"You guessed wrong. In fact, the opposite is true." R'hllor's lips curved into a slight, mocking smile. Though not seductive, it possessed a charm that captivated all beings. "The initial design of the magic circle did have flaws, but the decades-long construction process gave me countless opportunities to identify and resolve problems, eliminating the possibility of accidents. After multiple adjustments, the circle approached perfection. Its activation went smoothly, and the atmosphere of the entire planet rippled under the vibration of magic. Power sufficient to destroy the world was gathered at the fissure created when my mother entered. It was finally ignited by the circle, tearing through space like poking through a piece of paper and opening a passage several times larger than I expected, even large enough for my offspring to ride dragons through."
"Then… where did the problem lie?"
"The circle functioned as intended and did open a gateway to another world. But the other side was not the world I envisioned, it was a void without sky or ground, hideous and desolate like hell. Although it was full of energy, it was absolutely not a place I wanted to stay."
"Huh?" Aegor was caught off guard by the unexpected twists and turns and stopped trying to control his expression. "Could it be that you were so eager to open the rift that you forgot to include a function in the circle to... select and anchor to the correct world?"
"Do I look like an idiot?" R'hllor's expression hardened, clearly displeased. "I not only chose the fissure my mother used to enter this world, I also used part of her remains as a crucial directional component. I believed that, even if the destination wasn't precise, it wouldn't be too far off. But I don't know whether the barrier of the strong magic world was inherently more stable and resistant, or whether Daenerys had arranged some form of defense or resistance to spatial magic on the other side to prevent me from returning. The energy released by the circle broke through this world's barrier, but was blocked and deflected on the other end and failed to penetrate."
"If that had been the only issue, and the passage had simply connected to a different, unrelated world, it wouldn't have been so bad. I could have shut down the circle, identified the key problem, and waited for the next suitable time to try again. But the real trouble was something I never could have predicted. There are races in the universe for whom invading other worlds is simply part of everyday life." She frowned slightly, as if recalling an unbearable memory. "The signal from the circle was captured by a group of demons constantly seeking targets, eager to plunder and drain the next different world. They used their magic to lure the passage to their location. The dimensional gate I created to return home instead became the entrance they used to launch an invasion. And I was the one who opened it."
A race that treats world invasion as routine, and they were demons? Aegor was stunned. Big sister... no, ancient ancestor, you didn't provoke the Burning Legion, did you?
"When the first group of demons came through the passage and entered this world, I hadn't yet realized the seriousness of the situation. With the help of countless descendants watching the grand spectacle of the circle's activation—the dragonriders of the core families of the Valyrian Freehold—I easily wiped them out. But when I tried to shut the circle down, I discovered something terrible. The magic circle had stopped, but the passage hadn't closed. On the contrary, it had stabilized, and even showed signs of slowly expanding."
A door opened that could not be closed? Even in a dream, Aegor's scalp tingled. After all, the woman before him was speaking of a catastrophe related to the very world he was living in.
"It turned out that the first wave of demons I fought were merely scouts and cannon fodder. These invaders were highly experienced and never made low-level mistakes. After sacrificing a small force to determine that this world was worth invading and capable of resistance, they didn't act rashly. Instead, they stabilized the passage and summoned their main force. I engaged in a battle of wits with a group of beings far more skilled in spatial magic. I tried every method, but I couldn't close the rift. When the second wave of attacks came, what emerged from the passage was an army of demons that blotted out the sky. Far greater in number and strength than the first wave, they poured through the gate. I had reached the pinnacle of power in this world, and my descendants were battle-hardened conquerors of most of Essos. We had the advantage of home ground, so we were not easy prey. But unfortunately, the enemies were endless. For every demon we killed, two more would swarm in. As the slaughter continued, the spatial gate stabilized further and kept expanding. Eventually, when a shadow the size of a mountain—so vast that even I felt fear—began pushing half of its body through the rift, I realized. If I didn't act, this world would be destroyed by my own hand."
