Velen : Prophet ' s Lesson Velen : Prophet ' s Lesson is a short story in the " Leaders of the Alliance " series by Marc Hutcheson that covers experiences surrounding Velen as he teaches the young Anduin Wrynn during the aftermath of the Cataclysm . Velen : Prophet ' s Lesson . The Seat of the Naaru ' s soaring energies inspired inner peace from the most bloodthirsty of warrior pilgrims , awe from even the most jaded of Azeroth ' s inhabitants . The figure floating before the Seat had long taken comfort from this column of Light . Velen looked out from his meditation chamber , seeking insight . . . in all the connections , great and small , where he might perceive the lines of the future . For the past several months , those lines had increasingly felt fragmented . As the Prophet of the draenei meditated — his legs crossed beneath him , his hands resting on his ancient knees — the crystals that reflected his energies glowed and pulsed and swirled around him , not in patterns but in chaos . And the visions , the endless possibilities of tomorrows , assaulted him . " A weary , bedraggled gnome pulled a strange contraption through the dusts of Outland , leaving twin ruts that snaked endlessly in the dunes behind her . Ethereals , their energies wrapped in cloth , simply watched her struggle , neither helping nor impeding the gnome ' s hard - fought progress . " " Vindicator Maraad battled an unseen foe with his gargantuan crystalline hammer and then fell to his knees , a lance of blackest darkness thrust through his chest , oily , diseased smoke trailing the weapon ' s edge . " " The sky - filling , armored form of Deathwing flew across a burned world and landed on a charred , broken tree so vast it could only be Nordrassil , while supplicants draped in dark - purple robes lined up and threw themselves into a volcanic crack in the earth . " " Med ' an — the Guardian of Tirisfal — wept , the tears out of place on his orc - tinged features , his eyes so vulnerable and hurt that the sight of them would have broken the heart of any other . " But not Velen . The Prophet had long ago learned detachment from his visions lest they drive him mad . The third eye of prophecy had been with him so long that having premonitions was like breathing . The ata ' mal crystal shards had transformed him into a sentinel of alternate universes without end , sometimes down to their very eclipses in darkness , or ice , or fire . Velen didn ' t sorrow for these futures or mourn their extinctions or shout in exaltation at their triumphs . He merely read them , watched their woven tapestries , looking for the roads that led to ultimate triumph , where life and the Light battled back the dark and saved everything from annihilation . What mattered the minor events prized by most mortals — even his own draenei — measured against the awesome responsibility of ensuring the survival of creation ? Velen searched among the debris of the rapidly moving images , trying to seize onto something , find a marker for the path . But it eluded him . Anduin Wrynn knelt in the soft earth , his hands resting on a lasher , one of the few remaining mutations resulting from the " Exodar " ' s crash on Azeroth . Two draenei flanked the creature , restraining it for the prince , their gentle might keeping it from wriggling free and fleeing the channeled Light in the young boy ' s hands . The draenei had once made it their mission to mend the damage their destructive appearance in the world had wrought , but when the majority of the work had been completed , they ' d found their powers were needed elsewhere — first in the war against the Burning Legion , then in the march on the Lich King ' s icy domain , and now . . . in the aftermath of the Cataclysm . Some of the twisted monstrosities had been overlooked in the confusion , tragically wandering in madness and pain , diverted from their original purpose by a terrible accident . The first time Anduin had glimpsed one , he ' d felt not disgust but sorrow . " I have to help . I have to try . " At the first break in his lessons with Velen , the prince had raced off into the wilds of Azuremyst Isle , his draenei escorts rushing in his wake . Now they served as crude bonds while he beseeched the Light to heal the mutant , to calm its madness . Anduin didn ' t understand what was wrong with the thing . He didn ' t need to . The " Light " knew . Its power moved through the young prince , using him as its channel to set aright the creature writhing under his hands . The act of healing always made Anduin feel like the key in a lock , the tool applied to its proper use , and he ' d proven his talents to himself in his time with the draenei . His confidence had waxed under the tutelage of the ancient race , particularly under the instruction of the Ageless One , the Prophet . " Whether or not you see it , Father , I was right . Magni was right . This is my calling . " The thought saddened him . He loved his father , but the gulf between Varian and Anduin , both in temperament and experience , was too great . " Why can ' t you see , Father ? I ' m not like you . And what ' s wrong with that ? Isn ' t there something to be learned from our differences ? From me ? " For his part , Anduin regretted their falling - out . His father insisted on treating him like a child , when the Prophet , Magni , and others clearly saw him differently , acknowledged his budding worth . Anduin and his father had argued during the Alliance summit at Darnassus , and Varian had laid hands on him , hurting his arm with a vice - like grip . The proudest moment of Anduin ' s life had followed when , in the aftermath of that argument , the Prophet had spoken to him in his soft preternatural