Storm and blizzard raged over Winterfell.
The battle began with a bombardment from the royal forces, made possible by Edric bringing out the siege engines within him. Winterfell itself seemed to have a magical barrier which negated damage, however… so Edric used his magic to break through it. He took to the skies with Viserion and burned into it from the top. It began to melt from the dragon's flames…
Whoosh.
Ice projectiles soared up, going straight for the dragon. Edric brushed them all aside with a mighty gust of wind. One ballista-like arrow wasn't moved…
Edric shifted Viserion, dodging it. Ye then shared his magic with the dragon, strengthening its flames. The barrier began to crack… before being reinforced by the Night King.
Then it began to regenerate.
Edric frowned, flying off. He charged an arrow of his own. Fire, wind and lightning danced in chaotic harmony. His arrow's might grew as the magic in the world gathered around it. He condensed it, time and time again… until it was ready.
Then, he let it fly.
The Night King strengthened the very top of the barrier, where the arrow was going to strike. Edric grinned slightly, splitting it into a hundred separate arrows at the last moment. They scattered all over, piercing through and exploding the barrier. While the reinforced point remained, everything below it was shredded… rendering it useless.
Afterwards, Edric swooped in and began dropping wildfire across the castle. Pots, barrels, everything that had been produced across years of preparation. Enhanced by his lightning and fire, the entire castle went up into flames before long. Meanwhile, his siege engines began bombarding the castle walls.
Within an hour, Winterfell almost looked like a ruin. The fire had been restrained, yet the damage remained. The Night King's forces worked to rebuild with their ice, yet Edric's siege engines worked a tad bit faster.
When there was a suitable opening for all three directions, Edric would give his speech.
"Warriors of mankind!"
His thunderous voice shook the very skies, resounding for all to hear.
"This day is the most fateful of all. Should we falter, no one will be left to put up a stand against the Others. The future is in your hands. The sacrifices our ancestors made that lead to this day, their legacies, their glories, their hardships and the memory of it all… the living, our fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, our loved ones… and the future, our sons and daughters who should blossom into a new world."
"That is what you fight for."
"You may question your strength, your will, your endurance….you may feel death's grasp as an Other's blade touches your soul. Know that even in the darkest hour, my fire burns ever eternal. It is within you all, in life and in death. A guide, a light, a ward, a weapon. Let it engulf your soul and consume your entire being. Burn brightly, warriors of mankind, like a raging sun!"
"NEVER again shall another suffer at the hands of an Other. Obliterate them. Destroy them. Leave not a SINGLE trace of their existence. Rid the world of this scourge ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!"
Thousands upon thousands of lights lit the sky as countless warriors awakened to their true strength.
"ONWARD, WARRIORS OF MANKIND! CUT YOUR WAY FORWARD AND CLAIM THE FUTURE THAT IS RIGHTFULLY YOURS!"
It was as if a thousand dragons roared at once… raging forward.
Edric charged forward, leading them forward.
Yet, as battle engulfed Winterfell, his light faded, and he seemingly vanished from sight. Even still, those under his command did not take a single step back. They fought as if his raging fury lived in each of them.
[Raiden's POV]
All at once, countless visions awakened in Edric's forces. It was his elemental burst… the culmination of all his elements to inspire and empower others. In a way, it was five elemental bursts merged into one supreme one. His Anemo amplified speed, Pyro enhanced strength and willpower, Cryo steeled their resolve even further, Electro awakened their true self which pushed some to awaken visions of their own and Geo provided them with protection and endurance.
Every last soldier affected by Edric's call to battle was most definitely superior to the average Other.
As for his Geo… even Raiden was unaware he had awakened to it..
More importantly, to empower so many thousands at once… it meant that the strain on Edric himself was beyond great. Was this another sacrifice he chose to make?
Raiden thundered across the snowy field, melting it as she blitzed forward. It would not be long before Others tried pelting the approaching forces with projectiles from Winterfell's walls. One among them was the Titan, the last of the Night King's captains, whose arrows were like siege engines in terms of power.
Raiden easily dodged them all, entirely focused on their destruction. She stepped into the bottom of the wall and ran up with ease, leaping even further up as she reached the top. Her plunge downwards onto the garrison was like a bolt of lightning.
She slammed the battlement, scattering dozens of others. They melted as the lightning smited them. The Titan in the distance fired multiple arrows, all of which Raiden evaded. They ended up piercing the Others behind her instead.
