Elden Ring: My Ending

Excitement.

Lately, this feeling had firmly settled within Melina. Though it was important to recognize that excitement came in different shades: excitement born of joy or fear. Excitement tinged with resentment. Excitement born from… from…

The girl adjusted her hood, lowering her head.

Excitement born from… pleasant sensations, accompanied by the steady fading of her burns. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was self-conscious about them, reluctant to reveal her scorched hands, let alone the rest of her body. The unexpected aid in healing, despite certain… side effects, had brought her great relief.

Melina had long grown used to the sensation of her soul being burned from within. But ordinary warmth—gentle, soothing, and astonishingly tender—was something she had never experienced.

Soulslike worlds weren't designed for such comforts.

Her current excitement leaned more toward positive emotions, rather than negative ones—the Grand Lift of Dectus was active once again. The massive statues of the intricately enchanted arch were alive, welcoming their new lord.

Konstantin held the two halves of the medallion as if he had done this hundreds, even thousands of times before. In the future, as king, he would undoubtedly use it many more times.

"It's hard to believe the lift is active again," Ranni folded her hands, speaking calmly.

Melina reflexively nodded, but upon realizing who had addressed her, turned her head toward the demigoddess with a displeased frown.

Sellen, meanwhile, mesmerized by the marvel of magical engineering, absently checked if her little crown was still on her head.

Neither the terrifying daughter of Queen Rennala nor the jealous—and therefore even more terrifying—daughter of the Goddess were people she intended to provoke right now.

Her new body still ached.

"Konstantin fulfilled your task. What else do you want now?" Melina asked, her tone cold.

"Am I not allowed to witness the lift's revival?" Ranni asked calmly, her faintly spectral face showing a hint of surprise. Rested, she had noticeably better control over her emotions and even refrained from pouting… for no reason, at least.

Melina didn't respond.

The demigoddess's awakening had made her feel slightly more at ease—now there was less of a chance of dubious individuals, usually lounging brazenly on her shoulders, doing something… questionable.

On the other hand, there were now two witches watching her chosen one as he helped her heal her… spiritual wounds.

Melina retreated further into her hood, unwilling to show her face.

Before meeting Konstantin, she had never imagined she would find herself in a situation like this.

Fortunately, the barely audible, malicious chuckle from the perceptive Sellen went unnoticed by the false Finger Maiden. Ranni, meanwhile, paid no attention to Melina at all, remaining focused on the arch. Her lineage had built it, so it wasn't surprising that she wanted to see a piece of its former glory.

As for Sellen's illusion—if Ranni had noticed it at all, she regarded it as nothing more than part of the scenery.

The daughter of Queen Rennala of the Full Moon was naturally calm, but her calmness wasn't necessarily a virtue. It served more as a mask, hiding the demons lurking deep within her soul.

"Beautiful…"

Millicent stood slightly aside, entirely focused on the marvel before her eyes. She could feel the numerous mechanisms beneath her feet coming to life.

Kosta lowered the two medallion halves, seeing that the process of casual activation had completed. He strode toward the lift with firm steps, unbothered. Behind him followed Millicent, Melina, and Sellen.

Ranni was nowhere to be seen as if she had vanished into thin air.

The red-haired warrior, now standing beside the Tarnished, glanced around in confusion—nothing seemed to be happening. However, she had drawn conclusions too soon.

Even the soulslike veteran himself was taken aback by the unexpected special effects. Instead of the lift simply beginning to ascend… somewhere, a massive magical sigil erupted in a dazzling display.

In the next moment, Konstantin felt his surroundings change. The sky turned golden, the world sank into perpetual autumn—from the golden grass to the trees whose leaves seemed on the verge of falling but, for some inexplicable reason, hadn't done so in… ages.

Even the air felt different to Konstantin, richer with grace. The very vision of Grace, which had followed him since his arrival in the Lands Between, grew sharper, more intricate.

He reached out, touching the stream of energy.

And yet, though the Lands Between were closer to death than to life, even the most die-hard haters couldn't deny the sheer aesthetic beauty of its game design.

Konstantin smiled.

Millicent, however, had the most genuine reaction. She had seen nature bloom before, but the view of the Altus Plateau entirely transformed her understanding of what beauty could be.

She took a few tentative steps forward, wide-eyed as she looked around, like a cat seeing snow for the first time. It seemed she could barely believe what she was seeing.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Millicent turned to the man who had made it all possible.

There was no need to once again express how deeply grateful she was. That could no longer be conveyed with words. Only through emotions—emotions Millicent had never been taught how to properly express. She was certainly more open than Melina, but her illness had kept so much locked away.

