A/N: WHOOPS. I just wrote 5500+ words for this chapter. Sorry for the length. It was Memorial Day, I volunteered to work my department alone at the bookstore for six hours, derped around on 9gag for the first hour and a half, had two customers in the whole time, and the rest was writing, researching Shiva and watching videos to help me keep the layout accurate. Sorry if it's too long for some of you guys, I try to keep things more brief than this. I just let it get away from me this time… That said, this brings me up to about 20k words in just a week. That's an insane pace… I hope I can keep that kind of pace with good quality when trying to write my books when all this business is over and done with.

-Darkroot Basin-

A/N: The Souls of Chaos, a remix by Roetaka of OCRemix

… Who I realized is Alex Roe, composer of Indomitable Souls. I found the two accounts separately, and completely by accident…

Seiko weaved a Fire Surge with both hands just before the first shot of water reached her. The water flash-boiled, spraying the grass at her feet with scalding drops and filling the air with a light mist. The hydra that had spat the water then took a swipe at Seiko with one of its heads, which she jumped over, flipping to the side and landing a few feet away, still facing the main body. Another head shot straight at her, so she jumped over it, landed on it, and slammed her palm down on the neck. She never broke line-of-sight with the main body, even through the blue embers her hand had left in the air. A split second later the head she was standing on pulled back, flame ripping through the neck and nearly severing the head before it fully retracted.

Seiko landed off balance from the head pulling away under her feet, but her hands were up, alight with her Pyromancy. The hydra roared and squirmed in pain, its blood staining the water. All the heads together spat water at her, held together in impossibly smooth bullets. Seiko did a back hand-spring, tossing two fireballs when she landed. The flames guttered out in mid air long before striking her target. She had to wait for it to commit to an attack before she could hurt it, while it was free to attack from a distance.

Seiko sprinted forward, under the next volley of water bullets, rushing into the shallow water. She cast Iron Flesh, banking on the hydra trying to attack her again. Sure enough, every single head reared back and struck together, flailing at the shore with mouths open. Seiko managed to catch one and strike her flame into it, blowing off another head. She stood her ground as the heads retreated and the monster howled in pain again.

Quelaana can use Firestorm so accurately from so far away… That would be really effective right about now…

The obvious option to turn the tide was Power Within, but Seiko had no idea how much further she'd have to go after killing the hydra, or what lie up ahead. She lacked the confidence in the technique to use it, even against such a massive enemy, until she had no other choice.

Seiko jumped over another strike, backing away to bait the water bullets again.

I could try riding one of its heads as it pulled back… If I could get my hands on the main body I could kill it!… But I can't swim at all, let alone in my armor…

Seiko dodged the volley she'd baited, but stayed back to think and buy time.

What I need is a Pyromancy with distance… Mist wouldn't work; the heads would have to stay in it for too long and it would just get blown away…

After dodging another volley only barely and getting knocked to the grass, Seiko had an idea as she recovered. She ran under the next round of bullets, both hands focusing her flame in a ball. She cast the fireball straight out rather than throwing it this time, the force of which pushed her back over the damp grass. The fireball flew true, striking the giant turtle-like body right where the heads extended from it.

The hydra shook its heads in pain, roaring before striking with its heads one after another. Seiko dodged and dodged, and dodged again, but eventually one of the heads struck her before she could move aside. She had jumped, so rather than being swallowed, she was struck center mass by the snout and sent flying back into a tree. She hit the ground with the wind knocked out of her. Seiko flailed a Fire Whip with her right hand, reaching for her Estus with her left and drinking as she stood and started to run away again.

She repeated the fire bullet she'd used a few more times, but she was giving up too much power for enough range to hit her target. It wouldn't kill the hydra before the hydra could get lucky and kill her. She managed to catch another head and sever it with her technique of forcing her flame into it, but the fight was dragging on and not in her favor. If she ran, where would she go? Her goal was up the ladder, but running for the ladder would be suicide if she couldn't make it to the top before getting snatched off of it.

Finally, Seiko tried the only option she figured she had left before Power Within: riding a head to the main body. She rushed into the water again, this time without using Iron Flesh. A head struck, she jumped, and grabbed one of the ridges on its head, holding on for dear life. The head whipped back, nearly flinging her off. Seiko pushed off the head and flew through the air to land on the top of the turtle shell.

