"A hellscape beyond imagination... the prisons we saw before don't even compare to this."
Mohg stepped up beside Morgott. Witnessing such a scene in a video game was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes was quite another. He could practically feel the aura of despair and the weight of a billion curses radiating from the desiccated husks. The sheer oppression of the place made it difficult to breathe.
This was a curse directed at the Golden Dynasty—and at the world itself.
"What could they have possibly done... to deserve this?"
Morgott's eyes were filled with a profound sense of lostness. Though his love for the Golden Dynasty was absolute, his conviction wavered in the face of such a ghoulish spectacle, especially since he had no idea what crimes these people had committed to warrant such an end.
Mohg remained silent for a moment. Though he knew the truth of this place, he wasn't sure how to break it to his brother. Should he simply tell him that the Golden Dynasty, out of mere suspicion that they worshipped the Three Fingers, had buried an entire ethnic group alive? That it was the collective despair of the Great Caravan, trapped beneath the earth, that eventually summoned the Three Fingers? That it was only after this atrocity that the surviving merchants truly turned to the Flame of Frenzy in their madness?
He didn't know how much of an impact the truth would have on the young Morgott's worldview. Had it been the fully matured, resolute Morgott of the future, Mohg wouldn't have worried; by then, his brother's loyalty to the Golden Order was an unshakeable bedrock.
But now... it was hard to say. Yet, this was also a rare opportunity. If handled correctly, he might be able to nudge Morgott's perspective.
"Let's leave," Mohg said suddenly, clapping a hand on Morgott's shoulder. "If we go any deeper... it will be dangerous."
As Morgott nodded somewhat dazedly, a figure nestled amongst the countless mummies slowly began to stand up.
"Haaa..."
"Hmm?"
Mohg spun around instantly, his senses on high alert as he drew the foil from his waist. Morgott was also jolted from his thoughts, staring warily at the rising figure.
"Are you a survivor of this place? Tell me what happened here!"
Just as Mohg tightened his grip on his blade, ready to strike, Morgott's sudden question caught him off guard.
Swish—Boom!
Morgott pivoted, narrowly dodging a sudden, violent lunge from the figure. When he turned back to look at the man, the doubt in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a cold, mounting fury.
"Frenzied Flame!! Heresy!!!"
The words "Frenzied Flame" fell from Morgott's lips without hesitation, as if the term had been carved into his very soul since birth.
Bang!
With a thunderous crack, the ground beneath Morgott's feet shattered. He blurred into a golden streak, charging straight at the frenzied merchant. A greatsword of golden light began to take shape in his right hand.
"Aaaagh... uuhhh..."
The merchant offered no resistance to Morgott's charge. He simply stood there, clutching his eyes with clawed fingers and muttering a string of incoherent gibberish.
Thrust—
Morgott's golden blade pierced the man's chest without obstacle. At the same time, his large hand clamped down on the merchant's head.
Snap!
Suddenly, the merchant's withered hand gripped Morgott's arm. In a final, fleeting moment of lucidity—a deathbed rally—the merchant seemed to recognize the power Morgott wielded. He spoke in a voice so raspy it sounded like grinding stone:
"Dogs of the Erdtree... our people... will never forget this grudge... Our Lord will eventually manifest... He will come to this place to receive the blessing of the Three Fingers... He will melt it all away until the world returns to chaos... and your Erdtree... shall turn to ash..."
Crunch!
Morgott's face turned a sickly shade of ashen grey. Without hesitation, he crushed the man's skull and tossed the body aside with a look of pure loathing. He walked back to the edge of the pit and stared down once more. He finally understood what lay at the very bottom: the entity that brought the Frenzied Flame into existence—the maddening Three Fingers.
It was not a presence he could deal with now, and perhaps not ever. Descending further would only mean being tainted by its madness.
"Mohg, we're leaving!"
Hearing the raw anger in Morgott's voice, Mohg understood exactly what was going through his brother's mind. Once they exited the tunnel, they triggered the mechanism to let the altar slide back into place, sealing the passage completely. Morgott sat down cross-legged, his brow furrowed deeply in thought.
"Morgott, do you want to hear the history of this place?" Mohg asked suddenly.
Morgott snapped his head toward Mohg, his expression one of utter shock. He looked at Mohg as if to say How could you possibly know the history of this place? This was clearly a hidden chapter of the Golden Dynasty's bloody past. Given that they hadn't found a single book recording these events during their time above, it was obvious the truth had been systematically erased.
"An Outer God told me."
"An Outer God?!"
Morgott shot to his feet, looking at Mohg with a complex mix of fear and concern. This was the brother he relied on for survival; if Mohg had truly been tainted by an Outer God...
"I haven't been seduced. The Grace of Gold still lingers upon me, doesn't it?"
Mohg gave him a helpless look. Morgott realized his brother was right and sheepishly rubbed his head, but his expression quickly turned solemn again.
"Even so, if that being told you these things, it must have an agenda. It might not even be the truth!"
"No, I don't think it had any reason to lie to me about this. Besides... even if we didn't know, someone at the top surely knows the truth. Father, for instance. And sometimes... the truth is the most soul-crushing part of all."
Morgott fell silent for a long moment before slowly saying, "Then... tell me the history of this place. I want to know what happened here, and how the Frenzied Flame came to be."
"Understood. It is said that in the early days of the Golden Dynasty, a courtier named Shabriri whispered slanders into the ears of high-ranking officials... As punishment for his lies, his eyes were gouged out..."
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Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (185 Chapters – Ongoing)
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