Chapter 751 The Eastern World

As pieces of wood were removed, sunlight tore through the darkness, piercing through the iron bars and illuminating the interior. All the onlookers involuntarily held their breath.

Viserys narrowed his eyes slightly, standing directly in front of the iron cage housing the gigantic, dying monster.

It was over seven feet tall, its body covered in scales and smooth, delicate skin. A fish's fin protruded from its back.

Its hands and feet had transformed into sharp, deadly claws, easily capable of shredding human armor. Its eyes had turned crimson, the pupils murky and filled with utter violence.

Its mouth was lined with jagged, serrated teeth. Lying at the bottom of the iron cage, it continued emitting low, rumbling sounds from its throat.

"Your Majesty."

"This is a demon from the depths of the earth."

Somehow the red priestess Melisandre had arrived before Viserys, her voice solemn as she spoke.

Although everyone else avoided the iron cage, including the Summer Islands soldiers who had transported it here, Melisandre showed no fear. Instead she came to Viserys' side.

"I see."

"You know something about this?"

Viserys tilted his head slightly towards the red priestess beside him. He had already noticed Melisandre's arrival, since nothing could escape his perception. What truly intrigued him was what she might know about this monster.

Melisandre did not rush to answer Viserys' question. She gazed at the caged monster, then slowly walked forward until she stood right before the bars, calmly observing it.

"My lady, please be careful!"

On the other side, the captain of the Fury who had escorted the monster warned nervously.

He kept his distance, having personally clashed with the creature before. When Victarion had gone berserk on the battlefield, wantonly slaughtering the Lotus Port natives and indiscriminately attacking civilians, it helped Asha capture Lotus Port and become Queen of the Summer Islands.

But subduing Victarion afterwards had come at tremendous cost. More thoroughly evolved than Gerion had been, Victarion willingly immersed himself in the transformation process when defeated, causing immense carnage.

Over a hundred lives were lost before they succeeded in capturing the monster. The memory remained fresh for the Ironborn bastard.

"I see," was all Melisandre said. She made no move to retreat, meticulously examining the caged beast instead. After some time she finally turned to face Viserys, speaking slowly.

"It resembles a magical construct... something from the 'City of the Dead', Stygai."

"Stygai?" Viserys' face revealed puzzlement. Seeing this, Melisandre readily explained without concealing anything.

"I hail from Asshai-by-the-Shadow, Your Majesty. The City of the Dead, Stygai, lies at the heart of Shadow. It is also called the 'City of Night' - save for midday when the sun is at its zenith, the city sees no sunlight throughout the rest of the day."

"In the Shadow Lands, monsters and demons abound everywhere except Asshai. Not even the most powerful warlocks, sorcerers or necromancers of Stygai dare traverse that place."

Having spent so long in the Western world, many had forgotten Melisandre's origins. She came from distant Asshai, called the 'Heretic' - even the Dothraki feared her, deeming those from Asshai the 'offspring of shadow'.

But in truth, Asshai did not spawn shadow - shadow had no children. The sorcerous metropolis of Asshai was larger than Volantis, Qarth, King's Landing and Oldtown combined, yet had not a single child within its bounds.

"It is dangerous, Your Majesty!" Melisandre regarded Viserys, then the seemingly lifeless monster in the cage once more before hastily averting her gaze. "I advise executing it at once, or exiling it to the Shadow Lands!"

The lands around Asshai teemed with monsters. About a decade ago, around the end of the War of the Usurper in Westeros, an upheaval occurred among the creatures of Shadow, the Grey Waste and the cannibal sands. They relentlessly assaulted the world of men.

The Golden Empire defended ancient Yi Ti from marauders of Shadow. To the northeast, the Five Forts manned year-round by hundreds of thousands of imperial troops held off the monsters from the Grey Waste.

The pale mages of the corpse city K'Dath and other dead cities, trapped amidst the Grey Waste and cannibal sands, struggled to survive. One claiming to be the sixty-ninth emperor of an extinct dynasty, a thousand-year old necromancer ruled the dead city.

The entire Eastern world sought salvation. It was then that Melisandre pored through ancient tomes, eventually boarding a ship from Asshai to find a solution, sailing the Jade Sea, arriving at Qarth, then Ghiscar and the Smoking Sea before reaching Volantis.

In the flames of prophecy she witnessed Viserys hatching dragons. Convinced he was the key to saving the world, she set sail for Andalos to find him.

Though largely considered myth and legend, the people of the east had battled these monsters for countless years. Melisandre came west in search of answers, only to find the monsters of legend, like the prophesied Long Night, now materializing in Westeros as well.

Hearing Melisandre's advice, Viserys was silent for a while. He too had seen such transformed monsters in the ruins of Valyria. If the creatures from these Shadow Lands resembled them...

"It was Victarion who transformed?" he asked.

The captain of the Fury quickly nodded. "Open the cage," Viserys ordered after a moment's consideration.

"Your Majesty!" All present reacted in shock, but Viserys gave no indication of changing his mind. Left with no choice, they reluctantly approached to open the monster's cage.

"Defensive formation!" The Unsullied soldiers braced for impact, raising shields and long spears in a circular formation.

Viserys himself stood unmoving at the center, calmly watching the seemingly lifeless monster within.

Finally it slowly raised its head, confirming that the cage was open. Its crimson eyes fixed on Viserys before it abruptly pounced at him.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Wielding his spear, Black Bugg rushed to shield Viserys. Melisandre had already calmly retreated behind him.

But Viserys pushed Black Bugg aside, meeting the monster's charge himself. With sudden, faster movement he reached out and clutched its throat mid-pounce.

Bang!

It crashed heavily to the ground, dust flying everywhere.