Compared to the story this half-dragon goddess was telling, the book Aegor once wrote, The Night's Watch's Fantastic Adventure, felt like a dull children's tale. He had long stopped trying to judge whether it was real or fake. He would think about that after waking up. Even if it was only a story, it was thrilling enough to keep listening.
"Then?"
"Then I cast the spell I told you about before. The one I originally intended to use on Daenerys." R'hllor's reminiscing expression vanished, replaced by calm. "Mortals call it Blood Magic. That's a shallow and limited description. Blood Magic was never a separate branch of sorcery. It simply refers to using blood, which is one of many possible magical mediums. Its use doesn't require killing the blood's owner. The true power comes not from the substance of blood itself, but from the magic it carries. As long as it contains magic, whether it's blood, flesh, hair, or even a pile of dung, it can be used for spellcasting. Mortals like you don't need to imagine yourselves as victims unless you encounter some desperate novice who only knows the basics. Any proper mage with options would never use mortal blood. And as you already know, Dragonblood contains immense power."
Using herself as a spellcasting medium? That was too extreme. Aegor swallowed hard, then suddenly shivered as he remembered: she wasn't the only one with Dragonblood.
"I used all my descendants and dragons within my range of control, all of whom carried power in their blood, as components and sacrifices to cast an unprecedentedly powerful spell. Actually, it wasn't the strongest spell I ever cast, since the one that originally opened the rift had greater scale." R'hllor shrugged. "But you have to understand, when magic acts upon physical matter, the effect—the destruction felt—can be far greater than when used in spatial magic. Those watching the circle's activation were all close blood relatives, and the energy in their bodies was pure and potent. When thousands of Dragonblood were converted into energy in a single instant, the power unleashed shocked even me. That strike instantly wiped out nearly all the demons within the blast radius, interfered with and collapsed the expanding rift, and destroyed the Valyrian Peninsula where the circle was located. Seawater surged in, flooding the giant crater and forming a vast ocean. Even the towering Fourteen Flames collapsed and crumbled under the impact of that spell. Magma and smoke erupted, and the sea has remained shrouded in steam and ash to this day."
The listener opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. The mainstream version of events claimed that the eruption of the Fourteen Flames caused the Doom of Valyria. In truth, this was a misconception formed by distant observers, like blind men touching an elephant and making guesses based only on surface-level clues. It was not the eruption that caused the Doom, but the Doom that triggered the eruption. Yet no one could come forward to explain, because everyone involved had been sacrificed by their own ancestor.
Everything made sense now. Why the Freehold, which had dominated half the world, crumbled overnight with no enemy present to take advantage of their collapse. Why Essos had failed to produce another unifying power even centuries later.
The girl before him, who looked young and beautiful and could stir his desires even in a dream, was not only an ancient creature who had lived for thousands of years, but a ruthless being who had destroyed her own people when provoked. Most terrifying of all was how she spoke of it. She seemed only annoyed that the plan had failed, not remotely burdened by guilt or regret. The moral framework of an immortal was indeed not something mortals could comprehend.
Compared to her, Melisandre, the Red Priestess who occasionally burned people alive and cursed her enemies, was as pure as a newborn babe.
And to think, when he first met her, he had tried to force himself on her.
Cold sweat seeped from Aegor's back, even in this dream. But after a long silence and swallowing a bellyful of nerves, his mind finally returned to the original question.
"But what does the truth behind the Doom have to do with... warning me not to cross the Wall and enter the Land of Always Winter to eliminate that so-called cold god?"
"Didn't you hear me? The Blood Magic I used sacrificed almost all my descendants and destroyed most of the invading demons—but not all of them." R'hllor shook her head. "Let's not talk about the ordinary demons who survived on the outskirts of the blast. As long as there's enough manpower, mortals could eventually kill them, albeit with great losses. The real threat was that great demon, the one who had already pushed half its body into this world. Although its lower half was severed when the gate collapsed and it was seriously wounded, even mutilated, by the devastating spell, it still remains the most terrifying enemy I have ever encountered since birth."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)