The two Velens looked at each other, and although they tried their best to hide it, their desire to live was evident in each other.
Neither of them wanted to die, but at the same time they were wary of each other, looking for an opportunity to kill the other.
They were irreconcilable enemies; they knew each other very well and understood that only by eliminating the other could they be safe.
Velen, who had spoken earlier, said, "I don't know who you are, but there's no possibility of cooperation between us; it's a fight to the death."
Velen later added, "That's right, there can only be one Velen in this world."
The cunning voice chuckled:
"If I had a way to make you all one, sharing both honor and disgrace, and inseparable, would you be willing to do it?"
Both Velen showed surprised expressions, vaguely guessing what was going on, their expressions strange.
"It's impossible for us to be together," they both said in unison.
The cunning voice remained silent for a long while. "I think you've misunderstood. I'm trying to bring you closer, to use a secret technique to merge your two souls into one, just like the two heads of a two-headed Ogre, neither of you can live without the other."
"What? That's impossible, that's disgusting." Both Velen made expressions of disgust.
The cunning voice said, "Velen, I know you have been searching for the secret to becoming gods. You Argus Planet, endured countless hardships, devoured the souls of countless Draenei, and tried every method, but you still failed. You even risked everything to ambush a Naaru and devour everything he possessed, but in the end, you gained nothing."
The two Velen fell into deep thought. The pursuit of great power was the driving force that propelled them forward, and they were willing to pay any price for it.
The Draenei possess unparalleled talent, exceptional magical affinity, robust physiques, and near-eternal life.
But they are not immortal; Velen's aging is proof of this. Like all life, the Draenei grow old and die.
Only God can be eternal.
The cunning voice continued, "There's a rule in the universe: Parallel Worlds coexisting is forbidden. Because the appearance of Draenor thirty-five years ago disrupted spacetime, the Burning Legion and the Army of the Light had to step in and punish Azeroth and Draenor. Do you know the deeper reasons behind this? What are those cosmic giants truly afraid of?"
"This!"
Both Velen were aware of this taboo. The Holy Light explained it by saying that the frequent appearance of Parallel Worlds could cause time distortion, triggering a chain reaction that would ultimately lead to the destruction of the universe.
Velen firmly believed in this view, only realizing something was amiss after being reminded.
"That's a lie," the voice said. "What the big shots truly fear is that if souls from two Parallel Worlds merge, you will become gods."
"My God!" Velen exclaimed.
"Could this be true?" Velen's eyes darted around.
The voice laughed, "That's right, this is the only path to godhood. The Old Gods, the Titans, the Void Lords —they all achieved this."
"Do you think this will convince us?" Velen wondered.
"Who exactly are you?" Velen asked warily when he arrived.
Their suspicions were not unfounded; the path to godhood is not easily revealed to others.
"You don't need to care who I am," the cunning voice said. "If you want to become gods, you must put aside your prejudices, learn my secret arts, and willingly merge with me."
Velen, who had spoken earlier, asked in a low voice, "The Flesh-Eternal was created by the Old Gods. You must be one of those Old Gods, scheming to bewitch us."
"Wrong, the Old Gods know only limited things about you." The voice boomed like Thunder in their ears. "Come, tell me the secrets you hold dear, and see if I know as much as you do."
Both Velens looked puzzled, not understanding what he meant. The Velens who was first asked:
"You know us very well, don't you? Let me ask you, what's the name of the woman I love most?"
"Lisa!"
"My God, you really know this? Very few people know about it."
The other Velen thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and asked, "On the eve of our escape from Argus Planet, I killed a Draenei in the Cosmic Cathedral. Do you know who he was?"
The cunning voice sighed regretfully:
"Velen, that was your chance to become a god. If you had understood that person's intentions, you wouldn't have suffered so many years. That person was yourself."
Both Velen looked shocked; this was a secret buried deep in their hearts, one they had never told anyone.
Every time he recalls it, that memory is like a nightmare. Many times, Velen doubts its reality, thinking that he has mistaken a dream for reality.
However, those scenes appear so clearly in my memory; only personal experience can leave such a profound impression.
On the eve of escaping Argus Planet, Velen prayed alone to the Holy Light in the Cosmic Cathedral.
Velen received no response from the Holy Light. Just as he was about to leave, a buzzing sound reached his ears. The Cosmic Cathedral, made of Argus Crystal, flickered with an eerie red light. Large chunks of crystal fell off, the ground trembled, and the floating island on which the cathedral stood cracked, seemingly about to fall apart.
Not only the floating islands, but the entire Argus Planet is undergoing changes, with various disasters occurring frequently, resembling a ravaged oil painting.
Velen remained calm and found a chair to sit down.
This phenomenon, known as Temporal Tremor, occasionally occurs in the star system where Argus Planet is located. The world experiences a brief period of destruction, but quickly returns to normal.
At that moment, Velen saw another version of himself, running over with a joyful expression, gesturing wildly as if he were talking about something.
They were in a state of Temporal Tremor, their ears were filled with a buzzing sound, they could not communicate with words, and all magic was ineffective.
Velen looked very anxious; he grabbed Velen's collar tightly and shouted something.
Velen was terrified, believing it to be Void Creature that had turned into him, and began to fight back, the two wrestling.
Velen, who appeared suddenly, wasn't using his full strength; he seemed to be trying to convey some message. Velen successfully gained the upper hand and killed him without hesitation.
After the Temporal Tremor ended, the person's body disappeared.
Later, Velen realized that the person might be another version of himself from a Parallel Worlds, caused by Temporal Tremor.
Recalling that unknown past from ten thousand years ago, the two Velens stood up together and looked around:
Who exactly are you?
The cunning voice laughed arrogantly:
"Hahaha, you ask who I am? I am you after you have become gods. I have traveled through endless Timelines to guide you. You may become gods, or you may fall into the Abyss and never be redeemed. Come, embrace each other, merge into one, and you will be reborn, the Divine Beginning."
At this point, the two Velens had no more doubts and reached out their arms to each other.
Strange incantations whispered in their ears, teaching them the method of soul fusion.
Deep within the Flesh-Eternal, two souls overlapped and almost simultaneously uttered strange sighs.
Their souls writhed and intertwined, and when it was all over, both Velens opened their eyes at the same time.
This was the soul of Draenei with two heads; waves of tremors spread throughout his body.
"From this day forward, you are the Divine Beginning."