Gundrik could remember the last time he had seen the venerated Ancient Dragon before him, on his way to Leyndell. She had blasted her way through the air and landed just in front of him, like she had just a moment before in the present, right in front of his army. A brief skirmish had ensued back then, where she fled soon after. Gundrik made it a point to avoid her after that. Though in the past, his faith had been shattered, perhaps it was out of a deep reverence that he refused to face her in combat again. He knew not where she made her roost, but it was evident that she no longer saw fit to hide.

With his hand on the grip of his sword, looking up at the massive beast before him, Gundrik did not feel any fear. By his side were two halves of a god, and he wielded a greatsword capable of slaying gods as well, with an army of hundreds behind him. And yet, despite that, some part of him still trembled within Lansseax's presence. Involuntarily, like a plant being buffeted by the wind.

The whole world froze, a golden skyline above the Ancient Dragon before him, Gundrik prepared himself for anything. No dragon had attempted parley before; there was no guarantee that Lansseax's intentions were peaceful. They obviously hadn't been before.

Nonetheless, he waited, and before long, the dragon's wings, which had been splayed out as if to make herself look bigger, folded. Lansseax held her head high and looked down at Gundrik with reptilian eyes. Though Gundrik was no longer an ordinary human, Lansseax still towered above him. The red lighting that coated her form faded, leaving only vaguely sparkling white scales.

"Out of all the beings to survive Leyndell's destruction," Marika began, "'twould be too great a miracle to assume thine own death would be among the toll, o Lansseax."

Lansseax's draconic face could not convey much emotion, but Gundrik could almost feel the amusement radiating off her form.

"If she is to bar our path, kill her," Radagon said succinctly.

"I was a Dragon Cult Knight of Leyndell before I was Elden Lord, Radagon," Gundrik said, turning to the redheaded former lord. "And she communed with us, once, granting us the power of lightning, though not to the same caliber of her own kind."

"Nay, thou tookest that for thyself, did ye not?" Marika asked, "I have seen thee wielding the red lightning. Thou hast to have learned it somewhere."

Gundrik shrugged. "I have my ways. Lady Lansseax! State your business!"

The Ancient Dragon tilted her head as she stared at Gundrik, before moving her head down to see eye-to-eye with him.

"I recognize thee, Gundrik. Dragon Cult Knight of Leyndell, and now you claimeth the title of Elden Lord, hmm?" Lansseax's voice made Gundrik's bones quake, though her mouth did not move. "An interesting development. Thou hath come a long way, since the days of thine sickly and skinny body."

Gundrik grinded his teeth together. "You are not here to speak of my past, and we are not here to hear it. We are to march on Leyndell, and I would ask that you do not stand in our way."

"And what wouldst thou do, should I refuse to move from this spot?" Lansseax asked, and Gundrik almost thought her eyes moved, as if to raise a brow.

"Go around you, of course," Gundrik replied.

"I hath given thee too easy a question, but very well," Lansseax stated before her head moved back to its original position: towering over everyone. "An army thou hast gathered, and a know of the enemy thou seekest to eliminate. The yellow flame of madness, that hath gathered around the Erdtree's base. I have come to reforge our old accord, Queen Marika."

Gundrik fell silent and turned to Marika, whose eyes only widened slightly before she stepped forward. "And what use do we have for thee, Lansseax of the Ancient Dragons? Thou hast no loyalty to this new Order. Thou can do what thee wishest."

"I have not forgotten of the bonds I shared with mine human disciples, of which thy newest consort was a member," Lansseax stated, "nor have I forgotten Godwyn the Golden, the greatest of the demigods, long dead. I remaineth, the last of my kind within this land. Of those that have not long ago cast aside their gifts. I ask for very little in return."

"And what wouldst that be?"

For a moment, Gundrik could see the snarl upon Lansseax's face.

"The abomination known as Dragon Communion rooted out and destroyed," Lansseax snarled, "I want their heads on spikes. Wish to see their eyes plucked from their sockets. Lesser beings they may be, but dragons they remaineth all the same, and I will not see their bodies mangled for their hearts and blood."

Marika raised her brows at that. "Such a practice was never legal within the Golden Order, and it shalt not be in this one as well."

"I want thy word, and the word of thine lord and other half, that this despicable practice shall be destroyed," Lansseax demanded.

"It is either that, or we force our way through, but…" Radagon paused for a moment. "...perhaps it is better to speak with words rather than swords, here."

Gundrik shrugged.

