Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty-Five

Thrall was amazed at the commitment and effort it took to prepare for a Trial of Visions.He now understood why Gaiaan said that Drek'Thar had done his best as one of the last remaining shamans of the orcs.It seems that a "proper" illusion trial requires almost the entire community to participate. Someone came to tailor him for the ceremony robe, and someone provided him with the herbs for the ceremony.A third orc came forward and offered to be leader of the drum band, and six others played drums or sang.Sal was both surprised and moved.He once said to Agra, "I hope people don't treat me special because of my status."

She smiled at him, "Guil, it's because you need to undergo an illusion trial, not because you are the leader of the tribe. You don't need to worry about any special treatment." It both relieved and troubled him.Not for the first time, he wondered why Agra was so good at provoking his anger.Maybe it's a gift from the elementals, he mused solemnly as he watched her stride away with her head held high. He was anxious about the delay in the ceremony, but there was nothing he could do about it.And he looked forward to the ceremony with a little eagerness in his heart.By the time he became shaman, the orc had lost too many traditions.He knew he lacked experience in such public ceremonies.

Finally, after three days everything was ready.In the evening, the torches were lit.Thrall was waiting in Galadar, ready to be escorted to the ceremony site.Agra came to his side, and he couldn't help but look at her carefully again. Her long, bushy auburn hair is decorated with feathers, and she wears a leather vest and skirt trimmed with feathers and beads.Her face and other exposed brown skin are painted in white and green patterns.She stood proudly upright, her tawny feathers matched perfectly with her dark brown skin.In her arms was a bundle of clothing, the same color as her complexion.

"These are for you, Go'el," she said. "They are plain and simple robes of initiation." "I understand," Thrall said, reaching out to her for the laundry. She didn't let go, "I'm not sure you really understand. I admit, you are a gifted and powerful shaman. But there are many things you don't understand. We don't wear armor in the initiation ceremony. Initiation Ritual is a new birth, not a battle. We are like a snake shedding its skin, saying goodbye to our past self. We need to let go of our burdens, let go of our past narrow thoughts and concepts. We need to keep ourselves simple and clean, and be good with the elements. Prepare to communicate, and let them write wisdom into our souls."

Thrall listened intently, nodding respectfully.But she still didn't let go and gave him the robe. "You'll also need a rosary. It will help you get in touch with your inner self and touch them when you feel you need them." She finally handed him the wrapping.And he gladly accepted. "I'll be right back." She said and left. Thrall looked at the plain brown garment, then put it on slowly and respectfully.He felt... naked.He was accustomed to wearing the distinctive black plate armor that originally belonged to Orgrimmar? Doomhammer.He wears that armor nearly all the time and has gotten used to its weight.But this dress is extremely light.He hung the rosary around his neck, moved it lightly with his fingers, and tried hard to think about what Agra said.She told him he would be reborn.

on what ground?By whom? "Ah," Agra's voice woke him up from his contemplation. "It looks like this novice robe suits you well." "I'm ready." Thrall said softly. "Not yet. You haven't painted yet." She went to a small cabinet against the leather drapery wall of the tent and rummaged through it in her usual savage fashion three small oil paint pots. "You're too tall, sit down." Sa Yiyan sat down, somehow wanted to laugh.She walked up to him, opened a jar, dipped her finger in some oil paint and started painting his face.Her movements were deft, uncannily soft for a violent woman Thrall knew well.The paint felt cold; and being so close to her, Thrall could smell the faint fragrance of her anointed body.She frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" "These colors are all lost on the green leather." "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it, Agra, no matter how much I've learned from you." He replied, with sincere sadness in his voice and expression. She stared into his eyes for a long time, first frowned angrily, then smiled, and let out a burst of sincere laughter. "God knows, maybe it is," she said. "Looks like I've changed the paint color." They both looked at each other and laughed, and then Agora looked away. "Maybe it should be blue and yellow," she said, finding a suitable paint can, and silently continued painting for him.Finally, she nodded approvingly, then frowned again. "Your hair...will be fine soon."

She wiped her hands, and with her long, deft fingers, untangled the two long braids Thrall had been wearing, and quickly inserted feathers into them. "Now you're ready, Goel." Agra took out a delicate piece of metal as a mirror. Thrall almost didn't recognize himself. His green skin was dotted with yellow and blue spots and swirls, making it look like he was wearing a mask.His hair cascaded down his shoulders, adorned with beautiful wind feathers.On weekdays, his dress is restrained and restrained.But now he realizes that he looks... "...wildness," he said softly.

