Since Scarlet Rot could spread through crimson mist released by fungi, it stood to reason that when Malenia's Scarlet Bloom had once blossomed, it too must have dispersed something into the world.
Arthur's conclusion was simple—
What the bloom released were aspects of Malenia herself.
Perhaps fragments of her qualities.
Perhaps even pieces of her personality.
Arthur had never met Malenia in person, but from scattered clues alone, he could already sketch her true nature.
She was noble, resolute, proud.
Beautiful and powerful.
Born imperfect, yet peerless in her era.
Cursed by rot, yet never bowed to it.
A true Goddess of War.
And yet—
After her defeat—no, after her mutual destruction with Radahn—she was carried back to the Haligtree by her knights, only to fall into endless slumber.
From then on, she never left again.
Never once set out to search for her brother.
Was that believable?
No matter how Arthur looked at it, the answer was no.
Unless—
Unless Malenia had lost parts of herself.
Her virtues.
Her will.
Even fragments of her personality.
Now compare that to Millicent.
Afflicted by Scarlet Rot.
Missing her right arm.
Unyielding in the face of corruption.
Prepared to perish alongside the rot itself if necessary.
That same indomitable resolve—identical to Malenia's.
Arthur simply didn't believe this was coincidence.
Millicent and her four sisters were most likely the qualities and personality fragments Malenia shed when she bloomed.
The fanatics who worshipped Scarlet Rot likely knew this as well.
They disguised themselves as Gowry, adopted the five sisters, and deliberately allowed them to be corroded by Scarlet Rot.
Whether this was a ritual, or a necessary step toward turning Malenia into the Goddess of Rot, Arthur couldn't say.
The zealots refused to tell him the truth.
So Arthur did the reasonable thing—
He wiped out every last rot-worshipping insect in Caelid.
Regardless of the details, one truth remained undeniable:
Malenia had lost most of her finest qualities, and fragments of her very self.
Now, she slept in desolation beneath the Haligtree, guarding the tree her brother had nurtured with his blood.
Waiting.
Waiting for his return.
Yet without the Unalloyed Gold Needle suppressing the rot, Scarlet Corruption seeped endlessly from her body during her slumber.
It gnawed at the Haligtree.
It drew in worshippers of rot.
By now, those zealots had infiltrated Elphael itself.
Arthur arrived at the Haligtree from a high branch.
Whoever designed the teleportation gate clearly hadn't considered what would happen if the branches grew afterward.
What if someone materialized inside the wood?
A truly inspired design.
Descending step by step, signs of Scarlet Rot were everywhere.
Arthur reached Elphael and took a magical lift down to the lowest level.
Beyond the fog gate, the architecture vanished.
What awaited him was a natural cavern.
A skylight split the ceiling above.
Half the sunlight illuminated a small pool of water.
The other half bathed the intertwined roots of the Haligtree.
Those roots formed the silhouette of a sleeping figure, curled in repose.
Arthur knew that shape well.
It was not a girl—
But Miquella, shaped like a girl by the roots themselves.
At the center of the structure—where Miquella's abdomen would be—gaped a hollow cavity.
That had once been Miquella's resting place.
Now it was empty.
Torn open by Mohg.
At the base of the roots sat Malenia, slumbering.
Her remaining hand rested upon the roots, as if only by sensing the lingering presence of Miquella could she sleep in peace.
Arthur's arrival disturbed her.
Malenia rose, retrieved her prosthetic blade and helm, and spoke:
"I dreamed for so long…
My flesh faded like tarnished gold,
My blood drowned in rot,
Countless corpses piled beneath me—
All to await his return…"
Arthur interrupted calmly.
"You've been waiting for nothing."
He raised his hand.
Within it was a pure white crystal, Miquella's soul residing inside.
Arthur released it.
Miquella's spirit emerged.
"Arthur? Why did you call me out—?"
Miquella was still disoriented from slumber.
But Malenia was not.
Her voice trembled.
"Brother…?"
Miquella instinctively replied.
"Hm?"
Malenia stared, disbelief flooding her eyes.
"Brother… is it really you?"
Miquella finally realized where he was.
He turned and smiled gently.
"Yes. I'm back."
Malenia cast aside her helm and rushed forward.
She knelt and embraced him, just like the countless statues scattered across Elphael.
Yet something was wrong.
His warmth was gone.
She froze.
"Brother… why are you a soul? Where is your body?"
Miquella sighed softly.
"That's… a long story."
He briefly recounted his abduction by Mohg and what followed, concluding:
"My body was already exhausted. Mohg's curse destroyed it completely.
Thankfully, I met a kind Tarnished who agreed to bring me home.
That's why I can stand before you again—if only as a soul."
Only then did Malenia truly notice Arthur.
She studied him carefully—
And realized she could not discern the depth of his strength.
Turning to Miquella, she asked:
"Brother… are you certain he's a Tarnished?
He feels… like one of Mother's children."
Arthur carried the power and aura of multiple demigods—each a child of Marika.
It was only natural she sensed familiarity.
Miquella laughed.
"Arthur possesses a unique ability. He can absorb and master certain powers.
Before returning here, he'd already taken the strength of several demigods."
Malenia nodded in understanding.
She felt no resentment.
During the Shattering, they'd nearly slaughtered one another anyway.
As far as Malenia was concerned—
She only had one brother.
Miquella then remembered their agreement.
He turned to Malenia.
"Would you be willing to let Arthur help you remove the Scarlet Rot?
You may… end up like me. A soul."
Malenia considered it.
Then nodded.
Her immediate agreement stunned Miquella.
This wasn't the sister he remembered.
In the past, he'd suggested abandoning her body before.
She had refused.
She had insisted—
As my brother's blade, I need this body.
Now she agreed without hesitation.
Arthur explained his theory about Malenia's missing qualities and fragmented personality.
"That may be why your temperament has changed," he concluded.
Realization dawned on both siblings.
Arthur asked Malenia, "You never noticed something was wrong?"
"I did," she answered quietly.
"But I never understood why."
She had always assumed it was simply the rot.
Miquella frowned.
"Do the missing parts harm her? Should we retrieve them?"
"There is an impact," Arthur said.
"Her personality has already shifted.
But retrieving them isn't necessary."
"They've already become people. I wouldn't even know how to put them back."
Besides—
Of Millicent's sisters, four had already been completely consumed by Scarlet Rot.
Recovering them would only worsen Malenia's condition.
Arthur explained, briefly, what he knew of psychology.
Personality, will, character—
These could be reshaped through experience, environment, and time.
What Malenia had lost could be rebuilt.
Hearing this, Miquella finally relaxed.
At least… there was hope.
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