Radahn's colossal frame slammed into the earth, carving a massive crater into the sand. Now that his Great Rune had completely lost its power, he could feel his life force rapidly ebbing away. Yet, in this final, fleeting moment, his mind was clearer than it had ever been.
Gazing at the figure suspended in the sky, he let out two heavy, rattling breaths. This battle had indeed been a thorough one. Long ago, he had lost the strength to carry the burdens placed upon him; he could only hope that this warrior, who carried Ranni's aura, could do better than he had.
"I leave Caelid to you... Do not let my Great Rune go to waste."
He pressed a hand to his chest and withdrew the Great Rune—tattered and spent from over-exertion—and set it aside. It was the victor's prize. His eyelids grew heavier than they had ever been. Radahn felt a force pulling his soul away from his broken vessel. Though he was loath to go, he no longer had the strength to resist.
"Brother."
A familiar voice reached his ears. Radahn coughed violently, forcing himself to stay conscious for just a while longer.
"Ranni... is that you?"
He looked up. A soul projection walked slowly from the edge of the desert. It was a figure with vibrant red hair—the image of his sister as she lived in his memories. After the Night of the Black Knives, Ranni's soul had inhabited the doll of the Snow Witch; he had not seen her true form in a very long time.
"Yes, it is I."
Ranni's eyes were filled with sorrow as she looked upon her scarred and broken brother. Even though she knew this had to be done, and even though she believed she had steeled her resolve, standing before this scene, she could not suppress the rising tide of grief.
They shared a long silence until the stars began to shift in the sky, interrupting the siblings' final moments. Radahn sighed and asked, "Did you find that man? He is a formidable warrior, in both body and spirit. Your judgment is as sharp as ever."
Ranni looked up at the figure in the heavens. To ease her brother's heart, she managed a small smile and a nod.
"As you might have seen, he is the new master chosen by Torrent. Driven by curiosity, I sought him out and entered into a cooperation."
"I see... If he is the warrior Torrent recognized, then I can rest easy. Cough, cough..."
Seeing her brother's violent coughing, Ranni stepped forward and reached out, but as a mere soul projection, she could not touch him.
"Brother, you have held on long enough. It is time to set down your burden and rest. Look... someone is here to protect Caelid for you."
Ranni looked back toward the sky. She knew why Gawain remained where he was. The battle was not yet over.
To Gawain, it felt as though a priest had activated "Made in Heaven." Countless sealed stars began to move with frantic speed. No longer would anyone's fate be locked away by the stagnation of the stars—but neither would there be a barrier to isolate the world from the will of the cosmos, for better or worse.
The writhing black curse on his body receded rapidly, replaced by a warm light that enveloped him. The power of the Flame regained its dominance.
Gwyn stood silently behind him, staring at the ball of fire positioned above the stars. He had not expected to find such a power in this place.
Closing his eyes to feel this faint yet gentle power, Gawain's consciousness drifted into the cosmos, just as it had when he faced the Outer God of Frenzied Flame. He soared past the Dark Moon, the Full Moon, the Twin Moons, the blood-colored stars, and even the pale, sunless sun.
Finally, he arrived at the source that resonated with his soul—a fire that was faint but burning with passion. There was no madness, anger, or sorrow; it radiated only heat and hope. In that moment, he finally felt the Will of the Sun.
He stared at the orb of fire, wanting to speak, but remained silent. He could feel its benevolence and expectation. Only now, with the General's Great Rune failing and his suppression of the stars broken, could the power of the Sun cross the vast distance to bestow its blessing upon him.
Facing such an "Outer God" for the first time, Gawain understood its intent but could not speak to it directly as Mohg did with his own deity. Was he missing some prerequisite? Or was it because solar faith had been absent from the Lands Between for so many years that its influence was limited?
