Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 23 23. Seeing Despair: Time! Stupid, the problem is time!
From the perspective of the physical universe, the World Soul is an absolutely rare thing.

Life cradled by stars cannot be taken lightly from any perspective, and communicating with such beings naturally requires special methods.

In the official history of the Dark Portal, as the place where a series of magnificent legendary stories took place and the main stage, the warriors of the world of Azeroth communicated with their star souls through the order technology left by the Titans of the Pantheon, and dealt with big troubles one after another with the guidance and help of the world soul.

But they can use Titan technology because the Pantheon noticed Azeroth a long time ago and made almost all-round changes to that world. Those Titans used almost their highest technology in Azeroth.

In contrast, Argus does not have this "honor".

According to all the ancient legends about the world of Argus that Dick has collected so far, there is no information related to Titans or the Pantheon.

The gods who walked on two feet in the sea of stars did not notice this planet.

This is a good thing and a bad thing.

Argus does not have to suffer the "poisoning" of the Force of Order, but it also means that it becomes difficult for the native race of Argus, the Eredar, to communicate with their own star souls.

Without the assistance of Titan technology, the Eredar can only perceive their own star souls in the most primitive way.

This places a very demanding requirement on the individual's talent. According to Sachir and the shaman legend described by Governor Hatton, since the birth of the Eredar civilization, the only one who can communicate with the soul of the world is probably the legendary "Ancestral Wizard".

The "holy stone" in front of us, which is obviously related to the elemental power at the beginning of the formation of the world, is probably the "tool" used by the ancestor wizard to perceive the changes in the soul of the world.

This makes sense too.

According to the rules of the material universe, the birth of all planetary entities comes from the initial agitation of ancient elemental forces in the universe.

It is in the conflict and fusion of the energies of wind, fire, water and earth that celestial bodies take shape in the sea of stars. It is also because of the collision of elemental forces that the celestial bodies complete their first "polishing", providing the initial driving force for the subsequent birth of life.

Based on this theory, it is not difficult to conclude that the elemental power that exists on every planet is the most primitive power that the star soul can control before it chooses its own path and awakens!
This is also the origin of the holy stone in front of everyone.

The members of the "Star Soul Exploration Team" had now retreated to a safe location at the old shaman's request. Before their eyes, Diakum, protected by holy light, seemed as if cast from light, preventing the ancient elements from invading and interfering with his conversation with the World Soul.

Dick remained silent, but everyone believed that he had established a connection with the World Soul.

But there is little they can do now except wait.

The old shaman muttered incomprehensible words like "the chosen one" and "the will of the world will be revealed", while Jaid worried about his father's mental health and his brother's physical health.

The five little strong men did not make any special moves.

They were excellent warriors who knew that the more dangerous the situation, the more they had to obey orders. So, they followed the instructions of Brigadier General Diakum and Chief Hatton and kept a safe distance from the Holy Stone, lest the surge of holy light power in their bodies trigger a counterattack from the excessive elemental power in the cave.

To what extent are the elemental powers here exaggerated?
The Holy Light in the bodies of the five little warriors, which should have been gentle, has automatically turned into a very aggressive state. It’s not because there is any grudge between the Holy Light and the elements, but purely because the elements here have an absolute crushing advantage, and the Holy Light also has to protect its followers!

The bold and ambitious Gemini have recovered from their shock. They are now carefully using arcane runes to record all the information around the holy stone.

This was the most crucial part of their first mission as "newcomers" to the Assassin's Court. They had to record the entire "audience" and even produce a sufficiently detailed mission statement after the mission was completed.

However, the focus of their commander, Captain Naili, a high-ranking ranger of the Assassin's Court, would be very strange.

She seemed to have complete confidence in Diakam, and didn't seem to worry about the Brigadier General's "audience" failing. While everyone else was observing the Holy Stone and Diakam, she carelessly slipped over to the nearby stone throne, circled the ancient skeleton several times, and returned to the twins, whispering:
"Are you sure that is the First Wizard, Master Augure?"

"Just measure the circumference of your head."

Oreses, who was diligently recording her actions, whispered:
"Ever since the rise of the obscure science of phrenology, all Eredar arcanists have used this outrageous standard to determine the limits of their spellcasting talent. My sisters and I are no exception. We have had our head circumferences measured no less than twenty times since we were young. The unified comparison standard we use comes from the head circumference data left by the ancestor wizard.

That's right.

The first wizard, Lord Augure, is the inventor of 'phrenology'!
From this point of view, the ancestor of our Eredar civilization was also a very complicated person."

