The sword of kings (Patreon)

Jon looked at the spirit with suspicion on his face, thanks to his recent spiritual connection, Jon was able to understand two things

That the spirit was quite powerful and that it had a fairly close connection with the vegetation, Jon felt the spirit... Strangely familiar

The spiritual being spoke

"We feel your arrival young man, your spirit shines in the darkness of these sad waters, your presence is like an indomitable beacon in the loneliness of this world so unbalanced" Jon looked at the being in amazement and spoke

“I'm afraid I don't know your name my lady” to Jon's surprise, being just laughed, it was an incredible sound, as soft as a spring breeze, inside Jon, it felt... suspiciously familiar, the woman spoke again

“My name was lost in the sands of time many winters ago, I have been trapped in this place for so long... it doesn't matter how you refer to me” Jon nodded conflictingly, and spoke

"I understand my lady, I apologize in advance, but my master and I feel the spiritual imbalance inside your cave, something disturbs the balance of the island here" Jon's tone was one of absolute respect, it was evident that this being was ancestral, the last thing he needed was to make her angry, to her relief, the spirit laughed

"Haha what a respectful young man, you don't even look like the same one who so wildly cut my roots and branches with that putrid metal" Jon was surprised at the complete contempt with which the lady referred to his beloved sword, Jon spoke

"Longclaw? That sword was a gift, from a man I loved very much, it saved my life, it's not a corrupt sword” there was a certain reproach in Jon's heart, he hadn't liked that the spirit referred to Longclaw in that way

The woman simply laughed and replied, "So young and gullible, do you know how that weapon was forged? For what purpose was it built? What does it mean for spirits?” Jon, embarrassed, admitted to himself that they were very good questions, to which he did not know the answer, however, he answered

"A sword is an instrument, it does not exercise good or evil, it is simply a means by which the wielder transmits his desires, to say that my sword is corrupt is not entirely correct" Jon's tone was respectful but firm, true to his beliefs, to his surprise the woman tilted her head towards him, And speaks softly again

“Do you really believe that? A sword is an instrument of war, it is built to kill, if you did not want it, so why build it from the beginning?” the lady spoke in a tone of teaching, pleased by Jon's mind, who was pensive for a moment, until he answered

"Because not all people have a noble spirit, many beings are cruel and ruthless in nature, a sword is an instrument of war, that's true, but there are many wars that are fought for noble causes, if tyranny is law, then revolution is order." When he finished, Jon watched as the spirit nodded slowly, After a few seconds I speak again

"A valid and noble reason, however, I was not referring to the sword itself, boy, but to the metal with which it is forged" At those words, Jon looked at the lady in disbelief and replied

"Valyrian steel? It is one of the strongest metals, it can pierce any armor and is much lighter than normal steel, why do you say it is a cursed metal?” Jon was curious about the woman, who didn't answer for a few moments

Suddenly, Jon heard a thud behind him, and Jon watched as some branches of the spirit threw their sword on the ground, however, they did so with revulsion, as the fact that they were touching Longclaw caused them terrible pain

The lady spoke again

"You are quite skilled, place your sword in the pond, strengthen your spirit and glimpse to its past, you will see that things are not always what they seem young"

Jon shuddered at those words, however, the curiosity of such words, led him to obey, with great care, he lifted Longclaw carefully and placed it inside the pond, Jon took his precious sword and placed it in the pond, which, to his surprise, began to glow with a powerful white light, illuminating the dark metal

Jon sharpened his senses and extended his spirit towards the pond, which received him with joy, it was difficult to explain

Jon used the water and wrapped Longclaw, then began to channel his spiritual energy, connecting with his beloved sword

Jon would have wished he hadn't made such a mistake

Blood, agony and screams, the echoes of the past wept in the metal of the sword, forged in the heart of the Valyrian empire, sacrificing lives, stripping slaves of their body and spirit, it was terrible, it was an abomination

Jon, completely overwhelmed, cut the connection with one blow, panting non-stop and staring with absolute terror at his beloved sword, which, to the young man's surprise, was glowing a deep red, his own sword in a spiritual imbalance

