At that moment, Legolas stood up from his seat and spoke to Boromir.
"He is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. As long as you are a subject of Gondor, you owe him your allegiance."
The reason Legolas knew about Aragorn was that Aragorn had once delivered Gollum to Mirkwood. It was thanks to that previous encounter that he recognized him.
At Legolas's words, Boromir's expression turned noticeably flustered.
"How can you prove that?"
Then, Elrond and Gandalf stepped in to verify Aragorn's identity.
"I will testify to that. When Arathorn was killed in an orc ambush, I protected his wife, Gilraen, and Aragorn in Rivendell."
"I, too, will provide proof."
Legolas turned back to Boromir once more.
"He is the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor."
Boromir looked back and forth between Aragorn and Legolas before speaking slowly.
"Gondor has no king. And Gondor needs no king."
Boromir's position was understandable to some extent. His family had served well as stewards of Gondor for many years, so it was natural for him to feel uncomfortable when someone suddenly appeared claiming to be king. Aragorn, knowing this fact as well, did not argue but simply wore a bitter expression.
In any case, Gandalf continued the council.
"Aragorn is right. We cannot use the One Ring."
Then Elrond spoke.
"If that is the case, there is only one way. The Ring must be destroyed."
At Elrond's words, the gathered crowd began to look at each other warily. Some coveted the Ring, while others wondered if it could be used in some other way. It was then that Gimli rose from his seat, hoisting his axe.
"What are you all agonizing over!"
With that, he brought his axe down hard upon the Ring.
CRASH!!!
However, the Ring was not destroyed; instead, Gimli's axe shattered, and the recoil sent Gimli tumbling backward. Elrond spoke then.
"Gimli, son of Glóin, the Ring cannot be destroyed here by any craft we possess. The Ring was forged in the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor. It can only be destroyed there. It must be cast into the depths of Mount Doom, into the Cracks of Doom. One of you must do this."
At Elrond's words, Boromir touched his forehead as if he had a headache. Having been active in Minas Tirith as the son of Gondor's Steward, he knew the situation in Mordor better than anyone.
"It is impossible to enter Mordor. Beyond the Black Gate, countless orc forces wait, and atop the Dark Tower, a great burning Eye watches at all times. It is a wasteland covered in fire, ash, and dust, and the air is thick with toxic fumes that make breathing difficult. Even with ten thousand soldiers, passing through would be impossible."
Legolas stood up again and countered.
"Have you heard nothing!? The Ring must be destroyed! We must succeed!"
Boromir retorted loudly.
"And what happens if we fail!? If Sauron recovers his Ring and grows strong again, who will take responsibility!?"
From that point on, the opinions of those attending the council began to clash. Everyone stood up to assert their own views, and the meeting hall descended into chaos. It was no different from a noisy marketplace. Even Elrond, who hosted the meeting, shook his head as if his head were aching.
'It's a total mess.'
I stood up and spoke.
"Then, I will take the Ring to the Valar. Since I intended to go to Valinor anyway, 'Manwë' or 'Aulë' should be more than capable of handling it."
Gandalf and Saruman both opposed my suggestion.
"That cannot be! The stronger the being, the harder it is to resist the Ring's temptation. If things go wrong, we might see the rise of a second Morgoth or Sauron."
"He is right; if handled poorly, the Ring might ruin Valinor itself. And we must also consider the risk of your own corruption."
Gandalf and Saruman worried about another corruption of a high power.
'Well now, I thought I could take it the easy way, but I didn't expect such strong opposition.'
Just then, Frodo stood up and shouted.
"I will take it!"
Everyone's attention focused on Frodo.
"I will take the Ring to Mordor! Though... I do not know the way..."
Gandalf hesitated for a moment, then looked at Frodo with pitying eyes. Hobbits were the smallest and least powerful race, making them resistant to the Ring's temptation; since Bilbo had possessed the Ring for so long without falling to corruption, Gandalf likely thought a Hobbit was the right candidate. However, knowing the harsh journey ahead made it unlikely he would return alive, Gandalf's gaze was full of sorrow.
"It cannot be helped then. I will help you bear this burden."
Gandalf said this while patting Frodo on the shoulder.
"My word... I simply wanted to study magic in peace, but it seems there is no choice. I will help as well."
Saruman also volunteered to go. Gandalf smiled and bowed his head slightly to Saruman in gratitude.
Aragorn then rose and spoke to Frodo.
"I will protect you with my life and breath. You have my sword."
Legolas and Gimli followed suit.
"And my bow!"
"And my axe!"
Boromir walked slowly toward Frodo and spoke.
"If this is truly the will of the Council, then Gondor will follow."
Finally, the other Hobbits came running out, insisting they go along as well.
"We're coming too! No one can stop us!"
Elrond looked around at them and smiled.
"A fellowship of ten... then so be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."
The ten of them thus became the Fellowship. They prepared to leave Rivendell. While the Fellowship was busy with preparations, Gandalf and Saruman came to me with a request.
"If by some chance this quest fails, please take the Ring and leave Middle-earth."
"After you opposed me so strongly before?"
"It could not be helped. Since you also possess great power, you would not be immune to the Ring's lure. Therefore, this must be the final resort."
Gandalf and Saruman wanted to ensure that the Ring would not fall into Sauron's hands even if everything went wrong.
"Hmm... very well. But how will we contact each other?"
"I will send birds."
"That will be too late."
I handed a signaling ring to Gandalf. This ring was the same type I had given to Arwen before. Gandalf and Saruman took the ring and returned to the Fellowship. Having given them the signaling ring, I could track their location at any time, intending to take the Ring myself should they fail or once they reached Mount Doom.
