Now, it's time. Only one last obstacle stands between me and my destiny, my time as the Dark Lord, and it will fall. Ready, I rise, and march in. The first knight gives me its sword, I manage to push the third to its death with a second backstab (excessive, perhaps, but effective), the fifth knight gives me its halberd, and then I'm there - I only needed one swallow of Estus to get here, due to the second knight's greatsword, and that's not much of a problem. Once at the wall of light, I cast Strong Magic Shield and enter.

The fight goes well at first, at least defensively - I manage to get a pillar between me and Gwyn, and from here, I'm mostly safe. However, I can't hit him through the pillar, my drake sword isn't long enough…maybe I'll consider using the Moonlight Greatsword, that gives off a wave of power with each strike. In any case, he grabs me once and blasts me, and somehow, I survive and manage to get behind a pillar to heal, but then he hits me a couple of times and stunlocks me, won't give me a chance to get behind the pillar - each swing of his flaming sword brings him just as far as my feet can take me, so I can't do anything. When I'm on the verge of dying, in desperation, I try jumping to safety; a swing of his sword strikes during this, and I'm dead.

It's okay, I just woke up - I can and will do this. Another Humanity sprite gets me ready, and I charge in again. Sliding down the ash onto the bridge hurts me slightly this time for some reason (even though it never has before), and I push the third knight to its death with the first backstab; apart from that, nothing of note happens on the trek back. Again, I cast Strong Magic Shield and enter. Lord Gwyn will fall before me, just as his son did.

This time, the fight goes much better - I'm learning his attack patterns, and to keep the pillar between me and him at all times no matter what. For this fight, staying safe is more important than hurting the enemy, I have to play a long game; I only swing at certain times, and if I miss, I don't try to fix it. Slowly, I begin to chip away at his strength. If I can just keep this up, this will be it. But he too chips away at my health through my shield, and at one point, I'm okay, but injured; I try to hit him, and he manages to kick my shield out of the way, then swipe his sword at me, and I fall.

That could have been victory. My only problem was that I wasn't careful enough; I can be more careful. Confident now, I run back to try again, not forgetting to restore myself before I do so. Nothing interesting happens on the way apart from the third knight giving me its sword and the slide down the ash slightly hurting me again (why is it doing that all of a sudden?); then, I cast the shield spell again, and enter, now with the knowledge that I can end this. I'm used to the pattern, and I quickly make it back to the pillar and get into it; somehow, though, he gets me out from behind the pillar and impales me, and I'm dead within moments.

Cheap shot - I know for a fact that I can do this now, I won't let random nonsense discourage me. Back again; the fall doesn't hurt me this time, and the third knight manages to get one swipe on me, then jumps to its death as if knowing it doesn't want to get in my way. However, the fourth knight manages to kill me. Okay, I'll try again. I've gotten the hang of kicking the third knight to its death after one backstab, and the fourth one jumps straight to its death before it even gets to me this time - I wonder if I can make it do that all the time? That fall hurts me slightly, but less than before (somehow), and at last, I'm back to Gwyn's lair. Unfortunately, I accidentally roll away from the first blow, and it lands, which is a bad start. Hoping to find a better pillar - a thinner one, maybe, that I can hit him through - I end up circling around the room a couple of times, and this eventually costs me my life.

Don't fix what isn't broken, I suppose - I'll go back to the old pillar. Though the fourth knight nearly kills me this time, I survive, and knock it to the edge, where it falls off once it starts to do anything; apart from that, there's nothing worth noting on the way this time. Surprisingly, the drake sword is still holding out pretty well - I won't need to repair it for a while, even though I've been hitting it against rock…Maybe I can get him to beat his flaming sword against the rocks until it breaks? Heh, unlikely. Well, it's time for another go with the former Great Lord.

Instead of my usual pillar, I go to the first one I reach after recovering my death spot - it's not really any different. Something I learn this time is that, since he's taller than me and his sword is huge, unless he's swinging directly at the ground (as he does with his initial flying-jump attack), he can't hit me if I'm rolling. Knowing this turns the odds in my favor, and for a minute, I'm certain I have this one. However, in my new confidence, I forgot to be extra-careful about keeping my health up with Estus, and when he manages to get a good hit on me, it's only a matter of time before I fall.

Learning is progress, and I'm not discouraged; all I can do is try again, and so I do. A bit of math error gets me hit by the first and third knights, the second one gives me another greatsword, the third dies in a spot where its treasure is over an open chasm and I can't reach it, the fourth knight gets a pretty solid hit on me, and too much enthusiasm with the fifth gets me hit then too - costing me three swallows of Estus overall before I even get to Gwyn - but I make it, and that's what matters. During this fight, I learn not to get so attached to a single pillar while fighting him - twice, moving to a different pillar saves my life. The third time, though, he jumps so that he's so far away when I get behind a pillar that I can't keep my shield pointed directly at him, and though he pauses, I'm afraid to drink from my Estus Flask; this fear, which leads to hesitation, gets me killed once more.

