Ark Undead

"So, what about the Oscars?"

"Wasn't that guy always trailing far behind?"

The Sun Warrior also stood up, holding his helmet, and spoke to the Undead.

"Let's go first. We're all going to be engulfed in flames anyway, so it doesn't matter who goes first or last, right?"

"That's true."

The undead put on his helmet and picked up his longsword and shield.

The two stared at the campfire before them, and the undead asked softly.

"Solar, are you really going with me? You should think this through. Once you're tainted by that flame, there's no turning back."

The knight known as Solal also donned his helmet, which resembled an iron barrel, and gripped his straight sword tightly.

"My friend, from the moment we met, you must have known what I was thinking, right?"

Solar worships the sun, perhaps without any inherent meaning. But what he wants to do now, as he said when they first met, is to be as vast and full of heat as the sun.

Now that the opportunity to achieve his goal is within reach, the Sun Knight who has accompanied him all the way will not give up no matter what, right?

From Undead Hills to the First Forge, aside from Oscar, who was sometimes unreliable, this comrade-in-arms always stayed by his side.

Encourage the Undead when they are depressed, and lend a helping hand when they encounter insurmountable difficulties.

He was chasing the sun, but wasn't he also chasing after its shadow?

This solar warrior may not have even realized it himself.

When he was chasing the sun, he had already become the second sun.

Without Solar, how could the Undead have gotten to where they are today?

The Undead nodded slightly, and Solar smiled and patted the Undead on the shoulder.

"Alright, stop asking about other things. Don't you have your own goals too? Why do you keep bringing this up?"

The Sun Warrior turned around, looked at the royal weapon behind him, and said.

"Let's go. Fill the King's Artifact with your soul. The Primal Forge is just ahead. Oscar should be here soon. Let's go ahead."

"Ah."

The Undead nodded and took a few steps forward.

By separating the royal souls acquired along the way from his own soul, the undead raise their hands, and a soul like a flame rises up.

Those were spoils of war obtained with great difficulty amidst the wind, frost, and dust along the way, and were also essential for achieving the goal.

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, the King's Soul, born from the First Flame, will eventually return to its origin.

In order to continue the First Flame, the life and power that escaped from it must be returned, so as to continue the world illuminated by the First Flame.

The First Flame represents good and evil, light and darkness, life and death; it is the foundation of the world, and it is the world itself.

The Undead threw the King's Soul into the King's Vessel, which resembled a giant basin.

Flames rose from all sides, illuminating the enormous doorway before them. Beyond the doorway lay their destination: the First Furnace.

The flame that created the world burns right here.

They are dedicated to continuing the world's hope, working tirelessly to pass on life to the world through their own efforts.

As the gate, sealed for a thousand years, slowly opened, the Sun Knight stepped forward and stood in front of the Undead.

He raised the longsword in his hand and said.

"It's time for battle!"

...

And after countless years, just like those stories that have not been passed down.

When the nameless hero abandons his sword and shield, a figure shining like gold rises from the fire.

He was going to lend a helping hand and fulfill the ancient covenant, just as the first Sun Warriors did at the beginning of time.

Now, the second sun is slowly rising in the sunlight of Casimir.

The immortal stared at the palm in front of him, then raised his head blankly.

That was a figure that had appeared countless times in fragments of memory.

But the immortals forgot what he looked like and confused his name.

But at this moment, he remembered everything that he should not have forgotten.

"So...Solar?"

"Wow, I thought you'd forgotten my name."

The Sun Warrior helped the kneeling undead to his feet, his warm smile dispelling the gloom of the moment.

"If you forget about me, I won't let you off the hook!"

"But...your body?!"

The memories in the immortal's brain rapidly reorganized at this moment, and all related recollections surged back.

In that first furnace, the Sun Knight, just like himself, threw himself into the First Flame and burned to ashes in the flames that swept across the world.

Why are you here again now?

"You...aren't you in the Primordial Flame?!"

The immortal was both astonished and delighted, wondering why his old friend would reappear at this moment.

But his very existence signifies hope and light.

As long as he is there, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome; this is the oldest meaning of the Sun Warrior.

"Don't you remember everything?"

Solal chuckled, pointing to his golden, gleaming body, and exclaimed in admiration.

"It's so beautiful, just like the sun. It's a pity it's only at this time of year!"

He looked at the undead before him and spoke softly.

"Yes, that's right. Just as you remember, I burned with you in the fire and became part of the First Flame."

As he spoke, he scratched his head, looking rather regretful.

"It's a pity that I didn't burn as long as you did. When I closed my eyes, you were still suffering the pain of the initial flame. But after I closed my eyes, I knew nothing more."

Although his body resembled the sun, it was merely an empty shell; beneath the golden plating lay raging flames, not actual flesh and blood.

“The one standing before you is no longer Solal himself, but an incarnation of the First Flame, a projection of the flame.”

The Sun Warrior added a reassuring remark.

"But don't be upset, my memories and thoughts have been completely preserved, seemingly because of you. In other words, I am still Solar."

The current Solal is merely a phantom composed of the undead's fragmented memories, and what sustains its existence is only the power of the undead themselves.

"The First Flame?"

The immortal asked again, puzzled.

"Now, is there still the First Flame?"

Although the immortal has forgotten many things, some of them are knowledge that already existed in his mind when he awoke.

The world today is different from what it used to be, and the First Flame no longer exists.

It was as if the Undead had been searching for the First Flame in the world for a long time, but had never seen it.

But the Sun Knight nodded, giving the Undead the answer he had always sought.

"Yes, I have."

Solal chuckled, reached out, and pointed to the undead's chest.

"Hasn't it always been here?"

"..."

The immortal was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

The First Flame is the foundation of generations. If, as Solar said, the First Flame resides within oneself, then what is oneself?

Like Gwyn, the Lord of Cinder, is he another one who guards the flame?

Solar's expression gradually turned serious, he said.

“My friend, you once continued the primordial flame in a non-royal soul form, and after awakening, you led the shattered world toward its demise.”

"You are the beginning of the generation of fire, and also the end of the generation of fire."

"The First Flame vanished in your hands, but it was not extinguished; rather, it chose you. It marks the end of the old era and the beginning of the new."

"Do not doubt, you are the flame itself, your awakening is the clarion call for the flame to reignite."

When the old era ended, the Undead held the First Flame in his hands, awaiting his demise, and he indeed witnessed the First Flame dissipate.

The immortal was still somewhat confused, so he asked again.

"Why me? What is the meaning of this?"

The Sun Warriors had anticipated the Undead's question.

"Yes, why did the First Flame choose you as its vessel, and why did you awaken again?"

He reached out and wiped the shards and dust off the undead, speaking softly.

"You'll have to find the answer to that question yourself, old friend. Go see this unfamiliar world, and feel the earth's lament."

"You once awoke here, but were forced into slumber by the malice from beyond that world, forgetting everything you had experienced."

“Memory and knowledge themselves represent power. If you can recall everything you have experienced, the authority that originally belonged to you will reappear.”

"But if the firelight is too dazzling, filth and darkness will open their greedy eyes. They will open their gaping maws to devour you and draw nourishment from you."

"However, your strength will surely be enough to make you a pillar of the world. Then, who will be the hunter and who will be the prey?"

"Wait quietly and hopefully before the First Flame sweeps across the land."