The night was breathtakingly beautiful.
A solitary moon hung high above the endless sea, bathing the dark waters in silver light. Gentle waves rolled beneath the moonlight like flowing liquid glass, shimmering quietly beneath the heavens.
Yet under that peaceful sky, a lone shadow moved swiftly through the darkness.
A direwolf.
Its white fur blended almost perfectly with the pale moonlight as it bounded across the rocky cliffs. From time to time, it leaped effortlessly over narrow crevices, climbing higher along the jagged stone paths before finally stopping atop a large boulder overlooking the distant ocean.
Its crimson eyes reflected the moon.
For a moment, it simply sat there silently, staring toward the sea as if searching for something beyond the horizon.
Then it moved again.
The wolf wandered curiously through the castle grounds like an explorer discovering a strange new world for the very first time.
Sometimes it stopped beside flowers growing between cracks in the stone, lowering its head to inspect their colors carefully before sniffing their fragrance.
Other times, it approached pools of collected rainwater, staring quietly at its own reflection for several seconds before lowering its head to drink.
The darkness posed no obstacle to it.
Instead, the shadows almost seemed welcoming.
The wolf slipped into narrow caves and abandoned corridors without hesitation, investigating every unfamiliar corner with endless curiosity.
Finally, after wandering for who knew how long, it unknowingly arrived somewhere entirely different.
A place filled with heat.
The wolf froze.
Not far ahead lay a creature roughly the size of a sheep.
It was sprawled across the floor lazily, wings spread open while sleeping soundly. Tiny sparks escaped its nostrils with every breath, and waves of heat rolled outward from its body like invisible tides.
The closer the wolf moved, the hotter the air became.
The creature's body radiated an overwhelming pressure.
Ancient.
Dangerous.
Predatory.
An instinctive sense of fear rose within the direwolf.
Its body stiffened immediately.
Every instinct screamed at it to retreat.
But just as it prepared to step backward—
A foot appeared behind it.
Blocking its path.
"Ghost?"
A familiar voice rang out lazily.
"It's the middle of the night. Why aren't you sleeping?"
Karl stood in the doorway, fresh from another exhausting session in the game world. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at the sight before him.
Ghost, Jon Snow's albino direwolf, was standing directly in front of the sleeping dragon Robert.
And for some reason—
Its fur was standing on end.
Karl frowned slightly.
"That's strange…"
Normally, Ghost was intelligent for an animal, but its current expression felt different.
There was something disturbingly human within those blood-red eyes.
Confusion.
Curiosity.
Awareness.
Karl's gaze sharpened immediately.
"…Wait."
A thought struck him.
Before Ghost could react, Karl reached out and grabbed the direwolf firmly by the back of its neck.
He pulled the wolf closer and stared directly into its eyes.
Now he could see it clearly.
This wasn't Ghost.
Or rather—
It wasn't only Ghost.
The wolf didn't react like an animal being restrained. Instead of growling or struggling instinctively, it shrank back awkwardly beneath Karl's intense stare.
Like a nervous person caught doing something embarrassing.
Karl's lips slowly curled upward.
"So that's it…"
His expression became interested immediately.
"You're not Ghost."
He paused briefly.
"You're Jon."
Realization dawned instantly.
Karl released the direwolf slowly while muttering thoughtfully,
"A skinchanger awakening…"
He rubbed his chin.
"Does that mean magic is becoming stronger?"
"Or is House Stark finally beginning to awaken its bloodline abilities?"
"Maybe both."
As Karl examined the trembling direwolf curiously, movement suddenly came from behind him.
"Roooar~"
The sleeping dragon Robert rolled over and stood up.
The small golden dragon stretched lazily, flapping its wings while sparks flickered from its nostrils. Tiny dragon horns had already begun forming atop its head.
After rubbing affectionately against Karl's leg, Robert turned curiously toward Ghost.
The dragon tilted its head.
Ghost stared back cautiously.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Robert's eyes suddenly widened.
As if it had finally understood something.
Excitedly, the young dragon flapped its wings and stretched its neck forward.
Its jaws opened wide.
Scorching heat began gathering inside its throat.
Karl's expression changed instantly.
"Oh, shit—!"
Before Robert could unleash dragonfire, Karl lunged forward and grabbed the dragon's mouth shut with both hands.
Unfortunately—
Dragonfire was much easier to release than suppress.
Robert's eyes widened in panic as the fire exploded backward inside its mouth.
The flames couldn't fully escape, but they still burst violently through the gaps between its teeth like an overheated furnace.
Bright orange-red fire illuminated the dark room instantly.
Blue-green flames flickered within the inferno, painting the chamber in chaotic colors.
Karl, standing directly in front of the blast, suffered immediately.
Within seconds, the intense heat scorched his clothes black.
His sleeves burned away.
The front of his shirt charred instantly.
By the time Robert finally managed to swallow the flames back down, Karl's expensive royal outfit had been reduced to smoking rags.
The King of the Seven Kingdoms looked worse than a drunken beggar.
Robert blinked innocently.
Karl stared at the dragon silently for two seconds.
Then—
"Damn it!"
His roar echoed through the room.
