The feast following the knighting ceremony went on until the late hours of the night, but Mako hadn't forgotten his own affairs. He'd already sent the Unicorn, Silverflash, to rest beneath the Weirwood tree.
The Three-Eyed Crow had once mentioned that the Unicorn possessed a unique energy. As soon as it entered the vicinity of a Weirwood, the Three-Eyed Crow would sense it through the tree.
Mako had been curious about Weirwood trees before and had asked the Three-Eyed Crow about them. The Three-Eyed Crow told him that Weirwoods had a very special ability: they could absorb the life energy of deceased creatures.
In this world, everything possessed a unique life energy. After death, this energy would dissipate. First, the scavenging ravens would absorb a portion.
Because ravens also had a special ability to absorb this energy, they were drawn to it like bees to nectar, regardless of anything else. This was also why ravens always liked to eat dead things.
Then, the remaining energy would return to the earth, and the Weirwoods would absorb that portion. Weirwoods could continue to grow precisely because of this life energy.
It could be said that, barring external forces, they were immortal on Westeros, and the First Men had always worshipped them as gods.
This was also why ravens liked to live and nest in Weirwoods; they greatly enjoyed things that emitted a strong life energy. Likewise, the life energy within humans was also very potent.
So ravens also loved living with humans and accepted their domestication, diligently delivering messages for them.
Furthermore, these ravens, having absorbed life energy, could potentially retain human memories. Some particularly special ravens could even speak and understand human language.
It was because of the ravens' uniqueness that they learned "the Old Tongue," a language only the Children of the Forest used, allowing them to communicate effectively.
Speaking of the Children of the Forest, they were the most adept at utilizing life energy on Westeros. For the Children of the Forest, the Weirwood trees were their source of magic and faith.
Moreover, the Children of the Forest used this life energy stored within the Weirwood trees with ease, without any cost. However, the only downside to this energy was its slow regeneration.
During the Children of the Forest's first war with the First Men, they depleted the life energy accumulated in the south of Westeros over tens of thousands of years to prevent the First Men from entering Westeros through the Arm of Dorne.
The powerful life energy instantly tore the entire land apart, transforming the once lush and fertile Dorne into a place of swirling yellow sand. It took thousands of years to recover even a little, leading to the First Men's destruction of many Weirwood trees in the south.
Later, the Children of the Forest were forced to retreat to the middle of the continent, where they used that life energy to create the King of the White Walkers. However, for reasons unknown, it suddenly went out of control and nearly wiped out the Children of the Forest.
Fortunately, a prophet, the ancient hero Azor Ahai, emerged among the First Men. This powerful sorcerer led the First Men and the Children of the Forest in a formal alliance to fight against the White Walkers.
After driving the White Walkers to the far north, Azor Ahai and the Children of the Forest used unique magic to lay the foundation for the Wall. Bran Stark, a "builder" and ancestor of the Stark family, then used massive ice and gravel to gradually construct the Wall.
The construction of the Wall also depleted the last vestiges of life energy in the North. After witnessing the immense power of magic, the Stark family, like the Children of the Forest, began to revere the Weirwood as a god.
After exhausting all the Weirwoods, the Children of the Forest could only retreat north of the Wall to recover. However, due to the toll of the war against the White Walkers, much of their life energy was also depleted.
Losing this energy made it impossible for the Children of the Forest to even continue their race, which was one of the reasons for their dwindling numbers.
The Three-Eyed Crow had told Mako that the reason some of the First Men awakened the magical gift of "Warging" was due to the subtle influence of the Weirwoods.
The reason why the Crowl Clan of Deepwood Motte had so many "Skinchangers" was largely because they still practiced the ancient tradition of blood sacrifice. This practice allowed the life energy within their bodies to be absorbed by the Weirwoods.
The energy it emitted was also frequently absorbed by the clan members who sacrificed to it, ultimately leading the Crowl Clan to awaken a large number of "Skinchangers" and become the northern overlords of Skagos.
Tonight, Mako went to bed early, hoping to meet the Three-Eyed Crow sooner. Sure enough, as soon as Mako drifted off, the Three-Eyed Crow appeared in his mind.
