At the same time that Aoko and her companions had defeated General Radahn, Messmerm and Rellana had also overcome numerous enemies in Mt. Gelmir, leading their elite squad to the front of Volcano Manor, where Rykard resided.
At that moment, Rellana seemed to sense something, suddenly turning her gaze toward the sky. The stars, which had remained motionless in the Lands Between for centuries, began to move once more, illuminating the entire night sky with their resplendent brilliance.
"He's finally been freed…?" Rellana murmured as if she understood what had just transpired. Though sorrow flickered in her heart, she knew this was an inevitable fate.
Messmer did not urge her forward; instead, he patiently stood with his back to her, waiting. Only once Rellana had composed herself did he continue, pushing open the tightly locked doors of Volcano Manor.
The mansion was dimly lit, yet elegant, with small flickering candles providing illumination. Though no servants roamed its halls, the place remained inexplicably pristine.
Messmerm and Rellana stepped into the manor's entrance hall, one after the other. The Flame Knights, arranged in disciplined formation, surveyed their surroundings with wary eyes.
However, instead of some treacherous ambush, what greeted Messmerm's squad was a slender young woman wearing an elaborate headdress and mask. Beside her stood a towering Furnace Knight, as still as a statue.
"Oh? Oh… You are…" The masked woman rose to her feet, speaking in a tone of admiration. "I never imagined you would come to our Volcano Manor of your own accord… What an esteemed guest…"
"The bearer of the Great Serpent of the Abyss… I am Tanith, the current mistress of this manor. Welcome to Volcano Manor," she said, performing a noblewoman's curtsy directed solely at Messmerm, ignoring everyone else in the room.
"…The dancer of that man?" Messmerm remained silent for a moment before speaking. "I never thought that, aside from the one who lost her name and was sealed within the temple, there would be another like you."
"I have waited for your arrival for a long, long time…" Tanith's voice trembled as if she were suppressing an overwhelming surge of emotion. "Whether you were guided here by the arrogant words of the Fingers or not—please, reclaim the power that still resides within Lord Rykard… and take back the place that rightfully belongs to you!"
"!"
Hearing Tanith's words, Rellana seemed to realize something. However, upon seeing the unshaken expression on Messmerm's face, she let go of her concerns.
"The Elden Ring is already shattered. The God-devouring Serpent shall rise once more…" Tanith declared. "You and your sister will ultimately accept this fate. She will return… at the very end."
"I won't kill you." Messmerm's expression grew even colder as he addressed Tanith. "I met your daughter in Liurnia. The dead are long buried, and failures are not worth sacrificing the living to remember. Just tell me where Rykard is, and I'll let you go find that girl."
"But… but…" Tanith tried to argue, but Messmerm's spear tip was already at her throat. The Furnace Knight beside her assumed a battle stance, unflinching before the enigmatic demigod.
"I won't repeat myself," Messmer said icily, ignoring the knight's reaction. "Where is Rykard?"
Tanith's face twisted in hesitation, but at last, she seemed to reach a decision, her trembling voice giving Messmerm the answer he sought.
"Good." Messmerm nodded. His spear transformed into flames once more and vanished into the air. "Leave this place, servant of a failure. There is no place left for her in the Lands Between."
With the map to the God-devouring Serpent's lair in hand, Messmerm departed without hesitation. Though Rellana seemed to have something to say, she ultimately remained silent.
In the vast halls of Volcano Manor, only Tanith remained, collapsing weakly to the ground, watched over by her ever-faithful, silent Furnace Knight.
....
Aoko and Touo returned to Liurnia alongside the veteran warrior Gaius, bringing news of Radahn's death and the unsealing of the stars to Queen Rennala. However, the queen's reaction was unexpectedly calm.
"Radahn… his will was as unyielding as his father's," Rennala said. "Now that things have come to this, the outcome was inevitable. I must thank you—for giving that child the ending he sought."
As one of the greatest glintstone sorcerers in the Lands Between, Rennala likely knew the moment Radahn fell. Yet she did not seem overly grieved. Perhaps she had long accepted the choices her two sons had made and the reasons behind them.
With Messmerm now preparing to hunt down Rykard, devoured by the God-devouring Serpent, the last of Rennala's motherly affections were now reserved for the newborn Rena and the steadfast Ranni, who still held court in Caria Manor. Perhaps, in her heart, she had already considered her two sons dead.
The Full Moon Queen possessed emotions far beyond those of mere mortals, yet she did not need mortal pity.
Now that their immediate tasks were complete, Aoko and Touko took the opportunity to request permission from Queen Rennala to travel to Caria Manor.
They wished to speak with Princess Ranni—something they had planned for some time.
Aoko did want to discuss the matter of the Mother of Fingers and the Two Fingers with her. Moreover, she was deeply interested in Ranni's magic—whether it was Frost Sorcery or the legendary Ranni's Dark Moon, both held immense appeal.
Ranni's Dark Moon was derived from Rennala's Full Moon, yet surpassed it. It not only erased all magic it touched but also inflicted frostbite—a sorcery that, in some ways, was even stronger than Rennala's lunar magic.
If she could learn such a spell, it would certainly be a great boon.
Rennala, after hearing Aoko's request, permitted them and handed them a Royal Carian Medallion—a token ensuring their safe passage through the Carian defenses. This way, they wouldn't have to tiptoe through traps just to enter Caria Manor.
...
"Hmm… Ah… What a surprise," emerging from the grotesque form of the God-devouring Serpent was the once-golden demigod, Rykard, son of Rennala, his face now twisted by unspeakable blasphemy. "I never expected… that it would be you… Have you returned from that forsaken land of sin?"
In response, Messmerm's grip on his spear tightened. He felt not a shred of mercy for this brother who had willingly embraced corruption and rebelled against Marika and the Erdtree.
If anything, compared to the pathetic coward Godrick, this one made his blood boil even more—Rykard was his polar opposite.
To think that someone would willingly embrace the Great Serpent of the Abyss, to offer themselves to it… Unforgivable.
"Why… do you resist?" Rykard slurred, his voice grotesque. "You were born as the Serpent's kin… Our kin. Let us devour the gods together… Let us raise the banner of defiance against the wretched usurper!"