Elden Lord of Cinders

Rya had a secret.

She wasn't truly human—she had been a Man-Serpent from the day she was born.

A Man-Serpent had the body of a snake, yet small human-like hands and feet. They didn't crawl on their bellies like snakes or lizards but stood upright on their little feet, hunched over, moving much like humans.

For reasons she didn't fully understand, snakes were far from welcome in the Lands Between—especially in regions under the influence of the Golden Order. In some cases, they were viewed on par with the Frenzied Flame, and simply appearing in public could provoke an immediate attack.

And now...

"Sorry, I lost my composure."

"Even after seeing me like this, you still treat me kindly. I've been so rude."

Realizing Lloyd wasn't repulsed by her appearance, the orange stone drake sighed in relief, clasped her little hands before her, and bowed slightly.

"This is my true form."

"My real name is Zorayas. I truly apologize for not meeting you as I really am."

"But please believe me—the only thing false is my appearance. Everything I've told you about Volcano Manor, no, not just that—every single word Lady Tanith has said—is absolutely true."

She paused, noticing Lloyd's lingering confusion, then added,

"Lady Tanith is my mother. They say she was favored by a great king, and that's why I was born."

"This form of mine is a symbol of my mother's joy—it's my pride. But not everyone sees it that way. If they see me as a serpent, they refuse to even listen to me."

"That's why I hide my true form—so I can fulfill my role as a recruiter."

"...But you're different from them."

Sheltered from a young age, Rya didn't really understand the deeper prejudice against "snakes." She only knew that if she showed her real form, people would dislike her instantly, sometimes attacking without a word.

To prevent this—at her mother Tanith's request—she almost always appeared human. Even within Volcano Manor, she rarely revealed her true self. Until now, she thought she'd hidden it well. But truthfully, with her strange human posture and naïve demeanor, it wasn't that no one noticed—just that no one said anything.

Lloyd, however, didn't dwell on it. He hadn't even caught every detail of what Rya said, but he got the gist.

"Hey, it's just a snake."

He looked completely unfazed.

"I've had a Man-Serpent friend for ages—don't believe me? I'll call him here so you can see for yourself."

He pulled out a Fire Knight badge and crushed it.

[Spirit 'Messmer' has been summoned]

A red light flared, and Messmer's spirit slowly rose from the corner of the room. Before he could speak, the entire Volcano Manor suddenly trembled.

Rumble—

Something massive seemed to be stirring restlessly beneath the manor, as if torn between hunger and fear.

"Quiet."

Messmer's voice cut through the air. The tremors stopped instantly.

After silencing the disturbance, he scanned the room. His gaze paused briefly on Rya before turning to Lloyd, his expression questioning.

"Where exactly have you ended up this time?"

He couldn't recall any place like this in the Lands Between—let alone one with so many snake remains scattered around.

Lloyd had no real answer; he barely understood the situation himself. After a moment's thought, he simply dragged Ranni—who had been idly checking out the situation outside—over to explain.

When Lloyd first asked her to explain, Ranni had wondered who he meant. But when she saw Messmer, she fell silent.

No way.

What excavation site did you drag this guy out of?

And why is he here? Shouldn't he be in the Land of Shadow?

Messmer stared at her for a moment in confusion—then something seemed to click.

"Oh, you're Radahn's younger sister. My mother mentioned you before—said she liked you a lot..."

Messmer meant it as a compliment. To him, the highest praise was that his mother liked someone.

But the moment Ranni heard it, her face darkened.

Marika likes her? That woman who destroyed their family and drove their mother mad...

Even though Lloyd had said some blunt things to her before and hinted at certain possibilities, Ranni still held no fondness for that woman and refused to accept those implications in her heart.

Messmer was left puzzled.

Eh? What's with the sudden bad mood...?

Did I say something wrong?

"You'd better not bring that up around her right now."

Seeing Messmer's confusion, Lloyd leaned over and explained quietly, "I don't think she knew Radagon was your mother. After I told her, she started getting prickly whenever it's mentioned."

Messmer: "...?"

What did he just say?

Who's my mother?

If Lloyd hadn't explained, things might've been fine. But once he did, not only did Ranni's expression turn darker, Messmer froze in place as well.

After a long, heavy silence, Ranni was the one who broke it. Half-scowling, she gave the internet-deprived villager standing before her a rough rundown of the situation.

Messmer only grew more bewildered.

He had heard bits about the Shattering from Melina before, but he hadn't imagined the whole thing could be this absurd.

It took him a while to process everything before he finally remembered why he was here and turned to Lloyd.

"So why exactly did you call me here...?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to get you out for a chat."

