To be honest, Lloyd had been thinking about burning that tree for a long time.
As an old soul who came from the Dark Souls world, the moment he stepped out of the Fringefolk Hero's Grave, pushed open that heavy iron gate, and first saw the Lands Between—with that towering Erdtree gleaming in the distance—he already had a premonition: this thing was destined to burn.
After all, in a Souls world, you can lack many things, but there's never a shortage of things to set on fire.
Even without mentioning Dark Souls, where the entire world depends on burning souls to keep going, just look at Ashina. Three years ago, your foster father burns you. Three years later, the Crimson Guard and the Demon of Hatred are there to finish the job. No exceptions.
And now, right after stepping outside—before he'd even had time to explore the map—a massive Erdtree was practically shoved in his face.
So when it eventually went up in flames, Lloyd wasn't surprised at all. If anything, he would have worried he'd gone the wrong way or messed something up if it hadn't burned.
At the time, he figured it would be him setting the fire, based on past experience.
But when Melina spoke in the Royal Capital, he realized the roles had flipped. He had become the fireproof man, while his Fire Keeper had become the one to turn to ash.
Should he stop it?
At first, Lloyd considered it. He even entertained darker, more extreme thoughts.
Just like with Sellen—if someone really lost themselves to obsession, pushing blindly into forbidden knowledge and slipping into madness—he wouldn't hesitate to break their limbs, lock them away in a dark cell, and only let them out once they'd calmed down.
But Melina wasn't mad. She wasn't unhinged. When she spoke openly with him, she was even more composed and clear-headed than usual.
The mission.
He'd been in the Lands Between long enough that, though he couldn't fully grasp what "mission" truly meant, his experiences along the way had shown him how much weight it carried for the people here.
For the mission, Millicent bore her rot without complaint, dragging her broken body toward the Haligtree.
For the mission, the Two-Fingered witch collapsed in the Chapel of Anticipation, and her last thought wasn't for herself but for the Tarnished, left without Guidance.
For the mission, even with Ranni's blade at his throat, even as the fight turned to kill-or-be-killed, the Moonlight Two-Fingers still obsessed over making her a god.
There was also the rogue who followed Grace to Liurnia Lake, the All-Knowing who sought Queen Marika's will, and Morgott, who guarded the capital to preserve the Golden Order's last shred of dignity...
It seemed that in the Lands Between, anyone of name or stature had a mission.
If they didn't, they found one for themselves—and held it dearer than life.
Lloyd could understand that.
He might not fully understand "mission," but he knew something like it.
Conviction.
As someone from Dark Souls, he knew better than anyone how vital conviction was.
The Undead were called Undead because they were immortal in the truest sense.
It didn't matter if they were cut down by swords, smashed by sorcery, splattered in a fall, or swallowed whole by monsters—they never truly died. They always revived, wandering endlessly in that hopeless world.
But was that kind of immortality complete?
The answer was no.
In most worlds, as long as the soul and body survived, a person wasn't truly dead.
But in Dark Souls, there was something beyond soul and body. Something called Humanity.
It wasn't an abstract idea—it was real, tangible. You could hold it in your hands.
Every time an Undead died, some of their Humanity drained away. Lose it all, and they became hollow, losing humanity in both form and spirit.
But there were exceptions.
With enough conviction, one could resist the erosion of Humanity. Rare individuals could even remain sane and active after losing every last shred, existing as full Hollows.
Conversely, even with plenty of Humanity, if their conviction shattered—or even if they fulfilled it—they would immediately collapse into a mindless husk, their consciousness erased.
So a true Undead was made of four things: body, soul, Humanity, and conviction.
Without Humanity, the Undead became a Hollow. But Humanity without conviction was just an empty shell.
For the Undead, losing conviction was the same as dying.
Lloyd understood this better than anyone.
So when Melina made her request, he didn't refuse. He never planned to stop her.
But not stopping her didn't mean doing nothing.
After Melina explained everything, Lloyd discussed it with Alice, asking about Melina's nature.
