Flashback, of Rhys encountering the memory of Rennala in Raya Lucaria. After pouring her (or its) energy into the Comet Azur, the memory scatters. Rennala: Oh little Ranni, my dear daughter... Rennala: Weave thy night into being... For readers of a keen memory, Rennala's words were not revealed in Chapter 1; they were covered over by a narrator. So, there ya go: I did not try to ignore what the game did in this particular instance.
Current time. Rhys is in awe before Ranni's presence. Ranni: Wilt thou enter into the service, Ranni: of Ranni, the Witch?
Gareth brushes past Rhys, and kneels before her. Gareth: Your majesty, Gareth: is this thy enchantment?
Ranni: Aye.
Gareth: If you can aid us in fleeing this mountain, I will pay the debt, of any cost, in double its worth.
Ranni: I am not seeking favor, Ranni: but loyalty.
Gareth: Your majesty, I apologize, but I cannot give faith unto whom I know little of.
Ranni: That's why I ask of it: Ranni: place unto me all your faith, without question. Ranni: Do you think I won't answer it?
Rhys kneels before Ranni. Rhys: I know you. Rhys: You are royalty, and you are a god, so Blaidd told me. Rhys: I pledge myself to you.
Ranni: What if that pledge puts you before every sword? Rhys: ...
Ranni: If every man in the Lands Between hates you? Ranni: If service finds you fighting fate itself? Ranni: If the forces of the heavens were to tear you into pieces and scatter you into the winds, destroying your will?
Ranni: Give me all. Ranni: I require all. Ranni: That is how perilous my path is.
Ranni: Telling you this much, is courtesy more than I ought to give.
Rhys: You find in me a will unshakeable. Rhys: My mind is unchanged. I pledge myself to your cause.
Ranni: And you? Gareth: ...
Gareth: I promised Rhys - my friend - I would aid him in leaving this mountain, unscathed. Gareth: Without help, I cannot accomplish that.
Ranni: Good enough. Ranni: Very well. I welcome you both, brave Tarnished.
The wintry winds blow; three lights form around the slumbering bodies.
Projections of War Counselor Iji, Preceptor Seluvis, and Blaidd appear. Ranni: Iji, Seluvis, Blaidd. Ranni: I have summoned thee. There is little time.
Blaidd looks around him rapidly; clearly, he did not expect to be here. Blaidd: Wh- What-
He sees Ranni. Blaidd: RANNI! Blaidd: It's been so long! Ranni: Blaidd. There is very little time. Less, now.
Blaidd: Eh-hem! Blaidd: Of course, of course. Blaidd: Business, business.
Blaidd shakes Rhys's hand. Blaidd: Rhys. Gareth.
Ranni: These two have entered my service. Ranni: They are shardbearers.
Seluvis: Hmm. Iji: My, my...
Ranni: They are hounded by the Recusants and Mohgwyn's knights. Ranni: It's not worth speculating, too, that Leyndell is hot on their heels.
Ranni: These are your comrades. Ranni: We will not give them up.
Seluvis: Hmph. Iji: Where are you currently?
Ranni: At the base of Mt. Gelmir, east. Iji: I assume they want to get off Altus?
Ranni: I did not think this needed to be stated. Yes.
Seluvis: I can send a balloon to them. Selvuis: Unfortunately, we do not have many other ... aerial options.
Gareth: Will the balloon hold an ox? Seluvis: What? Gareth: My mount. He is very precious to me.
Seluvis: Bumpkin... Seluvis: Yes, we do have balloons in larger varieties.
Iji: Alas, if only you were on the mountain's southern tip. That's right across from the manor. Ranni: If that is preferred, I will make it so.
Ranni: Seluvis, how long? Seluvis: An hour before sunrise. Ranni: Good.
Blaidd: Will I be of any help? Ranni: Are you still in Limgrave?
Blaidd: Yes. Blaidd: With Rhys's aid, I have hunted Darriwil, but I am no closer to Nokron. Ranni: Then stay there.
Ranni: Rhys, Ranni: humble yourself before Azur, and return to Sellen. Ranni: She will know a thing about Nokron.
