Long time ago, before the elden tree was claimed, there had lived a candidate for the elden lord. His name was vyke, the dragon spear. He was born from the cult of the dragon, a cult that have been formed after the war of dragons, where some have gained emphaty for the winged lizards. Vyke was that of the member of the round table, those who was the chosen to become lord. Yet, he decide to descent from the promise of dragon lordom, to became elden lord. For the whisper of his legacy begs him to become one. The grass crunched under his knee as he kneeled, hands clasped together as he prayed. “O’ lord, guide me, for i shalt be the elden lord, and light this world with the tree branch.” he prayed, his helmet is off for once, placed on an alter as if offering one self to the light, to be a tarnished. “A tarnished? Its been a while since i saw one.” a woman voice spoke behind him as he draw his spear, the tip pointed to the maiden’s face. The woman just laughed softly, covering her mouth as she shakes her head gracefuly at the silliness of the white haired young man. “At ease, tarnished. I am but a simple finger maiden. You can call me heleina.” the woman smiled, raising her hand toward vyke. “A finger maiden? You are my guide then?” vyke lowered his spear, tilting his head slightly, curious. “Indeed tarnished, now, if i may have a clasped finger?” the maiden asked, vyke fumbled out his small pouch, grabbing at the severed finger wrapped in paper. The maiden took the finger and put it in her mouth, before swallowing it. Vyke make a disgusted sound “oh… i dont know what i was expecting honestly.” vyke frowned, glaring at the now empty paper. Heleina just laughed softly again “ah… vyke the dragonspear, the candidate for elden lord, the one who descended from god hood, the round table warrior, is squimish over a little finger?” heleina jabbed, making vyke blush as he cross his hands defensively over his chest “I am NOT, squimish, just wasnt expecting that.” vyke huffed “Thats the same thing, tarnished” “It is not!” “It is.” “It is not! The maiden laughed again, before walking pass the warrior and kneel upon the altar. “Well tarnished, i do hope you are strong. And…” she smiled, the wind breeze and shifted her veil lightly “i hope i can accompany you until you became an elden lord.” Vyke stared at the praying maiden, she hummed a tune he cant quite tell. Her voice was soft, as if its a breeze of warm wind. “Why is it that you throw yourself away to become a finger maiden?” vyke asked Heleina paused for a second, before glancing at vyke. “Why do you become a tarnished when you were so close to become a dragon lord yourself?” the maiden asked back. Vyke refused to answer that, keeping his jaw set as he looked away. The maiden grabs the helmet on the altar, and place it on the ground infront of vyke. “Whatever reason it is you choose to go to this accused journey, i shall be by your side, tarnished.” the maiden smiled at vyke. Vyke dont understand her, to trust a man so easily after just meeting him… yet vyke heart beats faster like it does when he was fighting. How strange, vyke never had this feeling. Vyke took the helmet from the ground, his gauntleted fingers brushing against the faint warmth of where her hands had just been. He stared at her for a moment longer, as if trying to read her through the soft fabric of her veil, before sliding the helmet back onto his head. The familiar weight settled over him, but now, it felt… different. “You speak as if you’ve already decided my fate,” he muttered, the deepened tone from his helmet masking the subtle uncertainty in his voice. “I don’t decide it, tarnished,” Heleina replied, still kneeling before the altar, her hands folded in prayer. “But I will witness it. That is the duty of a maiden—to guide, to see, to… believe.” Vyke let out a small scoff, stepping away from the altar. “Belief is a fragile thing. It breaks easy.” “Then perhaps you should test how strong mine is.” Heleina rose gracefully, her veil swaying in the faint wind that rolled through the hollowed temple. “You have your spear, Vyke. And I… have my fingers.” She lifted her hands slightly, the faintest shimmer of gold dust lingering between them. “We will see which lasts longer.” The words hung in the air, strange but compelling. Vyke wanted to press further, to ask why she spoke in riddles, but before he could, the faint tremor of footsteps reached them—heavy, deliberate, coming from the fog beyond the ruined archway. Vyke’s grip on his spear tightened instinctively. “We’re not alone.” Heleina’s head tilted slightly toward the sound, but her voice was calm, almost eerily so. “No, we aren’t. The Lands Between rarely grant privacy to those who seek the throne.” Through the mist emerged a hulking figure clad in jagged, rusted armor, its helm split into a toothy grin of metal, eyes glowing faintly red from within. The stench of rotting flesh wafted off it in waves. In one hand, it held a massive cleaver s

