Flynn

SL37 - 18 VGR - 14 ATT - 13 END - 23 VIT - 21 STR - 12 DEX - 9 INT - 9 FTH - 7 LCK

Resa

SL37 - 15 VGR - 14 ATT - 11 END - 12 VIT - 12 STR - 18 DEX - 8 INT - 25 FTH - 11 LCK

Resa

"Hold on...I'm not following. Run it by me one more time, if you will. What happened with Yoel?"

We hadn't left the mausoleum where we'd fought the Abyss Watchers yet, though the fight was long-over. Sirris had departed as soon as the battle had ended, but Flynn and I remained around the bonfire.

"Yoel sacrificed himself, or rather, his strength. He...must have trusted me. In his place is now Yuria, and she said Yoel regarded me as his master. I'm still making sense of some of it myself, to be honest."

"And the person that fought alongside you just now was…?" The ghastly white undead was still cast off on the side, wicked sword in hand amidst the now-charred clothes it was wearing. I'd never seen him before our final fight with the Abyss Watchers, and yet he was willing to sacrifice his life to save my brother's.

"Yuria called me 'The Lord of Hollows'. Someone supposed to end the cycle that's been happening since the days of Lordran. The fire keeps fading, and yet civilization after civilization keeps rising up and keeping it going. The Lord of Hollows is supposed to end that...to snuff out the fire for good."

I slapped my brother across the face, a meaningless gesture given just how thick his armor was. I knew it wouldn't hurt, but it got my point across nonetheless. "And why would you do that? Flynn, we are alive right now because of people sacrificing themselves to the flame, keeping it burning all those ages you speak of. Explain why you'd want to simply end all of their efforts just because a complete stranger said that it was what you were destined to do?"

He held his hands up defensively, shaking his head. "I never said I was going to...just that that's what Yuria said I should do. It's...it's a lot to take in. The shade that was with me, though...he believed in the Lord of Hollows...in me. If someone's willing to sacrifice themself for you, shouldn't that make their beliefs hold some gravity?"

I shook my head. "I...I don't know. I don't think it's the right way forward, but I won't tell you what to think. I did that once, and I ate my words." I looked down at the patch of cloth representing the Warriors of Sunlight...I'd already made the mistake of telling my brother how to live his life. "Just...please tell me you'll think things through a bit. These are world-changing decisions you're talking about."

He nodded. "I will, sis. You have my word."

I let out a sigh of relief...that was over. We were still here, however, and we were carrying the Ashes of a Lord with us, as well as their soul. Ludleth would certainly have use of one of the two, while the Fire Keeper would tell us what to do with the other. "Let's go back...we've got some errands to complete."

My brother nodded, and the two of us pulling from the Lordvessel's power to return us to the Shrine. Our first visit was the Fire Keeper, ever-present amidst the comings and goings of the Shrine. Flynn approached her, opening up the pouch on his belt that contained the Lord's embers. "We've done it...we've encountered a Lord, and brought back its essence. What should we do with them?"

The Fire Keeper turned her head towards the five thrones, pointing towards the one to the right of the central one. "I sense the Ashes you carry...they are from the Watchers of the Abyss, yes?" When Flynn nodded, she continued speaking. "Place them there...that is the throne they sat upon. On their own, however...they are meaningless. Only once all five Lords have been gathered, in one form or another, shall they draw power."

Flynn nodded, bowing low. "I understand...I will deliver them anyways, with the understanding that more are to come." He went off towards the throne, moving to deposit the Ashes amidst the seat.

The Fire Keeper turned to me. "Two of your comrades were searching for you not long ago...I know not where they are at this precise moment, only that they needed your aid in reaching another Lord, Aldrich. I presume this is all you need to know to find them?"

