Chapter 64: Predestination

"How is he doing?" Kelrian asked the warder as he regarded them man inside the cell. The man whose face was horribly disfigured sat on the bed in the middle of the cell and did nothing except for staring at Kelrian. His green eyes reflected hatred, his grey prisoner clothes were clean and his hair was messy and greasy.

"Well," the warder started, pausing for a few moments to think about what she should answer. "He became much quieter in the past weeks. In the first weeks after we put them in this cell, he screamed and shouted insults at us. We had no other choice than to put a spell on the cell so that we wouldn't have to hear the horrible noises he produces. I'm still asking myself how a humanoid creature could produce such sounds. It was horrible to listen. Eventually, he stopped screaming and insulting us. I assume he noticed that we can't hear him. Or he just feels too weak to scream. You must know that he refuses to eat."

"Really?"

The warder nodded. "He hasn't eaten for weeks but he didn't become thinner nor does he appear weak to us. I have the suspicion that he no longer needs to consume food. I bet it has something to do with the fel crystal in his chest. Maybe the fel energy satisfies his hunger somehow."

"My father died and was brought back to life. Just like Sylvanas. Sylvanas doesn't need to eat either."

"But he is not undead," replied the warder. "His heart is still beating. It may beat very slowly but it still beats. He is still alive, more or less."

"Maybe we will find out one day how exactly his body and this crystal are functioning," replied Kelrian and turned away from his father. He looked at the warder, a female draenei who wore the same armour as all the other guards in Dalaran. The tabard she wore was purple and showed the symbol of the Kirin Tor. An eye from which three pointed rays emanated. She was the first draenei Kelrian met in Dalaran since her people joined the Alliance after his father's first defeat.

Her name was Yuri. She wore her brown hair shoulder-length, her skin was light purple and her eyes were bright blue. The eyes of his people had been of a similar colourbefore the fel affected them.

"Maybe. But I doubt it. There are many things in the universe which we cannot understand. I will never understand how necromancy works and how this green crystal keeps your father alive," Yuri responded.

"Maybe I will find it out one day. There are other things I have to worry about at the moment. My father's forces might have been defeated but Outland is still not free. Illidan Stormrage will do anything necessary to gain control of it. I'm wondering why he wants it so badly. What does he want to achieve? Is he still working for Kil'jaeden? There are so many questions to which I have no answers."

"I have no doubts that the Alliance will stop Illidan one day."

"I don't doubt it either but the question is: How many people will lose their lives in the process? How many people have to die until we manage to stop Illidan?"

"The answer is written in the stars, I suppose," Yuri replied quietly.

Kelrian nodded, not saying anything in return.

"I will inform you as soon as your father's condition changes," said the draenei.

Kelrian gave her a thankful nod. "It was nice to meet you, Yuri."

"You too, avatar."

Kelrian chuckled amused. "Avatar? Seems that everyone knows about the reason why I'm still alive. How do you know that?"

"The naaru Z'eru told me that the Sunwell chose you as its protector. It also told me that the naaru M'uru became one with the Sunwell and now speaks to you."

"How does this naaru know about it?" Kelrian asked surprised.

Yuri shrugged. "I have no idea. As you might know, my people have a close connection to the naaru. They helped us to escape the Burning Legion several times. Due to them, those who didn't join the Burning Legion managed to flee from Argus, our home planet. If it would have not been for them, all of us would be dead or serve the Legion. I went to Shattrath City to see my girlfriend who is working near the place where Z'eru and A'dal usually stay. We were in the temple when Z'eru told my people about the Sunwell, the purest fount of energy and about the birth of a champion."

Kelrian raised an eyebrow. "The birth of a champion?" His voice reflected a mix of curiosity and confusion.

"She told us that you will accomplish great things and change things for the better," explained Yuri.

"I know that naaru are wise ancient beings but... I don't think I can do such things. I might be powerful but I doubt that my actions will change anything."

"The naaru are usually right about everything they say. They are rarely wrong."

"I think I should meet that naaru. Where can I find it?"

"In a temple in the middle of Shattrath City. The temple is called Terrace of Light."

