Dark Souls
Road's End
(One-shot)
Solaire stood before the bonfire. It was done, every trial he had persevered through had culminated to this very bells had been rung, the Lordvessel filled and the Lord of Cinder, Gwyn had met his end at his hands.
But he was not alone in that journey. Nay, far from it. He had many an Undead to thank, yet all of them were either missing or dead...save one.
Their way was paved with sacrifice and loss. The price, Solaire felt, was too high. It felt like a shallow victory.
He felt cheated, to have come so far to only find yet another bonfire to be lit. And for his very soul to be the fuel.
Would it be worth it though? To play into the hands of the scheming gods, to keep the Age of Fire alight for a few more centuries longer and to have a faint hope that someday, some unlikely Undead would find the cure to this damned curse...would it be worth it?
Those were the doubts that plagued him as he stood before the unlit bonfire, the embers glowing softly against the ash covered ground.
"It's not the Sun you were looking for, but it has to count for something."
Solaire was brought out his musings and looked towards the speaker, turning around to the Kiln of the First Flame's entrance. Before him stood a young knight in armor worn by the Elite, with a red and blue shield upon his back and a scimitar sheathed on his hip.
The young man had been with the Sunlight Warrior for what felt like an eternity. There was another knight but he had fallen long ago, to a foe inconceivably powerful. He had not been there to witness it, but the young knight had. It tore at him, like a rotting disease. The anger, the rage, the helplessness. It plagued his dreams, watching his mentor die countless times...the boy had been through so much in his time in Lordran, it would drive anyone else mad.
Yet he persevered, they both did. Now they were here, at the end of the road. Two Undead, with one choice to be made.
The Elite Knight walked towards Solaire, his armor making a ruckus as he did, the noise nearly drowning out his low voice.
"What do we do now Solaire?" he asked, his walk slow and methodical,"The fire requires only one soul to burn and rejuvenate the world."
No words came from Solaire's closed lips.
"What do you want to do?"
More steps, more noise yet no words still.
"Do you want me to link the fire?...or do you want to?"
Silence.
An iron helm stared at the ground in solemn thought, the bright red feather looking surprisingly bright compared to the grey surroundings.
A gauntleted hand firmly grips the Warrior's shoulder as the Knight stands before the older man and whispers a little something.
A tiny, little querry...
"Do you want to die, Solaire?"
A rush of coldness entered the man who was known for his warm and cheery disposition.
Still in his unresponsive state, he looked down. At an odd tower, jutting out of a red lake that continued to expand over a white landscape.
But, there was no tower, no lake nor a white landscape.
There was however, a hilt from a slender dagger, a pool of red blood, and a white cloth getting soaked red.
Gaining his senses, Solaire peered into the knight's helm and looked right at his eyes.
It had been so long ago, when those eyes were full of fear and wonder, curiosity and hope. Now, they were cold and lifeless, empty of any emotion.
He could feel the sharp blade and the cold throughout his body but it did not compare to those hollow eyes.
But, what could create such a difference in such an expanse of time? For the same person to be two people, to go from being a weak but strong willed boy to a soulless being.
As the dagger was wrenched out of his gut, a weakened Solaire fell to his knees. Blood began to pool around his kneeling form at a unnervingly quick rate as Solaire locked eyes with the one whom he once called friend.
"But...why….why…" he pleaded desperately as he clutched his wound. Darkness began to cloud his vision. An odd noise filled his ears. His consciousness was fading.
"Why?" repeated the Undead, his voice colder than the air in the Painted World.
He clenched his unarmed fist in anger and reared his leg back before launching a booted kick into Solaire's wounded gut.
The man tumbled and bounced off the hard ground, ash flying in every direction before his back his the wall with a deep thud and a resounding cry of pain.
"Do you want to know why? Do you really?" said the attacker, slowly making his way across the Kiln.
"I'm sick of it." he stated angrily, through clenched teeth.
Another step.
"The dying."
Step.
"The hunger."
Step.
"The pain."
Step.
"The lies, the deceit."
Step.
"The loss."
Step.
"The anger, the fury."
Step.
"The desperation."
Step.
"The failures, the sadness."
Step.
"The hopelessness."
Step.
"The fear, the confusion."
Step.
"I'm tired of it all, Solaire."
Step.
"You never saw anything that I have…"
Step.
"Lautrec, butchering Anastasia."
Step.
"The look on her face as his men held me in place, forcing me to watch."
Step.
"There was Old man Logan, and his little worthless apprentice."
Step.
"In the end, they both went mad in their own way."
Step.
"Then, there was the priestess. "
Step.
"We saved her, me and him...only for Seath to take her and experiment on her."
Step.
"I had to kill her. I killed an innocent Solaire."
Step.
"Then, I killed Seath. I tore him to pieces."
Step.
"But that's not why….not really."
Step.
"That's not really why I'm going to end you."
Step.
"I've seen too much to even mention."
Step.
"It all comes down to one, little thing…"
The Undead towered above Solaire's broken and bloody body. He unsheathed his scimitar, as his other hand glowed a brilliant gold, like the sun itself.
"Truth is, I'm selfish."
The young Knight readied himself, holding the sword two handed, raising it above his head. In a single moment, he would end the Sunlight Warrior's life.
He closed his eyes, as Solaire attempted to rise. The sword was gripped tightly by the hilt, the metal point poised to strike.
For a tiny, sliver of time there was nothing but blackness as the Accursed Undead spoke the last thing his friend would hear.
"I don't want you to burn."
Fin.
Author's Note: I always seem to revert to something Solaire and 'Chosen' Undead centric when trying to write something meaningful for Dark Souls. You see, initially I was going to write a Valentines Day one-shot in honor of Radaint as the Sun 's anniversary but my mind had other ideas. I took an entirely different route and ended up with what you all just read. A yet to be resolved ending to a yet to be told story. ;) Reviews are like humanity, I need 'em to get feedback or else I'll hollow and lose my will to write.
Till next time!
- Original Heartless (formerly Godskeybladewarrior)