"Thank you, Lord of Ash."
The Fire Keeper's voice sounded exceptionally ethereal in the empty Firelink Shrine.
"This must be what the Fire Keeper lost..."
"Thank you very much, Lord of Ash, for bringing me eyes."
"But for the Fire Keeper, retaining her eyes is forbidden."
Tang Wanqiu was confused.
Her voice trembled slightly, laced with a faint sob, "If you bestow upon me a faint light, I will see the terrifying betrayal—"
"A world where fire no longer exists."
"Lord of Ash, is this what you desire?"
[Desire a world where fire no longer exists / Do not desire]
The Fire Keeper's voice, tinged with a hint of pleading, sounded pitiful. A simple, naive man would not be able to withstand such a sorrowful plea.
In a moment of impulsiveness, they might choose not to desire, and faithfully link the fire.
But...
Tang Wanqiu was different. This married man was not at all tempted by the Fire Keeper's little tricks.
He resolutely chose to extinguish the fire!
"...I understand."
The Fire Keeper returned to her usual demeanor, "I am your Fire Keeper, and I shall obey your instructions."
"Please keep this matter buried deep in your heart, and do not let anyone know."
"You travel in search of the Lords of Cinder, while I am merely a sightless Fire Keeper. This knowledge shall remain until the moment you betray everything."
"If you change your mind, please kill me and take these eyes."
"In that way, I shall still be myself, and forever so from that moment on."
After bidding farewell to the Fire Keeper, Tang Wanqiu teleported to the kiln of the First Flame. The Lords of Cinder's avatars were already waiting for him.
"Holy cow!"
"One more boss!"
Tang Wanqiu covered his face and sighed. There were so many boss battles in Dark Souls! The designer is truly inhuman!
However,
Having undergone the trial of the Nameless King, the Lords of Cinder's avatars did not pose too much of an obstacle for him.
After defeating the Lords of Cinder's avatars, an inscription appeared on the ground.
[Summon the Fire Keeper? Yes/No]
Yes!
Upon confirmation, a CG scene appeared.
A white inscription teleportation array brought the Fire Keeper before the Ash. The Fire Keeper, appearing outside of Firelink Shrine for the first time, truly looked beautiful.
Lu Li, the old thief, understood aesthetics.
The Fire Keeper walked to the bonfire where the coiled sword was stuck, slowly knelt down, and cupped a faint flame with her scarred hands.
The soft firelight illuminated the Fire Keeper's face, casting a divine glow upon it.
At this moment, she was impossibly beautiful.
Even with a steadfast Dao heart, Tang Wanqiu was stunned for a good second.
"The First Flame is gradually fading, and it is expected that darkness will arrive soon."
The view slowly pulled back, and the surrounding world gradually darkened. The Ash, carrying the Irithyll Straight Sword, stood silently beside the Fire Keeper.
"But one day, a small ember will surely appear in the darkness, which will be the lingering flame passed down by the Lords."
The world slowly faded.
Until a pair of adorable, silly faces appeared on the screen.
"Lord of Ash, can you still hear my voice?"
[Dark Souls]
[Thanks for appraisal]
[Produced by Spirit Realm Studio]
"Screenshot it, quickly private message the Spirit Realm official Weibo!"
The couple fumbled through a series of actions...
...
Under heavy reward, there are brave men!
Soon,
Videos of Dark Souls' endings flooded the internet like mushrooms after a rain.
First was the most common, the linking of the fire ending.
This ending was the easiest to achieve.
One only needed to kill the four Lords of Cinder, offer the crowns, graduate under the Nameless King, and then defeat the Lords of Cinder's avatars at the kiln of the First Flame.
The audience was extremely envious!
"Awesome! Got my ticket for 'Ark of the Apocalypse'!"
"I t/"
"You bastard! I'm going to invade you!"
"Anyone with a Fire Keeper waifu can't hear this."
"If you all know, it means you've all done it too, doge"
"The one above is telling the truth, a bunch of scoundrels!"