Rhys: ! Ranni: Your master has a penchant for ... idiosyncratic star-gazing, shall we say, like myself. Ranni: I did not choose you lightly. I'll make you useful to me.
Ranni: Go. He is behind. Rhys leaves.
Ranni: Gareth, Ranni: I will enchant these to defend the village. Ranni: But the invaders are determined. They will not suffice, alone.
Gareth: Do not fret, my lady. Gareth: My shield will be enough.
Gareth: And yet...how do you compel free-minded men, to -
Gareth turns around; Ranni, Iji, Seluvis and Blaidd have disappeared, leaving only the winter winds.
Gareth is disturbed, not sure what he has gotten himself into.
Rhys approaches the aging, almost inert body of Primeval Sorceror Azur. His body has transformed almost entirely into glintstone.
Rhys sticks his hand towards the sorceror, seeing if he is alive.
Azur, unexpectedly, takes Rhys's hand.
He presses Rhys closer, to see into the crystal of his head.
A tiny, green light can be discerned glowing from the dark-green of the crystal.
A vision of outer space is projected from the crystal.
The Comet Azur, a blazing bluish-green comet through the universe; in the darkness of space it is as bright and luminous as the Erdtree on earth (or "earth", I dunno). It seems to possess limitless energy. Narrator: The Comet Azur. The same Rennala had shown Rhys in the Grand Library, and the same Azur once beheld, leaving him with only his mortality. Narrator: When Rhys first saw it he felt empty, as if nothing on earth nor in his painful and short existence would be as beautiful. Narrator: Upon witnessing it the second time, the same sensations of beauty flooded him: warmth, humility, piety. Narrator: And yet, a new feeling dawned on him: despair. Narrator: For as brilliant, singular and illuminating as this light was, the vastness and impenetrability of the dark was far, far greater. Narrator: A momentary glimpse of the comet was succeeded by the destructive impulse to believe such beauty is an accident, and the impulse to believe that such beauty is a lie, that only nothingness is true.
Rhys, heartbroken, destroyed. Narrator: This was the reason why the Academy scholars banished the study of the Primeval Current: Narrator: they feared to study stars of such fearsome brilliance would only serve to destroy the greatest scholars, Narrator: as they did Azur and Lusat.
Total darkness. Narrator: This was the unsayable and uninstructable truth Sellen wanted Rhys to grasp: that to study the stars is to invite hazard. Narrator: The cosmos should not be taken lightly by wand-flingers and tea-warm academics. Narrator: If Rhys were unable to contain within himself the madness of the stars, then he was as good as the bluntstones, Narrator: who spend the nights in their cells fearing the influence of celestial bodies, Narrator: of which the scholars had reason to fear one other, besides the Current.
Back to Rhys who, after his brief moment of intense, invincible despair, has found his footing in his faith, just very slightly. Narrator: This other celestial body, raw and pure - his passion and consequent madness saved him slightly, from falling into the abyss of disbelief.
Back to the Recusants and Bloody Fingers at the lava pool. The Bloody Fingers are being slaughtered; they are either devoured by the giant serpent or burned in the lava. As a note, half of the giant serpent's head is cut and its body is scarred with wounds, from Okina's blade. The Recusants are unharmed by the lava and, using sorceries, redirect the lava's flow to repulse the Bloody Fingers. Though the Recusants have suffered some casualties, they clearly have the upper hand in this battle.
Bernahl slams his scepter into a Bloody Finger, golf-serving them far away.
The body lands near the War Surgeon. Sanguine Noble: Should we retreat? War Surgeon: How are we supposed to return to Mohgwyn emptyhanded?!
Okina, hazarding his health, runs into the lava pool, approaching Bernahl. His feet burn.
A magma sorceror shifts magma toward Okina.
Okina has his hand on his sheath.
He begins the opening move of the Corpse Piler, cutting the magma away. Don't know how it works, but it's anime as hell.
He then performs the second phase of the Corpse Piler, cutting Bernahl and the sorcerer. Bernahl endures; the sorceror is cut into pieces.
