Messmer clearly didn't view the matter with much gravity. If Miquella wished to ascend to godhood, the obstacles in his path were more numerous than one might imagine; this was precisely why Messmer hadn't bothered to interfere with the youth's movements.
"First and foremost, the seal on Enir-Ilim remains perfectly intact. That is a seal established by Mother after she ascended to godhood. Those rejection thorns are impenetrable to any outsider; Miquella certainly has no way to enter that divine tower."
Gawain recalled the sensation he felt when touching those shadows atop the Tower Settlement. He remained noncommittal, simply asking, "When he met you, was Miquella's body whole?"
Messmer raised an eyebrow. Though he didn't understand why the question was being asked, he answered truthfully.
"At least to my eyes, there were no missing parts. However, I never saw him in his earlier years, so I cannot say for certain if that was his original form."
"That suggests he chose a different path after his negotiations with you failed," Gawain said, his tone growing solemn as he began to analyze the situation. "I discovered certain unique marks elsewhere. Beneath those marks lie parts of the flesh Miquella discarded. I suspect he isn't just doing this to show the Hornsent his determination to cut ties with the past and earn their support. He might be trying to bypass the seal by discarding everything of himself—traversing it in spirit where he could not in body."
Gawain continued, "Didn't you mention he went to the lowest level of the Shadow Keep? It's highly likely he began his work then. With his power of enchantment, your people might not have even noticed the anomalies. Afterward, he began to walk across the Land of Shadow to initiate the next phase of his plan."
Messmer's brow furrowed instantly as he considered the possibility. In his mind, the seal Mother had placed using the power of the Scadutree was flawless. Could a soul truly pass through it?
Suddenly, a realization struck him—a way Miquella might actually achieve his goal—but he suppressed the thought for further consideration.
Furthermore, even if a soul could enter the tower, the Secret Rite Scroll stated that without a Lord to guide the way, Miquella could never ascend through the Gate of Divinity.
The more Messmer thought about it, the more he felt that even if Miquella succeeded in entering, he would be unable to act. Nevertheless, he made a mental note to personally inspect the lower levels later.
"The possibility you describe does exist. I will need to check for myself to confirm the situation," Messmer said, regaining some of his composure. "Since you wish to know about ascending to godhood at the spiral tower, I shall explain it to you in detail. I assume the Black Knights have already told you—my mother, Queen Marika, became a god through the miracle of the Gate of Divinity in Enir-Ilim. It was the Hornsent's most perfect creation for summoning a god."
He held up three fingers.
"To ascend through the Gate of Divinity, three conditions must be met simultaneously. First, one must possess an Order sufficient to become a god and a Great Rune to carry that Order; this is the foundation for a qualified 'vessel' of the Elden Ring. Second, there must be a guide to lead the god—a consort. Otherwise, once one enters the Gate of Divinity, they will be utterly lost among the stars, unable to return. Third, to open the gate, there must be a sacrifice. The Hornsent paid a staggering price to allow Mother to ascend. As for whether there are other conditions beyond these, I do not know."
Messmer lowered his fingers, his voice returning to its previous certainty. "This is why I am not worried about Miquella. Even if he can get his soul into the tower, he cannot satisfy the other two conditions. He cannot become a god."
Gawain felt a sudden cold sweat. He spoke with some hesitation. "Actually... Miquella has likely already found his King. In fact, I sent him there myself. He might only be missing the sacrifice now."
"Hmm? What did you say?!"
Gawain then gave a brief explanation regarding Radahn's soul being guided away by Miquella after his death and who had taken the "MVP" spot during the Festival of Combat.
"...You had best not let Gaius hear of this," Messmer warned. "Otherwise, I cannot guarantee what he might do."
"Gaius? Who is he?"
"He is my friend. An Albinauric veteran, and a senior fellow student of Radahn."
"An Albinauric... and a senior fellow student of the General?"
Gawain began to imagine a more robust version of Albus, perhaps riding a mount and wielding gravity sorcery. He hadn't realized such a powerhouse was hidden among the Albinaurics.
"Rest assured," Gawain said. "Since I bear responsibility for this, even if Miquella completes all the steps, I will personally take responsibility for stopping him."
