"Deliver the Lords to their thrones" he was told. It seemed to imply that he could get them to their thrones through diplomatic means. But the last three Lords of Cinder would not return willingly. The Abyss Watchers, Yhorm the Giant, and Aldrich all greeted him with combat. Yet the Lords were to be returned to their thrones no matter what. If not by their own will, then he would kill them and they would be returned as Cinders.

"Is that truly lordship's last reward?" He remembered Hawkwood ask after defeating the Abyss Watchers.

And now the Ashen One was here in Lothric Castle, facing the fourth and final Lord of Cinder Prince Lothric, and his elder brother Lorian. And like the rest, they would not return to their throne. Now he found himself coming to blows with the elder prince. Lorian was massive, but he was crippled, only able to move by crawling with his hands. This didn't make him any less of a threat however. He could still wield his flaming greatsword like an expert, and his brother used his magic to teleport him around the room. The Ashen One blocked and dodged Lorian's attacks, making sure to avoid getting struck by the blade that he heard was used to slay a demon prince. When he got an opening, the Ashen One would strike with his longsword. After landing several attacks consistently, Lorian was staggered and left wide-open for a critical attack. The Ashen One got in front of him and thrusted his blade into Lorian's chest with great strength before forcefully pulling the blade out. The attack seemed to be the final blow, as Lorian collapsed to the ground defeated.

"Oh dear brother… I'm on my way." He heard Lothric call out. The younger prince teleported towards his fallen brother. He looked in even worse shape than his brother. He was small, frail and barely able to move around on his own. How exactly did he plan on fighting against the Ashen One in his state? He seemed to whisper something in Lorian's ear, what it was the Ashen One couldn't hear. But suddenly, the elder prince got back up, ready for battle. Lothric draped himself on top his brother's back. It appeared that Lothric's magic didn't stop at teleportation. He was capable of revival as well. This made him the priority target. He would have to get to Lorian's side and strike Lothric to win.

Lothric casted a hail storm of magic at the Ashen One, making things more difficult for him. He had to avoid the magic and Lorian's sword at the same time. They teleported away, and the Ashen One looked to see Lorian raising his sword to the air, charging it with magic. He remembered this attack, as Lorian had used it earlier. After slamming his blade to the ground, a stream of magic shot in the Ashen One's direction. The unkindled rolled at the right time to avoid the attack. However, he didn't expect Lothric to follow up, and was struck with a soul arrow. It was painful, but not enough to put him down. He shrugged off the pain and avoided a second soul spear by rolling under it. Now closing the distance between him and the two brothers, the Ashen One rolled under Lorian's sword slash and got to his side. From there he struck the younger prince hanging on his back. The elder prince viciously swung his sword again at the Ashen One in an attempt to protect his younger brother. The Ashen One dodged to the side again and attacked Lothric. The two of them looked weakened, and the unkindled warrior decided it was time to finish this. With another sword thrust, the Ashen One downed Lorian, his younger brother falling off his back as he collapsed. Lothric crawled to his brother, looking to revive him once again. The Ashen One would not allow it, and delivered the killing blow to the prince.

"Mark my words Ashen One…" He began speaking with his last breath. "You remain among the accursed."

After the two princes faded, the Ashen One retrieved their soul and cinders. Then he couldn't help but think about what had just transpired. With Lothric's death, he had defeated the four Lords of Cinder. That goal was accomplished, all that was left was for him to link the flame. But he didn't feel pride, relief or a sense of achievement. Instead he felt…doubt. Doubt about the flame, its nature and what exactly it stood for.

What exactly is the flame's purpose? He had been told the flame is what keeps away an age of dark, but what does that mean? What does an age of dark entail? Is it bad? Is it evil? Was there any real purpose in keeping it away when it seems like it might be inevitable?

He seemed to have gotten a glimpse of what the Age of Dark would look like when he stumbled upon the Untended Graves, a place that seemed to be an alternate reality located in the Cemetery of Ash. It was of course a very dark place, but it honestly didn't seem much worse than the current state of the world.

He looked back at the four Lords of Cinder he slayed and wondered what benefit came with them become Lords of Cinder? The Abyss Watchers were taken over by the very thing they vowed to combat. Yhorm linking the Profaned Flame resulted in the destruction of the Profaned Capital. He could still remember the charred corpses piled on top each other. Aldrich seemed to have been forced to become a Lord of Cinder because he and the Pontiff wanted to end the age of fire and usher in the "age of the Deep". And they went through very vile means to work towards that goal, not caring who's lives they had to ruin. And then there was Lothric. The prince that was bred by his family to be a Lord, vocally expressed his opposition of the flame.

"The Mantle of Lord interests me none. The fire linking curse, the legacy of lords, let it all fade to nothing."

After witnessing all of this, it occurred to the Ashen One that the title of Lord of Cinder was not much of an honor. If anything, it was a curse.

"If I link the flame, what will change? It seems like this will keep happening. Does the world really need more Lords? Are we keeping something horrible away, or are we just halting the natural progress of the world?"