Okina's slashes have actually cut through Bernahl's armor. His blood is splattered over the shining armor; however, Bernahl does not betray any sense of pain. Bernahl: I taste your blade. I acknowledge your worth.
Bernahl raises the scepter overhead, so far extended it is directly behind him.
He slams the head of the scepter into the ground.
He violently raises the head of the scepter up, performing the technique Eruption; however, because he is over the lava pool, he causes a great eruption of lava, like a miniature volcano.
Okina's body is burned badly from the eruption. The reeds of his armor are also set on fire.
Bernahl readies his shoulder to charge at Okina. Bernahl: Off you go.
Bernahl slams his shoulder against Okina, knocking him out of the lava pool. The War Surgeon watches, in disbelief.
Noble: Sir - War Surgeon: Fine, fine! The War Surgeon removes their glove.
They rip off their nail, preparing for the Blood Star to intervene.
The magma sorcerors shoot lava at them, splitting the Bloody Fingers in two by creating a river of lava. Some Bloody Fingers are caught by the flood. Okina is to the north of the river. War Surgeon: Ah!
The Recusants jump onto the snake, Ghiza and Bernahl clinging to the open side of the serpent's cleaved head. Ghiza: If Leyndell takes the shardbearers, we'll snatch them before we enter the walls. Ghiza: Otherwise, we've whetted ourselves plenty on the cessblood.
Bernahl: ... Bernahl: The Manor is in danger.
Ghiza: ! Bernahl: We must hurry.
The Bloody Fingers are split by the river of lava, flowing off the edge of Mt. Gelmir. War Surgeon: Jump over! War Surgeon: I won't be able to -
They hear the rumble of feet in the background.
War Surgeon: Get back on your own. The War Surgeon paints a pool of blood beneath their feet.
They and other Bloody Fingers descend into the blood.
In the distance, moving over the battlefield of Fort Laiedd, are the serried ranks of Leyndell. The towershields of the Leyndell Soldiers are pressed close together, like the scales of a dragon.
Following close behind is Elemer, on an immense bay horse.
Okina gathers himself, standing tall in spite of his wounds - his melted and charred flesh.
He readies himself to do battle before Leyndell's army. In the background, a Sanguine Noble is breaking their fingernail in an attempt to connect to the Blood Star.
The Leyndell Soldiers close in, their spears like the spines of a porcupine.
Okina puts his hand on his sheath.
Okina cuts down the Soldiers through the Corpse Piler, reaping them as if they were wheat.
An aerial view, of the situation: the remaining Bloody Fingers are trapped by the lava flow, with the blood struggling to flow from the Sanguine Noble's finger. Okina has already cut through several lines of the Soldiers, literally piling their bodies in a heap. (I guess it's natural one to ask, Why would an army use this admittedly stupid tactic? The cynical answer is, They're technically Tarnished, who cares; the tactical answer is, The maneuver only works with the literal bodily impact of the unit combined; the weight of the whole unit and the specific velocity in which they march creates a specific momentum, that should work against anyone that is not Okina. To which we revert to the first answer: They're Tarnished, they're not known for thinking too hard on things.)
Elemer lowers his stance, twisting his body unnaturally and gripping the shield on his back.
He slams his body and shield into Okina, who blocks with his katana.
Both back away from the other, putting space between them.
Elemer's hand glows crimson; the sword flies in and twirls rapidly in a corkscrew.
The sword in a drilling motion flies toward Okina; he tries to defend himself.
Okina notices the irregularity.
Okina, using his katana, deflects the Executioner's Sword from hitting the Sanguine Noble; he has timed it perfectly right, hitting the Executioner Sword in the flat of the blade.
Okina jumps, cutting Elemer vertically through the chest.
Elemer looks down at the crouching Okina, seemingly unfazed by the blow.
He slams his greatshield down upon Okina.
Okina, balancing his katana, the Rivers of Blood, vertically between the shield and the rocky ground below, stops the blow. His hands are positioned on the blade, making them bleed.
Okina and the Sanguine Nobles sink into the pool of blood, which has finally connected to the Blood Star.
Elemer picks up his greatshield. Maleigh comes from behind, sighing. Maleigh: Luck isn't with us today.
