The throne room stood empty except for the six white cloaks.
Daeron lounged sideways on the Iron Throne, one arm draped over the blade-covered armrest, back relaxed against the cold metal. He didn't give a damn about curses or lockjaw. The Lizard's Claw in his accessory slot made him immune to every negative effect anyway.
The damn chair was still uncomfortable as hell. After a minute he sat forward again, elbows on his knees.
He wasn't here for comfort. He was here to test the new breakthrough, and the throne room gave him the space he needed.
On his left stood Barristan, Jon Darry, and Jaime. On his right stood Gerold Hightower, Prince Lewyn, and Oswell Whent. The last three had been pulled from the Red Keep dungeons for this spar. They had done their duty during the coup—protecting the king was their oath—so Daeron had simply locked them up to cool off. No hard feelings. After the Great Council he would decide whether to reinstate them.
"Ser Gerold, watch yourself," Barristan said, eyes sharp. He gripped Neptune's Greatsword with both hands. Life force surged around him like a living engine, compressing into the blade until the steel glowed faint blue.
Hum.
The sword vibrated. An invisible spiral of force coiled around the edge—something no one had seen before.
Barristan stepped in and swung.
Gerold met the blow with Vigilance, every ounce of his own life force poured into the Valyrian steel. The crash of steel rang through the hall like a bell.
Daeron watched, ears ringing.
The fight lasted only seconds. Barristan kept pressing. Gerold's arms trembled. His sword nearly flew from his grip. The big knight staggered back seven full steps before he caught himself.
Gerold stared at his shaking hands, voice stunned. "Barristan… your strength jumped again?"
Not just stronger—something deeper, more complex.
Jaime crowded in, eyes wide. "Ser, is this the new life-force technique?"
Barristan exhaled, steadying his breath. "Exactly. After you form the Life Seed, you compress and refine the life force with your will. Then you release it outward, beyond the blade itself."
He called it Life Force External Release.
Gerold's eyes narrowed. "So when I blocked your strike I felt an extra layer of damage—something invisible trying to cut straight through."
Barristan nodded. "If Vigilance weren't Valyrian steel, I would have shattered it."
He tilted the sword so Gerold could see the fresh nick on the edge.
Daeron understood at once. "Life-force fluctuation boosts raw power. External release adds damage plus armor penetration."
"My family sword…" Gerold muttered, face tight. He stroked Vigilance like it was made of glass.
Barristan looked a little guilty.
"Put it away, Ser," Daeron said, waving a hand. "After the Great Council I'll bring a Khohar smith to King's Landing and have that nick fixed."
Gerold's expression cleared instantly. He sheathed the blade with a satisfied nod.
Daeron's eyebrow twitched. You scheming old bull. You were waiting for me to say that.
Barristan had just proven the new tier worked.
Daeron had cracked the third stage of the Life Knight path—Life Force External Release. By compressing the Life Seed until it sprouted, the life force became an accelerator instead of just a purifier.
Inside Barristan's body now grew a single, vibrant green shoot.
The sprout didn't just drink his own life force; it pulled free-floating energy from the air. Special crops made it grow even faster.
Life Seed = purifier.
Life Sprout = accelerator.
The two paths—Life Knight and Gem Knight—were now completely separate.
Daeron laid out the new ranks for everyone:
- Mastered life force = Squire
- Life Seed or full gem sequence = Knight
- Seed sprout = High Knight
- Seed flowers = Great Knight
- Seed fruits = Title Knight
Barristan was the first High Knight in the world.
Daeron himself had taken a shortcut earlier, so he still needed to break his own seed and start over with better crops—starfruit or gem berries from the desert oasis.
He looked at the six white cloaks and gave the order. "All of you, test him together."
Barristan spun Neptune's Greatsword once. The invisible spiral coiled tighter around the blade.
The five knights attacked at once—three Knights and two Squires working in perfect formation.
At first Barristan struggled to keep up. Then he adjusted to the new power and took control. He dropped Lewyn and Oswell first, then Gerold and Jon. Only Jaime was left, still trying to look cool.
Barristan elbowed him in the face. Jaime dropped like a sack of bricks and started snoring.
Total time: under eight minutes. Once Barristan got comfortable, the fight was over in four.
Daeron let out a low whistle. "High Knights are on another level."
The physical stats had jumped hard, and the external release gave them a whole new way to attack. A single High Knight could dominate any normal Knight.
"Once we release the Life Knight method, Westeros will never be the same," Daeron said quietly. "Ordinary knights are going to look pretty cheap by comparison."
The magic tide really was rising, just like Melisandre said. Maybe it would climb all the way back to the high-magic era of ancient Valyria—the time when a thousand dragons could fly.
If that happened, House Targaryen would be unstoppable.
Daeron already knew exactly how he would use this.
He would make the Life Knight path public—but with strict rules. Any noble house that wanted it had to send their legitimate heirs to join the Constabulary Knights. Only then would the crown teach them the method.
No private teaching. No leaks. The rules would be written into the Constabulary Knights' charter.
This would tie every great house to the crown by blood and ambition.
Would anyone risk leaking it anyway?
Sure—if some freak of nature had monstrous talent, started young, owned or borrowed Valyrian steel, ate special crops like candy for decades, and trained without stopping.
Daeron counted maybe three and a half people in all of Westeros who could pull it off: Barristan, Arthur Dayne, himself, and half of Rhaegar.
Everyone else would have to come to him.
And if anyone ever turned against the crown after reaching High Knight…
Well, either the Dragonrider Order would pay them a visit, or Daeron would come himself on dragonback.
He'd let them pick which one had the higher survival rate.
Daeron dismissed the Kingsguard and sat back on the Iron Throne, already planning the announcement that would change the Seven Kingdoms forever.