Elden Lord of Cinders

Lloyd had actually been meaning to give Two Fingers a proper cleaning for a while now.

Maybe it was because it had been stuck in that little room for so long—and since no one was allowed in until they'd reached a certain level, nobody had looked after it. The thing was covered in dust and had even started growing hair.

Now that he'd finally dragged it over to the water pool, Lloyd headed over to the Ancestor Spirit Forest, borrowed a brush, and gave it a full scrub-down from top to bottom. Then he took out a plain old knife he'd looted off a small fry earlier and used it to shave off the excess hair.

Once it was all cleaned up, Two Fingers raised itself slightly, gave its body a shake like a pet fresh out of the bath, then stretched a few times.

No translation needed. Just from the way it moved, you could tell it was feeling good—relaxed, even.

Clearly, this thing hadn't had a proper wash in ages.

Still, while the cleaning was a success, Lloyd didn't manage to get Renna and Two Fingers to actually talk.

For one, Renna was still stuck in a daze, completely unresponsive.

And for another, there was no Finger Reader around. Even if Two Fingers wanted to speak, Renna wouldn't understand a word.

Lloyd had briefly considered dragging the Finger Reader Crone over, but she didn't look very mobile, and it didn't seem right to go bothering an old lady just for his own amusement.

But since he already had Two Fingers here, and it was just awkwardly swaying about nearby, Lloyd thought for a moment, brow furrowing slightly.

Maybe... he could try being the interpreter?

After all, he'd been dropping by the Roundtable Hold regularly, and he always chatted a bit with Two Fingers when he did. While those chats were always through the old crone's translation, he'd started to pick up on the gestures a little.

This seemed like a perfect chance to try it out—and if it worked...

...

It didn't.

A few minutes later, Lloyd gave up.

Turns out, he could get the gist of some gestures—but only barely.

Like just now, when Two Fingers had been flailing around for a while, the only thing he could decipher was:

"I've got work to do."

That was it. That's all he got.

"Well, alright then. I'll take you back."

But just as Lloyd walked up to pick it up and send it back, he suddenly paused, staring down at the fingers.

Wait a sec… Two Fingers is… well, fingers.

Two Fingers curled slightly, sensing something ominous.

And in the next second, that bad feeling came true.

Right in front of it, Lloyd pulled out a gray ring, eyes full of hopeful anticipation.

"So, uh, Finger? I've never asked you for anything before…"

"But look, I just so happen to have this covenant item in hand, and I've been helping you out too, so..."

Splash!

That was the sound of Two Fingers diving headfirst into the water.

Then, with Renna still watching, the yellow digits scrambled like a worm, scuttling off as fast as it could.

Behind it, Lloyd chased with the ring in hand, shouting,

"Wait—hold on! It's just a covenant!"

"I even gave you a full-body scrub! At least do it for the grooming!"

After a bit of chaotic back-and-forth, seeing that the poor finger really wasn't up for it, Lloyd sighed and reluctantly put the ring away.

He looked at the now-defensive Two Fingers and shook his head.

"It's just a covenant..."

Then he picked it up again, fast-traveled back to the Roundtable Hold, and placed it gently back into its original room.

Throughout the entire process, the Hold was dead silent—and not just now. The silence had started the moment he'd hauled it out.

Seriously, what the hell are you doing, man?

And yet, the Finger Reader Crone in the room didn't seem fazed at all. In fact, she nodded slightly once the finger was back in place.

"Looks like you had a lot of fun with the Two Fingers."

Truth be told, Enia knew this whole situation was absolutely insane.

But as someone on the front lines of finger translation, she was all too familiar with Lloyd's interactions with the digits—how they talked, how they… "bonded."

At first, she used to be shocked. She'd tried to warn him to treat the Fingers with more respect. But now…

"The Fingers say he enjoys spending time with you."

"But when it comes to forming a covenant, it's still a bit early."

"He's the conservative type in relationships."

Enia could say that with a straight face now.

Honestly, even if one day Lloyd and the Finger did become a thing, she'd probably just nod calmly and offer a quiet congratulations.

Lloyd, on the other hand, was just baffled.

Conservative in relationships?

What does that have to do with forming a covenant?

...

After a bit more idle chatter with Two Fingers, Lloyd teleported back to where he'd been before.

