The night had not yet completely left Astapor when Tristan awoke to the sound of the System.
The temporary palace where they were staying was quiet, except for the voices of the guards outside and the sound of the wind passing through the shattered windows.
Tristan opened his eyes.
Then, a glowing blue window appeared before him.
[Ding!]
[A drastic change in the Host's path has been detected.]
[The fall of Astapor has been detected.]
[The beginning of a new stage in the Host's life has been detected.]
Tristan sat up in bed.
Another window appeared.
[New Quest Available.]
[Quest Name: Destroy the Free Cities]
[Main Objectives:]
[1. Destroy the city of Yunkai.]
[2. Destroy the city of Meereen.]
[3. Crush the military and political powers involved in the conspiracy against Astapor.]
[4. Take control of the territories after the fall of both cities.]
Tristan read the message in silence.
Then another window appeared.
[Quest Rewards:]
[Upon destroying Yunkai:]
[+350 to all of the Host's attributes.]
[10,000 System Points.]
[System Shop unlocked.]
[The Host and Bahamut gain the ability to control lightning.]
[Upon destroying Meereen:]
[+350 to all of the Host's attributes.]
[10,000 System Points.]
[The Host gains complete control over flames.]
[Upon completing the entire quest:]
[Ignil reaches a length of 50 meters.]
[Lucerion reaches a length of 50 meters.]
[Gulderon reaches a length of 50 meters.]
[Bahamut reaches a length of 80 meters.]
[Dragon Bond unlocked.]
[A teleportation gate between Astapor, Meereen, and Yunkai unlocked.]
[The Host's sword will be upgraded from Purple level to Gold level.]
Tristan continued staring at the window.
He did not feel fear.
Nor was he surprised.
Instead, he felt something else.
Resolve.
He said:
"Accepted."
[Ding!]
[Quest accepted.]
The window disappeared.
But that was not the end.
Another window appeared.
[Due to the Host's genetic and political evolution, a special reward has been granted.]
[Dragon Bloodline Serum ×5.]
Tristan froze.
Five small vials appeared on the table in front of him.
Each contained a shimmering silver liquid.
The light inside the vials moved as though it were alive.
Another message appeared.
[Dragon Bloodline Serum.]
[The Host may use it on another person to share a portion of his bloodline.]
[Maximum: Five people.]
[Possible Effects:]
[Physical transformation with the characteristics of the Dragon Bloodline.]
[Hair changes to silver.]
[Eyes change to violet.]
[Increased bodily resistance.]
[Ability to withstand dragonfire.]
[Possibility of forming a bond with dragons unlocked.]
[Note: The choice of recipients is the Host's responsibility.]
Tristan looked at the five vials.
Then he smiled.
He already knew who would receive three of them.
Shortly afterward, Tristan sent for Aegon, Arya, and Tyrion.
The three entered the room.
Aegon was the first to speak.
"What happened?"
Tristan said:
"We have a bigger problem than Meereen and Yunkai."
Tyrion raised an eyebrow.
"That is not reassuring."
Tristan pointed toward the table.
The three saw the vials.
Arya asked:
"What are those?"
Tristan replied:
"Something that will change your lives."
Tyrion approached.
"Medicine?"
"Something better."
Tristan picked up one of the vials.
"This is Dragon Bloodline Serum."
Aegon looked at it.
"What does it do?"
"I will share a portion of my bloodline with you."
Silence filled the room.
Arya said:
"What does that mean?"
Tristan answered:
"It means the blood of the dragon will no longer flow only through my veins."
He looked at Aegon.
"It will flow through yours as well."
Then he looked at Arya.
"And yours."
Then at Tyrion.
"And yours."
Tyrion opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
"Are you saying that I'll become… a Targaryen?"
Tristan said:
"By blood, yes."
Tyrion's expression changed.
Aegon said nothing.
Tristan continued:
"Your hair and eye colors will change."
Arya placed a hand on her hair.
"To silver?"
He nodded.
"And violet eyes."
Aegon asked:
"What about the dragons?"
Tristan smiled.
"You'll be able to bond with them."
The three looked at one another.
Then Arya asked:
"Which dragon?"
Tristan said:
"I've already chosen for you."
He pointed outside.
"Aegon will ride Ignil."
Aegon looked toward the sky.
"And me?"
"Arya will ride Lucerion."
She smiled.
Then Tristan looked at Tyrion.
"And you will ride Gulderon."
A long silence followed.
Tyrion said:
"Me?"
"You."
Tyrion laughed.
"I think the world has lost its mind."
Tristan said:
"Perhaps."
Then he picked up three vials.
"But I don't want you merely to ride dragons."
He looked at them.
"I want you to be my family."
Arya's expression changed.
Aegon lowered his head.
Tyrion gave a small smile.
"Then give me that thing before I change my mind."
Aegon went first.
He sat on a wooden chair.
Tristan stood before him.
He opened the vial.
The silver liquid shimmered beneath the light.
Aegon asked:
"Will it hurt?"
Tristan answered:
"Probably."
Aegon smiled.
"Then give it to me."
Tristan injected the serum into Aegon's arm.
