Fire
It was all he could see—everywhere, in every direction… or at least, as far as he could tell from where he was.
Sitting? Lying down? Standing?… He wasn't sure anymore. He couldn't feel his body. He couldn't even remember how long he had been there, burning.
And yet, there was no pain. In truth, it felt as if the flames were embracing him.
He couldn't move—only his eyes—and all they saw was red and orange, the burning colors of fire all around him. The only sound he heard was the constant crackling of flames.
They were feeding on something… something of his.
His soul.
Still, he remembered his purpose. The reason he had ended up in this place.
He had sacrificed himself to the First Flame, using his very existence as fuel to prolong the Age of Fire—just like Lord Gwyn once did.
It was his choice. His decision.
…Or at least, that's what he told himself.
From the moment he escaped the Undead Asylum and reached the Firelink Shrine, he had always heard the same words:
"You, who are Undead, are chosen. In your pilgrimage from the Undead Asylum, you shall traverse the land of the Ancient Lords... When thou ringeth the Bell of Awakening, the fate of the Undead shall be revealed."
"O Chosen Undead, ring the bells, and your fate shall be revealed."
"Your destiny is to succeed the great Lord Gwyn."
He did it because he had nothing else. He needed something to believe in.
Otherwise, the curse would've devoured what little was left of him.
He couldn't even remember his life before the Undead Curse, before he was locked away in that asylum. All he remembered… was that he was just a child.
Before the curse.
And that he was thrown into that cell—by a man.
A man who cast him in and locked the door without a second thought, even as he dragged himself across the floor, clutching at the bars, begging and calling out for him.
The man simply turned his back and walked away. Never looked back. Never said another word.
"You're not my son. You're an abomination. A plague. Don't you dare come back. You no longer belong to us."
He pushed those fragmented memories away. Even in pieces, they still hurt.
They hurt more than the fire ever could.
He returned to his thoughts.
Was it worth it?
All the deaths? The sacrifices? The people he had lost?
There weren't many… but he still remembered them.
Solaire. Siegmeyer.
He couldn't save either of them.
And he knew… eventually, he would forget everything—who he was, who he had been, everyone he had ever known.
The thought terrified him.
But… if he forgot… would it really matter?
He didn't know.
But he was going to find out—whether he wanted to or not.
This was his fate now:
To burn in the fire until there was nothing left.
Until someone else, just like him, would come and take his place.
Restarting the cycle.
But this time… something different happened.
Because instead of continuing to watch the flames flicker around him—something else appeared.
Something black, pulsating, covered in eyes and mouths, emerged before him.
If he could have moved, he would've leapt back and grabbed his sword—if it was even still with him.
That… thing in front of him… felt familiar.
He felt like he'd seen something like it before.
It looked like something from the Abyss.
He shivered at the memory of that corruptive, corrosive force.
He remembered New Londo and Oolacile… and Manus.
But before his mind could drift further, the thing before him… spoke:
"The Age of Fire must end, and the Age of Dark must begin."
Those words… they were familiar.
They were the same as the serpent's.
"The First Flame must fade… and you must be reborn."
The darkness before him spread, expanding and surrounding him.
If he could've moved, he would've jumped again.
It was strange. Unfamiliar.
Even after millennia in the flames, this was the first time something like this had ever happened.
"This will be a new world."
The darkness then swallowed him completely.
He felt nervous. He didn't know what to think. Or what to feel.
"Good luck, child of the Dark."
He didn't know what was about to happen…
But he felt something.
Hope.
Maybe—just maybe—something would change?
It was foolish to hope.
During his journey, hope had never brought him anything but pain and suffering.
But this time—just this once—
He chose to believe.
And so, he closed his eyes.
And finally, unconsciousness took him.
End of Chapter
(Author's Note)
Well, that's it. I have no experience writing stories—only reading them. I try to take inspiration from the fanfics and stories I read on sites like Wattpad. I hope this was interesting. I do this just for fun, so if you enjoyed it, feel free to give me tips on how to improve my writing!
See you next time!