It certainly was. We had parted ways with Anri and Horace not too long ago, the two of them searching for Aldrich while we hunted the Abyss Watchers. The way they'd presented the situation, I was confident they'd make it there on their own...I suppose they were overly optimistic. While I wanted explore just what was down the crypt we'd just uncovered, this was now my highest priority. So long as Flynn wasn't going to get roped up in any of Yuria's nonsense, I'm sure he'd be willing to go help them as well. "Yes, Fire Keeper...I know where we must go."

She nodded. "Then hurry...last I saw them, they sounded quite distraught."

That was all I needed to hear. As Flynn was returning from the throne I was already moving towards the bonfire, gesturing him towards me. "No questions. Anri and Horace need our help."

"What about Ludleth?"

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "What more could you possibly be needing. You're as geared as you need to be. If it bothers you that much, we'll come back to him once we know just how dire our friends' situation is. Until then, we need to go."

Flynn conceded, taking a seat. "Alright, alright...let's go."

We used the bonfire's power once again, transporting ourselves back to the crumbling ruins where we'd first met Anri and Horace. We knew they split up with us somewhere on the Road, but we'd never looked far enough to know exactly where. We'd have to start our search from here. I rushed onwards, not wanting to delay our arrival any more than possible. The branch-wielding hollows were the first in our path, but we were much stronger than before, and they had never been a particular challenge even when we first saw them. My twin blades cut through them easily while Flynn's massive sword cleaved them in half, carving our way forward and towards the swampy mire that was ahead of us. Compared to the filth of the Farron Swamp, however, it was a welcome difference...the mere sight and stench wasn't vomit-inducing.

We steered clear of the waters for now, skirting around the left shore of the lake before us, cutting through more and more of the hollows, along with assorted other troubles. We reached a ramp upwards, both of us happy to discover another bonfire at the top of it. While we were in no need of it in our current state I still took the time to set it alight, leaving it as a beacon for us should we have future need of it.

What I did see, however, were even more ruins. These appeared separate from what we'd entered the last time we were here, guarded by the two knights that wore the armor Flynn now currently bears. Up ahead, across the lake, a staircase seemed to be the main entrance to the ruins. It was our only way forward at the moment, and we needed leads. I threw caution to the wind and leaped into the water with a splash, a much greater one following moments later as Flynn's hulking form plummeted into the murky waters. It was enough of a disturbance that the massive crabs started making their way forward, but not before we'd already made it across the short stretch of water, clambering up the staircase and onto the stony ruins. It was hard to gauge just how old they were...no doubt just as old as everything else around here. Even from the outside chunks of rubble were strewn all across the ground, and I could tell that the interior was no better.

Inside was a lone hollow in what once could have been a rather nice cloak, but now was little more than a tattered and filthy mess. All it bore was a sword, a foe the two of us were more than capable of dispatching swiftly. We pressed forward, finding another one of the strange lizard creatures skittering about in the center of the pathway. Just like all the others, the glittering stone in its back was its most distinguishing feature...we were gathering quite a few of them, and using far less. This one had almost a crystalline look to it, translucent blue peaks erupting from its back. It immediately began scurrying away once both of us were in sight, but it was a fairly simple task to eliminate it with a lightning spear.

As Flynn set to work extracting the gem from the lizard, I continued on ahead, rounding a corner and emerging into a fairly open room, several undead all stirring to life at once. They carried all various sorts of weapons - spears, swords, crossbows, but most notably one in the back of the room held a staff, which it lifted up into the air. I immediately conjured a lightning spear, throwing at the rising blue glow coming from the staff which erupted into a powerful eldritch blast. The two missiles collided with each other harmlessly, the blast distorting itself around my spear slightly as they passed through each other. I ducked to the side as it continued rocketing towards me, a chunk of the wall being torn down by the impact.

"Flynn! Are you done over there?"

My brother stowed away the crystal, looking up. "How many are in there?"

I shook my head. "Four, maybe five? I didn't get a good count. At least one caster, but I might have taken it down."

