It was all water here, pink water, water brimming with Arcane energy. There was nothing here but water. No, that wasn't right. There was Arcane energy here too. Look closely, and you could see her. She shimmered, everywhere—here, and there too! She swam through the water, slowly, not up or down, not forward or back. She traced circles, over and over. Suddenly, she changed direction and rushed toward one spot from every direction. A clump of something drifted over, and she charged straight at it. It was a ball of light, golden and bright. It drifted over, transparent—but no, there was something inside it! A body, surrounded by golden light. The Arcane energies rushed toward it, battering the golden orb and striking its nine brightest points: "Rin, Pyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen." Each impact made one of the nine points grow larger, revealing one of the nine characters.
This was Azar's body. The golden light was the seal Azar had placed on himself, a formation created by the Nine Character Mantra. The Arcane energies seemed tireless, undeterred by failure. They just kept charging. Slowly, they gathered together and surged toward "Rin." It shattered, and the body inside twitched. The energies grew excited and more active. They didn't stop, continuing to charge at the next character, "Pyo." It shattered too, and the body inside twitched again. One by one, all nine characters broke. The body within the golden light twitched eight times. The formation was broken, but the body didn't move a ninth time, because the golden light had dispersed and the body was slowly sinking.
The Arcane energies didn't stop! They gathered together, lifted the body, and slowly, ever so slowly, wrapped him up again.
"Your seal was impressive. It took me a long time, and I still couldn't completely break it." A sweet female voice sounded in Azar's mind.
"Who are you? How did you get in? I've shut off all six senses, so how can I hear you?" Azar's voice was full of surprise and confusion.
"Relax, my child. The Arcane energy inside you resonated with me, so I was able to enter. Don't be afraid. I mean you no harm."
"Are you Azeroth?"
"More precisely, I am the World Soul of Azeroth."
"You wanted to speak with me! Why?"
"I need help. You believe in me, you're closest to me, and you're strong enough."
"What could possibly trouble you? Could it be... Sargeras?"
"Yes. He wants to devour me and remake me. I'm fighting off his invasion, trying to stop him from entering Azeroth. It's exhausting. I'm almost at my limit, and I need help. Will you help me defeat him?"
"He came after all. That reckless woman couldn't resist the temptation after all. Is the War of the Ancients about to begin? Is the Kaldorei's fate still unchangeable? The Great Sundering, the splitting of Kalidom, the mists of Pandaria, the Dragon Civil War—all of it is going to follow the same old tracks of history again? I've done everything I can. What else can I do?"
"Calm down, my child. Don't be so hard on yourself. I don't know what you mean by the Great Sundering, the splitting of Kalidom, and all the rest, but I can feel your pain. Relax. Just relax."
"How do you know what I'm thinking?"
"Hehehe, we're speaking inside your mind right now, so of course I can feel what you're thinking. I also know that although you called your wife a reckless woman, you still love her very much." The World Soul could actually joke around. Perhaps she'd wanted to lighten the mood because the conversation had grown too serious.
"Fine, let's not talk about that. We should focus on the important matter. What can I do for you?"
"If you want to, you can do a great deal."
"I sealed myself away because I didn't know what to do." Azar's expression darkened.
"No, you did well."
"Well? If I'd done well, Sargeras wouldn't have come. I should've dealt with those selfish Highborne long ago, once and for all!"
"No, child. You've gone to extremes. Everything has the right to make its own choices."
"But they chose Fel! It's evil! They'll destroy everything!"
"How do you know Fel is evil? Because you believe in Order?"
Azar fell silent, deep in thought.
"Exactly, child. You need to learn to think and to look at things objectively. Whatever path you choose, you need the knowledge that goes with it. That knowledge shapes your character and the way you approach problems. Your power comes from Order, so you look at things from Order's perspective. What if your power came from Fel instead? Then you'd surely look at things from Fel's perspective. It's a matter of perspective."
"Child, we should understand things in a comprehensive and objective way. You need to build a framework for understanding the world, so you can stay impartial, watch the winds rise, and remain unshaken even as mountains crumble before you."
"Then why don't you choose to submit? What's your position?" Azar felt that this was the heart of the matter.
"Hehehe, that's different. 'I respect your right to choose, and I would give my life to defend that right, but I don't agree with you.' Do you understand what that means?"
"You mean you allow these things to exist, but refuse to be assimilated or turned into a product. Sargeras wants to devour your World Soul and remake you into what he wants, so you're fighting back!"
"Exactly! Good child, you finally understand. I am who I am. I can be Order, I can be Chaos, I can be Light, and, if I wish, I can even become Shadow. I alone am unique, so my position is—'no position.'"
"This is Azeroth, and I am Azar Tikal. I am Kaldorei. I was born here and grew up here. I am one with Azeroth. We share breath and fate. I am you, and you are me. I am Azar, Prince of the Kaldorei, and I speak for Azeroth!"
"No, you are still yourself. You may also be me, but I can only be myself."
"One last question!" Azar cried, visibly agitated.
"Go ahead." Her voice remained calm, without the slightest hint of emotion.
"Sargeras actually tried to seduce my wife. I want to beat him up, but I'm afraid I can't take him." Azar looked utterly aggrieved as he voiced what was really on his mind.
"If you want to, then go for it. I'll help you. I always keep my word." There was a teasing note in Azeroth's reply.
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