Prologue: A Duel of Fates

Devrok's POV

I slam my greatsword down and narrowly miss my brother, who stabs forward and tries to skewer me. I parry the thrust and put my dagger hand on my brother's shoulder, then quickly slam my sword through his chest. I lower my head and pull my sword out of my brother, letting him fall to the bloody floor. Then I hear foot steps and turn to the entrance, standing there was an Undead with an axe. The Undead stops and rests his axe on his shoulder, I fully turn around and hunch over slightly as I notice how many of my brothers, the Abyss Watchers, have fallen. All because of that unwanted duty, a Lord of Cinder, was thrown at us. Now we will never die, only fall and rise over and over again.

"You didn't return to your throne, Watcher." The Undead says and spins his axe around, pointing it at me. "I'm afraid that you must return to your throne, and I'm not going to ask. I'll return to Firelink Shrine with your head!" He states and grips his axe with two hands.

I growl and point my sword at the Undead, laying my dagger over my right arm. We stare at each other for what seems like an entirety, I make the first move by dashing towards the Undead and swinging my sword in a large arc,  the Undead rolls under the swing and slams his axe into my side, but I feel nothing. I quickly swipe my dagger upwards and then swing my sword down at the Undead, who is sliced by the dagger and flattened by my sword, he groans and jumps up. Suddenly he lets out a warcry and rushes at me, I stand still as he raises the axe above his head. Then I flick out my dagger and catch the axe as it falls, then I kick the Undead back.

I jump up and slam my sword down at the stunned Undead, but he moves to the blade's side and swings his axe into my shoulder, I grunt and slice at him with my dagger. Then we both hear a noise, we stop and turn to see one of my brother rise from the piles of bodies, he turns and locks onto the Undead. I stab my dagger into the floor and spin around on it with my sword dragging on the ground, this attack catches the Undead and sends him scrambling back with a cry. My brother dashes towards the Undead and swings upwards, but the Undead rolls back and slams his axe at vulnerable brother. The axe sends the Watcher to the floor with a snarl, I growl and leap up into the air. The Undead looks up as I spin and slam my sword into him, he yells and I heft him up into the air.

"This all you got?!" He bellows at me and pulls a small black orb from his back, he throws it and it explodes on my face. I roar and swing my sword around, sending the Undead flying. I look up and see my brother dash towards the Undead, but then I sense something, turning I spot another of my brothers rising. Then I notice his eyes, a glowing red colour, I narrow my eyes and rush the corrupted Abyss Watcher.

We clash and meet face to face over our blades, I stay silent as the Abyss Watcher growls and tries to stab my with it's dagger. I leap back and then quickly thrust forward, catching the Abyss Watcher off guard and sending it stumbling. It roars and slams it's sword over it's head and onto the ground in front of me, I crouch and fell the dagger skim over my back as a cloud of dust is thrown up. I spin around on my dagger and kick the Abyss Watcher in the gut, then as it stumbles back I thrust my sword through it's throat. I watch as it holds it's dagger on it's bleeding wound and then slowly falls to the hard stone floor, suddenly the body of my brother flies into my view. I spin around and spot the Undead, he was bleeding heavily and holding a flask of orange liquid.

I slightly smile at the realisation that the flask was filled with Estus, a favourite of most Undead. I used to make good coin by making custom flasks, before I joined the Abyss Watchers that is. My smile fades as the Undead sips at his flask, his wounds healing quickly. Soon he places his Estus flask into a pouch on his hip and lifts his axe, ready to continue this duel.

"Sorry lad, but you're not going free unless I Hollow." He says and sprints at me, I lower myself closer to the floor and then stab my dagger into the floor. Suddenly a memory fills my vision and time seems to slow to a halt.

"So, Hawkwood, how did it go?" I ask as I walk alongside one of my brothers, he chuckles and rubs the back of his neck.

"It was fine, I made a move that Aaron didn't expect." He says and I look on his back, a bit of wood with many hacks in it was hanging there. "Used this hunk of wood as a small shield, he didn't expect me to block." He says, but I pick up a hit of embarrassment in his voice.

"Hey, remember the great Knight Artorias had a shield! Do not be embarrassed, you are more like him now. More then us at the least." I say and put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs it off and pulls the shield of his back.

"No, I'm an Abyss Watcher." He states and slams the shield onto his knee, shattering it.

I leap up and out of the way of the Undead's axe, he looks up and I slam down onto him. I stab my dagger into his side and then kick the Undead back, he slices at me but I just block it with my sword. I slam my sword into him and pull my dagger out of his side, then I throw him off my sword by thrusting to the side. The Undead stands but is soon slammed back into the floor by another of my brothers, but I feel another corrupt Abyss Watcher rise as well.

I turn and parry the downwards strike from the Abyss Watcher and then plunge my sword into it's body, then I kick it back and off my blade. It stumbles and I quickly stab my dagger into the floor and send a series of spinning slices at it, the Abyss Watcher snarls as it collapses to the floor and I quickly turn, slamming my sword down onto the unsuspecting Undead. I raise my sword and plunge it deep into the head of the Undead, my brother falls to the floor and I hear coughing. I pull my sword from the Undead and look upon it's bloody and shattered face.

"I... will not give up..." He says and coughs loudly, blood squirts from his mangled mouth. "I never give up..." He states and soon fades into a white dust, I fall to my knees and drop my weapons. I lift my hands up and stare at them, then I pull my helmet off and fling it across the room.

"Too much, too much blood." I say in a empty tone, I then pull a locket from one of my pouches. I flip it open and look at the picture of a family, I think it's mine. "That's me... t-that's Will, or was it Luke? Damnit, I can't even remember my brother." I sigh sadly and put the locket back into it's pouch, grabbing my weapons as I rise. "Is this all I'm good for, over twenty thousand battles with those Unkindled Ash! I... I want to rest." I say as the Undead pushes through the fog wall at the entrance.