"But Lord Augurey lived in the early days of civilization! Wasn't it normal to perform human sacrifices in those barbaric times?"

Nari sighed and complained:

"It's said that the First Wizard was not only the founder of the arcane arts, but also the pioneer of shamanism. Perhaps Augure personally sacrificed many living people. So, perhaps he invented phrenology purely to facilitate the sacrifices of the tribe?
But no matter what, you arcanists are a bunch of insects!
It's outrageous that such barbaric customs have been maintained for tens of thousands of years. You two! When you're done, go measure the circumference of the skeleton's head."

The Ranger Captain glanced at Diakum, who was enveloped in a dazzling light. She flicked her tail a little nervously and warned the twins, who seemed a little clumsy due to their youth:
"Remember to be gentle and show the necessary respect. He is your ancestor."

"Isn't he the ancestor of you and all the other Eredar? He's a great figure from mythology!"

Salolas complained, but still took out the "special tools" with her sister and ran to measure the head circumference of the Ancestral Wizard.

Sachir, the leader of the arcanist group in this era, is a "loyal fan" of phrenology, which has led to the fact that almost every arcanist now has this terrible "basic skill".

As time passed, the power of the elements faded, but the holy light on Diakum became brighter and brighter, which seemed to indicate that his "communication" with the Soul of the World had entered a very important stage. In order to avoid unexpected emergencies, Old Hatton decided to take some measures after thinking about it. Under his orders, the shamans planted more totems at a safe distance, and the arcanists also deployed shields.

Just as everyone was watching the holy light and holy stone on Dick's body shining together with bated breath, Imira, who was nervously holding the healing holy staff in her hand, suddenly noticed what the twins who were sneaking over were holding.

Her eyes widened in an instant and she exclaimed:

"Why did you take our ancestors' heads off? Put them back now! This is blasphemous!"

"As a priest, stay out of my way with our arcanists!"

Salolas scolded fiercely in a low voice, but the conversation between the two had already attracted the attention of everyone around them.

Under everyone's strange gazes, Jaid, a grassland man who respected tradition very much, had already half-drawn his sword. Obviously, this act of "blasphemy against the dead souls" violated the simple bottom line of Jaid and the Krokuun people.

Seeing that something bad was about to happen, the more stable Oresis hurriedly waved her hands. She stroked the "Skull of Augure" in her hand and explained seriously:

"Have you forgotten, Senior Sister and everyone else? Arcanists have always had a tradition of removing the perfect skulls of their distinguished predecessors and refining them to use as mediums for casting spells. This is by no means blasphemous! In fact, according to the most basic interpretation of phrenology, a spellcaster's gifts and talents remain within their skulls after death.

As long as it is used reasonably, future generations can also admire the glory of their predecessors.

Since Augure was the founder of phrenology, he naturally would not object to his perfect head being made into a powerful magical weapon by his ambitious descendants.

Of course, a rare item of this level is definitely not something we sisters can covet.

Rest assured, this skull will be delivered to the two Archons, where the master craftsmen of the Sacred Court will personally craft this powerful magical instrument and hand it over to the honorable Lord Velen for use! We sisters will only be responsible for the first step of gathering the 'raw materials'!
I promise. "

"You better do what you say. I'll be watching you."

Although Imira was an arcane magician before, she had converted to the Holy Light and still felt that this tradition was too outrageous. She angrily said something harsh, then turned her head to look at Lord Dick.

"Light! Look at the light! There's light coming out!"

A few seconds later, Jaid's shouts were heard from the crowd.

A group of people struggled to open their eyes under the pressure and shoving of the elemental storm. Indeed, as Jaid, who had excellent eyesight, said, a special light was erupting from the holy stone.

The light, which could not be clearly described in words, formed a sharp contrast with the holy light wrapped around Diakum. It was not a pure color but was constantly changing its spectrum and form, like silk cloth in water, with a certain softness and reality, but mixed in the brilliant multi-colored beams was a hint of enchanting blue.

It's very much like a crystal that's constantly changing between solid and liquid.

The light escaped from the sacred stone and filled the entire cave in the blink of an eye.

As the crowd watched in amazement, rocks transformed into trees, wind and sand turned into flowing water, and materials that should have been solid were constantly and randomly transformed into other forms, as if the rules of the material world had ceased to apply in this light.

But this is how it should be!

All the shaping of the Argus planet comes from the power of the World Soul, just like the owner of a room has enough power to decide the placement and shape of all furniture.