Seiko knelt, shoving both hands into the shell, burning through it and implanting her flame. She stood ran to the edge of the shell, took a breath and prayed she'd make it, cast Power Within, and jumped for shore. Her flame erupted from the two small holes in the shell she'd made as she jumped incredibly high, and her stomach flipped from the sense of weightlessness as she reached the peak of her arc. She saw as she fell that she wouldn't reach the shore… Until she was smacked into by a flailing head of the hydra. She grabbed on, gauntlets latching to the thin scales of the head, and rode the head as it slammed down on the shore.

The main body began to sink back into the lake, dragging the head she was holding down with it. The pain numbed by Power Within, Seiko managed to stand, a scale coming free in her hand as the head slipped back into the depths. Steam rose from the surrounding water until Seiko released Power Within. Even just a few seconds had her suddenly gasping for breath, unable to even think about anything but more air.

At some point she must have passed out, because Seiko came to an indeterminate amount of time later lying on the shore. She felt sick, but a drink of Estus helped considerably. There was only enough left for if she needed it once more, but her way was clear for the moment. Seiko sat up, finding that she still held the hydra's scale in her right hand. She put it in a pouch on her belt as a trophy of sorts and stood, wobbling at first, to her feet. She noticed her hair was still wet inside her armor and hood, so she removed her hood and let out her hair for the first time in ages. It blended in with the gold-hemmed robes bunched about her shoulders, but her face was more visible. Her strangely glowing blue eyes were also more visible from her left and right as well.

She approached the ladder, growing a bit more steady on her feet as she fully woke up, and climbed all the way to the top. She followed the path away from the rushing water, up into the thick, dark forest.

-Darkroot Garden-

Seiko found herself alone in the wood, things oddly silent, without even the chirping of birds. She walked quietly through a clearing, hearing the heavy breathing of several large creatures sleeping. As she wandered further, she saw small figures shuffling around a pond. They were mushrooms, walking on stumpy legs, circling a pond where two much larger mushrooms stood guard over a chest. Seiko looked around, seeing a bridge and a large, glowing door to the right and a brick structure to the left. She decided to head to the left first.

A few minutes later, after reaching the steps up to the structure, Seiko spotted a very fat cat sitting in a window before the exit.

"Finally stumbled upon this place, has the babe, I see."

Seiko looked around for where the voice had come from, hands up and aflame despite her exhaustion.

"Fret not, child. Hast thou forgotten me?"

The second time it spoke, Seiko realized it was the cat she'd seen. She straightened from her battle stance and dropped her hands.

"Forgotten you? I probably did… I nearly Hollowed in the Asylum. Who are- or… Who were you to me?"

"Nearly Hollowed? T'is quite the shame. I am Alvina of the Darkroot Wood. If forgotten is thine old self, what could bring thee here?"

"I was told by Gwynevere to face the Four Kings of New Londo, who live within the Abyss. Ingward, the sealer, instructed me to come here, to see if I could find any help from Sir Artorias to fulfill my task."

"Hmph. Artorias art not but a simple fabrication. Thine effo-"

"Don't you lie to me. Ingward looked into my memories. Artorias was my father. He's no fake."

"Oh! Did he now? Looked into thy past, he said? Therein lies the truest fabrication of all! Such magic, too, is but a myth."

"Wh-… But… I saw flashes of my past myself as he did it!"

"Did'st thee now? And had thee consider'd that magic oft'n finds use as elaborate illusions? Could not this Ingward have-"

A spark of Combustion went off, barely avoiding scorching Alvina.

"I may have left my past behind," said Seiko, tone level, "But if you dare lie to me so plainly, I have no remorse in killing you. I'll have no mind games. You gave yourself away simply by implying you knew me the moment I approached."

Alvina remained silent a moment.

"Will you help me find his grave or not?"

"My advice true, fallen child, abandon the endeavor. Traversing the dark, too, is but a fairy tale. A twisting of a story long since lost. Do as is thy desire, but take heed… That my Forest Hunters will not be idle in thy presence. A powerful ally thy could have made. A pity."

"Hmph."

