44. Radahn's Joining
Xiling silently gazed at Radahn's enormous form, while Radahn silently observed Xiling's tiny frame, imbued with terrifying power.
"This is Radahn! He's truly enormous!" Xiling sighed inwardly. Although he had seen him through the live stream chat group system, seeing him in person, his massive form still felt overwhelming.
"Is this... the Silver King? The new Elden King?" Radahn's thoughts weighed heavily. The image of the pure white light that had ripped through the gloom of the Lands Between a few days ago resurfaced in his mind. It wasn't a light of destruction, but one that pierced despair, cleansed filth, and ignited the flames of hope.
This hope spread throughout the Lands Between, even to him.
Silence fell upon the throne room.
Xiling, in his wheelchair, chuckled softly. The chuckle was quiet, but it pierced the heavy atmosphere with remarkable clarity.
"General Starscourge, Lord Radahn," Xiling's voice was gentle and clear.
"Have you traveled a thousand miles to this golden city, only to stand here, silently gaze at me, and then immediately turn and leave?"
"...No."
As Radahn's deep, resonant voice rang out, the air suddenly froze. A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from his massive form! Invisible waves of air swept up the dust on the ground, forming tiny vortices. Even his heavy armor seemed to emit a low hum, a sign of unintentional overflow of power.
His massive head rose slightly, his eyes fixed firmly on Xiling's seemingly calm ones. His voice resonated like thunder across the desert, filled with power and unprecedented solemnity:
"Silver King—"
"—What do you seek?" He paused, his massive chest rising and falling as if gathering his final resolve. "What exactly do you seek?"
Some questions must be asked face to face; some answers must be answered with the other person's expression; some convictions must be spoken directly from that person's lips.
The Silver King, the Lord of the Silver Rule, what exactly did he want? On the road from Redmane Castle to the Leyndell Royal Capital, he encountered a Lands Between scenenary he hadn't seen in a long time.
The dilapidated village lay like abandoned skeletons, only broken walls whimpering in the wind. In the barren fields, twisted, withered trees stretched out their branches in despair. The refugees he encountered on the road had blank, numb eyes, or some had unnatural signs of madness. The air was filled with the scent of despair and decay.
However, as he approached the Leyndell Royal Capital, the scene began to slowly but steadily change. New wooden beams were being erected next to the collapsed houses. The sparse smoke from cooking stoves was no longer the scorching smoke of burning, but the warmth of food.
Those knights, once chaotic and frenzied, laid down their bloodstained spears and raised their shields to defend the village.
Order... a word that had once been completely extinct in the Lands Betweens, but now, like a young sprout stubbornly emerging from the frozen soil of winter, it was struggling yet clearly resurrecting around the royal capital, under the will of the Silver King.
After witnessing this scene, even though his heart had long since surrendered to the Silver Rule, Radahn still wanted to ask the Silver King in person what he truly sought.
Faced with Radahn's terrifying pressure, like the collapse of a tangible mountain, Xiling sat upright in his wheelchair, his stance unwavering. The momentum, enough to shatter the heart and liver of an ordinary warrior, collided with the invisible barrier surrounding his tiny body, creating only silent ripples. Xiling still wore that faint smile, as if the breeze brushed his cheek.
He didn't even rush to answer, instead seeming to seriously consider the general's weighty question. Under Radahn's gaze, Xiling raised his hand and began counting his fingers one by one.
"Hmm..."
"What do I seek? Perhaps... I want everyone to live a good life."
He gently bent his first finger:
"No longer fearing the chaos of war, and being able to sleep peacefully at night."
He bent his second finger:
"Everyone... at least everyone can have enough to eat. That's the most basic thing."
He bent his third finger, then paused:
"If possible, I also hope... everyone can have the opportunity to do what they love. Gardening? Blacksmithing? Singing? Studying the stars? As long as it doesn't harm others."
Xiling then added with a persuasive smile, "Of course, I don't support laziness. The world needs everyone's joint efforts to become a better place."
As if feeling he'd said the most important thing, Xiling withdrew his hand, placing it naturally on the wheelchair armrest. He looked up at the complex, indecipherable expression on Radahn's enormous face, smiling brightly and openly.
"That's about it. Sounds simple, right? But we must take each step one by one and each bite one meal at a time. If we find any shortcomings later, we can fill them in then. After all—" Xiling's eyes shone with unquestionable determination. "We will keep moving forward."
This unpretentious, even somewhat "ordinary" wish list, spoken by the Silver King who ignited the flame of hope in the Lands Between, instantly pierced through the heavy doubts in Radahn's heart.
Looking at Xiling's pure and open smile, an inexplicable emotion emerged in Radahn's heart: trust, reassurance, and yearning.
This is the essence of a "hero." No need for grandiose vows, no need for magnificent power. His mere presence transforms his unwavering will into an invisible fortress, allowing the desperate to see the possibility of life and the weary to find a moment of respite.
As soon as he promises, those words become like a contract, etched into the soul, unwavering faith—for his eyes illuminate a pure future.
People yearn for him, like moths to a flame, for he always places himself at the forefront, leaving his back to his followers, his actions slicing through the brambles, pointing toward the distant future called "hope."
