Under the watchful gaze of Gatekeeper Gostoc, he guided Torrent up the steps, trudging through the snow one heavy stride at a time until he reached the plaza that led toward the Divine Tower.
Ordinarily, this area would have been packed with guards. The elevated flanks on both sides would have been lined with ballistae, aimed and ready.
Now, however, there was nothing.
Nothing but white.
No movement. No soldiers. No life.
Compared to the snow-choked bridge outside, the accumulation here had thinned somewhat—a small blessing. At least the path ahead would not be as exhausting.
Just then, the chat notification sounded again.
He opened it and found a private message.
Otto Apocalypse: "Tarnished, may I ask—are you busy at the moment?"
A question mark seemed to float above his helmet.
What did Otto want?
Casual conversation?
Unlikely.
He remained wary of the man, but courtesy prevailed.
Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife: "Not particularly. What do you need, Otto?"
Otto Apocalypse: "I hope you can help me."
Far away, in the headquarters of Schicksal, Otto sat behind his understated yet luxurious desk, slowly swirling the red wine in his glass as he typed.
He had thought about this for a long time.
In truth, he had been thinking about it even before this newcomer joined the group.
He simply hadn't found the right person.
Sōsuke Aizen—pleasant in the chat, refined and gentle in demeanor—but Otto was certain that man was not simple. Perhaps they were alike in more ways than one.
Gilgamesh—less inclined to hide his nature, but far too proud. Cooperation would be difficult, and even if proposed, the King of Heroes might not care enough to respond.
Yukari Yakumo—powerful and cunning, yes, but she carried an instinctive condescension toward humans and acted entirely on whim. Impossible to control.
The rest of the group… little more than mascots.
Then came the Tarnished.
A man with the same goal.
To save the one he loved.
And powerful—extremely powerful.
From Otto's estimation, the Tarnished's strength surpassed even the Red Immortal five hundred years ago.
Strength. Obsession. Alignment of purpose.
The perfect collaborator.
And so, after concluding his negotiations in Singapore—physical negotiations, to be precise—Otto opened a private chat.
He told his story.
The story of a weak, frightened child who met the angel of his life.
The story of a man who would sacrifice everything—commit sins, discard his humanity—just to hear her call him "my great inventor" one more time.
The story of Otto Apocalypse, Overseer of Schicksal.
When Otto finished, there was a long silence before the Tarnished replied.
Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife: "…Why do you think I would help you?"
Otto Apocalypse: "Because we are the same kind of person. We share the same goal. We both wish to save the one we love."
Riding Torrent through the snow, the Tarnished fell quiet.
He did feel a degree of resonance with Otto.
As Otto said—they were the same type of person.
The type who would sacrifice everything for love.
Even themselves.
The story stirred old memories.
The first time he entered this world, he had been weak—pathetically so. No armor. No equipment. Just a wooden club. Even common soldiers could slaughter him at will.
Aside from the words left behind by his Finger Maiden in the chapel—declaring that he would become Elden Lord—it was Melina who had helped him.
Melina who walked beside him.
Melina who guided him as he grew stronger, as he rose high enough to slay demigods.
He had once believed they would have a beautiful ending.
But the Erdtree rejected him.
Rejected them both.
And so Melina offered herself as kindling and set the Erdtree ablaze.
Even now, he remembered that final moment with painful clarity.
She stood before the Forge of the Giants, arms open toward the dying flame, igniting herself as if in prayer—hands clasped gently, serene.
At the very end, she reached out to him.
But before he could grasp her hand, she withdrew it.
She smiled at him.
The first time she had ever smiled at him.
That smile seemed to say:
I'm sorry to say goodbye like this.
I'm sorry to leave you alone.
I'm sorry I cannot walk with you to the end.
…I'm sorry. Farewell.
Then she became flame.
And the Erdtree burned.
That moment carved itself into his heart like a brand.
It became his obsession.
The pillar that kept him walking through more than six hundred cycles.
Without it, he would have gone mad long ago.
Perhaps he had gone mad, once or twice—but thinking of Melina, and of Ranni, always dragged him back from the edge.
He used the power of the Elden Ring to begin new cycles.
He sought strength everywhere.
Committed mistakes.
Killed countless people.
At times, he had become a cold executioner.
Yet the ending never changed.
The sorrow he had buried surged upward, and tears slipped beneath his helmet, dripping onto Torrent's back.
Torrent slowed his pace, sensing his master's grief.
Yes.
He understood Otto's obsession.
He understood it deeply.
But understanding did not mean unconditional agreement.
He erased and rewrote his reply several times before sending it.
Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife: "Very well. What exactly do you want from me? Resurrection is not something I can provide."
He said that, though technically resurrection was not impossible in the Lands Between—there were Those Who Live in Death.
But that kind of revival… neither he nor Otto would accept it.
Otto Apocalypse: "Of course. I already have a plan for bringing Kallen back. I only require your assistance in eliminating certain obstacles when necessary."
Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife: "That's fine. But what price are you willing to pay?"
Otto Apocalypse: "What price do you require?"
Otto rose from his chair and walked toward the window, gazing at the clear blue sky.
He did not know what the Tarnished lacked.
But whatever it was, he would pay it.
Even himself.
Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife: "Simple. The same price I'm paying for you. Help me in return."
Otto paused at the message.
"Help…?"
With the Tarnished's strength, what help could he possibly need?
Otto Apocalypse: "Agreed. What assistance do you require?"
Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife: "Help me conduct research on the Lands Between."
He had thought of this at the very beginning of this cycle.
Melina's death was not coincidence—it was convergence. The world closing in on a predetermined endpoint. Or perhaps the will of the Greater Will itself.
According to his projections, confronting the Greater Will was inevitable.
Because what he intended to do went beyond merely saving Melina.
And so, while this cycle had only just begun, preparations had to start now.
No more blind wandering.
No more solitary guessing.
If he was going to defy the heavens themselves—
He would do it with knowledge.