After dealing with all the Nightborne and Felborne matters in the Emerald Dream, I traveled to Ardenweald to help Winter with the aftermath of Jailer's return. Despite Jailer not targeting this realm, shortages of anima could be felt acutely.
~"Yue."
~"Winter, how is the situation?"
~"Stable, but not good. The lack of anima is severe enough to result in drought in some regions, but thanks to Elune, we were able to prevent any serious withering from occurring."
~"How long can you sustain this situation?"
~"If nothing drastic happens, we can easily keep this for years."
~"This should be more than enough. From what I know, Alliance and Horde are already involved in a conflict that was provoked by Jailer."
~"Hou? And how did he do this?"
~"By sending some of his Val'kyr to capture leaders and staging some undead attacks on Alliance, without the leadership of High King, the various factions started fighting the Horde, which responded in kind as their Warchief was also taken away."
~"Clasisc tactic. Now that the war on the surface started, he must be gathering his forces for the attack."
~"Yes, but I'm wondering who will act as the spark that will ignite war in Shadowlands."
~"You will be surprised."
~"You already know?"
~"I have my people listen to Zovaal nonstop, so I know almost all his plans by now. Those Runes of yours are truly fascinating. My best crafters and mages tried their best but still can't understand how those work."
~"This is my masterpiece, so I would be surprised if they could decipher them quickly."
~"So what are you planning to do now?"
~"Final preparation for removing Emerald Dream from Azeroth. I've already created a realm to replace the Dream. "
~"Ardenweald is also almost fully isolated. I'm just waiting for your word, what you are trying to do with our three realms."
~"Thank you for believing in me. I'll stay in Ardenweald for now, as I can't miss the occasion that Zovaal will make for me."
~"You think he will make a move so quickly?"
~"After what happened to Sargeras, he must be in a hurry not to give us time to prepare a plan against him. After all, he is aware that the peace between us is temporary at best."
~"Hmm, then why isn't he planning something to prevent that now? I would have heard something about his new plans by now."
~"Don't underestimate him, Winter. Zovaal is one of the strongest beings in this world, not counting the First Ones. Even after taking his authority of the Arbiter, he is still the strongest of the Eternal Ones."
~"..."
~"He will make a move, one that would take us out of the fight."
~"What could he possibly do to threaten us?"
~"I think we are about to find out."
I looked at the door that had just been swung open. Messenger of Wild Hunt ran inside and knelt before the two of us.
-"Your Majesty the Queen, Your Excellency, we just received information that the Veil over Azeroth has been shattered."
~"Who could have done such an idiotic deed?!"
-"This..."
~"Speak."
-"Azshara."
~"So this is his Ace, huh?"
~"Queen Azshara?"
-"Yes, Your Majesty."
~"He wants to create chaos among Elven forces, especially after we accepted some of her old loyalists."
~"But she alone can't send waves in current Elven society. She is effectively dead in the eyes of everyone."
-"Your Majesty, aside from Azshara, Old Gods' forces also started to act, especially on Kalimdor."
~"A threat. Act against me, and they will break into Emerald Dream to wreak havoc in my home."
~"Will they even be able to enter?"
~"No, but Zovaal can't know this. The trouble is that he will be able to detect when I swap connection from Emerald Dream to the new realm, alerting him."
~"Then we have to sit quietly until the last second?"
~"Despite his limited knowledge, he made the best move he could. I wonder what price he had to pay for Old Gods to ally with him."
~"Their lives, most likely."
~"Then we have five Old Gods unleashed upon Azeroth, in addition to Azshara. This move would be checkmate if we were still connected to Azeroth."
~"If Aspects were still guardians, they would have to act, and this would force you to help them and enter the war. Even us three against five unsealed Old Gods might be a tough battle, especially as we would have to defend from multiple sides. Add to that Azshara, who could promise the return of the Elven Empire, and internal conflict might arise. All sides and avenues are covered in one move."
~"See. Never underestimate a zealot who is a step before realizing his purpose."
~"You seem oddly experienced in dealing with zealots."
~"Haha, I grew up following one zealot after the other."
~"What?"
~"I'll tell you later. We can just sit still for now, as he can't do anything to us, and while Azeroth will be harmed, it will recover quickly. Naaru will deal with the Old Gods after they are called by priests."
