Messmer had been forcibly dragged to Lloyd's location by the "serpent."
Earlier that morning, he was still in a dark chamber, attending to affairs in the Land of Shadow and finding time to pray before his mother's sacred image.
Then, without warning, the "essence of the serpent"—sealed by his mother and dormant within him since birth—suddenly became violently restless, as if drawn by some irresistible force.
It was the first time the "serpent" had ever stirred so fiercely since his mother bestowed her blessing. Though Messmer did his best to suppress it, he was unprepared. In the end, the "serpent" pulled him into another world, where he suddenly appeared before Lloyd.
And there, within the surging flames, Messmer understood clearly why the "serpent" had been so agitated.
It was a flame—one that had never existed before—burning with embers.
Like a ripe, fragrant fruit falling from a branch, it exuded a scent no being aligned with the power of fire could resist. It was like a secret elixir that, once consumed, would at the very least elevate the essence of anyone who ingested it.
Most critically, the flame seemed unaware of its own situation. Not only had it manifested in the world, but it burned openly—boldly—radiating light and heat despite the Lands Between being completely governed by the Golden Order.
While loudly announcing its presence and practically begging to be found, it distorted the surrounding Golden Order with its very light and heat, so much so that even the "serpent" in the distant Land of Shadow could sense it and force its way into reality.
The "serpent" was frantic. The Land of Shadow didn't exist within the Lands Between, so it had already detected the flame later than others. Upon pinpointing its location, it also picked up traces of the Frenzied Flame and Bloodflame, making it rush even faster—afraid that if it delayed any longer, there wouldn't even be a scrap left to devour.
Yet when it finally arrived, it saw neither of those two flames. Instead, the "fruit" stood intact before it.
Had it been a true "serpent," it might have realized something.
But this was merely the "serpent essence" inside Messmer. Overwhelmed by the flame's allure, it couldn't think rationally.
As for Messmer himself, though he initially struggled with the "serpent" for control of his body, the moment he laid eyes on Lloyd, he came to a temporary understanding with it.
He didn't know—or care—what kind of flame it was. But he could tell the being in front of him was a "Graceless One."
Cleansing the Graceless Ones, like hunting the Hornsent, was one of the missions his mother had entrusted to him.
So on that point, he and the "serpent" were aligned.
But...
After the flames parted and the Graceless One before him transformed, Messmer's expression grew grim.
Fire was his domain, and based on how the other had been flailing around moments ago, they didn't seem particularly strong.
But now, after the transformation, even he—and the serpent within—felt a deep sense of unease.
The serpent's fire was unique: blood-red and deadly, it could snatch away lives and burn through souls. The vengeful spirits residing in it were proof enough of that, and the reason it could hunt its enemies on its own.
Yet now... he could feel it.
The serpent's fire was trembling.
Like a lesser predator coming face to face with the apex one—nothing needed to be done. The instinct carved into its very genes made it shudder uncontrollably in fear.
Frenzied Flame? No. He wasn't inexperienced; he had purged those maddened things before. But this wasn't just trembling—the serpent's fire showed outright revulsion and disdain...
"What exactly are you?" As the Serpent trembled in fear, he regained control of his body and stared at the figure before him.
But before Lloyd could answer, a soft chime rang out. From behind him, a phantom Erdtree sprouted, radiating a warm, healing light that soothed both body and soul.
"He is the one chosen by Torrent."
Melina stepped forward from the side and stood beside Lloyd, raising her gaze to Messmer. His expression slowly shifted from confusion to disbelief.
"Brother."
"Huh? He's your brother?"
Lloyd, who had just equipped some "snacks" from his inventory, ready to force-feed this underleveled ambusher, turned his head to look at Melina.
But Melina didn't offer any explanation. On the contrary, after the initial shock, the Red Phantom across from them tightened his grip on the spear, his voice low and tense.
"He's one of the Graceless Ones!"
"They're no longer called Graceless Ones. They're called the Tarnished now."
Melina met his eyes and spoke calmly.
"You've been cut off from the outside world for too long. A lot has changed, things you couldn't possibly know..."
