The most sensational news across the Seven Kingdoms was undoubtedly the disappearance of the Chosen One, Lynd Tarran, who vanished alongside the Sea Dragon while hunting it.
Many believed that this time, Lynd was truly dead. They had heard the full account from the guild leaders and their men-at-arms who had sailed with him and knew just how massive the Sea Dragon had been.
Even though these witnesses repeatedly insisted that when Lynd struck down the Sea Dragon and sent it plunging into the depths, he himself was unscathed—that he had wounded the beast with overwhelming force—most refused to believe them. Instead, many assumed they were merely covering up the truth: that Lynd and the Sea Dragon had perished together.
To some, the story felt like something out of legend—an archetypal tale of a great hero. A chosen warrior rises, performs feats beyond imagination, then, in a final climactic battle, meets his end alongside his foe. It was a narrative as old as time, the standard fate of any legendary figure.
Ironically, rather than diminishing, Lynd's following only grew. His perceived martyrdom only added to his legend.
Despite the Lord of Summerhall's disappearance—or death—no one saw it as an opportunity to seize power. The governance system Lynd had established functioned smoothly even in his absence, and Nymeria remained in control, overseeing affairs with firm command. Summerhall's administration operated just as efficiently as before, unchanged by its lord's fate.
Perhaps as a warning to opportunists, or perhaps as a demonstration of Summerhall's continued strength, Nymeria made a bold move. She deployed the newly formed Chosen Army, along with the garrison of Miracle Harbor, using the pretext of an attacked caravan to launch a campaign into the unclaimed lands of the southwestern Red Mountains.
In just a matter of weeks, this force swept through the region, crushing over a dozen wildling tribes and bandit groups, securing control over the supposedly worthless mountainous territory.
Twenty-six Stone Giants, clad in bronze armor and wielding massive shields and heavy bronze war hammers, joined the campaign. Their display of sheer combat prowess left even those observing from the shadows in stunned silence.
Among the commanders, one warrior stood out—Dacey Mormont, leader of the women's battalion in the Miracle Harbor Garrison. She alone slew ten tribal chieftains and over forty wildling warriors.
Once the territory was secured, envoys were dispatched, leading to two key strongholds—Vulture's Roost Castle, upstream along the Wyl River, and Nightsong, across from The Prince's Pass—signing defensive alliances with Summerhall.
What truly caught many by surprise, however, was that almost simultaneously with these agreements, Stonehelm in the Stormlands also signed an alliance pact with Summerhall.
House Swann of Stonehelm was no minor house. They ranked among the great noble families of the Stormlands, far surpassing the likes of Vulture's Roost and Nightsong in power. Their strength was nearly on par with the newly rebuilt Tumbleton. For such a powerful lord to ally himself with Summerhall, without any prior warning, suggested that Summerhall's influence had not weakened in Lynd's absence. If anything, it seemed to be growing stronger.
...
Meanwhile, deep within the Godsgrace Mountains, in a forbidden land surrounded by towering boulders, where a vast grassland and a lake lay at its heart, a colossal dragon lay resting near the water's edge.
Beside it lay a man.
Compared to the dragon's enormous bulk, the man's form was minuscule. The beast's eye alone was nearly the size of his entire body.
This dragon and man were none other than the Sea Dragon and Lynd—missing in the Sea of Dorne for the past two months.
Both lay motionless, but their slow, steady breathing and the rise and fall of their chests made it clear—they were not dead. They were merely in deep slumber.
As dawn's first light broke over the mountain peaks, golden rays spilled into the forbidden land, casting their glow upon Lynd.
The warmth of the sunlight, filtering through his closed eyelids, stirred discomfort. His brow furrowed slightly before his eyes snapped open.
Dazed, he sat up, scanning his unfamiliar surroundings.
Then his gaze fell upon the massive Sea Dragon lying beside him.
Instantly, his mind sharpened. He pushed himself to his feet, quickly searching for the greatsword of the Banished Knight.
With or without that sword, his strength was worlds apart—its presence meant everything.
He wielded the greatsword of the Banished Knight, his combat prowess akin to that of a god. With it, he could easily slay the sea dragon before him. But without the Banished Knight's greatsword, even if he could tap into the power of the Dragon Rune within his heart, he had no certainty that he could contend with the colossal beast.
