Elden Lord of Cinders

The Golden Order itself was flawed.

When Lloyd dropped that bombshell, the atmosphere around him went dead silent. For a moment, no one said a word. Aside from the sounds of Lloyd hacking away at monsters, even the sound of breathing seemed to fade.

If Radagon being Marika was a nuclear bomb, then saying the Golden Order itself was flawed? That had to be a Tsar Bomba.

At first, when Lloyd started spouting what sounded like another of his outrageous theories, everyone thought he was just going off again and didn't pay much attention. But halfway through, they began to realize something was off. They tried to argue back, but once they opened their mouths, they had no idea how to refute him.

The more they thought about it, the more it started to make an uncomfortable amount of sense.

And just like that, before they could collect their thoughts, Lloyd had finished his rant. Without waiting for any reactions, he turned back and continued slashing away at monsters.

The rest of them were left standing there, looking at each other with the same bewildered expression in their eyes.

"...Is he always like this?"

Ranni couldn't help but ask.

Melina nodded.

"Yes."

"Then how do you usually communicate with him?"

Melina answered crisply, "We don't."

Ranni: "..."

Well, that explained it. She finally understood why Melina seemed to trust him despite him never really saying anything. Because it wasn't communication—it didn't even qualify as torment. It was more like cruel and unusual punishment.

But...

He was kind of interesting.

Looking again at that strange man in the distance, busy dealing with enemies, Ranni's gaze took on a new, curious glint.

Up until that moment, she had assumed he was just the typical hot-blooded fool—someone she could maybe befriend or cooperate with, but never truly get close to.

After all, she was Ranni, a witch burdened with sin. Her path was one of rebellion and deviation. With someone like him, even if they could get along at first, they were bound to eventually part ways—or even clash swords.

But now she wasn't so sure. Maybe he wasn't as simple as she'd thought.

He had his own ideas, his own perspective—and surprisingly clear insight into certain truths.

Even she had only sought to defy the Two Fingers. She didn't like the Golden Order, sure, but she'd never gone as far as to question its very existence.

But Lloyd...

As she mulled over her plans, watching the strange man in front of her, Ranni suddenly felt like maybe the two of them would get along just fine.

One was an Empyrean who bore the law yet chose to defy fate. The other was a Tarnished who reached the Roundtable Hold only to aim his blade straight at the Golden Order.

Maybe, just maybe, it was because of the weight of their similar fates that they ended up meeting here.

With that thought, Ranni stepped forward again, ready to speak with Lloyd some more—and then...

That was it. There was no "more."

Seeing the flush on Ranni's face and the faint trail of blue smoke rising from her head, Melina realized, for the first time, that even dolls could hit boiling point.

And even after overheating, she could still yank down that massive hat to hide her face and mask her spiraling shame.

She was well and truly broken.

"You were right—not talking to him really is the right approach."

She was already starting to regret getting involved.

With no one bothering him, Lloyd breezed through his "exploration" of Caria Manor, gathering all sorts of items and equipment, and even picking up a legendary weapon called the Sword of Night and Flame.

How to describe this sword...

If Lloyd had to sum it up in one word, it'd be "overpowered."

It had two Ashes of War—one launched a wide, fan-shaped flame attack, the other unleashed a skill-version Soul Stream. High damage, long range, decent poise-breaking... Sure, the basic attacks were a little short-ranged, but come on, with a weapon like this, you're clearly leaning into the skills, so that flaw was easy to overlook.

As for the FP consumption? Yeah, it was a problem—but not a huge one.

Lloyd still had the Bloodhound's Fang, so he could switch between the two. One for skills, one for basic attacks. They balanced each other out perfectly.

Together, they gave his alt build a serious power boost.

As for the stat requirements of the Sword of Night and Flame, he already had a bit of Strength and Dexterity from using the Bloodhound's Fang, and he'd added some Intelligence while studying sorceries with Sellen. As for Faith, he started with 10, got a bonus 5 from Godrick's Great Rune, and used some Runes to top it off. Just enough.

But after equipping the Bloodhound's Fang and the Sword of Night and Flame, Lloyd suddenly remembered something.

Since this was clearly a Souls-like world, shouldn't a Moonlight Greatsword be standard equipment?

Even Soulsborne second-stringers had Moonlight Greatswords. Heck, they were in Bloodborne and Demon's Souls too. By all logic, this world should have one as well.

Was he supposed to farm Seath's tail again? That couldn't be it. Judging by that earlier roar, Seath's tail was still in his hands. No way it could drop another Moonlight.

So if it wasn't Seath...

Lloyd's gaze shifted to Ranni, who was sulking off to the side. His expression turned... complicated.

Don't tell me the Moonlight's going to drop from her?

Her mother was the Full Moon Queen. She was the Lunar Princess. And a scion of a magical lineage...

Sensing Lloyd's stare, Ranni tugged her hat brim down, making it crystal clear she didn't want to talk.

Forget it. He'd ask her later when the time was right.

...

After wrapping up at Caria Manor, Lloyd wandered the area a bit, cleared out a few camps and some Academy types. During a break, he used a Site of Grace to visit Sellen and explained the situation. She stared at him, dark circles under her eyes full of silent complaint.

"So, Teacher Sellen—can you help with this?"

"I can."

Though clearly annoyed he'd ghosted her after their last talk, Sellen wasn't the type to ignore serious matters. After hearing the full story, she put on a more composed expression.

"But as you know, my real body is still sealed. With just this puppet, I doubt I can meet her standards."

"Then what if we unseal it?"

