The Child of the Forest led Thorfinn and Merek deeper into the Haunted Forest. Riding the ice spider, the three moved swiftly. Surprisingly, Popsicle did not seem to reject the Child of the Forest, and the entirely new experience lifted Leaf's spirits. With her mood improved, she naturally became more talkative.
Leaf chatted with Thorfinn and Merek about many things. As it turned out, Leaf was born during the Age of the Dragon, and had roamed the mortal world for two centuries, observing, listening, and learning. She was, without a doubt, a wellspring of knowledge.
Merek couldn't help but say, "Seeing how small you are, I thought you were a child. I never expected you to be so old."
Leaf responded with a smile, "Humans. Humans are the children here."
Indeed, compared to the long lifespan of the Children of the Forest, humans were but fleeting children.
Thorfinn laughed. "You seem quite happy."
Leaf smiled back. "I am happy! This is my first time riding an ice spider. It is novel, a wonderful experience. Even though I have seen ice spiders before, I never had the chance to ride one. Legend says they are the mounts of the White Walkers. Now I, too, can say I have experienced what that is like."
They traveled for a long time, the ice spider following the path Leaf indicated, while the three talked about all sorts of curious topics. No matter what Thorfinn and Merek brought up, the well-informed Leaf always had something to contribute. She was truly sharp-witted and knowledgeable, having boldly tried many new things.
In Thorfinn's opinion, conversing with Leaf was a pleasure. Her sweet voice was always cheerful, and her heartfelt, pure words often touched both Thorfinn and Merek.
The ice spider's speed was certainly not slow, yet they had traveled for days and nights through the winding forest trails. Finally, the trio arrived at a hillside. Before their eyes was an enormous Weirwood tree. Its fiery red leaves looked like a thousand blood-soaked hands, its branches were thick, and its bark was pale gray, like bone. Most Weirwood trunks are carved with faces, and this one was no exception.
Leaf leaped smoothly to the ground. "We've arrived. The Three-Eyed Raven is inside."
Thorfinn was speechless for a long time at the sight. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful, like a painting. The giant Weirwood tree with its red leaves swayed in the breeze, framed by the sunset painting the sky in vibrant colors. The beauty was almost suffocating.
Merek sighed wistfully. "It's a shame Val isn't here. She would have loved this."
The sickly sweet stench of romance!Thorfinn thought wryly. Anyone would love such a beautiful sight! Perhaps only the dead and the White Walkers were exceptions. Thorfinn was truly uncertain if those ghouls and monsters shared the same sense of aesthetics as humans. Yet, despite the beauty, Thorfinn had no heart for sightseeing; he knew he had important business to attend to...
From the first moment he saw the Weirwood, Thorfinn knew these trees held a power, a power no less than fire and ice. The Weirwood was strange, mysterious, and sacred. The Children of the Forest even believed the Weirwood was where the gods resided, and when they died, they became part of the tree.
An oak might live for three hundred years, a redwood for three thousand, but a Weirwood, left undisturbed, could live forever. Putting aside matters of faith, purely from the perspective of life, the Weirwood was a legend. Its formidable vitality allowed it to overcome all manner of extreme environments. It was indeed worthy of being the plant that covered the entire continent before the Dawn Age.
Thorfinn and Merek climbed the low slope and entered the cramped cave. Due to her size, Popsicle had to remain outside, which once again made her a bit sulky.
Upon entering, they could immediately feel the dampness. Humans might find it uncomfortable to live in, but for the Children of the Forest, it was perfectly cozy. Inside the cave, the sight was dominated by a tangled mess of roots—the deep roots of the Weirwood that had grown to this extent over countless years.
Thorfinn asked Leaf, who was leading the way, "Has the Three-Eyed Raven been here all this time?"
Leaf replied, "For decades, at least. Before that, he was a nobleman in Westeros."
Merek was surprised. "A nobleman? How distinguished could he be?"
Leaf did not elaborate. She merely smiled and said, "Given his identity... he was distinguished enough. If you are curious about who he is, you can ask him yourself. As a servant of the Greenseer, I should not speak out of turn."
