Disclaimer: I do not own Elder Scrolls or A Song of Ice and Fire. All rights belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 2

The cold northern winds blew, swaying Jon's bearskin cloak. The young boy shivered slightly but continued his path. Around him, vast hills of green grass stretched out, and in the distance, he could see the forest that surrounded Last Hearth, the Umber family's settlement.

'You should find a place to rest, Jon.'

Jon blinked as he watched the gem on his collar palely glow an unmistakable sign that Edzard's soul was communicating with him.

"Y-y-you're right." Jon stammered, wrapping the cloak tighter around himself as the northern cold bit harder.

After those words, Jon kept walking north, scanning in all directions, searching for a suitable place to rest. Fortunately, he didn't have to search for long. Not far from where Edzard had spoken to him, he spotted the entrance to a cave, seemingly carved into a large hill.

Quickening his pace, Jon reached the cave, which, to his surprise, was blocked by some planks. Frustration welled up; he'd have to find another spot to escape the cold. The frustration grew until he kicked one of the planks, and it fell from the force of the blow. Jon looked at the planks in confusion, then repeated the action with another, watching it also tumble down. Smiling, he continued to strike two more planks, which also collapsed, leaving an opening large enough for him to pass through.

Once inside, Jon approached one of the walls and sat down. As he released the first sigh of relief, the gem on his collar glowed intensely, illuminating the space. After this brilliance, Jon saw Edzard taking form.

"It appears to be an abandoned mine." Edzard remarked, surveying the dimly lit cave.

"Why do you think that?" Jon asked.

"The walls are too smooth to be the work of nature." Edzard replied, walking toward the cave's exit. "Rest, Jon. I'll find some food for you to eat."

Jon nodded, watching as Edzard phased through the wall as if it weren't there.

Edzard sprinted through the Umber territory's forests at great speed, leaving only a brilliant trail behind him. As he searched for provisions for Jon, he observed the forest more closely. The pine-filled woods stirred a hint of nostalgia in him, reminiscent of the forests of Falkreath.

A small snowflake landing on his nose snapped him out of his reverie. Realizing he was nearing a village, Edzard abruptly stopped and assessed the area.

The village itself wasn't large, but it wasn't small either. It consisted of about twenty houses and was surrounded by several wheat fields ready for harvest. To avoid causing panic by appearing as a ghost, Edzard cast an invisibility spell. As he walked through the village, he overheard typical small-town gossip: pregnant women, cuckolded husbands, and other mundane matters. However, what truly caught his attention was what he heard from a woman buying supplies. There was a band of thieves nearby, harassing the King's Road, the route from King's Landing to the Wall. This meant they were attacking the very path Jon would cross in a few days. Although Edzard had advised Jon to take the main road to avoid getting lost, they would need to find a way to cross the Wall once there.

"Sigh. Well, as much as I'd rather not, if they're staying there, they might attack Jon." Edzard muttered as he headed toward the area where the robberies were taking place.

After a few minutes, Edzard arrived at the bandits' camp. The camp was situated in a cave, deep within the forest.

'They don't seem like many, maybe just five.' Edzard thought, quickly counting. To confirm, he used the «Detect Life» spell. After tallying the red energy orbs that appeared in his vision, Edzard knew there were only seven bandits.

'This will be a piece of cake.' Edzard thought as he approached the location.

Three bandits sat on guard outside the cave, drinking beer, part of the loot they had recently acquired.

"Ha, ha, ha! That fat bastard nearly wet himself when he saw us." one of the bandits chuckled, recalling how the portly merchant had urinated in fear when his escort was massacred in the ambush they had set up.

"You're right. His stench reached us." another replied, taking a sip of his beer. As the liquid flowed down his throat, a bound arrow pierced his windpipe, causing him to choke on both blood and drink.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed one of the bandits, dropping his beer mug.

The sudden attack put him and his still-living companion on high alert. They scanned their surroundings, hands reaching for the axes at their belts.

"Rolf, sound the alarm." one of the bandits ordered.

His companion nodded and reached for a horn. Unfortunately, he never got to blow it, as another arrow flew, piercing his hand and then his thigh.

"Ahhh! My leg! My hand!" the bandit screamed in pain, futilely attempting to free himself. But it was in vain; the arrow had shattered his bones, causing excruciating agony. His screams ceased when another arrow embedded itself squarely in the center of his forehead.

