Jojen's sister, Mera, was also a Skinchanger mage, but her talent was not strong and she awakened late. To this day, she could only perform a natural healing magic, and her spirit-summoning skills were limited to communicating with small animals. A red-haired squirrel was her summoned beast.
Her only reliance was a hunting bow and a dagger, along with a squirrel that could only take shelter in her clothes to keep warm in the freezing cold. Compared to other shapeshifters, she was far behind.
Mera didn't care about the Three-Eyed Raven's legacy at all. If it wasn't for hearing that Robb was coming, she would be at home, taking care of her children. Both she and Jojen had already married and had children. This trip, leaving the family behind with Robb, was a rare opportunity. She had hoped that something exciting would happen on the road, but Wright's words had completely disrupted her thoughts.
With the time constraint, what was originally a "relaxed" journey turned into a forced march. At this point, Mera began to have second thoughts: "Wright, if we don't find the Three-Eyed Raven in time, the Inheritance will be cut off, and it won't matter who takes it! Let's all go our separate ways. Perhaps in many years, when everyone's strength grows, we'll each become the new Three-Eyed Raven ourselves."
"What I told you earlier, that the strongest Skinchanger becomes the Three-Eyed Raven, was based on an agreement I made with the current Three-Eyed Raven. It's not convenient for me to reveal the details," Wright waved his hand, signaling for the five of them to sit properly, facing him.
Wright and Robb sat facing the five. The ice chairs were higher than the wooden chairs they were sitting in. Wright looked down at them, as if he were back in the magic academy teaching again.
After graduating from the academy, they had all interacted with each other as nobles, friends, or in official capacities, and Wright never put on airs of being a duke in private. But now, this elevated manner of speaking felt more formal, which made them more receptive.
"When you awakened your Skinchanger abilities, you all had dreams related to animals. Hundreds of mages at Castle Black experienced the same. But some of you didn't dream of animals but saw fragments of the future. For example, you might meet someone who gives you a gift, and at that moment, it will feel familiar, as if it had happened before. This is called the Green Dream," Wright explained.
"There are quite a few people who have such dreams, right?" they began to agree, saying they often heard others in the tavern talking about experiences that seemed familiar.
Wright smiled: "Most people are just daydreaming because they've overthought things during the day. Only a few people truly experience the Green Dream. All five of you have entered the true Green Dream!"
"Are all five of us candidates for the Three-Eyed Raven?" Jojen stood up excitedly, as he had the most dreams of this kind.
"No! None of you are!" Wright used his mage hand to press him back into his seat.
"This is the awakening of the great talent of the next Three-Eyed Raven. He cannot yet fully control his abilities. When he dreams of the future, he accidentally pulled you all into the vision," Wright explained.
"I thought I had a chance to become the Three-Eyed Raven," Jojen said, a trace of disappointment showing on his face.
The five of them had already changed their destinies. Jojen was no longer the guide who would awaken Bran's Skinchanger talent, and Hodor had returned to his normal life as the captain of Winterfell's gate guard. The ones who needed to escort Bran now included Robb, Sansa, and Meredyth.
"Becoming the Three-Eyed Raven is not a good thing. You cease to be yourself and become a collective of multiple consciousnesses. For example, Jojen, you like mature women with big hips. After becoming the Three-Eyed Raven, you'll always maintain absolute rationality. When you see them, you'll only analyze their past and future and have no interest in their bodies. Aside from basic needs like eating, drinking, and maintaining survival, you won't feel like a person anymore," Wright explained.
"Then I'd rather not. I want to have more children for House Reed," Jojen still preferred a more colorful life.
The five had different personalities. Sansa, who was good at analysis, spoke up: "Lord Wright, from what you just said, the next Three-Eyed Raven accidentally pulled all five of us into his prophetic dream. Is he someone we all know and are familiar with?"
No one knew who the next Three-Eyed Raven was, which led to all the shapeshifters of the North banding together to travel north. It was well known that Wright was close to the current Three-Eyed Raven, and although they had assumed he was unaware, it became clear from his words that he was not. The five of them stared at Wright, full of anticipation.
"That's also one of the reasons I called you five here privately," Wright looked at Robb and Sansa. "The next Three-Eyed Raven is your brother, Bran Stark!"
"Bran!" the five exclaimed in unison.
Robb had not expected it to be his younger brother. He was first excited but then turned to Wright and asked, "When he becomes the Three-Eyed Raven, will he still be the same Bran?"
Wright shook his head: "He will be Bran, Bloodraven, and many other previous Three-Eyed Ravens, all combined. His body will still be your brother's, but his consciousness will no longer be the same."
