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A great stream of white mist mixed with ice crystals sprayed from Bloodwind's jaws. It spun like a small whirlwind and wrapped around the blue-glowing black ball in the air.
Crack, crack!
The ice-crystal mist roared past in the blink of an eye and shot into the sky ahead until its energy was spent and it dispersed into the dark night.
The round black ball had turned into a large chunk of ice covered with irregular spikes and fell onto the grass of the Wolfswood.
When Bloodwind had ambushed the woolly mammoth earlier, his back had been turned to Leaf, so she had not clearly seen what happened.
Now she watched Bloodwind's ice breath freeze the round black ball, and her golden pupils suddenly contracted. She shouted at Robb, "Magic? This... this is absolutely no direwolf!
"Destroyer of the future, your other two direwolves are only larger than normal. Why can this one use magic?"
"Destroyer of the future? Heh. Is that what the Three-Eyed Crow calls me? I think you should call me the creator of the future.
"As for why Bloodwind can use magic, I still insist on my earlier proposal. We can sit down and talk properly.
"And look around you. Even if that companion of yours also becomes a mammoth, you cannot escape."
From the beginning, Robb had spoken with Leaf in order to delay.
At this moment, the Deepwood Motte soldiers who had nearly collapsed under Leaf's mysterious grenades calmed down once they saw Robb enter the field. The encirclement around the godswood began shrinking inward again, centered on Robb and his men.
Leaf looked at the armored infantry pressing closer step by step with weapons in hand and at the cavalry waiting outside on horseback. She shook her head and sighed. "Ah. Humans truly are the most cunning race."
After sighing, Leaf said something in the strange language to the direwolf beneath her and began to sing.
The pure, melodious song sounded once more, but unlike the song from earlier that made people feel sad enough to weep, this one carried more of a peaceful, tranquil feeling.
It was as if one had been immersed in warm, comfortable water. That comfort gradually blurred the mind.
Thump, thump, thump!
Suddenly, one Deepwood Motte soldier surrounding Leaf collapsed to the ground. Then, like a chain reaction, more than a hundred nearby soldiers fell one after another.
From above the godswood, the fallen soldiers spread outward in a circle. Only when the first two rows of cavalry at the edge of the grove also fell from their horses did the strange condition stop. The cavalry behind them, fear written across their faces, were unaffected.
Only then did the many riders realize that the little girl on the wolf was not merely singing. She was clearly using some mysterious magic.
Using such wide-ranging magic was not easy for Leaf either. The moment her song ended, she slid from the direwolf's back and fell headfirst toward the ground.
The direwolf, prepared in advance, turned its head and caught her in its jaws before running toward the gap in the encirclement.
Just as the direwolf carrying Leaf was about to escape the godswood, a huge white shadow shot out swiftly from the right and struck the wolf's side with brutal force.
The direwolf, far smaller than Bloodwind, was knocked rolling several times across the ground.
Leaf, who had been held in its jaws, had been thrown into the air at the moment the two wolves collided. Bloodwind, standing steadily in place, raised his head and caught her gently in his mouth.
The direwolf struggled to its feet and looked at Leaf held in Bloodwind's jaws, and at Robb sitting on Bloodwind's back in full spirits. Its wolf pupils widened in shock.
'He was struck by Leaf's magic at such close range. How can he still be so awake?'
How could it possibly know that Robb possessed the blood pact, a power this world could not understand?
When Robb had heard Leaf's magical song, he had indeed felt his heart grow deeply peaceful. But just as his mind began to blur, he heard a faint sizzling sound.
Robb instantly woke up and immediately saw a layer of red mist rising from his body on its own, constantly dissolving the green light covering him.
Afterward, through Bloodwind's blood pact data, he discovered that the blood pact points he had saved from executing the remaining criminals before leaving Winterfell were slowly decreasing.
It took a total of six blood pact points to dissolve that layer of green light completely.
The discovery both surprised and delighted Robb. The blood pact could actually dissolve magic. Did that mean that as long as he had enough blood pact points, he could be immune to magic?
However, if he saved too many blood pact points, he would fall into a state of losing control. Therefore, magic immunity was only a pleasant hypothesis.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
When the direwolf had been carrying Leaf and preparing to flee, the Winterfell cavalry outside the range of the magic had already taken torches and ridden closer.