He turned to look at a distant white orb of light. Unlike the Sun before him or the Frenzied Flame he had seen before, this orb radiated pure despair. Was that the true guardian star of the Soulless Demigods that the ghosts of Castle Sol spoke of? Regardless of how one looked at it, it felt ominous.
He pulled his focus back. He knew the Sun before him was the true Law suited for him. From the moment he set foot in the Lands Between, his soul had been drawn to it, just as Ranni had found her Dark Moon.
This deity did not force its Law upon a chosen vanguard like the Outer God of Rot. A true Sun is the same everywhere—it asks for nothing in return, spreading its brilliance equally across the world to bring hope to all life.
Gawain realized he didn't need to make any other choice. He had always been a Warrior of Sunlight, no matter the world or the identity he held.
Though he could not yet communicate, he accepted the gift. Now that the stars moved again, the blessing of the Sun, while perhaps not as "powerful" as other Laws, at least had a much stronger signal than before.
He threw his hands wide in a gesture of "Praising the Sun." His consciousness snapped back to the skies over the Caelid desert. He opened his eyes to see countless meteors falling upon the Lands Between. Most would become prime glintstone material, but a small portion possessed a consciousness that was far from friendly—including the malicious meteors known as Astel.
Not every Astel grew as large as the one imprisoned beneath the Moonlight Altar. From Fallingstar Beast to Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast, and finally evolving into the mature form of an Astel, it was a complete biological process. Without exception, these were all calamitous meteors born of malice.
Over a dozen Astels of various forms, their bodies swirled with deep, void-like colors, plummeted from the sky. They were celestial lifeforms that had been suppressed by the General's gravity magic. Now that they were free, their first instinct was revenge.
A disdainful smile crossed Gawain's face. He looked back at Gwyn and the many Black Knights who remained manifested. He still had plenty of the blessing he had just received from the Sun. There was no need to be stingy.
"Ha! You dare invade the Lands Between? What arrogant bastards. Don't you know the Lands Between is guarded by us Lords of Cinder? You cosmic rubes."
Gwyn nearly broke his majestic composure at the mockery, but he refrained from laughing out loud in front of the Black Knights. Looking at the moving stars above, Gwyn felt as though he had returned to the days of the Dragon Hunt. Back then, there had also been a champion by his side, fighting as an equal.
Though the time and space were no longer familiar, the task remained the same.
Gwyn and Gawain simultaneously manifested Sunlight Spears. They aimed and hurled them at the largest Astel. Following two massive explosions, the army of Black Knights behind them followed suit. Searing bolts of miracles and lightning clashed with gravity stones over Caelid, blooming into a kaleidoscope of brilliant, violent colors.
On the border of Limgrave, Elsa finished cutting down a Kindred of Rot. She looked up, silently watching the spectacle illuminating half of Caelid. She recalled a previous conversation, and a smile touched her lips.
"That's a much flashier battle than I imagined."
Drawing her blade from a corpse, she continued to command her soldiers to clear the ambushing pests. This time, whether they were Redmane Knights or Storm Knights, they fought like they were possessed. With their greatest fear gone, they could fight with everything they had.
In Stormveil Castle, Irina stepped away from a pile of scrolls. She stood by the window with her father, watching the magnificent sight of the stars resuming their course. Through their soul connection, she knew the result of the battle immediately, just as she had always believed. This meant the future would head into a domain she knew nothing about, but she wasn't afraid. Her "Sun" had already been found.
Sellen stood atop a tower, watching the movement of the stars. She knew this was the victory of the festival won by her apprentice. As a teacher, she was naturally pleased, but recalling their previous conversations, she felt a faint, lingering worry. He did not seem to approve of certain pursuits of the Primeval Current, and he had even begun to shake her own resolve. She could no longer see where the future led, but whatever the end might be, she was prepared to accept it calmly.
A massive meteor streaked across the sky of Limgrave, eventually slamming into the earth near Fort Haight, carving a massive opening. The mysterious Eternal City was once again revealed to the light of day. Silvery clumps of Mimic Tears began to crawl out from the depths. Among them, one clump was different from the others; under the influence of some unknown factor, it developed its own sentience amidst the chaos.
