[Elden Ring: My Ending] Chapter 51

Any player who had ever stepped foot inside the Carian Study Hall knew about its resident professor, Miriam. The guardian of a trap devised by a deviously casual mind, a place where an ordinary knight had no business being.

Agile, elusive, and fully aware of the dangers of letting a casual close the distance against a typical tryhard, she had burned through the nerves of many young Soulslike players. Bombarding them with ranged attacks, dashing around the entire location, summoning phantoms—she had crushed the hopes of many who just wanted to reach an ending where they wouldn't be left sitting alone on the throne in despair.

…Or burning the whole world to ashes.

As he placed the statue, Kosta was prepared for anything—from having to chase her around the entire inverted library, flinging Comets of Azur in a desperate attempt to pin her down, to her simply not being there at all.

The truth was somewhere in between. Whether she had been waiting for him inside all along or had some kind of casual security system that alerted her, the moment Kosta crossed the threshold of the inverted library, she appeared before him.

And, more importantly, the bowstring of a massive energy bow was already drawn, ready to greet the intruder.

For some reason, Kosta, seeing the sorceress aiming at him, decided to try talking.

"I’m in a bit of a hurry. One of the top waifus is having some issues."

The inverted study hall before him was much larger than what he had seen in the game. If he didn't start breaking things to find a shortcut, navigating it alone was going to be a pain.

Of course, there were multiple ways he could speed things up, but he wanted to complete Ranni’s quest as cleanly as possible. Or at least try.

"One of the top waifus?"

To Kosta’s surprise, the guardian didn’t just listen—she actually responded. Her cold voice held genuine confusion, along with the faintest trace of curiosity.

After all, fully self-aware interlocutors were not exactly common in the Lands Between.

"Ranni."

Preceptor Miriam frowned, considering whether she should punish the insolent Tarnished first or interrogate him—because almost no one knew that, while not quite in a physical sense, Queen Rennala’s daughter was still very much not dead.

Preceptor Miriam was one of the rare exceptions.

"Who are you?"

"Konstantin. Kosta for short."

"The Mad Tarnished!" The woman gasped, instantly realizing who had entered her study hall. "Why are you clothed?!"

She had heard the rumors! She couldn’t have missed them. But Konstantin of the Tarnished preferred to wander around nearly naked, and only naked! Was this some impostor?!

Kosta blinked, glancing down at his attire.

Not that he cared much about his reputation. Well—recently, maybe a little. But he definitely hadn’t expected someone to be offended by his decision to spend most of his time fully dressed.

He had already undergone significant personal growth in coming to terms with wearing clothes at all. He really didn’t need people now demanding he take them off.

For a brief moment, his clothing vanished, leaving him clad in nothing but a loincloth.

It seemed like the elderly woman’s heart nearly stopped—because now she was absolutely certain the half-naked beast had entered her domain.

The great battle never took place. Preceptor Miriam was wise enough to immediately abandon any thought of resistance the moment she understood exactly who stood before her—it would be pointless.

"I can't believe Lady Ranni didn’t warn me…" the sorceress sighed. "She is so intelligent, yet at times, so absentminded…"

Kosta merely shrugged, looking around.

They didn't have to jump across chandeliers. This version of the inverted study hall had a unique structure. It felt like stepping into a mirror world, but with normal bookshelves, staircases, and even elevators.

"You believed me pretty easily."

To be honest, Kosta could hardly believe how talkative the elderly sorceress was being(1).

"Konstantin of the Tarnished has no reason to lie," she rasped. "It is heartening to know that Lady Ranni has secured the support of the future king…"

For the few who still retained their sanity, it seemed this was already a foregone conclusion.

Preceptor Miriam quickly deduced Kosta’s reason for coming to the inverted study hall. And while she was a bit surprised, she readily agreed to guide him.

It was no exaggeration to say that those few who still had a spark of reason often suffered from crippling boredom—and that applied especially to the lonely sorceress, who had once sworn herself to the demigoddess.

So it wasn’t surprising that, before long, she couldn’t hold back and started talking.

"Not so long ago, Lady Ranni would walk these halls, searching for her favorite books… She was always such a dream-filled child, Lord Konstantin…"

"Kosta’s fine."

The woman completely ignored his words, too deep in her reminiscing.

