Elden Lord of Cinders

Messmer left with a subtle expression.

This incarnation had barely any power left, and after receiving a flood of chaotic information, he needed time to process it—as well as for reasons he wasn't quite willing to explain. After trailing Lloyd for a while, he dismissed the incarnation and returned to the Shadow Realm.

Before departing, Melina repeatedly tried to explain that her relationship with Lloyd was purely one of mutual use and benefit. But the more she explained, the more subtle Messmer's expression became.

In his view, if it were just some petty misunderstanding, Melina wouldn't even bother explaining—she'd usually just ignore it. But now...

He wasn't sure what to make of it.

As for what he thought about the relationship between the two?

Honestly, right up until his departure, he had no issues with Lloyd's mental state or capabilities. Despite appearing unhinged, it was clear from countless details that he truly held Melina in high regard. In fact, taken as a whole, that might even count as a positive trait.

Still, while there were no issues elsewhere, it was Lloyd's identity as a Graceless One that gave him pause.

Like he'd said before—he didn't personally have any prejudice against Graceless Ones. But cleansing them was a task his mother had entrusted to him. And when it came to his mother's wishes, he was particularly unyielding.

So long as this man remained in the Lands Between, it was fine—it wasn't Messmer's jurisdiction. He could still find excuses to deceive himself, to look the other way.

But if the day ever came when Lloyd stepped into the Shadow Realm, then whether he chose to purge him or not... it would feel wrong either way...

This internal conflict continued until just before parting, when Lloyd said a few things to him.

"Queen Marika... she must've been a good mother, right?"

"After all, you and Melina both care about her so much, and even Ranni speaks well of her..."

What Lloyd meant by Ranni speaking well of her was actually Ranni's opinion of Radagon, back when he was still with the Full Moon Queen.

According to what Ranni had said in passing, Radagon wasn't bad to the three siblings when he was around.

And perhaps it was precisely because of that, that they couldn't forgive his betrayal.

Either way, based on what he'd heard from these people, Lloyd concluded that Marika must have been a good mother. Otherwise, why would her children speak of her with such praise?

That one remark immediately raised Messmer's opinion of Lloyd by several degrees.

After all, his devotion to his mother bordered on the surreal.

He willingly entered the Shadow Realm to be torn apart—for his mother. He slaughtered Hornsent and Graceless Ones because it was her will. He'd once confessed that no matter the curse or punishment, he'd bear it all for her...

His castle was filled with her statues. There was one by his bedside. Her sigil was etched beside the emblem of his legion. Even the scales on his armor were engraved with her mark. Aside from his official duties, nearly all his time was spent praying before her image...

And for someone like that—a top-tier mama's boy—what could possibly win his favor more than praising his mother?

The answer was simple.

Genuine praise. Especially when it came from the heart—and especially when it emphasized her love for them.

"Just from the way you two react, it's obvious—she really cared about you, treated you well."

"Especially Melina. I used to wonder why she was always so stiff elsewhere, but the moment we stepped into Marika's church, she looked like she was ready to yank my ears off and start pouring 'Queen Marika's maxims' into my head…"

"But now that I think about it, maybe that was her way of expressing how much she missed her mother."

After musing on that, Lloyd paused, then seemed to realize something.

"Hey, if your mom really is Queen Marika, then maybe... she's not actually dead?"

Messmer blinked, and Lloyd went on as if it was the most natural thought in the world.

"Didn't you all say Queen Marika is an Empyrean? And gods—aren't they supposed to be really hard to kill?"

"Even if she was killed... someone like her, couldn't she come back?"

"And don't even get me started on her. I've got ways to bring people back. If I can find Spirit Ashes that still carry a soul, I can literally pull someone out of the grave. So her..."

He trailed off, eyes narrowing in thought as something seemed to click in his mind.

But for Messmer, that was already enough.

He turned to look at Melina. She blinked, then after a moment's hesitation, gently shook her head.

"I'm not entirely sure about Mother's current state."

