Alex Murray had been told all his life that obsession was dangerous. It could eat away at ambition, smother friendships, and leave a man stranded in a world of his own making. But the truth was, Alex didn't mind the isolation.Not tonight.Not with the rain hammering the windows, and the pale glow of his laptop painting the room in cold light.
The familiar opening sequence of Game of Thrones played out on the screen for the thousandth time. He could have recited every line, mapped every war, and predicted every betrayal without thinking. It wasn't the show itself that kept him watching—it was the way it turned chaos into opportunity. Every move was a calculation. Every death was the result of a chain of cause and effect. In Westeros, the clever survived.
He'd always wondered how he would fare there, in that cruel, intricate world.The thought was ridiculous, of course.
Outside, thunder cracked across the night, close enough to rattle the picture frames on the wall. Alex paused the episode, rubbing his eyes. Dubai's storms weren't usually this intense. Another flash lit the sky—white-blue, sharp, blinding.
The laptop screen flickered. So did the lights.
Then the world went white.
When Alex opened his eyes, there was no room, no laptop, no warm bed beneath him.Just cold, damp air that tasted of salt and rot.
He was lying on rough cobblestones. The scent of fish and sewage drifted from somewhere nearby. Above him loomed pale plastered walls, crumbling in places, streaked with mildew. A thin mist clung to the air, and the sky was a dull slate-grey, the kind that promised more rain.
He sat up too quickly. His vision spun.His hands—Smaller. Slimmer. The skin lighter, untouched by the faint tan he'd carried for years.
A movement in the corner of his vision made him glance down. The reflection in a rain puddle showed a boy—fourteen, maybe—dark hair falling into his eyes, clothes threadbare, cheeks slightly hollow.
Panic rose, but it was sharp, controlled.
He was not in Dubai. He was not in his own body.And the street he sat in looked exactly like the narrow merchant alleys from Pentos concept art he'd seen in fan-made Westeros maps.
Before he could process further, something shifted in the air. A faint chime—not heard, but felt, like a ripple through his skull.
ArchiveofShadows–InitializationCompleteArchive of Shadows – Initialization CompleteArchiveofShadows–InitializationCompleteUser Identity: Alex MurrayCurrent Vessel: Male, Age 14, Orphan – Pentos, 294 ACCore Function: Copy and store abilities, traits, or properties from any living being, beast, or object upon physical contact.Copy Limit: 3 copies per day (resets at local midnight)Storage: Level 1 – 100 cubic feet (increases with upgrades)Passive Analysis: On contact, system will display available copyable traits.Upgrade Path:
Level 0: Trait copied for first time.
Level 1: 10 uses.
Level 2: 100 uses.
Level 3: 1000 uses.
Level 4: 5000 uses.
Level 5: 10000 uses. At this level, user may transfer ability to another being (max 2 abilities per being).
The text faded as quickly as it had appeared, but Alex could recall every word.It was not just a cheat—it was a system. Fully functional, detailed, and absurdly overpowered if used correctly.
His thoughts sharpened instantly. In Game of Thrones, knowledge was power, but so were advantages. A sword skill could be trained for years; with this, he could take it in seconds. But brute force alone was a path to an early grave. Strategy had to come first.
And to strategize, he needed information.
A shout broke through the fog of thought."Move, boy!"
A barrel-chested man pushed past him, carrying a crate of fish. The instant their arms brushed, something flared in Alex's mind.
PassiveAnalysis–TargetDetectedPassive Analysis – Target DetectedPassiveAnalysis–TargetDetectedName: Orios Lerrin – Fisherman of PentosCopyable Traits:
Enduring Stamina (Level 0) – Increased resistance to fatigue during physical labor.
Keen Smell (Level 0) – Improved scent detection, useful for identifying freshness of goods or tracking by smell.
Available Copies Today: 3 / 3
Alex hesitated only for a moment before focusing on the second trait. Keen Smell. Not flashy, but practical, especially in a world where poisoned wine and spoiled rations could kill as surely as a blade.
CopyInitiated–KeenSmell(Level0)Copy Initiated – Keen Smell (Level 0)CopyInitiated–KeenSmell(Level0)Daily Copies Remaining: 2 / 3
The change was immediate. The air around him bloomed with detail—fish oil, saltwater, wet rope, moldy grain. It was almost overwhelming, but within moments his mind adapted, sorting scents into background and foreground.
A test, then. He sniffed the air and picked up something faint but distinct—spiced wine. Not here, not in the alley, but drifting from somewhere to his right.
Opportunity.
He followed the scent to a small, dingy tavern. The common room was half full—dockworkers, traders, and two men in leather armor whose eyes swept the room with the practiced wariness of sellswords.
Alex's gaze lingered on them.Sellswords meant combat experience. Combat experience meant combat abilities.
He needed those.
Passing close to the first man, he felt the flare again.
PassiveAnalysis–TargetDetectedPassive Analysis – Target DetectedPassiveAnalysis–TargetDetectedName: Garrin Vayl – SellswordCopyable Traits:
Brutal Strength (Level 0) – Increased muscle force in melee combat.
Intimidating Presence (Level 0) – Natural tendency to unsettle opponents in close quarters.
Alex chose without hesitation.
CopyInitiated–BrutalStrength(Level0)Copy Initiated – Brutal Strength (Level 0)CopyInitiated–BrutalStrength(Level0)Daily Copies Remaining: 1 / 3
It was like heat pouring into his limbs. His arms and shoulders felt heavier, denser, but under his control. He could feel the difference even in the way he moved.
Still, one copy remained for the day. Best to use it wisely.
The second sellsword was drinking slowly, scanning the room.
PassiveAnalysis–TargetDetectedPassive Analysis – Target DetectedPassiveAnalysis–TargetDetectedName: Theron Jast – Sellsword, ex-Braavosi GuardCopyable Traits:
Swordplay Fundamentals (Level 0) – Basic combat technique with bladed weapons.
Balanced Footing (Level 0) – Enhanced stability and movement control.
Alex smiled faintly.
CopyInitiated–SwordplayFundamentals(Level0)Copy Initiated – Swordplay Fundamentals (Level 0)CopyInitiated–SwordplayFundamentals(Level0)Daily Copies Remaining: 0 / 3
The knowledge slid into his mind as if it had always been there—stances, guard positions, angles of attack, the way to read an opponent's grip. Not mastery, but enough to hold his own.
By the time he left the tavern, the plan was forming.
Day by day, copy by copy, he could assemble the perfect set of abilities—strength, speed, senses, strategy.Not just to survive Pentos, but to control it.
And after that… the rest of Essos.The rest of the world.
The storm had not just brought him here. It had given him the one tool that could make him king.