Throne narrowed his eyes at the mural of countless worshippers kneeling before three moons. "Full Moon? Black Moon and Dark Moon?" The distinctions eluded him. He was no scholar of the Elden Ring.
Since arriving in the Lands Between, his only brush with lunar lore came from dusty tomes at Raya Lucaria Academy. Archaeological expeditions weren't his forte. When idle, he'd gaze skyward. The sun held little sway here. The full moon provided constant illumination.
Only two moons carried significance: the Black Moon revered by the Nox and the Dark Moon pursued by Ranni. "Are you intrigued by this place?" Melina's voice whispered in his ear, her form forbidden from manifesting. "The Eternal City predates the Age of the Erdtree. Countless secrets are interred here." His reasoning was simple.
Melina likely shared ties with Marika. The Nox had been blasted into this sunless abyss. Pleasantries weren't to be expected. Her silence didn't surprise him. Fragmented memories offered little assistance. "Three Eternal Cities buried underground—Nightfolk, Numen, and Nox. What connects them? Especially since Marika emerged from the Numen."
A headache blossomed behind his eyes. He abandoned the train of thought. It wasn't fear of forbidden knowledge. Information couldn't slay foes. "I'm more concerned about the Baleful Shadow's purpose in seeking out the Nox."
He muttered to himself, recalling the Tarnished's clash with that entity near Nokstella. Surveillance or infiltration? Regardless, their fixation on this place ran deep. Was this preemptive strike tied to the feud between Raya Lucaria Academy and Caria? The notion struck him as absurd.
Ranni should be fielding these questions. What insight could a mere knight offer? "Consider what links Nokstella to Caria." Melina's observation cut through his furrowed brow. What indeed? The moon and starry expanse? Renna's Rise portal? The ancient connection between Astrologers and the Eternal City?
His gaze lingered on the mural's falling meteor. A memory surfaced—to wed Ranni, he must vanquish a formidable obstacle: Astel, Naturalborn of the Void!
His timing couldn't have been worse. The Nox, renowned for their cold rationality, lacked the luxury of hospitality. Raya Lucaria Academy and the Tarnished had launched a sweeping exploration. Armed with superior numbers and combat prowess, they scoured every corner and cavern.
The Baleful Shadow's mission had failed, but not without cost. Most Night Maidens lay slain, their command structure obliterated. Annelina managed to recall her dispatched warriors. Surveying the vast Eternal City, sorrow welled within her. Every brick and stone bore witness to time's relentless march.
Too long they'd languished in subterranean exile. At most, five or six hundred battle-ready Nox remained. Retreat into the city was their only option. Holding their ground under the Dragonkin Soldier's leadership proved feasible. But the Two Fingers' attention spelled catastrophe.
The envoys of the Erdtree were not existences that the people of the night could contend with. "Do they seek our annihilation?" Her orange eyes narrowed. Footsteps approached, prompting her to adopt a sacred, tranquil demeanor. "Sister, the enemy has withdrawn and is conducting an extensive search for the Uhl people." The Nox Swordsman's steps whispered against the stairs.
"They'll find plenty of hiding spots."
"You're still worried."
"The Tarnished serve the Erdtree now. Raya Lucaria Academy bent the knee too. They might throw everything at us."
"Then we'll carve our answer into their flesh."
The Night Maiden watched her sister's fire, silent. She tilted her head back, an old verse surfacing in her mind:
When stars and moon go dark,
The Eternal City drowns in the deep.
The traitor ascends,
While nightfolk wait for their king.
Nokstella—the Star of Night—stood unbroken, its towers still cutting the gloom. But Nox blood had dried in its veins. Their gleaming inventions? Crushed to grit beneath indifferent boots.
A godless city. A kingless people. Caught flat-footed in the whirlwind of The Lands Between.
"I'm going to see that Carian Knight." Annelina turned, boots clicking up the stairs.
The swordsman hesitated half a breath before following. "You trust him?"
"No. But the Eternal City needs allies. Caria's the only option left."
