The Legend of the Deathbirds

The Tarnished lay quietly in Fia's arms, considering his next steps. He had intended to head straight to Liurnia to find a catalyst, but there was still a young girl in the Storm Highlands. He needed to give her what he had found among the chrysalids. Then there was Boc's situation, too.

"Lord White Wolf, I have something to give you." Fia pulled a thick book from beneath her pillow. Its yellowing pages suggested considerable age.

"This is magic that has been passed down through our people..." Fia handed the book to the Tarnished.

"The Deathbed Maidens' magic? Does it have something to do with death?" The Tarnished accepted the spellbook and examined it. Its cover was predominantly black, with gold edging, while at its center...

"Why is there a wolf on it?"

"Hehe, Lord White Wolf... We had no definitive emblem until you came to us. Your arrival gave us an emblem of our own," Fia said with a soft smile.

"Your faith really is unwavering. It almost makes me want to offer you an incantation. Unfortunately, mine would probably only affect your body." The Tarnished shrugged.

"So long as it comes from you... anything is welcome." Fia embraced him again.

"My lord, the death sorceries recorded in this book cannot match the Rune of Death... but they are powerful enough to bring living beings to their end... Eternal life under the Erdtree is suffering now... If you find anyone who seeks death, please use this magic to release them... It should also become a new source of strength for you."

"Then I'll take it. But I'm no sorcerer... I've only just started learning Glintstone Sorcery, and I don't even have a suitable catalyst."

"That certainly is a problem... Catalysts do have certain requirements of their wielders. Forcing yourself to use one that doesn't suit you could hurt you." There were many kinds of sorcery. Glintstone Sorcery was merely one of them, albeit one of the dominant schools. Countless other forms of magic existed in the Lands Between, and even beyond them.

All sorceries demanded intelligence and aptitude from their casters. The brighter someone was, and the greater their understanding, the stronger the spells they could wield. Yet each school's foundation was different. Someone like the Tarnished, who wished to study several schools, would struggle to advance far unless his talent surpassed everyone else's.

"Still, Fia, I've heard that a god associated with death once existed here in the Lands Between. Is that true?"

"A god of death... You mean the Deathbirds? They certainly existed." Before the rise of the Golden Order, death had been permitted in the Lands Between. Where there was death, there were gods and emissaries associated with it.

In the past, they had been known as Deathbirds and Death Rite Birds. Among them was a being akin to the present-day Two Fingers-the Twinbird. Legend called her the mother of all the deathbirds that followed, as well as the emissary of that ancient god of death.

But that god's influence had gradually waned. In time, even its name had been buried in history, and the names of its followers became better known than that of the god itself...

Afterward, the Greater Will sent the Two Fingers and the Three Fingers, each of whom chose their own representative: Marika for the Two Fingers, and the Gloam-Eyed Queen for the Three Fingers.

The forces of Marika the Golden defeated those of the Gloam-Eyed Queen, who possessed the Rune of Death. Death was then excluded from the Golden Order, and a new system came to the Lands Between.

Notably, the Rune of Death did not seem to be the same thing as the deathbirds' fabled ghostflame. Yet with death removed, the deathbirds' faction gradually faded as well.

"What's the difference between the death brought by those Deathbirds and the Rune of Death?" Though Fia was no longer a Deathbed Maiden, she remained deeply interested in the subject of death.

"I've never dealt with them, but I've heard that the deathbirds' cold ghostflame burns the body, while a host of the dead guides the soul onward. The black-and-red flame of the Rune of Death burns both body and soul."

"It burns the body... Then the deathbirds' death seems much like that of my homeland... Could our ancestors have had contact with that god called the Deathbird?" Fia pondered for a moment.

"I don't know. It was a very long time ago. But we can be sure that two somewhat different forms of death existed in the history of the Lands Between. I'm not sure whether ghostflame and the Rune of Death ever came into conflict, either." The Tarnished shook his head. If he remembered correctly, he had arrived in the Lands Between after Marika defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen, but before Godfrey became lord.

Back then, he had had no desire to become a lord, merely wandering the Lands Between. He had only met Godfrey when he defeated the two Ancient Dragons. By then, Godfrey was already Elden Lord. It was at that point that the Tarnished joined the forces of gold and began fighting across the land.

"Lord White Wolf... If you could find something connected to the deathbirds, perhaps it would lead to a breakthrough."

"The deathbirds' ghostflame... It certainly is an interesting power. It should be able to burn the bodies of Those Who Live in Death directly. Their souls have been corrupted, leaving their bodies unable to return to the Erdtree."

"Most of our people's death sorceries take the form of mist... a mist that can scorch flesh. It should share its origins with ghostflame, only our ancestors reshaped it into its present form. Its essential ability to burn the body remains."

"They should still be roaming the Lands Between. Especially now, with Those Who Live in Death gathering in droves, surely they wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. I should be able to find them." Perhaps he could obtain a power of death entirely different from the Rune of Death. I wonder whether that god's death could affect the Two Fingers and the Greater Will? It seems like a long shot, though.

"..." Fia silently held the Tarnished in her arms.

"?" The Tarnished's face was buried between Fia's breasts again. Just as he was about to speak, she broke the silence.

"Death is a complicated thing... Some long for eternal life, while others seek the peace of death... If I were still a Deathbed Maiden, I might well have sought some benefit for Those Who Live in Death."

