Chapter 1

Out of the Darkness

Gwyn had been slain, at long last. The Chosen Undead had finally fell the former Lord of Sunlight, after so many tires. There she stood in the Kiln of the First Flame, watching the Lord of Cinder fade away, wondering what to do now.

Light the First Flame, continuing the life of the dying world? 'What would be point?' she thought to herself. All great gods and noble heroes have either gone insane or fled, some of them slain by her hand. Gwyn was the king of the gods, who lead a campaign and eradicated the Everlasting Dragons, and yet it was here that she had found him.

The once grand and mighty Lord of Sunlight, reduced to a broken husk of his former self, just like his kingdom. He should have been able to vanquish her with but a glance, but the Chosen Undead killed him, a testament to how weak the Lord of Cinder became. If Gwyn was reduced to such a state, what hope does the Chosen Undead have?

There was another choice, to simply leave the Kiln of the First Flame, and become the Lord of the Dark Soul, heralding an age of Darkness that Humanity would thrive and dominate in. Or so she was told. The Chosen Undead has seen what the Darkness would hold for humans. It contains nothing but madness, corruption, and death. It is no place for a mortal soul.

So, the Chosen Undead simply stood there, waiting for nothing.

While she waited, she had found one thing that didn't fade away with the Lord of Cinder, his crown. It was a ugly trinket, a partially melted crown of scorched, precious metal. It had the appearance of being intricately made, something worthy for the King God, but like the head of it previous master, it had long since lost it luster. It was fitting for the new monarch.

The Chosen Undead undid and removed her helmet, reveal her red and rotting undead face. She carefully placed the crown atop her head, the prongs intermingling with her filthy and matted hair.

"Hail the new Queen!" she called out, her dry voice echoing across the empty kiln. "Hail the Queen of a fallen kingdom! Queen of the dead!" she continued to announce, grabbing her large sword, and holding it high in the air, "Hail me! Queen of Nothing!" she said, then laughed in triumph, but it was without any mirth or joy. The shriveled cackles bounce off walls, and into chasms. Soon, those laughs devolved into wails and cries, as the Chosen Undead fell to her knees, recalling all that had happened to her, the horrors she seen, the people she lost, the things she'd done. All along with the countless deaths she experienced.

The cries tapered off after some time, the Chosen Undead lying in the ashes, weapon and shield still in her loose grasp. Outside the kiln, darkness encroached, and she can hear the Primordial Serpents calling out to her, telling her to embrace the darkness. She did not listen to them, the calls fading from her mind, until it felt as though she could not hear anything anymore. Other senses, what were left, soon followed.

There the Chosen Undead laid, completed her journey across the land of Lordran, defeating monsters and beasts, felling old heroes and gods. In the end, she felt she accomplished nothing, except make her world more cold, lifeless, and empty. She closed she sunken in eyes as she laid there, doing what she had been doing in the Undead Asylum, from what felt like several lifetimes ago.

Await the end of the world.

/

She felt... Warm.

It didn't like when she first enter the ruins of Lost Izalith, walking along the blistering heat of the lava, nor the searing burn of dragon fire, to which she has died several times to. No, this was simply a comforting warmth. She could hear the sound of a voice. The Chosen Undead opened her eyes and gasped as she saw a blue sky and clouds above.

No, she was dreaming, she was still in the kiln, she had to be. There was no way she would be someplace with such a beautiful sky. And the sun, the sun was there, even after she had reveal it to be an illusion, but the warmth that emitted from it, and the sting of her eyes when she looked at it could not be faked. Was this the real sun?

"Hello? Are you awake?" She heard a soft voice say to her, causing her to crane her neck to see a young, blonde haired girl in a yellow dress looking over her. Looking around, the Chosen Undead could see that she was laying outside of a forest, a mountain range could be seen in the distance, past the forest, above the treeline. She touched the skin of her face to feel that she was Unhollowed. That's can't be right. The woman was Hollow when she slew Gwyn, especially after she found that there wasn't anyone to summon in the Kiln.

"Are you alright? I just found you like this." Lissa asked, gazing at the strange woman. She had the trappings of a knight, belonging to a land that she did not know, what with that plate armor, and the emblem emblazoned on the tunic she wore. Then there was the strange crown atop her head. Was she a noble? Or a royal of some kind? And then there was the giant black sword and shield that laid nearby. Does this woman really have the strength to lift that? That's amazing!

"Where-" she started, only to have a coughing fit. As she jerked forwards, dust shook off her person, falling in curtains. The knight lady's voice was hoarse, like she had been deprived of water, and had not spoken in awhile. Lisa removed the canteen from her belt, and held it out. "Here have some water." The woman looked at the canteen with some prudence, caution clear in those dull green eyes of hers. Lissa felt indignant that her intentions were being questioned, but she suppose someone suddenly appearing before you, offering water is something suspicious. No doubt Frederick would say that she should refuse such offers. This knight, on the other hand, sounded like she had a mouth full of sand from how horse she sounded.

