Section Forty-Five · Because You Are Surtr

Good. It seemed the only way to solve this problem was to carry her in my arms.

Miss Surtr scooped her up by the backs of her knees, while one of her arms naturally draped around Surtr's neck. The girl buried her little head in Surtr's chest, and then she continued upward.

She had the distinct feeling that something was wrong.

Her heart seemed to be beating a little too fast, but it seemed that the heart beating so quickly was not her own—which she did not quite understand. All she knew was that the girl in her arms seemed to have become somewhat withdrawn.

She still had no answer to this question by the time she reached the entrance to Firelink Shrine and saw the Fire Keeper, who had already returned to her dignified appearance.

"You have finally arrived, Ashen One."

She watched as the Fire Keeper bowed deeply to her.

Then she noticed that the corner of the Fire Keeper's forehead seemed to twitch—the Fire Keeper was not blind, and she had seen Yelena in her arms.

She did not see Yelena quickly raise her head and sweep the Fire Keeper with an appraising gaze.

Section Forty-Five: Because You Are Surtr

Tens of thousands of years ago, in Lordran.

On the final battlefield of the First Flame.

The mighty corpse of the Sun King crashed to the ground. The last Remnant Fire surged into the sword and hand of the red-haired visitor. Brilliant flames erupted from the blazing Coiled Sword, while sparks gradually appeared throughout her long red hair.

It was over. The final battle that would end the old era and usher in a new one had drawn to a close. Now, there was only one thing left to do.

"And so, the world will continue." The Flame-haired maiden gently clenched her fist, feeling and restraining the King Souls and flames inside her that were nearly overflowing. She was not the only vessel, but she was the only successful one. She alone had succeeded in containing the souls of the kings and reaching this place—and she had come from another world.

...Surtr.

She turned her head and looked at the only companion by her side. The Sun Warrior known as Solaire was silent now. They both knew perfectly well why.

"Is there any wish you have that I can fulfill?" came the Sun Warrior's question from beneath his bucket helm.

"A wish? What wish could someone like me have... If I had to name one, Solaire, it would be for you to live well. You deserve a beautiful life in the new era. Hmm... If you have the time, go visit Clara for me. I left without saying goodbye, and I do feel a little sorry about that... I wouldn't want to find her dead alone in some unknown corner the next time I went out."

"...I don't want to see you outside the kiln. Surtr, that would be too cruel a fate for either of us."

"You certainly won't see me, but that doesn't mean I won't necessarily see her. Even the great King Gwyn will one day burn away, so I will inevitably meet the same fate—the flames will die out once more, and a new heir will kindle them again. Through the countless cycles of linking the fire, one day even the Ashen One who has burned once will be awakened again. Then I will return to this world and fulfill my mission once more."

"...That day will never come. I swear it."

"What are you swearing for?" The Flame-haired Woman waved her hand and laughed helplessly. "You are neither a king nor a sage. You are only a warrior. There is no need for you to think about such complicated things."

The air suddenly fell silent. She watched him, and he watched the burning fire. The power of the King Souls seethed restlessly within the vessel, yet was suppressed by an absolute will.

"Then let's make a bet." The Sun Warrior's voice rose again. He reached into his robes and took out a talisman he carried with him, then tossed it toward the girl. She caught it casually.

"What kind of bet?" the girl asked.

But the warrior did not answer directly.

"Give me your eye cover," he said, pointing at the ornament hanging from the girl's waist. "You never use it anyway. You might as well leave it with me as a keepsake."

"...What a strange preference. But if you want it, take it." The girl casually tossed the eye cover over, then continued with the previous subject. "What next? What's the bet?"

The warrior laughed heartily.

"You'll find out someday."

With that, he turned and walked toward the outside of the First Flame.

"Then... farewell forever, Surtr, my friend. May we never meet again."

His steps were heavy yet resolute.

There was no place for pleas to stay or unnecessary words.

"Mm. May we never meet again." The girl nodded slightly and watched her last companion in this world gradually disappear into the distance.

Now, she was alone in the First Flame. It was time to begin the final task.

She released her restraints and allowed the swelling King Souls to scatter from her body. The tranquil First Flame trembled in waves. From the ground, from the sky, from every inch observable to sentient beings, unrestrained, pure flames erupted wildly.

"How long can I burn?"

She said this, and flames burst outward from every pore of her body. They engulfed the earth, the sky, everything within the First Flame.

Distant memories surfaced in her mind, and details she had once forgotten appeared in her awareness. In the end, everything seemed to converge into one and became fixed upon the piece of armor she had given away as a keepsake.

I see.

So that was what it meant.

Could that bet from back then actually have meant this?

You lost, Solaire.

Surtr reached into her robes and took out the talisman. Even after countless years, the writing on it remained just as it had on that old keepsake. Even after enduring the First Flame's long burning, it had neither broken nor been destroyed.

Then she raised her head and looked at the Fire Keeper before her.

"So, have you been waiting for me all this time?" she asked softly.

"Yes. I have been waiting for you all this time, Your Majesty." The Fire Keeper inclined her head and responded gently.

Yelena fidgeted uneasily in her arms. Surtr glanced at the frost-covered girl and, realizing that she seemed to want to escape her embrace, placed Yelena on the ground. She had thought Yelena would fall, but the girl stood even more steadily than expected.

She heard Yelena ask the Fire Keeper before them,

"Why 'Your Majesty'?"

But the Fire Keeper did not answer. She simply raised her head in silence and looked at her—looked at Surtr.

"Why?" Surtr repeated Yelena's question.

"Because you were the first Lord of Cinder. After the Sun King, the ancestor of the old gods, you were the first human to inherit the First Flame. Fourteen thousand years ago, Ancestor Emperor Solaire unified the continent of Lordran. After establishing the kingdom of Lothric, he made the Pact of Fire Succession. From then on, two forms of Royal Authority existed on the earth at the same time. One belonged to the ruler of humankind, and the other to the heir of the flames. You were the first—and the only one acknowledged by all the gods, kings, and heroes."

Surtr opened and closed her mouth.

Good. I think I finally understand why I skipped directly from the first game to the third instead of ever reaching Dark Souls II... Emperor Solaire of Lothric... Well done. You really became a king. I never should have said the words 'Lothric' back then!

"You call Solaire your ancestor..." she said hesitantly.