"...But now, my fate has taken an entirely different path... I am a Wolf-Sleeping Maiden... To feel your warmth, remain at your side, and accompany you as you drift to sleep-Fia asks for nothing more."

"Well, your faith is as ample as your bosom..." At the Tarnished's words, Fia flushed scarlet.

"But I'll say it again: I want you to follow me of your own free will. Not out of duty or gratitude, but simply as yourself-as Fia."

"I understand... But until then, please allow me to stay at your side in repayment..." Fia lowered her head and met the Tarnished's eyes.

"Hehe, all right..."

"Did you feel that, Enkuro...?"

"Yes. That wretch Godrick is dead... Looks like the White Wolf hasn't lost his edge."

"That's not quite it. Godrick might not even have been a match for a single Banished Knight. All that grafting couldn't change how weak he truly was."

"Where should we go next? Our brethren seem rather difficult to find. I can't even sense many of them."

"...If we can't sense them, perhaps they're somewhere unusual, or perhaps our connection has already been severed. If it's the latter, then..."

"Can even we not escape parting?"

"Don't lose heart. The Crucible will guide us. Trust that we will meet again."

"First Seat Siluria seems to have been waiting for the White Wolf all this time... I wonder where she is now."

"We can't presume to understand the First Seat's affairs. For now, we should gather our brethren as quickly as possible... This age is about to change... I have a feeling that we Crucible Knights will play a crucial part..."

After leaving the Roundtable Hold, the Tarnished rode Torrent to the ruined shack where he had met Little Red Riding Hood. She was still sitting quietly inside, but unlike the panicked, broken girl he had first encountered, she had regained a little spirit.

"...Hello, Tarnished. You made it back alive. Does that mean...?" Seeing him still in one piece, and seemingly even stronger, Little Red Riding Hood could not hide her shock.

"I told you I'd deal with Godrick."

"You're truly brave... You actually accomplished the feat of slaying a Demigod..." She felt genuine admiration for the Tarnished.

"I didn't forget your request, either." The Tarnished took the Chrysalids' Memento from inside his clothes. "This should be what they left behind. You're the right person to have it."

"This is... everyone's memento..." With trembling hands, Little Red Riding Hood accepted the object wrapped in red silk. Inside was an exquisite brooch, surrounded by a dense cluster of tiny grayish-white dots.

Hmm? What's this?

"I can't believe it..." Little Red Riding Hood suddenly began to cry. There was both sorrow and joy in her sobs, leaving the Tarnished puzzled.

"Everyone... always believed in me. Even if I can't do anything now, one day I'll surely achieve something," Little Red Riding Hood said through her tears.

"Are those spirits? Wait, girl... Can you communicate with spirits?"

"You can't hear them...? Is it only me?" Little Red Riding Hood looked up in surprise. She had assumed the Tarnished could hear her companions' voices as well, but apparently she was the only one.

"Hehe, interesting. You actually have a gift for this. Your companions are right-you'll surely accomplish something someday." Smiling, the Tarnished patted Little Red Riding Hood's shoulder, hoping to lift her spirits.

"My gift..." Little Red Riding Hood lowered her head and murmured to herself. After a long while, she looked up. The gloom in her eyes flickered away, replaced by the dawn of new hope.

"I want to find something I can do... I've heard there's a Roundtable Hold that welcomes Tarnished. I think I might be able to make myself useful there."

"In that case, let me take you." The Tarnished turned his hand over, and a tiny Site of Grace appeared in his palm. It was a Memory of Grace, capable of guiding people to the last Grace they had touched. Naturally, the one he had marked was the Roundtable Hold.

"Then I'll leave it to you!" Little Red Riding Hood touched the Memory of Grace with a slender finger. Golden light enveloped them both, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself somewhere unfamiliar. Unfamiliar, yet warm.

"So this is the Roundtable Hold... It's so mysterious."

"This is where the Two Fingers reside, and it's also the Tarnished's base. Plenty of people come and go here. Someone may be able to uncover that talent of yours. Unfortunately, I know nothing about communicating with spirits."

"Thank you so much... If you hadn't brought me everyone's memento, I would surely have wallowed in self-pity and betrayed their hopes..."

"It was no trouble." The Tarnished waved a hand.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry for introducing myself so late. My name is Roderika... I was a swordswoman, but now..."

"Hmm... I still prefer calling you Little Red Riding Hood." The Tarnished reached out and flicked Roderika's red hood.

Hmm... So this hood really is...

"Mm..." Roderika did not resist, but the blush on her face showed that she was far from composed. "If that's what you want... then you may call me that. I'm in your debt."

"All right, I'll stop teasing you. Stay strong and keep moving forward. I believe your companions will witness your growth alongside you. The tragedy fate brought you may be painful, but fate also gave you the ability to speak with spirits. Your companions have never left you."

"Yes... I don't know how far I can go, but I'll keep trying... For my friends, and so I can help you, too." Roderika clasped the brooch tightly, her voice firm.

"Good." The Tarnished smiled in relief.

"Oh, and... I don't have much to repay you with right now, but I think this might be useful..." Roderika took a Golden Seed from her pocket.

"Oh, a Golden... Huh?" Before the Tarnished could finish speaking, the seed flew into the Crystal Tear Flask.

"What the hell? That startled me. How many times has this happened now?" The Tarnished shook the flask up and down. It never used to do this... Oh well. Whatever.