tones , inviting him to study at the " Exodar " as his ward . " Why couldn ' t you see I had to go , Father ? Why didn ' t you see the honor in this invitation ? " Anduin wrenched his attention back to the present , away from distracting self - pity and toward the need of the lasher . He made a vow to himself in the next heartbeat that he ' d never lose his awe of this experience . Healing was too often seen as a commonplace thing , a miracle made mundane , but Anduin knew the Light , healing ' s source , didn ' t see it that way . Every life , " every " life , a miracle . Before the prince now was a beautiful , broad - petaled plant - creature , purple and green , upright and strong . The draenei released their hold on it . One of them bowed in recognition of what the boy had done . Anduin heard a disturbance behind him and started , awakening fully from the healing trance to realize he was sitting on his royal behind in the mud . " Very dignified " , Anduin thought . " Father ' d be thrilled . " The prince sprang to his feet . Facing him was a heavily armored , tall draenei — a Shield , one of Velen ' s personal guards . " The Prophet has asked to see you , Prince Anduin , " was all he said . The refugees had arrived in lost humility at first , in ones and twos , by leaky boat and makeshift raft , risking the unknown to flee the horribly known . Rumor had spread that the draenei withstood the breaking of the world , that refuge could be found on Azuremyst Isle . And rumor was better than the reality most of these exiles faced . In the beginning , the draenei had aided as they could , giving the refugees a place outside the " Exodar " , healing them , and sharing food and water . But then the outcasts had begun sending out word to find their friends and families , and the call echoed throughout Kalimdor : " The Prophet holds Azuremyst safe . The Prophet foresaw the Cataclysm and will make everything right . " The ones and twos became tens and twenties . . . and then hundreds . Now , the refugee camp boasted a thousand exiles , and the draenei found that the need had outgrown their will and capacity to provide . The whispers in the camp eventually took a darker tone . " The Prophet won ' t see us . The draenei keep him hidden in the vaults of their ship . They look like hoofed demons , do they not ? " Anduin had spent time among the refugees , healing as he could , encouraging faith in the eternal Light , counseling and leading in quiet ways that often left adults astounded in his presence . . . and a little disturbed when he wasn ' t around . The prince had asked many times why these wayward souls failed to seek the protection of his father , of the strength of Stormwind . They would answer with sideways eyes , naming his father a great and true king but saying he lacked the Prophet ' s ability to see the future . " No offense intended , " their tone said , " but your father ' s just a man . The Prophet is more than that . " After a while , by piecing together many discussions as if he were solving a puzzle , Anduin realized the refugees ' actions were not simply predicated on reverence for a prophet they ' d never met . These people were from the edges of society . For them , the rightful order of government was something to be feared rather than sought as a protector . Eventually , the prince stopped asking questions . And so , he was a familiar face as he was escorted through the camp to his audience with Velen . Familiar and yet not one of them . He felt the distance , a gap born of his royal blood , his strength in the Light , and the trauma of his childhood . Sometimes , he was a little wistful that he wasn ' t more . . . normal . But he was beginning to sense , as he rushed toward the challenges and strange energies of puberty , that the differences were necessary . He had a unique role to fill , that of leading and protecting his people , and it was neither a privilege nor a font of personal power . It was a duty . The refugees were all human . Undoubtedly , the dwarves were too proud to forsake their homelands ; the night elves were undaunted even by Deathwing ' s rage ; and the gnomes were . . . well , gnomes . What fear could they have of molten fire and earthquakes when an explosion was always just a malfunction away ? The refugees were afraid , hungry , and sick . Fevers raged among them with regularity , and the young prince would use his talents when epidemics swept the camp . Given his efforts , he found it impossible not to be stung by the comments he heard as he passed a group of refugees sitting in a circle , doing nothing useful beyond idle conversation . " Alien ' s pet , " one said . " The Prophet sees the boy but refuses us ? " was the reply . The rest of the exchange was lost as he walked past . Anduin spent a lot of time observing people , quietly watching the movements of their souls in their faces . And in many of the exiles ' eyes , he saw the same accusation he ' d heard aloud just moments before . The talk of the camp was against him , and it was difficult to suppress his resentment . " I ' ve done nothing but help , " the prince thought . But then , an unwelcome doubt came . " Why doesn ' t Velen see them ? " The memories of frosted air and the dead north gradually lost their grip on the gryphon rider as he flew through the warm climes of Kalimdor . The gryphon ' s burden was both heavier and quieter than what the beast was accustomed to . Usually , the earthbound were either awed by the new perspective of flight or frightened by the soaring and maneuvers that were commonplace among those who flew . Even if the typical traveler said little aloud , small noises and tension in the legs spoke volumes to the sensitive , observant gryphon . In contrast , serenity and stillness . . . these were the nature of his current rider . Someone who had seen scores of worlds and warred against the Burning Legion in an endless conflict would find nothing noteworthy in flight across Azeroth . Vindicator Maraad had preoccupations that overshadowed the beauty of the view . The north was secure ; the darkness of the Lich King , vanquished ; and now it was time to turn his energy elsewhere . He ' d heard of the return of the Destroyer , of the devastation Azeroth faced , but he was draenei ; what did a threat to a single world mean to him ? The Legion stalked the Twisting Nether , was still presumably destroying any life the demonic army encountered . As he flew over Azuremyst by moonslight , he was shocked to see myriad tiny lights mirroring , poorly , the stars above . For just a moment , in a strange fancy of thought , Maraad saw the lights as their own little worlds before he corrected himself and glanced upward . The heavens were his concern . Always . Was this an army camped near the " Exodar " ? Why hadn ' t he been told ? The gryphon flew through a metal portal in the " Exodar " ' s hull and was taken in hand by the hippogryph master Stephanos . Stephanos bowed slightly . " Congratulations on the victory in the north , Vindicator . It is good to see you home . " " Home ? There is no home for us , brother . Not truly . We are the wanderers of the universe , the exiles of lost Argus . We should never forget that . What are the campfires I witnessed on the way here ? Has an army dared our isle ? " " No , Vindicator . They are refugees fleeing the horrors of the Cataclysm . They hope the Prophet will deliver them . " Maraad frowned , an expression that sat strangely on his features . " As do we all , brother . " The vindicator didn ' t wait for a response . He moved quickly and with purpose straight toward the Seat and then , without pausing , in the direction of Velen ' s chambers . His hooves echoed on the crystalline floor with each step , and as he passed the two Shields standing guard before the entranceway , Maraad looked for anything suggesting a lack of vigilance . " Never again , " he thought . " Draenor was enough . " It wasn ' t until he reached the doorway to the Prophet ' s receiving room that one of the Shields broke his statuelike pose . The guard stepped forward , blocking the way . This was not unexpected . " I am Vindicator Maraad , formerly of the Alliance command in Northrend , " Maraad ritually uttered . " I seek audience with the Prophet . " " The Prophet is seeing no one , Vindicator Maraad . I am sorry I must deny you after your long journey . " Now " this " was unexpected . " It is still early in the eve . You are saying the Prophet " refuses " to see me ? I have come all the way from Northrend , and you have not even asked him . " The Shield was clearly uncomfortable . " Again , my apologies , Vindicator . He is seeing no one at the moment . " " Should I return in the morning ? " " I advise against it , Vindicator . The Prophet has granted audience to no one but the human prince for many weeks . I will take note of your visit and summon you when his mandate changes . " Maraad regarded the Shield for several moments , the vindicator ' s thoughts inscrutable , before returning the way he ' d come . Anduin stood before his mentor in contemplative silence . It was impossible to truly understand the age and wisdom of Velen , so in the manner of the young , the prince simply accepted him as a given force of nature — like the sun or moons . The Prophet ' s back was turned to him , and Velen levitated in a meditative pose the boy had seen many times in the previous weeks . " Why didn ' t you warn the world about the Cataclysm ? " Anduin blurted out . The turned back didn ' t shift position . There was neither a twitch nor a slouch to betray the thoughts of Velen , but something hung in the quiet following the question , something " heavy " . " I watch for the path , for the Light to illumine our way past the Legion and its destructive mission . I alone can see the path . I alone can reveal it to the forces of the Light . " Anduin reflected on what he ' d just heard . " It seems a terrible burden . " The Prophet spun slowly in the air to face the prince . " That is why I travel the paths of tomorrow . The Legion and the Old Gods burn holes in the fabric of the future , and if I can see them , can prepare the mortal races , we may yet avert disaster . " " What if you fail ? " Velen ' s ageless serenity cracked for a moment , replaced for a fleeting instant with pain and sorrow in overwhelming measure , made all the more frightening by the calm before and after . " Let me show you something , " the ancient draenei whispered . He unfolded himself and drifted closer to the ground . Still floating a few inches above the metal flooring of the " Exodar " , the Prophet closed the distance and placed his hand on the prince ' s brow . " I am sorry . But it is necessary , " the Prophet said . " The " Exodar " fell away , and there were only vast stretches of darkness punctuated by lights and mystic energies . Then , a sudden rush , and Anduin stood on strange ground under an unfamiliar sky . There were four prominent moons competing for his attention , an amber atmosphere , and rock formations made from the blue - tinted ground twisting in a thousand different ways . Anduin couldn ' t see any water , but the colored rock gave the impression of warring waves suddenly frozen at the whim of some godlike artist . There were creatures scattered over the terrain and swirling through the sky , so varied and other that they defied description . Colors and different means of