Prologue: Cursed

Beacon.

One of the four prestigious Huntsman academies. Joined by its sisters, Shade, Haven and, uh I don't know what Atlas calls their academy. Don't judge me. Anyways! Yeah, Beacon, the most prestigious Hunstman academy in all of Vale. There were other academies of course, but they were all pale imitations of the big four. And Beacon was where all those before me went, my father, his father before him.

You get the idea.

I was going to Beacon too. That sounded great until you realize that I forged my transcripts and have absolutely no combat training. Zilch, nada, nothing. I nearly cut my arm off stealing the family sword –My parents were going to murder me once they found out– and I was…

I was weak. And it was my fault too. I've always wanted to be a Huntsman, but I never tried, I never asked my parents to train me or anything like that. I was just kinda existing until I realized that I lost my chance to enroll in a combat school long ago, I was too old. And my parents shared that thought, most combat schools start accepting children as young as six and as old as thirteen.

I was seventeen.

Four years past that. My parents said I didn't have to be a Hunter, they said I didn't have to prove anything to them. And I honestly love them for that, they loved their kids no matter what. But the shame I felt…the shame I felt at being weak was crushing when I realized that my ancestors before me had all been heroes.

Julius Arc, my grandfather, was a revered war hero. He had been instrumental in beating back the forces of Mistral, during the Great War, his contribution allowing us to conquer the continent of Sanus. People all across vale recognized him as a great hero, there was even a statue built in his name, erected in Beacon no less.

Augustus Arc, my father, was a famous Hunter. He had participated in the making of the book Grimm Beasts. Co-authored by Peter Port. A catalogue of nearly every single Grimm on the entire planet, detailing their behaviors, weaknesses, fun facts and whatnot. A book that has been added to the curriculum of every single Hunstman Academy on Remnant. The knowledge that book provided had made dealing with them much more manageable and cemented him as a legend among Hunters because of that.

My mother, my sisters, every single one of them were all hunters. Heck, my entire fucking lineage was widely known for producing powerful Hunters. How… how would it look if I was the only one not beating back the darkness? I was the only one living in safety behind the walls. It…

I couldn't accept it.

So I forged transcripts, made it seem like I was somebody who wasn't too special, but just good enough to get accepted. But in reality I was just some stupid kid in over his head but too prideful to accept the reality of my situation. I realize that what I'm doing probably isn't smart, but I don't care.

My brows furrowed and I let out a small sigh in frustration. Enough brooding, I should probably get to it. I got up from my place on a lone bench in a park and started making my way towards the bullhead terminal that would take me to Beacon. Initiation was today after all-

WHAT THE FUCK!?

I felt myself lurch, as if someone had grabbed me by the collar and tied it to a moving car. I gasped as my vision exploded with colors I couldn't describe, and felt what must've been wind whipping at my face. I coughed and hacked, not even able to scream and struggling to breath at the speed it felt like I was moving at. I felt panic and confusion rise within me as my heartbeat picked up in speed-

In the blink of an eye, it was all gone. I realized absentmindedly that I was sprawled out on the floor in a tiny room, already drenched in sweat, gasping and breathing in great breaths of air as my heart thundered in my chest. After a few entire minutes of calming down, I focused and looked around me and took note of my surroundings.

A small room, cracked stone bricks lining the walls, those bricks themselves lined with lichen and moss. To the right of me was a pile of damp hay, with a metal bucket next to it that had a concerning smell coming from it. To the left of me was a small window that was covered up with iron bars. In front of me was a rusty door again made of iron bars. I looked up and saw a square hole in the ceiling.

Was I in a fucking jail cell? One that seemed to be from the goddamn dark ages at that.

"What the fuck…" I breathed out.

I had been in this stupid cell for what felt like days but was probably only a couple hours. I was currently sitting in a corner, Crocea Mors next to me, leaning my back against the wall and sulking because I really can't do much else. I'd already screamed my throat raw, getting no response besides a groan from the cell next to me. I decided not to think about whoever groaned. I'd already tried to break out, but even though the iron door was rusted to hell and back, I really had nothing to swing at it besides a bucket that was filled with concerning substances. Punching the door had been decidedly unwise, and kicking it hadn't worked either.

I wasn't strong enough.

I frowned in response to thought, feeling self-loathing rise up before I pushed it aside. I couldn't climb out and crawl out the hole in the ceiling because the ceiling was what seemed to be fifteen feet off the ground. The window was just as unyielding as the door. I couldn't get out of this godforsaken cell.

How had I even ended up here? My senses just went fucking batshit for a split second before I just popped into existence in this cell. I took a deep breath to try and calm down a bit before immediately regretting it and almost gagging.

