Night fell, and the Land of Shadow, already dim beneath its eternal veil, was swallowed by complete darkness.
Only the church atop the mountain continued to shine with a warm, gentle radiance.
The inside of the church had changed considerably.
Using gravity magic, Lucian had pulled enormous slabs of stone from the earth, reshaping them into beds, chairs, and other furnishings.
Combined with the efforts of the physicians, the place had finally begun to resemble a proper treatment center.
Gravity magic was incredibly convenient.
At the moment, Lucian sat wearily upon one of the stone chairs.
Two more days had passed since their return to the Land of Shadow.
After two continuous days of treatment, every one of the Shamans had finally been healed.
The process demanded an immense amount of concentration and magical control. Even Lucian could feel exhaustion creeping into his body.
Glancing to the side, he smiled faintly.
Irina was curled up nearby, sleeping soundly.
The past two days had exhausted her as well.
Although Lucian had performed the actual healing, Irina had remained beside him the entire time, continuously guiding him with the Fairy's power.
She had only recently inherited that power. While her physical abilities and overall strength had improved greatly compared to before, the increase wasn't anything extraordinary.
She was merely stronger than the ordinary village girl she once was, still far from the level of a true hero.
More importantly, her reserve of spiritual energy remained quite limited. That was the greatest bottleneck slowing their work.
Even with frequent breaks, two straight days of such intense concentration had pushed her beyond her limits.
It was precisely because of that that she had collapsed into such deep sleep.
Still, however exhausting the process had been, the result made it all worthwhile.
Thankfully, nothing unexpected had gone wrong.
Every single Shaman had been successfully cured.
Lucian couldn't help but feel grateful that Irina had inherited the Fairy's legacy.
Without that ability, he wasn't sure they could have found a solution at all.
Once the Hornsent flesh had been separated from their bodies, Lucian had used the power of Sunlight Healing to mend all of their physical wounds.
Their bodies had recovered.
Their hearts, however, would need far longer.
The trauma they had suffered wasn't something Lucian knew how to heal.
Psychological treatment simply didn't exist in any meaningful form throughout the Lands Between.
Ironically, there were countless methods designed to break a person's spirit instead.
Fortunately, Lucian had brought a large number of physicians from Stormveil in advance.
Now it was their turn to do what they could.
They would care for the Shamans, tend to their daily needs, and slowly help them recover emotionally.
Even if psychological care in the Lands Between was primitive, trained physicians were still far more capable than ordinary people.
At that moment, Lucian noticed Melina rise to her feet.
Extending a hand from beneath her cloak, she silently beckoned him.
Lucian stood and followed her outside.
The two walked in silence until they reached the edge of the cliff.
From there, they had a clear view of the distant, twisted Scadutree.
Under the cover of night, the great tree had almost completely merged with the darkness, its outline visible only through the faint golden droplets that slowly trickled down its trunk.
Melina gathered her cloak around herself and quietly sat upon a rock at the cliff's edge.
Seeing that she wanted to talk, Lucian casually sat beside her.
Before he even realized it, Melina's hand had already found his, gently wrapping around it.
Holding his hand tightly, she spoke softly.
"During these past days... whenever I had a spare moment, I would come here."
"There is no Erdtree in the Land of Shadow... so all I could do was stare at that Scadutree, lost in thought."
"Sometimes... I begin to wonder whether those memories of mine are even real."
"They feel so distant... so dreamlike."
"My mother was always cold... distant."
"So distant that I never truly understood what it meant to have a mother."
"The only memories that truly belong to me..."
"...are the wonderful days I've spent traveling with you."
"I willingly accepted my mission."
"But whenever I wasn't thinking about that mission..."
"...those thoughts would always return."
She turned toward Lucian, her gaze fixed upon him.
She knew, beyond any doubt, that she had fallen in love with him.
Was she truly meant to burn everything away with her own hands...
To reduce love, sorrow, and every lingering attachment to ashes?
But if her mission was truly the only path that would allow Lucian to become Elden Lord...
Then perhaps there was nothing left to hesitate over.
Painful as it would be...
If it was for Lucian...
Then her determination to fulfill that mission no longer came from her mother's wishes.
It came from her own heart.
She continued quietly,
"After seeing what happened to my people..."
"...whether those memories are real or not no longer matters."
"My mother..."
