Solomon. Old Valyria.
A couple of days later, on the doorstep of the mansion, five people appeared before me, four of whom I already knew, for it was they who had found the courage to ask questions in the amphitheater. And now we were gathered in the parlor around a small table where I planned to begin the discussion.
First up was a short old man with a wrinkled face, a bald head and a small beard. He leaned on a small wooden cane and was dressed in a faded linen shirt and pants with torn pant legs. But none of this diminished the significance of his clear eyes, in which wisdom and patience rested.
Next was a tall man in his thirties with swarthy skin, short black hair, and brown eyes. His worn clothes did not hide his strong muscles and, most importantly, his military aura, which combined austerity and obedience.
Next was a young girl in her twenties with brown hair and green eyes. She was wearing a baggy dress made of the same linen, and was clearly uncomfortable, not understanding the meaning of her presence among these people.
Also present was a young boy of a similar age to the girl, with short red hair and eyes the color of blood. And he, unlike the previous one, felt, I would say, joyful and happy to be here.
But the last one especially stood out, not only because of his light green eyes, thick beard and long blond hair that retained its color, but also his aura. He looked to be about a solid forty to forty-five years old, and combined recklessness, fun and a touch of high society, which was evident in his posture, relative restraint and gaze.
- "I suggest we begin by introducing ourselves, even if you already know my name," I began, while Kinvara laid out the appetizers on the table, "I am Solomon, and it is a pleasure to meet all of you."
- "Ivor," the old man introduced himself without giving his last name.
- "Mirul Egon," the man replied.
- "A-aliana Dumein," the girl said.
- "Randal Crone, Master Solomon!" declared the young man cheerfully.
- "Geryon Lannister," the latter said his name, to which he received surprised looks from everyone present, including mine and Kinvara's.
- "Lannister? A house with a big name," Mirul said.
- "Of course it is. Who doesn't know about golden lions and how their shit is made of gold too!" Geryon laughed, causing surprise, and then Randal joined in, "But seriously, I came to the Smoky Sea to find the family sword of my house, but in return I got the Gray Sickness and a lot of wasted time and money... as if... as if I'd been recommended to you-know-who! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
- "I see," I said, smiling at his joke, "Now that you're healed, do you plan to return home, Lord Geryon?"
- "Please drop the 'lord,' Master Solomon. I've always found it nonsensical," he said, "To be honest, finding the sword was more of an excuse than a goal. I just wanted to get away from the whole 'game', and I guess I got what I wanted. So, Master Solomon, I look forward to seeing what comes out of this selfish dream of yours!"
I cast an interested look at Geryon, remembering everything I had heard about the Lannisters earlier.
Almost everything I had heard about that family was either categorically negative or neutral-negative, but this man gave a very different impression. Simple and open, but observant and sensitive. Well, that's interesting.
- "So am I!" Randal seconded him.
- "I don't know why they chose me, but I'll do my best!" Aliana added enthusiastically, and Mirul and Ivor nodded briefly.
- "In that case, we can begin," I smiled and glanced around the room, "First, tell me exactly what these people and you want to see."
- "We, like humans, have very simple desires. Food, shelter, and safety. There are no other desires," Ivor replied.
- "So you've decided to put everything on my shoulders, huh?" I let out a chuckle, causing an awkward silence in the living room, "It was expected, though. There are too many of you, and because of the responsibility, pressure, and fear of so many people, decisions tend to be extremely predictable."
I tapped my finger on the table, and a large map of Old Valyria appeared before us.
- "Well, since I've been given full discretion, this is what I'll do," I began, dividing the city into five parts, "Take a quick survey of the people and divide them into five groups, one for each activity: building, managing, teaching, training and support. You, Randal, Ivor, Geryon, Mirul, and Aliana will lead them accordingly."
- "Trust me!" Randal declared enthusiastically, raising his fist in the air.
- "Managing? Case management and record keeping suits me," Ivor nodded.
- "I won't let you down," Mirul said with his fist in his chest.
- "So I'll be in charge of training, just like a Maester? Sounds interesting," Geryon mumbled thoughtfully, and then laughed.
- "Uneducated people are the first step to the destruction of society, and that's why it must be eradicated," I nodded. "It will be enough to teach people to read and write, and then everything will follow. And I will provide you with the necessary material, so there should be no problem."
- "I understand the purpose of the first four groups, but what about the last one?" Mirul asked, "Who should be assigned there, and what should be expected of them?"
