Chapter 144: No Need For Titles Or Thrones 1 (Viserys SI GOT)
[You Have Died]
A simple message, one that I knew all too well.
I can't say I was very happy with what came after, as all I've seen in what feels like days is endless nothingness.
An ever-expanding void where there's no light, no sound, with only my own thoughts to keep me company. At this point, I've gone through every single thing I could remember.
Fun fact, dying actually gives you an eidetic memory; since you're not limited by your physical body, you can recall every single memory. And to be honest, I was quite disappointed by how little time had passed by the time I reached the end.
It was like watching an endless chain of memories on an old-fashioned projector. I heard all of the sounds—the laughter, the crying, the successes, and the many failures.
But then came the end.
I had expected to be judged by some higher power, yet I found nothing. It makes me wonder if this is a punishment of some sort.
At least, that was until red-blooded words appeared in front of me.
I couldn't speak, so I simply stared at the words until another message came up.
[Do You Wish To Live? Do You Desire More From Your Existence?]
If I had a physical form, I would be nodding in agreement, but mostly for the first part. I worked my entire life, yet what my life became could barely be considered living.
I didn't want much. Hell, I don't even care if I was alone my entire life; I could just hold a steady job, make enough money to get a decent townhouse, or even rent a decent apartment and not have to make and live off of secondhand meals.
I had never felt so disappointed in myself.
The words seemed to loom ever closer.
[I Understand Your Emptiness. I Have Felt The Same.]
What about my family? My siblings, my mom, my dad—where are they?
[Gone. Reduced To Little More Than Dust.]
Why?… How? The thought barely made its way across my soul.
[Your World Is Gone. An Asteroid Struck The Planet. Nothing Stopped It.]
What about the world governments? Didn't they try to nuke that thing out of the sky?
[Couldn't Exactly Do That While WW3 Was Going On. Honestly, You Lucked Out.]
You know, you're terrible at giving news.
[I Do Not Like To Mince Words. So Again, I Ask: Do You Wish To Begin Anew?]
What's the point if there's nothing left?
[To Elaborate, I Shall Sponsor Your Rise To Power. With Time, Recreating Your Earth Shall Take About As Much Effort As An American Who Chooses Not To Vote.]
How much time would it take?
[That Depends On You. More Specifically, If You Can Survive.]
I simply floated there in the void as thousands of thoughts cracked across my mind. I should be questioning whether or not this is real, but I desperately wanted it to be.
[So, Final Time…Do You Wish To Start A New Game?]
In that moment, with more clarity than I'd care to admit, I floated over to the bolded words and stretched out my incorporeal hand. As I touched the words, the void began to fill with light, and as the darkness faded away, I looked behind me and saw what looked to be a mass of darkness, seated on a throne made of endless screaming souls.
As he stretched out his hand, which seemed to dwarf the Earth itself, he placed his finger on my chest, and a cocoon began to envelop me.
[I Am Hades. And I Am Your Salvation. To Begin, I Shall Send You Across Many Worlds. Every Power I Give You Shall Be Given Freely. But You Must Work Your Way To The Precipice Of Power.]
The cocoon completely enveloped me, but before the darkness took me, the primordial darkness imparted one more piece of information.
[Play The Game Of Thrones Well…Viserys Targaryen. And If You Manage To Live For 25 Years, You Shall Ascend. Now, Begone From This Place.]
He then took the cocoon in his hand and sent it through what seemed to be a crack in reality. Yet I felt nothing but the comfort of unconsciousness.
(Year 284 AC - Dragonstone)
I had never thought that I could experience whiplash from being reincarnated.
Yet, as I opened my eyes, my body felt like it was made of lead. I have never felt more tired or weak in my life, and that's something, coming from a man who once had diabetes.
Or a man who used to have diabetes, at this point. As I managed to lift my right arm and place it by the side of my bed, I sat up and found myself looking in a mirror across the room.
The first thing I noticed were the purple eyes. It was probably the most fantastic thing I'd seen so far, as I had never seen anyone with eyes that shone with a purple glow.
My eyes then went up to my hair, and I was almost confused for a moment by how long it was. In my last life, I could barely grow enough hair for a buzz cut, yet now with hair this long, I could cosplay as a Disney princess—not the "Tangled" princess, but a princess nonetheless.
As I tried to stand, my vision began to blur, and as I looked to my left while trying to steady myself, I found a dagger covered in blood. I looked at that same left hand and noticed exactly why.
There was a cut along the wrist, and the sheets themselves were stained an even deeper shade of red. And it was then that memories began to flood in.
They came in flashes—a man with narrow nails and green fire. I could hear screaming and yelling, and I felt fear as I saw the visage of a man who looked more like Gollum from Lord of the Rings than a man.
I held my head in pain. I did not scream or yell, not wanting to alert anyone nearby. After a few minutes, the last memory came to mind.
A couple of servants had just come out of my mother's room, and while they carried a child in their arms, the words that came out of the other servant's mouth sent Viserys running.
