"What took you so long?"
Morgott asked, his tone laced with displeasure as he looked at Mohg.
Mohg had been gone for an unreasonably long time. Morgott had nearly convinced himself that some accident had befallen his younger brother and was just about to head out and search for him.
"It took some time to settle her in. I'll probably be heading over to check on her from time to time," Mohg replied.
"I see..."
Morgott paused, appearing as if he wanted to say something more but hesitated.
"Hmm? Is there something on your mind?" Mohg asked, noticing his brother's hesitation.
"No... it's nothing. I just wanted to say... do not invest too much emotion into this relationship."
"...Huh?"
"Ahem, never mind. Just act like I didn't say anything."
Morgott coughed hurriedly, seeing Mohg's face go completely blank at his words. He waved his hands dismissively, signaling for Mohg to ignore his previous comment as if it were nothing but hot air.
Mohg let out a long sigh, suddenly losing the energy to deal with his brother. He couldn't understand why Morgott had become so... eccentric lately. The Morgott in his memory certainly wasn't like this.
How had he changed so much in such a short time? What was the reason? Hmm... hard to guess. Regardless, it definitely had nothing to do with him (he was sure of it).
"Do you have any ideas regarding the forging?" Mohg turned the conversation back to the task at hand.
"Forging? We can only take it one step at a time. Besides... how am I supposed to do this alone while you're away?" Morgott said, squinting at him.
"Er, that's true. Well, let's give it a try now."
Mohg rubbed the horns on his head with slight embarrassment, then got up to haul over Calot's set of heavy armor.
"Alright, it's all on you," Morgott said, slowly backing away and pointing at the armor on the ground.
Mohg nodded and stepped back a bit himself. To be honest, this was his first time using this particular Crucible incantation, and he wasn't entirely sure if he might accidentally injure himself. It was safer to keep some distance.
Once he reached a safe range, Mohg took a deep breath. A golden light ignited in front of his mouth.
In the next second, a golden throat pouch manifested, hanging beneath Mohg's jaw. Feeling the surging, turbulent power rising within his body, Mohg opened his mouth and unleashed it.
BOOM—
This sudden release was a disaster for Morgott, who was standing nearby.
He had assumed he would be safe as long as he stayed behind Mohg, but because it was Mohg's first time using the Aspects of the Crucible: Breath, he had put far too much strength into it.
Golden flames erupted in an instant, swallowing the entire room in the blink of an eye. It was fortunate that they hadn't stored any supplies here yet, or the loss would have been devastating.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!!"
As the flames dissipated, two scorched, blackened figures were revealed. Their hair was singed and curled, and their clothes were reduced to smoldering rags.
Once Mohg recovered, he met Morgott's deeply resentful gaze.
"Cough, that was an accident. An accident! At least we've successfully heated the armor!" Mohg said quickly, pointing at the glowing, red-hot metal on the floor.
Morgott let out an imperceptible sigh but said nothing. He was, after all, becoming quite used to this. He extended his hand, manifesting a massive, golden Holy Great Hammer.
"What are we forging?"
"Never mind that for now... let's just try to beat it into a solid block of iron first," Mohg suggested with a shrug.
Trying to craft a weapon from scratch when they knew nothing about smithing was a tall order; it was better to start with something simple. Though... was it really simple?
He wasn't sure. But regardless, this wasn't a total failure. At the very least, they knew the incantation was powerful and difficult to control—it needed more practice.
And apparently, their fire resistance was quite high!
Of course, it was also possible that since it was a Crucible flame produced by Mohg himself, the damage to them was naturally minimized.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As the crisp rhythm of the hammer hitting metal rang out, Mohg almost felt as if he had been transported to a different world again. With nothing immediate to do, his mind began to wander.
Once a person satisfies their basic survival needs, they begin to contemplate other things.
Mohg was now thinking about what kind of world he truly wanted. Whether under the Golden Order or any other era, there seemed to be constant conflict, oppression, and people suffering in the dark.
So... was he meant to be a savior?
He wasn't sure. But he definitely wanted a better world—at least, not the decaying, hopeless world that followed the Shattering.
What would the original Lord of Blood have wanted?
Mohg began to ponder this. Having experienced the oppression of being an Omen, being cast into the sewers, and enduring eternal darkness, he had eventually encountered an Outer God who embraced all races but craved blood.
Perhaps he would have wanted a world where all races were equal, where those who shared the same blood were considered kin?
But if everyone accepted the Blessing of Blood, what would that world look like?
The Mother of Truth's hunger for blood would never cease. Combined with the fervor of her faith, the world might descend into an endless cycle of slaughter...
"Using the Mother of Truth to gather spiritual energy, then bestowing the Crucible's blessings... Wait... Spiritual energy, Marika, the Hornsent... Perhaps the path truly suited for me is the climb toward Godhood?"
"No... that's still too far off for me. Compared to that... using other means to elevate my status as a King is more realistic..."
Mohg propped up his chin. Suddenly, a strange idea flashed through his mind.
Could he change the relative status of the God and the King in the Blood Dynasty he would eventually establish?
Hiss... Even Mohg felt this line of thinking was a bit dangerous. It was essentially having his cake and eating it too—wanting the power granted by the Mother of Truth while also placing himself above the chosen God.
But the situation with the Mother of Truth was unique. She was forced to accept the God he chose, rather than choosing one herself. In other words, this plan was actually feasible.
In fact, if he could, he wanted to go even further—to sever the connection between other believers and the Mother of Truth. He wanted to ensure they could only communicate with him, and only he could communicate with the Mother.
To achieve such a goal, however, he would likely need the help of an ancient race... and the help of Liana, his Blood Witch.
He would control Liana, and once the Dynasty was established, she would be the one to "relay" the divine mandates!
"Hey! What are you daydreaming about? Add more fire!"
Morgott's annoyed voice suddenly broke Mohg's train of thought.
"Oh, right, right!"
Mohg responded quickly and activated the Aspects of the Crucible: Breath once more.
And then...
"Hey, hey! Watch out—"
BOOM—
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Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (227 Chapters – Ongoing)
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