Sansa no longer had the excitement she once had: "If Bran becomes the Three-Eyed Raven, then I'll lose a brother. I don't know whether to be happy or sad."
"Have you ever considered the possibility that the identity of each Three-Eyed Raven might have been determined hundreds or even thousands of years ago?" Wright raised a finger. "Alteration magic can change the composition of objects, conjuring magic can break space, so why can't magic traverse time? Point-to-point teleportation portals and prophetic magic are two subjects that Tyrosh Magic School has been studying for a long time."
The five of them fell into deep thought.
Current magical theory suggests that breaking space with magic can only happen if the summoned being has the entire world's magical energy as support, making the summoned being more like something squeezed out of its original space. This is not something a single individual can achieve. Portals are merely hypothetical constructs, and there is not even a solid basic theory for them.
Portals do exist, however. With a few words spoken to the dagger at his waist, Wright can open one. Yet, Wright doesn't understand the magical principles behind it and certainly wouldn't dare expose any information about Dagon's domain. The portals he opens lead straight to hell.
Prophecy is similar. Ripping through space and time is knowledge mastered by the demon gods, while mages have spent millennia exploring it only to scratch the surface, much like the mages of the Lord of Light system. However, the Three-Eyed Raven's unique inheritance system allows him to go a little further, and just that much has already allowed him to stand tall in this world.
"I'm known as the guide of magic, the one who walks ahead and feels his way across the river. I spent months researching a new magical theory, and you can learn it in just a few days by reading the books I've written. But in the path of magic, I've only gone a few steps ahead of you. There is still much unknown that we must explore."
Wright, their master, is responsible for answering questions and guiding their thoughts, but the Three-Eyed Raven is somewhat cryptic and doesn't reveal much information to Wright. When Wright encounters something he doesn't know, in order to maintain his own authority as their mentor, he can only lecture them on grand principles or pass the responsibility off:
"As for what makes the Three-Eyed Raven's magic special, once Bran completes his inheritance, you can go and ask him directly!"
Robb clenched his knees: "On this northern journey, is our mission to protect Bran?"
Wright: "Yes! This journey is extremely dangerous. There are White Walkers, vampires, and ice spiders that move quickly in the snow. Many people will die. Before meeting the Three-Eyed Raven, you must not reveal anything about Bran to anyone."
"Since the Three-Eyed Raven knows that the next heir is Bran, why not send a small team to escort him, instead of sending so many to their deaths?" Mera, who had come to see Robb, hadn't expected to be caught up in such a big affair.
"Everyone's past and future are predestined." Wright could only answer this one sentence, though he privately guessed the Three-Eyed Raven's reasoning.
Wright's arrival changed the world, and the Three-Eyed Raven made choices on the road of destiny. It was either a small team escorting Bran, with only him left alive, or the now-burgeoning group of Skinchangers. He had chosen the latter more than a decade ago.
This northern journey is a pilgrimage of Skinchangers to the Old Gods. Those who return alive will be the strong mages who are steadfast in their faith and willing to fight for humanity. From now on, Skinchangers will no longer be confined to the North but will spread across the world, following the path laid out by the Blood Raven River text.
"Many will die? Did the Three-Eyed Raven say we will return?" Mera asked the question all five wanted to ask.
"Yes! All five of you, including Bran, will return alive!" Wright answered with certainty.
This was guaranteed by the Three-Eyed Raven after seeing through their destinies. Otherwise, Wright would never have allowed such capable apprentices to take such a risk. However, Wright analyzed his words carefully—he said they would return alive, but never that they wouldn't lose limbs! Bran would probably still end up in a wheelchair.
Wright continued: "The Three-Eyed Raven has been gravely wounded, and his magical energy must be used to sustain his life. So along the way, another person will guide you to him. Once you pass the Wall and enter the Hunted Forest, you must first find a wight named Coldhand."
"A wight?"
"the wights are leading us to the Three-Eyed Raven? This is a big joke, right?"
Wright interrupted their argument: "You must find him before anyone else does, or he may be killed by other uninformed Skinchangers."
Jojen asked: "Why not just tell all the Skinchangers to look for him?"
"How you do it is up to you. Coldhand is different from other wights. Before he died, he was a Night's Watch ranger with a powerful soul. When resurrected by the White Walkers, he was not controlled by them. There are many such cases, and you must ensure Coldhand's safety." Wright raised his right hand:
"He is easy to recognize. His eyes are not blue like other wights, and his right hand is as black as rock. When he removes his glove, his entire right arm will ignite with blue soul fire. A flock of crows is his eyes and ears, and he rides a living moose. That should be enough to convince other Skinchangers."
