The Exiled's Radiant Resolve [Mass Release Countdown 1/2]

Grand Executor Velen regained consciousness three days after the Genedar set sail.

Under the alternating healing of the three guardian Naaru, his injuries were not severe enough to require bed rest. It was more a matter of mental exhaustion.

To protect Kil'jaeden and the warriors, Velen had nearly taken head-on the self-destruction attacks of three Greater Demons who had been temporarily elevated. Those were devastating forces capable of leveling a city, yet Velen had absorbed them all with the power bestowed by the Holy Light. It showed just how favored by the Holy Light this prophet was.

Yet even after fighting to such an extent, he had still failed to save what he wished to save. Upon waking, his first reaction was to call for Kil'jaeden. However, only cold silence and suppressed sobbing answered him.

When Velen saw that only his wife, son, and sorrowful priests stood beside him, he realized that he had lost his brother forever.

Though he had struggled with all his might, that terrible dark fate had still descended.

This cruel reality seemed like a punishment from cold fate for the prophet's defiance. But Velen did not remain despondent for long. As Grand Executor, he had far too much to handle. At such a critical moment, he did not even have time to weep.

Although the civilians and warriors aboard the Genedar numbered only a little over a hundred thousand in total, and Governor Hutton had already established a new administrative system over the previous few days, the anxious people still needed spiritual comfort.

The appearance of their Grand Executor at this time would undoubtedly help the people recover their resolve as quickly as possible.

More importantly, the Naaru ships had not yet left this star system.

The other Naaru starships were still within communication range. The Naaru had deliberately slowed their voyage to give Velen one final opportunity to deliver an encouraging speech to all Eredar.

This was also his final opportunity, as Grand Executor, to adjust the structure of the various migrant starships.

Velen knew how precious this opportunity was.

He needed to make preparations before conveying his orders and blessings to his people. Yet while the prophet was drafting his speech, an unexpected "visitor" arrived aboard the Genedar.

Its appearance immediately put the Vindicators on alert, but it claimed to be an envoy of Xe'ra, the "Mother of Light," here to seek an audience with the Eredar Grand Executor regarding a matter of utmost importance.

The news was reported to Velen, and only when the prophet personally arrived at the observation tower atop the starship did he fully understand why his Vindicators were so nervous.

Because the visitor was a Nathrezim...

Well, a dreadlord wrapped in Holy Light!

Frankly, putting "Holy Light" and "dreadlord" together was enough to make one want to laugh. Besides, the warriors of Argus had just suffered the tragedy of losing their nation and homes. The fact that they had not immediately killed this demon upon seeing it proved that they still retained their basic sanity.

Mostly because this thing was just too bizarre...

Like seeing strawberry-filled dumplings served with ketchup for the first time.

It was so strange that even the Hand of Argus veterans, steadfast of mind and devoted to slaying demons as their calling, did not first think to kill it when they saw it. They were curious.

Everyone wondered what unimaginable miracle this Nathrezim had experienced to appear before them in such an absurd state.

"I am an envoy of Lady Xe'ra, the Mother of Light. My name is Lothraxion. My companions call me the 'Redeemer,' but I do not believe myself worthy of such a radiant title. Grand Executor Velen of the Eredar, I humbly convey the Mother of Light's greetings."

This Nathrezim, wrapped in Holy Light as though forged from flowing radiance, held itself with elegance and spoke fluently. It even carried an accent from Mac'Aree, giving the wary Velen a strange sense of familiarity.

But he did not lower his guard. Instead, he said coldly:

"I believe that you are a servant of the Holy Light, but our conversation must take place under the witness of our guardian Naaru! Nathrezim, because of the shameless crimes your kind committed against the Eredar, if you have come harboring ill intent, you should flee now!"

"Of course, Grand Executor. I admire your vigilance and your desire to protect your people. I am also willing to submit to the Naaru's inspection."

The Lightforged dreadlord calling himself Lothraxion spoke with perfect courtesy.

"But given how little time either side has, may we begin our discussion immediately?"

"Escort it to the navigation deck!"