~"You truly plan to sit this one out."
~"Why waste time fighting? I can feel that Zovaal has left the Maw. I don't want to miss the occasion to enter Zereth Mortis."
~"Well, you are the one in charge."
Zovaal was never one to waste time, so he was able to claim the remaining Sigils in one swift attack, retreating before other Eternal Ones could gather their forces. Using all Sigils in his possession, he opened the passage to Zereth Mortis and entered inside, leading his army.
Concealed within his troops, I managed to slip in undetected, shadowing Zovaal alongside his elite guards. Ignoring the battle that was happening around between Mawsworn and Automa, that were defending the realm, Zovaal walked directly toward the Sepulcher of the First Ones.
His guards cleared every room and corridor of the Sepulcher, allowing Zovaal to arrive at the Hearth of Eternity. When inside, he dismissed everyone, ordering them to stand guard at the entrance.
~"No need to hide anymore, Yue, you can show yourself."
~"You found me?"
~"No, I just knew that you would follow me here."
~"Then why did you mobilize such force on Azeroth?"
~"To give you an alibi."
~"Now you lost me."
~"You know that I want to change this world, even if that will be the last thing I do in my existence. I know that my chances are minuscule, but I won't sit back and wait for the demise that awaits us."
~"I'm aware of your purpose."
~"Then you should also know that this world is doomed."
~"Everything will one day end."
~"I don't believe it. As an Arbiter, I glimpsed mysteries of a Soul, and I know that Souls are indestructible. Their forms may be shattered or changed, but they will always be Soul matter. Never will more of it be created, and nothing can reduce the amount of it in existence."
~"I don't have that deep knowledge of Souls. To my understanding, Souls can be destroyed."
~"Souls are like an energy. The form may change, but the total quantity in the world remains constant. The information that they carry can be lost or distorted, but I found a way to overcome that."
~"Nature. You want my idea of Nature that can carry and change the information."
~"Indeed. Six Cosmic Forces that created the university, the Soul that exists as the underlying essence of existence, and Nature that defines the Laws of the world. I believe that by gathering them together, I can achieve my purpose."
~"Why should I help you? While your idea may be noble, I don't share it."
~"I know that you are not being of this world. I can see that your Soul is a little different than everything I have seen. I don't know what deal you made with the First Ones, but I believe it included saving this world."
~"I won't deny it."
~"Then you already planned to use knowledge from here to do so. Then why not follow my plan?"
~"Why should I? Saving the world and preventing its end are two different things. The demise you see is a consequence of disturbing the balance of Six Cosmic Forces, while I have to get rid of the corruption that brought an end to the First ones from this world."
~"I see. Then, allow me to change my proposal a little. We will achieve both purposes together, and I will give you my understanding of the Soul."
~"You are truly willing to pay any price to achieve your purpose, huh? Speak then how you plan to achieve that."
~"Let me confirm something. Are you able to destroy that corruption?"
~"No. I plan to seal it and throw it into the Chaos."
~"How will you seal it?"
I took out an artifact I had prepared long ago, even before coming to this world, a sphere the size of a fist made from Soul-Steel and full of Spirit-Runes. I tested it with Terminus, and even she would need eons to break it. The corruption without the ability to decipher the Runes, only destroying them by force, would need much longer.
~"Is this a Soul tool?"
~"Yes."
~"If that was your plan, then you miscalculated."
~"Hou? You seem to know something about that corruption."
~"Six Cosmic Forces are not Laws. Those are the Souls of First Ones retaining their powers. The corruption is also not Law but something affecting the Soul. While this tool can seal it, to gather it inside, you will need to use your own Soul power, resulting in contracting the corruption."
~"..."
~"That's why I have a proposition. I will seal the corruption for you while you will remove the seventh force from existence."
~"You are even ready to martyr yourself... Sigh, I indeed don't have another idea to deal with corruption, so I have no choice but to agree."
~"Good. I will seal myself in the sphere with corruption, so can you please do your part first?"
I nodded and took out Oath of Silence. It had already regenerated after my fight with Sargeras, and all cracks disappeared from its surface. Approaching the center of the altar, I started to absorb the knowledge of the First Ones, gaining an understanding of Light, Void, Life, Death, Order, and Disorder.