The last surviving bandit witnessed this and filled with fear, sprinted toward the cave's interior. He didn't even manage ten steps before two arrows struck his knees, immobilizing him. Unable to continue running, he fell face-first to the ground.

Desperate as he realized he couldn't move; the bandit began to crawl in a futile attempt to escape death. His desperation intensified when he heard footsteps behind him. His movements abruptly ceased when a bound sword pierced his brain.

Edzard withdrew his bound sword from the bandit's skull and left the corpses in the forest for wolves and scavenging birds to feast upon. Unconcerned about the bodies, he continued walking through the cave, silently dispatching the remaining bandits. By the time he had killed them all, several minutes had passed.

'These bandits really aren't much of a challenge.' Edzard thought as he made his way toward the supposed bandit storehouse.

Arriving at the cave's far end, Edzard found it filled with smoked food and several barrels, presumably containing beer. Shrugging, he took inventory of the goods. Once done, Edzard began storing everything in the enchanted bag Jon had found. He also crafted a small leather wallet, intending to enchant it so Jon could keep his money safe. Speaking of money, the bandits had a modest treasure in coins. After tallying them up, Edzard knew there were about fifty gold dragons, two hundred silver stags, and over a thousand copper stars.

'Not much, but if used wisely, this could be useful in the future.' Edzard thought as he stowed away the money.

Having dispatched all the bandits and secured their treasures, the last blood of the dragon exited the cave and returned to where Jon was waiting.

The night had fallen upon the known world, and in the abandoned mine where they camped, Jon rested on several layers of fur while the cave was warmed and illuminated by a small fire. Beside him, Edzard sat close to the flames.

The firelight reflected on Edzard's face, revealing a worried expression. The reason for this concern was mere inches from his face.

'It seems I'm running out of strength.' Edzard thought as he observed his hand gradually becoming transparent. 'Well, it's not surprising. I've spent over eight thousand years in these lands, eight thousand years since I fell into those eastern mountain ranges.'

With this thought, Edzard's mind began to recall his days since arriving there. Initially, nothing out of the ordinary happened, or at least, he couldn't know, as long as his collar remained ownerless, preventing him from interacting with the outside world. So, after arriving in this realm, he remained without contact with anyone for many years. Until that fateful day, the day he was discovered by a young shepherd.

Flashback

The winds rustled the clothing of a silver-haired youth with violet eyes. He wore a white linen tunic and black pants of the same material. Simple leather sandals helped him navigate the rugged terrain. In his hand, he carried a plain wooden staff, used to guide his flock of sheep.

As the young man walked the trails, he noticed one sheep straying from the rest. To prevent it from getting lost, he followed it. After a few minutes, he found the sheep digging a hole with its hooves on one of the mountain slopes.

Seeing it there, he wasted no time and moved to catch it. With the sheep in his arms, the young man glanced at the small hole it had made. There, he noticed a leather cord protruding. Guided by curiosity, he lowered the sheep and cautiously approached. Kneeling down, he extended his hand toward the cord. When he grasped it, he gave a gentle tug and pulled out a collar.

Seeing what he had found, the young man smiled and promptly put it on. As he admired the jewel around his neck, he returned to his flock, unaware that his discovery would alter the world's fate for the next millennia.

End Flashback

'To think that young man would lead me to his village and convince me to teach magic to the children of the forty families there.' Edzard thought as he settled in. 'The power I taught them allowed them to build an advanced civilization in just a few generations. However, their dealings with the magicians and witches of that shadow city changed them completely.'

Finishing that reflection, Edzard clenched his fists in anger, recalling how those he had once seen as apprentices betrayed him. They imprisoned him almost permanently in the collar, preventing him from seeing the world. To achieve this, they used blood magic and the power generated by sacrificing over a hundred thousand souls. Once sealed, they attempted to seize all his powers, but without prepared bodies, many died in gruesome ways. Nevertheless, they persisted, corrupting part of his powers using the witches' knowledge and making them their own. Fortunately, the stolen power was significantly degraded and not as potent as what he had mastered.

'Yet, it was enough for them to dominate the dragons of this world.' Edzard remembered, thinking about how they had infused their blood with a portion of the thu'um's power to bend will, effectively "taming" the dragons. 'To maintain that power in their blood, they had to keep the purity of the bloodline from which they stole their abilities, which meant intermarrying among relatives.'