This time, before he could say anything, Renna—finally snapping out of her daze—rushed up to him, grabbed his shoulders, locked eyes with him, and said seriously:

"I'm begging you—please, stop messing around."

"Let me calm down first."

Hearing that, Lloyd smacked his lips, then silently slipped the ring he'd just pulled out back into his pocket.

Renna immediately turned and ran off, clearly unwilling to stay near him any longer. She needed some space to cool down.

...

Not long after Renna left, Melina returned.

She came back alone. Chaos didn't follow her and had gone straight back to the Roundtable Hold.

This time, Melina's expression was clearly off. She drifted near Lloyd a few times, looking like she wanted to say something—but every time, she hesitated, unable to get the words out. She looked torn.

Lloyd didn't press her. He just found a spot to sit down and patted the clean space beside him.

Melina hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down too. Her eyes dropped to the pool below, watching the reflection of the two of them ripple across the surface.

Lloyd, meanwhile, gazed up at the stars—false though they were, painted across the underground sky. Still, it was a beautiful sight.

...

Time passed in silence.

Just as Melina was still wrestling with how to speak, something warm enclosed her hand.

It was his.

"I don't know exactly what Chaos told you, but I'm guessing it had something to do with defilement... and covenants," Lloyd said, still looking at the illusory stars. His voice was calm.

"She wasn't lying."

"I did defile her. I did form a covenant of defilement with her."

Melina's body tensed.

But she didn't pull her hand away. Instead, after a moment's stiffness, she held his hand in return.

She didn't even know why.

By all rights, if Lloyd had truly made a pact with the Frenzied Flame, she should've at least reacted—if not walked away entirely, then shown some form of resistance.

But she didn't.

Even as he admitted it outright, she held his hand tighter. There was something in the way she did it too—something vulnerable, like she felt pitiful and wronged.

And his hand, in turn, wrapped gently around hers. He gave it a soft squeeze, like he was reassuring her.

"I told you before—I wouldn't hide anything from you."

"And I've always believed you would trust me."

Lloyd turned his head and looked at Melina sitting beside him.

"I don't have any affection for the Frenzied Flame. Quite the opposite. It's because I believe she's wrong that I made a covenant with her. I want to change her."

"Of course, I know how insane that probably sounds to you. And yeah, it's dangerous."

"But I think it's worth trying."

He paused, then looked down at the little stick of wood in his hand, fiddling with it idly before continuing.

"As for her trying to defile me..."

"Honestly, I don't really get what she meant by that."

"But whatever. She only ever says one of two things—either she flaunts our covenant to get under your skin, or she tries to act close to me just to make you jealous."

"I'll admit—both of those things are technically true. We do have a covenant. And I don't hate her."

"But what I don't hate is Chaos—the person. I despise what the Frenzied Flame stands for. That's why I want to change her, not follow her."

"So whatever she said to you, whether it's true or not, you don't need to worry."

"I believe in you. And you believe in me. That's enough, right?"

...

Silence.

Melina sat there with her head lowered, saying nothing.

And truthfully, Lloyd's guess was mostly right.

Chaos had approached Melina, and their conversation had been exactly about those things. She'd started by showing the ring that symbolized their covenant, then talked about her relationship with Lloyd.

But what Lloyd hadn't anticipated was that Chaos hadn't been trying to provoke Melina. She hadn't been flaunting anything. She hadn't tried to seduce or lie.

She laid it all out, openly—for Melina to see.

"Yes, I would choose to tempt him down the path of the Frenzied Flame. Maybe it won't end exactly with Frenzied Flame, but as long as the outcome's the same, what difference does it make…?"

"You speak of feelings? The despair born of false emotions is false too. That kind of thing borders on emptiness—it would only extinguish the Frenzied Flame. Everything I feel is real. You don't need to doubt that."

"Do you know why I'm telling you all this? Because I know you'll eventually have to face that death-bound fate. So I wanted to push you to speak with him more. To form a deeper bond."

"If you don't fight for him, I'll lure him to Frenzied Flame. And if you do fight for him, that too will lead to despair."

"So really, the result's the same. Why not pick the one that feels better for you?"

"Yes, that's my goal. Whether you choose or not, it ends the same. Even your despair will become my fuel."

