Point of View: Rogan
"I never wanted to kill your mother."
"She was a useful tool."
Keeping her by my side made many things inside the tribe easier.
I stayed silent for a few seconds before continuing.
"But somehow, she started suspecting me."
Even now, I still didn't understand how.
I had been careful with every move.
I had even given Marek very precise instructions to avoid mistakes.
And yet…
She noticed.
"She distanced herself from me and took you with her."
She was trying to protect you.
A disdainful snort escaped me.
"She was naive."
By then, it was already too late to stop me.
My position as chief was already secured.
Manipulating the situation was easy.
"Your mother was devastated by your grandfather's death, and by then, I had already bought several influential members of the tribe."
A faint smile appeared on my face as I remembered their expressions.
Greed.
Fear.
Convenience.
My gaze filled with contempt.
"They were all weak, greedy, and easy to buy."
I looked back at my son.
My voice turned cold.
"I didn't care about killing her…"
"And I didn't care about killing you either."
I already had everything planned.
But once again…
The world decided to stand in my way.
Fury slowly began rising inside my chest.
Why?
Why did something always have to appear and ruin everything?
I clenched my teeth.
"The appearance of Dalaran and the Arts destroyed my plan."
Everything had been going perfectly until then.
Dalaran and the Arts were an opportunity for everyone.
And precisely because of that…
They ruined everything.
My voice became even colder.
"Your mother wanted to challenge me to a duel for the position of chief."
I paused.
"But she couldn't do it."
I looked directly into Tharok's eyes.
"Tell me, son…"
"What day do you think she chose for that duel?"
He answered immediately.
"The anniversary of my grandfather's death."
I nodded slowly.
And that was exactly the problem.
"Your mother, in her desire for revenge, forgot something important."
My gaze hardened.
"She forgot that you never miss that day."
"She never wanted to tell you the truth. She didn't want to destroy the image you had of me… That woman didn't want you to discover that the father you admired…"
"Never truly existed."
"But she made a mistake. She thought you wouldn't come that day."
"She was wrong. Tharok always came."
"You never missed that day. You only arrived late."
"Very late."
I clenched my teeth tightly.
"Tell me, son…"
"What would you have done if, upon arriving, you had seen your parents fighting to the death for leadership of the tribe?"
Tharok didn't hesitate.
"I would have intervened."
His voice was heavy.
"I would have stopped the duel…"
"And then I would have defeated both of you in front of the entire tribe."
I slowly closed my eyes.
Yes.
That was the problem.
I would have lost everything.
Everything I had built over the years would have disappeared because of that woman… and because of him.
My fury began overflowing once again, but I managed to contain it.
I was not like those savages incapable of controlling their emotions.
I took a deep breath before continuing.
"That's why I had to use Sara. Your mother distrusted the tribe members too much."
"I couldn't approach her easily."
"Then Sara appeared, and honestly…"
"From my perspective, the situation was almost funny."
"Very funny."
A quiet laugh escaped me.
"Don't you think it's ironic, son?"
I stared directly at him.
"If Sara had waited just a little longer… she would have obtained exactly what she wanted."
"More power."
"More status."
"More influence."
"Everything."
"Because of her impatience, she ended up destroying her own future with her own hands."
I smiled faintly.
"In the end, she destroyed the very thing she wanted most…"
"And without realizing it, she protected mine."
Then I turned around.
I had nothing else to say.
As I began walking away, I spoke one last time.
"You can fill in the gaps yourself, son."
"You're naive… but not stupid."
Then I heard laughter behind me.
Broken laughter.
Empty.
Filled with pain.
"Hahahahahaha…"
My foot stopped midair.
"Do you really think I'm naive, father?"
Point of View: Tharok
I kept laughing.
I couldn't stop.
But it wasn't happiness.
It was pain.
Helplessness.
Fury.
Guilt.
It felt like something inside me was slowly breaking apart.
"I'm not naive, father…"
I slowly stood up.
My entire body screamed in pain.
The wounds.
The chains.
The lack of Origin Energy.
Every movement was torture.
But I no longer cared.
Adrenaline and fury were consuming everything else.
There was only one thought in my mind.
I could not remain on the ground in front of him.
Not in front of the being who destroyed everything I loved.
I raised my gaze toward him.
Toward that man.
The same man whom, just minutes ago, I still wanted to protect.
My voice came out hoarse.
"I have traveled across the three continents."
"I've met more tribe chiefs than you."
I adjusted my posture and continued.
"I have seen darkness."
"Cruelty."
"The evil of this world."
I slowly closed my eyes.
"I'm not naive…"
Images began appearing in my mind.
My grandfather teaching me how to fight.
My mother laughing while hugging me.
My father smiling beside us.
Marek training with me.
Holding Sara's hand while she accompanied me on my journeys.
The tribe's laughter.
The celebrations.
Everything began to crack apart.
My voice trembled.
"I just…"
I clenched my teeth.
"I just didn't want to believe it."
The chains rattled violently as my hands tightened.
"I didn't want to accept that the tribe my grandfather founded was just like all the others."
I didn't want to see it.
I didn't want to accept the truth.
But I could no longer keep deceiving myself.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The person standing before me was no longer my father.
Not the man I admired.
Not the warrior I respected.
Only something else remained.
Something cold.
Manipulative.
Empty.
My voice became much louder.
Much heavier.
"You're a coward!"