Khadgar began to move forward, but Idira touched his arm, holding him back. He turned and they looked at each other for a long moment, silent. He touched her face, before bending to kiss her as though it would be their last. Malfurion blinked, taken aback. He glanced at Kalec, who only watched them, his expression distant and tinged with sorrow, perhaps recalling his own tragic loss against the Legion.

The screams came again, and the pair broke apart. Malfurion caught the glint of tears in Khadgar's eyes. The Archmage turned, taking Idira's hand in his, and led the party forward, passing numerous openings, lined with glowing runes. They followed the curving corridor as it descended into another long, slow curve. The group proceeded, cautious, following Khadgar as he led them deep into the living rock, the shrieks of a man in terrible agony increasing as they neared the heart of the Legion's stronghold.

The corridor came to an abrupt end. Tucked into the inner curve of the wall was a vast opening, its edges lined with hundreds of glowing runes. The Chamber of the Eye.

Khadgar edged ahead. Malfurion could only see Khadgar's profile, but he watched him narrowly, trying to gauge what the Archmage was witnessing from his expression, but apart from his jaw tensing, Khadgar did not give much away. He gave the hand signal for the others to approach. Idira joined him, and stood by his side. Malfurion didn't wait for Kalec, he slipped past him, and looked into the room. He stopped, stunned.

It was a nightmare. No it was worse than a nightmare, because it was real. The circular Chamber was large, but not vast, its ceiling swallowed by deep shadows. Malfurion realised the long spiralling corridor they had taken encircled the Chamber. In the middle of the space, a complex circle of runes pulsed with the fetid green of fel. Gul'dan stood, his back to them, holding his staff high. Long sinuous fel tethers writhed out of his staff and plunged into a large portal, returning soon after gripping a glowing green light in their maws. The slammed, vicious into Illidan's ravaged body, he bellowed as his body tore apart and reformed, morphing piece by piece into that of a dread lord. His wrists and ankles were bound by fel tethers, holding him spread-eagled. He strained against them, struggling, desperate to free himself.

Opposite Illidan, or what was left of him, was another, also held by fel tethers, and spread-eagled against the wall. Tyrande. She still looked the same, although unlike Illidan, she did not fight, she hung there, silent and still. Only her eyes had changed, burning with the colour of fel. Sickened, Malfurion looked at Khadgar, willing him to begin their attack. Khadgar turned and nodded at Xe'ra, who moved to the front of the group. Malfurion fell back, he would not get in the way, his job was to contain Gul'dan. But unlike in the barrow den, this time it was he who had the advantage. He looked at Tyrande, determined to save her, and bring her back from whatever hellish place she was trapped within. It could not be too late. He refused to believe he had lost her.

Khadgar raised his staff. It was time. Uncertain what else to do, Malfurion prepared to cast Solar Beam, his most powerful silencing spell. Khadgar brought his staff to the ground, and the invisibility spell faded. A wall of arcane energy burst from Khadgar's staff, and slammed into Gul'dan. He lurched forward, stumbling, gripping his staff to keep himself upright. He straightened his back, and turned, his eyes blazing, his fingers moving, rapid, already casting a spell. Khadgar and Kalec prepared to attack, but Malfurion hit him first, silencing him. Gul'dan narrowed his eyes at him.

"Malfurion, you are just in time to see your wife's transformation. She has a new master now. How fitting that you will be her first gift to Sargeras," he smiled, slow, exposing his rotting teeth. He waved his hand and Tyrande turned her head and looked at Malfurion, fel flames burning in her eyes.

Malfurion stepped forward, and raised his hand to her. "Tyrande, my love, I am here."

Gul'dan chuckled, and cast another spell, quick as lightning, raising a barrier around him, the same one Malfurion had seen in the barrow den. He cursed himself for falling prey to Gul'dan's distraction. Idira lifted her staff high, and an icy shield surrounded the little group. Blue fire exploded from Kalec and Khadgar's hands, sending enormous amounts of arcane power crashing against Gul'dan's barrier. All of them slid away, useless. Gul'dan laughed, full of scorn.

"His barrier is fed by the fel power in this Chamber, our spells will never break through it," Khadgar bellowed. "Xe'ra, it is time!"

Her wings spinning, Xe'ra slipped through the frost shield and into the Chamber. The white light within her growing so bright, Malfurion had to shield his eyes. A powerful beam of light exploded from her and pulsed through the portal into the Twisting Nether. It returned within a heartbeat carrying what was left of Illidan's ragged spirit, pierced and gouged in a thousand places. Malfurion gaped. He had expected to see the spirit of the demon hunter, but the one in held in Xe'ra's light was Illidan, his brother from Suramar. Malfurion's memories filled in the gaps left by the tethers, and pieced Illidan back together. For the first time in thousands of years, Malfurion saw his brother, just as he used to be before the War of the Ancients.

Their eyes met. A flicker of hope flared in Illidan's anguished ones. Malfurion felt his own hope rise; Illidan wasn't lost to Sargeras yet. Malfurion's heart lurched, shame filling him. Illidan had given up so much to buy the Azerothians time to stop Gul'dan and the Legion. His fight had always been against the Legion, he had only ever had one purpose, yet all the Azerothians had done was hate him, exile him, imprison him, and finally murder him. Malfurion roared, furious. He had failed his brother all his life, he would not fail him now.