Sick Village

Xia Tong looked at Melina and found that she seemed to be lost in thought.

She was staring blankly at Marika's statue, complex emotions showing in her one remaining eye.

Xia Tong gently patted her half-physical shoulder, and she finally snapped out of it.

"Yes, this is a Sacred Tear."

"How do I use it?" Xia Tong asked.

"Just place the tear into the Flask of Crimson Tears. They were originally of the same source."

Xia Tong did as she said.

As the golden-red crystal slid into the bottle's mouth—

"Zzz—"

There was no sound of liquid splashing, as though water and milk had blended together.

The instant it touched the remaining liquid at the bottom, the entire Flask of Crimson Tears began to shake violently. Its body heated rapidly until it became scorching hot.

The ancient patterns on the flask's surface seemed to have been reforged, lighting up with dazzling golden radiance and becoming more intricate and profound.

At the same time, the other Cerulean Tear Flask seemed to answer the call, letting out a resonant hum.

An invisible bond formed between the two flasks, and both flashed with sacred light.

Once the glow faded, Xia Tong gave the bottle in his hand a shake.

The amount of liquid had not increased.

Yet he could clearly feel that the life energy contained in every drop had become richer and purer.

The Flask of Crimson Tears had been enhanced.

"What's that?"

Xia Tong pointed at the roll of parchment beside the statue.

With a flick of her hand, Melina drew the parchment into her grasp.

"This is an incantation book: Frenzied Flame."

Melina explained, a trace of disgust in her tone.

Xia Tong took the incantation book, gave it no further look, and put it away in his pack.

What use did prayer have for someone without faith?

After leaving Carl's Baptism Church, Xia Tong's group continued along the route marked on the map.

Before long, a ruined village appeared ahead.

Before they could even get close, several squeaking, crazed rats charged at Xia Tong.

But the Spirit Ashes made quick work of them.

When he entered the village, the door of one dilapidated house creaked open.

A figure rushed out from inside before Xia Tong could see its face clearly.

Xia Tong instinctively dodged to the side, then turned and kicked it.

Bang!

The figure fell to the ground.

Only then did Xia Tong see that it was hunched over and sickly-looking.

A bright yellow glow shone from its eyes, making it look like a walking corpse.

It resembled a mummified corpse drained of all moisture, its skin stretched tightly over its bones. The sight was revolting.

This person had been infected by the Frenzied Flame too.

A chill ran through Xia Tong.

For the first time, he found the Frenzied Flame utterly disgusting.

Because this time, he had personally witnessed what the Frenzied Flame did to living people.

Unable to bear watching him suffer any longer, Xia Tong pierced his throat with one thrust of his sword and granted him release.

Continuing onward, he reached the village square.

There were still several walking corpses here, including elderly people who had turned into crazed villagers.

Xia Tong ended each of their suffering.

Only then did he look toward the bonfire at the center.

Calling it a bonfire was inaccurate. The flames inside had long since burned out, leaving only gray-black embers.

At the center of the fire pit stood a post.

Tied to the top of the post were three or four villagers bound tightly together.

An old man, a child, and two adults.

They had been burned beyond recognition.

But from their twisted bodies and their sickening postures of struggle, it was clear that they had endured tremendous agony before death.

A nameless fury surged up from Xia Tong's chest.

He drew the Lordsworn's Straight Sword and slashed viciously at the post!

Crack!

The post immediately shattered, and the scorched corpses fell from above.

"Lord Xia Tong, what happened? You seem very angry."

Though Irina could not see, she was highly sensitive and could easily sense the emotions of those around her.

"Why were they infected by the Frenzied Flame?"

Xia Tong could not understand it, so he turned to Melina.

It had become instinctive for him: whenever he encountered something he did not understand, he asked Melina.

Irina tilted her head and listened as well.

She vaguely caught the words "Frenzied Flame." She had heard them from her father before. It was a cursed taboo.

But Melina did not answer Xia Tong's question directly. Instead, she asked him a question.