He nodded, moving towards the door, bringing his shield up in one hand, conjuring a dark orb in his other hand. I'd seen this before...but not on Flynn's hand. The Darkwraiths used these powers, which begged the very important question of why my brother had it. The orb flattened out to become a shell of dark magical energy that protected the other half of his body, and he turned his head towards me. "I'll get you in long enough to take out one or two. After that, we'll clean the rest up."

It worked...no doubt about that. I was sure this bizarre shield of his was somehow Yuria's doing...it fit the impression I had of her from Flynn's description earlier. My brother rushed in, arrows and sorceries flying towards him, but he was a stone wall being beaten by sticks. The dark shield practically soaked up the sorceries while the steel one deflected spears and arrows with ease - the perfect duet of defense. At the same time, my twin blades were flying free, slicing robes up even more than time had done. Within moments two undead had fallen, and two more remained. Flynn dropped his guard and reached for Vordt's hammer, sending the massive weight slamming down on the surviving caster. Between the two of us, the final undead barely stood a chance.

We pressed forward...we had no other choice. Based on how far we'd gotten I was confident that this was the path that we needed to take, but the lack of any sort of clear indication was beginning to bother me. If Anri and Horace needed our help, I would have expected one of them to leave us a sign...perhaps they truly were desperate after all.

The path ahead wove about, eventually depositing us into a fairly open area, a slight change of pace from the tight corridors we'd just navigated through. Several crumbling pillars that appeared to be of a different architecture dotted the area...along with a strange entity hunched over in the back. It wore extremely long and tattered robes, an almost comical over exaggeration from what we'd just seen on the previous, lesser undead. In its bony hands was a crystalline orb that glowed a vivid purple, casting an ominous glow on its fairly massive hat. That's when I realized...we were in an arena.

We didn't have time for this...if this thing was still alive, that meant that either Anri and Horace never made it this far, or they simply avoided fighting it. I knew Horace...he was a Blue Sentinel, and a good one at that. There was no way the foes we encountered up until this point would have been enough to stop him, especially with Anri at his side. A quick scan of the arena showed an exitway leading off from the back left...that was our ticket out.

Unfortunately, the caster had other plans. Orbs of concentrated sorceric energy appeared above its head, but they were sorceries far different than anything I'd ever encountered before. Crystalline energy filled them, sharp spikes swirling about in the various masses that the caster had conjured. Once it extended its finger they began to slowly hurtle towards the two of us, homing in on our very location. Flynn pushed forward, dark shield at the ready to intercept as the masses collided with him for little to no threat.

"We don't have time for this right now. We need to find Anri and Horace."

Flynn nodded, advancing into the arena. "Where to?"

I pointed towards the exit, already beginning to pass my brother in the mad dash forward. "This way."

"Right behind you, Resa."

That was great...until it wasn't. Another blast of crystal sorcery erupted from the ground around the two of us, jagged spikes digging into both our legs, heavily impeding movement. I reached for my scythe and hacked away at them while Flynn was simply content to utterly crush them, but it didn't matter...our foe now had free time. Another blast of energy erupted from it in much a similar manner to the eldritch blast the other caster had summoned earlier, except this one was much stronger, and I didn't have a wall or my brother to hide behind. I brought my shield up at the last second knowing full well how pointless it would be...steel never protected from sorceries, especially not ones this powerful. It hit me like a battering ram, sending me crashing down into the chopped remains of the crystals I'd been hacking at.

Everything hurt...I'd never taken a sorcery that powerful before, and I certainly didn't want to again. I fished around for my talisman, holding it into the air in an attempt to restore my vitality, the burning and biting of the sorcery beginning to fade away. As I got up, my resolve changed...we had to fight this thing, whatever it was. We'd barely even made it into the arena before we'd been stopped in our tracks, and now it had time to set up.

Not it...its. I looked around me now, seeing four or five of the same caster all around us. I hadn't been hit this hard...I wasn't seeing things. They all moved independently of one another, all preparing and casting spells on their own. This was bad...one had been enough to ground me. Five would be enough to slay us both without the group even breaking a sweat.

"Resa, how are you going to fix this?"