"I apologize, my Lord, the queen has passed…"
Viserys did not stay to hear more as he ran back to his room with sadness and anger welling up in his chest.
And so, the young boy spent weeks in his room, fed by the servants who brought him meals in the morning and evening.
He managed to get his hands on a knife after asking one of the servants to get him one to cut his food.
The memories ended there, but I could assume what happened next. There was immense sadness, yet I managed to focus.
I walked over to the window and looked down. I saw people moving about in the small village near the castle. It was very small, mostly meant for the servants.
The skies were gray and cloudy, and they looked ready to crash and burn with thunder and lightning. However, before I could think any more, I heard a knock at the door.
"My Lord, may I have permission to come in?" a voice asked, and while I tried to search my memories for who this could be, I had already moved next to the door.
"Who is it? I had asked not to be disturbed." There was a momentary silence after I said this.
"Ser Darry. I wish to speak with you, Your Highness." I turned around, took the knife, hid it in a small cupboard next to the bed, and, after folding the sheets and placing them under the bed, returned to the door.
"You may enter." The door opened slowly as a man who looked closer to a bear than a human walked in.
As he entered, he moved slowly; there was an innate strength and grace to it. He walked over to me as I sat down on the bed.
He knelt before me and said, "Your Highness, I know you are grieving. But I carry news that cannot be ignored."
He handed me a small sheet of paper, and as I unfurled its contents, my eyes narrowed.
"How much time do we have?" The question came out as quickly as I read the paper.
"Not much, Your Highness; the raven that carried this news was intercepted months ago. This message could be very old, and we are running out of time." His words were spoken quietly, but they carried enough weight to smother the room.
"Do we have any ships prepared? Any possibility of mounting a defense?" He shook his head in denial.
I stood up and walked to the window. "How is my sister?"
It felt odd to say that, as I was only the youngest of three brothers in my previous life. It was an odd feeling, most likely due to my emotions mixing with the memories.
"Lady Daenerys is well, Your Highness. She has not shown any signs of sickness. However, her emotional state has been erratic. She longs for her mother." His last words slipped out before, I assume, he could stop himself, and he said no more.
"I understand. Have you heard any whispers of deceit among the servants?" The man said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes.
"Are you able to prepare a small ship for my sister and me?" The large, burly man then stood.
"If you desire it, Your Highness, it shall be done. The dragon is not so weak that we cannot procure a small vessel." After saying this, I walked over to where the young boy kept his jewelry.
"Here, take this," I said, handing him a small amount.
"Your Highness, there is no need for this." I lifted my hand, and he said no more.
"If what you say is true, I cannot rely on the loyalty of the people of this island. If loyalty cannot be bought or supported, then money can. If you need to sell it, then sell it. They are material goods; there are thousands of necklaces of the same make." The knight then bowed and walked out of the room.
As he exited, he told the guard outside my room to watch over me while he handled business. Soon after he left, I exited the room.
"Your highness, is there something you require of me?" the guard outside my room asked, as I couldn't seem to remember his name.
"Attend me while I visit my sister." The order was short and sweet. While he said nothing in retort, I saw the annoyance in his eyes.
He followed after me, but I made sure to stay out of range of any potential backstabbing.
The walk itself didn't take long, as the room where my sister's cradle was kept was relatively close by. As I approached, the guards in front of the door widened their eyes in surprise upon seeing me.
One of the guards opened the door, and as I entered, I saw my sister alone in her cradle, surrounded by stone walls. I took the small chair, which I assumed was meant for the caretaker, and slid it next to the cradle.
As I sat down, I looked downward and saw my younger sibling. I saw the same purple eyes that held the same color as my own. When her eyes met mine, she smiled, and though she couldn't speak, she seemed happy to see me.
I placed my finger in her tiny hand. A small tear made its way down my face. I didn't know why it appeared.
Was it out of anger that this child took my mother from me—or the mother of the boy? Was it out of sadness, knowing her fate in the future?
No, it was out of a sense of unfairness. Children deserve to grow up as happily as they can. They don't deserve to have the world break them. In my previous life, I was the oldest of two younger brothers.
And I will be damned if I leave this girl alone. Maybe it's my pride, or maybe it's some kind of brotherly instinct, but I'm going to make this girl's life the happiest I can.
It's a foolish goal, perhaps, one that has come from my rampant emotions, but I don't care.
The young girl babbled in an indistinguishable language, and as I tickled her stomach, her laughter brought a smile to my face.
They say those who play the Game of Thrones live or die, but to me, I could care less for thrones.
(You know, I've been watching a lot of Game of Thrones recently, so this one just came into existence. Now, if you guys notice that I am messing up the royal names or titles do not crucify me. Also, I am no super fan of the series so if I get events and the timeline a bit wrong, let me know.)
(And yes, this is a jump chain but unlike the others, his perks are at the lowest power possible and he has to work his way up. His items he won't have unless he find them and they exist across the world.)
(And yes, it is a bit stupid for the main character to start caring for his sibling so early, but he is emotionally all over the place right now so do forgive me.)