In the blink of an eye, she was upon him. Her eyes were cold, entirely focused on destruction.
Before her blade could reach him, however, he… vanished.
How odd…
She decided to clear a way forward before advancing directly to the Tree of the End.
[Arthur's POV]
With Edric's blessing, the Night King's forces were overwhelmed almost immediately. Despite seemingly turning so many of Winterfell's residents into Others, it made no difference. Each of theirs was superior.
Arthur cleared the way through the eastern gate, like a raging inferno. His heart was weighed by loss… which he turned to fury against the Others. No one in their ranks could even touch him before he melted through them. Eventually, they began vanishing on their own which was truly odd.
Arthur's forces met with Raiden's near the Godswood, which was protected by another barrier. This one seemed many times more powerful than the one that protected Winterfell earlier. It was much smaller, and so more dense with magical power.
"Even with everyone's combined power, it would take too much time…" Arthur stated.
Edric was already past it, likely due to being part Other himself. Was this by the Night King's design? No, it was more of a mutual decision... otherwise Edric would've returned outside of it.
"Place your faith in your Emperor," Raiden spoke, addressing the royal forces. "And return the strength that he blessed every one of you with twicefold."
Arthur nodded.
"Use the connection created by his blessing to supply your own magic to his Eternal Grace. The Emperor gave his life for this victory... do not waste that. Give every last drop you can provide."
Meanwhile, the Stormguard gathered and began their chant, which deafened all else.
"WHO ARE WE?"
"ONE LEGION. ONE WILL."
"THE GUARD BEHIND THE STORM."
"THE LEGION OF THUNDER."
"THE EMPEROR'S FINEST."
"WE ARE WARRIORS DIVINE."
"BY OATH, BY BLOOD, BY DEED."
"IN LIFE, IN DEATH, IN STRUGGLE, IN PROSPERITY."
"OUR LOYALTY IS AS ETERNAL AS THE SKY!"
"FOR THE EMPEROR!!!"
Arthur looked worried as men among their ranks began to collapse from doing far too much. The amount of elemental power they provided, however... was staggering. Every last member of the Stormguard had awakened a vision of their own, and their dedication to his cause was quite unlike any other part of the royal forces. They were willing to die for him without a second thought...
Arthur was as well, but he could imagine Edric's ghost shouting his head off for all of eternity for forgetting his word.
It would dishonour his sacrifice to follow it up with one of his own...
Edric chose this path so that he would live.
[The Final Battle]
Edric emerged within the Godswood, having left the battle to his forces. He walked towards the Tree of the End slowly... yet with purpose. The Night King stood before it, awaiting his arrival.
"Your sacrifice has caught up with you, Edric Stormfyre."
"Indeed," Edric nodded, clutching his chest. "But we have a bit of unfinished business, don't we? I can't quite kick the bucket before that."
"I imagined you'd have already become no more than a hollow shell of your former self. The truth that your will has lingered on for so long... is quite remarkable. Is it from hatred, the desire to destroy me? Or is it love that allows you to drag yourself so far..."
"They need not be exclusive to one another..." Edric drew out the Golden Sword of Heroes from his chest. "At this very moment, I want nothing more than to see you at my feet, grasping for life."
"Life... I have not been alive since the first human whispered my name in fear."
"Since your very existence, then?"
"I am the essence of death given form."
It nodded.
"So..." Edric observed the change in the Night King's appearance. Its armour was heavier, and the mouth that was once sealed had broken free. The crown it wore was more elaborate as well. "I take it you've gotten rid of the Night King and reformed his body to better suit you."
"This could have been us," The Great Other called upon his greatsword. "It still could be. I could freeze the remains of your soul and maintain its structure for a while longer. You could spend your last days with your family. Once you fade, I would preserve and take great care of those you cherish."
"I'm going to erase you from this world," Edric's eyes glowed purple. "No way around it."
"You cannot kill a God. You may destroy this vessel, you may burn the Tree of the End... but I... will always exist until the day every last being of thought dies."
"So you say," Edric didn't look moved.
"A sorcerer blessed by a foreign god, possessor of all the gifts of a greenseer, with traces of awakened divine blood, a dragon's heart and fire, evolved to be an Other hybrid... and bearer of the fated destiny of Azor Ahai. There will never be another like you, Edric Stormfyre."
