章 1: The End
Ashborn had seen enough.
Melina's sacrifice for the death of the Erdtree, Kale's turn to madness due to Shabriri, Brother Corhyn's disbelief in Goldmask's defiance against the Golden Order, Sellen's transformation into a mindless monster, even Hewg's loss of his personality or Fia's death at the hands of D. It was all too much to handle, but he pushed forward.
He had to, there was no other choice.
And now he was here, in the Erdtree. He was covered in inky, oily blood. It was the blood of the Elden Beast, the living embodiment of Order and the true form of the Elden Ring.
He killed it. The embodiment of Order fell by his blade, after days upon days of dying and returning. And that was only after he'd faced Radagon, the second Elden Lord. And that was only after he faced Godfrey, the first Elden Lord.
He'd been through quite a lot, but now his journey was finally done. He could finally make a choice.
He felt the presence of many things bubble within him. Even if he somehow managed to ignore his seething anger, there were other feelings. The Mending Runes that filled him were of the [Death-Prince], the [Perfect Order], and of the [Fell Curse].
He did horrible things. He tortured the Dungeater, just for the Mending Rune of the [Fell Curse]. And now he was here.
He could also tell he could push the [Age of Fracture] forward, if he used none of the Mending Runes at all.
If he used the Mending Runes, he'd become Marika's third consort, and he'd be the third Elden Lord. It was what Tarnished were made for, and he could finally get it.
And he could also stop this cycle.
The [Age of Stars] would begin if he joined Ranni. She would end the Elden Ring's grasp and bring the gods to the stars, far away from the Lands Between. And for a thousand years, the Lands Between could grow without gods to lead them. Maybe it would make things better, maybe it'd make things worse.
There was another way to stop the cycle, by burning everything down and returning everything to One. He could become the [Lord of the Frenzied Flame], being at the center of everything, as it all disappeared.
And yet, Ashborn didn't do anything.
His sword clattered against the ground as he bent down and picked up Queen Marika's head. Her eyes were closed, and she was simply not cognizant. However, that didn't stop Ashborn.
"Why Marika?! Why?! Why?!" He roared.
The information he'd learned was seared into his brain. Miquella and Malenia would be forever cursed, and he took the latter's life with his own hands. Was it a mercy? He didn't know.
"What's the point?! We fight and we die, and we fight more just to die more!" He was beyond livid, and he continued screaming, with no one around to hear or console him. "But I can't end it all, I'm not allowed to! Melina perished for this! Your daughter was sacrificed for this reviled world!"
Ashborn let out an enraged, emotion-filled scream. It was all he could do. There was no one else to speak to. The only people left were Roderika, Boc, Hyetta, and Kale.
Roderika was beyond devastated by Hewg's loss of himself, so much so that she could only help Ashborn's spirit ashes and weep. She was broken.
Boc was eternally stuck by Rennala's side, having chosen to be reborn into a human at the cost of his personality. Truly, he was no longer Boc.
Hyetta was waiting to become a Maiden of the Three Fingers, who wanted to destroy everything, but Ashborn couldn't allow it. As such, she was stuck in an impossible state, unable to fulfill her wish unless Ashborn destroyed everything, including her.
And Kale was sitting far underneath the capital, his hope shattered by the realization that his merchant ancestors were slaughtered for the spewing of Shabriri. He had nothing else to wish for, except… the end of everything, like Hyetta.
Broken, and wishing for the end. That was all that was left.
"ARGH! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING!" He screamed. It was all unintelligible to the world around him, but he knew exactly what he meant. This wasn't meant for anyone else, maybe not even for Queen Marika, who he was screaming at.
Ashborn screamed for what felt like an eternity, until he was all screamed out. He fell to his knees, still clutching Queen Marika's fallen head in his arms. With no one else around, he didn't even attempt to hide from himself.
Tears welled up in his eyes, and he sobbed.
"What the hell is the point? I… I… I just don't know what to do. What do I do, Melina…?" He asked, his voice cracking. "There's so much wrong, but even if I fix it, it won't matter if the world doesn't have you in it."
However, there was no response. Melina was gone.
This was love. A difficult, hard-to-swallow, love. And he'd only accepted it after his maiden and closest confidant sacrificed herself. Now, he only had regret and a desire to move forward.
"What… else is there?" He asked, and for a desperate moment, he just wanted to hear Melina's voice again. He closed his eyes and pulled Marika's head to his chest. "What do I do?"
For a long time, he sat there and asked that question again and again, seeming entirely defeated. However, as Marika's head remained in his hands, he heard a familiar voice.
