Lucian looked at the man who had suddenly appeared before him, feeling rather puzzled.
A person he had never seen before, and a name he had never heard...
Wait a minute, bro. Was there actually a character named Koytel in Elden Ring?
Still, considering that this man had appeared in such a special place as the spirit world, he was definitely someone worth paying attention to. Lucian decided to interact with him first and see what happened.
While his thoughts raced, Lucian also returned Koytel's smile.
"Koytel, is it? I'll remember that."
"My name is Lucian. I hope we can get along from now on."
Seeing Lucian respond so amiably, the man who called himself Koytel became even happier.
His smile was somewhat stiff, but the genuine joy he felt more than made up for it.
Meeting Lucian's gaze, Koytel asked,
"I've spent who knows how long wandering all over this world..."
"But no matter what I did, I couldn't find anyone else."
"You're the first human I've ever met. Have you been here all along?"
Lucian shook his head and gave a simple answer.
"No, I'm not a native of this place."
"I only just arrived here. I don't know much about it either."
After a brief pause, Lucian continued questioning him, hoping to draw out some useful information.
"From what you said earlier... does that mean you've explored this entire place?"
"In that case, are you familiar with this world?"
"And have you really not encountered anyone else besides me?"
"This place looks enormous. Surely there must be someone else around."
The last time Lucian had entered the spirit world to explore it thoroughly, he had spent a tremendous amount of time just barely managing to explore a single region.
So his first instinct was to think that Koytel's claim was impossible.
But then again, considering the unusual way he had moved just now, it wasn't entirely out of the question.
If Koytel really had traveled through all the regions of the spirit world, he might be able to provide some useful information.
It was possible that Koytel had explored the entire spirit world, but it was also difficult to believe that he had truly covered every inch of it.
After all, he claimed to have wandered throughout the spirit world, yet also said that he had never encountered anyone else. In other words, he had never met Aesthra, who was also in the spirit world.
Those two statements were clearly contradictory.
Faced with Lucian's questions, Koytel nodded.
However, after thinking for a moment, he shook his head and took back his earlier claim.
"No. Although I did say that... I didn't actually explore it in that much detail."
"Besides, I don't know how big this place really is, or whether I've genuinely been everywhere..."
"I was simply wandering around without any particular purpose."
"I don't know anything about this place, what kind of world it is, or even where I am."
Facing Koytel, Lucian gave a slight nod, having more or less understood the situation.
At the same time, he felt a little disappointed. It seemed he couldn't count on this man for much help after all.
After their brief conversation, Lucian had formed a few suspicions, though unfortunately, he still couldn't confirm any of them.
However, since the other party didn't seem to harbor any ill intentions, Lucian decided to continue observing him for now.
The spirit world was an unusual place. Even its fundamental laws, the flow of time, and the nature of space were completely different from those of the outside world.
The souls of ordinary living creatures couldn't even maintain their forms here. They could only manifest in a decayed state.
So far, aside from Lucian himself, who was still very much alive, he had encountered only two humanoid beings in the spirit world: Aesthra and Koytel.
In fact, Lucian still couldn't understand how Aesthra was able to maintain her physical form.
In any case, Koytel was another being who could retain a human appearance in the spirit world. That alone made him someone who needed to be treated with particular caution.
Perhaps studying him would also help Lucian discover why Aesthra could maintain her human form.
Koytel looked at Lucian and asked another question.
"By the way, is there somewhere you want to go?"
"Earlier, you seemed to be looking for a path."
"If you have a destination in mind, would you like me to take you there?"
Looking at Koytel's completely unguarded demeanor, Lucian smiled.
The other man clearly possessed some special means of moving through the spirit world. Hitching a ride with him seemed like a pretty good idea.
"That would be wonderful."
"Actually, I'm rather curious about that faded sun hanging high in the distance."
"Although it looks rather difficult to approach."
"I wonder if you've ever been there?"
Koytel immediately perked up and replied,
"Oh, that place! I think that's where I came from."
"I'm fairly familiar with it, so I can definitely take you there."
"Come to think of it, you call that thing the faded sun?"
"Hmm... Now that I look at it, I suppose the name really does suit it."
With that, Koytel eagerly started walking in that direction.
Lucian remained standing behind him. Before he even had a chance to move, the scenery before his eyes had already changed.
Looking back, the place where the two of them had been standing moments ago was now far behind them.
