(2023-12-23) Going Soft

Details

Author:	Mishell
Summary:	In neat dwarven script, Bran writes his mom about the events of December 17th.
Rating:	T for Teen

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mother stuff, existential angst

Dear Ma,

There were just six people standin' there when a Titan history repository spoke out loud the answers I've been seeking for a hundred years. And I was one of those six people.

I've never had a feeling like this. I don't suspect you'll understand it, but I don't know who else to tell about it. The one person I know who understands complicated feelings doesn't understand them on this scale. Doesn't understand why anyone would have them about something other than an individual person. I'm glad we have people like that, because as you can attest I'm terrible at caring about individual people.

Do I sound more glum than usual? I am, I suppose, but not just glum. That's the complicated part.

I guessed some of it, but not all. I knew the Titans had to have a reason for trapping the Old Gods rather than killing them, and that's why it made me uneasy when they killed C'Thun a couple years back. And it turns out I was right, but I didn't guess the reason. They've infected the whole world in a way that's made them part of it. "Symbiotes," the thing called them. If we remove them, Azeroth dies. But if they're awake and capable of doing stuff, Azeroth also dies.

That's part of the feeling I'm having. Realizing we're all standing here on a world we think of as stable, literally a rock we're supposed to keep our feet on to stay steady, and that it was desperately ill, dying of something foul, long before our ancestors were even created.

So the Titans imprisoned the Old Gods, just like the legends say. But the Old Gods had already wrecked some of the things the Titans made. Turned earthen into dwarves. These metal construct guys into gnomes. Huge iron statues into vrykul and then devolved them further into humans.

I also learned that the dragon Aspects were maybe proto drakes or something that the Titans chose for certain jobs and changed somehow into regular dragons. Like everything else Titan-touched, those five were here to keep order and to keep Azeroth working right. And we've lost two of them already. Old Gods again? I'd bet my last copper.

And on top of that the Legion won't leave us alone. Why Azeroth? Why is every great power in the universe obsessed with it?

That's the one question left, Ma. Literally, of all the questions I've had my entire life, the ones that made me leave home and travel the world and make all of you pretty sore in the process, all but one got answered in one day.

When you gave birth, ma, was there ever a moment after where you felt… empty? Like that thing you'd been carrying around all that time had gotten to be a piece of you, and suddenly it was gone and you had to find your balance again without it?

Is that how it felt when I left?

I don't think I'll be home in time for Winter Veil, Ma, but I hope you all have a good time. Tell Mag to drink about half as much as he's sure he can handle and Mur to make twice as many cookies as she thinks she'll need.

Your youngest,

Bran