I got into Helltaker in the last few weeks, thought about this crossover a few days ago and said "why the fuck not?"
It's an odd crossover, to say the very least, but I genuinely have some interesting ideas for this. The main focus of this story will be a developing love relationship between Alinoth, my Bearer of the Curse, and Justice. Together, I'll also work on a master/apprentice relation between Alinoth and Azazel, with the Bearer of the Curse teaching the angel on a similar fashion to how Aldia taught him, all while trying to prevent Azazel from becoming the Loremaster by any means necessary.
In addition to Helltaker and some original content regarding the Soulsborne games, I will also be following some events and characters from the fan game Helltaker: Second Circle (which I highly recommend for you to play).
Also, check on this story on either AO3 or Wattpad if you want, given that there I'll use images to give examples and tell the story on a more dynamic form.
The memories, they came and went to him.
It usually happened in dreams, where Alinoth's ailing mind would show him moments from his past, from his life before the curse. He remembered being born in Forossa and being a Northwarder, being the High-Oracle of Faraam... but one thing in particular remained the same in all of Alinoth's memories.
Running down a large corridor, where the moonlight streamed freely through the countless windows, the man with white hair and beard panted heavily with each step, his legs feeling like they would collapse at any moment, and it didn't help that he hadn't even removed his armor. He had barely left a battle when he received the news, deciding to return as quickly as possible to the capital of Forossa, something his soldiers completely understood, given the situation.
Arriving at his destination, Alinoth stops for a moment to catch his breath, leaning on the door in front of him. It wasn't just tiredness that tormented Alinoth, but also nervousness. Would he be good enough? Would he have the necessary time, given his responsibilities? He doesn't know yet, but what he did know was that just standing at the door wouldn't solve his problems.
Taking one last deep breath, the Northwarder gently pushes the door open and enters the room.
The first thing he notices is the mess the room is in. Misplaced furniture and discarded clothes on the floor now decorated the once cozy space. Alinoth supposes that it was necessary to improvise certain steps, according to the report of the midwives' haste. In any event, Alinoth then looks at the large double bed in the center of the room. Lying there, covered in shadows, lay the figure of a woman fast asleep with her back against the wall.
And in her lap, a small form cradled in pristine silk sheets.
Hardly believing the sight of peace and happiness in front of him after returning from the carnage of war, Alinoth sighs softly as he approaches the sleeping figure of his wife, immediately shifting his gaze to the newborn baby that rests on her lap. Stretching out his arms, Alinoth takes the baby, his child, gently into his own, holding them with all the care in the world.
He couldn't believe he was a father. A child... His child... Overwhelming happiness and excitement filled the man, and he didn't even see his child's beautiful little face yet, which was lightly covered by the thin silk sheet. With a big smile and an almost trance-like state, Alinoth reaches out to remove the obstruction, to finally see his child...
But what he sees only makes him widen his eyes in horror.
Melted candle wax. That was all Alinoth could think of to describe his child's face, or as close to a face as he could identify. And it continued to melt, more and more of the features of his child's already unrecognizable face continued to deform, which made Alinoth enter an even greater state of panic.
Soon, the man felt the touch of a hand on his arm.
"Love, what happened?"
Lifting his head, Alinoth finds himself face to face with his beloved wife, and soon what he had not seen because of the shadows is revealed: her face, too, is melted away, far beyond recognition.
Now that he stops to think about it, what did his wife really look like? What did his brother really look like? Any of the soldiers he commanded? He can't remember. All he remembers are faces deformed beyond recognition.
Soon, a strong pain consumes Alinoth's head, and not just it. His back, in the upper left part close to the shoulder, that area is also consumed by an overwhelming pain that makes the man scream in despair. It was a burning pain, as if Alinoth was being burned alive in more than a thousand fires at the same time, feeling the pain of each of them all at once.
"ALINOTH!" The wife with her face melted screams in despair, getting up from the bed quickly and taking the baby from the arms of her husband in pain, who was now staggering around the room, blinded by the agony he felt.
Why?! Why was he burning, even though he wasn't?! WHY DOESN'T THIS PAIN STOP?! JUST STOP PLEASE! PLEASE!
Soon, the culmination of all that suffering makes Alinoth fall to his knees and let out a shrill scream of pain so loud that it could very well have been heard throughout all of Forossa:
"PLEASE! JUST END THIS PAIN!"
Opening his eyes suddenly as he screams, Alinoth moves to pick up his trusty Moonlight Greatsword that was lying next to the bed, gripping the weapon firmly and looking frantically in all directions of the room where he slept peacefully a few minutes ago. Breathing heavily, it takes a good few seconds for Alinoth to realize that everything was fine and that he had just had a nightmare. Another one between many others.
