The decision was made in the quiet of the High-Cortex. For ten years, Feren had been a statue of silver and gold, his eyes fixed not on the stars of Westeros, but on the shifting grains of the Multiverse. His "Threshold-Sight" had finally pierced a barrier so dense it felt like a wall of ancient, forgotten names.
"It is a world of water and words," Feren whispered, his voice cracking after a decade of silence. "Earthsea. It is further than the Void-Wood can travel. To take the forest would be to tear the fabric of the Great Balance. Only those of the Blood—the Seven—and the Guardian can withstand the friction of the crossing."
The Ascension of Smaug
Before the departure, Egg (Lord VI) stood before the Great Dragon. Smaug was already massive, but under the Council's care, he had become something more.
"You have served the Silence well, Smaug," Egg murmured, placing his hand on the dragon's snout. "But where we are going, even a dragon's fire can be snuffed out by the cold between worlds. You need the Stellar Spark."
The Apotheosis of the Drake
Egg funneled the raw essence of the Sixth Lord into Smaug.
The Result: Smaug's scales turned into "Neutron-Matter," harder than any diamond.
The Change: He no longer breathed fire; he breathed Condensed Reality.
The Title: Smaug was named the Demigod Guardian of the Void-Wood, the eternal protector of the floating island while the Lords were away.
The Departure: Leaving the Regents
Kaelen gathered the High Inquisitors. Olenna Tyrell, looking remarkably young for her age thanks to Aurelion's touch, stood beside Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond, Aragorn, and Oropher.
"The shop is yours," Kaelen said, adjusting his traveler's cloak. "Keep the peace. Don't turn the Iron Bank into a petting zoo while I'm gone, Olenna."
"No promises, dear," Olenna cackled. "Just find our sister and get back. This world is getting boring without your nonsense."
The Two-Year Journey: The Brothers' Bond
The journey was not a teleportation; it was a Motive Transition. For two years, the Seven Lords, Ser Duncan, and Smaug drifted through the "Deep Nothing." Without the distractions of a kingdom, the brothers (and one sister) found something they hadn't realized they were missing: each other.
Moments in the Deep Void
The Training: Thranduil and Feren spent months sparring in zero-gravity. Thranduil's dark erasure met Feren's golden aura in a dance of absolute precision. The stoic King finally began to laugh, a sound Feren hadn't heard since the Mirkwood of old.
The Architect and the Alchemist: Ereinion and the young Aurelion spent their time building "Micro-Worlds" inside glass jars. Ereinion would weave the light, and Aurelion would turn the light into solid ground. They built a thousand tiny civilizations just to watch them bloom.
The Protector: Dunk became the anchor for all of them. When the "Void-Sickness" (a feeling of total isolation) tried to creep into their minds, Dunk would simply sit them down and tell stories of the Shire or the tourneys of Westeros. His simple, unshakeable humanity was the gravity that kept the Gods sane.
The Dragon and the Prince: Egg spent hours perched on Smaug's head as they flew through the stardust. They spoke in the ancient tongue of dragons, a conversation that spanned years, bonding the soul of the Prince to the spirit of the Drake until they moved as one mind.
The Arrival: The Archipelago of Earthsea
After two years of traveling through the "Between," a blue-and-green jewel appeared in the dark.
"There," Feren pointed. "The Archipelago. The magic here is different, Master. It's based on Naming. If you know the True Name of a thing, you own it."
"Then it's a good thing I'm the one who wrote the dictionary," Kaelen grinned, though his eyes remained sharp.
They descended like a falling constellation. They bypassed the Great House of Roke, ignored the dragons of the West, and landed on a small, nameless isle on the furthest Reach of the map.
The Seven Lords of Silence stood on the white sand, the salt spray of a new ocean hitting their faces. They were tired, they were far from home, but they could feel it—a rhythmic thrumming in the earth beneath their boots.
"She's here," Lúthien-Ael whispered, her stasis-light pulsing in excitement. "The Eighth. Our sister."
Dunk shifted his massive shield, his eyes scanning the horizon. "Then let's find her, My Lords. I think I smell a storm coming, and I'd rather have the family under one roof before it hits."
The Traveling PartyRoleKaelenThe GuideThranduil, Ereinion, FerenThe VanguardLúthien-AelThe TrackerEgg & SmaugThe Heavy ArtilleryAurelionThe Bridge-BuilderDunkThe Shield
The search began. For two years they had traveled the stars; now, they would travel the waves.