Leaning on a Staff of the Redeemer commonly used by Eredar priests, Velen instructed the chosen of the Holy Light beside him:

"Use the emergency passage! Do not let the people see it. What our people need least right now is further emotional distress."

"Yes."

The powerfully built chosen of the Holy Light nodded. The Lightforged dreadlord obediently put on crystal shackles designed to suppress magic.

Judging by the helpless expression on its pale, Holy Light-shimmering face, it seemed long accustomed to such unfriendly treatment.

There was no helping it. Anyone familiar with the ways of the Nathrezim would never look kindly upon them. Dreadlords were the sort of unfortunate creatures born with the negative status effect of "Reputation with All Factions -10000." Calling them universally despised would not be an exaggeration.

More importantly, when everyone hated them, they never made any effort to improve themselves.

They were born loving every kind of conspiracy and worshipping chaos. They dared commit every evil that had nothing to do with decency; the only thing they did not dare do was even the slightest good deed. They were rotten scum through and through. These bastards were so detestable that even within the Burning Legion, where demons were supposedly one big family, other demons disliked them.

Under the escort of the chosen of the Holy Light carrying radiant war spears, it soon arrived at the navigation deck as a prisoner.

The guardian Naaru K'ure stood before it. Its gentle Holy Light had become stern and cold at this moment, sweeping across the Nathrezim. If it detected the slightest concealment, it would bring down the fire of the Holy Light to burn it away.

Yet compared to the Naaru before it, this "Light demon lord" seemed more concerned with the stone coffin placed before the navigation deck. It appeared to sense some lurking danger and stopped before the coffin rather than approaching it.

Facing Velen's confusion, Lothraxion offered an explanation.

"Your 'saint's remains' contain an exceptionally aggressive Holy Light. Even among the fanatical followers of the Mother of Light, I have never seen righteous power so destructive. Though I have been Lightforged, such power will not distinguish the state of my mind.

"If I dared approach it, those burning white sacred flames would scorch me without mercy.

"It is truly surprising.

"Can Eredar, gentle by nature, also become so extreme upon the path of the Holy Light?"

"You demon whelp, show some respect!"

Governor Hutton, who had been summoned to join the discussion, blew his beard and glared as he rebuked it:

"Diakum is not dead! He is merely asleep. One day, my child will awaken with the Holy Light's wrath and burn all you hell-bound demons to ashes! That is the only ending you deserve!"

"Uh, very well. I have no intention of debating the faction I belong to any further, but forgive my bluntness: this Mister Diakum's condition is not very good. If you do not find a solution, he may never awaken."

Lothraxion explained:

"To have one's soul trapped between life and death is a terrible fate. He has lost his basic perception of the material world, yet because of the Holy Light's favor, he cannot enter the realm of the dead. If you cannot find a way to call him back, then his will can only wander forever in that realm belonging neither to the living nor the dead.

"Until his mind collapses or his body decays.

"The Mother of Light may have a way to awaken this hero blessed by the Holy Light. In fact, that is one reason I came here.

"Lady Xe'ra hopes to reach a long-term agreement with the Eredar concerning war and redemption."

At that, the Light demon lord raised its head and looked directly at Velen and Hutton.

It explained patiently:

"The Thirty Day War fought by the Eredar before the fall of Argus was the most astonishing miracle of war in the material world!

"Before you, no world targeted by demons had ever held out for so long, much less launched such determined counterattacks and inflicted such grievous losses upon them. It is no exaggeration to say that during that time, whenever I closed my eyes, I could hear wailing and cries of anguish coming from the Twisting Nether.

"You not only killed Greater Demons thought powerful enough to never be defeated, you even taught demons fear!

"Lesser demons even refused orders out of terror. They were unwilling to join the meat-grinder war on Argus. That was a spectacle without precedent.

"Lady Xe'ra saw the boundless potential of the Eredar because of this.

"In truth, during our past efforts to continually save worlds ravaged by demons, we had always been preparing to form a legion specifically meant to fight them.

