The parting with Aenophe was abrupt but necessary. The Tarnished knew that when they next met, she wouldn't be alone; she would be leading the Black Knives, one of the most terrifying independent forces in the Lands Between. As for his other potential allies, the Crucible Knights, things were more complicated. The two lead knights, Ordovis and Siluria, were currently missing, their whereabouts unknown even to their subordinates.
"I have a promise to keep with Siluria, if only I could find where she's roosting," the Tarnished mused, his boots crunching over the skeletal remains littering the ground near the Stormhill shack.
Suddenly, a wet, sliding sound echoed from the corner of the broken building.
"Come out. You hide well—well enough to avoid Aenophe's detection, at least." The Tarnished glanced at a blob of silver, gelatinous substance. It was smooth and iridescent, shimmering with the same hue as the Albinaurics. This was a Silver Tear, a legendary mimic of the Eternal City.
"P-please do not strike, warrior! Hear me out!"
The blob spoke in a frantic, melodic voice. It had witnessed the Tarnished crush a Deathbird and an Executioner; it had no desire to be next. The Tarnished gestured for it to continue.
"I am Asimi... a Silver Tear. I can change my shape to match any living being," it explained. "Through centuries of imitation, I have gained a soul... I have gained wisdom, and with it, a terrible fear of death. Brave Tarnished, spare me, and I shall grant you power beyond measure."
"What kind of power?"
"I can replicate your strength. You are vast and complex, but I can mimic seventy or eighty percent of your essence... I can be your double, your shadow in battle."
"I wasn't going to kill you anyway," the Tarnished said. "But how do we do this?"
"Please... press your lips to me and breathe me in. I must dwell within you to synchronize with your magnificent power."
The Tarnished hesitated, then shrugged. He removed his helmet and inhaled the silver liquid. Instantly, he felt a strange, cool weight settle in his chest. Inside his soul, Asimi gasped. She saw things she couldn't describe—ancient, primordial patterns of power that predated the Erdtree itself.
"My host... the link is complete. Let me show you the power of the Tear."
Asimi drifted out of his body like a silver mist, coalescing on the ground into a liquid form before rising to build a physical shape. When the transformation finished, a figure stood before him.
"Why are you a woman? Do Tears have genders?" The Tarnished stared at the feminine version of himself.
"Ah... apologies. It seems our 'creators' favored the female form. While Tears are technically genderless, my consciousness has developed as female... I hope you do not mind, Host."
"Whatever. You're easy on the eyes, at least," the Tarnished remarked. Even though he rarely showed his own face, he knew he was a handsome man; the female version of himself was nothing short of breathtaking.
"I am at your service, Host. Call me in your mind, and I shall appear." Asimi then faded back into his shadow.
The Tarnished smiled. A chaotic night had yielded a God-tier companion. But Asimi's value wasn't just in combat. Born in the Eternal City, she was a living map.
"Host... I know you seek Nokron," Asimi's voice echoed in his head. "But the surface paths are broken. The city is suspended behind a barrier of destiny."
"How do we get in then?"
"Ordinary means will not work. You need a force of nature—something beyond human strength—to shatter the earth and tear a hole into the sky of the underground."
A force to shatter the earth... That was a problem for later. For now, he needed to regroup. He traveled via the Grace to the Waypoint Ruins to visit his mentor, Sellen.
"Welcome back, apprentice. You radiate quite the presence," Sellen said, her stone mask tilting as he entered.
The Tarnished drew the Crescent Blade, its glintstone core pulsing with a pure, sharp light. Sellen was mesmerized. "Incredible... how did you forge this?"
"A dragon's greed and a lot of heat," he shrugged.
"Stars within and a crescent moon without... you have a strange affinity for Caria, it seems." Sellen watched him closely. She knew he had been to Liurnia. She wondered if he had discovered the truth of her "crimes."
"People believe the truths they find convenient," the Tarnished said, catching her gaze.
Sellen let out a soft, relieved laugh. "So you've stood by me. I am glad. I do not care to argue with fools. If they wish to call me the 'Graven Witch,' then I shall be exactly that. One day, they will realize that the things they try to control will be the things that consume them."
Her voice was calm, the old bitterness replaced by a cold, academic resolve. "But enough of the past. Show me your progress. How deep does your talent go?"
The Tarnished demonstrated the basics—Glintstone Pebble, Starshower, and the Starlight spell Topsy had taught him. Sellen was impressed, but she quickly spotted his weakness: "Your raw power is immense, but your mana control is jagged. You are brute-forcing the spells."
She spent the next few hours teaching him the finer points of "weaving" magic rather than just throwing it. The Tarnished was a fast learner.
"You might even surpass me one day," Sellen teased.
"I have something else to show you," the Tarnished said. He raised the Crescent Blade, his stance shifting into something heavy and ancient. Sellen's eyes widened as the air began to hum.
A condensed stream of starlight erupted from the tip of the blade—not a scattered shower, but a piercing, winding beam that eventually locked into a solid lance of blue energy.
"Azure Comet...? No, it's different. It's more... rhythmic," Sellen whispered, her voice trembling with excitement. "Apprentice, what is the name of this spell?"
"The Starry Orbit."