Game of Thrones: Reborn as Drogon

Drogon's question caught Adins off guard.

Worse, he once again saw that unsettling look in Drogon's eyes—the same look he'd worn when discussing divine cores and dead gods.

The look of a predator sizing up its next meal.

At this point, Adins was beginning to suspect that Drogon truly was fascinated by divine cores and was seriously considering using them to increase his own power.

After a brief pause, he answered carefully.

"Lord Drogon, gods like the Lord of Light and the Many-Faced God are spiritual deities. They reside within the Divine Realm."

"For physical gods like us, locating them—and even more so killing them—is extremely difficult."

"Where exactly is this Divine Realm?"

"And what are spiritual gods, anyway?"

Drogon hadn't had time to ask these questions during the battle off Dragonstone. Now that things had finally calmed down, he intended to get some answers.

Adins nodded and began explaining.

"The domain we use to transmit thoughts is merely a pseudo-divine realm."

"The true Divine Realm is an entirely separate dimension—a world that exists beyond this one."

"It serves as a dwelling place for spiritual deities."

He paused before continuing.

"As for spiritual gods, they are beings born from countless prayers, wishes, and acts of worship accumulated over long periods of time."

"When those collective thoughts eventually gain a divine core bestowed by the heavens, they become true gods."

"Most of them were created through humanity's faith."

"Only one is different."

"The Spirit God."

"Also known as the Soul of All Living Things."

"He regards the weirwood trees as his sacred vessels and exists to watch over life itself."

Only then did Drogon begin to understand the nature of spiritual deities.

They weren't creatures with physical bodies like himself or Adins.

They were manifestations of belief.

Conceptual beings born from collective consciousness.

Still, the explanation did little to improve his mood.

"So they can gang up and attack me whenever they want," Drogon growled, "but I can't go after them in return?"

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.

The Lord of Light and the other gods had coordinated an ambush against him and Daenerys's fleet.

True, he hadn't suffered much personally.

He'd even gained a subordinate god in the process.

But Daenerys's fleet had lost nearly a third of its ships.

The casualties exceeded those suffered during the war against the White Walkers.

And that was what annoyed him most.

The White Walkers had been the Lord of Light's enemies.

By killing the Night King, Drogon had effectively done R'hllor a favor.

Yet instead of gratitude, he'd received an assassination attempt.

How was he supposed to swallow that?

Now Adins was telling him that finding those gods wasn't even easy.

Did that mean he could only sit around waiting to be attacked while having no means of retaliation?

Adins clearly understood his frustration.

After considering his words carefully, he finally replied:

"Spiritual gods are powerful because of their mental strength."

"Physical gods are powerful because of their bodies."

"That doesn't mean you can't attack them."

"To enter the Divine Realm, your spiritual power simply needs to reach a sufficient level."

"So it's possible?"

Drogon's eyes brightened.

Adins immediately continued before he got too excited.

"If your goal is revenge against the Lord of Light and the others, there is actually a much easier method."

"Reduce their influence in the mortal world."

"Cut off their followers."

"Decrease the faith they receive."

"The less faith a god gains, the weaker they become."

"In severe cases, they can even regress."

Hearing that, Drogon instantly felt much better.

If it was a war of faith, then things became much simpler.

Once Daenerys unified the Seven Kingdoms completely, who would control religious policy?

Daenerys.

And if Daenerys made the rules...

Then perhaps the Lord of Light and his allies should start worrying about their future worshippers.

Once Daenerys had fully united the Seven Kingdoms, faith would become a matter of policy.

At that point, Drogon could simply put on a few divine displays, attract followers wherever possible, and steadily expand his worship.

If he could convert believers from other gods, all the better.

If not, he could still grow his own faith while preventing the Lord of Light and the others from gaining new followers.

The end result would be the same—their influence would gradually wither away.

Seeing the expression in Drogon's eyes, Adins immediately guessed what he was planning.

"Lord Drogon, while that is indeed an effective way to weaken them, I advise caution."

"Don't push them too far."

Drogon looked at him curiously.

Adins continued.

"Their power is no longer what it once was, but if cornered, they may resort to desperate measures."

"Remember the Doom of Valyria."

"Remember the Shattering of the Arm of Dorne."

"If they become truly desperate, they could inflict similar devastation again."

"You may be able to survive such retaliation."

"But Daenerys's people might not."

Adins was genuinely worried.

The ambush at Dragonstone had already been dangerous enough.

If Drogon forced the gods into a corner and provoked another alliance, the next attack would be far more terrifying than the last.

Drogon nodded thoughtfully.

He understood perfectly.

In simple terms: even when eating the meat, leave a little soup in the pot for everyone else.