"Ashborn? How…." A voice, whimsical and distant whispered. Ashborn's head snapped up, and his teary eyes widened.
Standing before him, covered in a transparent shroud of darkness, was a beautiful redheaded woman. One of her eyes was shut, but the other looked at Ashborn with surprise and a deep-seated sadness.
"Melina!" He yelled, unable to hold himself back. He dropped Marika's head and leapt at her, but instead of being able to embrace the woman, he simply moved through her, falling on the other side of her. "What the…?"
Melina looked down at her body pulling up her hands before turning to Ashborn, a sad smile on her face. She was a quick-witted woman, and she could piece together the pieces without much information.
"I see, my sacrifice was real. And somehow, I remain. Is this due to the meddling of an Outer God?" Melina asked, but Ashborn was too busy staring at her to respond. She looked around, as if searching for someone, but when she found no such presence, she gave her attention back to Ashborn. "Why?"
Tear continued to fall from his eyes, but he took off his gauntlets and wiped the tears away, attempting to recollect himself. After a moment, the knight finally replied.
"I… I have missed you," he responded. "I don't know why you remain here, but I've done it, Melina!"
He rose from his spot and gestured all around them, to the empty, desolate insides of the Erdtree. He tried to put on a jovial smile, like he kept with her before her passing. It wasn't perfect, but he tried to not let her see all the nitty-gritty details of his face.
"I've defeated Radagon and the Elden Beast, and now, now I can become Elden Lord! I just…." He turned his back to Melina, trying to hide his newly forming tears. His shoulders quivered.
"Oh, my friend…." Melina said, her tone not chiding as much as accepting. "I have missed you immensely, but you must move on. I… am only just a maiden, your maiden."
Ashborn turned back at Melina's words, tears streaming down his face. His face was curled into an expression of rage. "No, you're not! Don't tell me that! It's not hard to read between the lines!"
Melina's eye widened, and Ashborn suddenly took a step back, looking to the ground.
He apologized, "I'm sorry. I just… want the truth from you. I thought we'd at least have that."
Melina stared at Ashborn and extended her hand. It could never reach him, but that didn't stop her from trying. He looked up, sensing her hand, and went to take it, only to move through it. He groped at the air, but there was no physical connection. Despite it, Melina held her hand there, as if to remind him she existed all the same.
Melina turned to the broken body of Queen Marika, staring at her fallen head especially. Her individual eye was distant, and when she turned back to Ashborn, she looked like she'd decided something.
"My mother was Queen Marika. My father was Radagon, of the Golden Order. I, like my siblings, Miquella and Malenia, have been cursed since my birth. I… was to walk alongside flame, and eventually meet the road of Destined Death. My physical body was burned to death, and now I live as a spirit. Or, I used to," Melina explained.
And then, it was quiet.
"I see," Ashborn laughed pitifully. "I pieced it all together after I lost you, but I thought I'd be wrong. Damn it. And now it's too late."
Ashborn laughed to himself, but his laugh held no mirth, just pitiable regret. Melina said, "Is it?"
The knight stared emptily at Melina, and she gestured to her body. "Something is holding me here, all because of you. That hardly seems like the end."
Ashborn blinked, and it seemed like his brain started working again. After a few moments of looking over her, he was suddenly reminded of Maliketh, Queen Marika's Shadow. "Destined Death…?"
Melina nodded hesitantly, "Possibly. The Golden Order was formed due to Destined Death being sealed. Have you… done something to free Destined Death?"
Ashborn looked down, "I killed Maliketh, freeing Destined Death. It was the only way for the Erdtree to properly burn."
Melina slowly nodded, "Maybe you've freed something beyond our understanding."
The Tarnished swallowed. "Like… the Greater Will?"
As Ashborn uttered his words, Melina suddenly straightened out, her eye blanking before she returned to normal. The change only occurred in an instant, but it was more than enough for Ashborn to notice something.
He leapt up, ready to help her in any way possible. "Melina, what's wrong?!"
Melina blinked for a moment, and in something Ashborn had never seen before, she slowly opened both of her eyes. One of her eyes was grey, while the other was a strong purple. Trails of power and energy rose from her gaze. She spoke slowly, "I… have a message to relay. A message… from the Darkness."
"Th… The Darkness?"
Melina nodded and closed her eyes. When she spoke, she sounded distant. "I will share the message. It said, 'A world without death lacks meaning in life, and even now, my Darkness still remains. An attempt to retry will be authorized, but only one may exist. Live proudly.'"
Melina slowly reopened her eyes, and the two stared for a moment. They almost didn't have anything to say, and before they could question the message, the darkness around Melina seemed to thicken before expanding and completely enveloping her.