At the edge of the desert, Radahn watched the continuous explosions in the sky. Though surprised, he felt a sense of relief. Before leaving, there were certain truths he had to speak.
"Ranni, my time is short. You must remember what I tell you."
Ranni was confused by her brother's words but remained silent, preparing to memorize his next statement.
"I cannot stay here any longer. There is an important vow I must fulfill."
"A vow? With whom?"
Ranni was stunned. She had never known her brother had a vow so vital it required his personal attention even in this state.
Just as Radahn was about to explain, golden sigils began to manifest on his soul—the proof of Miquella calling him to the Land of Shadow. Currently, he could not resist; he could only follow the guidance and depart, though his heart was filled with helplessness.
He had once promised Miquella to be his King. But after witnessing Miquella's true inner thoughts, Radahn did not believe it was a wise choice. However, a vow with an Empyrean was not easily broken. He didn't think he could escape his fate forever; he had only felt that before then, he needed to finish the Shattering War and help his family fulfill their desires.
In truth, Miquella had tacitly approved of his decision. When the first coalition of kings besieged the Royal Capital, Malenia had participated as part of that alliance.
But then, two unexpected factors had appeared from nowhere and completely disrupted the plan. His brother, Rykard, had been pushed back all the way to the doorstep of Volcano Manor by the Grace-Given King, forced to merge with the Great Serpent. Even after Radahn himself took the field to duel Margit the Fell Omen and halted the advance of the Capital's army, none of the factions in the Shattering had the strength to end the war. Their side was losing ground, causing Miquella to lose patience—he had even sent Malenia to deal with him.
Radahn's original plan was to buy more time to find a way out of the stalemate, but Malenia and Miquella clearly couldn't wait. Ultimately, the War of Aeonia erupted, ravaging Caelid.
In the final moments of that war, Radahn believed he had won the duel. He intended to let Malenia return to tell Miquella not to rush. Then, the unexpected happened. Malenia leaned over him, whispering in his ear:
"Miquella awaits... for the promised King to appear."
Radahn remembered his helplessness even now. Miquella... what are you thinking? Are you truly so desperate for me to fulfill this vow?
Hadn't Miquella's original goal in exploring Unalloyed Gold, the Haligtree, and the fundamental laws been to save Malenia? Then why did he allow Malenia to bloom the Scarlet Rot just to fulfill their vow? This was not the Empyrean he remembered—the one who would abandon the Golden Order for his sister's sake. He couldn't understand. Had Miquella abandoned something vital during his long wait?
Radahn's soul was pulled away by the golden light. Using the last moments of his self-control, he looked at his sister and gave his final instructions.
"I can no longer help you. But that warrior is worthy of your trust. Seek his help once I am gone. I hope you reach your destiny soon. And... you must find me, and then..."
Before he could finish his farewell, his soul vanished, pulled to a place in the Lands Between that no detection magic could find.
Upon seeing that gentle golden sigil, Ranni's expression became incredibly complicated. Her spirit projection began to distort. Abandoning her composure, Ranni clenched her fists, her beautiful face contorting with anger.
"Mi—quel—la—! You bastard, where have you taken my brother!"
She had never heard her brother mention any vow with Miquella. What kind of secret was so unspeakable that even his own sister was kept in the dark? Taking a soul immediately after death—that didn't look like any "normal" vow!
Ranni's true body in the Three Sisters tower was filled with intense regret. If she hadn't sent a mere projection to save power, if she had appeared in person, she surely could have prevented her brother's soul from being snatched away. But what could she do now?
She looked up at the figure still battling in the sky. Did she really have to do as her brother said and ask for his help? But how was she supposed to convince him to get involved in such a completely unrelated, troublesome mess?
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (162 chapter - Ongoing)
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