Golden Eye

The North, Sea Dragon Point, Flint's Finger Castle.

"Maester Albert, I think..."

"I'm telling you, that's impossible..."

"Rickard, you chameleon, hadn't you already decided to..."

In his groggy state, Eddard realized that his senses were gradually returning. Everything around him began to grow clear, though he still could not quite move his body. Just then, he felt someone touching him, first his left hand, then his right.

For some reason, Eddard seemed able to sense the other person's emotions and gaze. Through the contact with his skin, he could even sense the person's appearance and build. The hands were somewhat withered, but their owner seemed never to have done much heavy labor, for there were no calluses on or around his palms, only a few on his right index finger, middle finger, and thumb. It seemed this must be Maester Albert.

Eddard could distinctly feel him pressing on both his wrists. There seemed to be a diamond-shaped substance in each, and they appeared to have grown beneath Eddard's skin, for he could clearly feel the peculiar sensation produced when the fat beneath his skin pressed against those two diamond-shaped substances.

Finally, Maester Albert seemed to turn his gaze toward Eddard's eyes-or, more precisely, the space between his brows. Eddard followed that gaze, moving his perception to that spot, where he seemed to sense something unusual.

It was an eye, or something resembling one. The sensation was difficult to describe. If he had to describe it, it felt as though a fatty lump had grown beneath his skin. When Eddard's perception touched it, an utterly mysterious sensation suddenly appeared within his awareness.

Eddard's perception was an ability beyond the five senses. In the past, he had only been able to feel it in dreams, but ever since he had come to this world and successfully come back to life in this body's original owner, he had felt this ability growing stronger and stronger.

When Eddard moved his perception onto that "eye," the ability was amplified to an infinitely powerful degree. Unable to adjust to its increased strength, he felt for an instant as though his perception had shot straight into the planet's atmosphere.

The weightless sensation, more terrifying than a roller coaster, nearly made Eddard spring out of bed. Many people experienced something like this: a sudden sensation of weightlessness that instantly jolted them awake, sometimes severe enough to make their bodies react. But what Eddard was experiencing now was far worse.

An ordinary person could simply wake up, but Eddard had no way to control it. After an unknown number of rides on this "space roller coaster," he finally managed to gain some control over his perception and pull it back close to his body.

The sensation was somewhat like that of a certain white-eyed little boy who had grown up badly-the "fellow" who ultimately sat on the Iron Throne. While researching magic, Eddard's predecessor had also made a particular study of the unusual beings known as "skinchangers."

Skinchanging was a special legacy left behind by the ancient First Men. Rumor had it that this ability was a special art taught to them by the original masters of Westeros, the Children of the Forest.

In Hardhome: An Account of Three Years Spent Beyond the Wall Among Savages, Raiders, and Woods Witches, written by Maester Wallis of the Citadel, these strange beings were described in detail. In simple terms, skinchangers were humans who could enter the minds of animals or other people and control their actions.

While at the Citadel, Eddard had learned from one volume of Maester Wallis's notes that skinchangers manipulated animals by controlling their souls. Some maesters, however, scoffed at this. They believed that the animals were controlled entirely through special herbs or breeding methods used by the Wildlings Beyond the Wall,

and that it had nothing whatsoever to do with magic. What Eddard felt now was just as the notes had described: a state of constantly drifting through the sky. The notes also said that, upon encountering this situation, a skinchanger had to escape that terrible bewilderment and "advance" toward their target. Otherwise, they might become lost outside their body, their soul slowly vanishing without leaving a single trace.

Yet Eddard had already experienced several "out-of-body journeys" since this began, and he had not felt even a hint of exhaustion. On the contrary, he was growing more and more energized. For some reason, his perception was also growing stronger, and everything around him was beginning to become clear.

The first person to appear within Eddard's perception was Maester Albert, his face full of confusion and bewilderment. Next came Aiju, his head maid, and the young maid Wild Rose. At that moment, the young maid had her head bowed in devout prayer. The people farther back were Eddard's subordinates.

Meanwhile, "Scar" Rickard was arguing red-faced with Eddard's captain of the guards, Arthur Stone, while the surrounding guards had already encircled Rickard and his two sons.

"I've already sworn before the Old Gods that my two sons and I will always remain loyal to our lord. What I'm saying is that we should make preparations in advance. After all, our lord has been unconscious for a very long time."

Rickard's words reached Eddard's perception with perfect clarity. For some reason, Eddard could actually sense the worry and agitation in his words. The fellow was indeed agitated. On the one hand, he hoped Eddard would not wake up, but on the other, he hoped Eddard would wake up as soon as possible.

Rickard now understood the limits of his own abilities. He also knew that governing a domain was nowhere near as simple as he had imagined. Moreover, as one of Eddard's blood relatives, he truly did not want House Flint to lose a lord who might bring hope to the family.

As Eddard continued observing, the appearances of those around him underwent certain indescribable changes. The first to change was Maester Albert. At that moment, he resembled a monster that was half human and half dragonglass. Eddard could sense very clearly that some sort of change seemed to have occurred in his thoughts and understanding.

Eddard therefore tried moving his perception closer to Maester Albert and began examining his monstrous form in detail. The dragonglass was eating into Maester Albert's body as though it were alive. However, his body seemed to be resisting this encroachment, considerably slowing its progress.