"What about Mother?!"
Caught off guard and still reeling from the Serpent's interference, Messmer blurted out the one thing he cared about most.
"Did she... abandon me?"
He had long lost contact with her. His prayers went unanswered. And every time the thought crossed his mind, he tried to suppress it—telling himself he still had a mission to fulfill, that maybe she hadn't responded because he wasn't done yet... or because he hadn't prayed hard enough.
But instinct wouldn't let him ignore it.
"She didn't abandon you."
Melina's voice was soft.
"She's dead."
Or perhaps dying—lingering between life and death. But in the end, what difference did it make? Maybe even worse than death.
Lloyd: "...?"
Seriously? That's your idea of comforting someone?
He couldn't tell if Melina was trying to console her brother or just making things worse.
As Lloyd had expected, the moment Messmer heard her answer, he didn't calm down. Instead, his stunned expression twisted into rage.
"You lied to me."
The flames on his spear surged, fueled by fury. The trembling in those flames was now replaced by pure wrath.
"I see it now. You betrayed the Erdtree. You betrayed Mother..."
He raised his spear, the twin Serpents on his body hissing and writhing.
"You stand with the Tarnished. You dare deceive me. Are you trying to unleash Destined Death—and reclaim the power of your Gloam-Eyes?"
Melina froze.
"No, I just—"
Boom!
He didn't give her a chance to explain. The flaming spear shot forward.
But the red flame never reached Melina—because a pitch-black shield had already appeared before her, blocking the attack.
"I can dodge it," Melina said to the figure standing in front of her.
"No need."
Lloyd looked at Messmer's twisted expression. In his other hand, the Black Blade flared to life with flames.
"If you can cast healing spells, just stay back and heal."
"Leave the rest to me."
His shield blocked the strike, and his sword lashed out.
At Level 802, his attacks no longer felt like tapping someone with a stick. Every swing of the blade carried blazing fire—each strike carved a chunk out of the enemy's health bar.
At first, Messmer didn't think much of it, even after taking a few hits. But soon, he sensed something was wrong.
The Serpent Flame, which normally stole life and burned souls, was now being consumed instead. The moment it came into contact with that eerie black fire, it was the one getting drained.
The sword didn't leave visible wounds—but somehow, Messmer could feel it. He was injured.
And seriously injured.
"Graceless One—!"
The giant Serpent lunged, mouth glowing with fireballs, crashing down from above. Lloyd couldn't dodge in time. He raised his shield, but it wasn't fully fire-resistant—he still took a bit of damage.
Roughly one percent of his health bar.
But before he could even register the hit, the Erdtree behind him restored the damage instantly.
"Melina—!"
Working together, it took less than a minute for Lloyd and Melina to drive Messmer's health to zero.
And just before he died, he looked at them both. The flames in his eyes flared higher.
"I'll return. I swear I'll come back and burn all of you traitors who betrayed Mother... to ash."
As his final flame flickered out, he dropped to one knee. Staring at them, his spirit slowly unraveled and crumbled into dust.
Since the guy was Melina's brother, Lloyd hesitated for a moment. He didn't follow up with a combo of "snacks" and "spiral stab." Instead, he stood quietly, watching him fade away.
Only after the system popped up the [ENEMY FELLED] message and the soul was added to his inventory did Lloyd put away his weapon and glance back at Melina.
"So, uh, you..."
Melina shook her head. "I'm still searching for answers about our mother."
"No, that's not what I was asking."
Lloyd paused to find the right words.
"I mean, during the fight, I kept wondering... is your brother, like, a bit too obsessed with your mother?"
From the moment he opened his mouth, every other sentence was about her. His first concern wasn't even how his sister was doing—it was whether their mother had abandoned him. And judging by their exchange, it really looked like wiping out the Tarnished was a mission their mother had given him...
What kind of ultra mama's boy was this?
Melina blinked, caught off guard.
She hadn't really thought of it that way. But after Lloyd pointed it out—and considering a few things from the past...
Her expression turned odd.
"Yeah... kind of."