Blade Dance

The wooden door was opened lightly, and the night of the swamp quietly entered.The light in the room was dim, and a candle lamp was lit on the table. The slightly flickering light of the fire blended with the dark blue night, hazy as if in a dream.There was a scent of nanmu in the room, mixed with the smell of blood.Two war blades stood in the corner, the faint blue light dimmed, and no longer exuded the bone-chilling chill.

Harlan stood quietly at the door, watching the figure at the wooden table.The demon hunter had his back to him, his black leather armor half hanging over his right shoulder.He stood upright, showing no sign of injury at all.The lines on the back were sharp and sharp, and the pale skin showed sculptural firmness in the moonlight.The black hair is scattered on the back, just covering the demon curse pattern on the shoulder blades on both sides of the spine.

He stretched out his hand to touch the wound on his left rib, and immediately twitched.

"I'll help you."

The demon hunter stopped in mid-air.He seemed surprised that the silence had been suddenly broken.He turned his head and looked sideways at the figure at the door.Harlan closed the door, placed the Warblade he had been carrying all the way by the door, turned around and walked straight into the house.The demon hunter still stood still, following his every move with his eyes, until Harlan walked to the table, picked up the bandage and alcohol from the table, raised his head and looked at him without saying a word.

Harlan turned his gaze and motioned for him to sit down.The other party did not respond.

In the dim light, they couldn't see any expressions on each other's faces.Eyes met, cut, entangled, and then...

The demon hunter turned and sat down at the table.Harlan adjusted the position of the candle lamp, walked around the table to his side, knelt down on one knee, and began to treat his wound.The dim light illuminated the demon hunter's body faintly, and there were many scars of different sizes on it.A huge scar extended from the front of the left rib to the side of the body. The wound was a mess, the blood had turned black, and red tendons could be seen.Dark red blood flowed across the pale skin, congealed on it, and more oozed from the wound.Uncomfortable fishy smell hit the face.

Harlan stared at the wound, choking for breath.

The night was blocked by the door, and the light of the candles shone brightly.The lights and shadows are everywhere, and the moonlight spills into the room through the window sash.In the silence, only the sound of the bandage being gently torn can be heard.

"Roy LaGloss."

Harlan froze.

"what?"

"my name."

He looked up and met Roy's eyes looking down at him.

too close.

He quickly looked back, and carefully wiped the blood from the wound with a bandage.

He said, "Harlan Anthenar."

"Ok, I know."

Harlan paused again.Feeling that Roy didn't take his eyes off him, he had to work hard to focus on his hands.

"Are you going to Azeroth?" Roy asked.

"Well, but that's not possible now."

Roy fell silent.

Harlan felt a twinge of embarrassment.There was a hint of sharpness in his tone for no reason, and he couldn't be sure if this was his original intention.Is it Roy's fault that he didn't arrive in Azeroth smoothly?In any case, what the other party wanted to say seemed to be blocked.

He pulled a long section of the bandage over the wound.Roy's body tensed, and Harlan heard an inaudible sigh.

Roy said: "I'm sorry, I dragged you down. You can avoid the entry of the Burning Legion a little earlier."

Harlan leaned forward, reached his hand behind his back, and took the bandage from the other.

"Whoever can guarantee Azeroth is safer."

"At least the main city of the Horde should not have fallen. I only saw the captives of the Alliance."

Harlan raised his head and cast a puzzled look at Roy.

"you see'?"

Roy was also staring at him, and then showed a suddenly realized expression.

"Ghost vision, I can briefly see what is behind obstacles."

Harlan's eyes were full of surprise, and then he suddenly laughed, his eyes curved into crescent moons, and his eyelashes fluttered slightly.Now it was Roy's turn to look at him suspiciously.

"Sorry, I thought you..." Harlan said innocently, "I thought all demon hunters were blind."

"...", Roy's expression was a little hard to describe, but he didn't look very surprised or offended, he just quickly explained, "We can't really see, but the vision is different from ordinary people."

