Ark Undead

"However, just as you said, with the passing of the First Flame, the flame in the eyes of most sorcerers has been extinguished."

"I was lucky enough to witness the moment when the primordial fire burned, and only then did I understand what the future the Fire Mage had told us about really looked like."

Komikus sat on the ground, briefly considered the time, and then asked.

What time is it now?

The doctor then answered.

"Ten thousand years after Agor was built, the exact time is impossible to ascertain and has become a distant memory."

"Hmm... just like Lordran, who couldn't record time after the First Flame burned for the first time."

Komikus sighed.

"So, my disciple is indeed here, isn't he?"

After going around in circles, Komikus still managed to steer the conversation back to the undead.

"Yes."

The doctor answered Komikus's question directly.

“However, I have doubts about the authenticity of your resurrection. After Agor was built, you threw yourself into the fire like everyone else to maintain the operation of the world barrier. You shouldn’t still have personal consciousness.”

The doctor stared at Komikus, trying to find any flaw in him.

Just as in the dream, the doctor tries to steal power from the dream.

The appearance of Komikus was beyond the doctor's expectations, and he began to suspect that this old friend was a manifestation of the power of the Lord of Dreams.

He suspected that he had once again fallen into a false dream created by the Lord of Dreams.

"Then tell me, does my disciple possess his own consciousness? Or has he become a puppet of fire, a complete incarnation of the Lord of Cinder?"

Komikus scoffed at the doctor's doubts.

“I’ve already said it, I’m dead. Even if I appear before you and speak to you as an immortal, I will no longer be a living person.”

As he spoke, Komikus raised his hand.

In his hand, a bright flame slowly danced in his palm.

The color and texture of this flame were exactly the same as the flame in the palm of the Undead.

“I remember telling you that the First Flame never completely destroys anything. Even if we are in the fire, we will not completely lose ourselves. Don’t you understand what that means?”

The doctor paused for a moment, then lowered his head in silence.

"You are nothing but an illusion."

"Yes."

Komikus lowered his hand and nodded calmly.

“I am a phantom born of flame, so your worries are unnecessary.”

Even though Komikus has his own mind, can freely control his body, and even possesses his former powers.

But he died in the end, a shadow that lived by the flames, a spirit that could not survive without them.

This is the knowledge that Komikus imparted to the twelve Sons of the Abyss, and the Doctor remembers it.

The Lord of Dreams could not possibly possess the power of fire, otherwise He would not crave Theresa's soul.

After a moment of silence, Goredia's breathing gradually became calmer.

The passage of time among the three still-sane individuals helped to calm their somewhat agitated emotions.

Why did you appear?

The doctor quickly shifted his attention elsewhere.

What happened with the fire? Is the World Barrier still safe?

He immediately understood that the appearance of Komikus was inextricably linked to the changes in the flames, and that the one closest to the flames now should be the Dream Lord who was entrenched in the core area.

Komikus raised his hand and pressed it down on the doctor twice, indicating that the doctor should not worry.

"There are no problems for now; the world barrier can still hold. But it is your arrival that has awakened our will."

"When I awoke from the flames, I was given knowledge by them."

"The flames have burned in Agor for ten thousand years, and they have witnessed the development and changes of Agor over these ten thousand years."

"I know about Hai Si's existence, and I also know about the Deep Sea Hunters."

"So I rescued this little girl at the entrance of the core area, followed the scent to find someone, but I never expected to find you."

Komikus sniffed again, as if he were smelling something.

"You've already been burned?"

When asked by Komikus, the doctor simply nodded.

"Yes, I was burned once."

The doctor's words shocked Onstan, who was standing nearby.

Onstan's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the doctor in surprise.

"But you're still alive?"

After Gwyn, the Lord of Cinder, split his soul and went to the First Forge, he was never able to leave again.

Even such a powerful king could not escape unscathed from the burning of the Primordial Flame, yet the Doctor is still here unharmed.

