As a hallucinatory brilliance flashed across his vision, Gawain felt himself guided through the veil, forcibly intruding into a space completely severed from the Lands Between.
Regaining his senses, he found himself within a cavern. The process was remarkably similar to his journey into the Painted World, though this time, there was no Corvian waiting behind him.
He didn't rush out. Melina, standing beside him, clearly had a shift in her expression, and he himself had felt a strange sensation through his fingertips the moment he touched the withered arm.
To an ordinary person, such a minute detail would have been impossible to detect. But it was different when one was already on guard; after all, Millicent's example was right there before them.
"Melina... if I'm not mistaken, Miquella left something else on that arm, didn't he?"
Melina nodded. She leaned in to inspect Gawain's eyes closely. Deep within his pupils, there was an almost imperceptible pattern, radiating a faint shimmer of gold and purple.
"Mmm. Indeed. Though the sensation is incredibly subtle, an enchantment identical to the one on Millicent has appeared in your pupils. It's even more deep-seated than I imagined, carrying a trace of St. Trina's nectar."
"Truly the most terrifying of powers," Gawain muttered. "I didn't feel a thing. If we hadn't been warned by Millicent's case, perhaps only you would have noticed the anomaly."
"I will dispel the charm for you. Please, wait a moment."
Under Melina's touch, the strangely colored patterns were dismantled, and clarity returned to his eyes. A slight sense of dissonance immediately flooded his mind.
Gawain had claimed he felt nothing earlier, but now that the charm was gone, he realized several absurd thoughts had been swirling in his head. He cursed inwardly.
That damned little fem-boy... actually trying to mess with my head. I'm going to find some artists later and spread racy drawings of you across the entire Lands Between.
With that hidden danger resolved, Gawain finally began to observe his surroundings. He noticed another peculiarity: looking at the shadows swirling around his body, he tried throwing a punch at the nearby stone wall.
"Strange. These shadows seem to be suppressing my power."
To test the situation further, he tried several more times with varying levels of force. He felt as if he were under a permanent "weakened" debuff.
"Just as I thought. The more power I use, the more severe the suppression becomes. It's as if the dimension itself is rejecting me."
Melina recalled the special seal her mother had placed upon this land and explained, "I remember that when Mother Marika severed the Land of Shadow from the Lands Between, she utilized her authority as a Goddess. The entire Land of Shadow was hidden behind the veil. I suspect an outsider like you might be suppressed by the veil itself, as a way to prevent the seal from being broken by external forces."
Gawain agreed with the assessment. Considering that this place likely imprisoned at least two terrifying enemies he knew of, such a security measure was reasonable.
Still, it felt wrong. Great, so I've become like a Greater Daemon from the Warp, getting my power nerfed the moment I cross the reality veil? Forget it. Let's get out of here and see what the outside world looks like.
Gawain opened the map Leda had given him. The area covered wasn't particularly large; based on the scale, it looked about the size of the Weeping Peninsula. The name written on it was "Gravesite Plain."
Clearly, this map was only a small fraction of the Land of Shadow. The paths at the edge of the map led toward several completely unknown regions. Based on the markers, the scale of this place was likely far beyond his expectations.
Walking slowly along the path ahead, it wasn't long before light began to filter down from above. He looked up at the sky. There was no sun, nor any other obvious light source. Only a faint, pervasive glow drifted down, and a layer of black, translucent veils shimmered in the air. The sight gave him a heavy sense of déjà vu.
As he emerged from the narrow passage, a vast plain opened up before him. The landscape was cluttered with a dense forest of translucent tombstones. But none of those could hold his attention.
Gawain's eyes widened. He stared fixedly at the spectacular sight ahead. Massive veils drifted silently in the sky, arranged in a circle around a central point that dominated the firmament.
And at the very center of those veils stood a tree so colossal it seemed to blot out the sun!
Its gargantuan canopy practically veiled the entire horizon, as if taking the whole of heaven and earth under its shadow.
The position this giant tree held in the Land of Shadow was as supreme as the Erdtree was to the Lands Between. No matter where one stood in this realm, their gaze could not ignore such a staggering monument.
However, unlike the radiant, dazzling Erdtree outside, this massive tree—much like the Land of Shadow itself—radiated an aura of death from the inside out. One look was enough to instill a sense of profound, lingering resentment.
Its trunk, black as ink, resembled a pair of coiling, terrifying black dragons. Strange fluids flowed slowly down the bark in a constant, roiling surge, forming eerie, cryptic patterns. Was this golden fluid a precious, flowing blessing, or some manner of virulent curse? No one knew.
The thick, dull-gold liquid shimmered with a faint light in the darkness, sometimes flickering like flames, other times darting like the tongue of a serpent, adding an aura of mystery to the great tree.
Without needing an introduction, the appropriate name surfaced in his mind: The Scadutree. Only the shadow hidden beneath the Erdtree could possess such a form. No wonder this place was called the Land of Shadow.
Unlike the majestic, upright Erdtree, the Scadutree's trunk was a twisted mass. Within his range of vision, he could see no burgeoning leaves; instead, the veils of the entire Land of Shadow converged atop the Scadutree, as if it were the critical anchor point for their existence.
"Holy crap... did I just walk into the site of the Eclipse?"
"The Eclipse? What is that?"
Faced with Melina's curious inquiry, Gawain only shook his head with a smile, inwardly marveling at how Miyazaki truly was a die-hard Berserk fan. No wonder the Land of Shadow—severed after Marika's ascension—felt so familiar to him.
"Nothing. I just remembered some unpleasant memories. It seems the secrets hidden in the Land of Shadow are far beyond my imagination."
