-Blighttown-

After reversing her Hollowing at the bonfire, Seiko trudged out into the swamp to look for Quelaana. Once again, she held her fist overhead, lit with her blue flames like a torch. Before long, it was Quelaana who found her, appearing as if from nowhere near one of the massive pillars in the muck.

"Well… Look at you. You're a fair measure stronger than when you left, and in more ways than one. As grateful as I am to see you've returned, I trust this isn't a simple visit. You've an air of haste and duty about you."

"I need to find the grave of Artorias and face the Four Kings of New Londo. I found the mage you were talking about in New Londo, but I chose to leave what I'd forgotten behind. He said I should hurry and find you in case there was anything else I could learn from you that would help me."

"Indeed, I have more I could show you, but I will not give up my knowledge so simply. Come, show me what you've learned. If you are ready, I will share more with you."

"Chaos Fire… No need to ask where you learned that." Quelaana looked on, motioning for Seiko to continue. Seiko demonstrated Toxic Mist next, showed that she could cast Firestorm without being completely drained, and lastly showed her simple torch.

"I have one other I haven't named yet that I thought of," said Seiko. "If I can grab an enemy, I can force my Pyromancy inside them and let it flare."

"Inside them? I've never seen that done, but I imagine it's quite possible… Though very cruel and strange… What sort of desperate situation forced that out of you?"

"I fought alongside Catarina Knights in heavy armor, and fought a Chaos Demon who didn't care about my flames very much. But I thought that, if I could get past those defenses, there could be no way that the same fire that burned dragons and toppled great trees could be resisted. So I came up with the idea of forcing flames into something."

Quelaana sighed. "For the kind of horrors you will face, I imagine there will be times that such a technique will be useful… But I would like you to consider what such a thing must feel like. Of course, now I must practice the technique myself to understand it, but I would never have thought of such a thing. Do be careful you don't let your creativity get the best of your fear."

"Yes, Sister… I'm sorry…"

"Do not apologize. But as well, do not teach the technique to anyone. I hardly trust you with it, but as you are the one who created it I cannot keep it from you. Moreover, it will make what I need to teach you now easier to understand."

Seiko tilted her head.

"I will share the rest of the knowledge I gave Salaman with you. You will learn to charm simple Undead, as the flames entice all living things, and to change yourself. I heard long ago of Salaman's creations, and the teachings of his star pupil, Carmina as well. There have been more creations since then, but what I teach you now will be everything I am willing to show you."

As Seiko watched, Quelaana produced a small, tattered journal from a pouch.

"And there is one other. It is a Pyromancy of Carmina herself. The one who brought this to Blighttown died before we could meet, but I found this journal. It is, no doubt, meant for me, but it is a technique I haven't dared attempt. Carmina's Iron Flesh or Flash Sweat are harmless enough, and easy to grasp, but this… It is named 'Power Within,' and is written to grant the user incredible strength and stamina, but it also draws on the life-force of the caster as long as it is active. With a warning like that, I have avoided it."

"If even you won't touch it, why give it to me?"

Quelaana smiled, her face mostly hidden by her hood.

"Because you, Seiko, have very important things to do, and trials ahead of you I cannot foresee. I fear you will find there are much worse things than death. This technique may be able to save you from such things, perhaps by giving you that one last burst of strength. I have more than enough trump cards to play without one such as this. Perhaps, one day when you are more worldly and wise, I will teach you one or two of them."

The conversation dissolved into hours of instruction, rather than the days or weeks when Seiko had first arrived. She was able to quickly grasp the idea of things, but with her lack of control she found it hard to master Carmina's Pyromancies. Salaman had just discovered more efficient ways to use the primal Pyromancies he had learned. It allowed for fireballs twice as large for the energy of a fireball and a half. The efficiency training helped Seiko greatly, but Carmina's Pyromancies were of a new nature. She had used Pyromancy, and taught others in her ways, to draw on one's inner aspects, rather than the self as a whole. Iron Flesh made use of the stability the caster felt, while Flash Sweat was an adaptable Pyromancy that could come from effort or panic. Immolation was a technique Quelaana had discovered practicing Carmina's take on Pyromancy, and Seiko was able to grasp only that one particularly well.

