Jaina Proudmoore was in disguise.

  Esara Verrinde was a typically fire favoring Archmage who was now enjoying a beach side vacation while the world dealt with the Legion. Jaina had caught her attempting to ‘mysteriously disappear’ while leaving an arcane simulacrum of herself behind, and had instead offered to take her place in the conflict. As for her own MIA status, Khadgar lacked the testicular fortitude to so much as meet her gaze right now after letting the Horde butchers back into Dalaran.

  He wouldn’t try recalling her any time soon, of that, she was sure.

  Jaina wasn’t too concerned with Dalaran either, but the reformation of the Tirisgarde had caught her attention, as had the focus of one of the Tirisgarde’s latest relic hunts: Ebonchill, the Greatstaff of Alodi. The first mage to be named Guardian of Tirisfal.

  Meryl Felstorm, an ancient undead mage with a surname that had changed several times over his long life, had tasked her with helping the Conjuror of the Tirisgarde to find clues to Ebonchill’s location within the Hall of the Guardian. Apparently, all of the Tirisgarde’s resources were now at the Conjuror’s command, and that included her.

  The Conjuror themself had first retrieved and was currently wielding Felo’melorn, the ancient blade of the Sunstrider’s royal line. ‘Esara’ had volunteered to attempt to wield Ebonchill, and though some had questioned if her frost magic was strong enough, a quick demonstration had left her naysayers in blocks of slowly melting ice.

  “Here.” The Archmage said, holding up a scrap of torn paper, a small letter, both resting upon a book. “You were right, Meryl. The staff was claimed by the Demon, Balaadur, when Arrexis attempted to defeat him.”

  The ancient undead nodded, and shared a look with the disembodied spirit of Alodi beside him. “We will draw the Demon to Faronaar, a ruined settlement on the isles.” He looked at the Conjuror. “Head to the bank. Retrieve Alodi’s Mana Gems. They will be needed to help…Esara, perform the ritual of Demon summoning.”

  The Conjuror nodded, and then blinked away twice, running at that comfortable adventurer pace they all seemed to inherently fall into every time they moved. Meryl and Jaina watched as they left. “Truly fearsome, the indefatigable energy of this new generation of Heroes.”

  Esara nodded. She had a feeling Meryl knew exactly what she was doing, and who she was. “I hope it’s enough to defeat the Legion.”

  “This is not Hyjal. You are not scraping together a last minute defense with a ragtag group of Horde, Alliance, and half-conscious Kaldorei.” Meryl answered.

  Jaina exhaled in irritation, and the undead mage smirked. “Worry not, your disguise is quite good…all but on par with a Dreadlord’s I would say. I’m wise to their tricks, however. I will not divulge your identity to the Conjuror. I think Archmage Verrinde will return to quite a rise in station when this conflict ends, and she’s hailed as a Hero as well.” Meryl chuckled. “The spirit of Alodi will likely end up residing in his staff, before this war is done. I would advise against trying to deceive him. I have no doubt…you will wield Ebonchill well.” And with that, Meryl vanished in a flash of arcane magic.

  Faronaar - The Broken Isles

  After the Conjuror’s small detour to a magical demon-summoning madman living rough in the Blasted Lands, the ritual was ready. Alodi’s gems surrounded the inverted summoning circle, and Meryl knew the chant required to pull Baladuur through to their plane.

  “I will infuse the circle with frost, while the Conjuror holds off the Legion! You must handle Balaadur, Esara!” Meryl shouted, as reality warped in a manner it was never supposed to.

  Spears of ice floated up around Esara’s elven visage, and frost formed and flowed from her hands as a Frostbolt manifested. “Come forth, Felspawn! You will return the Guardian’s staff!”

  Balaadur burst through the portal in a deluge of dark flames and frost, the Greatstaff in his unholy claw. The Eredar was as ugly as he was powerful, though Jaina had a feeling his strength was primarily coming from Alodi’s weapon. “Who dares summon Balaadur, Devourer of Mages?”

  Meryl shouted, strain in his ancient gravelly voice, “Hold the circle, Archmage! Keep him from-” Meryl’s words were lost, as the circle exploded, and a Fel hole to another place opened in their reality.

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  Balaadur’s voice echoed as he laughed. “Did you really think your ploy would work? Come to me, little Mage!” He leveled Ebonchill at Esara, and yanked her through the portal. She didn’t have time to take in the details of the green-tinged Felspace, for the Eredar was already casting. “For your insolence, your end will be painful…and slow!”

  Jaina’s image split into six, and six very real Frostbolts slammed into the demon, slowing him significantly, as two of her images were trapped in ice.

  Balaadur's demonic armor flared with green and purple sigils, and the frost magic slowing him melted away. “You cannot hide from the Mage Hunter!”

  Esara grinned at him, still casting, unbothered by the change of scenery. “Who’s hiding!?” The initial Frostbolt volley was only a distraction, meant to slow a target for what came next.