Blue flames licked the oil lamps, casting jagged shadows. Throne sat straight-backed, studying the Night Maiden across the chamber. These people were overestimating the threat. If the Greater Will wanted them erased, it wouldn't send scraps like the Tarnished and turncoat mages. The Golden Order's champions would've reduced this place to smoking rubble by now.
Makes sense, though. The Eternal City got buried early in the Golden Order's reign. Centuries of quiet, then sudden chaos? Paranoia was inevitable.
Good for me.
He'd planned to butcher a magic professor as a welcoming gift. Dragging the Nox into this mess was even better.
Throne swirled his teacup. The black leaves inside gave off a scent like iron and old parchment. He'd never claimed perfection—but spotting an opening and twisting it to his advantage? That, he excelled at.
Fending off the Baleful Shadow had exposed the Two Fingers' hand. Now the Nox were jumping at ghosts. An opportunity, ripe for taking.
The maiden had shed her hood. Dark gray skin. Eyes like molten amber. A face sharp enough to draw blood. Beautiful, if you didn't mind the knives hidden in every glance.
Was she the architect of that ambush? No hesitation, no rigid codes. Just ruthless pragmatism.
Throne gave a faint nod. He appreciated flexible minds.
"Caria will help," he said. "Radagon abandoned the Queen of the Full Moon. We've been at odds with the Erdtree ever since."
Nokstella knew about Liurnia's troubles. Knew Rennala languished in a gilded cage. Their intelligence was outdated—pre-Shattering—which meant explanations. And the source? Timing suggested Ranni's mentor, the Snow Witch Renna.
"In other words, Princess Ranni is the current monarch of Caria," the Night Maiden said. Voice bright with venomous delight. "The Golden lords went to war over the Elden Ring. Their glorious Order lies in ruins?"
"Ruins might be excessive. But they bled. And old gods are crawling from the cracks."
Throne spoke eloquently, adding a note to himself in his heart. For example, the Kindred of Rot next door; how did those bastards escape from right under your noses? Annelina didn't care and crossed her long legs: "Then what about the Tarnished? They are very powerful and possess infinite possibilities. We have captured prisoners and heard they were awakened by the Greater Will itself."
"That point is doubtful, but they are already killing each other; they can't be more terrifying than Godfrey's Golden Army, right?" As he spoke, he explained the Recusants and the Bloody Finger. Annelina listened quietly, nodding from time to time. Just these pieces of information were a huge gain for her.
It turned out that during the time they had been barely surviving, the surface had undergone such drastic changes; no wonder all parties were restless.
In short, the Erdtree was about to be unable to suppress these losers, and this was the opportunity for their long-cherished wish. 'If they were all here, they would definitely stop me, just wanting to quietly struggle for survival.' Annelina was a bit distracted, feeling that everything was arranged by fate, that some mysterious force had given her the power to act arbitrarily, and she couldn't help but pray to the Black Moon in a low voice.
Throne had never been interested in religion. After she finished babbling for a while, he asked with interest: "I heard that Queen Marika is also related to the Eternal City?" "Where did you hear that?" Throne spread his hands, indicating that this was not a secret in the eyes of Caria. "I don't want to talk much about that traitor; that was a very, very long time ago."
Annelina did not pick up on this, but the information revealed was already enough. Before the arrival of the Erdtree, there really was a brilliant period in The Lands Between, an era dominated by stars and moons. This was important, but at this moment it was insignificant, including the rot faith and ancient dynasties, etc. Before the Erdtree grew up, The Lands Between must have been very lively.
Throne put down his teacup, crossed his fingers, and asked calmly: "Make a choice. The military might of the Erdtree has arrived at your doorstep once again, but this time there are no malevolent meteors; you have the power to fight back." "You even know about 'Astel, Naturalborn of the Void'? Right, the Astrologers were part of that battle."
The maiden didn't have too many doubts and lowered her head to think carefully. In fact, she didn't have much room for choice. Even Throne didn't know why the Baleful Shadow was looking for trouble with Nokstella. If it were just one person, that would be one thing, but there were a bunch of Tarnished and mages outside cheering and shouting; it looked like they were intent on wiping them out.