If the World Soul so desires, He could, in a single thought, stir up a storm of shaping, transforming all of Argus into another form. The flourishing Eredar civilization could be flattened like a sand sculpture in a single thought, reduced to the past excavated from the ruins of history by the next civilization amidst the vicissitudes of time.

In the face of such a great power of creation, the skills and heritage that the Eredar, no, all mortal civilizations are proud of, seem so humble.

“It is He who generously allows our existence, not us who shape Him, O Supreme Lord!”

Governor Hatton, the shaman, could feel the magnificent essence emanating from the World Soul more clearly than anyone else.

He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his child Diakum had truly been recognized by the World Soul at this moment. He then devoutly prostrated himself on the ground again in the gentle elemental storm, calling out the name "Argus" loudly.

This is the name the Eredar call their planet. It was decided by the First Wizard, and it is also the honorific title humbly presented to the Soul of the World by Augure and his descendants.

Seeing the governor's actions, others followed suit. Even the arrogant twins had to show the most pious attitude at this moment.

So the only person left standing in the cave was Dick who was having the "Talk".

It’s not that he is so stubborn that he doesn’t want to kneel, but his spirit has already left his body before, and is constantly going deeper into the Holy Stone under the proper protection of the Holy Light Force at the moment of “destiny decision”, as if he is accepting the guidance of the great power of origin and entering another “world”.

In the brilliant power derived from the soul of the world, he seemed to be thrown into a time tunnel. In the constant rotation and falling, he could vaguely see all the traces of what happened in the world of Argus.

He saw how the first Eredar were born in this rich forest, how they gradually shed their horned beast form and acquired human form, and finally how they grew from the hunched, primitive and humble form of the Broken Ones to the strong and energetic body they have today.

He saw that the young shaman Ogulei from the original Eredar tribe fell into this cave during an unexpected exploration. Ogulei discovered the holy stone and knelt in humbly prayer for seven days and nights. Finally, when he mustered up the courage to make contact, he fell into this glittering "world memory" like Dick.

He saw Augure go from panic to curious observation and then to willing obedience.

He saw the Ancestral Wizard begin to learn the precious knowledge bestowed upon him by the World Soul, and then call upon the power of the ancient elements as a "spokesperson".

He saw the First Wizard bravely lead his people out of the great forest where they had lived for generations and come to the outside world for the first time. In that wild and dangerous world, Augure, blessed by the Star Soul, used the mighty power of the elements to change the world.

He shaped the original Krokuun Prairie, and then set off huge waves to hit the coasts of other continents. Finally, he built a stone bridge connecting the strait and brought the ancestors to the mountains of Mac'Aree.

He also saw that Ogul followed the guidance of the World Soul and found the Ata'ma crystal relic that fell into the world in an even more ancient era in the towering mountains of Mac'Aree, and built the first city of the Eredar there.

That was an ancient memory, a memory of the world. The immortality of the Eredar allowed Augre to hold this power for a long time until he sensed his end was near.

Perhaps he had lived enough, or perhaps it was the call and enlightenment of the soul of the world.

In short, the original wizard who originally "concluded a contract" with the world returned to the original blessed land and used his great power for the last time to protect this place.

He walked the last part of his journey here alone, and returned the great power bestowed upon him by the soul of the world to the true master of this world.

The subsequent history passed by in a flash like the vicissitudes of life. The Eredar went from unity to division to war, and finally united again to push their civilization to its peak. In the subsequent scene, Dick saw another familiar figure coming here following the legends of the ancestors.

Sachir!
The Enlightener is dressed in gorgeous clothes, showing the style of a great man, but in this "World Memory" picture, his face is gloomy and worried, and it is obvious that he is in terrible mental exhaustion.

He came to the remains of Augure and humbly paid tribute to the ancestor with the etiquette of a disciple. Then, like Dick, he tried to touch the holy stone and communicate with the soul of the world.

He completed the ritual, proving that he too was the "Chosen One."

In Dick's words, he inherited Augre's duties and became the second "World Guardian" born in the history of the Argus world after the Ancestral Wizard.

However, Sachir did not accept this blessing.

On the contrary, after completing the contact with the Soul of the World, Sachir lost all his courage and hope. Shrouded in despair, he knelt down under the Holy Stone and burst into tears.

The powerful arcanist's helplessness and despair at that moment made him look like a child whose lollipop was taken away.

At this moment, Dick was completely certain why Sachir was so desperate that he bowed down to the Burning Legion after facing the Soul of the World.

He shifted his attention from the memories of the world and walked forward in this world of light. In an explosion of light, his mind fell into confusion and helplessness, as if a huge explosion had stunned him.