At that moment, the heavy and rhythmic breathing of the sea dragon ceased. Its enormous eyes opened, immediately locking onto Lynd, who stood nearby.
Lynd's body tensed in an instant. Drawing upon the power of the Dragon Heart Rune and the mental control he had gained from the second Dragon Communion Ritual, he accelerated his movements, swiftly maneuvering close to the sea dragon—into a blind spot outside its line of sight.
Against a magical creature as massive as a dragon, fleeing was futile. The best strategy was to use the dragon's own vast body to create blind spots, hide within them, and wait for an opening.
As Lynd vanished from the sea dragon's sight, the creature rose from the ground. It moved sideways as though sensing his presence, its long neck curving into an arc, and in that motion, it caught sight of Lynd—who had not yet had time to reposition himself with the dragon's shifting body.
Lynd didn't hesitate. He continued to evade, fully aware that stopping now would mean exposing himself to a barrage of attacks from the sea dragon.
Thus, man and dragon engaged in a game of hide-and-seek—one darting into blind spots, the other swiftly repositioning to locate its elusive prey. The once-firm grassland soon turned to mud under the dragon's relentless stomping.
Despite his utmost caution, Lynd failed to notice the treacherous ground beneath him. His foot sank into a patch of thick, sticky mud, causing the briefest delay in his movement. In that instant, the sea dragon twisted its massive body, its enormous tail sweeping outward. The motion carried an unstoppable momentum, striking him with the force of a swatting hand.
Lynd had barely managed to pull his foot free when the tail connected. He was sent hurtling through the air, crashing heavily into the ground before skidding a great distance, leaving a deep trail in the trampled grass.
Though Lynd's body was exceptionally strong, far surpassing that of an ordinary person, it was insignificant compared to the sheer size and power of the sea dragon. To the dragon, it had been nothing more than an idle flick of its tail. But to Lynd, it was like being struck by a speeding freight wagon.
His entire skeleton felt as though it had been shattered. His vision swam, and it took a long moment for his senses to return.
When he finally opened his eyes, the massive head of the sea dragon loomed before him. Its gaping maw exhaled a foul, fishy breath, and its jagged teeth, interlocking like a guillotine, glistened ominously.
Yet, to Lynd's surprise, the sea dragon did not seize the opportunity to attack. Instead, its gaze carried an almost curious concern. When it saw him regain consciousness, it even withdrew its head slightly.
It was then that Lynd noticed his Banished Knight's greatsword still embedded in the top of the sea dragon's skull. The Dragon Rune's power was still at work, forming a thick layer of ice at the wound, with occasional sparks of electricity crackling across the frozen surface.
Such power would have been lethal to any ordinary person. Yet, for the sea dragon, it was little more than an irritation. Lynd had the distinct impression that the creature wanted him to pull the sword free.
"What's going on?" Lynd was momentarily stunned. He suddenly realized that he could sense the sea dragon's emotions—just as he could with Glory.
At the same time, he felt a sense of closeness emanating from the sea dragon, much like what he experienced with Glory. That explained why the dragon hadn't attacked him. In fact, even earlier, it hadn't intended to attack him at all—it had genuinely believed that Lynd was playing with it.
Sensing that something was off, Lynd took a moment to carefully recall the events before he lost consciousness. As his memories resurfaced, he gradually pieced together what had happened.
Back when he and the sea dragon had sunk into the depths of the ocean, he had realized that the lightning-infused power of the Dragon Rune was being diluted by the seawater, making it ineffective against the dragon. So, he had switched to the Frost Dragon Rune instead.
While using the Frost Dragon Rune to create a temporary frozen space, he had also attempted to freeze the sea dragon's brain, hoping to kill it from within.
However, that was when the unexpected happened—his long-dormant Cheat progress bar suddenly filled up.
Before he could react, it activated on its own, automatically selecting a third character template. At the same time, it triggered the Dragon Communion Ritual again, but this time, instead of drawing residual power from dragon bones, it directly extracted energy from the living sea dragon beneath him.
The unexpected activation had caused him to lose consciousness on the spot. From the looks of it, the sea dragon hadn't fainted immediately. Instead, following its survival instincts, it had fled back to its nest upon sensing danger. Only after reaching a safe place had it succumbed to unconsciousness as well.