locomotion and patterns formed from dance or play or war . . . little of it made any sense , and Anduin was simply left struggling to grasp the wonderful abstract chaos of it all . " " And the Light ! He could feel it surrounding him , as strong as anywhere in Azeroth , pulsing and shining through the alien creatures . " " The sky darkened . First to an angry red that invaded the amber skies like a premonition of doom . After a few moments , the color began to shift to an ever - more - nauseating shade of green . Flaring comets screamed from the diseased heavens and struck the earth , sending all the poor creatures scattering in panic . The comets stood up from their craters , towering and terrible , and began to rain down death with ruthless efficiency . A rip opened in the air near the prince , and a flood of horror spilled out : winged demons and alluring succubi wielding greenish - yellow fire and powerful magic , destroying everything in their path . After the dark army had finished its deployment , a gigantic form walked through the rift , and it looked too much like the draenei for the prince not to notice . " " This last being leveled the rock sculptures around him , clearing a space where he could kneel in the dust made from his destruction and draw symbols of dread power with his clawed finger . When he finished , there was a moment of perfect quiet as the slaughter halted and the entire world waited in horrified stillness . " " And then , an explosion . " " The unleashed energies ripped the world ' s surface apart , and Anduin found himself crying out and throwing his arms up in terror , but the magics moved right through him without harm . The Legion marched back into the portal , returning to the dark nexus of the demons ' dwelling , and in their wake was left . . . nothing . Nothing alive , at any rate . Even the wondrous rock formations — Anduin would never know if they were natural or carved by the alien life he ' d witnessed — were no more . There was only ash and broken matter . Even the sky was clouded , no longer allowing a clear view of the four moons . " Then , mercifully , the vision ended . Anduin stood before the Prophet once again , and although he fought the impulse and was angry with himself , he wept . " There is no shame in mourning so much lost , " Velen said gently . " What world was it ? When did this happen ? " the prince asked through his tears . " I do not know its name . Its inhabitants did not speak in ways we understand , and none of the mortal races from this world ever walked there . I call it Fanlin ' Deskor : Amber Skies over Wondrous Rock . Given that I doubt the Legion records its victims — or even deigns to recall them — we are likely the only ones in the universe who know it existed at all . " " How sad , " Anduin said . " Yes . Light willing , when the last victory is won , I will sit in a tower built on one of the lost worlds , and I will record them all as my penance . " " Penance ? For what ? What have you done but help , Velen ? " " I failed long ago to turn my brothers from their course . And creation has paid the price . " Velen waved that line of discussion away , returning to the purpose of showing Anduin the vision . " But my intent was to illustrate for you the consequences of defeat . As terrible as the Cataclysm has proven , as formidable an enemy as Deathwing may be , our war is a far greater struggle . It is not just a single world we defend , but them all . " Anduin always knew his lessons were at an end when the Prophet resumed his meditative posture and stared out at the energies of the Seat . As the prince opened the chamber ' s door and began to slide out , one final pronouncement from the Prophet followed him from the room . " And , young one , it is a terrible burden . " The matter - of - fact tone of those last words haunted Anduin through the rest of the day and well into the night . He tossed and turned , fighting the sleep that he usually found easy to come by . When he finally succumbed , his dreams were sharply seen , vividly witnessed . " Demonic fires and broken worlds hurtled through a black sky devoid of suns or moons . All the lights of the universe were dark , as if a sanctuary ' s candles had been blown out by the cold kiss of the wind . And yet — more than the absence of light — it was the silence that disturbed Anduin . A living universe should not — could not — be so quiet . " " The first thought that entered his mind as he observed the end of days was that he would never see his father again . . . or have the chance to reconcile the chasm that now stood between them . And then , extending that idea with the empathy ingrained in his nature , Anduin considered that no son anywhere in the universe would ever be able to tell a father that he was loved , or say the healing words " I ' m sorry . " Beyond the silence and the snuffed - out stars , it was the death of possibility , of hope , that was the deepest horror . " " And then , a sound . At first it was merely a vibration in the night , yet even that slight disturbance of the air was pure and strong and clean . A glow began , then several ; the vibration became many , all in different tones , and the sights and sounds coalesced into an ascending tide of rainbow and melody . Beings of Light surrounded Anduin , rescuing him from the dark and singing to him of hope in a chorus that restored the universe . " " In the midst of it all , the face of one of the refugees appeared , a man the prince had seen many times but whose name he did not know . The beings around Anduin said ( sang ) , " Each life , a universe . " " He awoke , sweating , his hair matted from the intensity of the dream ( " Vision , it was a vision . . . " ) , and