Looking at the bizarre gigantic carved human face on the tree before him Ethan suddenly felt a wave of physical revulsion and involuntarily cursed under his breath:
"Holy crap—what the hell is this thing?"
"This is a heart tree—the symbol of the Old Gods" came Benjen's weak voice from behind.
Propping himself up on his horse with one hand he continued:
"Ethan—help me down."
Ethan untied the ropes holding Benjen in place and carefully lowered him to sit with his back against the heart tree.
Resting his head against the carved face Benjen—pale and exhausted—said wearily:
"Ethan… I can't hold on any longer.
Leave me here."
Because of the gash across his face Benjen's words came out slurred but he still managed to continue:
"I guarded the Wall for half my life… and in the end I die beyond it.
Perhaps that's the fate of a ranger…
Whitefoot—my mount—will carry you back.
Give my sword to Old Bear and tell him…"
Benjen tried to turn his head but saw Ethan gently stroking the bark of the heart tree.
Frowning he asked:
"Are you even listening to me?"
Ethan countered:
"Benjen—is this really a heart tree?"
Benjen was somewhat helpless.
"Yes… but can you sit down and let me finish what I need to say?"
Ethan however did not sit.
Instead of becoming a messenger he kept picking at the bark.
"Save those words for Old Bear when you get back.
I don't know him."
Benjen closed his eyes in disappointment no longer counting on Ethan and murmured:
"I'm going to die—I know it.
I've watched many brothers die before my eyes.
I know what death looks like.
I'm tired…
My watch ends here…
Ned… Lyanna… Father…"
Ethan looked at him and said firmly:
"No.
I said you would make it back—and you will."
He then drew the dagger from his belt plunged it into the trunk of the heart tree and pried off a thick piece of bark.
Quietly sensing the magical energy flowing from it he felt relieved—he had guessed correctly.
Yes—from the moment he saw the heart tree Ethan had known it was a massive tree brimming with potent magic.
Just as when he first saw the ice spider he had slain in the Wolfswood the instinctive craving in his body told him whether something could replenish his mana.
Now his instincts told him this small piece of bark was one such source.
So Ethan placed the bark in his mouth and chewed.
Savoring the sensation he discovered that heart tree bark tasted awful—dry hard and with a strong tingling numbness.
It did contain some mana—but not much.
After eating this finger-sized piece Ethan recovered only about 3.3% of his mana bar.
To be honest if the price of fully restoring his mana was eating an entire basket of bark Ethan could not accept it.
He climbed the trunk searching for fruit or flowers—the two parts of trees humans most commonly use—but found only oval deep-red leaves like fish scales on the branches.
Their taste and effect were hardly better than the bark.
Returning to the ground from the thick weirwood branches Ethan was about to dig at the roots to see whether they could be used when a fragrant aroma filled with magic wafted from the trunk.
Following the scent he discovered it came from thick greenish sap still oozing from the broken place where he had pried off the bark.
He scooped a little with his finger rubbed it then licked.
A sharp spicy bitter taste shot straight to the back of his skull while a refreshing cool sensation spread through his entire body.
Yes—this was it.
The perfect natural harmless free mana potion—an ideal companion for a Sunwalker's spellcasting an essential item for home travel and adventure.
Feeling the magic surging within him Ethan made several small cuts along the heart tree scraped the greenish sap with his fingers and swallowed it.
Once his mana was fully restored he went to Benjen removed the bandages and washed the pus and filth from the wounds with strong liquor—causing Benjen to yelp in pain.
Then he held his hands above Benjen's injuries and whispered:
"Benjen—don't be alarmed by what happens next and don't struggle."
Under Ethan's actions Benjen was in great pain but powerless to resist.
He could only ask in confusion:
"What are you doing… Ah!"
A blinding golden light burst from Ethan's hands.
Intense pain and itching exploded from Benjen's wounds causing him to arch upright involuntarily.
For a moment he lost consciousness amid the excruciating sensation.
In that brief daze he seemed to see—through flashes of golden light—the swollen skin on his wounds being covered by fresh red blood scabbing over the swelling subsiding and the scabs falling away.
A dozen breaths later Benjen was drenched in sweat and the previously unbearable painful itchy wounds had completely healed.
He touched his face and chest in shock.