"..." Radahn was silent for a long time, like a frozen mountain. When his deep, rich voice rang out again, it carried a thoroughly purified, almost sighing hoarseness:
"...to enable people to live a good life..."
"How... simple..."
What else is there to ask?
How will it be accomplished? —The rebuilt village, the protective knight, and the pure white light that dispelled despair are the answers.
Ask him if he harbors hidden ambitions? — Those eyes held only the radiant light of starlight.
Ask him if his ideals are naive? — That conviction to "move forward" is itself the most powerful force.
No longer necessary to doubt.
The moment he made the decision, it was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from him. His massive frame swayed slightly, no longer in a combat stance, but with an unprecedented, almost reverent solemnity.
Under Xiling's calm gaze, "Starscourge Radahn", who had shaken the Lands Between, slowly and solemnly bent his knee.
"Bang!" The sound of his knee hitting the ground echoed throughout the throne room, and the solid, ancient tiles seemed to tremble slightly. His massive body sank like a mountain, kneeling on one knee. His other massive hand, with utter respect, rested on his heavily armored chest—the spot where his heart should be. His massive head bowed, completely restraining his unparalleled might, surrendering it to the tiny yet radiant pure light.
A deep voice echoed through the empty hall, no longer a trace of doubt, filled with resolve and devotion:
"Great Silver King..." Every syllable weighed a thousand pounds. "Please allow me—Radahn—to join you on the Silver Journey!"
Xiling's gaze fell on the figure before him. He spoke softly, his voice low, yet clear enough to reach Radahn's ears: "Radahn, tell me, why do you choose to join me on this Silver Journey?"
The general's massive frame remained kneeling on one knee. He did not look up, but his hand on his breastplate tightened slightly.
Silence, like a taut bowstring.
However, this silence was not hesitation, but the fuse that ignited a flame deep within his soul.
Deep within Radahn's soul, a surging tide surged.
His name was Radahn. He was the eldest son of the second Elden King, Radagon of the Golden Order! From the moment he could take his first steps, he had been immersed in the heroic legends of the first King, Godfrey, First Elden Lord, and his own father, who stood tall and proud.
He yearned for heroes! He longed to be like them! To use his own strength to carve a glory into the annals of history of the Lands Between, a glory worthy of the stars!
What is a hero?
Godfrey, the first Elden King—he was the pioneer who split the thorns of the Chaos Lands Between and laid the foundation for a golden age! He brought the first order and glory to the disordered world.
Radagon, the second Elden King—he was the Tripod-Forger who ended the strife of rules and unified the Golden Rule! He ended the War of Faiths and forged shattered ideals into a torrent of the Golden Rule that illuminated the entire Lands Between.
In their time, they were the axe that forged the path, the sharp edge that cleaved through the thorns!
This was what Radahn meant by "hero"! And now, this Silver King, sitting in a wheelchair, tiny yet imbued with incredible power, the pure white light he ignited, the simple vision he portrayed, the act of rebuilding order he initiated...wasn't he, on this shattered, scorched earth, forging an unprecedented new path for a land at the intersection of confusion and despair?
The silence was broken by an inner roar. That deep, fiery voice boomed once again from Radahn's chest, a declaration like a volcanic eruption, carrying the weight and longing of his entire soul:
"Because I—Radahn—yearn for it too!"
Radahn's head suddenly lifted, his eyes fixed squarely on Xiling! His gaze burned with a pure, utterly pure fire, stripped of all hesitation.
"I long to be the axe that carves the path! Split the wreckage of despair that shrouds the Lands Betweens, and carve a path to the future!"
"I long to follow the hero's path—not for personal glory, but to protect the ordinary hope you have ignited for countless lives!"
"I long... just like the First King split Chaos, just as my father unified the rules... to carve out this Silver Path for you! This is what I seek! This is my path!"
Xiling's gaze remained fixed on Radahn's face, and then Xiling posed one final question.
A question like a cold dagger, piercing the deepest, most tender spot in Radahn's soul.
"Then," Xiling's voice remained calm, "even if..." Xiling paused, letting every word sink into the air. "It goes against your father, Radagon, the second Elden King..."
"...and your mother, Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon..."
"Are you still willing, unreservedly...to embark on this Silver War?"
The air froze in an instant.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely within Radahn's enormous body. After a long moment, Radahn spoke.
"...I..."
"...I can't take action against them."
Just as Radahn finished speaking...
"Pa, pa, pa..."
Crisp, rhythmic applause suddenly rang out in the space.
Xiling, sitting in his wheelchair, smiled, clapping heartily again and again.
"Very good..." Xiling's voice, lighthearted and smiling, broke the solemnity. "You passed, Radahn."
Radahn raised his head, one hand still placed in front of him. Xiling chuckled, "Aren't you getting up yet?"
Radahn placed his hand on the small one, leveraging it to slowly rise to his feet. His armor clanged heavily. He remained slightly bent, his massive head lowered, his gaze fixed on their connected hands.
"Thank you... for your trust."
"No, Radahn." Xiling shook his head slightly, meeting the general's downcast gaze. Each word was clear and articulate: "It's me who should say... thank you for your trust."
"Thank you... for trusting me—for trusting the simple future I've described. And even more so, thank you for choosing to reveal your unpretentious truth to me in this final test."
"This trust is far more precious than you can imagine."