yet he was comforted by what he ' d seen . He fell asleep again , to mercifully unremarkable dreams . Maraad stood in a large circular room with glowing runes carved into the curved walls . Three ancient ( though unbowed ) draenei dominated the center of the chamber , their graceful , beautiful armor polished to a bright sheen . Surrounding them were several paladins and vindicators , all deferring to the three in subtle ways , their obedience derived from a pyramid of authority that tolerated no ego at either its top or its base . These three were the Triumvirate of the Hand — Boros , Kuros , and Aesom — and the others in the room were the draenei elite : the Hand of Argus . Maraad had learned since his arrival that the Triumvirate had returned to the " Exodar " , just as he had , in an effort to reconnect with their brethren on Azeroth , to determine the next course of their race in the wake of recent events . It had been far too long since Maraad had appeared before the Triumvirate , had sat in council with the leadership of the draenei . He had forgotten how ordered and measured the discourse was among them , how comforting the conversation in its reasonable ebb and flow — without the verbal games and unpredictable reactions of the other races of the Alliance . The contrast was driven home full force when the lengthy discussion of the refugees and their plight was quietly interrupted by Vindicator Romnar . Romnar headed the efforts to repair the draenei ' s dimension - faring ship , the " Exodar " , and as the debate wound in a polite but indecisive circle around how to deal with the growing influx of foreigners to the isle , he said : " All this may prove moot soon enough . The " Exodar " is nearly repaired . " An announcement that momentous , had it been stated aboard the " Skybreaker " among the Alliance leadership in Northrend , would ' ve landed like a lightning bolt , and everyone would ' ve started verbally jostling at once . Instead , the news was greeted with pleased smiles , and a single hand was laid on Romnar ' s shoulder . " Well done , " the mood in the room spoke . " ' Nearly ' means when ? " Maraad questioned . " A week . We have already repaired all the key systems . Now we are just cleaning up and bolstering any areas of apparent weakness . " " We could awaken our ship within " the week " ? What does the Prophet say to this ? " Maraad asked . Uncomfortable silence reigned . " He does not know ? " Maraad said , incredulous . " He refuses to see any of us , " Aesom responded . " A message was left with the Shields , but we have heard no return word . " " Am I the only one disturbed by this ? " Maraad asked , silently wanting to take the words back even as he said them . " I have been too long away from the " Exodar , he thought . " Of course " they were all disturbed . Their quiet signaled not approval , but worry . " What does one do when it seems " the Prophet " has gone astray ? " Before anyone could speak , a draenei whose name was unknown to Maraad interrupted . " The refugees are at our gates . They demand to see the Prophet . " " As do we all , " Maraad thought in sour humor . " Why didn ' t you warn the world about the Cataclysm ? " The simple , logical question of a mortal child echoed accusingly throughout the silent chamber , distracting the Prophet from his contemplation of the Light . Velen had evaded rather than answered , obscured instead of illuminating . He was surprised at himself . " Am I still capable of deception ? Even after all this time ? Both within and without ? " Why would a " prophet " not warn of calamity ? He had seen it . The armored shadow of night looming over Azeroth , darkening the world with fire and pain . He ' d also seen the end of Azeroth in a dozen apocalypses , glimpsed a thousand smaller victories and failings throughout the winding futures . And the Light — the lodestone , the compass , the sense that helped him navigate the uncertain seas of his visions — had not pointed directly to the Cataclysm , had left Deathwing ' s destructive return a possibility among many . What good was a prophet who saw no difference between the true vision and the false ? Velen did his best to push the child ' s question from his mind and return his thoughts to recovering his ability to pick the truth from his endless visions . . . before he was driven mad or it simply became too late . When the Shield who served as sentinel to his chambers begged an audience , yet again , for the Triumvirate , Velen didn ' t answer . " He ' d seen the " Exodar " repaired and heading into the Nether , swallowed by darkness and never to return . " " He ' d seen the " Exodar " seemingly repaired and exploding upon its launch , killing most of the draenei and laying waste to Azuremyst . " " He ' d seen the " Exodar " landing in Outland , the draenei healing their former home in exile . " " He ' d seen the draenei repair their dimensional vessel , only to leave it moored on Azeroth . Sometimes that led to shadow , and sometimes not . " Velen wouldn ' t trade in " educated guesses " . Without the Light to point the way , he felt frozen . " Let the Triumvirate decide , " he thought . When there were no further outward distractions , he returned to the inward , desperately seeking the path . Maraad stood by and did his best to hide his disgust . Most of his dealings with humans to this point had been with the sometimes impetuous but always courageous Alliance heroes in Northrend . It was hard to believe these ragged creatures — many of them missing teeth , all missing courtesy and the intellect expected of a sentient — were of the same race as those humans he ' d marched beside . " We wants to see the Prophet , " one of