"The first time I played, I accidentally clicked the mouse. Luckily, my waifu can revive, but hearing her voice is so painful."
"I've never attacked the Fire Keeper, and I greet her every time I come back. I find her responses very interesting!"
Similarly, for giving the Fire Keeper eyes, this video uploader was clearly much more brutal than Tang Wanqiu.
After that came the same dialogue as the extinguishing the fire ending.
The process was also the same as the extinguishing the fire ending that the audience had seen Tang Wanqiu publish before. Just as they were about to complain, something different happened.
As the world was about to descend into darkness, the Ash moved.
He swung the Black Knight Greatsword in his hand and chopped down heavily...
"Ahhh, no, no, no!!!!"
"It can still be played like this?"
"You're using such a huge sword now?"
"Yamete kudasai!!!"
"Vile outsider!"
"You're cutting your own waifu, you scoundrel!"
Many devoted fans were devastated.
No one expected that there would be another ending hidden within the extinguishing the fire ending.
But this guy was truly reckless, killing his waifu to achieve enlightenment!
The kind that never hesitates.
*Thump—!!*
The Fire Keeper fell heavily to the ground. She curled up there, her hands clasped tightly over the fading First Flame before her chest.
This was not the most detestable part.
The Ash walked forward and stomped heavily on the Fire Keeper's face, the sandy ground sinking half an inch!
Making a 'shasha' sound.
The audience could no longer contain themselves!
"You bastard, take your stinky feet off!"
"Quick, go invade this bastard!"
"Ahhhh, I'm going to chop off your feet!!"
"Damn it, brothers, let's chop him together!!!"
"Holy shit, he's even doing a face stomp, but I like it, hehehe!!"
"Me too!"
The Ash reached out and snatched the flame from the Fire Keeper's hands.
Fourth ending: Seizing the Flame!
As the opening narration stated: "He is a nameless, cursed undead, yet unable to become a Lord. But precisely because of this, the Ash must yearn for the lingering flame."
Kneeling beside the Fire Keeper's body, the Ash cupped the First Flame and looked towards the distant 'moon' with utmost piety.
This scene offered boundless imagination.
Many players also felt that this was the true ending, echoing the beginning and fulfilling the theme.
However, every ending had ample room for interpretation.
For the scholars of Souls who loved "Dark Souls" to discuss.
At this moment, a game with such a grand background was no longer just a game.
While appreciating it,
The audience couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so good!"
This game was truly outstanding, establishing a monument for "torture-style" games. It was a classic 3A masterpiece with first-class artistry and gameplay!
"The 183rd person, almost didn't get the beta code. Honey, you're amazing!"
"It's over like this, and I feel a bit lost."
Chen Yingying, who had obtained the beta code for "Ark of the Apocalypse," looked at the game screen. A month of companionship made her a little reluctant to part.
"Don't be silly, did you think it was over like this?"
Tang Wanqiu chuckled, "This is just the first generation. There are a total of eight generations, each with new experiences and various DLCs."
"You won't get tired of this game even after playing for a year!"
"That's really great then."
"Then you'll play 'Dark Souls' and I'll play 'Ark of the Apocalypse' later," Chen Yingying said playfully.
"No."
Tang Wanqiu said seriously, "I want to play—"
"You! You big silly!"
"Ahahaha!!"
"Don't... Ah!"
"Ouch!!"
...
PS: A chapter of three thousand words. I always don't hold back on the exciting parts, just for everyone to enjoy. Let me talk about the future plans. Later, I'll make the mobile game "Ark of the Apocalypse." Afterwards, I might intersperse Au, "Risk of Rain," to transition to the VR era. Who do you guess will be the first to be released in VR?
Also: Requesting some data. It's too bad, too bad. I can barely hold on. If it's really not working, recommend some books to me. Currently, there's no new readership at all, it's all old readers who have added it to their bookshelves keeping it going. I really don't want it to end so quickly.