Elden Lord of Cinders

Looking at the sincere man in front of her, Latenna couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled, even though her heart was still heavy with grief. At least she was sure now—he wasn't lying.

"If you're not here for the Medallion, then why did you come?"

"I don't know," Lloyd said, pointing behind him. "I saw a cave, went in, walked for a bit, and ended up here."

Latenna: "..."

Alright, she could be fairly certain—this guy definitely wasn't one of the All-Hearing Brute's men. That guy would never have someone like this under him.

"Then you'd better leave quickly." Latenna lowered her head again, looking at the wolf beside her. "The All-Hearing Brute's men could come back any time. If they mistake you for my ally, you might get dragged into this too..."

...

Hearing her words, Lloyd paused to think.

All-Hearing... Why did that name sound familiar?

"Hey, quick question. This All-Hearing Brute—is he the one with a silver mask covered in ears, who talks in riddles and acts all-knowing?"

"You know him?"

Latenna looked up again. "Then you—"

"Yeah, never mind. I'll go ask him myself."

As soon as he finished, Lloyd touched the Grace. Right before Latenna's stunned eyes, his figure vanished.

...

Some time passed. Just as Latenna was wondering whether she'd imagined the whole thing, Lloyd reappeared. His expression was... complicated.

"So, I asked him. He admitted it—said it was his doing. But he only wanted the Medallion. Everything else was done by the Tarnished of their own accord."

Lloyd really had returned to the Roundtable and questioned the All-Knowing.

The man didn't even deny it. He admitted to sending his men to hunt down a young Albinauric girl, hoping to get the talisman from her. But it turned out—she didn't have it.

And it wasn't just her. In his search, the All-Knowing had even put out a bounty, asking the Tarnished to scour the girl's village. If nothing went wrong, that place had probably been wiped out by now.

"You're probably wondering why I did it, and what Albinaurics even are, right?"

Having interacted with Lloyd before, the All-Knowing had picked up on his quirks and figured out how to deal with him.

"Albinaurics are artificial beings, created by an ancient civilization. Because of that, they can't receive the Grace of the Erdtree... Do you understand what that means?"

If this had been when Lloyd first arrived in the Lands Between, he might've just shaken his head and asked for an explanation.

But after what he'd seen in Castle Morne, after witnessing the Misbegotten in battle, and hearing Morgott's lectures—he still didn't understand everything, but this much he did get.

"Omen are hunted down simply for having horns that interfere with the 'Return to the Tree.' Even if they survive, they're treated as cursed for life..."

"The Misbegotten don't even have horns. They just have some parts not covered by the 'Grace of the Golden Tree,' and that's enough to mark them as 'defiled,' doomed to slavery..."

"And Albinaurics—created beings—can't receive even the most basic Grace, let alone 'Return to the Tree.' Even their blood is silver. According to the laws of the Erdtree, such beings should be..."

Lloyd raised his head and met the All-Knowing's gaze.

Together, they spoke the word.

"Exterminated."

No one said it outright, but that's what everyone was doing. So it was no surprise that you'd rarely see an Albinauric within the Erdtree's territory.

"Maybe you think the current alliance between Caria and the Albinaurics is a sign of acceptance—but did you know? In the past, sorcerers and Albinaurics were sworn enemies..."

The All-Knowing shook his head.

"Personally, I hold no prejudice against the Albinaurics. To be honest, I'm actually quite interested in the technology that created them. But now..."

Whatever he recalled made him shake his head again.

"Of course, if you pity that girl, then taking in an Albinauric as a member of the Roundtable Hold isn't that big of a deal."

"What if I want to shelter more of them?" Lloyd asked.

"More… If you mean keeping them as livestock or for research purposes, I don't see a problem."

The All-Knowing looked at him. Seeing how serious Lloyd was, his tone grew solemn.

"But if you mean something else, I suggest you abandon the idea."

"Albinaurics are impure beings. They receive no Grace from the Erdtree and deviate from the original purpose of the Golden Order."

"I'm telling you this only because you're one of the few comrades I have."

"Otherwise…"

The All-Knowing stopped there, shaking his head, and returned to studying the book in his hands.

...

After a moment of silent thought, Lloyd returned to the Site of Grace. When he looked at the girl in front of him, something in his expression shifted.

Truth be told, his conversation with the All-Knowing had gone beyond that brief exchange. He'd also asked whether the Albinaurics had ever done something so terrible in the past that it led to this universal contempt—even the Erdtree refusing to grant them Grace.

But in the end, even the All-Knowing couldn't name any infamous crimes committed by the Albinaurics. It was as if they had always been wanderers, driven from place to place.

Killed within the Erdtree's domain for being ungraced, and hunted outside it for their silver blood—which could supposedly interfere with Grace—used as raw materials.

Truly, the Lands Between were a place of unrelenting injustice.

Though it was only a simple conversation, Lloyd didn't dare claim he fully understood the Albinaurics. Nor could he say for sure whether there was some hidden truth behind their persecution.

Still, when he thought about the Misbegotten brother in Castle Morne, Morgott's "Omen" speech, and now the Albinaurics, something began to click.

Maybe the so-called "Golden Order" wasn't as righteous and benevolent as he'd first believed.

He had assumed it was like the First Flame in Dark Souls—a foundation of all life, essential and absolute. Something everyone naturally strove to uphold.

