This wasn't the Valyrian rune system Dany was familiar with, yet strangely, she could understand it.
Well, not entirely unfamiliar—after all, the runes passed to her by the gate came from the ancient tongue, the same magical runes used by the Children of the Forest.
The green seer meditation runes engraved on the second soul ring came from that ancient rune system.
Just as Big Black had the nine-colored vortex in his sea of consciousness but couldn't comprehend the Valyrian Grand Sorcerer runes, Dany had previously copied the Three-Eyed Crow's fragmented meditation technique but couldn't break it down or learn it.
But now, with just a single "scan" of the "QR code" spat out by the gate, she instantly understood the "108 Basic Runes of the Green Seer" and their syntax.
Yes, just like the Grand Sorcerers and the Red Priests, the Green Seer meditation method also had 108 basic runes.
Having learned of the Ancient Vow, Dany began to ponder its meaning.
She understood one principle clearly: never sign a pact or make an oath lightly. Especially when facing an Old God—one can't even lie in such a situation.
To balance the natural elements, to guard this world, so that it may never fall into the abyss of darkness...
"The task is too heavy. I can't do it." After a moment of thought, she honestly told the gate.
"Uh, Your Grace, what are you talking about?" Sam asked blankly.
"The Ancient Vow wants me to protect the world. Protect the world! Just hearing it is terrifying—how can I possibly manage that? And even if I could, imagine how exhausting it would be!" she explained with a sigh.
"How do you know about this vow? I've never heard of any oath like that," Sam said, puzzled.
Suddenly struck by a thought, Dany pointed to the rune floating on her forehead, glowing faintly with white light, and asked, "Can you see this?"
"What is it? It's pitch-black in here. I can't see anything but the black gate," Sam replied.
"It's—uh!" When Dany blinked again, she realized the floating rune had vanished.
The "god" of the gate slowly closed its eyes and said, "Go."
Dany turned around dejectedly, gave the fat man beside her a shove, and said with frustration, "Let's go back."
"The gate's open. Aren't you going in?" Sam asked, confused.
"That vow was a bit... wait, what did you say?" Dany suddenly turned back and saw the mouth of the gate opening silently, growing wider and wider, its lips pulling upward like curtains, stretching to the sides, gradually covering the nostrils, the bridge of the nose, the eyes, and the forehead...
Until finally, all that remained was a huge mouth surrounded by folds—nothing else.
"Seven Gods above—no, all gods above!" Dany looked at the pitch-black mouth, filled with suspicion and fear. "Is this... opening the gate? Is it trying to trap me and devour me because I refused the vow?"
"I don't know anything about this Ancient Vow, but the last three times I crossed the Wall, it was like this," Sam replied.
Still uneasy, Dany stepped aside and gestured toward Sam. "You go first."
—If the gate god chewed the fat man into a bloody pulp, she'd run for her life.
Fat Sam didn't hesitate. He took one step forward and half his body entered the dark mouth. Even though he was less than half a meter away, Dany could no longer see the part of his body that had entered.
The leg still on the stone steps followed, and Sam completely disappeared before Dany's eyes.
"Amazing!" Unconsciously, she reached her hand inside. It felt cool, surrounded by a breeze.
"Doesn't seem dangerous."
Not only was there no sense of crisis in her dragon soul, there was even a kind of... eagerness?
Trusting Big Black's instincts, she stepped forward. It was like stepping on a cloud—soft and springy, light as air.
With another step, Dany was fully immersed in darkness. Dizziness and darkness engulfed her.
It felt as if she were a feather caught in the wind, rising and falling, drifting aimlessly with nowhere to anchor.
It also felt like she was a lonely boat in a sea of black bubbles, wandering cold and aimlessly in the haze—unable to distinguish illusion from reality, with thought and perception nearly frozen.
Dany tried to shake her head to rid herself of the disorienting emptiness, but she couldn't move at all. Her thoughts, too, seemed detached from her body, falling into a chaotic void.
"Dragon souls, enter!" In the final moment when she could still control her thoughts, Big Black—lounging at the kitchen door—and Little White—on the Wall keeping watch—both sent their souls into her sea of consciousness simultaneously.
"Whoosh, whoosh—"Consciousness returned. Dany opened her eyes from the haze and found herself surrounded by a dim, void-like space. Countless wind currents etched faint blue trails in the air, and her body was wrapped in those faint wind marks.
This is a world of wind, she thought.
Then, she realized her situation—below her was a world of white light, and her body was spinning downward through the wind toward it.
Beneath her, Sam's eyes were wide open, blank and lifeless, as he spun like a corpse into the white light and disappeared.
"Heavens, is this spatial teleportation? A rare opportunity—I can't leave as cluelessly as that fat guy!"
With resolve, Dany began to struggle.
But... it was like a sock thrown into a washing machine. Once the button was pressed and the drum began to spin, no matter how much the sock wanted to resist, it was useless.
Dany was like a flipped-over turtle, limbs flailing wildly, unable to change her situation at all.
She was getting closer and closer to the white light, about to pass through the Wall and fall onto a snow-covered, rocky mountain terrain.
Buzz—
Suddenly, the two foundational meditation methods in her sea of consciousness activated with a jolt. Dany didn't even know why—she just thought: If physical strength is useless, then I'll use every bit of magical power I have to stay here!
Unexpectedly, with the surge of her magical power, the nine-colored vortex and the second soul ring burst from her skull, forming a flower above her head—fiery red petals at the center, icy blue on the outside.