There's nothing I could be doing better, I just have to not make any mistakes. That's not so difficult, is it? It shouldn't be, at least. Wearing the Cloranthy Ring is definitely a huge help fighting this fallen Lord, so I know my equipment is optimal; and I, too, am plenty strong. Nothing but chance and marginal error is keeping me from victory. That and…slipping to my death. Yes, trying to go down this time, I somehow slide off the mound of ash at just the perfect angle to put me between one of the sideways-branching paths and the part I'm trying to land on to get me killed. Annoyed, and somewhat embarrassed, I press on. I've used a lot of Humanity sprites doing this…I may actually have to go back and farm some more, if this continues. But it shouldn't continue. That knight with the greatsword costs me two swigs of Estus on its own this time, but it turns out that I can indeed lure that fourth one to jumping to its death as it runs to meet me, and I do. Clasping my pendant for luck, ready for it all, I traverse the white light one more time.

Everything starts as normal, mostly - I actually forget to cast Strong Magic Shield before I enter, but the damage this costs me is quickly fixed by Estus - and I'm pretty sure I'm getting it. I'm not entirely sure how he kills me this time, actually, but he does - my dodges that were meant to go around the pillar somehow put me against it, after he somehow hits me as though I wasn't taking shelter. It was an unfair loss. Keep going, keep going.

My sword is still holding out, somehow, though I know I'll have to fix it to be safe before too much longer. Although, I do manage to get the third and fourth knights to jump to their deaths without using my sword at all, so maybe it won't be as soon as I worry it might. Not forgetting the spell this time, I run in. At one point during the fight, I'm certain I'm dead - I've died this way before, rolling against the pillar while Gwyn swings mercilessly - but somehow, with tactics and intelligence, I make it out, and into safety where I can recover. Never again does he manage to stunlock me into death; however, after just escaping him at one point, I go to take a drink of Estus, and his sword hits me through the stone pillar, hard enough to kill me. Again, I probably just wasn't being careful enough.

Another shield from the first knight, and the trek back in is otherwise uneventful - pushing the third knight and luring the fourth knight to their deaths is getting easy. Fighting Lord Gwyn is another story; this battle lasts a very long time. I also notice some things glimmering in far corners of the room like white prism stones, but they're of no consequence; I focus on Gwyn. The only time I even try to hit him is after he tries and fails to grab me, and I'm getting a better sense of how close to him I have to be to land a hit versus how close I can risk getting. After a while, when I get about twice as far as I did during my previous record, if you will, I start to think that maybe this is it…but then, somehow, he manages to knock me out of cover and kill me before I can block.

It's all about luck! Well, and skill, but I've gotten pretty skillful at this; luck is the only thing left. Now that I've gotten so painfully close, I know for a fact that I am strong enough and well-equipped enough to take Gwyn down; I run in again, eager, certain. The fourth knight puts up a good fight, and refuses to fall to its death; after I kill it, I get its greataxe, and I also get another halberd from the fifth knight. Between a mistake near the start and the knight with the greataxe, it's taken me two drinks of Estus to get to Gwyn this time; I hope eighteen will be enough.

When I enter again, it's just like last time. My death spot is actually in an inconvenient place, and I don't make the mistake of trying to get it until the fight brings us to the pillar at the back of the room and I have a chance to do something, which I take to grab it instead of attacking. More and more, I'm learning Gwyn's attack patterns…it's hard to tell, but I think he might actually be Hollow. The fight rages on, and on…at one point, I misjudge which direction he's going around the pillar and dodge right into his range, and I know I'm dead. By some miracle, however, I manage to get behind the pillar again. Careful, careful…the golden rule of this entire quest has been, never get cocky, even when you think you're near victory - especially when you think you're near victory. I follow it, and even when Gwyn is on his last few blows, I take no chances, staying behind the stone, watching his empty left hand for the movement that means he's going to try a grab, just like I would do with my right hand if I were using the Dark Hand to suck humanity out of someone. Odd that he doesn't have a shield…I guess he doesn't need one. Then, at long last, the flaming sword goes out, and the cowardly fallen Lord drops and is no more.

I did it.

To celebrate, I take one last drink of Estus, bringing me to full health and condition. The Lord Soul of Gwyn is in my hand, and this, I can absorb, like I could the other special souls I've gotten during my quest. For a minute, I deliberate doing so…but no - like his son, I might be able to make something permanently useful from Gwyn's essence, and for now, it's a trophy. I tuck it away.

