Story Arc 2: Prophetic Quake

A/N: Now that the introduction arc is done, we move on to the next one. This arc will have fewer chapters but it will be crucial to the plotline. You will see why soon enough. I hope you enjoy it.

Unbeknown to Jon Snow and Sansa Stark, the moment they fully consolidated their incestually divine partnership at the top of the Wall, the forces of magic flared up across the world, reacting to the unexpected new player on the supernatural board. The ripples expanded from the giant Wall in the blink of an eye, causing sacred sites and buildings permeated by old spells to rejuvenate their incantations without their original casters, like those from the Castle of Storm's End and the unspeakably ancient Seastone Chair of the Iron Islands.

But the invisible wave didn't stop there. It echoed across the Narrow Sea and arrived at the continent of Essos with unfathomable speed; its tendrils reaching the shadowy stronghold of the Faceless Men at the House of Black and White. From there it left no stone left unturned until it passed the grand Temple of the Lord of Light in Volantis. By the time it approached the House of the Undying in Qarth on its way to the Shadowlands of Asshai in the far east, not even the Ruins of Valyria had escaped the metaphysical blast; the sturdiest remnants of the highly advanced magical civilization stirring among the mist.

While most people in the known world failed to notice the significance of the event in the slightest, all remaining sorcerers and people with an innate connection to the arcane felt the shift in their bones regardless of their amount of supernatural strength; with the mightiest and wisest among them realizing that not even the return of the dragons by Daenerys Targaryen fanned the flames of magic as much as this. But even then, only a handful glimpsed the shocking truth...the future was about to change forever.

Prophecies be damned.

House of Black and White: Free City of Braavos

The servant of the Many-Faced God watched as the girl once known as Arya Stark closed the outer gate of the temple. If someone would have looked at his current face, the one he took from Jaqen H'ghar, they probably would have described it as stoic. He made it clear to his protege that while she earned her second chance as an initiate, there would not be a third.

Now, he awaited her scouting report from the theatre, wondering if the girl will truly feel like no one when she sees the actors mock the tragedies that fell upon her old House. He prayed to the God of **** that she would. For all her flaws, the girl has much potential. Alas, it was not up to him.

He turned around, heading down the corridor of the Hall of Faces to continue with his other duties.

It was quieter than usual in the Temple of ****. The order of assassins has been getting busier and busier lately, with countless costumers seeking their services in these chaotic times. That left him as the only senior Faceless Man on the House of Black and White and its lone guardian. Not that anyone that hadn't already grown weary of life would ever dare attack this sacred site. The reputation of his order precedes them after all these centuries.

Which is why he was very surprised when he felt attacked.

The Faceless Man gasped as he stumbled, feeling as if something had knocked the wind out of his lungs, despite the fact he felt no blow. Dizzy, he struck the air before him, wondering if an enemy sorcerer had managed to infiltrate the temple. But he touched nothing.

Then he scanned his surroundings with the enhanced senses his training honed and found no trace of anyone in the hall, not even the faintest tip-toed step. The shapeshifting assassin frowned with his current face, confused.

"Has the servant been poisoned?" He wondered in silence.

He closed his eyes and searched his feelings but concluded that if he had been poisoned then it was by a substance foreign to him, which was quite unlikely given his specialty.

Then he watched from the distance as water from the holy pools rose to the ceiling like a pillar and the Faceless Man felt something he hadn't truly allowed himself to experience in years.

Pure, unbridled shock.

His borrowed eyes widened, he raced to the main room just in time for the water to return to the pool. Swallowing, he approached more slowly, reverence in his stride. He had heard of this omen before, from his mentor's mentor. Very rarely, the Many-Faced God chose to send partial visions of the future to His servants in order to guide them towards a target of great importance.

Still, as far as he knew, the last time He contacted the order directly was about three centuries ago, when the interpreters declared they were to back the Great House Martell of Westeros from the shadows until Aegon the Conqueror ceased his campaign of fire and blood. Which they did, after ensuring the gift was delivered to one of the last dragons and her royal rider.

"And now I am the only one here to witness Your will," He realized as the blacked pools started to look like the reflection of a mirror. "You do me a great honor, my **** God. I vow not to let you down."

As if on cue, the vision cleared and he paid his utmost attention to the sequence of images. He saw an enormous fortification that could only be the Wall at the north of Westeros. Then he saw a young man that was wearing the cloaks of the Night Watch being stabbed to **** by his former comrades.

That didn't move the assassin, since he dealt with **** all the time. But when the image changed and he noticed his dead eyes open again with the spark of life restored despite the wounds in his heart, true outraged filled H'ghar's features for the first time. How DARE him subvert the authority of the Many-Faced God! Could that be the request of his deity? To hunt down this defiler and return him to the grave?

Before he could contemplate that further, the images at the pool shifted and he saw a sight that made his jaw drop. A vast army of walking corpses, lead by a fiendish blue figure, their surroundings covered by a snowstorm.

It didn't take him long to remember the tales of the Age of Heroes and of what had to be the greatest heresy in history that the Many-Faced God had to endure.

"The White Walkers of old are returning," He said, the echoes of his voice sounding cold and lethal. "Abominations, all of them!"

Before he could truly remember what raw, untamed fury felt like, the image shifted again. And what he saw...surprised him.

The guardian of the temple blinked.

"That is definitely not one of the three dragons that were hatched by Daenerys Targaryen," He muttered. "I have read the reports from our spies. The color and proportions are all wrong. By the dark abyss, where did that creature come from?" He wondered aloud.

As if replying, the ripples expanded and the pools showed him the frozen wastes beyond the Wall and he was reminded of the resurrected warrior that was not a mindless corpse. Before he could follow that line of thought, however, the surface gave way to another sequence and while he would deny it later, the Faceless man felt a momentary shiver of fear right then and there.

That dragon was flying over Braavos, its shadow falling over their great city like an omen of annihilation.

And the light of the pools began to fade.

The senior assassin stared at the blackened surface for a long, long moment as he tried to process every detail. In the end, however, he realized that urgent as this was, he was going to have to share the visions with his fellows before acting on them.

Of one thing he was certain, though. That young heretic from the beginning that cheated the Many-Faced God out of his kill was vital to the flow of these visions. And if he dared crossed his path, he will make certain that next time he stays dead.

The assassin hardened Jaqen H'ghar's face and moved to the restricted area. It was time to rally the combined might of the Faceless Men. The abominations will be stopped.

A/N: As you can see, this chapter had a lot of foreshadowing, as well as reactions from the forces of magic to the new god in their midst and its potential to meddle with existing prophecies. More will be revealed in the next chapter and the first one to guess the name of the dragon I used in the image on the comments below gets to ask me one direct question about the future of the plotline if they want. Until next time!