"It would consist of exiles whose homes had been destroyed by demons, filled with fury and hatred toward the Burning Legion. Under Lady Xe'ra's leadership and protection, it would take the entire sea of stars as its battlefield and fight demons in every world that needed help!

"Just as we came to the aid of Argus, we would protect more innocents through unceasing struggle.

"Eredar civilization has survived, but there are countless more worlds among the stars that do not possess your strength. Facing demonic invasion and destruction, all they can do is struggle in despair and pray.

"In fact, most of those civilizations that are destroyed lack even the means to call upon the Holy Light's protection. By the time the Naaru starships arrive, all they find is scorched, corrupted ruin.

"Life is precious, Grand Executor and Governor.

"The Mother of Light longs to protect more living beings, but she lacks warriors who are both capable and steadfast.

"The Eredar are wise and powerful. If even the Dark Titan Sargeras needed to recruit you to lead His demon armies, then we protectors who carry out salvation in the name of the Holy Light should do the same!"

"Are you insulting us?"

Hutton found the demon displeasing no matter how he looked at it. His ancient stone staff struck the ground as he said fiercely:

"How dare you speak here of the Eredar's greatest tragedy? Commander Kil'jaeden's fall pains us deeply, but understand this! It was not because he lacked strength! It was only because our commander sacrificed himself to protect his people!

"Can a creature like you truly understand such a noble sacrifice?"

"Indeed, Commander Kil'jaeden's bargain with the Dark Titan is lamentable."

Lothraxion changed the subject and said:

"But precisely because of that, the Eredar should not abandon hope of saving Commander Kil'jaeden and those Man'ari. Do you two know why Lady Xe'ra sent me here as her envoy?

"She hopes to use my transformation to prove to you that fel corruption is not beyond redemption!

"Though we Nathrezim have unique constitutions and are more easily influenced by energy to change our Force alignment, the followers of Lady Xe'ra have found inspiration in my transformation. They are currently studying the mysteries of Lightforging.

"It is an advanced technique that uses the Holy Light to permanently strengthen Force wielders in body and spirit.

"If it is proven truly viable, perhaps we can bring the fallen back into the world of light by infusing them with the Holy Light.

"That means Commander Kil'jaeden's dark fate may yet be salvaged!

"But the prerequisite is that we must establish an Army of the Light!

"This is truly important.

"We must gather warrior races from across the sea of stars who dare fight demons, temper our military strength through war after war, and grow to the point where we can confront Sargeras's dark servants head-on and carry out rescues.

"Only then can we find an opportunity to strike into the demons' stronghold.

"Only then can we have a chance to bring back your compatriots who have already fallen into demonic realms... Under the current circumstances, no race is more suitable than the Eredar to serve as the Army of the Light's initial source of soldiers.

"You proved yourselves in the war against demons. With only a number of experienced veterans, we can establish the foundation of the Army of the Light.

"I know this will take a long time. Training soldiers and sustaining war both require a span so long it would drive mortals to despair, but the Eredar possess Eternal Life! As long as you make up your minds, you will surely live to see the age when hope shines."

Lothraxion spoke with great sincerity, but its proposal left both Velen and Hutton looking less than pleased.

The reason was simple. Though the Mother of Light's invitation was open and its purpose could be called noble, at its heart, it was simply asking the Eredar, who had just escaped their homeland, to serve as cannon fodder...

The Light demon lord did not even try to conceal this.

It openly admitted that the Army of the Light was currently nothing more than a grand vision. Even its basic framework had yet to be established, and they had no ability to fight demons head-on. Sending their own warriors to join it under such circumstances was equivalent to sending them to die across countless worlds.

But before Velen and Hutton could refuse, Lothraxion spoke again:

"This is entirely necessary, both of you!

"The Mother of Light saw the sight of the Eredar being blessed by the Star Soul as they departed their homeland. She knows that every Eredar who left Argus carries a fragment of the Argus Star Soul's will. Perhaps it was a cruel yet effective means of ensuring the purity of the Star Soul's will.

"However, you have overlooked something!