Maleigh: And yet I can trust my enemies to not lose sight of their prey.
Maleigh, ordering the Leyndell Soldiers: We'll make a bridge through these corpses! Maleigh: Hurry now!
Gareth, behind the village's perimeter, sees Leyndell's army approaching in the distance. Gareth: Morgott's men... Gareth: Have those scoundrels called chicken?
Gareth sees Elemer coming in hot on his horse. Gareth: And that giant of a man, from earlier...
Gareth, calling out: Rhys? Ranni? Gareth: ...
Gareth: It's just me then. Alright.
Gareth plants his greatshield on the ground. Gareth: Come!! I have never shied away from a fight!
Elemer charges toward him, the Marais Executioner's Sword in hand.
Demi-Human Queen Maggie slams her hand onto Elemer, instantly killing the horse.
Maggie raises her hand off Elemer's body.
Gareth notices she has quite mechanical movements; her head and hands have a strange jerky motion to them, like a marionette would.
Gareth raises an eyebrow.
Elemer picks himself up.
Elemer is surrounded by Academy Scholars; Maggie and the scholars raise their staves against him.
Elemer is blasted in a barrage of glintstone shards; the air is filled with a bright blue glow, the flying shards resembling stars.
Elemer still stands.
Maggie smashes the end of her staff on Elemer.
She smashes again and again.
Elemer seems defeated; he is crushed on the ground, his sword a distance away.
His hand glows crimson; so too does his sword.
The sword flies; the puppets, fairly unintelligent, fire glintstone shards at the sword.
The sword flies toward Maggie.
The Executioner's Sword decapitates Maggie.
The sword dances in a circle, cutting off the heads of the scholars as well.
The sword returns to Elemer's hand. Gareth still stands before Elemer.
Elemer grips the shield on his back, lowering and twisting his body, in his famous opening move.
Elemer slams into Gareth, as he did with Okina; as powerful as Elemer is, Gareth absorbs the blow.
Gareth is knocked slightly back.
Gareth plants his feet on the ground.
He charges forward, actually throwing Elemer slightly back, for a change.
Elemer is surprised.
Rhys, offscreen: GARETH! Gareth looks back.
Rhys is preparing the Comet Azur; a vast bright blue light gathers around the tip of his glintstone staff.
Gareth rolls away.
Rhys lets the comet, a solid column of light, fly.
The comet approaches Elemer, who has not recovered from the blow Gareth gave him.
Elemer is engulfed in the Comet Azur. (I don't actually know what the Comet Azur or even the glintstone shards are; are they physical, are they energy, I don't know. I'll assume it translates ultimately into kinetic energy.)
Elemer, overwhelmed by the comet (and, frankly, everything that has happened to him today), is flung backward, thrown into the ranks of the Leyndell Soldiers. Soldiers: Woah!
Elemer lies in the middle of the army, finally defeated.
The soldiers march around Elemer.
Maleigh, on his horse, looks over Elemer and sighs. Maleigh: A useless fellow, at the very end.
Maleigh: THOSE ARE THE SHARDBEARERS! Maleigh: THE SAME WHO HAVE RIPPED THE SHARDS OF THE ELDEN RING FROM THE ERDTREE! Maleigh: KING MORGOTT WILL BE MIGHTY PLEASED WITH THEIR CAPTURE! Soldiers: HURRAH!
Rhys collapses. Gareth: Rhys! Gareth runs to him.
Gareth holds Rhys. Rhys: ...It seemed...like a good idea at the time. Rhys: Mind...foggy... Sorry.
Gareth looks upon Rhys, the anxiety mounting.
Gareth hurries back to the village's perimeter with his shield.
The Leyndell Soldiers approach, a giant, interminable wall of metal pushing toward him. Gareth stands defiant.
Gareth: Wait...
A view of the Leyndell Soldiers. Their faces resemble Tarnished we have seen in various places in the narrative. Gareth: I recognize you! Gareth: You're Tarnished! We fought together!
Gareth: Please stop! Gareth: We are defenseless! Gareth: Have mercy!
Gareth: Please! Gareth: We fought together, once! Gareth: I led you, once!