Uh... Dany's head bloomed like a flower.
—In this strange space, the physical body had become extremely ethereal. Just as Dany's soul and meditation roots could freely enter Big Black's sea of soul, now the nine-colored vortex and the second soul ring entered the Old God's consciousness space without hindrance.
Indeed, this wind-filled void was the conscious space of the Gate God.
Its condition was unusual—its illusory spiritual realm had strangely transformed into a semi-divine domain (a god-realm), capable of receiving both the body and consciousness of those it acknowledged—like the Night's Watch and their companions.
In this space, the boundary between flesh and soul had been broken.
"A Song of Ice and Fire?!"The voice of the Gatekeeper thundered beside Dany's ears, erupting with shock and confusion.
Meanwhile, Dany, like Doraemon wearing a bamboo copter, floated out from the white light entrance with a "flower" on her head, drifting leisurely through the space of azure winds.
A nine-colored vortex, shaped like an ice cream cone, spun clockwise, gradually turning fiery red. The surrounding white ring rotated in the opposite direction, transforming into an icy blue.
The opposing spins of these two meditative forces created a repulsive field, pushing away the fine traces of azure wind surrounding Dany.
It was as if she had broken free from the constraints of wind and could now soar freely through this space.
Dany was quickly drifting toward the direction from which the Gatekeeper's voice had come.
"Great One, what did you say? A Song of Ice and Fire—what does that mean?" she asked while flying.
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The Gatekeeper slowly explained:"At the dawn of creation, the Creator played a grand symphony, and from its melody, the world was born. Along with the birth of the world, a number of beings came into existence.
Some of these beings inherited fragments of the melody's notes, and you know them as gods.
The gods are the singers of the new world. We sing of the earth and sky, praise the mountains and rivers.It is through our songs that the world has thrived and flourished, growing into the colorful realm it is today.
Ice represents death, and fire represents life. The power to govern the cycle of life and death—this is what the gods call the Song of Ice and Fire."
"A song that represents a fundamental law sustaining the world? Is that what you mean?" Dany asked thoughtfully.
"You're very clever," the Gatekeeper replied.
As Dany looked around at the increasingly dense traces of azure wind, she noticed a giant wind sphere forming in the distance. A thought struck her, and she asked,"Great One, what song do you sing? The Song of Wind?"
Instead of answering, the Gatekeeper asked back,"Without a vow of allegiance, why do you come seeking me?"
"I've met many demigods before, but this is my first time encountering a true god. I was simply too curious," Dany replied honestly.
The Gatekeeper fell silent, seemingly unwilling to entertain her any longer.
Dany then noticed that the closer she got to the wind sphere, the slower she moved.
Gradually, the azure wind traces began closing in again—entangling her hands, binding her feet, and pulling her away from the wind sphere.
Once the forces balanced, she was stuck in place, unable to advance.
"This is as far as you go. Return now," the Gatekeeper said with a sigh.
"No!" Dany gritted her teeth and shouted,"I didn't come alone. Big Black, Little White—come out!"
"Ssssska—"
"Ssssska—"
Two dragon souls emerged from her sea of consciousness. Though not expanded to their full size, they flew around her like tiny spirits, slicing through the surrounding traces of wind. With the path cleared, she once again sped toward the wind sphere.
"This—" the Gatekeeper was once again stunned, exclaiming in disbelief,"You're not a shapeshifter… No, shapeshifters can only inhabit animal companions—they can't bring animal souls into a human's consciousness. How did you do this?"
"You've been sealed here too long. In the past ten thousand years, the world has birthed countless new songs," Dany replied with a proud smile.
"Pop!"Like falling into water, there was only slight resistance as Dany passed through the wind sphere and entered a world bathed in sacred azure light.
It was a vast, boundless space, with a milky-white background and countless points of shimmering blue light.
Touching a light point gave the sensation of wind—tender like the leaves of a willow in spring.
Wandering through this space brought a sense of purification, as if both soul and body were being cleansed.
Suddenly, the calm sea of light rippled faintly. Wherever the ripple passed, a sacred and majestic presence followed. In an instant, Dany's heart clenched, her eyes widened, and reverence and longing shimmered in her gaze.
"What just happened to me?"The ripple came and went swiftly. She regained clarity, but remained puzzled.
"Ssssska—"
"Ssssska—"
Big Black and Little White shrieked in terror and swiftly retreated into her brow, hiding deep within her soul and refusing to emerge again.
"It wasn't an illusion… that wave—" Dany focused her senses and searched through the countless blue star-points, finally spotting one that stood out.
It was still azure, just larger—more intense.Just one glance and that same awe and yearning returned.
Drawn toward it, she floated over and stopped in front of a walnut-sized azure crystal sphere.
"Wooo—"Another ripple burst from the crystal, stirring the starlit space once more. That sacred and commanding aura overwhelmed the senses with reverence and desire.
She was irresistibly drawn to it and reached out to grasp the azure crystal.
"Whoosh!"The crystal vanished. Dany's expression trembled. Her purple round pupils transformed into spiraling blue vortexes, and the red and blue petals atop her head all turned azure.
"Crack, crack!"Beyond the Wall, on a hillside sheltered from the wind, Sam Tarly stared in horror at a hundred-meter-long crack splitting across the ice wall.
"The Wall… is collapsing?!" he screamed.
(End of Chapter)
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