The Weak Diallos

After bidding Sellen farewell, the Tarnished officially set out for Liurnia. He knew little about the region, having picked up only a little knowledge during his wanderings through the Lands Between. Along the way, he had clashed with its sorcerers countless times.

He had no idea whether they belonged to the Academy or the Carian Royal Family. In any case, the sorcerers back then had hardly been easy to talk to. Nearly all of them were absorbed in their systems of magic, utterly lost in their pursuits, and conflicts between sorcerers were a dime a dozen.

Only later, when a woman named Rennala brought both the royal family and the Academy under her rule through overwhelming strength, did Liurnia enjoy a period of peace. But... sorcerers would always believe in their own truths. Even Rennala's power could not suppress that tendency.

"These squabbles between sorcerers really are boring," the Tarnished grumbled as he walked slowly through the hall where Godrick had been defeated. Their conflicts boiled down to differences in belief, and those differing beliefs gave rise to factions.

But... beneath the same starry sky, were the stars and the moon truly... so different...?

The most direct route to Liurnia led through Stormveil Castle. As the Tarnished entered the passage leading there, he felt the temperature inside rise a few degrees.

"I didn't take a wrong turn. This is the road to Liurnia, not Mount Gelmir..." The Tarnished concentrated on finding the source of the heat and finally spotted an orange-yellow sphere in a corner.

"..." His expression immediately darkened at the sight. The sphere was orange-yellow all over, its outer layer beginning to peel away, while its sticky interior resembled a large, ripe grape... but anyone with eyes could tell what it really was. This was no grape.

It was a rotting eyeball.

"What is this thing?" The Tarnished reached out and touched it. It felt warm and damp. "Its aura is a little like Kale's... come to think of it, I didn't see his eyes this time..."

"..." The Tarnished slowly stood and crushed the festering eyeball beneath his foot. Something was wrong.

Eyes held an exceptionally exalted place in the Lands Between. Almost every power, whatever its nature, manifested in the form of eyes or dwelled within them. There were the Golden Eyes of Golden Grace... the dusk-colored eyes of the Gloam-Eyed Queen, and the one-eyed Fire God worshipped by the giants.

Even the runes found everywhere would take on the outline of a pupil once enough of them gathered together. Thus, missing eyes or festering eyeballs were a deeply complicated matter in the Lands Between, signs of an abnormality in one's power.

This festering eyeball likely contained some other power, distinct from Golden Grace.

Sure enough, the moment the Tarnished crushed that grape, an agonizing scream echoed through the tunnel.

"What was that...?" The howling scream made his head throb, and broken whispers reverberated in his ears.

"Just as I thought. There really is something here... interesting." The Tarnished steadied his mind and entered a state of empty stillness, free of self. He sat cross-legged, and after an unknown stretch of time, the frenzied howls and whispers gradually subsided.

"No wonder Ame was so wary... this thing really is rather maddening." The Tarnished slowly rose. Ahead, Liurnia's light was already spilling through the exit.

"The colors of the starry sky... a sight completely unlike Limgrave." In his memory, Liurnia had always been cloaked in eternal night. Though there were few stars, he could still faintly make out several twinkling overhead.

Having recovered from those maddened screams, the Tarnished resumed walking and finally stepped into Liurnia. Yet he had not gone far before he noticed something amiss.

"Huh? Why aren't any of these stars moving?" Naturally, the first thing to do upon entering Liurnia was admire its starry sky. He had loved the scenery during his past travels here. Though that had already been an age when the stars were fading, streaks of starlight had still flashed through the night. Now, however, time in the night sky seemed frozen at a single moment.

Well, there goes the last thing worth looking forward to in Liurnia. These damned Lands Between are going to be finished sooner or later. The Tarnished sighed and continued onward. His main objective on this trip was to find Smараg, the Glintstone Dragon.

As for Caelid... that would probably be his next destination after exploring Liurnia. He still lacked one of the medallion halves needed to activate the Lift, and something so important was presumably kept in a major region. The other half might therefore be hidden in Caelid.

Besides, he was curious about what had happened there.

"Hmm? There's fighting up ahead."

"R-Rennia, you really are here! Wh-what are these monsters?"

"I-I don't know... somehow I got separated from you, Diallos, and then somehow these monsters surrounded me." The woman named Rennia spoke with a sob in her voice.

"Y-you foolish woman... th-there are too many enemies. I can't beat them... y-you need to run!" Diallos's body trembled.

"B-but..."

"Go! I-I swear, you... you never give me a moment's peace!" Diallos's voice nearly cracked. It was clear he was terrified.

Jingle, jingle. Surrounding the pair were hunched dwarfs riding... no, squatting on horses. They existed as spectral beings, constantly shaking bells that fired yellow-black bolts of light.

"G-get away!" Diallos lashed his long whip at the attacks flying toward them. Yet it was obvious that his nerves were not his only problem; his fundamentals were lacking too. After just a few exchanges, he was already panting with exhaustion.

"Diallos!" Rennia panicked as well. She was bitterly regretting her actions. Why had she wandered off? Why could she never break that habit? Now she had dragged Diallos into this too...

"Run, Rennia! Go... s-someone told me... to fulfill my duty as a lord... I-I really am useless. Compared to my brother, I'm nothing... but I don't want you to die, so go!"

"Diallos..." Choking on her sobs, Rennia was just about to move when a low male voice, tinged with amusement, sounded behind her.

"Oh? Not bad, but not good enough... watch closely. This is how a warrior fights." The Tarnished had silently appeared behind them. Diallos turned and discovered that the enemies surrounding their rear had vanished without a trace. Now the Tarnished crouched on all fours, drawing the Curved Sword from his back, and wiped out every last Bell Ringer that had nearly killed Diallos with a single strike.