"I see no reason to refuse, and thou wouldst be a good ally, indeed," Marika said, "Very well. We have our next target once this battle is over, Lord Gundrik."

"Terrific," Gundrik grumbled.

"Surely thou seest the wisdom in this ancient accord? Why else would I deign to speak to thee?" Lansseax stated, before shaking her body. "Ah, another matter, and perhaps a gift to you, Queen Marika, once our old enemy. If these two pointy beings wouldst leave mine back…"

As if on cue, two forms fell from Lansseax's back, obscured by her two pairs of wings. The clanking of plate armor reached Gundrik ears as two familiar red-gold knights marched up from besides Lansseax. One had the traditional axe helmet of the Crucible Knights, with the blades affixed to the sides of the helmet, and the other had decorative gnarled tree branches in the same place. While one wielded a sword and greatshield, the other had their treespear on their back, and in their hands, they carried something within an old, maroon cloth.

"Were they always there, hanging onto your back, old Lansseax?" Gundrik commented, "they are Crucible Knights, with horrifically prickly armor, after all. It must have been uncomfortable."

"I wished to devour them, but I decided against such a base course of action," Lansseax growled, "and besides, they have something I believe thou wouldst appreciate."

Gundrik dismounted Torrent, but kept the spirit steed summoned. Gundrik looked to Radagon once and tilted his head, and Radagon readied his blade, just in case. Gundrik had half a mind to spear the two Crucible Knights upon lightning spears; they had been a constant thorn in his side since the beginning of his journey in the Lands Between. One had been imprisoned in an Evergaol, and Gundrik still bore the mental scars that creature had left him with. Old warriors of Lord Godfrey they may have been, but such a time had long since passed. One had even cast his or her lot in with the lady of Volcano Manor.

In the end, however, Gundrik felt no hostility from the approaching red-gold knights, and they both did not make a sound other than the clanking of their armor as they approached.

"Hold," Gundrik commanded, motioning with his hand. The two Crucible Knights obeyed. "State your business."

"They are warriors of Godfrey, Lord Gundrik," Marika lightly chided, moving in front of Gundrik. "And besides, I stated I wouldst take care of this. Surely even in the maddened state of the world, there wouldst be some among a dedicated company of honorable knights wouldst keep their oath, hm?"

Gundrik's lips pressed into a thin line as he turned to Radagon, as if for support. The former Elden Lord merely shrugged in response.

Wordlessly, the Crucible Knight with the tree-horned helmet moved forward, the maroon-clothed object in their hands sounding as if stones were grinding together. Gundrik wondered if the Crucible Knights before him were even capable of speech anymore, although they clearly still had their mental faculties otherwise.

The knight knelt before Queen Marika, and a moment later, unwrapped the object held in the cloth. Gundrik nearly did a double-take upon seeing it.

What laid in the Crucible Knights outstretched hands was the remnants of Marika's Hammer. Gundrik remembered it well; he had a clear view of it as it nearly pounded him into a fine paste. Back then, it'd been riddled with shards of the Elden Ring, but with it mended, it was only natural that it had fallen apart; the Elden Ring had been repaired, after all. Gundrik had always wondered what happened to the weapon. Marika didn't have it on her when he'd awoken after his battle with the Elden Beast, and she had never mentioned it again.

Gundrik looked at Marika to see her frozen. A sharp intake of breath had been her only reaction. He slowly walked up beside her at the weapon, crumbled and broken as it was.

"I have heard about this weapon before. Before it was used to turn me into powdered dough," Gundrik said, giving a sideways glance to Radagon, who merely scoffed. "Is there anything else to it?"

Marika slowly lowered her hand onto the hammer's ashen grip, and with her other, held the stone head of it in place. Bits of it fell away as she held it up.

"A relic," Marika said quietly, "The only memento of my homeland that remaineth. I had thought it lost somewhere within the Erdtree. From whence didst thou come upon it, honorable knight?"

"These ones do not speak, as thou can clearly see, Queen Marika," Lansseax spoke, her voice booming across the fields of Liurnia. "I know not how they came upon this weapon, and divining their intent was a matter of extreme spiritual taxation. I know only that the one of the Tree is of Siluria's men, and the one of the Axe is Ordovis."

Gundrik looked incredulously from the Ancient Dragon to the red-armored knight beside the one who was still kneeling, his brow furrowed. "You are Ordovis!?"

The Crucible Knight merely nodded.

"Not one of you speaks, and yet somehow I feel as if an entire sentence was conveyed within that single gesture," Gundrik let out a breath. "Will you fight with us? You fought through the capital and seized this weapon either before, or as the Frenzied Flame was taking over. And surely you would not raise your blade against the new Elden Lord, yes?"

