After briefly arranging the Academy's affairs, Gawain did not linger long in the Grand Library. Clutching the Dark Moon Ring, he vanished from the spot to complete the final link of his promise.
Standing behind him, Melina watched his departing back. She felt she should be happy for him, yet a complex knot of emotions welled up in her heart. For some reason, she felt a strange impulse—an irresistible urge to follow him in secret, even if only to watch from afar.
The Primal Glintstone in her hands radiated a soft blue light, and Sellen's projection appeared within the library. Though her current form was inconvenient, it sufficed for emergencies.
"If you wish to go with him, then go. You are his Maiden, after all; you should be inseparable at all times."
"But... in many ways, I am not truly a Finger Maiden."
"Isn't that for the better? My apprentice isn't exactly a proper Tarnished either."
Encouraged by these words, Melina perked up slightly. Hesitating no longer, she followed the soul-link between them and left the Grand Library.
Since Gawain had never been to the Moonlight Altar before, he chose to follow the route from the game, heading through the Grand Cloister. Along the way, he checked on the progress of the cleanup at the Lake of Rot.
His figure reappeared on the shores. Now that the Goddess of Rot had been utterly destroyed, the lake was no more. Although a lingering scent of Scarlet Rot still permeated the air, it was clearly the final residue of a bygone age. With one last stage of treatment, the rot that had been sealed here for aeons would vanish forever.
After this, the lakebed could be reconnected to the Ainsel River, becoming part of the ancient hydraulic system alongside the Grand Cloister. This would ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that the Scarlet Rot could never return.
Before him, ranks of Nox Swordstresses mounted on giant ants were methodically slaughtering the remaining Kindred of Rot. Fighting alongside them were countless Silver Tears accumulated over the ages, all controlled by Asimi with lethal efficiency—mopping up enemies and absorbing the remaining miasma.
Gawain walked slowly across the dry bed of the former lake. Ancient ruins from the war of antiquity were exposed to the air, revealing the remains of weapons and creatures. Some even looked as though they might still be functional; the quality of Giant-smithing was truly reliable.
Many Nox warriors noticed him as he passed. Having witnessed such an epic battle, it would be a lie to say they weren't excited. But celebrations would have to wait until the trash was cleared. They turned to bow in respect before returning to their duties.
Lahn stood at the entrance of the Grand Cloister. Beneath his feet lay a destroyed weapon—a relic of the Outer God of Rot shaped like a scorpion's stinger, once worshipped by the Kindred.
He had led his men to completely dismantle the Grand Cloister. Aside from an Ulcerated Tree Spirit hiding in a poison pool—which was difficult to deal with due to its connection to the Erdtree—the other Kindred were no longer a threat.
Lahn turned to see the man he was waiting for. He relaxed, seeing that the previous battle hadn't left Gawain with any irreparable injuries.
"How is it in there? Have the bugs I didn't have time for been cleared out?"
"Rest assured. While I only have a few functional Dragonkin Soldiers left, those bugs in the Cloister were fragile. A bit more cleanup and it's done."
"Since you've handled things here, I won't interfere for now. Asimi will take up her responsibilities. I need to pass through to the downstream area."
Lahn rubbed his chin, thinking back. He had a moment of realization. "Downstream? I recall that leads to... Well, do as you wish. There seems to be a monster imprisoned there, though I expect you'll handle it easily. Leave this place to me. From today on, I finally don't have to live in fear every day."
He stepped aside to let Gawain pass. After a moment of thought, he decided not to worry about it. He just wanted to finish the remaining work so he could finally hand off this mess. Having a Lord of Night to take over for him was a dream come true; his current position had always been the result of being forced into the role.
Melina's spectral form appeared on the shore. She followed Gawain's trail, staying in her spirit state and using minor tricks to hide her presence. Walking along the edge of the underground cavern, she tried to avoid the notice of the Nox while observing the state of the lake.
Seeing that everything was moving in the right direction, she felt a sense of peace. Witnessing the Lands Between slowly heal was always a joy.
However, preoccupied with her thoughts, she was gradually surrounded by several Silver Tears. Suddenly, a figure carrying a familiar aura lunged from behind, tackling her with such force she was nearly knocked to the ground.
Melina turned in surprise to find Asimi, the now-realized Lord of Night. Holding a staff and wearing a mischievous grin, the Silver Tear looked quite different in both appearance and temperament from Melina's memory.
"Asimi? You've fully assimilated the power of the Cradle Chalice? No wonder the Silver Tears look different. But how did you find me?"
Asimi pointed to the starlight permeating the air, her voice tinged with pride. "This is one of my authorities. Any area suffused with the shards of the Moon of Nokstella cannot escape my sight, not even a spirit. I sensed you the moment you arrived. Sister Melina, I'm happy to see you, but shouldn't you still be in the rebirth ritual? Wait... your current state..."
She observed closely and then had an epiphany. "I see. To think you could stabilize in such a state... it exceeds my expectations. Even I find it difficult to control the boundary between soul and physical manifestation."
The ritual was the result of the Queen's Great Rune working with a Larval Tear. As the Lord of Night, Asimi understood exactly what state Melina was in.
Melina affectionately patted Asimi's hair. Though the girl's appearance and aura had changed, she could feel it was still the same Asimi she knew. She then made a shushing gesture.
"Keep my presence a secret. Don't tell anyone. I don't want to disturb him right now; watching from a distance is enough."
Asimi thought for a moment before understanding, a teasing glint appearing in her eyes. "Very well. If it's Sister Melina's request, I can certainly do it. But is watching from a distance truly enough?"
Her gaze turned playful as she encouraged her, "I've felt for a long time that the two of you should take that next step. You need to work harder, Sister, or some bad woman from the outside might just steal him away."
Tapping the girl on the head, Melina felt helpless. Even as the Lord of Night, Asimi acted like a child who dared to joke about anything in her presence. Melina sighed softly.
"For me, to continue traveling with him and to see the lives of the Lands Between escape the abyss and find salvation... that is my only wish. Anything more is meaningless. And..."
Melina's final sentence went unsaid, interrupted by several massive booms echoing from the distance.
Asimi sensed the direction of the vibrations and immediately understood. "He's likely fighting Astel now. I won't disturb you further, Sister Melina. Hurry and follow him."
Gawain looked at the fallen Astel before him. It wasn't much of a challenge; he had killed countless of them back in Caelid. This one had a few more tricks, but not many.
The creature had tried to summon meteors, but Gawain had seized control of them with gravitational magic—essentially usurping the attack—and dropped them all back onto the beast.
Outmatched in a fight and unable to escape because Gawain's gravity magic locked down its portals, the wretched Astel had no chance. After taking several Soul Spears to the face at point-blank range, it stopped moving.
Ignoring the creature with the shattered skull, Gawain clutched the Dark Moon Ring and passed through the Carian Royal seal into the lift.
With a long wait, the lift reached the top. He pushed open the heavy doors, and the dim, cold moonlight immediately illuminated his face.
The Moonlight Altar was the perfect place in the Lands Between to observe the moon. Here, one could see both moons simultaneously. It was here that Queen Rennala and Princess Ranni had found their Full Moon and Dark Moon, respectively.
Under the dual moonlight, a ruined cathedral sat upon the plateau. The entrance was guarded by the knight Ranni herself had dubbed: Glintstone Dragon Adula.
Gawain took a deep breath to settle his nerves. Stapping the Sword of Night and Flame to his back, he mounted Torrent and approached slowly. He closed his eyes to savor the journey. Here, the light of the Erdtree was completely supplanted by moonlight. It was the perfect stage for Ranni, the incarnation of the Dark Moon, to complete her fated duel with her Two Fingers.
Standing on the highest peak of the Moonlight Altar, Melina gazed up at the two moons, her heart gripped by an unfamiliar emotion.
She had transitioned into her physical form, allowing her to feel the environment with a tangible reality that she found almost intoxicating. A complete life required the union of body and soul. If one lost their body and did not find a proper vessel quickly, they would forget much of their past, eventually losing normal sensations and emotions.
Her journey from the Capital to Limgrave after her body was burned had been like that—her memories and feelings were slowly fading, leaving only the mission etched into the depths of her soul.
But now, through this new body, the things she had lost were returning. Memories and emotions were flooding back. Sometimes, a beautiful memory would bring her to tears.
Melina didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. Previously, these "superfluous" emotions were merely obstacles to her mission. Now, she no longer felt such resistance toward them.
She looked down at her fair, flawless palm. Before her scars had vanished, someone had told her they hoped she would live a life of her own, rather than being shackled by a mission.
But Melina didn't know what she would do without her mission. She felt a bit lost. Yet, knowing her current "special" state, she felt a small spark of happiness. It gave her a reason to stay by his side, watching and witnessing the Lands Between walk toward a better future.
However, her mission remained like an unerasable shadow over her heart. Thus, while she no longer rejected these feelings, she resisted taking them further. Perhaps it was this internal conflict that had driven her here—to hide her feelings in her heart, where perhaps only the bright moon above would know her thoughts.
She pulled her cloak tighter around her. Standing this high for so long was beginning to feel cold. A small phantom of the Erdtree rose from her hand, radiating a faint glow to ward off the chill.
Feeling the warmth of the phantom tree, she recalled a memory from her shattered past. Her mother, Marika, had taught her this incantation in a village filled with a similar warmth—a place of gentle gold, without Laws.
The warm memory ended abruptly with the outbreak of war. Her mother had cut a lock of hair and left it in the village, then left her homeland forever, never to return.
She couldn't remember much of what followed. She seemed to recall calling a red-haired youth her brother, though she couldn't yet remember who he was.
After witnessing the wars across the Lands Between with her mother, she had been placed in a hidden room for a long time, taking on necessary duties. Then the Ring was shattered, her body burned, and after an unknown amount of time, she regained consciousness to seek her mission once more.
Melina ended her reminiscence. She looked down at the figure about to enter the cathedral. Unconsciously, a tear escaped her eye. Whether it was nostalgia for the past or something else, she didn't know.
She turned to leave, but was stopped by a gentle voice from behind. She froze, her eyes wide with surprise and confusion.
"Art thou the Maiden of the Blade of the Dark Moon? 'Tis a pleasure to meet thee."
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (267 chapter - Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────