"…she would ask me to hide books from the Queen—ones she was not yet allowed to read… Even then, I could never refuse Lady Ranni… She was always so cold, so demanding…"

The Preceptor sighed sentimentally before continuing.

The more Kosta listened, the harder it was for him to remain stoic.

"…rest assured, the Queen raised her daughter well. If not for Lady Ranni’s love of those books, she might have become a completely different person… Oh! If you would like, I could show them to you later. Lady Ranni insisted I protect them with my life…"

"Not interested," Kosta replied, barely clinging to his composure.

And once again, he was ignored.

"…of course, I do not blame Lady Ranni for her curiosity!" Miriam raised her voice, fully immersed in her thoughts. "It was all the insidious influence of that traitor who betrayed both the Queen and Lady Ranni! Mark my words—it was all a scheme!"

Kosta sighed.

"A scheme?"

"That scoundrel stole the Queen’s heart only to shatter it and leave for Marika(2)! His betrayal cast a shadow over all sorcerers! Without the Queen’s support, the Academy and Lady Ranni’s lineage quickly weakened…"

The moment the old woman mentioned Radagon, it was as if she had tapped into an endless well of resentment.

"…he had access to everything! He stole all our magic, that wretch…!"

"…Lady Ranni often complained that he never paid attention to them! His own children!"

"…he didn’t say a word! Just left!"

"…Lady Ranni didn’t show it, but she was deeply hurt… She admired that scoundrel, his intelligence…"

All things considered, Kosta was glad that Meli-Meli had gone off to assist with his… quest. He understood that the girls didn’t exactly get along, and if Melina had gotten her hands on this unexpected treasure trove of knowledge, the consequences could have been catastrophic.

Aside from the irritating Fingers crawling all over the library—trapped inside a spatial prison by the will of the Two Fingers—their journey had gone without issue. No ghosts had tried to attack them, no phantoms had appeared. In the end, the Preceptor had unexpectedly taken his side.

During their walk, Konstantin had learned so much about one of the best waifus that if she had heard even a third of it, she wouldn't have let him out of her sight—not even at the distance of an Azur's Comet shot—for fear that he might blurt out something unnecessary.

As she bid farewell to Kosta at the entrance of the tower hidden from the world, the elderly woman was rather emotional.

"Please, Konstantin of the Tarnished, take care of my lady..."

"Waifus come first," the man responded sternly with a nod.

The woman unexpectedly removed her mask, fixing Kosta with a cold, terrifying, and outright mad glare.

"If you so much as dare harm Lady Ranni, Tarnished... You remind me of a scoundrel... By the stars, I hope I'm wrong!"

Preceptor Miriam’s voice dropped into a near-growl, and in a flash of blue energy, she vanished, leaving behind only a lingering sense of cold and malice.

Kosta blinked.

He knew he was far stronger than that woman, but for some reason, he had a feeling that, if given the chance, she had the potential to become an incredibly dangerous boss—one the Lands Between had yet to witness.

Turning away, Konstantin headed toward the tower. Once a symbol of the Golden Order’s power, it had now become the resting place of a waifu. Clearly, the Lunar Demigoddess had long been preparing to fake her own death.

"Is this going to be an asset reuse(3)?"

As it turned out, no. Konstantin walked across the bridge without issue, entering the tower. Inside, too, he encountered no problems, making his way to the top without incident.

"She wanted me to see her true body firsthand…?" he muttered, crouching beside the charred corpse.

The Demigoddess hadn’t been burned by ordinary flames—Konstantin could feel that with every fiber of his being. Something was emanating from the figure, and it had no good intentions.

"Did she think I’d run away after seeing this?" The Tarnished furrowed his brow. "Or not?"

Normally, he wouldn’t have understood what the Lunar Demigoddess was thinking when she gifted him a statue that led to her true body—one that could erase the very concept of life across dozens of kilometers…

But thanks to the old woman’s stories, everything had unexpectedly fallen into place.

The Lunar waifu was simply a fan of strange romance novels.

That, in itself, explained her entire questline in one go. And what he had to do next to complete it.

Maybe he really should have taken a look at those books the Preceptor suggested?

The mark of the curse, as if it had been waiting for this moment all along, suddenly came to life, lunging at Konstantin. He didn’t even bother avoiding it, too absorbed in comprehending the depths of Soulslike hidden narratives. Instead, he simply extended his hand.