While they had both been unconscious, the automatically triggered Dragon Communion Ritual had caused unforeseen effects—one of which was the spiritual connection now linking him to the sea dragon. It was similar to the bond he had formed with Glory when he had fused with his second character template, the Banished Knight.
However, unlike drawing power from dragon bones, this time, the ritual had directly siphoned energy from the sea dragon itself—so much so that the massive creature, as large as a small mountain, had collapsed into unconsciousness alongside him.
He wasn't sure how long he had been out, but based on his previous experience with the Dragon Communion Ritual, it had likely been quite some time.
Moreover, directly performing the Dragon Communion Ritual on a living dragon was unprecedented. In the memories of the Banished Knights, the ritual had only ever been conducted in two ways—either by drawing power from dragon bones or directly from a dragon's heart. This was the first recorded instance of extracting power from a living dragon's body.
That uncertainty unsettled him. If extracting power from a dragon's heart could drive a Banished Knight into madness, turning their eyes blood-red, then drawing power directly from a dragon's body must also have severe consequences.
With that thought, he immediately rushed to the lakeshore and leaned over to examine his reflection, checking his eyes for any changes. When he found nothing unusual, he let out a small sigh of relief.
Just then, the sea dragon let out a loud roar. It shook its massive head slightly before lowering it to the ground, resting its colossal, ship-sized head before him.
Lynd immediately understood its meaning. After a brief hesitation, he decided to deal with the sea dragon's problem. Stepping onto its mouth, he climbed onto its head and made his way to where the Banished Knight's greatsword was still embedded.
Sensing the Dragon Rune's power within the sword, Lynd quickly sealed the active Frost and Lightning Dragon Runes. As a result, the layer of ice encasing the sword shattered, revealing the blade beneath.
He reached down, grasped the hilt, and pulled both greatswords from the sea dragon's skull before sheathing them. A small trickle of blood seeped from the wounds, but the surrounding muscles quickly contracted, sealing the injuries and forming scars within moments.
The sea dragon shuddered slightly as the Banished Knight's greatsword was removed. Its tattered wings instinctively fluttered, but because Lynd was still standing on its head, it kept its head steady.
Lynd could clearly sense the dragon's relief—and more than that, its bond with him had grown even stronger.
Lynd leapt from the sea dragon's head, harnessing the power of the Storm Dragon rune to propel himself a short distance before landing steadily on the ground. He then took a serious look at the massive creature before him.
There was no doubt about it—purely in terms of size, this sea dragon was even larger than Vhagar and Balerion, the dragons he had seen in the cellars of the Red Keep. Its head alone was roughly the size of his four-cabin warship, and with a single bite, it could snap any vessel currently sailing the seas in half.
Its body was even more colossal. A rough estimate put its length at over 200 meters from head to tail. As a wild dragon, its frame appeared somewhat slender, but slender did not mean weak. The shifting muscles beneath its hide made it clear that it possessed enough strength to tear through any obstacle with ease.
However, its slender frame gave its head an exaggerated appearance, making it look almost disproportionate—reminiscent of a big-headed doll, lending it a strange sense of incongruity.
Additionally, jagged Dragonbone-like spines ran from its back up to its head, while its dark scales were covered in sharp, keratinous spikes, making it appear even more menacing.
Despite its seemingly lean build, its long neck and tail matched its overall length, while its forelimbs were exceptionally powerful, even more so than its hind limbs. Its four massive claws were razor-sharp, resembling blades.
Its wings, however, were tattered and riddled with holes. Many of the bones supporting them had fractured in multiple places and, though they had healed, they had done so improperly—misaligned and twisted together. This deformity had rendered the dragon incapable of flight, forcing its evolution from a skyborne beast into a sea-dwelling one.
Only another dragon could have inflicted such severe injuries, and judging by the state of its wings, the wounds must have been sustained long ago. This thought brought two names to Lynd's mind—The Cannibal and Sheepstealer.
From what he recalled, these were the only two dragons in Westeros whose ultimate fates remained unknown. Given the sheer size and savage appearance of this dragon, it seemed far more likely to be the Cannibal.