Discovery

It took several years of research before King Oceiros made a discovery from the various dragon-kin and abyssal corrupted corpses he had acquired. In what had since become a daily routine, the King had gathered with Lorian and a group of his knights in the courtyard where he conducted his trials. Lothric was sitting on the outskirts, as he always was, watching his father's experiments with morbid curiosity.

Oceiros had not continued transforming much more than he already had when he first returned to Lothric. His skin had grown rough and sickly pale and while his limbs had not distorted further, Lothric suspected this was only due to Oceiros waiting for a breakthrough.

With the remains of the lizard corpse they had brought - long since rotted away - the knights and Lorian stood in a circle around it, weapons readied as a precaution. Beside the lizard corpse was a hollowed peasant from the outskirts who had begun to display signs of abyssal corruption. She was chained and bound, unable to do any damage unless her shackles were released.

In Oceiros's hands he held one of the titanite scales, distorted with additional runes, and Lothric could sense one of his father's sorceries coiled around the scale. Oceiros placed the scale in the hollow's hand and took a step back. Whatever sorcery he had placed on the scale was powerful, Lothric could tell by the way his skin crawled from it, even at the distance he was at. Within moments she began to wail - black abyssal slime oozing from every orifice on her face and rupturing forth from her back. Lorian and the other knights drew their blades, training them on the transforming hollow. The black ooze congealed and slowly started to form into a disfigured, serpentine shape on her back. Like the abyssal man they had fought, the ooze had glowing red streaks for eyes that turned on the knights as it howled.

"Ah!" Oceiros gasped in excitement. "The Pus of Man. Come now, show us your strength and control."

As the disfigured hollow turned toward Oceiros, the lizard corpse also rose and turned toward him. Lothric stood up, fascinated. Reanimation? Magic? A miracle? He couldn't be certain - he would need to look at the scale later.

"Lorian. Engage the dragon-kin, but do not kill it." Oceiros ordered.

Lothric watched as his brother did as he was told, stepping forward towards the lizard while remaining out of reach of the hollow. It instantly lunged for him despite being a shell of a corpse that should be unable to move. Lorian easily blocked the attack, but Lothric remembered its moves intimately. This was no simple reanimation; the hollow was not controlling the lizard consciously.

"Magnificent. Now, strike the hollow."

Lorian glanced at their father once before sidestepping the lizard and moving toward the hollow. It shrieked as he neared and grabbed for him, the claw-shaped mass colliding with his armor and knocking him back. The knights closest to him started to ready their swords but stopped when Oceiros raised his hand. Clamoring back to his feet, Lorian moved more cautiously towards the hollow, baiting its attack and ducking into its blind spot. The mass lurched forward, driven by momentum as it failed to hit its target. In that opening, Lorian was able to drive his sword through the center of its chest. It began to collapse with a bone chilling screech and Lorian casually stepped out of the way, moving back to his original position.

The hollow collapsed and ceased moving and beside it the lizard's corpse followed suit.

Seeing as the danger was now gone, Lothric moved closer to the corpses, walking past his father and brother until he was standing in front of the lizard's corpse. He knelt down and examined the creature before realizing just what his father had learned how to do - or at least the closest theory he had. Lothric turned to Oceiros. "You tethered the remaining scraps of souls that the crystal lizard had consumed to the abyss in the hollow?"

Oceiros beamed at him, all jagged teeth and glassy eyes; it was unnerving. "More specifically the fragment of the dark soul within the hollow. The power of the abyss amplifies the power of the dark soul and helps it burst free. In certain specimens such as this one, it is enough power to even reanimate something long since deceased."

"Only Men suffer the Undead curse because of their humanity. Because of the dark soul. So the binding of two such as these simply extends the curse to a creature that would otherwise never suffer from it." It made for a frightening discovery. The implications could lead to a terrible number of things, and knowing his father, it undoubtedly would.

"Precisely! However, once the host soul dies, the parasitic soul dies as well. But no matter, for now we can accomplish what has never been possible before. It is derived from the same theory that Seath used to bind his soul to the primordial crystals." Oceiros was animated as he spoke, waving his arms around as he paced. He directed his attention toward Lorian, "You must go. Back to where you found the wyvern. Take a regiment of knights with you as well. Bind the souls and you will have no need to kill the wyverns; they will be tamed if my theory proves true. Then bring them back to me."

Lorian spared a glance to Lothric, seeking… his permission? He nodded, almost imperceptibly, but it was enough that Lorian saw. His brother knelt before Oceiros, pressing his fist to his chest in a formal salute. "As you command."