Kelrian nodded. "Thanks for telling me about it. Maybe this Z'eru will help me understand everything about me as the avatar of the Sunwell. Maybe it will guide me and tell me what to do. M'uru didn't tell me much until this day. At least nothing which helps me understand... everything."

"You should search for Z'eru then and talk to it," replied the warder.

"I will. Thank you. Have a nice day, Yuri."

"You too, avatar."

Kelrian smiled. "Please call me Kelrian. Avatar sounds so... strange."

"As you wish."

---

Kelrian's gaze wandered over the various buildings around him. They were of draenei structure and made of marble and adorned by purple symbols. Most windows were made of purple glass but they were still transparent so that Kelrian could see what was going on in in the houses without curtains. He saw families, couples and even creatures that seem to live alone. Members of all races of the Alliance could be seen in the city but not only they visited the city. Shattrath City was neutral ground so even members of the Horde were there.

It had been a long time since Kelrian had encountered an orc. The last orcs he had met had been servants of the Burning Legion and he had been forced to kill them. They had been so aggressive and angry. These orcs, on the other hand, looked peaceful. They didn't want to start any argument nor did they wanted to fight and kill someone. They were the exact opposite of the orcs he had fought against during the Second War and some years later.

Nevertheless, Kelrian was not pleased by their presence. There was nothing he could do about it, so he had no other choice than tolerating them as long as they were on neutral territory. He knew it was best to keep an eye on them.

The orcish race was not the only race of the Horde which had members in Shattrath City. There were trolls and tauren that looked like giant cows on two legs. Kelrian recognized forest trolls but also Darkspear trolls that had blue or purple skin instead of green skin like the forest trolls. Some looked at him with narrowed eyes but most of them ignored him and minded their own business.

Kelrian followed the path in front of him and came to the market square where people of all races were trading. Goblins and gnomes tried to sell their machines and inventions, proclaiming that their goods were better than those of the other race. There were several draenei traders but most traders were foreigners. They came to this place from the most diverse places in Azeroth to sell their products. There was no shortage of goods onthe market. From hairbrushes, over gems to more or less functioning robots and machines, customers could buy basically everything there. There was not much which could not be bought.

The offer was huge and there were lots of interesting things on the different market stalls but Kelrian had not come to Shattrath City to trade. He had travelled to this place to meet the naaru Yuri had spoken of.

Z'eru.

The guards at the gates had told him that it was in the temple in the middle of the city. At this moment, Kelrian was in the south and he had to walk a little longer to reach it. He crossed many draenei and even some Scryers, a faction of blood elves that had once served his father but had broken away from him when he had ordered them to attack Shattrath and kill as many inhabitants as possible. They were led by a man named Voren'thal the Seer. Even though Voren'thal was a blood elf, Kelrian had never seen him before nor had he heard of him before the Third War. He was looking forward to getting known to him if he would ever meet him.

Kelrian followed the streets, ignoring some of the grim glances he received from members of the Horde. Earning such glances was nothing new to him. He had earned such glances very often when he had fought the Orcish Horde in the Second War. Kelrian finally came to the temple, noticing that it was much larger than he had expected. It had looked smaller from the far.

The Terrace of Light.

It was a magnificent domed building that was heavily guarded. It had a brown colour scheme, the walls were pretty thick and firm. It had similarities to a huge fortress. Kelrian had no doubt that it had a security system just like Tempest Keep. He assumed that lots of guards were patrolling through the various rooms and corridors. Occupying the building wouldn't be easy.

Kelrian walked towards the entrance which was guarded by several draenei warriors and paladins. He didn't even have to speak to the leader to enter the building. The leader had signalized him that he was allowed to enter as soon as he had seen him. Kelrian could only assume that the naaru had told them to let him pass. He was the only outsider who didn't have to speak to the leader or show him a letter or any other document to him to enter the temple. He had needed to do nothing but to show up to enter the temple.

The walls of the entrance halls were grey-brown like the floor that was made out of huge cobblestones. Draenei guards and priests were scattered all over the room, watched their surroundings or minded their own business. Kelrian didn't hesitate to walk through the bordering corridor, arriving in a much larger room. The colour scheme of the new room was similar to the one of the previous room, the floor and walls were also made out of the same materials.