Cornered rabbits bit back.

Cornered gods were much worse.

Seeing that Drogon appeared to have accepted the advice, Adins finally relaxed.

After all, if Drogon provoked a divine war and the gods retaliated collectively, Adins would inevitably get dragged into the disaster as well.

Just before leaving, Drogon remembered another question.

His divine core had once been pure white.

Now it had become fiery red, and the transformation was still ongoing.

After hearing the question, Adins explained:

"All divine cores begin as white."

"As they mature, they gradually evolve according to the nature of their owner."

That answer left Drogon wondering.

His dragonfire had evolved from crimson flames into black fire.

Would his divine core eventually become black as well?

The thought was strangely appealing.

Having finally received answers to all his questions, Drogon dismissed Adins and allowed him to return to the sea to continue recovering.

As for himself...

He flew straight toward the Dothraki Sea.

He was hungry.

Very hungry.

Ever since healing Aka's mother, Drogon had performed several more miracles through Aka's hands.

Every beneficiary had one thing in common:

They were devoted followers who had contributed substantial faith to him.

Drogon had once asked Adins why Aka could heal people despite never receiving a Divine Rune.

The answer had been surprisingly simple.

Aka was merely a conduit.

A channel through which Drogon could direct divine power.

The healing came from Drogon himself.

Aka couldn't actively wield any of Drogon's abilities.

Those who received Divine Runes were different.

They could independently draw magical power from their god and use it themselves.

In other words, Aka was a wire.

A rune-bearer was a battery-powered tool.

The distinction was enormous.

After gorging himself on prey across the grasslands, Drogon finally returned to King's Landing.

The moment he landed beside Daenerys, she caught the unmistakable scent of roasted meat lingering on his breath.

Only then did she truly relax.

Apparently, he hadn't flown off because he was angry.

He'd simply gone out for a meal.

Outside the Twins

After struggling through the muddy swamps of the Neck, Jaime finally caught sight of the towers of the Twins on the horizon.

A trace of worry crossed his face.

He wasn't sure how the garrison would receive him.

Would they make trouble for him?

Would they delay his passage?

As it turned out, his concerns were unnecessary.

The moment the defenders confirmed his identity, the gates opened without hesitation.

There was no harassment.

No stalling.

No hidden hostility.

Half an hour later, the Lannister host had successfully crossed the Twins.

Jaime breathed a sigh of relief and continued south along the Kingsroad beside the Green Fork.

Not long after his army departed, a raven took flight from the Twins and sped toward King's Landing.

Five Days Later

Grey Worm and Oberyn arrived at Casterly Rock with Rhaegal and Viserion.

Joining forces with Yara Greyjoy's fleet, they launched a coordinated assault from land and sea.

The battle was difficult.

Casterly Rock was an immense fortress carved directly into stone.

Its towering cliffs rose even higher than the Wall itself.

Yet despite its formidable defenses, the fortress eventually fell.

Oberyn never got the chance to kill Tywin Lannister himself.

Nor would he ever seek vengeance through Cersei, Jaime, or Tyrion.

But on this day, he personally slew dozens of Lannister men and helped conquer the ancestral seat of House Lannister.

For him, that was enough.

Another measure of justice for his sister, Elia.

The Shore of the Gods Eye

One day later, Jaime's army passed Harrenhal.

Thousands of Dothraki riders watched from a distance, their eyes following every movement.

The atmosphere was tense.

Yet neither side made a hostile move.

The Lannister army continued south toward King's Landing.

As they rode, Jaime's cousin Tykol guided his horse alongside him.

"Jaime," he said quietly, "have you noticed something strange?"

Jaime glanced ahead.

A frown appeared on his face.

"I have."

"I just can't figure out what it is."

"Until we reach King's Landing, Daenerys shouldn't have any reason to break the truce and attack early."

That seemed the most logical explanation.

Yet something still felt wrong.

Tykol hesitated before speaking again.

"Daenerys might not break the agreement."

"But what about Queen Regent Cersei?"

"What if she did?"

Jaime turned sharply toward him.

The possibility struck him harder than he expected.

After a moment's thought, he shook his head.

"Without us?"

"How would she attack Dragonstone?"

"How would she defend King's Landing afterward?"

Even as he dismissed the idea, Jaime couldn't stop himself from considering it.

If Cersei truly had broken the agreement...

What strategy would she have used?

He pondered every possibility he could imagine.

None of them made sense.

Not a single one.

Then—

"What's that?"

Both men suddenly felt a faint tremor beneath their horses' hooves.

Veteran soldiers that they were, they immediately recognized it.

The vibration wasn't natural.

Something was coming.

And it was getting closer.

(End of Chapter)

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