The smoking sea was literally as the name said. There was smoke coming out of the sea. The sea was shallow and the water was dangerously hot and even boiling near the active volcanoes that Edwyn could see from his ship.
'No wonder no one returned alive from this sea. The high temperature of the water will ruin the wood of the ships. Even before that, any sailor would die from suffocation and dehydration.'
Edwyn quickly went back to his cabin that had fresh air in it and the seals that kept releasing stored air at a steady rate.
He sat down and closed his eyes, spreading his senses to the surroundings. There were no signs of life anywhere in the nearby area. But he could feel something else. Like a tingle in the back of his head, the magic in the air tickled his senses and his eyes shot open.
'The magic here is much denser than anywhere else. It keeps getting denser...'
Edwyn directed his ship to the area with the highest density of magic and sat down once again to spread his senses as far as he possibly could.
Like a single spark in the vast emptiness, he could sense life on land. It was getting closer. Soon, more life signs entered the range of his senses. Edwyn's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. the life forms were moving...
He concentrated more. The life forms were doing some complex yet well-coordinated movements.
'Intelligent life forms... in this kind of conditions... is that even possible?'
It took two hours for Edwyn's ship to reach a clear area from where he could see the island of Valyria. What he saw was not something he ever expected.
A large castle made from obsidian and molten rock flowing from its walls could be seen right in the middle of the island. There was no vegetation anywhere. But he could see huts made of obsidian wherever his eyes went.
Valyria was populated...
The life forms, he needed to take a look at one and henge himself into something similar to blend in.
He took his ship in a secluded area and disembarked on searing hot land. Quickly, he sealed the ship into a scroll and sped towards the nearest life form he could sense. He had to constantly use chakra under his feet to prevent them from being burnt.
Soon, the local life form came into his field of vision and he stopped, completely hiding his presence and observing what looked like a male local who was trying to break a rock with a pick.
'That... is not a human.'
He was a bulky and muscular being and was around eight feet tall. His skin was dark grey in colour and had lava coloured veins all over his body. There was little hair on his head. His ears were large and pointed. Edwyn walked around to see the being's face. The being had large, sharp teeth that protruded out of his mouth. A strong jaw, yellow eyes and a short but broad nose.
It only took a few moments for Edwyn to learn every detail about the male's general anatomy. He left the being alone and swiftly walked away. Finding a secluded area, he used a henge and transformed into a male local with a slightly different facial structure.
Then, he immediately carved heat resistant seals under his shoes and on his clothes. The temperature on Valyria was extremely high for a normal human to bear. He walked towards a settlement, wanting to observe how the locals lived their normal lives.
As he was walking through what looked like a market place, he could feel like someone was constantly observing him. Ignoring the feeling, Edwyn continued to observe and listen. For such fierce-looking beings, they were quite human in their interactions. And the language, a mix between high Valyrian and the old tongue of the first men.
Next thing he observed was the currency. It seemed like they used obsidian for every single thing. Even the coins they used were made from obsidian, with special designs carved into the coins and what looked like a royal seal at the other side of the coin.
It wasn't too hard to get his hands on some obsidian coins. With his speed and nimbleness, it was quite easy for Edwyn to pickpocket some wealthy-looking beings.
Edwyn took a seat at an open eating place and looked at the food items carved on the wall. He was curious about the kind of food they ate. The writing was in Valyrian.
[Dragon tail 1 pc. - 30 Rho
Spider leg 1 pc. - 20 Rho
Dragon brain pie - 40 Rho
Water 1 cup - 25 Rho
.
. ]
'Dragons?! They eat dragons?! What in the seven hells is this place?! Who are these beings that have tamed dragons to such a level that they are treated as livestock?! How are dragons alive anyway?! Hadn't they been extinct for a long time?!'
Edwyn felt like his head was spinning from so many questions popping up in his brain. He felt overwhelmed. He just ordered a cup of water and gulped it down in one go before leaving. If he had looked around, he would have seen the locals look at him incredulously. Water was a luxury drink in Valyria.
Edwyn quickly found a stone building that looked like an inn and he decided to rent a room for himself.
The person handling all the lodging was a scantily clad female. She looked young and elegant despite the teeth that looked like they could bite Edwyn head off in a single chomp. From all the males leering at her, Edwyn deduced that the female was considered to be a beauty among the locals.
Edwyn approached her and asked in their tongue, "I'm looking to rent a room for a week."
The female gave Edwyn a toothy smile and replied in a melodious voice, "That will 120 Rho."
Edwyn nodded and swiftly walked up the stairs to his room.
The room was quite spacious. But, when he looked at the bed, he shuddered. The mattress was made from dragon skin...
Edwyn shook his head vigorously and looked around. There was a small bookcase against the wall. Edwyn skimmed through the books, trying to find something informative.
Finally, he struck gold.
Suddenly, a lot of things made sense.
The page in a book read: [This town was bestowed upon by the All-Father and Great king R'hllor to his children on the fifteenth year after his awakening.]
It all made sense... 'The Doom'... it was caused by R'hllor on the day of his awakening.
The Gods were real... which meant that the White Walkers were real as well... the Old Gods... the Great Other... the Seven and all others...
Suddenly, Edwyn felt that someone was laughing at him.
He realised it was R'hllor himself.
Valyria was his domain and he was alive.
'... Fuck.'
(NAGOT)
A/N: So... what do you guys think? Didn't expect this did ya?