There were many reasons why Lady R'hllor chose to communicate with Aegor through dreams, but the most fundamental was that it was much simpler and more energy-efficient than possession or descending in Her true form. It allowed the preservation of precious magic, conserving power for Her upcoming slumber and the struggle against the demonic forces.
Theoretically, "energy-saving" usually meant "minimal disturbance," and that was exactly the case here. When Aegor slept, no matter if he dueled or conversed with the dream visitor in the subconscious world, moved mountains and oceans, or witnessed astonishing truths, it had no effect on the world outside his consciousness. Only when the Lady "cast down one of Her scales" into the real world did it inevitably cause some disturbance, resulting in slight energy consumption and an aura leak.
For that godlike existence, waking Aegor was as easy as a flick of a finger. But for the many lower-tier extraordinary beings, especially the believers living in Crown Town, the Gift, Westeros, and even across the entire world of Ice and Fire, this was a miraculous event.
That half-dragon scale, carrying a trace of its master's power, descended from the sky and landed in the central structure of Hogwarts Town's Inner Keep. The moment it broke through the roof, penetrated the quilt, and entered Aegor's body, it performed a "magical brake" to avoid harming him, instantly reducing its speed from that of a falling meteor to zero. Though this seemed simple, it was extraordinarily subtle. At the moment its kinetic energy was fully expended, it not only released intense heat that nearly caused a fire, but also triggered a massive burst of aura. Though brief and low in energy intensity, the divine might it released was pure and overwhelming. It was enough to make nearby spellcasters soil themselves or become so excited they needed to relieve themselves. As loyal believers, the two high-ranking Red Priests naturally belonged to the latter.
Melisandre and Moqorro, having sensed the aura the moment it appeared, immediately dropped everything and rushed toward the source. They sought to understand what their Lord, whom they worshipped, intended with this unprecedented miracle. Guided by the lingering aura of R'hllor, they quickly arrived at the base of the building. Just as they stepped onto the stairs, they encountered Aegor. They were about to ask what had happened, but upon meeting his gaze, they instantly noticed the changes in him. The two groups stood frozen, staring at each other in silence for a long while.
Seeing the ghostly expressions on the two high-ranking priests' faces, Aegor realized they had likely sensed something. He was considering how to announce the news, planning to use the Lady's prestige to command and impress them. Then he laughed at himself. Why bother pretending? His status as the deity's spokesperson had been truly appointed, not fabricated. Why worry about such things? Pretending to be divine and using eloquent rhetoric were the specialties of these two charlatans and their peers. Trying to perform in front of them—making a fool of himself and lowering his standing was one thing, but causing them to doubt the authenticity of his selection as a spokesperson would be truly disastrous.
He didn't need to pretend to be competent. He only needed to be himself, naturally.
Abandoning the idea of embellishing his words, Aegor stood on the stairs, looking down at the two Red Priests who stood below and looked up at him. He gave them a slight smile and spoke first.
"Lady R'hllor has delivered a divine oracle, appointing me as Her spokesperson in the mortal realm, to coordinate and manage the power of Her believers for Her next grand objective."
The two Red Priests visibly relaxed. Aegor had no idea how obvious and intense his aura was. He couldn't have guessed that even if he claimed to be R'hllor Herself, the two believers in front of him would have believed it.
"Lady?" Melisandre stared at Aegor, immediately catching the detail in his words. "You saw the specific form of our Lord? She is a Lady?"
Huh? Aegor was momentarily stunned. It wasn't that he was naïve enough to reveal sensitive information so easily. It was simply that he hadn't expected even the most devout followers of the Red God had never seen Her specific form.
Thinking it over, it made sense. It was likely a method to preserve mystery and inspire reverence. Unfortunately, he had broken it with a single sentence. Aegor felt slightly annoyed, but fortunately, it was just a small slip. It hadn't caused any real trouble. After all, R'hllor Herself had never said Her gender couldn't be revealed.
"Yes, She did appear before me in the form of a Lady." Making the best of the situation, Aegor nodded calmly, pretending nothing had happened. "But I don't think Her gender should be the focus here. Whether She appears as male or female, She is still the Heart of Holy Flame, the god of shadow and fire, one of the only two true gods in this world that we jointly believe in, is She not?"
The two Red Priests exchanged glances and saw complex emotions in each other's eyes.
They had served R'hllor faithfully for decades, even centuries, yet had only ever seen fragmented visions and shadows in the flames, never once glimpsing even the hem of their Lord's robe. Yet this mortal before them, a man with no magic, had personally met their god.
What virtue or ability did he possess? Why him?