The Ashen One felt that he needed more time to reflect before making his decision. He touched the bonfire and warped back to Firelink Shrine.

"Welcome home Ashen One." He was warmly greeted by the Fire Keeper. "Has thou retrived the final lord?"

"Uh…yes, I have." He answered nervously.

"I see. When thou art ready, kneel at the bonfire before the five lords."

"Of course. I'll be back in a bit."

He looked at the Fire Keeper. She had been at his side, assisting him and making him stronger throughout his journey. He had come to view her as a friend. Which made what he saw in the tower of the shrine all the more horrifying. A massive pile of corpses, all of them fire keepers. Is that what happens when fire keepers outlive their usefulness? Would she be the next one put on the pile? He couldn't stand the thought of it.

"Is everything all right Ashen One?" The Fire keeper asked, shaking him out of his thoughts.

"Oh! Sorry I zoned out for a bit there, that's all. Everything's all right." He lied.

The Ashen One walked over to the area of the shrine where the others resided. He watched as Andre continued his smithing. He realized that there was a coal he forgot to give to him, one he retrieved off of the corpse of a giant back in Anor Londo.

"Hey Andre."

"Hello again. Tis' good to see y' in good health. Is there something you need?" Andre asked.

"I found another coal. Thought you could use it."

He handed Andre the coal, the blacksmith's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"My, my. The coal of that peaceful giant…Seems like ages past…I imagine his passing was long ago. I miss the old bugger I do." The blacksmith frowned. "My thanks. I'll be sure to put this coal to good use. I'll be smithing weapons never afore seen by the likes of y'. It's but a small service, to pay my humble respects."

"You knew him?"

"I did. As you saw he worked in Anor Londo. He was the blacksmith of the gods."

"You mean back when the gods lived in Anor Londo?"

"Aye. Back in its golden days."

The Ashen One had only heard tales of the city of the gods and the gods that lived there. When he actually arrived, the city was a shadow of what it used to be. Decrepit, ruined, and covered in snow. But its golden days were so long ago, back in the first Age of Fire in fact. And Andre spoke of them as if it was just yesterday.

"Andre?"

"Hmm?"

"You've been around for a very long time haven't you?" The Ashen One guessed. The blacksmith let out a hearty laugh.

"Aw don't be pokin' fun at me age now! I'm quite thin-skinned." He joked.

"So it's true then?!"

"Aye, it's true. I'm a lot older than most would imagine. I think I've even lost track. Must be several centuries by now, I reckon."

"So you've been through all of this before, haven't you?" The Unkindled further speculated.

"What do y' mean by that?" Andre shot a confused look at him.

"This…this cycle. The linking of the flame, the undead curse, more chaos."

"Aye. It's true. I've seen all it before…several times in fact. I reckon y' figured out the futility of linking the flame."

"I've started to have doubts. I look at these Lords of Cinder and wonder…what did their sacrifice actually change? If the flame is supposed to keep order, then why is the world in such chaos? Time and space continues to be convoluted, Lothric is a kingdom in ruin. Its knights have gone hollow, its king consumed."

"I see y' point. It's a good question…one that I don't think any of us will ever be able to answer. Maybe it's just people are afraid of change. They're afraid of what would happen when the darkness comes. Seems like that's how the gods felt when they decided to prolong the age of fire."

"I guess so. Thanks Andre." The Unkindled said and began to walk away.

"Unkindled!" The blacksmith called out, the Unkindled then turned to him. "I can tell that y' are about to make a big decision. I just want to say, I have faith that you'll do what you think is right."

The Ashen One nodded to him before walking down the right stair case. He approached Cornyx of the Great Swamp, the pyromancer he rescued back in the Undead Settlement.

"Ah! Good to see you again Unkindled One." The old man greeted. "I assume you wish to talk about the flame."

"So you heard me and Andre?"

"Just a little. My apologies I didn't mean to ease drop, but there are no walls to deafen the conversation."

"Don't worry about it. So what do you think?"

"I think it is wise of you to have doubts about the flame."

"Really? I would have thought you'd be opposed to the idea of letting the dark come."

Cornyx chuckled. "Oh of course not. I may be a pyromancer, but I know that it is important for one to fear the flame. After all, Izalith, the home of pyromancy, was scorched by the very flame it created. Undoubtedly it was a flame of chaos, tangled by a witch's hand. But who's to say that the Bonfire's flames are any different?"

Truer words have never been spoken, the Unkindled thought.

"What do you think about a world without flame?" The Ashen One asked bluntly.

"Well I can't say that I'm all for it…but at the same time I do not vehemently oppose it. Maybe the Age of Fire has gone on for too long. Perhaps it is time to let the darkness come." Cornyx admitted. "Besides it is not my decision to make. I'm not the one who overcame several adversities and slayed the Lords. This is your decision to make, and you've earned the right to make it."

"Thanks Cornyx."

"Know this Unkindled One. Regardless of what decision you make, it has been my honor to be your tutor."