A/N: Monks from Chaos Legion (Hideyuki Fukasawa)

Seiko turned to continue forward. There was an ornate door up some stairs further ahead. If that wasn't Artorias' grave, this far into the wood, Seiko would have to turn back and search the other direction. As she came over a small knoll, she spotted and was spotted by a man in worn leather wielding an axe. A quick call-out from him and a cleric emerged from the treeline up ahead as well. Seiko guessed this was what Alvina meant by Forest Hunters.

Magically exhausted from her extensive use of Pyromancy earlier, Seiko had to rely strictly on her fists and feet. The cleric stayed back while the bandit charged, his axe held high. Seiko waited, readied her arms in a guard, and smacked the axe aside with the back of her left hand, firing a punch straight into the bandit's chest in the next instant. Ribs broke and the man flew back, tumbling through the grass. Seiko approached with caution, hearing the cleric reciting something rapidly with no way to know what would happen.

There was a rush of white light and the bandit jumped to his feet. The cleric had healed him, Seiko realized. The bandit approached with more caution this time, striking with his shield first this time to try and stun Seiko. She jumped right over him, flipping to keep her trajectory low, and sprinted for the cleric. He put up a shield of his own and reached for a mace on his belt. Seiko grabbed the lip of the shield with her right hand, yanked the cleric forward off balance, and punched him in the chin with an uppercut with her left. His head snapped back and he was dead before he hit the floor.

Seiko turned to see the bandit already swinging his axe at her. She hopped back, barely letting the axe scrape over her chestplate. The man swung his axe again, then lead with his shield to get as close as he could. He flicked a foot forward to push Seiko off balance, moving her right foot with his left. She stumbled, caught herself before she could hit the dirt, and threw herself to the side, rolling. The bandit's axe thumped to the ground where she'd been a second earlier as she jumped to her feet. She took her stance again, guard up.

This time, the bandit slung his shield onto his back and approached with his axe in both hands, swinging horizontally, thinking to force Seiko closer to the nearby cliff. Seiko ducked the slash and punched the bandit in the stomach, then slipped past him. The bandit fell to his knees, dropping his axe and clutching his stomach. Seiko kicked him, sending him sailing over the same cliff he'd tried to push her over.

Seiko turned to run for the door she'd seen, then suddenly had to try and slide to a stop on the grass as a spell flew at her. She failed, slipping onto her back, still avoiding the spell, but having to waste time recovering. As soon as she was up, Seiko found herself having to jump dangerously close to the cliff as a barely-visible knife passed centimeters from her ribs. A mage and a thief this time.

Seiko's stomach threatened to rebel as she summoned her flame, snapping out Combustion as the thief closed in again. He was caught in the blast of flame, stumbling back and flailing. Seiko had to jump past him to avoid another spell from the mage, so she spun and grabbed the thief to use him as a human shield, charging the mage. When she got close enough, she threw the thief at the mage, knocking them both down. She bent close and used Combustion again, burning both of them to death.

There happened to be nothing up the stairs but paths that led further into the forest. Seiko, exhausted entirely from her trek, approached a nearby collapsed wall. She sat down, tried to lean against it, and smacked her head on the ground after phasing through it. She recoiled, holding the back of her head, getting up to look at the wall. She looked around, thinking someone had tricked her or cast an illusion. She stepped forward, reaching out to touch the wall. Her hand went through it, so she stepped through. Beyond the wall was a bonfire just on the edge of a cliff.

After performing soul infusion and taking a rest, Seiko ventured back the way she'd come. She started walking back to where Alvina had been when she heard footsteps on the grass behind her. She spun and jumped back, spotting a knight that was nearly transparent, like the thief had been before. More Forest Hunters, she assumed. The knight was skilled, leading with his shield and keeping his distance. Seiko was fresh for a fight this time, but held back her Pyromancy, thinking she could deal with the knight without it. An arrow struck her in the back of her right shoulder immediately after the thought, causing her to stumble. The knight stepped in at that moment and ran her through on his claymore, twisting the sword and kicking her off of it. Seiko reached weakly for her Estus, but died when the knight split her head in two.

Seiko replaced her hood when she revived, shifting her armor to hide her hair again. She stayed Hollow, intent to stay that way until she found the archer. She went back into the wood, down the stone steps, and kept a lookout for the knight. This time the arrow came first, hitting her square in the chest. She at least knew the direction now, good enough.

