WiSh - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Flame Messenger

"What are you doing?" The elderly voice was a soft murmur, as if on the brink of slumber.

"I'm exploring the Stark family's underground crypt," Will replied.

The roots of the heart tree had become Will's perceptive antennae, delving into the damp, dark, and cold recesses, into the crevices of the massive stone-built channels. The roots of the heart tree were omnipresent.

"Aren't you afraid of adventure? You're afraid of wights."

"Everyone fears wights, and I'm no exception when it comes to adventure. But why did you reveal the existence of a dragon's tomb beneath the Stark family crypt? Knowing there's a dragon's tomb is one thing, but you also let me know of the countless jade treasures and a dragon bone sword within. You know my profession; you know I'm a thief who gets an itch when I hear of such wonders, don't you?"

"I don't know you. You didn't come to the godswood to pray, and I was unaware of your presence. As for your conversation with Eddard, you chose to speak in front of me; I couldn't help but listen."

"You're lying."

"The old god of the forest never lies; he only enjoys his slumber, and I've been asleep for ages. Perhaps it's been an entire summer, and you should know, this summer has lasted nine years."

"Do you call yourself the old god of the forest? Are you the god of wood or trees?"

"I'm so ancient I've forgotten my true name. I only recall that the children of the forest used to address me as the old god, along with some bothersome giants."

"Have you lived for thousands of years? Ten thousand years?"

"Thousands of years? Ten thousand years? I don't believe I've lived that long. Does it matter to remember the years? I never keep count of time. I only know that the only thing I have to do is wait."

"What are you waiting for?"

"I'm not entirely sure what I'm waiting for anymore, but I'll recognize it when it returns."

"Waiting for me, perhaps? A villain with innately strong soul power."

The elderly voice chuckled, echoing like the desolate mountains exuding an endless sense of solitude: "Although I can't remember the reason I'm here very well, I know for certain that I'm not waiting for you."

"Then why are you encouraging me to venture through the Stark family crypt to the underground? It's not just about claiming the dragon bone sword, is it? I remember you mentioning there are great secrets beneath the ground, and there's a reason Winterfell was built here."

"Clever boy, you're correct. The hot spring dragon bones and the dragon's tomb are not the true secrets. But the real, great secret requires an adventurer with fearless courage to uncover it themselves, not to be told by others. Secrets revealed by others are often not secrets but traps. A dragon bone sword alone is already worth the adventure to you, but another greater secret is something you cannot bear yet."

"Then why did you tell me these things and let me know?"

"Because of the invasion of the Others, child. You are the first to have seen the Others. If we don't halt them, once they breach the Wall, the entire continent will become a realm of death. You will be a dead man, then transform into a terrifying Other, and I will be a dead tree, then become a wight tree.

"But I do not wish to die yet, for I am still waiting for something. After my life merged with this heart tree, I can see further and live longer, but my body can no longer move an inch."

"You're a warg? Your soul has taken over this heart tree; the heart tree is you, and you are the heart tree." Will observed.

"It's something like that. My flesh has also become one with this heart tree, not just my soul."

"For a person's body and soul to be bound to a tree, unable to go anywhere—I wouldn't want that."

"No one is asking you to. Your lineage prevents you from becoming one with the weirwood; you are not a child of the forest. But with your soul power, you can still master the green sight."

"Are you a child of the forest, then?"

"I am the old god of the forest; they all call me that."

"The green sight involves possessing animals and seeing the world through their eyes. Don't try to fool me; I know what the green sight is. It's one of the abilities of a warg."

"Child, both possessing animals and possessing trees are forms of the green sight. Ordinary wargs can only possess animals, but more powerful wargs can also possess trees. Every living tree is a life form, with perceptions and thoughts, just like humans."

"So I'm an advanced warg?"

"You're not a warg yet. What you can see now is because of my help. When you can possess trees and see the world through their eyes without my help, then you will be a warg. Do you wish to become a warg?"

"Of course, winter is coming, and I want to survive it, not perish within it."

"Then venture to the underground dragon's tomb and draw forth that dragon bone sword. This sword will turn an Other to ash the moment it pierces their flesh. It has two names: originally called Shadowbane, and later known as the Flame Messenger."

"Can I trust your words? You said that secrets told by others are not secrets but traps. And this time, you're the one telling me. How much of what you say can I believe?"

The voice disregarded Will's skepticism, continuing its narrative: "The dragon bone sword lies dormant. When you enter, it will sense the presence of a human. It has been imprisoned for too long and yearns for rebirth. Once it detects a human presence, its blade will ignite, dispersing the surrounding wights and revealing itself to you, allowing you to claim it."

"Old god, as far as I know, dragon bones are too hard to be fashioned into swords. They can only be shaped into hilts according to their natural form after being polished. Is the dragon bone sword made by combining dragon bones with steel, or is it pure dragon bone?"

"Light as a feather, the Flame Messenger." The old god's voice sighed. Light as a feather implied it was pure dragon bone.

"Who forged it? Who could forge the Flame Messenger?"

"There are many legends, but I do not know the specific reasons."

"Are you unwilling to say, or do you not know?"

"I only know that the Flame Messenger hails from Valyria, the ancestral home of the Targaryen family. It was crafted by a master smith versed in fire magic and capable of commanding dragons. In Valyria, all masters who forged Valyrian steel were adept in fire magic. Smiths who lacked skill in fire magic were mere apprentices."

"Valyria? The place where the finest swords in the world were made, now an empire lost to the Doom, now a ruin and a land of death." Will's voice faded as he spoke, growing increasingly drowsy. His eyes had already begun to close, his perceptions dulling.

"You've been out long enough. Your innate soul power is strong, but you should rest now, or it will be compromised."

"It's fine, I can hold on. I haven't fully seen the structure of the underground yet." Will's voice grew softer until it vanished, as if he had succumbed to exhaustion and sleep.

After an indeterminate period, a warm, moist breath roused Will from his deep slumber. He was alarmed; it was impossible for someone to approach him while he slept undetected. What had transpired today? If an enemy had struck, he would already be dead. A cold sweat broke out—but he kept his eyes shut and remained still.

It was the scent of a wolf, but there was no hostility; it was displaying friendliness. A small wolf's tongue was licking Will's face. Moreover, there was the presence of a person beside the bed.

Will slowly opened his eyes. The wolf ceased licking his face, its sharp little teeth flashing with a faint, lively white light right before Will's eyes.

"Nymeria," a girl's voice called out.

The wolf then leaped off the bed with a whoosh.