I knew exactly how...the way I always did. I dropped my shield for a moment and reached for my Ashen Estus Flask, taking a long drink of the refreshing liquid as I prepared my lightning spears for launch, weaving around spells all the while. The first spear made one of them disappear...that was too easy. After the second, I'd caught on.

"Illusions. There's only one...but which one?"

Flynn swapped his dark orb out for a red one, hurling a fireball that dissipated the third of the five casters. "Not that one...that doesn't leave many options."

Just then, I saw one of the two remaining casters raise up its arms, crystals erupting all around me...or so I thought. They were completely harmless, an illusory sorcery conjured by an illusory sorcerer. I pointed to the other remaining caster, a lightning spear forming in my hands. "That one." As I threw it the final illusion faded away, the caster now focusing on eliminating us rather than pointless trickery. However, both of us were on top of it, and we weren't letting it go. Despite its large size it was easy to crumble, Vordt's hammer sending it reeling while my scythe shredded the tattered garbs that it wore. What was underneath was thin, shriveled skin, the flesh of an old, wizened undead.

After both of us got a couple of swings on it the crystal it clutched glowed with power, and the caster practically vanished into the floor...five more taking its place. "This again...let's solve this quickly."

Flynn nodded, already shouldering Vordt's mace and unfurling his pyromancy flame. "With pleasure." He lobbed it at one of the five casters...it was the right one. The other four instantly vanished as the fireball erupted around the true one, and both of us began bolting towards it. A blast of sorcerous energy leaped from its orb, but I simply shrugged it off...I knew that I'd make it through this. Once I closed the distance I unleashed another deadly flourish of blades, cutting through even more of its robes while I had the chance.

Flynn sealed the deal with a thunderous slam of his hammer, but not before the caster could leave us with a parting gift. Another series of floating orbs appeared around its head, not fading away even after its death. Inexorably they were drawn towards me, and with such a short distance to travel there was nothing I could do to avoid them. Each hit me with the same strength as a charging bull, knocking me back and onto the ground with an explosion as the next one loomed ever closer. After the third my brother finally intercepted them, dark shield rising up to take the rest of them with comparative ease. By the time it was over, I could barely move through the pain.

Flynn rushed over towards me, kneeling down and taking his helmet off. "Sit still, sis. I'll get this fixed up." He set to work, removing the shards from my arms, legs, and torso, until eventually I could work up the strength to grasp my Estus flask, restoring the physical wounds.

"Thanks, Flynn...I needed that." I pulled myself up to my feet...there was the usual remains of a powerful enemy like that. Its soul danced just above the ground, a cold blue soul that was oddly fitting of the mysterious entity that we'd just overcome. Usually, such things felt like a victory, a reason for celebration that we rarely took time to appreciate...but right now, I was still so worried about Anri and Horace, I simply wanted to keep moving.

"Let's keep moving...I don't know how they made it past that thing undetected, but we can't have simply missed them." I pressed onward, regaining my strength and composure along the way, pressing beyond the arena and into the narrow passageway beyond. It wound around, eventually dropping us into a rugged valley, several cliffsides and slopes spanning out in front of us. As we continued forward, Flynn spotted another of the odd lizards, immediately leaping down from the ledge we were on to plunge his sword into it, but it skittered out of the way just before he landed. It couldn't run forever, though...soon it ran itself into a corner, and the blade that fell on it cleaved it in two. My brother pocketed the gem on its back, a smooth white orb, and we continued on.

However, our travels were far from peaceful. Several more enemies plagued us just in the short distance we had to travel, including one of the strange preachers we'd encountered back in the Settlement. We'd grown drastically during our time in the swamp, however...what once were formidable adversaries now were being dealt with with relative ease. We pressed forward...we had no choice. Anri and Horace had needed our help...so why hadn't we found them yet?

