Read upto 10 extra chapters worth of extra content; Simply go to my Patreon and become a Patron.
Patreon: Patreon.com/ArkNova
Joining Patreon helps me out a lot and also supports the story, So if you like the story and wish to help out than consider becoming a fellow Paid Patron.
<----------------------------------------->
(A/N: Chapter 127 will soon be on Patreon!)
(Also Apple users, please do not subscribe to my Patreon for my Tiers using the Patreon IOS app otherwise you will pay 30% extra instead do it through the browser version of Patreon to not pay extra.)
"Okay, let me see if I've got everything straight."
"Mom, you were approached in your psyche while you were in a coma by Azeroth after her awakening. You promptly befriended her and accepted her offer to become her Speaker."
"And by becoming this Speaker, you were not only able to finally awaken, but you also became sort of like a Daemon Prince for Azeroth?"
"Let's not make such a comparison, Alastor." Taria had a disgusted look on her face when she thought of the so-called fools who had "ascended" to become Daemon Princes.
"In short, you can think of it as my body being remade by Azeroth's essence. I am both a being of the Warp and the Materium, as well as being Azeroth's representative."
Alastor nodded. That also explained some of the abilities his mother now displayed. He gave the Titan a thankful look.
If his mother wasn't averse to the offer and was now up and about while also possessing such power, then he, for one, wasn't going to complain.
"So, when the Phoenix launched that blast of energy into the planet...?"
"She revitalized my World Soul and healed some very old wounds of mine, allowing me to finally awaken," Azeroth said, her voice seeming to echo all around him. Not to mention, it thrummed with power, yet also felt soothing.
That explains why she wanted to thank me.
Alastor shifted a bit as he decided that bluntness would be better in this situation.
"Would you mind if I asked a few questions?"
That earned a smile from the towering Titan as she glanced at Taria with a smile.
"Quite the courteous child you raised."
"Thank you, but I can't take all the credit. His father and uncle also had a hand in how he turned out."
Taria had a wide smile on her face, and honestly, if they were the same size and had more normal appearances, Alastor would have thought they were longtime friends gossiping about whatever it was women tended to gossip about.
Alastor also felt a surge of embarrassment, since this reminded him far too much of the times during his youth when Taria would bring him along to meet with her friends and ladies-in-waiting.
His poor, poor cheeks...
He still felt the phantom pain of having his cheeks pinched, or the times he had to run to Llane or Anduin to "save" him.
"Ask away, Alastor," Azeroth said.
Suddenly, the surroundings changed. They were now standing upon an ornate white floor, and Azeroth herself shrank down to a much more manageable size as she stood beside Taria.
"Well, for starters..." Alastor pointed at the waves of the Warp that currently flowed peacefully outside the bubble-like dimension.
"HOW!?"
"As you can see, that is my doing. Due to the infusion of Phoenix flames into my World Soul, it caused some changes because of their nature being foreign to our reality."
"Do not worry. As you can see, it is a good change."
"With my awakening, the planet itself now also has a projection within the Warp, and the light you see is released from it."
"This light is a combination of my Arcane life energy, the Light, and the Phoenix flames. It soothes the chaotic energies of the Warp and mostly cleanses them of the more malevolent emotions and such."
Alastor's eyes widened at that as his mind worked out the implications of this, with the most immediate being the Mage population.
If the Magi began drawing energy and mana through Azeroth, or from a region of the Warp that was under Azeroth's light, the benefits it would bring wouldn't be insignificant.
Being able to conjure magic without the threats and dangers that were common when using Warp energy—not to mention that, due to the calmer and more purified energy, it would be easier to control and thus allow a mage to unleash greater might.
Also it would be even safer and easier for apprentice Magi to begin their magical studies and practice. And that wasn't even considering the influx of new Magi!
Alastor knew for a fact that his magic teacher, Antonidas, the Council of Six, the Archmagi, and the high-ranking Magi not only in Dalaran but throughout the world would be overjoyed with this boon.
But he also knew that a lot of work would need to be done, as his mind had already begun forming a preliminary plan to expand the Colleges of Magic and the academies in Dalaran to accommodate the coming influx of new Magi that would undoubtedly arrive in the future.
"I see. Thank you." Alastor nodded at her.
"Think nothing of it, my child."
"Ah, yes. This is actually my next question. Why are you calling me your child?" Alastor gave her a confused look.
"Because you, and every living being that has lived, is living, or will live upon the surface of my earthly body, are my children."
Azeroth conjured an aurora that depicted different people: knights, Magi, kings, queens, paladins, priests, druids, rangers, and so on.
Alastor's eyes widened as he saw moving images of people long dead—heroes of old and of great renown. The most striking of them was a giant of a man in golden armor wielding the legendary warhammer Ghal Maraz.
Emperor Thoradin.
(A/N: Again, just to remind everyone, the Thoradin here is a combination of the original Thoradin from Warcraft and Sigmar from Warhammer Fantasy.)
"Every child born, and those touched by my light who see Azeroth as their home, carries a spark of my World Soul."
"Through me they were born, and at their journey's end, to me they shall return."
