Chapter 25
Lately, Edgar began hearing troubling news from Irina: she had started hearing a voice; her eyes began to feel a strange warmth guiding her somewhere.
At first, the whispers seemed distant, and the warmth illusory, almost phantom-like. But over time, these sensations became far more distinct. Edgar realized they had a serious problem when his daughter brought him a pair of eyes she found in her quarters.
Eyes who belonged to someone unknown.
"The voice said they were Shabriri's 'grapes'? You didn't eat them, did you?!"
A cold chill ran down Edgar's spine. Of course, he remembered the words of the noble Tarnished! Both of them did!
"They seemed so tempting, father..."
He was sure his daughter squinted beneath her blindfold, barely holding herself back. Her voice carried an unsettling excitement, betraying how much she wanted to try them.
Edgar grew even more nervous. The loathsome gatekeeper, Gostoc, who had "come with the territory" from the former lord, wasn't helping.
"Maybe we knock her out until the lord gets back?" Gostoc offered casually.
Irina froze. Edgar widened his eyes in shock at such a straightforward suggestion.
Meeting Edgar's glare, Gostoc quickly realized his idea was doomed to fail.
"Suit yourselves," the gatekeeper shrugged.
Gostoc was of the opinion that if they didn't want to use reliable methods, that was their business. They'd only have themselves to blame later.
Thankfully, they didn't need to resort to forceful means: news soon arrived of another inspiring feat by the Tarnished—the fall of the Academy of Raya Lucaria and the acquisition of a second Great Rune. Just days after the news of the sorcerers bowing to the throne's claimant, Konstantin returned.
Knowing of the Tarnished's return, Gostoc and Edgar ensured that Stormveil Castle welcomed its lord properly: the perpetually crumbling fortress was patched up (again), tidied (again), and the servants were forced to memorize a special greeting. There was still trouble with sewing new clothes, but knights bearing surcoats adorned with the Sun's emblem were beginning to appear—perfect candidates for the front lines of the greeting party.
It bears to mention that as organizers, they weren't the worst. The servants... well, many of them were only "alive" in the loosest sense, so an uncooperative populace was out of the question!
Even in a half-dead world devoid of the concept of true death, there were silver linings to be found!
Gostoc, Edgar, and Irina dressed in garments displaying the Sun. They looked surprisingly good, thanks to their new tailor, who, despite his... peculiar appearance, was a true master of his craft.
Speaking of which, a nervous Boc hid among the soldiers, too shy to step forward due to his misshapen form but eager to catch a glimpse of the lord he'd heard about from the maid.
Everything was supposed to go perfectly.
Unfortunately, they didn't account for the peculiarities of the Tarnished himself.
Gostoc and Edgar would long remember Konstantin's face as he arrived, accompanied by some escaped convict. Seeing the joyous crowd, the Tarnished froze, muttered "I see," and seemed utterly drained.
It appeared that being surrounded by casuals had sapped the last of his energy.
A demi-human enthusiastically clapped his hands but quickly stopped upon realizing he was the only one reacting.
Boc wished he could disappear into the ground.
Idiot, idiot, idiot... Ugly idiot...
"It's heartening to see such loyal servants," Corhyn said, clasping his hands in a prayerful gesture.
The awkward silence persisted.
How Corhyn could see with his blindfold on remained an open question for the curious. Then again, the Tarnished were never ordinary people. Perhaps the blindfold was just transparent?
Edgar, visibly growing more irate, was about to shout, but Gostoc took it upon himself to break the tension with a shrill cry:
"NOW GREET YOUR GLORIOUS SUN-FACED LORD, YOU SLUGS!"
Of course, the startled knights had no choice but to comply:
"Praise the Sun!"
"Praise the Sun!"
"Praise the Sun!"
"...Sun... praise..."
A giant with a massive sword on his shoulder bellowed,
"PRAISE THE SUN!!!"
The shout nearly sent Boc flying.
Corhyn, listening to the mix of half-dead cries and uneven shouts, scratched his head.