Thankfully, a bonfire was up ahead...we didn't stop, but we did take the time to set it aflame for later use. Ahead of us were several flights of stairs leading up to high walls, a lone undead blocking our path. Oddly enough, it looked...normal. No rotten or half-disintegrated equipment, no unsightly undead skin...it seemed like any other Unkindled. I lowered my weapons, approaching. The undead didn't make any indication that he saw me, if he did at all...perhaps he had information.

"Hello?" When it turned in my direction, I continued. "I'm looking for two friends, Anri and Horace. I believe they went this way not too long ago. Have you seen them?"

Now that I was closer, I could make out more details of this new and strange companion. He wore light and loose-fitting leather armor, holding a fairly mundane axe in one hand and a shield in the other. The shield bore the unmistakable visage of a spider, though it was fairly simplistic in its design.

He shook his head, though it seemed as if he still wasn't looking at me, peering over my shoulder. "Nobody's come through here in quite some time, but maybe we-I've seen 'em. What'd they look like?"

I tried to remember how both of them looked to describe them to the undead...it had been a while since we'd seen them in person. "One wore a traditional knight's armor, carrying a sword. The other wore dark, plain armor and held a spear. He can't speak...you couldn't have missed him."

Again, the undead shook his head, though still didn't seem to be paying me much mind. "Sorry miss, can't say they've been through here in a while."

I finally took the bait, curious what he was looking at. I turned around to see yet another undead just a few strides away. Unlike the last one he was clearly built for stealth. Tight leather armor moved almost silently, and a short blade was tightly clutched in each hand. Reflexively I brought up my shield, causing Flynn to do the same. "What is this?"

The first undead I was talking to let out a laugh, brandishing his axe and plunging it in my back while I was distracted. "Isn't it obvious? A robbery! You Unkindled pick up all sorts of goodies and hold on to them, waiting for that special moment for when you think it'll be useful!"

Flynn silenced the undead with a kick to the shield, sending him stumbling backwards. "You deal with that one, and I'll make sure this doesn't get to do any more robberies in the future."

I nodded, swapping my shield out for my second blade. Both of mine were longer than either of the rogue's that had sneaked up on me, which I hoped would be enough. However, I was already a bit disoriented from the sucker punch that had hit my back...not a good way to start a fight. The rogue was also far more nimble than I was, able to make three quick jabs in the time it would take me to make one. I was put on defense, trying to block the flurry of swings, stabs, and plunges that came my way, catching most but quickly finding my gauntlets riddled with punctures. I wouldn't have Flynn to bail me out, not that I thought I would need it. I'd taken out stronger than this before...but never by taking hits without dishing them out.

I lunged forward, slashing horizontally in front of me to push the rogue back, and then dashing forward once more and thrusting the paired blade forward, just a hair's breadth away from my adversary's armor. He took full advantage of my shortcomings, knocking my blade to the side and sliding forward, dropping to the ground and slashing at both my ankles while sliding through my legs. I spun around, knowing exactly what he was going for, managing to divert the potentially lethal blow on my wounded back to my shoulder instead. I shoved the blade free and countered with one of my own. Again, however, my blade just glanced off the rogue's shoulder, leaving me vulnerable for yet another strike. This time, my foe did not miss. A dagger slipped through my armor and ribs, digging into my torso before the rogue wrenched it free. I stumbled backwards, trying to regain my composure, but he simply didn't let up. Deft strikes aimed for every vital spot on my body while I fumbled to block them, though more than a couple managed to slip through my defenses. I was starting to grow weak from blood loss, multiple lacerations all over my torso.

Enough of this...I couldn't check on how Flynn was faring, but if my plight was any indication I wouldn't be relying on him for support anytime soon. I managed to avoid one strike by ducking low, and I spun my body around, swinging my arm to the side with enough speed and force to catch the rogue off guard, landing a deep cut across his stomach. With the flow of combat wrenched from his control I followed it up by continuing my dance of blade, spinning even further and catching him again with my other arm, a slight 'X' forming across his chest. I kept spinning, leaping into the air as I slashed my blade down again, lodging it into his shoulder and wrenching it free. He stumbled backwards, but I'd expended all my energy in that maneuver...I couldn't follow up quite yet.

