Griftah protested loudly, "You can't do this! This is a rule that has been in place for millennia!"
"Rules are meant to be broken." Emperor Terokk stood up. "Since there are two victors, there should be Heart of the Three-headed Felhound as a reward. What do you all think?"
Sen'jin hesitated and said, "Rules are rules, and they shouldn't be broken arbitrarily."
"Ungrateful old fool," Vol'jin cursed inwardly.
Grom Hellscream grinned. "Ha ha, Emperor Terokk, if you have any Heart of the Three-headed Felhound, why not give me one?"
Terokk shook his head. "Only the living can consume the Heart of the Three-headed Felhound."
Uther said enthusiastically, "These two are both Elites of the Horde, the right-hand men of the great Savior Thrall, and great heroes of Azeroth. I think it's perfectly appropriate to award them this prize."
Cairne's father protested loudly, "We, the Bloodhoof family, have dignity and do not need charity from outsiders."
Fortunately, Cairne's soul temporarily left his body, otherwise he would have been so angry that he would have passed out.
King Terenas calmly stated, "Azeroth faces a life-or-death crisis, and only the Horde can save it. If you two can become Loa, it will be a great fortune for Azeroth."
Griftah retorted, "It's also a tragedy for the Alliance."
Uther chimed in, "The Alliance is nothing but a bunch of trash; I'd love to see them all wiped out by the Horde."
After listening to the opinions of his distinguished guests, Terokk slowly said:
"I think everyone's points are valid. Since Azeroth is in danger, I have no choice but to take a loss and give up one more."
Griftah protested loudly, "You can't do this! You'll bring destruction to Azeroth!"
The Arakkoa Guards swarmed forward; they were no pushovers and easily subdued Griftah.
"Let go of me, you bunch of feathered idiots! Don't tear my clothes or my wallet!"
Terokk waved his hand. "Take him away, prepare to roast him, and spread plenty of honey on him. Losers have no reason to live."
With the help of the Arakkoa guards, Vol'jin was finally able to stand up, and Cairne also recovered from his dazed state.
Terokk sent over a box, which, when opened, contained three blood-red hearts, still slowly beating.
Vol'jin immediately understood: there were originally three hearts, Terokk intended to steal two, which was why he ordered the three to kill each other.
Taking out an extra one now was painful for Terokk; his lips trembled, and his voice was hoarse as he said:
"Vol'jin, Cairne Bloodhoof, you still have a chance to refuse, unlike that fool before. You only need to keep my secret. As the saying goes, you can't have everything. By accepting the Heart of the Three-headed Felhound, you will lose many things, including some of the most precious treasures in the world."
Vol'jin: "For me, there's nothing I can't lose as long as I can become Loa."
Cairne shook his head and said, "Earth Mother accompanies us. I've always wanted to figure out what kind of deity Earth Mother is, and this is my only chance."
"Since you've made up your minds, according to the ancient agreement, the ceremony begins. Everyone, please stand."
At Emperor Terokk's command, all the guests stood up, and the maids cleared away the banquet, instantly transforming the lively night's revelry into a solemn and dignified affair.
Emperor Terokk went into the inner room and returned after a while, having changed into a pure white ceremonial robe and wearing a golden crown.
A servant handed him a golden scroll, Terokk solemnly opened and read aloud in a serious tone:
"In the name of Bastion Shadowlands, we forge an eternal covenant with mortals. Vol'jin, Cairne Bloodhoof, are you willing to consume the Heart of the Three-headed Felhound and henceforth walk between life and death, serving the Shadowlands and winning more souls for Bastion?"
Vol'jin immediately understood the underlying meaning: the position of soul guide was created in order to obtain more souls.
"I do." After careful consideration, Vol'jin decided to seize the opportunity.
Carefully observing Vol'jin's expression, Cairne shouted in unison, "I'd like to too!"
Emperor Terokk looked down at the scroll and read aloud, "Forfeit everything, gain divinity, Vol'jin, Cairne Bloodhoof, are you willing to relinquish all power, status, Wealth, and kinship in the living world? To be without desire, to gain eternal life, and to wield the authority of life and death?"
Vol'jin didn't see anything wrong with it; it was just an unbound oath.
The best example is Bwonsamdi the Elder, whose Wealth far exceeded that of the King of Zandalar.
"I do!" Vol'jin agreed without hesitation.
"I'm willing too!" Cairne Bloodhoof roared. Vol'jin was smart enough; following him was the right thing to do.
Emperor Terokk continued reciting the scroll, "When you accept this divinity, the boundary between life and death becomes blurred, your former Destiny is nullified, Bastion creates a new cycle for you. Your time as living is shortened, and you will henceforth be accompanied by death. You are death gods, able to appear before the living, but you must not covet the emotions of the living. Are you willing?"
Vol'jin hesitated for a moment.
After saying all that, the underlying message is simple: it might lead to a short lifespan.
This raised questions for Vol'jin.
Emperor Terokk raised his head and explained, "After consuming the Heart of the Three-headed Felhound, you will need time to digest it. During that time, you will still be alive. Bastion arranged everything for you, and you will leave this world with dignity, like heroes."
"I see, "Vol'jin said, relieved, and exclaimed, "I do!"
Cairne immediately shouted, "Me too!"
Emperor Terokk closed the scroll. "The alliance is complete."
A force swirled around Vol'jin and Cairne, leaving an eternal mark on them. Vol'jin was suddenly startled, as if waking from a dream.
There's an old saying among the Trolls: Don't venture too deeply into unfamiliar territory.
For example, if you go to see a doctor and can't understand a word he's saying, then nine times out of ten you've encountered a scammer.
That's so strange, why would this happen?
As night fell, we were invited into the Sethekk Halls to accept this inexplicable covenant, as if everything had been preordained.
Vol'jin was filled with doubts.
A maidservant gracefully approached carrying the Heart of the Three-headed Felhound, and Vol'jin considered whether to accept it.
Suddenly, the Khorium the Sethekk Halls was kicked open, and a majestic voice rang out:
"Emperor Terokk, your banquet is over."
The visitors were a man and a woman. The man was handsome and refined, while the woman had snake hair and was a beautiful Naga.
"Kael'thas and Vashj?" Vol'jin was completely confused.
In the world of the dead, encountering these two is not surprising, but Vol'jin vaguely sensed that something was amiss.
Chaos erupted in the Sethekk Halls as guests scrambled to escape, and in the chaos, the Heart of the Three-headed Felhound disappeared without a trace.
Just as Vol'jin and Cairne were about to rush out the door, they suddenly collapsed to the ground, their vision went black, and they lost consciousness.
In the simple stone house, Vol'jin, Cairne, and Griftah were fast asleep.
Griftah was the first to wake up. It felt like a long dream. He slapped himself hard in the face to finally wake up.
There was a knock on the door.
Upon opening the door, the visitor, Archivist Reshad, whispered, "Shadows obscure the sun."
Griftah replied, "The raven swallows the sky."
They glanced at Vol'jin and Cairne, who were still fast asleep, and exchanged a mysterious smile.
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