Flames burned in every corner of the castle, devouring lives that had once been full of vitality.
Collapsed, shattered stone walls and burning beams wreathed in flame lay everywhere, blocking his path.
The farther he went, the thicker the air grew with an inescapable stench of burning and the sickening reek of blood. Smoke billowed around him, making Theon cough again and again, tears streaming involuntarily down his face.
He passed through the now-unobstructed entrance to his family's Main Keep, its gates long since shattered, and crossed the once-familiar castle courtyard, now changed beyond recognition.
Then he followed the winding stone path that he remembered leading to the Sea Dragon Tower. Bodies burned down to blackened bones littered the path, alongside the melted remnants of weapons.
By then, King Ghidorah, who had inflicted the greatest destruction on Pyke, had already flown away. Only two dragons remained in the skies above the castle, somewhat smaller but still terrifying.
They continued to circle at a leisurely pace, breathing dragonfire as they carried out a few final tasks. They would ensure that no building remained intact, burn all of Pyke to the ground, and extinguish every possible lingering "spark."
As for King Ghidorah, her next target was another important place in the Iron Islands: Old Wyk.
Besides its important harbors and castles, there was a sacred site revered by all the Ironborn that needed to be destroyed: the Grey King's Hall, where the Iron Islands held their kingsmoot.
It was said to be an ancient, mysterious structure, a palace built from the ribs of Nagga, the enormous sea monster slain by the legendary Grey King, with even some of the Drowned God's handiwork woven into it.
In the myths passed down among the Ironborn, after the Grey King slew Nagga, the Drowned God