"Go ahead. I'm listening." Gary stepped a little closer, waiting to hear more.
White Walkers Gary said, "I have only one warning for you: don't trust any gods. They're all your enemies. Understand?"
"Not really. Aside from the Other God and the Lord of Light, the other gods are my enemies too? Why?" Gary didn't quite understand.
But before the other man could answer, realization suddenly struck him. "I get it. You mean all the gods will try to steal this Crystal of mine? That's why they're enemies? Then what exactly is it? Do you know?"
White Walkers Gary blinked his sole remaining right eye and sighed. "I lost it too early. I never had a chance to understand it. You'll have to figure out everything about it yourself."
Gary shrugged in disappointment. "Then why are we keeping it? It's nothing but a hot potato."
White Walkers Gary said, "Although I don't know where it came from or what it's for, I know it originally came from this world, and it can do something miraculous."
"What?"
"Help gods forge physical bodies."
His answer left Gary stunned for several seconds.
"What do you mean? Don't the gods have physical bodies of their own?"
White Walkers Gary continued, "You're right. Gods have no physical bodies. They have no material form. That's what I'm about to tell you..."
"The so-called gods are actually enormous energy entities born when the world first came into being. These energy entities originally had no consciousness. They existed in another dimension, drifting throughout the world, like wind, clouds, and sunlight."
"Until humans developed faith. Through human worship, some masses of energy developed consciousness and became individual gods."
Gary raised a hand to interrupt. "Hold on. I'm getting confused. You mean humans created the Lord of Light first? They first made statues of the Lord of Light and worshipped them, and then a mass of energy received that faith and turned itself into the Lord of Light? Isn't... isn't that stealing someone else's nest?"
White Walkers Gary smiled. "There was no bird to begin with. It was an empty nest, so how could that count as stealing it? By the same token, if a god ever loses all his followers, he'll lose all his memories too and turn back into that mass of unconscious energy."
Gary understood completely. "So the White Walkers came first, and the Other God came later. No wonder. The Game of Thrones series clearly said the White Walkers were created by the Children of the Forest. I was wondering where this Other God came from. So that's how it happened?"
White Walkers Gary said, "Over tens of thousands of years, quite a few gods have been 'born' through faith. But they can only expand their influence through their followers. Not a single god can truly descend into the world."
"That's how magic came into being. Ultimately, magic in this world is simply the gods lending you power."
"If a god truly could descend into the mortal world, he would become the one true god. All other faiths and gods would be replaced."
Gary was dumbstruck. "This... this stone is that incredible?"
White Walkers Gary said solemnly, "And don't forget, it brought us to this world. So it must have the ability to take you back. What you need to do is figure out where it came from and how to use it. That way, perhaps you can use its power to go home."
After drifting aimlessly for twelve years, Gary had finally found hope and a purpose in life today.
"Then... what about you?"
"Me? I've already lost my chance... No, I still have one last chance. If you have the means to spare in the future, please come save me." White Walkers Gary's eye was also filled with the desire to live.
Gary nodded firmly. "If I fully master this stone... this divine artifact, I'll definitely travel through time to save you!"
White Walkers Gary had finished saying everything he wanted to say. "Good. Hold out your hand and receive my final gift."
"A gift?"
Gary held out his left hand in bewilderment.
White Walkers Gary said, "You still have the White Walkers' power inside you. The reason it hasn't manifested is that the Crystal's power sealed it away. I can help you awaken it and gain complete control over it."
Gary waved his hand repeatedly in refusal. "Hey, hey, hey! Didn't you just say magic means drawing on the power of the gods? Then doesn't the White Walkers' power belong to the Other God? If... if I use his power, won't he discover me?"
Remembering that hideous Giant Maggot from earlier, he shuddered.
White Walkers Gary sighed helplessly. "You're so stupid. You have a better source of magical power, so why would you draw on the Other God's power? As long as you have this Crystal, you, too, are a god!"
Me? A god?
Gary was dumbfounded. He thought the other man was boasting, but unfortunately, he had no proof.
White Walkers Gary explained further, "Awakening the White Walkers' power for you will, first, help remove the Other God's mark, and second, build magical channels for you. That will let you use the Crystal's power to wield the White Walkers' abilities."
"That way, you'll have another means of protecting yourself in Westeros."
The White Walkers' abilities? Turning corpses into soldiers and shattering swords barehanded? Oh, right, and creating new White Walkers.
Thinking it over carefully, Gary realized that if he had those abilities, wouldn't he be able to do whatever he pleased in Westeros, utterly invincible?
White Walkers Gary offered one final remark. "Protect your left eye. Don't lose it like I did..."