The stone faces of the Leyndell Soldiers, who have rejected Gareth in their hearts.
Gareth: ...
Gareth braces himself.
Gareth takes in the force of the column, against his greatshield.
The soldiers push and push, gritting their teeth.
Gareth blocks, gritting his teeth as well.
Gareth's feet slide against the dirt, but he manages to absorb their blow.
A wider view of the tug-of-war, the many Leyndell Soldiers trying to push through the village's gate, Gareth trying to push them out. It is incredible how one man is able to completely cancel the momentum of all of these people.
The faces of the Leyndell Soldiers. Tarnished: FAKE LORD! Tarnished 2: PRETENDER! Tarnished 3: LIAR!
They spit on Gareth's face, while making superficial cuts on his arms and legs with their spears.
Gareth, in physical and emotional distress, pushes with his life.
Gareth, shockingly, actually pushes them out. The column of soldiers collapses, falling on their backs.
Soldiers behind the columns fire at Gareth at all sides with crossbows. Gareth: Ahh!
Soldier: Get back! We'll kill the beast from afar! The collapsed soldiers fall back.
Gareth plants his shield down, trying to weather the storm of their arrows.
A mist runs through the village. The soldiers are alarmed.
A brilliant white light glows past Gareth's shield. He peeks out.
Ranni has appeared before the Leyndell Soldiers, aweing them.
Soldier: W-witch! They fire their crossbows at Ranni.
The bolts fly past Ranni; she, in a sense, is not "there".
Ranni: Rude Tarnished... Ranni: Put down thy arms. Thou art in the presence of the Snow Witch.
Soldier: Snow Witch...? Soldier: Ranni, the Snow Witch?
Ranni: Yes. She is I.
Soldier: TRAITOR!! Soldier: TRAITOR TO THE THRONE!!
Ranni sighs. Ranni: So it is with mortal men... Ranni: Too frail to see the reality within.
Ranni: Gareth, Ranni: the balloon has arrived, where you first saw me. Ranni: You will know, when is the right time to ride, and ride swiftly you shall.
The Soldiers run their spears through Ranni; the spears pass through her. Soldiers: KILL THE WITCH!
Ranni responds by levitating into the air.
She twirls; the image of a miniature moon forms around her.
Ranni kicks her feet up, in a lounging position; the moon fully engulfs her. The moon hovers over the heads of the soldiers.
The winter wind howls in the valley. It is so fierce, it nearly blows the soldiers back.
Ranni's Dark Moon silently and gently passes over the heads of the Leyndell Soldiers; through its influence, the soldiers freeze into ice statues.
Gareth, beholding Ranni's moon: This is the power of a god. Gareth: How horrible.
Rhys is in awe. He does not think it is horrible at all.
Maleigh, on his horse, flees. Maleigh: Recusants, Cessblood Knights, and now a bloody goddess... Maleigh: I concede! I concede!!
Gareth and Rhys immediately leap on Stalwart.
The ox charges past the Leyndell Soldiers; some are frozen, the others watch them, but are reasonably more concerned with the drifting moon.
The Tarnished ride through the march alongside the moon.
At the Hermit's Shack, they see Seluvis's large balloon (pretty much a hot-air balloon, powered by glintstone or runes or whatever) at the edge of the cliff, operated by a Marionette Soldier. Rhys: There it is!
Gareth, Rhys and Stalwart enter the balloon's basket.
The moon fades.
The soldiers, no longer entranced or threatened by the moon, turn their attention to the balloon. Soldiers: Stop them!
They fire crossbow bolts at the balloon and at the Tarnished, but the balloon is made of the hides of rather tough creatures, and Gareth blocks the bolts with his greatshield.
Maleigh and the Leyndell Soldiers watch as the balloon gently descends, leaving Altus and passing over the inlet. The balloon is now too far away for anyone to take any action. Maleigh: No Recusants or Bloody Fingers arrested, and both shardbearers escaping... Maleigh: This is complete defeat.
