The instant Gawen’s fingers touched the intertwined trunks of the three weirwoods, a brilliant flash exploded within his mind.
An irresistible force seized his consciousness and pulled it into an endless emerald void.
When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in the very same garden.
Yet…
Everything had changed.
The weirwood was shrouded in a shimmering veil, as though he were witnessing it in another age.
It was no longer withered.
The three trunks stood tall and vigorous, their crimson leaves rustling softly beneath a gentle breeze.
A man stood beneath the ancient canopy.
He was broad-shouldered and powerfully built, with bright green eyes and a slightly round face hidden beneath a thick beard and unruly hair.
A faint smile rested upon his lips.
His hands were stained with fresh earth.
Even the hem of his robe was caked with dirt.
He looked less like a king…
And more like a gardener who had spent his entire life working the land.
“Oh!”
The man jumped slightly in surprise upon seeing Gawen appear out of nowhere.
“And who might you be?”
“My name is Gawen Rowan.”
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Gawen calmly surveyed his surroundings.
“And you?”
“Hah!”
The man laughed.
“Well, I’m a Rowan too!”
“Though most people simply call me…”
“Greenhand.”
He raised both hands with a grin.
“Honestly, though…”
“They’re nothing special.”
His palms were rough.
His fingers thick and calloused from years of labor.
Gawen’s heart skipped a beat.
Garth Greenhand.
The legendary figure of the Age of Heroes.
The ancestor from whom nearly every ancient noble house of the Reach claimed descent.
The first—and greatest—of the Green Kings.
“That’s impossible…”
Gawen murmured unconsciously.
“Impossible?”
The man tilted his head before casually sitting upon a nearby stone.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
Gawen quickly regained his composure.
“I…
simply don’t think I should say.”
Instead, he focused on examining his surroundings.
This wasn’t the real world.
It was some kind of spiritual realm formed entirely from natural energy.
Something akin to a druid’s Green Realm.
[Ancient Nature Spirit Detected.]
[Residual Soul Fragment: Garth Greenhand.]
[Nature’s Guardian Proficiency +5]
[Special Event Triggered: Ancient Memory Fragment.]
“Very well.”
Garth waved dismissively.
“If you won’t answer…”
“Then come look at this!”
He pointed proudly toward the three towering weirwoods.
“You understand these things.”
“Just like I do.”
“I imagine you must.”
“Yes.”
Gawen nodded.
“They’ve grown beautifully.”
With a thought, he summoned his status panel.
He immediately noticed that Nature’s Guardian proficiency was steadily increasing.
This entire realm overflowed with extraordinarily pure natural energy.
“Heh!”
“Of course they have!”
Garth chuckled before playfully pointing a finger at him.
“So…”
“What do you intend to grow?”
Gawen hesitated for a moment.
“Forgive my bluntness…”
“When you said…”
“‘You’re just like me’…”
“What exactly did you mean?”
“Oh?”
“That?”
Garth burst into hearty laughter.
“I can tell.”
“You’re a Greenseer, aren’t you?”
Watching the composure crack across Gawen’s face only made him laugh harder.
“Hahaha!”
“That expression was priceless!”
“Very well.”
“I suppose I should explain.”
He gestured toward the endless emerald surroundings.
“This isn’t the past.”
“And speaking with me won’t change the future.”
“I’m merely…”
“…an illusion.”
“A fragment of Garth Greenhand’s soul.”
“I left pieces of myself within these beautiful weirwoods.”
“I see…”
Gawen let out a quiet breath of relief.
“So…”
“We’re simply existing inside this sea of greenery?”
“Exactly!”
Garth nodded enthusiastically.
Then his expression slowly became more serious.
“Now tell me honestly.”
“I’ve watched this world for thousands of years.”
“Magic has grown weaker…”
“Less and less remains with each passing age.”
A bitter smile crossed his face.
“Before long…”
“I’ll disappear completely.”
“I’ve been feeding my remaining strength into these weirwoods…”
“…just to keep them alive.”
“But then…”
He looked directly into Gawen’s eyes.
“You appeared.”
“The energy within you…”
“It’s abundant.”
“Perhaps…”
“Perhaps you can help my world.”
“And my people.”
For a long moment…
Gawen remained silent.
Should he tell this lingering spirit…
The truth about where he had come from?
The panel offered no warning whatsoever.
Instead…
Its numbers continued to rise steadily.
“My name is Gawen Rowan.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he finally answered.
“I am one of your descendants.”
“I awakened the blood of the First Men.”
He deliberately omitted any mention of reincarnation.
“I see…”
A look of quiet satisfaction appeared in Garth Greenhand’s eyes.
“So you’re one of Rowan’s line.”
“Gold-Tree’s descendants.”
“She was an exceptionally gifted girl.”
“Always loved apple trees.”
“I can still sense her blood flowing within you.”
He rose to his feet and slowly walked over to Gawen.
Then he carefully looked him up and down.
“It’s good to meet you.”
Garth extended his hand.
After a brief hesitation, Gawen accepted the handshake.
“May I ask you something?”
His curiosity could no longer be restrained.
“How long have you existed here?”
“And…
how did you come to be here?”
