Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Walk through the corridor.

What appeared in the embers' view was a prayer hall with a towering dome.

The sparse sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting dappled patterns of light into the prayer hall.

But this church is ultimately just a replica; it only reproduces the architecture, not the people.

For example, the giant judge in the prayer hall who is almost as tall as the dome, and the church spear that came to protect the princess.

Perhaps moved by the scene, Yu Jin stopped and took out a piece of jewelry covered in green rust from his pocket.

The Church Gun

Decorations featuring tender shoots adorned with green rust.

The buds are a motif of Princess Ferrenor.

Once equipped, you will become a sworn member of the "Church Spear".

The Church Spear is the guardian that protects the princess's peaceful slumber.

When criminals broke into the church, there were those who responded to the judge's summons.

They become the spirits of the oath, embarking on a mission to hunt.

(This item will be automatically summoned when equipped)

The spirit of the oath, being the spear of the church, will be granted protection.

Possessing the oath of the "Church Gun" means that he, too, fought for that princess.

It's not for protection, but for liberation.

To liberate the princess who is sealed in the Ringed City, whose release can only come at the end of the world.

No need for Ariana to lead the way.

Ember looked toward the archway on the left at the end of the prayer hall and walked straight through it.

Behind them was a spiral staircase leading upwards, and on the platform at the top of the staircase was an extinguished campfire.

Wow!

A tiny flame slowly rose from the ashes, restoring some warmth to the long-cooled campfire.

Yu Jin calmly withdrew his hand and looked to the right side of the platform—

At the end of the corridor, there is an elevator room that leads directly to Ferrenor's bedroom.

Boom!

Step on the circular stone slab in the center of the disc, amidst a rumbling friction sound.

The elevator was activated, and the disc slowly rose.

Once the disc reaches the top floor, the spire, frozen in the twilight, also comes into view in the embers' sight.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Jin climbed the stairs to the top of the tower and arrived at the tightly closed door.

Rumble!

With a heavy, clanging sound, the door was slowly pushed open, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Through the crevice, the embers saw a princess.

The princess, dressed in a pristine white gown and clutching a giant egg with a broken shell, is now in an eternal slumber.

"Felene".

Yu Jin murmured softly, gazing at the girl's exquisite face, slightly lost in thought.

Although he knew it was just an oil painting and not the real Ferrenor, he still couldn't help but fall into memories.

Long ago, before the world had differentiated, it was shrouded in a great fog. Everywhere there were gray rocks, towering trees, and immortal ancient dragons.

Then, one day, the First Flame was lit. As the fire rose, the world began to change.

Heat and cold, life and death, light and darkness.

Then, several creatures born from the darkness were drawn to the fire and found the soul of the king around it: the first dead, Nit, the witch of Izalith, Gwyn, the Lord of the Sun, and his knights.

Having gained the king's power, they challenged the ancient dragons. Gwyn's lightning pierced through their rock-like scales, the witch's flames formed a storm, and Nit stirred up a deathly miasma. With the betrayal of Seath, the scaleless white dragon, the ancient dragons were ultimately defeated, and the Age of Fire began.

In Rodland, this is a well-known legend and a part of history.

But that's not the whole story.

Because those who found the King's Soul in the darkness were also tiny humans who were "unknown to anyone".

These insignificant humans, unknown to most, also participated in that dragon-hunting war that is etched in history!

As the victors of the Dragonhunter War, the Protoss reign supreme in Anor Londo, ruling the world.

The witches gained Izalis and attained a superior status.

Nitot governs all life and death in the natural world and beyond. He dwells in the deepest and darkest part of the giants' graveyard, and no one dares to set foot in his plane, not even a god.

Even Seath the White Dragon, a traitor among the ancient dragons, became a duke and related to Gwyn, the Sun King, receiving a share of Gwyn's Great Soul. He even brazenly conducted inhumane research within the Great Archives in his capacity as duke, hoping to gain immortality.

They all got everything they wanted, except for humanity.

Humans were also victors in the dragon-hunting war and made indelible contributions to it, yet they remain 'unknown'.

Because their reward is the Ringed City! The very place of the apocalypse!

