When I stand once more, I'm not sure what it is I want to do. Hunt Hollows to gather souls? Challenge the butterfly again? Go back to where I found Griggs? Explore the graveyard further? Try the ruins far below?…The graveyard, I decide; I can fight off the large skeleton, and the trio of smaller ones with it - it can't be any more difficult than those golems in the forest, though of course, I have no firebombs left. Soon I'll have enough souls to learn magic, though, so I'll do that first.

I splash through the pool in the ruins, my ears alert for the sound of snoring, but there is nothing. Beyond there, I travel down the hill and rouse the first two skeletons. I'm too cocky in how I fight them, though, and after a good fight, they kill me.

Just like that, I'm Hollow, and have no means of recovering. With nothing left to lose, there's no reason for me to not take risks in trying to gain whatever I may seek or find. So, I return to the graveyard with reckless abandon; I do of course manage to recover the souls I lost. The skeletons put up another good fight, and at one point, I have to use that clump of bloodred moss I found in the forest to pack in a wound that's causing blood loss, but I defeat them.

Now I have enough souls for a spell, so it's time to learn one. Only the cheapest one - a simple Soul Arrow - is within my means, but a ranged attack that I won't run out of will be a welcome asset.

"Oh, hello," Griggs greets me. He notes my Hollowed face, but only says, "Well, you certainly are keeping at it."

I nod, almost sheepishly. "How are you?" I ask.

"Myself? I am fine," he replies. "Let's get started straight away."

"Teach me how to cast a Soul Arrow," I tell him.

He shows me, and the magic passes from him to me. It's as much an item as a force, but I can't use it like this, somehow. This is all I can take, but I'm still grateful.

"All right," Griggs says when we're done. "That'll do it. That should help you on your journey." He gives a slight, informal bow. "May we meet again."

I nod my agreement, then go - I can't use this magic, but I'm still going to return to the graveyard to keep exploring. I'll figure the spell out later.

Fighting my way back to the trio of skeletons takes me only one more swig from my Estus Flask, as there is only the single pair of skeletons still in my way. These monsters are formidable, and almost a welcome challenge in a way, especially now that I don't have to worry about going Hollow; I put up a fight, but one skeleton manages to parry and riposte me, and that's the end of it. This makes me wonder if I can parry them, and decide to try it next - I'm determined, now, to show her up. She was kind and gentle, and I cannot allow her to be stronger than me; it's not so much stubbornness as it is competitiveness.

With a bit of practice, I discover I can parry and riposte the skeletons - they don't give off an enormous spray of blood, but the effect is the same. Back at the trio, just as the fight begins, I manage to parry and riposte one of them, and this gives me some confidence. After that, though, the fight becomes a matter of backing up while blocking and swinging my sword. It kind of turns into a mess, but two of the smaller skeletons go down, one at a time, and then we reach the entrance to the pool, at which point the remaining skeletons seem to give up. I engage the last small one while the large one walks away, giving me plenty of time to finish it off; I managed to get quite a few hits in on the big one on the way, so when I come back within the range it apparently cares about, it doesn't take too many more hits to bring it down.

My chest swells with triumph. Without special weapons, without magic, with one swallow of Estus left, I have brought down beasts that she had difficulty contending with until the end. Proudly, I stride back to where these skeletons were, to see what it was they were guarding. At the base of a massive gravestone, I find a corpse carrying a Zweihander; this is a powerful sword, but it's heavy, and I'm not yet strong enough to lift it. Still, I'm glad to have found it.

To the left, at the edge of a cliff, I find a corpse carrying some brass binoculars; these aren't the most useful of tools, but I'll hold onto them just in case. Come to think of it, she had a pair just like these…but of course, I know it's a coincidence. Up the hill to the right, I find another giant skeleton. Being cocky from my victory, I'm careless, and with me being also down to the last of my Estus, it kills me without much trouble.

