Chương 336: Chapter 337: Breaking the Illusion
"Hmph!" The woman wrinkled her petite nose. "I thought you'd really forgotten my name."
"How could I?" Samwell moved his hand away from her neck, silently letting out a sigh of relief.
But the questions in his mind only grew.
Hearing himself addressed as "Azor," his thoughts had immediately jumped to the legendary hero Azor Ahai—the one who ended the Long Night and saved the world.
The red priestess Melisandre had always insisted he was the reincarnation of Azor Ahai.
Yet Samwell hadn't expected to one day be outright mistaken for the legendary figure.
And if he was Azor Ahai, then his wife could only be Nissa Nissa.
He studied the silver-haired, violet-eyed beauty before him, his mind churning.
Could it be that the wife of the hero who ended the Long Night was a Valyrian?
But Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa lived thousands of years ago—long before the Valyrian Freehold was even established.
Perhaps Nissa Nissa was the progenitor of the Valyrians.
"What's wrong?" Nissa tilted her head, puzzled as her husband stared at her.
"Nothing," Samwell murmured. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the hair.
Nissa smiled, her earlier doubts fading, and she took his arm.
As they walked, she asked, "What's the situation outside?"
"It's the same as always," Samwell replied vaguely.
"It's getting worse," Nissa said, her voice full of worry. "This sanctuary won't hold much longer. The temple has already issued warnings about evacuation..."
Samwell listened silently, sifting through her words for useful information.
Meanwhile, his mind raced, trying to decipher the purpose of this illusion.
The revived harpy statue had likely been bait to lure him into the ruins of this city and into these visions.
But why?
Were the Ghiscari gods attempting to convey some message?
Or, like R'hllor, did they hope to make him their pawn?
If it was the latter, Samwell wasn't overly concerned. Any attempt by the Ghiscari gods to claim him would first have to contend with the two other deities already tied to him.
Suddenly, a horn sounded in the distance, breaking the stillness of the city.
Woo-woo-woo—
Samwell halted, puzzled by the meaning of the horn.
Nissa, however, immediately tensed.
"That's the temple summoning the Blood Armored warriors! Something urgent must be happening. Azor, you must go."
It dawned on Samwell that he was being taken for one of these Blood Armored warriors.
The problem was, he had no idea where the temple was.
Thankfully, others who had heard the horn began hurrying in the same direction. Samwell quickly bid Nissa farewell and followed.
The darkened buildings seemed to rush past as he climbed higher and higher until he reached the crest of a hill.
There stood an enormous black stone structure, its bronze doors engraved with a symbol that felt oddly familiar.
But there was no time to dwell on it. He followed the crowd inside the hall.
---
"Koselor! How dare you question my orders!"
"That wasn't my intention—"
"Silence! Get out!"
At the far end of the hall, a man in an oversized, dark-red suit of armor sat on a throne. Only his piercing red eyes were visible.
"But, my lord!" The kneeling man below him pleaded, "The Long Night is descending upon the Thirteenth Sanctuary. The monsters grow more numerous by the day. We cannot hold out much longer. There's no point in staying here!"
"I said, get out!" the armored man barked again, his voice icy.
Two guards seized the man and dragged him from the hall.
A tense silence fell over the room.
The armored man's crimson eyes swept over the crowd, and he spoke:
"The Thirteenth Sanctuary may soon be swallowed by darkness, but I will not retreat. When the Long Night comes, someone must light the torch—even if it costs them their life."
Samwell observed the proud and unyielding figure, his thoughts unreadable.
Around him, the other Blood Armored warriors were visibly stirred, their spirits inflamed.
"Fight to the death! Never retreat!"
The man on the throne shook his head slowly. "Some of you must escort the civilians to safety. Seris Puca, Anderson Kreig, Azor Ahai..."
Hearing "his" name, Samwell stepped forward, mimicking the others as he placed a hand over his chest in salute.
"Escort the civilians immediately!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Samwell joined the others heading for the exit. As he walked away, he heard the armored man's voice echo behind him:
"Those who wish to leave, you may go now. I will not force you to stay."
Samwell glanced back, but none of the Blood Armored warriors wavered.