Then Lloyd looked to Rya. "See? This is the Man-Serpent friend I was telling you about."

Messmer: "..."

It was a little awkward, but he didn't make a fuss. After all, giving Lloyd the Fire Knight badge was exactly for this purpose. Besides, even if there was no urgent task, it was still a good chance to look around and learn more about the Lands Between.

"Do you want me to deal with that big snake underneath us?"

Messmer tapped the tip of his spear toward the ground beneath Volcano Manor, and another tremor rumbled through the floor.

"And Rykard—he actually got swallowed by a snake..." Messmer shook his head.

Honestly, back when he first met Rykard as a child, Messmer had suspected the boy's talent for battle had probably been siphoned off by another brother. But he had never thought the kid would disgrace himself enough to end up eaten by a serpent.

"No need for that right now. I've still got some side quests to clear. If I kill it now, I'll break the questline. I'll call you when I need you."

Lloyd said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The other two didn't really understand, but one saw how confident he looked, and the other was used to his strange remarks, so neither said anything.

After chatting with Lloyd a bit longer and confirming there was nothing else, Messmer prepared to leave. But before going, something came to mind.

"By the way—if you're good with souls, do you know any quick ways to destroy them?"

He had heard about his mother's death—or near-death—but as mentioned before, Messmer was stubborn. Trapped in the Land of Shadow with no way out, he had continued working on the mission she had given him.

The problem was, from the very beginning, his progress had been slow.

It wasn't for lack of effort, but simply because he had no good means of dealing with souls—and many of his enemies were skilled in that very field.

Lloyd thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a black sphere—or rather, a swirling black vortex.

"I've got ways to eliminate souls, sure. But I don't recommend them."

"I don't know exactly what you're trying to do, but instead of destroying souls, I think it's better to make efficient use of them."

"This thing's called a smelting furnace. You can throw any souls you collect into it and refine them into weapons or tools. Or, if you don't know how to use it, just toss the souls in. It can store them on its own. Once you've gathered enough, hand it to me and I'll refine them for you."

Lloyd's tone was casual, almost careless.

But Messmer and Ranni both gave him strange looks.

No... this thing...

Even without much skill in soulcraft, just standing next to that "furnace," they could hear the wails of souls echoing from within.

They didn't need to inspect it closely—one glance was enough to instinctively feel the madness and taboo it contained.

Imprisoning consciousness? Smelting souls? Turning them into weapons?

Not even the craziest guy I know would go this far!

And judging from Lloyd's relaxed manner and practiced handling of the device, it was obvious he had used it plenty of times before...

For Messmer—who, when it came to matters not involving his mother, could actually be considered somewhat kind—the thought of turning the Hornsent's souls into weapons, and then using those weapons against their own people, made him pause.

Already feeling uneasy about the whole idea, he hesitated before speaking.

"That's a bit extreme..."

"What's extreme about it?"

Lloyd looked at him in confusion, thought for a moment, then pulled out another pouch of Spirit Ash.

"How about this? You put the souls inside, and they turn into dung clumps you can throw at people..."

Messmer suddenly found the smelting furnace much more appealing.

After thanking Lloyd, he took the furnace and prepared to leave. But before going, he seemed to recall something and spoke again.

"Something strange has been happening in the Land of Shadow lately... I'll have someone keep an eye on it and let you know if I hear anything... And I'll also try to find a way—maybe I can provide you with some help here."

With that, Messmer's spirit faded away.

After he was gone, the Volcano Manor shook once more. Lloyd thought for a moment, then stomped his foot. The embers flickered. The tremors stopped—only to return even stronger.

Boom—

It was as if some giant mudskipper was thrashing wildly beneath the manor. After a long while, it finally exhausted itself and fell still.

...

After seeing Messmer off and proving he did indeed have a Man-Serpent friend, Lloyd chatted with Rya for a bit longer, feeding her a generous amount of shrimp and crab.

When he was done, he asked for permission before reaching out to rub her smooth, slippery head. After remarking on how pleasant it felt, he took his leave.

Once outside, Lloyd turned to Ranni beside him.

"So... if you're in a hurry, we can go deal with that snake now..."

"I'm not in a hurry."

Ranni shook her head slightly. If he'd asked her that when they first arrived, she might have considered it.

But after wandering around the manor just now, she'd noticed something—portraits hung everywhere: Rykard, Radahn, Rykard's wife, even his concubine, Tanith, the woman outside claiming to be mistress of Volcano Manor...

But one was missing—the younger sister.

For the record, Ranni wasn't petty. The three siblings of the Rykard family had always been close. She simply reasoned that, with Destined Death still sealed, Rykard, being a Demigod, couldn't truly die even if swallowed by a serpent.