Langkung lami, lami, sateuacan tangkal anu leungitna, aya masih hirup hiji calon pikeun guanol anu eldens. Nami éta Vyee, tumbak jigana. Anjeunna ngalahir tina kulra naga, hiji budaya anu parantos dibentuk saatos perang pencotons, dimana sawaréh anu ngagaduhan anggapan pikeun kadal anu jangjang. Vyke nyaéta tina anggota méja buleud, jalma anu dipilih janten Gusti. Acan, anjeunna mutuskeun pikeun turunan ti janji nasional, pikeun janten Gusti Elden. Pikeun harewos di warisan na dibeungitkeun anjeunna janten hiji. Jukut crushed handapeun dengkulna nalika anjeunna rajutan "O 'Gusti, pituduh abdi, kanggo kuring sirna janten Gusti Eldd, sareng terang dunya ieu nganggo cabang tangkal." Anjeunna ngadoireun, hirmét na dipirupkeun sakali, nempatkeun ku cara pararahkeun sapertos upami nawiskeun hiji nyalira, janten tarnis. "A tarnished? Nyaéta ti saprak kuring ningali hiji." Awéwé éta nyarios tukangeun anjeunna nalika kuring ngagambar tumbak, Tip anu ditunjuk ka wajah Ibu. Wanoja nembus lirih, nutupan sungutna nalika anjeunna ngageterkeun sirahna "Betah, tarnish. Abdi tapi budak awéwé basajan. Anjeun tiasa nyauran kuring heleina." Wanoja imut, naékkeun leungeunna ka arah vyke. "Bearsy Gaiden? Anjeun pituduh kuring?" Vyke ninggalkeun tumbak na, teraskeun sirahna rada, panasaran."Memang tarnished, ayeuna, upami kuring tiasa ngagaduhan ramo claspat?" Maiden naros, Vyke ngagulung kaluar kantong leutik, nyekelan ramo anu dibungkus dina kertas. Maiden nyandak ramo teras nahan dina sungutna, sateuacan ngelek éta. Vyke ngadamel sora anu geuleuh "oh ... kuring henteu terang naon anu kuring ngarepkeun jujur." Vyke diusir, glara sareng kertas kosong. Heleina ngan ukur seuri lirih "AH ... Vyke mangrupakeun naretak, calon nyepengkeun Pangeran East, anu parantos dibahas ti Hawa Doold, oray Emplents, oray Heleina jabbed, ngajadikeun vyke blush nalika anjeunna nyebrang leungeunna defensif dina dada "Kuring henteu, Squimish, ngan henteu ngarepkeun éta." vyke usff "Éta hal anu sami, tarnished" "Henteu!" "Ieu." "Éta sanés! Budak seuri deui, sateuacan leumpang lullada sareng kneel kana altar." Nyaar tortnished, kuring ngarepkeun anjeun kuat. Sareng ... "Anjeunna nyabak, angin ngahiliwir angin sareng ngageser jilbab na enteng" kuring ngarepkeun kuring tiasa ngiringan anjeun dugi ka anjeun janten Gusti eldens. " Vyke ditarikkeun dina sholing maéhan, anjeunna ngalaman nandian he cep. Sora na lemes, saolah-olah angin ngahiliwir angin haneut."Naha éta anjeun maledog ka diri anjeun janten janten benci wayang?" Vyke naros Heleiina lirén pikeun sadetik, sateuacan glancing di vyke. "Naha anjeun janten tarnished nalika anjeun caket janten janten dewa naga sorangan?" budak awéwé naros deui. VYEE nolak ngajawab yén, tetep rahang di tempat anjeunna katingali. Maiden nyekelan helm di altar, sareng nempatkeun dina infused vyke. "Naon alesan anu anjeun pilih pikeun angkat ka perjalanan anu dituduh ieu, kuring bakal di sisi anjeun, tarnished." Maiden nyéréng di vyke. Vyke henteu ngarti anjeunna, percanten ka jalma gampil méréskeun ngan ukur rapat anjeunna ... AKKEE Vyeee Hate langkung gancang sapertos anjeunna nalika nginjék nalika anjeunna gelut. Kumaha anéh, vyke henteu kantos raos ieu. Vyke nyandak hélem ti taneuh, kuku kingetna ngagelok Anjeunna mantengna dina dirina sacara lami, saolah-olah nyobian maca dirina ngaliwatan lawon lemes, sateuacan ngageser helding deui kana sirahna. Beurat dalit anu salamet diukur anjeunna, tapi ayeuna, éta ngarasa ... béda. "Anjeun nyarios saolah-olah anjeun parantos mutuskeun nasib kuring," anjeunna nyalira, nada anu langkung jero ti helm jero na masking kateupik dina sora na. "Kuring henteu mutuskeun, di Tagness," Hele kanikarka, masih kentel sateuacana sateuacanna altar, panangan na dilipir dina doa. "Tapi kuring bakal nyaksianana.Yén ieu mangrupikeun tugas baiden-ka pituduh, ningali, kanggo ... percanten. " Vyee ngantepkeun scoff leutik, ngaléngkah ti altar. "Kapercayaan mangrupikeun hal anu rapuh. Éta ngarobih gampang." "Lajeng naha anjeun kedah nguji kumaha milik kuring." Heluina naros anggunna, jilbab dina angin samar anu digulung ku kuil anu kosong. "Anjeun gaduh tumbak anjeun, vyke. Sareng kuring ... gaduh ramo kuring." Anjeunna angkat leungeunna rada, shimmer anu pihak "Kami bakal ningali anu langkung lami." Kecap-kecap anu ngagantung dina hawa, anéh tapi pikasieuneun. Vyke badé mencét langkung jero, pikeun naroskeun naha anjeunna nyarios dina riddles, tapi sateuacan anjeunna tiasa, tremor tapak suku ngahontal aranjeunna-beurat. Cengkraman vyke dina spinc na "Kami henteu nyalira." Cuang Helariina rada condong ka sora, tapi sora na tenang, ampir épary kitu. "Henteu, kami henteu. Tanah antara jarang masihan privasi pikeun jalma anu milari tahta." Ngaliwatan perliah ngajeungitkeun tokoh Hulking Tokok teras-teras di Jagung, béri anu karat, nyucuk na nyangculkeun bising tina jeroeun beureum. Kacang tina daging rotting diangkat pareum. Di hiji sisi, éta nahan masif mifer m