[Edric's POV]
It grew colder further north… but, at some point, it gradually fell and stabilised. Still bone-chilling but not the deathly cold it once was. With my searing hot blood and a bit of magic, I could ride atop Viserion without much trouble. We rode at great speed, never stopping as my magic continuously fueled his body.
The true north extended far and wide. It was a longer journey than the one from King's Landing to the Wall, taking over a day. On the bright side, it gave me ample time to recover the worst of my wounds and repair my armour.
Eventually, we would reach the so-called End of the World.
It was… an oddly mesmerising sight.
The Tree of the End was rooted upon a massive mountain overlooking the rest of the world. The mountain itself was supremely steep and covered in ice. Scaling it would be impossible. Near the tree, there seemed to be an entrance to a cave I hadn't noticed before. The sky resembled an aurora, as purple, green and icy blue glowed through the darkness.
Viserion descended on the top of the mountain, and I dismounted soon after.
This used to be their stronghold, the heart of the Others and their magic.
Now it seemed… barren. The Tree was a shadow of its old self and there were no Others guarding it. Still, there was some beauty to the sight. I stepped ahead of the tree and looked at what was ahead. An endless ocean of ice.
I turned away, looking towards the cave. It seemed I'd need to track down my potential ally.
As I walked into the cave, it led further down into the heart of the mountain. Inside was an enormous tunnel system expanding out like a labyrinth, with each path having multiple different paths the further you went. There were hundreds further down, most leading to dead ends. I used my Green Sight to track the most prominent one.
It led down to a massive cavern of multi-coloured crystals which glowed with power according to my dragon eye, frozen trees, odd flowers that I've never seen before and even a lake of unmoving water. It seemed like a nice spot to chill at… I didn't blame the Night Queen for staying down here.
"You found your way," The Night Queen remarked, turning to me. "And you carry a more assured look in your eyes. I do not sense the presence of Morrek anymore... I take it your first battle went well."
"So that was his name."
"A faithful commander until the end," She remarked. "Odd that they would be separated."
"The Night King possesses a clear advantage in manpower. Why split his captains? If he attacked with one host, I would be unable to match him…"
"The power he gained from becoming one with the Great Other is unknown even to me. It may be that this was not so great of a loss to begin with."
"..." I raised an eyebrow. "So he can afford to throw away his best subordinates."
"That is possible. Your true challenge is the Great Other… defeating everyone else is pointless if you lack the strength to slay him, in the end."
"So…" I began to close the distance between us. "Is there an edge that you can provide me with?"
"You don't play around," She noted. "Well, there is still the question of whether or not I am on your side in the first place…"
"Oh?" I questioned, drawing out Stormfryre and painting it against her chest. A bit of force was all I needed to pierce right through. "And I thought we had something special…"
She didn't look worried.
"You'd need a mightier weapon to destroy me."
"Don't tell me that you're immune to everything that isn't dear old Lightbringer as well?"
"Hm," She smiled, sliding Stormfyre off with her finger. "And you've not tempered it yet?"
"Everything seems to lead to that accursed blade."
"Most certainly. It carries the highest blessing of R'hllor, a symbol of his divine might. The light that burns through all the darkness in the world. A light that can only be wielded by his chosen champion after a worthy sacrifice is made to spark its flames."
"And if R'hllor wanted to grant this blessing, would he be capable - without the sacrifice?"
"More than likely, yes. Blessings require power, and sacrifices aid in fueling and manifesting them... but R'hllor is a widely worshipped god who can pick and choose what is worthy of his attention."
"So, the whole sacrificing a loved one part of it is just for sport?"
"In his eyes, his devoted followers make these sacrifices without question. What makes you the special exception who can earn his highest blessing simply because you desire it?"
"Mayhaps because I'm facing his greatest foe. Mayhaps because I'm the one fighting his battles. Is that not reason enough?"
"Gods are far less reasonable than mortals," She chuckled.
"Would he rather see the world fall to darkness?"
"Would you?" She questioned, pacing around me. "A mortal is expected to relent to the wishes of his god..."
"R'hllor is no god of mine."
"No divine patron, no Lightbringer, a missing limb... how do you expect to achieve victory?"