"Provided he hasn't entered the Gate of Divinity yet. Otherwise..."
Messmer didn't finish. Having learned of Miquella's intentions, he was already planning a new offensive against the Tower Settlement to wipe out all threats.
However, this would take time. More importantly, while the Scadutree's seal on the tower wasn't insurmountable, using his own flames to burn it would drain his strength significantly. It wasn't realistic to rely solely on Rellana to do the fighting afterward.
In other words, for the sake of safety, he truly needed the help of the Tarnished before him.
Now that he had convinced himself that accepting help was merely a form of compensation for the trouble Gawain had caused, Messmer breathed a sigh of relief. Though he loathed to admit it, he had witnessed the man's strength. With Gawain involved, there was no need to fear a Hornsent comeback.
"Even if he becomes a god, he won't be fully merged with the Elden Ring yet. I doubt he'll be that difficult to deal with," Gawain remarked.
"I hope your confidence stems from a correct assessment of your own strength."
While Gawain and Messmer discussed the Land of Shadow and the Gate of Divinity, Melina stood quietly to the side, gazing up at the statue of her mother. Given their experiences, she wasn't worried about the upcoming battles; she was content to leave those to her brother and Gawain.
In Messmer's dark chamber stood what was perhaps the only intact statue of Marika in the entire Land of Shadow. Unlike other statues, this one depicted Marika cradling an infant in her arms.
It held less divinity and more tenderness, looking like a loving mother. Yet, in Melina's fractured memories, she could only recall fragments of warmth; more often, her mother was the cold Eternal Queen.
Seeing that the two men had finished their conversation, Melina looked seriously at Messmer and asked, "Brother, I wish to know the truth of our birth. After my former body was burned, I forgot many things. I only recently reclaimed my memories of you and my own purpose."
Messmer fell into a brief silence. After a moment, he met her gaze. His voice was low; for a heartbeat, he truly wished his sister had forgotten everything and could simply live a normal life.
"Do you truly wish to know?"
Seeing the determination in Melina's eyes, Messmer looked up at the tall statue and began to speak slowly.
"We are special, unique existences. Because we are children who were never meant to be born—children who should not exist in this world."
Though Melina had long suspected as much, hearing it aloud still made her pause. "How can that be?"
"We were not born naturally. We were created, born for a purpose—insurance policies for Mother against an uncertain future. One of your eyes is the Gloam-Eye, and within me resides the essence of the Abyssal Serpent. Both of these were powers belonging to Mother's enemies. Have you never found that strange?"
Melina's breath hitched. Various clues suddenly connected, and a name surfaced in her mind, though she couldn't bring herself to say it. She simply searched her brother's eyes for confirmation.
Messmer had no intention of hiding it. He nodded slightly.
"The Hornsent believed that Shamans could harmonize with other lives, allowing sinners to wash away their past and be reborn. This was not without foundation. Mother is a descendant of the Eternal City. She utilized her own unique traits and the Great Rune of the Unborn to create us—special physiques born of tears. Unlike other demigods, we were born from the start to fulfill a mission."
Melina stood frozen, struggling to digest the massive influx of information.
Beside her, Gawain's eyes widened. As expected, the abilities of the Haligtree twins were inherited from Marika herself. Whether it was her other half, Radagon, or her ability to split off independent souls like Millicent, these were Marika's innate talents.
Previously, he had never been able to figure out the source of Melina's Gloam-Eyed power. Many of his theories had logical flaws. After seeing Messmer's red hair and the so-called Abyssal Serpent, he had even considered wilder possibilities—like Radagon's "traditional hobby" of seducing enemies, leading to a child with the Gloam-Eyed Queen.
But he had quickly dismissed that. Even if the Godskin Apostles under the Gloam-Eyed Queen possessed aspects of the snake, the power of Messmer's Abyssal Serpent wasn't Black Flame; it looked more like the God-Devouring Serpent.
Now, listening to Messmer, his ideas began to clarify. The Great Rune of the Unborn that Radagon gave to Rennala had clearly been in Marika's hands first. These siblings' special powers were insurance policies placed upon them by Marika due to her internal doubts about the Golden Order after defeating her two great enemies. They wouldn't be activated normally; Messmer would even actively eliminate enemies of the Golden Order. But if the time ever came...
