Sylvanas is given the chance to go back in time before the Scourge's invasion of Silvermoon. Well, "given" might be a bit of a misnomer as, after committing suicide in Edge of Night, her soul isn't retrieved by the Val'kyrs. Instead, Sylvanas abruptly finds herself awaking and alive, and not embracing death's embrace as she had expected. Nonetheless, she's disoriented and suspicious, but will have to make do and hope she can make history change course.
Ranger General
is a Warcraft fanfic written by Bloom_Farella in collaboration with Eriden Crowford. The story is currently hosted in Wattpad. It irregularly updated from June 2016 to November 2018, and has remained inactive since then.
See also Paradoxus, another Warcraft fanfiction written by Bloom_Farella and Eri-crowford.
Tropes:
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Due to Sylvanas going back in time to right before the third war, her and Elune's interference causes a major shift in the Horde and the Alliance's composition. For one, Elune incentivizes a direct coalition between the Tauren and the Night Elves due to their shared worship of her. This means that, albeit very loosely and rather indirectly, the Night Elves are allied with Thrall's redeemed Orcs, as the canonical pact between that people and the Tauren still happens.
- Anaphora: Sylvanas realizes that while Arthas's death has brought her great satisfaction, it cannot erase all the pain his actions wrought into her soul. In the narration, we can read the three times she asks why, "Why, despite everything, she felt so empty inside? Why the hell was rage still consuming her mind? Why did it still hurt, as if her heart lay in a heap of embers?"
- Bring Them Around: The first night Sylvanas finds herself having been brought back in time, Elune appears before her to reveal that she was responsible for that. Elune wants Sylvanas to be her champion in Azeroth against forces like the Burning Legion. Sylvanas remains distrustful and is not convinced. The following night, Elune asks whether Sylvanas accepts the gift of a second chance given to her. Like the benevolent being she is, Elune convinces her not only by being upfront in her intentions but also because she restored Sylvanas to a time when she used to be happy, making it a timeline she'll fight tooth and nail to protect.
- Elemental Motifs: Icecrown Citadel, located at a high mountain's peak, is naturally accosted by never-ending gales. This is the scenery that accompanies Sylvanas' decision to take her unlife after she sees her goal accomplished. After being resurrected by Elune, she's visited by the goddess at night in her old quarters at Silvermoon. Both times, the wind is howling outside. The wind, thus, is used as a shorthand of Sylvanas' inner turmoil and her hopes for a better future—other than the obvious, she jumped off the cliff hoping to reunite with her loved ones.
- Mental Time Travel: After jumping off the top of Icecrown Citadel, Sylvanas wakes up to find herself in her old body, from when she was still alive, and Silvermoon has not yet been invaded by the Scourge. Confused, she believes it to be some sort of pleasant limbo preceding the "land of the deceased". In truth, Elune has amassed enough power to be able to intervene directly in Azeroth's troubles, which she uses to bring Sylvanas' mind from the future to a time where many major disgraced could be avoided.
- Neutral No Longer: Elune, the Kaldorei moon goddess, has gathered enough power to take a stand in Azeroth's current conflict. For this purpose, she chooses Sylvanas Windrunner as her champion, in the hopes of changing the tides of the upcoming wars in her cause's favor. By choosing a Sin'dorei to do the job, Elune shows that she would rather see her children and, as an extension, the Horde and the Alliance, unified under the same banner to protect Azeroth.
- One-Word Title: More than half of the chapter titles are single words—"1- Despertar", "2- Rasganorte", "3- Kaldorei", "5- Pesadillas", "6- Dalaran", "8- Traición", "9- Profecía", "10- Preparativos", "18- Alar'annalas", and "19- Motivación".
- Peggy Sue: Elune returns Sylvanas Windrunner's soul to a time before the destruction of the Sunwell, granting her the chance to save her people, nick the threat that the Scourge represents much earlier, and, generally, prevent many disgraces to come.