After pondering that, Edzard remembered how they had imprisoned him in a temple within the Fourteen Flames. There, he was used as a battery to fuel their magic. For a long time, he served that purpose. Fortunately for them, he remained confined in his collar; otherwise, he would never have allowed them to use him in such a way. However, something happened that changed everything: a slave fleeing his master arrived at the temple and, by sheer luck, freed him.

Upon his release, he saw the man, who was already in his final moments of life. Eager to learn what had transpired during his imprisonment, Edzard read the man's mind. Doing so, he witnessed the Valyrians practicing something as abominable as slavery. As he observed, he, a Nord raised in the Empire, felt boundless disgust, anger, and fury. Silently, he began gathering magic within himself, swiftly but discreetly. When he was ready, he unleashed all that accumulated power. On that day, he unleashed three thu'um.

The combined powers of "Meteor Storm." "Summon Mist." and "Earth Spikes" obliterated Anogrion, the main city, causing one of the greatest genocides recorded in this world. When the release of that power, considered a cataclysm, subsided, the nation's power vanished. Or so he thought.

'Only one family of those dragon riders managed to survive.' Edzard thought as he stood up and exited the mine. Once outside, he gazed at the stars. 'To think that family conquered an entire continent, but well, with dragons, anyone can. It seems those living in the southern deserts caused them many problems. If the Targaryens had wielded the Valyrians' power at their peak, the Dornish would never have held their lands.'

His thoughts halted when he saw a shooting star fall. The star left a beautiful white trail as it descended very close to the mine. Following the small earthquake that accompanied the impact, he heard Jon startle and emerge from the mine.

"Edzard! What was that earthquake?" Jon shouted as he approached Edzard.

"A star fell very close to here." Edzard replied, looking at his new and final pupil.

"A star?" Jon asked, excitement in his eyes.

"Indeed." Edzard answered, curious about Jon's enthusiasm. "Why are you so excited about this?"

Jon looked at Edzard and began recounting the story of his mother's family. When he finished, he watched as Edzard started walking north.

"Edzard? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see that star. Do you want to come?"

Jon's eyes widened, and without hesitation, he entered the mine, retrieved his cloak, and began following Edzard. The teacher-student duo walked peacefully through the forests, and after several minutes, they reached the star's impact site. The place was now a large crater, about two hundred meters wide.

"Wow." Jon exclaimed, astonished by the massive crater.

"It doesn't seem very large." Edzard said, using magic to examine the star.

"How can you say it's not large? Look at the destruction! Surely it was a huge star!" Jon protested, incredulous at Edzard's words.

"No, Jon. You see, falling stars travel at such speeds that they create large craters about a hundred times larger than their actual size."

"I see." Jon said, understanding Edzard, but he was once again amazed as Edzard walked toward the center of the crater. Seeing that the descent wasn't as steep as it appeared, Jon followed his master. When they reached the impact site, Jon saw it for the first time.

The star wasn't very large, perhaps the size of a melon. Its color was entirely black, or at least it seemed so.

"Looks like the rock covering it has turned into obsidian." Edzard remarked, approaching.

"Obsidian?" Jon asked.

"It's a material made of molten stone. It's not very suitable for combat, but it can be used to create many decorations." Edzard replied as he took the star and, using his immense strength, managed to break the obsidian layer that covered it. Upon seeing the star's contents, Edzard smiled. "It seems the gods are smiling upon you, Jon."

Edzard's words puzzled Jon, who looked at his master with confusion and asked why.

"There are many types of shooting stars, Jon. Some contain crystals inside, while others hold metals."

"Metals?"

"Yes, metals. Some are useful only for specific purposes things your civilization still cannot achieve. But there are others that contain metals like gold, or even rarer ones."

Jon continued staring at his master, surprised and confused, especially when Edzard mentioned that his civilization couldn't yet use certain metals. However, when he heard the word "gold." he began to understand better, and upon hearing "a metal rarer than gold." he started imagining a metal that would be incredibly valuable. "What kind of metal?"

"Iron." Edzard replied simply and directly.

"Iron?" Jon asked skeptically.

"Yes, iron."

"B-but… there's iron everywhere."

"Common iron, yes, but the iron that falls from the sky is different, Jon." Edzard said, bringing the iron ball that composed the star closer.

"What's the difference between them?" Jon asked, mesmerized by the star's heart, so black he could barely distinguish it.

"The iron that falls from the sky is called 'Meteoritic Iron.' There are many types, but some, like this one, are excellent for crafting high-quality weapons and armor." Edzard explained, crouching to be at eye level with his apprentice. "You told me your mother's family has a sword made from a star's heart, right?"

