"A Shield in the Storm: The Captain’s Oath"

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The Realm Beyond Time

Steve Rogers stood in nothingness.

Not darkness. Not light. Simply existence.

A soldier. A leader. A man out of time—yet for the first time in a long while, he didn't feel lost.

He had walked the path of warriors, sages, and beasts. He had endured fire, steel, and blood. He had become something more.

Yet, he was still Steve Rogers. And Steve Rogers always had a mission.

A presence stirred before him—not a figure, not a voice, but a force beyond comprehension. The space around him breathed, shifting with impossible awareness.

The One Above All.

> "You have walked the path of warriors and sages, of beasts and ghosts," the voice echoed in his mind, vast yet warm. "You have become more than a soldier, more than a hero. You have become… whole."

Steve exhaled, his stance steady. "So this is it? My mission begins?"

> "Yes. But before you go, you must understand—Westeros is not a battlefield of nations. It is a battlefield of souls."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "I've seen the visions. War. Betrayal. Suffering."

> "And yet, the true battle is not against swords or dragons," the voice said. "It is against the darkness that lurks in the hearts of men. The very thing that will seek you out the moment you step into that world."

Steve set his jaw. "Then I'll face it. I won't let another world fall to tyranny. I may be mortal, but I can still do my duty."

A ripple in reality. A shift in time.

The voice was closer now, though it had no true form.

> "This world will seek to break you, Steve Rogers. To turn your ideals into chains, your kindness into weakness."

Steve's lips twitched upward. "Let it try. After all, I can do this all day."

Silence.

Then—a chuckle.

Not mocking. Not condescending. Pleased.

> "Then go, Steve Rogers. Not as a king, not as a conqueror, but as a man. Go, and let your story shape the world."

A doorway of light opened before him, leading into a world of ice and fire.

He took one last look at the void behind him.

Then—he stepped forward.

And the world of Westeros changed forever.

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