Predicting Azeroth's future had beco Duke's personal nightmare. Every certainty he'd once possessed crumbled to ash.
Arthas had abandoned Quel'Thalas entirely, choosing instead to butcher his way through Stromgarde. anwhile, Antonidas's corruption had painted Duke's world in shades of apocalyptic dread.
In the original tiline, the Death Knight had been a theatrical villain—killing important figures with dramatic flair but only transforming one person into undeath: Sylvanas, and only because she'd managed to thoroughly infuriate him.
Now? Everything had gone completely insane.
Uther's soul burned too brightly for corruption—even that death-obsessed maniac couldn't crack his teacher's righteousness. Terenas had been too pathetically weak in life to make a decent lich anyway.
But the latest intelligence made Duke's blood run cold: Arthas had systematically converted every Archmage who died or surrendered in Dalaran into his personal lich army. The Scourge now commanded magical firepower equivalent to at least one Sun-tier and several Moon-tier casters.
Add a dozen Dreadlords, plus Arthas himself ascending to demigod status, and the situation beca genuinely terrifying.
The Scourge's snowball effect wasn't just beginning—it was already an unstoppable avalanche.
anwhile, the High Elves had chosen this mont to embrace their most infuriating isolationist instincts. King Anasterian and the Silvermoon Council flat-out refused Alliance mbership, despite Duke's increasingly desperate warnings that the Scourge would inevitably target them.
Their solution? Strengthen their "invincible" magical barriers and pretend the world wasn't ending.
Duke wanted to strangle them all with his bare hands.
In his final magical communication, Duke had essentially scread the spoilers: "According to Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza's intelligence, the Scourge's ultimate target is the Sunwell itself! If those walking corpses obtain that power, they'll use it to summon Archimonde—one of the Burning Legion's supre commanders!"
Kael'thas had pleaded with his father until his voice cracked. Anasterian remained unmoved.
"Commander Edmund, tis have changed. After thirteen years of preparation, the High Elves are perfectly capable of protecting ourselves and the Sunwell. Furthermore, the Sunwell's glory shall never be defiled by outsiders."
The clear implication—that Duke himself might be planning to steal the Sunwell's power using the Scourge as cover—had made the Sun King sever communications imdiately.
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant, you pointy-eared paranoid fool!
Duke's fury nearly ruptured his lungs. But after predicting the inevitable assault on Quel'Thalas, he'd been forced to release Kael'thas back to his holand.
Historically, Kael'thas had received news of the attack far too late. By the ti he'd rushed ho, he could only gather survivors and crawl back to the Alliance, burning with humiliation and desperate for revenge.
No wonder the Alliance had treated returning High Elves with such contempt during their second mbership. The elves had knelt twice, been forced to rejoin twice—who respected a nation that treated the Alliance like a convenience store, wandering in and out whenever it suited them?
The problem was that Quel'Thalas hadn't officially joined yet, aning the prince had to return ho. Duke had no legitimate authority to keep Kael'thas as his magical advisor.
Now Duke faced a critical shortage of competent magical support just when he needed it most.
Jaina's arrival as a potential powerhouse should have been a blessing. If only he could ignore the romantic minefield surrounding their relationship.
From a purely military standpoint, Jaina exceeded requirents in both command capability and personal magical strength. Duke's only concern was whether she'd leverage their complicated history to get herself—or him—killed through emotional manipulation.
Facing Jaina's expectant gaze, Duke exhaled slowly and spoke with military formality: "I'm grateful you've chosen to stand with humanity and the Alliance during this crisis. I do require a powerful mage to assist operations. However, before officially welcoming you to our ranks, I must establish clear paraters—"
Jaina nodded with perfect obedience: "Please continue."
Duke's voice carried clearly to Mograine and the other officers behind him: "We face a world-ending catastrophe. I expect the Alliance to return to its warti command structure—unified, absolute authority with no exceptions based on rank or birth. Once you accept an Alliance commission, you beco solely a military officer under my command. Nothing more, nothing less. Is this acceptable?"
"Completely understood. I await your orders, Commander Edmund!"
Duke gestured, and an aide stepped forward with an ornate presentation box containing a Major General's insignia.
Under normal circumstances, no noble—regardless of bloodline—could achieve Major General rank without commanding at least five thousand troops. Even royal heirs started as Brigadier Generals when joining the Alliance.
Jaina's instant promotion to Major General required special justification.
"Dalaran lies in ruins. The Kirin Tor Council requires complete reorganization. Prince Kael'thas has returned to serve Quel'Thalas as an elf. Krasus and the surviving Dalaran mages have formally requested that I assu the Speaker's role. I believe the Kirin Tor needs exceptional magical talent to guide practitioners through these dark tis." Duke studied Jaina's expression carefully. "Jaina, will you accept positions as both Kirin Tor Council mber and Alliance Major General?"
The current Dalaran situation differed drastically from the original tiline. Previously, Antonidas's death had created the power vacuum that Rhonin eventually filled—largely due to his heroic rescue of the Red Dragon Queen, despite his limited magical strength.
In this reality, Duke's sudden ergence had changed everything. His identity, power, and achievents made him the obvious choice for Dalaran's leadership. If he hadn't insisted on maintaining his Stormwind Grand Duke title, everyone would already be calling him "Speaker Duke of the Kirin Tor."
Even so, Dalaran's true power rested with Duke and Krasus. Given Krasus's draconic nature, Duke effectively controlled the entire magical city.
Ten years could fundantally transform anyone. Duke had no idea how Jaina had developed during their separation—whether she'd grown into wisdom or beco as catastrophically destructive as the "Daughter of the Sea" from the original tiline.
His offer of Major General rank and Kirin Tor mbership was primarily a test. How she responded would reveal exactly what kind of woman—and potential ally or enemy—she'd beco.
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