And since then, even as they advanced, he never stopped investigating and studying the matter.
But the more he learned, the clearer it became how troublesome it really was.
First, there was Melina herself.
Even without considering her mission, she was inherently flawed when it came to burning the tree.
As Alice described it, Melina was "a disposable button, specifically designed to restart the Erdtree system."
As for Messmer, though he carried a flame within him as well, "it belonged to another tree system. It could be used, but it might cause problems."
"That frenzied flame..."
"Violent suppression isn't even as good as Messmer's flame."
Lloyd had originally wanted to see if there was another solution, but after all the discussion, it only confirmed that Melina burning the tree was the most reasonable choice.
Beyond Alice's words, during Melina's examination Lloyd also discovered that this girl seemed to share a deep connection with the Erdtree—one rooted in her soul itself, perhaps even fused with it entirely.
It was a trait no one else possessed.
Otherwise, if all it took was Outer God-level flame combined with the Giants' Cauldron ritual, the Fire Giants would have already set the Erdtree ablaze.
Anyone else, faced with such a situation, would probably be overwhelmed.
After all, after digging and investigating, to finally discover that the problem wasn't a matter of will but something innate, rooted deep within the soul...
Even the Golden Order Dynasty, with its shallow grasp of souls, wouldn't know what to do. Even if you gathered all the Nox at their peak, they'd just shake their heads.
But Lloyd, upon realizing this seemingly hopeless problem, actually let out a sigh of relief.
"Ah, so it's a soul issue. Difficult, sure—but that's manageable."
Just like with the Fell God's flame before.
If you asked Lloyd to research something else, like the principles of sorcery or some mathematical model, he'd be in trouble.
Math, after all, was something he truly wasn't good at.
But when it came to souls, it was almost impossible for him not to know what to do.
Not to mention, in his instance space there was still that overworked dragon lying around.
That one might not be able to beat him in strength, but in terms of knowledge and research into souls...
Let's just say, if Lloyd had even half of her skill back then, he wouldn't have needed to keep dragging people out to do the work for him.
So once he realized Melina's problem lay in her soul, Lloyd relaxed quite a bit and began drafting a plan.
But while planning, another question struck him—
Why exactly was Melina so closely tied to the Erdtree?
He remembered her telling him before that she had been "born at the foot of the Erdtree, and there received her mother's mission."
And now, she was capable of offering herself as a sacrifice, delivering a small flame-shock to the tree itself...
"...What are you staring at?"
Melina noticed Lloyd's eyes shifting over her backside, as though studying something.
"Nothing."
Lloyd shook his head.
Her backside wasn't big. Clearly not an Erdtree Avatar.
With that little interlude behind them, Lloyd didn't linger on it and continued pushing forward with his plan.
...
Now, standing at the edge of the Giants' Cauldron, Lloyd pulled the petite Melina from his inventory. Holding her up before Melina, he began to explain his plan.
"You know that the influence between soul and flesh goes both ways. The soul can shape the body, but the body also molds the soul...
"Your problem lies deep within your soul—it's a part of you. I could forcefully remove it, but just like with your burns, while that would be quick, it would leave lasting damage...
"But this body is different."
Lloyd lifted his hand and infused part of his soul into the petite Melina's arm. Before Melina's eyes, what had been no larger than a pinky finger swelled to the size of a normal arm, shifting its form at Lloyd's will.
"As you can see, this body isn't ordinary flesh. It binds deeply with the soul, taking shape directly from its image.
"And as it transforms, the body's influence reflects back, projecting some of its malleability into your spirit.
"When that malleability builds up enough, I'll be able to help you uncover and master the things buried deep within your soul—the parts of you that have always been there.
"Once you've mastered them, you won't need the Giants' Flame. With your own fire, through your connection to the Erdtree, you'll be able to ignite those Thorns of Rejection."
Lloyd then placed the petite Melina into her hands and added,
"And more importantly, since it's your own power, you'll be the one in control of the flames."
"Burn only what must be burned, and leave untouched what should not."