She paused, then glanced toward Lloyd, pointing at him.

"He's... very skilled when it comes to souls."

"Even more so than Mother or the Carian Royal Family."

At that, Messmer's entire view of Lloyd shifted.

This wasn't just some Graceless One—this was a long-lost brother!

If Lloyd really could bring his mother back, he wouldn't even mind calling him 'Father.'

...

With his power spent, Messmer faded from the scene. Before leaving, he used the last of his strength to forge a special Fire Knight Medallion for Lloyd—something he could use to summon him if needed.

The red figure slowly dissolved into the air.

...

After Messmer disappeared, Melina watched Lloyd, who was still lost in thought. She waited a while before asking, slightly puzzled,

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

Lloyd shook his head.

"Just wondering... what if your mom was the one who broke the Elden Ring?"

"Huh? What if the Elden Ring was... what?"

Melina froze as the words registered.

"What did you just say?"

"Was the Elden Ring broken by your mom?"

Lloyd looked up at her, frowning.

"Didn't you say Marika was your mother? And that she died?"

"...What does that have to do with the Elden Ring?"

"It might be connected. Just a theory."

Lloyd thought for a second.

"Never mind. Wait here. I'll go consult the All-Knowing at the Roundtable Hold…"

Melina blinked.

What did he mean by "consult the All-Knowing"?

As she was still processing, Lloyd suddenly vanished—then reappeared a moment later, shaking his head with a sigh.

"Ugh, that guy locked the door. Even put a note on it telling me not to come in."

"Just because I asked him a few too many questions, killed a few of his lackeys, and maybe ran off with his daughter?"

"Is that really worth such drama? Seriously."

Melina opened her mouth like she wanted to say something—but couldn't find the words. In the end, she stayed silent.

...

Lloyd didn't press further on his theory either.

After all, he had no solid evidence. It was just a simple deduction.

To put it briefly, if his earlier theory about the Golden Order and the shattering of the Elden Ring held true, then maybe someone broke the Ring in order to fix the Order.

So who would've had both the access and the power to do something like that?

Based on everything Lloyd knew, it seemed like only the God or the Elden Lord could have pulled it off.

He didn't fully understand the relationship between the Lords and the Empyreans in this world, or how they could exist at the same time—but there was one thing he did know.

The Golden Order Dynasty had two Lords and one God.

The Lords were the first Elden Lord, Godfrey, and the "Hero" Radagon. The god was Marika.

The first Elden Lord had long been exiled. And with what was known now—that Radagon was Marika...

By simple logic, the one who most likely understood the flaws in the Golden Order, was closest to the Elden Ring, and had the power to shatter it... was probably Marika.

Given that Melina had previously acknowledged Marika as her mother—and even said she was dead, or as good as—Lloyd couldn't help but make a connection.

What if something went wrong while Marika was trying to repair the Golden Order? Or maybe she rushed it, swung the hammer too hard, blew the system up, and took herself out in the process...

Of course, it was just a theory.

And one that was stacked on top of another unconfirmed theory, so the odds were pretty low.

Lloyd knew it wasn't exactly a solid hypothesis, so he didn't overthink it.

After all, it's not like he could go, "If this theory doesn't hold, then all the others fall apart, so therefore it must be true." That would be a bit... abstract.

So, after trying to consult the All-Knowing and getting stonewalled, Lloyd shelved the idea for now and went back to exploring the map.

Wandering around, slaying monsters, farming Runes.

Cutting down people, dogs, and giant birds.

While marveling at how even Caelid's monsters had such unique flair, he didn't forget about his other responsibilities.

Like dropping by Castle Morne to check on his friends, or restocking Ranni's soul reserves at her sorcerer's tower. Or sometimes, just taking out Latenna's tiny feet and giving them a gentle touch.

After a while, Lloyd managed to craft a prototype soul prosthetic for Latenna.

To be honest, even by his own standards, it was rough. The responsiveness and flexibility were far from ideal.