"Do you know the doctrine of the Frenzied Flame?"

"The doctrine of the Frenzied Flame is this: since living is so painful, it is better to burn everything away and return to the original chaos."

As Melina spoke, her voice remained steady, yet it seemed to suppress anger.

She held a deep-seated hatred for the Frenzied Flame, just like Xia Tong did at this moment, only far deeper.

"Did you notice the crazed villagers you killed earlier?"

"Their bodies were nearly withered, and their skin was ulcerated."

"It is not difficult to guess that the villagers had contracted some kind of plague."

"And the church we passed earlier was regarded by the villagers as a place of salvation."

"They dragged their diseased bodies up the mountain, accepted the baptism of holy water, and prayed for the Golden Order and Goddess Marika to cure their illness."

"But the Elden Ring had long been shattered, and the gods gave no answer."

"But wasn't there a Sacred Tear in that basin? I thought it might have helped them," Xia Tong asked.

"Xia Tong, you need to understand."

"Not everyone can gain the recognition of a Site of Grace."

"Nor can everyone see a Sacred Tear, much less touch one."

"You could see it and touch it only because you had gained the recognition of a Site of Grace."

"But they had not."

After spending so long with Melina, this was the first time she had addressed Xia Tong by name so seriously and told him all this.

At this moment, endless sorrow filled Melina's one eye.

So those despairing villagers had come into contact with the Frenzied Flame at Carl's Baptism Church and summoned it.

The nearby rats then ate the rotten flesh infected by the Frenzied Flame, causing them to become infected as well.

It had even given rise to that Giant Frenzied Flame Rat.

"The Frenzied Flame is, in essence, a kind of mental plague."

"If someone nearby is infected by the Frenzied Flame, then even looking directly into their eyes can infect you with it."

As Xia Tong and Melina spoke, another crazed villager suddenly lunged out of the grass.

"Cut off his limbs. Don't kill him. Move far away."

Melina suddenly ordered.

Xia Tong did not know what Melina intended, but he still did as she said.

With two swift slashes, he severed the villager's legs.

The villager could only crawl painfully across the ground.

Then Xia Tong saw the crazed villager convulse violently.

His upper body then rose, and he howled toward the sky.

Bright yellow flames actually burst from his eyes!

Whoosh—!

Feeling the searing heat wave rushing toward them, Melina spoke again.

"Do you see that flame?"

"It is the form taken when the extreme pain and despair inside him are ignited."

Xia Tong had naturally seen this method of attack before.

There was a Frenzied Flame Village in Liurnia of the Lakes, where the flames spewed by the villagers were far more exaggerated and far fiercer than those of the Sick Village.

But even then, when Xia Tong had played the game, he had not felt much.

Yet now, witnessing the Frenzied Flame truly erupt from these villagers' eyes in reality, Xia Tong was shaken for a moment.

It was madness made tangible.

Even merely watching it, Xia Tong could sense his own emotions growing more irritable.

"Xia Tong, can you promise me something?"

"No matter what happens in the future, you must firmly stand against the Frenzied Flame."

Melina turned around and looked at Xia Tong.

Xia Tong stared into Melina's only open eye.

"I..."

Xia Tong was actually hesitant.

Because according to the strategy guides from his previous life, only by accepting the Frenzied Flame and then using Miquella's Needle to seal it within himself did there seem to be a solution that satisfied both sides.

He could preserve Melina's life without allowing the world to be destroyed.

But there had been no corresponding interaction when he played the game back then, and it had become one of his regrets.

Now that he had truly come to this world, Xia Tong was not sure whether he would still do that.

After all, he truly did not want Melina to use herself to ignite the Erdtree.

"I will, Melina."

Xia Tong gave an awkward smile, trying to hide it.

But Melina's eye seemed able to read Xia Tong's thoughts.

Expressionless, she said slowly,

"You're lying to me."

Xia Tong was speechless.

For a moment, he did not know how to answer.

What should I do? Need an answer fast. This is urgent!

{{{(>_<)}}}