Another nod, and Gundrik sighed.

"Fine, then," Gundrik said, "good, even. Anyway, this hammer, Marika, what must be done to repair it? If that is what you wish to do."

Marika briefly glanced at Gundrik, as if to silence him, before holding up the hammer in her hands and mumbling something under her breath. A brief, golden flash of light caused Gundrik to wince before looking back.

The hammer's cracks had been filled in with a substance that resembled golden corpse wax, though of a paler hue. No longer did the hammer's head crumble away. Though the weapon was no longer a thing of beauty, if it had ever been so, Gundrik had no doubt that the tool used to shatter the Elden Ring was ready to shatter anything else that came into its path.

Marika held the newly repaired hammer, looked at her own body, and then to Radagon, who held a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What was once shattered, can be repaired. Is that not so, mine other self?" Marika asked, and though she used words that once held mockery, Gundrik could only feel a sense of completeness about her.

Radagon, for his part, seemed to be in agreement, for the first time since Gundrik had known either of them. He pulled out the Golden Order Greatsword and looked down at it, before closing his eyes.

"I suppose so," Radagon murmured.


"I do not think I have ever told you how much I appreciate these small chats we have, my masked friend," Gundrik stated, pacing in front of Blackguard. "Or maybe I have, and I cannot remember it."

"Mate, I've 'eard more thanks outta your mouth than anyone else in my entire life," Blackguard replied, his voice gravelly as he poked at the shellfish slowly cooking within his pot. "And I'll always say the same: aye."

They would be in sight of Leyndell within the day. Outside the Grand Lift of Dectus, it was only a short ride up onto the Altus Plateau, and from there, the final battle. Gundrik knew that, even if there was a sense of finality in the air, he had felt it before, when the Erdtree smoldered within the sky. There would be a dozen other final battles to come; the Lake of Rot beneath Liurnia was one such place that would no doubt see a final battle, and with the pact made with Lansseax, there would no doubt be another against adherents to Dragon Communion. It was entirely possible that the battle against the Frenzied Flame would not be the final battle against it; just a prelude to another, more terrible battle down the line.

Which was why Gundrik was taking time out of his day to converse with Blackguard. It was likely the final time he would be able to have a simple conversation. Blackguard was neither a general in the army, nor was he one of the faceless soldiers that populated it. While Nepheli and Jerren were friends, he could scarcely speak to them without being reminded of the battle ahead, and the same went for Radagon and Marika, though he loved them both dearly.

Gundrik wondered when exactly he found he could use the term 'love' when thinking of the two halves of god, but he didn't care.

In the end, Blackguard found himself in a unique position, at least from Gundrik's point of view.

"So it is," Gundrik chuckled. "Look at how things have changed, yeah? Liurnia, Caelid, Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula, all of them under our banner, and with two gods slain, what is one more, right?"

"I was Tarnished too, remember?" Blackguard said, tapping the side of his iron mask. "'Ad that big Misbegotten smith tell me that they was gonna make a weapon to slay a god, and I decided to piss off instead. And then you came and wrecked the place, killing all these demigods, and then killed a shitting god. I don't even know why yer talkin' to me right now. Look at you! Yer twice as big as I am now!"

Gundrik looked down at his body, the sun glinting off the silver plate of his armor.

"You know, I have become more acclimated to this. Now I know how it feels," Gundrik said, holding a hand up and forming a fist. "I watched even the lowest of demigods tear apart the earth with their strikes, and now I find myself at the head of a new order of them. To be honest, I am curious of what I am capable of."

Blackguard snorted. "Well, I'm sure you'll be figurin' it out soon enough, eh? I ain't heard good things about this, what, 'Frenzied Flame'? Flame o' Frenzy? Somethin' like that."

Gundrik shook his head. "Oh no, my friend. It drives even the most noblest of heroes into the pits of despair and sanity. It is not quite as bad as what Rykard did to his 'family', or what the Scarlet Rot could have become if it was not quelled, but it is the essence of an Outer God all the same. And the time has come to fight fire with fire."

Blackguard looked up to the glowing Erdtree and then back to Gundrik. "Ya think that's a good idea, mate?"

"The Erdtree cannot be burned so long as Marika and Radagon are well and able," Gundrik stated, "at least, that is the way it is now. When the Greater Will reigned supreme over these lands, I imagine it was a bit more complicated than that, but under the Perfect Order, it will not be such a terrible thing."

