Dreadfort was a vast and sturdy fortress, boasting towering walls and sharp, jagged battlements. Each tower's apex was designed with these jagged structures, resembling the teeth of a monster!
Located at the foot of Lonely Hills, with the Weeping River flowing alongside, Dreadfort, like Winterfell, utilized a similar method for heating, as Lonely Hills was a cluster of active volcanoes.
In the eyes of commoners and the northern lords, Dreadfort was a symbol of foreboding and death. Although the recent Earls of Dreadfort claimed to have abandoned the flaying custom, rumors persisted that terrifying torture chambers remained within the castle, including a special room dedicated to the collection of enemy skins, even including the skins of some House Stark ancestors.
Before Yin Geng's arrival, during the period when the Bolton family held the title of Red King, they rose up against the rule of House Stark. Dreadfort remained unconquerable at the time. Harron Stark, the then-King in the North of Winterfell, could only resort to a siege against the Boltons. It was said that the Bolton garrison held out in Dreadfort for two years before finally surrendering to Harron Stark due to starvation.
Dominic Bolton was currently staring at his father with a complex expression, seemingly attempting to glean some emotional fluctuation from his expressionless face. However, he was destined to be disappointed, as his father displayed no emotion whatsoever.
"Why? Father, why didn't you tell me I had another brother? Why isn't he living in Dreadfort? Isn't the one from House Stark also living in Winterfell?"
Dominic Bolton asked his father, a mix of agitation and apprehension in his voice. Although he wasn't responsible for the failure of the expeditionary force, he knew his father had spent a great deal of the family's wealth to ransom him back. However, he couldn't help but worry about his brother.
"Ramsay is merely a lowly bastard. You are the future hope of House Bolton! Besides, he can live comfortably in the family's territory, and he doesn't need to live with us!"
Roose Bolton's tone was flat, as if he didn't care at all about his bastard son.
"Respected Father! But, I still hope you will allow me to bring my brother back. I've always wanted a brother, and I also hope that Ramsay can receive the best education in the family!"
Dominic Bolton requested of his father.
"Alright! I can agree to your request, but you must also promise me not to study witchcraft anymore. We rule this land by relying on soldiers and longswords. In the future, I don't want you to fight people with glass!"
Roose Bolton said to his son, seemingly displeased with his recent behavior.
"Father! You've seen it yourself, I possess the same ability as the legendary 'Greenhand' Garth. This power can manipulate the growth of plants, how can it be useless? Moreover, you also know how our army failed. I'm doing all of this for the family!"
Dominic Bolton said loudly, his voice involuntarily rising a few decibels, completely losing the humility he had just shown.
It turned out that, since Dominic Bolton returned to the family last time, he couldn't wait to show his father the magical power he had newly obtained.
But the calculating Roose Bolton still saw some clues in it, and he himself recovered from his initial shock. As a veteran of many battles, he knew that a person's strength simply couldn't play any role in a war.
In Roose Bolton's view, no matter how powerful an individual was, they couldn't withstand a concentrated volley from crossbowmen. Therefore, he always maintained a skeptical attitude towards the soldiers' tales of fire people and stone people.
In his opinion, it was nothing more than a more powerful illusion. When Robert Baratheon was crowned in King's Landing, Roose Bolton had seen those illusionists from across the Narrow Sea. They were quite frightening at first, but after understanding the truth of the matter, they weren't so scary. So, in his eyes, his son and the expeditionary soldiers had actually encountered some kind of special sorcery.
"My dear father, I will definitely prove to you that all of this is not an illusion! I'm going to pick up my brother now! Excuse me!"
After saying this, Dominic Bolton bid farewell and left. Roose Bolton sighed helplessly, feeling somewhat speechless. His eldest son's personality was not at all like his own, but rather like his dead mother: kind-hearted and stubborn.
"Maester Spring, what do you think of this matter?"
Roose Bolton asked the plump maester serving behind him.
Maester Spring, after careful consideration, replied to Roose Bolton:
"My Lord! In the eyes of some maesters at the Citadel, witchcraft has always been a legend, something ethereal. But in my opinion, there are still many places in this world that we haven't explored. Perhaps there might be such magical powers there.
Although many believers describe their gods as all-powerful, young Dominic's behavior is different from theirs. He seems more like a maester exploring the truth. Therefore, I don't think he has been misled by anything!"
"Let's leave it at that for now! Perhaps when he sits in my position in the future, he will understand what I'm talking about."
Roose Bolton lowered his head, thought for a moment, and then shook his head with a touch of helplessness.
Two weeks later, in a bedroom in the Dreadfort, Dominic Bolton was groaning in pain on the bed. His face was pale, his eye sockets sunken. It seemed he could barely hold on!
Roose Bolton anxiously watched his eldest son and turned to Maester Spring beside him, asking:
"Why isn't it working yet? Didn't you say the potion would take effect once he drank it? Why is Dominic still like this?"
Maester Spring subconsciously glanced at Ramsay behind Roose Bolton, then answered his master:
"My lord! It should be effective. I'll increase the dosage. Please rest assured, I'll keep adjusting the new medicine!"
Roose Bolton, seeing his strange behavior, narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the old maester of his house. After a moment of deliberation, Roose Bolton spoke in a calm tone:
"It all depends on your performance! My son's life is now in your hands. The choice is yours. Ramsay, didn't you want to see how your brother was doing? He..."