- "They will be those who either have skills in cooking, dressmaking, blacksmithing, pottery, processing raw materials, and so on, or have no skills at all. Consider this group to be the largest and most versatile, because that's where you'll take people with a desire to learn or help."
- "The foundation of our future, eh?" Mirul wondered, to which I received a short nod.
- "Uh... A-are you sure?" Aliana asked uncertainly, "Such a responsibility... I-I'm not sure that..."
- "You'll be fine," I said in a soothing voice, "And no one forbids you to seek advice from others."
- "B-but..."
- "It is our lord's wish, Aliana," Ivor said, and smiled softly at her for the first time since he had been here, "Just do your best and that will be more than enough."
- "O-okay!..." Aliana nodded uncertainly.
My choice was based solely on the auras of these people and the impression they made on me. Yes, it might look rash, but at the moment it's the best decision I can make.
Aliana, although she is acting rather weak and insecure, her eagerness and some incompleteness means a lot, and that is why I put her in charge of the support group. She will interact with all the group leaders, including myself and Kinvara, and in time she will become the pillar of the future country.
Mirul is a typical warrior, I would say, and so training and commanding troops is an ideal activity for him. Geryon's openness will allow him to find common ground with people, stimulating their desire for training, just like Randal, in fact.
Ivor, on the other hand, definitely hid his last name and history, but he failed to hide his observation, clarity of mind, patience and experience, i.e. the fundamental traits of any good manager. I didn't know the reason he had come here, but as it happened, why not use his services?
- "Master," Ivor said to me suddenly.
- "Yes?"
- "You have assigned responsibilities and given clear and thoughtful orders, but it's not enough to get started. What should we do with the ruins of the city? They will be an obstacle to our activities, because they occupy large tracts of land, jeopardizing construction work and more. Or do you want to preserve them and rebuild Old Valyria?" he asked, watching me while the others waited silently for an answer.
- "No," I said without thinking, "Valyria is dead, and now, on its ashes, something new will stand. Its greatness will be preserved, but only in words and paper. After all, we are here to build our own home, not tied to anyone or anything, aren't we?"
Ivor watched me for a while longer, and then nodded approvingly.
- "Okay, in that case, we need to get rid of these ruins first."
- "That'll be on me," I shook my head, "Just take the men to the entrance of the city, and I'll do the rest...''
-0-
By the evening of the next day, when I was informed that all the people were safely outside the city, I teleported myself, Kinvara, and Lavena to a nearby mountain. From that spot I had a striking view of all of Old Valyria, which was illuminated by the light of a sun that had almost gone below the horizon. And it was quite symbolic, considering what I was planning to do.
- "So, my king, this is it, the moment of truth, right?" Kinvara asked, "To consign the old to the fire, to allow the new to rise from its ashes."
- "Just do it. You still have to help me feed tonight," Lavena rolled her eyes and stroked the dragon egg in her hands.
- "Yeah, I guess it's time," I let out a chuckle and held up my hands, "And since this is the birth of something as significant as a house, why not celebrate it accordingly, eh?"
In the next instant, the ten rings on my fingers glowed with pure golden light, illuminating the evening sky brighter than the sun did. Magic waterfalled out of my body, flooding the entire surroundings, and then there was a sound.
- "What is that...?" Lavena asked mesmerized.
- "It's... singing...?" Kinvara froze, "But... who is singing...? Why do I feel so... happy…?"
And they were not the only ones affected by the singing of the planet itself. There, far away, I could clearly feel the emotions felt by a hundred thousand people, the future inhabitants of this dead land. They, like Lavena and Kinvara, could not describe what they heard or felt.
It was something unreal and distant, as if it came out of ancient legends of long-forgotten eras, but they clearly enjoyed it and could not tear themselves away from such a beautiful sound that struck them to the core.
- "The Time of Birth had come..."
And as if resonating with my aria, the ground where the fallen capital stood began to glow. The glow grew brighter and brighter with each passing second, until, at some point, it began to gather into tiny balls of light that looked like little fairies floating in the air.
Lavena carefully knelt down and tried to touch the little sphere of light. And when she managed to pick up the sphere in her palm, she smiled unknowingly, and her eyes lit up with something akin to happiness.
- "It's so warm..."
- "And gorgeous..." Kinvara added, squatting down and beginning to stroke another sphere.
The people in the distance watched the other spheres scattered at their feet like little children. It was pure childlike curiosity and innocence, which they had all hidden in the farthest corner of their hearts to shield them from the horrors of the real world.