Alastor suddenly remembered the presence he had felt at Malak's execution and realized that it had, in fact, been Azeroth herself.
"Wait. You were the presence I felt at Malak's judgment! What became of him after you took his soul away?"
"I reunited Marcus's soul with those of his family. That child had much to say, and his family had much to say to him as well. In the end, after everything was said and done, I cleansed their souls of everything before allowing their essence to once more join mine."
Alastor felt a strange mixture of emotions when he heard that.
He hated Malak. That was without a doubt, even if a part of him felt pity for what had happened to him in the past that had led to his ruin and corruption.
It was for that reason that he still had Malak tried and executed by his personal Phoenix flames.
He knew just how excruciatingly painful his Phoenix flames were when cleansing corruption, and he didn't hold back their intensity when Malak was burning.
But when it came to the destruction of his soul, he stopped.
Apparently, Azeroth had handled that herself, allowing Malak—no, Marcus—to have one last chance for closure by reuniting him with his dead family before they returned to the source.
In a way, Malak had received his just deserts, but Marcus Graves had also received closure.
In a way, this was once again denying Chaos a victory, albeit a different kind.
"Wait, how does that even work? You weren't awake during Marcus's or my father's time, so how could you have had the Graves family's souls? Shouldn't they have entered the Warp and dissolved in the waves?"
Azeroth nodded. "Indeed. But even without awakening, my subconscious was still active. In fact, before the start of this war, most people who died would have had their souls return to me."
"And the Graves family were one of the lucky ones whose souls had stayed with you," Alastor completed for her as Azeroth nodded.
"But... what happens to the souls that return to you?"
This time, it was Taria who answered as she placed a hand on her son's shoulder.
"They go to rest, as all souls should."
Alastor looked at her quizzically as Azeroth once more explained, though this time with a far more serious expression.
"To die and have your soul dissolve in the Warp, or be tortured for all eternity if caught by daemons or other malevolent entities, is hardly an afterlife—much less one that I will ever allow for my children."
"It is about time a suitable afterlife was made for them, and I already have a system in mind that I feel my children will very much like."
Alastor couldn't help but feel overjoyed by what he heard, since it would mean that his people who died from now on would have something worthwhile waiting for them on the other side instead of a chaotic realm or an eternity as a daemon's plaything.
He didn't have any more questions at the moment. He was smart enough to see that Azeroth was firmly on their side, and having her would be another great boon for the future.
He knew they would need to pool all their advantages if they wanted a successful expedition when his people eventually began preparations to venture out into space.
Was he maybe preparing a bit too much for the eventual voyage?
Maybe.
Was he going to stop and let his people venture out into space without equipping them to the teeth and giving them every possible advantage?
Hell no!
"Oh, just in time." Azeroth suddenly spoke as she felt different presences approaching, which Alastor soon felt himself.
With a flash of light, Tyrande and Isha appeared on the platform. Tyrande's hair, however, instead of its normal color, was now a gleaming white as her divine essence as Lileath was currently more prominent.
Isha's smile widened slightly as she saw Alastor, while Tyrande herself felt her gaze soften before she caught herself and schooled her features.
Alastor gave them both a wide smile, happy to see friendly faces, while Taria felt her eyes widen.
Due to a combination of intuition, experience, and the preternatural sense that all mothers possessed when it came to their children's love lives, she immediately caught and deciphered the intent she had just seen from the two Goddesses.
Not one but two!? THAT'S MY BOY! I knew you would take my lessons to heart, sweetling!
Taria thought with immense pride as she gave Alastor a proud look, which he completely misunderstood.
Mother looks happy. Not that I can blame her. This is truly a boon for our people and our world!
He truly felt pleased seeing how like him Taria was pleased with the current developments.
Soon, other presences were felt. The next to appear in a flash of light was a dark-skinned, stocky, bearded man who, while short in stature, had a muscular and strong build. His body was covered in scars; in fact, a prominent scar ran across one of his eyes.
Alastor was surprised. For one, the man reminded him of the Dwarves, and two, he felt like he had sensed—
"Vaul!?" Tyrande was honestly shocked to see one of her fellow gods.
"Vaul, you survived too!?" Isha, while also shocked, was overjoyed to see not only a fellow god she had known, but one who was also a dear friend of hers.
Vaul, in turn, nodded at the both of them with a grunt.
"Good to see you too. Sorry, but I had to keep my fragment hidden so as not to arouse suspicion from Slaanesh or some other unsavory beings."
"You did a mighty fine job, then. Honestly, in the thousands of years I had lived on Azeroth, I never would have thought you would also be present, much less hiding in plain sight as the Dwarven Patron God. By the Old Ones, how did I not notice?"
Tyrande rubbed her forehead, equally impressed and annoyed that she, of all people, hadn't made the connection when Vaul had practically been hiding in plain sight!
The Dwarven god was called the Maker.
That was literally Vaul's title!?
"You look much better than the last time I saw you," Isha said, since the last time she had seen Vaul, before the fall of the Aeldari, he had been crippled, bound to his anvil, and blind.