The Great Other almost looked saddened by his choice.
"I know. Are you going to wait for me to strike first, or do you intend to talk until I die?"
"Both lead to the same end."
"Is that why you've begun sacrificing your forces to bolster your own power before they could be slaughtered?" Edric questioned. "Surely it's not because you fear my strength..."
"Why would I waste my children's lives on your blades? Their power shall be used to strike you down instead and avenge their loss immediately after. Everything living outside this barrier..."
As Edric dashed forward, the world around him shifted entirely. The fallen began rising from the ground. Edric's eyes widened as he observed hundreds of Others covering the Godswood.
His sword was blocked by the Titan, who was strong enough to stop him.
"All that is living is fated to die."
The Great Other spoke as more ghosts of the past rose. Most were Others, yet some took a ghost-like appearance.
"You left me to die, bastard!"
Edric shifted his head, dodging a warhammer blow that would've left him on the receiving end for once. He was baffled to see Robert Baratheon in the form of an icy blue ghost. Still, he had no time to contemplate that. Ice projectiles soared towards him from all directions.
His wind swept it all away alongside a flicker of a flame, which was amplified into an inferno, as he turned to the side and cut a path through the growing army. He noticed many familiar faces, all carrying vengefulness. Worse yet, his memory seemed to recover slightly as he began to recall his life.
One face left him dead in his tracks. It had all the benevolence that the others lacked.
"You don't have to fight anymore," Her voice was warm as the summer's embrace. "Just let go, and all the pain will fade. I'll be right here, waiting for you..."
The ghost had taken Alysanne's image. The one that had perished all those years ago.
Edric's eyes shook with fury as his blood surged like a volcano.
"You dare... TOY WITH ME!!!"
Lightbringer glowed with otherworldly, divine power, creating a slash that cut through half of the Godswood, along with every Other and ghost on that side. Immediately, flames burst across the forest... engulfing half of it in flame.
The Great Other had sent himself high in the air with a pillar of ice, evading it.
That... would not be the end of it.
Edric raised Lightbringer and plunged it into his own heart for a second time.
"What are you doing?" The Great Other, who never expressed himself by emotion, wore a face of bewilderment.
"The power to destroy you... does not belong to a mere blade."
The blade shattered, its power flowing inside Edric. With that, his soul began to heal, restoring him and making him whole again. Dozens of blades emerged from the Plane of Euthymia, soaring out and cleaning up the rest of the Great Other's summons.
"I see..."
The Great Other descended, slamming his greatsword against the ground. More undead emerged, along with a massive surge of ice heading in Edric's direction. In response, Edric effortlessly flashed away, remerging from a bolt of lightning that struck the ground.
He drew out Sunpiercer, forming an arrow of immense Anemo energy and sent it to the centre of the Godswood, drawing in every ghost and Other. It greatly resembled the Anemo Archon's Wind's Grand Ode. Lightning emerged from the top of the barrier, smiting the Anemo energy and charging it with Electro. Edric added a fire arrow for good measure, creating an almost permanent Anemo-charged overloaded elemental reaction.
It lasted for a minute, before exploding one last time.
The Great Other emerged with cracks in his armour.
"You've exhausted all of your power..."
"Have I?"
Edric questioned, raising his right hand as energy flowed into him. He felt the power of all of his subjects strengthen him. It was a rushing tide, pushing him into a second wind. The Great Other replied by summoning all three of the Night King's captains back to life.
It was not just raw elemental energy that he gained, but... the visions of his subjects as well, unlocking access to every element.
"The power of the King," The Great Other remarked. "I demand sacrifice while your subjects willingly give themselves to you... ultimately it is all the same."
"You couldn't be more wrong."
Edric aimed for the Night's Hand first with a charged arrow, but the Great Other was all too prepared for that, blocking it personally.
The Champion rushed forward, meeting him head-on. Meanwhile, the Titan moved to Edric's side and fired a mighty arrow. Empowered by both the Night's Hand and Great Other, it was not something he could simply wave aside.
Edric's eyes glowed gold-green as he saw through the Champion's attack. He replaced Sunpiercer with Fury, weaving to the left and smashing the Other's chest with such force that he catapulted right into the Titan's arrow. It pierced his chest, nearly destroying him immediately.
As Edric was about to finish him off, the Great Other interjected. Warhammer clashed against greatsword, creating a massive shockwave. The Great Other raised his blade and managed to push Edric off, seemingly breaking his guard. He shifted the blade, aiming to slash directly down.
