Dear Diary,
Well… I’m back.
After everything that happened in Battle for Azeroth, I told myself I was done. I sat out The War Within completely and spent the last two years tucked away in Eversong Woods, helping rebuild what’s left of our smaller villages, teaching little ones how to channel the Light without accidentally setting their robes on fire, and pretending I wasn’t slowly losing my mind from sheer exhaustion.
I became everyone’s surrogate mom. Again.
I resurrected more trainees than I care to count. I broke up more fights between edgy young mages and paladins than I ever did in actual battlegrounds. I even learned how to bake those terrible mana-infused cookies the kids love.
But then the call for Midnight went out. New threats. New battlegrounds. New idiots throwing themselves into the meat grinder.
So here I am. Level 90 again. Queuing into my first BG of the new era like some kind of masochist I apparently am.
The first match was exactly what I expected: pure chaos. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold my staff steady. I fumbled so many spells, hesitated on casts I’ve performed thousands of times, and completely blanked on half my usual rhythm. Without a medallion, every stun, fear, or root felt like a death sentence. I died fourteen times… many of them completely avoidable if I wasn’t so rusty.
I spent the entire game chasing my teammates around like a disappointed mother hen. “Sweetheart, the flag is that way.” “Honey, stop standing in the void rift.” “CHILD, WHY ARE YOU TUNNELING THE ROGUE WHILE I’M GETTING GLOBALED?”
Some Resto Druid still topped the healing charts. Rude.
But here’s the pathetic part… I haven’t felt this alive in years. Even with all the deaths and frustration, I had this stupid big grin on my face the whole time. It felt good to be back. Like I finally had purpose again.
After the match, I turned in my Honor and stood at the Quartermaster for way too long, overthinking as usual. Trinket so I don’t die instantly? Or save for the big Galactic Aspirant’s Silk Robe? I desperately need more Versatility… but I also can’t heal if I’m perma-CC’d on the floor.
In the end I bought the PvP Trinket first. Survival before fashion, I guess.
I’ve already met two new headaches. I mean, “friends”:
- Lirael, a Holy Paladin who calls me “bestie” unironically and dies in the first 30 seconds of every fight.
- Vaelor, a rogue who whispers “stop following me” right before vanishing and leaving me to die.
I’m currently crashing at my sister Abeke’s place (again), soaking in a mana bath and wondering why I came back. I used to have my own quiet little room in the Gladiator Enclave back when I was actually climbing the arena ladder and earning my keep as a ranked healer, but now I’m tripping over blades again. And when I stepped away after The War Within, they reassigned the unit. Guess that’s what happens when you take a two-year break from the meat grinder.
Tomorrow will probably be worse.
But at least this new trinket might keep me alive long enough to regret my fashion choices tomorrow.
~Sahsha
(Tired Disc Priest, Professional Babysitter of the Sin’dorei, Reluctant Returnee)