As my understanding of those forces grew, I could feel the corruption affecting those forces in the world. When I awoke from the insight, I could easily form the Divinity of those six forces.
Focusing on the Laws that were responsible for the mixing of the Six Cosmic Forces and the qualities of the resulting seventh force, I started to erase them. Despite the world's resistance, I was able to erase them piece by piece.
Taking a lesson from my previous usage of this power, I didn't try to use it fast but rather extended the process to reduce the pressure I had to endure. In the end, six days had to pass before I achieved what Zovaal wished for.
~"Done."
~"Truly?"
I nodded and used my power to force Six Cosmic Forces together, but this time, there was no aurora, and they just formed their own pure bubbles.
~"Thank you, Yue."
~"I'm just upholding my part of the deal."
~"I'm still thankful. Here, this is my whole insight on Soul."
Zovaal passed me a crystal that was similar to a memory stone but was made from the Soul.
~"Now, it's my turn."
This time, he took the center position in the room, receiving the insight of the First Ones. I walked to the side, not wanting to interrupt him.
Sometime later, he started gathering the corruption into himself and the sphere. I monitored his progress, ready to step in if any anomaly occurred.
Time passed, minutes turned into hours, and days into weeks, but luckily, no disaster occurred, and Zovaal was able to remove every last bit of corruption from the world. This was not easy for him, as the amount of damage he had taken from being the receiver of the corruption was tragic. I had to start to heal him halfway, or he might have died before completing his part of the deal.
Now, he was nothing more than a husk, holding onto the last string of sanity.
~"Yu...e..."
~"Yes?"
~"I'...m... do...n...e..."
After saying this, he pushed what remained of his Soul into the sphere, his body collapsing to the floor. The sphere fell from his hand, rolling to my feet.
Grabbing it, I looked at him for the last time. After sending him a quick prayer, I incarnated his remains, not wanting them to be desecrated by someone. Leaving the room, I teleported directly back to Emerald Dream.
In Moon Palace, Elune and Winter were waiting for my return. While Aspects and Elves were busy, those two remained on vigil from the moment I entered Zereth Mortis. When they felt my presence reappearing, they quickly approached.
~"Are you all right?"
~"Yes, nothing happened to me."
~"Have you done what you needed to achieve?"
~"Yes."
~"Can't you tell us everything now."
~"Almost. There is one last step to do before. How long will you need to fully isolate your realms from the world?"
~"Few days."
~"Same as Winter."
~"Then please do so. Let's meet here again after a week."
They both nodded and disappeared into their realms.
I also completed isolating the Emerald Dream from the Azeroth, connecting the new realm to it in the Dream's place. After doing that, I looked over Azeroth, bidding farewell to it. I left one last thing to the young Titan, the memory of what occurred in the Hearth of Eternity, wishing that one day, Zovaal would be recognized for who he truly was.
Returning to the Emerald Dream, I meet Elune and Winter once again.
~"Will you believe me one last time?"
~"We will do so many more times."
~"I will seal you two along with your realms temporarily, as I can't take you with me without storing you in my Soul."
~"I see. Do it then."
Nodding, I took two more sealed spheres and sealed two of them inside. Storing them back in my Soul, I exited the Emerald Dream and sealed it into a third sphere, storing it together with others.
Giving this world one last look over, I haven't found anything more that I wished to take, so using way prepared before the Rebirth, I exited the world, repairing next to Terminus.
~"You've returned."
~"It's good to see you again."
~"I can feel that you are ready for the last step."
~"Yes, but I have to return to the place of my origin to take it."
~"I know. I'll take you there."
~"Please."
Terminus teleported us both back to my birth world. There, she took me to a small star system, having only one planet orbiting a small white dwarf star. This planet was the place of my birth.
Calling it an egg wouldn't be incorrect, as I was born in the core of it. Nothing existed here, just ash that remained from what was used to create me.
Terminus distanced herself from me, watching for any disturbance that may affect my ascension to Aeonhood, ready to step in and stop it. I could also feel the attention of other Aeons, looking from distant parts of the universe.
Taking a deep breath, I stopped restraining the force that was trying to elevate my existence, taking that last step.