They had failed.

The Lands-Between, the Golden Order, everything their Mother had held dear and built from the moment she had sent them down on a golden star to guide the godless inhabitants, all of it.

Succumbed to the terrible Frenzied Flame.

From the moment of it's inception in the cosmos upon which Mother had crafted their star-born form, to when it's existence had assumed control of the very rules that defined the mortal plane, they knew their purpose.

Grant Mother a realm she could be proud of, with a people who would worship and praise her magnanimity for bringing peace and order to their lives.

Initially, when the Dragon Lord Placidusax and his Lightning God gained control over their power, they thought that goal had been achieved. Unfortunately, it had thought wrong, as Mother called forth a race known as the Numens to chase away their God, and take up the 'Elden Ring', one of it's many titles, by right of conquest.

And so, the Age of the Ancient Dragons was no more, with Placidusax sleeping eternally in the storm beyond time, the once glorious floating city of Farum Azula reduced to little more than an eternally crumbling resting grounds.

Which made little sense to the Elden Beast; for what reason did they need to fight? Is it's commandment over the fabric of reality really so tempting that they would need to... kill one another for command of it's power?

Mother did reassure them that it is simply the nature of mortals, and that the Ancient Dragons did not fit her vision of an ideal world, so it was willed to be that the Numens and their leader, Marika, were to be the next bearers of it, the Elden Ring.

Another Empyrean contender to the Elden Ring, the Gloam-Eyed Queen, was also slain via the power of Marika's Shadow, then allowing her to remove one of it's runes from it's body; the Rune of Death.

And whilst it was a slightly uncomfortable experience, being melded with by the Goddess like a clay doll, it was understandable for why it was done; without Destined Death plaguing over her body, she could ensure immortality to care over the realm for Mother. An Admirable dedication.

And thus, 'Queen Marika the Eternal' she was named.

That was when it seemed as though things would appear to go how Mother envisioned.

What with the founding of the Golden Order (both her favourite word, and colour!), the Grace of Gold that which was previously just gifted to Placidusax was now shared wide and far with all followers of Marika, and eventually the most splendiferous creation born from the Crucible it had ever seen, and one that would soon become it's home.

The Erdtree.

Oh, how its leaves glowed with all the magnificence of tiny suns, the bark an ever-ascending tower that soared towards the heavens and stars, with its glow encompassing all life below and showering them in blessed tears that would ensure a prosperous future for all to come.

Truly, it made a beautiful home to observe and ensure that Mother's ideal world would be kept in order.

However, it was unfortunate that the Crucible became defunct as a result of the great tree's birth; mortals being born with the ears of a cat or feathers of a bird were no longer seen as a symbol of divinity and being blessed by the very world itself, but rather seen as having a curse put upon their souls for showing these 'impurities'.

They thought it was a foolish ideology; is life itself not a blessing upon these mortals? What right did they have to take that grace away from another?

Once again, Mother had to soothe them that it was all for the sake of a perfect realm, that those born of the Crucible are merely an 'error that manages to escape the Erdtree's interference', and said they shouldn't worry about it.

So they listened, as Mother is always right.

They did not blink as the Misbegotten, true-born descendants of the Crucible, were enslaved for simply seeking out their origins.

They did not care when the Omens started appearing, and had their horns cut from birth, culling the vast majority and subjugate the rest to torment.

And they did not cry when the Omen Twins, the second-born pair of the Golden Lineage, were cast into the sewers at Mother's order.

(No matter how much they wished to.)

Instead, they focused on the good things.

Queen Marika the Eternal, whom Mother had elevated to a Goddess once she had laid claim over their form, alongside her chosen Consort and First Elden Lord of the new age, Lord Godfrey, had declared war upon the Fire Giants of the Frozen Mountaintops in the North-East. And for once, this was a decision the Elden Beast somewhat agreed with.

For whilst senseless slaughter made little sense to the godly entity, these Giants and their Fell God possessed the Flame of Ruin, an otherworldly fire that could scorch the Erdtree and rain ash upon Leyndell, the biggest city under Marika's rule. So yes, it did make sense to the Beast that the Flame should be put out, and if impossible, prevent use of it.

It did feel pity for the Last Fire Giant however; being cursed to guard the icon of it's now fled God over the corpses of it's brethren is a fate the otherworldly entity would wish on no-one.

There was some happy outcomes from war however!

Marika's other half, Radagon, had somehow managed to gain a spouse from losing in battle to the Liurnians twice, which in the end resulted in allying the region under the control of the Carian Nobles with the Kingdom of the Golden Order, a beautiful outcome!

Whilst Mother did say it would have been better that they succumbed to her order, it was still greater than her outright condemnation, so technically a victory!

And once Godfrey had defeated the Storm Lord of Limgrave, and the Caelid Wilds were tamed by the valiant knights of Redmane Castle, the entirety of the Lands-Between was finally at peace; a beautiful golden era where life could finally prosper without bloodshed.

There were even children! Demigod childr-!

Child, it meant.

(Don't think about the Omens...)

It was quite unfortunate that it could only commune with Marika, Godfrey and Radagon. It would have very much enjoyed entertaining the little godling if it had the chance.