Blackguard shrugged. "I'll take your word for it, my lord. Still wonderin' why yer wastin' your time with me, though. I ain't nothin' but a blackguard, yeah? A poor fool who can't find the way back to his gaol."

"I still consider you a friend," Gundrik stated, "and no matter what changes my body undergoes, I will always see you as such. Besides, where would I be without your shellfish?"

Blackguard hooted. "At the bottom of a pit in Leyndell, I reckon!"

"Damn right," Gundrik replied, patting his side. "Never talk yourself down like that, Blackguard. There is much worse than you out there, and if you were not here, then we would be down a cook."

Blackguard snorted again, lightly glaring at Gundrik with his one visible eye. "It ain't much better than bein' a prisoner, friend, I gotta say. Still, that means it's still better than rottin' away in some no-name gaol somewhere."

"That's the spirit!" Gundrik said, looking out over the lakes of Liurnia, letting out a sigh. "I will miss traveling like this. I will miss talking to you. I imagine I will not be doing it much when I take the throne. Or if I die while trying to take it."

"Me too," Blackguard stated, his voice softer than before. "Whatever happens, ya been a good friend to me, and that means somethin'."

"Is this the part where we hug?" Gundrik asked.

"Nah, I don't like shit like that," Blackguard grumbled.

"Yes, but how many people can claim they have been hugged by the Elden Lord before? I will be willing to grant you bragging rights."

"Yer barkin' up the wrong tree, mate."

Gundrik laughed roughly. "Spoilsport."


Leyndell was within sight, in all of its ruined splendor. It was at night that Gundrik was able to lay his eyes upon his old home, the bright yellow light of the Flames of Frenzy were like small spots of starlight among the dark walls, with the greatest glow near the base of the Erdtree, right where Gundrik had fought Morgott and Godfrey, what felt like a lifetime ago.

The army did not move forward until daybreak came, and when it did, Gundrik was at the head. He knew not what monstrous abominations would surge out of Leyndell, but no matter what, it would end that day.

Gundrik rode atop Torrent, the now massive spirit steed huffing as Gundrik stood at the head of the army, as if readying himself for what laid ahead. Looking back, Gundrik could see his army. Once nothing but a platoon of whoresons and criminals, what he saw was a glorious golden host of old. Armors of different makes, soldiers with no nation - and above them all, the Ancient Dragon Lansseax soared through the air. The hour was nigh, and Gundrik was ready.

And by his side stood the two people who had been with him since he had become Elden Lord. Marika brandished her newly repaired hammer, and Radagon had his hard-light sword by his side. Gundrik had no doubt both of them would be completely fine - they were a god, after all, and gods were not so easily slain. Anything they would have said to each other had already been said; there was no time for dawdling or making teary, heartfelt confessions. It was time for war.

Gundrik unsheathed his new greatsword from his back. The Bolt of Gransax was with him as well. He turned around to face his men, his army, and held his sword high, crimson and black flames surging from the blade, as if eager to burn whatever stood in its path.

"Soldiers!" Gundrik began, Torrent trotting along. His voice boomed across the field of men like a tidal wave. "Warriors and men of our home, of the Lands Between! Before us stands Leyndell, host to naught but ash and the Frenzied Flame! It feeds on despair, and spreads almost as surely as the Scarlet Rot! But it shall find no fertile ground from which it can spread its roots, not here, not now! Today, we bring back the glory days of old! Today, we will ensure that our seed will look back upon us, and recall an Age of Order! Charge, my warriors! Charge, warriors of the Order! Charge for the world's ending!"

Gundrik didn't know where such words came from, but they came out nonetheless, and the men were receptive, and they charged forward just as he did. Trolls in the ranks unsheathed their ancient blades once again. Redmane and Banished Knights alike rode upon their steeds and charged on foot, their blades and spears at the ready. And at the head, Gundrik moved atop his spectral mount, blade at the ready.

While there was no visible army for the Flame at first, once Gundrik's army got close enough, they were revealed; remnants of Leyndell's knights and soldiers, their eyes replaced by yellow, bristling flame. Beyond that, Gundrik could see Omen, horns both remaining and cut to stumps, among the ranks of the Frenzied, and fiery golems, their magma cores stained yellow with Frenzy.

And when the two armies clashed, it was as if a Fire Giant had ascended and brought his flaming wrath upon the world.