The curse latched onto him without resistance, fully expecting to take root. But, in the end, the outcome was inevitable:

The Sun within Kosta, sensing the intruder, immediately clamped down on it. It sought to consume the curse entirely—but then, unexpectedly, it stopped, bending to the will of its owner. After all, Konstantin still needed that mark for a quest.

"Easy, easy…" he muttered.

Konstantin stood, feeling how the cursed mark had nestled itself alongside his Great Runes. He couldn’t afford to delay the quest where he needed it for long, but neither could he put off the Lunar Demigoddess’s quest.

After all, she was in danger, and it was unclear whether she’d be able to escape on her own.

The man reached out to the flow of grace, heading toward a destination known only to him.

He hadn’t yet touched the Site of Grace that would directly lead him to Ranni, but that wasn’t necessary.

His consumption of Rykard had drawn him closer to the Great Ones. Those whose names, if spoken, would start a timer that couldn’t be stopped.

Kosta used Wrong Warp(4).

Feeling the flow of grace carrying him through space, the man trusted his instincts—catching the precise moment with his consciousness—then mentally forced himself out of the stream, never reaching the place he had originally been drawn toward.

But that had been his intention all along.

"Landed," Kosta stated matter-of-factly as he took in the underground waterfall before him.

He had never been too deeply invested in the Great Ones' community, preferring to focus on challenge runs and various casual builds. But to not test himself in something as unique as speedrunning? That was unthinkable.

It wasn’t surprising that this aspect of his power had been the most demanding of his stats, only now fully beginning to unfold.

For a split second, a thought flickered through his mind—that he could have glitched into a rock and trapped himself forever—but, honestly, he doubted that anything at this stage could pose a real threat to him.

Surveying his surroundings, Konstantin moved forward.

It seemed that one of the most important quests was nearing its conclusion.

She had failed.

Abruptly, unexpectedly—it had all happened so fast that for the first time in a long time, Ranni, who had always calculated her every move, felt the ground give way beneath her feet.

Watching the Tarnished with keen interest, she had been hunting. Hunting the foul creatures that had tormented her for decades, if not centuries. The ones that had forced her to hide, like a cowardly rat.

Now that she had a blade in hand, she was certain she could achieve her goal. But, succumbing to emotions, the Lunar Demigoddess had become too overconfident.

Too convinced that she could always escape.

Too certain that she was a powerful sorceress, one who answered neither to the Goddess nor even to the Greater Will.

Too sure that she had accounted for everything.

The Death Shadows. Or, more accurately, one specific Shadow. A horrific creature, a hound sent by the Two Fingers to hunt her down all this time. Something vaguely resembling her sworn brother, yet fundamentally different. One of the entities that had come from the cosmic depths on the Greater Will’s orders.

It had managed to suppress her essence. To trap her in a space from which she could not escape. The power of the Demigoddess had been attacked so suddenly that, in a final desperate bid to flee, she had found herself locked in her weakest, most powerless form—a small doll, barely even a proper vessel.

A terrible, repulsive, disgraceful situation—one entirely of her own making. She had succumbed to mortal weaknesses.

If only she hadn’t been so distracted by the Tarnished, if only she had focused entirely on her task, she never would have ended up like this!

But she had let her guard down. Relaxed. And immediately paid the price.

Or so she thought.

Afraid to reveal herself, Ranni didn’t dare release even a fraction of her consciousness beyond the doll. Because of this, she realized too late that someone had boldly picked up her fragile vessel and was now inspecting it.

Terror. For a moment, sheer terror consumed her—the kind she hadn’t felt since she had dared to use the Rune capable of slaying a Demigod.

She had foolishly believed herself long freed from such emotions, thinking she had become as cold as the Moon itself. But the truth was, deep down, she remained the same timid, dream-filled girl she had been ages ago.

However, the terror didn’t last long—because then came the realization of who was holding her vessel.

Perhaps the most enigmatic, bizarre, and powerful being she had ever encountered—aside from Goddess Marika and the Moon itself.

Arriving in the Lands Between with practically nothing, at first appearing barely different from an ordinary human, now, after such a short amount of time, Ranni was looking at someone who could easily be called otherworldly—if not a god.

No mere human, not even one aided by an Outer God, could have advanced this far, this quickly. His body should have long since been torn apart from the sheer amount of power he had absorbed in such a short span.