Breathing more smoothly, Alinoth slowly lowers the arm holding the sword, still a little disoriented by what happened. A little calmer, the Bearer of the Curse takes a deep breath as he lies back down on the soft bed beneath him, remaining there staring at the ceiling for the next few minutes.
It was always like this. The memories of his life before the Undead Curse had mostly returned, but only in his dreams and always with that damn thing of faces melted like wax. He now remembered entire moments of his past life; of locations, battles, smells and tastes... but he didn't remember anyone's faces.
Taking another deep breath, Alinoth finally decides to get up and get ready for the day. After all, today was the last day he would spend in this specific world, having already accomplished everything he wanted here.
Wearing his signature Faraam armor minus the helmet, Alinoth then takes his ever-trusty Moonlight Greatsword and places it on his back. He also takes out his other ever-trusty weapon, the Blue Flame longsword, and places it in its place on his left hip. However, two extremely important items were still missing.
On a small table next to the bed lay two items: the Crown of the Ivory King and a metal mask representing the countenance of an elderly man with a large mustache. Alinoth stares at both items for a few seconds, countless thoughts running through the man's mind. Reaching out, Alinoth takes the crown and places it on his belt. However, he hesitates for a moment with the mask, instead holding it with both hands and resting his forehead against the cold metal, closing his eyes as he sighs heavily.
"Good morning, Lucatiel. Don't worry, you and your name are things I will never forget."
A mantra, and one that the Bearer of the Curse said to himself literally every day. A tear falls from Alinoth's eyes as he remembers his beloved companion. A companion who helped him on his journey, remained him company... and who eventually won the Cursed One's heart.
Finally ready, the True Monarch emerges from the luxurious bedroom he was, walking at a steady pace through the empty corridors of the abandoned royal palace he called home for the last years.
55.734 years. That was the time that this world lasted from the Age of Ancients until its end. Now it was nothing more than a ashen wasteland, another world that came to an end. Lurking from the shadows, the Bearer of the Curse watched the many ages of fire and dark unfold, studying the changes and effects upon the world over the millennia, better understanding the cycles and the very nature of the First Flame, souls, and the Dark.
But if he was honest, that was all tiresome by now. It looked like that it didn't matter what Alinoth did, nothing changed overall. Whatever he did, it never mattered at the end. The world would still fall back to cycles of Light and Dark and humanity would still suffer with the curse.
Sighing, Alinoth turns a corner and arrives at once was the main garden area of the palace, now filled with only ash instead of beautiful and colorful plants. Amidst the place stands a massive, grotesque mass. Similar to a tree, but enormously twisted and with exposed roots, having the appearance of a human face and, on top of that, moving and on fire.
"Good morning, Aldia." Alinoth yawns right after greeting his friend and mentor, still recovering from a bad night's sleep. Out of patience, the Undead takes a handful of Green Blosson from his bottomless bag and eats them, already feeling more energetic and awake.
"Alinoth... good morning." Says the twisted mass that was once human. "I believe the time has come for our departure?"
The True Monarch gives a small smile when he sees Aldia greet him so... casually. While the older brother of King Vendrick taught Alinoth the secrets of existence itself, Alinoth reciprocated by re-teaching Aldia how to act more... human again, to be more like the Aldia from before he abandoned his own humanity just to being able to escape the cycle of Light and Dark. The first step was to make Aldia stop calling Alinoth just by titles and start calling him by his real name, something that took a few thousand years, but was successfully achieved.
"Yes, the time has come. I had enough of this land."
Unable to nod his head for obvious reasons, Aldia makes a noise indicating that he is ready, and then the twisted burning tree seemingly disappears into thin air. But Alinoth knew better. In reality, Aldia had taken refuge within Alinoth himself, being in the flames that were part of the soul of the Bearer of the Curse. It was the best way to ensure that they both didn't get separated.
With everything ready, Alinoth reaches out for his endless bag and pulls out a colossal mirror attached to an equally colossal shield. It was the greatshield that once belonged to the Looking Glass Knight. The mirror inlaid at it was created by Aldia and was actually a portal that allowed travel to different worlds. It had become one of the main tools for Alinoth over the ages.
Sticking the greatshield at the ground, all Alinoth needed to do was touch the mirror and a portal would be open for yet another world, another one that possessed a First Flame, another one cursed by cycles...
Alinoth sighs. He was tired. Tired of never finding good enough results, to make progress only for him to find out there's much more to seek... He has been doing this for millions of years by now, never feeling like he was reaching something.
It was such a frustrating feeling...
Looking up at the mirror, Alinoth is greeted by his reflection. Only now he notices just how much all of this almost fruitless search has taken its toll on him. The eyebags he had thanks to sometimes spent literal years awake researching his notes... The many scars he had all over his face and body... His before pristine white hair and beard being a complete mess... Alinoth gave so much that he forget about himself for all this time.