This wouldn't be so unbearable if it weren't for the stench oh my god. It smelled like a fucking animal carcass but somehow even worse. Everything was also just filthy in general, I really wasn't used to dirt since I'm a shut in who usually spent all day reading comics. I looked down at my beloved Pumpkin Pete hoodie, the thing filthy from my attempts to escape. Dammit I had barely managed to gather enough box tops to get the thing just a few days ago and it was more dirty than any of my clothes had ever gotten.

I frowned more deeply before I realized something, my head perking up. Maybe I could try picking the keyhole-

Something crashed onto the floor in front of me with a meaty crack, causing me to startle and slam my head against the wall I was leaning on, a sharp pain followed by a dull ache in the back of my head. I swore under my breath before snapping my gaze in front of me to see what fell, the anger I felt dissipating immediately once I realized a fucking emaciated body wearing nothing but rags was what crashed down from the hole in the ceiling.

A body that had a slowly growing pool of blood beneath it and a neck bent at an incredibly odd angle… the persons neck had broken on impact.

In terror I tore my gaze away to see where it had fallen from. Somebody, some dude in old fashioned knight armor was looking into my cell! I felt the terror be replaced with relief and hope, just for those emotions to be ripped away when the person simply looked at me and walked off. I tried to yell to get his attention, but my voice had already gone hoarse from my screaming earlier and all that came out was a pathetic whisper.

Before I could despair, something glinted at me in the… the dead bodies hands. I hesitantly got up from my place on the floor and quickly snatched it from its hands, revulsion rising up from within me at both the fact I was robbing a dead person and the cold, clammy feeling of his skin.

The guilt and disgust I felt was pushed away when I realized I was holding a key. A key that looked suspiciously similar to a certain keyhole. The hope I felt moments before rose up again, and I quickly ran to door to try and unlock it. I mentally apologized to the person I had robbed and mentally thanked whoever threw the body into my cell.

I also cursed them for throwing the entire body and not just the key, like come on dude not funny. I smiled slightly at my own jest before the smile immediately fell apart at the reminder of the dead body behind me, I felt a weight in my stomach at the feeling, the feeling worsening when the smell got to me.

I grit my teeth and turned the key, relief flooding me as I opened the door with a shove, the door creaking loudly and slamming into the wall. I winced as the noise echoed around me. I quickly turned around grabbed Crocea Mors, and went back to the doorway.

I took my first steps out of the cell, thinking this was all over.

What a fool I was…

Deep beneath the earth, within a desert of ash, sat a humongous twisting colosseum surrounded by winding catwalks. The ceiling was so high that clouds seem to have formed, making it so that the roof was all but impossible to see. This was the Kiln of The First Flame, where a Flame once burned brightly, now extinguished. Much of it had fallen, due a mixture of both the Flame and time. Within this towering structure, a figure stood, another figure laid out beneath him.

I took off my helmet and stared at the broken body beneath my feet with tired eyes that couldn't believe what they were seeing. The broken body of Gwyn, Lord of Cinder. To be frank, I… I had expected this to be harder. It was a little too easy. My jaw fell the slightest bit at the thought, a thought I must have thought for the first time since my arrival in Lordran. I allowed myself to marvel at such a novel experience. Everything had been struggle after struggle, me blindly stumbling around in a world too cruel, too unforgiving to those who dwelled in it. Dumb luck and those around me being the only reasons why I had survived to this point.

I shook my head, my focus back on Gwyn. I had thought he'd be the final hurdle, the final battle to put all battles to shame, an impossible foe that I'd have to fight with everything in my very being to win. Where my blades would break, my armor would shatter and my spirit be tested one final time. But it was…not that.

Not even close. Gwyn had swung at me like an animal, there was no technique, no skill, no finesse, just animalistic aggression. He didn't have the speed to back it up, he almost never hit me. He hadn't had the strength to back it up, I had blocked his blows without even a wince. He didn't even have the magic to back it up, he didn't throw a single one of the bolts he was fucking known for at me. After I struck him down I expected him to get back up in a flash of lightning, to show me some of the power that he was rumored to have.

He didn't.

After everything I had been through, I never expected the end of my journey to be so fucking disappointing. I shook my head as I let out a disbelieving laugh, dropping my great sword. It fell to the floor with a spray of ash as I buried my gauntleted hands in my hair, wondering why I was thinking these foolish thoughts. It had been easy! Something had finally been a little easy, for once. I-I...I should be happy! Not disappointed! My journey was over! Finally over! So why wasn't I content? Why didn't I feel even the slightest sliver of satisfaction?!