Sellen rested her chin in her hand, thought for a bit, then shook her head.

"Even if Princess Caria gave her blessing and I avoided being hunted down afterward, that body's in rough shape. It's been sealed too long, and my consciousness has been separated from it all this time... things aren't great."

Lloyd thought for a moment.

"Then why don't I just make you a new one?"

Sellen: "?"

Then Lloyd pulled out a Crucible Fragment and explained how it worked. Sellen's expression turned even more unreadable.

What the hell was wrong with this idiot disciple of hers?

"You really are something else... sigh..."

Still, despite her many questions, she held back—communication with him was a nightmare, and there were more pressing issues right now.

After confirming the details, she and Lloyd headed to the ruins where her true body was sealed.

First, they checked her physical state. Then, using materials they'd gathered, they built a new, soulless body based on Sellen's own specifications.

Under her instructions, Lloyd plunged his hand into her chest and dug out the Primal Glintstone that housed her essence.

This was Sellen's true body...

Lloyd held the deep blue crystal, shaped like a bird's nest, in his palm and studied it curiously for a while. He even gave it a little squeeze.

Compared to a regular Glintstone, it felt... softer. And warm...

"You idiot, stop touching it!"

Seeing Lloyd poking at the Primal Glintstone, Sellen—whose old body hadn't fully expired yet—couldn't help but shout.

"Hurry up and put it in already!"

Sure, a Primal Glintstone could stay separated from the body for quite a while without issue—months or even years, really—but she still felt nervous. Not because she didn't trust this dumb disciple of hers, but because she didn't trust his logic.

Knowing him, the next thing he'd try might be putting it in his mouth just to see how it tasted.

She wasn't actually worried that Lloyd would hurt her or damage the Glintstone—more like... it was awkward. That crystal was the very core of her being. Sensitive, aware of its surroundings, and even more so because it housed her soul.

"Oh, okay."

Lloyd didn't ask questions. Even though Sellen had previously said there was no rush, he did as she said without hesitation.

After placing the Primal Glintstone into the new body, some time passed.

Then, Sellen opened her eyes. Her body stirred, slowly moving.

Was this... what rebirth felt like?

She raised a hand, held it up, and clenched it into a fist. The rush of magic flowing through it, the power she'd never felt before—it was more than she had imagined.

This body wasn't human. Not entirely.

When Lloyd mentioned he could customize the race, Sellen had entertained a bold idea. Conveniently, Lloyd still had materials on hand—from the crystalline shrimp he'd fought earlier, to the corpse of a Glintstone Dragon whose neck had been snapped by one of those shrimp's claws.

After various refinements and fusions—mixed with some Glintstone crystals—Sellen's new body had taken shape.

She didn't even know what to call this race. But in terms of magical response and raw physical power, it far surpassed her original body.

The only flaw—if it could be called that—was the hybrid nature of the result. Despite trying her best to mold it after her former appearance, some nonhuman traits still remained.

Her skin was unnaturally pale and smooth. Certain patches had scale-like textures reminiscent of dragon hide. And when she drew on her power, her eyes shifted to the same bright blue vertical pupils found in Glintstone formations.

"Apprentice, what do you think of how I look now?"

Though she was a Primeval Glintstone sorcerer obsessed with magic, Sellen did care about appearances. Otherwise, she wouldn't have maintained such a refined face under that oversized helmet all the time.

And now, even though her body was far stronger, she couldn't help but hesitate. The Golden Order's legacy meant nonhuman races were often met with prejudice in the Lands Between. No matter how well she'd designed it, the body still bore hints of being Misbegotten—technically considered "ugly" by conventional standards.

Lloyd gave her new form a good once-over, then nodded seriously.

"Very beautiful."

He had to admit—Sellen's sense of aesthetics was impeccable.

Her figure and face hadn't changed much, but the added features didn't disrupt her beauty. If anything, they added a mysterious elegance. The scale patterns and designs were so thoughtfully placed they felt more like artistic embellishments than mutations.

"…Smooth talker."

Lloyd blinked, confused.

Wasn't he just stating the truth? How was that smooth talking?

Sellen, momentarily pleased by the compliment, quickly composed herself.

Then it struck her—her disciple's taste might be... off. Maybe what he found beautiful wasn't exactly the norm.

Before that thought could spiral, another realization hit her.

She didn't actually need to care what others thought.

The Carian faction? Lifelong enemies—what they thought didn't matter.

The Academy? After everything that happened, after no one stood up for her when she was sealed away, she no longer felt any attachment to them either.

Sure, she could understand why the Academy didn't defend her—she had killed quite a few people, after all. And even if she did return, she'd still be willing to work alongside her old colleagues for the sake of researching primeval magic.

But understanding was one thing. Trust and care? That was asking too much.

In the end, there were only two things left that really mattered to her now.

One: the pursuit of the origin of Glintstone.

Two: the idiot disciple standing in front of her.

The first didn't require a pretty face. And the second…

"…Teacher Sellen?"

Lloyd waved a hand in front of her, seeing she'd gone quiet, thinking something was wrong.

"I'm fine. Just thinking."

Snapping out of it, Sellen smacked his hand away and stared at her silly disciple's dumb expression.

This fool…

"Lloyd."

"Hm?"

"If you're set on becoming Elden Lord, I won't stop you. And if there's anything you need, just ask me."

Sellen reached out, gently cupping his cheek.

"If you don't make it, that's fine too. Just come back to me."

"Because, as your teacher, even if you're a hopeless fool of a disciple, I'll always have a place ready for you."

"So don't you dare die."