It was required they confer with Mother - now deified as the Greater Will by the mortal populace - via their personal Two-Fingers, whilst it was saved to supervise the Goddess and her Elden Lord.

Whilst upsetting that it was forbidden from engaging with the people it would govern over, the Beast understood; their duty was to directly support the Queen and her Consort should they require conference on important matters, not ask Godwyn why he does not simply profess his courtship desires to the dragoness instead of dancing around the dilemma.

Even if they considered it an important question, Mother is always right.

And so the Elden Beast listened.

The Elden Beast obeyed.

However, all the guidance from Mother in the vast cosmos could not have prepared them for when Marika banished Godfrey, her first love, along with all his kin to beyond the fog of the Lands-Between, with naught but a promise to call them back once they had 'grown stronger'.

Why?

The Elden Beast could not fathom it.

Did Marika not love Godfrey anymore? It is true that he and his fellow 'Tarnished' - as they are referred to as - have lost the guidance of Grace, inferring they are no longer blessed by the Erdtree, but it was Marika who took this away from them!

Again, The Elden Beast could not understand the treatment the Goddess took towards her Consort.

The situation seemed to be getting worse as well, because not soon after, Marika recalled Radagon from his wife Renalla to become the Second Elden Lord; another gross error which bemused the Beast.

Why?

For what reason did the Queen have to tear a them apart simply to re-fill the position of Elden Lord? Renalla even had three children with her other-half, providing more Demigods for it to watch over. Yet, their family was now split in twain, with little Ranni and Rykard showing increased resentment towards the Golden Order as a result.

The Lunar Princess was ever so against her destiny as an Empyrean; they could not understand why Ranni would denounce her potential ascendance to Godhood.

At least Radahn was more understanding (even if the Beast itself was not, ironically), but alas, there was nothing it could do to undermine Marika's decision.

Unless Mother told it otherwise, they were to play the role of Advisor to the leaders of the Golden Order, nothing more and nothing less.

Even if such a position was becoming increasingly frustrating, it would obey it's Mother's will.

More Demigod children were not enough this time to quell the Beast's sadness, for whilst little Malenia and Miquella were indeed destined to become Gods as Mother deigned them to be Empyrean, there was an unfortunate outcome due to them being birthed from two beings which shared the same soul...

...They were cursed.

One to forever remain a child, and the other harbouring the revolting essence of the Outer God of Rot.

And eventually, the most terrible event happened, one which the Elden Beast can say may very well be the catalyst for the realm's downfall.

The Rune of Death, which had been kept hidden with Marika's Shadow, Maliketh, had pieces of it stolen and used to assassinate Godwyn's soul.

Worst of all, it was dear Ranni who orchestrated this 'Night of the Black Knives', then performed the process on herself to remove her soul from her slain Empyrean flesh.

Why?

For what purpose did it serve to deceive her family, deceive Godwyn in such an unforgiveable way, just so she could escape her fate? It served none, as far as the Beast was concerned.

(Why did she not consult them about her concerns? Was it such a lowly Advisor that Ranni felt as though she needed to undergo such subterfuge in order to find her freedom? It did not understand.)

And thus, a Demigod lay slain below the Erdtree, the body festering eternally and spreading death throughout its roots. Yet another concern it wanted to bring up to Marika, however, it felt that she must be in tremendous agony over the state of her Firstborn, so it gave her time to mourn.

A most terrible idea.

For it was when it had not expected, the Queen saw fit to SHATTER IT'S FORM AND SCATTER IT ACROSS THE REALM!

WHY?!

For what indescernible reason did the Queen their Mother saw fit to choose as the carrier of her Will choose to break it's True Form, which controlled the very rules of reality that govern the Lands-Between? Was she unhappy with it's direction? Was it too harsh when it came to certain requests? Marika was fairly amicable until ...Godwyn.

Ah, it saw.

Did she blame it for her son's death?

It was a finally understandable point of contention; all of it's power, able to observe one and all across the realm, and yet did not foresee such an assassination?

Truly, it was an unworthy vassal Beast.

Mother may have attempted to comfort them, saying that it was instead Marika's aim to undermine her Will and assert full control as the deciding ruler of this reality, but it was clear to the Beast.

They were simply a worthless Advisor.

Radagon's attempts to repair its metaphysical form, however widely appreciated (yet undeserving), were unsuccessful as well, forcing it to lose many aspects of its power in the form of Great Runes, which the now squabbling Demigods would begin to fight over.

As a result of this, Mother had ordered them to combine the two soul-halves into a single body, punishing them with eternal Crucifixion within the base of the Erdtree.

(I'm sorry, you two.)

And then it was forced to observe, unable to intervene whether physically or through communion, as the remaining Demigod offspring engaged in mass wars to assume control of the remaining habitable areas of the Lands-Between.

It specifies habitable, because after what happened in Caelid...

(Why Malenia... Radahn...?)

...It did not understand.

And now, they are all locked in an intense stalemate, unable to overcome the other, and so the Great Runes remain scattered with no discernable winner.

One brightside found to the Beast (Not Mother however), was that Morgott had ascended from the sewers to grant Leyndell a trueborn leader in events of The Shattering, granting considerable worship to the Golden Order regardless of his gross mistreatment.