Back at the bonfire again, I'm now more determined than ever; I charge back to the graveyard, ready to take everything on - if I could take down a swarm of small skeletons and a giant skeleton together, one single giant skeleton on its own will not best me. When I get back to the group, I backstep and backstep, trying to get to the edge of their domain - I figure being able to have a moment to breathe every now and again will be helpful. Once we're there, in an attempt to preemptively dodge me, the giant skeleton side-jumps right off a cliff and dies; this gives me an idea, and I hit another skeleton until it falls off, too. One of them had been defeated before, leaving me with one left to fight, and that's no difficulty. This time, I have three swallows of Estus left in my Flask, and I'm more prepared.

First I recover the power I lost before, then I trigger the giant skeleton. I'm careful this time, taking on a strategy much like the one I used against the black knight that wielded the mace: I only strike after it makes the attack I know I have time after - in this case, slamming its humongous sword down onto the ground with both hands. We go back, and back, and back, all the way to the stairs out of the graveyard, as it seems determined not to do the thing it knows will give me a chance to hit it. Every time I do strike - and even sometimes when I don't - the beast leaps back or to the side, leaving me disoriented for a moment, and every moment counts. At last, I defeat it, and still with one swig of Estus left; I'm hurt, but I save the Estus in case there's more danger ahead.

I walk all the way back to where the giant skeleton was resting. At the base of another enormous tombstone is a corpse carrying a Winged Spear; this is a beautiful weapon - it was her weapon of choice - and the fact that it can be used without lowering my shield and exposing myself is tempting, but the truth is, it's much weaker than my sword, and heavier, and I'm actually not quite strong enough to wield it. With each weapon I find, I become more convinced that my broadsword will be my best weapon.

When I then follow the path the short rest of the way, I find myself…back at the beginning of the graveyard. Apparently, I explored all of it. Out of pure curiosity, I head back for a path leading down a narrow ledge I noticed earlier. On the way, I notice a gap in the tombstones to my left, and discover a hidden path, in the middle of which lies a body carrying a roundshield decorated by a blue Caduccus. This is solid wood, and I can tell from the style that it blocks magic well; but it's still weaker than my shield, even the Grass Crest Shield, and I hold onto it without intending to use it. Two more skeletons awaken around the corpse, but the field of gravestones is thick here, and I have no trouble defeating them.

At last, I reach the ledge I noticed before; I go down it, and soon find myself descending stone steps into a cave. Moments later, the narrow cave opens to reveal stone structures deliberately built into the ground; at a guess, I'd say this is the Catacombs. Remembering what Andre said about the creatures here, I decide to go back without looking any further - I'm almost out of Estus anyway.

I return to the bonfire. Soothing heat washes over me, healing me, and my Estus Flask fills to the brim. Once more, I can feel her in the fire…and this time, I notice something else in the flames - I can't quite make it out, but something calls to me. The spell I learned from Griggs is reacting with the bonfire, and she guides me, showing me how to ready a spell to be used the moment I equip a wand; I have one spell, but only enough capacity to use one at a time just now anyway. It turns out to have a limited number of uses, but she reassures me I can restore it at bonfires, same as my Estus Flask.

Before I stand, she shows me a few images I don't understand: Jumping off a ledge, a body atop the Firelink ruins, a huge nest with eggs, and the giant raven that brought me here carrying something to the Northern Undead Asylum. Slightly confused, I thank her for her help, then walk over to my nameless acquaintance, who is still sitting in the same place; I greet him.

"Have you been to the ruins of New Londo below?" he asks me. "Just head down the stairs, and take the lift. It's certainly worth a visit. It was once an Undead city. You may find a clue or two. Unless the ghosts find you first…" He chuckles.

New Londo. That must be the place I went to back when this journey began. She warned me not to go there yet, insisted something far too dangerous was in the ruins proper; now, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm ready. Thinking, I start to walk away; then I change my mind, and return.

"You again?" he asks before I can even say another word. "There's nothing to speak about, really. Oh, actually…Something strange did happen. That crow flew off with somebody in its clutches. I think it was a man curled up in a ball. Stranger things have happened, right? No, maybe not…"

A prickle runs down my spine, as I recall the flashes of images she just showed me. Curious now, I take out the binoculars I just found and peer up at the giant raven, which I can still see perched on one of the ruin walls. It takes me a minute, but I notice a large nest perched high on the top of a wall that is still intact near it. Was she telling me I can get up there? But how?