The Chosen Undead looked at the offered canteen in her hand. What use was water to the Undead? They had no need for drink or food. However, there was a ache in her throat, a need that demanded to be satiated. Something that she had not felt since this miserable curse was placed on her. Thirst.

Slowly, the Undead warrior reached for the canteen, her other kept near the long dagger kept at her lower back. When she took hold of the container of liquid, the young blonde stepped back, no doubt to show that she was no threat. The Choosen didn't survive for this long because she was careless, so she kept an eye on the girl. That sentiment soon vanished when the water touched her lips and down her mouth.

The water tasted crisp and clean, it felt cool on her tongue. It felt as though she had been refreshed for the first time in her life. This wasn't water, it was a nectar worthy of Gwyn himself. The Undead woman didn't even realize that she almost chugged the whole thing. Her throat felt at ease, no more constricting dryness.

"Where did you get this water?" the knight asked, getting to her feet, though it sounded like a demand to the pig-tailed girl. "I-I got it from a nearby stream." Lissa answered with a stutter as she started to get second thoughts.

"This is the greatest thing I have ever drank. This water absolutely priceless, worth more than all the gold in the world, and you tell that is common stream water?" the older lady questioned. That's wasn't what Lissa was expecting, especially since she drank that water some moments ago. It wasn't anything special, and definitely have a dirty taste to it, compared to the much more clean water back home.

Having tended to her thirst, there was another matter that must be addressed within the Chosen Undead. A pain in her stomach, a growl sounding through the plate armor and chain links. A gnawing that refused to be ignored. Lissa was already undoing a pouch of cloth on her person, and unwrapping and presenting it to the strange knight. "Here, I have some biscuits that you can have." Lissa was getting to point where she felt peckish herself, but from the sound emitting from the woman's midsection, she was famished. Plus, this person claimed that the water the blonde handed her was divine. Lissa was curious as what she will say to day old bread.

Less cautious than before, the Chosen Undead grabbed the bits of bread from the girl's delicate hands, and took a moment to inspect the food in her thick leather gloves. She had not seen real food since before her imprisonment in the Asylum. This... This cannot be real. Gripping a biscuit, she brought it her mouth and bit off a chunk, and began to chew.

Lissa looked in surprise as the lady knight started to weep, tears freely flowing from her green eyes, sniffing her nose, her body shaking, all while she continued to finish the first off the biscuits. "Is something wrong? Why are you crying?" Lissa asked in concern.

"This is the best thing I have ever eaten." the tunic clad knight sniffed, confusing the yellow garbed girl. The older woman bit into the tough, golden brown shell, giving way to the softness beneath. There was a hardness to it, no doubt from the bread starting to go stale, but that seemed to add to the experience. It was difficult to describe, but to the Chosen Undead, it was the grandest thing in her life. Soon she had eaten all the biscuits, and her tears had stopped though they left a clear trail on her dirty face. The Chosen Undead started to ponder.

Those cursed with the Darksign are doomed to live forever as the Undead, doom to become mindless Hollow when their will to live breaks. Since they were Undead, they did not need to eat, drink, or sleep. They just continued to exist, even after death had claim them countless times. The last time the Undead lady took water, it tasted like nothing and did nothing, and while she never found edible food, she imagined that the same would apply. Now, she could eat and drink, she could feel the breeze flowing through the air, the warmth of the sun on her skin. The Chosen Undead didn't want to jump to conclusions, but there was one way she could find out.

Lissa watched as the knight pulled off her left leather glove , then unsheathed what looked like a intricately made short sword from her back, causing the young girl to flinch away, but the lady knight didn't take notice. Instead, she pressed it against her bare hand, and promptly sliced it open. Lissa was shocked, why would anyone do such a thing? She started to have second thoughts helping this... Unbalanced woman. "Why did you do that?!" she yelled.

The older woman just watched the bright red fluid leak from her hand, instead of rusty brown sludge. It was painful. She pressed her thumb into the wound, more ichor flowing out, and pain to burst within her hand. The Chosen Undead began to laugh at the pain.

Lissa took a step back from the woman, at it became obvious that something was wrong with this person. The crowned woman momentarily stopped her laugh and focused on Lissa. The blonde tried to turn and run, but the older woman quickly wrapped her arms around her waist, never minding the metal crinoline. The former Chosen Undead lifted the young girl up, and spun around the blonde, laughing in between 'thank yous,' her bloody hand, staining the yellow dress. This continued on until a commanding voice rang out, halting the one sided merrymaking.