The Sun Lucian had raised in the sky was flying along at high speed, keeping pace with his position.
Lucian furrowed his brows slightly and focused his senses.
This didn't feel as though Koytel were carrying him along. It was more like the entire space itself was being pulled toward them...
What kind of power was this? Or was it some kind of authority he possessed within this world?
And another thing... He had said that he came from somewhere beneath the faded sun?
After taking only a few steps, Koytel turned around and reminded Lucian,
"Oh, right. There are sometimes strange creatures around here."
"Just looking at them, you can tell something's wrong. They're all shaped like monsters."
"We'd better be careful while we're traveling."
Lucian's expression returned to normal, and he gave Koytel a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. I've got your back."
Koytel blinked.
Those words felt strangely unfamiliar to someone who had been so utterly lonely.
But he quickly understood what they meant.
Perhaps this was what it felt like to be reassured by the presence of a companion.
Experiencing that sense of security from having someone by his side for the first time, Koytel gave a silly little chuckle and turned around, continuing onward with renewed enthusiasm.
Watching Koytel's back, Lucian silently followed.
In truth, Lucian was already wondering whether the man before him might actually be Godwyn.
Judging from the unusual abilities he had displayed, it was entirely possible that he possessed some kind of authority granted exclusively to him within this world, which had been constructed by the followers of the Prince of Death.
However, Lucian had never seen Godwyn's true appearance, so he couldn't make an accurate judgment at the moment.
In the cutscene from the Night of the Black Knives, only Godwyn's back was visible, along with his unmistakable blond hair.
As for the only part of him Lucian had actually seen in person, that was the face of the Prince of Death.
But the Prince of Death's face was hardly a useful reference. It had already become so distorted that it was no longer recognizable as human.
The difference in names didn't matter much. Using an alias was perfectly normal, after all.
The real problem was that Koytel's hair color didn't match, and Lucian had absolutely no idea what Godwyn's true face looked like.
Besides, his personality didn't seem quite right either. Godwyn shouldn't have been such a clueless and bewildered figure...
The impression Koytel gave Lucian was nothing like that of a powerful Erdtree prince with an extraordinary personal charm.
Hmm... He was more like a college student whose eyes radiated pure, unfiltered stupidity.
He knew absolutely nothing about this place or the spirit world. He was just wandering around aimlessly.
And Lucian had a feeling that... Koytel might not even know much about himself.
Sigh. This was getting troublesome...
Originally, Lucian had sensed something and come here intending to find Aesthra, only to run into this strange fellow instead.
Whether or not Koytel was actually Godwyn, Lucian would have to keep accompanying him for now and investigate this place further.
But speaking of monsters, Lucian was reminded of the clusters of dead souls he had encountered when he first entered the spirit world.
Those souls could clearly communicate with others. Lucian simply didn't know how to communicate with them. Direct physical contact only caused their souls to wear away against one another.
Looking at Koytel, who was walking ahead with his head lowered, Lucian hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
He was curious whether someone as unusual as Koytel, who could maintain such a special existence in the spirit world, was capable of communicating with those souls.
"Those monsters you mentioned..."
"Have you ever considered that perhaps they're capable of communication too?"
"Perhaps they were once human, and maybe they still are?"
Koytel stopped walking and turned to look at Lucian with a rather peculiar expression.
"Those things are human?"
"To call creatures like that human would be a terrible insult to humanity."
"Not a single one of them is human! There are no humans left here!"
Koytel lowered his head and casually kicked a fragment of bone lying on the ground, watching as it flew off into the distance.
Looking toward the faded sun at the end of his line of sight, he spoke to Lucian again, his expression bewildered.
"I think those monsters are hunting me down... though I don't know why."
"Every time I appear in front of them, they all come rushing toward me at once."
"But as long as I form the intention of driving them away and making them leave, those creatures quickly disappear."
"They get so excited when they see me, yet they don't hesitate at all when it's time to leave..."
"It's really strange. I have no idea what's going on."
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
Could it be that those monsters were expressing an entirely different emotion? Something like admiration and devotion, perhaps?
Wasn't this behavior basically no different from that of a bunch of rabid fans chasing after their idol?
It was just that this guy didn't seem to have the slightest awareness of it.
Lucian didn't rush to voice his theory, though.
After all, he hadn't witnessed the situation firsthand. He couldn't say for certain whether the creatures were willingly retreating or being driven away by Koytel's power.