Dawn. The sun is ascending above the balloon; the balloon is suspended in the clouds. After two straight days of struggle (beginning with the Tarnished storming Altus Plateau, to the nighttime battle in Leyndell's outer wall, to the escape from the forest and then through Seethewater), the Tarnished enjoy a moment of peace and quiet.
Rhys, Gareth and Stalwart are resting in the basket.
Marionette: Well. The Tarnished wake up. The Marionette's hands are locked together, on its waist, as is Seluvis's typical stance. Marionette: I don't know what it is the mistress sees in provincial Tarnished like you, Marionette: but since we have the misfortune of serving the same Lady,
Marionette: I ask that you kindly try not to drag us all down with you. Rhys: You're...?
Marionette: Do you have the memory of a gnat? Seluvis: I'm Seluvis, idiot. Sear it into your brain, and nothing else.
Seluvis: You are seeing Sellen, yes? Seluvis: Here. The Marionette hands Rhys a rolled letter.
Seluvis: This will explain Ranni's predicament better than you will.
Seluvis: We are descending to the Carian Manor... Seluvis: If you choose to enter, come and pay me a visit.
Rhys: ? What decision is there? Seluvis: What are you prattling on about? Seluvis: What, do you think anyone can step on royal grounds?
Seluvis: The Manor is well-defended from boors like you - Seluvis: Ah.
Gareth: ...What? Seluvis: I made a miscalculation.
The view moves from the balloon, downward to Liurnia.
An aerial view of the Carian Manor.
The view zooms in, onto the pool of the Royal Moongazing Grounds, where the royals once viewed the beauty of the moons in the waters.
A memory of Royal Knight Loretta resides on the Royal Moongazing Grounds. She has conjured a dark-blue greatbow, ready to fire it.
Back at the balloon. Seluvis: In any case, as a result of condescending you, Ranni has entered a deep slumber. Don't bother her. Seluvis: Blaidd will teach you the rest.
Seluvis: Nothing else. Seluvis: Prepare to fall. Gareth: What?
The dark-blue arrow pierces the balloon; the Tarnished rapidly fall.
The basket falls beneath the Tarnished's feet; they are suspended in air. Gareth: Ohhh... Gareth: WHY?
Gareth curls up in a ball. Rhys: DON'T! Rhys: That's not how falling works!
Rhys lays his body flat in the air. Rhys: Copy me!
Gareth mimics Rhys's posture, and prays. You can also see Stalwart try his best too.
The Tarnished fall, with the basket; they roll on the ground, as was also Rhys's instruction.
The Tarnished roll over the lawn of Caria Manor; it seems the balloon overshot the Manor by quite a distance.
The Tarnished are still, appearing dead.
They then groan.
Gareth: One thing after another, after another, after another... Rhys starts laughing.
Gareth: What's so funny? Rhys: It's a little absurd, isn't it?
Gareth starts laughing too. Gareth: Yea... I suppose so.
Rhys: Gareth. Gareth: What?
Rhys points up. Gareth looks.
Magic arrows are falling from the sky.
The Tarnished rapidly roll away.
In spite of their wounds, they run off from the Manor, toward Iji's place near the Kingsrealm Ruins.
The Tarnished rest, panting. Voice, offscreen: Oh, pardon me.
It is Iji. Iji: I assume you are the Tarnished, I have been introduced to not a while ago? Iji: Let me formally introduce myself. I am Iji.
The Tarnished shake Iji's hand. Iji: I assume your day has been quite long, and you're not interested in much talking. Iji: You can rest here. I'll watch over you.
Rhys: Thank you, sir. Iji starts a fire for them. Rhys: Do you have anything to eat? Iji: Unfortunately, no.
Gareth: Wood, for splints? Iji: Aye, that I do.
Gareth and Rhys rest, after attending their injuries. Gareth: Ye gods, I just want some shut-eye.
They close their eyes, trying to get some sleep (in the daylight, sadly).
They are disturbed by Iji's hammering on his anvil. Gareth, Rhys: ...
The smithing intensifies. Gareth: This is hell. This is my hell.
The bodies of Gareth and Rhys, finally asleep.
Two spirits watch over them.
They are actually the spirits of Gareth and Rogier.
