( Eddard Stark's perspective)
"My lord, if you can keep this secret, we can continue to stand together. When I said I considered your sons as brothers, I meant it."
He wasn't Warg, but Warg was similar. I always thought his beast-taming skills were a bit strange, but I never expected him to know magic.
"Now, sir, you're beginning to understand why I'm so confident."
"There's something that's always puzzled me. When we use smoke grenades, the coverage area doesn't exceed 5 meters, but the diameter of the smoke grenade can easily exceed 10 meters. Maester Luwin thought this was because he hadn't mastered the ingredient ratios, but after some investigation, I've come up with something else."
"You're right. That's one of my abilities."
"Did you also defeat my knight with magic?"
"Yes and no, I enhanced my physical strength with magic, but everything else is thanks to my unparalleled archery skills."
"You remain as humble as ever."
"What can I say? I have a gift from God that makes everything I do perfect."
"So, can you defeat an army of one hundred men?"
"If it's a direct confrontation, I can't do it. But if it's an ambush, it's possible."
This is indeed a very surprising revelation. I don't know what to do now, but at the same time, a war we must win is about to begin.
"I'm sorry, sir, I won't tell you this unless I can keep your secret."
Was he threatening me? If he was really as strong as he said, I would be almost defenseless, but I still slowly placed my hand on the sword at my waist. Aermir said somewhat awkwardly.
"I'm not threatening you. If you want to see my power for yourself, I can prove it to you."
"What kind of method is this?"
"I have a skill called Unbreakable Vow. If we both make this vow, we can never break it without the other's permission."
"If you can't even trust me, how can I expect you to trust me?"
"You can kick me aside at any time, which is also disadvantageous for me. I've invested too much in the North, and if I hurt you, I'll have to leave the North."
What he said made a lot of sense, and I wanted to see his strength too. So, my curiosity finally got the better of me, and I said.
"Let me see that Unbreakable Vow, but first tell me how it works."
"There are two ways: a unilateral oath and a mutual oath. Now, we will take a mutual oath and choose a punishment for those who break their oath. Then we will take the oath together, but we must be within a magic circle during the oath."
What is punishment, and what is a magic circle?
"The punishment can range from the lightest to the death penalty, but an oath is only valid if it is voluntary and unaffected by any external forces. As for a magic circle, it can concentrate the spell in one place, allowing the oath to be fulfilled."
It sounds hard to believe what he's saying, but let's give it a try.
"Sir, please take a few steps back. Don't be afraid of the lights that may appear on the ground."
Aermir muttered a few words, and the nail on his left index finger grew into a claw, slowly scratching his right hand. Seeing this change, I tensed up slightly and gripped the hilt of my sword. A few seconds later, his hand returned to normal. He turned around, clenched his bleeding right fist, and let the blood drip onto the ground. As soon as the blood touched the ground, he spoke.
Juramentio ( Oath Magic )
A beam of white light shot out from beneath his feet, and a circle about 2 meters in diameter began to form. Outside the circle, blood-red characters that I couldn't understand began to appear:
"Sir, you may now enter the circle."
I hesitated before stepping into the circle and said to Aermir.
Eddard Stark cannot, directly or indirectly, reveal the power of Aermir Drasil to anyone. If he attempts to break this oath, he will be temporarily paralyzed until he decides not to break it, but if he continues to try, he will surely die. In return for this oath, Aermir Drasil will answer ten questions from Eddard Stark truthfully, but if he asks about something he cannot share, he will not answer the question.
He paused for a moment, then said.
"If I don't set a penalty now, the default penalty for the oath will take effect, meaning you will die the moment you think of breaking the oath."
He reached out his hand to me as if to shake my hand, and as I took his, lightning truly passed through my body. White and red beams began to dance between our hands and drill into our skin. I looked at Aermir in astonishment as the beams beneath his skin slowly rose from his arms, reached his neck, and then disappeared into his head. I could feel the same thing happening to me. The illuminated circle beneath our feet slowly vanished.
"Sir, could you try writing down what's happening right now on paper?"
Upon hearing Aermir's voice, I snapped out of my surprise and admiration. I went to my desk, intending to write what had happened on parchment, but my hands wouldn't move. I couldn't even move my head or eyes. I froze, almost like a statue. A sense of helplessness and fear overwhelmed me. Aermir noticed this and immediately came to my side, trying to calm me down.
"Sir, please calm down. If your desire to share my secret disappears, you'll return to normal in a few seconds."
Before he could finish speaking, my body was free, and I collapsed onto the seat like a sack of millet. I never want to feel that way again.
"If you try to break your vow, it will happen every time; if you force yourself, you will die."