At last, I can look around this room. It's round, of course, since it's the bottom of a tower, but it looks almost natural, with the stalagmites here and there. The stone pillars (stalagmites, really, but high ones) I used are arranged almost evenly in a circle of three around the center, where a black patch is lined by little stalagmites…and in the center of this patch is a red sword stuck in a pile of ash. This isn't a bonfire, though it looks like it - it's the First Flame. I know, it would light me on fire, not the ash, if I tried to touch it. All I have to do is walk away…

No, don't, whispers a voice. Please, don't. Link the Fire. You don't have to do what Kaathe said, you can still link the Fire.

Surprised, I put a hand around my pendant. Why would I link the Fire? I ask her.

You can be with me, she says. Please…join me in here. We can be together.

Didn't you hear Kaathe? I demand. This Fire is an abomination, created with the sole purpose of going against nature! I'm not going to continue propagating this; my destiny is to end it, so I will.

Is that it? she asks me. Do you really care about what's right? Or do you just want to be the Dark Lord and rule over all of existence?

Well…of course I want that, I reply, a bit bemused. Who wouldn't prefer that over being tinder to keep a fire burning? Except maybe you…But that's not the only thing there is to this. This Fire is wrong, my love! Even you can appreciate that, surely.

You're being selfish. As usual.

"Well, what about you?" I exclaim, speaking aloud now. "Do you think linking the Fire is the right thing to do just because it means self-sacrifice? That ending your own life will automatically make the world better?"

No…

"Really?" I ask. "I know you would have done it anyway, because you're always so eager to give for others - even if Kaathe had told you the truth, you would have done it, wouldn't you?"

Well, yes…

"Why?" I demand. "It's just because it means giving yourself, isn't it?"

She doesn't answer.

I shake my head. "I knew it," I sneer. "You didn't sacrifice yourself because it was the right thing to do, you think it's the right thing to do because it means sacrificing yourself! And you would have anyway, because that's automatically the good thing - thinking of yourself is amoral, no matter what the circumstances! Well, I'm smarter than that! I won't give myself up for its own sake - I am the Dark Lord, and the sacrifices end here!"

I'm just asking you not to sacrifice me.

"Not to sacrifice y-?" Suddenly, I stop short, feeling as though I've been kicked in the stomach. An icy feeling spreads through my chest, my blood running cold, as the last piece of the puzzle clicks into place: She gave herself to link the Fire, so now she is the Fire; if I extinguish the Flame, I extinguish her.

You want me to think of myself? she says. Well, I will now. If there's one thing in the whole world that I could have, that I could ever have, it would be to spend the rest of eternity loving you - I would want nothing else, ever. If you do this, I won't be able to love you anymore.

"Y…You don't…know that," I manage to stammer. "Maybe extinguishing the Fire will set your soul free, so you can move on to…whatever comes next…"

And if it doesn't?

"Then…" I have no answer, my determination falling away.

Besides, you don't know extinguishing the Fire is the right thing to do, she points out, sensing my uncertainty. Either Frampt and Gwyndolin lied to you, or Kaathe lied to you - one of the two sides must be lying, right? Remember what Ingward said: That the Darkwraiths are the enemies of man, and of anything that has a soul. Kaathe leads the Darkwraiths, doesn't he? It makes sense that he'd lie to you to get you to do the wrong thing, doesn't it?

"I don't…" I'm shaking, doubt filling me. But that can't be right… "When Frampt said I was to succeed Lord Gwyn, it felt wrong," I say, thinking out loud. "But when Kaathe told me I was to extinguish the Flame and become the Dark Lord, something inside me recognized the truth. I felt it, he was the one who was being honest with me. Besides, you did as Frampt said, and look how things are now - just as they were. No, Kaathe isn't the liar." A bit of my confidents rebuilds itself, though it is still cracked. "No offense, my love, but I've always been much better at judging the truth from lies than you."

None taken, she admits. But please…don't leave me.

Again, I hesitate.

I'm scared, Deimos, my love, she whispers. It's not like there's any harm done. Leave it to someone else…

"Would someone else find Kaathe, though?" I ask. "No, I don't think so - the only reason I did is because you told me what I was supposed to do with the Lordvessel, so I killed the Four Kings first. That's why…that's why you had to go before me - so I could learn the truth." As I say the words, I realize their validity. All of this was pre-destined - she, to sacrifice herself, so that I would have a guide to my own destiny.

Still, this is so unfair. Why should I have to end her existence? It's not fair! I love her! I take off my helm so I can pull at my hair, putting my sword and shield away as well to free my hands.

"What do I do?" I moan. "It's not fair!"

I'm sorry, she whimpers. But please…please come here. Don't start the Age of Dark, there's no telling what that will do to the world - just come in here, with me, and we can keep the Fire burning, and everything will be okay.