"Round two, I'm ready lad." He says and rushes me, I just stand still and lower my unprotected head. The Undead hacks at my side as I just stare at him, he doesn't notice my sword as I raise it up and slam it down on the Undead. He cries out and is thrown to the floor, I put my foot on his head. He looks up at me with an eye and I just stare back, then I slam my foot through his head. He fades to a white mist and I turn around, I walk to the middle of the room and hold my side. I hear the fog wall make the familiar noise of someone entering, so I turn around and prepare for the Undead.

Suddenly a hail of blue bolts of magic slam into me, I growl as the Undead enters with a white phantom. I leap to the side as a huge blue arrow pierces the place I was just standing, the Undead rushes at me as the Phantom shoots another hail of bolts at me. I duck under the Undead's axe and slam my sword into his body, then I point the stabbed Undead at the hail of blue bolts. He screams as the bolts slam into his body, then I throw the Undead at the Phantom. They both fall to the floor as a pair of my brothers rise and sprint at the fallen pair, one leaps up and slams his sword deep into the Phantom while the other picks up the Undead and thrusts his sword into his throat. The Undead fades to white with his Phantom and my brothers fall to the ground, I just stand watching the door.

"I'm waiting Ashen One, but will you be ready?"

237 deaths later...

I parry the downwards strike from the Undead and drop my sword, then I quickly grab him by his neck and lift him off the floor. I stare into his eyes and he stares back.

"I need to know, Unkindled. After so many tries and after so many fails, after so many deaths. Why do you continue to try?" I ask the Undead, who's eyes widen at my voice. "You are not the first to try and kill my brothers, but I've never got an answer to why you Ash keep trying." I say as the Undead narrows his eyes.

"I need your heads to rekindle the First Flame, I need yours to get to the rest!" The Undead sneers, I tighten my grip on his throat. "Gah! I need to kill you to get to the rest! Yhorm the Giant, Aldrich the Devourer, the Twin Princes of Lothric Castle and you..." the Undead says and I narrow my eyes, then I toss him away. I lean down and pick up my sword, the Undead stands up and places both hands on his axe. "Now that I have enlightened you, lets continue this battle!" The Undead screams and runs at me, I thrust my sword through his head and split his head in two. The Undead falls and disappears into a cloud of white dust, letting out a groan as the cloud fades.

I roar in anger and slash wildly at the air, then I fall to my knees and stab my sword into the floor. I hear the Undead enter the fog gate, my rage boils as I hear him run at me. He starts to hack and slash at me, but I stay with my sword. Finally I feel the axe slam into me and I collapse to the floor, blood running in gallons along the floor. As I die I remember my entry celebration into the Abyss Watchers, it was as if it were yesterday...

I kneel down in front of the Old Wolf of Farron, a hundred Abyss Watchers stand behind me with their many eyes piercing my back. I place a hand on the floor in front of the wold and grab the goblet of it's blood with my other, then I raise it in the air and the Abyss Watchers start to let out a continuous hum.

"Drink from blood of the Old Wolf of Farron, then you will be welcomed into our ranks!" An Abyss Watcher says loudly and I nod. "Then drink!" He shouts and the Abyss Watchers stop humming.

I look into the goblet of blood, my mind set. I quickly raise the goblet and scull it down, I feel the burning and metallic taste of the blood as I enters my stomach. I place the goblet down and cough, I then see lines of fire start to spread up my arms. I yell and raise my arms up to my face, my eyes widen as my body burns. I stop screaming and lower my arms, then I push myself up off the floor. I turn around and raise my fist in victory to the Abyss Watchers, who cheer and clap.

"Now, Devrok, enter our ranks! Join your brothers!" The Abyss Watcher says and I walk over to the line of my brothers, who spread to the side and let me stand shoulder to shoulder with my brothers. My blood now running with ember and the Old Wolf of Farron.

I growl and push myself off the floor, fire dripping off my now flaming greatsword. I crouch and lift my gaze to the Undead, who stumbles back in horror. I raise from the floor and lower the point of my sword to the floor, my dagger over my left shoulder.

"B-but I killed you! Why are you still a-alive?" The Undead stutters and readies his axe.

"The blood of the wolf runs through my veins, I am a Lord of Cinder and I will not complete my duty!" I yell and rush towards the Undead, I plant my dagger in the floor and spin around it with my sword slicing in an arc. Suddenly from the path of my sword, a line of fire appears. Both attacks slam into the Undead and send him flying back, both bleeding and on fire. He chugs down his Estus and charges me, I leap up in the air and slam my sword down onto the Undead. But he rolls to the side and swings his axe into my side, I grunt and stab my dagger into his back.

The Undead yells as he pushes my dagger out of his back and kicks me back, then he throws another black orb at me. I just smack it aside and thrust forward at the Undead, but he quickly pulls out a small dagger and parries my thrust. My eyes widen as my sword is pushed above the Undead's head and as he slams his axe into my shoulder, then he stabs the dagger into my throat.

I cough and push the Undead back, then I slash at his axe and cut it in half. The Undead frowns and pulls a sword from his hip, he yells and rushes towards me. I dash forward and stop behind the Undead, who turns and tries to slash at me. But I slam his sword aside and stab my sword into his chest, but he stabs his sword into the side of my neck. My eyes widen and I stumble backwards, my sword slipping out of his chest. I fall to my knees and finally collapse to the floor, I try to push off the ground but stop and fall back to the floor.

"My suffering... my brothers suffering... is over..." I say as my vision is filled with a white light, but I could hear the sound of metal hitting stone. But little did I know, I wasn't going to endure another entirety of battling. I was going to another realm, one without a need of the First Flame...