But now... it seemed reality didn't quite match his expectations.

Of course, Lloyd wasn't about to reject the Golden Order entirely just because it had flaws.

He simply felt like—something was off.

But for now, he couldn't quite figure out what.

"What are you thinking about?" The blue-skinned woman poked her head out.

"I'm thinking the Golden Order might have some problems."

"Aren't you a Tarnished?"

Renna gave him a once-over, puzzled. "And from the looks of it, a Tarnished from the Roundtable Hold at that. You're actually questioning the Golden Order?"

"My identity doesn't matter. A problem is a problem."

Lloyd turned to her with a frown. "And weren't you studying Glintstones? What are you doing here?"

Renna stiffened her neck. "Can't I take a walk if I want to?"

In truth, she wasn't sure why, but when he was near, she felt a kind of warmth. Once he left, she felt cold again—so she followed.

Maybe it was a side quest trigger?

Lloyd gave it some thought but didn't press the issue. He turned toward Latenna.

"Are you planning to just stay here forever?"

Latenna wasn't sure why he asked, but after a brief silence, she nodded. She looked down at the wolf beside her and spoke softly.

"I have nowhere else to go. Lobo is dead..."

Then, she saw Lloyd walk over and reach out to touch Lobo.

In an instant, Lobo's body vanished, and a pale clump of Spirit Ash appeared in Lloyd's hand.

"Looks like his soul's still intact."

As he spoke, Lloyd gave the spirit bell a shake and summoned Lobo's soul.

But whether it was damage from death or the bell's binding effect, once summoned, Lobo only circled around Lloyd—completely ignoring Latenna.

That bell...

Watching the summoning bell in Lloyd's hand, the blue-skinned woman behind him narrowed her eyes in thought.

Latenna, on the other hand, looked completely stunned. Her face went pale.

"What did you do to Lobo?!"

Seeing Lobo act so affectionately toward Lloyd, she suddenly felt that maybe his death wasn't the worst part after all.

"Uh... this..."

Lloyd looked down at the big dog affectionately nuzzling him and instinctively reached out to pet it—twice.

Then it hit him. Wait, this isn't my dog!

The owner was standing right there!

"Someone once said that spirits tend to like me... maybe that's it..."

Latenna felt like her heart was being torn apart.

But as she looked at Lobo, lively and energetic beside Lloyd, she took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and spoke.

"That's fine... but please be kind to him. He's a really good wolf..."

"Ah, no, I don't mean I want him."

Lloyd saw her expression and realized she'd misunderstood.

"I meant—do you want to come with me? I've got a place you can stay. Plus, we're one short for a round of Fight the Landlord."

Latenna: "…?"

Fight the Landlord? What's that supposed to mean?

Still, she understood his real offer.

"Um, I'm one of the Albinauric..."

"It's fine, I already asked the All-Knowing. None of the Albinauric are in danger. As long as you don't mind him living next door, it's all good."

Latenna: "…?"

For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

If Lobo were still alive, she would have been ready to die by his side. But now, watching Lloyd rub Lobo until the poor thing was drooling, the emotional walls she'd built started to crumble.

Then came the final straw.

"So, I checked just now. Since he's been dead for a while, his wolf soul's a bit damaged. Once I've patched it up, I'll throw some meat in the furnace and roast it—should be able to bring him back. But I can only promise it'll be the same soul. His appearance might end up different."

Silence.

Latenna looked at Lobo lying at Lloyd's feet. Her lips moved, but no words came. In the end, she lowered her head.

"Then... what do I have to give in return?"

She didn't believe he'd help her out of pure goodwill.

But with terms like this, she was willing to accept any price—except revealing the Medallion's location.

Her question, however, caught Lloyd off guard.

Give in return? Weren't Tarnished always eager to help NPCs, terrified they'd miss a side quest?

Even if they couldn't make it in time, they'd dig through guides, reload old saves—anything to help an NPC. Groveling even harder than simps.

But now...

He glanced at the delicate girl in front of him, then at the big dog by his feet. After a moment's thought, he spoke tentatively.

"How about... you lend me your dog for a few days? Not gonna lie, I've always wanted a dog..."

Actually, he might've had one before. The memories were blurry, but petting Lobo had brought back a familiar warmth.

It felt like he once cradled a small pup hidden under a shield, raised it little by little—until one day, it picked up a sword and fought by his side—

Buzz.

The altered Great Rune flickered, and the feeling vanished.

The ember in Lloyd had gone out before it even had a chance to burn, leaving only a vague, aching nostalgia.

He didn't know where that feeling came from.

But Latenna, of course, had no idea what was going on inside him.

All she saw was her loyal wolf being summoned and reduced to someone else's plaything.

And now, he was saying he wanted to "borrow her dog to play with"...

"Alright."

She spoke with effort, head bowed. "As long as you're good to Lobo—not just him. I'm willing to serve you too."

"Hmm. Then when there's time, tell me more about the Albinauric. I've had memory loss and don't really know much about that stuff."

With that, Lloyd walked over, reached out, picked her up from the ground, brought her back to the Roundtable Hold, and returned to his original spot.

Then, a certain blue-skinned weirdo crept up again, eyes gleaming.

"Hey, Tarnished, got a question for you."

"What's your deal with Ranni?"