Lucian walked down the hillside, heading toward the descending path that led to Lenne's Rise.
This slope was filled with special traps laid by the Vulgar Militia. Step on one, and it would immediately trigger, releasing a cloud of poisonous gas.
Besides that, many of the militia had set up ambushes along the way, hiding among the terrain.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Lucian simply began flying from that point onward.
What surprised him, however, was that just like in the game, there was a Night's Cavalry patrolling back and forth across the great bridge nearby.
The Night's Cavalry were the direct troops of Morgott, the Omen King, and their strength was formidable. Lucian had fought several of them before.
Unlike their scattered placement in the game, the Night's Cavalry in reality did not roam the Lands Between freely.
All of their movements were under Morgott's command, whether attacking a specific location or conducting targeted patrols and guard duties.
Which meant that this particular Night's Cavalry had been sent here under orders.
Considering that the Bestial Sanctum, where Maliketh hid himself, stood nearby and that the surrounding area was filled with Vulgar Militia belonging to the Golden Lineage, it seemed possible that the owner of this sorcerer's tower had once had some connection with the Golden Dynasty.
The Night's Cavalry failed to notice Lucian flying overhead, so Lucian paid him no mind.
Whether or not the knight would drop the Bloodhound's Step Ash of War like in the game was irrelevant anyway.
Lucian no longer needed it.
With his current abilities, a simple enhancement using storm power allowed him to evade attacks even faster than Bloodhound's Step.
Furthermore, the Lightning Ram-like lightning technique he had obtained earlier from the Death Knight, once fully mastered allowed him to transform his body into lightning itself.
And on top of that, he had previously obtained Soul Dash within the spirit world. While using it, his body would take on a soul-like form, allowing him to evade most physical attacks entirely.
Entering through a side window on the second floor of the tower, Lucian began searching the interior.
The tower was in complete disarray.
It looked as though a battle had taken place here long ago, and no one had bothered to clean up since.
The second floor of the sorcerer's tower held very little besides books of sorcery.
But most of those books had been damaged when the shelves collapsed. Only a few had barely escaped destruction.
Lucian had just begun sorting through the ones that might still be readable when he heard movement from the floor below.
He followed the stairs down.
On the first floor stood a grotesque sphere formed from the heads of multiple sorcerers, a School of Graven Mages.
The moment it saw Lucian, it immediately began casting spells. Various glintstone sorceries shot toward him in rapid succession.
Perhaps it had once been the master of this tower.
Its spellcasting was both swift and powerful.
Seeing that communication was clearly impossible, Lucian simply conjured a blazing sphere of solar flame in his hand and casually threw it forward.
The incoming sorceries were swallowed by the flames one after another, unable to stir even the slightest ripple.
The blazing solar fire devoured the magic and continued onward until it reached the School of Graven Mages.
The moment the flames touched the mass of sorcerer heads, it was reduced to ashes.
Lucian felt that the power of the sun within him had grown noticeably stronger than before, and he nodded with satisfaction.
Ever since he had shattered a fragment from Godwyn's Faded Sun, the solar power he wielded had grown significantly.
The sun itself was constantly drifting farther away from the Lands Between, traveling along a mysterious path whose destination no one knew.
It would not grant Lucian additional power beyond what he already possessed.
But as long as sunlight continued to shine upon the Lands Between, Lucian could draw out more of the strength he already held.
After casually disposing of the School of Graven Mages, Lucian continued wandering through the tower.
Just like the second floor, the first floor contained little of value.
Most of the sorcery books had been severely damaged.
The few that were still usable were collected by Lucian, he planned to add them to his personal library later.
At the very top of the tower, however, Lucian discovered a small hidden box containing a peculiar black stone pendant.
It was an item that could be found in many mage towers in the game, a Memory Stone.
According to legend, these stones were fragments of the Black Moon that once hung above the Eternal City.
This Memory Stone looked very similar to the one Lucian had previously found in the Converted Tower, differing only in small details.
In the game, Memory Stones increased the number of spells and incantations a caster could equip.
But in reality, mages had no such thing as "memory slots" or a fixed memory limit, so the stone's function was somewhat different.
It did not directly increase one's Intelligence.
Instead, it provided subtle enhancements to magical ability.
Casting speed improved slightly.
Clarity of thought during spellcasting was also sharpened.
Lucian placed the Memory Stone on his person. With this one, he now possessed two.