"Unhand the princess, now!" The woman stopped her spinning to see two men, standing a ways away. One had his hand on the handle of his sheathed sword, while the other, was pointing a shining, silver spear at the former Chosen Undead. "I will not ask again. Unhand the princess!" The man in bulkier armor demanded, and threatened. The Chosen Undead, set the blonde down, Lissa immediately backing away from the older woman. The brown haired man noticed the blood on the princess' dress. "You dare harm a member of the royal?!" Frederick snarled, ready to drive his spear into metal and flesh.

Before the azure haired man could intervene, the Chosen Undead held up her sliced hand. "It is my blood." she said with a wide smile, not feeling threatened in the slightest, "I had to make sure, and now I am the happiest I could ever be."

"Make sure of what?" the caped young man asked, "What is your name?"

"My name?" the woman chirped, "It has been so long since I have given my name. I am Edith, Edith of Astora." she said introducing herself, "And I had to make sure that the curse of the Darksign had been lifted. Now, I am alive! I am human again!" Edith said, spreading her arms in a wide fashion, laughing once more. The gesture reminded her the pardoner, Oswald of Carim. She hoped her laugh wasn't as unsettling as his.

"What are you talking about?" Frederick asked bewildered by this strange woman. His lord put up a hand to steady Frederick, as he began to speak.

"I am Chrom. I was unaware you were under a curse, but I have not heard of such a thing, nor have I heard of Astora. First, tell me Edith, where did you get that crown? I have never seen anything like it."

Crown? Edith wondered, as she reached a hand to touch her head. When she felt the crown that she pilfered from Lord Gwyn, it all came back to her. The deaths she suffered, the loss of sensations caused but her curse, and how it filled her with despair. She thought about her friends, and how they had all died, many by her sword, as they were lost to madness in their quest. It filled her with an overwhelming sadness.

The trio watched this strange woman's face, how her smile immediately feel from her face, how her eyes darted back and forth widening in horror. When she spoke, the joy from earlier was gone. Replaced with sorrow.

"It is a trinket. A reminder of my quest to regain my humanity." Edith said, her face lower, "I look back on it and wonder if it was ever worth it. Doesn't matter now." She then looked up, specifically at Lissa, "Thank you for the water and the biscuits. It was an absolute joy to taste such things again to find out that I was human again. But, it seems my past has caught up with me." Edith said, bowing. "If there is anything I could do, please let me know. Otherwise I will take my leave. Goodbye."

Edith walked back to her black sword and shield. Behind her, the royal trio conversed amongst themselves.

"There is obviously something wrong and off about this woman." Frederick stated, then looked to the young blonde, "It is amazing that she has not tried to harm you, Lady Lissa."

"That maybe she may have her faults, but there something... Broken about her." Lissa said, taking a moment to find the right word. "Did you see how her happiness quickly drained away from her. Something horrible happened to her. We can't just let her leave."

"As noble as that is, we can't let a potentially dangerous and unhinged vandel into our midst. I will not allow such a risk." Frederick sternly said.

"No, Lissa is right." Chrome said, finally speaking up, "We shouldn't just leave her to her demons. As for your concern Frederick, that is more reason why we should just let them wonder about, and wait for her to harm some innocent." the royal said, presenting his argument to his retainer. "We will bring her along on our mission, and if she breaks then we restrain her and try to get this Edith of Astora help before she can do any damage. Otherwise, an extra sword will do no harm."

"Only if that sword is pointed at our backs, milord." Frederick said, ultimately conceding to his lord's command.

Meanwhile, Edith while had successfully strapped on her intricate designed shield, noting that it seemed heavier, her sword that she pilfered from the corpse of a Black Knight was proving to be a challenge to even lift. Edith could lift it off the ground for a couple of moment before her arms gave out. It seems that being Undead had its advantages. It just like the beginning of her quest, when she was a weak noblewoman, terrified of the new world she was throw into.

This seemed to be just like that, only this time she will not be afraid.

"Edith!" Chrom called out, the former Chosen Undead, turning to face them. "We have been asked to do something about a bandit encampment that had been terrorizing local caravans and homesteads. I would like to ask for your assistance. Think of it as compensation for the food my sister offered you."

What a heave, Edith lifted the scorched sword up, resting the flat of the blade onto her shoulder. "Alright, lead the way, good sir." Edith said. Chrom, with a swish of his caped, turned and began to walk, Lissa following behind. Edith walked after them, noting the armored man was taking up the rear, no doubt not trusting her. It didn't bother Edith, for very if he did attack, she was just as capable with her dagger. Shame, she will have to find a new weapon, for this one has served her for the all of her damned quest.

Now here she was, in this unfamiliar land. Now she will embark on a new quest, for she is not comfortable being idle, even if there is no risk from it. Edith was truly alive.

/

Yello everyone, I present to you a new story. No, Edith is not replacing Robin. Just want to be clear.

Until Next Time, My Friends