Kelrian spotted many draenei and blood elves. Most of them stood around a creature that was floating above the floor in the middle of the room. It was made up of shards of fractured light, some of them were rotating around the creature's core. The creature's head consisted of several fragments of different sizes and forms that were arranged in a specific light that was radiated by the shards was very bright but it didn't dazzle Kelrian.

Looking at the ancient being was not unpleasant and for some reason it made him feel much more comfortable. He felt a lot calmer than before. He was aware of the creature's powerful and warm aura. The voice in his head told him that he could trust this creature. Apart from M'uru's voice, he also had the feeling that he could trust it. He didn't know why he had this feeling but he was convinced that this feeling was right. It felt right at least.

Kelrian approached the naaru, bowing in front of it without hesitation. Even though the naaru had no eyes, Kelrian still felt the creature's gaze on him. Due to magic, it was able to regard him curiously.

"The chosen one has arrived," said a warm and gentle high-pitched voice. The voice came from everywhere but Kelrian had no doubt that it was the naaru that was speaking to him.

"You must be Z'eru. I saw you in a vision."

"I am. I also saw you in a vision, in many visions to be exact."

Kelrian raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

The naaru couldn't move its head but Kelrian still had the impression that it had just nodded at him. "I saw visions of the great and glorious future that awaits you and your people. You are the one who will save your people. You will protect them from all evil."

Kelrian was silent for a few moments. "It's still hard for me to believe that I'm someone's chosen one. I'm just an ordinary blood elf. Basically, anyone could be in my place and be the Chosen One."

The naaru could not chuckle or show its amusement because it had no facial feature, nevertheless, Kelrian somehow knew that it was amused. "Not everyone is as powerful and wise as you, Kelrian. You have gone through a lot, you have survived many scenarios where any other creature would have died. Due to your talent, you escaped death several times. You are not just an ordinary sin'dorei. You are special. The Sunwell chose you for a reason," Z'eru replied.

"If I would be the Chosen One, why do I not feel worthy? Why do I have the feeling that I was chosen by accident? Why am I afraid that I will not meet the expectations of others? Why do I fear that I might disappoint the Sunwell and all of those who believe in me? Why do I have so many doubts?"

"It is normal to feel like that. The previous Chosen have not felt any different. They had their doubts at first but with time, their doubts became weaker and weaker and vanished in the end. All you have to do is to put trust in yourself and listen to intelligent beings like us naaru. We are much older than you and know much more than you. Trust our words."

Kelrian thought about Z'eru's words. "The previous Chosen? I thought I am the first chosen of the Sunwell."

"You are."

Kelrian raised an eyebrow, confusion was reflected by his face. He parted his lips to say something but the naaru was faster than him. "You are the first Chosen of the Sunwell but you are not the first Chosen of the light. The other naaru and I are certain that you are the one who will guide the inhabitants of Azeroth through this age of darkness. You will bring an end to the Scourge and the Burning Legion. It won't be an easy task. Despite your power, the upcoming wars will be bloody. Many will lose their lives in battle but we are certain that the mortal creatures of Azeroth will be victorious in the end."

"I'm not that powerful. I'm not powerful enough to make such a huge difference," replied Kelrian. "I'm not as strong as you think I am."

"You are right about that but we can change that. You might not be strong enough now but you will be, eventually. We have to subject you to very special training. You need to pass a test before we can send you back to Azeroth."

"How long does this training take? Weeks? Months? Years?" Kelrian asked.

"It takes as long as it takes."

Kelrian nodded understandingly. "I see." He turned his head, noticing that he was alone with Z'eru. He looked back at the naaru that was still watching him. "Where are the others?"

"They are still in the room. Only we are in a different location. I thought you would want to have some privacy at least."

"I don't really need privacy. I need answers. I still do not understand why I have been chosen."

"There are always things we cannot understand. If you would see what I have seen and if you would know what I know, you would understand why you are the one."

Kelrian was silent, a thoughtful look could be seen on his face. "That doesn't really help me to understand."

"You will understand eventually. For now, all I ask of you is to accept what I told you. That's all I want you to do."

Kelrian nodded hesitantly. "Alright."

"Do you trust me?" Z'eru asked.

"I do," Kelrian responded without hesitation.

"Good. Follow our instructions and we will make sure you can fulfil your destiny."