Finally, I decide to take the lift back up to the Undead Parish, maybe buy an upgrade or two from Andre; I step on the lift, and look out at the world sinking behind me. Moments later, though, I recognize one of her images, and I jump off the lift, which doesn't have its own walls. Now I'm standing on a rooftop of some of the Firelink ruins, high above anywhere I've been before. The ledge she showed a person jumping off is to my right, and I'm probably too heavy to make it like this…so I strip down. No need to have any weight, and it's not like there's anyone around to see me. Unable to resist, I look down at myself, and see the ribs through the charred, shrunken skin of a Hollow; I know every bone is visible, and that my flesh is withered and appears skinless. Yes…it's very good no one can see me in this state.

Rid of the weight of my armor, I proceed to try to make the jump, but I miss. Embarrassed, I put my knight armor back on so I can return to the bonfire to heal the injuries from my fall without anyone seeing my Hollowness. I'm now in the hidden space full of treasure chests, and have to jump down another ledge into the graveyard; I forget that the skeletons' life forces have been returned to them, and they catch me by surprise. My blue tearstone ring saves me, and I maneuver around them and run back to the bonfire to reset everything. Then I go back to try again.

Once again, when I'm at the jump, I strip down all my armor so nothing's weighing me down. This time, I make it, and the drop doesn't even hurt. I can see that some nimble maneuvering will still be required up here, so I debate before putting my armor back on; ultimately, I decide to put on the leather armor with no helm - it's not sturdy and it doesn't look flashy, but it's lighter than anything else I have. That settled, I climb a buttress, then the narrow remains of some stairs along the inside of the crumbling remains of what appears to be a tower, followed by some more stairs on the outside; I follow a ledge, then jump down, far down, onto a roof I recognize from her vision - I take a little bit of damage from the fall, but not much. Up here, I find a corpse that is holding a key for some reason; I stow it away, trusting it will be useful, and drop through a hole in this ceiling, returning me to a spot just in front of Petrus. Acknowledging him with only a wordless nod, I hurry back to the bonfire to heal my fall wounds, then go back up again. Again I miss the jump this time, so I heal and re-clothe and return to the bonfire - not forgetting the skeletons - then back up again. These difficulties don't dissuade me; I must see where this goes.

This time, I make the jump, and I put my knight armor and gargoyle helm back on - there won't be any more jumping as long as I don't fall by accident, so there's no more need to go on undressed or half-dressed. I climb up to the top, and this time, I go to the enormous bird's nest. In it are two blue-green, speckled eggs, roughly my size; between the vision and my acquaintance's words, I follow a hunch and curl up so I'm roughly the same shape as them as well. For a minute, nothing happens. Then, suddenly, the raven swoops up, grips me in its talons, and flies off through the air, carrying me with it. When it drops me, I'm back at the Northern Undead Asylum, in a nest that the raven apparently built on the end of the cliff it snatched me from before.

I don't know what's here now, but I trust that there is something to find. At the bottom of the hill is a mob of five or so ragged Hollows with torches; I run down to meet them, but they're far stronger than they ought to be, and because I underestimate them, they kill me, without even too much trouble. When I wake up at the Firelink Shrine again, I'm humiliated, and I hurry back up to the nest to try again. Again, of course, I miss the jump and have to try once more; it seems as if it will always be like this. This time, a skeleton actually follows me to the bonfire, and the flame dies until I kill it. The second time, too, I miss the jump, but this time it was because I waited too long; I'm getting frustrated, but if nothing else, I need to recover the souls I left in the Northern Undead Asylum. When a skeleton follows me again, I demolish it.

At last, I make it back to the nest. This time, the raven comes for me immediately, and soon, I'm back in the snowy mountains again. I won't let those Hollows catch me unawares a second time - they may be stronger now, but so am I. Of course, I overestimate myself again, and soon after I reclaim the power I lost, I'm back at the Firelink Shrine once more.

