Chapter Fifty: The Platinum Disc

The dwarves were still lost in the joy of discovering the treasure, completely unaware that Patrick had placed his hand on the platinum disc and had not moved since.

“Pat, what’s wrong?” Aurelia cried out anxiously when she noticed Patrick’s unusual state. Just moments ago, he had been perfectly fine, and now he was plunged into a trance, unreachable no matter what she tried. Panic overtook Aurelia.

She soon realized that whenever she tried to touch Patrick, a powerful force repelled her, making it impossible to approach him.

Lorne Songflow and the dwarves were cheering for gold and riches, oblivious to Patrick’s strange condition.

...

Norgannon spoke, “Young soul, you are fortunate and capable, to be able to see me here.”

“Why did you create such facilities in Azeroth? Was it for Elune?” Patrick questioned Norgannon, though he had no expectation that the Titan’s apparition would answer.

There had always been much debate about Elune, the moon goddess. In his previous life, opinions were divided: some claimed Elune was a Titan, others thought her a naaru, still others insisted she was a world soul. Theories abounded, yet the official lore never offered a definitive answer (setting aside Blizzard’s retcons).

“You are correct. When the Pantheon first came to Azeroth, they left many facilities because the Supreme God Aman’Thul discovered the soul of one of his kin within Azeroth’s core. Though the soul was incomplete, it would only need to be nourished for over a million years to form a body, maintain material presence in the Void, and join the Pantheon.”

Norgannon’s words stirred a storm within Patrick’s mind. If Elune truly was a Titan, then who was the moon goddess worshipped by the grandmotherly priestesses? If Elune and the moon goddess were one and the same, it raised questions. What priest would destroy their own deity’s energy supply?

Wouldn’t that be akin to cutting off their god’s power? That so-called setting: Elune, the greatest huntress beneath the moonlight, chosen by the goddess—was it nothing but a joke?

And what did it mean, “only needs to be nourished for over a million years”? In the Titans’ perspective, was a million years truly a short time? No wonder the Pantheon’s Titans were so powerful; with such lengthy maturation, strength was inevitable.

“But why does the energy flowing from the Well of Eternity consist of arcane and natural forces? Is Elune a Titan who governs arcane and nature?” Patrick pressed further, unwilling to squander a rare chance to question an actual Titan.

“Elune should be a Titan of souls and purity. We found only her soul during its growth; her true powers after maturing remain unknown. The purpose of nourishing the soul with arcane and nature is because these energies are inclined toward order, yet not fully ordered.”

“The blood that carries life is a mildly alkaline fluid. If you used purely strong acids or bases as bodily fluids, how could you survive in a complex, ever-changing world? Living in a highly acidic environment, you couldn't tolerate neutral or basic surroundings. Conversely, those in highly alkaline habitats can’t withstand neutral or acidic ones. Arcane and natural energies are inclined toward order; they can be guided and mastered without affecting the body.”

“And the Light and Shadow in your memory represent pure order and chaos, both dominant and hard to reconcile. They demand much from the user’s body and from the vessel of their power. The only difference between the Light and arcane is their origin and composition.”

Patrick thought to himself: Don’t go reading other people’s memories so casually.

“Some Light represents only the concept of purity, some stands for purification, others signify devotion. True, pure Light of order is composed of all these concepts and allows no other energies to coexist. Pure Light will corrode or purify other energies. However, Light born of a single concept can coexist with other energies and won’t aggressively purify chaos or any non-Light energy or substance.”

As a Titan who governs arcane and knowledge, Norgannon’s understanding of energies was profound and precise. He also resolved a long-standing doubt for Patrick: why undead priests could wield the Light. If the Light summoned by the undead contains only the concept of devotion, it makes sense why Light, usually lethal to undead, does not harm undead priests.

Priests and paladins, both Light users, are distinguished by their connection: paladins’ Light clearly contains the concept of purification, which undead cannot touch. Pure Light will uncontrollably purify or transform its user, turning them into a being of pure Light, much like the naaru.

Patrick asked, “So all energy levels include chaotic energy, neutral energy, and ordered energy. Honored Titan, could you tell me about arcane?”

“The first intelligent being to arrive here—the four platinum discs of arcane truth shall be your reward,” Norgannon replied, not directly answering but instead gathering arcane energy into a sigil in his palm, which slowly merged into Patrick’s body.

...

Outside, Aurelia felt panic as never before. Even her mental powers could not touch Patrick; all she sensed was the abundant arcane energy radiating from him and his steady breathing and vital signs. She was at a loss.

Lorne Songflow and several dwarves noticed Patrick’s odd state as well. But, like Aurelia, whenever they approached, a powerful energy repelled them.

The dwarves could do nothing but begin collecting, sorting, and packing the gold coins. They knew nothing of arcane and could not help, so they focused on carrying away as much treasure as possible.

After several hours, Patrick finally awoke, his body limp as he leaned against the disc. He had held his posture for hours, and his muscles were numb.

Seeing Patrick awaken, Aurelia was relieved, but when she saw him nearly collapse, she rushed to steady him. “Pat, you’re finally awake.”

Noticing Aurelia’s anxious expression, Patrick was unaware that hours had passed; he thought his conversation with Norgannon had lasted only moments in the sea of consciousness.

It wasn’t until Lorne Songflow, Olaf, Surveyor Redur, and the Lost One Sel’durin told him he had stood motionless beside the discs for hours, with all attempts to wake him repelled by a mysterious force, that Patrick understood.

“So I really spoke with Norgannon for that long,” Patrick mused.