The Horn of Winter.
The legendary Horn of Joramun.
Once blown, it could awaken sleeping giants and even cause The Wall to collapse.
The bait thrown by Brynden was like a venomous snake, trying to slither into the deepest crevices of Lynn's heart.
He wanted to exchange this world-ending artifact for Lynn's loyalty.
Or rather, for Lynn's submission.
"As long as you get your hands on the Horn of Winter, I can bestow all of my legacy upon you."
The ancient voice carried a seductive quality.
Facing Brynden's proposal, Lynn's face remained expressionless.
He simply watched the Three-Eyed Raven on the ground in silence.
"A very interesting proposal."
Lynn's voice was flat, betraying no emotion.
The raven tilted its head.
Its blood-red eyes gleamed with a look of certainty, as if it expected to win.
It seemed to be waiting for Lynn's next words.
"However, Lord Brynden Rivers."
Lynn uttered the name, word by word.
"Oh, no."
Lynn seemed to recall something and added another sentence.
"Perhaps you are no longer Brynden."
The ancient voice in the depths of his consciousness paused for a moment.
On the Three-Eyed Raven on the ground, a barely perceptible ripple flickered in its blood-red eye.
"You seem to have many misunderstandings about me."
Brynden's voice sounded again, carrying an ancient authority that felt offended.
"I am helping you, Lynn."
"Helping me?"
Lynn laughed.
His laughter sounded particularly grating in the silent room.
Winter's three small heads were startled, rising in unison and looking at Lynn with confusion.
"Are you trying to help me, or are you trying to help yourself?"
Lynn took a step forward, looking down at the raven from above.
Lynn's shadow completely enveloped it.
"Your so-called legacy is not a gift at all."
"It's a meticulously designed act of devouring."
Brynden froze.
The raven's body, even the tips of its feathers, seemed to be solidified in the air.
The voice in Lynn's consciousness completely disappeared.
A deathly silence.
"The so-called heirs you chose, whether it was the Children of the Forest a thousand years ago, or Brynden Rivers a few hundred years ago, or Brandon Stark, whom you are now targeting."
"They are drowned by your vast and boundless memories, and eventually, they all become you."
Lynn's voice was like a knife, precisely cutting through Brynden's seemingly sacred disguise, revealing the rotten truth beneath.
"Their self-awareness, their joys and sorrows, everything about them, will be washed away by your millennia of memories."
"In the end, they will get lost in that ocean of memories."
"The person who receives the legacy will believe that your memories are their own memories."
"Your will is their own will."
"In this way, even if your physical body decays, your unique Green Seer memory will reassert dominance in the new host."
"They are no longer themselves."
"They just become the next you."
"The next... Three-Eyed Raven."
With each word Lynn spoke, the raven on the ground trembled imperceptibly.
Its three eyes stared intently at Lynn, no longer with mockery and temptation.
But with unconcealed shock.
How could he know?
This secret was the core essence of the Green Seer's legacy.
It was an insurmountable boundary between the Green Seer and mortals.
The so-called Green Seer, from its very beginning until now, has always been only one person!
When its body grew old, it would claim to choose the next successor, occupy a young body, and achieve the continuation of life.
Brynden was his choice.
Now that Brynden was old, he set his sights on Brandon Stark.
But Lynn's appearance, saving Brandon, completely disrupted his plans.
So, he sought out Lynn, this more promising "variable."
The Green Seer was utterly shocked.
How could this soul, not belonging to this world, perceive all of this?
He had plotted for thousands of years, and never once had there been a mistake!
"The future Brandon Stark is the next host you've chosen, isn't he?"
Lynn's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a sense of judgment.
"A gifted child, a pure soul, what a perfect vessel."
"Your so-called guidance is merely leading him step by step into the cage you've woven."
"You will try every means to make him witness the birth of the first Night King, to make him lost in the past."
"The moment the Children of the Forest's dagger pierces his chest, he will never be able to go back; he can only become a shell for the Night King."
"And you can then seize the opportunity to invade his body, allowing you to be reborn."
"The Children of the Forest only need a weapon against the First Men, a puppet without self-thought!"
"And you, the great Green Seer."
"You sealed those unfortunate souls you chose inside the Night King; those unfortunate souls possess your memories, he is another you."
"This is also why the Night King possesses the ability to perceive everything!"
"You are the culprit behind all this tragedy!"
"You arrogantly steal the history of the entire continent, toying with everyone's destiny in the palm of your hand."
"No matter whether the Night King ultimately wins or loses, as long as you can survive, you can always possess these memories, live forever in this world, and never become a loser!"
"Am I right, Green Seer?"
Lynn paused, a cold arc curving at the corner of his mouth.
"Or, should I use your other title?"
"Night King?"
Lynn's words were like a clap of thunder from the heavens, exploding in Brynden's ancient consciousness that had existed for thousands of years!
On his face, made of feathers and a beak, an expression of almost human horror appeared.
His gaze at Lynn was filled with disbelief.
This man not only saw through his present.
He even saw clearly the chess game he had laid out for the future!
An unprecedented sense of crisis enveloped him.
For the first time, he felt that things were slipping out of his control.
This variable named Lynn was already enough to threaten his existence.
"You..."
After a long while, the ancient voice finally sounded again in Lynn's mind, but with an uncontrollable dryness.
"...What exactly are you?"
"Me?"
Lynn withdrew his gaze and slowly sat back on the bed.
He reached out and gently stroked the cold scales on Winter's middle head.
The amber eye comfortably narrowed, and a contented purr rumbled in its throat.
"I am just a person who wants to live well."
Lynn's voice calmed down.
"I have no interest in becoming an old monster trapped in tree roots, barely surviving by sucking sap and memories."
"Night King, put away your self-righteous tricks."
"Casting a wide net, gathering many fish, and choosing the best—what a game of chess."
"It's just a pity you've found the wrong opponent."
Lynn's gaze fell back on the raven, cold and sharp.
"From today on, stop bothering me."
"Otherwise, I don't mind going to the weirwood tree and burning your old bones to ashes before you find your next unfortunate victim."
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