Chapter 2, reworked!

EDIT: Reworked Ranni's declaration and dialogue.


Alright. You've been pushing me (you know who you are) to finish this crossover fic.


Chapter 1:

Bell Cranel had no recollection of his past. Only faint fragments of it through his dreams. He never knew where or how he arrived in this strange land: The Lands Between. A land fractured by conflict both figuratively and literally. From the moment he was aware of his surroundings, he was thrust into an unforgiving world where monsters and men can be one of the same. A world roamed by powerful, horrifying, and awe-inspiring mortals, creatures, and gods.

And yet, here he stands before the Elden Beast as its celestial body sparkled and fizzled – crashing into the watery floor of this strange dimension. The stars and nebulas within its ethereal membrane unraveled, almost as if the universe and its laws are no longer bound by its order. Soon, the Elden Beast was no more. Neither in influence nor form.

God Slain.

Bell stood there in silence. His breathing was ragged, and his heartbeat was rapid.

"I… I did it."

The boy felt his legs were about the give way, so he sat down and rest his head on his knee. His actions caused the battered greaves that made up his armor set to peel off and splashed into the shallow water. The armor he wore was beyond recognizable, no better than scrap metal after his fight with the Elden Beast. His helmet was nowhere to be seen, putting his pure white hair on display, and the boy thanked his lucky star that his helmet was blasted off, and not his head. Bell's right hand loosened the Black Knife he wielded, letting his limbs rest upon the cool watery floor. Bell closed his eyes, feeling the world around him change back to the insides of the Erdtree.

When he opened his eyes, the crumbled form of Queen Marika the Eternal was still posed at the center of the Erdtree. Bell looked sadly at the state of the reigning sovereign of the Lands Between and willed himself to stand up, for he has one more task he has to do. He pushed himself forward and sauntered to the summon sign that appeared in blue, brushing aside the golden leaves of the Erdtree.

Bell lowered himself, kneeling before it. A pale blue magic circle grew from the summon sign, releasing glowing streams of aerosol particles. From the magic circle emerged Ranni the Witch, dressed in her signature Snow Witch outfit.

The pale-blue doll turned her head slightly and softly nodded.

"The battle is over, I see."

She turned her attention to the crumbled form of Queen Marika and walked towards her fallen head. With four hands, she gently picked up Queen Marika's head and cradled it briefly before lifting it before the Queen's fallen body.

"I swear to all lives and souls."

The air chilled, and pale white and blue mist swirled through the chamber. Queen Marika's body began to dissipate; golden flakes swept away by the unfelt wind. And in the background and skies, the Dark Moon appeared, shining moonlight upon them.

"From hereon is the Age of Stars."

Bell listened in silence, recalling the conversation he had with her not long ago.

Upon the order she envisions. An order not of gold, but the stars and moon of the chill night. She would keep them far from the earth. Away from life, souls, and order; once bound tightly together, now removed. And have the certainties of sight, emotion, faith, and touch… All become impossibilities.

"The laws of the moon, a thousand-year journey. To all, you may think of the chill night as infinitely far away."

Which is why she would abandon this soil with this order of hers; whisking this power to the beyond. Those left behind must continue on their own without guidance.

"And now, let us go on our path of fear, doubt and loneliness, into darkness"

Bell lifted his head. The last of Queen Marika's body shimmered away in gold, Ranni turned to Bell and gently smiled. Her eyes twinkling like the stars.

"As promised, our thousand-year journey starts with the mysteries that surround thee. I still see it in thy eyes. Thou still feel the guidance within thy soul and not of grace." She held out two of her four hands towards him. One bearing the Dark Moon Ring he placed on her finger. "Shall we? My dear consort eternal."

Bell returned her smile. A pure, warm smile that would have made Ranni fluster if she was still in her original body. His red eyes met hers and he reached out to take her hand.

"Hai. Goddess."

Thus, begins their thousand-year journey into the unknown. Into the world distant in Bell's dream. A world where adventurers can test their mettle, and gods and monsters roam the lands of Genkai.