"I agree," Moqorro said, turning back to stare at Aegor's face, as if trying to find signs of deception. Though he was suppressing deep jealousy and reluctance, his tone was calm. "What exactly is the divine oracle that our Lord delivered? What is Her new grand objective? And what must we do to support it?"
Does this require improvisation again? Aegor hadn't expected to encounter Red Priests the moment he stepped out, so he was completely unprepared. Compared to rushing to answer and revealing sensitive information as he had earlier, this time he decided it was better to be slow than careless.
He gave a slow smile, feigning depth, while his mind quickly raced. After a moment, Aegor had a general idea.
He spoke slowly, articulating each word clearly. "Lady R'hllor has seen the hardships we endured fighting the White Walkers without the support of the kingdoms. She is determined to change the terrible state of disunity among humanity, to ensure that when Her nemesis returns again, the Wall will be defended by the united strength of all mankind."
"And to accomplish this, She requires all believers to devote their strength to the great war I will support—the Queen's campaign to march south, unify the Seven Kingdoms, and rebuild the Freehold." Aegor looked at the male priest. "Moqorro, I want you to return to the High Red Temple in Volantis and inform the other priests of this important news." He then turned to Melisandre. "As for you, remain at my side for now and offer advice and help as needed. Any other questions?"
The two high-ranking priests were slightly unsettled by the strange situation of taking orders from a mortal, but the aura of R'hllor surrounding Aegor was clear and undeniable. After a brief hesitation, they made their decision. They bowed and gave a firm reply.
"As our Lord wills."
Was it really that simple?
Watching the large Red Priest turn and leave without hesitation to prepare for his journey, and seeing Melisandre remain respectfully in place, ready to follow him, Aegor raised an eyebrow. Just moments ago, Moqorro's intense gaze had made him worry about how to handle resistance or questioning from the Red Priests. After all, while he was a legitimate chosen one, he actually couldn't perform any magic, and R'hllor hadn't given him any means to communicate in return, report his status, or seek aid.
Looking at the familiar female priest with whom he had a close relationship, he couldn't help but ask, "Melisandre, I have a question. You don't doubt that I'm truly chosen?"
"Not at all," the priestess replied without hesitation. "You should know that we communicate with our Lord—no, Lady R'hllor—through fire. No matter how powerful the priest, it's impossible to receive a response every time we gaze into the flames. Even when there is no answer, we can always feel Her presence, with very few exceptions." She paused. "But after the Battle of Long Lake, Moqorro and I both experienced the same issue. No matter what prayer or fire sacrifice we performed, we could no longer sense Her presence. It wasn't that She didn't respond. It was as if She was no longer there at all."
So that was it. Usually, R'hllor remained online, and countless believers whispered their prayers to Her, though She rarely responded. But after driving the Cold God back to the Land of Always Winter and with the immediate crisis passed, the weakened Lady had likely grown weary of being disturbed, and simply went offline.
She truly was willful. But for a fierce god who had once sacrificed Her own children in batches, "ignoring" was actually a gentle approach.
Aegor understood, but fearing he might say too much and slip up, he simply waited for her to continue.
"And then?"
"We had planned to return to Volantis soon to investigate the reason for Her silence. But this morning, at the very moment you met Lady R'hllor, we both saw the same image in the flames—your face." She looked at Aegor meaningfully. "Two priests seeing the same image at the same time is extremely rare. I have never encountered it before. I haven't yet confirmed it with the others, but I have reason to believe that not only Moqorro and I saw it, but also Benerro, Kinvara... all the high-ranking priests who serve Lady R'hllor. Now it seems She is formally announcing Her decision to choose you as Her spokesperson."
Oh? Aegor was slightly surprised, then smiled. Though he didn't approve of R'hllor's past deeds and felt Her upfront investment was far too stingy, putting aside moral judgments and personal feelings, he had to admit—this incredibly fierce goddess, in terms of leadership alone, was quite thoughtful and considerate.
"What, Lady R'hllor didn't explain all this to you?"
Melisandre tried to draw out more information about his encounter with Her, though she dared not ask directly. Aegor saw through it clearly. But he also understood that, with the Lady likely entering a long slumber and no further support coming, even as a chosen one, he had to tread carefully. Maintaining mystery was now essential, both to secure his status and to exert control and deterrence over the many Red God believers who wielded extraordinary power. That first—and likely only—meeting with R'hllor would be his greatest secret and lifeline.
"We'll speak of it when necessary. For now, walk with me."
Unwilling to let this small interlude disturb his original plans, Aegor still decided to go visit the stables to see what effect the trace of True Dragon power, now resting on his chest, would have on the animals.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)