There came sounds of shifting stone and, somewhere in the distance, the tolling of a bell. From one of the many coffins found here, beyond a failing kingdom and within piles of ash, a hand reached up. It gripped the edge of its coffin a moment, still. Ashes rose from in the coffin and from the surrounding hill and dirt. These covered the hand and filled the coffin.

Suddenly, a figure sat up, clad in armor. Its face was hidden behind an eastern knight's helmet, but this, surely, was an Unkindled. It stayed only a moment in the coffin, to look around and understand where it was. When it could be sure that to leave was the right option, it stood up and stepped out of the coffin, continuing into the forgotten and untended graves.

Two Undead appeared in a blast of fire. The only other person in the room, a blind woman, was hardly shocked by the event.

"Welcome back, Paladin Jinta and Seiko," said the blind woman, the Firekeeper.

"The bell has tolled once more," she continued, "I assume that is why you've returned."

"Yes," said Jinta, the knight in white cloth and silver armor. "After what's happened with Prince Lothric, we had to. We've been slacking in our job these past few cycles."

"We had other leads to follow, Jinta," said Seiko. She removed her black metal helmet. "Just following these Unkindled won't solve anything."

"You two still have hope you'll break this cycle?" asked the Firekeeper.

"We live in a world of many magics and wonders," said Jinta.

"Even if we fail again," said Seiko, "We can keep the First Flame lit and continue to grow our strength and learn."

"I will do my duty," said the Firekeeper. "But I want you both to know how much we all appreciate your determination. Few Undead have fought as long as you."

"There are plenty that have lived longer," said Jinta. "Speaking of, I see a new face… And one I think I recognize. Come on, Seiko, I think we both know him."

-Untended Graves-

The Unkindled threw down yet another broken knife. He didn't know his own name, but somehow he knew that the Undead in the graves didn't have a single decent weapon among them all. The only weapon worth using had been the one he found in his coffin.

He wore black iron gauntlets and books, an odd collection of pelts and leather armor on his torso, and a black helmet that covered his face. From the helmet hung a tassel that blew in the wind, several feet long. His only weapon was a twinblade carved out of stone. Though he felt quite comfortable with it, something was very off about using it. Like it was someone else's weapon and not his own.

The Unkindled had come to a large door. With nowhere else to go, he pushed the door open and found himself in a basin on the edge of the cliff. Ahead, a tower stood in the distance, past another set of doors. In the center of the basin, however, knelt a statue with a sword through its chest. The Unkindled knight approached the statue and inspected the sword. He grabbed the hilt and the sword felt warm. It seemed to start a small glow at his touch, and even gave off a few small embers from behind the statue where it jutted from the statue's back.

The knight pulled and the sword slid toward him. He stepped back and pulled the sword completely out of the statue and looked it over. The blade, if it could be called such, was a rod of metal that was twisted. What would normally be the corners of a square rod seemed to be razor sharp, and the sword had lost its warm glow and embers.

The knight noticed a large halberd fallen next to the statue as he looked down. A hand closed on the halberd and the knight looked up to see the statue was no statue. Iudex Gundyr loomed over him, vines of black something stitched Gundyr's helmet and grew ever further and thicker.

The knight jumped back and raised the twisted sword… But found it wasn't in his hand. Neither, actually, was his stone twinblade. The knight panicked until Gundyr jumped toward him and swung the halberd. The knight dodged to the side and Gundyr's halberd split a brick instead of the knight. Before the knight could blink, there was a large, round shield on his left arm.

Gundyr twisted and swept his halberd's blade at the knight. The knight found that his shield absorbed the blow nicely. It appeared to be iron, but no iron shield could take such a hit without damage. The knight even found he was able to hold his ground against the attack. He saw Gundyr's form was loaded with openings. Despite Gundyr's power and form, since he was without a shield it would be easy to exploit his weaknesses.

When next Gundyr attacked, the knight found a silver sword in his right hand. He blocked Gundyr's attack and slashed with the sword. He found he was able to easily carve through Gundyr's armor, but the man did not bleed. Instead, thick black ooze began to flow from the wound. Gundyr seemed not to mind missing a shield, because he slammed the back of his free hand into the knight and flattened him.