As Eddard approached, the dragonglass seemed to be stimulated by something and began growing wildly. Along with its growth, Eddard seemed to sense changes in Maester Albert's thinking. The complexity and helplessness he had felt at first had vanished, leaving only reverence for and agreement with Eddard.

After noticing the changes in Maester Albert, Eddard grew very curious. It appeared that he now possessed some ability to influence other people's thoughts. He simply did not know whether he could take over someone else's body like a skinchanger or a certain white-eyed little boy.

Eddard then turned his attention to his own body and saw that it had undergone earth-shattering changes. Although his face still had the appearance of a handsome, black-haired European boy, his body had already undergone a terrifying transformation.

The mutations in his left and right hands were growing increasingly severe, and they had become as thick as his thighs. By now, this mutated state had essentially taken over every part of Eddard below his neck.

His head, however, had not changed much. Although his eyes were closed, Eddard could sense that they had turned gold. There was also a golden eye between his brows. Its white and pupil looked like a golden bead set into white jade.

Faced with this bizarre sight, Eddard felt somewhat uncertain. As time passed, he began wondering whether this body might suddenly move on its own while he remained here until he vanished completely. Yet after circling his body for a while, he discovered nothing unusual.

His playful curiosity roused, Eddard examined everyone in the bedroom. All kinds of emotions and distorted bodies shifted constantly within his perception. Using this miraculous ability, he inspected them all. Fortunately, none of these people harbored ulterior intentions.

Since this was his first time using this power, Eddard did not dare remain away from his body for too long. He simply observed his subordinates' expressions and movements in silence, without the slightest sense of weakness or disorientation described in the notes.

Seeing everyone around him begin to grow noisy, Eddard reined in his thoughts and started moving toward his body. He could already control this strange perception skillfully, and now that he had "played" enough, he only wanted to take a good look at exactly what changes his body had undergone.

"Mm..."

As Eddard entered, that familiar sensation returned to his body once more. This time, he had truly awakened, rather than experiencing the dreamlike haze from the beginning.

At the same time, however, a feeling of weakness arose within Eddard's body. It was exhaustion of both mind and flesh, as though he had stayed awake for two days and two nights.

It seemed Eddard's mind-or rather, his soul-had become strong enough, but his body could not quite keep pace. This fatigue was probably the message his body was trying to convey.

"Ah... our lord is awake!"

Just as Eddard was about to move his body, an excited voice rang directly in his ears. Immediately afterward, he felt someone grasp his hand and shake it gently.

"My lord..."

"Lord Eddard..."

With that voice, a large crowd instantly gathered around Eddard. The bustling throng surrounded his feather bed so tightly that nothing could get through. For a moment, there were so many people that even the air grew somewhat thin. All sorts of smells swirled through Eddard's nostrils, nearly making him pass out again.

Thump, thump, thump...

"Enough, all of you, leave! Once I've finished examining our lord, you can return to make your reports."

With so many people crowding around, Maester Albert had been squeezed out. After shouting several times to no effect, he simply used the wooden wine cup on the bedroom's wooden tea table as a "horn" to attract everyone's attention.

Upon hearing Maester Albert's order, everyone left of their own accord. Aiju, the head maid, and the young maid Wild Rose were made to stay. After undergoing Maester Albert's examination, Eddard finally received permission to get out of bed.

"Lord Eddard, what exactly happened to you? Why were you unconscious for so long? If your blood hadn't still been circulating and your heart beating, I'm afraid I would have thought you were dead."

Maester Albert watched Eddard getting dressed as he spoke, still somewhat shaken.

Through the great Myrish mirror, Eddard observed Maester Albert's ever-changing reflection. He discovered that he could still use that strange perception, but now he could only observe the fluctuations in the other man's emotions. He could no longer change certain thoughts or perceptions as he had before.

At that moment, however, Eddard was surprised to discover that his body and outline in the mirror had not changed at all. For some reason, he felt that his body seemed to have grown a little, while the changes at his wrists and between his brows were undeniably real.

"I merely experienced a strange dream. I haven't made House Flint prosper yet. How could I possibly die here?"

When Maester Albert heard Eddard emphasize the word "dream," his heart gave a violent twitch. Clearly, he had already understood Eddard's hint.

Eddard then stopped Maester Albert as he was about to speak, signaling for him to wait until later. Under the influence of Eddard's perception, Maester Albert understood his meaning very easily, without noticing any of the strange changes that had occurred in himself.

After spending a little over half an hour getting dressed, Eddard ate a little lunch, then led Maester Albert to the castle's council hall. While Maester Albert had been examining him, Eddard had already sent the young maid Wild Rose to notify everyone and have them wait for him here after lunch.

Once Eddard sat on the throne in the hall, everyone saluted him at the same time. After looking around from his seat on the throne, Eddard said:

"I'm well now! Whatever business there is, speak freely!"

"Lord Eddard, the situation is terrible. Our mine and a small village near Pasture Town have been attacked. The attackers are very likely the bandits entrenched in the Western Mountains. We must take action!"

As soon as Eddard finished speaking, Arthur Stone, the captain of the guards, stepped forward to report to him. There was a trace of urgency in his words. It seemed the situation was very bad.