Now I'm getting angry. I've fought gargoyles and slaughtered them, but a few ragged Hollows have killed me twice in a row? Unacceptable. I won't do anything else until I conquer the Northern Undead Asylum once and for all.

It takes me four tries to get to the nest this time. Why is this so difficult? She never had a problem! Regardless, I'm just glad I'm there once I'm there, and I will not let those Hollows make a fool out of me a third time. I'm a bit more tactical in my approach this time, and at last, I manage to kill them all; I can finally explore.

I search around outside the Asylum first. Off on a ledge to the side, I see a smaller nest, and I approach it. There doesn't appear to be anything there but a couple of eggs, but once I've edged my way out close enough, a distinctly feminine voice caws at me.

"Caw caw! You, you! Caw! Give me, warm. Give me, soft. Caw!"

Warm and soft? Curious, I walk to the nest, which on close inspection appears to be exactly the same as the nest at Firelink Shrine, only half the size, eggs and all. I have nothing I'm really happy to give, except…maybe one of the waistcloths I've taken from Hollows? Since I might as well, I drop it in the nest.

"No, no," says the voice. "Caw! That, no! Caw! That no warm. That no soft. Caw caw!"

A soldier waistcloth gets the same response. Stymied, I search through everything I own, and finally I find that piece of garbage I picked up a while ago. It's kind of soft, I guess…and don't birds make their nests out of trash? There's no real use for it, so I drop it.

The voice says nothing. Nothing happens at all. I hesitate a moment, then decide to just leave the invisible bird with it. There's nothing else out here, so I return to the inside of the Asylum.

Here, I find myself in the same courtyard where I fought the first demon I ever saw. There are a couple of Hollows around the edge, but as I approach, they don't cross the center of the courtyard to get to me, instead holding to the edges; I wonder about this, and decide to skirt the edges myself, so I can at least use the bonfire that's just beyond to ensure I won't end up back at the Firelink Shrine if I die.

The bonfire is just as it was. How long ago was I last here? My first bonfire I ever found…the first time I felt her presence since she left this place on her own quest. I wonder what it was she saw here, before and after…I wonder about her. But this place needs to be explored. Now that I've marked this as my checkpoint, it's time to see what happens if I step in the center of the courtyard.

Of course, I have to kill the two Hollows inside again. Then I step where they refused to…and the floor crumbles beneath me. I hit the ground hard, and the next thing I know, I'm in battle with another demon, much like the first one; I try to stay close to it, like the first one, but this one is smarter, and more powerful - it can cast a fiery aura to blast everything around it, and it also knows how to use its tiny wings to fly up a short ways so it can land on top of whatever's under it. One of each of these moves hits me, and I'm dead.

Again, I refuse to let this thing beat me. When I return to the fire, she admits that she came back here on her quest long after she rang the second Bell of Awakening and strengthened herself significantly, and even she had difficulty with it. But that's just all the more reason for me to keep trying. The floor has repaired itself, and the pendant screams at me to return to the nest before I try again; the Hollows with torches are outside, but I fight my way past them. In the nest, the thing I dropped has moved. The voice again pleads for me to give her "warm" and "soft", but I pick up the item still in the nest, and find that, instead of the trash, it's a chunk of titanite. So that's why she wanted me to keep that garbage.

Now it's time to go back - I have nothing else to give the "warm" and "soft" bird. I let the floor crumble beneath me, and again, I take the long fall hard, but I have a moment to recover with Estus before the fight, and I try again. The monster pounds on me with its weapon twice, and I'm done.

This is not easy. Before I try again, I decide to explore around elsewhere. I remember the locked gate from before that I never got to open; maybe one of the keys I've collected might do the trick. To find out, I head back through the gate in the side of the courtyard and through the wet areas to the place where the Hollow was shooting at me from. Instead of a Hollow shooting at me, however, a black knight with a sword and shield is standing at the end of the hall, waiting for me. I take only a moment to brace myself, then charge in - maybe the demon down below is tough, but no black knight will beat me. This one's very excellent at swordplay, and though I am too, a couple of dumb mistakes eventually get me killed. Still, this one I know I can beat…especially if I use some of the gold pine resin I still have tucked away; I use it on my sword, then go on again.