"Ethan—what happened? What did you do to me?"
Ethan met his eyes.
"I healed your wounds."
Benjen gripped his sword hilt tightly then slowly released it.
"I want a reasonable explanation."
"Of course—but you'll have to wait a moment."
With that Ethan stood returned to the heart tree and scraped every drop of still-flowing sap from the cuts using his fingers placing it into each container he had: the soup pot the wineskin the wine bottle and the empty alchemical vial he had brought from Azeroth—testing whether the sap could be preserved.
After finishing he returned to Benjen sat down and said:
"Benjen—I once told you I'm a mercenary from Seris.
What I didn't tell you is that back home I was a follower of the Sun God An'she—a Sunwalker.
For certain reasons I was banished from Seris and forbidden to return until I accomplish something great.
Before I left a prophet told me that the distant continent of Westeros faces a crisis of annihilation—the place where I would fulfill my purpose.
So I came to this continent to find my way home."
After listening to Ethan's story Benjen was speechless.
After a long silence he forced a smile and said:
"Ethan—this is ridiculous impossible.
A crisis of annihilation?
This is absurd this…"
But thinking of his fallen brothers the unkillable enemy and his own wounds healing rapidly under Ethan's magic his voice gradually trailed off.
After calming himself Benjen put on the mask of the Night's Watch First Ranger once more.
"So those wildlings we fought last night—they were wights?"
Ethan nodded.
"They feel no fear cannot speak and ordinary weapons cannot harm them.
I can't think of any other possibility."
Benjen gave a bitter smile.
"I never thought the old women's ghost stories would actually become real before my eyes…
Ethan—you said you wanted to accomplish something great.
So what do you plan to do?"
"Me?
Saving Westeros from annihilation is far too heavy a burden for one man to carry—but I am willing to contribute during this process.
This is the continent of Westeros.
In the end it must be Westerosi who save it."
"So you killed all those wights we encountered the day before yesterday—by yourself?"
Ethan nodded.
"Yes.
The power An'she granted me can not only revive the living but also banish the dead.
However since arriving on this continent I felt almost no ambient magic—until just now."
Benjen gently touched the healed scar on his face still somewhat dazed.
"Magic is dead…
Since the last dragon perished no one has been able to wield magic…"
But the fact was happening to him—he could not deny it.
So he asked again:
"Can this power be taught to me—to the Night's Watch?
We are only ordinary men.
We cannot slay these monsters as easily as you."
Ethan handed Benjen a small amount of heart tree sap.
"Try a sip."
Benjen cautiously licked a drop and immediately grimaced.
"What did you feel?"
"Bitter astringent numb… disgusting."
Ethan shook his head.
"You can't even sense magic…
Like Kevin you do not yet possess the conditions to master the power of the Sun—so I cannot help you."
Seeing Benjen's disappointment Ethan added:
"But I believe the Wall—which has stood for eight thousand years—must contain some power that prevents wights from crossing south.
Moreover after fighting White Walkers and wights for so many centuries the Night's Watch must have developed methods ordinary men can use against them.
When we return to the Wall go to Maester Aemon and search the historical records.
There should be something there."
"Indeed…"
Benjen said thoughtfully:
"I heard long ago that when Brandon the Builder—with the help of the children of the forest—raised the Wall he wove ancient spells into its core to strengthen it and bar the passage of unnatural creatures such as White Walkers…
As long as the Horn of Winter is never sounded the Wall will forever hold back these dangers."
Ethan's heart skipped a beat at the words.
"What is the Horn of Winter?"
Benjen drew the shape of a curved war horn on the ground with a twig.
"The Horn of Winter… is a legendary magical artifact.
In a myth from a thousand years ago Joramun King-Beyond-the-Wall blew the Horn of Winter and woke giants from the earth.
It is said the Horn of Winter can bring down the Wall."
It's over.
It seems even the Wall cannot be relied upon.
When we return make sure you discover what the Horn of Winter is and where it is kept.
Make certain neither the free folk nor the White Walkers ever find it…
As he spoke Ethan looked down and noticed that the heart tree sap in his wineskin had solidified into pine-resin-like crystals under the cold wind.
He chewed one and found that although the taste remained the same it had completely lost its magical aura.
He checked every container one by one.
In the end only the sap inside the alchemical vial remained liquid and retained its full potency.