To his surprise, both stones functioned simultaneously.
Their effects stacked.
Previously, the enhancement had been so minor as to be almost negligible.
Now, however, the improvement was noticeably more pronounced.
It seemed worthwhile to collect more of these stones in the future.
Once he gathered enough of them, he might even reforge them into a single artifact.
—
Inside a cavern beneath the main road, Hakkan stood gripping his oversized Drakeblood Knight greatsword, locked in battle with a massive Golem guardian.
This was the same cavern he had once explored together with his companions.
It was also where all of them had died.
This time, he had returned to retrieve their remains.
The cavern's terrain was treacherous.
Its passages twisted and intersected, with drastic differences in elevation.
But Hakkan had been here before, so he encountered little resistance as he descended deeper.
Eventually, he chose the path he remembered most clearly and arrived at the lair of the cavern's strongest enemy.
The place where the Guardian Golem stood.
It was also the location where most of his companions had been killed.
Back then, he could only barely escape from the golem's attacks, fleeing in utter humiliation.
But now…
Now he had the strength to challenge it.
Hakkan continuously dodged the golem's attacks while searching for an opening, striking at its ankle whenever it finished a swing.
The armor around the golem's leg was already badly damaged.
Cracks exposed a molten, magma-like liquid flowing inside.
Without its protective shell, that area had become its obvious weak point.
With one final strike, Hakkan's sword pierced through the damaged armor.
Molten liquid burst out from the wound like a fountain.
One of the golem's legs lost power.
Unable to support its massive body, the construct toppled forward.
Hakkan quickly dodged the falling giant and rushed toward its chest.
With a powerful thrust, he drove his blade directly into the furnace that powered the golem.
The strike destroyed its core.
Flaming liquid poured out endlessly as the construct collapsed for good.
After such a fierce battle, Hakkan was utterly exhausted.
The golem's attacks were wide and devastating.
Each stomp sent shockwaves through the ground. Shattered rocks from its weapon strikes and blasts of flame had left Hakkan in miserable shape.
Fortunately—
He had won.
Hakkan stepped aside, preparing to gather the remains of his fallen companions.
But suddenly, something in the nearby grass caught his eye.
It was glowing faintly.
When he approached, he discovered a crystal the size of a human head, perfectly transparent.
Inside it was a tiny humanoid creature.
The creature had pink hair and wore a light green dress, her body curled up so tightly that her face couldn't be seen clearly.
Behind her, there seemed to be a pair of wings.
Not feathered wings—
But thin, translucent wings like those of a dragonfly.
Hakkan looked up toward the cliff wall.
There was a gap above them, roughly the same size as the crystal.
Perhaps the vibrations from the battle had knocked it loose.
Silently, Hakkan picked it up and stored it away.
He planned to bring it back and show it to Lucian to find out what kind of creature it was.
Then he resumed collecting the remains of his companions.
But before he could finish—
A beast's growl echoed from the cave entrance.
Hakkan turned sharply.
Two enormous Runebears slowly emerged from the darkness of the tunnel, their fierce eyes fixed on him.
His heart skipped a beat.
There had been no Runebears here the last time he visited.
Could they have wandered here after being driven out of Mistwood during the road-clearing operations?
Perhaps they had been hiding somewhere while the golem was still active.
After all, the golem's attacks—its stomps, flames, and massive blows were devastating even for creatures like Runebears.
These beasts had likely waited until the golem was defeated before revealing themselves.
In other words, another brutal fight was about to begin.
Hakkan assessed his current condition.
The shockwaves and flames from the battle had left him with several injuries, but none of them were fatal.
The real problem was exhaustion.
His stamina had already been heavily drained.
Fatigue spread through his entire body.
Hakkan took a deep breath and let out a thunderous roar, activating his War Cry.
As magic surged through him, his fighting spirit ignited once more. Mana briefly transformed into raw strength.
Then he awakened the drakeblood within his body.
His skin turned crimson, and the patterns on his Drakeblood armor began to glow with a dark red, ferocious light.
Against a single Runebear, his strength would have been more than enough.
But two…
That was an entirely different matter.
He had to kill one as quickly as possible.
Only then would he have a chance to survive.
As the first Runebear charged straight toward him, Hakkan thrust his greatsword forward with precision.
The blade plunged deep into the beast's neck.