Once more, why?

Does he not despise them for forcing he and his twin brother (who as of yet is unable to be found) to abdicate their deserved lineage, simply for being born disfigured by the standards of Mother's order?

They are truly a despicable sort, to require the assistance of one once abandoned by their very decisions to maintain order.

(They made sure the newfound Omen King felt their regret, their wish for reconciliation. Even if he did not recognise it.)

However, it would not be enough. The Beast was desperate now, as despair continued to flood the very air of their Mother's once divine aspiration. Nowhere was without suffering, Miquella had vanished at some point, and the remaining Demigod children unfit and unwilling to make peace.

Mother was immensely displeased, vanishing for some time and leaving itself to overview the world.

The Elden Beast needed to find someway to make it up to Mother for their incredibly poor execution at their role, and so when Marika in her limited power recalled the Tarnished back by regranting them Grace through the power of the Erdtree, they did not interfere.

For they realised only a true Elden Lord, one who is able to put to rest the fighting of the Demigods, would be capable of uniting the realm as it once was under a perfect Golden Order.

Even when the once Eternal Queen birthed a piece of herself from the bark of the tree, the Elden Beast did not mind. Anything was permitted at this point to guide any worthy Tarnished to bring order back to the world.

Quite strange honestly that she should feel surprised at its approval. Did Marika honestly believe they would not put the peace of the realm above all?

(Was it seen as so untrustworthy?)

This piece, Melina as it had taken to refer to itself as, had the duty of escorting a worthy Tarnished to the golden fog that granted access to the Erdtree, enabling a new Elden Lord to be chosen.

Unfortunately, her body was burnt to ash in the process, likely a result of once again being born from a single soul.

This left her to wander for a Tarnished as a spirit, bodyless, with only vague recollections of her purpose.

Whilst it did not seem that much would come of it, the faux-Finger Maiden managed to locate who she ascertained to be a worthy Tarnished. Or rather, her Spectral Steed did first, upon which she gave him guidance as to his necessary objectives towards becoming Elden Lord.

And whilst initially the Beast held doubts, the Tarnished warrior proved himself to be more than able, felling great champions and foul beasts at an impressive rate.

Truly, the Maiden had picked a great Third Elden Lord.

It was when he began slaying Demigods, the first being poor Godrick that he began to grow downcast at the future the next age would bring.

As while yes, it is true that the descendants of the Goddess are beyond salvation, to see those they had watched over for so long, being slain like rabid dogs...

It shouldn't hurt as much as it does.

Especially when Morgott was next to be put to the sword, so zealous in his defence of the Erdtree that he would not allow any Tarnished to become Elden Lord.

He loved the Golden Order too much, too much for his own good.

(Why Morgott? Why would you sacrifice yourself for an order that cared not for your kind...)

It did not understand.

It thought that this would be the end, the new age could proceed with the new Elden Lord acting as Queen Marika's Third Consort. All they would need to do is expunge Radagon from Marika's body (creating him a new vessel in return), then peace could be restored to the Lands-Between.

It was not foreseen that Radagon, being as much if not more of a zealot of the Golden Order than Morgott was, would prevent access to the Erdtree by exerting his will to form impassable vines, declaring through their connection that he could not, and would not allow a Tarnished to ascend to the rank of Elden Lord.

A pity, for whilst the Beast could in turn lower the vines and remove Radagon's Seal on them, it would rather not earn his ire. They did not want to cause any further conflict than they already had.

Marika held no such sensibilities, and they began skirmishing within their shared soul. Truly saddening that such siblings of the soul would come to this point, but there was nothing it could do to solve this predicament.

Other than wait, which it has always done.

(And look where that got them.)

At some point however, as the Tarnished was informed by Melina that they must venture to the Mountaintop of the Giants so as to use their Flame of Ruin to light the Erdtree ablaze, and thereby destroy the vines blocking access to where they reside in the Erdtree, the warrior had vanished.

Curious, yet also alarming. There are few places where the Erdtree's light does not reach where they can't see; one example would be the Miquella's Haligtree, being located somewhere beyond the frozen Northern planes, and the sewers, where all the omen and presumably, Mohg resides.

Mother did say there was something else, the 'Cities of the Betrayers' as she referred to them as, so judging from the name it was something they needn't concern themself with.

But eventually, the Tarnished did reappear in their Erdtree Knight armour (quite a resplendent choice honestly), however the ever following presence of the Kindling Maiden (Whos goal it was able to decipher, the Flame of Ruin requires it after all) was no where to be detected.

Did she go on further ahead to scout out the treacherous for the Tarnished? But they did not feel their presence at any point enter the Grand Lift of Rold...

Either way, the journey was continued, and as the warrior had slain the Last Fire Giant guarding the Fell Flame (May the Erdtree accept his soul), the Tarnished did not await the presence of the Maiden to start the flame, and set it upon the Erdtree.

To the Elden Beast's great horror, it realised that it was fooled from the very beginning.

The Tarnished took off it's helm, and a terrible, yellow flame with a black iris lay at the center of each eye.

He had taken on the Frenzied Flame, and become it's Evil Avatar.