When Dick came to his senses, he finally saw the real "Soul of the World".

Just like the scene in my memory when I met the star soul of Azeroth, in the "cradle" woven with light that was so bright that it was beyond description, under the curtain where even fate had to bow its head and hold its breath for fear of disturbing it, the noble and majestic soul of the world was still sleeping.

He is sleeping and dormant.

But just the idle disturbance of the World Dream caused His great power to dissipate, shaping the present splendor of Argus.

For a being like Him, the planet itself is just a cradle for Him to rest, and the Eredar existing on the surface of Argus are a group of "little ants" crawling on His majestic body, not worthy of attention or even destruction.

He possesses a power that does not need to be described in words. Even just looking at him makes Dick want to bow down in worship.

This impulse is even difficult to resist with one's will, just as it is difficult for mortals to make up their minds to rebel against their creator, especially when this creator is not tyrannical or evil but is very generous and gentle.

His power shaped the Eredar and gave them immortality, and this alone was enough for the Eredar to be grateful to this god.

Unfortunately, even without this magnificent mythological cloak, the soul of the world in Dick's eyes still has no form, and is not as powerful and invincible as the Titans of the Pantheon.

This clearly demonstrates that Argus has yet to develop a distinct self, let alone utilize celestial bodies to forge its own supreme divine form. Its current stage of development may even be behind that of the Supreme Star Soul of Azeroth, which proactively seeks out "spokespersons" and guides its children to eliminate potential dangers for it.

Although Star Souls are naturally majestic, it takes a long time for them to grow.

That is a time scale that even immortals like the Eredar find difficult to measure. Tens of thousands of years or even hundreds of thousands of years are just a moment of dream in the sleep of the Star Soul.

In the most extreme case, even if the Eredar had not been invaded by demons, even if they had continued to develop smoothly, at the moment when this civilization naturally developed and naturally died out, the last Eredar would most likely not be able to witness the magnificent sight of "Argus" being naturally born among the stars before his death.

Perhaps it will take millions of years or even longer before the Star Soul Argus will open his eyes from his cradle with an invincible posture, and then walk among the stars as a star god, spreading his blessings to the physical universe.

However, will the Burning Legion demons and their dark titans, which are already within reach, give the Argus star soul and the Eredar millions of years to grow safely?
Obviously not!

This is Sachir’s despair, and it is also the final blow that breaks the Enlightener’s spine!
This is also the reason why Thal'kiel refused to accept the power and glory of the "Guardian of the World", and instead bowed to the demons and was willing to sacrifice Argus to the Dark Titan in order to allow the Eredar civilization to survive in the Dark Ages.

Dick sighed deeply at this moment.

Now, this "infant" Argus star soul baby can't fight against the most powerful dark titan Sargeras in the physical universe. It is a foregone conclusion that he was captured and infused with fel energy to "force his growth" and finally appeared as the "Fel Titan Destroyer".

At this moment, Dick seemed to hear the cold mockery of fate.

At the moment of fate's decision, shaped by the hand of fate on Argus, the fiery power of the Force reached the most magnificent place that a mortal could reach, but the "hope" that he tried his best to find did not exist here.

Time, the most generous thing in the world, and the cruelest thing in the world.

The Eredar obtained the most precious key given by fate.

But unfortunately, they arrived too early.
Came too early.

It's not even the beginning yet, and you're already facing the end.

Unfortunately, fate didn't see a trace of discouragement or despair on the face of Diakum, the "Hand of Fate". The Holy Lance Guardsman's face was calm, as if he had already known all this. At least in the field of "observing the future", fate was no match for Dick.

He is a traveler.

The moment he woke up, he knew the malicious and cruel arrangement that fate had for Argus, but even if he did not have those memories, he could still glimpse a glimpse of the truth from Sachir's abnormal reaction.

The rebellion of Thal'kiel the Initiator in the Dark Portal history is just a footnote to the story of Archimonde's rise, and it does not clearly explain why an arcane leader like the Initiator would suddenly turn to the embrace of fel energy overnight.

But it is not quite appropriate to attribute it entirely to the pollution of fel energy and the temptation of the Dark Titan.

After all, Thal'kiel is an outstanding spellcaster who has lived for thousands of years and can be compared with old Velen. Although he is completely inferior to the famous "Astral Mage" Medivh in terms of talent and ability, Medivh was still able to fight against Sargeras for the rest of his short life when he was directly "possessed" by the Dark Titan ten thousand years later. Therefore, it makes no sense that a spellcaster like Thal'kiel who stands at the pinnacle of civilization would be defeated and mentally collapsed overnight.