I felt tears pricking at the corner of my eyes, and I let them flow freely for once, my vision blurring along with them. Nobody would see me here anyways. I fell to my knees and once again turned my gaze to Gwyn. My eyes narrowed to pinpricks as I tried to pick out and find a reason for my this had been so easy. And as I gazed at him, my eyes softened slightly as I realized something.

As I gazed at the hollowed pits that had replaced his eyes –seeming to swallow all light– at the matted, shaggy beard, at the warped crown that had fallen down onto the floor, covered in ash.

I realized something.

I hadn't fought Gwyn, Lord of Cinder. Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight. Gwyn, the King of a mighty empire. No, I fought Gwyn, the man who was driven insane by his fear for the darkness. A man that had fragmented his very soul and given it to others, because he believed he would never return.

I fought a mere shadow, a… a remnant of what used to be a powerful man. I let out a deep breath as I calmed down, tears dripping down my face and onto the ash. This had not been a fight, it had been me putting a man out of his misery. For a moment, I stayed kneeling there.

For many moments, I kneeled.

I…I guess I should do what I came to do, then. I sighed and got up, picking up my helmet and my great sword. I didn't bring my shield because I thought I would need to be as mobile as I could. Turns out it wouldn't have changed anything. I looked around me and saw a bonfire. Not just a bonfire, but something told me it was The Bonfire.

I don't know why, but I got the intense feeling that once I touched that bonfire, I would link the Flame. I would do what I came to do. I would succeed where so, so many others had failed. But did I want to? Did I want to condemn myself to burning eternally, to endless pain and suffering? Did I want to have the same fate as Gwyn? Burned until nearly nothing remained?

Or should I let the flame fade? Let darkness take over, usher in the Age of Man? But was that darkness really what I wanted? I thought back to Manus, to Oolacile, to New Londo. Was that really the fate humanity was doomed to? An age of snarling, twitching creatures of darkness, laughing in madness and attacking anything that moved? I felt a deep frown take place on my face. Kaathe, the manipulating bastard, had doomed two entire cities to ruin. He was the cause of so much of this, why should I listen to the overgrown snake that raved on about the Dark Lord?

At least Frampt didn't cause destruction on an untold scale. I felt myself grow resolute in my decision and I gripped the sword buried in bones firmly. Immediately, I felt a searing pain erupt from my hand that quickly spread to the rest of my body. I was on fire. The pain was not unlike losing control of my Pyromancy, until I felt my very soul itself caught Fire.

My entire being became Fire.

Brilliant white Fire erupted from me violently, slamming against the walls of the Kiln and nearly cracking them. The Flames rose high enough that the clouds boiled away, the Flames again striking the roof with terrifying force. Plumes of heat roared around me as I screamed my throat hoarse, the Flames growing in response. The earth shook beneath me, already weathered catwalks crashing to the ground as they finally reached their breaking point, the very world seeming to cower at the growing Inferno. I would have wondered why these Flames were white if a searing pain just as hot hadn't filled every one of my senses.

I Burn.

All I saw was Fire, it danced in hypnotizing patters, white shades dancing across my vision in a way that was hard to describe with words. All I heard was Fire, from the roar of mighty white plumes, to tiny sparks whizzing past my ears. All I felt was Fire, lashing at my form, my form being riddled with bursts of warmth. All I knew was Fire, pain having melted away long ago, replaced with an almost lethargic peace.

I would have questioned this, if I cared enough to. As it was, I was content to burn. But then, something interrupted the burning of the Fire. It felt like… I was moving? I blinked slowly in confusion and slight annoyance, wondering what was happening. I opened my eyes and suddenly the Fire was gone, my vision being replaced with darkness. The Fire was gone, I heard some kind of rustling. The Fire was gone, I felt a coolness rake across my form that I was puzzled at. Had I ever felt such a sensations? Where was the Fire?

But then, as time passed by, my mind finally caught up. I let out a sigh, what had happened? My head pounded with a pain that was almost as bad as when I hit with those blasted blowdarts in the swamp. I was laying on… grass? My eyes whipped open in response and I immediately shot up to my feet, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. Trees, all around me? Was I in the Darkroot Garden? The trees were thicker than those, and there weren't nearly as many vines. I looked to the forest floor and saw many plants that I didn't recognize. I turned my gaze upwards. Darkroot Garden also didn't have a…

I fell to my knees at the sight, my mind unable to process what I was looking at. H-how? I had thought I'd never see it again. I shook my head again, my jaw falling open.

Above me, in the center of an endless expanse of stars, was a shattered moon.

Author's Note: So what do ya'll think? I had a lot of fun writing this to be frank, I should finish all the souls games at some point.