บท 465: Chapter 466: The Raven’s Warning
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
Euron Greyjoy's voice was a guttural roar, his face twisted in rage and pain.
His left eye was now a gory hollow, making his already fearsome visage even more horrifying. Worse yet, his entire face seemed to contort unnaturally, the skin writhing and shifting as if something beneath it struggled to break free.
"You've disrupted the delicate balance I worked so hard to maintain!" Euron howled, his breath steaming like a furnace, as though his very organs were ablaze.
Red-golden lines began to creep across his face, flowing like molten veins. The fiery patterns extended down his throat and spread across his entire body.
Samwell observed the runes crawling over Euron's skin with a contemplative expression. They seemed oddly familiar, though he couldn't immediately place them.
Euron's skin turned a blistering, lobster-red hue, deepening to purple as his muscles spasmed uncontrollably. His flesh began to crack and peel, revealing white-hot light seeping from the fissures.
His entire body was consumed by an internal inferno, burning from the inside out.
Meanwhile, the giant sea monster summoned by Euron was weakening. Its writhing slowed, and it finally lay still, allowing Cleopatra's fiery breath to finish reducing it to ash.
At last, Euron staggered, then collapsed to the ground.
"Be... ware…" Blood and foam spilled from his mouth as he attempted to speak, his voice barely a whisper.
But the light in his remaining eye dimmed before he could finish. Whatever words he tried to convey died in his throat.
Samwell watched the Iron Islands' mad king take his last breaths, but his final, silent warning lingered in the air.
Samwell thought Euron's dying words might have been, "Beware of the gods." But Euron's lips had moved four times, and the shape of the words didn't match.
It wasn't "gods." It looked more like…
"Three-Eyed Raven."
Beware of the Three-Eyed Raven?
Samwell's brow furrowed. Did Euron somehow know it was the Three-Eyed Raven who had revealed his weakness?
Was this warning a desperate attempt to sow discord? Or a genuine last effort to pass on critical knowledge?
Samwell chose not to dwell on it. He stepped forward and knelt beside Euron's body to ensure the man was truly dead. Drawing his sword, he severed Euron's head and ordered Cleopatra to incinerate the remains.
The dragon's fiery breath reduced Euron to nothing but ash, which the sea breeze scattered into the distance.
All that remained was a set of black armor, ethereal and smoke-like, lying where Euron had once stood.
Samwell recognized it as one of Euron's spoils from the ruins of Valyria—a suit of armor forged from Valyrian steel.
Valyrian steel was rare enough to be treasured as family heirlooms when crafted into swords. A suit of armor forged from it was priceless beyond measure.
But Samwell's attention was drawn to something far more ominous: a blood-red, glassy eyeball.
It was smooth, glistening like a gem, with a dark, malevolent pupil at its center. The orb radiated an unnatural light, as though pulsating with its own heartbeat.
Euron's Raven's Eye.
Three-Eyed Raven…
Samwell's thoughts raced, and realization slowly dawned.
A faint, ethereal voice, that of Bran Stark, echoed in his mind again, but Samwell ignored it this time.
The storm had ended, and the sky above was now clear and bright, the sea reflecting the golden hues of the sunset.
Countless shattered ships drifted aimlessly on the now-calm waters, silent testimony to the brutal naval battle that had occurred.
Yet, eerily, not a single body floated among the debris.
On the blood-red ritual circle at the shore, however, lay two mutilated corpses—one male and one female, both decapitated.
Samwell recognized the man as Euron's brother, Aeron Greyjoy, known as the Damphair. The woman was Desmera Redwyne, the eldest daughter of Paxter Redwyne of the Arbor.
Her belly was slightly swollen—she had been pregnant.
Even so, Euron had not spared her. He had gone so far as to run her through, the blade piercing her womb.
Samwell was momentarily overcome by emotion. He remembered his first visit to the Arbor after his arrival in this world. Back then, Paxter Redwyne had suggested he marry Desmera.
How quickly life had changed. Those days felt like a distant dream, yet the harsh reality of the present was undeniable.
Samwell sighed, sparing only a moment for reflection, before stepping over the bodies and approaching the severely wounded golden dragon, Viserion.
The dragon lay on its side, a massive, barbed bolt lodged deep in its abdomen. Blood, hot and viscous, pooled beneath it.
Viserion weakly opened its mouth, letting out a low, mournful growl as Samwell approached.
"Don't worry. I'll take you home," Samwell said softly, placing a reassuring hand on the dragon's massive head.
He dared not remove the bolt immediately, fearing it would worsen the dragon's injuries. Instead, he called Cleopatra to his side, ordering her to lie down. With careful effort, he managed to hoist the golden dragon onto Cleopatra's back.
Fortunately, Cleopatra was much larger than Viserion and could bear the weight.
At that moment, Bran's voice returned, joined by an older, raspier one.
Samwell saw faint, green light dance before his eyes. He hesitated but allowed his consciousness to follow the call.
The world spun, the ocean fading into darkness.
When Samwell's vision cleared, he found himself in a cavernous maze of roots. Pale tendrils of weirwood roots intertwined endlessly, forming an eerie, labyrinthine space.
At the maze's center sat a figure—half man, half tree. His body was deathly pale, and a single, blood-red eye glowed from his gaunt face.
Before him sat a boy of eleven or twelve, with dark hair and blue eyes, who bore a striking resemblance to Eddard Stark.
"You possess remarkable talent, King Caesar," the ancient man said.
Samwell's lips curled into a faint smile. "And what should I call you? The Three-Eyed Raven? The Greenseer? The Bloodraven? Or Brynden Rivers?"
The man's singular red eye gleamed. "You know much about me. Some titles I have even forgotten myself. But if you must, you may call me Brynden."
"Thank you for your assistance with Euron Greyjoy, Lord Brynden," Samwell said courteously.
"There is no need for thanks," Brynden replied. "Euron was a threat to all of humanity. Helping you eliminate him was my duty. I trust you recovered the Raven's Eye?"
"I did." Samwell's expression remained neutral. "You want it, don't you?"
"Not for myself," Brynden said gravely. "The blood-red eye is a dangerous artifact. I merely wish to eliminate this threat. You must send it beyond the Wall."
"Is that so?" Samwell feigned belief. "Beyond the Wall is perilous, and winter approaches. Perhaps I should deliver it myself."
"If you are willing, that would be ideal," Brynden said.
"Very well. Once I've secured King's Landing, I'll make the journey. How will I find you?"
"Follow the ravens. They will guide you."
Samwell nodded but then asked with a sly smile, "One more question, Lord Brynden. You're called the Three-Eyed Raven. Why do you have only one eye?"
Brynden's remaining eye flared with crimson light.
"You are mistaken, King Caesar. I do not have three eyes."
"I have one thousand and one."
(End of Chapter)
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