Elden Lord of Cinders

Liurnia of the Lakes, Ranni's Tower.

The blue doll sat atop the tower, gazing at the Moonlight Greatsword in her arms with a complicated expression.

After the contamination that had caused the temporal distortion was cleared, everyone had been displaced according to how the correction unfolded.

Because each person had been in different locations and phases, the degree and nature of those shifts varied. For example, Old Margit was sent back to a point before he'd even left Stormveil, while Ranni herself had returned directly to her tower.

Honestly, that wasn't a bad outcome.

The relationships between the people present back then had all been... delicate. Although they'd temporarily chosen to cooperate because of Seath the Scaleless, once that matter was resolved and their common enemy was gone, where would all that hostility go?

No telling.

By all logic, with Seath defeated and the temporal distortions fixed, and with everyone returned to their respective positions, the whole ordeal should have been over.

Ranni had thought so too—at first.

Until she looked down and saw the Moonlight Greatsword still in her hands... and then fell into deep thought.

Wait. Something wasn't right.

Back during the battle, caught up in the intensity of the fight and the fury of seeing her mother possessed, she'd been focused solely on how to take down the enemy. She hadn't had time to think about anything else.

But now that things had settled and she could look back, the more she thought about it, the more bizarre it all seemed.

Never mind how that idiot had suddenly gotten smart—just the Moonlight Greatsword alone was already suspicious.

As mentioned before, giving a Dark Moon Greatsword to one's partner had always been a tradition of the Carian queens.

And currently, the only ones known to be capable of forging such legendary swords were the royal family of Caria.

So where had this Moonlight Greatsword in her hands come from?

Sure, Seath had dabbled in moonlight research, but his main expertise had always been in Homing Crystal Soulmass. Moonlight sorcery was more of a side effect than a focus.

And back in that dungeon, he had been either possessing—or sealed within—the Full Moon Queen. The moonlight he used then was primarily of the full moon type.

So Ranni hadn't associated this blade with Seath at all.

Even if she somehow figured out it had originated with him, it still didn't make sense.

Because again—presenting a Dark Moon Greatsword to a partner was a longstanding Carian royal tradition.

Ranni, no matter how down on her luck, was still a true Carian princess. With the Queen of the Full Moon having clearly lost her mind and no longer fit to rule, no one would question her claim if she declared herself queen right now.

And yet... someone had handed her a Dark Moon Greatsword.

And the crucial thing?

She accepted it.

Regardless of the weapon's origin, just that act alone was surreal enough.

It was like... slipping a wedding ring onto someone's finger in the middle of a battlefield.

Sure, maybe the ring had a passive buff, maybe it helped a little with damage output. And sure, the two of them had been laser-focused on surviving at the time, so neither had really thought it through.

But now, looking back on it...

Yeah.

Ranni didn't know what to say.

And then there was the way they'd fought together. At the time, she'd just thought of using that fool as a shield. And sure, it had worked out great in practice. But still...

The more she thought about it, the quieter she became.

And then, after who knows how long, with the sound of approaching hooves echoing in the distance, Ranni saw that idiot again.

"Um, about the Moonlight Greatsword..."

Lloyd glanced at the sword in Ranni's arms.

Ranni was silent for a moment, then... hugged it even tighter.

"You said it was for me."

She looked up at him, voice calm.

"What, regretting it now?"

"Eh? No, it's not that. I just—wasn't that more like..."

Seeing Lloyd visibly struggling to explain, Ranni suddenly burst into laughter.

She honestly couldn't remember the last time she laughed like this.

After being pushed around by him for so long, she finally got one back.

"Alright, alright, I'm messing with you. I know you were just letting me borrow it."

Ranni wasn't about to lose a potential ally—or rather, someone who was already more or less an ally—over something so trivial.

But then, her tone shifted.

"That said, I'd like to hold onto this sword for now. As you saw, it really suits my current body, and I happen to need a weapon like it."

"Besides, the moonlight flowing through it is... unusual. I'd like to study it a bit."

Lloyd didn't mind her wanting to keep the sword. After all, in cases like this, any item you hand off usually comes back once the side quest ends—either willingly returned or retrieved from a corpse.

As for studying moonlight...

"Well, the moonlight on that sword might be kind of dangerous. I don't mind you keeping it, but maybe don't... experiment too much with it..."

"I know what I'm doing."

Ranni nodded, speaking frankly.

"And even if something does happen, I'll call you."

Lloyd blinked. "Call me? I've never researched moonlight."

Ranni looked straight at him and said slowly, "You gave me the Moonlight Greatsword. If something goes wrong, isn't it only natural to come to you?"