"Like the elementals," she said, "they are seldom calm and orderly, Go'el. You are about to approach them now in the Trial of Visions. Come. They are waiting for you." Thrall has experienced countless things in his life.Trained for combat as a child, he learned both friendship and hardship while growing up.He has liberated his people and waged war against demons.But now, when he followed Agra out to the ceremony site by the lake, he found himself feeling nervous. The drum beats as he emerges.Agra straightened up, without the usual ease and provocation, for a moment she looked like the young Gaiyaan.She stepped forward with grace and dignity, and he slowed down to walk alongside her.The people of Galadar seemed to be all here, forming lines along both sides of the road.The torch drove the darkness back, but shadows loomed just a few steps away.Just ahead, Gaia'an stood there with a cane, waiting for him.

She looked slender but beautiful, with a radiant smile on her wrinkled face.He walked to her side and bowed deeply. "Welcome, Goel, son of Durotan, son of Galata." Thrall slightly widened his eyes.Of course—he should have known.Galata was his grandfather, and Galata where he is now is named after his grandfather. "The children of the elements, the chosen people. Not far from here, the fury of the elements is watching us. They will witness the ceremony tonight." Thrall looked across the black lake into the distance.He could only see one of the Elemental Wraths—Ysenlatus, the Fire Wrath, walking back and forth slowly.But he knew the other elemental wraths were there too.