And Jon hadn't been able to feel it, he thought embarrassed

Seeing his face, the spirit spoke

"You saw it, didn't you? The agony, the blood, the spirits of all those poor people, all the sacrifice necessary to forge that corrupt metal, whoever built it knew well what he was doing, is designed to harm spirit beings” Jon replied with difficulty, still overwhelmed by what he saw

"It was built in the heart of a civilization of dragon lords, I imagine they wanted weapons capable of killing dragons." At those words, the spirit writhed in terror and fury, and screamed

“Who could do such an act? Dragons are wise and spiritual beings, guides for souls in conflict, why would you build a weapon to kill a dragon?”  Jon just sighed and replied

"Man's ambition knows no limits, what he cannot possess or dominate, he wants to destroy," those words filled the spirit with curiosity, who spoke again

"You are not like that, your spirit is strong and indomitable, and you are touched by the ancients" the woman was not asking, it was an affirmation, Jon simply shook his head and spoke

"I am ambitious, and I regret a lot, I remember, when I was very young that I wanted to rule my father's castle, although I did not understand what that meant, now... My beloved father is dead, as are all my siblings, and I wish, with all my being, to be able to go back to that moment, and strike my past self, to understand that, at that moment I was the luckiest child in the world, surrounded by his family” Jon was lost in thought, since his chakras were opened, it was easier for him to understand his past mistakes

He had made mistakes, and many, he had been cruel, he had been ruthless, his people repudiated the Fire Nation for the pain they caused, when, by the same war, Jon and his army had inflicted the same pain on mothers, fathers, brothers, and wives of the Fire Nation

Jon regretted his actions, but he would never lower his head, he would learn from what had happened, and it would be better

Be... better, those words rang in Jon's head, and he looked back at his sword

His sword, which had been forged to cause pain and agony, forged to destroy and conquer, a tool of death and misery

 However, Longclaw was much more than that, Longclaw had protected and served, she had broken the chains of countless slaves for centuries, she had been wielded to fight for a just cause

Longclaw, like Jon, had changed, their spirits evolved, Jon was not a bastard, destined for nothing and no one

Jon was engaged, to the most beautiful woman in the world, to a promising future

Jon Eddardson would be the ruler of the northern water tribe

If Jon changed, the spirit of his beloved sword can too!

Full of determination, Jon used his water bending and enveloped Longclaw completely, before the spirit's astonished eyes

Jon channeled all his spirit, wild and indomitable towards his beloved sword through the water, which began to glow with an intense golden color, the feeling of blood and death returned, however, Jon did not give up and screamed

"Forged to cause death, suffering and destruction, just like me, you have broken your mold, you have protected, you have liberated and led, your debt is paid, Longclaw, I freed you from your corruption and I break your heavy chains, from this moment, it will be Longclaw, bearer of the tides, gale of the north and protector of Agna Qel'a, sword of kings" when he finished speaking,  the golden light intensified greatly, Jon's eyes shone with a powerful blue light, the lady looked dumbfounded at the young human and the entire island shuddered 

When the glow wore off, Jon fell to his knees completely exhausted, but his eyes were fixed on the sphere of water, from which emerged a sword similar to his beloved sword and yet so different

The blade of the sword was no longer black nor did it possess the characteristic waves of Valyrian steel, now a white and uniform blade, which seemed to shine with its own light illuminated the entire cave, the spiritual energy it gave off was simply overwhelming

Jon picked up the sword, and the effect was instantaneous, all his tiredness faded away, and his spiritual connection widened greatly, the spiritual lady just spoke in amazement

"In my eons of life, I have never seen such a feat in someone so young, your spirit is indomitable and powerful" Jon simply nodded and put the new Longclaw away, concentrating all his attention on the lady

Sighing, Jon spoke

"You know what I must do, this is not your home, you must go to the spiritual world." 

To Jon's relief, the lady nodded gently and replied

"I know, and after such a show, I don't doubt your ability, do it, I'm ready."

Jon nodded and focused his mind on the water of the pond, which he wrapped around the green lady, then the water began to glow with a golden hue, and little by little, the woman's body began to disintegrate into golden particles, transcending this world and sending her home, to the spiritual world 

When the process was over, Jon exhaled in peace, completely in control, the spiritual imbalance having been partially corrected

“go in peace, ancient one” Jon said, just as master Alanna had teach him

Jon had three more caves to visit, and something told him that the others would not be as simple as this one