The Three-Eyed Raven's body was as stiff as a statue.
Deep within Lynn's consciousness, that ancient and vast voice had completely vanished.
In its place was a dead silence, a blank void.
The room was eerily quiet; only the occasional crackle of flames in the fireplace reminded him that life still existed here.
Winter's three small heads also seemed to sense the stagnant atmosphere.
They stopped their frolicking, all turning to look at the raven on the ground, emitting wary growls from their throats.
"What, nothing to say?"
Lynn's voice broke the suffocating silence.
He didn't look at the raven, but instead gently scraped the fine scales under the chin of Winter's middle head with his finger.
His movements were unhurried, as if admiring a newly acquired trophy.
"Or perhaps, I should be more explicit."
Lynn's gaze finally moved from Winter.
It landed on the raven, which dared not move.
"That altar beyond The Wall, that so-called dragon egg, was not an accidental discovery at all."
"That was a trap you set."
"A bait that had been waiting for an unknown number of years."
The Three-Eyed Raven's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
"You knew the dragon egg was there, but you couldn't take it, let alone hatch it."
Lynn continued to peel back the Three-Eyed Raven's deepest secrets, layer by layer.
"You possess the vast memories of a Greenseer, but this new physical body only has half Targaryen blood."
"Because Brynden was a bastard."
"You weren't confident you could awaken it with blood magic."
"So, you needed a pawn."
"A pawn who could help you accomplish all of this."
Lynn gave a sarcastic smile.
"Unfortunately, I became that variable in your eyes, that most suitable pawn."
"And Maester Aemon, the old man with the purest true dragon blood, became the sacrifice that had to be made in your plan."
"If you were his uncle, you would never choose to let him sacrifice himself."
"But you kept luring him."
"From this point, I can conclude that you are not Bloodraven!"
"You guided everything step by step."
"Guiding me to find the dragon egg, guiding Maester Aemon to make the sacrifice."
"Your goal was to bring this dragon back into the world."
Bloodraven remained silent.
But in its blood-red eye, there was no longer shock.
Instead, there was a fear of being completely seen through.
"Dragonfire can destroy magic."
Lynn's voice deepened.
"Especially the ancient, constantly fading magic on The Wall."
"Why did Silverwing refuse to fly over The Wall? Because it felt the repulsion of that magic, and it also sensed the Night King waiting for it to fly over The Wall."
"All it would take is a spear to bring it down, using the power of Ice Magic to transform the dragon into an undead dragon, which could also break through The Wall!"
"And you, great Greenseer, you couldn't wait."
"You needed a key, a key that could destroy The Wall's magic in advance."
"This dragon is one of your keys."
Lynn paused, his gaze growing sharper.
"And the Horn of Winter is your second key."
"You lured me to the Fist of the First Men, ostensibly giving me a choice, but in reality, no matter which path I chose, the ultimate outcome was to help you break through The Wall."
"Get the horn, blow it, and The Wall collapses."
"Get this dragon, use its dragonfire to burn down the magical foundation of The Wall, and the result is still the same."
"You staked everything on me."
"What a calculation."
After Lynn finished speaking, the room once again fell into a long silence.
And indeed, the Night King had considered this.
In the future, when Daenerys flew over on her dragon, Viserion would be killed and transformed by the Night King, becoming the key to breaking through The Wall.
Winter seemed a little impatient.
The head with the fiery red eye on the right suddenly spewed a small plume of black smoke mixed with sparks at the raven on the ground.
The Three-Eyed Raven flapped its wings in fright, clumsily hopping backward.
It was at this moment.
That ancient voice finally echoed in Lynn's mind again.
Only this time, it no longer had any condescending authority, only a dry rasp that could almost be described as "weakness."
"...We can cooperate."
Lynn raised an eyebrow.
"Cooperate?"
"Yes, cooperate."
The Three-Eyed Raven's voice became urgent.
It finally placed Lynn on an equal, or even higher, footing than itself.
"Everything you said is correct."
"I admit, I've been trying to guide you, to use you."
"But I had no ill will."
Bloodraven spoke quickly, as if fearing that Lynn would truly move to burn its true body the next second.
"We have a common enemy!"
"The Night King is just a puppet, a walking corpse that I pushed to the forefront!"
"The truly terrifying thing is what created him!"
"It is the great other lurking in the deepest part of the Lands of Always Winter, it is darkness itself!"
"That is the Long Night that will end everything!"
"I need the power of this dragon, and I need your power even more!"
"A power not bound by fate, a power that can see through all mist!"
For the first time, the Three-Eyed Raven's voice carried a hint of pleading.
"Help me, Lynn."
"No, help ourselves."
"We can fight the great other together, end this eternal war together."
"I can tell you everything I know, the secrets buried in the river of time, the truly existing deities, and the essence of ancient magic!"
"We can become the guardians of this world..."
Lynn listened quietly.
He didn't answer immediately.
The conditions thrown out by the Three-Eyed Raven were very tempting.
The knowledge and secrets possessed by an old monster who had lived for thousands of years were immeasurable in value.
But Lynn knew better.
To conspire with a tiger, one must be prepared to be swallowed by the tiger.
He looked at the subservient Three-Eyed Raven on the ground, then at the three young dragons at his feet, who were utterly dependent on him..
After a long while.
He slowly spoke.
"I can consider it."
"However, I need to see your sincerity first!"
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