Whispers

Whispers is the 22nd installment of the World of Warcraft comic.

Description
The new Council of Tirisfal is formed! Med'an keeps Meryl's possession a secret. Maraad acts on his vision, but what does it have to do with Valeera?

Plot
In Ahn'Qiraj, Garona watches an increasingly mutated Cho'gall preaching to his Twilight's Hammer minions about his master and Med'an, "the prophesied one". The ogre tells his minions to go to Theramore Keep and bring him the boy, but one of the cultists objects that Theramore repelled both Stasia's raiders and the Lich King's necropolis. In response, Cho'gall kills the cultist, yelling that the Lich King is insignificant when compared to his master's power.

In Theramore, Maraad is teaching Med'an about the Light when the boy is suddenly attacked by the Old God's voice again. Valeera tells Maraad to help his grand nephew, but the draenei wishes to see what Med'an can do for himself first. He tells the boy to not let his fear control him and instructs him to reach out to the Light and let it shield him from the whispers, which Med'an succeeds at. Maraad remarks that Med'an has the affinity for holy magic and that this first attempt was better than any novice the vindicator has seen.

Aegwynn watches the exchange from the mage tower. While she wants to tell Med'an that she is her grandmother, she decides that she can't let her selfish wishes ruin his life, the way her arrogance ruined her own son Medivh's life and brought disaster on Azeroth. Jaina and Meryl enter the room. The three of them agree on the importance of learning the exact wording of the prophecy concerning Med'an, and of recreating the Council of Tirisfal. However, Jaina and Aegwynn point out that Dalaran — where the order was originally formed — is occupied with its own battles against the Lich King, and that Malygos the Spell-Weaver's mysterious efforts have caused all magi on Azeroth to diminish in power. However, wielders of nature magic and divine magic have not been affected. As such, the reformed council will need to include practitioners of other magical disciplines and not just the arcane.

Jaina decides to ask Thrall and Maraad to join the new council, as well as ask the latter to go to Outland and invite Khadgar. She notes that Broll Bearmantle would be a perfect candidate as well but is likely kept busy by the troubles in Darnassus. Meryl decides to travel to Ironforge to ask High Priest Rohan. Aegwynn proposes inviting the gnome inventor Thunker Axeljink, but Meryl informs her that he died fighting troggs in Gnomeregan. However, as Thunker's eccentric and ill-tempered son Krank lives in Ironforge, Meryl could contact him while visiting Rohan. With matters settled, Jaina teleports to Razor Hill to meet with Thrall.

Back in Ahn'Qiraj, a group of Twilight cultists depart for Theramore on bat mounts. To aid in the attack, Cho'gall calls on his master's power to awaken a giant faceless one from the seafloor near Theramore.

In Razor Hill, Jaina meets with Thrall and informs him of Cho'gall's return and the plan to create a new council. Thrall is receptive to the idea and wishes he could join the effort, but can't as he is preparing for the invasion of Northrend. He suggests that Jaina take Rehgar in his stead, and also proposes that she send Rehgar and Valeera to speak with Hamuul Runetotem.

In Theramore, Aegwynn, Maraad, Med'an, Meryl, and Valeera stand gathered near the docks to prepare for Maraad and Meryl's departures to Outland and Ironforge, respectively. Med'an wants to go with Maraad, but his great uncle tells him to stay behind and continue his training. Suddenly, the faceless one surges out of the ocean to attack the group. Meryl's firebolts seem to be completely ineffective against the beast. While Med'an suffers another assault from the Old God's whispers and the others try to keep the faceless at bay, bat-riding cultists arrive to seize the boy. Meryl tells the others to destroy Cho'gall's minions while he deals with the faceless. Aegwynn notes that Meryl's current weakness doesn't seem to be due to the difficulty afflicting all magi, but rather something else.

Privately, Meryl converses with Kathra'natir, who points out that they are both wasting their power to fight for control of Meryl's body. The nathrezim proposes that they instead work together to fight the faceless using fel magic fueled by sacrificing some fish or strands of seaweed from the nearby sea. Meryl reluctantly agrees, and together he and his possessing demon unleash powerful blasts of magic against the creature. Med'an recovers from the Old God's mental attack, having realized through the blessing of the Light who sent the faceless one and how to destroy it. At the same moment, Jaina and Rehgar teleport onto the ramparts of Theramore Keep and are startled by the sight of the faceless. Down below, Med'an calls on the help of the Spirit of Fire and weaves together arcane and shamanic magic, conjuring a single massive blast that strikes into the faceless one from the skies and blows its head open, killing it.

Jaina and Rehgar discuss Med'an's abilities while the others kill the remaining Twilight's Hammer. After the last attackers have been slain, Aegwynn confronts Meryl, having realized that he is possessed by Kathra'natir. Meryl defends his actions, but Aegwynn questions if he is using Kathra'natir or if Kathra'natir is using him. Med'an tends to Valeera, who was injured in the battle, and calls upon the Light and the Spirit of Earth simultaneously to heal her wounds. The display does not go unnoticed by Aegwynn and Meryl, who remark that Med'an himself doesn't seem to realize that he is combining magic in a way that no one ever has before. Med'an turns to the others and states that the Light showed him something of the being haunting him, which Meryl concludes must be an Old God.

In Ahn'Qiraj, Cho'gall is tortured by his master for his failure to capture the boy. He vows that since Med'an will not offer himself willingly, the ogre will instead sacrifice him to the master; done properly, his death will discharge his energy and release the master from its bonds as surely as if the boy had released the power himself.

Back in Theramore, Aegwynn, Meryl, and Maraad decide that they need to move Med'an somewhere beyond the Old God's reach, and Maraad decides to take the boy with him to Outland. While the vindicator talks to his grand nephew, Aegwynn tells Meryl that she has decided that no one must ever know that Med'an is the son of Medivh, especially not Med'an himself; he would be shunned by any who knew, and his potential would be wasted. Meryl insists that the boy is old enough to deserve to know, but Aegwynn forbids him from telling, saying that she will keep Meryl's possession a secret only as long as he does the same with the matter of Med'an's father.

That night, as Med'an lies in his bed and begins to drift off to sleep, he suddenly jolts awake when a vision of Medivh appears in his room, informs him that he is his father, and invites him to come to Karazhan, where all will be explained.