She fears the Dark, same as Gwyn did; still, is her fear really all that invalid? I'm so torn - my heart yearns for her, my souls screams for Darkness. Almost unwillingly, I walk over to the sword stuck in the ground, my hand itching to reach out to it. It won't even hurt, and then I can be with her again…

But…it's not right. Instead of taking the sword, I put my hand back on my pendant, the pendant that she gave to me, during our time in Astora as living humans. What I wouldn't give to have those days back…but they're over, and I need to accept that. Even if I join her in the Fire now, it won't be the same. And really, why should I give my life for this? Even for her…it's not worth it.

My mind is made up. "I'm sorry, my love," I say softly. "I hope you get to see the afterlife, and spend the rest of eternity in paradise…"

There is no paradise without you! she sobs, and I know she means that quite literally.

My eyes start to sting. "I'm sorry," I repeat.

Then, slowly, I put my hands to the twine that hold my pendant around my neck, and lift it over my head. For a minute, I just hold it out in front of me, over the unlit Fire, hesitant; love and emotions and memories rage through me as I stare at the carved jade no longer resting against my chest. I really don't want to do this. But, I have no choice.

"Goodbye," I whisper, a tear sliding down my cheek.

I drop the pendant into the ash, then turn and walk away.

Every step out of the Kiln echoes through my body, the ash crunching beneath my feet. Each one takes me away from her, and towards my destiny…she was never to be part of my ultimate destiny, though the knowledge twists my heart. I don't want to leave her…it feels as though I ripped out my own heart and left it by that sword, to fade into nothingness in the ancient ash, and every step further from it hurts more, and more…

At last, I make it back up the stairs and to the altar of the Lordvessel. Here, I find, not just Kaathe, but many primordial serpents, waiting for me.

"My Lord, bless thy safe return," says Kaathe.

"And Kaathe, and Frampt, serve Your Highness," says another.

"We are here to serve Your Highness," says a third.

They all bow down before me. I walk along the path, between them, their king.

"Let true Dark be cast upon the world," says Kaathe. "Our Lord hath return'st."

As I cross the threshold, with no living soul in its vicinity, the First Flame dies. For a moment, it's disconcerting, as though something vital just vanished. Then the Darksign burns on my skin, and the burning spreads throughout my being. It sinks into me and fills me, bringing the Dark Soul to life, the powers of a god finally at my fingertips. Yes…I am the new Lord of the world. I am the Dark Lord Deimos. It even sounds right, almost even more so than "the Great Lord Gwyn".

There are things to do. The Lordvessel shall be destroyed, its purpose done. For aiding me despite the dissent of his kind, as Seath did for Lord Gwyn, Kaathe shall be granted dukedom - whether he chooses to move into the Duke's Archives, or live in the Abyss, or whatsoever he wishes, he shall be granted. Frampt will be punished for trying to kill me…how, I know not - perhaps I'll leave that up to Kaathe. Anor Londo will be my kingdom, the castle my palace, the spot where the illusion of Gwynevere once rested my throne room.

Still, the pain of losing my love tempers my triumph. She would want me to rule benevolently…while I can't promise that, there is something I can do. The power of the Darksign is within me - I can feel it, feel the Curse of the Undead in my veins. I can control it. Yes…if nothing else, I can fix one thing in her honor, with the help of the primordial serpents:

All Undead - including those in the outside world and those in the Northern Undead Asylum - shall be brought here, to live in Lordran, be it in the city of Anor Londo or the outside settlements, whatever each individual chooses. If an Undead wishes to be human - like Anastacia - they may come before me, and I shall break the Darksign that marks them; likewise, if any human wishes to be Undead, they may come to Anor Londo and ask it of me, and I shall brand them - never again will a person be branded with the Darksign at random. Everywhere in the outside world will be given a means for summoning a primordial serpent for this purpose - the serpents will transport all Undead and humans to where they belong. They will also inform the outside world of the new reign, so that all will know the Age of Dark has come, and that I am their king now. Any Undead who turn Hollow do so because they have nothing left to live for; such creatures will, of course, be immediately put out of their misery, permanently, by my hand. With this new Rule of the Undead done in her honor, whatever else I may do during my reign, I will do without remorse.

I will never forget Aiedale the Wanderer. Not as decades become centuries, and centuries become millennia - always will I remember her, and how much I loved her. Unbeknownst to me just now, in the distant future, this pain will drive me mad: millions of years from now, I'll throw myself into the flames, desperately hoping to reunite with her; things will return to the way they were before, with no one to control the Curse of the Undead - I will become known as Icarus Earth, and the next Chosen Undead will be tasked with vanquishing what I leave behind. But in this moment, as I walk among my new servants, I don't know this. All I know is the thing I will eventually deny: Aiedale is gone, her very existence snuffed out; all my ties to life as a mortal are gone, leaving me with one purpose.

I am the Lord of Men, the Dark Lord Deimos, and I will rule forevermore.

~THE END~