them gurgled from a malformed face in barely recognizable Common . " He ' ll sets it all aright . " " " This " is your appointed spokesman ? " Maraad couldn ' t help asking aloud . His thinly veiled insult went unheard , unremarked upon . " The Prophet is seeing no one , friend . We also seek his wise counsel in these dark times . He will speak when he chooses to , " an " Exodar " peacekeeper said . " A lie . He sees the Stormwind prince ! " " Prince Anduin is studying the ways of the Light under the Prophet ' s tutelage . You should be honored — humbled , even — that the Ageless One teaches one of your kind . Who knows what great boon to your people may come of it ? " " Ar ' gance ! Who ' re ya to tell us we needs be humbled , eh ? " Who ' re ya ? " , Hoofed demon , says I ! " There could be no worse insult than to remind the draenei of their kinship to the eredar of the Legion . The peacekeeper ' s eyes narrowed dangerously , and his hand moved to the glowing crystalline sword at his side . At the gesture , Maraad found himself reaching for the handle of his great hammer , and several other draenei drew themselves up and leaned toward the ragtag " delegation . " Maraad saw the humans instinctively draw back . Even if what passed for their conscious minds was fool enough , the animal in them sensed better . The peacekeeper visibly relaxed and withdrew his hand , recognizing the refugees ' fright . " I know you are far from your homes . You are hungry and the future is uncertain . In such straits , you are wise to seek the counsel of our prophet . Believe me , friend , when I say I would like nothing better than for him to address your concerns . But understand this : " his ways are infinite . " He will come to you , or not , as he will , but he will not be compelled . I advise you to return to your homes in the encampment . " " What homes ? These not ' r homes , " came the sullen reply . The contingent slinked off , muttering and with dark expressions . The humans had nearly come to blows with their hosts , and they all knew it . " What right have " they " to speak of exile to " us " ? " the peacekeeper said in quiet awe . " What right , indeed ? " Maraad answered . Surrounded by the Hand of Argus and its leadership , Maraad was outspoken with his opinion . " The Prophet will not share his wisdom with us . The decision is ours . Let us take the war to the Legion ! Or , failing that , return to poor , tortured Outland and complete the work to set it aright . Our second home needs us , as do the Lost Ones still wandering the wastes . " Maraad was met with silence from the Triumvirate , but he could sense agreement in the minute movements of face and body , which betrayed the leaders ' thoughts . There was a sense of uneasiness , though , and the vindicator knew its origin . . . because he shared it . " The Prophet should speak , should bless our resolve . " " In one week ' s time we will test the phase pistons of the " Exodar " . And if the Prophet has not spoken by then , we will leave Azeroth behind ! " " How go your lessons , Anduin ? Is your understanding progressing ? " For months , the prince had been gratified by the attention afforded him , thrilled at the chance to learn from the being closest to the Light in all of Azeroth . But now , with Velen ' s unhurried , quiet questions echoing in his head , resentment flared up . " Don ' t you know what ' s happening out there ? " Anduin asked . " There is always " something " happening " out there " , " returned the soft voice . It was gently said , but its undertones held an edge nonetheless . " My concern is with the path . " " What " is " the path ? A distant war on some far - flung world ? You ' re needed " here " . Needed " now " . Is that why you never warned of the Cataclysm ? Was it just beneath your notice ? Are we all insects to you ? Or , worse , chess pieces ? " It ' d been an age since someone dared rebuke the Prophet . He spun to face the prince , surprised , as he often was when it came to humans , by how quickly the child seemed to be becoming a man , by the adult in the words hurled at him . And as soon as Anduin came into view , the world " changed " . " Instead of the prince , an armored warrior stood before him , his plate helm and breastplate shining with the essence of the Light itself . The warrior wielded a sword forged from the same material as the armor , held it aloft as he perched on an outcropping . . . Whether it was on another world or Azeroth , Velen couldn ' t quite tell . And suddenly the dark sky above erupted with the combined chivalry of Azeroth ' s races . The blood elves , orcs , trolls , tauren , and even the accursed undead and scheming goblins rode flying mounts of every sort and description . They were armored and armed in magical weaponry glowing with so much power it hurt Velen ' s eyes to look at them . Beside the legions of the Horde , the ancient night elves charged with humans , dwarves , and gnomes , whose ancestors formed the original Alliance , and the shape - changing worgen were united with them . Velen ' s own draenei bolstered the army , their ranks adorned in otherworldly metals and bearing crystalline maces and swords . " " The Alliance and Horde were not alone . " " Dragons swooped and soared in formations that made the sky resemble a giant multicolored , reptilian wing . They blanketed the horizon with their physical size and numbers , and when they roared a challenge , it shook not just the earth Velen stood on , but the universe as well . " " And yet , for all this , the greatest shock to Velen ' s senses came as he saw those that flew just beyond the army of dragons . The naaru had taken the field , so many that Velen didn ' t understand