"Wait, what kind of logic is that—"

Lloyd started to argue, then paused.

Actually... that didn't sound too bad.

If NPCs could reach out to him directly, it'd save him the trouble of missing key events or side quests while exploring.

After a brief pause, he nodded decisively.

"Alright, that works."

Ranni blinked.

He actually agreed?

After a moment of silence, she hugged the Moonlight Greatsword tighter and spoke again.

"So... where are you heading next?"

"I'm going to the academy."

Lloyd didn't try to hide anything.

"I still need a Great Rune to get into the Royal Capital. Now that the space-time distortions are resolved, it's a good time to go."

"A Great Rune, huh..."

Ranni thought for a bit.

"Then I'll come with you."

Being around him meant she didn't have to worry about soul degradation, and even though she'd left a projection behind with her mother, she still felt uneasy. It was a good chance to check on things herself.

Lloyd, of course, had no objections.

According to the All-Knowing, the current Great Rune was in the hands of the Full Moon Queen. Ranni was her daughter, and they'd seemed to get along decently in the dungeon. Having her along could smooth things out.

With the Moonlight Greatsword settled and their plans aligned, Lloyd was about to take off—when something occurred to him.

"Wait, one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Do you know anything about another Dark Moon Greatsword? Not the one you have—just, like, any others?"

Silence.

"I don't."

Ranni looked away.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"Really don't know?"

"I said I don't. I don't."

Even Lloyd could tell she definitely knew something—but wasn't going to say.

Still, he didn't push. Traditionally, the Moonlight Greatsword usually appeared much later in the game anyway.

At this point, he'd only unlocked three areas, and the side quests were just beginning. Not hearing anything yet was pretty normal.

But Ranni's response felt... off.

If she didn't want to talk about it, fine—but why did she seem mad?

He'd even left the Moonlight Greatsword with her. He was just asking if she'd heard anything, and she acted like he was proposing marriage...

Ranni, meanwhile, quickly realized her overreaction.

It was clear from Lloyd's clueless tone that he had no idea about the Carian royal tradition.

He probably just heard somewhere that the Dark Moon Greatsword was a strong weapon—like the one he handed over—and wanted to find another.

Should she explain the meaning behind it?

In a split second, Ranni crushed that horrifying idea.

Setting aside the embarrassment of explaining a royal tradition like that—as the Lunar Princess no less—there was also Lloyd's, well... questionable comprehension skills.

If it came down to it, she'd rather fight Seath ten more times than try to explain that to Lloyd.

To steer the conversation away from this dangerous territory—and to cover her earlier outburst—Ranni paused, then spoke again.

"For certain reasons, I can't tell you anything about the Dark Moon Greatsword."

"But you've helped me a great deal—and even left the Moonlight Greatsword with me. So, both in principle and sentiment, I owe you something in return."

"Unfortunately, as you can see, I don't have much on hand right now. All I can offer you is this."

[Obtained Weapon: "Ranni's Glintstone Staff"]

[Staff once used by the 'Lunar Princess' Ranni]

[Its tip is set with an ice-blue glintstone]

[A symbol acknowledged by the Dark Moon]

[Enhances Dark Moon sorceries]

[Obtained Sorcery: "Dark Moon Pebble"]

[Said to be a spell developed by the 'Lunar Princess' herself]

[Casts a Dark Moon-infused pebble from the staff's glintstone]

[Can be cast while moving, and cast repeatedly]

[Contains both the arcane energy of glintstone and the chill of the Dark Moon]

[Obtained Sorcery: "Great Dark Moon Pebble"]

...

After testing out the new sorceries, Lloyd immediately stopped caring about Ranni's earlier attitude.

Sure, the names and descriptions sounded plain, but once you actually cast them, they felt incredible.

They fired as fast as Glintstone Pebble, hit harder, and even built up frostbite. Paired with the exclusive staff, both the damage and frost build-up could be pushed even further.

Aside from needing more Intelligence and FP, they were a straight-up upgrade to the Glintstone Pebble series. Great for exploration, boss fights, and frankly, it was basically a mini-wheelchair spell set.

And that wasn't even all the rewards.

After handing over the staff and spells, Ranni explained that this was just what she could give him at the moment. Once they got to the academy together, she had more stored away—she'd give him some of it then.

Lloyd: No complaints.

...

After the conversation, Ranni—unlike Lloyd—had just finished a big fight. She needed some rest and time to digest what she'd learned, so she didn't follow him to the academy right away.

Lloyd used the free time to explore around Caria Manor, tying up loose ends.

Midway through, he even teleported via Grace to pay Sellen a visit.

"What's wrong, foolish apprentice?"

