WiSh - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Spirits

Despite being prepared for supernatural encounters, Will was still startled. His two short knives were drawn, and he crouched like a cat, reacting instinctively.

Each brother of the Night's Watch in combat readiness carried at least one close-combat knife, but Will had two. One on his leg binding and one at his waist. He had lost his sword during his escape, but the close-combat knives were still with him. In close combat and narrow spaces, short knives were more useful than long swords. In the forest, amidst dense branches, and in the haunted woods where such places abounded, short knives were preferable to long swords.

The young man opposite him had a slender figure, with clothes adorned with patterns of blood-red hands, reminiscent of the leaves of the heart tree. Those gray-brown eyes gave Will a sense of familiarity.

"Are you the forest spirit that merged with the heart tree?" Will had seen those gray-brown eyes several times, leaving a deep impression. Yesterday, during his prayer beneath the heart tree in the godswood, those eyes had met his gaze multiple times within the heart tree's tear-stained eyes.

"I am the embodiment of the heart tree's soul. What you see is my illusory human form. This is what I looked like when I was human," the young man said.

Will crouched, his hands holding short knives forward in a fighting stance, but the forest spirit, who was taller than him, didn't need to bend down to stand straight in the low cave. It was as if the young man were just a projection of light.

"I want to take some treasures," Will said.

These treasures were nothing to the nobility, many of whom had piles of gold and jewels at home. The necks, hands, and ankles of noblewomen were adorned with priceless jewelry, pearls, emeralds, and rubies, but these were a fortune to Will.

"You may take them, but these pearls contain spirits. Once they are awakened and the spells are lifted, you will face the curse of the spirits. Do you know necromancy?"

"No, spirits live inside the them?"

"Yes, within the pearl embedded in the walls, there are spirits, and sometimes more than one. Many families who stole treasures from tombs and brought them home suffered misfortune because they awakened the spirits within the pearl or fell victim to curses placed on the pearl."

Will glanced at the endless treasures embedded in the walls and drew a sharp breath. So many spirits, if awakened, would spell doom for anyone.

No wonder people said not to covet the treasures within tombs, as the things you might play with could contain sleeping spirits or curses placed by their owners. Once the spirits were awakened or a curse was triggered, you would pay the price for your greed.

"Are these spirits living in the pearl the souls of the First Men, the children of the forest, and the dragons?"

"Yes."

"They're all asleep now?"

"Magicians from the Age of Heroes used spells to seal their souls within this pearl. They also serve as guardians of the tomb. You wouldn't want to awaken this army of spirits."

Suddenly, as if stung by a scorpion, Will swiftly returned the pearl to its circular hole, because he suddenly felt a fierce aura emanating from the pearl, with a pair of dark eyes staring at him from within.

Once the pearl was back in place, the fierce and dark aura was instantly cut off from its connection to Will's soul. It was as if Will's sensation had been an illusion. Will was covered in cold sweat. Fortunately, it couldn't break out of the pearl. Will let out a sigh of relief.

Beyond the Wall were the White Walkers, within the Wall were the spirits sealed within countless pieces of pearl, and there was the mysterious underground tomb. These connections hinted at something.

In his memories from before crossing over, the White Walkers beyond the Wall would form an army that would sweep across the continent, breaking through the Wall under the Night King's command and eventually engulfing the entire North. Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow would both die in battle, with only Arya, the Hound, and Tyrion Lannister protecting Daenerys and Jon's son and managing to escape. Even Bran, the prophet, would die in the end after controlling Rhaegal and battling the Night King's undead dragon Viserion in the skies over the North.

Countless heroes would fall in the great war against the White Walkers.

Jamie, Jorah, Brienne, Grey Worm, Bronn, Sam, Sansa, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and her followers like Missandei, the dragons Rhaegal and Drogon, Robert's bastard Gendry, the Northern lords loyal to Jon, Daenerys' Unsullied and Dothraki cavalry—all would be annihilated.

And here, beneath Winterfell, lay an ancient army of spirits. If someone were to enter this tomb and be tempted by greed for the treasures, they would activate this army of spirits. If both the army of spirits and the White Walkers could be controlled by the Night King...

"Who can control and command this army of spirits?" Will asked, his mind racing.

"When the children of the forest reappear, and the righteous ruler rides a three-headed dragon, witnessing and presiding over the renewal of the millennial guardian blood pact between humans and the children of the forest, the ruler of mankind will blow the Horn of Winter, and the king of the forest will chant the elven incantations, awakening the giants and the dragons from the ice of the Lands of Always Winter. Then, a necromancer will come from the mystical land of Asshai, retrieve the Sword of Light from the tomb, and present it to the ruler, commanding this army of spirits to battle the Night King and the gods of ice. This is humanity's only chance to defeat the White Walkers and the Night King, and it is also the opportunity to lift the ice curse of the gods of ice from the Lands of Always Winter, restoring the elven world—the Green Sea of the Forest."

"Who is the righteous ruler, and who is the king of the forest? Where is the Horn of Winter? Are the giants and dragons frozen by the gods of ice in the Lands of Always Winter? Were the Lands of Always Winter originally the Green Sea of the Forest? Are the children of the forest actually forest elves? Is this army of spirits buried here to fight the White Walkers? Is there a Sword of Light hidden in the tomb?" Will asked a series of questions.

"Chosen one, time is running out. The longer you stay here, the more of your human essence you leave behind, and if it becomes too concentrated, it could break the spirit seals. Releasing even one spirit could activate all of them, and without a necromancer to control them, the spirits would kill every human they encounter. You must hurry" The last voice came from the air, as the forest spirit's youthful form had already dissipated.

Will dared not delay. With the White Walkers approaching, it seemed from the information provided by the forest spirit that the Night King was just a pawn of the gods of ice. Did the gods of ice intend to turn the entire continent into their frozen domain? In this fantastical world, there was nowhere to escape except to rise up and resist.