The knight got up and rolled aside to avoid another swing of the halberd, then raised his shield against the next swing. On the third swing, the knight stepped aside to dodge and stabbed Gundyr in the armpit. He kicked Gundyr in the ribs to free his sword, but Gundyr didn't counter. The black veins on his armor and the black ooze suddenly surged, and in only a second or two, Gundyr now played host to a massive black creature made of the ooze.

It grew a long and misshapen hand, which it used to swat at the knight. Though the knight blocked, he was thrown back through the air. He found himself flipping backward and catching himself standing, but was somehow unsurprised by his own kinesthetic ability. Something in the back of his head told him this was a terrible monster, to be feared. Something else told him that fire drove away the dark.

And with that, his silver sword and round shield were gone again. He only had the twisted sword in hand.

The beast was certainly fearsome, but it was slow and gave away its movements too easily. The knight was able to dodge fairly well, and just one strike was enough to burn large chunks of the creature. By the time he'd landed four hits, the ooze monster was falling to pieces. Gundyr's body staggered, and the beast sagged, so the knight rushed in and attacked over and over. He stopped when he saw the entire mass, Gundyr and the ooze, begin to fade into a white mist. The mist rose into the air, coalesced, and rushed through the air toward him.

-Firelink Shrine-

The knight appeared atop a landing overlooking the shrine. The blind Firekeeper heard the new footsteps and stood up. She walked toward a pile of ash in the center of the room, where Seiko and Jinta had come from. The knight descended some stairs from the landing and approached her, feeling drawn.

"Unkindled One," she said, "Welcome to Firelink Shrine. Place the sword within the ash, and you can begin your march to destiny."

The knight regarded her a moment, then looked at the ash pile. He looked at his twisted sword. The knight reversed his grip on the sword and stabbed it down into the ash pile. The small embers lit the ash into a bonfire. He didn't hear approaching footsteps over the surge of flame, but he noticed two more knights standing next to him once the flames died down to a more stable fire.

The knight in silver plates and white cloth reached for the fire. The fire reached back and deposited something in his hand, which he held out to the Unkindled knight.

"An Estus Flask. For your journey. You'll need it," said the white knight.

The Unkindled took it and examined it.

"I found a similar one in the graves," he said, and took it from his belt.

An Ashen Estus Flask and a normal Estus Flask.

"So I see," said the white knight. "I am Jinta, and this is Seiko."

He gestured to the knight in black plate armor. She had thick cloth in a heap around her shoulders and hanging down her back, with a hood attached that was down for the moment.

"They have helped Unkindled like yourself since ages past," said the Firekeeper. "But do not mistake their purpose. They will not travel with you. You must seek the Lords on your own, and retrieve them to link the fire once more. You must have five Lordsouls, but one has already arrived to aid you."

She gestured up to a very small man sitting on one of the thrones overlooking the shrine.

"This place will be your home. The fire you have awakened will take you where you must go, and a similar fire will return you here should you desire repose. But do not linger. There is never much time before the fire fades once an Unkindled awakens to the ringing of the bell."

"You say it is my destiny," said the knight, "But what is my name? Can you know my purpose without knowing even that?"

"Your name," said the black knight, "Is Tetsuro."

Hearing it told the Unkindled it must be true. Something in him answered to the word.

"You were once the most storied martial artist in history, and certainly the longest lived. You purposefully forewent magic for fighting and mastered every weapon ever known. Your arsenal must still be with you - you just need to learn to call upon it again."

Tetsuro remembered how weapons had seemed to respond quickly to his needs during his last fight.

"I find myself believing you," he said, "But what happened to me, that I had to come from an unmarked grave among thousands?"

There was a pause. The two knights looked at one another. It was the black knight, Seiko, who answered.

"You, like many others, found your eventual end before offering your soul to link the First Flame. For a long time, we thought that was the only mortal death, but even that has proven temporary. That is why we call you Unkindled. You are yet to be one with the flame."

"So, then, no death but to be one with the First Flame is permanent?"

"Exactly."

"Then why would one ever do such a thing? I can't imagine immortality is a bad thing."

The white knight, Jinta, spoke up.

