NOVEL NEXT Chapter 55: Chapter 55
Lying is an art, and Aegor had learned a valuable trick: deceive yourself before deceiving others. The best lies are rooted in truth. If you create an identity within a story, everything you do and say must strictly align with that identity. It's like writing a novel, no matter how strange or fantastical the setting, as long as it's consistent within its own rules, it will appear logical. If a liar can immerse themselves deeply enough to believe their own words, the deception becomes nearly unbreakable.
Aegor had placed himself in the role of an adventurer from beyond the Sunset Sea, and in this role, he told the Red Priestess the complete, unvarnished truth as much as fit within the parameters of the identity he had constructed. How could anyone detect a lie when there wasn't one?
Even so, while he carefully avoided revealing the secret of his time travel, he worked to subtly lead Melisandre's thoughts. As long as her reasoning followed his "guesses" without veering into suspicion, he would be able to navigate this conversation without issue.
…
Melisandre was no demon. She was simply a woman who had mastered magic or found a way to communicate with the so-called "Red God." Faced with Aegor's truthful answers, even if she wasn't fully satisfied, there wasn't much she could question further. Instead, Aegor's carefully placed remarks triggered her own thoughts, and she soon squinted, deep in contemplation.
"I understand now," she said after a pause. Connecting Aegor's words with the visions she had seen in the flames, her mind began piecing things together. "The boy possesses the physique of a divine messenger, and the demigod wanted him."
"What is a demigod?" Aegor asked, keeping his tone even.
"A demigod is a being weaker than my master, the Lord of Light, but far superior to mortals. Think of them as powerful wizards," she replied.
"And what exactly is the 'physique of a divine messenger'?" Aegor continued. "Also, if the demigod wanted to use the boy, why did it cripple him?"
Melisandre's expression was calm as she explained, "The so-called divine physique refers to a person's natural affinity for the divine. Some people can easily perceive the messages the Lord of Light conveys through fire. Others require assistance, and still others will never hear the Lord's voice, no matter what. Interestingly, those with the highest divine affinity often have extraordinary talents for magic. They possess strong, healthy bodies, resilient souls, and unyielding wills. These advantages, however, can hinder divine communication—more precisely, hinder the divine from communicating with them. And so, you saw what happened next."
Aegor felt a chill run down his spine as her words sank in. He suddenly understood what she meant. Among the Free Folk, only one in a thousand is born a skinchanger, and among those, only one in a thousand can become a greenseer. Bran Stark, with his exceptional skinchanger abilities, was the perfect candidate to inherit the mantle of the next greenseer.
But because of his strength, the old greenseer couldn't simply control or manipulate him. Instead, the greenseer chose a cruel solution to temporarily weaken Bran.
Even the nature of the inheritance seemed suspect. Did the previous greenseer pass on all his knowledge and memories to Bran, or did he take over Bran's body entirely, viewing his life across time and space before impersonating him?
---
This line of thought was so disturbing that Aegor needed confirmation. "Let me see if I understand this," he said carefully. "If someone is healthy, whole, and conscious, a demigod cannot easily influence them. But if that person is unconscious, physically weakened, or mentally broken, the demigod can take the opportunity to infiltrate their mind and exert greater control?"
"In theory, yes," Melisandre said with a dazzling smile. "But resorting to direct harm is usually a last, desperate measure. Often, when a person's heart is filled with doubt or emptiness, a demigod can exploit that vulnerability just as effectively. That's a tactic used by the weak. My Lord of Light has no need for such underhanded methods. So long as there is fire, His grace can reach anywhere. My Lord is far more powerful than the one you fought."
Her response only solidified Aegor's suspicions. The day Bran Stark fell was the day before he was supposed to leave Winterfell for King's Landing with his father. The greenseer had orchestrated the tragedy to prevent his ideal successor from leaving the North, his sphere of influence.
The pieces began to fit together in Aegor's mind: Bran's dreams of the Three-Eyed Raven after his fall, Jojen Reed's arrival as a guide—Jojen, whose green dreams foretold the future but left him frail and sickly and other individuals who claimed to possess prophetic insight. It all made sense now.