Oceiros turned to the knights, taking a moment to survey each of them before calling a group of them out. "The kingdom of Lothric was once that of Dragon Tamers and will be once again! Elwin, Rimilda, Agnes, and Romund - come with me. You will be the vessels to control the wyverns. Come, come, preparations must be made."

Lothric noted that Lorian was thankfully spared from the role of dragon tamer as he watched his father and the four knights walk off. The other remaining knights set to work disposing of the corpses while Lothric made his way to Lorian's side.

"I suspect you will be gone for quite some time."

"Not as long as the last time, I hope. I should return within the year." He linked their arms as they usually did when walking around the castle. Lothric led them across the grounds, mostly in an aimless wander.

"You will return with a fleet of wyverns in your stead if Father has his way."

"He has had more lucid days than those of madness recently. Perhaps he is finally recovering," Lorian offered, hopefully. Naively.

"I dare say it's just the opposite. Once you return with those wyverns, I fear our Father will be truly lost." Sad though it may be, Lothric could not quite bring himself to care about his Father's fate. After watching his descent into madness over the years, the man was but a husk of his former self anyway. "After all, he will finally have the closest thing to what he has always sought out. Several live and tamed dragon-kin, ripe for his studies."

"Should that happen, I believe the people would be pleased to serve under your rule again." Lorian turned to look down at Lothric, slowing their pace as they entered the gardens. "I, for one, would prefer it."

"A treasonous phrase, dear brother. What would happen if you were overheard by the servants or Father's advisors?"

"They would agree," Lorian said defiantly. "Our Father has not inspired any feelings but fear and trepidation since his return. The people no longer see the man he was, only the twisted creature he is determined to become. You on the other hand-"

"I am the blessed sacred lamb led to the slaughter. The only would-be ruler with a death sentence. They care neither for my policies nor what my rule provides them. They care only about the fact that my sacrifice will bring back the fire and set the undead at bay for a few more years." The words were bitter in his mouth as Lothric spoke them. He was being petty and unreasonable, he knew, but he could not help but voice them all the same.

"That is untrue." Lorian countered. "Those who work closest with you see you as the authority figure that has kept the kingdom from ruin in the King's absence - and oftentimes in the King's presence as well. They lay praise at your feet and behind closed doors for the work you have done. Your fate may have earned their admiration, but your actions are what earned their respect."

On their stroll they had managed to reach the trees in the gardens where Lothric once studied. He grabbed Lorian's arm and pulled down until they were sitting amongst the cushions and sheets that remained there for him. "Even if what you say is true, it changes nothing. Father will continue to lead himself and his people on this path until he has damned us all. Whether or not the people would prefer my rule matters none. I will protect them where I can, but he will continue being King and I will die."

"And if there was a way to avoid death?"

"You mean to embrace the undead curse, doomed to accept a fate no better than the Abyss Watchers? I would sooner beckon death upon myself. And moreover, I would never allow myself to be shackled to a hollow in such a way."

Lorian was silent. It was rare that his brother was so quiet and thoughtful in their discussions. Lothric would never describe Lorian as brash, but he was opinionated and always spoke his mind around Lothric. Whatever he was thinking about must be weighing a great deal on his mind. It almost felt unfair, to have what in theory would be the answer to their dilemma of linking the fire dangled in front of their face, knowing it would never be attainable.

"What do you think it feels like," Lorian started, his eyes focused on the sky, "to have your soul bound to another?"

"I would like to think it depends on who or what you end up bound to. An abyssal hollow for instance, I imagine would be terrible indeed. I pity the knights that Father chose to bind the wyverns. I am grateful he did not assign such a fool's task to you."

"I believe I would not mind it, if it was you." Lothric snapped his head to the side to stare at Lorian.

"I would never expect anything from you that would place you in harm's way. Certainly nothing so cruel as to bind you to this fate of mine."

"You sent me away to slay a terrible creature to prove my worth." Lorian accused.

"It was merely a suggestion. But you survived, and managed to provoke Father at the same time," Lothric declared, elbowing Lorian lightly in the side.

"So I did," Lorian said, reaching over and ruffling Lothric's hair in retaliation.

Lothric swatted his hand away and stood; Lorian rose as well beside him but made no move to follow him. "I am afraid I must go, undoubtedly the servants are already searching for me to deposit another pile of letters on me. Be well on your trip; I await your return."