The Three-Eyed Crow still wore his eternally miserable expression, making Mako want to ask him, "How much for the bitter melon!" every time he saw him.
"Mako! Why did you come to me so quickly? Has something happened again?"
"Oh! No, I want to ask you for a favor!"
Then Mako explained the problem he'd encountered to the Three-Eyed Crow, hoping he could help him confirm whether Erok's mother was indeed a daughter of the Umber family of the North.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Three-Eyed Crow looked at Mako with a strange expression, implying why Mako wasn't using his own abilities to seek the answer.
In response, Mako, with a thick skin, stated that he had only seen many memories of the past for a short time, and hadn't gained the same abilities as the crow.
However, the Three-Eyed Crow was very straightforward. After listening to Mako's explanation, he immediately disappeared from the mental space.
At the same time, in a room within the Umber family's keep in the North, a one-eyed old man was having a nightmare.
Mors Umber was deeply troubled this night. In his dream, he was reliving a day that had brought him great sorrow. Fifteen years ago, his beloved only daughter, Alys Umber, had disappeared while out playing.
Mors Umber and his clan searched their family lands for a long time without any results. Then, some of the commoners who had fled back from the direction of The Wall said they had been captured by wildlings who came from the sea on that day.
At that time, the keep also received confirmed information that Alys Umber had indeed been taken by wildlings from the sea. Just as the Umbers were preparing to cross Eastwatch along the coastline to find her, news arrived that the old Lord Stark and his heir had been killed.
With no other choice, the Umbers had to follow the newly appointed Duke Eddard Stark south to fight against the Targaryens. During this time, Mors Umber's two sons also died on the battlefield.
This series of blows had left Mors Umber devastated. He gradually fell into a downward spiral, drinking every day and living a life of drunken stupor.
Tonight, he was once again experiencing the pain of losing his daughter, her departure still vividly etched in his memory.
Suddenly, the old man, jolted awake by the nightmare, sat up in bed. He found that tears and sweat had soaked his quilt and beard, but he was in no mood to care about any of it.
He sighed, wiping his face roughly. Then, he grabbed the wine jug on his bedside table and took a long swig. The cold liquor sliding down his throat and into his stomach provided a little relief from the burning sensation.
The old man finished the remaining wine in the jug. Shaking it, he realized it was empty, then angrily tossed it aside and fell back to sleep.
Meanwhile, in the backyard of their family estate, a massive Weirwood was gently trembling, as if bidding farewell to someone.
And in a guest room on the second floor of Griffin's Roost, Erok's mother was having a terrible dream. Since the three tribes had surrendered, Mako had moved to the third floor of Griffin's Roost.
Mako had given the rooms on the second floor to Erok and his family, making it easier for Mako to meet with the three of them to discuss matters.
Erok's mother suddenly dreamt of her childhood. In the dream, she lived in a huge castle and lived a carefree life from childhood.
But all of this nightmare began that day. At the age of fourteen, she and her friend went out to play, and unexpectedly encountered wildlings in the forest near their castle.
The two of them were captured by the wildlings and taken onto a small boat. The boat encountered a storm and huge waves when it reached Eastwatch, and everyone fell into the sea.
She had been struck on the head by a mast, losing her memory, and was eventually saved by her former "husband." In the end, she'd never actually agreed to marry him.
But that man, disregarding her objections, had "devoured" her under the tribe's weirwood, and a year later, her child, Erok, was born.
Erok's mother, or rather, Alys Umber, slowly climbed out of bed. Remembering her miserable experiences over the past decade, her heart ached, and she couldn't help but cry again.
Erok, who lived in the next room, was troubled and hadn't fallen asleep. Hearing his mother's weeping, he immediately ran over.
Seeing her tall and imposing son, Alys Umber couldn't help but think of her brother and father, and cried even louder.
Erok was momentarily flustered, and hurriedly comforted his mother. After about three minutes, Alys Umber raised her swollen eyes and said to him:
"Child, I finally remember! I finally remember your grandfather and uncles!"
"Is it true, Mother? That's wonderful. The Lord didn't lie to me; he really has a way! It's truly amazing! He's worthy of being a Child of God!"
"My Lord?"