"The Sun?" the cleric asked, confused.
"Praise the Sun, and then joy," (1) Konstantin replied indifferently.
His thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
Corhyn gave an awkward smile, not fully understanding. What puzzled him even more was that neither Gostoc nor Edgar seemed fazed.
"We're glad you're in good spirits, my lord," the gatekeeper said slyly.
Unfortunately, no one bothered to clarify things for Corhyn. The servants, having fulfilled their task, simply dispersed and returned to their tasks.
The curse required constant vigilance over the castle to ensure swift repairs, prevent creatures from invading from the hills, tend to sewing projects, plaster their lord's banner everywhere in sight, and maintain the gardens...
In short, there was plenty to do. The celebration clearly hadn't gone as planned.
Boc, still too afraid to approach his new lord, scurried off to tend to his own tasks, which had only increased with Konstantin's arrival.
Visually sizing up the man's proportions, the tailor was ready to get to work!
Before long, Konstantin heard about the appearance of some malevolent spirit haunting Irina. Or whatever it was.
Truth be told, Edgar felt immense relief when he saw their lord spring into action. He felt even more reassured upon realizing that the escaped convict was actually a priest versed in true incantations of the Golden Order who could help heal his daughter.
Edgar was convinced that the Tarnished, though not the most social, was still a compassionate and caring man. He could stop worrying about his daughter.
At least, he wanted to believe that.
"I hate to say this, but... I cannot heal your eyes."
Irina reflexively blinked and then shrugged.
She was used to it.
"Why not?"
Surprisingly, Edgar was the first to ask. Konstantin remained silent, scanning the surroundings.
The man's gaze, now realizing the danger his waifu had been in during his absence, took on the intensity of a hungry wolf.
"Her eyes are physically healthy," the cleric said with a sheepish smile. "I cannot heal what is already whole."
Edgar frowned.
"Then why can't she see?"
At first glance, Irina's eyes seemed perfectly fine: light green, bright, and vibrant. Anyone who looked into them would never suspect she was blind.
Unfortunately, the commandant's daughter had her own opinion on the matter.
Corhyn was about to answer, but Irina spoke up instead:
"He called me Hyetta.(2) I almost believed him... I-I'm sorry..."
The more Irina thought about what had happened, the more frightened she became. And the more ashamed she felt: the noble Tarnished had warned her, urged her to be cautious.
Yet she had almost fallen for someone's (or something's) tricks.
The priest struggled to suppress his emotions: in his own time, a malevolent entity had tried to tempt him in a similar manner, urging him to betray the Golden Order. But he had passed the test of faith.
Now, this same test awaited a young, innocent maiden. Corhyn could only pray for her soul.
Or not.
"I'll stay here for a while."
The cold, utterly emotionless voice of the tryhard, which boded nothing good for the offender of the waifu, made the priest flinch.
Quests had proven inevitable enough to threaten ruining his entire playthrough. There was no way he would let that happen, dammit, not under any circumstances!
"Konstantin, I don't think you'll be able to do anythi—"
"During my first Sekiro playthrough, I mistakenly cleared out the entire Mibu Village(3) before advancing the main story," Kosta declared sternly. "You can, and should, kill incorporeal beings with iron. The key is to break their poise. The Corrupted Monk taught me that well. The over-leveled asset reuse didn't scare me one bit after that…"
Edgar and Corhyn exchanged glances.
Irina remained seated, still and, in a way, serene. Her heart felt surprisingly warm: before this, only her father had shown her such care. She had already been grateful for all the kindness this strange Tarnished had shown her, but now she realized he hadn't forgotten about her even after everything else.
"I'll follow you and do everything in my power to accomplish this mission!" Corhyn declared selflessly, unexpectedly performing the Prayer(4) gesture as he knelt on one knee.
However, the devotee of the Golden Order soon began to doubt his decision.
The Sun. At first, Corhyn thought it symbolized the Golden Order. Many scholarly minds (loremasters) believed so, equating the Greater Will directly with the sun, which represented all things golden. The light that seemed to emanate imperceptibly from the eyes of one who had lost grace long ago reminded him of the radiance of grace.