The lightning has a significant effect, but a lot of fighting this particular knight involves waiting, and the lightning wears off after a little while. This time, I die even faster. Still, I use the last of my gold pine resin for the third attempt, this time using the other bonfire on the way just to be sure.

On my third try, I get so close, so painfully close, and not just because I manage to get more hits on the monster before the gold pine resin wears off - I have this thing's attack patterns down, and I'm not even sure how that one last mistake killed me. I'm out of gold pine resin, but having been impossibly close, I can't stop trying now, not with victory ripped out of my hands like that.

The fourth time, I die quickly, but mostly because…sigh…I'm too slow in my heavy armor. The hallway is narrow, and it's long, but not that long, so sometimes I have to back into the water in the room before it to go around my foe; this time, I wasn't able to get around it before it killed me. It's getting very aggravating, not being able to maneuver in this metal suit. Why haven't I found anything better? In any case…I switch to my chainlink armor - I'll be able to take less hits, but I'll be able to avoid more hits, and I'm still keeping my gargoyle helm.

My fifth try is just as close as the third time - I'm able to maneuver much better, and this does keep me alive longer. In the end, it comes down to me running out of Estus; for a good while, my blue tearstone ring is the only thing keeping me alive, and eventually, the black knight manages to wear me down, its powerful sword just managing to wound me even with my shield up, chipping away at my health until I fall. Still, I know I can do it now; I just wish my lighter armor also looked more dignified.

The next time, I die soon - even in lighter armor, I can't maneuver well in deep water, and the black knight almost seems to know this, moving and jumping around me to keep me from being able to climb out while it hits me. I take a breath and try again.

Seventh try, and I've finally figured out how to maneuver. Just being able to move faster isn't enough, I also have to try the dodge moves I hate seeing enemies use. This works, but one mistake, one mistake, is all it takes to kill me again. I know I can do this. After all, she did - maybe not with this one, but this isn't unlike her fight with the black knight that guarded the blue tearstone ring.

Disarm-stab, I counter. One sweep, I dance back and forth for baiting; two sweeps, I dance more; a thrust, I keep close; a fourth strike, I counter. Dodge, move in, dodge, move in. Wait for it to be stuck in a stance before drinking Estus, and watch out for the running thrust it makes when I drink. It becomes almost hypnotic, the pattern I learn to follow. And then, finally, finally, with much maneuvering, a bit of luck, and actually a bit more aggression, the black knight falls. I'm left with a red chunk of titanite, and a clear path; I take a drink of Estus to heal the last of my wounds, leaving me with two left.

I'm not sure about armor anymore…this stuff just looks so cheap compared to my knight armor. For a minute, I debate, then I put my old armor back on - if I need to change it again, I will. Maybe. Still, the path is clear now, and I proceed, my goal still being the gate that was locked before.

Carrying on, I climb some stairs, and soon, I'm back on the balcony overlooking the outside courtyard in which the bonfire burns. Through a rusted gate, I see a figure in armor stand and walk away from me. It takes me a minute to remember the one who saved me from my cell, but when I round the corner, it's he who charges at me; he's gone Hollow. He fights much more wildly than the black knight did, and the instinct I've built to keep my distance ill aids me here, so he kills me. But the black knight is still gone, so I can go after him and try again - surely, he has souls I can use.

With this in mind, I climb the stairs again, and we continue fighting. I learn quickly that he's more concerned with attacking than defending, and his means of defense are meager - he tries to dodge-roll in his heavy armor, to about the same effectiveness I ever have in my own knight armor, and his kicks to disarm me are weak. Using the Estus Flask he gave me, I'm able to keep myself alive and continue battling him. Eventually, he falls, fading from existence and leaving behind a blue Crest Shield.

