The King's Twin Wings

Endless storms sliced through the already weakened Putrid Tree Spirit. It was as though the creature had fallen between spinning razors, its body scourged by the raging winds. Finally, the storm gathered behind it and became a slash powerful enough to tear space itself, cleaving the Tree Spirit in two from top to bottom.

"What..." The sudden turn of events left the Tarnished bewildered. Before his startled eyes, the Putrid Tree Spirit's enormous body crashed to the ground. Behind its corpse stood a silver-gray knight, wreathed in storm and wielding two swords.

"Oleg. So it was you."

Oleg, one of the twin wings who served the Storm Lord, was a warrior no army could withstand. During the battle at Stormveil long ago, Godfrey had fought their king in single combat, while the Tarnished had faced Oleg of the twin swords and the other wing, Engvall.

Even individually, they ranked among the finest warriors in all the Lands Between. Though they had ultimately fallen to the Tarnished, their names remained renowned. Both the Tarnished and Godfrey respected outstanding warriors, and someone had even sacrificed a leg to plead for these knights' lives. Thus, neither the two of them nor the other knights had been killed. What had become of them afterward, however, remained unknown.

Oleg stood tall and imposing amid the storm. Though he had long since died and was now only a spirit, his presence had lost none of its majesty.

"To think I'd run into you here. Must be fate." The Tarnished could feel that the Oleg before him was stronger than he currently was. Even as a spirit, Oleg retained sixty or seventy percent of his strength at his peak, while the Tarnished had recovered only forty or fifty percent of his own. Still, if he went all out, their chances of winning should be about even.

"..." Oleg stared at the Tarnished without a word. Perhaps, as a spirit, he could not speak even if he wanted to. Instead, he offered the Tarnished a knight's salute, holding both swords level before his chest as the storm swelled once more.

"Heh. Good. Very good!"

"If you want a fight, I'll see it through." The Tarnished's blood boiled, and his Blood Wolf form emerged once more. A savage aura flooded the entire tomb, confronting Oleg's storm.

"Come on!" The Tarnished became a streak of crimson light and collided with Oleg's storm, filling the tomb with terrifying force. Fortunately, the tomb was exceptionally sturdy. Otherwise, it would have collapsed long ago under the attacks of the Tree Spirit and Oleg.

The vicious twin swords struck like a storm, drawing sprays of blood as the Tarnished defended with his dragon claws. He let out a furious roar. The inhuman wolf's howl unleashed a powerful shock wave that disrupted Oleg's rhythm for an instant. In battles between masters, the smallest details often decided victory or defeat.

The Tarnished thrust a claw at Oleg, but Oleg stamped down and launched himself into the air. Then he crashed down from above, wrapped in storm. The floor split apart, and the Tarnished's legs sank deep into it.

"That's it. Now this is a fight!" The Tarnished lowered his guarding claws, allowing Oleg's slashes to descend. Seizing the opening, he clamped down on Oleg's wrists and sent him flying with a knee strike. Then he leaped after him, drove a brutal blow into Oleg's chest, and followed it with a heavy kick.

Oleg slammed into the wall. The Tarnished's fighting spirit had now reached its peak. Dropping onto all fours, he turned the blood from his wounds into a cloak once more and lunged at Oleg with a claw strike. Oleg reacted immediately, blocking the Tarnished's right claw with one sword while slashing at his outstretched left hand with the other.

Boom!

The storm and the Tarnished's murderous aura collided again. Seeing that neither attack had succeeded, both swiftly retreated. The next exchange... would decide the victor.

The Tarnished threw back his head and howled again, the bloody aura around him growing ever denser. Oleg's storm rose to new heights as well. The crimson storm and the gray storm collided at once. Oleg's twin swords pierced the Tarnished, while the Tarnished's dragon claws blasted a gaping hole through Oleg's body.

They remained locked like that for a long time, neither yielding. Finally, Oleg offered another salute. Then his knees slowly buckled, and he fell to the ground, dissolving into white mist.

"..." Bracing one hand against the wall, the Tarnished pulled out his Crystal Tear Flask with the other and gulped down its contents. Only after some time did the bleeding from his chest stop. Once he released his Blood Wolf form, exhaustion washed over him.

"Whew... pushed myself a little too hard." He shook his dizzy head and regained control of his body. "Whatever happens, I need some rest. This body can't take it anymore. I really am getting old." Back in the day, even fighting two dragons alone had never left him this tired.

"I don't even have any descendants. Can't just drop dead like this." Just as he was about to put away the Crystal Tear Flask, a Golden Seed flew out of the Putrid Tree Spirit's corpse and into his flask.

"What's this thing flying around for? That's not sanitary." The Tarnished curled his lip in disgust. "Is finding your own home and flying straight into it the latest trend now?"

"Pretty clever, too..."

He staggered over to Oleg's urn. "You really had to get a fight in even after dying, huh? Talk about an obsession." The Tarnished did not know what had happened to Oleg and Engvall afterward, but Oleg's presence in this tomb suggested he had been treated fairly well. Engvall had probably received similar treatment.