Again, Seiko stumbled from the force, hearing rushing footsteps again. She recovered and spun, assuming the knight was behind her. She had completely missed him being in front of her, and was cut down, shoulder to hip, by the knight from behind.

The third time, Seiko reversed her Hollowing. She tried again, hugged the right wall, keeping low and listening. Even knowing the general direction, she was hit by an arrow from between the trees, stumbled, but this time didn't hear the knight. She fought through the pain and ran for the trees, taking cover. Her arm was barely sticking out and she took another arrow, right through the middle of her forearm. Her hand went limp from the tendons being cut and she pulled the arm in, adjusting where she thought the archer was.

From then on, Seiko wasn't hit. She moved from tree to tree, closer and closer to the archer, always listening for the knight. Just when she was about to rush out from behind a tree and attack, the archer made a break for it, quiet footsteps in the grass giving them away. Seiko bolted after them, ripping the arrow out of her shoulder and arm, then drinking Estus. She could barely see a figure running ahead of her toward the cliff with a strange hat and leather armor. Seiko stopped chasing, focusing a long-range fireball like the one she'd used against the hydra, thinking the archer would stop near the cliff to bait her. But instead the archer kept running and jumped.

Seiko was shocked, so she ran over to see what had become of the archer. There was a ravine with the rapids of the waterfall at the bottom, but here the ravine was just barely close enough to jump across. The archer was out of sight, but Seiko heard footsteps coming up behind her. She jumped, flipping back without looking, and landed behind the camouflaged knight as he thrust his shield forward to push her off the edge. Seiko side-stepped in and kicked with all the muscles in her leg and back, booting the knight clear over the ravine and down to the other side, where the archer must have landed.

The knight crashed to the dirt, stunned from the fall. Seiko landed just ahead of him, picked him up about the shoulders, and dunked him into the river rapids full-force. An arrow slammed into her leg, definitely at close range, tearing clean through and hitting the water. Seiko hit the dirt on her knees and cast Firestorm to cover herself. The bright blue flames shielded her from sight long enough for her to drink Estus and focus a fireball. The archer fired blindly into the flames just as they died out, their first miss. Seiko shot her fireball at where the arrow had come from and landed a glancing blow at last.

Right away, before the flames completely faded from the impact, the archer was running. Seiko, nearly in a blind rage at that point, sprinted after the archer. She was much faster than her target, catching up in seconds. Seiko swept her arms down and forward, knocking the archer's legs out from under them. She snatched the bow from the archer, breaking it over her knee and stomping on the archer's left knee to break that as well. Now Seiko could see her target was a woman, her face nearly one with the grass and dirt beneath her, even this close.

"I hate fighters like you who won't stand their ground! You knew I'd catch you! Why run?! Draw a dagger, throw a punch, something!" she shouted, overcome with frustration.

She couldn't tell if the archer was even listening, howling in pain and cradling their broken leg.

"... I don't care what you do, just do it next time you get in a fight," said Seiko, lowering her voice.

She picked up the archer and threw them into the river as well, fully aware that she was irrationally angry over the whole thing. That archer had cost her two deaths! A waste of time!

Just enough Estus to cover another major setback, Seiko was on her way back to the bonfire. She had passed by where Alvina had been and found the cat missing. As she was crossing the path between the brick building and the stone steps that led to the door to the bonfire, Seiko was overcome with a sense of dread. It was unlike anything she'd felt before, and there was no reason for it whatsoever. Still, her first thought was of Tetsuro, and his warning about Darkwraiths. She looked around, stopping amidst the trees. The door to the bonfire clouded over with thick mist, and the forest remained eerily quiet.

"To think that you, of all people, would be my quarry," came a voice from behind her.

Seiko turned to see a dark blue phantom standing in the doorway of the brick building. He wore lacquered armor and a full helm. Seiko recognized his large sword and shield as Tetsuro's Murakumo and Iron Round shield. He must have also fought this enemy.

"You're no Darkwraith, are you? Who are you?"

"I am Shiva, of the East. And you, young Undead, have become a trespasser here. On the site of your own father's grave."

"You knew me? That would have saved me some time…"

"I've heard all about you by now. Failed in your task and nearly Hollowed out there, only to come crawling back."

"I'm not that person anymore. But I guess I don't need to tell you that. My name is Seiko now."

"'Holy Child'? No, probably 'Blue Child' with those eyes of yours. Taken, I presume?"

