Compared to Melina's reaction, Lloyd was remarkably calm.
They hadn't spent that much time together, and their daily interactions were limited, but if there was one thing even a blind man could see, it was that she absolutely loathed the Frenzied Flame.
Talk to her about something else—something that should've clearly sparked her interest—and she'd still keep quiet. But bring up something she hated? At most, she'd just frown and say nothing.
Even when Lloyd once mistook her for a Fire Keeper and, during a level-up, accidentally placed his hand right on her chest, her reaction was mild. Surprised, sure, but not dramatic.
But the moment you mentioned "Frenzied Flame"?
That was a whole different story.
Lloyd sometimes wondered if she had some kind of mental tripwire that triggered an alarm and made her go berserk the instant those two words were spoken.
He also knew that not telling Melina about Chaos could save him a lot of trouble. And based on what Chaos had said, chances were, their future conversations would include things Melina really shouldn't hear.
But...
"Don't be nervous."
Lloyd reached out and lightly patted her shoulder.
"I didn't make any deals with her. I didn't agree to anything. I didn't even get close. I just listened to her talk in riddles."
"And the fact that I'm even telling you this means I don't want to hide it from you."
"Otherwise, like Hewg said, no one but me can enter that room. No one knows who's inside or what happened. If I didn't bring it up myself, who would ever know what went on in there?"
Sure, he was surrounded by cryptic weirdos and had gotten used to their nonsense—but that didn't mean he liked riddles.
He'd take straight talk over veiled nonsense any day.
"I trust you, Melina. So please, trust me too. Alright?"
Silence.
Melina looked at him for a long time. Her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she said nothing.
Seeing that she seemed unsure of how to respond, Lloyd took the lead and roughly recounted what Chaos had told him.
He didn't leave anything out—not the talk of "kin," or "my existence," or even "her fate."
"Honestly, I don't get what she was going on about."
She called them kin, but even if we were in the Dark Souls world, he'd still just be an Ashen One, not the First Flame. Maybe he could warm things up a bit with some residual embers, but "flame"? That was a stretch.
As for "my existence" and "her fate"? He hadn't known Melina that long, and he'd only met Chaos twice. All he knew were their names and appearances—nothing about their origins or roles.
How the hell was he supposed to understand all that? Guesswork?
Watching Melina lower her head in silence, clearly deep in thought, Lloyd paused, then spoke again.
"Look, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I've told you everything I know. If you figure something out later, just let me know."
After all, some side quests only progressed after resting at a Site of Grace. Realistically, that meant he'd have to wait a bit anyway.
With that said, he raised his whistle to his lips, ready to call Torrent and get back to map clearing.
But just as he blew the whistle and was about to swing onto the saddle, he felt someone tug twice on the hem of his cloak.
Then came a slightly hesitant, quiet voice.
"I... believe you."
Lloyd didn't respond. He just turned back with a smile, patted her on the shoulder, climbed onto Torrent, and reached out to pull her up. Without saying anything more, they resumed their exploration.
He doubled back to the areas he'd already explored, filling in the blanks while gathering more runes and materials along the way.
In the evenings, he visited Sellen for lectures, bringing her some Rowa Fruits he picked en route. Afterward, he'd ask her questions about the world and its lore.
Once he'd reviewed everything, Lloyd set out to explore the remaining unknown regions. First stop: the lake. There, he ran into a flying dragon.
Seeing the familiar model and animations, for a moment, he wasn't sure if he was still in Elden Ring or had somehow wandered into Dark Souls.
Seriously? They didn't even bother to swap the model this time? Straight-up copy-paste, huh?
Every move was so familiar, and with his level being higher now, it didn't take much effort to bring the dragon down. He scored a Dragon Heart for his trouble.
Wandering around nearby, he stumbled across a place called "Dragon-Burnt Ruins." After clearing out the mobs, he found a treasure chest inside. When he opened it, a cloud of white mist burst out.
But Lloyd had seen it coming. He'd slashed the chest before opening it, jumped back immediately afterward, and even raised a Brass Shield that popped out just in case.
Dodging the trap, Lloyd let out a laugh.
The moment he saw the scenery beyond, it reminded him of Majula. And with that trapped chest? Yeah—this was a spiritual sequel to Dark Souls II, no doubt.
Wait, hold on.
Speaking of spiritual sequels, Dark Souls II had a powerstancing system, didn't it? If this really was a spiritual successor... then powerstancing—
It really was in the game?
Holding two weapons and feeling the strength from the dual stance, Lloyd was honestly moved.
Just for the powerstancing system alone, he declared: "Alright, Miyazaki gets to use the bathroom with the door unlocked today."
After wrapping up the ruins, he wandered around a bit more and found a canyon to the north. As he followed the path, Torrent suddenly stopped, and a message popped up—"Invaded by Bloody Finger Nerijus."
He dismounted and checked the opponent. Just a bit of level difference—not like that ridiculous red phantom from the Realm of Shadow who fought like a god. No hidden buffs. Satisfied, Lloyd didn't even bother switching to a higher-level weapon. He just pulled out Bloodhound's Fang and chopped him down.
Once Nerijus was down, a figure in a straw hat appeared nearby. Lloyd turned to look at him.
"You two teaming up to gank invaders?"
"No, no. I am Yura, a 'Hunter of Bloody Fingers.' I came to hunt him."
Yura had sensed the presence of a Bloody Finger and rushed over to help, but by the time he got there, Nerijus was already face-down. Seeing Lloyd still in combat stance, he quickly explained.