Blood erupted like a fountain, drenching Hakkan from head to toe.
His eyes lit up.
A good start.
But a Runebear was no ordinary beast.
Rather than retreat or flee after being wounded, its savagery only intensified.
The massive creature continued charging forward, ramming Hakkan and forcing him backward.
The sword drove even deeper into its body, but the sheer momentum pushed Hakkan across the ground.
With the combined buffs of War Cry and drakeblood, Hakkan barely managed to resist the Runebear's overwhelming strength.
Then suddenly—
The beast lunged forward.
Hakkan lost his balance and was crushed beneath its body.
The Runebear slammed a massive paw down on him, pinning him in place while its blood-soaked jaws closed in.
The immense weight of the paw dented his chestplate inward.
Hakkan could even smell the foul stench of the beast's breath.
With no other choice, he twisted the sword's hilt, tearing open the wound in the Runebear's neck, barely managing to keep the monster at bay…
As the wound tore wider, the Runebear's blood loss worsened by the second.
Already driven into extreme weakness, the beast could no longer mount any meaningful offense.
Struggling to block the Runebear's final desperate retaliation, Hakkan fought to push away the massive body that now lay atop him like a corpse.
He had to regain a stance where he could wield his greatsword as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the second Runebear would pin him to the ground and tear him apart before he could recover.
Before Hakkan could even rise, the other Runebear roared and swung a massive paw.
The blow smashed directly into him.
Hakkan was sent flying through the air, tumbling across the ground several times before he barely managed to stop.
Fortunately, he had gripped the Drakeblood Greatsword tightly the entire time, preventing himself from losing his weapon.
But when Hakkan forced himself back to his feet, his condition had grown far worse.
That previous blow from the Runebear had struck him solidly. Now it felt as though all his internal organs had been violently displaced. Several bones were likely shattered as well.
The Runebear was already charging again, leaving him no time to catch his breath.
Watching the beast rushing toward him with unstoppable momentum, Hakkan understood that he would only have one final strike left.
The drakeblood in his veins dulled his sense of pain, allowing him to lift his sword once more and swing at the approaching monster.
This strike carried every ounce of strength Hakkan still possessed.
He staked everything on this final blow.
"ROOOAAAR—!"
With a heavy, devastating swing, Hakkan's blade tore through the Runebear's thick hide and layers of fat. The razor-sharp greatsword split through flesh with brutal ease before burying itself deep into the creature's spine.
Yet the strike he had placed all his hopes upon stopped there.
The blade became lodged fast.
Watching the Runebear's enormous paw descend toward him, Hakkan fell into despair.
It was said that in the moments before death, a person's thoughts accelerate, fast enough to replay their entire life.
Hakkan could feel it happening now.
Yet strangely, when he searched his memories, he found nothing from the earlier years of his life that seemed worth recalling.
Instead, his thoughts drifted toward the Drakeblood Legion that would remain after his death.
Toward Stormveil, which would continue to rise in the future.
Toward Lucian, who would one day ascend the throne as Elden Lord.
What would the world look like then?
Was he really going to die here?
There were still so many things left unfinished, yet he would perish inside this cave?
Then again… perhaps this had always been his proper ending.
Maybe he should have been buried here alongside his comrades long ago.
At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed in Hakkan's ears.
"Are you giving up?"
Familiar faces, faces he once knew well but could no longer clearly remember, flashed before his eyes one after another.
At last, they merged into the figure of a warrior clad in the traditional armor of a Kaiden Sellsword.
Was this… a hallucination before death?
Hakkan let out a bitter laugh within his heart.
He did not want to die.
But that choice was no longer his to make.
He had exhausted every last trick, every last ounce of strength.
He could no longer defend against this attack.
"Then… allow me to aid you."
A phantom suddenly appeared along the path of Hakkan's previous strike.
In a single flash, it severed the descending bear claw.
Hakkan's eyes widened.
Everything had happened in an instant, yet it had undeniably occurred.
This… was real!
"Hakkan, strike!"
At those words, Hakkan's aura surged violently. A mysterious power burst forth from within his body.
His eyes turned blood-red, moisture blurring his vision.
Grinding his teeth so hard it felt as though they might shatter, he swung with all his might.
The greatsword that had been embedded deep within the Runebear's spine finally cut all the way through.
The beast's head soared into the air before crashing down onto the ground.
In front of Hakkan, there were no enemies left.