"Given, actually."

"Interesting. But no matter your name or history, it is the duty of we hunters to bring down any trespasser in this forest. You'd have been better off just letting the sleeping dog lie."

"So Sif is here. The sealer was right."

Shiva was quiet a moment. "Not without some wit, I see. Good. Perhaps you'll make for an interesting fight after all. You appear to have lost your old gear somewhere along the way, so I was worried."

"You seem awfully polite and ready to reminisce for having threatened my life."

"You misunderstand, Seiko. It is not personal to say you are my prey. It is simple duty, nothing more. Would you rather I do away with respect and honor and stab you in the back? I much prefer a fair fight."

I see why Tetsuro wanted to duel you now, at least…

"Sorry," said Seiko. "I appreciate the gesture, then."

She brought up her fists, still hiding her Pyromancy.

"Come this far with your fists alone? Now you've really built up my expectations. Don't disappoint me."

Shiva began approaching, but Seiko could hear footsteps behind her as well, equally far away. She didn't react to the sound at all, keeping her eyes on Shiva. The footsteps behind her stopped as Shiva broke into a run, hefting his Murakumo.

A/N: Pledge from Chaos Legion (Hideyuki Fukasawa)

Seiko dodged the first slash, slipping past Shiva to put him between her and the footsteps. She could see Shiva's almond-shaped eyes in his helm, proving his Eastern heritage. Shiva stepped in, swinging overhead, bashing with his shield, then swinging horizontally. Seiko sidestepped the first, had to block the second, and purposefully fell back to avoid the third. She kicked at one of Shiva's legs as he stepped in to capitalize on her position, then punched him near his left shoulder. Her fist passed through him, blowing mist out of his back instead. She'd forgotten that phantoms weren't fully corporeal. She sat up, going right through Shiva, and jumped away, back even closer to where Alvina had been.

Shiva recovered, rolling his shoulder.

"That would have ended the fight if I were in my own body. You certainly have a strange and defensive style. Or is it simple inexperience?"

He didn't wait for her to respond, running forward and slashing diagonally from his right to left, at Seiko's left shoulder. Seiko swayed under the slash, throwing another punch. Her punch met Shiva's shield. Mist wafted from the shield, but the shield was unharmed. Shiva shoved his shield forward pushing Seiko back, then he stepped in and hooked a foot behind her ankle. Seiko fell onto her back and Murakumo stabbed through her stomach. She cringed in pain, grabbing the blade.

"Nice try," said Shiva, "but you won't be able to shatter my equipment as long as I'm a phantom. Not without some magic."

"I'll k- keep that… In mind." Seiko's eyebrow twitched, either in pain or anger at Shiva's attitude. She coughed blood.

"Good. Perhaps such a technique will serve you well someday. But today-"

Shiva twisted Murakumo and yanked it free.

"Today, you are denied passage."

He aimed to stab Murakumo through Seiko's head, his shield off to the side.

Seiko's hand shot forward and she snapped out Great Combustion, then blasted Fire Surge before she could even see if she'd hit Shiva to cover her last drink of Estus.

Shiva stumbled back to get out of range of her flames, looking at himself as he faded considerably. He saw Seiko stand up, unharmed, and replace her flask on her belt.

"Not without your own tricks and trump cards, I see. Good."

"You're still confident you can win?"

"You're not the only one with tricks, young Undead."

Shiva circled to Seiko's left, putting her between himself and the cliff. Seiko could hear rushing footsteps to her right. She smiled, waited, then jumped clear over Shiva just as some figure slashed at her with a thin, curved sword. She landed behind Shiva, close to the treeline. A man in all black, nearly transparent like several of the other Forest Hunters, stood next to where she'd been, holding a katana.

"I know," said Seiko.

Shiva growled in frustration, stepping forward again, shield up.

"Two on one? I thought you wanted a fair fight."

"It is a fair fight," said Shiva. "You have Pyromancy, and I do not. So I extend my influence through my shadow."

"So if I hadn't used Pyromancy, even if it meant your failure, he wouldn't have stepped in?"

Shiva didn't answer.

"Hmph. And now I see why Tetsuro beat you."

Seiko put up her hands, flames alight.

"I've never fought anyone-" Shiva hopped forward and slashed horizontally, "-by that name."

