Golden quartered banners fluttered proudly in the wind atop the deck.
The guards stood in perfectly ordered ranks, as straight as spears. Instead of wearing cumbersome full plate armor, each man wore only a polished breastplate, allowing for greater mobility. When battle came upon the Blackwater Rush, they would crush any enemy that stood before them.
A truly invincible army could never be built overnight.
Only by enduring countless hardships in the freezing morning mist, fighting across grasslands and forests, storming castles, and defeating powerful foes again and again could soldiers develop unwavering confidence, courage, and the will to triumph.
---
Inside the cabin, Gendry continued studying the mysterious ring in his hand.
"It seems this ring once belonged to one of the ancient Valyrian Dragonlords."
"And judging by its power, it far surpasses anything the Targaryens ever possessed."
"It must have belonged to one of the great Dragonlord families, perhaps House Belaerys or another of Old Valyria's most powerful bloodlines."
Although Old Valyria had been ruled by forty Dragonlord families, their strengths had never been equal.
The abilities contained within the Fire-Wielder Ring were far beyond anything House Targaryen had ever demonstrated.
The greatest Dragonlords of Valyria controlled their dragons through binding spells and enchanted horns.
The Targaryens, on the other hand, relied on little more than commands and whips.
They had never mastered the great magical arts of ancient Valyria.
They couldn't construct marvels like the Valyrian Roads.
They couldn't manipulate molten stone with dragonfire and magic to shape magnificent buildings.
Nor did they possess the deepest magical knowledge that had once made Valyria unconquerable.
Compared to the ancient Dragonlords, House Targaryen had inherited only a fraction of Valyria's true legacy.
"It all comes back to Volantis."
"Volantis—and the ruins of Valyria—must still contain countless priceless treasures."
"It's a waste to let those Volantene slave masters keep squandering them."
"I'd rather claim them myself."
Gendry smiled faintly.
Even a fallen tiger retained its claws.
Volantis lay closest to the Doom of Valyria.
Its noble families almost certainly possessed relics inherited from the Dragonlords or recovered from the ruins.
Compared to the Triarchy, Volantis likely held far greater treasures.
The thought only strengthened Gendry's resolve.
Paying for them?
That wasn't his style.
Taking them by force was far more efficient.
---
"Dance of Fire."
As Gendry activated the Fire-Wielder Ring, black-and-crimson flames spiraled around it.
The flame engravings carved into the ring seemed to come alive.
Fire flowed through the intricate patterns, while the ruby embedded in its center glowed with dazzling brilliance.
More flames gathered.
Soon they covered Gendry's hands like enormous crimson gauntlets.
Yet...
He felt neither heat nor pain.
Fire existed everywhere.
It was one of nature's most fundamental forces.
Heat flowed through every living creature.
It shone within the sun.
It lingered in the earth.
It even resided inside the human body.
For the first time, Gendry truly sensed the presence of fire itself.
He could hear its breathing.
Feel its warmth.
Perceive every subtle fluctuation of thermal energy around him.
Summoning fire.
Resisting fire.
Becoming one with fire.
Then...
Commanding it.
The flames danced joyfully around him like loyal companions.
Long before obtaining the ring, Gendry's strengthening bloodline had already allowed him to vaguely sense the fire element.
Now...
The Fire-Wielder Ring amplified that connection countless times over.
Elemental manipulation was one of the highest forms of magic.
"This truly is one of the supreme treasures left behind by the ancient Valyrian Dragonlords and Pyromancers."
Gendry couldn't hide his excitement.
Magic...
And dragons...
Had always been the twin pillars upon which Old Valyria had stood.
---
Gendry spread his palm.
The swirling flames instantly flowed back into the ruby set within the ring.
The gemstone resembled a dried-up reservoir finally replenished by torrential rain.
Nearby, the ring even began drawing every trace of heat from the burning brazier.
The flames gradually weakened...
Then disappeared completely.
Yet the ring still seemed far from full.
"So..."
"It can store fire."
"And use it as a weapon."
Gendry threw a casual punch.
A thin crimson serpent of flame burst from his fist and shot forward with incredible speed.
The temperature was terrifying.
Ordinary wood would ignite instantly.
Common iron would rapidly melt.
Even refined steel would eventually soften under such intense heat.
Against flesh...
The result hardly needed imagining.
This was power that far surpassed ordinary martial skill.
---
Gendry carefully examined the Fire-Wielder Ring once more.
Its value was no less than the legendary Dragonbinder Horn.
Unfortunately...
The former Magistrate Marajo had never possessed the ability to awaken its true power.
He had merely treasured it as an expensive relic.
