-General-
Anyone would have been confused or even exclaimed in surprise, but not Aldril... or rather, now Jonathan. Their gazes met; not a word was said, save for Bolita's happy barks.
"Seeing myself from this perspective… I'm definitely quite attractive," Jonathan joked, chuckling to himself as his eyes returned to his loyal pet, who was snuggling in his arms.
Aldril joined in, laughing softly as he nodded.
"And from my perspective, we could have been quite attractive too… if we hadn't neglected our physical and mental health."
"What did you expect?" Jonathan said, shrugging. "We didn't have good parents to encourage us; they were always criticizing us, and that caused our mindset to decline to this point."
"And don't forget the favoritism toward our sister, which lessened our efforts," Aldril added, laughing as he took a step forward and placed a hand on Jonathan's shoulder.
There was a brief silence, broken only by a humorless laugh.
"Yeah… Mom always said we were failures. And Dad, always criticizing us for doing what we liked," Jonathan said.
"What a shitty life," Aldril complemented.
Bolita looked at both of them. For some reason, he felt the same way looking at the man holding his owner's shoulder; it was almost as if they were the same person. However, upon sensing his owner's warmth, he left that doubt behind. His animal instinct told him he should savor that moment.
"So…" Jonathan began. "What are we doing here? Not that I'm complaining, since I can see my Bolita, but it's strange to meet myself."
Aldril let out a soft laugh.
"I thought you already knew," he said, while with a nod of his head he indicated for him to look toward the wall.
There, two swords began to glow. Their brilliance was such that, for a moment, it blinded both of them.
A rumbling resonated in their bodies; the echo of a hoarse voice vibrated in their minds, alerting them:
"Both souls united, yet at the same time so separate."
When the glow faded, they could see where the voice came from… and what their surprise was to behold a pale figure, at least five meters tall. He stood erect with a noble bearing; his eyes, dark as the void, looked at them with intensity. With an elegant step, he made his stellar gray tunic ripple.
"I do not understand why the great Father allowed such a union," the figure declared, "but it is not for me to find out. Now, I present myself before you, son of Túrin Turambar. Your father's sonata in the song of the Great Father will now be occupied by your stanza, but for that, you must find yourself, overcome this obstacle."
It should be said that Aldril and Jonathan stood still; they didn't move a single muscle. Not because they couldn't, but because the words of that being had hit them hard. Both were one and the same, and the fact of discovering that someone else knew about their reincarnation left them astonished.
The first to recover was Jonathan. Shaking his head, he looked up at the majestic figure.
"Excuse me… how do you know?" he asked with a touch of nervousness. "And forgive my audacity, but… who are you?"
"I am Mandos, guardian and lord of eternal rest. By the great will of Eru, I was allowed to know about you, Jonathan… or as you are now known: Aldril," the Vala proclaimed. "As for why I am here… I think you must already sense it."
"We are between life and death," Aldril added, having already recovered from the surprise. "But why are we both here? Weren't we supposed to be one and the same? What happened?" he asked, addressing Mandos.
Mandos looked at them with patience, remaining silent for a moment before answering:
"Did you never wonder why the wills of both swords accepted you, but you never managed to exploit their full potential? Why did Anguirel, which represents purity and justice, accept you, while Anglachel, which embodies pain, melancholy, and fury, also did?"
Aldril and Jonathan fell into their thoughts. Yes… why had both swords accepted them?
At first they believed it was because the swords had belonged to their parents, but now, thinking about it calmly, that seemed illogical. By nature, both swords repelled each other. Gandalf had warned them of this at the time: their mother, in an attempt to wield them together, suffered such a severe wound that she could only be healed with the help of Galadriel and Thalwen.
"Because I have both natures," Jonathan said. "This life carries my pain from my parents' hurtful words, which still affected me even in adulthood; the melancholy of knowing I wasn't as loved as my sister; and the burning fury I felt seeing how they coddled her, while I was left to rot."
"And the purity from the new life I was given," Aldril added. "Every sin I committed in my past existence was cleansed, as was the impulse to bring justice to the weak."
Mandos, his face still stoic, nodded.
"I see you have understood. Now is the time for your choice," he said, extending both arms. "I offer to free you from the burden you carry: you can reunite with your mother; I will make you forget the past life that unconsciously still torments you; and you can see the little pet you hold in your arms again."