The red-haired warrior still couldn't fully believe she might one day be rid of her affliction. It had haunted her since birth, becoming a part of her. Konstantin had already accomplished the impossible and continued to do so. Though a faint hope for another miracle had recently taken root in Millicent's heart, until and unless that miracle came to pass…

She couldn't allow herself to fully express her feelings. She wasn't selfish enough for that.

Konstantin looked around one last time before whistling for Torrent. The spectral steed responded immediately, appearing before him.

Though it wasn't obvious at first glance, the mount had grown visibly larger, its muscles more defined, even its horns had become more imposing—longer, sharper. The Spirit Tuner had done her work well, transferring spectral energy to the steed, which it could harness far better than mindless creatures. One of the Lands Between's greatest injustices had been rectified.

The same was true for the Mimic Tear, the jellyfish, and the wolves. The only summon from the bell that hadn't received a "level up" was the albinauric… but, unfortunately, this method of empowerment simply wasn't suitable for her(1).

"...I wonder if direwolves live here…"

The barely audible whisper of the equally captivated Latenna lifted Kosta's mood even more.

He was glad that, overall, at least one of the waifus was pleased with the way things were going.

Kosta helped Millicent onto the steed before mounting himself, his gaze thoughtful as he scanned the surroundings.

"So, Shaded Castle?"

Millicent, knowing why he was heading there, lowered her head.

"If you—"

"Sorry for putting this off."

The red-haired warrior's eyes darkened. The last thing she wanted was for the Tarnished to apologize to her. She had seen how much he had to juggle, nearly tearing himself apart to handle everything. And yet, he always found time to help her.

Millicent exhaled slowly.

"Thank you…"

Konstantin shrugged nonchalantly.

Who else would take care of the small amount of good left in this cursed world? The light of the waifus was the only thing that had kept him going during the sweatiest and most grueling tries, no matter how many bad endings he faced.

Such was the fate of waifu fans in dark fantasy—likely in any fantasy. They knew what they were signing up for, yet still suffered all the same.

Fortunately, Konstantin now had the chance to fix things, and for that, he was willing to push himself to the brink. Maybe not perfectly, but at least enough to achieve the ending he wanted. His own.

Torrent, energized like never before, snorted contentedly and took off, soon disappearing into the shades of the eternally autumnal region.

Melina and Sellen stayed behind, watching the receding figures.

"What a pair of odd ones…" Sellen commented with a sly smirk.

The false Finger Maiden turned her gaze to the sorceress.

"Have you still not left that shelter?"

"There's barely anything left of it, my lady," Sellen replied, removing her miniature crown with a sour grimace. "Am I supposed to live among ruins?"

Melina, adopting some of her Tarnished's mannerisms, shrugged impassively.

In today's Lands Between, many lived among ruins—those who still retained some semblance of reason, anyway. The mindless creatures didn't even warrant mention. As if they had a choice in this half-dead world.

The false Finger Maiden narrowed her eyes in thought.

"You're not going to… Sellen?"

Melina looked around, not finding the sorceress perched on her shoulder. Either Sellen had fled, or—more likely—she had simply dispelled her illusion.

"She's hard to control," Ranni noted from the side.

Melina reflexively nodded, then sighed upon realizing who had spoken to her again. She decided not to continue the conversation.

At the very least, she could be certain that the demigoddess wouldn't allow anything… questionable to happen. Melina herself still had some matters to attend to—things that needed checking.

Seeing the Goddess's daughter vanish, descending to wander the lower realms of the spirit world, Ranni allowed herself a faint smile.

She was very interested in observing firsthand how Konstantin healed the scorched maiden.

Of course, her interest was purely academic. Nothing more. Absolutely nothing

But first…

The demigoddess turned her gaze to the side, frowning.

The mechanisms within Blaidd, which she had failed to suppress, were starting to activate(2). Unfortunately, that day had come.

The journey to Shaded Castle turned out to be much simpler and faster than Konstantin had initially anticipated. Torrent, now upgraded, reached speeds so astonishing that their figures were practically invisible—merely a fleeting silhouette accompanied by the rush of wind.

Poor Millicent had no choice but to press herself tightly against the Tarnished, lest she be flung off entirely. Only the Outer Gods knew if she could have survived such an extreme landing.

At first, the red-haired warrior tried to keep some distance from Konstantin, fearing that the rot within her might somehow affect him. But Konstantin didn't seem to notice, instead holding her more securely.

