Elden Ring: Atai vows to have a perfect ending

Chapter 490 Gold and Ancient Dragon

——(This is the perspective of the ancient dragon Folsanx)——

"Fuer, why are you here?" That man could always easily find where I was hiding and resting. At this time, he would come over with a smile as usual and joke, "You ancient dragons really like to stay in high places."

"It's just that the wind here is just right, and there's no annoying noise."

"Hmm? I thought you were waiting for me to come back from outside. After all, from this side of the city wall, you can see the main gate of Rodel at a glance."

"...noisy."

“Hahaha, I’m just kidding.” The man sat on the ground, even leaning against my finger which I was too lazy to lift, very disrespectfully. “But I can understand you. The wind is clear but not loud; the light is warm but not dry. Although you can still hear the subtle movements of all things, it is not noisy, nor does it make people feel isolated and lonely... Indeed, it is a good place to sleep.”

Ding-ding-ding-ding——

The crisp knocking sound came faintly from the distant other side.

At that time, the war between us ancient dragons and Golden Rodel had just ended. Under the golden light of dusk, the wings of Gulanshanks that drooped to the sky looked particularly magnificent.

And all around him, the residents of Rodel were working hard to rebuild their capital that had been destroyed in the war.

Full of vigor and vitality, even after suffering hardships, they are still thriving.

I don't hate it.

——We are fighting in all directions, not out of arrogance and bellicosity. Instead, we are unifying the country, eliminating hidden dangers and barriers, and jointly building a prosperous dynasty, so that everyone can equally enjoy eternal happiness!

——The same is true for you ancient dragons. If eternal blessings come, we can live as long as you, and no longer have to live alone and endure loneliness. How about joining us in the Golden Dynasty and creating a prosperous era?

At that time, the man's golden eyes were shining without any gloom.

And he really dreamed of an eternal prosperous era of peace and harmony. He moved forward courageously, firmly believing that his mother, Marika, who was known as the "Eternal Queen", would bring supreme blessings to the entire border area.

······At that time, she seemed to have done it.

No longer threatened or troubled by death, all creatures and people in the Golden Dynasty enjoy eternal bliss. They can pursue their own interests without any scruples and live worry-free lives forever.

Suddenly, a soft snoring sound was heard beside my ears.

"...Hey, son of a man, don't lean on me or you'll fall asleep."

"Hmm? Did I fall asleep just now?" The man laughed. "Hahaha, sorry, sorry, I've been bothered by some trivial matters recently. It's really annoying. Only by being with you, Fulshanks, can I have peace and quiet."

"You are the golden prince, yet you are troubled by trivial matters?"

"Hahaha, the Golden Prince is also a human being. I also have many things I cannot do... To be honest, recently, I have occasionally wondered whether the eternity now is real or just a dream, illusory and ethereal. Moreover, is eternity really a blessing for this land?" The man said, and suddenly stopped talking. He shook his head, "Sorry, forget what I said, Fuhr."

"······My friend, the so-called eternity may not be entirely a good thing. Or perhaps it should be said that there is no such thing as perfect in the world."

"What you said makes sense." He sounded quite tired indeed. He stretched and leaned back on my paw without saying anything. "Let me rest for a while."

It's frustrating.

Even since then, the man has come to see me several times. Sometimes, we chat for a while, and sometimes he falls asleep.

But every time we met, he seemed to be getting more tired.

Until one day, my friend never showed up again.

On the night of the so-called Black Knife Conspiracy, the Golden Prince Godwin was assassinated in his bedroom.

But as if he already knew his fate, he found me before that and said some inexplicable words: "Furr, I'm sorry... I'm afraid I can't fulfill my promise to you... Eternity is really just an illusory golden dream of ours. Constantly depriving others of their way of survival, letting them decay and degenerate like insects, to create the eternal happiness of our royal family and nobles... How is this kind of [eternity] where the strong prey on the weak different from the original world? It's just a joke."

"... Godwin."

“Now, I have taken away the rune power of so many people, and the happiness of life that should have belonged to them, causing them to become zombies in the end, unable to even free themselves! Everything those fingers guided us to do was nothing but a lie... We have been deceived for too long, and blinded for too long. This kind of [eternity] is not what my mother wants, nor is it what I want!”

"..."

"... Sorry, I said too much. Ful, from now on, Rodel, no, it should be the entire border area, will surely undergo major changes, and this place will become the center of chaos and become extremely dangerous. So, you and Lance Shanks should find a time to leave as soon as possible and go back to Fam Azra." After saying that, the man turned around dejectedly and left.

This was also the last thing he said to me.

-

【Ahhhhh——】

Before my eyes, my friend roared.

After that night, his soul was taken away, leaving only an empty shell.

The so-called blessing of [eternity] constantly gave him the power to revive, but it turned him into the ugly half-man, half-fish appearance he has today.

But it's okay.

As long as someone can find my friend's soul and wait for his soul to return, we can go back to the past.

I heard from our ancient dragon king that there used to be a shadow land at the border. After the people here died, their souls should go to that land, pass through the door, and be reborn.

Someone has already gone to explore that land, so, I just need to protect my friend's body before that... enter the spiritual world that is supposed to hold my friend's soul, and help him resist the erosion of death. Once even this body dies, my friend will never come back.

【Ahhhh——】

The door really appeared and opened, and he seemed to have woken up.

But why, I can't feel the warmth that once was like the light from his body. What comes back from his huge body is still only extreme coldness.

——My friend, don’t you recognize me?

“So, you’ve been slacking off here, Fulshanks!” The tiny human at my feet yelled at me noisily, “Hurry up and stand up, and fight together. If you keep going like this, Lanceshanks will be swallowed up by Godwin’s death, and you don’t care?”