Those eyes—burning with cold blue flame—were like twin stars from the seventh hell, freezing souls with their gaze.
Time and space stopped.
Jon Snow's body trembled with terror.
But Stark blood flowing through his veins forced down the instinct to run.
He drew his dragonglass sword.
The steel groaned. The blade seemed to shrink from the cold.
"For the living!"
Jon roared and lunged toward that nightmare figure.
"DON'T!"
A hand shot out like lightning, clamping Jon's wrist in an iron grip. The strength was inhuman. Jon felt his bones creak.
He looked back, stunned.
Lynn's face was calm. Unmoved.
"He's not here to fight."
"If he wanted us dead, we'd already be corpses."
"I'll go. You wait here."
Lynn released him.
Then walked alone toward the Night King standing at the peak.
One step. Another.
Each footfall crunched through snow.
The cold wasn't just temperature anymore. It was will. Magic. Trying to invade his marrow, freeze his thoughts.
Lynn's mental strength was dozens of times stronger than the others. Barely enough to keep that cold at bay.
Ygritte collapsed completely.
She stared at Lynn's back, mind blank.
"Lynn..."
She whispered.
The Night King's face showed nothing. An ice sculpture. No emotion.
He raised one hand.
Snow on the summit began to spin violently, forming a massive vortex.
From the center, glowing fragments rose slowly.
Pieces of a horn. Each one radiating ancient, desolate power.
The Horn of Winter.
It's broken.
The Night King closed his right hand.
All the fragments flew together as if summoned.
Blue ice-crystal threads—alive—wove between the pieces, stitching, binding, repairing.
Blinding blue light exploded in the Night King's palm.
When it faded, a restored horn floated before Lynn.
Made from some massive beast's horn. Black as night. Covered in diamond-bright ice crystals.
Ancient blue runes flowed across the surface, containing the most primal ice magic in existence.
The Night King extended his hand.
Offered the reborn horn to Lynn.
Lynn's heart skipped.
What does this mean?
Trap? Test? Some kind of pact?
After a moment's hesitation, Lynn reached out.
Took the horn.
It was freezing. Bone-deep cold. Power surged up his arm, threatening to freeze his blood.
[DING! You have obtained Legendary Item: Horn of Winter (Restored)!]
[Horn of Winter: Blow it, and walls will fall. Can also summon an obedient ice giant.]
This thing... is more terrifying than the legends.
Before Lynn could process it, the Night King raised his other hand.
One pale finger pointed at Lynn's forehead.
No contact.
But Lynn felt a needle of concentrated ice energy pierce straight through his mind.
BOOM.
His brain went white.
A massive flood of information crashed into his memory.
Knowledge of ice at its most fundamental level.
How to condense moisture from air into unbreakable blades.
How to control absolute zero, freezing enemies' blood in an instant.
How to draw power from eternal winter, summoning storms.
[DING! Receiving Ancient Ice Magic Inheritance...]
[Inheritance Analysis Complete! Ice Magic gained massive experience. Current Level: Expert]
Lynn staggered back half a step.
His brain felt ready to burst from the sheer volume of information.
When he finally regained his senses, the Night King had lowered his hand.
Those burning blue eyes looked at him one last time.
Still empty. But carrying something Lynn couldn't understand. Expectation?
The Night King turned. Walked toward the cliff's edge.
A skeletal horse appeared—blue flames burning in its eye sockets.
The Night King mounted without looking back. Rode north toward the eternal ice.
His figure vanished into the blizzard as if he'd never been there.
Only when he disappeared completely did that soul-crushing pressure lift.
"Hah... hah..."
Everyone gasped for air.
Jon and the three rangers collapsed, faces pale with terror.
"Lynn!"
Jon struggled to his feet and rushed over.
"What was that? What did he give you?!"
Ygritte crawled up too.
She stared at the horn in Lynn's hand, voice shaking.
"What... what are you?"
"Did you make a deal with that demon?"
"Why didn't he hurt us?"
Lynn didn't answer.
He looked down at the ominous horn, then toward where the Night King had vanished. His thoughts were chaos.
He didn't understand either.
The Night King—the ultimate villain, the final boss.
Why give him a weapon capable of destroying the Wall?
Why teach him his power?
This script is all wrong.
Does he want me as his second-in-command?
Overthrow humanity together?
What the hell is this?
"He didn't seem hostile."
Finally, Lynn spoke slowly.
Doubt colored his voice.
"At least I got something out of it."
Lynn tucked the horn away, keeping it close.
He'd thought his power was enough. That he could face the Night King.
But seeing him in person—he was nothing like the show portrayed.
Lynn realized clearly: his strength was still far from enough.
Whether facing the coming Long Night or the vipers coiled in King's Landing's power games—he needed more power.
And the Night King's secrets, the deepest mysteries of this world—even Mance Rayder probably knew nothing.
He needed to find someone who had answers.
"We're changing plans."
Lynn's gaze swept over their confused faces.
"Mance Rayder can wait."
"We need to find someone else."
"Who?" Jon asked reflexively.
Lynn looked northwest toward the snow-covered mountain range called the Frostfangs.
"A crow with three eyes."
"The Greenseer is there."
His voice scattered in the wind, sending a chill through everyone colder than the northern wind itself.
The Greenseer.
Something from the oldest legends.
He wanted to find a legend?
Jon looked at Lynn's determined face.
Suddenly felt like he'd never truly known this man.
Ygritte went paler than snow when she heard "three-eyed crow."
Primal, blood-deep fear filled her grey eyes.
"You... you can't go there!" she cried.
"That place is forbidden!"
"No free folk dare set foot there!"
"Legend says the last Children of the Forest live there. And... and the Old Gods who see everything!"
Lynn turned.
Looked at her fear-twisted face. Asked calmly:
"You know where it is?"
"I... I only heard the elders talk about it!"
Ygritte's voice trembled.
"They say anyone who approaches the Frostfangs gets their soul stolen by the Old Gods. Becomes a walking corpse wandering the mountains forever!"
"Good."
Lynn actually smiled.
"Sounds like we've got the right place."
He clapped Jon's shoulder and headed down the mountain.
"Keep up. We're out of time."
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