Within the bustling inner city of Leyndell stood the renowned Two Fingers Church.
A group of priests and Finger Maidens walked side by side down a long, quiet corridor. Ancient stone slabs lay beneath their feet, giving off faint tapping sounds as they moved.
Heavy, timeworn doors lined both sides of the hall, each carved with intricate patterns and cryptic runes. Beyond several of those doors, separated by thick stone walls, two figures were engaged in conversation.
The ceiling was set with countless Glintstone lamps, their dim light resembling scattered stars in a night sky, casting a hazy glow over the small chamber.
The walls were covered in murals few could truly comprehend, and strange sculptures of varying styles stood among them.
Yet none of these artworks drew much attention. Deeper inside the chamber stood something far more arresting.
A solitary palm.
It bore only two fingers, yet it was enormous, as tall as two grown men.
The hand rested upon a towering stone pedestal, encircled by burning candles whose flames gave off an unsettling aura.
This was the Two Fingers, worshipped by countless believers. As the voice of the Greater Will, it and its kin were regarded as even more exalted than the Demigods in the eyes of mortals.
They were also the children of Metyr, the Mother of Fingers, the radiant daughter of the Greater Will. By bloodline alone, their status was beyond question.
Standing quietly beside the Two Fingers was an elderly Finger Maiden.
She was small in stature. Deep wrinkles covered her aged face, lending her an unsettling appearance, yet there was an inexplicable gentleness to her presence. Her white hair and frail frame made her seem as though she had long stepped into the twilight of life.
By all rights, she should have returned to the Erdtree long ago. But the great Erdtree had entrusted her with an important duty. The time to lay down that burden had not yet come.
Finger Maidens each bore different responsibilities, and she was the most important among them within the Two Fingers Church: the Finger Reader.
The great Two Fingers had no mouth and spoke no human words.
Instead, it required someone gifted like her to interpret and convey its supreme revelations.
"Enia, is that everything?"
The Two Fingers did not speak aloud, yet a strange force radiated from it, transforming into a formless thought that entered Enia's mind directly.
"Yes, Honoured Finger."
Enia nodded respectfully, remaining seated in the tall-backed chair within the chamber.
It was not arrogance. She was simply too old. The Two Fingers had granted her this privilege. Before such a sacred being, who else would dare remain seated?
"The situation is clear. Morgott has no intention of claiming the throne. The Demigods lack the strength to act. The throne still stands vacant, and no one has truly ascended."
The Two Fingers spoke again, but Enia showed no response this time. Clearly, the words were not meant for the Finger Reader.
"Yet the war has not ended. Matters must reach their conclusion. The nobles of Leyndell intend to support Morgott as Lord."
"And the Demigods who once dominated the lands, though gravely wounded, are not beyond recovery."
The voice came from afar. In its view, the struggle for the throne could continue. As for the sacrifices that might follow, they were acceptable.
For the greater design, such losses were tolerable. Even if some might have been avoided, it did not concern itself with that.
But at that moment, a sharp disagreement arose among the Fingers themselves.
Another voice immediately cut in, sharp and unyielding.
"Even if the Demigods recover completely, what then? If Morgott becomes Lord of Leyndell, his authority will only grow stronger. The lords have already failed once. Do you truly believe they would succeed a second time?"
"The Demigods' defeat had its reasons."
"And those very reasons are what make them so disappointing. Malenia unleashed the Scarlet Bloom, nearly affecting the Elden Ring and the entirety of the Altus Plateau."
"And Radahn and Rykard are hardly innocent. There are clear signs they may be connected to those who once fell from grace."
At those words, all the Two Fingers fell silent. The air turned heavy.
The Golden Dynasty had stood for many years. In truth, most of the Fingers favored preserving the Golden Order.
They could tolerate the emergence of a new Order, but they could not ensure that the defeated would submit to the Greater Will.
By comparison, Marika, a "goddess" now incapable of doing anything, was far more manageable.
She was the vessel of the Elden Ring. Her present fate was of her own making.
Yet no one seemed to notice that one Demigod had been completely excluded from consideration. Godrick, scion of the Golden Lineage, was not even within their field of thought.
"Demigods are unstable variables. Rather than waste time on them, we should eradicate the threats facing this world once and for all," declared one of the Two Fingers, its presence unknown.
"Indeed. Do not forget the reason Mother descended. It was the highest gift and blessing. We are meant to govern this world in the gods' stead, not destroy it."
At the mention of Mother and that great deity, the Fingers who had just shown a trace of support for the Demigods fell silent.
That was the most exalted existence. The supreme authority that guided the world.
But saying it was easy. With the power they possessed, how were they to eliminate these threats?
Morgott was powerful and obedient, but he alone was not enough.
If Morgott could eliminate the other Demigods by his own strength, then perhaps they could force him onto the throne by invoking the future of the Golden Dynasty.
As for a shared rule between god and king, arranging for Morgott to wed Marika posed no issue in their eyes. She no longer held the right to refuse.
The problem was that the Omen Son lacked the strength to accomplish all this. If it had been Godfrey, perhaps the situation would be entirely different...
"We must allow the war to continue. Let the Graceless once again feel the glory of fighting for the Greater Will."
"Marika betrayed Mother. The inheritance of the throne need not remain confined to her bloodline. Only power can sweep aside all obstacles."
The heated debate stopped at once.
Not because the proposal shocked them.
In truth, it had always been one of the carefully prepared options.
What none of them had expected was that the time to carry it out would arrive so soon.
A hesitant voice spoke up.
"Perhaps... perhaps we still have time to wait. To prepare more thoroughly..."
"Time? What time remains? The Demigods cannot be relied upon, and even the so-called 'gods' who once rivaled Marika have begun to surface."
"And that force that halted the Scarlet Rot. How beautiful. How powerful."
"The rank of that power surpasses any false god, yet we do not even know what it is."
The Golden Dynasty had not been built without the guidance of the Fingers. Did they truly not understand the weight of the Golden heroes?
Golden Heroic Spirit? A pleasing phrase. It might deceive others, but not them.
"It is decided."
"Mother once said that the gods have never forgotten us. One day, this world will be bathed in divine light."
"Before the Great Will descends, we must present Mother with a satisfactory answer."