He said: "With our current eyes, we can track demons more keenly to hunt them down accurately and quickly. Blindfolding is only because our companions will be burned by fel flames, and it has no effect on vision itself. Restriction also sharpens the rest of the senses."

Harlan listened carefully, then nodded with a sudden enlightenment.

"I see."

Layers of bandages were tightly wrapped around the wound and held in place so that blood could no longer seep through them.Harlan picked up the wine bottle on the ground and put it on the table, then stood up, walked to Roy's front and looked down at him.Roy quickly got dressed.

"You didn't leave Shattrath?"

Roy raised his head, the expression on his face was uncertain in the flickering firelight.

"I saw you leaving the city, and Felix and Tina immediately followed. I wanted to deal with them alone and avoid involving you, but I couldn't find a chance to do so, and finally followed all the way to the dark The door. I thought they would let you go after they found out that I was not with you, but I didn't expect... sorry."

There is a strange calm in his voice, indestructible and at the same time as if it could be broken at the same time.After he finished speaking, he lowered his head, like a child who did something wrong on impulse, willingly waiting for punishment, and did not intend to argue.

Harlan fell silent.

Roy didn't answer his question.In terms of time, this doesn't make sense at all.It was at least two days before Roy said goodbye to him and he went out of town by himself.In the past two days, Roy obviously did not leave immediately, but stayed in Shattrath City.

Why stay?

He didn't want to pursue it further.However, the apologetic and guilty voice echoed in the not-so-spacious hut for a long time, making him very upset.

After a long time, Roy suddenly raised his head and looked at him.The eyes met, and I thought that no matter what kind of eyes they were, they would be firmly blocked by the cloth belt, but Harlan felt the pressure in an instant.

"I'm sorry, what I said at the Portal of Darkness... I shouldn't get angry at you. This matter has nothing to do with you at all."

Unspeakable pain and a strange self-mockery quickly gathered on his face, which was distorted by restraint.He turned his head and looked at the candlelight beside him.The firelight outlines the clear lines of the face and deepens the shadows, making the expressions that are trying to be concealed more obvious.The sound of restraint is like rusted metal, low and indistinct, gently tearing and grinding on the listener's heart.

"I'm just a little bit sad, or angry. I've known Tina for a long time," Roy said. "I watched her change, but I didn't do anything."

Harlan watched his profile, feeling himself getting closer to the border.

It is a boundary that has been guarded for many years and will not be approached no matter what, and it suddenly appears in front of you at this moment.

Why do you say this?

He clenched his fists involuntarily.

Stop talking.

"When I first joined the Illidari, I felt that these were nothing. As long as we are counterattacking the Legion and killing all the demons one day, everything we have paid is nothing." Roy's voice changed subtly, becoming dissociated whispering.Harlan wasn't even sure he was talking to himself. "But when she died, when so many people died, it was uncertain. Should I be sad? But I didn't cry. Because she was my companion? Or something? I didn't feel it, but it ..."

He suddenly froze for a moment, then smiled helplessly: "I'm sorry, I just..."

"I know."

Roy turned his head sluggishly, with a dazed and terrified expression on his face.

"what do you know?"

"Sorrow is not the same as tears."

Harlan's fingertips ran across his face, his long fingers dug into his black hair, and he hugged his head, letting him rest against his chest.Roy was obviously stunned, because his body was stiff and unresponsive.

The pain struggles, then becomes silent.

He realized that he had crossed the line, crossed the line that he had set.There is a fog in front of me, it is difficult to tell where I am at this time, and I don't know where the front leads.But as long as you don't cross the other side's boundaries, he thought.He could go on forever, silently, just accidentally crossing his own boundaries, and then, long after that, walk away completely.

Roy's warm breath got into his shirt, curling up a wave of heat on his skin.

Regret it now, maybe it's too late.

At that moment, Roy realized that he had been seen through.