"Valyrian steel may be priceless to ordinary people..."
"But magical artifacts are worth even more."
"Valyrian steel..."
"Magic crystals..."
"Ancient incantations..."
"They're all merely conduits."
"The real magic comes from the one who awakens them."
Gendry had once witnessed the Red Priestess casting spells.
The ruby hanging from her throat would blaze with light each time she used her magic.
Clearly...
It functioned as a magical focus.
The Dragonbinder Horn wielded by Euron Greyjoy worked similarly.
The enormous twisted horn stretched nearly six feet long.
Its surface shimmered black beneath patterns of red-gold and Valyrian steel.
Though made from horn, it felt strangely warm...
Almost like human skin.
Ancient magical runes wound across its entire surface.
Besides the Fire-Wielder Ring...
Only a handful of magical artifacts were known to exist.
The Dragonbinder Horn.
The legendary Horn of Winter hidden beyond the Wall.
Glass Candles.
The enchanted walls of Storm's End.
The Wall itself.
The magical defenses of Volantis.
Rumor also claimed that House Celtigar possessed a magical horn capable of summoning sea monsters.
Personally...
Gendry doubted that story.
He suddenly laughed.
"Why does every magical artifact seem to be a horn?"
It truly was a strange coincidence.
Horn after horn...
Each granting some extraordinary ability.
Apparently, rune-carved horns had been incredibly common during the Age of Magic.
Of course...
The known examples were probably only a tiny fraction of what once existed.
Take Dragonbinder, for example.
Its magic forcibly enslaved dragons.
Such power was terrifyingly violent.
There had surely once existed gentler horns...
Artifacts capable of creating harmony rather than domination.
Even the Citadel...
With its mysterious Stone structures and ancient knowledge...
Might possess magical relics still hidden from the world.
---
"I wonder..."
"Can it absorb ordinary sunlight as well?"
Gendry stepped into the bright daylight.
The ruby's glow dimmed slightly.
However...
It truly did begin absorbing the sun's warmth.
The process was extremely slow...
But unmistakable.
Gendry smiled with satisfaction.
The Fire-Wielder Ring possessed remarkable spirituality.
It could absorb flames directly.
It could also slowly gather thermal energy from sunlight.
According to both the Pyromancers and the Red Priests...
Every living creature contained an inner fire.
Life itself was composed of heat, energy, and vitality.
The Red Priestess had once intended to draw Gendry's life-fire through intimacy.
That was her method of stealing power.
If that theory were true...
Then perhaps the Fire-Wielder Ring could one day absorb the life-fire of other beings directly.
Such an ability would be frighteningly overbearing.
Fortunately...
Gendry had yet to reach that level.
---
"Hiding your strength may be wrong..."
"But everyone else is doing the same."
"The Hightowers."
"The Greyjoys."
"The Faceless Men."
"In the end..."
"Only the victor matters."
Gendry laughed loudly.
Then he strode confidently out of the cabin.
Behind him...
The brazier had gone completely cold.
From this day forward...
He would become a true dual high-ranking Valyrian Dragonlord.
A Dragon Rider...
And a Pyromancer.
---
The salty sea breeze greeted him as he stepped onto the deck.
Dragonstone already lay ahead.
Bright sunlight reflected brilliantly across the sea.
The wind tousled Gendry's charcoal-black hair.
Young.
Fearless.
Full of ambition.
He looked every bit the future ruler of the tides.
"Dragonstone is straight ahead, Ser."
He smiled at Ser Barristan.
Barristan Selmy looked at the young man before him and fell briefly into silence.
Clad in black studded leather armor with a flowing golden cloak, the massive greatsword Tiger Roar strapped across his back, Gendry stood proudly upon the deck like an unshakable mountain.
Strong.
Tall.
Handsome.
Fearless.
He embodied the very peak of youth.
The pride of the Seven Kingdoms.
Its sword.
Its shield.
Barristan couldn't help asking himself,
"Was I ever this magnificent at fifteen or sixteen?"
But his own life...
Had been filled with too many regrets.
"If only I had been a better knight..."
"If only I had defeated the Crown Prince in that decisive tournament..."
"If only I had crowned Ashara Dayne Queen of Love and Beauty..."
"If only..."
"How many wars could have been prevented?"
"How many tragedies might never have happened?"
The past could never be changed.
Barristan slowly forced those painful memories from his mind.
Now...
He wished for only one thing.
To see Storm crowned king.
To witness a true dragon produce an heir symbolizing the reconciliation of Houses Targaryen and Baratheon.
And above all...
To see lasting peace return to the Seven Kingdoms once again.
________________________________________
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