Getting out of control for the first time in ages, Alinoth yells in anger, punching his own reflection. The impact damaged a good portion of the mirror, and the consequences were quickly felt.
The mirror shattered itself, releasing a shockwave that took Alinoth by surprise and launched the Bearer of the Curse far away. Retrieving to his senses, Alinoth sees as if the mirror starts growing volatile, its magic being released and threatening to destroy both the mirror and the greatshield at any moment.
That was something Alinoth could not let happen. If that mirror was destroyed, he was very well trapped in this literal dead world, without the materials needed to make another one. Running towards the glowing mirror, the Bearer of the Curse tries his best to fix all the damage with his magic, but nothing seemed to be working.
"Aldia! A little help he-" But before the Bearer of the Curse could even request help from his friend, the mirror finally collapses, its magic being released all at once, creating one last, volatile portal.
Being so close to the mirror, Alinoth wasn't able to react when the portal was open right in front of him, making the Bearer of the Curse fall through it without any chance of escaping, being taken to a completely random world.
Alinoth's scream was the last sound ever produced by a living being at that dead world, a land where not even wind gusted anymore.
"...and here, your pancakes."
Lucifer, the first fallen angel and CEO of Hell, offers the Helltaker a genuine smile before starting to devour the pancakes made for her. The Helltaker smiles back at her before going back to making the others breakfast.
It was a Saturday morning, and one of the few 100% peaceful ones there had been in the house for a long time. Several of the girls were out and about enjoying the day, and the ones that remained were quite calm. Cerberus was being strangely well-mannered (probably the result of one of the many punishments that Judgement applied to the three yesterday), Pandemonica took a rare break from work and was having a cup of coffee next to Modeus, who was calmly reading one of her many romantic comedy books. Justice was sitting near Helltaker and Lucifer, also enjoying some pancakes.
"Taker... Do you have plans for tonight?" Lucifer tries to sound as casual as possible when asking this question, but Justice hears a subtle nervousness in the Queen of Hell's voice. The Awesome Demon smiles at this and stops eating, now more focused on listening to the conversation taking place next to her.
The Helltaker shrugs. "Other than helping Azazel with a few things this afternoon, my day is free overall."
The CEO of Hell smiles at this information. "Most excellent. When the night starts to come, put on your best clothes. You and I are going on a date."
Taken by surprise with Lucifer's candor, the Helltaker raises both eyebrows. "A date? Where?"
"To one of the finest restaurants in town. Pandemonica made the reservation for us two months ago."
The information makes Helltaker's eyes slightly widen behind his signature dark glasses. A reservation needing to be made two months in advance? The place must be extremely pompous, then.
"Work has been really stressful lately, so I deserve a break. And..." Looking around and realizing that no one other than Justice is around, Lucifer reaches out and covers Taker's hand with hers, smiling gently. for him. "...it's always nice to spend time with my favorite mortal."
An obvious redness takes over Helltaker's cheeks. It was rare for Lucifer to show this side of her, especially in a more public place like the kitchen, but it was always worth it.
With a smile on her face, Justice points at herself. "And don't worry, I'll make sure the house doesn't get destroyed or the apocalypse breaks out in your absence. When the time comes, you two just go and have fu-"
Justice was interrupted the moment a strange sensation took over not only her. At the same time, Lucifer stood up abruptly from her chair, both hands pressed tightly against the table and an expression of complete shock and even a bit of panic having taken over her face.
Literally every demon (and angel) in the house felt the same thing, and even those out felt it too. Pandemonica's always tired expression was completely gone, being replaced by one similar to Lucifer's. Judgement quickly came out of her room, gauntlets ready, as if she was preparing for a fight.
The only one still oblivious there was the Helltaker, who still didn't understand what was happening.
"Wh... What was that?" Justice finally says something, albeit stuttering a bit.
"Something... No, someone... down in Hell..." Lucifer's words sound more like a whisper than anything.
"This power, I... Never felt something like it. Not even amongst the highest archangels..." Judgement finally enters the conversation, getting closer to Lucifer.
Again without understanding anything, Helltaker looks between all the girls there. "Girls, what's going on-"
Before the Helltaker can even think about finishing his question, Lucifer turns around and with a mere wave of her hand opens a portal directly to hell.
"Justice and Judgement, with me. The rest of you stay here." Lucifer's tone of voice was direct and harsh, sounding the most serious that Helltaker or any other of the demons present there had ever heard.
"Lucy, wait-" Helltaker's voice falls on deaf ears as the Queen of Hell, the current High Prosecutor of Hell and the previous one all walk towards the portal with haste.
He knew he shouldn't disobey Lucifer, but if something was happening that left the girls like this, the Helltaker wasn't going to sit around and wait. Quickly taking off his apron, the Helltaker enters the portal before it closes, returning to hell once again.