Then he shattered into specks of starlight and merged into Gary's left hand.
Gary jolted awake. He sat dazedly on the bed, his head throbbing painfully.
I seem to have had a really long dream...
He sat in a daze for several seconds, then everything from the dream came flooding back...
"My left eye... How could I possibly lose it? I don't want to end up with just one eye." Muttering to himself, he raised his left hand to touch his left eyelid...
"Holy shit!"
Gary suddenly cried out in shock, because he discovered that his left arm had actually turned into a White Walker's arm.
The joint divided the arm into two sections: the upper arm was human, while the forearm belonged to a White Walker.
Unlike an ordinary White Walker's pale blue skin, Gary's forearm was predominantly dark blue, covered in dark blue scales of varying shapes. A faint pale blue light flickered in the gaps between the scales, giving it quite a Devil May Cry look.
At the same time, all five fingers bore long, sharp claws. Rather than human fingernails, they resembled the claws of a beast and looked quite intimidating.
"It looks cool, sure, but how am I supposed to face anyone with my hand like this?" Gary closed his eyes, trying to call out to the Crystal in his mind and have it turn his arm back into a human one. Unfortunately, he failed.
Thud, thud, thud...
The sound of running footsteps on wooden boards came from outside. Gary hurriedly hid his left arm beneath the blanket.
"Luke, are you awake?"
An anxious little face appeared in the doorway. It was Snow.
And Snow wasn't alone. Robb followed behind him, along with the irritating Theon.
"Luke, you're finally awake!" Snow trotted over to the bed, worry written all over his face.
Only then did Gary realize he was in an unfamiliar room, and his clothes had been changed as well. "Snow, why am I here?"
Robb gave Theon a look, signaling for him to follow him inside.
Theon was clearly unwilling, but he followed him in anyway.
His broken hand was splinted between two wooden boards and hung against his chest. His face was full of resentment.
"You've been unconscious for three days. Father was worried about you too," Robb said, coming over to check on Gary.
Gary was startled too. "I slept for three days?"
Theon couldn't resist sneering. "Robb, I'd advise you to stay away from him. Getting knocked unconscious by a lump of snow of unknown origin in the middle of summer... It must be punishment from the Old Gods!"
Well, that's quite an accusation! If that label stuck, Gary's whole life would be ruined. In a feudal age like this, "Gods-forsaken" was a reviled name that made someone a target for everyone.
Gary sneered. "What? Do you want to tie me to a stake and burn me alive?"
Robb also turned back with a displeased expression. "Theon, have you forgotten what Father told you?"
Theon's face flushed red. "I know, but he has to apologize to me first!"
"Me, apologize?" Gary laughed aloud. "Why should I apologize to you?"
Robb sat beside Gary's bed. "Luke, Father heard about your quarrel with Theon and wants you two to make peace. You broke his hand. You should apologize."
"Exactly! You have to apologize first!" Theon loudly chimed in.
Gary couldn't stand Theon's smugness. "He challenged me first, and I accepted. Besides, he wasn't as good as me. Why should I apologize?"
"Luke! This is what Father wants." After saying that, Robb gave a wry smile. "Could you just consider it a favor to me?"
When you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. He couldn't lose sight of the bigger picture and ruin Eddard's impression of him over someone like Theon.
Gary sighed. "I'm sorry, Theon. I was too heavy-handed last time."
"Hmph." Under Robb's gaze, Theon could only reply, "I forgive you."
He didn't want to look at Gary's face, much less stay here any longer. "Robb, my hand's hurting again. I'm going back to my room to rest."
After Theon left, Gary couldn't help asking, "Snow, that night... you weren't caught up in it, were you?"
Snow fidgeted nervously with his fingers. "That night scared me to death. I saw you go to close the window, and then a strange gust suddenly blew in from outside and sent even my blanket flying. By the time I picked it up, I found you buried under a huge mound of snow."
Robb smiled. "Snow dug you out. Then he called the guards and had you brought here to Maester Luwin."
"Thank you, Snow." Having learned that Snow hadn't been caught up in it, Gary felt relieved.
Snow waved a hand. "There's no need to thank me. We're friends... Huh? Luke, why has your left eye turned green?"
Robb looked curious too. "I noticed just now, but I hadn't had a chance to ask. Yes, Luke, why has the color of your left eye changed?"
Both eyes had clearly been blue before. Why was one blue and the other green now?
Only then did Gary realize that his left eye might be like his left hand, unable to change back ever again. He hurriedly covered it up. "Well, I was born with different-colored eyes. Maybe you two just didn't notice before."
"Really?"
Robb and Snow exchanged a look. Gary's words had left them both confused.
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