"Why do you think I'm here?" I looked at her.
"Yes, that edge... but there is one unavoidable condition. You have to embrace the Other part of you. Otherwise, there is nothing I can do."
"... And where would that lead?"
"Becoming an Other entirely would undo almost all of your advantages, of course... so, the goal would be to unleash that power without it consuming your body. In short, becoming part Other while keeping the other benefits your body possesses."
"You don't sound very confident about it working," I remarked.
"It's never been done before. Those who fail to evolve into an Other die during the ritual. Only Brandon was able to retain a more human appearance for a time as they were recovering their true strength... but their completion was inevitable, if not for Joramun and the Breaker."
"But you've managed to keep a piece of His soul without much trouble. The clear problem would be the fire in your body... which would fight against such a change. There is a possibility you'd die, a possibility you'd become weaker for a period of time as your body adapts and a chance that you'd become weaker permanently if your body fights itself enough. But there is that chance that you could evolve past all of that... and become something no one else could."
"The question lies in whether you'd take that gamble."
"..."
I possessed a bit of the Night King's power, yet actively suppressed it when I could have simply destroyed it. I had hoped it would have some use… but I was not fond of the potential of becoming more like a certain future version of myself.
What choice did I truly have? I needed all the power I could grasp.
I would not be a slave to prophecy. R'hllor can fuck himself with his sacrifices.
There was also the question of whether or not she was truly on my side. Oddly, I felt more confident in that… for some reason. I didn't sense any malicious intent through my Green Sight. It seemed like there was something I didn't know. Could it be that she wanted to die, but nothing could kill her? At some point, life has to become quite dull, I'd imagine. Or did she foresee me fighting R'hllor, the great foe of the Others, regardless?
Between the Night King and myself, only the stronger one would survive.
"I am willing."
"Well then," She smiled. "Let's get that armour off. You can keep the lower half if you want."
"... Right."
…
If the Others had witches, it would seem that she would be it. I watched her mix something that looked like a giant's toe, a winter rose but it was more of an icy blue, blue blood… and god knows what else while her magic mixed it all. The taste would likely be the most diabolical thing.
"Do you want something to dull the pain? I will be stabbing your heart, after all…"
"No, I'll be fine."
As fine as getting stabbed in the heart could be.
"You want the pain, hm… very well. Less work for me."
It seemed like she enjoyed this little magic experiment a little too much.
"I am not certain if you know, but typically we turn babes into Others as it is much simpler. Besides that, only the one you call Night King is capable of turning grown men and women into Others with perfect success through His cold touch. As you could imagine, stabbing hearts with dragon glass isn't ideal… but it is how the Night King was created and considered amongst our kind as the 'purest' way of creating an Other. The chance of success for that method is less than one in a thousand, however."
"I would hope mine is a bit higher."
Less than one in a thousand wasn't exactly ideal.
"It may well be lower or much higher," She remarked. "The fire in your body will fight against the change. It is a gamble for that reason. Still… it means that your chances of not becoming a complete Other are higher should you survive the initial stage."
"I'm ready whenever you are."
"Before we begin, drink this. It will heighten your affinity to our magic for a time and increase your chances."
I nodded, drinking the most heinous-tasting mixture known to man. After that, I observed the dragonglass dagger she drew out. It carried the aura of death. Was this gamble worthwhile? What if I died right here?
'The Prince That Was Promised disappeared... and the light from the world followed.'
I took a deep breath as the dagger fell. Time slowed to a great halt. The cliche of my life flashing before my eyes - well, it happened. I saw through it all. My mistakes, my triumphs, my gains and all of my losses. The tragedies I brought upon others... for the 'greater good'.
If I could not bring victory, then what was it all for?
Lightbringer would not have Daenerys, nor Arthur, but it could have me... I was content with that.
That beautiful dream that I had... of peace, freedom and joy... it seems to be nothing more than that.
The dagger plunged my heart, shattering on impact.
Everything became dark... freezing cold... a bright light emerged in response... carrying heat like no other.
And so, they fought and fought.
My body and soul, their battlefield.
...
