King's Landing – Silk Street
Pierce stared at the twisted glass candle, eyes calm as deep water. He motioned Shae closer and told her to focus, locking her gaze on the eerie, swirling glow at its core.
"Clear your mind. Picture your consciousness as a thin trail of smoke, slipping out of your body and diving straight into that flame."
His voice was low and hypnotic, pulling her in like a spell.
Shae followed his instructions. At first, even with her heart pounding from nerves and curiosity, she only saw shifting lights and the candle twisting and spinning. Then a strange pulling sensation hit her—like her soul was being dragged through a cold, sticky curtain.
The world spun violently.
When her "sight" settled again, she was somewhere completely alien.
No walls. No ceiling. Just an endless void swirling with dark purple and deep blue halos—like floating in the heart of a star ocean or sinking to the bottom of a bottomless trench.
The floor beneath her was mirror-smooth black stone, reflecting the strange light waves above.
And right in the center of that void rose a colossal, heart-stopping castle built from raw, jagged black stone—ancient, savage, with sharp angles and inhuman geometry that felt almost blasphemous.
One glance told Shae this wasn't from Westeros or Essos. She'd seen the weird wonders of the Lorath Labyrinth, but that ancient maze looked like a child's toy next to this.
The castle had no windows. The only entrance was a massive archway shaped like the open throat of some giant beast, its insides pitch-black and endless.
"Ah! I… I don't have a body?"
Only after staring in awe did Shae realize she had no physical form at all.
Then it hit her—she was somehow riding inside Pierce. She could feel everything around her perfectly, but she couldn't see herself.
And Pierce's own shape had changed into something completely inhuman.
His body now glowed with a deep, mysterious lapis lazuli hue. The outline was vaguely human, but the surface was mirror-smooth, reflecting the flowing lights. Where his face should be there were no features—just a serene, faintly glowing deep blue.
He looked like a living statue carved from the finest lapis lazuli, an ancient god brought to life. Shae felt like she was staring straight at some forgotten deity.
"Stay close. Stay quiet. Watch everything. Listen to everything."
Pierce's words echoed directly inside her mind. Only then did Shae understand—she had followed him into the secret Tide Council of the Rising Tide Organization, one of the very few allowed to witness this miracle.
Inside the castle was a huge circular hall with a soaring dome that disappeared into darkness.
At the center sat an enormous table carved from a single slab of polished obsidian, ringed by twelve matching high-backed thrones.
Seven of those thrones were already occupied—not by people, but by bizarre, non-human "beings" that all shared the same twisted beauty.
They looked like Pierce: monstrous fusions of massive gemstones and humanoid shapes.
On the central throne sat the tallest, most commanding figure—burning from within with fierce crimson fire, every angle sharp red-ruby crystal. Eyes made of deeper red light swept the room with absolute authority.
This was the Ruby Lord—the public face Pierce had deliberately put forward as a decoy. Most people believed she ran the Rising Tide. Only a handful knew the truth: Pierce was the real puppet master behind everything.
To her right sat the Sapphire Lord, body a deep oceanic blue that seemed to contain the entire sea and sky, her form softer and rippling with light.
On the other side was the Emerald Lord, vibrant green and overflowing with life, her silhouette like vines wrapped around an ancient tree.
Next came the Pearl Lord, radiating a soft milky-white glow, elegant and calm like a still ocean—yet hiding the sea's hidden fury underneath.
Then the Amber Lord, who seemed to hold ancient time itself inside rich golden-brown stone, warm on the outside but filled with countless trapped remains.
The Coral Lord looked like a branching deep-sea treasure, bursting with colorful beauty that made you think of the ocean's most dazzling wonders.
Last was the Amethyst Lord, sitting in quiet dignity wrapped in noble purple light, silent while the others stirred.
Together with Pierce as the Lapis Lazuli Lord, the eight Gem Lords gathered around the obsidian table, creating a bizarre yet strangely harmonious scene.
Shae felt their "gazes"—if that's what they were—briefly rest on her unstable presence. She sensed scrutiny and curiosity, but they quickly moved on. Pierce had clearly vouched for her.
Pierce walked straight to his throne and sat with calm authority. Shae stayed hidden inside his form, shrinking her presence while greedily drinking in every impossible detail.
"Time's up."
The Ruby Lord on the central throne sent out a psychic pulse. Her "voice" formed directly in Shae's mind—processed, genderless, ageless.
"Tides rise and fall… gold endures!"
The other Lords, including Pierce, answered in perfect unison:
"Equivalent exchange… tides eternal!"
The solemn, eerie chant rang through the mental plane, officially opening the Rising Tide Organization's monthly council meeting.
Shae burned the words into her memory.
"Routine reports—starting with me."
The Ruby Lord began. "The Golden Tassel chain stores in King's Landing have opened new branches in the Vale, the Riverlands, and the Westerlands. This year's profits are up thirty percent from last."
Her tone was proud, almost smug.
"As usual, the organization's shared cut—five thousand gold dragons—has been deposited at the Oldtown Iron Bank branch. Lapis Lazuli, your share stays the same."