After confirming Yura wasn't hostile, Lloyd sheathed his weapon. "What are Bloody Fingers?"
"Bloody Fingers are Tarnished driven mad by cursed blood. They roam these lands attacking their kin."
Yura's tone grew somber as he spoke.
"As long as you walk this land, they're an ever-present threat. They've long since lost their minds—don't hold back just because they're Tarnished like you…"
Got it. Red phantoms with new paint. This guy? The Blue Sentinel.
Lloyd and Yura chatted for a while. Lloyd asked about Bloody Fingers and their hunters; Yura, in turn, asked for details about the fight, trying to confirm Nerijus's identity.
Once they were done, Yura, seeing no further questions, prepared to leave.
Before going, he pointed toward Agheel Lake and warned Lloyd.
"Oh, be careful. A flying dragon dwells in Agheel Lake—beautiful, but deadly. Unless you're an immortal eager to be roasted by dragonfire, best stay far away..."
Lloyd nodded.
"Yeah, I just killed it."
Yura: "...?"
Conversation over, Yura walked off with a rather subtle expression.
A bit farther ahead, Lloyd spotted a cave entrance on a nearby cliff. There was a Site of Grace at the entrance.
He lit it, stepped inside, and found two tunnels and a bunch of weak bandits—not even as tough as demi-humans.
He took them out, went left, opened a chest, and raised an eyebrow at the five mushrooms inside. Then he headed down the right path. After walking for a bit, he came upon a golden fog wall.
He reached into the mist and stepped through—but there was no boss.
Instead, it looked like some kind of base or outpost. In the center stood a chest.
Could it be a slime from the ceiling? Or maybe a mimic?
Lloyd glanced upward, then gave the chest a cautious slash. Nothing. So he stepped forward and opened it.
And right then, a familiar voice spoke up behind him.
"Oh? Trying to sneak off with someone else's loot..."
The bald man named Patches jumped down from a ledge, shield in one hand, spear in the other, his tone teasing.
"A shameless thief will be struck down by the gods..."
But the moment he got a clear look at the face before him, his voice cut off, and his whole body froze.
Then, without hesitation, he turned and bolted.
Holy crap—why is that monster here—!?
Boom!
A massive crimson fireball roared past overhead and exploded right in front of him, forcing him to a skidding halt.
After a beat, Patches stiffly turned his head to see Lloyd, now in full combat stance, casually tossing a flame back and forth between his hands.
"Running? What happened—why'd you stop?"
"N-No, man," Patches grimaced like he'd swallowed a lemon whole. "How do I end up bumping into you even here?"
Lloyd blinked.
"You know me?"
"Oh, great, you fried your brain again, huh?"
Patches seemed oddly used to this. He sheathed his weapon and walked over, sighing.
"Alright, just so we're clear—I don't know how much you remember, but I only tried to scam you once and didn't even succeed. You've already beaten me up three times over it. We're more than even. Honestly, if we're keeping score, you probably owe me at this point... but whatever."
He tossed an item over to Lloyd.
"No idea how you got here too, but let's call this a reunion gift."
[Item Acquired: Margit's Shackle]
Wait, what...?
Lloyd looked at the shackle in his hand, then back at the familiar bald man before him. A creeping sense of dissonance welled up in his chest.
Why does Patches know him? Why did he say Lloyd beat him up three times?
That simulated world—wasn't it just that, a simulation? Even if it wasn't, he'd only fought Patches twice: once at the Firelink Shrine, once in the Ringed City...
Watching that all-too-familiar bald head, listening to his non-stop complaints and grumbling, Lloyd felt something in his mind begin to swell, like—
Like he'd lived through all this before, a long, long time ago.
Pop—
A faint sound, like a bubble bursting, echoed in the air.
Firelight shimmered in his eyes, and magma-like patterns began to surface on his body. Driven by the eerie déjà vu, long-buried fragments began to rise from deep within his memory.
A hazy mist spread outward, distorting the space around him. The boundary between reality and illusion began to blur. Whispers—jumbled, thick, incomprehensible—echoed through the collapsing world.
At this point, even the slowest person would realize something was very wrong.
"Hey, hey, what's happening to you—!?"
Why did a normal conversation suddenly feel like it was about to detonate!?
And then, just as the world twisted and crumbled, a small hand reached out and gently took Lloyd's.
"The dungeon's cleared. Time to go."
The moment their hands touched, everything froze.
That icy sensation pulled Lloyd back to his senses. He looked down and saw whose hand it was.
"Alice?"
Alice nodded and calmly repeated herself.
"The dungeon's cleared. We should go."
"The dungeon... oh, right. It's cleared."
Lloyd's thoughts were a mess. He repeated her words without thinking.
"Everything's just a game. Just a dungeon. Just a simulation, right?"
"Of course."
So, under Patches' stunned gaze, Alice took Lloyd's hand and led him out of Murkwater Cave.
The distortion slowly faded, and the world returned to normal.
Not long after they left—and before Patches could even catch his breath—the blonde girl reappeared before him. Her voice was flat.
"Give me the Stonesword Key. And the crafting notes."
Since Lloyd wouldn't be allowed near this guy for the foreseeable future, it was better to collect the limited items now.
Patches didn't know who she was, but he obediently handed over what she asked for. After hesitating a moment, he finally spoke.
"So, uh... he...?"
"He's fine. He just needs some time to adjust."
Alice looked at Patches, her voice calm.
"No need to worry. I'll take good care of him."
And with that, she vanished.
Patches stood there for a long while in silence, then finally shook his head.
"...Not like I was worried."
That idiot's better off dead anyway.