They made rare stops to rest, and Konstantin still needed to touch Grace at intervals. Even so, their journey took less than a couple of days.

For the Tarnished, the entire continent was like the palm of his hand. At this pace, he would eventually be able to jump across the Lands Between at will.

Such casual efficiency was beyond even the supreme sorcerers.

"That was fast. Thank you, Torrent."

The Tarnished patted the steed's mane. Torrent snorted, glancing meaningfully at Millicent, then snorted again and flicked his tail.

Kosta raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, thank you for that as well."

From the moment the whistle that summoned Torrent had come into his possession, Konstantin had felt a strange connection with the steed. This bond only deepened with each upgrade. Sometimes, it seemed as if the mount could speak—just in a different way.

Millicent, catching an odd meaning in Konstantin's words, felt her ears burn. Over the past few days, she had even gotten used to being… embraced.

Accepting the idea that the Tarnished seemed oblivious to the scarlet rot within her was difficult, but…

Embarrassingly pleasant.

'Are they… doing this on purpose?'

Her life had not prepared her for this. Killing creatures infected with rot was far simpler and more straightforward.

It seemed this thought, in some form or another, crossed the minds of every remaining sentient being in the Lands Between.

"Shaded Castle" wasn't called that for no reason. In the distance, a mountain loomed, obscuring half of the structure. But that wasn't the castle's defining feature.

Kosta inhaled the familiar swampy scent, feeling an unprecedented surge of vitality from the poisonous vapors. At some point, swamps consumed every soulslike player—it was inevitable.

The castle, once grand, was now half-sunken into a toxic mire, with even the air turning yellow from the poisonous mists. An ordinary person had no business being near it.

Luckily—or unluckily (depends on those who they encounter)—both Millicent and Konstantin were far from ordinary.

While Konstantin's resilience was expected (or not, but everyone was used to it), Millicent, in a sense, had her own immunity to all manner of infections. The aggressive rot within her simply eliminated all potential competitors. However, this didn't save her from the foul stench.

"The arm… is it really here?" Millicent asked quietly.

What were the odds that a prosthetic suitable for her would be in a random abandoned, poisonous castle on the edge of the Lands Between? Practically zero.

But that chance rose to one hundred percent when Konstantin was involved—a man whose knowledge exceeded the imagination of Millicent, Melina, Ranni, and anyone else.

They had all come to terms with the fact that the man, becoming more human (and inhuman) by the day, possessed knowledge inaccessible to others.

"Yes," Konstantin nodded absently, lost in thought. "The castle's warden was obsessed with Malenia. He made several prosthetics for her. One of them should still be here."

Malenia? Millicent flinched.

The name not only sounded eerily familiar but also felt disturbingly… personal.

Unfortunately, Konstantin didn't delve into the lore himself, as he didn't know all the facts.

His focus was elsewhere.

"I need spikes. Preferably thorned vines."

"Huh?"

"Spikes? For what?"

Konstantin shrugged.

Despite knowing that Millicent wouldn't understand his reasoning at all, Konstantin decided to reply in his usual manner.

"I want to cover my set with them. It's important. A matter of respect."

Millicent blinked dumbly, noting how serious the Tarnished had suddenly become.

The castle was far from deserted. In Konstantin's eyes, it was a genuine location that required clearing, and he wasn't about to deny himself the pleasure of hunting down the undead and other creatures infesting the swamp fortress.

Whether it was decaying human corpses, undead dogs, ghosts, or even undead perfumers surrounded by golem guards, none of them posed any challenge to the man, even when he imposed restrictions on himself.

Fortunately, Millicent was there, eager for combat. Konstantin didn't limit the waifu's desires, simply observing the events with detached interest.

The most intriguing part awaited them deep within the castle.

A corpse who had survived his own execution, ruling over a fortress that had sunk into the swamps, preserving fragments of reason even in death. Frankly, Kosta had little interest in this undead knight's backstory(3).

His focus lay on the knight's attributes, which resonated deeply with someone who had gone (or spiraled) far beyond the limits of a typical hardcore challenge-runner. A figure to admire, though certainly not to imitate.

The undead knight had entrenched himself in the castle hall, seeing no reason to ever leave. Covered head to toe in jagged spikes, clad in heavy armor, his mere presence commanded respect.

Unfortunately for him, Kosta had a tribute to pay.

And Elemer of the Briar was the unfortunate recipient of that respect.

"Are you sure this is comfortable?" Millicent cautiously asked, eyeing him from head to toe.