"The Dark Titan personally traveled to Argus in order to seize your Star Soul as His weapon of war. How could He allow the Star Soul's will to drift outside for long?

"We know little about Star Souls, those supreme and mysterious beings. But I believe that if the Dark Titan makes up His mind, fleeing Argus does not mean you are safe.

"On the contrary, this is only the beginning of your suffering.

"The demons will do everything in their power to hunt down every Eredar and extract the Star Soul Fragments within them. You are currently riding Naaru ships to different worlds for refuge. Though those worlds are blessed by the Holy Light, to be honest, none of them have been fortunate enough to birth a Star Soul.

"That means if those worlds suffer demonic invasion, your people will face even greater danger!

"I am not trying to frighten you. This is simply the truth.

"We cannot place our safety in the mercy of demons and the Dark Titan.

"Under these circumstances, if a powerful fleet capable of answering calls for aid at any time patrolled the sea of stars, then whenever your people faced danger, the Army of the Light could rush to support them at the fastest possible speed.

"I know General Sfurax, the Eredar's finest naval commander, is aboard one of the starships. She and her troops can serve as commanders of an auxiliary fleet of the Army of the Light. We are willing to hand command of the future Lightforged Fleet to the Eredar. That way, you need not worry that we will waste the lives of your warriors as expendable resources.

"In truth, establishing the Army of the Light is not merely to protect innocent worlds. It is also to protect ourselves and you."

The Light demon lord was an excellent speaker.

It shifted to an almost pleading tone as it said to the two leaders:

"If you have heard of the tragedies of demonic invasions across the sea of stars, if you have seen with your own eyes the worlds ravaged by demons, then you will realize that the Burning Crusade has not even truly begun!

"All the disasters happening now are merely the demons drilling their troops. Once they complete their consolidation, a cosmic calamity sweeping through the sea of stars will emerge. It will be the extension of an even crueler, grander Force War into the physical universe.

"No one can stop it unless we prepare before the disaster arrives.

"The Army of the Light is necessary!

"Perhaps we cannot save everyone beneath the demons' blades, but we can at least rescue the last survivors before every planet is extinguished, just as the Naaru answered the Eredar's call and did everything in their power to save you.

"We are all exiles!

"Grand Executor, Governor, if you possess strength, why not shoulder a little more responsibility?

"Look at your warriors.

"They have set foot upon the road of exile, but the fury in their hearts has not faded. The hatred of witnessing their world be conquered is a potent poison. It must be released. Those resounding battle cries must echo across the battlefields of worlds ravaged by demons, allowing Eredar warriors to bring fear to demons once more!

"Only then can the shadows in the warriors' hearts be dispersed.

"And the Army of the Light's activity will inevitably draw the demons' attention. As long as we keep fighting among the stars, the demons will not have more strength to harass the worlds inhabited by Eredar.

"Please believe me!

"This benefits both sides. Lady Xe'ra has already contacted many fellow Naaru willing to carry out the work of salvation with her. We have enough starships to convert into warships, but we lack excellent warriors.

"This is the final piece of the puzzle."

The Light demon lord's persuasion had an effect.

Velen noticed agreement flash through the eyes of the six chosen of the Holy Light guarding him.

Clearly, for the warriors, the humiliation of being driven from their homeland by demons was not so easily dispelled.

This Nathrezim was right.

The fury buried in their hearts had to be vented. Eredar had never feared challenges or war. So long as they possessed a lofty enough purpose, they would not fear a long journey either.

"This is indeed not a bad thing."

Velen used Mind Vision to connect with Hutton's mind. He pondered as he said:

"We must find a cause worthy of our people's perseverance. It can wash away their sorrow over Argus. Destruction and salvation are forever the two most fulfilling extremes. Since demons have chosen the path of destruction, we should take the opposite path."

"This demon whelp must be harboring evil intentions! I do not trust it."

Hutton replied:

"But if it is an army of justice led by primordial Naaru, then I do think it is viable. And if the Holy Light can save such a demon, perhaps Kil'jaeden and those warriors who willingly fell to save us truly can..."

"It cannot."

Velen sighed.