Quelaana also taught Seiko Rapport, a Pyromancy that would force her will onto another Undead. It wouldn't work on another powerful Pyromancer or mage, or anyone who had the mental fortitude for such studies. Even most basic warriors would be able to resist. However, Hollows or those nearly Hollowed would likely succumb immediately. The Pyromancy, as well, would only work on beings whose minds were like hers. Animals or demons, who viewed the world from a completely different perspective, for example, would not be affected at all.

Finally, Quelaana handed Seiko the journal that contained Power Within. Having already had trouble with Carmina's Pyromancy, Seiko found it hard to be confident about learning or mastering the technique, but she agreed to try it at Quelaana's instruction.

"I imagine it will be similar to Iron Flesh, as a pull on an aspect of your self. If the journal is correct, you will feel great strength for as long as you are able to channel the Pyromancy, but you will also find that it can drain away your life before you realize you are in danger."

Seiko readied her flame, pressing it to her chest as Carmina's other Pyromancies did and, as instructed in the journal, let it flow through her body. What came of it certainly wasn't Iron Flesh or Flash Sweat. The flame began to heat her body and she felt a rush of energy. The heat was such that, in the humid air of the swamp, even in the sewer chamber where it wasn't as thick, steam began to rise from Seiko's armor.

"How do you feel?" asked Quelaana.

"It doesn't hurt, but I definitely feel hotter. Like it should hurt, but it doesn't. Or doesn't yet."

"How much stronger are you? Try a Pyromancy."

Seiko tried to form a simple Fireball, but the flame rushed to her hand and exploded faster than she could shape it. Quelaana shielded herself with her robes, backing away. Seiko stepped back as well, trying again. This time she was able to hold the flame and toss it. It struck the wall of the chamber and, true to Chaos Pyromancy, melted the stone of the chamber temporarily.

"I take it that wasn't meant to be a Chaos Fireball?"

"No," said Seiko. "And I don't feel the drain I usually do from using it, either."

"And if you tried to use Chaos Pyromancy?"

Seiko's face scrunched in concentration and she tried it, forming the fire as slowly as she could. She threw the Pyromancy, now noticing the drain on her as she would expect from a Chaos Fireball, but the white, dazzling flame that flew from her hand was the first of its kind she had ever managed. This time, more than just a temporary melted patch, the wall of the chamber was melted into, forming a divot. The molten rock that was produced flowed onto the floor and remained.

"White flames… Much more powerful than your usual blue flames, but much more dangerous. Now, is the Pyromancy the only thing it enhances? What about your physical abilities?"

Seiko tried to take a step and found herself flinging her foot up over her own head. She nearly backflipped, but hit the floor with the back of her head first. Not only did she feel very little pain, but she was also able to stay conscious after the failure.

"Oh, my… You would require intensive training to use Power Within properly, but… A Pyromancy that enhances every aspect of the caster… Do you feel alright? Perhaps you should release the technique."

Seiko didn't bother getting up to do so. She inhaled, exhaled, and released her grip on the technique… And immediately passed out.

A/N: The Story ~ Mirror ~ by Hiromi Kikuta

Mind the volume.

When she woke, she saw Quelaana sitting beside her, reading the journal containing Power Within.

"Sister…?"

"Ahh, awake and well, I see… It would seem that there is more to Power Within than simply casting it. According to this traveler, Carmina was able to use it almost constantly by altering its intensity based on the moment. They write about not seeing her cast it at all for weeks, but seeing its effects plain as day several times. She never shared the nuances of the spell with whoever wrote the journal, but it appears that Carmina wished any who knew the technique to discover its uses on their own. The only hint she ever gave that is recorded here is that Power Within will affect every Pyromancer differently, as it is meant to exemplify her take on the practice: that Pyromancy is a reflection of the self, and that each fire is as unique as the life that birthed it."