Kelrian bowed to Z'eru. "I will do as you say."

---

Kelrian took a deep breath, inhaling as much air as possible before he dived back into the water. The light radiated by his golden glowing eyes was enough to illuminate his surroundings. He was able to recognize his surroundings in a certain radius, allowing him to look for the requested object.

Kelrian swam from one piece of wreckage to another, searching it for the object. It was not there. Kelrian didn't lose patience and swam to the next piece. He found nothing there so he swam back to the surface and came up, taking deep breaths. He dived down again, avoiding a small swarm of fishes when he swam towards the underwater cave, he had discovered half an hour ago. As expected, it was inhabited.

There was a huge sea snake with green scales and sharp teeth. It looked very dangerous and deadly but Kelrian was not scared. The snake's size did not scare him nor did its huge jaw. The monster's red eyes rested on him, watching his every move. Kelrian didn't intend to do the first move. He watched the sea creature closely, waiting for it to attack.

It shot forward, its jaw was wide open. If they would be above the surface, Kelrian would have easily dodged this attack by jumping to the side. But he was underwater so he could not do that. He had to avoid the attack in a different way. He swam as fast as he could but he was not fast enough. He was aware that he couldn't avoid it that way, so he did something different to guarantee that he would not get devoured by the sea snake. He created a small shock wave near him which explosion pushed him away, making him avoid the snake's teeth at the last moment.

The snake turned around, its eyes fell back on Kelrian. He let the monster come again, this time he pushed himself above the snake's head, ramming his sword between its eyes as it shot through beneath him. Kelrian sent an arcane blast after it in case it was still alive. It was not. Kelrian's sword stuck in its head, the brain was destroyed and lots of dark-red blood flowed into the blue water. Kelrian swam back to the surface, took a few deep breaths and then swam back to the monster.

He began to examine it and swam along its whole body which was over forty feet long. The crystal in the middle of the amulet around his neck began to glow when he reached the middle of the sea snake's body. Kelrian knew what this meant. The object he was looking for was in the sea snake's stomach.

Kelrian focused his power and created six clones of him. With the help of those clones and some spells, he managed to bring the sea snake's corpse to the surface. They pulled it out of the water and laid it on the yellow sand.

Kelrian rammed the sword in the sea snake's belly and slit it open, not caring that his hands became bloody as he searched the snake's stomach for the object. He found it eventually, pulling it out without hesitation. It was a crystal but no ordinary one. The crystal had a high value to the inhabitants of the village.

Kelrian was proud of himself. Not only had he found the object he had requested to search but he had also brought down a dangerous predator that lived in the waters near the village he was currently staying. He was sure that the snake's flesh would fill the stomachs of the inhabitants for several days.

Kelrian washed the crystal and then put it in the pouch that hung on his belt. He walked back to the dead predator, cutting out pieces of meat. He put them in several wooden chests which his clones put on a conjured wooden cart. He burned the remains of the sea snake which he could not use for anything and then let his clones disappear. He could have used them to bring the cart to the village. He would be a lot faster if he would do that but he had decided against it nonetheless. He was taking his training serious, so he pulled the cart to the village all by himself.

Night had fallen when he arrived in the village hours later, his body was covered in sweat, his arms and back were hurting and he was heavily exhausted. He had the impression that he could no longer move and would collapse at any moment.

He allowed himself a small pause and then brought the cart to the granary. The guards, two young male draenei, helped him to bring the chests in the building that was made out of solid wood. He thanked them and wished them a nice and quiet shift before he let the cart disappear and walked to the house of the elder, knocking softly at the wooden door. Nothing happened the first few moments but then the door was opened and Kelrian stepped inside.

The only source of light was the faint flame of the small candle the older draenei held in his hand, but Kelrian could still see him and everything in the room clearly because of his superior vision. He could clearly see the draenei's creased face that showed tiredness.

"You are back," the elder said. His voice was raspy.

"I found the object."

The elder's eyes lightened up. Suddenly, he looked less tired than before. "For real?"

Kelrian nodded and pulled the crystal out of his pouch and placed it on the palm of the elder's hand. The elder brought it close to his eyes which no longer reflected tiredness but curiosity and excitement. He regarded it for nearly two minutes and then walked over to the small cupboard on the left side of the room, opening one of the drawers. He pulled a black box out and put it in.