No thanks to that dreadful fucking war and that equally horrid, murder-happy Khaine—!
Ahem!...
He looked much better!
Alastor and Vaul both took a step back at the not-so-friendly look Isha had just given, while Taria and Azeroth simply watched.
Tyrande, meanwhile, felt a bit awkward due to her own little debacle that had ultimately led to the Second War in Heaven between Vaul and Khaine.
"I should be asking you that as well, considering how long you spent in Nurgle's Garden."
Vaul masterfully redirected the conversation while also feeling genuinely bad.
"I'm sorry I wasn't much help when it came to your captivity, Isha."
Isha gave him a sad but understanding smile.
"I don't hold it against you, Vaul. Too much was destroyed after the Birth of She-Who-Thirsts. I'm just so happy to see that Lileath and Cegorach at least made it out alive."
The three gods took a moment to reminisce before regaining control of themselves. Vaul gave a bow in the direction of Azeroth and Taria before turning to Alastor, who was giving him a wide-eyed look.
"You're the Maker!?"
"I am."
"But aren't you an Elven God?"
"I am."
"But you're also the Dwarven God?"
"I am."
Alastor stared owlishly at him while Vaul gave him an equally intense, deadpan look. Then they both nodded at each other before turning to the others and saying in unison:
"I like this guy!"
Tyrande, Isha, Taria, and Azeroth gave them bewildered looks, since they couldn't wrap their heads around how the two of them had communicated. They were sure that, aside from that small verbal exchange, they hadn't spoken telepathically or through some other means!
Vaul and Alastor shook their heads in pity.
Women just couldn't understand the intricate ways of communication between two men who were on the same wavelength.
But just then, Azeroth paused as she felt something.
"Our final participant has also arrived."
Isha perked up, while Vaul and Tyrande groaned, already knowing who it was.
A beam of light appeared in the dimension before dissipating into confetti!
Alastor had to rub his eyes, thinking he was seeing things, because in the middle of the colorful confetti was a colorful, jester-like being. His jester-like face was somewhat pointy and unnerving.
"Hahaha! What a splendid day for a play! Especially with me laying eyes upon my dear old friends! Isha, Vaul, Lileath—oh, I guess you are now going by the name Tyrande. Nonetheless, I have a play in mind that will blow your conceptual pants off!"
"Cegorach, it's great to see you too. Good to see that at least one of us remained completely whole," Isha greeted him back with joy.
"Hello... Cegorach."
Tyrande barely got the words out through gritted teeth. She swore that if he started with his damn plays—or, Old Ones forbid, one of his damn haikus—she would shatter him herself!
"I should have stayed hidden..." Vaul, on the other hand, rubbed his forehead, already feeling a migraine coming and regretting revealing himself.
Cegorach's gaze then fell on Alastor, who watched as the floating Clown God made his way toward him.
...Via aerial cartwheels.
Alastor looked as if he were questioning the sanity of the universe. Sure, he had heard that the Elves had a Clown God, as ridiculous as that sounded, and sure, he knew of Cegorach's actions from behind the scenes, but seeing it was something else.
It was one thing to be told that something like this was actually real, but seeing an actual Clown God with the whole aesthetic and jester shtick had him seriously contemplating whether he hadn't actually lost his mind due to his time in the Realms of Chaos.
After landing in front of Alastor, Cegorach laughed.
"Hello, my star of the show! I have to say, you have given me a play I would die for! I haven't seen such a play for a very long time, and oh, the twists, turns, and reveals! Even I couldn't have anticipated them. An epic truly worthy of the Immemorial!"
"Ahhh, thanks...?" Alastor hesitantly said to the god who had brought him to Azeroth as he turned his face toward Isha, Tyrande, and Vaul.
Is he always like this!?
Welcome to the club.
Vaul and Tyrande's faces seemed to say.
"Cegorach is a bit passionate, but don't worry, he means well... mostly. But I swear you'll get used to it," Isha said as she came beside Alastor and leaned against his side, allowing him to feel her curves pressed against him.
Alastor gulped a bit at the amazing feeling.
"So it gets easier?"
As if Alastor had just told the funniest joke imaginable, Isha began laughing hard, and Cegorach soon joined her.
Alastor blinked but got a bad feeling as he saw Tyrande and Vaul's eyes seemingly lose the last spark of life and hope.
They had spent sixty million years with Cegorach.
They knew...
It did not become easier!
What have I gotten myself into? Alastor thought bleakly, even as a very gorgeous redheaded goddess held onto him.
"I must say, Taria, despite only being awake recently, I have a feeling boredom will be the last of my concerns," Azeroth said to her friend and Speaker.
"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet, believe me."
Taria smiled as she enjoyed the live, free entertainment being provided courtesy of her son.
<------------------------------------------------->
Author Note: Please remember to Give powestones, comment, Add to library and give the story a 5 star review to help it get the coverage it needs.
Read upto 10 Chapters worth of content ahead by going to my Patreon and becoming a fellow Patron. As well as supporting both the story and myself as well.
Patreon: Patreon.com/ArkNova