Thorfinn nodded and murmured, "Distinguished, you say? Interesting."
After several turns and encountering a few more Children of the Forest, Thorfinn finally met the last Greenseer. However, Thorfinn could feel that the old man's condition was extremely poor. His vitality was failing, and the flame of his life was about to be extinguished, only prolonged by clinging to the Weirwood's power.
Even a simple glance would lead to the same conclusion. Merek, looking at the old man before him, could not connect him with the famous Greenseer; he was simply too frail.
The Three-Eyed Raven had long white hair and one red eye. He was lodged within the Weirwood, looking more like a tree than a man, skeletal and ragged. If Thorfinn hadn't been certain he was alive, he would have assumed he was looking at a corpse!
A blood-red birthmark ran from his neck to his cheek. Weirwood roots ran through his thighs and emerged from his shoulders. Dark-red leaves grew on his bones, and gray mushrooms sprouted on his forehead. A thin root crept down his empty eye socket, across his cheek, and into his neck.
The Three-Eyed Raven's red eye stared at Thorfinn, and a raspy voice, as if unused for a long time, finally spoke.
"The child has come."
Thorfinn gazed at the Three-Eyed Raven, the last Greenseer. "You are the Three-Eyed Raven. I do not know your name, but I know you. Many times, I felt I was being watched. That faint, elusive feeling—many times I thought it was my imagination. Now I realize... it was you."
"Heh-heh-heh~" The old man chuckled lightly. "Child, you are correct, it was I. You are the most gifted Skinchanger I have ever met, and most precious of all, you possess an honorable character. How could I turn a blind eye to you? But alas... you are not the one I was waiting for. You have taken another path, a far more difficult one."
Thorfinn countered, "How do you know I haven't chosen the easier path?"
The Three-Eyed Raven spoke with a hint of slyness. "While a Greenseer does not excel at prophecy, the Children of the Forest are skilled in that art. I know the result of your divination that night, and my purpose is merely to follow the threads of history and offer you help at the right juncture. And here you are, are you not?"
Thorfinn fell silent. He was well aware of the Greenseer's abilities. Beyond the prophetic dreams known as the 'Green Sight,' a Greenseer could perceive the past and present of any area reached by a Weirwood heart tree.
After gazing at the Three-Eyed Raven for a moment, Thorfinn tacitly accepted the old man's words. He sighed in frustration. "To be honest, I regret it."
The Three-Eyed Raven wholeheartedly played the role of a mentor, counseling Thorfinn. "Child, this proves you are still you. Had you chosen to accept the change, we would not be meeting now. Thorfinn, do not let that will change you; do not be dominated by it... Be yourself."
Thorfinn looked at the Greenseer with a look of desperation. "Do you have a way for me to completely rid myself of the Cold God?"
The Three-Eyed Raven was stumped by Thorfinn's question. He couldn't immediately provide a solution to this problem. After a moment of contemplation, he merely said, "I have only lived longer than most. But as a Greenseer, I can draw on the tree's memories to seek experience and wisdom from past events. I can only confirm one thing: the further south you go past the Wall, the harder it will be for the Cold God to influence you."
Thorfinn was curious. "How can you be certain? Or rather... how do you know this?"
The Three-Eyed Raven replied directly, "In the course of thousands of years, you are not the first person to be chosen as a priest of the Cold God."
Thorfinn was genuinely stunned. "How is that possible?" As if connecting the pieces, fragments he had previously ignored in his memory fell into place. He realized, "Are you talking about the woman the Night's King, the Thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, fell in love with? Skin as white as the moon, eyes like blue stars, skin cold as ice... Damn it, I should have seen it sooner."
The Three-Eyed Raven confirmed, "You are very clever. Yes, it was her, the previous priestess of the Cold God. Unlike you, she chose to accept her fate. In truth, she was not as exceptional as you, but for a woman of that era, she did well enough."
