathrohan."
The four elite knights immediately closed in, showing clear hostility toward Shadowbreaker. They raised their longswords, prepared to subdue the two men at any moment.
But no force could stop Taelan Fordring from reclaiming his faith and finding his father. "I have had enough of being someone else's puppet!"
Evidently, over the past five years, he had been fully aware of his deteriorating circumstances and his true "status" within the Crusade. He let out a roar and launched a counterattack against the four knights.
Shadowbreaker used his toy hammer to block an incoming strike, but the impact shattered his illusion spell. However, he hadn't expected Taelan to be so ferocious; with a single sweep of his two-handed greatsword, Taelan cut down all four elite knights. They collapsed, dead on the spot. His strength was a testament to his family name.
"It's you?!" Taelan looked in surprise at Shadowbreaker once the disguise vanished.
Though they weren't in the same graduating class, they were part of the same generation of squires who had earned the title of Paladin together. However, due to his family's ducal status, the Shadowbreaker family had joined the side of the accusers when Tirion Fordring was sentenced to exile. This had led Shadowbreaker to be cold toward Taelan during their studies at the Cathedral of Light, often ignoring him to prove his own "purity."
It was for this very reason that Shadowbreaker had been reluctant to show his face here.
Back at Light's Hope Chapel, while "going to the bathroom," Chen had finished reading Wayne's silk pouch and spent quite a while digesting its contents. The details were so incredible that he felt Wayne had moved beyond simple prophecy—it felt as if Wayne were scripting and directing these events himself.
Following Wayne's instructions, Chen led the group on gryphons from Light's Hope to Chillwind Camp in the Western Plaguelands. From there, they found a mage near Uther's Tomb who was an expert in illusion magic.
Since Chen and Li Li were Pandaren, the disguise spells didn't work well on them. Amy and Arator were too young and lacked experience in field improvisation. Thus, despite his reluctance, the task of infiltrating Hearthglen fell to Shadowbreaker.
"It's me... let's go! There's no time to explain!" Shadowbreaker replied.
Taelan had Shadowbreaker put on a Scarlet Crusade insignia and a helmet to hide his eyes, letting him follow behind as they walked out calmly. The soldiers outside the fortress were surprised to see the High Lord coming downstairs; it was a rare sight in Hearthglen. Although no one said it openly, it was a public secret that this puppet lacked the authority to issue orders.
Taelan led Shadowbreaker boldly toward the stables, pretending to inspect the horses. The stable hands were stunned. The High Lord hadn't visited the stables once in five years; usually, servants brought his horse to him.
Taelan patted the necks of two steeds and gave Shadowbreaker a look. Suddenly, he knocked the stable hand unconscious, vaulted onto a horse with Shadowbreaker, and galloped out of Hearthglen!
The Scarlet Crusade members didn't react immediately. After all, the puppet had been obedient for years. But soon after the two cleared the gates of Hearthglen, a flare hissed into the air behind them. It was the signal for the Scarlet Crusade to call for reinforcements in an emergency.
Unless they could fly, there was only one path out of Hearthglen. The two rode south along the narrow road at maximum speed, constantly checking behind them for pursuers. After half an hour of hard riding, they were finally forced to stop.
They hadn't reached their destination. Instead, at a watchtower ahead, a dense formation of Scarlet warriors stood blocking their path, led by another top leader of the Crusade—High Inspector Isillien.
"Enough. Do you intend to follow your father's footsteps and become a traitor?" Isillien said. He then looked at Shadowbreaker. "I didn't expect you to be involved in this. Unfortunately, you chose the wrong path, old friend. This is an unexpected harvest; Varian will be very interested to know you are in our hands."
Taelan pointed his sword at Isillien, the priest who had been his mentor and teacher in the ways of the Light for many years. "I have had enough of betraying my own heart. Now, I will find my own path and see my father! Isillien, I do not wish to be your enemy, but if you do not step aside, we shall meet in battle."
Isillien looked at his surroundings. Although his Paladin student was powerful, he had forty elite warriors with him, plus his own status as a senior expert Priest. These two Paladins had no hope of escape. "It is time to end this. We no longer have need of a puppet like you, or your hollow title of High Lord."
Taelan leveled his sword at Isillien and whispered to Shadowbreaker, "Is this your plan? You're not going to tell me we're meeting my father in the next world after being killed here, are you?"
Shadowbreaker let out a cold laugh but said nothing. Internally, he was also complaining: I don't even know where your dad is! That damn Wayne, always with these cryptic schemes! I'm going to teach him a lesson when we get back!
Isillien raised his hand, and the elite Scarlet warriors charged to surround the two.
Zap!
"Ugh! Who was that?!" A spell struck Isillien from behind. The damage was significant, forcing a groan out of him before he shouted in rage.
As he turned, a circular, jagged wave of Chi flew in from the side. Isillien knew he couldn't dodge in time and cast "Power Word: Shield" to protect himself. However, the high-speed Chi wave shattered the shield instantly, sending Isillien reeling back several steps.
"They have allies! Protect the High Inspector!" one of the elite warriors roared. Immediately, a dozen warriors moved back to form a circle around Isillien.
"Who is it?! Show yourselves!" Isillien screamed in fury.
Chen's voice rang out: "A friend told me this move is called 'Ass Backwards, Sandpiper Landing Style'!"
At the top of the watchtower, Chen, Li Li, Arator, and Amy appeared together. Isillien realized these people had already cleared the guards in the tower before he arrived with his troops.
He pointed at Chen and the others. "With just a few of you? You are far from enough!"
"You, take the others and seize the traitor Taelan Fordring! You, take two squads to the tower and kill them all. Leave no one alive!"
At the tower, Chen held the stairs. Whether it was Chi bursts or physical strikes, he was truly a "one bear army."
"Report! Commander, that mage is casting Mass Teleportation!" one of the Scarlet warriors shouted. Isillien immediately began incanting a spell to interrupt Amy's progress.
However, after chanting for a short while, Amy voluntarily cancelled the magic. She stood at the top of the tower, raining down long-range spells on the warriors surrounding Taelan and Shadowbreaker.
"Commander! Look!" another subordinate alerted Isillien a moment later.
He looked at Amy and saw a brilliant blue light erupting from her—but this time, she wasn't the one chanting. Someone was teleporting to her from the other side!
A chill ran down Isillien's spine. He realized this was not something that could be achieved through a mere whim.
Following a flash of blue light, a deep, majestic roar echoed from the top of the watchtower, instantly drowning out the sounds of clashing steel and shouting:
"Isillien! What have you done to my son?!"