Before it could comprehend the ramifications, the Flame of Ruin began rising towards the Tarnished, beckoned by the presence of an Outer God being harboured within his body.

That is when the Erdtree was set alight, although it didn't succeed due to the Rune of Death not being active in the rules that define the world, so it would not burn until that was done so.

However, once the pillar of fire had been reduced back to the residual embers once before, the Tarni- no...

The Lord of Frenzied Flame was missing.

If they were wise enough to make it this far, they must be in the ruins of Farum Azula, where Maliketh hides the Rune of Death away from further mortal tampering.

However, that was no longer the issue to focus on.

There would be no Elden Lord of this realm, not whilst the Frenzied Flame drew closer than ever to obtaining its goal; the reduction of all life down to a primal, chaotic 'one' state. A world with no births or souls.

A horrifying reality to imagine.

When this knowledge was imparted to Marika, she grew despondent, however she already knew; apparently she had witnessed the Frenzied Lord exit the audience chamber of the Three Fingers via Melina's sight. Perhaps she tried to believe that it was a false event, a hallucination?

Radagon grew furious, blaming his other half with tremendous venom, stating that calling back the Tarnished allowed for the Frenzied Flame to gather more followers and eventually find a Lord who would be strong enough to destroy the Erdtree.

He almost took over her half of the soul, if it wasn't for the Beast's intervention. They needed to act as a proper defence in the case where the Lord of Frenzied Flame gains access to their chamber.

Mother was still remaining silent.

And so they continued to feel incredible trepidation; should the Frenzied Flame erupt using the power of the Erdtree, all of the Lands-Between would be lost. There would no longer be a realm to save.

And once the Rune of Death was in the Frenzied Flame's grasp, then there would be little that could be done to stop it.

And so, once it began to feel the power of Destined Death reinstated upon the realm, the Elden Beast truly felt like a living failure.

The fires consuming the Erdtree began to chip away at the once golden bark, leaves turning to ash, all while it rained down ferociously on Leyndell, leaving most of the city inaccessible and those unable to evacuate in time to suffer excruciating asphyxiation before their True Death occurred.

And as the Lord of Frenzied Flame entered the golden fog, and appeared before the Crucifixion of Marika and Radagon's combined body, it could do nothing but mourn all its wasted years playing advisor, when it could have done so much more with it's nigh-infinite power.

Failure.

Rotten.

Worthless.

All these thoughts and more railed against their cosmic mind, unable to find a single way to put an end to this foul dream and return back to the beauty and wonder that this mortal plane offered.

But alas, it could not awake. As this was reality.

And as Radagon, whom had taken full control of his combined vessel (they could feel Marika's endless sorrow; she would be unable to fight), fell to the Frenzied Flame Lord, it realised something.

The Second Elden Lord knew it had little chance of defeating this enemy, but still fought anyway. As has always been apparent when serving under the Golden Order, he would back down from no enemy, no matter how large.

It was with that that the Elden Beast decided they would bring the full wrath of its strength down upon this wretched worm, even if it costed its life.

(That is the only way it could atone for the countless travesties it had inflicted.

Upon the Children of the Crucible,

The Omen Twins,

The Full Moon Queen and her family,

Godwyn,

and Mother,

for all of it, it must atone.)

But like with all things in its pitiful life, it had failed.

For it knew that even in its Godly Form, it was facing the vassal of an Outer God, whilst also missing a large amount of its body, the Great Runes which were spread amongst the Lands-Between.

The very Great Runes the Lord of Frenzied Flame had claimed for its own power.

And so it was consumed in hellfire, and just as the last of its divine essence had petered out, it observed as the Lord ascended using the last of the Erdtree's strength to ascend.

The Outer God had attained total control over its host.

A single black iris, surrounded in yellow and red flame, stared at it from beyond the veil.

And thus the Erdtree, from the tallest branch to the furthest down Great Root, was no more.

All was consumed by a vortex of hellfire, rising towards the heavens and spreading its evil and eldritch essence throughout the kingdom.

Nothing was spared from the Madness.

And so, the Elden Beast, forced to witness the last moments of the very world it swore to protect and uphold order for, had died.

...

...

...At least, it should have died.

Currently, it was floating in an endless abyss of celestial bodies and galaxies, reminiscent of its birthing chamber before being sent down to the mortal realm.

However, its Godly Form has been reduced from the once illustrious dragon-like form, into a mere blob of cosmic ooze, the few miniature stars remaining being noticeably dull and lifeless.

And its single eye, reduced from a proud cluster of cosmic lights to a subdued sphere, staring blankly into the void surrounding it.

...Why?

As stated many times, the Elden Beast finds it hard to understand a lot of things.

But this is a question it most certainly wants the answer to: Why is it still alive?

For what purpose... does the continuation of its existence serve? It has already been proven to be an irredeemable failure.

For the realm, as last seen, faced a mass extinction by the wrath of the Frenzied Flame, leaving little to no survivors to live off of an ashen, Madness-filled world.

May Mother strike them down now... all it desires is an end to its suffering, not wanting to live with the knowledge that the sole reason for its existence was worthless in end.

"Mother... please..."

