Hey there!
I don't want my notes to distract from the story, but a couple things real quick to give context:
This story is meant to provide a thoughtful closer look at the events concerning Knight Solaire of Astora. The narrator, a Chosen Undead by the name of Kiani, makes for a lens through which to follow Solaire's quest. That said, she will still be a character of her own, but the main focus is on Solaire. I was hesitant about making a, uh, fan-character at first, but after a little feedback decided to go that route instead of just having a faceless Chosen Undead. Seemed more interesting.
This story is based on the events that (can) occur in the game if you follow Solaire's quest. It's a collection of chronological moments and scenes that take place throughout Solaire's journey, that together form what I believe to be the bigger picture. It does also have parts that don't take place in the game, but believably could have (such as this first scene). Everything is done with consideration to the lore and the character. That said, Dark Souls' lore can be obscure, so if I screw something up, please do let me know. Any feedback is appreciated! Enjoy!
Rating: T for violence and blood, sometimes graphic. Probably bordering on M, if anyone thinks it warrants changing then I will do so. You've been warned. ;)
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Renewal of the Horizon
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I stood back to back with Knight Solaire of Astora in the murky Depths, surrounded by a swarm of sword-wielding Hollows. There had to be upwards of a dozen, and they were vicious even for Hollows. Feral. In groups of two or three it felt like practice, but this was no mere practice. One weapon could only be in one place at a time, and one shield could only cover so much area.
With this many coming at us, strafing with our backs slightly touching was the only way to guard each other. Warm and fatigued from battle, we both smelled of sweat and blood – fortunately more of the former than the latter.
At least, that was the case for a few more moments. Solaire grunted behind me and it sounded of pain more than effort. I kicked a Hollow away from me and used the instant to swing my axe around in an arc. Instinctively aware of Solaire's position as well as that of the Hollow who had struck him – their armor wasn't exactly quiet – my eyes met my target just before the blade did.
From the moment I turned focus away from my side of the fight, I knew it as foolish. And no foolishness in Lordran went without consequence.
Behind me, a Hollow was homing in. Of course I had no awareness of this until it was too late – until the tip of the sword was jutting out from my chest.
The agony didn't register until it was forcefully and fatally yanked back through my innards. The Hollow pressed a foot against my back and withdrew the blade from my ribcage like it was a gory sheath. I heard myself scream. It was a liquid-sounding scream, convoluted with hoarse gurgles.
Blood spurted from the wound and ran down my robes. I collapsed forward. Everything was blurry and dark. Solaire's enraged battle cry was far away like an echo.
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When I came to, I was greeted by the relieving light and warmth of the bonfire. I woke, if you could call it that, with a rush of adrenaline. The feeling was like coming out of a nightmare and slowly coming to the realization that it was over. Nightmares didn't hurt as much as that experience had, though.
The bonfire was always a welcome sight. Like a blip of sunlight in a dark, dark world.
Speaking of sunlight…
"Solaire?" I called urgently, sitting up and brushing off my pyromancer robes. Everything was still fuzzy. All I knew at that moment was that I'd gotten distracted because I heard Solaire make a rather awful noise.
I cursed myself for being so impulsive and foolish. Solaire was one of the few people in this land I had befriended. And who knew if our lives were still taking place on the same plane of Lordran now that I had triggered the Darksign? Time and space here was very distorted, as Solaire had told me. I didn't like the idea of being alone in this place. No one did. And clearly, I needed his battle expertise.
"Oh, hello there, Kiani. Back from the dead I see!" I jumped, and for a moment was pretty certain I had just been stabbed again, with the way my heart clenched. "Forgive me – I didn't mean to startle you."
Solaire was sitting against the wall to my left, just at the edge of my vision. I took a calming breath. "I'm the one who should be apologizing."
"Yes, that wasn't your brightest moment, my friend," Solaire's strong blue eyes settled on me, the light of the bonfire not missing them even through the slits in his iron helm. I felt ashamed, but I could tell by the gentle tone of his voice that he was not angry. "Take care not to let that happen too often; we don't want you going Hollow, now! The best way we can help each other is to help ourselves first. I was fine, I assure you. I had been wounded but had just enough Estus left to tide me over. "
"I… I got overwhelmed. Usually there aren't that many at once." For the most part, I could take any one or two enemies easily, large or small; Lordran was a battleground and I was not weak. But there had just been so many, and I assumed Solaire had been overwhelmed too. But I should have known better. He had been a knight before Lordran; I had practiced pyromancy, but it wasn't the same. I had quite a bit of learning to do when it came to battle.