After Bloodwind knocked the wolf down and stopped it, the riders surrounding it immediately threw the thick rope nets Robb had prepared in advance.
Layer after layer of nets fell over the direwolf. Even though it tried its best to dodge, it could not escape so many nets falling over such a wide area. Several rope nets covered its body.
Seeing the nets catch the target, several Winterfell riders immediately tightened their grip on the ropes and urged their horses backward.
The rope nets began to shrink and tighten. At first, the direwolf inside kept struggling, trying to tear them apart with its claws and escape. But the nets were well made. Once they fully contracted, it could no longer move inside them.
Although many soldiers had been killed or wounded, this capture had successfully taken three children of the forest alive.
"Leaf, you are the only child of the forest who understands the Common Tongue. This time, I need you to go south of the Wall, replace the dead heart trees with similar weirwoods, and use the ritual to create heart trees again.
"Then you will spread this miracle among the humans of the North, making them more faithful to the old gods."
Inside the empty cave, the Three-Eyed Crow, embedded among developed roots, spoke to Leaf.
"Great Three-Eyed Crow, I can disguise myself as a human and spread the miracle, making them believe in the old gods. But I am only a singer. I cannot pass the towering Wall, and I do not have the ability to replace heart trees."
After hearing the Three-Eyed Crow's orders, Leaf directly stated her shortcomings.
"Do not worry. Our world has undergone an unprecedented change. From older history, I have obtained much new knowledge.
"There is an abandoned secret passage through the Wall. I will guide you south through it.
"Moreover, in the coming days, I will do my best to increase your magic. Although you will not reach the level of a greenseer, it will be enough for you to use some ancient spells.
"Finally, choose two top wood dancers and bring them here. I will also help them obtain the ability to skinchange.
"What I mean is true skinchanging as it once was."
The Three-Eyed Crow quietly listened to Leaf, comforted her in a gentle tone, and then spoke of the methods he had prepared.
"Great Three-Eyed Crow, is what you say true? You can increase my magic? Apart from making those low-level magical items, I will be able to use magic?
"I once heard the ancient wise ones of our people say that long ago, greenseers cast ancient and powerful magic and awakened the anger of the entire sea, shattering the land bridge between Westeros and Essos, the Arm of Dorne.
"They also used magic at Moat Cailin to raise great waves and destroy the enemy, finally forming the swamp-filled Neck that exists today."
Leaf was delighted. Her golden eyes filled with longing as she spoke of the former glories of the children of the forest.
"Mm. Yes. I witnessed their former glory. What a great power worthy of awe.
"But with the passage of time, your strength grew weaker and weaker. Even during the Dawn Age, in order to gain new aid, that accidental mistake was made.
"Forget it. No need to speak of that.
"Leaf, apart from the heart trees, there is one other thing. Go to Winterfell... wake up!"
"Go to Winterfell wake up? Great Three-Eyed Crow, perhaps I am too foolish, but I do not understand what you mean."
Hearing the Three-Eyed Crow's strange final words, Leaf asked in surprise.
"Hey, wake up."
Before the Three-Eyed Crow could answer, a voice both familiar and unfamiliar echoed through the empty cave.
Leaf slowly opened her eyes. The destroyer of the future stood not far in front of her, calling to her again and again while using the black scabbard in his hand to pat her face.
"Mm! Mm!"
"Quiet. I can let you speak, but you cannot sing or use magic. Otherwise, I will kill you at the first opportunity and have Bloodwind eat those two clanswomen of yours."
Seeing Leaf struggle after discovering her situation, Robb pointed toward a cell diagonally across from her and spoke.
Leaf looked in the direction Robb indicated and saw the two wood dancers and the huge direwolf that could use magic inside a cell.
The badly wounded wood dancer was treated a little better and lay on the wooden bed in the cell. The other wood dancer, who had returned to human form, was also firmly chained like her.
Knowing it would be difficult to escape, Leaf calmed herself and nodded to Robb.
Seeing her nod, Robb first slowly drew Ice from its scabbard. Then he cautiously stepped forward and removed the makeshift gag from Leaf's mouth.
"Destroyer of the future, if you will not kill us, what exactly do you want?"
After regaining the right to speak, Leaf directly asked Robb his purpose.