The first to taste Gundrik's metal was a lowly soldier, his head severed from his neck as Gundrik rode by him, the flames within his eyes extinguished in an instant. The second was a knight, his arm severed before his chest was pulverized by Torrent's charge. Others within the army battled against their maddened brethren, and the Third Siege of Leyndell had begun.

Gundrik circles of light and waves of gold split through the enemy ranks, telltale signs of Radagon's fight. As well, Gundrik saw conjured weapons fly through the air, hitting those unlucky enough with enough force to send their bodies several meters into the dirt or air.

It wasn't long before Gundrik's army was within the first walls of Leyndell, and that was only the first step. They passed by the massive staircase and into the lands betwixt the first and second walls, only to come upon frenzied gargoyles. The wind was picked up by their massive twinblades, covered in yellow corpse wax. Men were sent careening to their bloody and miserable end within the pits below Leyndell's second walls, or stomped into a bloody paste underneath the gargoyles' feet.

That did not last long, however, Gundrik would not allow it. Gundrik jumped off of Torrent just as a gargoyle was slamming his axe down upon an unlucky Redmane soldier. Without uttering a single shout or curse, and drove his sword into the gargoyle's head, red and black flames spreading from the wound and snuffing out the yellow Frenzy as the giant stone beast keeled over, nearly crumbling apart. Gundrik watched as Frenzied Omen and gargoyle alike were slowly, but surely, taken down, their bodies serving as little more than stepping stones to what was to come.

And Gundrik knew that a victory against Frenzied troops was no true victory; whoever had chosen to become a vessel for the Frenzied Flame likely cared not for any one of the soldiers that Gundrik's army put to rest. What mattered was Gundrik, Marika, and Radagon - if they fell, no matter how many victories they had against its troops, the war would be over. The Erdtree would burn for good, and all would be lost.

When all of the opposing forces within outer Leyndell were defeated, Gundrik led the charge forward to the main gate, the cries of his men ringing in his ears and urging him onward.


Leyndell had not changed much since last Gundrik had seen it.

That was only to be expected, of course; he doubted the Frenzied Flame cared much for cleaning up the ashes that coated the once great capital. Yellow embers were scattered across the ground, almost like the outlines of footsteps as Gundrik and his main force broke through the main gate.

Gundrik hadn't been able to enter Leyndell through the main gate when he had returned during his time as a Tarnished. Morgott had ensured most of the entrances into Leyndell were either inaccessible or destroyed in a bid to stop any Tarnished from entering the holy city. But Morgott was gone, and with Leyndell covered in ash, it was much easier to storm the city. And that was without taking into account that the Frenzied Flame was not trying to stop them.

The closer Gundrik came to the eerie pale-yellow light at the base of the Erdtree, the more his heart beat like a drum in his chest. He couldn't quite place the nervousness that pervaded his entire being. It was like some part of him knew what was coming. Gundrik consciously didn't expect much out of the Frenzied Flame; the only abominations it had churned out of its malformed fire were corrupted beings that were already on their last legs. Shabriri was not forthcoming, but Gundrik at least knew that it was a 'she'.

While his men fought within the ashen streets of Leyndell, spells of Frenzied Flame surging across the battlefield, Gundrik ascended to the upper levels of Leyndell, towards Marika's bedchambers.

In the Erdtree Sanctuary, he took one last look upon the battlefield, and saw the familiar crowned helmets of the Haligtree army. Incantations and sorceries flew through the air and struck the Frenzied in a hail of magical energy, their unalloyed golden armor shining in the sun.

Gundrik nodded and moved forward.

The corpses of Erdtree Guardians littered the path forward, their bodies burned into blackened coal with yellow embers still lively burning upon them. The only sound Gundrik could hear besides the distant sound of battle was the clanking of his armor. Before long, he was within the Queen's Bedchambers. Gundrik had thought there would be nothing left within, but the chamber was immaculate; it was as if they had never left at all. Even the sheets were left intact, although Gundrik could see that a small portion of it had been slightly burnt. Although that seemed more a consequence of whatever entity awaited him than it did genuine malice.

Briefly, Gundrik wondered if he should call upon Marika and Radagon, but then he remembered the Elden Beast. He did not require back-up for that, although by the end of it he was barely standing. And Gundrik had become much stronger since then. If he simply charged forward, it would be over within minutes.

Either it was suicidal overconfidence, or a need to start the new age once and for all, after months of fighting. In the end, Gundrik supposed his smoldering flame of ambition never ceased to burn.

Slowly, Gundrik made his way to the yellow glow. The arena in which he had killed both his idol and said idol's son stood as it always had been: stained indelibly with the scars of battle. Burn marks from Morgott's cursed sword, gaping holes within from Godfrey's attacks pock-marked the once immaculate plaza.