He bowed to the man in respect. He went to the left side of the bottom floor and looked over to Karla the witch. He found her locked up in the Irithyll Dungeon. He offered to save her but she warned him that the place was a land of monstrosities, and she was no exception. Despite the warning he still decided to save her. She admitted to him that she was a Child of the Abyss. He had heard many things about the Abyss, and seen many things associated with it. It seemed to be something completely different from darkness. Iudex Gundyr seemed to be infected by it, it tainted many members of the Abyss Watchers, and then there was Wolnir. The High Lord decided to dabble in Dark Pyromancies, and attempted to harness the power of the Abyss. It was a foolish thing to do, as soon enough the Abyss came for him. He was afraid of being consumed by the Abyss, and committed several atrocities in an attempt to save himself. This included killing Clerics and taking their bracelets, which was able to keep the Abyss at bay. The Ashen One destroyed those bracelets during their battle, and once that was done, Wolnir was finally swallowed by the Abyss.

Needless to say, the Abyss seemed to be an evil part of darkness. Yet why was it that Karla, a child of the Abyss, showed no signs of evil or malicious intent. Since he rescued her, she had made no attempts on corrupting him or anyone else in the Shrine. She remained loyal to him, even warning him of the dangers of learning the dark arts. Could this mean that not everything from the Abyss is evil? That some beings maybe dark but not evil? It was all so confusing, but the Ashen One was used to it by now. Morality had always been confusing in the world he lived in. Nothing was black and white.

"Hello again my bumbling apprentice." She giggled.

"Hello Karla." The Unkindled chuckled at her playful jab.

"It seems that your journey is nearing its end."

"Yeah. I guess it is."

"Listen…I just wanted to thank you once again."

"Karla, you don't have to…"

"But I do! You rescued me, even when I told you I was a creature born from the dark. I'm sure most people would've slain me on the spot, and I wouldn't have blamed them. Yet you gave me a chance. And for that I am grateful to you." She explained with sincerity. "I know you're about to make the biggest decision of your life, and I want you to know that no matter what you choose…I will not think any differently of you."

"Thank you Karla."

He bowed to the witch and then made his way back to the center of the shrine. The Fire keeper walked up to him.

"Ashen One?"

"Yes, Fire keeper?"

"May I pose thee a question?"

This was a surprise to the Unkindled. She had never asked anything of him.

"Of course." He replied.

"Has the little Lord Ludleth spoken to thee of any…curious matters? I sense that he possesseth some knowledge… Of a thing most precious, or most terrible, now lost to the Fire Keepers. Pray tell, is it a matter of which I should be apprised?" She questioned.

He knew exactly what she was referring to, even if she didn't know herself. It was the eyes. The Eyes of a Fire Keeper he found in the Flameless Shrine. Ludleth was the only one who knew that he had them, and knew about what they do. He remembered their conversation.

Mayhaps I should apprise thee…of what the thin light of these eyes might reveal to the eyeless Firekeeper. Scenes of betrayal, things never intended for her ken, visions of an age's end.

The eyes show a world destitute of fire, a barren plane of endless darkness. A place born of betrayal. So I will'd myself Lord, to link the fire, to paint a new vision. What is thine intent?

The Unkindled pulled the eyes out of his pockets and looked at them in his hand. Ludleth told him the eyes would show her things that she was not meant to see. Why were Fire Keepers not meant to see such things? Was it so they could only thing for them to think of was blindly attending to the flame. What else was she not meant to see? Was she not supposed to see the fate of the Fire Keepers before her? Dumped into pile of corpses in the tower.

He considered her a friend, and he decided that she had the right to know of this. Maybe she would not like what she sees, but he would not keep the truth from her.

"Ashen One?" She said in concern after the Unkindled went silent. His mind came back to reality and he looked at the Keeper.

"Yes. I think you should know about this. Hold out your hand…I want you to have these."

She reached out and opened her hand, the Unkindled placing the eyes carefully in her palm. She felt the object until realizing what they were.

"…Ashen One, are these…Are these eyes? How gracious of thee ashen one. The very things we Fire Keepers have been missing…"

For some reason, the Unkindled felt a complete change of tone throughout the shrine. It was melancholy but…also somewhat serene. The Keeper expressed gratitude for the eyes, but the tone of her voice made her sound very conflicted. She became silent.

"Uh miss…is everything alright?" He asked in concern.

"Ashen One my thanks for the eyes thou'st given. But Fire Keepers are not meant to have eyes. It is forbidden. These will reveal, through a sliver of light, frightful images of betrayal. A world without fire! Ashen one…is this truly thy wish?"

There was no going back now. It was time for him to make the final decision.

So this is a two-part story. The ending chapter will be very soon.

Anyway this is my first Dark Souls story. I wanted to write a story that wasn't a SSB story like I usually write. Since I'm a huge fan of this series I thought I might as well start with this one.

To me, one of the most captivating things about Dark Souls is the atmosphere and the morality of the world. Morality isn't black and white in this series. In many forms of media, light is portrayed as good and dark is potrayed as evil. But that's not the case in Souls. Both Light and Dark have positive and negative aspects to them. What ending is good or bad is always up to you, the player, to decide. It's often a struggle to make the "right" choice and that's what I try to capture in this story.