"Thank you so much, Chosen," the draenei said as he turned back to Kelrian.

"Please call me Kelrian, Elder Zumar. I don't like to be called Chosen or Chosen One. It's still hard for me to believe that the naaru regard me as a very special creature. In their eyes, I am chosen by the light to bring peace to Azeroth but... I don't know. I'm just an ordinary man, you know. I'm not even a priest or a paladin. I do not even worship the light like my family. I have never used the light before. I'm a mage and not a priest or a paladin."

"That doesn't have to mean anything. You may not serve the light now but that can change. You can always be brought on the just path of the light," replied Zumar.

"If I'm indeed the Chosen of the light, why haven't I been able to use the light when I trained to become a paladin or priest? Why did the light forsake me back then? Why didn't it allow me to become its servant when I wanted it more than anything else?"

Zumar shrugged. "There are always things we cannot understand. The universe itself is a mystery. We only know so little about the universe and the various organisms that live on numerous different worlds. We will never understand the will of the light. We will never understand why things happen, what the light's big plan is or why do we exist. We can rack our brains over these questions but we will never find answers to them. All we can do is accept how things are and make the best of our situations."

"The naaru said something similar to me. They told me to accept the fact that I'm not only the Sunwell's avatar but also the Chosen of the light. Despite my doubts, I think I should just listen to them and do what they tell me to do. They are much wiser than I will ever be. What could go wrong? Listening to them is the right thing to do, isn't it?"

Zumar nodded. "The naaru are the wisest creatures in the universe, they have never been wrong about anything. They are the purest expression of the Holy Light, so they are good creatures. There is no reason to not listen to them and follow their lead. I have no doubt that you will accomplish great things."

"I don't know much about you, Elder Zumar. But you appear very wise to me. I bet you have thousands of years of experience. You are much wiser than I will ever be. I trust your word. I should trust the naaru and do anything they want me to do. For now, I will train the exact way they want me to train."

"I bet they want to make you strong enough to fight all evil that might threaten the universe. You will have to protect Outland, Azeroth and maybe other worlds. Who knows?"

Kelrian said nothing in return.

"How long have you been training?" Zumar asked.

"Several months. The exercises change from month to month. The first month I had to improve my tenacity. I had to endure several unpleasant situations but I never gave up. The second month, I had to run a lot, climb mountains and even carry heavy things from one village to another. The third month I was trained in close combat. Sometimes my hands were bound behind my back, sometimes I was blindfolded and sometimes both. Not to mention that I had to fight opponents who had weapons and armour while I was unarmed and handicapped.

That training was very hard at the beginning but I got better and better with each passing day. They made sure I would be able to deal with opponents without having to use magic in case I land in a situation where I cannot cast spells. Next month they will send me to another city where I will learn the ways of the light. I will learn how to use it and much more."

"How long will your training go?"

Kelrian shrugged. "I will train as long as necessary. I assume the naaru will tell me when I'm ready for their final test."

"I wish you good luck then."

"Thank you."

"How long will you stay in our village?" Zumar asked curiously.

"As long as necessary. The light wants to prepare me for every possible situation that might happen in the future. Fighting underwater is one of these possible situations. I have to learn how to hold breath as long as possible. In case I have to fight the naga in their territories one day."

"I assume you go to the nearest lake every day to train."

Kelrian nodded. "I do. I swim and dive and... Do other things like fighting sea creatures."

"That's very interesting."

"They want to prepare me for everything. They want to make me the perfect warrior. I doubt that there will ever be the perfect warrior but I will give my best and become as strong as possible. I do not want to disappoint the light. I have to become much stronger to be able to protect Azeroth and its inhabitants."

"I wish you good luck in every matter."

Kelrian gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Elder Zumar."

"If you ever need help in a certain matter, don't hesitate to come to me. I will not refuse you anything."

Kelrian nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. I will go now. Even I have to sleep, believe it or not."

The elder draenei chuckled. "Good night, Kelrian."

Kelrian smiled. It was the first time Zumar had called him by his real name and not by his new titles. Kelrian wished the elderly man a good night before he left his house and closed the door behind him.