"You thought the same in your past life. It's what led you here. But unlike before, where many Undead existed who might kindle the flame, this time there is only you. If you do not, the flame will at last die, and the world as we know it will be lost forever."

"And the two of you have lasted this long watching over this journey, to protect the First Flame and the world?"

"We didn't start out this way," said Seiko, "But it is what we have chosen."

"If it is my purpose, and it is a destiny no one else can fill, I will do my best. I have seen little of the world, but my body remembers far more than my mind. It knows there is more than this. Much more. If it would be lost by my inaction, I cannot be so irresponsible."

Even through their armor, Tetsuro could tell the two were relieved to hear it.

"If you think so," said Jinta, "Reach into the fire. You will begin your journey, and we will ensure your safe passage should some outside force appear. You will suffer. You will die. But you will do so in service of an entire world of mortals who depend on you. And only you."

Tetsuro reached up to remove his helmet. Underneath, he had a wild beard, long hair bound in a bun on the back of his head, and eyes turned red from the possession of Alonne's sword.

"You say that like it ought to intimidate me," said Tetsuro. "But, to be honest, all I hear from you is exactly what I need to know to justify what my heart tells me: Seek battle. The past doesn't matter to me one bit. All I want - all I can think about - is my next fight. The… Humans out in the graves, they were boring. The stone knight in the courtyard showed promise, but he was consumed before our fight could be finished. What more is there for me to find? There must be more."

Seiko and Jinta shared a look.

"Those in the graves were 'Hollows,'" said Jinta. "You won't find memorable battles with them. If that's your goal, all the better. Seek your beloved combat; it seems to be deeply ingrained in you to do so. With the world as threadbare as it is, I'm sure that will bring you to your destiny as well. Everyone wins."

"And you?" asked Tetsuro. "What will you two do in the meantime? I don't intend on ever needing your help."

"I doubt you ever will," said Seiko. "Going Hollow wasn't something we ever expected from you until it happened. You're not the type to break easily. As for us, we still have business in the world aside from helping Unkindled like you…"

"Hunting the Darkwraiths," said Jinta, "And those who still seek to spread the Abyss. We need to hunt down the sisters from the Ringed City, and find the city itself. We need your help to get close, so in the meantime we'll be scouring the land for those who would work counter to your goal, but who would never directly face you."

Tetsuro shrugged. "As noble a cause as any, I'm sure. Good luck, then. I'm sure we'll meet again soon."

He replaced his helmet, but Seiko and Jinta removed theirs. Jinta's old Paladin helmet, reforged and silvery, cleared his head to reveal the same sharp features, tan skin, and trim hair as always. His beard and moustache were as well-kept as his hair, and he had dark eyes. Seiko, on the other hand, was a pale woman with long black hair that had only a slight wave to it. She had piercing blue eyes that visibly glowed to offset what was otherwise a monochrome visage.

Tetsuro nodded to them and they nodded back. He reached out to the flame, the flame reached back, and he was gone in a hot wind and bright orange flash.

A/N: Since we were last in contact, you and I, I've written my first original novel. Beyond Pain will be published under the pen name "V. Mantis" and will likely have to resort to digital copies first. Physical copies cost money, of course, and, as any long-time reader of mine will know... I'm BROKE! :D

If you're curious to see where all this practice has taken me, you'll have to wait a while longer - the book's not through editing yet. For now, you can find the cover art on dA. Any further curiosity, and you'll just have to PM me to talk about it. FFN frowns upon adverts.

Twin Humanities will be concluding in this, the Duality arc I've waited to write for so many years. It will be written parallel to Solemn Voice, another story I've wanted to tell for years, as well as my SECOND novel, Better Half (cover art ALSO on dA). I'm 25 years old. If I can't write all EIGHT of my books, OR find some kind of hope for love, OR get into a better financial situation by age 30... Well, let's just say I've got a deadline now. And I intend to fight with every fiber of my being to beat that death-clock. Things have to change for me, for the better. Time to make it happen.

If you believe, pray for me. If not, wish me luck. You're Dark Souls fans, you know: the flame's nature is to be a stubborn ember, but left alone it will fade and be lost forever.