More than anything…
He wanted to know whether Garth Greenhand had truly been born into this world…
Or whether he, too, had once been a traveler from another.
“I can’t remember.”
Garth scratched his beard.
“I believe I was born here.”
He smiled helplessly.
“After all…”
“I’m only a fragment of a dead man’s memories.”
“I didn’t retain very much.”
“I understand…”
Gawen nodded before asking another question.
“Then…”
“Could you pass your knowledge on to me?”
The prospect was simply too tempting.
Perhaps Garth possessed an entirely different branch of druidic magic.
New runic systems.
Ancient magical techniques.
Knowledge that could complement his own druidic path.
“I can.”
Garth nodded thoughtfully.
“But there are conditions.”
He deliberately paused.
“The first…”
“You’ve already fulfilled.”
“You’re a Greenseer.”
“And you’ve reached this place.”
Gawen nodded.
“And the second?”
“The second…”
Garth’s gaze drifted into the distance.
“You must preserve my legacy.”
“If any of it still remains.”
His expression grew melancholic.
“As far as I know…”
“The direct bloodline of my eldest son has already been extinguished.”
“Damn those dragons!”
He suddenly roared like an enraged bear.
“AAAHHH!”
Moments later, he forced himself to calm down.
“My apologies.”
“I lose control sometimes.”
He exhaled deeply.
“So…”
“The second condition.”
“Preserve my legacy.”
“And take revenge upon House Targaryen.”
Gawen fell silent.
“…Forgive me for interrupting.”
“But if I’m to preserve your legacy and oppose the Targaryens…”
“Wouldn’t that mean plunging the Reach into civil war?”
“And standing against House Tyrell?”
At those words…
Garth frowned.
“Tyrell…”
“I know.”
“They’re descended from my blood.”
“My children’s children…”
“And theirs after them.”
“But…”
“They’re not even worthy of standing in my eldest son’s shadow.”
“Much less…”
“The rest of my children.”
A warmth filled his voice.
“I loved every one of them.”
“And I still do.”
“I don’t want everything we built together…”
“To perish…”
“…because of meaningless ambitions aimed beyond our own lands.”
He fell silent.
For a long while, he simply gazed toward the ancient Three Singers.
Then…
“I bless you.”
“Gawen Rowan.”
“My grandson.”
Without warning…
He stepped forward and wrapped Gawen in a firm embrace.
The sudden display of affection completely caught him off guard.
“Hahaha!”
“Why are you so stiff?”
Garth laughed heartily.
“Then again…”
“The people of your age are all so formal.”
“I’ve watched how nobles greet one another.”
“It’s rather amusing.”
He finally released him.
“I won’t keep you any longer.”
“I’ve already given you my conditions.”
“Fulfill them.”
“Then come back.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
The legendary Green King smiled.
“Oh…”
“I borrowed a little of your energy.”
“I hope you don’t mind.”
“Your magic reserves are enormous.”
“It should keep me going for another fifty years or so.”
Gawen had barely opened his mouth before Garth continued speaking.
“Yes, yes.”
“I also gave you a little something in return.”
“Some basic knowledge of runes.”
“You’ll have to digest it yourself later.”
“I couldn’t very well take your power without giving something back.”
“Equivalent exchange.”
Then his expression slowly turned serious.
“One last warning.”
His eyes seemed to look far beyond the world itself.
“The magic of Westeros is awakening.”
“And it’s not only you.”
“Other things…”
“…are awakening as well.”
“The maesters believe the world is flat.”
“They’re wrong.”
His voice grew softer.
More distant.
Until it finally disappeared into the whispering leaves.
…
When Gawen opened his eyes again…
He found himself back in Highgarden’s gardens.
Mace Tyrell stood nearby, seemingly lost in thought.
“Ahem…”
Gawen cleared his throat and absentmindedly straightened his hair before taking a few steps backward.
His ancestor had taken quite a substantial amount of his magical energy.
Nearly half of his total reserves had vanished.
Suddenly…
A warm current flooded into his consciousness.
It wasn’t natural energy.
It was knowledge.
Knowledge of runes.
Ancient agricultural techniques.
Methods of using weirwoods to expand one’s domain of influence.
[Inheritance Received: Garth Greenhand’s Basic Runic Knowledge.]
[Flora Mastery Proficiency +30]
[Earth’s Resonance Proficiency +25]
[Nature’s Guardian Proficiency +20]
[Rebirth Incarnation Proficiency +15]
[New Skill Unlocked: Rune Inscription (Lv.
0)]
As the numbers on his status panel continued to rise…
An entire system of runic knowledge took root within his mind.
The principles behind the Green King’s magic.
The fundamental structure of ancient runes.
They resembled the dwarven runes described within his druidic inheritance…
Yet they were fundamentally different in both origin and application.
“Gawen?”
Mace Tyrell looked at him curiously.
“Are you alright?”
“You were standing completely still for quite a while.”
“I’m fine.”
Gawen withdrew his hand from the weirwood and smiled faintly.
“I just…”
“…got lost in thought.”
“Yeah.”
Mace looked up at the towering weirwood with admiration.
“It’s a beautiful tree.”
He turned back toward his guest with his usual booming grin.
“Come on.”
“Shall we keep exploring?”
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