His transformation was so abnormal as to border on the absurd.

But after seeing the situation of Argus, the soul of the world, with his own eyes, he could no longer blame Sachir for not being firm enough.

It's not that the Enlightened are inherently spineless and unwilling to resist the Dark Titan and his army of world-destroying demons.

The fact that he was able to follow the footsteps of the original wizard Augure to find the holy stone meant that after realizing the threat of the demons, Sachir had the thought of resisting and found the most powerful help he could, but the cruel reality eventually shattered all his confidence.

As one of the first spellcaster leaders among the Eredar to be seduced by the Dark Titan, Thal'kiel had the deepest understanding of the power of the "Benefactor". He was well aware of the huge disparity in power between the two sides, so in despair and helplessness, he allowed himself to fall into the "promise" given by the Dark Titan.

However, Dick thwarted the dark coup of the Awakener Cult and killed Archimonde, leaving no trace of his body, which broke the "cycle" in the official history.

The two spellcaster leaders in the Eredar civilization who were most likely to be recruited by the Dark Titan have both failed, the seeds of fel pollution have been completely eradicated, and the means used by Sargeras to pollute and interfere with the Eredar have become ineffective.

If the Dark Titan does not intend to give up his plan to capture the soul of Argus, then the situation that the world will face next is clear.

The Burning Legion will arrive in this world with the wrath of the Dark Titan, use force to clear away obstacles, and seize what Sargeras desires. In this process, the only outcome the Eredar can get is destruction.

It seems that only by surrendering in advance and allowing oneself to be infused with evil energy into a monster can one avoid the fate of civilization's destruction. No wonder Sachir angrily accused Dick of "ruining everything" in the cage, and no wonder Sachir positioned himself as a "martyr" who preserved civilization.

This was the only solution the old wizard could come up with when he was in desperate situation.

But the Brigadier General showed no remorse at this moment.

The light shining in his eyes meant that everything was as he expected, and the way he looked at the baby World Soul declared that this was actually part of the plan.

It is precisely because he knows how history will develop that he will not sit idly by and watch everything go on as usual.

Now that I'm here, I can't have come here in vain. After all, I killed Archimonde, so my life is worth it! From now on, I just need to give it a try. No matter how the situation changes, it won't be worse than the ending of the Eredar civilization in the Dark Portal history.

As the Brigadier General truly saw the true form of the World Soul and reaffirmed his determination, a scene emerged in his mind.

In the unclear and chaotic picture that looked like a quick montage, Dick saw a burning giant walking in the sea of stars, and also saw surging demons gathering on a completely corroded evil planet.

He even saw the Dark Titan's majestic figure, powerful enough to crush the galaxy, appear in the sky of the Argus world. There was no doubt that this was some kind of prophecy.

This is also what the World Soul wants him to see.

Although it is still dormant and very far away from truly "breaking out of the shell", the Soul of the World has its own magical power, and it has a premonition that a disaster is coming.

He vaguely sensed how hopeless his future would be.

Everything was just as Dick expected. As long as he reached the Holy Stone, as long as he appeared there, he would be able to establish contact with the Soul of the World, because He was also asking for help!
The soul of the world is also longing for a counterattack in desperate situations.

very good!

As long as He didn't choose to lie down when faced with a desperate situation, Dick's trip would not be in vain.

"You must be scared."

After the poorly executed prophetic scene ended, Dick took a deep breath, and the Holy Lance Guardsman whispered:
"The mere fact that your most powerful yet dark 'brother' wants to have a 'heart-to-heart' with you, wielding a burning sword of darkness, is terrifying enough. I don't even need to exaggerate this fear.
That is why I have come, Lord Argus.

I know that before making a decision, we who are wavering need to abandon our hesitation. I also know that after taking action, we cannot turn back and need to fight a long battle with regret.

But for now, please skip the part of trembling in fear at the enemy's strength!

Before coming here, I had killed any hesitation in my heart; now that I stand before you, I have already regarded future regrets as my lifelong enemy.

We must confront the Burning Legion and fight the Dark Titan!

This is not a question of winning or not, but we must persist until that moment. We must choose to fight in order to pass on true hope to this sea of stars.

I bring more than just a passion for survival. If you are unwilling to give up like me, then please listen to me declare my plan. I have spent a lot of time perfecting it. Maybe there are still some shortcomings, but we have no other choice.

Your body is doomed to corruption, but your spirit may yet be saved.
So, let us prepare for the most spectacular escape of the Dark Titan yet to come."

(End of this chapter)