"Didn't I already tell you that Ghost belongs to Jon?!"
Robert lowered its head slightly.
"How are you this stupid after sleeping all day?!"
The dragon whimpered softly.
Karl looked down at his ruined clothing with visible pain.
"And most importantly…"
His eye twitched violently.
"How many outfits have you destroyed now?!"
That was the final straw.
Karl slowly removed the nearly burnt leather belt from his waist.
Robert immediately sensed danger.
Too late.
Smack!
The folded belt struck the dragon directly across its backside.
"Raaah!"
Robert yelped miserably.
Smack!
Another strike followed.
The dragon instantly changed tactics.
Rather than roaring defiantly, it rolled onto its back pitifully and exposed its belly like an oversized puppy, staring at Karl with wide, pleading eyes.
Karl nearly laughed from sheer frustration.
"Unbelievable…"
Smack!
"One more for learning dog behavior faster than dragon instincts!"
Robert whimpered dramatically.
Fortunately, Karl had no intention of truly hurting his own dragon.
After two more symbolic strikes, he tossed the belt aside.
Robert immediately swept the offending weapon into a dark corner with its tail.
Karl pretended not to notice.
With a sigh, he opened the game interface and quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes.
At this rate, he genuinely needed fireproof outfits.
"No… next time I need to bring dragon eggshell fragments to a tailor."
Karl muttered thoughtfully while adjusting his sleeves.
"If magical armor can resist dragonfire, maybe enchanted fabric can too."
Otherwise, Robert would eventually burn through his entire wardrobe.
And Karl refused to become known across Westeros as—
"The Naked King."
The title alone sounded horrifying.
Meanwhile, when Karl turned back toward Ghost—
The direwolf was gone.
"…Ran fast."
Karl clicked his tongue.
Robert sat nearby with its tongue hanging out proudly, seemingly believing it had accomplished something impressive.
Karl pointed accusingly at the dragon.
"Listen carefully."
Robert blinked.
"You are not allowed to burn allies."
The dragon tilted its head innocently.
"Especially not property belonging to your own family."
Robert made a low grumbling noise.
Karl narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean his aura felt strange?"
Robert huffed indignantly.
Karl sighed deeply.
"You're a dragon, not a dog. Stop identifying people through smell alone."
Robert lowered its head sadly.
Despite his annoyance, Karl eventually calmed down.
Still, tonight's events had triggered something much more concerning.
Jon Snow's awakening as a skinchanger.
That alone carried terrifying implications.
Karl walked slowly toward the bed and sat down while thinking carefully.
In truth, he never fully trusted the magic surrounding Greenseers and wargs.
Especially not the Three-Eyed Raven.
Brynden Rivers.
Bloodraven.
The more Karl remembered from his previous life, the more uneasy he became.
A skinchanger could invade the consciousness of animals.
Some powerful ones could even influence humans.
Bran Stark had eventually done exactly that.
Hodor.
The memory surfaced clearly in Karl's mind.
"Hold the door."
The horrifying collapse of Hodor's mind.
The destruction of his personality.
The idea alone made Karl deeply uncomfortable.
And Greenseers were even worse.
They could see the past.
Influence events.
Possibly even affect time itself.
Karl hated things he couldn't control.
And Greenseer magic felt dangerously close to something beyond reason entirely.
He lay back against the bed slowly.
"If Jon is awakening now…"
"Then Bran may awaken soon too."
That thought immediately made his expression darker.
In the original timeline, Bran became vulnerable after his paralysis.
But now?
Karl had interfered heavily with history already.
Bran was alive.
Healthy.
In King's Landing.
Would Bloodraven still seek him out?
Or would the ancient Greenseer choose someone else instead?
Even worse—
Would he attempt to take a new body entirely?
Karl rubbed his forehead tiredly.
The theories only became more disturbing the longer he thought about them.
He vaguely remembered old discussions about skinchangers from his previous life.
If a skinchanger died while inhabiting an animal, part of their consciousness could remain trapped within the creature.
Some believed this was how Greenseers survived for centuries.
Others suspected certain animals in Westeros were secretly controlled by dead souls.
Like Jeor Mormont's raven.
Or the strange one-eared black cat haunting the Red Keep.
Some even theorized that Princess Rhaenys' spirit lingered within that cat after death.
The magical world of Westeros was becoming increasingly unstable.
And the rising tide of magic only made everything worse.
Karl stared silently at the moonlight outside the window.
The room was filled with the sound of Robert noisily devouring bear meat nearby.
After a while, Karl sighed heavily.
"No matter what…"
"I need to prepare."
His eyes slowly closed.
He truly was exhausted.
The kingdom.
The dragons.
The game world.
The growing chaos of magic itself.
Everything felt increasingly unpredictable.
Nearby, Robert noticed Karl's breathing gradually becoming steady.
The dragon looked toward him quietly.
Then, after swallowing the last chunk of bear meat, Robert grabbed the remaining carcass in its jaws.
With one powerful leap, the young dragon jumped onto the windowsill.
Its wings spread wide beneath the moonlight.
A moment later—
It vanished into the night sky.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)