Thorfinn mused, "If that is the case... I might be able to escape, to slip from the Cold God's grasp. But what good is merely weakening the influence? Without rooting out the mark, there is no escape. Stared down by a god like this, if I don't obey... can I truly survive?"
The Three-Eyed Raven continued, "Child, do not undervalue yourself. You are not the first to gain the recognition of an ice spider, nor the first to have the talent to learn magic, nor the first Skinchanger and warrior. But the one who possesses all these qualities simultaneously, in the long history I have witnessed, is only you."
These words were an immense encouragement to Thorfinn. His confidence, which had been badly battered, began to reignite, and his cold heart started to glow warmly again.
"I think I need a moment..." With that, Thorfinn turned and walked to a corner, sitting down on the deadwood and dry grass, falling into contemplation. The Three-Eyed Raven did not stop him. He could only offer words of encouragement as an elder; regarding unknown entities, he was helpless.
Thorfinn's fighting spirit gradually rekindled. His thoughts churned like a tide within him: Yes, with my talent, I don't necessarily have to spend the rest of my life as a servant to an evil god. Even if I serve a deity, a servant is still a servant. When I reach a higher station, my way of thinking will also change. Perhaps from the perspective of my future self, this predicament won't be a problem at all.
At that moment, Merek, who had been playing the role of a mere bystander, finally understood why Thorfinn had undergone all these changes. But it didn't sound like a good thing. He was worried for his brother. If Thorfinn truly became the pawn of that evil god, Merek honestly didn't know what he would do.
The Three-Eyed Raven looked at the young man before him with a look of satisfaction. Even in his youth, he had seen various talented youths, but he had to admit that Thorfinn surpassed them all. He truly couldn't understand how such a young man could have been raised in the remote and uncultured lands Beyond the Wall. For a time, the Three-Eyed Raven had even considered choosing him as his successor, but he had to give up due to other considerations.
Merek asked blankly, "Thorfinn... is his life in danger?"
The Three-Eyed Raven responded, "Young man, your friend is undergoing the most difficult struggle of his life, and the danger is far beyond your imagination. However, he is not in immediate danger of death. What truly torments him is the psychological burden in his heart."
Merek insisted, "We are not friends; we are brothers! This struggle... can I help?"
The Three-Eyed Raven said, "No one can help him, not even I. Only he can save himself. His choice to leave the North may give him a chance."
Merek fell silent. Only now did he realize that he and Thorfinn no longer belonged to the same world, or at least not the same level of existence. He was frustrated by his inability to help Thorfinn. Alas, the world never changes for personal likes or dislikes. All Merek could do was pray for his brother.
The Three-Eyed Raven seemed to see through Merek's heart and continued, "Child, you don't need to be sad or upset. You have your own things to do. Fate has clearly made different arrangements for you both, but that does not mean one is inferior to the other. We all have our own paths to follow..."
Merek nodded. Watching Thorfinn lost in thought nearby, he decided to find a comfortable spot to sit down and chat with the Three-Eyed Raven. After all, this was a rare opportunity. Facing the last Greenseer, he asked a question that greatly interested him.
"Leaf said that your past identity was very distinguished. I'm curious, who are you?"
The Three-Eyed Raven looked a bit helpless, but the conversation had piqued his interest, so he countered, "Young man, do you know the 'a thousand eyes, and one'?"
Merek shook his head blankly, looking at the Three-Eyed Raven with an innocent expression.
The Three-Eyed Raven was immediately choked up. The conversational enthusiasm that had just been sparked vanished without a trace. He stared at Merek for a long time, then remembered that this was a child born Beyond the Wall. They would not have had the chance to hear the stories that circulated throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
The old man finally sighed, saying with a deflated tone, "Never mind... forget I asked." Then he closed his eyes, preparing to rest.
How could he just forget it?
Merek was bewildered by the old man's reaction and continued to press for an answer, but this time, the Three-Eyed Raven couldn't be bothered to respond.
Meanwhile, Thorfinn seemed to have come to a conclusion. His mind was clear, his tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and he unconsciously drifted into sleep.