But when Latenna tried it out and managed to stand on her own for the first time, she dropped to her knees in front of him and burst into tears.

"Thank you... thank you so much..."

Lloyd was stunned.

He'd only made a makeshift crutch. Why was she crying like that?

In any case, after consoling her for a while, Latenna finally calmed down. And ever since then, something in the way she looked at him had subtly changed.

...

Now that she had the soul prosthesis and could walk again, Lloyd figured she needed time to get used to it—and since the three of them had been cooped up in his room for quite a while, he decided it was time to let them out for some fresh air.

Caelid, with its spreading Scarlet Rot, was obviously out. And while Liurnia of the Lakes had scenic beauty, the ongoing conflict made it unsafe.

Castle Morne was crawling with Misbegotten, and Edgar didn't want his daughter finding out what he'd become.

That left... pretty much only one option.

"Tarnished... and the Albinauric..."

Morgott's expression turned complicated.

"It's fine. You don't need to worry about those three."

Lloyd waved him off.

"Chaos doesn't have much to do lately anyway—she can take them out for some fun."

At those words, Morgott's face turned pale.

"No! I'll assign guards to them. I'll guard them myself if I have to—"

But in the end, it was Chaos who took them out, with Nepheli occasionally joining in when she was free.

Interestingly, it seemed Chaos's presence had strengthened Roderika's soul.

Now, in addition to Spirit Tuning, she could also summon weaker entities from Spirit Ash to aid in battle.

However, her summoning method differed from Lloyd's. Lloyd could forcibly drag unconscious souls into battle.

Roderika, on the other hand, could only summon souls with a will of their own. And since she had no way of replenishing spiritual energy, even if it wasn't a one-time summon, the ashes needed a long time to recharge after each use.

But she had Lloyd.

So, after thinking it over, Lloyd returned the Spirit Jellyfish Ashes he'd once taken from her.

"Now that you've found your courage, you can take it with you wherever you go."

Lloyd smiled, giving Roderika a light pat on the shoulder. She nodded, her face slightly flushed.

"Thank you..."

And it wasn't just Roderika who had grown.

Alongside Latenna regaining her mobility and Roderika refining her spirit summoning, Irina had also been steadily advancing in her study of Incantations.

Add to that Chaos and the occasionally visiting Nepheli, and the group now had a warrior, a mage, a healer, a summoner, and a not-so-mobile archer.

Looking at the lineup, Lloyd had a brief illusion—they looked like a full team heading into Summoner's Rift for a ranked match.

Of course, just a passing thought.

...

After seeing to the five of them, Lloyd returned to Caelid.

But this time, he didn't jump straight into exploring. After a moment of thought, he turned to Melina beside him.

"Can I see your hand?"

Melina blinked, then, after a slight hesitation, held it out.

Lloyd took it gently, holding it up in front of him as he ran his fingers slowly across the back.

It wasn't a pair of delicate hands—in fact, they were a bit unsightly.

Not because Melina's hands were naturally so, but because the backs, once likely beautiful, were now covered in heavy burn scars.

Remnants from the last time she died, when her body had been consumed by flame.

Lloyd had noticed them before, but deliberately ignored them in conversation and usually avoided looking at them.

But after making Latenna's soul prosthetic, a thought struck him.

If he could craft prosthetics with soulbinding properties, could he possibly heal Melina's burns?

He'd fully expected her to resist. In the past, he'd seen how she consciously hid her injuries, especially around others. She almost never exposed her hands—which was part of why he'd chosen not to bring it up.

But just as he was bracing to explain, Melina quietly extended her hand. Even when he took it, and his fingers gently brushed over the scarred surface, though she tensed slightly, she didn't pull away.

What did that mean?

Lloyd wasn't sure.

All he knew was that it made treating her easier—and spared him the need to talk her into it.

Since that worked out, he didn't dwell on it. He simply began examining her hand carefully.

Completely missing the moment when Melina had quietly turned her face to the side, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

...

[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]

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