And yet, not only had he absorbed all of it without issue, but he wielded it with such efficiency that Godrick the Grafted’s augmentation and the blasphemous devouring power of the lord her brother had turned to seemed like mere cheap tricks in comparison.

The explanation for this was both simple and profound: the one they had thought of as the Tarnished had never truly been one. But was something masquerading as a man forsaken by Grace. Someone who knew more than any prophet, perhaps even coming from the same place as the Outer Gods themselves.

The one who called himself a waifu enthusiast, a tryhard, and a casual.

“…I don’t think we have the luxury of just staring at each other,” Kosta said quietly, lifting his gaze.

He could feel it. The creature was close.

“…”

Ranni barely noticed how her spectral face puffed up in annoyance—she was displeased, though she wasn’t sure why.

Perhaps it was because his words were so calm, so unnervingly rational, that they completely ruined the romantic atmosphere she had envisioned. The very same romantic feeling she had read about in so many books!

…Not to mention that recent scene between the false Finger Maiden and the equally false Tarnished…

What could be more romantic than a sudden rescue by one’s future king, just when all hope seemed lost? Her newly awakened feelings had not only gone unpunished but had been rewarded!

She could have never dreamed of something like this.

“…You’re not the type to give in easily, are you?” the haughty demigoddess asked, puffing up even further. “Well… fine. I never thought anyone would recognize me in this form…”

“…”

The look Kosta gave her was so piercingly expressive that Ranni wanted to sink into the ground.

The false Tarnished had become far too perceptive, and that… created its own problems.

“…But since my secret is out, I won’t let you go now…”

“Preceptor Miriam has awakened in me a deep curiosity about what books you’ve been reading.”

Kosta’s deadpan remark triggered something close to an infernal scream—a shriek filled with pure horror, far exceeding even the fear of death.

The last trace of composure fled from the demigoddess.

“You!” Ranni pointed a tiny, doll-like hand at him. “Now you must take responsibility! Destroy the Death Shadows roaming these lands. Because of you, the name of Ranni the Witch has been stained with disgrace!”

Had her doll body allowed for it, tears would have been flowing from her eyes.

This man had stolen the chest with her ring—with her mother’s permission, no less—and now… now this…

“I-I warn you, I will not accept refusal!”

Of course, had she not been so flustered and in such a vulnerable form, she would never have reacted this emotionally. But the combination of circumstances had done their work.

She should have been thanking all the Outer Gods that Melina was currently preoccupied elsewhere—not to mention Sellen.

Kosta fully understood that sometimes, it was better for waifus not to meet, lest something spontaneously explode behind his back.

“My intentions have been serious from the very beginning,” Kosta said calmly, lifting the doll-bodied waifu onto his shoulder.

Ranni was just about to puff up even further, with even greater importance this time, but, unfortunately, she didn’t get the chance—she could feel it.

The Shadow was coming their way.

Beside her miniature doll form, the face of her true self appeared, peering out from the vessel.

“This form has loosened my tongue,” Ranni admitted, sounding notably calmer. “It seems I’ve said too much.”

Kosta shrugged but glanced at her in surprise when she suddenly smacked him with her tiny doll hand.

“Forget it. Forget this entire conversation! And… and forget whatever that blabbermouth servant said!”

She never expected such betrayal… No, she had known the Preceptor was quite talkative, but until now, she had never spoken of such things to anyone…

Had the false Tarnished somehow influenced her with his terrifying power?!

Kosta put on his best I-have-no-idea-what’s-going-on tryhard face and headed toward the Death Shadow.

He was curious to see how this iteration of the Lands Between would handle an asset reuse.

(1) In the game, Miriam has neither a questline nor dialogue windows.

(2) This is one of the theories floating around. In the context of the idea that Radagon and Marika are one entity, it’s plausible that Marika’s goal from the beginning was to eliminate all possible rivals—if not through force, then through deception.

(3) On the bridge, the player will encounter a reused asset of the Godskin Noble.

(4) In gaming terminology, especially among the great and terrible speedrunning community, a “wrong warp” refers to an error or exploit that allows a player to teleport to unintended locations (either along the intended path or entirely off-course), often skipping large portions of a game’s content. In FromSoftware games, wrong warps are commonly performed by crashing the game during a loading sequence.