He dropped to his knees, gasping for breath, unable to believe what had just happened.
In the depths of despair, Hakkan had unconsciously used a technique he had once witnessed from the Night's Cavalry—
Phantom Slash.
It was a technique that had nearly killed him in the past. The memory of it had lingered in his mind ever since.
And now, in that desperate moment… he had somehow executed it himself.
Hakkan lifted his head.
The figure who had spoken to him earlier was nowhere to be seen, as though it had been nothing more than an illusion.
No matter how he called out, there was no response.
Hakkan rose and tested another swing of his blade.
Immediately, a phantom of a Kaiden Sellsword appeared behind him, mirroring his attack and striking in perfect coordination.
Under Hakkan's control, the phantom did not vanish immediately. It lingered beside him for a long time.
When he attempted to command it, the figure moved just as he imagined, acting independently according to his will.
Was this a burst of strength born from the brink of death?
Or had the spirits of the fallen truly blessed him?
At this point, the answer no longer mattered.
Hakkan was already satisfied.
The shackles of his past had finally been shattered.
He had completely transformed, stepping into a realm worthy of being called a hero.
Slowly, Hakkan steadied his breathing, careful not to worsen his injuries.
"Wow… you're really badly hurt. Let me heal you~"
A small figure suddenly fluttered to a stop in front of him, smiling brightly as it spoke.
Hakkan jumped in surprise.
Something barely larger than a human hand hovered in the air before him, its thin wings beating rapidly.
Taking a closer look, Hakkan realized it was the strange creature he had seen earlier inside the crystal.
"What are you supposed to be?"
The tiny being frowned slightly.
"Huh? I came here out of kindness to save you, and that's how you speak to me?"
"Don't tell me people nowadays haven't even heard of fairies anymore?"
Hakkan shrugged. At this point, even if he simply rested for a while, he probably wouldn't die here.
"Fairies? I've heard that there used to be a species called spirits in the Lands Between."
The fairy immediately began flying around Hakan in agitation.
"Hey! I said fairies! Fairies!"
"We're not the same as those spirits!"
"Ugh, those spirits are ridiculously foolish! They get tricked by people every single time!"
"That's exactly why I hate it when people confuse fairies with them!"
The little fairy buzzed around angrily for a while before suddenly calming down.
"Well… biologically speaking, we might look somewhat similar."
"But fairies are far more advanced than spirits. Please remember that properly."
Hakkan didn't quite understand what she was talking about, but it was clear that her temperament differed greatly from that of humans.
Her thinking also seemed… somewhat chaotic.
It would probably be best to just go along with her.
Seeing the confused look on Hakkan's face, the fairy sighed and shook her head.
"Ah, whatever. I should just heal you quickly and get going."
Hakkan couldn't help asking:
"Where are you going?"
The fairy stretched out a tiny hand and circled around Hakkan twice.
Points of light drifted from her palm toward his body.
His injuries began to heal at an astonishing speed, so quickly it could only be described as terrifying.
"Me? Now that my seal has been broken, I need to find a suitable person and pass down an important legacy."
"I'll have you know that we fairies carry extremely important missions on our shoulders, so we must take them seriously."
She sighed again.
"But honestly, I don't even know what era it is anymore."
"Even if I go out now, I might not find a suitable candidate."
"I don't even know if the purpose of that mission still exists…"
The fairy sighed again, but soon burst into cheerful laughter.
"Look! All healed!"
"Even without Dew Nectar, and without the assistance of spirits, spiritual power can still do the job."
"Getting you back to this state is basically my way of thanking you for breaking the seal."
Hakkan scratched his head.
"You keep mentioning breaking the seal… but I didn't do anything."
The fairy pointed toward the crystal on the ground, which had melted halfway.
"The seal was already very weak. A little bit of magic power was enough to free me."
"It just happened to come from the magic inside your blood."
Hakkan glanced sideways.
He was a warrior, not a sorcerer. He had never studied sorceries or incantations.
His control over magic power was extremely limited, barely enough to channel a tiny bit during combat.
Even if drakeblood carried some magical energy, it certainly wouldn't be much.
"So that tiny bit of magic broke the seal?"
"That seal wasn't very strong, was it?"
The fairy looked at him strangely.
"That was a self-sealing spell I made to save my life. If I made it too strong, I'd never be able to get out again."
"Oh no… I think I said too much."