It is a place of exile created by the gods for the dwarves! It is a walled, isolated city!

Exile alone is far from enough to completely eradicate the influence of the dwarves.

The dwarves' achievements, their contributions to the Dragon Hunt, and even the traces of their existence were completely erased the moment they entered the Ringed City, and they became 'unknown' ever since!

Even so, the gods still placed many seals on the dwarves who entered the Ringed City!

Not only the dwarves themselves, but their weapons, their armor, and everything they knew were sealed with fire!

And the reason for all this is exactly as Cass said:

King Gwyn deeply feared the darkness. He worried that the fire would be extinguished, feared those who belonged to the darkness, and worried that a Dark Lord might be born among mankind, fearing the cycle of fate. Therefore, he continually passed on the fire, commanding his children to lead and bind mankind, making them forget everything, live in a daze, and prevent the birth of a Dark Lord!

Cass is undoubtedly a fraud, but a clever one.

He will not deceive you with mere lies, but will guide the immortals with the truth, leading them to the path He desires.

Gwyn was indeed deeply afraid of the darkness, so he exiled the dwarves to the Ringed City and placed a fire seal on everything about them, making humanity forget their former king and the great deeds of their ancestors who had participated in the dragon-hunting war!

Just as described for the Dragon Head Shield:

In the past, the Ringed Knights were at the request of the gods.

Join the ranks of dragon hunters,

However, their achievements will never be praised.

When the dwarves were exiled to the Ringed City, when everything they owned was sealed with fire and all traces of their presence in Lordran were erased, perhaps the only thing that could bring them solace was Princess Felene, the youngest daughter of the Sun King.

The Ringed City is the site of the end times, a place of exile created by the gods for the dwarves, but the dwarves are unaware of this. They naively believe that the Ringed City is a paradise like Izalith, a reward given to them by the gods in recognition of their achievements.

Perhaps to mislead the dwarves, Gwyn, the Sun King, bestowed upon them the Ringed City along with his youngest daughter.

[Special Envoy's Small Ring Flag]

[The small ringed flag used by the special envoys of the ancient King Gwen.]

Hold this object high in front of the circular rock wall, and porters will come.

It is said that the Great King will bring the end of the world to the city of Ringed Seals.

He gifted it, along with his beloved youngest daughter, to the dwarf who possessed the dark soul.

This is proof that one day I will go to meet her.

Ferrenor may have known the truth, which is why the Sun King promised to meet her one day.

But it was all just a lie.

Until the end of the world, the gods failed to fulfill their promise.

And Gwyn, the Sun King, may never have intended to fulfill his promise.

Gwyn was a king, but certainly not a hero.

Perhaps the moment he gave his youngest daughter to the dwarf, he had already foreseen Felene's fate—

Upon learning the truth, the dwarves, in a fit of rage, brutally murdered her, the youngest daughter of the Sun King.

However, none of this happened.

The dwarfs were furious when they learned the truth, and their hearts were perhaps filled with resentment.

That's why the Ringed Knights removed their helmets, donned black cloths stained with the abyss's patina, and covered their eyes with even more layers. This was their feeble resistance against the gods, a way to prevent the seal of fire from annihilating everything unseen.

Even so, they still genuinely loved and supported Princess Ferrenor.

Even at the end of the world, even after the slave knight Gael slaughtered all the dwarf kings, the dwarf king who survived the slaughter with his legs cut off still struggled to crawl towards Felenenor's palace, trying to seek redemption from the princess.

And what about Ferrenol?

Perhaps she harbored resentment towards her father who abandoned her?

Yet she continued to fulfill her duties and keep her promise to the gods.

She sacrificed her life to seal away the darkness that Gwyn feared, and fell into a deep slumber.

As a descendant of the immortal ancient dragon, Midil faithfully guarded her side, devouring the overflowing darkness, until he himself was consumed by the darkness and suffered greatly.

Even though she was betrayed and abandoned, even though the gods had long since vanished, she still fulfilled her mission.

She had already done everything she could for the gods.

All that remains is redemption.

With a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, Yu Jin gently reached out and touched the giant egg in the girl's arms.

