Raven remained silent for a moment.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I forgot that Lady Malenia is also infected with the rot. In her eyes, do you look like a monster too?"
"She is blind. She trained bitterly under the blind swordsman to learn the profound secret of seeing without relying on eyes, hoping that on the day she mastered it, she could see the real me," Miquella spoke softly. "She mastered it, but it only brought her greater pain."
"Once we succeed in delivering Destined Death to the Goddess of Rot, Malenia will be able to recover," Raven comforted him.
"I hope so." Miquella smiled faintly, like pale sunlight shining on winter snow. "But she is parasitized by the Goddess of Rot and holds the Order of Rot; I'm also not certain..."
He didn't continue, only quietly watching Malenia run in the setting sun.
The two children rolling the hoops grew tired. After beating Malenia once, they lay on the sand, panting heavily. Malenia sat down as well, removing her combat prosthetic arm and winged helm, gently setting them aside. Her long, crimson hair fluttered in the evening breeze.
The setting sun applied a thin layer of rouge to her face, concealing the traces of rot on her forehead. At this moment, she looked just like a serene, albeit slightly tall, young woman.
"Apologies, could you give us some time alone?" Miquella said, sliding down from the wooden crate.
"Of course." Raven brushed the sand off the crate and sat on a corner. "Lansseax, Loretta, let's wait here for Miquella for a bit. The scenery here is quite nice."
Miquella walked towards the clearing. Before he even got close, Malenia turned her face to look at him, revealing an expression of pleasant surprise.
She leaped up as gracefully as a bird, ran to Miquella, and bent down to hug him tightly with one arm.
"Brother!"
"Yes, I'm here." Miquella paused for a moment, then whispered, "Let go of me; this will make you uncomfortable..."
Malenia shook her head vigorously, hugging Miquella even tighter.
A series of low growls broke the heartwarming scene.
The rot-eroded children gathered around, jumping up and down, issuing threatening roars. One child, fighting back an expression of absolute disgust, picked up a fist-sized rock from the ground, flanked them, and hurled it at Miquella's head.
Clang!
Malenia's armored skirt flared as her long, powerful leg stopped mid-air. The rock, the instant it was kicked by her, shattered into countless fragments that shot out like a shotgun blast.
The rock fragments formed a fan shape, and a few on the edge happened to shoot toward Raven's direction. Loretta sprang up instantly, unhooking the silver shield from her back to block in front of Raven and Lansseax. A few gravel fragments struck the shield with loud clangs.
"Thank you, Loretta." Seeing a section of the camp's wooden palisade swept down by the flying gravel, the corner of Raven's mouth twitched.
The children were so frightened they fell back on their behinds. Malenia retracted her leg and used a series of low, guttural sounds to persuade the children, trying to make them believe Miquella was no threat.
The children repeatedly shook their heads, responding fiercely in the same language. In their eyes, big sister Malenia was holding an incredibly disgusting, alien monster and had definitely been bewitched by its evil magic.
"It's alright, Malenia." Miquella gently broke free from Malenia's embrace and took a few steps back. "These children are just worried about you."
Only then did the children quiet down slightly. The oldest child raised his fists like a little hero, standing guard to the side, ready to rush forward and chase him away if Miquella made any sudden moves.
Miquella turned his face and gazed at the setting sun. Feeling the direction of the wind, he walked diagonally a few steps to Malenia's downwind side and sat down.
"This distance is perfect. If I get any closer, you'll be able to smell me."
"Brother doesn't smell like anything," Malenia said, stubbornly sitting down right next to Miquella.
"Malenia, what does the sunset look like in your eyes?"
"A bright red disk. The edge of the sky looks like it's on fire. It's beautiful."
"That's wonderful. The sunset is beautiful in my eyes, too."
And so, they sat together just like that, watching the sun set toward the high walls of the Royal Capital.
"Did you have fun playing with these children?"
"Yes, a lot of fun."
"Then, would you like to stay in this camp a little longer? You can play with the children, chat with other interesting people, and maybe even make a lot of friends."
"I want to return to the Haligtree with you."
"Aren't you lonely at the Haligtree? Even with the Cleanrot Knights, you're only forcing yourself to speak a few words to them occasionally, right?"
"With Miquella there, I'm not lonely."
"I'm sorry," Miquella said softly. "I haven't returned to the Haligtree these past few years."
"It just means sleeping a few more times." Malenia shook her head. "Brother must be busy with very important matters."
"Actually, I'm terrified. Terrified that everything I've done will ultimately be in vain." Miquella trembled slightly. "If that's the case... If that's the case..."
Malenia didn't speak; she reached out and wrapped her arm around Miquella's small shoulders.
The last remnants of the setting sun sank below the high wall, but the surroundings did not darken in the slightest; the light of the Erdtree illuminated the entire Royal Capital. By now, the three children had also relaxed their guard, looking in confusion at the two snuggling together.
"Malenia."
"Yes."
"If the world were filled with rot, you wouldn't have to be tormented anymore, would you?"
"Brother?"
"As long as you desire it, no matter what kind of world it is, I will create it for you," Miquella said softly.
"I don't need it," Malenia said. "A world without my brother is completely meaningless."
"I can embrace the rot."
"The world right now is just fine." Malenia shook her head vehemently. "The Scarlet Rot is wrong. Promise me you won't change this world, and you won't change yourself, alright?"
Miquella stared blankly into the distance without answering. A few strands of pale golden hair that had been fluttering in the wind clung to his cheeks, gradually becoming damp.
"Brother?"
"Alright." Crystal clear teardrops fell from Miquella's cheeks. He hugged Malenia tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. "I promise you. I promise you."
Malenia lowered her head and planted a gentle kiss on Miquella's forehead, using her fingers to wipe away the tears on his face.
"Let's go." Miquella wiped away his tears with his sleeve and stood up. "Malenia, I need to introduce a few people to you."
"Okay. Before we leave, could I ask you to treat these children, Brother?" Malenia said. "The physicians in the camp believe their infection is too severe and asked the knights to execute them to prevent the rot from spreading. But Brother definitely has a way to temporarily suppress the rot in them."
Miquella raised his hand but didn't take the next step. "Are you sure you want to do this? Once their external rot is purified, in your eyes, they will become—"
"It doesn't matter."
Picking up her prosthetic arm and winged helm, Malenia dressed herself properly, used her prosthetic blade to flick up her iron hoop, and caught it in her hand.
"Thank you for the hoop," Malenia said, returning the iron hoop to the oldest child.
"You can have this hoop, big sister," the boy said. "Will you come back and play with us again?"
Malenia looked at him and the hopeful eyes of the other two children.
"Yes, I will."
"Next time you come, we'll teach you how to take a barrel hoop off a broken wooden barrel to make an iron hoop. It's really easy!" the boy said happily. "You have to come, pinky swear!"
Malenia smiled faintly, extended her pinky finger, and hooked it with the boy's.
"Liars have to swallow a thousand needles!" the boy said. "Goodbye, big sister! We're going to play a little longer before we leave."
Seeing Malenia walk back, Miquella extended his hand. "I'm beginning."
Pure golden light enveloped the three children. When the light faded, there were no longer any outward signs of rot on them.
They stared blankly at each other, pointed their fingers at one another, let out terrified screams, backed away step by step, and turned to flee in three different directions.
Malenia was stunned. She wanted to call out to them to stop, but in the end, she didn't say a word.
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(182 Chapter - Ongoing)
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