Glancing at the tomb's nearby portal, the Tarnished finally remembered the Erdtree Greatbow he had left outside. He retraced his steps, slung the Erdtree Greatbow over his back, and only then left the enormous dungeon.

"Just as I thought. There was treasure in here." Both Erdtree's Favor and the Crimson Dragoncrest would be a great help to him. Though he had suffered considerable injuries, he had gained quite a lot.

"You're back." Sensing the Tarnished's presence, Melina emerged from the Site of Grace.

"You... are badly wounded." A slight ripple entered Melina's voice as she looked at the battered Tarnished. "Do you need my help...? I do know a few healing incantations..."

"So you're not made of stone after all. I appreciate the offer, but the Crystal Tear Flask you gave me is enough." The Tarnished took out the flask and waved it before Melina's eyes.

"I... am not made of stone." Melina's expression suddenly grew very serious. Though she knew the Tarnished was joking, she could not help objecting. Her voice, however, remained as unhurried as ever.

"Do you never look in a mirror? If I weren't paying close attention, I wouldn't even notice your expressions." How do you look anything like a girl full of emotion?

"..." Melina's brows drew together slightly. For the first time, such an obvious change appeared on her lovely face.

"You know..." The Tarnished tilted his head back and took a breath of air, fresher than what he had breathed inside the tomb, before speaking slowly. "Are you feeling a little lost, girl?" Melina was far too placid, as though something were missing from her.

"..." Melina lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.

"I don't know your past, or why you want me to take you to the foot of the Erdtree. But there's still something I want to say."

"Nothing in this world stays the same forever. That includes the uncertainty you feel now."

"Just as even the sacred, supreme Elden Ring has shattered, perhaps your uncertainty will shatter and fade along the road to Leyndell. Perhaps you'll find a new goal, too."

"My uncertainty... and the meaning of my existence..." Melina pondered the Tarnished's words in a daze.

"People change, girl. You're no exception." The Tarnished looked at Melina with a faint smile. She truly was not coldhearted; her circumstances were simply a little unusual. After several conversations, he could sense the emptiness within her. She was like a hollow shell now. Perhaps it had something to do with her past.

But that did not matter. If she was empty, if she was a hollow shell, then she could fill herself with other things.

"Are all Tarnished like you?" When Melina spoke, her voice was no longer as even as usual.

"What do you mean?"

"Do all Tarnished... have such a clear goal?" Melina asked.

"I don't know. Tarnished are people, too. Everyone has their troubles, and everyone feels lost sometimes. It's just that the Tarnished of my generation have lived too long and seen too much. We left things like youthful uncertainty behind long ago. As for goals, that's even simpler. Some seek strength. Others just want to fight."

"I see..."

"Let me tell you a little secret."

"?" Melina looked questioningly at the Tarnished's odd expression.

"Godfrey once got a thorough beating from Marika. He even spent a while moping afterward. Just think about it. Him, the warrior king of the barbarians."

"Getting beaten up by a woman. That old fellow's confidence took quite a blow." The Tarnished could not help gloating a little.

"Ah..." That truly was a secret. Very few people likely knew about such things.

"Are you close to Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, and Queen Marika?" From the way the Tarnished spoke, Melina could tell that he showed no reverence toward them. On the contrary, he seemed quite familiar with them.

"Close? Of course we're close. Close enough to have warmed ourselves by the giants' flames together."

"Uh... no... I meant..." Melina was at a loss for words.

"I'm joking." The Tarnished chuckled, then clenched his left hand. The mark of his bond with Godfrey and Marika appeared upon it. "Of course we're close. We're sworn kin."

"..." Even greater shock appeared on Melina's face, but then she began looking at the Tarnished with a somewhat strange gaze.

"What is it? Anything you want to ask? I know plenty of embarrassing stories about them that never got out."

"Nothing..."

"It had better be nothing..." Seeing that Melina did not want to talk, the Tarnished did not press her. He simply stretched and yawned.

"Time to find somewhere to sleep."

"Do Tarnished need to sleep, too...?"

"..." Melina's question left the Tarnished dumbfounded. What sheltered little princess are you? How could you ask something like that? It was as absurd as a child asking whether Trolls were born attached to carriages.

"What do you take us Tarnished for? Perpetual motion machines? You need rest, so why wouldn't we?"

"But... I am a spirit... I don't need rest," Melina said, still as unhurried as ever.

"...Fine." The Tarnished could not be bothered to explain anymore.

The two chatted about this and that, and after replenishing his Crystal Tear Flask at the Site of Grace, the Tarnished set off again on Torrent. His destination was the Church of Elleh. As for why he was heading there, Melina had just told him that, through the various Sites of Grace he had activated, she could see Boc making his way to the Church of Elleh. She had therefore suggested that the Tarnished go there as well to meet him.

By the time he emerged from the tomb, the sky had already darkened.

"No Night's Cavalry, please. Just let me reach the church in peace." The Tarnished grumbled as he headed toward the church. When he reached its outskirts, an ethereal, elegant voice called out to him.

"A pleasure to meet you, Tarnished..."