"I agree with her," said Seiko.

"Hmm?"

"After all, look at you and I. I have terrible control and a lot of power, and I've only gotten stronger since I left… But my control has barely improved at all. I can learn to shape my flame differently-"

"-and twist it as only Eingyi could show you-"

Seiko paused at the interruption, slightly cringing at Quelaana's disapproving tone.

"-But I can't seem to cool the flames or heat them up. Chaos Pyromancy is just a different way to draw on the flame, so it's more powerful without being hotter, and it's harder to control. Physical Pyromancy is similar, just another way to use the fire, but it isn't as powerful as Chaos Pyromancy. But then I look at you, my teacher… And you can do it all without seeming to be the least bit tired…"

"My mother was the one who discovered Pyromancy," said Quelaana, her tone solemn and reluctant, though she continued anyway.

"My Sisters and I drew on Pyromancy, on ourselves, with no fear of what could happen or what it could do to us. Our power, both alone and together, was so great that no army could stand against us. Not that Gwyn or any humans ever tried, but our whirlwinds of flame and waves of heat felled even the mighty dragons and their homes. Make no mistake, if you are willing to give up yourself entirely, I'm sure your Pyromancy could change the world… But just like my mother, it would only be for the worse. When Gwyn approached her, when he asked her to make a new Flame… None of us could have foreseen what would happen… We had never suffered because of our own flames before, after all."

"I don't understand that," said Seiko. "If I unleash a Firestorm, and I push myself, I might be able to fill this chamber with flames and reach very high up with my power, but I would nearly die from it. How can someone have the strength to attempt to imitate the First Flame at all, let alone with the catastrophe it caused…?"

Quelaana smiled, almost painfully, and only responded after a pause.

"That is what made her a Lord, child. The Mother of Pyromancy had no limits. Her Daughters share that trait, and we alone. None of us gave birth, or ever will. When the last of my family passes, there will never be another Pyromancer like us to walk the earth."

"But you said…"

"When I said you could give yourself to your flame and change the world, I certainly didn't mean you could create another Flame of Chaos! At most you would simply twist yourself into a demon, and at the very least you would die in the attempt…"

"… I see…"

Quelaana shifted as she sat, and closed the journal as she hadn't been reading it any further.

"I am very proud to have had you as my pupil. You've grown very strong, and you've been able to grasp everything I've taught you. Surely, you need more practice, and Power Within is something new to even myself, but I have no doubt you will go forth and do great things. I hope you will always strive to do good things as well."

"I'll do my best to do as you've taught me, Sister…"

"I know you will," said Quelaana, standing to her feet and holding out the journal.

"Now, no matter how urgent your business, I would advise you to remain here and attempt to master Power Within before you leave. You are near a bonfire should you somehow die, and I will not be far away. Simply search for me with your flame as you did before if you absolutely need my help, but otherwise I will see you but once more."

"Just once? When?!" asked Seiko, sitting up from where she'd been lying.

"If you are to aid the Chosen Undead… I have no doubt you will one day come for my mother's soul. We will meet again then…"

Quelaana walked out of the chamber, leaving Seiko to think about what she'd been told.

And so she trained. The words of those more learned than she was echoed constantly in her mind. Her time was short but without every possible aid she was sure to fail. She ended up succumbing to Power Within more than once before she finally was able to get a feel for when it would kill her. She then sat by the bonfire and purposefully tested its limits, at both extremes of the technique, as powerful as she could cast it and as lightly as she could. She never discovered how to tone down Power Within once it was cast, but she learned to make it stronger.

Once she had a working knowledge, Seiko hurried back up to the cliffs she'd come from. Previously, she had hugged the canyon wall to avoid a massive dragon corpse. Though it was slumped, nothing dead could grip the edge of a cliff as it did, which led her to be skeptical as to whether it was truly dead. Now she walked boldly up to it, flames ready. Sure enough, when she drew close it swept its head across the ground roaring and rearing up.

