Westeros, Riverland
Neferion
Having dealt with the Seven and with a Warrior following him like a shadow, Neferion headed towards the place where the armies of the Kingdom of Rock remained. With their speed, they soon reached destination, and they appeared before eyes of the army, or rather what was left of it, which was about slightly more than half. Those who remained were understandably disorganised. The rest had probably fled; he could even see in the distance individual groups heading towards the Westerlands.
The King and the lords tried to restore order, but it was not easy when just around the corner there was a battle between the gods going that looked more like a cataclysm.
When they appeared before the king Cerion as if from nowhere, both men and horses, who were already more frightened than their masters, fell into a panic until his powerful voice was heard, immediately calming everyone, filling their minds and hearts with peace and a sense of security.
"KAAN DREM OV" (Kyne, Peace, Trust)
A moment later his voice rang out again, this time in common tongue.
"People of the Westerlands, many of you have heard of me, whether from my priests, travellers, or rumours. I am Neferion, the Dovahkiin, also called the Lightbringer and One Who Shakes The World in Dorne. Many have taken to calling me a god and worshipping me in place of their old deities."
"I do not tell you to worship me, but the Seven Who Are One no longer exist. My High Priestess and Princess of Dorne, Nymeria Nymeros Martell, has slain the Maiden herself with the power I gave her."
Both the common soldiers and the lords stared at him in silence, while different emotions began to flow through their faces again. Fear, admiration, but also disbelief. For them, the gods cannot be killed because they are immortal and timeless. For them, killing a god is equal to killing the sky, the air, or the ocean. Unimaginable.
"In the titanic battle you could see in the distance taking place at the foot of the mountains, I slew Father, Mother, Smith, Crone and Stranger. Now they are gone. The only one left alive is the Warrior standing here! But he will now be known as the Ebony Knight, one of my champions and commander of my future armed forces."
At his words, the newly baptised Ebony Knight drew his sword, knelt on one knee before him, supporting himself with the blade, and bowed his head.
Neferion summoned Solarion, who glowed intensely, making him appear to be surrounded by a halo of holy light. He could feel the growing faith of some of those gathered, those who had probably already begun to believe in his divinity.
"You do not have to believe in me as a god, but you will serve me as emperor of these lands. For now, the Riverlands and Westerlands belong to me; soon the other kingdoms will follow. You have a choice now. Kneel or die."
He didn't have to wait long for a reaction. The majority of the army were ordinary peasants, who almost immediately fell to their knees, soon followed by knights, lords, and the king himself.
Dovahkiin watched with satisfaction. "You have made a good choice. Return to Westerlands. In exactly 2 moons, I will come to Casterly Rock to determine the reforms that await your lands."
"And Cerion. Don't waste the chance I'm giving you. There won't be another one."
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Dorne, Sunspear
Few days later
Nymeria
Nymeria walked along the sandy beach of Dorne, near Sunspear, completely alone for the first time in her life. No guards, no uncle, not even any of her handmaidens.
But the best part was the feeling she felt: freedom. Freedom that came from power. Not necessarily her own, but more from the power of the artefacts she carried with her, which allowed her to destroy the goddess's corporeal shell and trap her soul or whatever it was.
Her companion, basking in the hot sun, also provided her with additional safety. The front half of his massive golden figure took up a large part of the beach, while the back half sank into the sea. Every now and then, only his tail would strike the water like a whip, throwing water hundreds of feet, which fell on him and her like a soothing rain.
"KULAAS (Princess) Nymeria. Irritated that you still haven't heard from Dovahkiin? Or have you come to accompany old me?"
Nymeria didn't show it, but inside, she grimaced, for, indeed, she had come to Dov to see if there was any news from Neferion.
"I thought so. MAL KULAAS (Little Princess). I don't know anything more than what I told you. The last thing I saw through our bond was a forested island in the middle of a large lake."
"The Isle of Faces on God's Eye. Even in Dorne, I've heard many legends and myths about the lake and the island itself. So now that we've established where Neferion was last. I just want to know what he was doing there. Knowing life, it must be another brilliant plan of his."
The ground shook as something that was probably supposed to be laughter escaped the dragon's mouth but sounded more like the roar of the sea during a storm.
After a moment, the strange laughter stopped, and Vulthuryol replied, "You don't know him as well as you think. My ZII (Spirit) was part of Dovahkiin's ZII for the past few years. I know him better than he probably knows himself."
"What Dovahkiin values most is freedom. Although he has a slightly warped view of it. For which I guess I have to blame his Dovah ZII (Dragon Spirit). So basically he does whatever he wants, without much regard for what others want. He doesn't plan most things; he just acts spontaneously. Whatever seems most interesting to him at the moment."
Nymeria frowned thoughtfully. This conversation had gone in a different direction than she had intended, but she didn't hide the fact that she wanted to understand Neferion better. How was she going to win the man's heart if she didn't understand him at all?
"So this is where his abuse of that Shout comes from – that it subordinates the will of other beings to him? However, since he values his freedom, shouldn't he respect the freedom of others? Isn't that hypocrisy?"
