After hearing Flora's judgment, Nidhogg sighed inwardly. These mages, who had lived for an unknown span of years, were truly insightful and knowledgeable.
Elden Ring, overall, could lead to three main endings.
First, the "Age of Stars"—breaking the Golden Order, removing the shackles of the Two Fingers, allowing the moon's order to shroud the world, and joining with Ranni to venture into the starry cosmos.
Second, the "Lord of Frenzied Flame"—acquiring the frenzied flame of the Three Fingers, burning everything in the world, with Melina then pursuing—and the entire world ultimately being consumed.
Third, the "Elden Lord"—restoring the Elden Ring, shattered by Marika in four different ways, and ascending to the throne of Elden Lord.
These four methods were:
The first: restore the original Golden Order. On the surface, nothing seems to change, but due to the inherent imperfections of the Golden Order itself, the world will irreversibly decline.
The second: use the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince to restore the Golden Order, allowing the Rune of Death, once excised, to return to the Golden Order. Thus, the dead and those who live in death gain power, and life no longer simply returns to the Erdtree.
The third: use the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse to restore the Golden Order, filling the world with curses and defilement, plunging it into darkness and despair.
The fourth: restore the Golden Order with the Mending Rune of Perfect Order, discovered by Goldmask. There would no longer be a need for a god of joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure. Everything would be controlled by a law of absolute reason.
Different endings, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. From different perspectives and positions, choices would be made. There was absolutely no "perfect" ending in the true sense.
Just by observing and listening, Flora had seen the flaws of the Golden Order and its possible consequences. Her judgment was astonishing.
Nidhogg admitted that the Golden Order came from outside the kingdom and mentioned nothing more.
Flora also tacitly didn't ask. She was silently thoughtful for a while, then said, "In a world dominated by the law of causality, the introduction of a new law could cause unimaginable ripples."
"Since it has come, it's not something we can manipulate. It all depends on whether it can bring a new possibility to the world."
"Alright, we've talked enough about this—quite detailed. Let's not mention it for now. You've shown us enough trust and goodwill. I already believe you will become our friend."
"Let's talk about something more relaxed. Look at my apprentice—she's currently frowning, pondering the true meaning of our words. Let her relax a bit too."
Schierke truly couldn't fully comprehend the conversation between them. Her magical knowledge was still too superficial to grasp the meaning.
But that didn't mean she didn't want to continue listening. Too bad her teacher used her as an excuse. She didn't want to disobey her teacher's order, so she had to give up.
Nidhogg also didn't want to continue discussing heavy, serious topics like the Golden Order and the law of causality. So he thought for a moment and said, "Perfect timing. Someone asked me to deliver a message to you."
"Hmm?" Flora turned her head curiously. She had lived in seclusion for decades. Apart from the skeleton knight, Schierke, and Ivalera, there should be no one in this world who knew her. "Who is it? What message?"
Then Nidhogg told the story of Morgan.
"Oh..." Flora pondered, a sudden look of recognition in her eyes. "It's him. That young man from fifty years ago. I saw him wandering in the forest, talking about me, the witch. He... softened my heart for a time."
"I didn't expect that after all these years, he would still take this matter to heart. What does he want to say to me?"
Nidhogg delivered the message: "He said: 'Thank you, Lady Witch. I will never forget your help. And I will never forget that you made me understand responsibility and the meaning of life.'"
Flora listened and silently gazed out the window. Her look seemed to travel through time and space, back more than fifty years.
Right here in this Spirit Tree Pavilion, she was already the person she was now, unchanged. More than fifty years had passed, but the young man had grown old, just like her. She was about to reach the end of her life. It was deeply moving.
"The divine may provide fate, but the choice is ultimately made by the individual. He owes me nothing. Reaching where he is today is his own decision. Responsibility and the meaning of life are also defined by himself."
"Hmm... Nidhogg, forgive me. At this age, it's inevitable to feel tired and weary easily. Perhaps we should end our conversation for today."
"My friend wrote to me in advance, detailing his encounter with you. He also informed me that he would likely come to the Spirit Tree Pavilion tonight. You'll have things to discuss then."
"Schierke, I must trouble you once more. Please entertain our friend with all your heart."
The little witch Schierke quickly agreed, stood up, and left the round table.
Seeing that Flora was indeed tired and not wanting to disturb her rest, Nidhogg also stood up, took his leave, and followed Schierke out of Flora's study.
Schierke prepared a room in the Spirit Tree Pavilion for Nidhogg.
At her current stage, she knew little magic. So whether it was cleaning, preparing lunch or dinner, she still had to rely more on her hands.
The little goblin Ivalera was someone she had met by chance in the early days of learning magic. She had gradually befriended the elf when she needed to communicate with spirits.
Nidhogg had nothing to do, so naturally he wanted to help.
Thanking him politely, Schierke suppressed her curiosity about the Golden Order and the Law of Causality, about which her teacher had been very secretive, and instead asked about something else.
"Excuse me, who is my teacher's friend? Who is coming to the Spirit Tree Pavilion tonight?"
Schierke had never actually seen her teacher's mysterious friend's true form.
"A knight. A skeleton knight." Nidhogg understood what he could and couldn't say. "He asked me to meet him here."
Schierke nodded in confusion.
Ivalera, hovering nearby, flew to her ear and whispered something. Schierke's face suddenly paled, showing an expression of fear.
Ivalera flew up into the air, grinning, looking pleased with her joke.
Nidhogg guessed that Ivalera had deliberately said something to scare Schierke. The key words were probably "skeleton," "ghost," and the like—things a little girl would fear.
If this were the Schierke of later years, accustomed to seeing spectral forms, she definitely wouldn't be afraid of this level of fright.
For lunch, Nidhogg ate with Schierke and Ivalera. Flora's portion was sent to her room.
However, Flora, having rested, appeared at dinner and sat down to eat with everyone.
Flora treated people with gentleness and dignity. Coupled with her knowledge, she could converse on almost any topic. She also spoke with Nidhogg about the changes happening in the world today. The atmosphere was harmonious.
At the end of the meal, as if by prearranged signal, Flora slowly looked up and smiled. "Ah, he's back earlier than I expected. I suppose it's been a long time since I last saw him."
The door swung open with a thud. The cool night breeze rushed into the room, billowing Nidhogg's Confessor hood and the magic robes of Flora and her apprentice. It even made little Ivalera stumble, nearly falling.
On the open ground not far from the house, a skeleton in armor sat astride a dark horse, bathed in moonlight. His ghostly fire eyes gazed in this direction.