"Ashen One, are you tired?"
Half-asleep, Lloyd seemed to hear a familiar, gentle voice.
He opened his eyes and vaguely saw a figure in a gray dress, wearing an eyepatch—a figure he knew all too well. From the angle, it looked like he was lying in her arms.
But Lloyd didn't give it much thought. He was tired—so tired that even thinking felt like too much effort.
"If you're tired, just rest for a while."
She reached out and gently stroked his face. The tenderness in that touch felt oddly familiar.
Under that gentle caress, Lloyd closed his eyes. The overwhelming exhaustion eased slightly, enough for him to speak.
"Where are they?"
Her hand paused briefly, then continued stroking his face. She didn't answer.
But sometimes, silence is an answer in itself.
"I see."
Lloyd wasn't even sure what he'd understood, nor did he care enough to figure it out.
"If you're here all alone… doesn't it get lonely?"
"Not at all."
The Fire Keeper lifted her gaze to a nearby bonfire.
There, a tiny, flickering flame burned, looking like it could vanish at any moment.
"You've always stayed by my side. How could I feel lonely? Besides…"
She turned her head toward a figure nearby—out of place in the gray surroundings, faintly glowing purple—and introduced her.
"That child wandered in not long ago. Her name is Trina. You did agree to let her in, though I'm sure you don't remember…"
She was right. Lloyd didn't remember at all.
Trina…
Lloyd forced his eyes open just a sliver. He could barely make out the faint outline of a child in purple.
A child… Why is there a child here…
"Because I saw your dreams. And your pain."
The voice felt distant, almost unreal—just like the child herself.
"I know I can't give you peaceful sleep with my power, but… at the very least, I can ease a little of your pain."
The voice was so faint that, in the normal world, even an eternal sleep would barely catch fragments of it.
But there was nothing left in this world. So even a whisper could be heard clearly.
But hearing it didn't mean he understood it.
And even if he did… Lloyd was too tired to care.
"Here, take this…"
He didn't really know what she was saying. But she was just a child—and giving a little gift never hurt.
As for what to give, he didn't bother thinking. He'd once given a lot of silver ears to a little girl, and she seemed to like them. So, out of habit, he pulled one out.
Or rather, a Proof of a Concord Kept.
A symbol of protection. A token of a promise.
"You…"
The purple figure looked surprised.
Lloyd waved a hand.
"I'm too tired. I'm going to sleep."
"If there's anything, we'll talk next time I wake up."
With that, Lloyd closed his eyes.
And once more, his consciousness drifted into the void.
...
"Hm? You're awake?"
Half-asleep, Lloyd thought he heard a cool, familiar voice.
He opened his eyes to see a girl with long golden hair, draped in a silver-gray robe. Her delicate face was framed by eyes that seemed to hold an endless galaxy.
She was holding him, seated under the shade of a tree, with speckled sunlight swaying gently in the breeze.
"Alice, huh…"
As his senses returned, the cluttered memories faded away with his drowsiness.
"How did I fall asleep?"
"I'm not sure," Alice replied, shaking her head. "You cleared a dungeon, said you were feeling a little sleepy, and then just dozed off."
Huh? Ashen Ones get tired too? Was it all the recent intense exploration… or the simulation?
Lloyd was puzzled for a moment, then another thought struck him.
"Wait—why am I in your arms?"
"The ground's too dirty," Alice said matter-of-factly, then shifted her gaze. "Unless you'd rather lie in her lap?"
Lloyd followed her eyes—and saw Melina crouched nearby, wearing a strange expression.
The topic felt awkward, so he quickly sat up and changed the subject.
"How long was I out?"
"Not long. Just about half a day."
That's a relief.
After checking his condition and confirming with Melina and Alice that there were no issues, Lloyd pulled out the Spectral Steed Whistle and mounted Torrent.
"Alright, break's over. Time to move on."
…
On the other side, Melina stared blankly at Lloyd's swift, unhesitant movements. Then she turned to Alice.
"He…"
Alice looked down in thought for a moment.
"In his words—he "canceled" his memories."
What? That's something you can cancel?
Melina froze in place, only snapping out of it when Lloyd waved his hand in front of her.
"What's wrong? You sleepy too?"