Clad in armor covered with razor-sharp spikes, the Tarnished gave an impassive nod.

It wasn't his first time fully gearing up in a proper set.

"More than comfortable."

The red-haired warrior pressed her lips together, clearly harboring doubts.

It took the undead knight a moment to process that someone had entered his rightfully conquered domain—completely wrapped in thorned vines.

Even in death, Elemer still retained a shred of intelligence… which was precisely why he hesitated.

The Tarnished's bizarre appearance was disturbing.

Even to a dead man.

"What… what are you…"

Elemer took a step back as the madman suddenly began rolling toward him.

The worst was yet to come.

Unsurprisingly, the watching Ranni observed Konstantin's actions from afar. How could it be otherwise? She had, after all, given him this chance!

To claim that the demigoddess was hard to surprise would be an understatement. She had witnessed sorceries that defied the laws of reality, performed the impossible herself, and her very existence was an embodiment of madness—faking her own death through the use of the conceptual Rune of Death was the mark of either a lunatic or the classic quiet girl reading late into the night in the library.

But what she now witnessed, even by her standards, was…

Too strange.

"Huh?"

It seemed that very thought synchronized in the minds of Millicent, Ranni, and the knight about to meet yet another gruesome end.

With an impassive expression hidden beneath his vine-wrapped helm, Konstantin began rolling at the bewildered undead knight.

This was his strategy for victory.

Elemer tried to dodge the rolling madman, but Konstantin was faster, brushing him with the spikes mid-roll.

Though the undead knight also wore spiked armor, Konstantin didn't care. The spikes still reached their target.

Great Runes were keys to controlling reality. If the bearer of the Elden Ring declared there was no death, then there would be no death. This law would hold anywhere there was faith in the Ring and the power of an Outer God(4).

But even without the Great Runes, the Tarnished, by virtue of his casually-hardcore existence, was already shattering the boundaries of rationality. But with three reality-altering keys in his possession…

The boundaries of logic bent even further, bowing to the will of a sweaty soulslike player. In the end, this was the essence of soulslike games!

The undead knight swung his sword, lunged, slashed vertically, controlled his blade from a distance, and desperately tried to fend off the terrifying rolls of the spiked madman (the spikes were meant for aesthetics, not this!), attempted to block with his shield, and even resorted to grabbing him.

All to no avail.

Roll after roll. The spikes dug deeper and deeper into the knight's body, leaving more and more wounds with each hit.

At some point, Elemer, barely able to hold his sword, soaked in blood from head to toe, simply fell. Behind the helm, his face was frozen in genuine confusion and incomprehension.

The next time he rose, whatever remnants of sanity the knight still possessed would likely abandon him completely—a blessing in disguise.

Covered in someone else's blood, Konstantin stopped rolling and calmly removed his helmet.

For some reason, he didn't feel like praising the sun. Honestly, he didn't even feel like a victor.

The air was thick with… awkwardness.

"Yeah… That's exactly how I imagined this challenge. Completely pointless and absolutely merciless(5)."

Kosta frowned, pondering how all this must have looked from the outside. He turned to Ranni and Millicent, both of whom stood frozen, their eyes glazed over.

For some reason, he felt relieved that Melina hadn't seen this. Such challenges were too dangerous for her gentle spiritual heart.

Removing the spiked armor, Kosta coughed awkwardly.

"We still need to find the prosthetic."

Millicent dumbly nodded. Ranni vanished as if she had never been there.

At least the man had paid his respects, albeit in a most unconventional way.

(1) If Latenna's "Ash" is upgraded by Roderika, her replicas will not work in the Mountaintops of the Giants and the Consecrated Snowfield. This could either be a bug or a marker indicating that this method has… certain side effects unsuitable for all races.

(2) In the game, after defeating Radahn, Blaidd will be unable to explore Nokron with the player. As we later learn from Iji, he is sent on another mission, which turns out to be a containment trap.

(3) There's no direct mention of him being dead. Instead, it seems he managed to escape captivity and survive. However, considering the peculiar location of his base, it's reasonable to assume he may have died once or twice. Otherwise, it's hard to explain why he didn't leave the castle submerged in swamps—unless, of course, he's a fan of Souls-like games?

(4) Hints in the game suggest that lands exist beyond the Lands Between, governed by the laws of other Outer Gods. From this, it's easy to deduce that the Outer Gods have spheres of influence they cannot simply step beyond. Considering how fervently Marika spread faith in the Greater Will and the Erdtree, the conditions for an Outer God's power to spread seem intuitive.

(5) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXd5Kh4JRPo