Averting his gaze from the Scadutree, he noticed the silhouettes of a massive cluster of buildings below. Unfortunately, the distance was too great to see more than their blurred outlines, and the shadows permeating the air further obscured his vision.
Though the Gravesite Plain was surrounded by high mountains, one absurdly tall mountain range stood out prominently. A thought occurred to him: Is that where Bayle is hiding?
Gawain took a deep breath, pulling his focus back from the distance. He realized he was feeling an unprecedented surge of excitement. Everything here was fresh, filled with the unknown.
Whether he was in Lothric or the Lands Between, even with unexpected twists, he could generally plan out his goals before reaching a new location. Even when things went sideways, he could handle them quickly. Consequently, he had always been focused on his mission or pursuing his ideal future, sometimes overlooking the wonders he had already seen.
But this was a completely new, uncharted territory. The sense of awe and novelty he had felt when first seeing Liurnia or the Eternal Cities flooded back. Amidst the excitement, he had a premonition: the secrets left ambiguous in the game could be found here.
At that thought, Gawain's darker sense of humor flared. He pulled a Greatsword—taller than he was—from his back, shouldered it, and cracked his neck. There we go. Now it feels right.
Griffith... er, Miquella, here I come!
As he and Melina began their tentative exploration, his gaze was first drawn to a massive, fiery silhouette in the distance. Ruins fanned out around the figure. These ruins all shared a pattern: they looked as if they had been crushed and incinerated by that massive object. Based on the scale, it had once been a town. The map identified the area as the "Scorched Ruins," a fitting description.
Charred figures wandered the ruins. Outwardly, they were mere humanoid shapes, their features long since burned away. They drifted as spirits, but crucially, he could see horns—similar to those of an Omen—atop their heads. If he wasn't mistaken, these were the original inhabitants of the ruins.
"I recognize those shadows," Melina whispered. "Though I cannot recall the specifics, it seems..."
Memory fragments flashed through her mind. Since entering the Land of Shadow, her recall was accelerating, but some memories inherited from her mother were things she wished she could forget entirely.
She knelt to touch the soot-covered earth. Countless cries of agony and cruelty filled her head. The overwhelming pressure made her clutch her brow, nearly causing her to collapse.
Gawain quickly steadied her. He opened his mouth to ask but ultimately decided against prying into what she had remembered. He could sense that what had happened here—whether for Queen Marika or Melina—was not something pleasant. Otherwise, this brutal crusade wouldn't still be raging.
When he took Melina's hand, he noticed something different. Although a layer of shadow covered her as well, unlike him—an excluded outsider—the shadows seemed to be merging with Melina. Was it because of her special blood relation to Queen Marika, or some other reason?
"Take it slow. Don't push yourself. We still have a long way to go."
Melina leaned on him for a moment before standing again. She looked at Gawain with gratitude. The memory fragments surfacing were not of a happy past; even she was subconsciously trying to avoid them.
With a whistle, he summoned Torrent. Gawain and Melina climbed onto the spectral steed and rode deeper into the Gravesite Plain. The tombstones across the plain seemed to have a will of their own, mysteriously parting to create a path for them. Gawain took note of this, his mind forming several theories.
As they grew closer, the fiery giant in the distance finally revealed its clear form.
The thing was headless. Aside from its limbs, its main structure was a massive brazier. An enormous mask in the shape of a human face decorated the center of its body, and two Fire Giant heads dangled from its feet—trophies from the ancient war, perhaps.
Its massive body was composed of iron bars, like a cage, with large gaps between them. Fierce, roaring flames poured from these gaps, leaving the ground scorched black with every step it took.
The giant figure reminded Gawain of the famous Wicker Man of Celtic myth—a legend where sinners were cast into the structure to be burned alive, their screams serving as a prayer for a bountiful harvest.
Many modern works used the Wicker Man as a religious symbol; it appeared in horror films and, of course, in the famous Berserk manga. He'd only walked a few steps and he was already running into so many homages.
Given the decorative Fire Giant heads, he guessed this Furnace Golem was a war machine belonging to the "Crusade" forces—one of Messmer's weapons.
Since the Furnace Golems were still active, it stood to reason that the war was not over, but rather in a state of stalemate. What kind of enemy could hold out against such technological horrors for so long? This was a much messier war than the Shattering.
While he was focused on gathering intel, a twisted, crawling figure wielding dual chakrams poked its head out from a nearby ruin. Beneath its golden mask, eyes flickered with a dangerous light. It seemed drawn to the female figure riding behind the man. Having found its opening, it leaped from the air without hesitation, its blades flashing.
"An ambush already?"
Gawain felt something approaching from above. With a flick of the reins, Torrent understood the intent and performed a double jump, leaving the attacker behind. However, a patch of fur was sliced from the steed's tail.
After commanding Torrent to land safely, Gawain saw his attacker clearly. The figure wore a golden mask, long white hair whipping in the wind. Numerous jagged horns, like those of an Omen, sprouted from its head. This was definitely a member of the so-called Hornsent.
Given the circular blades in its hands, it clearly wasn't here for a friendly chat. And its target hadn't been him—it had been Melina on his back.
As he assessed the situation, dark silhouettes began to rise from the surroundings, slowly encircling the two of them.
Melina sat on Torrent and stared at the faces. The cruel events from her mother's memories resurfaced, causing her to tighten her grip on the reins. Even with her gentle and kind nature, her anger was starting to become uncontrollable.
Sensing Melina's suppressed fury, Gawain's face darkened. He slammed his Greatsword into the ground and pulled out Gael's Crossbow, two-handing it and dropping into a combat stance. Daring to touch my Maiden... none of you are walking away from this.
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (330 chapter - Ongoing)
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