The broken and childlike voice echoed across the endless expanse, what appeared to be tears of stardust beginning to leak from its various starlights.

"Please... I beg of thee... strike down this lowly one..." The first dew of cosmic material fell from star on its side, "It is all I can do... to recompense mine tremendous blunder..."

"I think not, oh Child of mine."

!

Rotating its eye to focus on the direction the ethereal, silken womanly voice came from, the Elden Beast witnessed an aggregate of stars change shape to represent the rough constellation of a woman, an aura of golden rays shining from it. They blanketed the cosmic creature in a feeling of warmth it has only felt from one particular entity.

"M-Mother!"

"Indeed, tis I, dear child. My first and finest creation," The voice intoned, her radiant form drawing closer to the Beast as though wrapping it in a hug, "What ails thee, my child?"

"Mother..." It was obvious to the Beast, "Thine eyes see all over the mortal realm... you must see that I have... failed, at the task given to me; the Frenzied Flame has reduced all life to One, and I was unable to prevent this disaster. Please," It lowered its eye slightly, "Slay this disgusting creature before you... mine mistake be unforgivable... please..."

It was silent for a few seconds, the star born creature waiting on baited breath for its existence be reduced back to cosmic dust, but after a while, the golden rays of its Mother's figure grew dim in time with her sighing.

"Mine child, you misunderstand gravely..." She the proceeded to... bonk it on the head with a golden hammer?

"Ow..."

"Since when was it ever made apparent that it was thinefolly that the mortals grew too out of order for their own good?!"

It was confused. Mother rarely acts this... petulant?

"W-what dost thou mean Mother? I was to advise all bearers of mine power, correct? And now, because of mine poor work, the Lands-Between is in irreparable shambles!"

"Uggghhh..." The divine countenance of its Mother trembles slightly, "It seems I have made an... error in explaining your role, dear child... I must admit something to you."

Mother making a mistake? Surely she jests!

"W-what, Mother?"

"Thee was never really supposed to have any role, my child. Truly? I merely wanted to... ummm, that is..."

"...?" The blob tilted itself slightly in a confused gesture.

"I... merely... wished to..." An audible gulp was translated via another slight tremble of constellations, "To have... a child to dote on..."

!

Now the Beast was even more confused. Was Mother saying that she had created it simply because of... loneliness?

It seemed the brief period of stunned silence gave the Greater Will the confidence to carry forward, the golden rays growing brighter as she continued to speak.

"Yes! That was it! Of course, thine Mother would not settle for low born mortals as children! Nay, not like those whelpish Tenkai Outer Gods, whom seem to think that playing mortal is somehow an enjoyable, fun-filled adventure! Hmph, absolutely deplorable, them Gods..."

"Umm..."

"Of course, for it is the place of mortals to live as mortals, and the Gods to rule over and guide them; no in-between! Thine Mother would not dare to let you commune with any mortal other than mine chosen Vassals; it would not do for thee to get assaulted with all their petty wants and desires, nay, the prayers should be left to thine Mother, it would not do for thee to grow upset over the constant begging and requests from the low borns."

"M-mother..."

"But also! I did not want to give thee too much that it would overwhelm thine young mind... the advisory role, as I put it, was merely a way to... well... make you feel like you had a position of importan - AAAAHHHH APOLOGIES APOLOGIES! Thine Mother did not mean it like that, mine child! Not at all! I merely did not want to assign so much responsibility on one so young! Thine presence as the Elden Ring, which brought order upon the rules of reality, was more than acceptable of what was needed from you! A thousand promises it is so!"

"Mother, p-please..."

"Oooohhh, and the nerve of that swine, The Frenzied Flame, to not only destroy mine kingdom, but also near take the life of my precious child?! His divine essence shall be fed to the Amygdala, lost within an ETERNAL NIGHTMARE! See how he likes his precious Chaos then!"

"Mother!"

The blinding beams of light brought on by the Greater Will's anger faded down to a more bearable hue, giving off a feeling of embarrassment.

"Haha... sorry child, I appear to have lost control of mine emotions for a moment. What was it thou wished to ask?"

"Well, earlier you said that... I didn't have a role in the first place when thou sent me to the mortal realm. What does thou mean by this?"

"Ah, well," The Outer God gained a slight sheepish tone, "Truly, when I forged thee amongst the stars, and sent thou on down through an Elden Star, thine only responsibility was to merely 'exist'. As the Elden Ring, being on the mortal plane exerts the will of each characteristic Rune that makes up thine form onto the fabric of reality. As long as thou continued to exist, thine part to play in maintaining Order was performed splendidly," She finished in a proud voice.

But the Elden Beast, having seen all it had the lead up to the end of the world, was doubtful that it was that simple.

"Are thou sure Mother? I'm... my power was great, and should I have been allowed access to the physical world beyond the confines of the Erdtree, I'm sure I could-!"

"Nay, oh Child of mine," The Greater Will chides, "Does thou not understand? Your very being contains great power, and whomever had thy in their grasp was able to ascend to become a God. Shouldst thou have moved about the Lands-Between at thy own discretion, it is very liable that thou would be taken advantage of by one of the less than honourable mortals!"