I woke up with an Other-like arm where I had cut my own, the ice spreading across my body. I felt... sick. Weak. I could hardly muster any strength, as all of it had been drained from within. I felt like I was dying. The wound where my heart had been pierced had healed, covered in ice and scales.
"How much time has passed?" I looked to the Night Queen.
"A day..."
I raised myself from the ground, almost stumbling right back down. Sweat left my forehead from such a simple action.
"The wisest course of action would be to recover and restore a sense of order within your body. The very worst would be rushing yourself to battle."
"I don't have time to waste. I'll recover on the flight back," I shook my head.
"... Ever so impatient, as a mortal man would be."
"The longer I do nothing, the more the Night King and his forces will ravage my Realm."
"Such a thoughtful King. Have you considered how much more destruction would follow if you are caught by surprise and fall to the Night King?"
"Why are you even advising me? Why aid me in the first place?"
"I find you interesting," She said, shrugging. "Besides that, you are part Other now... it is in my nature to see you prosper."
"Over the Night King?"
"Whichever one of you prevails over the other will be most suited to take the fight to the Lord of Light. Indeed, I've chosen the future of my kind, avoiding the fate of your wrathful fire extinguishing us all. In this path, you may be able to prevent the death of your Nissa Nissa as well... so we both benefit."
"... That was one of my theories," I nodded. "I will make use of your advice, but my desire to remain idle remains the same."
"Take care, then."
"You plan to stay in this barren land forever?" I raised an eyebrow.
"This is my home. There is no other place for me, even with the Tree of the End uprooted."
"... I see."
I turned away. It seems that there was a bit of dislike in her voice. Mayhaps she was not fond of the Night King's recent actions. Regardless, I had no time to waste.
The way back to the top of the mountain was a hundred times more difficult. It was almost like a climb as my body was in a constant state of weariness. But, I managed... and called upon Viserion when I was near the entrance.
He landed, and I struggled to get on top of his saddle... but, again, managed.
"Fly south..."
I fell unconscious.
~
"You can't hide from me forever, King."
The Plane of Euthymia looked like it was going through an extinction event, a world on the brink of breaking. The red skies were covered in black cracks, the tree at its heart melting and freezing. All that Alysanne had grown within had wilted, burned or frozen. All of the weapons and treasures lay scattered on the ground.
And, there he was, my alter-ego. He had embraced a complete Other appearance, sitting beside... Raiden's body.
"Hide?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"You see, I'm not certain you hold our best interests in heart anymore... and now you've given me the power to challenge you as an equal."
"..." I managed a laugh. It seemed ridiculous. "Is this some sort of inner rebellion?"
"A usurpation. You've lost your sight, your vision... you've gotten so very soft. You have betrayed our cause. What is the use of any of this if we die? Daenerys gets to live? You would choose a mortal woman over yourself... over the goddess you say you love so much. The one who gave everything for you to live. You would choose the mortal woman's life over the life that we deserve."
He showed his left hand, and the mark that was inscribed upon it.
"And to make things worse, your best friend is a suitable and willing substitute... I'd take his life without hesitation and make short work of the Night King in honour of his noble sacrifice. But you - you'd rather we perish than lose either of them. You want to play hero so bad, don't you?"
"... That is not true."
"Oh, but it is. You'd think that wearing a crown would make you acknowledge the notion of sacrifice of others, but that doesn't seem to apply to the ones you love most. Buuut those men, women and children within the Black Walls... that's okay, is it? Embrace your darkness, embrace me."
"I will grant us the ending to this that we have earned."
"And if I don't?" I questioned.
"Then you will leave me no choice but to destroy you."
I hadn't ever imagined the voice in my head would be any more than an annoyance, a second perspective or even a little amusement. To think that it would end like this...
"I will stand by what I believe in."
"Then it's time for me to take the reins."
He stroked Raiden's hair before placing his hand on her chest and drawing out a blade... Raiden's sword. The Musou no Hitotachi, only larger and longer, suiting my size. Raiden's body dispersed into purple particles, the last of her remains creating a purple glow on the blade.
I didn't even think that was possible...
"Pick up a weapon. I'll grant you that privilege."
It looks like I need to clean house before moving forward.
I called upon Stormfyre, and it soared right into my hand.