The greenseer had wanted Bran crippled to ensure he remained in the North. While Bran lay unconscious, the greenseer likely implanted dreams and messages, urging him to "go beyond the Wall to fulfill his destiny." Jojen, already under the greenseer's sway, would then guide Bran to him.
It was cold, calculated, and utterly ruthless.
But one part still puzzled Aegor. He had witnessed Bran's fall with his own eyes, and the event had seemed entirely accidental. He needed to know how the greenseer had caused it. "But… it was clearly an accident," he said.
"You're dealing with a demigod, my friend of the Night's Watch," Melisandre said, her tone dripping with disdain. "What you saw was an accident. But was it truly one? Demigods spread their influence through faith, persuading others to act on their behalf. Within this sphere of influence, they can subtly manipulate people's thoughts. No god can directly control a person's mind, but through whispered suggestions deep in the subconscious and careful arrangements, they can orchestrate events. What they wish to happen will manifest as a series of coincidences."
"The heart tree… the Old Gods!" Aegor's voice trembled as the realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. He suddenly understood everything.
Melisandre's sharp eyes narrowed as she observed his reaction. She gave a small nod, then shook her head slightly, a wordless signal for him to stop speaking.
Her expression and gestures confirmed Aegor's worst fears. The so-called "Old Gods" were merely a facade, a construct of the greenseers. Or perhaps the Old Gods were the greenseers. By promoting this belief, the greenseers had encouraged the Children of the Forest and the First Men to plant weirwoods everywhere, creating a vast network through which they could extend their influence.
The greenseer didn't just see the world through the weirwoods; he could manipulate it.
And Bran's fall? Less than 200 meters from where it happened stood the Godswood of Winterfell. Through the heart tree, the greenseer had likely influenced Bran's subconscious, compelling him to climb the broken tower that day. At the same time, he had stirred the forbidden desires of Jaime and Cersei, ensuring they would be there when Bran arrived. A few nudges here, a whisper there, and the "accident" was complete.
Aegor's blood ran cold. By intervening repeatedly to try to prevent Bran's fall, he had unwittingly drawn the greenseer's attention. Melisandre had said he carried the aura of a powerful being. Could it be that he had already crossed paths with the greenseer—no, with the "Old God"?
Thank the gods I didn't succeed, he thought, sweat soaking his black tunic.
As the implications of Melisandre's explanation sank in, Aegor's mind raced to another possibility. Wasn't it the same principle when Melisandre burned three leeches to curse and kill three "false kings"?
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Robb Stark was killed by the Freys, who had conspired with the Lannisters at the Red Wedding. On the surface, it seemed to have nothing to do with the three leeches. But the King in the North's stubborn willfulness, his betrayal of his oath to House Frey, and the ultimate choices of the two treacherous families could all of this have been the result of whispers and subtle provocations buried deep in their subconscious? Could it have been R'hllor's influence at work?
Joffrey Baratheon was poisoned by Littlefinger and Olenna Tyrell, which also appeared unrelated to the leeches. Yet consider this: Petyr Baelish took enormous risks to orchestrate chaos that yielded no clear benefit to himself. Meanwhile, the Queen of Thorns, Olenna Tyrell, was willing to kill her own granddaughter's future husband to save her from marrying Joffrey, a "monster" with echoes of the Mad King's cruelty. The two conspirators aligned their plans perfectly, joining forces to kill the king. Could this perfect storm of collaboration have been induced by subtle hints and manipulations from the Lord of Light?
As for Balon Greyjoy, he was believed to have fallen to his death while crossing a stormy bridge. But his long-exiled brother, Euron Greyjoy, who returned to the Iron Islands immediately after Balon's death, was the true culprit. Euron had been absent from Westeros for years, claiming to have traveled the world. How, then, did he manage to return at the critical moment of the War of the Five Kings, ensuring that Melisandre's curse came to fruition?
The red-robed woman's curse couldn't directly kill its targets. But the King of Light behind her ensured that those she cursed would always be slain by someone with the motive and means to kill them. "Subconscious interference and whispers in the ears" these seem to be the methods through which the "gods" of this world manipulate events, turning mortals into their pawns and wielding them as tools to strike at one another.
Is it possible that this Game of Thrones, this battle between life and death, this song of ice and fire, is nothing more than a power struggle between gods and demigods, fighting for influence over the mortal world?
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