Rogier: Long day? Gareth: You wouldn't believe.
Rogier chuckles. Rogier: When you've lived a while, you have your own scrapes, too.
Gareth: There are adventures, and then there are adventures. Gareth: Some things are impossible to bear alone.
Gareth: What I just don't understand is, why don't the gods sort everything out themselves? Gareth: That Ranni woman, she killed so many men. Hundreds, maybe.
Rogier: You met Ranni the Witch? Gareth: I think. She came upon us as a god in a play.
Rogier: In all my years, you are one of the most fortunate I've ever met. Rogier: No one has seen Ranni. In centuries.
Gareth scoffs. Gareth: Luck? I'm indebted to that witch now. Gareth: I'm worried she has ears on this conversation.
Rogier: Gareth, Rogier: my examination, on the knifeprint, is complete. Rogier: I have a fairly good idea who orchestrated the Night of the Black Knives.
Rogier: Lunar Princess Ranni.
Gareth seems heartbroken at the news. He is speechless. Gareth: ...That's just my luck. Gareth: That I associate with monsters.
Rogier: ...If I might be so bold, I would like to ask something of you.
Rogier: If Ranni truly is the one who plotted that fateful night, Rogier: then she should bear the cursemark of Death somewhere upon her flesh.
Rogier: I would like you to procure it for me.
Gareth: What for?
Rogier: D. told you about Those Who Live in Death? Gareth: Aye.
Rogier: What do you think of them? Gareth: Poor fellows. Unable to rest. Because of all this.
Rogier: How is that any different from us? Gareth: ...
Rogier: Without death, what difference are we from a tree, or a stone? Rogier: That we think? That we feel? Rogier: What about they?
Rogier: Say you were to die. Rogier: Rather, say you had died, at any point in the last few days. Plausible, no?
Rogier: Would it be right and just if your soul went unto oblivion? Rogier: No. In your eyes, that would be wrong. There are things you enjoy, things you want to accomplish.
Rogier: Because of the Golden Order, we do not die, until we complete our fate. Rogier: Or we recur, with essential themes kept.
Rogier: And so your soul wanders the plains of the living, hoping to feel again. Rogier: Sensation. Desire. Ambition. Justice.
Rogier: Is that not called hope? Rogier: By prescribing our fate, isn't the Golden Order a prison?
Rogier: Those souls have committed no offense. Rogier: They have every right to life, only, they happened to touch upon a flaw in the Order.
Rogier: If D. knew what drives me now, he would surely boil over with rage. Rogier: Or perhaps, he would even feel some pity.
Rogier: And yet everything was taken from us. What is left for us to aspire to?
Gareth, softly: What about Gaer?
Rogier: Your brother's soul may be wandering the Lands Between. Rogier: Or he is on the way to be reborn.
Rogier: It is up to the Erdtree. Rogier: If you want to see your brother again, even through a journey of a thousand years, you must destroy the Golden Order first.
Gareth: ...And so, you want me to cavort with Ranni the Witch.
Rogier: Aye. Rogier: I know you've got what it takes.
Rogier: People want to trust you. I've seen it.
Gareth, hearing these words, is in disbelief. (We recall he was recently betrayed by said people.)
Gareth silently weeps.
Rogier: What's wrong? Gareth: Nothing. Nothing. Please don't mind me.
Gareth: I'll do it. Gareth: I'll bear the burden.
Gareth is alone, his spirit standing over his and Rhys's bodies.
Gareth is broken, and yet stoic in his mission. He fades in the daylight.
Gareth is gone.
Gareth is in the Roundtable Hold. He is in Fia's room. He and Fia are taken aback, as Gareth has appeared so suddenly.
Gareth looks around, dazed. This panel gives a more detailed and appropriate view of Fia, Deathbed Companion, as her introduction to the storyline.
Fia: ... Fia seems to be able to read everything on Gareth's face.
Fia: Would you allow me to hold you, but briefly?
Gareth: ...Yes.
Gareth kneels - really, collapses - before Fia.
Fia gently stretches her hands and arms toward Gareth.
Gareth allows himself to be held.
For a brief moment, Gareth feels he is understood.