However, unlike the original story, there was something strange. Sauron shouldn't have been this quiet. Since Saruman hadn't been corrupted, Rohan was still intact enough to send a representative to the Council; Sauron should have taken some action, but his silence was nonsensical.
'Just what is he plotting?'
The Fellowship finished their preparations and prepared to leave Rivendell. Elrond, Arwen, and I saw them off.
"Aragorn, looks like you're in for another hard time. Take this."
I handed Aragorn some gold and silver coins. This time, I didn't give him an excessive amount.
"Thank you. I'll put them to good use."
They departed under our farewells. Once the Fellowship had left, Elrond asked about my future plans.
"I am preparing to take the Elves to Valinor, the Undying Lands. What will you do?"
"I have the wizards' request to consider, and since I can go whenever I wish, I'll see the end of this journey before I leave."
"Then I shall take Arwen with me."
"Yes, that would be safer. Sauron likely knows Arwen is my wife, so if I leave to fulfill the wizards' request, I'll entrust my wife to you."
"I understand."
Arwen, listening beside us, remained quiet. She already knew that she was my only weakness.
For several days, Arwen and I stayed in Rivendell helping the Elves organize their things for departure. Occasionally, I checked where the Fellowship was heading. They were still lingering in the Misty Mountains. For some reason, they were unable to cross the range.
'Hmm? Has a problem occurred like in the original story?'
Still, I thought there wouldn't be a major issue. After all, Saruman—who had studied magic so diligently—was with them. I felt that he and Gandalf would be able to handle whatever problems arose.
A few more days passed, and the Elves began to depart for the Grey Havens to board ships for Valinor. Because there were many Elves, they moved in groups, and the first team was leaving.
While Arwen, Elrond, and I were watching them, a signal suddenly came from the [Nano Buckle].
"A signal has come from the Fellowship. I have to go. Even if I'm late, go ahead and leave with Elrond. I can make it there on my own."
"I understand. Please return safely."
"Trust me."
I shared a brief kiss with Arwen. After giving a small nod to Elrond, I flew toward the Misty Mountains where the signal originated.
However, they were deep beneath the mountains. It seemed they had given up on crossing the peaks for some reason and entered the Mines of Moria.
"Where exactly is the entrance?"
I hurriedly searched for the entrance to Moria. Upon finding an artificial door, I simply destroyed it and entered, moving quickly toward the signal.
There, I saw the Fellowship of the Ring in a desperate situation, surrounded by three Balrogs.
'Why are there three?'
Pushing my curiosity aside, I immediately shifted into Dragon Form since the situation was dire. The Mines of Moria were spacious enough that transforming into a dragon didn't cause major issues. Even so, I couldn't fly. So I ran quickly and swung my tail, sending one Balrog flying.
THWACK!!
"Kuaagh!!"
Next, I grabbed the head of another Balrog that was about to lash out at the Fellowship with its whip and slammed it into a thick pillar supporting the ceiling.
BOOM!! CRACK!!
To finish it off completely, I bit the Balrog's head and tore it right off.
CRUNCH!! THUD!
The headless Balrog died instantly as the flames surrounding its body flickered out. When I turned to deal with the next ones, the other two had seemingly been terrified by the sight and suddenly began to flee.
I considered pursuing them to finish them off, but then I heard desperate shouting from the Fellowship. I looked down and saw Saruman lying there, severely injured. Giving up the chase, I returned to human form and checked on Saruman.
Saruman's left side had been torn open so badly that his internal organs were visible. I hurriedly reached out to try and treat him with [Idle Transfiguration] and [Heal], but then someone suddenly grabbed my hand.
I looked at the person holding my hand. An old man with a white beard, whom I had never seen before, was smiling at me. I was completely bewildered. Only the Fellowship and I should have been here. I couldn't fathom where this old man had come from.
More importantly, the time around us had stopped. Gandalf, who was desperately trying to save Saruman, was frozen, and the Hobbits, who didn't know what to do beside him, were also frozen in place.
After a moment, I calmed my racing heart and assessed the situation. In this world, there was only one being who could exert such power.
"You are Ilúvatar."
"Yes. Let Saruman go."
"Understood."
As I replied, time began to flow again. The old man who had blocked my hand had already vanished as if he had never been there. Gandalf, still trying to stop Saruman's bleeding, spoke to me urgently.
"Arcad-Cassian!! Is there no way??"
I shook my head and replied.
"It is already too late to heal him."
"Please, do something!"
Then, Saruman grabbed Gandalf's arm and spoke with difficulty.
"Stop. Do not worry so much, my old friend. We shall meet again in Valinor. Now, take this."
Saruman suddenly manifested a glowing mass of energy in his empty hand and held it out to Gandalf.
"This is..."
"It is the power I have gathered over the years. It will aid you on the journey ahead."
"It is meaningless if you are not with us! Stand up, please!"
"You know as well as I do... that I am far gone. There is no time. Take it quickly. This power will be with you."
At those words, Gandalf accepted the power while weeping. An immense light radiated from Gandalf, and his hair began to turn pure white. By accepting Saruman's power, Gandalf had become the White Wizard.
"It looks good on you."
Saruman, having passed on his power, looked at me one last time.
"Arcad-Cassian, I have enjoyed these last hundred years immensely. Let us finish the research we couldn't complete in Valinor."
"Yes. I'll see you there, friend."
With those final words, Saruman's body turned into light and scattered into the air.
"SARUMAN!!!"