"Here," he said, as previously taught, "I dedicate my body, mind, and spirit to this trial of visions." Agra took his hand, led him forward into the pile of furs on the ground, and pulled him to sit down. "When you undertake this trial," she said, "your spirit will leave your body. Your people will tend your physical body as you travel through the spirit world. Take this medicine. Drink it quickly." She handed him a glass of the foul-smelling liquid.When Sal took it, his fingers touched her lightly.He quickly gulped down the cup of potion, and then swallowed hard again to suppress the discomfort in his stomach.When he returned the cup to Agra, he was already feeling dizzy.Thrall didn't object when Agra supported him and put his head on her lap.It was an oddly gentle gesture from someone who had been so abrupt before, and yet he accepted it. He was dizzy, and the sound of the drum sounded like it was throbbing in his veins, and the sound seemed to merge with his own heartbeat, as if he felt it rather than heard it. Cold fingers stroked his hair.This action was also somewhat unusual for Agra.Her low, soft, kind voice sounded like it was coming from afar. "Go deep into your heart and let go of all restraints, Go'el. Nothing can hurt you here, though you may be afraid of what you see." Sal opened his eyes. A faintly flickering hazy figure stood in front of him.It has glowing eyes, four long legs, sharp teeth and a tail.It was a ghost wolf, and without knowing why, he knew it was Agra. "Are you going to guide me?" he asked the wolf, confused. "I thought Grandma—" "I have been chosen to guide you. Come," said Agra, her hoarse voice fitting the wolf's mouth. "It's time, come with me!" Suddenly Thrall had transformed into a wolf, too.The world changed before him, some things became ethereal, while others took another strange shape.He swayed, feeling as light as air, empty and omnipotent.He followed her into the swirling mist. They broke into an arena, bathed in the strong midday sun.Thrall in ghost wolf form blinked in confusion. He saw himself. "What..." Thrall said now, his voice sounded a bit strange in his ears, "I thought I was here to meet the elements—" "Quiet!" Aggra reprimanded with a sharp, short wolf howl, and Thrall obeyed her. "Just watch. Don't try to do anything. No one can see or hear you here. This is your test of vision, Go'el. It will show you what you need to know." Now Thrall nodded and continued to wait and see. The older Thrall wore several pieces of armor.He was strong and handsome, his green skin glistening with sweat.He holds a sword and a mace in each hand. Thrall knew where he was now—he was in the arena at Dunholde Castle.There was thunderous cheering and booing all around, and he knew that the hateful Aedelas Blackmoore was up somewhere, eating fruit and drinking wine.Thrall was taken by this man as a baby and trained by him as a gladiator.As he watched his younger self wrestle a giant bear, his heart burned with anger. "Fire," said Aggra, "is the first element that chooses you, Go'el. It gives you rage and rage to fight with valor. It gives you passion to fight for what is right. It burns deep within you and sustains you through your darkest hours." Thrall looked at himself as he listened, marveling at how strong, graceful, and passionate he looked in the arena.He knew he had used those skills to free his people and protect them. It wasn't what he had expected to see, but he nodded at Agra's words.He had been inseparable from fire since he was young.He recalled that until now he had a burning focus on saving the world.Now he smiled with understandable pride when the young man lifted his arms in triumph over his opponent. The mist returned, swirling around the triumphant young Thrall, finally obscuring him completely.Thrall waited patiently, curious about the next unexpected vision that would appear on this wondrous journey. The fog disappeared again.The bright and noisy arena is gone.Instead, there was a forest night scene, so quiet that only the gentle breeze and insects were left.Thrall saw himself again, but this time he looked wary.It's like being hunted.Beside him was a huge boulder that, from one angle, looked like a dragon guarding the woodland.Thrall in the past turned his head to look at the dark oval opening of a cave not far away.Mixed with strong old pain and new tingling, Thrall suddenly realized what was going to happen next. nightmare.He has fought them.The whole world was at war with them. "Do I have to watch this?" He asked softly, knowing the answer as soon as the words came out. "If you wish to understand, to be a true shaman, then yes," Agra replied sullenly. Thrall from the past walked into the cave, and a young human female appeared before them.She is Taretha Foxton.Tully... Blackmoore's mistress, Thrall's "sister".She let him go at great risk, and ultimately at the cost of her life.But she is still alive now, beautiful and sunny.His nightmares are about her—constant attempts to save her.He tried again and again in his dream, trying to keep her alive, smiling, loving.And every time he failed, he had to experience her death again and again, time and time again... But now she didn't die here.She leaned against the wall and waited for him, and when he called her name, she took a breath and laughed.Her face was beautiful and charming, and it shone with sincere and warm affection. "You scared me! I didn't expect you to come so quietly!" She stretched out her hands and rushed towards him.Sal in the past slowly took her little hand with his own. "It still hurts until now." Thrall said to Agra now.This time she didn't scold him, but just nodded the ethereal wolf's head. "This hurt, and the healing of it, is the gift of the Spirit of Water," she said, "affectionate. Loving. Open to joy and pain. That's why we cry...water flows in our hearts. " He listened quietly, recalling what he and Taresa had said during their first real meeting, it was as clear as ears.She gave him a map and some supplies, and told him to find his people, the orcs.They talked about Blackmoore.Thrall now knew what was coming, tried to turn around but found he couldn't. "What happened to your eyes?" Thrall from the past asked. "Oh Thrall...it's called tears," Taretha said softly, her voice choked up as she wiped her eyes. "We cry when we're sad, as if our hearts are so full of grief that there's nowhere else to hold it." Although he is in the soul world at this moment, he does not have a real physical body.Thrall still feels tears welling up in his eyes. "Taretha understands this," Agora said, her voice soft with understanding. "She understands pain and love. When the heart is full, the water will flow." "She shouldn't have died," Thrall growled now.What he didn't say was: I should have found a way to stop this from happening. Agra shocked him, like a blow to him. "Really? She doesn't deserve to die?" He turned to her, shocked and angry at her indifference. "Of course not! She had ten thousand reasons to live. And her death made it all come to naught!" Agra in ghost wolf form looked at him