The Herald of the Bonfire

The Knightess and The Curse

"My name is... Lucatiel"

The rays of the sun shines through, a beacon of hope in this vast, treacherous cavern she found herself in. Filled with countless Hollows, Ogres, and a rather large coffin she saw from afar.

"I come from Mirrah... A land in the far east."

The journey through the mountains was one without peril. For days on end, she faced many adversities, some of which far exceeds her own skill to overcome. But through sheer willpower and a goal she resolved to see through to the end, she pulled through. 

"A land of knights."

Across the decaying forest, home to many nightmarish beasts, where the supposed ruins of the land long forgotten is said to be located. A place of everlasting rain, pouring relentlessly over her journey.

And finally, the still lake. A place of calm and peaceful silent. A stark contrast to what she faced before. The quietness draws a sense of unease into her as she made her way to a boat she noticed on the shore. And a little further away, she sees yet another but didn't think much of it. A man's broken resolve perhaps.

Rowing across the lake, ripples appearing in the water with each swipe, she took this chance to delve her thoughts further into the rumors. A land filled to the brim with immense souls, some too powerful to even comprehend and the home to what might just be the only cure for the Curse. Drangleic.

Being branded with the Darksign, She soon realized that Hollowing was an inevitable fate for her as it is for all Undead, and for the first time in her life, she was afraid. She searched far and wide for a cure, a saying, a prophecy, anything. That was when she heard of it. In a shabby old hut, deep in the bowels of Mirrah. From a strange hooded old hag coated in black, with eyes that give off a blank stare. The rumor of a cure hidden away in a place of old. The rumor that she hold with such high regard despite the little evidence for its truthfulness. The very same rumor that brought her to the ends of the world and back again, to be led here now. 

Entering a crumbled, expansive archway, its ruins soaring high in the moonlit sky, rooted on a piece of land in the middle of the lake. She made her way through the collapsed ruins, her boots treading upon gray dirt and bones to find a tree. Its branches leafless and decaying along with it's trunk. And behind just lies more pieces of a broken civilization.

Her heart sunk deep into her chest at the pitiful sight of what she had uncovered and was about to curse her fate before noticing a faint glow emanating from its thin vine-like branches. Upon closer inspection, she realized that a sprinkle of fireflies had inhabited the tree and were all glowing in unison. 

She took a step closer and then another, wishing to have a closer look. Then suddenly, the fireflies rose into the air, scattering all around like leaves on a windy day, before all at once rushing out of the archway, igniting the torches hung upon each wall, stopping once when they reach the lake, floating high above the water.

Bemused by this, She followed suit, running past the archway, nearing the edge of the lake. Once there, she felt the ground shake beneath her and what soon followed was a miasma of dark mist emerging from the murky depths of the lake, chasing away the fireflies and rocking her boat in the process.

She immediately got on guard and unsheathed her sword at her side, preparing to give offense if necessary. The mist broke off into singular pieces and began flying off in multiple directions. The lake too seemed to come alive as a raging whirlpool consumed her boat into the darkness inside it. 

With her sword still in hand, she attempts to cut the darkness zooming past her as she slowly makes her way closer to the edge. After multiple tries, she realized the futility of her actions and stops her attack, instead deciding to peer into the whirlpool.