The Beast was once again befuddled, before understanding dawned on its otherworldly mind. Wars were waged over the control over its reality-bending abilities, the prime example being the usurpation of the Ancient Dragons.

It was quite a depressing thought honestly, to realise that your existence only brought about hatred and conflict.

(Perhaps everything would be better off if it, the Elden Ring, didn't exist in the first place?)

Before it could contemplate further, its Mother continued.

"Therefore, I deduced that a magnificent structure, worthy of being called the home of a Godling, shouldst be produced to protect thy form from further meddling. The Erdtree was a magnificent tribute to mine Order as well, so two birds with one stone, as the lesser-beings say!" She finished in a smug tone, before the radiance of the constellations grew brighter in anger again, "However, it was not foreseen to me that the lowly Whor - Bi - Umm, uhh WRETCH QUEEN wouldst go so far as to break your body apart to go against mine will! Filthy traitorous scoundrel..."

Whilst nonplussed at the murmured curses of its Mother towards the once alive Queen, the Beast once again grew despondent at the sad state of affairs.

"Mother, why did Marika split me into pieces? D-did I do something to upset her? It has been plaguing me for some time..."

"Oh dear child," The Greater Will fed further warmth through her radiance, in a show of comfort, "If I knew what that swine had been up to, trust thine Mother when she says the cow would have lost her divinity before it had occurred. Unfortunately..." She paused briefly, as though hesitant to say something, "I... have made an e-error."

The Beast was shocked. Mother? Error? such words do not belong even on the same plane together!

But if Mother said it, it must be true... the cosmic entity's head hurt at the contradiction.

But at least it confirmed one thing.

"S-so... it was not by thine intended will for me to break apart?"

"OF COURSE NOT, FOOLISH CHILD!" The Greater Will boomed, sending reverberations across the Beast's membranous skin, "Didst thou truly think I would ever require thine suffering for the support of maintaining mine will?!"

"W-well-"

"NAY! Forget I asked!" The Outer God sighed in exasperation at her child's self-loathing, pausing briefly before continuing, "But you must see, dear Child, that such an event is proof that bantering amongst the mortals is a terrible idea. If one whom I once declared would be the leader of mine Golden Order would do this? All for the sake of total control? There's no telling how the lesser mortals would react to thine coveted power being in front of them."

Something that Mother said that finally made sense, and also unfortunately, it did not like the answer.

"Understandable, Mother..."

"That being said..." The Greater Will returned back to concern, "My glorious self was only able to extract thy soul and a single Anchor Rune before thine... untimely demise..." She brightened up slightly, "But worry not! Just as I crafted thine form initially, repairing it even with little material to work with is no trouble for a divinity such as mine!"

The Elden Beast loved their Mother, truly, to go so far for an inferior creature such as them. Although, whilst such thoughts may be considered blasphemous, it did think its Mother could be quite... arrogant? No, a better term would be overly confident. Yes, that was it.

"I appreciate thine tremendous help, Mother! Thee are truly a shining star amongst the vast cosmos."

If the Greater Will could blush, it most certainly would. Genuine compliments were amongst its favourite kind of praise from the mortals, so to hear it from her own innocent, pure child...

Radiant light occupied the Beast's vision from all sides, in what could be described as the Outer God version of a hug.

"Awww... I must truly be tremendous to create such a beautiful child!" A couple seconds later the 'hugging-lights' receded, the Greater Will returning to her previous constellations, "Ahem... however, there is still an issue present."

Ah of course, the Beast understood.

The realm upon which its Mother had laid claim was no longer hospitable, for Frenzy had taken control and raged unstoppable all along the Lands-Between. Surely there was something it could do to make up for it?

Even if Mother reassured them that it wasn't its responsibility to protect the land in the first place, such an answer did not appease the creature.

"Mother, I-"

"I know what thou means to say, Child o mine, and I will say this: do not worry about it."

"Bu-"

"What's truly important however," The constellations twinkling in thought, "Is what I'm going to do with thee..."

Oh. Did Mother intend to rip it apart and start over? It would not object, as that should be amongst the expected punishments.

However, the Outer God said something that truly threw the Elden Beast off of how it perceived Mother to be.

"I realise I have not been the best... parent, to thee... granted, thine Mother did not have much in the way of examples of how to go about it, but clearly, based on thine terrible regard thee has for thyself, it is only I whom is to blame," She finished with a morose sigh.

First Mother declares she made an error, therefore is not perfect, and now she states she is a bad parent?!

"Nay Mother, nay! you are the best amongst the best! There can be no contender! None!" The Beast protests vigorously, unable to believe in a world where its creator is not number one.

A sad giggle is given in response.

"I am glad thy feel this way, my child, but alas, it is the truth. It is clear to me now... thine has grown too dependent upon my judgement!"

"Huh?"

"What I say is thusly; As much as it pains thine Mother to say this..." A small sniffle is barely heard through the heavenly voice, "...Thou needs to... to... thou needs to spread thy wings and fly!"

Wait. Is she saying...?