Click! Click!

The eggshell shattered into pieces the moment it was touched, eventually collapsing like a building. It tore into pieces on the girl's long dress, revealing the deep darkness inside the pale eggshell, a stark contrast to its white exterior.

A holy light then shone forth, illuminating the entire room and enveloping Ember's body.

Ariana was standing outside the gate.

The light was just a step away from her, yet it couldn't leave the room.

She watched all of this unfold calmly; everything was the same as last time, seemingly unchanged.

"My king, please accept everything I have."

The girl's gentle voice rang in Yu Jin's ears, and Yu Jin slowly raised his head.

The blind princess smiled and reached her hand towards his head, warm flames flowing from her palm into the embers' body. That was the King's Soul, one of the nine parts of the King's Soul.

It was a parting gift that Yu Jin had personally given her, and now it was simply being returned to its rightful owner.

Ariana stood quietly at the door.

When the light faded, she returned to the room.

The interior layout remained unchanged, with a huge painting depicting an incomparably beautiful young woman. In her arms, she held a giant egg that was somewhat broken but largely intact.

Ember, who had just entered the room, had already disappeared without a trace.

Everything seemed to have returned to its original state, without any change.

Ariana gripped the doorframe, seemingly wanting to close it and leave.

But just then, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint smile on the lips of the girl in the painting.

Ariana's expression shifted slightly, for this time seemed different.

But she still did nothing.

I simply closed the door calmly, letting everything return to normal.

She retraced her steps, went down the stairs, and took the elevator back to the lower level.

Through the corridor guarded by knight statues, she saw the extinguished campfire at the end of the stairs.

The burning just now seemed like a fleeting illusion.

The campfire remained cold, offering no warmth whatsoever.

Ariana tapped her chest four times clockwise and whispered:

"May the goddess bless you, my beloved."

She immediately went down the stairs and left the church.

The sun had already set, and the crimson moon had just peeked out, appearing somewhat dim under the cover of clouds and mist.

Suddenly, the crimson moonlight that illuminated the snow-covered ground outside the church deepened and intensified!

Ariana looked up and saw that the clouds and mist in the sky had dissipated, revealing a crimson moon, slightly more than a semicircle. Its outline quickly filled out, and in just a second or two, it became a full moon, a blood-red full moon!

"Blood Moon?"

Ariana's lips moved slightly, and she murmured to herself in slight surprise.

The goddess's title includes "Crimson Lord".

But Ariana knew that other beings were vying with the goddess for control of the Crimson Moon. Just like the blood moons that appeared from time to time, they weren't entirely under the goddess's control.

Your Excellency has visited the Church of the Night almost every day for the past few months, so why did a blood moon appear today of all days?

Ariana was puzzled, but then suddenly looked down the mountain as if she had a sudden realization.

There, a figure clad in tattered armor was climbing the mountain step by step, arriving at the church amidst the swirling snow.

The tranquil church under the night sky is exceptionally beautiful, perfectly complementing the red moon hanging high in the sky, coldly illuminating the earth.

But He had no interest in appreciating the beautiful scenery. He merely glanced at the cemetery next to the church, where a stone coffin lay, its lid long since lifted, revealing its empty interior. He shifted his gaze from the bonfire in the cemetery, which still burned quietly even amidst the swirling snow, and calmly looked towards the church ahead.

At the entrance of the tranquil church, a figure had appeared in His sight without Him noticing.

She was a woman with ordinary features, dark eyes, wearing a simple long robe, a bark belt, and long, black hair. She was barefoot and unshoes.

Ariana, Abbot of the Night Monastery, leader of the ascetics, secret servant, earthly angel.

Good evening, Your Excellency.

Ariana looked up at the tall figure before her and greeted him softly.

He remained silent, simply gazing calmly at the woman before him, before slowly speaking after a moment:

"Take me to the world of painting."

"good,"

Ariana nodded slightly and said, "Your Excellency, please follow me."

He followed quietly behind Ariana, through the tranquil church, into the familiar yet unfamiliar building.

We were greeted by kneeling knight statues as we entered the prayer hall.