"Oldtown Iron Bank branch confirms receipt of seven deposits from Golden Tassel and other divisions—totaling twenty-three thousand gold dragons," the Sapphire Lord continued, her voice smooth and precise like flowing water. "The foundation performed well this period, especially our forward investments in the Summer Isles conflicts—excellent returns. All profits have been converted to gold and deposited in your designated accounts."
"Riverlands Grain Bank is operating smoothly!" the Emerald Lord added, her psychic tone earthy and full of life. "Thanks to the cellar ventilation and desiccant methods plus the smoking preservation techniques provided by Lapis Lazuli, this autumn's grain losses are under half a percent. We've finished collecting the new tall-stalk rice and multi-ear wheat seeds. They ship tomorrow with the Tide Caravan to King's Landing. Lapis Lazuli, this production boost is your gift—we remember it well."
She gave a slight nod toward Pierce.
Pierce replied calmly:
"Seeds are hope. Safe delivery to me is the best return. Under equivalent exchange, I benefit too."
The Pearl Lord spoke next, warm and approachable: "Lorath's pearl and spice trade grew steadily this quarter. The route to Slaver's Bay had minor disruption from Dothraki raids, but profits remain strong. Fifty percent of Eastern Continent earnings deposited at Braavos Iron Bank headquarters."
The Amethyst Lord added, her tone ethereal yet sharp: "This year's fur and timber trade in the North far exceeded expectations. Thanks to the milder winter and the large-scale meat-and-fish curing techniques from Lapis Lazuli, their food reserves are plentiful and buying power is way up."
The Coral Lord sent out a slightly sharp pulse, like coral scraping together. "I have to say, Essos Continent earnings beat Westeros again this year. Braavos banking, Pentos trade, Lorath specialties… we're just raking it in easier over here!"
Her tone carried a hint of smug regional pride.
The Ruby Lord immediately flared with displeasure, like a sudden burst of flame:
"Coral, watch your words. Inside the organization there are no east or west. Gold from anywhere flows into our common tide. Internal division is the stupidest thing we can do. Our goal is to let the tide swallow the whole world—not argue over which drop is saltier in a shallow puddle!"
The Coral Lord's light flickered, clearly unhappy, but she stayed quiet.
Pierce spoke up smoothly, steering the conversation back on track. "Amethyst, prioritize the highest-quality Northern furs for King's Landing and Lannisport. Also keep an eye on the wildlings beyond the Wall. Any unusual cold snaps or… rumors of the dead—notify me immediately through the secure channels."
"Understood."
"Is that prophecy real?" the Ruby Lord asked, sounding genuinely puzzled. "World-ending stuff? Isn't that just the usual religious crazy talk?"
"I'm lowering every possible risk for the organization," Pierce replied. "This world is full of mysteries. If we can gain power like this, then the legends about the Children of the Forest and ancient magic might be even more terrifying than the stories say."
…
His words made everyone's mental pulses quicken for a moment, but the meeting quickly moved on to normal business.
They went through specific cooperation projects, intelligence sharing, and risk warnings—short, efficient, and ruthlessly practical. Everything stayed balanced under the core rule of equivalent exchange.
Shae watched in stunned silence. For the first time she truly understood the enormous, invisible power network Pierce controlled. This wasn't just wealth. It was a hidden hand reaching into the economic lifelines and information channels of the entire Seven Kingdoms and Essos.
"Monthly meeting concluded," the Ruby Lord announced at last. "May we all have more to bring next time. Dismissed."
One by one the Gem Lords began to fade and turn transparent, vanishing from their obsidian thrones like dissolving starlight.
The huge hall fell silent again, leaving only Pierce and the wildly shaken Shae inside him.
"Understand it now?" Pierce's psychic voice pulled her back to the moment.
"Master… this… this is the Rising Tide?" Shae's voice trembled inside her own mind, full of awe and hunger.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Pierce answered as his own form began to fade. "The organization runs on strict rules, shared interests, and absolute capability. Loyalty and value are the only tickets in."
"Now pull yourself together. I'm guiding you back… then try to feel your connection to this space and to the candle. Your Shifter talent needs this as the key to awaken."
The next instant a powerful pulling force yanked her again. Shae's consciousness shot back to the surface like someone breaking out of water.
She was still kneeling in the luxurious parlor on Silk Street, staring at the ordinary-looking glass candle and Pierce's deep violet eyes that had returned to normal.
The whole fantastic, oppressive experience felt like it had lasted only seconds.
But Shae knew it was real. The way she looked at Pierce now was almost religious—pure fanatical reverence.
Pierce picked up the glass candle and lightly ran his fingertip across its cold surface.
"Remember that feeling, Shae. That's consciousness stretching out—your soul reaching. Next I'll teach you how to enter on your own, how to shape your own Gem body inside… and how to use this power to seize more for us—and for yourself."
He paused, voice turning firm and decisive.
"But this is only your entry ticket. There's still a lot you need to do. Only when you earn your own permanent seat at that obsidian table will you truly step into the game of thrones."
Pierce gave her the warning shot on purpose, keeping her from getting too carried away.
"Right now you've only seen the door. Work hard. Don't disappoint me… and don't disappoint the organization."
Outside the window the sky was still pitch black, but Shae felt like she was already watching an entirely new, impossibly vast world slowly unfold in Pierce's hands.