And since it had been far longer than a day or two already, if he were going to be digested, it would have happened by now. If not, another day or two wouldn't make a difference.

Besides, Lloyd seemed to have his own reasons for not going in yet, so she had no intention of pressuring him.

It was absolutely not an act of petty revenge.

"By the way, do Mother and Radahn know about this?"

"Not yet. I plan to finish exploring here first. When it's time to deal with the snake, I'll find them."

After all, Rykard was the child of the Queen of the Full Moon and Radahn's brother. When the time came, both of them would have to be there.

For now, though, Lloyd preferred to map the place out—better that than rushing into the boss fight and missing a questline or item.

Hearing that, Ranni felt reassured.

"So, what's your plan now?"

"What else? Keep exploring."

With that, Lloyd drew his sword and began hacking at the nooks and crannies of the manor's rooms.

From what Rya had said earlier, he suspected there were hidden walls here.

Sure enough, after some searching, he cut open a concealed passage. Inside was a narrow corridor patrolled by thin, snake-like creatures carrying snail shells on their backs—ones he'd encountered before.

He dispatched them easily and continued onward.

After only a few more steps, a familiar figure appeared ahead—a Bloodhound Knight.

But before Lloyd could act, a cluster of blue motes shimmered, and Ranni's form materialized at his side.

"Leave it to me."

Lloyd watched as Ranni drifted forward. She said something he couldn't quite catch, but whatever it was, the Bloodhound Knight obediently stepped aside, lowering his head to let Lloyd pass.

Beyond him, Lloyd walked a short distance before spotting a new Site of Grace—Prison Town Church.

After lighting it, he found a door ahead. In front of it, a message glowed with a faint white light.

[Life is full of suffering]

It was a strange message, and the handwriting didn't seem quite right.

Lloyd crouched down, brushed his fingers over the glowing words, then lifted them to inspect the residue.

It was Albinauric Bloodclot—the primary substance that made up the bodies of the Albinaurics. But mixed in with it was something else, something he recognized: faint blue motes of light.

"What is this...?"

Ranni had noticed it too.

"Ergo."

Lloyd identified it with certainty, then rose to his feet and pushed the heavy doors open.

Dong... dong... dong...

The massive panels gave way slowly, light spilling through the widening gap until the view beyond was revealed—collapsed buildings, rivers of molten lava, gray-skinned Man-Serpents patrolling the streets, and...

Mechanical constructs, their bodies coated in a mixture of Ergo and Albinauric Bloodclot, slaughtering the Man-Serpents.

Their torsos were shaped like executioner's iron maidens, mounted on rolling wheels for movement. Spiked wheels extended from either side, serving as both arms and weapons.

The spikes spun with a harsh buzzing, then came crashing down on a Man-Serpent. Flesh and blood burst in all directions as the gray-scaled victim was cleaved in two, its remains tumbling into the magma below.

When the machines finished with their prey, one turned its head toward Lloyd as if sensing his presence.

It should have been nothing more than an unthinking device—pure iron, shaped into a mask without eyes or mind. But the writhing Albinauric Bloodclot in its frame gave it expression.

And that expression was anger.

A pure, indiscriminate hatred toward all living things.

Seeing its gaze lock on him, Lloyd drew his weapon without hesitation.

"Ranni, just curious—did your brother kill a lot of Albinaurics in the past?"

"No." Ranni leveled her staff.

"He's still killing them now."

Boom—

The construct's arms whipped forward, launching two spiked wheels that carved graceful arcs through the air before slamming into the ground where Lloyd had stood a moment ago.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

The wheels spun wildly, shrieking as sparks flew from their blades before returning to their owner.

And with them came a cold Dark Moon and the curved edge of the Bloodhound's Fang.

Boom!

Bang!

The twin strikes failed to halt the construct. It only shuddered before propping itself up on its arms and spinning in place like a bladed top.

Lloyd leapt back to avoid the whirling death. A second later, a comet shot past his shoulder, striking the machine's core and making it falter.

He seized the moment, driving the Bloodhound's Fang deep into the mark left by the comet.

Then—he wrenched it with all his strength.

Bang.

The execution was complete. The health bar vanished.

The machine erupted, scattering silver blood and jagged shards across the ground.

But even with it destroyed, Lloyd's expression stayed sharp. His gaze lifted toward the distance, where more—and stronger—machines clashed with weapon-bearing Man-Serpents.

It looked like a rebellion had just erupted.

"Looks like we've got work to do."

"Want to call for backup?"

"No."

Lloyd shook his head, flexing his wrist, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.

"The two of us will be enough."

"I've been looking for a warm-up anyway."

...

[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]

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