"It's the Throne of Desire technology from Lothric that allows for a more convenient and efficient connection with fire. This is inextricably linked to that scholar of original sin."

The doctor gave a brief explanation.

"Moreover, I am not the main fuel; I am merely the catalyst. What is truly burning is the soul of Queen Theresa."

Komikus nodded slightly.

No wonder...

"So why were you awakened? What else has stirred the flames left here?"

The doctor then steered the conversation back to the main topic.

Komikus nodded and said.

"Because he's back, that means everything."

The "he" the old sorcerer spoke of must be the immortal.

"Hai Si remained perched on the wedge-shaped rock, without touching the First Flame. He understood the greatness of the First Flame and thus felt a longing."

"It was probably not long ago that the Sea Kings launched a sacrifice, wanting to offer their sincerity to the First Flame in a primitive way. In doing so, they became the servants of the Flame and were thus freed from the torment of the Abyss."

"But the First Flame did not accept it; the flame rejected the Sea Child."

"Later, there was one more person in the first fire. This person was not completely burned to ashes. A part of her consciousness was still outside, imprisoned by something."

"Until a few days ago, that consciousness escaped danger and is now following the guidance to the flames to fulfill its mission as firewood."

The doctor roughly understood what Komikus meant.

He meant that after seeing the world barrier built in Agor, Haisi realized that the power of fire was the only way to free them from the curse of the abyss.

Therefore, Hai Si attempted to obtain the power of the First Flame. But they failed; the flame did not accept Hai Si, and their bodies would be burned like firewood, becoming nourishment.

At this time, the struggle for supremacy between the two kings of Kazdel occurred. Theresis threw himself into the embrace of the abyss, corrupting Kazdel with the filth of humanity, attempting to expand the territory of the abyss and fulfill his ideals.

As the queen, Theresa could not stand idly by and sought help from her advisors.

The doctor happened to know about the existence of dreams, so he made a deal with the master of dreams.

Using the power of the Lord of Dreams, the Doctor reveals some of the past to Theresa, activating her as a fragment of the Undead's power and granting her the qualification to awaken the Undead.

The Lord of Dreams obtained a portion of Theresa's soul. If He uses it wisely and transforms it, He can successfully establish a connection with the First Flame.

But at the last moment, the Dream Lord's plan was thwarted, and he lost the chance to obtain the Flame Fragment.

At the same time, the dream shattered, and Theresa's soul, which had been trapped in the dream, was released.

However, her main body had become part of the firewood, so her divided soul had to return to the flames.

Since the response was a result of the connection, then Komikus, a sorcerer who had studied the fires of sorcery, was the best person to greet him.

It was the influence of the split soul and the aura of the undead that awakened the flames, causing Komikus to appear as his avatar and go to greet him.

This is actually easy to understand; it's like the flames suppressed in the Ten Thousand Demon Cave of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Immersed in time, it acquired its own nature and preferences, becoming the true Great Wall of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Yet they will still respond to the primordial fire within the undead; this is the connection between the flames.

"And what about Hai Si?"

"I asked the doctor."

Having lost the opportunity to establish contact with the Primordial Flame, what is Hai Si's current objective?

"They succumbed to the filth at their feet, trying to obscure the light of the flames with darkness."

Komikus replied.

"The Abyss's new favorite has sent an emissary to guide us, attempting to create a hole in the world's barrier. Even if we cannot defy the rules, we will still accomplish our goal under the watchful eye of the flames."

Upon hearing this, the doctor nodded subconsciously.

As expected, things unfolded exactly as he had initially predicted.

The Sea Seer seeks to destroy the world's barriers and simultaneously elevate Agor from the sea, connecting it to the land and making it the lair of the abyss.

This is probably not something Hai Si would consider. The people who made them do this must be the two men in black that Gretia mentioned. If I'm not mistaken, they are the pardoners who belong to Theresis.

"Where are the two men in black?"

"I asked the doctor."

How did you handle it?

"I?"

Komikus managed a few bursts of laughter from his parched throat.