The Grey Waste, K'Dath.
This cursed land, lying at the extreme eastern edge of the known world beyond the Five Forts, was now enveloped in a tense, deathly stillness, the quiet that follows survival by the narrowest of margins.
Ancient ruins of black stone lay scattered across the barren plain like the skeletal remains of some colossal beast.
In the sky, the "Star of Judgment," Ghroth, which had brought madness and destruction, was already gone. Yet the air still carried the lingering, spine-chilling aftereffects of its presence.
And even deeper than that lingered the invisible pressure left behind by the divine battle that had taken place far beyond mortal understanding, in the depths of the stars.
Daenerys, Janice, Jaelena, Chai Yiq, Sansa… Lo Quen's queens, along with the commander Luo Wen and the red priestess Melisandre, were gathered within the relatively intact ruins of a black stone hall.
Without exception, they were all looking up at the sky as it slowly returned to calm, their faces filled with worry and tension.
Ghroth's celestial wail had nearly torn their minds apart.
And then there was the violent clash between Lo Quen, transformed into the Starforger Dragon, and that unspeakable existence. It had left their hearts lodged firmly in their throats.
"He… he'll come back, won't he?"
Daenerys's voice trembled.
Her fists were clenched tight, and her violet eyes were filled with the fear of losing her husband.
Sansa pressed her lips together, fighting back tears.
Janice and Jaelena leaned against each other, their faces pale.
Chai Yiq prayed silently, her gaze never leaving the star-filled sky.
Even Luo Wen, who had endured countless bloody battles, wore a solemn expression.
He had personally experienced Ghroth's terror. If Lo Quen had not arrived in time, he would have gone mad long ago.
More than anyone else, he understood what kind of unimaginable existence His Grace was facing.
Just as the oppressive wait was about to reach its breaking point…
The space above the ruins of K'Dath rippled like water.
A doorway formed from pure starlight slowly opened, radiating a gentle yet majestic glow that swept away the gloom left behind by ancient curses and the lingering shockwaves of divine conflict.
Then, under the expectant and astonished gazes of everyone present,
Lo Quen's familiar figure appeared, calmly stepping out of the starlight gateway while holding the hand of a slightly dazed Arya, landing steadily on the black stone ground.
"Lo Quen!"
Daenerys forgot all decorum in an instant. Like a fledgling bird returning to its nest, she rushed forward and threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly as her voice choked with emotion.
"That's wonderful! You're safe! You're really safe!"
A warm, reassuring smile appeared on Lo Quen's face.
He gently wrapped an arm around Daenerys and patted her back, speaking lightly.
"Come on. How could anything happen to me?"
He casually ruffled Daenerys's silver-gold hair, the gesture intimate and familiar.
At that, the other queens gathered around as well, their faces filled with relief and joy.
Sansa's gaze immediately fell on her sister, Arya.
She hurried over and took Arya's hand, her eyes full of concern and confusion.
"Arya, what happened? Why are you with His Grace? Weren't you…"
Arya looked at her sister, then at the worried faces around them, and finally at the soldiers and General Luo Wen watching curiously from farther away.
She took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened in the Mossovy Forest.
Though she tried to keep her story as brief as possible, the women listened in stunned silence, their expressions shifting through shock, sorrow, and sheer disbelief.
Especially Sansa. When she learned of Bran's death, she broke down once more, tears streaking her face.
Lo Quen drew her into his arms and gently comforted her.
At that moment, General Luo Wen straightened his appearance, strode forward, and dropped to one knee before Lo Quen. Bowing his head deeply, his voice trembled with emotion.
"Your Grace… you saved us all. Victory belongs to you!"
He recalled the despair when Ghroth descended, and the towering, awe-inspiring figure of Lo Quen as the Starforger Dragon. The gratitude and reverence in his heart were beyond words.
Immediately after, all the soldiers followed suit, kneeling down with excitement, their eyes filled with worship as they looked toward Lo Quen.
Lo Quen raised a hand slightly. A gentle force lifted Luo Wen and everyone else to their feet.
His gaze swept over the people gathered there, then drifted toward the Grey Waste and the wider world beyond. His voice was calm as he announced:
"The world has been spared from destruction. We can return to our homeland."
"From this day on, there will be no more demonic whispers over the Grey Waste, and beneath the stars there will no longer be those so-called gods who toy with dark magic and treat all living beings as insects."
Luo Wen snapped his head up, his pupils shrinking in sheer shock.
He stared blankly at the calm emperor before him, his heart pounding wildly.
Did His Grace mean… that he had not only driven back that terrifying celestial body, but had also slain those hidden masterminds, those legendary… gods?
He remembered the Starforger Dragon blotting out the heavens, remembered that power which made even the stars seem dim. Coupled with Lo Quen's casual yet world-shaking words, an unprecedented wave of reverence flooded his mind.
He opened his mouth, but found himself too overwhelmed to speak. All he could do was bow deeply once again, expressing, with the utmost humility, his own boundless loyalty and awe, along with that of all the surviving soldiers behind him, toward the emperor who had achieved the feat of slaying gods and saving the world.
What Luo Wen did not know was that those Outer Gods were far more powerful than the deities of the Ice and Fire world. They were, in fact, the very source of those gods' power.
And all of it had been brought to an end by Lo Quen.
Within this universe, there would no longer be any existence capable of sowing chaos.
After tidying up the remnants of the battlefield, the survivors set out for the Five Forts, their hearts filled with the immense joy of having lived through the calamity.
Lo Quen, accompanied by Daenerys, Sansa, Janice, Jaelena, and Chai Yiq, rode dragons and returned first to the sturdy fortress left behind by the Pearl Emperor.
There, the Queen of Leng, Khiara, and Myrcella, who had already received word and been waiting anxiously, finally relaxed their tightly strung nerves upon seeing Lo Quen return unharmed. Overcome with emotion, tears streamed down their faces.
When Ghroth descended, the omnipresent celestial sound had brought such overwhelming terror that everyone believed the end of the world had arrived. To survive it was something none of them had dared to imagine.
Lo Quen looked at the women gathered around him, all of them closely bound to his fate, their eyes filled with tears of sorrow or joy. A deep sense of relief welled up in his heart, the satisfaction of having endured hardship and finally found peace.
At this point, the known powerful beings in the world capable of threatening him and everything he cherished had essentially been swept away.
A few days later, General Luo Wen led the main force of the eastern expedition back to the Five Forts in orderly fashion.
Though their losses were not small, morale was exceptionally high, for the emperor they followed had accomplished the legendary feat of slaying gods.
Lo Quen held a grand celebration banquet at the Five Forts to reward all the meritorious officers and soldiers. Fine wine and rich food flowed freely, and laughter echoed without end.