"Think it over, my dear sister."

With that, Chaos vanished.

...

Melina stood there a moment longer after she disappeared, then finally went to find Lloyd.

But even after finding him, her mind was still a mess.

Because Chaos hadn't lied—not about any of it.

Even the covenant and the defilement weren't traps meant to provoke her. Chaos had thrown herself into it fully, made herself part of it, and meant every word.

Then, based on that truth, Chaos laid out two paths for her—both leading to ruin.

But Lloyd had offered her a third.

To trust him.

That should've been the end of it.

Lloyd had clearly said he wouldn't fall under Chaos's influence. He intended to change her instead. That alone should have been enough to ease Melina's worries.

But...

Maybe—just maybe—there was a fourth path.

...

Just as Lloyd was finishing up calming the "little wooden stick" and getting ready to leave, the thorns of rejection flared up again.

Only this time, they didn't push him away—they wrapped around him.

Or more accurately…

Just as Lloyd turned to go, Melina suddenly reached out and pulled him into her embrace.

Just like Chaos had once done.

Lying there, cradled against Melina's chest, looking up at the little wooden charm, Lloyd blinked.

"You're trying to defile me too?"

"…Is that… not allowed?"

After a pause, a small, uncertain voice answered.

It was soft. Hesitant. Laced with doubt—but also with a touch of stubbornness and a tiny bit of mischief.

"Of course it's allowed," Lloyd replied without hesitation. "But how do you plan to defile me?"

Melina tensed, eyes flicking away, clearly flustered.

"I… haven't figured that out yet."

Lloyd thought for a second, then pulled out a ring.

"Well, want to start with a covenant?"

"…No."

"Then how about just holding me like this when you've got nothing else to do?"

"…Also no."

"Alright, how about this—I'll get you a Madoka outfit, and you cosplay as her."

"…Who's Madoka?"

"She's another you. From another world."

The thorns of rejection didn't vanish.

But this time, they cradled Lloyd within them, revealing—for the first time—the warmth and softness hidden beneath the sharpness.

Melina knew this wasn't a rational decision. It wasn't wise either.

But she did it anyway.

Maybe it was everything that had built up before. Maybe it was Chaos's provocation. Maybe it was simply Lloyd himself.

Whatever the reason, she did it.

She held him. Opened up. Responded to that unwavering trust with everything she had.

That... was the fourth path she chose.

...

But it was clear Melina wasn't very good at walking this road.

After only a short moment of closeness, they both fell quiet again.

Before Melina could figure out what to say next, a voice cut in.

"Ahem… sorry to interrupt…"

Renna, who had just recovered and was heading over to talk to Lloyd again, stopped dead at the scene in front of her. After a couple awkward coughs, she quickly turned and left.

Melina stared after her, lips parting slightly—but no words came out.

The moment broken, the thorns around Lloyd retracted.

He stayed in her arms a little longer, but when she didn't seem ready to speak again, he got up.

...

Then he started walking in the direction Renna had gone.

But halfway there, he suddenly paused and turned toward the air beside him.

The yellow-robed witch appeared.

"My kin... are you angry?"

"No."

Lloyd shook his head, reached out, lifted a strand of hair by her temple, and gently trailed his fingers along her cheek.

His voice was calm, but firm.

"I don't know what you're really after, but I won't let you defile me. And I will push back."

"I'm not going to let you lead me around."

Then, mimicking her from earlier, he reached out and pinched the tip of her nose.

It was a satisfying texture.

He couldn't help but give it another couple of squeezes.

Chaos didn't resist. She didn't even seem to expect it. From the moment he touched her hair, she just stood there silently.

Even after he stopped and stood there quietly, she said nothing.

...

Only after a long silence did she finally sigh.

Her expression changed—not to irritation at being teased, or disappointment at her plan failing—but into a faint smile Lloyd didn't expect.

Then, as he watched in surprise, she took a step forward, pressed against him, and reached out.

One arm wrapped around his waist.

The other around his neck.

She looked up at him, warm breath brushing his skin.

And in that moment, her voice carried a strange, unreadable tone.

"My dear kin…"

"I've suddenly realized, in some ways…"

"Even when you're fully awake, you're not very smart, are you…"

...

[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]

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