"Understood." The five of them silently took note of Coldhand's features.
Wright then addressed them again: "Next, each of you remember your tasks. After leaving the Wall, you will face multiple battles, and the group will be split up. Robb, remember, after you first encounter a White Walker and kill it, head north."
Robb nodded firmly.
"Sansa, if you see two ice spiders patrolling together, make sure to kill them, don't let them escape."
"Got it." Sansa, who was usually afraid of spiders, would definitely stomp on them if she saw them.
"Jojen, take the horn. When you see a three-eyed raven, blow it immediately. This is the last time the Three-Eyed Raven is guiding you with the remaining power he has left."
"Understood! I'll ask the Night's Watch for the loudest horn!" Jojen knew the importance of his task.
"Meredyth, the White Walkers, vampires, and ice spiders are not afraid of the cold and are good at hiding in the snow. Trust what your three hawks can see!"
Meredyth waved his small fist. "Got it! Even if they're buried in the snow, I'll dig them out!"
"Mera, you're not familiar with the Skinchangers. If a handsome guy comes on to you, wait until he takes off his clothes and then stab his rear with an obsidian dagger. He's a vampire!"
Jojen clutched his stomach and laughed uncontrollably. "Hahaha, a male vampire hitting on my sister! Is he blind?!"
"Ah? Oh." The others, who usually fought their battles, not their beds, looked down, with Mera's face turning red as she secretly glanced at Robb.
"I've said everything that needs to be said. The rest is up to you." With that, Wright released the silence spell.
The group tidied up their chairs and followed Wright downstairs.
On the stairs, Meredyth asked another question as he followed Wright: "Master Wright, since the Three-Eyed Raven knew we would face such dangerous battles, why didn't he have you and Odahviing escort us instead?"
Wright glanced out the window at Odahviing, who was nestled in the snow and sleeping. "The Children of the Forest and the White Walkers are native to the North. If the Three-Eyed Raven had called on someone like me for help, he would have been the one breaking the centuries-old unspoken truce with the White Walkers. Once I leave the Wall with a dragon, he wouldn't survive two days."
The next morning, over a hundred shape-shifting mages and their several hundred attendants, along with a large number of yaks pulling carts, gathered in the Castle Black training grounds.
Various birds flew overhead, and among the crowd were ice wolves, shadowcats, bears, deer, and other animals—all spirit animals summoned by the Skinchangers. Many small, cold-sensitive animals hid in their clothes, with only their heads poking out from the collars or pockets, looking around.
The Night's Watch stood on the edge of the training ground, eyeing the mages who were about to embark on the expedition. They discussed the great deeds of certain mages or speculated on who might not return this time.
Among the expedition, Robb, with his noble status and experience commanding troops, was naturally elected as the leader of the group.
The Stark siblings were surrounded by a large circle of people. Wright called Arya and Bran to his side. "You two have never participated in real combat. This time, make sure to stay close to the main group and don't wander off."
Bran scratched his ice wolf Summer's head. "Where Robb goes, I'll go."
"Nymeria will protect me." Arya also petted her ice wolf.
In this world, her wolf's name came from a story about the ancient Dornish Queen Nymeria, told to her by Nymeria when she first arrived in the North. Now, Nymeria had become the Dornish princess, and Arya wore a dagger at her waist, donned black steel armor, carried a spear on her back, and had a wolf's head engraved on her shoulder armor, showing just how deeply she revered Nymeria.
"The ice wolf is your family's sigil. Wolves must hunt in packs to take down large prey. A lone wolf in this cold will starve to death." Arya, known for her free spirit, didn't need much guidance from Wright this time, especially since the Three-Eyed Raven hadn't paid attention to her. As long as she stayed with the group, that was enough.
"The time has come. Open the Black Gate!"
With a command from the Night's Watch Commander, Benjen, the sound of a winch turning and a metal gate opening echoed from a culvert at the base of the Wall.
"Go. This is your journey, the journey of the Skinchangers." Wright patted Robb's armor.
"I promise we'll bring more people back!" Robb made a firm promise and waved at Jojen, who was nearby.
The horn's sound, charged with magic, echoed throughout Castle Black as the mages and carts began moving through the narrow culvert.
Ban Yan walked up to Wright, watching the crowd gradually disappear into the distance. "I never thought Castle Black would see so many mages gathered. It's a shame Old Bear won't see this day."
"He'd be dead again if he came back! Don't think I don't know about the female vampires hiding in the tunnels outside Castle Black!" Wright glanced at Benjen, smiling knowingly.