The heavy chains were removed.
Gundyr felt a sudden lightness all over his body. Standing in place, he stretched his limbs to his heart's content, reveling in the comforting sensation of blood flowing smoothly through his veins.
"Tell me, when will you go to Link the Fire?"
Gundyr glanced back as Oceiros asked.
"When the time comes, your Fire Keeper will naturally find you."
Oceiros replied calmly.
"Let's hope so."
He turned and left the courtyard.
Though Gundyr had gained his freedom now, that freedom was strictly confined within the borders of Lothric.
Even if it was merely a false "freedom."
It was still far better than being locked away in a cell at the Wyvern Training Ground.
Oceiros was the King of Lothric, a nation renowned for its wyverns, knights, and the Linking the Fire.
Things were far from as simple as they seemed.
If it were truly that simple, he would never have been defeated and taken captive; he knew all too well just how terrifying this kingdom could be.
He was not naive enough to believe that he could walk out of that courtyard alive after refusing to Link the Fire.
As he walked out along the garden path, Gundyr's brow twitched involuntarily. His sharp intuition made him aware of a little tail trailing behind him.
Hmph!
He let out a cold snort in his heart, his face utterly expressionless as he continued walking forward.
He knew Oceiros had not truly let down his guard against him.
Back in the courtyard, Oceiros calmly gazed out at the distant, prosperous expanse of Lothric. He understood that the flourishing prosperity before his eyes appeared real, yet was fundamentally illusory.
All of this would vanish like bursting bubbles the moment the First Flame finally faded.
And as the royal family of Lothric, generation after generation, they had borne the mission and destiny of Linking the Fire.
With each successive generation of Linking the Fire, Oceiros could distinctly feel the First Flame growing progressively weaker.
Even with the "Throne of Want" taught and constructed by the First Scholar Aldia, it still could not halt the undeniable reality of the First Flame's gradual fading.
By now, the First Scholar Aldia had long since vanished without a trace.
As the King of Lothric, he had to find a solution as quickly as possible and could not simply sit by and let the First Flame continue to weaken like this.
Deep within the Grand Archives built by the First Scholar Aldia, he had managed to uncover a glimmer of hope for solving the problem.
The sorcery of Seath the Scaleless.
In the primordial chaos, the Everlasting Dragons were the lords of chaos in this realm.
And Seath the Scaleless, having once been one of their kin, naturally possessed the power of the Everlasting Dragons.
The power of the Everlasting Dragons.
This might well be the only way to resolve the weakening of the First Flame.
Even for the slimmest glimmer of hope, Oceiros was willing to try.
Today, summoning Gundyr, who had been imprisoned for so long, was simply a matter of preparing for eventualities.
Only then could he begin to focus entirely on researching the sorcery left behind by Seath the Scaleless.
"Your Majesty, Sulyvahn, an Outrider Knight of the Boreal Valley's Irithyll, requests an audience."
At that moment, a figure clad in black hunter's attire appeared behind Oceiros.
"Sulyvahn? The strongest knight of the Darkmoon Knights?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Then let us meet him."
Meanwhile, a tall knight clad in dark, somber armor quietly brushed past Gundyr.
Sensing something, Gundyr abruptly halted his steps and turned his head to look.
Through the heavy helmet, Gundyr felt as though he were gazing into a pair of unfathomably deep eyes.
The two of them turned to look at each other almost simultaneously.
Bang!
The surrounding scenery suddenly shattered like a broken mirror, bursting apart violently!
Ngh!
Gundyr let out a muffled groan of pain, struggling to slowly open his eyes.
What greeted his vision was an immaculate, flawless face.
"Lord Gundyr, you're awake?"
The Fire Keeper lowered her head, looking at Gundyr resting against her lap, and spoke softly.
As she bowed her head, her silver hair, bright and pure as moonlight, cascaded slowly from her shoulder and brushed against Gundyr's face.
For a moment, Gundyr was dazed.
His eyes stared intently at the moonlight-bright silver hair, as if he had not yet fully awakened from the memories belonging to "Gundyr."
"Lord Gundyr?"
Not until the Fire Keeper spoke again in a gentle whisper did Gundyr snap back to reality, scrambling in a flurry to stand up from her lap.
"Thank you."
He said softly, his face flushing slightly with warmth.
The Fire Keeper shook her head gently. "It is enough that you have returned safely, Lord Gundyr. May the flames guide you."
With that, she stood up and turned her gaze silently toward the Bonfire.
"Looks like you're awake, Gundyr."
Hawkwood, sitting nearby, raised his head to look at him.
"You know what? When you passed out, that Fire Keeper was worried sick. Now that you're awake, she should finally be at ease. Oh, by the way, I wonder if Lothric is in complete chaos right now."
At the end of his words, Hawkwood let out a few low, dejected chuckles.
Hearing this, Gundyr froze for a moment, then turned to look at the Fire Keeper. He could hardly imagine what the usually expressionless Fire Keeper would look like when worried.
He tried to find some trace of emotion on her pure, serene face.
Yet the Fire Keeper simply gazed at the Bonfire with her usual calm expression.
After staring for a long time, Gundyr shook his head and abandoned this impractical idea.
"It seems your power has recovered somewhat. But it's still not enough. If you want to Link the Fire, this little strength is nowhere near enough."
Hawkwood looked at Gundyr with a hint of surprise.
Gundyr turned to look at Hawkwood. "Can you tell me what happened after my failure to Link the Fire?"
Judging from the memories he acquired when he passed out, he now knew "Gundyr's" specific identity within Lothric and the deal regarding the Linking of the Fire struck between "Gundyr" and Oceiros.
If he guessed correctly, the knight who had brushed past "Gundyr" in the final moments of those memories was none other than the Pontiff "Sulyvahn."
He was now desperately eager to figure out what had happened to Lothric after "Gundyr's" failed attempt to Link the Fire.
Shaking his head dejectedly, Hawkwood replied, "I don't know the details either. I only know that after your failure to Link the Fire, a severe civil war seemed to break out in Lothric."
"A civil war?!"
It was actually a civil war! Instantly connecting this with clues pieced together and deduced by master theorists on forums and Q&A sites from his past life, Gundyr felt the answers falling vaguely into place in his mind.
Yet to verify the truth of these answers, he still needed to return to the High Wall of Lothric and find Emma, the High Priestess of Lothric.
Now was not yet the time to return to the High Wall of Lothric; first, he needed to check his status panel.
"Name: Gundyr
Race: Godkin (Weakened 10%)
Level: 4 (0/800)
Attributes: Vigor 12, Strength 16, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 7, Faith/Charisma 13.
Experience Points: 415 (Unallocated)
Skill Points: 4 points.
Active Skill: Bonfire.
Item Skill: Coin of Destiny (Usable once per natural day, unupgradeable).
Inventory: Straight Sword, Halberd, Estus Flask, Estus Ring, Fading Soul x5, Abandoned Corpse's Soul, Binoculars, Unknown Soldier's Soul.
Main Quest: Mission.
The First Flame of the world is about to extinguish, and the hero Gundyr was summoned in the time of crisis to Link the Fire, but ultimately arrived late. Welcoming the late hero is only the Firelink Shrine without fire, and the silent bell.
Complete Gundyr's unfinished mission.
This time, I will never be late!
Quest Objective: Link the Fire.
Quest Reward: Return.
Quest Failure: Death.
Time Limit: 172 days."