It didn't end up as much of a fight. The undead dragon was too slow to catch Seiko off guard, and as soon as Seiko attempted Power Within it only got worse. She jumped, a meter and a half higher than usual, and threw two Fireballs at it. Power Within amplified them to Chaos flames and the dragon's head melted under the heat. Its claws dragged over the dirt as it fell from the cliff, not hitting the ground for a few seconds. Its soul traveled to Seiko and she released Power Within. Only having jumped and thrown Fireballs, she was still out of breath upon releasing it. In the clear air of the canyon there hadn't been any steam from her armor as it heated up, but releasing the technique left her boiling hot, even painfully so.

After a drink of Estus, Seiko continued along the canyon wall until she found the elevator Ingward had told her about. At the top, Seiko found herself in a mossy cave with another bonfire. It was unlit, so she fixed that before moving up and out. The moment her boots scraped on bare stone just outside the cave, she heard a heavy footstep to her right. She glanced, seeing only a black streak before being cleaved in two by something and dying.

When she revived, and reversed her Hollowing, holding plenty of Humanity for the moment, Seiko continued with more caution. She approached the mouth of the cave, watching her step, and peeked around the corner. Facing away from her was a figure clad in black Silver Knight armor and a black Silver Knight shield. Rather than a spear, as she'd seen them hold before, this one held a black halberd. Unlike last time, it hadn't noticed her yet. Seiko recovered her lost souls and decided to try Iron Flesh. She cast it, took a heavy step, and the knight turned instantly to swipe at her. She caught the swing, hand on the blade, yanked the knight closer to her, and grabbed the knight instead. She lifted it bodily over her head and threw it over the cliff immediately to the left, where it fell into the obscuring mist.

Releasing Iron Flesh, Seiko inspected her hand. There was a sizable cut in her gauntlet, but her flesh beneath had barely parted at all. She wasn't even bleeding, after having been cut down in one strike previously.

Traveling up the side of the cliff, Seiko moved more and more into a dense forest. In the distance, she saw something big glittering and moving. Out of curiosity, she moved in that direction. The figures turned out to be large golems made of some kind of crystal, and they attacked upon spotting Seiko despite having no discernable eyes or face. Seiko hurled a Fireball at the first one before it could get close, but it charged right through the attack, completely unaffected. It swung at her, arm growing into a long, spiked club. Seiko ducked the blow, but took notice that the golem was able to smash through the trunk of the tree next to her. She jumped back to avoid the falling tree, but was pursued by the golem.

The golem was fast once it readied a swing, but its wind-up made avoiding its attacks easy enough. Another two or three attacks and Seiko ducked under a swing and stepped in, twisting her hips and throwing a corkscrew punch into the golem's chest. Blue dust exploded out behind the golem as the blunt force tore through its body, and the entire golem began to destabilize. Seiko straightened out and threw a few more punches, higher and lower, and the golem fell into a heap of crystal dust at her feet.

Heavy footsteps betrayed the next golem, rushing at her from her left, further down the slight incline she found herself on, with the highest point being the lip of a cliff. It wasn't alone, but it was close enough and already swinging, so it caught Seiko as she turned. The crystal spikes didn't pierce her armor, but the spiked club arm of the golem sent her crashing to the dirt several meters away. Fire wouldn't work, so Seiko decided to try Carmina's Pyromancies again. Seiko defaulted to the easier Iron Flesh, waiting for the golem to strike again, dodging, casting, and punching the golem just like the last. As it collapsed, the next was already swinging. Seiko threw up a block with her left arm, letting the club-arm attack be deflected as if she were using a shield.

Seiko was able to dispatch the golems with relative ease thanks to Iron Flesh. There was now the option of continuing deeper into the forest toward the lake she could see in the distance, or back up the incline to the tower hidden by the trees that was built into the cliff face. Assuming Artorias' grave would be a grand and ornate sight, Seiko headed for the tower. She opened the door, looking around, and spotted someone standing across the entry chamber from her. The only thing in the tower was the figure, some torches on the walls, and stairs that led up.