At first, nothing happened.
Then Aegon's eyes widened.
The chair fell from beneath him.
He screamed.
The veins in his neck and hands began to bulge.
His body temperature soared.
Arya rushed toward him.
"Aegon!"
Tristan said:
"Stay back."
"But he—"
"Let him finish."
Aegon's hair began to change.
The dark brown strands slowly lost their color.
They turned silver.
Then they became radiant beneath the light.
His eyes opened.
The brown had disappeared.
Violet had taken its place.
Aegon collapsed onto his knees.
Breathing heavily, he raised his head.
He looked at his hand.
"I feel… something."
Tristan asked:
"What?"
"Like something inside me has awakened."
Then everyone heard a roar.
They raised their heads.
Ignil was flying above the palace.
The dragon landed several meters away.
He looked at Aegon.
Then approached him.
Aegon extended his hand.
Ignil did not retreat.
Instead, he lowered his head before him.
A smile appeared on Aegon's face.
"He knows me."
Tristan said:
"Because your blood has changed."
Aegon approached Ignil.
He placed his hand on the dragon's head.
There was no fear.
There was a new bond.
It was Arya's turn.
She sat before Tristan.
"If I scream, don't laugh."
Tristan smiled.
"I won't laugh."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
The serum entered her body.
She froze.
Then began to tremble.
She placed a hand over her chest.
Her breathing quickened.
"Ah…"
She closed her eyes.
Her hair began changing before everyone's eyes.
The brown turned silver.
Her features changed slightly.
Then she opened her eyes.
Violet.
She stared at her reflection in a polished piece of metal.
"Strange."
Tristan approached.
"How do you feel?"
She did not answer.
She was looking at herself.
Then she smiled.
"I like this."
Tyrion laughed.
"Of course you do."
She looked at him.
"Shut up."
Then another roar echoed.
Lucerion.
The dragon approached her.
Arya extended her hand.
She touched his head.
At that exact moment, she felt something inside her mind.
An image.
A scent.
A sensation.
Lucerion could feel her.
And she could feel him.
Arya raised an eyebrow.
"I can see him."
Tristan asked:
"What?"
"I can feel what he feels."
Tristan smiled.
"That is the bond."
Arya looked at Lucerion.
"Then we'll be together."
The dragon lowered his head.
Tyrion was last.
He sat before Tristan.
He looked at the vial.
"I would like to officially state that I did not agree to this because I enjoy taking risks."
Arya said:
"You're a coward."
"I'm alive, and that's what matters."
Aegon laughed.
Even Tristan smiled.
Then Tyrion said:
"Do it."
The serum entered his body.
At first, nothing happened.
Tyrion said:
"Perhaps I'm different."
Then his body began to tremble.
"Or perhaps… not."
He fell to the ground.
"Ah!"
His hair changed.
The dark brown disappeared.
Silver appeared.
Then he opened his eyes.
Both were violet.
His face was pale.
He said:
"Tell me I'm still handsome."
Arya said:
"Less ugly."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Aegon laughed.
But the laughter stopped when Gulderon's roar echoed.
The dragon entered the courtyard.
He stopped before Tyrion.
He looked at him.
Then lowered his head.
Tyrion stared at him.
"I can't believe this."
He extended his hand.
He touched Gulderon's head.
At that exact moment, the bond appeared.
Tyrion smiled.
"All right… perhaps I'm starting to like this."
The four stood before a large mirror.
Tristan.
Aegon.
Arya.
Tyrion.
The difference was astonishing.
Four people now carried the features of the ancient blood.
Silver hair.
Violet eyes.
And there was something else.
Presence.
Something that had not been there before.
Aegon said:
"We are four now."
Tristan said:
"No."
Aegon looked at him.
"What?"
Tristan said:
"We are more than four."
Then he looked outside.
Four enormous dragons were flying above Astapor.
Bahamut.
Ignil.
Lucerion.
Gulderon.
He said:
"We now have four dragons and four riders."
Several days later, Astapor began to regain some semblance of life.
The city had not recovered.
But work had begun.
The survivors built temporary shelters.
The Unsullied began training new recruits.
The blacksmiths returned to their forges.
And the few merchants who had survived returned to the market.
But the palace had become the new center of command.
Tristan sat before a map of Essos.
Meereen and Yunkai were marked before him.
Tyrion said:
"We have a problem."
Tristan raised his head.
"What is it?"
"Their armies."
Aegon asked:
"How many?"
Tyrion said:
"We don't know the exact number."
Arya placed a stack of papers on the table.
"But we know their positions."
Tristan looked at her.
"Tell me."
She said:
"Yunkai relies on sellswords and local warriors."
Then she pointed to the map.
"And Meereen is much larger."
Tyrion said:
"They have enormous walls, large armies, and massive stores of supplies."
Aegon asked:
"And the fleet?"
"Part of it is in the harbor."
Tristan said:
"We'll destroy the fleet first."
Aegon looked at him.
"And then?"
"We cut their supply routes."
Tyrion said:
"Then we besiege them."
Tristan answered:
"No."
Everyone fell silent.
