Chapter 13 – The Indifferent Man
Qungul Potter was one of the Faceless Men.
That fact alone was enough. The moment he entered the House of Black and White for training, his former identity ceased to matter.
He had just ended the life of a water dancer.
These elegant Braavosi swordsmen enjoyed considerable prestige in the city of Braavos, but there were always those who wished them dead.
So Qungul Potter killed him with the water dancer's own blade.
To outsiders, it appeared that the swordsman had drunk too much, stumbled into a ditch, and fallen upon his own sword. But in truth, he had been offered as a sacrifice to the Many-Faced God.
That night, the Faceless Man heard a summons in his dream.
He returned to the House of Black and White to seek guidance from his mentor—the acolyte known as the Indifferent Man.
"Someone will speak without reservation."
The Indifferent Man bowed his head, his decaying face hidden beneath his cowl.
"The Faceless Men were born among the slaves of the Valyrian Freehold, just as the ancestors of this city were."
When he raised his head again, the face beneath the cowl had changed to that of an ordinary Braavosi man.
"The Dragonlords used sorcery to force slaves to labor beneath the volcanoes. They hollowed out the Fourteen Flames, awakening the fury that slept beneath them.
They revived slaves who perished in the fires through blood and flame, only to cast them back into torment. In their agony, the slaves prayed for release.
Thus the first Faceless Man was born.
The Many-Faced God answered their prayers and granted true death. Faith and skill grew in secret, beyond the sight of the Dragonlords."
The Indifferent Man rose and slowly circled Qungul, his voice devoid of emotion.
"This is our history. But there is another telling."
He continued in High Valyrian.
"Among the Dragonlords were those who saw the danger of the Fourteen Flames. Fire mages and blood sorcerers who understood that Valyria's power carried the seed of its doom.
Some chose betrayal."
The face beneath the cowl shifted again—now unmistakably Valyrian.
Silver hair. Violet eyes.
"Several Dragonlords secretly freed slaves and taught them how to unravel fire magic. Together, they brought true death to those who demanded it."
The face vanished again into featureless nothingness.
"The Many-Faced God was pleased.
He bestowed His grace upon them, guiding their hidden design.
But the Dragonlords would eventually uncover the deception.
With the help of those few allies, many slaves fled Valyria. They crossed sea and swamp and came at last to the hidden lagoon."
"Thus Braavos was founded.
And those who possessed both divine grace and the sorcery learned from the Dragonlords formed what would become the Faceless Men."
Seeing confusion in Qungul's eyes, the Indifferent Man placed a hand upon his shoulder.
"The Dragonlords who aided us have long since paid their price. Now it is the Faceless Men who must repay the debt."
His face was blank once more.
"The song of earth and river has ended. The song of ice and fire begins.
The gods pluck their strings; mortals are the notes. All things seem destined.
Yet new musicians have entered the symphony.
Blood and fire. Copper and silver. Smoke and salt.
Even the Faceless Men may not remain apart."
"Someone will go east," Qungul murmured.
"But someone cannot guarantee finding the target."
"There is no need for certainty."
The Indifferent Man drew a coin from the black pool.
"Seek Aulis Celas Mell, advisor to the Sealord of Braavos. He sails for Lys on the morrow."
He closed his fingers around the coin.
"Someone will reach the target. Such is the will of the Many-Faced God."
The Varezes Fleet advanced triumphantly across the battlefield.
In the Summer Sea, they annihilated no fewer than ten pirate fleets.
The Lysene pirate commander Loho was intercepted; twenty-two of Sharako's warships were sunk and ten captured. The disgraced Pirate King fled in a skiff.
After crushing Sharako's fleet, the Varezes Fleet sailed north and defeated the Triarchy's privateers, forcing their commander to strike his colors and release the merchant ships of Volantis.
Having accomplished this, the fleet suddenly turned east, steering toward Slaver's Bay, seemingly in pursuit of a Lysene slave convoy whose escorts had recently been destroyed.
At that same time, three ships—the Silent Lord, the Crying Boy, and the Swordfish—broke from the main fleet and sailed north.
Their destination was simple:
The Smoking Sea.
The ruins of Valyria.
The Doom had shattered the peninsula. Black smoke rose endlessly into the sky, blotting out the sun.
The waters were said to boil with poison. Fumes clung to the air, turning any voyage into a one-way journey.
Sailors spoke of monstrous shapes beneath the waves.
Everything warned men away.
"Legends are true," Dragonzel said solemnly, holding up the map drawn by his father.
Though still distant from the Smoking Sea, he could already smell sulfur—and something sweeter beneath it.
Magic.
His blood had never felt so alive.
"Even from here, I sense ill omens," said Zesar Weaver, limping as he stared at the rising black smoke. The sea itself had begun to darken.
They gathered aboard the Silent Lord to decide their next course.
"This place is steeped in sorcery, Your Grace," said the red priest Marakh, his voice still weak. He gestured fervently.
"I feel the fire stirring. Perhaps this is where the Lord of Light first kindled His flame."
Dragonzel raised a hand for silence.
"This sea is cursed, as we expected."
He pointed to the route marked on the map.
"We lack the materials to shield the larger ships. They will remain at the edge of the Smoking Sea.
From there, we proceed by smaller boats."
He motioned to Hofa, whose golden eyes gleamed as he set a wooden chest upon the table.
Inside were thirty glass vials filled with crimson liquid threaded with silver strands.
"My blood, bound with my father's runes, can ward against corruption."
Dragonzel pushed the vials forward.
"I require fifteen men.
Fifteen brothers willing to live—and die—with me."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 40+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics