Gawain tucked away his questions for the time being, choosing not to delve too deeply into the mystery as he stowed the weapon left by the Hornsent Warrior.
While the weapon's skill was somewhat redundant for him, it was technically his first time experiencing a power so closely related to the Crucible of Life. He figured that with a few more tries, he could probably develop some original moves of his own, much like the storm, gravity, and glintstone techniques he currently wielded.
He looked around to gauge his surroundings. Although the middle tier of the Tower Settlement had been thoroughly devastated, it was still possible to find a viable path to the summit.
Much like the spirals the Hornsent worshipped, the structure of Belurat was distributed in a winding, upward spiral: the sewers at the very bottom, the lower tier where he had first entered, and now the middle tier leading toward the peak.
Looking up, he noticed the buildings of the upper tier bore almost no marks of fire. It was highly likely that the Crusade's momentum had been halted there. This gave him the distinct "boss room" feeling.
Before they set out, however, Melina informed him of a peculiar aura nearby. He decided to explore the deeper reaches of the middle tier first. In a courtyard not far ahead, there was a potent scent of flame—remarkably similar to the Messmer's Grease he had found earlier.
Clearing the obstacles along the way, Gawain and Asimi eventually arrived at a place with a strange atmosphere: a broad, circular plaza.
Standing in the center was a massive, bizarre tree. Its spiral branches intertwined before extending outward, with gray leaves drooping toward the ground.
"Is that... the image of the Two Fingers?"
Gawain recalled the Two Fingers he had seen before. From this distance, the resemblance was uncanny. The tree had clearly been pruned and shaped specifically to mimic the Fingers.
This implied that the Hornsent had, at some point, been followers of the Two Fingers. Were they once an Empyrean faction hostile to Marika, much like the Gloam-Eyed Queen? But if that were the case, why were these ruins so well-preserved?
A sudden surge of heat in the air cut his thoughts short. Black-red flames mingled with red butterflies ignited on the ground, slowly coalescing into a human form. It was a rather flashy way to teleport.
He signaled the ready-to-fight Asimi to stay calm. Judging by the color and the drifting butterflies, this was Messmer's power.
Wait, he thought. Don't tell me Messmer himself came to check things out after hearing a Furnace Giant was destroyed? I'm not ready to meet the guy yet. What am I even supposed to say?
But the fantasy was abruptly shattered by reality. The figure that appeared in the plaza was a man who looked like he was cosplaying as Dora the Explorer, sporting a yellow mushroom-cut. Despite the "refreshing" hairstyle, his face was weather-beaten and scruffy with stubble; he looked like a poorly photoshopped meme.
His weapon was equally unique—a heavy thrusting sword that looked remarkably like a spear. The lingering black-red flames on the blade confirmed his status as a soldier of the Crusade. He raised his spear-sword and delivered the standard greeting of his kind.
"Death to those unblessed by the gold. Be consumed by Messmer's fire."
Fire Knight Queelign scanned the two strangers standing before him. Though he was momentarily confused by their similar appearances, he prepared for battle.
He had been ordered by his superiors to monitor recent anomalies in Belurat. The destruction of a Furnace Giant was not a loss the Crusade could easily overlook. Since the task was above the pay grade of common soldiers, it fell to an elite Fire Knight like him to investigate.
In truth, this was no different from his usual duties. Whether it was a Hornsent or a "Lightless" Tarnished without Grace in their eyes, both were targets to be purged.
"So, you are Lightless? Then let your bodies remember the pain brought by Messmer's flame."
"Lightless? Is that what they call the Tarnished in the Land of Shadow? Hold on, I think I put my 'blindfold' on backwards. Wait a sec."
Queelign clearly wasn't listening. A massive orb of black-red fire ignited in the air and lunged forward, while he leveled his sword, preparing to strike.
He noticed, however, that his opponent made no move to dodge. Whether out of arrogance or ignorance, the stranger just stood there. Queelign's blade erupted in a violent flare as he executed a lunging thrust aimed directly at the man's eyes.
But the expected explosion never happened. The flames on Queelign's sword were instantly smothered by a layer of frost.
"Has fighting this war for so long rotted your brain? Look closer. Who exactly do you think you're attacking?"
After blocking the initial strike, Gawain—with Melina's help—allowed a brilliant, pure light of Grace to flood his pupils. It radiated an aura that was almost identical to Messmer's own.
Like her brother, this was a specific aura Melina carried as the Kindling Maiden. If even a Hornsent could sense it earlier, an elite Fire Knight certainly wouldn't miss it.
Queelign's face, haggard and weary from the long war, underwent a fascinating transformation. He stared in shock.
The man's eyes had just been black and icy blue; now they were filled with the purest gold. No one outside the direct lineage of the Golden Dynasty could possess such a color. And that aura... there was no mistake. It was the flame of Messmer.
"Who... who are you? Is that gold an Iris of Grace? No, a mere imitation could never achieve such brilliance."
As the Fire Knight asked his frantic questions, Gawain received the relevant information from Melina. The disguise he was currently using was known as an Iris of Grace.
Its counterpart was the Iris of Occult, which could veil the Grace in one's eyes to allow for stealth and assassinations. Otherwise, having a glowing golden light in your eyes made it impossible to hide.
However, since the Tarnished were banished, these items had become exceedingly rare. Were these Crusaders still using them? Was it for the war, or for their own sanity? Gawain decided to play along.
"I was using an Iris of Occult to maintain my cover, obviously. And then you had to come along and ruin it."
Gawain looked at him pointedly. "Look at how dim the Grace in your own eyes has become. Do you really have the standing to question my identity?"
Queelign's eyes widened. The comment struck the deepest fear shared by many soldiers of the Crusade. In the long, stagnant war, they had begun to doubt their purpose, and the Grace in their eyes had grown faint and dull.
If this continued, the most terrifying future awaited them: becoming Lightless. Under the counsel of the Erdtree priests, many had begun using Irises of Grace simply to numb themselves to the truth.
Facing such a pure golden Grace, Queelign's confidence crumbled. He withdrew his weapon and bowed apologetically.
"My apologies, Sir. I did not recognize you."
"Forget it. Just be more careful next time. Are you one of Messmer's warriors?"
"Yes. I am Fire Knight Queelign, servant of Lord Messmer. May I ask what brings you here, Sir? Did my Lord send you without my knowledge?"
Gawain adopted a profound, mysterious air. "That is not for you to know. However, I do have a message for you to carry back to Messmer. Can you do that?"
Queelign hesitated. He was merely one of the Fire Knights. While he held a higher status than common soldiers and had been blessed with Messmer's flame, he was still far from the inner circle.
Lord Messmer had locked himself in the deepest chamber of the Specimen Storehouse long ago. Aside from one or two appearances during Miquella's visit, he was rarely seen. Only the trusted Black Knights, Commander Gaius, or the former Carian Princess in Castle Ensis could grant an audience.
"My apologies... I cannot see Lord Messmer personally at the moment. He has not appeared in some time. Perhaps I could ask a Black Knight to pass the message? What is it you wish to say?"
Gawain pondered for a moment. Looking at the shadow veiling the top of Belurat, the perfect phrase came to mind.
"When the ashes are two, a flame alighteth."
"Tell Messmer that. Tell him I will visit him soon, and he should be prepared."
Queelign nodded solemnly. Though he didn't understand the meaning, he committed the words to memory. As he turned to leave, Gawain called him back.
"Wait. Stand still."
Gawain reached out and traced his hand over Queelign's dull, fading eyes. A brilliant light of Grace flared across the knight's pupils. This was an "Iris of Grace" personally crafted by Melina; Gawain had tested it, and the knight couldn't tell the difference between the fake and the real thing.
Queelign touched his eyes in disbelief. His reflection in his blade was blurry, but there was no mistaking the radiance of Grace. It was brighter than it had been even when he fought in the Great Giant War. Tears began to well in his eyes.
"Sir... Queen Marika hasn't abandoned us, has she?"
"No," Gawain said. "You were never abandoned. You have always been blessed. Now, go. Deliver my message."
Queelign straightened his posture, gave one last look of profound gratitude, and vanished in a swirl of flame.
"These Fire Knights are interesting," Gawain remarked. "Teleporting through fire, huh? And did he mention Black Knights? I hope they aren't the kind of Black Knights I'm thinking of."
Melina stood by his side, sighing as she watched the spot where Queelign had vanished, her thoughts unreadable.
Gawain shook off his stray thoughts and looked at her.
"You're as gentle as ever. If you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have realized how much they value that Grace. But that's what I like most about you."
Melina pushed her worries aside and looked up, meeting Gawain's eyes with a smile. She seemed to appreciate the compliment.
"I only shared a small portion of my power. Without your help, I couldn't have placed that false Grace into his eyes so seamlessly."
"Those Crusade warriors likely fought in the Giant War. I owe the heroes who toppled the Fire Giants at least some measure of respect," Gawain said. "Even if it's a lie, they need something to look forward to."
Melina nodded. Then, she asked curiously, "But that phrase you used... what did it mean? I know you call yourself 'Ashen,' but who is the other?"
Gawain gave Melina a subtle look. In a way, these siblings were very similar to him; likely all combustible materials. Melina's body had already been burned away, leaving only her soul as ash. He wondered if Messmer had a similar story.
He couldn't help but pat Melina on the head. She lowered her head slightly and didn't pull away.
"Just something I said on a whim. Don't look too deep into it. It just means 'I'm coming for Messmer.' This Land of Shadow has waited long enough; it's time for it to find a new beginning, just like the Lands Between."
"In my experience, fire doesn't just mean destruction. It can also mean rebirth."
"Yes," Melina agreed. "I look forward to that day. As you said, neither the Lands Between nor the Land of Shadow should be abandoned."
Nearby, Asimi leaned against a wall, watching the two of them getting closer and closer. She suddenly regretted coming along. The only perk so far was eating some Spirit Ash "snacks," which tasted like Grave Glovewort.
The price, however, was climbing all over the place and stepping in filth, only to constantly end up as the third wheel. She let out a loud cough to interrupt their staring contest.
"I can sense Leda and Freyja approaching. I'm going to take a break."
With that, Asimi dissolved into a puddle of silver slime and merged back into Gawain's body.
"They reached the middle tier already? Did I clear the path too well? Was there nothing left in Belurat to slow them down?"
Gawain muttered to his internal passenger, "And Asimi, what was with that look you gave me? If you don't explain yourself, I'm putting you on permanent sewer duty—not just here, but in Leyndell, too."
"Whatever. I have plenty of clones. I can fill every sewer in the world with Silver Tears if I have to."
Melina watched the two bickering, and the gloom in her heart lifted significantly. She followed Gawain's lead, her anticipation growing for the moment they reached the summit.
Once they were at the top of the Tower Settlement, she would be able to see the Scadu Altus in the distance. She wondered if she would be able to see that warm, gentle place from her memories.
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (330 chapter - Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!