"Hello?" said Seiko, stepping in.

The figure stepped forward, letting out a horrifying groan and swinging a dragon's massive tooth by the tip, which was sculpted into a handle. Seiko dove aside and recovered, keeping her eyes on her attacker. A flick of her eyes to the tooth saw that the root had smashed a pothole into the stone floor. Who or whatever this heavily armored thing was, it was unbelievably strong. The dragon's tooth it was swinging was just as big as Seiko, either stained or naturally black, and harder than the stone it had come in contact with. The figure hefted the tooth, leveling a shield that appeared to be monolithic. It even wore armor that looked like stone.

Seiko was able to dodge easily enough, but began to worry when both her fists and her flames seemed little more than inconvenience to her foe. She couldn't send it flying with a punch, couldn't stay close long enough to grab and pick it up, and it seemed to completely ignore any Pyromancy she tried. She didn't want to use Power Within and Chaos Pyromancy, as both could force her to limp all the way back to the bonfire, if they even worked at all. She did, however, have two more techniques to try. After an overhead strike from the figure, Seiko jumped away. While the enemy readied the tooth again, Seiko inhaled and cast Toxic Mist, filling the bottom of the tower with the noxious gas.

Whatever it was, the figure was mortal after all, as it coughed loudly and cringed in pain from the mist's effect. Seiko, as the caster, was unphased. She rushed forward, stopping suddenly before the knight to bait a swing. Sure enough, the tooth came crashing down, but Seiko wasn't there. She had stepped behind her enemy, hand pulled back, fingers rigid and lit with blue flame. Her fingers dug into the knight's back, heating up and melting right through the stone armor. Seiko forced her flame into what she could now tell was an unusually burly Hollow and jumped away. The stone-clad Hollow fell to its knees, shaking, until fire jetted from its full helm and the hole in its back.

Seiko expected that to be it, but the Hollow braced itself on the ground with the bottom of its shield and tried to stand, leaving the tooth on the floor. The toxic mist was clearing, but the damage had been done. Seiko stayed back, knowing her enemy couldn't swing at her anymore, and stood by to watch as it reached for her. Its outstretched hand was tense, slowly closing into a fist as if to crush the image of her in its hand. Its fist shook, either in pain or rage, and it suddenly went limp, crashing to the floor dead.

Looking her fallen enemy over, she could see a ring bulging under its black gloves. She removed its bracer and glove to see a ring with a spherical stone fitted into the center, surrounded by smaller gemstones. After taking off her own gauntlet and putting it on, Seiko could feel the weight of her armor lift almost completely. The ring was too large to fit under the Silver Knight gauntlet she wore, however, so she placed it in a pouch on her belt next to her Estus Flask. She debated taking the fallen knight's bracers and gloves instead and simply using the ring, but instead she replaced its bracer and sat the body against the wall, pinning its shield between it and the wall and laying the dragon tooth over its lap.

Exploring above the chamber, Seiko found herself back in the Undead Burg, which wasn't where she needed to be at all. She turned back, heading into the forest toward the lake she'd seen. For once in the past few hours, things were peaceful, even serene. A waterfall flowed down the left face of the canyon Seiko found herself in, and a massive lake blocked her way forward unless she felt like trying to swim in armor, on top of not being too fond of water as it was. Next to the waterfall was a ladder, just beyond the water. In order to approach the ladder, Seiko at least had to go ankle deep into the lake.

The moment her foot hit the water, the entire lake began to ripple from the center. Seiko had a brief second to wonder if there was something in the water before a huge creature broke the surface. A hydra, with many serpentine heads stemming from the body of a giant turtle, surfaced, spotted her, and roared at her with every mouth it had.

A/N: This is an extra chapter I'm posting this week, along with the one to be released on Friday, because I'm ahead by a few. I've been TEARING through content all of a sudden. Very happy about that.