So Ethan stopped talking stood by the heart tree and used his dagger to scrape off every last drop of flowing sap placing it all into the vial.
From the day he transmigrated this round-bellied flat-bottomed crystal potion bottle had become Ethan's favorite drinking vessel.
It was unbreakable easy to clean could be heated directly and even had a built-in cork stopper.
Ethan vaguely remembered using it to store super mana potions during dungeon runs in Azeroth.
He never imagined it would still serve its original purpose—preserving mana—after crossing worlds.
A rare moment of kindness from Azeroth.
Filling the bottle with heart tree sap took nearly three hours.
Once it was finally full Ethan carefully sealed it.
A rough estimate suggested this single bottle contained enough sap to completely refill his mana bar seven times.
If he used full Holy Light heals he could save fourteen people; if he only used Flash of Light to stabilize them he could save far more.
Heart trees are not rare in the North.
As long as the next heart tree could also yield mana-rich sap the power of the Light would never be interrupted.
In this way he could rely on the Light to build a truly powerful organization—a genuine Silver Hand.
After placing the potion bottle into Lightning's saddlebag and concealing it beneath other gear Ethan asked:
"Can you ride?"
After several hours of rest Benjen's strength had returned.
Hearing the question he stood and said:
"I can ride."
Ethan nodded mounted and said:
"Then let's hurry back.
We need to bring news of the wights to your brothers so they can prepare."
He paused then added:
"Benjen—until you discover an effective way to kill wights try to avoid long patrols far from the Wall."
Benjen also mounted at that moment.
"Agreed.
Let's go."
So the two galloped toward the Wall.
Since all their comrades had perished in the wildling village the supplies on the surviving mounts now belonged to the two men.
With four horses each and Benjen—now lucid—guiding the way the return journey was much faster.
However as the scenery grew increasingly familiar Ethan couldn't help reminding him:
"Benjen—won't we be ambushed by White Walkers if we retrace our path?"
Benjen sneered.
"You didn't really think you were hiding well while leading eight horses through the woods did you?
You wandered for a whole day and barely covered any distance.
If the White Walkers had wanted to ambush or hunt us down we'd already be dead."
Ethan thought about it and agreed so he stopped worrying and followed Benjen at full speed.
They changed horses but kept the same riders.
Soon the two reached the vicinity of the first village they had passed on the outward journey.
In the dense forest not far from the settlement they found two wildlings dressed in furs lying on the ground—bodies severed limbs scattered—with the carcass of a giant bear nearby.
The two dismounted.
Benjen used his boot to turn over the wildlings' corpses and saw no blood on the severed limbs.
"These two are wights as well…"
Ethan looked at Benjen.
"I suspect they were waiting to ambush us."
Benjen waved a hand dismissing the idea.
"Who knows?
Maybe there were rangers among the wights who simply patrolled this area and ran into this unlucky bear."
Ethan shrugged walked to the giant bear and saw it lying in a pool of blood.
It looked very familiar.
After thinking carefully he remembered—this appeared to be the mother bear he had confronted the first night he spent in the deserted village.
What about the two cubs?
Ethan searched nearby and quickly found them in a clump of grass not far away.
One had been dead for some time a sharp axe wound across its head.
The other cub was still breathing but had two deep knife cuts on its back and was close to death from blood loss and cold.
Ethan crouched patted the surviving cub's head and said:
"Little one—you're lucky you met me.
Since your mother and I crossed paths once and she killed two wights I'll save your life.
From now on—you follow me."
Several flashes of holy light appeared healing the cub's wounds completely.
After using Purify to eliminate any risk of infection Ethan ignored the cub's feeble struggles grabbed it by the scruff and tossed it across Lightning's saddle.
Seeing Ethan's actions Benjen reminded him:
"What are you going to do with that bear?
You can't eat animals killed by wights."
Ethan shook his head.
"I don't plan to eat it.
It's still alive.
I'm taking it back as a little companion.
It can even stand watch for me at night."
Seeing the severed head in Benjen's hand Ethan asked in return:
"And you—what are you going to do with that thing?"
Benjen held up the head.
"I'm taking it back to show Old Bear and Maester Aemon.
No matter how much I explain nothing is clearer than letting them see it with their own eyes."
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