Reforged Chapter 23: Surpassing Greatness
At this moment, Medivh was not the bearded man we would come to know later. He appeared younger and more dashing: a pair of deep blue eyes full of wisdom as if he could see through the past and future of the world, calm and brimming with mysterious charm. His shoulder-length wavy brown hair, with hints of flaxen, gave him an artistic air. With a well-built physique, he was truly handsome.
As the guardian of Stormwind Kingdom, and even the entire world of Azeroth, as King Llane's childhood friend, and as Stormwind City's court archmage, Medivh's status was extremely esteemed.
Moreover, he did not often appear in Stormwind City. Most of the time, he could be found in his tower in Karazhan, located far to the southeast of Stormwind along the Windward Path, conducting experiments and research.
Who would not give him face upon his appearance?
But Duke did just that.
If Duke had just gained Medivh's favor, eliciting envy, jealousy, and hatred from the apprentices and mages, then at this moment, all the gazes directed at Duke had become unified—ridicule!
"Kid! Do you know who you just rejected? Medivh! The world's strongest mage, Azeroth's guardian Medivh!"
"Kid! Even if this is due to your ignorance, it's still too much!"
Various voices rose around them, but with a wave of Medivh's hand, all the voices instantly disappeared.
Medivh was not angry; instead, he smiled and asked Duke.
"Young Duke, are you sure you know who I am? Training under the strongest mage is not an opportunity that every talented mage apprentice can have. I have been the world's guardian for so long, and I have only taken on one apprentice, Khadgar. If you don't know me, I can explain what you can gain by becoming my disciple."
"No—I am well aware of who you are. But please, allow me to refuse." Duke was adamant.
What a joke! Becoming Medivh's apprentice at this time?
That would be courting death!
Indeed, at this moment, becoming the disciple of the world's strongest mage Medivh seemed like an extremely glorious and exalted achievement for any mortal. If it were any other being in Azeroth, 99.9999% of them would prostrate themselves, shouting three times, "Master, please accept my bow!"
However, in the world of Azeroth, only a veteran player like Duke would seriously remember what Medivh had on him.
In Duke's eyes, Medivh's forehead seemed to be engraved with a huge character for "trap"!
At this point in time, Medivh was the biggest trap in the world! Unrivaled!
Why? Because Medivh was currently possessed by the Burning Legion's final boss, Sargeras!
Possessed!
Possessed!
Possessed!
This matter was so important that it had to be repeated three times!
Who was Sargeras?
In the beginning, a group of divine races—known as Titans—formed the Pantheon and began their journey of creation. Sargeras was a Titan warrior responsible for defeating many evil creatures during the creation journey.
About 25,000 years ago, Sargeras betrayed the Pantheon Council, becoming the Lord of Demons and creating the Burning Legion. He then began his Burning Crusade with the goal of destroying the experimental results of other Titans.
Sargeras was so incredibly powerful that he effortlessly destroyed one world after another until he encountered the world of Azeroth. Here, his demonic Burning Legion faced resistance from a united army composed of the five Dragonflights. The Burning Legion was defeated.
Since then, the forces of the demons tried time and again to conquer Azeroth, only to fail. About 300 years ago, Medivh's mother, the previous Guardian of Tirisfal, Aegwynn, went to a place called Northrend to stop a group of demons hunting dragons and subsequently encountered Sargeras.
Aegwynn, even more formidable, defeated the Demon Lord and sealed his body in an ancient Night Elf ruin. However, she didn't realize that Sargeras's spirit had infiltrated her body.
As she gave birth to Medivh, Sargeras's spirit also entered Medivh's body. When Medivh reached adulthood, Sargeras almost entirely controlled him, causing Medivh to occasionally act erratically, with only brief moments where his own soul was in control of his body.
It's no exaggeration to say that the greatest and most significant antagonist in the upcoming calamities of Azeroth was Medivh, now standing before Duke.
Duke never imagined that his exceptional performance would attract Medivh's attention.
Just a few seconds ago, he had been entertaining the notion that the world had changed somehow, that perhaps Medivh would be part of the 20% difference or that something unexpected had occurred.
The system sprite's message: "Detected an extremely evil and incredibly powerful demonic will observing you... Battle evaluation, your chances of victory are infinitesimally close to zero, please avoid immediately."
This left Duke with no hesitation, firmly refusing!
The surrounding mages were almost ready to gang up on Duke, but Medivh raised his hand again, gesturing for silence.
"Duke Markus, is it? May I hear your reasons?"
Duke's mind raced, knowing that without a suitable and logical reason, today's events could turn ugly.
He already sensed a dreadful premonition of falling off a cliff into a bottomless abyss.
"Esteemed Guardian Medivh. You are great."
Duke's opening statement slightly pacified the mages' anger.
"However, ever since I discovered my own talents, my dream has been to be greater than great." Duke held his head high, looking like a youth eager to proclaim his dreams.
"Heh?" Medivh's face showed a hint of surprise before he smiled: "Continue!"
Unconsciously, Duke's voice rose an octave, his clear tone seemingly brightening the entire hall.
"So I was thinking, if I were to become your disciple – the disciple of the greatest mage, Medivh – then no matter what achievements I made in the future, no matter how many times I saved the world, in people's eyes, it would be expected. Because I am the disciple of Guardian Medivh! An excellent disciple taught by a great teacher. Thus, I would forever live in your shadow, and people would only remember me as Medivh's disciple, Duke, rather than the great mage, Duke Markus."
Duke's powerful words encapsulated his understanding.
An understanding of a traveler through time!
An understanding of a younger generation with dreams and goals!
An understanding of a young man yearning to make a mark in a strange world!
If Duke had spoken these words in a classroom or on any social media platform before his journey, even if he didn't receive thunderous applause, he would at least win a knowing smile from his elders.
But here, what Duke received was a thunderous roar.
"How presumptuous—"