how creation could contain them . The power of these beings of Light filled Velen ' s heart with hope , swept away the lonely centuries , and left him in wonder that he could ever despair , that the dark , no matter how terrible , could ever truly reign . " " And then a shadow fell . " " It was vast and empty and swallowed all light that entered it . Velen knew it would be all consuming until , at last , it would turn and devour itself , endlessly gnawing on nothing in the Great Dark Beyond , removing all meaning from the universe , from the most heart - breaking sonata to the most arresting sunset . It was too terrible to see , to comprehend , and yet the army headed straight for it . And the light began to fade . . . " Standing before the Prophet was only a human man - child , eyes wide and passionate , saying something unintelligible to him . The Prophet turned his back on Anduin , his mind clawing toward the Light , reaching for the thread of the vision he ' d witnessed , trying to see the path amid the fractured possibilities . He was forcefully reminded of the weeks leading up to the Cataclysm . He didn ' t notice when the prince left his chambers . The week passed in tension for the refugees . The draenei were occupied with their own concerns , preparing to test their beloved ship and worrying over the silence of the Prophet . The exiles noted the increased activity and could feel something in the air . Their ignorance of the whys only fed their darker thoughts and rumormongering . There were a few voices that reminded the others of the kindnesses done for them by the draenei , but it was ever the nature of mortals to suspect and fear what was not understood , and the hooves and blue skin of their patrons ultimately counted far more than the supplies and healing they ' d lent . Very few refugees asked themselves , even in the quiet dark as they lay safely within the protection of Azuremyst Isle , how the draenei might ' ve been treated had they fled to other Alliance shores , seeking aid . And so , when the enormous structure named " Exodar " began to hum and vibrate , when the very air turned electric around them , the refugees ' instincts told them what their intelligence couldn ' t : the ship was working . " The draenei are leaving ! " enough of them thought for panic to infect the camp . " They take the Prophet with them ! " The unseen had become a savior to the refugees , the Prophet a talisman against the horrors of the Cataclysm . Like most mobs , this one had no single leader , and there was no moment that could be pointed to when fear and worry boiled over into action . And yet , almost the entire camp found itself surging recklessly toward the " Exodar " . How did one answer the call of centuries , the challenge to see each day anew and not as a repetition of banality that could only end in sorrow ? The heaviest burden for the being who had been only Velen and was now the Prophet — a force , a myth , an abstraction — was the loneliness of higher comprehension . He could not unsee the seen . And he knew this weariness , this lack of daily conviction , was his once brethren ' s greatest weapon against him . " Have you tired of the death you bring worlds ? " Velen wondered of his lost friend Kil ' jaeden . " Do you ever doubt , in the blackness of your soul , the choices you have made ? " Yet these were old worries , ancient musings . " In one possible future , he ' d seen a successive Lich King rise from the Frozen Throne , even more terrible than Arthas or Ner ' zhul , and sweep across the land with thousands of skeletal warriors in his wake . When the Legion returned , it was to a world already dead , and the demons laughed and played with the unnaturally risen draenei — all to spite Velen for the chase he ' d led across the universe . " " He ' d seen the maddened Earth - Warder , the Destroyer , burn the world and then begin to contemplate the deaths of his own children , the black dragonflight , to slake his psychopathic need to end things . " " Please , " he begged of the Light . " Show me the path . " The mob had lost all intelligence because of its numbers , all reason in the crowd ' s passions . The draenei tried to parley , but to no avail , and when the alarm sounded and the paladins , vindicators , priests , and magi took the field against the rabble , the tragically predictable happened . The defenders were faced with an impossible choice : fight only to subdue and push back , risking death at the hands of a lesser foe ; or slay allies they had no wish to kill . War was a thing to be engaged in completely or not at all , and the draenei were reminded of this when Vindicator Romnar fell beneath the surge as he made his way to the gates to investigate what disturbance his tests had caused . The vindicator was grievously wounded by the mob before the other draenei were able to pull him behind their lines to safety . Seeing Romnar go down brought back memories to Maraad of battling the undead , and his crystalline hammer no longer merely parried but began to come down with crushing force on the invaders . Once he had cut loose the bonds of mercy , the rest of the draenei followed , and the beginnings of a slaughter were writ in the blood of the refugees . " Prophet ! You must come ! You must ! " Anduin cried out to Velen ' s levitating back . The panic in the boy ' s voice cut through the visions , and Velen wrenched his attention to the present , spun to face his charge . " What has happened ? " Velen asked in his ageless tone . " The refugees are mobbing the " Exodar " . " Your " people are attacking them ! Attacking " innocents " . " Velen felt it . The path . There were two forks , and he could see the child leading him