It was not the flame of the Lord of Light, yet it was flame nonetheless.

The Chosen Undead sat at the edge of the great cauldron that was the Forge of the Giants, listening to the flames contained within while his eyes followed the unnaturally intense fire as it licked at the edges of its cracked container. The heat emanating from it was great, so much so that it should have been enough to set him afire.

Yet it did not. For there was already fire within him.

Footsteps and the clanking of armor sounded up from behind, yet the Chosen Undead did not move. He knew who it was – they were the reason he was here in the first place.

"Old friend." The Tarnished spoke, his voice clear despite the roaring flames below. "You have arrived here, I see. And had taken care of the Fire Giant outside, too."

The Chosen Undead sensed displeasure from the last remark, "Forgive me – it could not be helped. The fellow was rather adamant about keeping me out, you see."

The Tarnished, who had now stopped an arm's distance away behind him, hummed. "I do not mind that fact myself overmuch." He shrugged, "But poor Alexander was left itching for a fight that never came."

"Ah." The Chosen Undead dipped his head, feeling slightly guilty at doing such a thing to someone who reminded him of a jolly fellow from Catarina, "His joy for combat is infectious. Tis' a shame – I had thought that you would've come here alone."

"Mhm. I would've." The Tarnished hummed, his eyes drifting away from the Chosen Undead and towards the flames held within the forge, "Though I suppose I do meet unexpected folks on my path."

"Aye. That makes both of us, it would seem." The Chosen Undead chuckled and then looked up towards the Tarnished who returned his stare from underneath his helm as he stood alone. "Hey, where's that lass who oathed you to lead her here? What was her name again? Mil- Meg…"

"Melina." The Tarnished supplied, sounding a bit annoyed towards his friend's clumsy attempts at the name, "She's disembodied at the moment. Though I suspect that she is watching us even now, by that site of grace over there." He motioned off to the side of the forge.

The Chosen Undead followed his friend's hand, but saw nothing but the burnt and cracked rim of the forge, as expected. "She knows of our plan?" He asked, to which the Tarnished nodded.

"And has her reservations." He paused, looking towards the golden site of grace and towards the mysterious maiden who was surely making herself privy to the current conversation, "But so long as I 'remain unsullied by the grasp of the wicked three fingers' then she does not intend to stop us."

The Chosen Undead didn't immediately reply but did scoff after a moment had passed. "So anything can happen to myself as long as nothing harms your pretty little face."

"Well, I do not look like I'm made out of rotten jerky," The Tarnished said with an unseen grin, "so I suppose that I cannot blame her."

"Bastard." The Chosen Undead spat out, but without any real heat to his voice. He then shared a chuckle with his friend before shaking his head and then pushing himself up "Anyways," He said as his armor clanked as he got to his feet, "shall we get on with it?"

"...Can it be done?"

"I think so." The Chosen Undead then tilted his head towards the roaring fire of the forge, "But only one way to find out, aye?"

The Chosen undead turned to face the flames and started to extend a hand, only to have an armored gauntlet placed on his shoulder. He turned his head to the side and saw that the Tarnished had reached out to him.

"Whatever happens next," His friend stated, "I thank you for giving me this chance."

"Aye," The Chosen Undead nodded and turned his head back to face the flames, "Well… I've been kindling once. So what's one more time, to save another world?" He chuckled and patted his friend's hand off his shoulders. "Now go and stand back. I would hate to 'sully' your pretty little face that your maiden had worried herself over so."

The Tarnished nodded and stepped back, placing himself near the other end of the forge's rim as he watched his friend extend a hand toward the flame. He heard him mutter something, and then the sound of it – which had been a low growl beforehand – erupted into a roar alongside a great swirl of flame that reached out toward his friend and engulfed him. The sudden wave of fire brought with it heat that was so intense, the Tarnished had to look away and shield his eyes with his arms.

Eventually, yet one that felt like it had lasted something near an eternity, the heat died down enough that the Tarnished felt safe enough to look up. He heard the sound of crackling flames as he did so, and then finally saw his friend, who had both arms extended as if to bask in the flame that had now covered his entire being.

"My flame burns brighter than yours." His friend declared, his voice carrying the weight of the great souls he had earned by felling the great lords of his world. The sheer power displayed commanded him to kneel, and it did so without the need for it to be declared, unlike Godrick.

It was only by the strength of his great runes that he did not do so.

His friend lowered his arms and turned around. There he saw, within his friend's determined expression, how his eyes were burning with the intensity of the First Flame itself. The Frenzied Flame battled for dominance over his friend's form, fighting a battle against the First Flame across the silvery glow of his armor, yet it was clear that it was being pushed back.

His friend slowly, almost languidly, raised a hand towards the great golden form of the Erdtree in the distance. Fire coalesced around his hand, forming a ball of fire far greater than what any petty sorcery could produce.

It was the fire of the Gods.

"Burn." His friend commanded, and then the great ball of fire roared as it was launched from the forge, over the forbidden lands, over the city of Leyndell, before impacting the Erdtree with a spectacular explosion that was seen all the way from distant Caelid and beyond. The fire quickly spread all over the Erdtree…

…and the burnt, fallen leaves tell the tale of how The Chosen Undead burned for the Tarnished who would become Elden Lord.