"Me? I told you from the beginning. I wanted to chat with you. But you refused tea and conversation and insisted on choosing this method."
Hearing Leaf's question, Robb shrugged in a relaxed manner and answered.
"After we chat, will you let us leave?"
"Mm. If I am pleased, that is possible."
"Then what do you want to talk about?"
After a few simple exchanges, Robb and Leaf slowly began talking back and forth as if they were truly chatting.
"What should we talk about? Let me think... Then let us talk about that language you used earlier. The one with tones like singing."
Seeing Leaf cooperate so readily, Robb paced two steps in front of her and suddenly thought of a topic.
"That is the True Tongue, the language we children of the forest use to sing praise to all things in the world."
Leaf answered without hesitation after hearing Robb's question.
"Mm. It seems your magic is used through that language. Can I learn it?"
"Yes. We can only use magic through the True Tongue. Humans cannot learn it. Some intelligent animals can."
Seeming to understand Robb's purpose somewhat, Leaf directly rejected him.
"Intelligent animals can learn it, but humans cannot. Are you trying to fool me?"
Hearing Leaf's strange answer, suspicion appeared on Robb's face.
"I may refuse to answer your questions, but I will never lie. Only cunning humans like to lie.
"The children of the forest once taught the First Men to learn the True Tongue. But hundreds and thousands of years proved that humans cannot learn it."
Seeing Robb doubt her words, Leaf answered in a firm tone.
"Mm. I believe you. Then do those two companions of yours also use magic? Is that why they could become a mammoth and a direwolf?"
Robb looked as if he believed Leaf and moved past the topic, continuing his questions.
"They are not singers. They are wood dancers. So they cannot use magic. As for their true skinchanging... I do not wish to say."
Leaf answered the first question, but at the latter half, she bit her lip and shook her head, refusing to answer.
'Wood dancers. True skinchanging.'
Robb touched his chin, lowered his head, and considered the information revealed in Leaf's words, combining it with the memories of his previous life.
Singers among the children of the forest were like frail spellcasters, while wood dancers were more like warriors who could transform.
Skinchangers he knew of, such as his younger brother Brandon and a wildling, only sent their consciousness into animal bodies.
Was true skinchanging a higher level than that? Could it truly transform them into fierce beasts?
"Mm. If you will not say it, then let us move to the next topic. What are those black balls you threw that explode?"
After secretly guessing for a while, Robb lifted his head and casually continued questioning Leaf.
"They are explosive fruits. Low-level magical items I make by extracting magic."
"Low-level magical items... Are their materials precious? Can they be made in large quantities?"
This was the topic Robb cared about most. He immediately asked in detail.
"The materials are quite ordinary, but the loss when extracting and infusing magic is great. With my magic, I can make at most two explosive fruits per day."
Leaf did not avoid answering what she considered ordinary common knowledge.
'Magic is the key to mass production.'
Robb nodded to himself and immediately asked, "Where is the Three-Eyed Crow's cave?"
"Northeast of Thenn..."
Leaf, who had already treated this as conversation, subconsciously blurted out the answer after hearing Robb's question. But after reacting, she immediately shut her mouth.
'Northeast of Thenn.'
Firmly committing the information to memory, Robb continued asking Leaf, "Apart from replacing heart trees, what else did the Three-Eyed Crow send you south of the Wall to do? Was my brother taken from Winterfell by you as well?"
Knowing she had revealed too much today, Leaf now pressed her lips shut and shook her head without speaking.
"Very well. Since you are no longer willing to continue the conversation, we stop here today. In any case, we will have plenty of time to chat later."
Seeing this, Robb stepped forward with Ice in hand, preparing to put the gag back into Leaf's mouth.
"Did you not say you would let us go after we talked?"
Seeing Robb's movement, Leaf immediately questioned him.
"I believe I said that if I was pleased after talking, I might let you go. But I am not pleased right now.
"However, if you can swear before a heart tree to submit to me, I can release you at once."
Hearing her, Robb showed a thoughtful expression and answered.
"Submit to you? Not even in death!"
At Robb's words, Leaf immediately grew agitated and spoke in an utterly firm tone.
Robb stepped forward and put the gag back on her. Then he chuckled. "Is that so? One should never speak so absolutely. You may end up eating those words later."
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