He put odd emphasis in his words where he slashed a second time, spinning to add power. Seiko ducked the first slash and redirected the second, but had to jump to the side to avoid being stabbed in the ribs by the man in black.

"Not in this world. But that's not important, I guess. Not to you."

Seiko made no move to attack, waiting on the tag team to make the first move.

The man in black stepped away, vanishing into the shadows of the trees. Shiva shuffled forward a bit, keeping his balance while readying another attack.

Seiko sighed, her anger over his attitude turning to pity. He was just as overdramatic as she'd been just a few minutes ago. Shiva slashed at her, but she jumped away.

"I've changed my mind," she said, raising her voice since she was further away. "I guess there are times where not standing your ground is a good idea. It's your duty to hunt me, right? So I'll be good prey and ignore you and run for my objective. Good luck catching me."

She turned to sprint away. Less than two seconds went by and she noticed the man in black running side by side with her, through the forest. Living trees burst from the ground behind her, sensing her running about. Seiko and the man in black burst from the treeline on the other side of the wood, heading for the cliff down to Darkwood Basin. More living trees appeared, all following Seiko and ignoring Shiva and his "shadow."

Shiva wasn't far behind, slowing his run as he left the trees.

"And just like that, you are caught. So much talk for so little chase. How disappointing."

Seiko dodged a slash from the shadow, sidestepped closer to Shiva and the crowd of trees, then flipped over them, just outside the treeline. She cast Fire Whip with both hands, sweeping from her left and right to straight ahead, bringing the whips together into a swirl of blue flame. Shiva presented his shield, but the crowd of trees burned up right away. As soon as Seiko released the flame, Shiva's partner flipped over him and slashed at Seiko. Seiko stepped back, earning a rent in her armor and a thin cut from her collarbone to her hip, then stepped in and punched the man in the sternum.

Every rib the man had crunched loudly under her fist, and he flew back into Shiva, through his phantom, and landed on the ground, motionless. Shiva, angered by her injuring his partner, charged Seiko. He put his shield on his back and manipulated his Murakumo with both hands, using sweeping slashes with strange spins of his blade to redirect the force. Seiko tried to avoid stepping back into the trees, hopping to the side, diving into a roll, and ending up with the wood to her left and Shiva before her.

"You're quick, and powerful. You don't deserve all that strength. You didn't work for it. Born with privileged blood, and frustratingly ignorant of it as ever."

Seiko clenched her left fist, flexing that arm.

"You don't know the new me. I wasn't this strong when I left the Asylum. Stronger than normal, certainly, but now I'm stronger still. And I have better control. Maybe I don't deserve what I was born with, but I can't control that. Rather than complain about things none of us can change, why don't you put your skill and experience to work and try to kill me?"

Shiva spat, out a gap in his helmet, on the grass.

"I don't need advice from a whelp like you. Your attitude will be your undoing."

"As will-" Seiko cut off to shout in pain. The man in black must have had Estus himself, because his sword was sticking out of her chest. She reached up, as if to grab the blade, but instead pushed her flame into her body to use Power Within. If she was going to die anyway, they weren't getting away. Now she grabbed the blade.

"-Yours!"

She spun, flinging the man in black away, keeping the sword in her chest. She hurled a Chaos Fireball at Shiva, the flames white hot and blinding from her use of Power Within. Shiva's phantom wavered even though he dodged, the heat was so intense. Another, more basic Fireball struck as he came out of his dodge, blasting him into mist. Seiko spun to face Shiva's partner, getting hit with a throwing knife right in the gap in her armor formed by his slash earlier. She ignored it, sweeping Fire Surge at him with her right hand to move him, then pitching a Chaos Fireball at him when he tried to jump over it. His corpse hit the grass next to her, nearly a skeleton from the heat of her flames.

After releasing Power Within, Seiko died on the spot, fading away. She reversed her Hollowing, down to four Humanity, and tried once more to enter the forest and track down Artorias' grave. This time, she was sure it had to be in the other direction, the glowing door she'd seen. Shiva had confirmed what the sealer had told her, and her own suspicions. She ventured once more into the humid forest, sure of her goal.

A/N: Lotta these in this chapter, but one more. Sorry for the late upload, but a friend I haven't seen in awhile showed up out of the blue. This is my first chance to upload. My apologies...