Faced with her question, Lloyd paused, then decided to be honest.

"I've been thinking about how to temporarily stop your research on the Primeval Current."

Sellen: "...?"

Until now, Lloyd had only known about Azur and Lusat thanks to Sellen's lessons. He hadn't paid it much mind.

But after encountering them in that dungeon—and especially after fighting them—he realized just how... abstract Primeval Current sorcery had become.

Those two massive glintstone-covered foreheads had left quite the impression.

Later, in his talks with Ranni, he'd asked around and gotten a rough idea of what Primeval Current research ultimately led to.

And by some accounts, Sellen was probably only a step below those two masters...

Yeah. That was a problem.

"I just think it's dangerous," Lloyd said frankly. "I don't want you to end up like them—or worse."

If it were anyone else saying this, Sellen might've scoffed at their ignorance or waved it off completely.

But this foolish apprentice...

She could tell he was genuinely worried. And as for being ignorant—well, he really wasn't the brightest.

If it had been any other request, even a slightly outrageous one, she probably wouldn't have turned him down outright—at least not immediately—just for his sake.

But the Primeval Current...

Sellen hesitated.

There was no way she'd abandon that path. It wasn't just important to her—it was her life's work.

But... she didn't want her dumb apprentice to worry either.

His face made it painfully clear he was truly concerned.

And knowing how his mind worked, if he got desperate enough, he might actually lock her in the basement or something...

But before she could come up with a response, she saw Lloyd shake his head.

"I'm not asking you to stop your research on the Primeval Current entirely. I just mean—could you slow down a bit and put some safety measures in place first?"

Yes, Lloyd understood perfectly well that magic research came with risks.

But technology is risky too. You can't just ban research because it's dangerous—if that were the case, humanity would still be stuck in the Stone Age poking at fire.

The real issue was that these Primeval Current sorcerers were starting to resemble the Silver Law types—fixated only on turning themselves into stars.

No safety protocols. No contingency plans. Just a bunch of people recklessly experimenting on their own bodies and souls without the slightest room for error. Honestly, it was a miracle any of them lived as long as they did.

Sellen listened quietly. At first, she wanted to argue—but the longer she thought about it, the more she realized Lloyd had a point.

It's not like the Primeval Current crowd had never considered this, but for researchers, the act of research itself had a way of becoming all-consuming.

The deeper you went, the more you convinced yourself you could handle it.

At first, they might've been cautious, fully aware of the risks.

But the more progress they made, the more confident they grew—and the easier it was to spiral, to let go of the rules and forget the boundaries.

Sellen wasn't immune to that either.

If someone laid the corpses of those two masters before her right now and offered her the chance to study them in depth—pushing her just one step shy of becoming a "star"...

Even knowing full well it was dangerous, that it might destroy her, she'd still reach out, unable to resist the allure.

In fact, someone had suggested this kind of thing at the academy long ago.

But either they weren't influential enough to make waves, or higher-ups who proposed it were ignored for various political reasons.

And back then, the academy's biggest issue had been the conflict with Caria. So many died from that alone, no one had time to worry about research safety.

After all, dying in a lab was statistically far less likely than getting blasted by a rival sorcerer.

But now...

"Sure, safety measures might slow things down a bit," Lloyd said, standing there seriously. "But only if you're alive and sane can you keep doing your research."

"If you lose your mind—or die—then it's all over."

Sellen wasn't afraid of death.

But what Lloyd said made her frown.

He was right.

If she lost herself, whether physically or mentally, then her dreams of reviving Primeval Current sorcery or advancing Glintstone Sorcery would vanish with her.

And, coincidentally, she'd just changed bodies recently. Her strength had increased dramatically...

But that boost came with instability. Her control wasn't perfect yet, and that imbalance had become a hindrance to her current research.

Which meant... this was the perfect time to reflect on Lloyd's advice and plan ahead.

However...

She suddenly raised her head, looking at Lloyd suspiciously.

Wait. Was this really her idiot disciple? Why did he suddenly sound... smart?

"Maybe I added some Intelligence recently?"

...Added Intelligence? What the hell was that?

Sellen had no idea.

But seeing him act like a normal person for once—actually communicating like a human being—she suddenly thought this might be a great opportunity to finally connect with him and deepen their mutual understanding.

And then...

Nothing.

Aside from that first conversation, she kept trying—until her head was practically steaming—and got nothing useful from him.

In the end, Sellen was so frustrated she grabbed her staff, ready to brain him with it. But after a long pause... she just couldn't do it.

Instead, she let out a deep sigh, grabbed both sides of his face, and squished his cheeks hard.

"You..."