Jon nodded.

"Well, when your training is complete, you'll have one too."

Jon's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that.

"A-and I…" Jon stammered, trying to find words to thank Edzard.

"Don't thank me, Jon." Edzard said, ruffling the boy's chestnut locks. "I just want to know one thing… What will you name your future sword?"

Edzard's words echoed in Jon's mind as he engaged in deep internal debate. While thinking of a suitable name, he remembered that House Dayne's sword was called «Dawn» a white blade that radiated its own light.

'My sword won't be a white blade; it'll be a black sword. A black sword gifted by the stars…' Jon thought, then smiled shyly, as he already had an idea of what to call it.

"And… What will you name it?" Edzard asked, observing Jon's shifting feet.

Jon looked at Edzard with a touch of embarrassment and, leaning closer to his ear, whispered the name.

That name made Edzard smile playfully, as it still reflected Jon's childlike nature. Ned Stark's son had chosen «Star's Gift» as the name for his future sword.

'Star's Gift…' Edzard thought, savoring the name. It might not be the most epic name he could imagine, but it wasn't bad, it reflected what the sword would be. However, while a name might not sound impressive in one language, it could sound better in another.

'Yes, I think that name will suit it better.' Edzard thought, crafting a suitable name using his knowledge of Nirm's various languages.

Both Jon and Edzard's eyes widened as they beheld the immense wall rising before them.

"Your ancestor initiated the construction of this, didn't he?" Edzard asked, gazing at the colossal ice structure.

"Y-yes." Jon stammered.

"Do you know if he was mad or trying to compensate for something?"

"No."

"I see."

After that brief exchange, the master and apprentice duo began walking toward the enormous wall. It had been over a month since they left the mine, and during the entire journey, Edzard had been training Jon in languages and runic writing.

Now, they stood before the last obstacle that would lead to Jon's true training ground: the lands beyond the Wall. A place where Ned Stark's young son would have only two options: grow stronger or perish.

After walking several kilometers, they finally arrived at Castle Black. The castle, serving as the Night's Watch's main command center, was anything but a typical castle. From the southern side, it lacked any defenses other than a simple, small wooden palisade. As they approached, Edzard cast two spells on Jon: «Muffle» and «Invisibility». With this combination, they managed to go unnoticed by the order's members.

Walking through the training yard, Jon witnessed the truth about the Night's Watch. It wasn't like the tales told by his uncle Benjen or Old Nan. Instead, it felt more like a prison than a place to earn honor.

Passing by some recruits, Jon overheard someone mention that they were criminals who had chosen to wear black rather than face castration, loss of limbs, or death. Saddened by this revelation, Jon decided to keep walking, pushing aside thoughts of what might have been one of the worst decisions he could have made in the future.

After crossing the yard, Edzard and Jon reached a tunnel-like structure that seemed to be the passage through the Wall. Fortunately, they found it open. Without wasting time, Jon began walking swiftly, fearing that the spells cast upon him might wear off and leave him exposed. Fortunately, that didn't happen, and after a few minutes, Ned Stark's bastard stood in the lands beyond the Wall. When he was about five meters from the gate, it began to sound and slowly closed, cutting off any attempt to retreat.

Jon watched as the door that would allow him to return to Westeros closed completely. With a sigh, he turned his gaze back to the vast forest rising before him. Taking small steps at first, he eventually broke into a run, disappearing among the trees.

Author's Note:

To those who have made it this far, thank you for reading. To be honest, my English writing skills are not strong, and I'm relying on Google Translate and the dictionaries that come with Office 2019.

Well, let's keep translating this… at least for now… XD

The first 10 chapters are easier to translate because they have 3,000 words per chapter, but after that, it will get a bit complicated for me, as they are 6,000 each. If we add that my other fic has between 9,000 and 11,000 words per chapter… well, I wouldn't be able to translate everything in the normal time, something that even now is complicated for me. Even so, I will continue translating as I have time. Hopefully, this translation will catch up with the Spanish version. Although if I continue doing it, I hope to maintain an acceptable level in the translation. XD

Even so, thanks for the reviews, it's good to see that this translation, which only came about as something to distract me a bit from my day-to-day life, is being enjoyed by some people.

I apologize for any spelling errors. Please don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter, or if there's something that needs improvement, or if you have any questions about the story. Any constructive advice is welcome. With nothing more to say, see you in the next chapter.