"...she must have suffered just as I do."
"Of that, I have no doubt."
"I don't know what drove her..."
"But I'm certain it was for the sake of creating a better Lands Between."
"For those we love..."
"...there are always things we must give up."
"I think..."
"...I've finally begun to understand her."
Lucian silently met her gaze.
Her face had long since been engraved into his heart.
Even beneath the darkness of night, he could see her clearly.
Taking a slow breath, Melina leaned closer.
"I'm sorry."
"You've had to shoulder all of this because of me."
"You should have continued your journey toward becoming Elden Lord..."
"...but instead, you've stopped for my sake."
Lucian lowered his head until their foreheads gently touched.
"None of that matters."
"There was never any need to race against time."
"As long as there was still a chance to solve this..."
"...how could I possibly ignore something that concerned you?"
"After all..."
"You're the most important person to me."
Melina gazed at him before breaking into a gentle smile.
"If, someday in the future..."
"...a crisis arises."
"And if something happens because of me..."
"...then promise me you'll continue pursuing the throne of Elden Lord."
"I want to help you."
"I never want to become the weight that holds you back."
Lucian hesitated.
For now, he chose not to tell her that Godfrey would soon return to the Lands Between.
The matter of the Shamans had only just been resolved.
He didn't want her heart burdened by yet another worry so soon.
"I will."
"For everyone in the Lands Between who still lives..."
"And for you."
"I'll become Elden Lord."
"I believe..."
"...that's why I came here."
With the weight that had pressed upon her heart finally lifted, Melina at last felt the invisible shackles around her soul break apart.
Yet the pressure that had accumulated over so many days still needed somewhere to go.
Before the day her mission was fulfilled...
She still had time to create more memories with Lucian.
That alone filled her with quiet happiness.
It was, perhaps, her only selfish wish.
When the time finally came for them to part...
She didn't want Lucian to forget that she had once existed.
Looking deeply into his eyes, Melina unconsciously brushed her fingertips across the calluses on his palm.
The gentle touch naturally reached Lucian.
He swallowed unconsciously.
'What's going on...?'
They were so close that he could feel her warm breath brushing against his face.
The faint fragrance drifting from Melina reached him at just the right moment.
It was like the natural scent of sun-warmed wood resting beneath the winter noon sun.
It wasn't an overwhelming perfume.
It was subtle.
But to Lucian, it was utterly intoxicating.
His heart pounded in his chest like the rapid rhythm of a marching snare drum.
'Seriously... we're only holding hands.'
'It's not like we haven't kissed before.'
'So why is my heart racing this much today?'
Thinking that, Lucian almost instinctively turned over the hand resting on the stone.
Their palms met.
His fingers slipped between hers, their hands naturally intertwining.
His thumb gently rested across the back of her hand.
Neither of them held tightly.
Though their bodies were close enough to touch, there still remained the faintest sense of distance.
The quiet restraint that naturally existed between a man and a woman.
The mountaintop suddenly became incredibly peaceful.
Time itself seemed to slow.
Gravebirds rustled their wings among the cemetery.
A cold wind carrying the scent of decaying bones drifted through the forest, stirring the leaves overhead.
Everything felt... wonderful.
Even here, in the suffocating Land of Shadow.
In a world so broken...
Simply being together with the one you loved was enough.
Lucian couldn't help thinking so.
Melina's own emotions had grown equally complicated.
Warmth slowly climbed from her neck to her cheeks, leaving her face flushed.
'Lucian... is as dependable as ever...'
She remembered the day she had regained her physical body.
The day he had come to the Grand Library to bring her home.
She also remembered the moment at Stormveil...
The one that had been interrupted before anything could happen.
Little by little, her breathing became quicker.
Then, completely unexpectedly...
Lucian tilted his head and gently kissed her soft lips.
Melina closed her eyes.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly.
After a long while, their lips finally parted, both lingering in quiet reluctance.
"Let's go back to Stormveil."
Melina breathed softly as she wrapped her arms around Lucian, resting her head against his shoulder.
Hearing his suggestion, she simply nodded obediently.
"...Mm."
—
When the two returned to the church...
It was already noon the following day.
During that single night, both of them had taken another step forward in their relationship, leaving behind another cherished memory.
The only casualty had been the bed.
Collapsed bed: "I have no complaints."