unhappily, "How do you know this is not her destiny? What she did was not what she was born to do? Only she knows. If she survives, maybe The same thing won’t move you the same way. It’s arrogance to believe you know everything. You could be right, but you could also be wrong.” Her words silenced him.He had been wracked with guilt ever since he saw the horror shown to him by Aedelas Blackmoore beheading Taretha. Nightmare hit him with the thought: What else could I have done. But there's really nothing he can do about it.Now, for the first time, he was forced to consider that what had happened might be... right.Painful, horrible, painful.But maybe it's... right. He can never forget her.Can never stop thinking about her.But the guilt has dissipated. "To you," Agra continued, as he stood silently trying to understand the change in his heart, "she is the blessing of the Spirit of Water in your life. At this moment, this woman— Go'el, this is when the elements enter your life." He tried to say something, and all he could say was, "Thank you." The mist began to swirl beneath the feet of the past figure.Though he hadn't wanted to relive the event at first, now that it was about to slip away, Thrall wanted to speak up, praying for a few more moments with Taretha.But he knew it was the bittersweet gift of the elements, along with the realization that Agra had brought him. Farewell, dear Teresa.Your life was a blessing, your death was not in vain, and there are not many in this world who can say that.You will be remembered forever.And now I can let you rest in my heart. The elements have more to show him. The fog swirled and blurred his vision, and then he saw a past self again.It was a winter, and he was with the Frostwolf clan.He and Drek'Thar sat by the fire, holding out their hands.Drek'Thar was no longer young at this time, but his mind was still sharp.Now Thrall looked at his friend and mentor, feeling a little sad in his heart.His old self was engrossed in listening to Drek'Thar spouting about the shaman's connection to the elements.Snow falls softly.Even though Thrall is just watching now, he feels tranquility and concentration, and feels that the heartache caused by Taresa's phantom before has eased a little. "Practice," he said, understanding for the first time where the word came from. "Like the earth. It's a gift from the spirit of the earth, isn't it?" The wolf Agra turned into nodded, and added with some bitterness from the past, "You didn't find out until now? There is no doubt that you have made trouble." Thrall found he wasn't irritated this time, just amused.Perhaps, he thought, this is the calmness and firmness brought by the spirit of the earth circulating in his heart.Suddenly the mist rose again and obliterated the scene in front of him. It seemed to Thrall that it was too fast this time.But he also understood that the earth was already with him.To be able to return to this place of inner peace anytime he needed to make...he laughed...to ground himself. Only one element remains.Only then did he understand that the Trial of Visions was supposed to show him how the elements were one with him, in his heart. He has grasped the fiery passion of battle, the loving nature of water, and the calm and steadfastness of earth.But he's also curious about how the air will be presented. The mist coalesced, then cleared, and he saw himself in Grommash Hold.It was late at night, but the braziers, torches, and oil lamps provided more than enough light and warmth.He stood before a table spread out with maps and wrapped scrolls, and beside him stood his dear old friend Cairne Bloodhoof. He couldn't time it for a while like other scenes, because it had happened so many times over the past few years.He smiled as he and Kane talked about negotiations, territorial rights, and treaties.Together they face difficulties and seek solutions.The scene changed quickly, and now he was with Jaina, and they were talking about peace and how to make it happen.And this has happened many times as well. Apart from concern for the safety of the tribe, there were no strong emotions.There is neither deep-seated persistence nor burning passion for results.During these times with Jaina or Cairne, Thrall used his mind rather than his physical strength or emotions.This is a rational and wise conversation - about new beginnings, new hopes. Thrall nodded, suddenly realizing.Of course, air is the element that represents clear thinking, inspiration, insight and new beginnings.When the orcs arrived on Kalimdor, he established a new beginning with Cairne and made a tentative peace with Jaina Proudmoore.It's all through dialogue and deliberation.Although one doesn't expect orcs to do this, Thrall has cultivated this trait throughout his life—from devouring books as a teenager to now making the difficult decision to leave his world for Outland, where Come to Nagrand. He smiled slightly, and when the scene began to fade, he let it fade away.Because he knows that with the spirit of the air, there is always something new happening to challenge or inspire him. In this strange place where nothing is there, he waited quietly with Agra in ghost wolf form.Or a manifestation of the fifth element, that elusive spark that connects the shaman with other elements; or some omen that could help him.Time passed, but nothing happened.Thrall began to feel anxious.Finally he turned to Agra in bewilderment.His voice echoed in the void, "Can I save Azeroth? Can I save the Horde?" The fog suddenly cleared.Thrall saw himself wearing the black armor that Orgrim Doomhammer had given him to represent the leader of the Horde.He held the great weapon of the dead orc in his hand, and looked like a full-fledged warrior from head to toe.But there was fear in his green face—fear, and a terrible sense of loss.The Doomhammer suddenly broke into several pieces, and shot out in all directions like a bullet from a barrel.The armor shattered and fell, and Thrall fell to his knees, wearing only his current clothes—a simple brown novice robe. "No," Thrall said softly.He awoke suddenly to find a dark orc face bent over him, beautifully painted on it, with kind eyes and wide, smiling lips between sharp canine teeth.He reached out and took her arm. "Agra. I've failed! Or should I say, I'm about to finish! They show—" "Shh," she comforted, shaking her head calmly at his panic. "They're showing you a picture. It's up to you to decide what it means." He tried to stand up, but stopped dizzily.She gently helped him sit down. "I think that's clear enough." "I've seen it too," she said. "Trust me, the clearest visions are often the most puzzling. But—there's a way to find out. I think I'm ready to meet Wrath of the Elements You are ready. You have completed the Trial of Visions. You now know yourself to be in harmony with the elements within. You are ready." "Will they help me understand that last vision?" She shrugged. "Probably not. It doesn't hurt anyway, eh, doesn't it?" He couldn't help laughing.He needed her tongue-in-cheek abruptness. "when?" "Tomorrow," said Agra, "tomorrow."