To see a Darkened Sun
chapter 7
Things had worked out surprisingly well. He'd met with the Darkmoon fire keeper, asking her about his name she told him that he'd never given it. She gave him a map of Lordran, it has hard to read at first but he eventually managed to work out where things were. She also showed him how to warp between bonfires, to which he yelped in surprise when he suddenly appeared on the balcony of a strange fortress.
Looking at the map he was luckily able to navigate to lost Izalith, though once he got there he had quite a rough time getting to the fog door at the center of the city. Upon reaching the door, he summoned Gwyndolin, who greeted him with a smile. When Arias entered the room, he found a large wooden entity. It seemed to be bound by a strange magic rune on it's right.
Though the path to the rune had entirely crumbled, he didn't need to worry, as Gwyndolin teleported him directly to the rune. Arias wasted no time destroying it. Afterward more of the floor began to collapse and Gwyndolin saved Arias from falling to his death multiple times with his teleportation spell.
Arias saw a path that lead to the center of the entity, though it was risky, he went straight for it and luckily he made it. Cutting his way through he found a strange bug looking creature, upon slaying it the the bed of chaos fell lifeless. Arias couldn't believe it, that he'd defeated such a thing, and so quickly too.
He walked out from the bed of chaos, just in time to see Gwyndolin fade away. He knew he couldn't have destroyed the bed without his help, and he smiled knowing that his god was watching over him.
A bonfire had appeared just behind him where the grub was, exhausted, he sighed and sat down by it. Memories or no, he would always find comfort by the flame, as it represented just what his goal was, and it's importance. His eyelids once again grew heavy, and he slowly found himself laying down next to the bonfire, still gazing at it's magnificent light. Light that soon faded as he drifted off to a calm sleep.
The flame once again reappeared, flickering and popping right beside him, in an endless void of nothing. Just as before he gazed into it, it's glow gradually scorching his eyes and conflicting with something inside of him. He wanted to stay near the fire, but something drew him both further away and further towards it. As if something within his very nature was conflicting.
He grew scared, as the pain grew unbearable he no longer wanted to be by the flame, he wanted to retreat into safety wherever that was. Yet, as he tried to retreat, he still was pulled back to the fire, the conflicting sides reaching a stalemate once more, leaving him in a zone far, yet close to the fire. There was a creeping warmth, one that felt more like the cold but it was unmistakably fire. He shivered as he felt the phantom heat cover him. Calling out in a hoarse voice he met some strange response, one of disdain and apathy.
He gasped and shot up. Air filling his lungs for what felt like the first time in an age. Trying to get up, he fell back to his hands and knees he started gasping for more air, the air felt raw and rough against his dry throat. Soon he managed to calm himself, he gazed back at the flame, a mix of fear and longing clouding his mind. He looked away and words rung throughout his mind.
"Always fear the flame, lest you be devoured by it."
The voice was feminine and calming, yet, he did not recognize it. Getting on his hands and knees, he slowly got up, looking around to find himself somewhere totally different than before. It seemed he was standing in an old shrine, it seemed to be half ruined, with a few buildings remaining intact. Moss was growing on almost every surface. Looking up was the shadow of great wall, and downwards was a very long fall into what looked to be a deep valley.
He felt a strange crushing loneliness as he looked around, as if there were supposed to be people here but they were all gone. He felt the soul in his pack rumble slightly. Carefully taking it out, he looked at it. Somehow, he felt as if it was guiding him somewhere. Following the strange sense it gave him, he walked down a set of stairs and down to a grating in the wall, a small cave within, it seemed as if it were entirely inescapable.
Looking down he saw a corpse of a maiden behind the bars, mangled knees and a bloody face, cuts covering most of the body. he recognized the slices to the ones that golden knight had given him. Looking at the soul once again, he gently guided it down to the corpse, the soul seeped back into the body, repairing the mangled knees and healing away the cuts.
The maiden gasped and her eyes shot open. However, she remained still, not moving from her position on the floor as her breathing slowed. There was a silence for some time, Arias kneeled by the bars and kept still, not wanting to startle her further.
She eventually sat up and rested her back against the wall, she seemed to be heavily focused on something, a kind of fear could be seen in her eyes. She never brought her eyes up, just remaining in a hunched over position. Suddenly he heard the sound of a bonfire being lit. Arias wasn't sure of what to do, she was still completely unaware of his presence and didn't seem like she was going to look out of the cave any time soon.
He cleared his throat and decided to speak up.
"Are you alright?" He asked in a gentle tone, still kneeling by the bars. She jumped. clearly surprised by his presence.
"...W-Was it you?..." She asked, her throat sounded dry and hoarse. He nodded in response.
"Th, thank you... I am Anastacia of Astora... Now I can continue my duty as keeper of the fire... But... I only hope my impure tongue does not offend." She spoke weakly, as if for the first time in years, if not decades.
"Impure tongue?" He asked, confused. She gave him a sad, defeated look in the eyes before speaking.
"It was removed... A fitting penalty, for the blasphemies.. I once spoke of." Anastacia sounded even worse than before, she truly believed that she was deserving of such a punishment.
"I am aware... Of how fond you are, of talking to me... But please, of you've any heart... leave me be. I wish not to speak." It was as if she was on the verge of tears, pushing something away not because she wanted to, but because she was required to. Arias went grimly silent. She knew him, who he was, he spoke to her before. But to ask her to tell him, it would be torture.
And so they remained still, at a crossroads, Anastacia knew who he was, but she would not speak. There was no one else at the shrine, everywhere he'd gone, no one remembered him, as if he'd never existed. She was his last hope, the only one left, there had to be some way for her to tell him.
"...I spoke to you?" Was all he said, she did not respond, but she immediately knew what he meant by that question. She saw it in his eyes, the same thing she'd seen in so many others before, a lack of memory, fear of the loss of self.
"I understand you wish not to speak... But if you know my name, if you would write it in the dirt, mouth it, or just- Something!... Please..." He trailed off. He felt pathetic, did he even really need to know these things? He already knew what he had to do, and it's not like getting back his name was going to give him back all of his memories.
Why was it, that he was so desperate, for knowledge he had no need of?
"...Oscar. That was the name, of you and your travelling companion... You would come down and speak to me... only you. You both wore the same armor... but he was left handed. This is as much as I can do for you... As thanks." That was it. Anastacia had laid out everything he wanted to know. He looked at her with surprise, his mouth agape behind his visor.
"Thank you... Thank you so much." Was all he said. Arias slowly got up and waved her goodbye, she waved back.
His real name was Oscar, one he shared with a travelling companion who wore the same armor as him but held his sword in a different hand. He was somewhat amazed that she'd actually told him all that, though, they were clearly close once.
It was about time he continued, maybe he would find his old companion as he searched for the next great lord.