"It happens to the best of us," the man said, chuckling, and then added, "though perhaps not quite as often. That said, you are an able warrior. Do not doubt yourself due to one lapse in focus."
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That was several days ago. But putting it that way made it sound much more recent than it deserved credit for. When you're fighting for your life – or lack thereof – and continuously reliving the merciless consequences of your mistakes, one fight to the death after another… well, time doesn't seem to feel quite the same. Time was already unstable and distorted in Lordran as it was. And all it really takes to change someone is a few moments of horror. One single wrong move, or the breaking of bad news, or a sight you cannot unsee. But the Undead following the prophecy experienced much more of that than a few moments.
The bonfires were our refuge. Their energy restored life upon being killed. But the price was that it burned away a little bit more of our humanity. The more humanity dwindled, the easier it was to become Hollow – a disfigured, corpse-like, insane form of the human. Once an Undead had lost enough humanity, if they also lost their sense of purpose, then their fate was horrific Hollowing. Death was a mere obstacle, a second chance. When you were revived by the fire, most of the life in that vicinity was as well, putting you back at square one but with a slowly increasing level of weakness and torment. Only the knowledge you gained balanced that out.
Death could be overcome in this land, but it was still not something to be trifled with. And never did the experience become any easier, or any less frightening. It was surreal, really. We weren't meant to come back to life. So when death takes an Undead – your instincts and your being still feel it as though it's a final death, like anyone else's. It's horrific at first. And usually quite painful. It makes you feel… well, hollow. Then there's a brief, hard-to-pinpoint moment of ease, as though you're right between awake and asleep, before everything you are becomes nothingness.
This was the blessing and the curse of those marked with the Darksign. Of course, we become living again, invigorated by the powerful flames. It almost seemed sentient, that fire. I supposed it was. It is fueled by soul and humanity, after all.
The way they talk about the Darksign makes it sound like some kind of privilege or purpose just for you. But really, many people are marked. I was but one. Solaire was another. He seemed to see a level of opportunity about it that I didn't yet. When I'd been taken to the Undead Asylum, I had little knowledge of the prophecy, and even less care for it. So the whole situation was forced upon me, whereas Solaire welcomed it with open arms.
Truth be told, right now I didn't mind it. It's not like I was leaving Lordran anytime soon; the present was too pressing to be concerned with a past that might as well not have existed at this point. But it seemed like this journey was much more than just me, despite that I was apparently the Chosen Undead.
Solaire was on a journey too. I looked over at him, his chainmail armor that didn't hide the muscle beneath, the tunic with the sun that he had painted himself, the green pauldrons. What a strange choice of attire. But he intrigued me. Our friendship was but a bud not yet bloomed; we had only met perhaps a fortnight ago, but so many trials had occurred in that time, and thanks to the summoning signs we had been able to assist each other frequently.
Right now we had the fortune of being in the same plane of time and space – we were together, not due to summoning but actual presence. We were resting at the bonfire of the Undead Burg, surrounded by crumbling walls, with a bridge just outside that put not quite enough distance between us and some Hollows. I was wary, but Solaire seemed nonchalant. That was fair; we had already overcome this place, only having returned to pillage. There were many abandoned houses here, and anything we could find in the environment was helpful and precious to our progress.
I wanted to know more about Solaire; his quest, his sun. This knight, gentle and considerate but intimidating when he wanted to be, had such a peculiar spirit about him. For now, his quest was mine too, for I had no quest of my own. There was the prophecy, but once again, I hadn't chosen that. I didn't own that quest the way Solaire owned his quest for the sun. He had a kind of passion that I didn't, and to me, that very fact made his journey more worthwhile than some ambiguous prophecy.
So the least I could do was assist him as he was doing for me. I cherished the opportunity anyway. Every time we spoke I gained another miniscule insight to the enigma of this Warrior of the Sun.
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There's a start for ya. Wanted to get the basics of Dark Souls' world in there and set things up. Please let me know what you think so far! Also, I'm open to suggestions, so if there's anything you'd like to see, feel free to let me know. No promises but I'm open.
Thanks for reading!