Viserys took a deep breath, calming himself before observing his surroundings more closely. He realized that Euron appeared to be inside a cave, faintly hearing the sound of waves crashing nearby. This suggested that they were either on an island or near the shore. In front of Euron stood a row of crosses, each one bearing a naked figure bound to it. Blood dripped from their mouths, staining their chins and necks a deep red.
In their current state, it was impossible to identify who these people were, but Viserys suspected they were the same pirates who had attended the party recently.
A servant followed Euron, bowing low in a mix of respect and fear, holding a clay bowl at chest height. The bowl contained several bloody tongues. Euron circled around one of the crosses and then lowered the person tied to it. He crouched down, pressing a finger to the man's forehead. Only then did Viserys notice that Euron's fingernails were completely black.
As Euron's grip tightened, the unfortunate man's eyes rolled back, and a soul-wrenching scream erupted from his mouth.
Then, something strange happened. Viserys noticed that his "Dragon Dreams" perspective had shifted. Typically, when he used Dragon Dreams, his vantage point was always above his target's head, but now it had moved! After a few breaths, Viserys found himself looking down at the naked pirate lying on the ground, with a clear view of Euron's face.
The ear that once held Euron's eyepatch had been torn off by Viserys, forcing Euron to use a special headband to hang the cloth down and cover his damaged eye. Viserys still didn't fully understand what powers this eye possessed, aside from its ability to harm a Skinchanger. However, what perplexed him even more was how his Dragon Dreams perspective had suddenly shifted.
As Viserys pondered this, he saw the tortured pirate suddenly rise to his feet!
'Wait! Could Euron's consciousness have transferred?' Viserys thought, alarmed.
In the series, Bran Stark is the only character known to control humans through his consciousness, a skill that emerged as he approached his destiny as the Three-Eyed Raven. Yet, here was Euron seemingly performing the same feat. Could Euron also be one of the heirs to the Three-Eyed Raven?
However, there was another troubling paradox. Unlike Bran, who's body became unresponsive when he warged into others, Euron appeared to remain somewhat active even after transferring his consciousness, not becoming a lifeless "corpse" with rolled-back eyes.
Euron, now in his new body, approached the second cross and, following the same procedure, lowered the person bound to it.
Once more, Viserys' Dragon Dreams perspective shifted. This meant that Euron's consciousness had jumped again—or, more precisely, that his "main consciousness" had transferred to a new host.
"Playing with avatars, are you?!" Viserys realized with a shock that Euron was using a terrifying method of control: he was manipulating "Pirate One" to control "Pirate Two," who in turn controlled "Pirate Three," and so on. In this way, Euron could control four pirates simultaneously! The implications were chilling. This ability was far more dangerous than anything the Faceless Men could do. Even when the Faceless Men change faces, they still have to physically approach their target to kill them. But Euron, with his indirect control, could strike from a distance, leaving his enemies helpless. Without Dragon Dreams to rely on, Viserys would have been left clueless, like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces, not knowing who was the true threat.
Fortunately, Euron's mastery of this dark skill seemed limited. By the time he controlled the fourth pirate, the pirate's brain was almost completely deteriorated, with the cerebellum practically nonfunctional. The poor man was reduced to a convulsing, almost epileptic, state, barely able to crawl. Euron appeared to attempt controlling a fifth pirate, but he failed.
'Wait, is this how he explored the Ruins of Valyria's Doom?' Viserys speculated.
Euron's method was like using each pirate as a "signal repeater." As the number of repeaters increased, the signal weakened, which explained why he reached his limit with the fourth pirate. It could be that the "pirate repeater" wasn't strong enough, or perhaps Euron's signal source was flawed. However, if either of these could be improved, Euron would be able to control enough pirates to create a "control chain," allowing him to explore dangerous places like the ruins of Valyria without risking his own life.
This line of thought led Viserys to consider the "Weirwood" and the Greenseers of the Children of the Forest. 'How had Euron mastered what seemed to be the core technique of the Three-Eyed Raven?' Viserys wanted to continue observing, but his magic was waning, making it impossible to maintain the vision.
As for the skill of "incarnation," Viserys found it elusive. Not only did he fail to understand the incantations Euron used, but he also questioned why, if this ability was so powerful, Euron hadn't simply crushed his enemies when he returned to the Iron Islands. Instead, Euron had to unite the Ironborn by raiding Arbor. If he could control so many people, why hadn't he simply taken over?
Determined to learn more, Viserys decided to observe Euron once every three days. In the meantime, he visited the Black Wall, but gained no new skills there. Reflecting on his past experiences as a Soul Binder, Viserys concluded that he might need the Valyrian artifacts to advance further. For now, he would have to wait for Euron to find a way to reach Valyria.
In the meantime, there was the matter of the bounty and the auction of the pirate treasure. Nyessos had proven himself highly efficient, liquidating the bounty and treasure within just a few days and converting it into a vast cache of weapons and equipment for Viserys. There was so much that one ship couldn't hold it all, so two ships were sent to deliver the haul, free of charge.
"Prince Viserys, the gates of Volantis are always open to you!"
"Prince Viserys, you will always be our honored guest."
The two Triarchs of the Elephant Party stood on the dock, waving as Viserys departed.
With the pirate threat neutralized, Viserys knew that the war between Tyrosh and Lys would soon escalate. A major battle was on the horizon, and a storm was brewing.