As for Koytel's identity, another piece of evidence had just fallen into place. Lucian was now almost certain of who he really was.
If he wasn't some inexplicable stranger who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, then among all the people known to have a connection to the spirit world, Godwyn was by far the most likely candidate.
Of course, judging by the circumstances so far, perhaps Koytel wasn't actually Godwyn.
He might be another individual altogether, much like the relationship between Millicent and Malenia.
Whether Koytel could still be considered Godwyn was a question that touched upon a famous philosophical problem: the Ship of Theseus.
Lucian had no intention of exploring this unsolved mystery of the world. He simply wondered what those followers of his thought about the whole situation.
They had clearly sacrificed everything, only to bring forth a completely clueless 'Koytel' who knew nothing about any of it.
Considering Lucian's understanding of the average scheming ability of people in the Lands Between, this probably wasn't what his followers had planned.
Still, no matter how you looked at it, they had at least managed to create something that could move around and think.
In a certain sense, Lucian couldn't help but admire their determination and ability to get things done.
Even though his soul had been killed by Destined Death, they had somehow managed to produce this thing using something or other.
Unfortunately, this fellow couldn't communicate with the alien souls either. Or perhaps he simply wasn't willing to communicate with them. Either way, Lucian had lost yet another potential avenue for learning about the spirit world.
Just then, Koytel raised his head and asked Lucian curiously:
"By the way, I've been talking so much. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"
"You said earlier that you're not from this place. So what exactly did you come here for?"
Lucian thought for a moment before answering honestly.
"I came here looking for someone important to me."
"I just don't know where she is yet."
Koytel immediately grew interested and pressed him with more questions.
"Oh? Is she human too?"
"So there are other people in this world besides you and me?"
"I haven't encountered her before, either. I never would have expected that."
"That's wonderful, having someone come all this way to look for her..."
"If I get the chance, I'd like to meet this person you're talking about, too."
Lucian simply shook his head, not particularly optimistic about that possibility.
The last time he had entered the spirit world, he hadn't yet possessed any means of contacting Aesthra or any tracking mark that could lead him to her.
Without a way to pinpoint her location, he had no idea how long it would take to find her.
They chatted for a little while longer, with Koytel doing most of the listening as Lucian told him stories about the world beyond the spirit world.
Every now and then, Lucian also asked various questions to learn more about the spirit world.
Once their brief rest was over, the two continued onward, moving rapidly toward the area beneath the faded sun.
However, they hadn't traveled for very long before a blurry figure appeared at the edge of their vision.
Lucian stared at the familiar silhouette, his eyes widening in disbelief. A faint premonition stirred in his heart.
They had only just mentioned Aesthra. Surely it couldn't be such a coincidence?
Koytel noticed the figure as well. He once again took Lucian along as they moved rapidly through space several times, and soon they were much closer.
Aesthra was standing atop a mound of bones, looking around in confusion.
When two figures suddenly appeared nearby from far off in the distance, the unexpected sight startled her.
But once she realized that the person standing in front of her was Lucian, Aesthra immediately waved and ran over to him.
"Ah, Lucian!"
Only after throwing herself against Lucian did Aesthra turn to look at Koytel standing beside them.
"Oh, and... who is this?"
Aesthra blinked as she looked at Koytel.
For some reason, the person standing before her gave her a very strange feeling.
She couldn't quite explain what was strange about him. It was simply an instinctive impression.
Lucian gently lowered Aesthra from his arms and gave a brief introduction.
"This is Koytel. I just met him. He's a friend."
"By the way, how did you find your way here? Did you see the sun?"
At Lucian's question, Aesthra furrowed her brows and shook her head in bewilderment.
"I don't know..."
"I was in another area just a moment ago. Then, in the blink of an eye, I somehow ended up around here."
After hearing Aesthra's explanation, Lucian was momentarily stunned.
Wasn't this exactly what had happened when Koytel had taken him along while moving through the spirit world?
Lucian narrowed his eyes slightly and silently glanced at Koytel.
Had Koytel, after learning about the existence of someone called 'Aesthra,' subconsciously wished to meet her, and that desire had caused her to be transported here?
Could the inexplicable sensation he had felt back in the Lands Between have been caused by something similar?
Just how deeply connected was this fellow to the spirit world...?
The ability to shift the coordinates of living beings within the spirit world simply by following one's own thoughts was far too bizarre.
Wouldn't that mean... he was practically a god in this place?