A solemn and resolute atmosphere filled the hall.
Outside, Samwell hesitated, unsure of his next move.
Then, distant roars shattered the air.
The noise grew louder and closer, a cacophony of monstrous cries.
Whistles blared throughout the sanctuary, and chaos erupted as people screamed and fled in all directions.
"Evacuate through the south gate!" a warrior shouted. "Seris, Anderson, handle the west district! Kreig, Azor, the north district is yours—"
Samwell turned and walked away, ignoring the orders.
He was tired of this illusion.
These so-called gods and their cryptic riddles were nothing more than manipulative deceptions.
He had no intention of playing their game any longer.
Moreover, he also saw the weakness, or limitations, of these so-called gods.
Descending the hill, he strode through the panicked crowds. Some recognized him as a Blood Armored warrior and begged for protection, but he ignored them.
The sky loomed darker than ever, like an oppressive, suffocating mass ready to crush the world.
Suddenly, a cloaked man stepped into Samwell's path.
"Where are you going?" the man asked urgently, his face obscured.
"None of your business," Samwell snapped, brushing past him.
"The Long Night is upon us!" the man cried. "Darkness will engulf the land, and the world awaits its savior—"
"Then go find one," Samwell interrupted, quickening his pace.
"You are the savior!" The man pursued him relentlessly. "You must forge the Red Sword of Heroes, the blade that will banish the darkne—"
"You mean Lightbringer?" Samwell spun, unsheathing his greatsword. "Is it this?"
The cloaked man froze, but before he could respond, Samwell swung his blade.
Swoosh—
The figure dissolved into a swirling mass of black mist, its twisted mouth still attempting to speak.
Samwell turned and walked away.
---
Boom!
The ground trembled violently as a colossal shadow emerged from the darkness, roaring with fury.
"Burn! My blood, my will, my strength!"
The voice of the armored man thundered from the temple, resonating across the city.
Samwell turned to see the man, now engulfed in flames, standing atop the temple roof.
Against the advancing darkness, he seemed both small and monumental.
But then a monstrous head crashed down, obliterating the man and the temple in a single blow.
Darkness surged like a tide, consuming the city.
"Azor!"
Samwell turned at the familiar voice to see Nissa running toward him.
He hesitated only briefly before raising his sword.
According to legend, Azor Ahai forged Lightbringer by driving the molten blade into the heart of his wife, Nissa Nissa, channeling her life force and soul into the sword.
As Nissa reached him, Samwell plunged the blade into her chest.
Shk!
The sword pierced her heart, her expression frozen in shock.
"Azor..." she gasped as blood gushed from her lips, staining the pale blade with crimson blossoms.
Samwell stared at her impassively. "Isn't this the ending you wanted?"
Her face twisted—half in anger, half in sorrow.
The world trembled violently, the darkness writhing like serpents in the sky, devouring the last vestiges of light.
"Salvation demands sacrifice," Nissa said, though her voice now echoed with the tones of countless others.
The fabric of reality shattered. The vision dissolved into blackness.
---
Samwell awoke to find Cleopatra beside him.
The white dragon chirped with joy at his return, nudging his hand with her snout.
Samwell stroked her warm head, his mind swirling with unanswered questions, but his resolve firming.
No matter what the Ghiscari gods intended, he would not play their game.
Mounting Cleopatra, he commanded, "Let's go. Fly high—out of this cursed ruin!"
Cleopatra roared in agreement, her wings slicing through the air as they ascended.
Soon, they burst free of the oppressive fog, sunlight streaming into their eyes.
Samwell squinted at the brilliance, feeling as though he had been reborn.
Just as he turned northward toward Astapor, the harpy appeared below and roared at Samwell provocatively.
"You're still trying to seduce me." Samwell curled his lips in disdain, looked at the other's only remaining eyeball, and smiled, "Unfortunately, I'm no longer interested in your eyeball."
After saying this, he drove the white dragon north.
The harpy stood there in a daze for a moment, obviously not expecting the other party to ignore it.
It's expression changed for a while, and finally it could only let out an angry roar at Samwell's back.
(End of Chapter)
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