As Lucian and Melina walked into the church side by side, Irina seemed to sense something.
She lowered her head, quietly pressing her lips together.
The moment they stepped inside, Liliana eagerly flew over to Lucian.
"When are we going to find the Lord of Frenzied Flame?"
"For the past two days I've been constantly sensing and observing him from afar."
"Although he's in a sealed state... it isn't a stable seal."
"No... I'm not even sure whether he's truly sealed."
"The fluctuations make it feel like the seal could break at any moment."
Liliana shivered.
Just imagining it was frightening.
Even the sealing arts inherited from the Fairies couldn't guarantee they could contain such an existence.
Could those crude methods really hold back the Lord of Frenzied Flame?
Lucian nodded.
The Frenzied Flame was something they absolutely couldn't ignore.
This was the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
He had to be dealt with first.
In the Frenzied Flame ending, the player, as the Lord of Frenzied Flame, burned both the Erdtree and the Lands Between.
Even if the one here wasn't nearly as powerful, once released, he could still unleash unimaginable destruction.
After a moment's thought, Lucian took out a map.
"Let's leave now."
"Mark the approximate location."
"We'll fly there."
Unexpectedly, Liliana shook her head.
"There's no need."
"I can teleport us directly."
She stretched out a tiny hand.
An enormous surge of spiritual power burst from her petite body.
Brilliant emerald light enveloped everyone as space rippled like the surface of water.
The next instant—
The entire group vanished from the church.
—
When Lucian regained his senses, he found himself standing in a shallow pool of water.
Heavy stone coffins and weathered gravestones surrounded them on every side.
Dense mist blanketed the sky overhead, radiating an ominous aura.
It seemed to swallow even sound itself.
The valley was eerily silent.
Melina swept her gaze around before quickly noticing traces of the Frenzied Flame.
The nearby cliffside was covered with large patches of molten golden-yellow scorch marks.
Simply looking at that brilliant yellow was enough to evoke an unsettling sense of madness.
Just as Lucian assumed they had arrived...
Liliana frowned.
"Strange..."
"This wasn't where I intended to teleport us."
"The Lord of Frenzied Flame should be much deeper inside."
"Why did we end up here?"
She suddenly began doubting herself.
"Did... did I mess up the teleport?"
Gathering her spiritual power once more, emerald light enveloped the group again.
A second teleportation activated.
Yet when everyone opened their eyes...
They hadn't moved an inch.
Although Lucian didn't fully understand what was happening, he could make a reasonable guess.
Someone had clearly established wards specifically designed to interfere with teleportation.
This was as far as anyone could teleport.
Sure enough, Liliana quickly came to the same conclusion.
"Our teleportation was intercepted..."
"We can only reach this point."
"We can't teleport any deeper."
"Fortunately, we're already quite close to the Lord of Frenzied Flame."
"There's still some distance left, but not much."
Irina looked uneasy.
This was the first time Fairy magic had ever failed her.
Liliana asked Lucian for the map and pointed to a location.
"We should currently be at the entrance to the valley."
"And all of those Frenzied Flame creatures are scattered along this path."
"They're guarding the Lord of Frenzied Flame."
Lucian nodded thoughtfully.
"They're probably the ones intercepting teleportation."
"They don't want anyone reaching him."
Liliana frowned.
"Is that really it?"
"I don't remember that ever happening before..."
"...Well."
"I suppose that's probably the reason."
"Anyway, let's move."
Just then—
Several spiraling rings of gray-white light suddenly emerged beneath everyone's feet.
After only a brief moment of charging—
They exploded upward.
Lucian effortlessly grabbed Irina and pulled her clear of the attack.
Melina and Liliana also evaded the assault with ease.
Watching the spiraling energy dissipate into the air, Lucian immediately recognized it.
It was one of the incantations used by the Hornsent of Belurat, Tower Settlement.
Whoever had launched the attack was undoubtedly Hornsent.
A low, shadowy voice slowly drifted through the fog.
Its source was impossible to pinpoint.
"I don't recall..."
"...giving you permission to leave."
Lucian curled his lip in disdain.
"Hmph."
"Putting on quite the act, aren't you?"
Whoever you are...
You've got some nerve trying to show off in front of me.
Keep acting mysterious.
In a moment, I'll send you flying.
—
[T/N: Finally, Seggs!?]