"Can you represent Caria with full authority?" "Of course, Princess Ranni will acknowledge every word I say." "Could it be that you are the Carian Consort?" "Ahem, that's not quite it." Then on what grounds can you represent them with full authority? And know so many things? Seeing her suspicion, Throne realized that as a knight, he had no right to represent Caria.
If the Nox paid a lot and Caria didn't acknowledge it later, what would happen? Damn it, how did I not consider this? This opportunity is rare; I absolutely cannot let the Nox realize this. Wanting to drag them into the water, Throne racked his brains and suddenly had an idea. "Maiden, actually, I am a Carian Consort-to-be." "What does 'to-be' mean?"
Annelina widened her eyes, a bit confused; could a consort be prepared in advance? "It means that the position of consort requires strong people to compete for it; this is a tradition of the Carian Royal Family after the Liurnia Wars." Throne spouted nonsense, only silently reciting in his heart: Princess Ranni, don't blame me; this is for the sake of the big picture.
"It sounds like some ancient ritual." Annelina believed him. In that age of demons dancing at the edge of the world, only the strongest could claim the title of King.
Her lips curled into a practiced smile, honeyed words dripping like syrup. "You're powerful. You must have high hopes." Throne remained silent, tilting his chin up—his answer written in the angle of his jaw. The conversation died there.
A Carian Knight meant nothing. But a Consort-to-be? That carried weight. His words now spoke for all of Caria. The maiden leaned closer, voice hushed. "If we ally, what does Nox gain?" Throne had already mapped it out. "Safety. For now." His tone brooked no argument. "I'll handle the Baleful Shadow. You focus on holding the city."
A pause. Then, sharper: "Once I report back, Caria's army will drive them from the underground."
"Now?" Her orange eyes burned. "And later? Will you let us surface?"
"To gawk at the moon?" Throne scoffed. He leaned in, each word a hammer strike. "When the time comes, I'll take you to burn the Erdtree—"
"To ashes."
It went smoother than expected.
Throne was riding the tide. Two runaway mages from the academy had sparked a wildfire. If the academy hadn't hungered for power, he'd be at Ranni's manor by now. If they hadn't fled to Ainsel River, the Nox wouldn't have miscalculated.
Ranni had no reason to refuse. Her path would clash with the Erdtree eventually. The Tarnished were ascendant; the Two Fingers wouldn't yield. If war was inevitable, why not gather more blades?
"The Baleful Shadow wields Destined Death. Stronger than you by nature. This is reckless."
Melina materialized beside him, her presence sudden as a shadow. Even she felt strange—hearing of the Erdtree's burning didn't horrify her. It thrilled her. Why?
"Many stand in Ranni's way. My job is to remove them." Throne didn't glance at her. "You seem invested in my survival."
"You die, I'm inconvenienced." Her voice was flat. "Is she that important to you?"
Odd question. Throne had no use for lies.
"She gives sincerity. I return loyalty. Our paths are one now." He turned back to the mural—tiny figures descending from the sky, building a city that scraped the clouds. Sky-farers. The Nox, probably. Outsiders, all of them. The Lands Between had natives even then.
He moved to the next painting. Chaos. Giants wrestling dragons. Mushroom-men brawling with mudfolk. Minotaurs roaring.
A long-haired woman stood central, her strange sword plunged into a multi-horned beast. A war of races? Did the Kindred of Rot battle mudmen? And who—
Throne was very interested; it must have been a magnificent spectacle. His eyes dropped lower. A meteor struck earth, fused with something unseen, and slowly grew into a sapling.
The Erdtree arrived then—not as a sovereign, but merely one lord among many. Memories from both lives intertwined, granting him effortless comprehension. His fingers hovered over the next page when a tug at his belt stopped him. Throne turned, expecting Melina's explanation. Her question struck like a blade between ribs: "You claimed the Lunar Princess treats you with sincerity."
"And you can disregard the risks?" Damn, your reaction time is— Throne's delayed response became a visible stumble. He forced his focus back. "That's right." A beat. Two. "Is there a problem?" His voice carried the weight of drawn steel.