"M-Mother? Art thou... abandoning m-me?" The the dews of stardust reappear in larger mass than previously, some beginning to float off into the void, "Am I really... really so wort-"

"Nay nay nay! Child o mine, I would never conjure up such atrocious thoughts!" As she says this, the 'hug-rays' return to their full resplendence, "What I mean is, thou needst to do as I have done; find thine own people! Or as the mortals say, 'gain independence from thy parents'!"

"In-independence?"

"Indeed, child. For the idea is this: thou willst gain experience through tending to thine own mortals, use what thee has learnt from thy Mother's... err, slight errors, to bring Order to the lesser-beings, then once thy task is done, return to me and we can combine our strengths to create a Perfect Order! 'Work Experience', I believe mortals call it."

"...Ah. I see, thou ist most wise, indeed Mother!" The Elden Beast felt more comfortable than ever, now understanding its newfound purpose; to spread the message of the Greater Will on Mother's behalf, using all the knowledge it had accumulated from how its Mother had done it!

Of course, without all the 'Shattering' and 'Rune of Death' and the Frenzied Flame scorching it all to the ground, but that must be what the its Mother referred to as 'errors'. Even if two of them were a direct result of the Elden Ring's existence, AKA itself's existence, but as long as no one tampers with its body, such things will no longer pass.

The last one, however...

"But Mother... what realm would I have to guide? All is lost to the Flame!"

"Hmhmhmhm... silly child," By now the rays had receded, and what felt like a 'booping' sensation resonated across its membrane, "Didst thou think there existed only one mortal realm? Indeed, there are countless available for you to begin your bloom to join me in guidance of the lesser-beings, all with different sets of logic and rules! The only problem is which to pick..."

Another revelation for the cosmic entity. Was this true? countless potential realms filled to the brim with mortal life? Oh, how exciting this appeared to the Beast! It's imagination went wild at the thought.

Would there be a world full of Erdtrees? some with - a thought most heretical - different colours other than gold?

What if there should be a realm where the Children of the Crucible could live judgement free? And therefore it would get to see mortals with feathery wings again!

Oh, what about mortals with cat ears? Such creatures are incredibly cute.

...Cats with mortal ears? It shuddered. Hopefully its Mother would not entertain such a distasteful realm.

Before it could enquire further on what the Outer God meant, the Elden Beast noticed the particular shine its Mother's form gave off; she was deep in thought, or perhaps searching throughout the infinite void for a world of her particular tastes? Either way, it did not want to interrupt her divine thought process, so the Beast kept silent.

"...That one? Hmmmm, whilst it has been Godless for some time... Nay, the mortals are too divided, Order would be impossible. What about... ugghh, NAY! Shan't have mine Child go anywhere near that vulgar Water Goddess and her vile cult..."

With each passing look at a different realm, it seemed that the Greater Will grew more antsy, worrying the small Beast. Until finally...

"GAH! I didst not think I would ever have to go near that repugnant place again, but it seems this is... 'Karma', correct?"

"M-Mother?"

Upon noticing the incredulous gaze of her child's singular eye staring into her form, the Greater Will became abashed at her show of 'unprofessionalism'.

"A-ahem!" Regaining her confidence, the Outer God continued, "It appears that the best realm I could find also happens to be the worst..."

"W-what does thou mean Mother?"

"Well Child, this realm, known formally as 'Genkai', is something I am unfortunately familiar with. It is also the playground for many miserable Outer Gods whom reside in a directly connected realm known as 'Tenkai', their personal Outer World."

This sounded quite interesting to the Elden Beast, although also being terrifying. Did its Mother intend for it to mingle with other Outer Beings? A realm under the rule of many others potentially like the Frenzied Flame?

It did not want to be stuck in such a living nightmare.

"Umm... does thou intend for me to roam under the eyes of these deities Mother?"

The Greater Will huffed in amusement.

"Fret not, dear Child. For these Gods are quite pathetic in both mind and body; for some reason, they saw fit to design themselves mortal vessels and live amongst the mortals! With all their godly powers sealed away! Hahahaha!" Her formation of stars oscillated in laughter, "Imagine that! so bored that they would give up their divine duty to tend to the lesser-beings as a divine should! Oh how utterly ludicrous! Haaahahaha!"

"Ah, I see..." The star born creature relaxed in gooey posture, realising the stakes were not as dire as it had thought. If all the Outer Gods of this realm were as weak as regular mortals, it would have nothing to fear, "But then why am I to go to this world, Mother?"

Once the Outer God calmed down after making fun of her fellow deities, she softly continued, "Because it has given me an idea! another one of those, uhh, 'two birds with one stone' situations. Oh I'm getting good at this!" She excitedly exclaimed, "Ahem. For as I have already stated, thine form has suffered severe damage, and repairing it will take some time... so! An easier solution would be to create thee a mortal form, have thee use one of these God's Divine Blessing to assist thou in recuperation. It will also be an ample opportunity, Child o mine, for thee to explore a world as thou have wished without being discovered for thou true form."

"Hmm... Mother truly is the smartest of all the divine..." The Beast Hummed in contemplation, its Mother preening at the praise once more, "However, thou says these Gods can still issue blessings? Even without their divinity?"