Two portals to Euthymia emerged at the last moment, linking the space above Edric's head and the Champion's.
The Great Other's blade had fallen upon the Champion, cutting him in half.
"This..."
Edric grinned, flashing away and appearing before the Night's hand. He smashed the Other's head into the ground and pierced his core with Stormfyre. At his command, searing hot water emerged at his feet as he glided through the ground, free as the wind. There was not even a moment of thought about any action, he simply did it... controlling his magic with natural perfection.
Before he reached the Titan, the Great Other simply unsummoned the Other. Edric tilted his head as he faced his nemesis.
"You've realised how pointless your goons are?"
"A fitting distraction, for a time. The Edric of this moment... is too great a foe for such feeble subjects. I will have to slay you myself."
The two clashed, and seemed all too equal in strength. Except... Edric's was fading while the Great Other remained quite stable. Edric was able to harm the Great Other with his powerful blows to a greater extent, but the God would regenerate them before he could build upon that progress.
He simply lacked the raw power to destroy him, and the same was true for his adversary. They were in a stalemate of sorts, with the exception of Edric growing weaker by the moment.
"My previous offer is still on the table."
The Great Other's blade was deflected to the side of Edric's chest after breaking his Geo shield and encountering dragon scales mixed with ice. Edric channelled Lightbringer's remnant energy into a Geo-forged spear, pinning the Great Other's foot to the ground.
"You've left me with no other path, Great Other."
He dashed back, forcing the emergence of four great Torri gates from the Plane of Euthymia, each overflowing with Geo energy.
"What's this..."
They formed a great Geo shield around the Great Other, 'protecting' him but also keeping him sealed.
Edric withdrew Stormfyre from his chest.
"I'll end this... here and now."
Nigh endless amounts of elemental energy would rush out from Edric's body. The storms of Storm's End... the magic that had fuelled them for thousands of years was unleashed at once with Edric as the vessel to hold them.
The Godswood was covered in heavy rain, thunderous lightning struck violently, and the wind was mighty enough to topple even the firmest of trees. The wind swept up the flames, lightning and water, creating several tornadoes of pure elemental calamity which destroyed the ghosts and Others in mere seconds.
The elemental power was so great that it was tearing Edric apart with every instant. Purple cracks appeared over his body while all seven elements within his body worked overtime to suppress the overflowing power rushing out. His split hair turned into a universal, luminous indigo purple, a similar shade to Raiden Shogun, with a handful of black strands.
His eyes glowed a vibrant gold, the reflection of Lightbringer and his soul.
The Great Other stood in bewilderment as he felt Edric's power... evolve.
"A mortal ascension..."
He tried to break free from Edric's barrier, but it was continuously strengthened by both of their elemental energy. Just by being inside of it, he was drained with every moment.
For the first time, the Great Other felt... fear.
Edric raised Sunpiercer, channelling his superior version of Arthur's vision as every drop of elemental energy gathered around his bow rapidly - forming an arrow quite unlike any other.
"Oceans rise, winds overturn, lightning thunders..."
"An ordinary man bears the destiny of the greatest hero,"
"He rejects destiny, yet it binds him,"
"Without choice, he accepts the mantle,"
"By action, he gains glory and recognition,"
"By treachery, he gains his crown,"
"By great deed, he bears the name hero and villain,"
"What is true, what is false?"
"A light clouded in darkness, darkness smothered by light..."
"The hero sought love, only to discover that it would lead to this end..."
"A mountain of sacrifice to reach the pinnacle, culminating in one last great sacrifice... himself... to protect those he loves."
"To carve a path to the future, one brighter than the present..."
"Planting a seed with his blood that he would never see blossom,"
"Granting others a life that he desired, yet could not reach..."
"Is this not the greatest irony?"
Edric mused over his life, each word carrying power behind it. He steeled his resolve, while the Great Other continuously failed to break free. At the same time, the arrow he prepared grew only stronger.
He grasped the arrow and stretched it back.
"The World Ending Storm..."
"I destroy the old world,"
"And allow the new to be born,"
He let go of the arrow.
Edric's existence faded into it.
It soared forward, carrying a nigh endless ocean of magic with it.
The shield caging the Great Other disappeared right before it touched, leaving the god with hardly an instant to react.
The entire Godswood faded in an instant.