Soon after, it enveloped Ashborn, Marika's head and body, and expanded out over the Lands Between. Soon enough, the entire world was covered in darkness.
Even in the infinite darkness, Ashborn heard a voice.
[Welcome to your new job as the Shadow Sovereign! Enjoy your second attempt at this life!]
-----
Elsewhere, a group of amorphous beings sat around a completely dark table. They were in a beautiful house, all sitting around a table. Several of the beings began to
The head of the table was a being of pure light. This was the Greater Will, the most well-known Outer God in the Lands Between. The Greater Will was the being who sent the Elden Beast to the Lands Between, and it was seemingly a benevolent god. It was the Outer God of the Two Fingers.
Now, however, there was an ominous aura to the being.
"Darkness, you have acted upon the physical realm. Do you understand what you've done?" The Greater Will asked, sighing. Before he could continue, a yellow flame spoke up, giggling maniacally.
"Of please, Lesser Half, he understands quite well! Now our Vassals will be free to roam, and we will be able to descend!" The Frenzied Flame, Outer God of the Three Fingers, cackled. It wasn't willing to keep itself calm, and its form writhed and shook because of it. "Oh, Shabriri, Hyetta, and Vyke! I can only wonder who I'll choose! Either way, everything will return to One, all because of your mistakes, Lesser Half!"
There was a clear history between the Greater Will and Frenzied Flame, but the former was unwilling to respond to his other's taunts. The Greater Will focused on the Darkness, but he didn't speak, another of the beings speaking up first.
A feminine figure composed of flowing blood sighed.
This was the Formless Mother, a being who all blood-based spells pulled from. Her form changed to a curvaceous one before slimming down and laying her head on the table dreamily. "Oh, Darkness, thank you. I've missed the pleasures of flesh heartily. Mohg and I will happily spare that boy. Our dynasty will finally grow, although I may have to bless Miquella to soothe Mohg's heart."
A feminine space of simple decay, slowly creaked.
This was the Scarlet Rot, a being who represented the decay and eventual rebirth of everything. She was held down by a blue sword pierced through her chest. She couldn't move much, but what she did move, the nearby space would groan, squeak, and complain.
Her creaky voice laughed, "Oh my, can I finally repay that blue swordsman what they deserve? Heh…. And my beloved Melania, I can finally show her the truth of this rot. My beloved Melania…."
A being made of different colored flames, from white to blue to red, huffed. It had a flowing mane of fire, replicating hair. This was the Fell God, the Outer God of Fire and the God of the Giants. "Rot."
With just a word, Rot was silenced, sinking in her spot.
Another feminine figure tapped her fingers against the table. Of all the Outer Gods, she looked most physical, like the moon, split half in light and half in darkness. This was the Full Moon or the Dark Moon, a being who never considered herself godly, but was an Outer God, nonetheless.
She clicked her tongue, despite not having one. "Well, I suppose we're making our final decisions now, aren't we, Darkness?"
The Darkness nodded once, small parts seeming to flicker away as time passed. He was becoming smaller by the second. He said, "Yes. Just as I have known given Ashborn my everything, you should all make your decisions as well. This will be the end of our battles."
The Moon sighed dreamily. "And I suppose we're all fairly forthcoming with this, hm?"
The Darkness shrugged, "I see no point in hiding it. Our Vassals will encounter one another, it will be a guarantee."
The Greater Will sighed, nodding defeatedly. "Fine. I will be choosing Queen Marika and Radagon, as they are a single being."
"'As they are a single being,'" The Frenzied Flame mocked, cackling. "I'll choose… I dunno! I'll figure it out as I go!"
Rot gasped, "Melania, of course. She's undefeated for good reason!"
The Formless Mother laughed, "Mohg or Miquella, they are demigods."
The Fell God hummed lowly, "I believe… I have my choice. They have been followed by flames for a while, it's only fitting they learn to control them."
And, lastly, the Moon nodded. "The Lunar Princess seems to be my final bet. The Queen of Carian Royalty seems too heartbroken to do anything else, no thanks to you, Greater Will."
The Greater Will shrugged, and everyone turned their attention back to the Darkness, who was less than half his original size.
The Darkness chuckled, a sound that was clearly unfamiliar to the other Outer Gods. He exhaled slowly, "Then let's see the end of this long tale. Let the games begin."
クリエイターの想い 
PyroSaiyan
PyroSaiyan A large part of this story is just for some simplistic fun, so don't read too much into it. Of course, Webnovel seems kinda full of rude readers, so maybe I shouldn't hope for too much.
Either way, for those who can just have a fun time with a simplistic story, enjoy.
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