Chapter 73: Jon Snow
Inhaling and exhaling slowly, a young man with black hair stared straight ahead, the air coming out of his mouth reflecting the cold. While it was known that it wasn't winter, the place where he lived was almost always cold. Sometimes it was warm, but according to some people, it wasn't too hot compared to the south. Therefore, even if he felt a little cold, he was used to the feeling of the cold wind brushing against the skin of his hands or face.
This young man couldn't have been more than ten years old. His gray eyes were so dark they were almost black, his dark hair fell slightly on the sides of his face, while his build was slim and his appearance was elegant. But even if the boy's eyes and expression seemed normal and relaxed, his mind was anything but. For a few days now, something had simply happened that had him a little scared and, perhaps, also upset.
It had happened after he had won against his brother in sword training. His father hadn't really said anything; he almost never did. But the man's wife was a completely different story. She may never have used words that could have been extremely rude, but the coldness in every word she directed at him and her looks made it clear to him: the woman wasn't at all happy with his victory.
The young man's eyes moved slowly to the side, noticing a light blue box, almost like ice. There were words he had read many times in recent days: Do you want to gain power for your destiny? And just below it, the word yes. He already knew that only he could see the box and only he could touch it. The sensation was like touching the surface of water. When Jon had first seen it, he had been disconcerted and even a little afraid. However, he couldn't tell anyone. He had tried, but his mouth was clamped shut, and there was nothing he could do but engage in other conversations so as not to look like a fool.
In the end, he could only accept. There was nothing that would allow him to reject the box. No matter how much he ignored it, every morning it would appear before his eyes. Besides, there was no "no" among the options after the question. So, resigning himself to the old tower of Winterfell, while looking out at the slightly sagging wall, he accepted whatever it was.
At that moment, the box closed, leaving a line before disappearing completely, causing an object to appear and Jon to catch it with his hands. Young Jon's eyes stared curiously at what looked like a thin, small box. But, in that moment, a vast amount of information was downloaded into his mind.
"Group chat? Other worlds?" Jon's eyes widened, staring at what he now knew was called a smartphone: a communication and entertainment device. For a moment, he thought of the gods; be they the seven or the Old Gods, but for some reason, his mind seemed to tell him it wasn't them.
Suddenly, a sound came from the device, and he handled it as if he'd been doing it his whole life. He pressed a button on the left side and unlocked the screen before sliding the notification bar and tapping on a message from what he now knew was the group chat.
It was a gift. It didn't seem to be from the other members he could see online, but from someone else... someone else. When he opened the gift, his eyes immediately burned, and Jon let out a pained hiss before blinking several times. His eyes cleared after a few moments, and he looked back at the screen with a frown. This was getting weird for him, even with the information he'd previously gathered. After all, things had gotten absurd, and he even thought he was slowly going insane.
"This..." Jon Snow looked at what was on the screen and was shocked. There, now, was a small window above the chat, describing what he had received as a gift.
[Eyes of the King]
[Description: These are special eyes with abilities. Leaving aside the ability to see even a fish in a river at great distances, the most amazing thing would be the ability to see people's potential and detect lies. They are the perfect eyes for a King]
[Note: These eyes are capable of becoming stronger]
Jon looked ahead and blinked, causing him to gasp. His vision was now simply astonishing. The limits of range seemed to have disappeared as he could see a tree in the great distance and a bird on one of its branches. His peripheral and dynamic vision had also increased, which made Jon a little dizzy.
Jon really didn't know how to describe this. He had been tense for days, but just by accepting that box, he now had vision that was perhaps the best in the world right now.
"If this is real... then..." Jon swallowed hard as he typed something into the group chat.
Jon Snow: Hello?
It didn't take long for a reply to appear in the chat.
Harry Potter: Oh? So you're the newest member? Welcome, friend. Do you know how this works?
Rias Gremory: Hello! Welcome to the group. There's someone else missing, but he's a little busy right now. Maybe you can talk to him another time.
Jon Snow: @HarryPotter I sort of know, though I still have a hard time believing all this. Are there really other worlds with... magic and all that?
Harry Potter: Yes, it's true! Rias and I belong to two different worlds, each where magic exists. However, I left my world due to certain circumstances, and now we live in the same world. You have no reason to doubt it. So far, we haven't discovered who or what is responsible for this, but we know there are no malicious intentions; at least each of us has received tasks and rewards we could barely imagine.
Rias Gremory: What's your world like? Where we live now, we have gods, monsters, a multitude of races, magic, and even dragons that could destroy an entire world.
Jon choked upon reading Rias's message. Gods? Races? Dragons?!
Jon Snow: According to Maester Luwin, the man who teaches where I live, magic has apparently disappeared from the world. Now with this, I don't know what to think. The same goes for dragons; all that remains are eggs that look like stones. The family that was known for being dragon riders is practically extinct.
Harry Potter: That sounds a bit impossible. If magic exists in a world, it shouldn't disappear unless the world itself is dying out. In a way, magic is tied to the life of the planet. One can only disappear if the other does too. Unless the magic of your world is completely different from what I've researched, which would be interesting. Perhaps the correct methods simply haven't appeared again, or the people who have tried are simply incapable of the art called magic. After all, not everyone possesses such talent.
Rias Gremory: Cheer up! Now that you're part of the group, you could learn magic. The group issues tasks for the members. Sometimes just for one, other times for the entire group, where we have to visit other worlds. It's fun, but also dangerous! I recommend training a bit before accepting a mission to another world.
At that moment, Jon saw a mission appear in a window above the group chat.
Jon's eyes widened at the quest. He read it once, twice, even a third and fourth time. But no matter how many times he repeated it, the quest hadn't changed; it remained the same. The quest wasn't actually something as difficult as becoming a king or defeating some creature thought lost or extinct. Rather, it was simple, but Jon knew that if he was discovered, he could get into trouble, especially with Lady Catelyn.
[Quest: Quill Over Sword]
[Description: Sometimes, the quill can be deadlier than the sword. Read all the books in Winterfell's library]
[Rewards: 2000 CP, Parallel Thought]
Jon knew that, as a bastard, he had far fewer opportunities in life. And while Maester Luwin taught him things thanks to his father, he couldn't learn everything. Jon also didn't want his father, who had given him so much compared to other lords who had bastards, to start fights with his wife because of him. This also meant that if he learned from books, he wouldn't be able to show off everything he'd learned, because it would expose him.
In the end, Jon could only accept with a sigh. He'd already received information about all of this from the chat group and the worlds. He couldn't say it was a lie. He also knew it was a chance to not always be in his brother Robb's shadow. With this, he might have a better chance at life in the future. That alone made Jon feel much better.
The chance to become stronger, learn new things, and perhaps repay his father's kindness made Jon feel better than he had in years.
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