Before Roose Bolton could finish speaking, a knock interrupted him. After being given permission, a soldier entered and whispered a few words to Roose Bolton.
Then, Roose Bolton and the soldier left together. Before leaving, he instructed Maester Spring:
"Hurry and prepare the medicine. If you need anything, go directly to Carbo and the others, understood?"
"Yes! Yes, my lord!"
Maester Spring replied tremblingly, seeming somewhat frightened. After Roose Bolton had left for a while, he looked up at Ramsay and said:
"Young Master Ramsay! Does the Lord feel something? What, what should I do?"
Ramsay Snow chuckled sinisterly.
"What do you mean, what should you do? Maester Spring! I have no idea what you're talking about. What you need to do now is to save my brother, who is suffering from 'stomach problems'. I'm very worried about him! I don't know anything else!"
"You! You! Young Master Ramsay! You can't do this to me, it was clearly... ah!"
Maester Spring pointed a finger at Ramsay, saying in disbelief, but before he could finish, Ramsay grabbed his finger.
Ramsay leaned close to Maester Spring's ear and said,
"My handmaiden was clearly murdered by you, and my kennel girl, Miranda, can prove it. You'll see whether my father believes you or the two of us. Tonight, my father will be busy dealing with the fire in Mill Village, and my brother will die of stomach problems. Do you understand?..."
But Ramsay Snow's words were cut short by the sight before him. At this moment, the entire bedroom was filled with green vines and branches, and his brother, Dominic, was floating in the air, radiating a green glow all over his body, with an eerie green light in his eyes.
During the days that Dominic was unconscious, he kept having a strange dream, or rather, he was trapped in a strange world. Here, everything was made of plants. At first, he could only sense the size of those plants.
But gradually, as time passed, he could clearly feel the structure and energy operation of these plants. His consciousness also became clearer and clearer. Today, he realized that everything he had sensed before were the objects in the room.
Now, Dominic Bolton could clearly feel the wooden floor and the wool carpet on the floor. He also felt the presence of three people on it: his father, his younger brother, and Maester Spring. Seeing his father's worried expression, Dominic Bolton felt a pang of sadness.
He remembered that a week ago, his stomach suddenly started to feel uncomfortable, and then he couldn't eat anything for the next few days. Finally, he fell ill.
He shouldn't have been able to last this long, but since his physical functions weakened, the stagnant energy within him suddenly became active.
Previously, Dominic Bolton had been searching for ways to enhance his power, but no matter what he did, that strange energy that constantly flowed within his body showed no reaction.
What Dominic Bolton didn't expect was that this time it would produce such a huge change. Countless green energies were constantly growing in his limbs and bones, and then slowly gathered in his mind.
After a while, Dominic felt his consciousness become even clearer, and his body seemed to have started to recover and was getting stronger.
At that moment, Dominic Bolton couldn't help but recall some words the Mysterious Lord had spoken to him before he came.
"'Wood', what does this word mean to you? Or, what kind of feeling does it evoke in you?"
"What is magic in your eyes? Is it sorcery? Or a mysterious power? Or do you think it's just something ethereal?"
"In my view, death and life are both opposing and symbiotic. No single power can exist independently of the other! This power is the same!"
"When facing the threat of death, people will unleash astonishing potential. You may not have a talent for magic, but perhaps you can only gain power through this method!"...
"My brother will die of a stomach ailment tomorrow!"
When this sentence clearly entered Dominic Bolton's mind, various emotions suddenly erupted within him, including anger, unwillingness, despair, and a strong yearning for life.
"I don't want to die! My life has only just begun, I haven't revitalized my family yet, I haven't properly understood this world, and I still want to pluck the most dazzling stars in this world! How can I die! Ah..."
Powerful green energy was also running amok, influenced by his emotional fluctuations. It leaked from his body, filling the bedroom. The floor, bed, chairs, and even the wood in the fireplace, all regained a semblance of life under the stimulus of this force, growing wildly.
Dominic Bolton was also protected by the branches and vines. Ramsay and Maester Spring were stunned by the scene before them. However, before they could react, the vines and branches began to inch closer to them.
They compressed the space the two men occupied. Spikes with barbs grew on the vines and branches, seemingly wanting to enclose them.
"He's the one who threatened me, ah!..."
Maester Spring cried out in despair, but before he finished, Ramsay Snow kicked him to the ground.
Ramsay Snow looked at his brother, whose eyes glowed green. After swallowing, he tentatively called out:
"Dominic! It's Ramsay! Your brother! Stop this!"
After hearing Ramsay's words, Dominic Bolton, whose eyes were glowing green, visibly paused. Then, the green light on his body gradually disappeared, and the surrounding vines and branches quickly withered away.
Losing the support of the Wood Element energy, Dominic Bolton also lost his floating state and fell directly onto the bed, seemingly unconscious.
Ramsay Snow slowly moved forward. He was only a little over three meters away from the wooden bed, but it felt like he was walking on fire with every step.
He walked to the head of the bed and looked at his brother, who seemed to have lost consciousness. A thought arose in his heart.
He slowly drew a dagger from his waist, but it felt incredibly heavy in his hand, so he put it back.
After repositioning his brother, Ramsay Snow covered him with a blanket and then left without looking back. Before leaving, he said to Maester Spring:
"Take care of my brother! Or I'll flay you!"
At this moment, Dominic Bolton was still unconscious, but upon closer inspection, it was noticed that his fingers seemed to twitch slightly, and a certain vine under the bed instantly withered!
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