All the concealment and patience are in vain, and the other party seems to know the part that doesn't want to reveal or show weakness.

Leaning against his solid chest, he heard his heart beating like a drum.The touch on the back of the head was faintly present, as if it would disappear at any time without warning.But the person in front of him didn't move at all, he just kept standing like this for a long time.Miraculously, the tumultuous emotions in my heart gradually subsided.Could a hug from a stranger have such a comforting effect?No one ever did that to him.Mother hadn't done that even before joining the Illidari.Feelings that I have never felt before pervade my body and mind.At this moment, all the hopeless, sad, and painful things fade and fall apart like old photos that have been weathered by the sun, sinking into the deep ocean of memories, sinking to the bottom, and then being buried by sand and stones.Betrayal, war, contempt and spurn, don't need to worry about it, and don't think about it at all.Everything in this room at this moment is the whole present and the whole future.

The moonlight diffused in through the window, and their figures were reflected on the wall by the warm yellow firelight.The surroundings were so quiet that only each other's breathing could be heard.But in this quietness, something is restless and changing.Change brings novelty and anticipation, as well as fear and uneasiness.If it is not stopped in time, the chance of stopping may be completely lost.

Harlan felt a warmth on his neck, and Roy was touching the scar there with his fingers.The blood in the wound had already solidified, but he couldn't help but flinch back a bit.

He let go of Roy and took a step back to look at him.The face of the other party has returned to calm at this moment.

"Let's wrap it up."

"No need. It's just a small injury, maybe it will heal faster if you don't bandage it."

A moment of silence.

"Why save me? You know who I am." Roy asked.

Harlan didn't answer immediately, but just stared at him fixedly.Not being able to look into each other's eyes had troubled him since the first meeting.But at this time, there seemed to be something looming under the black cloth belt, but he couldn't see it clearly.

He asked in the same tentative tone: "What about you? Why did you save me? Obviously, you can avoid getting hurt."

"If I don't save you, you will die."

"If I don't save you, you will die too."

Roy stared at Harlan for a long time.

Then said: "I didn't think much about it, I just knew that my enemy was not you at that time."

"Me too." Harlan said seriously, "I'm not an enemy, and I didn't think too much about it."

"You know nothing about me."

Harlan bit his lip.

"Because you look pathetic."

"what?"

"The reason for saving you."

Roy raised one eyebrow with an expression of disbelief.

"Because of this? Compassion?"

Harlan nodded.

"Where is the soldier of the Burning Legion?" Roy asked unwillingly, "Is the reason you saved her the same as saving me? Because you sympathized with us?"

"perhaps."

"perhaps?"

"About Illidan Stormrage," Harlan suddenly changed the subject, "Is it true? The Illidari are no longer able to hold on to Outland?"

Roy was stunned, and the doubt left on his face by the last topic quickly faded away, and was replaced by seriousness and dignity that could not be eased.What he said next, his voice became low.It was the tone of command, Harlan realized.

"You should go back to Shattrath City immediately, find qualified and sophisticated mages, let them open the portal to any main city in Azeroth, and then leave here as soon as possible."

Harlan didn't speak.

On Roy's clear-cut face, some of the emotions that had surfaced just now had disappeared without a trace.The previous conversation was cut like a thread, and it might not even have existed at all.

It turned out that it was so easy, he retreated within the border.

"how about you?"

Harlan locked his eyes on Roy's.However, after a long time, the other party did not answer, but showed an indescribable expression.

The firmness of determination, or the indifference of turning a blind eye to all cowardice; the perseverance forged through thousands of years of tempering, or the numbness caused by too many traumas...

I don't know what kind of past, present, and future lies behind such complicated expressions.

Not sure if I can be part of them.

Harlan stared at the darkness on the cloth belt, waiting in silence for an answer.

At this moment, a huge black shadow passed by the window.

The windows rumbled, accompanied by a violent flapping of wings.