Jonathan and Aldril looked at each other. The Vala's offer sounded too tempting, but something wasn't right.
Was it right to forget their past? Yes, it hadn't been a good life... but to leave it behind just like that? In the midst of his doubt, Jonathan remembered the old words an elder once told him:
"Fear, sadness, anger, and pain are the coals that tempered what you are now. It is up to you to accept them… so you can become your best self."
"Is abandoning everything I once was a sin? What would be the point? Everything learned through suffering would be forgotten. I cannot betray myself," Jonathan told Mandos.
"I am the one from before and the one from now. He is me and I am him; I cannot abandon myself," Aldril complemented, as they both stretched out an arm, a simple gesture, but one with great meaning.
Jonathan smiled while nodding.
"Now this is our new life," he said, then looked at his pet, who was happily wagging his tail. "At some point we'll see each other again, my little ball. For now, wait for me in eternity." He released his pet, then took a step toward Aldril. A whitish glow illuminated both of them.
"I am you and you are me."
-Mirkwood-
The elves' preparations were still underway. Both Galadriel and Elrond remained in the quiet of the forest, their attention fixed on the entrance to Moria, which remained open. According to the scouts, it seemed that both Gandalf and Aldril had fought a great battle that had drained the lake that had formed over the years.
"Is there still no movement?" Elrond asked an elf scout, who shook his head.
"There has been none, my lord," he said.
With a gesture, the Regent of Rivendell dismissed him, then turned toward Galadriel. For the first time in his long existence, he saw disbelief on the wise lady's face. Her expression, always serene and majestic, was now troubled by something that defied comprehension.
"Are you well?" he asked with sincere concern.
He received no answer. Galadriel remained motionless, her lips slightly parted, her eyes raised to the firmament. Elrond followed her gaze… and in doing so, he was also stunned.
The starry sky had changed. The lights that adorned it, usually still and distant, began to congregate, as if heeding an invisible call. The stars moved slowly, gliding like a rain of diamonds in the darkness, and they all moved in the direction of an even brighter one, which shone with greater force.
"A glorious night!" an excited voice was heard, so deep and powerful that it swept across all of Arda, stunning the free peoples, as well as the Dark Lord who awaited in Mordor.
At some point, Tom Bombadil appeared on a tree branch, near where Elrond and Galadriel were, as well as Glorfindel, who had just arrived due to the phenomenon in the sky.
With open arms, Tom Bombadil caught the attention of those present.
"The stars have aligned, the festival is tonight! A celebration of ascension! Let the ascent of the Star Lady's warrior begin!"
-Depths-
The unusual phenomenon in the starry night went unnoticed by the three, who were still trapped in the tentacles of the nameless creature. However, both Gandalf and the Balrog felt a familiar presence. Both, despite the pain, turned their gaze toward Aldril, who was slowly opening his eyes. They had changed: now, clusters of stars and galaxies moved within his pupils. His body relaxed; there was no longer any pain.
The abomination, sensing an energy that was both familiar and so unknown, became even more enraged. It had decided to stop toying with the half-elf: it would plunder his essence and his name once and for all. It brought the tentacle to its mouth with the intention of devouring Aldril. But something happened instead.
Anguirel and Anglachel, which were supposed to be sinking, resurfaced like beasts from the depths. Their blades, combined with a dark and whitish glow, severed the great tentacle that held Aldril.
To Gandalf's surprise, Aldril, instead of falling into the lake and sinking, remained on the surface, treading on the water as if it were solid ground. Then it happened… The depths dominated by the dark abyss receded, and clusters of stars gathered around Aldril, illuminating everything around him. It was then that Gandalf saw it… and so did the Balrog.
She, an illusory figure, descended clad in constellations; her black hair merged with the stellar dance and her arms, white as the moon, wrapped around her warrior's neck. As she settled on him, her voice—soft and powerful—echoed in the hearts of those present:
"My loyal blade, your deed will ever be praised in song."
Wielding both swords once more, Aldril gained a thunderous momentum. His crossed arms extended, and Anguirel and Anglachel danced with the surrounding stars. With a roar that made the depths tremble, he rose with splendor, and behind him, held in place, was none other than the great lady: creator of stars and ruler of the Valier.
Varda had descended and had once again arrived in Middle-earth.
**
Those who have played Elden Ring will know the last reference, the culmination of Aldril's power, although it is a state he cannot freely enter... for now.
"[email protected]/Mrnevercry"