However, I could heal myself, something it didn't look like my foe could accomplish. I took a quick drink from my Estus Flask, feeling my wounds knit themselves back together while the fight was in neutral territory. The rogue came charging at me once more, but he was weakened and I no longer was. I deftly dodged to the side, spinning and ducking low to slash at his shins with enough force to knock his leg out from under him, planting him on his back.

A look of despair filled his eyes as he realized his predicament, a single phrase leaving his mouth. "You'll never find them. Never."

I audibly snarled, swapping both blades to a reverse grip and plunging both into his chest. His head instantly went limp and hit the ground, his lungs exhaling. "I guess you won't either."

I looked up towards Flynn, ripping my two bloody weapons from the rogue. He had the other undead on the ropes, the spider-emblazoned shield practically caving in on itself from how much it'd been battered. With a few more blows from his sword the shield had been knocked from the undead's hand completely, leaving him completely exposed. My brother took full advantage of this, batting his foe's axe out of the way and into the air, following it up by plunging his sword through the undead's chest. A quick spin, jerk, and tug later, and his foe was slain. He pulled the sword out, stumbling backwards...it was only then that I could see just how bad the front of his armor looked. He'd taken a beating.

I rushed over towards him, trying to support his weight and grabbing my talisman, offering a quick prayer of healing. He recovered in the next few seconds, getting himself back on his feet. "That...was rough."

I nodded, looking down at my own defiled armor. "They were skilled...but the rogue made it sound like they'd robbed Anri and Horace, leaving them somewhere nearby. We've got to start looking, now. They can't have been drug that far."

"Then let's find them. If they were smart bandits, they wouldn't have put their prey the direction people would be coming. They're likely somewhere up ahead."

"Sound logic. Let's go." I trudged ahead, through the tall walls ahead, and into something that I could only describe as a deathtrap. A narrow walkway weaved onwards to an even higher set of walls, a clump of trees filling only this space whereas outside there had been none. On either side of the walkway were multiple undead, each armed with either a bow or a crossbow that were instantly trained on me. Along the path were several of the four-legged undead beasts that we'd encountered during our travels, each of which began sprinting towards me.

"I'll hold them off. Get the archers!" Flynn pushed his way in front of me and held up his shield, multiple arrows slamming into what would have been my stomach. His sword was ready to fend off the beasts that crashed into him, the long and heavy blade slamming down on any that dared stay too close for too long. However, that was all he could do - keep me safe.

I took a drink from my Ashen Estus flask, readying a lightning spear that ended up eviscerating one of the archers. I fired off three more, each one taking out one of the archers in the room. The miracle felt so right...the power of sunlight within my grasp was a feeling I never wanted to let go. I would serve both Covenants, the Blue Sentinels and the Sunlight Warriors...I couldn't see another way to live.

With the ranged threats in the room gone, Flynn and I were quickly able to dispatch the remaining beasts, clearing the path forward. Once we got through the woods and past the walls we were greeted by sunlight once again, and it was now clear that we were within the cathedral Anri and Horace had mentioned so long ago. To our immediate left was some sort of obelisk, multiple undead kneeling down at its base. More interestingly, however, was a building directly in front of us. From the limited view that I had through the open doors, I could see rows of chairs on either side, as well as a very elaborate altar at the front. Most importantly, however, was a bonfire sitting right at the front of the altar. After those last few fights...I needed it. My Ashen flask was practically dry, and I didn't want to be pressing any further without that precious resource. As much as I wanted to find Anri and Horace, it wouldn't do us much good if weren't able to keep going due to exhaustion.

"Let's...let's take a breather. I'm running out of energy."

Flynn moved ahead, doing his best to avoid the worshipful undead that had gathered around us, all kneeling at the same statue. "Don't have to tell me twice...this armor's heavy, but that doesn't mean it's comfortable."

