Pandaria The night breeze blew gently across the beach, carrying the salty smell of seaweed and the fragrance of night flowers blooming in the jungle in the distance. The embers of the bonfire were still glowing slightly, and orange-red sparks jumped up from time to time with the sea breeze, drawing fleeting tracks in the darkness.
Deren was lying on his back on the beach, holding a grass stem in his mouth. The bitterness of the grass blades spread on the tip of his tongue, but it was surprisingly sobering.
Onyxia's dragon body curled up into a ball not far away, its black scales glowing with a dull luster in the moonlight, rising and falling slightly with its breathing, and occasionally making slight snores.
Chromie was lying sprawled beside a few empty wine barrels. Gnome's little face still had a silly smile on it, and its golden braid was covered with sand. It had already fallen asleep and was unconscious.
Jaina leaned against a reef that was washed smooth by the sea water. The moonlight coated her blond hair with a layer of silver. She changed back into the mage robe, and she looked completely different in the night.
At this time, she was holding a cup of hot tea in her hand. The dense heat blurred her face, and she could only be seen quietly looking at the sea, her eyes so deep that she seemed to be able to see through the entire Endless Sea.
Deren's eyelids gradually became heavy, his consciousness began to blur, and the sound of the ocean tide became farther and farther away.
Suddenly, he felt his body light up, as if he was gently lifted up by some force, and pulled into a strange space. The stars were flowing around him, as if he were in the center of the Milky Way. Under his feet was Void, as smooth as a mirror, reflecting countless stars. There was no direction and no gravity here, but it was wonderfully reassuring.
"You did well again, my little Deren."
That sound - like a clear spring flowing over pebbles, or like the whisper of an ancient forest - made Deren open his eyes suddenly.
He found himself standing in an endless starry sky, with the slowly rotating planet Azeroth beneath his feet. The azure ocean intertwined with the emerald green continent, and the clouds flowed above it, which was more vivid than any map. From this angle, Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms were like two opposite leaves, and Northrend was an ice crystal at the top.
And in front of him, stood her.
The last time we met, the incarnation of Azeroth was just a translucent starlight shadow, but now it has become solid and almost indistinguishable from a real person. She looks like a teenage girl, with long hair that moves without wind, and the tips of her hair sparkle with light spots like stardust, leaving faint traces of light in Void as she moves.
Eyes - Deren took a breath - her eyes were like two miniature stars, the irises contained the depth of the entire universe, and the pupils reflected the vortex of the galaxy.
"Azeroth." Deren subconsciously used this nickname, and then cleared his throat awkwardly, "I mean, Azeroth's Soul. You look more real." He wanted to use "more beautiful", but he swallowed the words again.
The will of the planet in the form of a girl turned lightly in a circle, and the starlight flowing on the robe drew a gorgeous trajectory, like the tail of a comet.
"Because you changed important time points, Deren." Her voice was full of joy, and each syllable was like a wind chime ringing softly in the breeze. "The arrival of Archimonde should have brought about the destruction of Dalaran, the fall of World Tree Nordrassil, and the loss of countless lives. But you prevented all of this."
Deren suddenly felt uneasy. He sat down cross-legged. Although there was no solid ground under his feet, this posture made him feel more at ease.
"That's exactly what I want to ask." Deren scratched his head. "I directly blocked the summoning ceremony. Will it have a bad impact on you? According to the original Timeline, although Archimonde caused huge damage, he was eventually defeated by the Alliance and Horde."
"Now that he's not coming at all, that would change so many people and events. Would that, I don't know, upset some kind of cosmic balance?"
Azeroth chuckled. She floated a few steps closer and tapped Deren's forehead with her fingers. It felt cold but with the warmth of life. "Lovely mortal thoughts."
There was pampering in her tone, "Time is not a single river, but countless intertwined possibilities. All you did was choose a tributary that is more beneficial to me."
As she waved her hand, several holographic images appeared in the starry sky: in the burning ruins of Dalaran, the corpses of mages piled up like mountains; World Tree Nordrassil in the explosion Collapse, the land of Night Elf is filled with death; on the land of Lordaeron, countless Undead are raging like a tide. "This is the original Timeline."
The picture changes, showing the intact Violet Citadel spire shining in the sun; Mount Hyjal's forest is lush and green, and Night Elf sentries patrol the forest; Alliance's army is regaining lost ground, and Scourge is retreating steadily. "This is the current trajectory. Which one do you think is more conducive to my growth?"
Deren breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned. He knew that this was just the beginning, and the threats in the future were more terrifying than the last. "But there are more threats in the future, right? Burning Legion's full-scale invasion and Old God's awakening are both existences that will destroy the world at will."
"Especially Burning Legion. The arrival of Archimonde failed this time, and the fallen Titan Sargeras and Kil'jaeden don't know what evil plans they will hatch."
"Indeed." Azeroth's expression became serious, and his star-like eyes dimmed slightly, like the moon obscured by dark clouds, "But every disaster you prevent, every life you save, makes me stronger to face the challenges of the future."
She suddenly came close, so close that Deren could feel the fresh breath in her breath, like the smell of the forest after the rain, "I feel very good now."
Deren blushed involuntarily and hurriedly changed the subject. "Speaking of the future. I have a question about Aspect Dragons. They claim to be the guardians of Azeroth, but I observed that they don't always seem to consider issues from your standpoint, and more like they follow the orders of their own superiors?"
"Like Scourge wreaking havoc everywhere, stealing Medivh's Book and summoning Archimonde, but they didn't even show their faces. What's even weirder is Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza even came over to warn me and Onyxia not to change the fate of the world." Deren thought of that unpleasant meeting, and the worry and warning in Red Dragon Queen's eyes still puzzled him.
A trace of haze flashed across Azeroth's face. She took a few steps back, her robe automatically moving without wind, and the stars flowing violently in it. "Ah, those guys who are cheating on others." Her voice suddenly became cold, and the surrounding starry sky seemed to tremble with it, and a few distant stars even changed their trajectory.
"Don't overthink their positions. Malygos is addicted to magic madness, Nozdormu is trapped in the maze of time, Ysera Forget it, she thought she could escape by pretending to sleep, but in fact she can't save herself. Alexstrasza is tied up and can't stand alone. There are some things that you don't know yet."
Deren looked like this. He had long thought that something was wrong with Azeroth's passive attitude towards Aspect Dragons. In all the information he got, Dragonflights was the guardian of Azeroth. "Also, hasn't Deathwing's betrayal been prevented?"
"When a madman falls, there is no guarantee that a new madman will not appear. But he has been maimed by you and needs to hide in his old nest to recuperate. I don't know how long it will take to recover. Maybe he will never recover." Azeroth said mysteriously, with a meaningful smile on his lips, and then shook his head, "This topic ends here. Tell me about your plan, I can feel that you have a certain idea in your heart."
Deren nodded and decided to put aside the mystery of Dragon for the time being. He took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. "Sunwell. In the original Timeline, Kael'thas tried to use after falling. Sunwell's energy summoned Kil'jaeden. Although it was eventually stopped, the battle caused huge damage." He looked directly into Azeroth's eyes, and those eyes containing stars seemed to be able to see through his soul, "I want to steal Anveena in advance."
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