"That dark fate binds my brother. The cruel future will not be defeated so easily, but neither can I abandon this faint hope."

He glanced at Diakum, sleeping within the coffin, and said:

"If Diakum were awake, a warrior like him would never refuse an offer to continue fighting demons in other worlds. What a pity. He should have been the Army of the Light's finest commander and general. Hutton, should we send Diakum to the Mother of Light?

"This envoy said the Mother of Light can help him..."

"Hum."

At that moment, the silent K'ure suddenly released an ethereal song.

It stopped Velen's suggestion.

Clearly, K'ure did not think sending Dick to Lady Xe'ra was a good choice.

"The Mother of Light is one of our leaders. The powerful primordial Naaru is devoted to salvation and light, but her methods are rather... aggressive."

K'ure explained:

"She firmly believes in a mysterious prophecy concerning the Child of Light and Shadow. She believes that a child of prophecy will eventually emerge among the stars, one who can resist the Burning Crusade and every other threat. Diakum's temperament does not suit hers, and Diakum greatly detests the Naaru's practice of influencing the minds of their followers.

"Even if it is done for the purpose of protection."

"Is that so?"

Velen recalled what he had seen at the Seat of the Triumvirate not long ago and nodded regretfully.

After speaking with Hutton for a moment, he turned back to Lothraxion, who was awaiting a response, and said:

"Eredar civilization is not mine to dictate, sir. Governor Hutton and I agree in principle on the necessity of forming the Army of the Light, but every starship carrying so many Eredar has its own governor and archon. Therefore, we need to hold a vote!

If the majority of governors and archons approve the proposal to form the Army of the Light, then we will grant you the authority to recruit warriors from the Eredar's future home.

But it must be entirely voluntary!

You may not force my people to take part in this war with no end in sight!"

"That is more than good enough."

The Light Demon King let out a gratified laugh.

Even though they knew this fellow was different from the other dreadlords, his faintly eerie laughter still made the guards around him instinctively grip their weapons.

After Lothraxion was "invited" away to rest, Velen stood before the navigation console, gazing into the boundless, dark sea of stars ahead. He coughed a few times and said to Governor Hutton:

"One thing that gentleman said just now reminded me, Hutton. We cannot send our people away according to the current arrangement."

"Hmm? Why?"

Governor Hutton asked in confusion:

"Have you sensed some danger?"

"There is indeed a danger."

Velen looked into the darkness ahead and said:

"The Dark Titan will not allow the Eredar to live peacefully with fragments of Argus's will. He will surely send vicious demons to hunt our people. The Army of the Light has yet to be formed. Once those worlds lacking the strength to defend themselves are discovered, our people will be in danger.

This time, there will be no merciful world-soul to help us again. Therefore, we must make a difficult decision!

What I mean is, our starship cannot dock at some world and hide away. We must keep moving forward!

We must remain in the demons' sight at all times. The Genedar must keep drawing their attention! We must become a torch bright enough to stand out in this boundless sea of stars. Only then can our people endure in a quieter darkness.

Until the demons catch us and kill us, everyone else will at least be safe..."

"Like when a Krokuun flock faces danger, the bravest lead ram always rushes out to fight the hunter, buying the flock time to move and escape. The interests of the majority must take precedence over the needs of the few."

Hutton used a Krokuun saying. After thinking for several seconds, he nodded and said:

"Alright! I agree with your idea, but the civilians aboard the Genedar... To carry out this endless escape, we should transfer the most vulnerable of our people to other starships. They deserve a safe environment in which to continue their lives, rather than taking such risks with us.

We need resilient guards, devout priests, keen rangers, and spellcasters. We must form an elite enough force to ensure that we can withdraw safely from every encounter with the demons."

"Mm, a prudent consideration. Let us do that."

Leaning on the Staff of the Redeemer, Velen said:

"Bid a final farewell to our world and our people, then set out upon this one-way journey through the stars... Eredar glory has become history. Perhaps from this day onward, we should call ourselves 'Draenei.'

Let it remind us!

Never forget where we came from, nor where we must go."