And that was true—but only partly, it seemed, as Corhyn was about to realize. Suddenly, like a lightning bolt, it dawned on the ardent follower of the Golden Order that he was following someone who advocated a different teaching.
He had thought the sun was merely an interpretation of the Erdtree. The light of grace. But it turned out the Sun was the object of worship itself. Corhyn's heart froze with fear.
He needed answers, which greatly benefited the women watching from the sidelines.
Melina had been pondering for days how to carefully broach the subject of the doctrine her chosen one was inadvertently spreading throughout the Lands Between. She needed to bring it up somehow to find peace of mind.
But, after all this time, she couldn't simply start interrogating him out of the blue. Her chosen one had spoken of the Sun from the very beginning, and it was her fault she hadn't taken it seriously enough.
No. Not just her. The blame also lay with a certain sleepy witch! And speaking of witches, of course, Melina was also concerned about the ring. Well, maybe not as much as Konstantin's teachings… or perhaps just slightly less…
Anyway, it didn't matter.
"Are you listening to me?" Melina quietly asked Ranni.
"…"
"…Ranni?"
"…yes…"
For the first time, Melina saw the doll yawn. So sweetly and lazily that the false Finger Maiden felt like yawning herself, even though she hadn't needed sleep in a long time.
Ranni had spent too much energy on her last "prank" for Konstantin, succumbing to her emotions. She needed rest. Unfortunately, there were still a few unfinished tasks she had to resolve before allowing herself to sleep.
At times, Ranni envied Melina's peculiar form of existence, seemingly free of the shortcomings of her own incorporeality.
As usual, all they could do was watch and wait.
Corhyn didn't last long. Constantly seeing soldiers pass by clad in the Sun's regalia (and their numbers visibly increasing!), hearing legends and prayers emerge before his very eyes, and finally, witnessing the strange light in Konstantin's eyes—less and less reminiscent of the Golden Order's glow—the priest snapped.
Time, frozen in the stagnant world, gradually resumed its flow.
"I'd like to talk with you, Konstantin."
Corhyn shrank, like a child before someone large and frightening. In recent days, Konstantin had changed imperceptibly: his gait was different, his body language had shifted, and he now always kept a sword within arm's reach, scrutinizing every suspicious—or not so suspicious—stone.
It seemed he could parry even the wind if needed, and if not for his self-imposed promise not to use true parries until meeting someone important, he might have already done so.
No dodges. He hadn't dodged even once, nor did he seem to consider it necessary. The man had even stopped unequipping his armor!
Melina was beginning to think her chosen one was sick.
Any day now, and a strand of his hair might turn gray…
"I'm listening."
Corhyn flinched.
Even the Tarnished's voice had changed, becoming colder and more businesslike. Not indifferent and bored anymore—focused.
The direct threat to the waifu, who couldn't defend herself, had affected him far too deeply…
"I… I'd like to hear more about… the Sun…"
"Be specific."
"Oh, yes… yes… I… As you know, I'm a priest studying the mysteries of the Golden Order… and I'd like to know the details of this other… doctrine… for… for general knowledge, yes…"
Peeking from behind cover, Melina sighed deeply, feeling her hand reach toward her face.
Ranni yawned.
Corhyn's question seemed to throw Kosta off his rhythm. For a moment, the man froze, resembling… well, himself.
"What details?"
Now it was Corhyn who froze.
What details, indeed?..
"Maybe… rituals?"
"There aren't really any rituals."
They were made up on the spot!..
"Perhaps some rules?"
"There aren't really any rules."
"Laws?"
Konstantin shrugged, not knowing how to respond. Corhyn felt increasingly disheartened.
The fanatical priest was offended: how could a budding cult have no foundation?!
Melina, of course, was equally outraged by such carelessness!..
How did her chosen one plan to promote his Outer God like this?! Sure, he was doing great so far, but he needed to think about the future! Things didn't happen on their own!..
