Chapter 504: The Three-Eyed Raven

"Welcome, traveler from another world."

Viserys, accompanied by the Child of the Forest named Leaf and a young girl, entered the cave beneath the heart tree.

The ancient figure, entwined and ensnared by the roots of the heart tree, gazed at Viserys and abruptly spoke. He had pale hair and a blood-red solitary eye. His entire form melded with the roots of the heart tree, his attire tattered, his frame skeletal, resembling a corpse. A dark red birthmark covered his neck and cheek.

The heart tree's roots penetrated his thighs, emerging again from his shoulders. Dark red leaves grew upon his bones, and gray mushrooms settled on his forehead. A slender root drilled from his other vacant eye socket, crawling down his cheek and piercing into his neck.

He was the 'Last Greenseer', known as 'Brynden Rivers' or the 'Three-Eyed Raven'.

Upon hearing the elder's words, Viserys tensed slightly but displayed neither panic nor denial, and responded with a calm inquiry. Many suspicions started to form in his mind.

"Do you recognize me?"

His true origin had always remained an enigma, known only to him.

If anyone in this world could discern his essence, it would likely be the Three-Eyed Raven. After all, the Raven wielded the power of the Old Gods, freely traversing the past and occasionally glimpsing potential futures.

Perhaps Brynden Rivers once prophesied about Viserys, the last heir of House Targaryen at the time. Though Rivers, as the 'noble bastard' of the Targaryens, had forsaken his past identity, the blood coursing through him still connected him to the kingdom's fate.

"No, I do not know you," the Raven rasped, shaking his head. "Nor do I understand what you truly are."

"But I am certain you are not the Viserys I foresaw."

"I've seen the future of Viserys. Pitiable, foolish, and cruel."

The destiny of that Viserys was as a beggar king, struggling amidst the noble houses of the Free Cities, even selling his mother's crown. Such stark contrasts shaped the future Viserys into a warped individual, far from the current figure forging a new nation and ascending the Iron Throne.

The Three-Eyed Raven's voice echoed within the cavern.

The white-haired Child of the Forest girl didn't comprehend their exchange and stood silently, while Leaf, who once roamed the human world, looked at Viserys with astonishment. Although she didn't fully understand, she gathered from the Raven's assertion that 'he is not him', and Viserys' lack of denial, that something was amiss.

Who could he be, then?

Despite her two centuries of life, Leaf's limited contact with the outer world left her naive. Her thoughts raced, but she couldn't fathom their discourse.

"What should I call you?" the Raven asked.

"Viserys will do," the silver-haired youth replied, a hand resting on his sword hilt. He then turned the conversation, "Did you send for me?"

"Yes, it was me," the elder nodded, his voice weary.

"Why?"

"My time grows short."

"What?"

Viserys furrowed his brows. In his view, the Raven's ability to evade the Night King for so long was commendable.

"Why not escape while you can?"

"The God's power can reach every corner of the world, but its vessel can't venture far from beyond the Wall," the Raven intoned, seemingly understanding Viserys' thoughts. "The entity within this heart tree, or weirwood as some call it, may be an Old God. No one truly knows. But my power stems from it."