"Otherwise, in your current state, even if you ignite the Erdtree, the flames will sweep across the Lands Between, and the Royal Capital will be reduced to ashes."
Lloyd paused, then looked at her intently.
"And most importantly—"
"I don't want you to die."
Silence.
Melina stared at the petite version of herself in her hands, at the finely crafted little dress and all its delicate details. She studied it for a long time before finally speaking softly.
"This... you put a lot of effort into this, didn't you?"
"Quite a lot."
Not only did I design it myself, but I also sought advice from the academy and borrowed a piece of golden amber from the Queen of the Full Moon.
Hearing Lloyd's reply, Melina gave a small nod. She didn't say anything foolish like this is too precious for me to accept. Instead, after quietly gazing at the tiny figure a bit longer, she lifted her eyes to Lloyd.
"If I agree, should I enter this body here?"
"Anywhere you like."
After another stretch of silence, Melina looked down at the doll in her hands and hesitated.
"Then... I'd like to do it in your room."
My room?
Lloyd wasn't sure why she chose that place, but he still nodded.
As for where his room was...
Originally, it would have meant his chamber in the Roundtable Hold.
But now, since he had a castle inside the Golden Dungeon instance—and he rarely stayed in the Roundtable Hold anyway—he'd moved his quarters there.
Conveniently, during earlier explorations, Lloyd had gotten tired of grinding the same runs. During breaks, he cleared the Golden Dungeon several times, stockpiling enough resources to raise its entry requirements to Demigod tier.
So after the upgrade, Lloyd brought Melina and Millicent along. Besides preparing Melina's body, it was also a chance for Millicent to unwind.
Once inside the castle, he first bought Little Red Flower some food so she could relax in the dining hall, then led Melina to his bedroom.
"What do you think of this place?"
Lloyd walked over and showed her the enormous, impossibly soft bed he'd spent a fortune on—so big it could fit several people, and oddly enough, it seemed to ease stress just by lying on it.
"Better than the Flaming Cauldron, right?"
Melina didn't answer. It was her first time in this place, her first time in this room. After glancing around, her gaze settled on the massive bed, her expression turning a little complicated.
Was this...
"It feels a little empty here."
Melina quickly changed the subject, trying to suppress her thoughts. Lloyd hadn't realized it before, but after hearing her words, he saw the problem too.
"You're right. And though this is just an instance, it feels pretty realistic—even the dust and grime. I'll see if I can hire someone to clean it up..."
Fortunately, a group of townsfolk had recently settled nearby and didn't have much to do. He could get some of them to help out, and they could also keep an eye on Moonlight Two Fingers.
With that in mind, Lloyd sat on the bed and patted the space beside him, motioning for Melina to sit.
"Alright, let's get this done. Millicent's still waiting."
Melina hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward.
But she didn't sit.
"What's wrong?"
Lloyd looked at her, puzzled.
"Is something bothering you?"
No reply.
A long silence.
"Could you close your eyes first?"
Melina finally spoke.
Lloyd blinked.
"Uh... reincarnation doesn't require undressing, you know..."
Silence.
"Close your eyes."
Melina repeated, her tone carrying a strange weight. Her cheeks flushed faintly.
Lloyd didn't understand what she meant, but he still closed his eyes.
Watching him with his eyes shut, Melina took a deep breath, then stepped forward. She settled into his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and...
Slowly lifted her head.
It was warm. The movement was a little clumsy, a little awkward—but full of effort.
After a long while, Melina lowered her head again, her face burning red. She buried herself against Lloyd's chest, clutching his shirt tightly in silence.
The slow-to-react Lloyd finally opened his eyes. Looking down at the little figure in his arms, he thought for a moment, then sighed softly.
"Melina."
"...What is it?"
"Look up. I have something to tell you."
After a pause, Melina hesitantly lifted her head, meeting Lloyd's serious gaze.
And then—
Lloyd lowered his head toward the small figure.
"What I wanted to say is..."
"This time, it's my turn to strike back."