And then Gundrik's eyes were set upon the entity that had rooted itself in the space before the Elden Throne. If it was a man, then it had long shed that shape, and when it turned around, only blazing yellow flames were there to greet him. It was like looking at an inferno that had grown arms. It had been rooted in its spot, and when it raised its head, and let out a roar that almost made Gundrik's mind burn as surely as it did, he was ready for what was to come.

"Someone must extinguish thy flame," Gundrik said softly, grasping his greatsword tightly. "Let it be Gundrik, the Third Elden Lord."

Crimson and black flames swirled around the blade, and he charged.


Marika's hammer slammed into the head of an unfortunate Leyndell Knight, utterly destroying the helmet and bursting his skull like an egg. It extinguished the yellow Flame of Frenzy within, and the body fell to the ground in a heap of meat and metal. It had been too long since Marika had been in a true battle - she did not count the skirmish in Caelid. She had seen Fire Giants in their prime, and had slain their god with little help. No doubt there would be greater conflicts in later days, but that day would not be soon.

Radagon was in much the same boat, using his Golden Order Greatsword to slash apart any who opposed him. He cut some in half, turned others into gibbering messes with the Law of Causality, and turned others into nothing but Frenzied paste when he slammed his weapon against the ground and lit up the ground with golden energy.

Their clothes were singed by the madness, but both were coming out on top. And when they felt something at the base of the Erdtree, both of their golden gazes instantly snapped to the location of the Elden Throne.

"Oh, the fool," Marika whispered, "I shouldst have seen this coming. Perhaps mine praise has gone to his head."

"Or perhaps he wishes to prove himself worthy of such praise," Radagon shot back. "Nonetheless, I know where I am needed. And I shall not let anything stop me."

"His is ours both, Radagon, or didst thou forget?" Marika stated, her face scrunching up slightly as the battle carried on without them. Almost as if on instinct, both made their way to the elevator toward the Erdtree Sanctuary. "I wilt not see him turned into a husk so soon. I wilt not say goodbye to another that I care for. And thou shouldst share my feelings, yes?"

"It is one of the few things I can say for certain," Radagon replied, "I shall see this new Order of yours born this day."

"Art thou finally willing to cast aside the yoke of the Golden Order? I wouldst never hath suspected this of you, Radagon. I am impressed."

"Speak not of such insolence, serpent. There is still killing to be done," Radagon snarled.

Marika let out an airy laugh. "So there is."


Yellow fire and red lightning split each other apart as they cashed, bathing the plaza in unearthly light. Gundrik greatsword made short work of the being's limbs, the red and black fire overtaking whatever the creature threw at him. Even madness would succumb to death, given time. The biggest issue was getting close enough to destroy the main body - the closer he got, the more it felt as if he was broiling inside of a pot heated by the Forge of the Giants. Nonetheless, his time came, finally, when he called upon the Bolt of Gransax.

Holding the Bolt in his left hand, Gundrik sent it forward, striking the fiery monstrosity square in what counted for its face. Quickly, he put the Bolt away and surged forward. He lunged, sending his fist to where the ancient lightning spear had hit, and in the next moment, the flames had been blown away as Gundrik ears began ringing.

Gundrik landed near the entrance, slamming his sword into the ground to keep. Sparks remained in the air, though they quickly faded. The Flames of Freny faded away, but Gundrik could tell that it wasn't over yet.

When the dust settled, Gundrik thought he was ready. When he could see what the yellow flames had been hiding, however, he nearly dropped his sword in shock.

A burnt and stained traveler's attire covered what remained of her body, the cloak long having fallen apart due to the flames. Holes within her crumbling body revealed nothing but the yellow Flame of Frenzy within, surging up until it reached her face. Though one side had long been caved in, not unlike Marika's head when he first put her back together, it was replaced with what almost seemed like flaming corpse wax, replacing her hair with airy yellow tendrils of flame.

Her name was on the tip of Gundrik's tongue, and when he spoke it, he could hardly believe it himself.

"Melina?"


I know it's cruel to leave such a big cliffhanger but believe me when I say that this had been planned for months lol.

Anyway, just three more chapters after this, relatively short ones too, so we'll be seeing the end of this fic before the end of summer. I thought for sure that DLC would be announced for Elden Ring by now, but eh, I can wait a bit longer.

Anyway, thanks to GrandPaladinTyrux for beta'ing this fic! Hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day!