The dragon raised his head slightly and, shaking it slightly from side to side, replied, "KIIR (Child), don't be naive. This is how the world works. You mortals take away the freedom of other mortals just because you have wealth and more people to serve you. And then bind them with laws and rules."
"Dovahkiin doesn't need that. Not wealth, not people, not rules. He is the force, he is the power, and he is the law. His words bend the world to his will. Since reality itself obeys him, why should you mortals be an exception? Consider yourselves so special?"
The dragon's words, while perhaps cruel from a certain perspective, carried no negative feelings. They were more like the tone her father had taken when teaching her how to exercise power.
Nymeria shook her head. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not that naive. I understand perfectly well that the strong rule the weak. That's how the world works and probably will continue to work. But I still don't understand Neferion. He claims to hate slavery, but he himself enslaves the will of others. And I don't say that to accuse him. I love that fool, and I would do anything for him."
Vulthuryol let out a snort, which sounded more like the roar of a gust of wind. "First, you must know that Neferion doesn't use the Bend Will shout when he feels like it but when he deems it necessary. When the risk of betrayal is too great, not so much for him but for the people he cares about."
"And believe me, MAL KULAAS, he cares about you. That's why he sent me to you as soon as he learnt of the Andal gods' movements. Dovahkiin values freedom itself, but if binding the will of this entire continent were possible and would guarantee your safety, he would do it. He simply values the safety of his loved ones more. He already lost a woman he cared about very much to people he trusted."
Nymeria felt warmth fill her at the Dragon's words. Hearing that Neferion cared about her improved her mood dramatically. Knowing that she wasn't just a tool or even an ally, but someone he could go to great lengths for was truly enjoyable.
Thanks to Vulthuryol's words, she also understood that she couldn't judge Neferion like a normal man. She kept forgetting that he wasn't a human, or even a mortal, to begin with. He was closer to a god and looked at everything from a completely different perspective. And despite the fact that he liked to play the hero and perform heroic deeds, he was an ambitious, sometimes proud and arrogant immortal being with a dominating nature.
Wanting to change the subject, she asked, "Vulthuryol, when do you think you'll be back? Or at least send a message?"
"I have no idea, but he's strong and there's probably nothing in this world that could hurt him." the dragon replied, dragging his massive body, causing the ground to tremble, throwing sand and water into the air.
Nymeria shielded her face to protect herself from the onslaught.
"Thanks, now I'll have sand everywhere on my body," she commented dryly.
Dusting off her yellow dress, she added, "I know he's strong, but is it normal for me to be worried?"
"Sure it is," the dragon replied. "But I am certain the Dovahkiin does nothing reckless."
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Riverlands, Isles of Faces
Leaf
"It's reckless. I'll tell you more; it's one of the most reckless things I've ever seen, and I've lived for thousands of years." She said, looking with uncertainty but also pain at the once green, now completely barren island.
When she arrived here two days earlier, the man she was looking for, Neferion, had already burnt the island's to the ground.
As soon as she saw the sight, she was filled with rage and despair, for it was one of the most important places of worship of the Old Gods, and hundreds of heart trees grew here. The previous night, she had indeed seen a huge fire on the horizon, but she had not expected something like this.
She wanted to throw herself at the one who had taught it and who was now calmly tinkering in the middle of the island. However, as soon as she got closer, the powerful presence of this being fell upon her, and Leaf felt as if the very heavens were crushing her. In place of the man appeared a gigantic, gleaming white dragon, which covered the entire horizon.
She realised that she was dealing with a being that even the Old Gods themselves could not compare to. And when she thought that she would die crushed by this powerful aura, she withdrew completely.
Their conversation later led to a quick agreement and the oath of loyalty she swore to him. So she stood there now, watching him tinker with a glowing, symbolised, human-sized sphere of some metal floating in the air in front of him.
"My god, are you sure this will work? The risk is too great," she said again, knowing that he had been harping on about it since yesterday.
"Neferion," he said, his eyes never leaving the sphere.
"What?" she asked, confused, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
The Dovahkiin turned his head toward her, his hands still working.
"Call me Neferion. I like you, and I feel this is the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership. So you may call me by my name."
Leaf couldn't help but feel incredibly good at those words. In all the millennia of working with Three-eyed Crow, she had never heard him say such things. She had to admit that it was a nice feeling.
But her thoughts immediately returned to what this madman was trying to do.
"If this doesn't work, there are two possibilities of what will happen. Both are terrible. You said so yourself. The magic of this world will disappear completely, or the world will explode. Think again." She said, her tone fully expressing the uncertainty and fear she felt.
"Sigh. You're oversimplifying it." Neferion replied with a sigh. "The world won't explode, and the magic won't simply disappear. If my plan fails, all the magic of this world will spontaneously combust, and then this planet will turn into a ball of fire. Or leak out through the cracks in reality."
He looked at her once more with a confident smile. "But that's only if my plan doesn't work. And I assure you, there's no way. With the Eye of Magnus as an unlimited source of energy, I will make it possible for me to use the magic of my world again and even teach it to people of my choosing."