"Why wear it then?"

He shrugged, the massive armor moving with him. "I feel like a wall of iron. I feel invincible, more than I ever have before. I think that's worth a bit of discomfort. Why do you wear your armor?"

I looked down at my armor, unchanged since the moment the bell woke us up. "Haven't found anything that I'd rather have."

We entered the chapel doors, seeing rows and rows of chairs in front of us. "And what would you rather have?"

I paused for a moment, actually having to think about an answer. What did I want? Last time I wore Ornstein's armor...I quite favored it. Why I did, however, I wasn't entirely sure. Before then I had taken on dark leather armor, similar to the rogue that we'd just fought. The two had almost no similarities between them whatsoever, and yet I'd opted for both. "I guess I'm not really sure. I'll find out whenever something strikes my fancy."

As we got closer to the altar, I could start to make out the details. Numerous humanoid shapes were on the front, each gathered and staring outwards from the altar. They all wore similar garb - long and flowing robes that effectively masked the shape of their bodies. Numerous candlesticks were around the altar, though they'd all been snuffed out for one reason or another long ago.

Most odd, however, was the man hunched down next to the altar. I lit the bonfire while I looked at him, curious as to just what he was doing here. He was in a red hood that masked his features, save for a ragged beard that forced its way through the gap in the hood. Beyond that, however, he wore leather armor reinforced with metal along various parts of the arms, legs, and torso. Currently he was on his hands and knees, clutching a small bit of fabric in his hands, and mumbling indecipherable words to himself. It was only once the two of us sat down at the fire that he began to speak to us.

"Are you...Unkindled?"

His voice was powerful...commanding. "Yes. Why?"

He moved around, thrusting his hands out, the small strip of fabric between his fingers. "Do you not seek to bring fire to the world?"

I looked up to Flynn, unable to gauge his reaction to the question through his bulky armor. "Yes. We both seek to bring fire to the world." I didn't know if Yuria had infected his mind so much that that was no longer a truth he believed in...but it was still one that I believed in. I was equally unable to gauge Flynn's reaction to my statement.

"My lady...my lady lives in a world without fire. She needs fire...she needs another Unkindled to bring her fire."

I looked towards Flynn...I was getting weird vibes from this person. Thankfully, my brother began fielding the conversation while I processed just what was being discussed. "Where is your lady?"

The undead shoved the fabric even further forward, dangerously close to the bonfire. "She resides within a painting...this painting, in fact. Well...she resides within the rotted scrap that's left of the painting anyways. She needs fire...fire to burn the rot away."

Flynn reached out for the fabric. "If she lives within a painting...how will we get to - "

His sentence never finished. As soon as his hands touched the fabric, his entire being began warping and distorting, first the hand that touched the painting, and then radiating outwards from there. It was as if he was being sucked into the painting...in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

I extended my blades towards the man. "Where has he gone! Answer me!"

"He, too, is within the painting now. Once inside, the only way out is to light a bonfire, linking the painting back with Lothric. It is a...fragile connection, but strong enough."

I glowered...he'd been tricked. We needed to find Anri, find Horace...but I couldn't do that alone. Likewise, Flynn was now trapped in a painting that we knew nothing about, and he didn't know how to return.

Begrudgingly, I held out my hand. "I care not for your 'lady'...we have our own matters we are tending to currently. However, I must save my brother."

With that, I touched the fabric, and immediately began to feel an overwhelming sense of dizziness, the world around me quickly fading to light...and then dark.

I'm back, and here to stay for a while. Life's busy, and I won't act like I can keep up a 4-5 day release schedule. Maybe once a week, maybe once every other week, but Flynn and Resa are here for more Twin Embers. Thanks to those that came back after my hiatus, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of new follows/favorites this story received when I wasn't even writing.

As always with a hiatus, I'm going to forget plot arcs and going to come up with new ones, so it might feel disjointed for a few chapters while I get back into the swing of things. Anyways, enjoy!