"Anyway! I'm leaving now~"
With that, the fairy hurriedly flew forward.
In the next instant, she vanished into thin air.
Hakkan opened his mouth, unsure what to make of that bizarre creature.
She had appeared and disappeared in a rush, and honestly seemed a bit scatterbrained.
Come to think of it, she hadn't even told him her name.
Well, once he returned, he would mention it to Lucian and see what he thought.
For now, he needed to collect the remains of the fallen.
—
In only a few seconds, the strange fairy reappeared at the southernmost edge of Limgrave.
Hovering in the air with rapidly beating wings, she gazed toward a distant castle and nodded.
Her instincts pointed her here.
Within that place existed someone special, someone who met her standards and would agree to form a contract with her.
As a unique lifeform, the intuition of fairies was frighteningly accurate.
To exaggerate slightly, one might even say they could see fate itself.
The castle before her was Castle Morne.
Compared to the past, Castle Morne had changed dramatically.
Now functioning as a camp, it continuously received new Tarnished, and its population had grown far beyond anything it once was.
The castle itself was full once more.
Even the open ground outside its walls had been covered with barracks and temporary structures, forming a brand-new settlement.
The fairy locked onto a direction and instantly teleported into a room within the castle.
Inside, Irina sat quietly in a chair, clutching a Sacred Seal in her hands.
With another cast, a radiant Golden Order sigil appeared upon the floor.
Irina wished to be able to help Lucian, so she never allowed herself to slacken in training or study.
But unfortunately, she knew very well that such hopes were unrealistic.
Lucian's growth was simply too fast.
Not to mention that she was blind and could never step onto the battlefield, her modest healing abilities would hardly make a difference.
The fairy appeared before Irina, circling her twice before nodding in satisfaction.
This human possessed a certain trait that was impossible to ignore.
A trait that could draw the attention of certain gods.
At first, when Irina heard the sound of wings beating inside the room, she didn't pay much attention, assuming some insect had flown in.
Until a childish voice suddenly spoke beside her ear.
"Hello~ Would you be interested in making a contract with me?"
Irina jumped in fright, gripping her Sacred Seal tightly.
Someone had suddenly appeared inside her room?
Forcing herself to remain calm, she asked:
"Who are you? Why did you suddenly appear in my room?"
The fairy fluttered happily in the air.
"Hehe, don't be scared! I'm a kind and adorable fairy~"
"Oh… right. You can't see. It makes sense that you'd be frightened."
"In that case, think of this as a little preview."
The fairy stretched out her hand.
White spiritual power flowed out and slowly covered Irina's eyes.
Instantly, the surrounding environment appeared inside Irina's mind.
Irina stood up in shock.
She waved her hands blindly, completely unaccustomed to the sudden sensation of sight.
For a normal person, the adjustment would have been even harder, because the perspective she now perceived was 360 degrees around her body.
But for someone who had never seen anything before, Irina quickly accepted the strange vision.
"If you sign the contract with me, I can help you even more."
"You'll gain power you've never had before, and a completely different future."
Irina looked at the fairy's tiny form and fell silent in thought.
"A contract…"
"…then what is the price?"
—
[T/N: Fairies in Elden Ring]
Lore discussions suggest the spirit world is real and populated by fairies, with connections to characters like Renna (the Dusk-Eyed Queen), who is speculated to be a "Blue Fairy." These entities are seen as powerful, ancient beings tied to the origins of the world, the Erdtree, and the gods, reinforcing the idea that fairies in Elden Ring are not whimsical creatures but profound, often dangerous, spiritual forces.
The Blue Dancer Charm depicts a fairy who, according to legend, bestowed a flowing sword upon the Blind Swordsman, enabling him to seal away the God of Rot. The charm's description explicitly states the dancer in blue represents a fairy, linking her directly to this pivotal myth. This fairy is often theorized to be the spirit of the Siofra River, as "Siofra" means "fairy" in Old Irish, and the river's flowing waters symbolize the key to defeating stagnation and rot.
Though not a traditional fairy, Malenia embodies a dark, monstrous interpretation of the fairy archetype. Emerging from a rotting blossom with tangled wings, she is a terrifying, immortal being whose very existence defies the typical "sweet" fairy trope. She is a champion of Miquella, but in gameplay, she stands as a formidable, independent force, representing the horror and capriciousness often associated with ancient fairy lore.