down one . At the end of the other was shadow . Such a burden , that so much could turn on small choices . Was this , then , the meaning of his earlier vision ? That the marker to lead Velen out from the wilderness , back to the Light ' s road , lay with the child ? " What does your war matter to those fighting outside ? " the boy yelled . And then , recalling his dream , he said , " " Every " life is a universe ! " " Have I lost myself so much ? " Velen wondered . " I must be taught by a mortal child ? " And then the answer came from the depths of his soul : " The Light ' s lessons are a boon no matter their origin . " " I will come , " Velen said . The adversaries were locked in a desperate struggle that blotted out all other concerns . The refugees knew they had made a terrible error , and it was too late to undo it . They fought from a need to survive , to rectify their mistake . For the draenei , their understanding of what they were doing , the horror of slaying not just allies but also those weaker than themselves , lent the defenders a tragic , self - hating fury . It would take no small thing to halt the carnage . Velen was no small thing . The world erupted in Light , blinding the mob and defenders alike , a runic , geometric sunburst that illuminated rather than obscured the figure suspended in its midst . The Prophet ' s crystal blazed beside him , and his voice roared , forcing some of the combatants to their knees . " " Enough ! " " The draenei stopped , most of them relieved , several of them dropping their weapons to the earth in horror . The refugees froze at the sight of the mythic Prophet in the flesh before them . Velen descended until he hovered among them mere inches from the blood - soaked soil of Azuremyst . " This is how we treat our brethren ? " Velen asked his people in sorrow . Many of the draenei wept in shame when they heard his disappointment . Maraad was unmoved . " And you , who enjoy our aid , our hospitality , strike your friends without provocation ? " How could any of the combatants stand before the accusation in those forever eyes ? The Prophet lowered himself to the muddied , trampled , bloodied ground , his hooves touching down . There was a collective gasp from the other draenei as the muck stained the end of the Prophet ' s robes . Velen walked to one of the fallen , knelt in the filth , and reached out to hold the broken body . Light issued from one of his hands as he plunged it into the caved chest , sorrowing for a moment over the familiar mark of a crystalline hammer , and channeled the Light to clear the wound . The human opened his eyes , healed of the potentially mortal injury . " Anduin was right . " What hope was there for the universe if Velen failed to guard every life as best he could ? Would the draenei not win their war at the cost of everything that mattered ? Velen stood , his dirtied robes speaking volumes . He addressed his brethren , his children . " We will go forth among the mortals of Azeroth , our pledged allies , and serve and aid their quest to heal the world from the Cataclysm . " It was Maraad who spoke up . Only he would dare . " The " Exodar " at long last is repaired , Prophet . We should take the war to the Legion . Or perhaps return to Outland and heal our home in exile . " " Each to your own conscience , " the Prophet replied . " But I tell you this : " our war is everywhere . " In every deed and breath . We must prepare the people of this world to stand together . We must be their example to rally against evil . In service we will awaken them all to form the ultimate alliance against the dark . Go among the people , save them from the Cataclysm ' s hurts , and make them strong for the future . " The other draenei were deeply affected by their Prophet ' s words , and they went to the wounded refugees . Anduin lent his own blossoming talents to the effort , and even as Velen healed and offered comfort , he couldn ' t help but watch the prince , impressed by the man he was already becoming . The " Exodar " wasn ' t merely a machine to the draenei , but a living thing , a brother in a sense that the other races would never understand . And its pain had been righted , its essence healed . The Prophet rejoiced with his entire race at the triumph . The refugees had met in council , assembled in ever - widening , concentric rings across the hills near Ammen Vale , and ultimately decided their place lay with their own kind . Caught in the fiery emotion of Velen ' s dramatic appearance , many of the humans sought the priesthood , and nearly all lent themselves to the might of Stormwind to repair Deathwing ' s destruction . To a man , when asked about their experience with the draenei , the refugees would claim for the rest of their lives that they ' d had the right of things all along — that the Prophet had given them the answer to the Cataclysm . Service . Yet the people most affected by the tragic refugee assault were the Ageless One himself and the human who would someday be king . When Anduin next appeared before his mentor , he found the Prophet facing him , his cloven hooves on the ground . " Thank you for awakening me to the path . You asked me why I did not warn of the Cataclysm . I failed to recognize the threat it represented because my focus was too inward and . . . in some ways , too outward . I had lost sight of the individuals in the present world — of their need — and that was why the Light ' s beacon dimmed for me . If I am unconnected to the living beings of the now , how can I ever navigate all the connections of their futures ? " You will be a powerful priest someday , Prince Anduin . And a wise king . " Anduin wished only that his father could hear those words .