"I-it's you..."

"Shh..." The Tarnished held up a finger for silence. "The battle isn't over. Don't let your guard down." As his words fell, a golden magic circle tinged with black appeared a short distance ahead. A centipede-like monster with numerous arms crawled out of it.

"Eek! Wh-what is that?" Diallos nearly fell flat on his backside in fright.

"Grafting...? Not quite. Oh... Kale's information mentioned monsters like this in Liurnia. I believe they're called Royal Revenants..." The Tarnished stood with his blade in hand, calmly watching the bizarre creature.

"Whatever. Doesn't matter what it is; just cut it down. Watch closely, Diallos... what an enemy looks like doesn't matter. What matters is... when this blade comes down, it'll be in pieces. If one strike isn't enough, strike again. If two aren't enough, make it three, until you kill it. That's combat."

"Oh... okay, but I use a whip." Still rather dazed, Diallos could only respond woodenly.

"..." The Tarnished gave him a look reserved for idiots.

"Then whip it to shreds." The Tarnished lightly brushed the blade, and an immensely powerful Golden Grace burst forth in an instant. Then he stepped forward and swung his long blade. A flash of steel cleaved the flailing Royal Revenant in two.

"Get it now?" The Tarnished tilted his head toward Diallos.

"No... I don't..." Diallos looked utterly blank.

"Ah, young people. Practice more, watch more." The Tarnished sheathed his blade and looked at Rennia. "Little girl, your legs must be the best in the Lands Between. Tell me, how did you run all the way from Limgrave to Liurnia?"

"I-I don't know... this absentminded habit of mine seems to be getting worse..."

"..."

"Ah! Diallos, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" As though finally recovering from her shock, Rennia stumbled over to Diallos and threw her arms around him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Thank you for coming to find me." Rennia wept as she clung to him. If Diallos had not come, she would probably already be a corpse.

"Honestly... we grew up together, after all, and... you're my attendant, and I'm your master... what kind of master would abandon his attendant?" Diallos waved his hands in the air, seemingly at a loss for where to put them. The Tarnished took one look, stepped forward, and pressed his hands against Rennia.

"Stop dithering. If you want to hug her, hug her."

"Well..." Diallos's stubbled face flushed bright red. He had never experienced anything like this.

"Ah, to be young." The Tarnished turned his head aside and discovered that the Royal Revenant's corpse had already vanished.

Why was that thing's abdomen hollowed out, like those troll giants...? The Tarnished recalled the wound on the revenant's belly. It had not come from scraping against the ground; it looked more like damage deliberately inflicted by someone.

After some time, Rennia and Diallos gradually calmed down. They thanked the Tarnished again, but neither seemed to have anything suitable to offer as a reward.

"Heh, a reward...? Then let your growth be my reward. Boy, you still have a long road ahead. I saved you both because I hope you'll keep moving forward. If there's one thing I dislike, it's people who give up on themselves."

"I..." At that, Diallos's eyes dimmed again. It was not as though he had never wanted to become someone useful. His brother was great, while he was a coward. He had broken his word more than once or twice, and his family had even called him a disgrace. Could someone like him really become the person this Tarnished hoped he would be?

"Stop right there. Don't turn my words into shackles. Everyone has something worthwhile about them. No matter how incapable or useless you are, there are still things you can do. Do you know why?"

"Wh-why...?"

"Because of this." The Tarnished pointed to his head. "You have thoughts of your own, so your path will inevitably be something new. I remember hearing you mention an older brother earlier. From the sound of it, you must come from a prominent family."

"Y-yes... my brother is far stronger than I am... our family speaks through blood... but I..." Diallos looked at his trembling hands. "I don't even have the courage to face blood. I..."

"Even so, you stood in front of this girl. Do you know what that means?"

"Well..."

"Even within the same family, under the same code... different people will walk different paths. Your nature and your thoughts mean you're destined to follow a different road from your brother. That isn't necessarily cowardice. Perhaps it's a new possibility... for you, and for your family." The corners of the Tarnished's mouth lifted in a slight smile.

"Can I become that new possibility...? Do I have what it takes?"

"Take your time thinking about it. You've never been alone... you have a companion, and that companion is the one who stirs your fighting spirit. That spirit belongs to you... Diallos." The Tarnished glanced at Rennia beside him.

"That's right, Diallos... I... I'm your attendant, but I'm also the friend who grew up with you. You're not a failure, and you're not useless... this time, I'll walk with you. I'll help you find your own 'blood,'" Rennia said firmly, taking Diallos's hand.

"You... really are a troublesome woman... all right, all right, you said it. I won't let you leave my side again!" Diallos scratched his disheveled hair.

"It's a promise." Rennia broke into a smile.

"Hmm... that doesn't sound very reliable. Why not put a mark on each other? That way, even if you get separated, you'll be able to sense each other. After all, this girl..." Her ability to get lost rivals Enkuro's. I ought to spread that rumor, say Rennia rivals a Crucible Knight... never mind.

"Th-that makes sense... why didn't I think of that...? Ah, I really am an idiot." Diallos looked vexed.

"All right, I won't disturb you two any longer. I hope you'll have pulled yourself together by the next time we meet." The Tarnished waved farewell to Diallos and Rennia. From here on, his exploration of Liurnia would begin. What would he gain this time...?

The Tarnished rode Torrent through Liurnia, where the reflected moonlight mingled with his figure-this was Moon Embrace, an embrace from the moon.