- "He is the One Who Masters All…"
As soon as I uttered the second line of activation, the spheres flew into the sky, piercing the clouds and continuing into the infinite distance, toward the stars. From one to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, a thousand to a million, and a million to a billion. Each tiny sphere continued to pierce the sky, gathering and forming massive and wide streaks of light, which then began to run across the firmament like predators chasing invisible prey.
The sun, moon and stars had finally lost their supremacy in the blue, and now this endless streak of light, made up of millions of smaller streaks, shone there in bright pure gold, as if announcing to the world its arrival.
-0-
This statement was seen not only in Old Valyria, but in all of Planethos. And a ring of light, created by one of the strongest and greatest Noble Phantasms of the Great Servant of the Caster Class, set the world in motion...
In Vaes Dothrak...
The Dosh Khaleen, led by their High Priestess, ran out of the temple in panic and stared up at the sky, muttering madly to themselves as they prayed to the Great Stallion.
- "Fate had changed..."
At Khal Drogo's camp...
Daenerys Targaryen, standing at the entrance to the tent and mesmerized by the heavenly spectacle, slowly lowered her gaze to her already bulging belly, which she stroked gently and carefully with her hand.
- "No, it's none of my business. Not anymore..."
At Kirana Satrion's house...
Semiramis, who was in the library, looked up to the window and hummed smugly, taking a glass of wine from the table and taking a sip.
- "Hmph. He agreed with me after all..."
In the Black and White House...
The man stared into the opening above the pond, golden light streaming through as the darkness around him slowly thickened and seemed to come alive, reaching upward with its shapeless dark tentacles.
- "It was time..."
At the Temple of R'Glor...
The red priestesses and priestesses clasped their hands in a gesture of prayer and knelt before the brazier of their god, where scarlet flames blazed as if wanting to burst into the sky.
- "We are ready to serve..."
In the Citadel...
The Order of Maesters, led by Seneschal, frantically ordered to pull out every astronomy text to understand the essence of the phenomenon in the sky, for nothing like it had ever happened in the entire existence of the Citadel.
- "What is it?"
At Winterfell.
Robb, resting in the Bogorosch, could not look away from the unusual but familiar phenomenon, and smiled involuntarily, for he had seen this light before.
- "You are watching us, aren't you, Lord Solomon...?"
At the Red Castle.
Eddard Stark, tired but still serving the kingdom, gripped the stone railing tightly, for he knew exactly who was responsible for the glow in the sky.
- "I understand, Solomon, and I will be ready for whatever happens..."
In the Great Sept of Baelor...
The High Septon bowed to the floor to the seven statues of the gods with fanatical fury and repeated just one phrase with madness dancing in his eyes.
- "I will not fail you, Lord Envoy..."
Beyond the Wall...
Jon Snow, trained under Cid, reflexively reached for Durandal and stroked its hilt while his eyes were fixed on the sky.
- "We will meet soon, Lord Solomon..."
And even in the deep North...
Surrounded by countless Wights, the Great Other, whose eyes shone with a cold and emotionless blue light, gripped the ice spear tightly, causing it to immediately crack and disintegrate, falling prey to his master's emotions.
- "Enemy..."
The eyes of the entire world were turned to the golden ring in the sky, and each of their owners, in their very essence, realized that a change was coming... A great change that could not be denied....
-0-
- "Ars Almadel Solomonis."
And then, that streak of light, branching and twisting, poured down upon the earth like the heaviest rain that had ever existed in all the millennia. A flash of light, and now, where the dead capital of the ancient empire had once lived out its last days, there was a flat green blooming land.
A perfect land, a paradise that every living thing on the entire planet desired. Plains full of life with flowers, butterflies fluttering over them, fresh crystal clear dew, and fertile soft soil.
And, in the midst of this utopia above the clear sky, stood a temple. A temple that had once belonged to Solomon, serving as his residence in ancient Israel and a place that had become part of his legend as a skill in 'Territory Creation'.
Majestic, massive, magnificent and unheard of in this world before, it stood on a hill once occupied by a dilapidated palace that paled in comparison to the low temple built of skillfully crafted stone blocks, with a roof and interior clad in luxurious wooden planks.
- "This is..." Kinvara covered her mouth with her hand and trembled.
- "Yes, Solomon's Temple... My temple..." I smiled, to which Lavena rolled her eyes and Kinvara, for some unknown reason, showed a strange expression of concern and apprehension.
I suppose I'll have to talk to her about it later, but I guess I'll wait for a time when she wants to share it herself, but for now....
- "It's a start, and now it's time to act, isn't it?"
-0-
A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
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