"No."
Melina shook off the daze, took the hand Lloyd offered, and got onto Torrent.
Even as the steed started running, confusion lingered.
So… this 'erasing' he always talks about—what is it exactly?
How could someone erase even their memories?
...
After "waking up," Lloyd resumed his map-scouring journey.
But his route this time was odd—he didn't head north like the map indicated. Instead, he went south, crossed a bridge, and entered a different region.
As for the reason...
"Huh? I'm high enough level to fight a Demigod? Seriously?"
Yes—no one had told Lloyd what Godrick was really like, so he was still using Alice as his benchmark.
Alice hadn't mentioned it because she didn't know. Sellen didn't bring it up because, to her, Godrick's disgracefulness was common knowledge. Melina didn't say anything either—because even recounting Godrick's background and strength felt like outright mockery, and she found it hard to say out loud...
The only one who had ever talked to Lloyd about it was Kalé. But given his own limitations, he couldn't offer much insight. To him, no matter how pathetic Godrick was, he still carried a trace of godly blood—far beyond what a mere wandering merchant like Kalé could judge.
So, with all these influences combined, Lloyd decided to hold off on facing a Demigod and explore elsewhere first to build his strength.
Traveling further south, he crossed a large bridge, casually picked up a Stonesword Key, and arrived in a new region, unlocking a Site of Grace named "Bridge of Sacrifice."
After activating the Grace, Lloyd was ready to leave and continue exploring—but the moment he touched it, he felt something off.
Wait a second… wasn't there something new in his inventory?
Switching to his main profile and opening the inventory, he noticed that even though it had already been full, a bunch of new items had appeared.
For instance, a "White Dragon Breath" spell had been added to his spell list, and the "Power Within" spell now had an older-looking, retro version in the sorcery tab.
There were also some scattered pieces of gear and items...
Wait a minute—aren't these all from Dark Souls 1?
Lloyd looked over the new additions, thinking for a moment. He vaguely remembered seeing some DS1 monsters pop up while grinding in Anor Londo. They had dropped some strange items too.
Must've always been there. I probably just forgot.
With that, Lloyd didn't dwell on it. He double-checked the contents, made a few adjustments to his main setup, then left the Site of Grace and set off again.
It wasn't long before he spotted a blind girl sitting on the stone steps by the roadside. The ground around her was littered with corpses, as if a battle had just ended. She was the only one left, sitting there quietly.
"...Is someone there?"
The girl, Irina, lifted her head. She couldn't see, but she could hear footsteps approaching.
"What happened?" Lloyd walked over to her.
"My name is Irina. I escaped from Castle Morne in the south. The servants there revolted. My father helped me escape, but he stayed behind..."
"You want me to go get him?"
"No, it's not that. I just… I just want you to deliver a letter. If you're not willing, that's okay…"
Lloyd took the "letter" from her hand and asked for her father's name and location. Once he had the information, he turned to leave.
But then, as he glanced at the corpses and signs of battle near Irina, a thought struck him. In the Souls games, there was never a quest where delivering a letter ended in disaster… but this wasn't a game anymore. It was real.
Leaving her here alone didn't sit right with him.
Take her along? Not exactly practical.
Leave someone behind? Melina needed to stay close for leveling. As for Alice… she'd already done enough lately.
Wait.
A sudden idea lit up in Lloyd's mind. He turned to Melina.
"Melina, can you hold off a moment?"
"...What's going on?"
Melina looked puzzled by his sudden request.
Lloyd waved a hand, signaling her to wait, then turned toward an empty patch of space.
"Chaos."
"I'm here, my kin."
With a flicker of frenzied flame, the blonde witch materialized from thin air and looked up at Lloyd.
"Ah, my kin. I knew I wasn't wrong about you. We were apart only briefly, and you've already kindled the first flame. Truly heartening."
"Save the riddles for later."
Lloyd pointed at Irina.
"I'm going to deliver a message. While I'm gone, watch over her. Don't let any wandering beasts kill her."
Huh?
Both Chaos, who had been about to speak, and Melina, who was just opening her mouth, froze in silence.
A long pause.
"You want me to protect her? Are you serious?"
Lloyd nodded.
"Yeah. Dead serious."