"We won't besiege them."
He looked at the map.
"We will crush them quickly."
The next day, Tristan summoned the army commanders.
Aegon stood before them.
His silver hair shone beneath the sunlight.
The soldiers' expressions changed when they saw him.
He was no longer the man they had known as Jon Snow.
He was Aegon Targaryen.
He said:
"We will begin the war soon."
No one spoke.
"But this time, we will not make the same mistake."
He pointed toward the map.
"We will not leave Astapor undefended."
Then he looked at the commanders.
"We will leave a large force behind to protect the city."
Then he looked at Tristan.
Tristan nodded.
Aegon said:
"As for the main force… it will move east."
Then he raised his hand.
Ignil's roar filled the sky.
The dragon landed behind him.
Several soldiers took a step back.
Aegon, however, stepped toward him.
He climbed onto the dragon's back.
Then he said:
"We will not stop until Yunkai falls."
Elsewhere, Arya was preparing.
She wore light armor.
Her sword rested at her waist.
Then she looked at Lucerion.
"Are you ready?"
The dragon roared.
She smiled.
"That's what I wanted to hear."
She climbed onto his back.
Then took flight.
She was different now.
Arya was no longer the girl who dreamed of knights.
She had become one of the riders.
But she no longer believed in tales of heroism.
She knew now that war was not a song.
War was blood.
And she was ready.
As for Tyrion, he was in a different situation.
He stood before Gulderon.
"You're bigger than I expected."
The dragon approached.
"And I'm smaller than you expected."
Then he said:
"But don't worry."
He patted the dragon's head.
"We have two minds working here."
Tristan raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure about that?"
Tyrion turned around.
"I was talking about the dragon."
Arya laughed.
Aegon said:
"Get on."
Tyrion sighed.
"Fine."
He climbed onto Gulderon's back.
Then he looked at Tristan.
"If I die, I'll haunt you in the afterlife."
Tristan said:
"You won't die."
Tyrion said:
"That's what everyone says right before someone dies."
The four dragons flew above Astapor.
Bahamut at the front.
Behind him, Ignil.
Then Lucerion.
Then Gulderon.
But this time, there was no fear in the hearts of the four.
There was a purpose.
Revenge.
And war.
Tristan looked down.
Astapor was beneath them.
A wounded city.
A city that would rise again.
He said:
"We will not forget."
Aegon's voice came from behind him.
"We will not forgive."
Arya said:
"And we will show no mercy to those who choose to be our enemies."
Then came Tyrion's voice.
"Especially the Lannisters."
Tristan looked east.
"First, Yunkai."
Then the distant city appeared on the horizon.
"Then Meereen."
The army had moved behind them.
The banners rose.
The swords were drawn.
And the dragons were in the sky.
In Yunkai, the news arrived.
A soldier entered the ruler's hall, gasping for breath.
"My lord!"
The ruler shouted:
"What?"
"The dragons."
Everyone froze.
"How many?"
The soldier swallowed.
"Four."
Silence filled the room.
"Four dragons."
One of the commanders said:
"Impossible."
"I saw them with my own eyes."
Another said:
"Tristan only has four."
He stopped.
"But one of them was not being ridden by Tristan."
The ruler raised his head.
"What?"
"I saw a silver-haired rider on one of them."
Then he said:
"And a woman on another."
The men exchanged looks.
"Who are they?"
They had no answer.
But moments later, another messenger entered.
He carried a letter.
The ruler opened it.
He read:
To the rulers of Yunkai,
We gave you a chance.
You chose war.
Now you will pay the price for that choice.
I will not offer surrender again.
When I reach your gates, I will not ask you to open them.
I will break them.
Tristan
The ruler raised his eyes.
"Send them a reply."
Hours later, the response arrived.
Tristan read it before everyone.
The reply was filled with mockery.
Tristan,
You threaten a city when you couldn't even protect your own.
We turned Astapor to ash.
And now you've brought four dragons to frighten us?
We learned how to defeat you once.
And we will learn how to defeat you again.
Come.
We will be waiting.
Tristan finished reading.
Then folded the letter.
He did not become angry.
He did not shout.
He simply smiled.
Tyrion said:
"Looks like they haven't learned a thing."
Arya said:
"It will be their final mistake."
Aegon asked:
"When do we attack?"
Tristan looked toward distant Yunkai.
"At dawn."
Then he added:
"This time, we will not retreat."
The four looked toward the city.
Night was approaching.
But behind them, four dragons were preparing.
And the next day…
the first chapter of Yunkai's fall would begin.
And the world would learn that Astapor was no longer a weak city.
It had become the heart of a new power.
A power led by four people who had little mercy left in their hearts.
Tristan.
Aegon Targaryen.
Arya Stark.
Tyrion Lannister.
And above them, the wings of four dragons covered the sky.
As for the System…
it waited in silence.
[Quest: Destroy the Yellow Cities]
[First Objective: Yunkai.]
[Status: Not Destroyed.]
[Second Objective: Meereen.]
[Status: Not Destroyed.]
Then the window disappeared.
And on the horizon…
a new sun began to rise.
The sun of war.