Age of Unalloyed Gold - A Tale of Fire and Decay

Prologue

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my second Elden Ring fanfiction! This is a direct continuation of my previous work, "Age of Unalloyed Gold." I advise you to give it a chance before diving into this adventure ;)

See you at the end notes <3

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The Lands Between was a magical place. An island full of secrets waiting to be discovered and treasured. It was undeniable how much information could be found even in the minute details. How rich it was. From simple men to the outer gods who governed over the world. Incredible, really. Great were the rewards one could find if only one felt brave enough to explore and endure the hardships of the land.

A tale sets itself apart from its dense history. It starts with a myth told by a delicate doll made out of blue cloth, modeled after a dancer. The ancient heirloom of some sort was lost in the deep ruins of a cave that housed them. Secluded in the extreme north of Limgrave, as if forgotten.

The dancer in blue represented a fairy who, in legend, bestowed a flowing sword upon a blind swordsman whose curved blade was patterned after flowing water. With his blade in hand, the swordsman sealed away an ancient god — a god that was Rot itself.

Eventually, the Greater Will, the outer god of order, placed the Elden Ring in the Lands Between. Marika, of the Numen Race, was its chosen champion. She established the Golden Order and became Queen Marika, the Eternal, a god vassal of the Greater Will.

In her second marriage, the Queen was blessed with twin Empyrean demigods. An Empyrean is no mere demigod as it is a candidate to succeed her. To become the new god of the coming age, to forge a new Order. Such a remarkable occurrence was yet to bring her an unexpected outcome. Conceived under a peculiar circumstance, both children were born with irreversible conditions.

The young boy Miquella was fated to eternal childhood. The young girl Malenia was the precious Empyrean carrying the scarlet rot.

Rot and the blind swordsman were believed to be nothing more than an old legend. "A fairy tale," most would say. An exception was laid in the family of executioners and castellans of the Shaded Castle. Maleigh Marais, Lord of the castle, was a private believer of the Rot legend. And indeed, he eventually found his personal goddess.

Malenia, daughter of Queen Marika the Eternal and King Consort Radagon of the Golden Order, was one day to become Malenia, Goddess of Scarlet Rot. However, that could not be further from a destiny the goddess wanted for herself. Through her inherent spirit of resistance and sense of self, the Empyrean was able to resist the scarlet rot.

One of Malenia's greatest allies against the "curse" she harbored from within was the one who taught her the ways of the sword. Her teacher was no one other than a certain blind swordsman garbed in blue. The legendary warrior who sealed away the outer god responsible for the girl's affliction had become her instructor.

When the young girl encountered her mentor and his flowing blade, she came to know the symbolism behind the blue fabric of his garb: brisk waters, as fluid and flowing as the sword in the hand of its wearer. He used to tell her: "Just as still waters turn foul, stagnation leads to decay. Warriors must remain ever-drifting". The girl took it to her heart, strengthening her swordsmanship and spirit through the fluidity and elegance of flowing waters.

Though born into the accursed rot, she gained wings of unparalleled strength.

As the sons of House Marais were all sickly born, it was no wonder that Maleigh would be so beguiled by the beautiful and fierce goddess born into rot. He was right, after all. At this point, there is no denying the legend was real. The blind swordsman garbed in blue, just as well as the Scarlet Rot. A superior, brute force from a mighty outer god. Its incomprehensible order and power were so vast it had to be sealed away as a preventive measure against its fearful cycle of decay and rebirth.