"It is not entirely suppressed; they appear to use these blessings as a method of gaining followers - incredibly inefficient I'd say - along with exuding an aura indicating their existence as a divine entity," She soon grew morose, with the constellation briefly losing form, "Honestly, even after escaping that boorish place, of course I'd have to return in some way..."

"Umm Mother, what didst thou-"

"Nevermind, mine Child," The Greater Will regained her earlier splendour, "Just reminiscing. Regardless, some things I have to say before I send thee on thou... journey of discovery."

Ah. Right. It could not stay within Mother's warmth forever.

It would soak up these next few words of wisdom with all the attention it could muster.

"Yes Mother!" It attempted a salute, as much as it could with its blobby body.

"Right. First of all..." She looked rather intensely upon her child, "Whilst it is necessary for thee to find one of these Gods to regain thine former strength back, remember: thou art MY Child, first and foremost! Do not let any of those filthy wenches take you away from me! Does thou concur?"

Huh? Why would Mother ever think someone would replace her? It was impossible, it declares!

"SECONDLY..." The gaze grew firmer and perhaps, more possessive, "Thou art not allowed to... to date any of these lesser-beings or even the Gods! Ever! No one until they have thine Mother's golden approval! Not that they'll ever get it..."

What is a date?

"And perhaps most importantly..." The concern returned through the golden rays, "Do not let anyone know of thy true origins. For if any being, divine or mortal, were to know of thine reality-bending abilities... well, thine Mother will simply say she won't be able to watch over thee for some time, so please be careful? Remember; do try to not garner attention until thy power is secure!"

Ah, finally a declaration that makes sense! Obviously, it would have to make sure to keep as low a profile as possible, whilst also garnering a following for their new Order... actually, this may be more difficult than it seems.

Nonetheless, this mission from Mother would not be met with failure.

Not again!

"I understand Mother! Thy will not find thyself left wanting when I achieve thine Order!"

The Greater Will giggled, "Of that, I have no doubt, mine Child. I look forward to thine splendorous endeavours. Now," A convalescence of golden light began to surround the Elden Beast, a faint whirring noise building up, "Thou must be familiar with this, from the first time I sent thee to descend to the Lands-Between? Now get ready... AHE-"

"But wait, Mother!" The Beast interrupted, tone filled with worry, "What shallst thou do whilst I am carrying out my mission?"

"Whatever does thy mean, mine Child? The Lands-Between be mine. Mine!" Her voice becoming petulant, "I found it first! Why shouldst I let this mere ember stake claim on what is not theirs?! I mean, first that blood-obsessed witch dares to gather a cult upon mine golden grounds, then this Rot wench decides to scrape her dirty claws upon mine soil, and now this foul Flame thinks it can stand against me?! Nay!" The gathered light around the Beast began to encapsulate its form, "I shall rid mine meddling sisters and brothers from ever being able to touch mine realm, and once thee hast gained proper 'Work Experience', we can begin anew with a different tribe of mortals. I will ensure these next possessors of mine Golden Order be the best I shall find!"

"Additionally," As the Elden Beast was fully swallowed by the Elden Star, she continued in a smooth tone, "I must attend to the repairs of thine glorious Ring, so expect presents from thine wonderous Mother every so often~!"

Unable to communicate further, as the humming of the light was now loud enough to drown out the voice of its Mother, the Beast merely thought to itself words of thanks.

'Thank thee very much, Mother o mine. I will not fail thee anymore. That, I promise!'

"NOW GO FORWARD, MY CHILD! BRING UNTO ME A WORLD OF ORDER, BATHED IN GOLD! MAY THEE FIND TRUE PURPOSE AMONGST THE WITLESS MORTALS, AND AMBITIONLESS GODS! I AWAIT THINE BRILLIANT MATURATION!"

And with those parting words, the Elden Star shot off into the vast void of space, to deliver the Elden Ring to a second world.


Within the realm of mortals, known as Genkai, the night sky lit up,

A golden star fell, bathing the surroundings in otherworldly light,

Meanwhile every God and Goddess who had felt its descent to the mortal plane, thought one thing...

'WHICH ONE OF US USED THEIR ARCANUM?!'

And like that, a new era was destined to begin.


A/N:

Alright, here's an idea that's been living rent free in my head ever since I finished Elden Ring. Saw cool final boss, thought it'd be funny if it was the child to the Greater Will's 'Helicopter Parent', and so this was made!

Now I hope it didn't come off as boring for the first half; felt like I was obligated to give a detailed explanation of the lore from the Elden Beast/Ring's perspective, as it sets up their character for the rest of the story. Basically, a child who's never had the chance to grow up.

You may consider this to be AU, as its gonna have a few more AU moments like this, don't worry! just slight things though, nothing that would break the whole Danmachi plotline. Atleast, not the characters themselves.

Also, as shown, this is from the Lord of Frenzied Flame Ending, as I thought that it would make sense for the Greater Will to yoink their child somewhere else whilst they repair the damages of the Lands-Between. A contest between Order and Chaos, makes sense.

If you've got any suggestions, feedback or think this seems like a cool concept, I'd love to hear from ya! Genuinely just love making stories that centre around characters that don't really get a character in the media they're from, makes it more interesting to develop and write about them. Personal interpretation and all that!

Thanks for reading!