Gawain looked at Melina. She didn't show excessive emotion. Was it unexpected, or perhaps entirely within character?
After a brief moment of surprise, Melina calmly accepted the truth. She felt a touch of helplessness; no wonder her relationship with her mother had always been so strange, nothing like a true mother and daughter. At some point, she had been forced to hide her identity and remain in that cold room.
Yet even if the meaning of her birth was solely for a mission, she did not reject this innate responsibility. After traveling across the shattered Lands Between with Torrent, if she could sacrifice herself to bring about an era of hope, she did not believe that was a bad thing.
Seeing her silence, Messmer spoke softly, explaining the reason behind their mother's decision.
"I hope you do not blame Mother for her choice. As children of a god, our existence itself is her insurance for the Lands Between. Though she is the Eternal Queen, the deity who spread the radiance of grace across the land, she was originally just a unique Shaman. Mother is not omnipotent; she can make mistakes, and she may not always choose the best path. Thus, after being chosen as an Empyrean by the Two Fingers, she still harbored doubts about the seemingly perfect Golden Order of the future. So, she created us."
Melina recalled her mission and nodded slightly. She knew she was the contingency plan her mother had left for a new era.
"Then, Brother, what is your mission?"
"My mission... if everything had gone normally, was to inherit Mother's hatred for the Hornsent, to burn them, to guard the seal of the Gate of Divinity in the Land of Shadow, and to bring death upon all those unworthy of grace and all who oppose the Golden Order. It should have been that way. The Crusade was never meant to end."
Messmer glanced at Gawain, his eyes churning with a deep-seated grievance. This resentment wasn't directed at Gawain personally, but at everything the man's presence represented.
"But if Mother has given the mission of becoming King to the Tarnished, then I am the key to opening the sealed Gate of Divinity. The essence of the Abyssal Serpent can burn the seal."
A long sigh escaped Messmer's throat. A sense of powerlessness surged through his chest, nearly swallowing him whole. This was the outcome he least wanted to see.
He had prepared everything. He was willing to bear all the original sins his mother had committed, to personally swing the blade of reckoning against their former allies, the Hornsent. He was willing to endure all the malice and curses of the world, taking every infamy upon himself.
But if Mother truly chose to let the Tarnished take the mantle of King, the meaning behind that choice was enough to crush his resolve. It meant that the Golden Order he served as a faith—which was supposed to be perfect and eternal—had been sentenced to death by his mother's own hand. It meant that all of Mother's efforts to mend the cracks in the dynasty and reverse fate had ultimately ended in utter defeat.
The glory of the past had become a fleeting shadow, the dream of old had been shattered into pieces, and in the end, they had to rely on the unblessed Tarnished to break the deadlock. What, then, was the point of his years of endurance?
What made his heart ache even more was that he would have to use his own power to pave the way for a new Empyrean to ascend to godhood. This act itself was an admission of the reality that Mother would never return.
This was the answer Messmer had reached after days of reflection. It was bitter, yet there was no other way. He had long recognized his fate as a tool. If this truly was Mother's final decision, he could suppress all his resentment and accept it.
However, the Hornsent had to be completely eliminated; that was his only bottom line. He looked at the Tarnished before him, his gaze unreadable. Suppressing the waves in his heart and ignoring Melina's hesitant look, he spoke.
"According to the original plan, if Mother failed and I was needed to open the passage for a new god, then Melina would be the one to clear all obstacles for the new King's ascent."
"Brother, please wait! This matter cannot yet..." Melina's voice rang out, laced with a hint of panic. She shot a quick glance at Gawain, fearing Messmer would reveal even more secrets. She took a step forward, trying to stop him from speaking of her true mission.
But just as her hand reached mid-air, it was caught by another, unable to move a fraction further.
"The one who walks with fire shall meet Destined Death," Messmer said. "The one chosen as King by the Tinder Maiden shall eventually liberate the Rune of Death sealed by Mother, breaking the eternity of the Golden Order."
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash
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