"How are things, Kargathros?"
To operate the Burning Throne's system, Norgannon had already expended some power to condense a moderately sized avatar. He was gesturing left and right in front of the main console, debugging the Burning Throne's control system. Other hardware issues were left for Kargathros to resolve.
"No major problems. It seems Sargeras also intended this to be his throne. The energy and power systems are quite complete. It's only stationary here because he doesn't need it to move."
Kargathros and the others also condensed similar avatars, working overtime to modify the Burning Throne. They felt a tangible weakness in their bodies, so they couldn't help but feel anxious.
If Sargeras were to suddenly return at this moment, their combined strength would clearly be insufficient to resist him—even counting the mortals.
The Titans were not displeased by the mortals' resistance; they simply believed that the mortals lacked a clear understanding of Sargeras's power.
Except for one person, Eonar.
During the modification of the Burning Throne, she was noticeably distracted. This behavior was quickly noticed by her kin. Norgannon pondered for a moment and asked, "You seem out of sorts, Eonar. Are you worried about Aman'thul's situation?"
Eonar was startled by Norgannon's words. She first froze, then shook her head helplessly, stopping her work of creating servants.
"No... I'm just worried about... Arthas. I have a premonition that whether we can defeat Sargeras might entirely depend on that child."
She was the only Titan who had personally seen Arthas, and the only one who understood Arthas's power. Yet, when she spoke these words, she herself found it somewhat absurd, let alone the other Titans who had been imprisoned for countless eons, enduring darkness and suffering.
Although they did not speak of it, Eonar could feel the deep-seated anger and fear within her kin.
They were angry at Sargeras's betrayal, yet also feared the Dark Titan's cruel methods. The champion of the Pantheon they knew had long vanished, leaving behind only a tyrant who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
That's why, upon gaining their freedom, they unhesitatingly chose the most conservative approach: evasion. The Titans convinced themselves that confronting Sargeras head-on at this time was not a rational choice; fleeing was merely to prepare for a better counterattack.
At first glance, this idea seemed flawless, but upon closer inspection, the biggest flaw in this plan became apparent.
They didn't have that much time.
"Are we truly going to keep running? Abandoning even the Seat of the Pantheon and Aman'thul, to continue our escape in this false god's temple? The Burning Legion is on the verge of collapse, Sargeras's followers have been thoroughly purged, and we have regained our freedom from him. His power is at its weakest right now. If we can't seize this opportunity, how much longer must we wait until our strength is equal to Sargeras's?"
Norgannon was silent for a moment, then firmly stated, "That day will come."
"That day will come? Norgannon, we might be able to keep hiding, but what about the mortals, and this universe?"
Eonar finally hit the core of the problem. Having hidden in Aralia for millions of years, she had realized that evasion solves nothing. Sargeras understood the Titans, perhaps even better than they understood themselves. Once the dark lord was free, he would never allow the Titans to escape his control.
Sargeras also knew that the only potential obstacle to his plans in the universe was probably the Titans of the Pantheon. If they chose to hide completely, to the point where even Sargeras couldn't find them, then that would perfectly suit Sargeras's intentions, and the Dark Titan's destructive crusade would be utterly unopposed.
And for the Titans to repair their bodies was destined to be an extremely lengthy process. Could they truly wait until the day their strength was fully restored, or would the universe have already perished in Sargeras's crusade before then?
No one dared to contemplate this outcome; they could only tacitly avoid thinking about such a possibility.
Moreover, even if they recovered all their strength and restored the Pantheon's glory before Sargeras's plan was complete, would they necessarily be able to defeat Sargeras?
The battle tens of thousands of years ago on the doomsday world of Ny'alotha had thoroughly shattered the Titans' confidence. They had never imagined that someone could so overwhelmingly crush the entire Pantheon, reducing the gods' efforts of countless centuries to ashes in an instant.
At that time, they had given their all and still couldn't withstand Sargeras's offensive. So, having lost Aman'thul and being far weaker than before, could they truly confront Sargeras now?
The answer to this question would also not be ideal. It was just that the Titans' mindset made them instinctively avoid high-risk methods, turning instead to more rational and stable approaches.
This was precisely what Eonar was criticizing, and when she pointed out the crux of the problem, all she received in return was the almost unanimous silence of her colleagues.
The reason for 'almost' was that one Titan seemed to hold similar thoughts to Eonar.
"Eonar is right. Our greatest opportunity isn't tens of thousands of years from now; it's today."
Aggramar declared his stance, and to everyone's surprise, he actually sided with Eonar.
Just as everyone cast shocked and confused glances at him, Aggramar also told them why he thought this way, "When I was... controlled by Sargeras, my power and soul were linked with his. He disdained to hide anything from me, because in his view, we were all already his defeated foes, and everything was set. So this link was originally useless, instead causing me immense pain and torment... until an existence named Arthas appeared, and this became the only shadow in his heart."
Aggramar slowly raised his head, looking at the Titans present. His avatar was quite weak, but his tone carried an undeniable firmness, "A god who sows destruction, a Titan who controls war, actually fears a mortal. Doesn't this explain the problem? Or should we wither away for thousands, tens of thousands of years, waiting for the next existence that can make Sargeras uneasy to appear? I think before that, Azeroth would have already been destroyed by Sargeras. My brothers, you should know what the destruction of Azeroth means."
These words plunged the Titans into a deathly silence. They were not without the intention to resist; it was just that their self-awareness as Titans made them more likely to overlook those tiny existences, even if they were no longer tiny and could already stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
"Those mortals saved us—and in that process, many of them sacrificed themselves."
Eonar's words reached the ears of the gods, finally stirring a ripple in their silence.
"You are right, sister, from the very beginning... Life itself has no weight; we have been confined by this indifferent notion for too long, which is why we cannot believe in miracles."