For a moment, Corhyn's and Melina's thoughts seemed to synchronize.
"Ugh… Fine… then… what's the Sun's ideology?"
Kosta casually shrugged, pulled a helmet from a place only he knew, put it on, and raised his arms to the Sun, pouring thousands of meanings into his gesture.
And none at all.
\[T]/
Standing next to Melina, Ranni showed no reaction to the scene, occasionally raising her doll head and lowering it again.
She was having the hardest time of all.
Corhyn felt something snap in his head. The fanatical priest slumped, his voice barely audible.
"N-nothing at all?.."
"Why not?" Kosta shrugged again, sending the helmet back. "You just find the meaning yourself. No one limits or forces you into anything."
The now-hopeless Corhyn froze. And not just the priest—Melina as well.
Ranni yawned.
"Limits or forces you into anything?"
Konstantin unexpectedly allowed himself a small smile. He genuinely believed what he was about to say.
And both Melina and Corhyn could feel it. Ranni—not as much. But she yawned again, perhaps a touch more thoughtfully this time.
"I see the Sun as a symbol of hope. Hope that no matter how hard things may be for you, there will always be a ray of light waiting for you at the end. Even in the darkest and gloomiest world. And if it doesn't exist—then you'll be the one to create it."
By burning yourself to fucking ash. (5)
Apparently satisfied with his explanation, the man snapped back into combat readiness.
He needed to hurry back to Irina, who was beginning to draw a lot of attention, to ensure nothing bad happened to her.
The attempt by a follower of the ending of destruction to harm his waifu had finally solidified in Kosta's mind what he would have to do when he reached the Three Fingers.
But first, he had to catch a rat.
Corhyn remained rooted to the spot, stunned by the man's words. Hidden from view, Melina turned to Ranni.
"What do you think?"
The lunar demigoddess blinked sleepily before giving a brief nod, dissolving into a starry burst of light. The only sound Melina heard from the departing Ranni was a faint, otherworldly yawn.
Melina pursed her lips.
"You're not interested in my opinion?"
The ironic question came from Sellen, concealed within her usual layered robes.
It was ignored.
The one least troubled by everything merely chuckled, repeating in her trademark dismissive tone:
"What a mess. Hasn't anyone ever told you that you all overcomplicate things too much?"
The fact that the jealous Finger Maiden—intentionally or not—seemed to be keeping her away from the Tarnished only amused her more.
Did they not know that fate favored the patient? Oh no, she wouldn't be shaken off so easily.
Not long after, Shabriri, the follower of the Frenzied Flame, resurfaced.
And he really shouldn't have.
(1) In Elden Ring, players can leave messages for one another. Due to the mechanics, full-fledged messages can't be written; instead, pre-set phrases are chosen, often leading to absurd but amusing results. You might come across something straightforward like "Strong foe ahead," or stumble upon gems like "If only I had a giant… But hole?" often paired with the phantom of a player nodding contemplatively. The context is determined solely by the situation—or sometimes, there's no context at all.
(2) Hyetta is a character who appears in place of Irina, the girl dreaming of becoming a Finger Maiden. But not for the Two Fingers. Same appearance, same attire—whoever Hyetta is, she replaces Irina. Some say Hyetta continues Irina's quest, but unfortunately, they are separate characters with distinct goals. Why does Hyetta appear? Is there anything of Irina left within Hyetta, or is she entirely independent? Is there a direct link between Hyetta and Shabriri? The brilliant game designers don't elaborate. So, I'll take the liberty of interpreting the available information my way.
(3) A location in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, filled with spirits… and hostile roosters. As in all Souls-likes, players can stumble into areas too early and get wrecked. However, exceptions exist, like players who rush through everything without realizing the difficulty spike, bulldozing their way to the end, only to wonder why clearing Ashina Castle—meant to be tackled first—felt like a breeze. ಠ_ಠ ಥ_ಥ
(4) A gesture taught by a priest upon introduction.
(5) One of the possible endings for the Dark Souls series.