  Six spears soared into his armor, piercing the sigils and freezing them over, making them useless. A Cone of Cold followed, hiding the mage as she blinked forward, froze his feet in place, and then blinked away again. Balaadur smashed free of the spell with a skill and determination, charging at Jaina. But it took more than an overconfident mage hunter to shake her. A massive, swirling orb of Arcane and Frost rolled into the demon, and despite his power, and Ebonchill, it kept advancing, freezing the demon in place as it encompasses and passed over him.

  Then, came the finale.

  Balaadur roared, slowed and now stuck in place as a massive avalanche of conjured ice chunks came falling down on him. He raised Alodi’s Greatstaff, but Ebonchill sensed it was close to freedom from this demon taint. “No! The cold…betrays me!?” The demon’s arm holding the staff turned to ice, and with a little arcane encouragement from Lady Proudmoore, turned his entire Fel body as well. An Ice Lance shattered the frozen Mage Hunter into unholy chunks of demon.

  Meryl’s voice came floating through the portal as Jaina retrieved the staff, and briefly, the power awakening within it disrupted her illusion, as the mage became bound to the ancient weapon of the Guardian. “The portal is closing! Get out of there!”

  Jaina didn’t wait. Her disguise spell felt even more secure following the attunement to the artifact, and she blinked through the portal and back to Azeroth.

  Meryl was waiting, beside the hooded visage of the Conjuror, and he let the portal collapse as ‘Esara’ came through. “Well done! Let’s go, before reinforcements arrive. I’ll open a portal back to the Hall.”

  The trio of Archmagi arrived with a hurried rush through the portal, and a lingering scent of sulfur. One of the arcane simulacrums standing guard prestidigitated any lingering demonic pathogens from the air and the Archmages.

  “Ahh, Meryl! And the Archmage. Welcome back. I’ve successfully acquired Aluneth…Aegwynn’s staff has agreed to aid me against the Legion. I’ve just informed Alodi. We’re now fully equipped to deal with Kathra’natir.”

  Jaina shrank and shifted behind the Conjuror as the new speaker joined them. It was, of course, the Aspect of Magic himself, the Blue Dragon in half-elven form, Kalecgos. Things had…cooled between them with Jaina holding to her promise of vengeance against the murderous Horde, and Kalec striving for balance among Horde and Alliance. He’d given her space. Too much space. And Jaina didn’t have the time or inclination to deal with…all of that.

  Not when demons were literally raining from the sky in infinite numbers.

  “This is Archmage Esara Verrinde. She will be wielding Alodi’s staff, Ebonchill.” Meryl said [helpfully, as he gestured to her. Jaina had a feeling her disguise would hold up against a Dragon Aspect about as well as it had against Meryl, so she opted to leave.

  She inclined her head, not meeting Kalec’s eyes. “It’s my honor to meet the new Aspect of Magic. Please excuse me. The fight with Baladuur was…taxing. I’m going to go have a Mana Bun, or something…”

  “Of course.” Kalec said, nodding in understanding, seemingly too distracted in that moment to properly examine her. His own weapon had come with a taxing enemy as well. “Rest well, Archmage. And well done. I look forward to working together.”

  “We have time.” The Conjuror added. “I’m going to inform Khadgar and the others that the Tirisgarde are ready.”

  Jaina bowed again, and bamfed, retreating to Esara’s warded office in Dalaran, which was now hers for the time being.

  As she sat down, tired and craving mana sugar, she flinched, as the staff on her back started exuding frost magic. It was forming something from the frost, something humanoid, but not threatening. Probably.

  The image of a slim half elven mage formed from the frost. “Archmage Proudmoore.” Said what could only be the vestige of Alodi, Ebonchill’s first true owner, “I would know your intentions with my weapon…and the reason for this…secrecy.”

  Jaina nodded. “I’m going to destroy every Demon plaguing Azeroth…and once they’re done, the Horde are next. Right now…that opinion on the Horde isn’t ‘helpful’, so the Council has placed me on…administrative leave. Of a sort. Until I…cool my head.”

  “The venom in your voice when speak of these…Horde. I take it they are the races in my Hall that…I don’t recognize, or we’ve historically been enemies of?”

  Jaina nodded. “More or less. Has nobody told you of the factions in the Alliance and Horde?”

  Alodi chuckled. “There hasn’t…been much time. Since I awoke from within the Forge of the Guardian, it’s been all Demons, all the time. Perhaps you could tell me of this…global conflict, and its pertinent history? And why the Aspect of Magic is apparently not Malygos?”

  Jaina chuckled. “That’s…a long story, Guardian. But as good a place to start as any.”

  Alodi’s vestige smirked. “We have time.”

  Jaina nodded, scarfed down her mana bun, and then began the tale of Tarecgosa and the role mortals had played in the Aspect of Magic’s ascension.