Spoilers ahead.
The golden leaves that once fluttered across the plains of Limgrave were now replaced by bright orange embers, drifting for miles from the burning bark of the Erdtree. Still, there was a beauty to them. The gentle breeze that carried them kissed and caressed the exposed face of the Tarnished, faint orange lights illuminating his blank expression as it pushed his messily tied back hair this way and that.. He sat, perched on the rubble of what might have been a proud structure many years ago, and gazed at the cliffs overhanging the ocean. While they were some distance away, the crash of waves into the wet sand could still be heard. The Tarnished found it reassuring, in a way. No matter how things changed, there would always be water rushing against the shore. And things had indeed changed since his arrival to the Lands Between.
Melina was dead. He hadn't fully realized the weight of her absence until he escaped the Crumbling Azula. He wouldn't soon forget the calm acceptance on her face as she lit ablaze. An eager sacrifice to remove yet another barrier that had imposed itself upon the Tarnished and his quest. The thorns were burned. He had reclaimed Destined Death. All that remained was for him to return to the Capital, and to end things once and for all. It was wonderfully simple. And yet, here he was, gazing off at the coast miles south of where he was supposed to be. He had tried to begin the journey north, to finish his duties, but his feet felt like they were made of cement. So he sat.
He glanced downward at the small blue doll laid carefully on the grass next to him. Its eyes were motionless as ever, face permanently set in a blank expression. He was still coming to terms with the fact that he was technically betrothed to this inanimate object. Well, he supposed he was betrothed to the spirit which inhabited it. It was a lot to wrap his head around. Ranni the Witch, who would bring about a new age to the Lands Between. Like the waves crashing against the shore, the certainty with which Ranni spoke of this path, this new order, gave the Tarnished a reassured feeling. Yet, she had been silent since he had given her the Darkmoon Ring.
"I bid thee travel the path of the Lord.
And once all is done, we shall see each other, once more."
The words played in his head over and over since they were spoken to him. It was another reason for him to push forward, another reason to pick up his cement filled feet and march towards his destiny. He owed it to what was left in the Lands Between. He owed it to what wasn't, too. Alexander, Nepheli, Milicent, Melina, Blaidd, Iji... the many faces and names that had given up everything, most not even knowing what they were giving it up for. Fighting tooth and nail for the mere chance to be something more.
He gingerly picked up the doll with his prosthetic left hand, holding it with two hands in front of him as he rested his arms on his knees. He gazed at her for a while.
And then he saw it. The smallest of a bright blue glint behind the doll's right eye. Once it caught his attention he narrowed his gaze, bringing the thing up to his remaining eye.
"Ranni?" The name slipped out of his mouth in confusion. There was a long silence, as the Tarnished maintained his gaze.
"I take it thou'st noticed?" The Tarnished instinctively flinched at the soft voice suddenly emerging from the doll's mouth. Ranni's voice. "I shouldn't be surprised..."
"Have you been...spying on me?" The Tarnished asked, raising the eyebrow not covered by the black strip of cloth wrapped around his head.
"Do not flatter thyself," came the surprisingly indignant response. "The success of our plight does presently rest on thy shoulders. 'Tis only natural I ensure thy success."
The Tarnished allowed himself a small smile as he shook his head, setting the doll down next to him and leaning back. He now gazed up at the evening sky, orange embers still dancing over him like fireflies. Behind them was the endless dark of the night, the white moon shining brightly in its abyss, far above the troubles of the Lands Between.
"The end is near, what stayeth thy feet?"
He glanced down at the doll, both of its eyes now glowing a bright blue.
"I don't know," came his simple response. "Just...taking it all in, I suppose."
Ranni didn't say anything right away. He expected her to be cross. At present, the only thing standing between her and finally achieving her goals was one sentimental Tarnished.
"These lands wear a deceptive beauty, 'tis true." Instead of an impatient one, her voice carried a somber tone. There was bitterness, too. "But 'neath the Golden Mirage lyeth the outstretched suffering of its constituents. As it is now, and has been for many years, life, and souls, and order, are bound too tightly together."
The Tarnished silently pondered the truth of her words. The more time he had spent in this land, the more he came to realize that things were rarely as they appeared. When he first arrived, the warmth of the golden Sites of Grace gave him an unmatched feeling of comfort. But as the truth of the world unfolded around him, their radiance felt more like a drug than anything else. A brilliant distraction from the decay that surrounded him. When Marika stole the rune of death, she might have thought she was doing the people of the Lands Between a service. Instead, deathlessness had become a sickness that had crawled into every facet existence in the Lands Between. Whether it be from the ugly face of the Prince of Death, or the beauty of the Erdtree, it was a disease all the same. The Tarnished had become convinced over time that Queen Marika's true goal, the reason that the Tarnished and his kind had been recalled, was so that she could finally be killed. Then she wouldn't have to share in the curse of immortality alongside her subjects.
"So, how do you fix it?" The Tarnished knew it was an unfairly simple question to an incredibly complex problem, but he asked it all the same. Because he knew that Ranni already had her answer, and that she had spent an immeasurable amount of time thinking over it.
"I would have them at great remove." Ranni's answer was quick, and firmly spoken. As firm as a little doll could speak it, anyways. "Mine order will be of Stars, and the Moon, not of Gold. And I will keep it far from the earth beneath our feet, along with it the chill of the night. The certainties of faith in touch, sight, and emotions will become impossibilities. Which is why I must abandon this soil, along with mine Order." She paused. "With thee."
The Tarnished didn't respond. She had never laid things out so directly, and even still her words came across as cryptic, and open to endless interpretation. Still, a world without the meddling of gods sounded good. Better than good, it seemed like the right thing. And how lucky was he to be in a world where he could do the right thing?
And yet, he hesitated. A small but persistent whisper in his mind told him he was merely playing the part of a pawn for her, just as he was for Marika. Afterall, it was Ranni who put all this into motion. It was Ranni who had Godwyn killed, an action that triggered the shattering to begin with. Was he to believe that all this suffering was necessary? That it was all happening behind the curtains, and all Ranni had done was reveal the Golden Order for what it was? Or was there an even greater conspiracy, that Ranni had simply not entrusted to the Tarnished? Perhaps it was something that surpassed even the White Witch's own knowledge and understanding, and they both were simply unsuspecting pawns of something entirely unseen.
"Wouldst thou come to me, even now, my one and only Lord?"
Ranni must have sensed his hesitation. Her words were delicate, and there was an inflection in her voice he'd not heard from her since she 'mistakenly' complimented his character in the Ainsel River. The Tarnished glanced down at her, expecting another excuse about how her current form affected her mind, but none came.
He looked out at Limgrave once more. Regardless of her past actions, the stage had been set. He was left with a few options moving forward, but what would really change things for the better? He could take the throne for himself, yes, but what then? The world would simply carry on as it had been. He sighed, resting his chin on one of his hands, adjusting the Darkmoon Blade strapped to his back. It felt heavier than usual.
"Tell me this is the right thing. Tell me this will save what's left of the Lands Between."
There was silence. The Tarnished gave a glance at the doll, noticing the light behind the eyes was faded.
"Of course.." Was all he could bring himself to say. He hastily grabbed the doll and stood upright, taking one last glance at Limgrave's shore. He supposed it was time to finally bring things to an end.
There you have it. I might continue it through to the Age of Stars ending, not sure. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks for reading!