All knights have heard of the enchanted blue shields. This one, I can feel from the hum in the metal, is meant to protect against magic. I check it against my Grass Crest Shield, and find that it's the same weight, and overall marginally superior. I'll miss the invigorating properties of the Grass Crest Shield, but I swap it out; this is a valuable weapon.

That battle cost me all of my Estus, but I'm so close now, and there are only some minor Hollows in my way. Then again, I don't think either of the foes I've just defeated will revive if I use the bonfire, so in the end, I decide to go back and refill my Estus Flask before continuing up the stairs to the ramparts. When I'm heading forward again, I stop at the hole in the wall that boulder caused long ago; inside, I can still see the bed of bricks, faintly illuminated by daylight, that was my rescuer's deathbed. I'm not sad so much as unnerved. How soon things can change when you're Undead…

I shrug the thought off and continue upwards. Somehow, that same Hollow decided to roll the boulder all the way back up the stairs, just so it could roll it down again at me now, and it does. The blow isn't nearly as hard as it was the first time, but I'm still annoyed; I cut it down and carry on.

Outside, the Hollows haven't changed, except for seeming a bit tougher. Without much trouble, I get to the room with the locked gate. When I enter the room, I discover that there are now two Hollow soldiers to get past, one with a sword, one with a spear. I defeat the one with the sword first, then face off with the one with the spear - I intend to parry the spear-wielder, but my timing is slightly off, and this thing is much stronger than before; with two stabs from the spear, I'm dead. Getting angry again, I climb back up.

When I reach the two Hollow soldiers again, I recover my lost power, then parry and riposte both of them without a scratch. At last, I'm at the locked gate. Following my hunch, I try the key I found on the corpse on the roof of the Firelink Shrine, and lo and behold, it works. Beyond it is only the stairs up to the outside balcony on the other side of the inside balcony, the ones that have crumbled far beyond use, but on this half of the stairs is a corpse wearing a rusted iron ring that is very heavy and faintly stained with blood. I'm not sure what use this has, but I'm sure enough that there is one, so I take it.

At last, there's nothing left to do except fight the demon down below. I think about it long and hard, and finally, begrudgingly, decide to wear my chain link armor - movement is important in fights like that, it was my clunky armor that made me too slow to dodge it. Before I do that, though, I return to the bonfire in the open courtyard. I've gathered plenty of souls, but they turn out to just barely not be enough; it's better to use them now than lose them fighting that demon, so I kill the Hollows in the closed courtyard a couple of times until I have what I need. Then I use them, change, and go to where I know the hole is to fight the demon.

The fight goes better - I'm able to dodge the thing's attacks. My sword, however, barely scratches it. Given this, I decide to use both hands, but another problem presents itself: its blast ability. This, I have no means of defending myself from, and two blasts kill me. Still, I'm determined to do this before I go; I won't leave without that monster's souls. I switch to my Grass Crest Shield so that its invigorating properties will aid me, then put it on my back to use my sword with both hands - I'm going to keep trying until I find a way to get around those blasts. Reviewing my armor, I find that the chain link set is more useful against fire in the gloves and leggings, but my reinforced chestplate is far superior to anything else I have. I swap it out again, but this change puts more weight on me, drastically more, and I can't move freely. This one piece of armor! Annoyed, I switch it back; I actually attract the attention of a couple of Hollows outside while I do this, and I have to go back to the bonfire to restore myself so I can be at my best when fighting the demon.

When I drop down, my sword in two hands, I forget that I can dodge but not block, and the demon kills me with a single strike. Okay, simple mistake, I won't make it again. The next time, I'm faster, but I don't take time to heal myself from my fall, and one blast of fire kills me. And that's when I'm forced to face it: I am not strong enough to face this monster. She would carry on fighting anyway, but I'm smarter than her; I swear revenge, but for now, I can only return to Firelink Shrine, changing back into my preferred armor and drawing the Crest Shield again. Luckily, the unstable time flow leaves the power I lost to the demon up here instead of down there, so I can recover it, and I do. The Hollows on the way don't bother me all that much; when I reach the nest, I curl up like a ball, and the raven comes and carries me away.