Snow and wind blurred together, as though the world itself had been reduced to nothing but a boundless expanse of pale white.
At this moment, Lucian and Melina had once again set foot upon the Consecrated Snowfield.
They stood at the very same ruined hut where they had previously discovered a Site of Grace.
Nestled between mountain slopes, the raging blizzard here was far more subdued compared to the open snowfields outside, where visibility dropped to nearly nothing.
Even so, the cold remained biting, and the snow beneath their feet was still thick and heavy.
Melina exhaled softly. The breath that left her lips instantly crystallized into frost in the frigid wind, a sight that filled her with quiet curiosity.
Lucian reached out and gently brushed the snowflakes from her hair, only for fresh flakes to settle again almost immediately.
Melina shook her head lightly, scattering the snow from her hair.
Seeing her motion, so much like a small animal shaking off water, Lucian couldn't help but smile.
"So? Do you feel cold?"
Melina tilted her head, gazing upward into the sky.
Snow continued to fall endlessly, piling onto her body, making the chill unmistakably real.
In the distance, the storm raged so fiercely that sight itself could not penetrate it.
"It's fine. Not too cold."
"The clothes we're wearing are much thicker than usual."
Both Lucian and Melina were wrapped in heavy fur cloaks, their bodies completely covered.
These garments had been specially prepared for their journey to the Consecrated Snowfield, crafted from the dense fur of Runebears. Their astonishing thickness provided a deeply reassuring warmth.
This single cloak alone was enough to ward off most of the cold.
As for the faint chill that slipped through the seams, neither Lucian nor Melina needed to pay it any mind given their physical resilience.
And beyond that, they had brought other preparations.
For example, preserved crab roe that warmed the body from within after consumption, and dried cuts of sturdy white meat that enhanced resistance to the cold, simple but effective provisions.
Some time ago, the prawn merchant from Liurnia of the Lakes had relocated his stall to the rear territories occupied by Stormveil's forces, where he now sold prawns and crabs.
Much of this crab roe had been purchased from him.
Additionally, they carried a drink brewed from Arteria Leaves and other herbs—something that, once consumed, granted resistance to the cold.
Thinking over these thorough preparations, Lucian nodded, reassured, and followed Melina's gaze into the storm.
"The snowstorms of the Consecrated Snowfield are as excessive as ever."
Flames flickered to life in Lucian's hand, instantly evaporating the frost and snow covering the floor of the ruined hut.
He then took out the map Leda had given him and spread it across the ground.
After Melina's adjustments, the map now shared a similar property to the one they had once drawn together, Sites of Grace they had touched were now marked upon it.
Lucian glanced over it and quickly determined their approximate position.
This location was very close to the hidden path that led into the Consecrated Snowfield via the Grand Lift of Rold, likewise situated within the Inner Consecrated Snowfield.
Roughly speaking, they were near the lower-right portion of the snowfield, close to the cliff that divided the mountaintops from the plains below.
Having confirmed his bearings, Lucian took out the golden branch.
The moment it appeared, a straight line of golden light shot forth from it, pointing directly into the blizzard ahead.
With their direction set, Lucian summoned Torrent.
He and Melina mounted together, one before the other.
Melina wrapped her arms around Lucian's waist.
And then, their figures gradually vanished into the endless curtain of snow.
—
Far away, in Stormveil Castle
Irina rode in a carriage pulled by dragonbeasts, escorted by several soldiers as she entered through the castle gates.
The cloth that had once been tied over her eyes was gone.
In its place, she now wore a thin veil that covered the upper half of her face.
Her eyes were open.
Within them flickered a strange, profound light—deep and unfathomable.
If Hyetta were here, she would find those eyes eerily familiar, for they were identical to the eyes of a fairy.
Irina curiously lifted the carriage curtain, observing the surroundings of the castle.
This was her first time seeing Stormveil's true appearance.
With the power granted by the fairy, Irina now possessed a complete, all-encompassing field of vision—free of blind spots, granting her a perspective she had never experienced before.
Meanwhile, the fairy who had granted her this power flitted about inside the carriage, restlessly demanding to be allowed outside to fly.
Irina let out a small sigh.
Fairies were wonderful in many ways, except for their temperament, which differed greatly from that of humans.
"Liliana, just wait a little longer."
"After Sir Lucian sees you, he can decide whether it's alright for you to fly freely."
Fairies had long since vanished from the awareness of the Lands Between.
Aside from the famous tale of the Blue Dancer Fairy teaching the flowing sword technique, there were almost no records left.
Irina herself had searched through all the archives of Castle Morne, only to find scattered, largely useless fragments of information.
Given that, she felt it was best to let Lucian see the fairy first before deciding how to proceed.
The fairy named Liliana fluttered over to Irina's side.
"Oh, honestly…"
"Fairies are such perfect and astonishing beings, and yet now I can't even show myself openly."
"Though, if you truly possess a fairy's power, you don't need anyone's permission."
"But since you asked, I'll wait a bit longer~"
Irina let out a quiet breath of relief.
In truth, even if she didn't intervene, it wouldn't matter much.
Before long, Liliana would likely forget her desire to go outside and shift her attention to something else entirely.
The carriage came to a stop.
"Lady Irina, we've arrived."
"Mm."
Irina lightly stepped down from the carriage and quickly made her way into the reception hall.
…
Not long after, Lancelot pushed open the door and entered.
Because Irina was the daughter of Lord Edgar, he had taken time to personally receive her.
However, upon seeing her again after so long, he found it hard to believe she was the same girl he once knew.
Through the veil, he could see that her eyes were now open.
Aside from that, her appearance had not changed much, perhaps only becoming slightly more mature.
But something deeper about her felt entirely different.
"Lady Irina… you can see now?"
Irina matched the voice to her memory and identified the speaker.
Seeing that it was not Lucian, a trace of disappointment flickered across her face, but she maintained proper etiquette.
She stood and offered a graceful bow.
"Yes, Sir Lancelot."
"Shall we call this our first proper meeting?"
Lancelot smiled and sat down.
"My apologies. I suspect you came to see Lord Lucian, but he isn't in the castle at the moment."
"If there's anything you need, I can arrange it for you first."
Irina pointed toward Liliana, who was darting around the room, rapidly examining everything.
Only then did Lancelot notice the tiny figure, and he was startled.
Before Irina pointed it out, he hadn't noticed anything at all.
Was it… some kind of cognitive masking? Or suppression of presence?
"This is the fairy, Liliana."
At the mention of "fairy," Lancelot immediately understood.
Lucian had previously warned him to be mindful of such a possibility.
He hadn't expected the fairy to approach Lady Irina.
This needed to be reported to Lucian as soon as possible.
"I understand. Please wait a moment."
Right in front of Irina, Lancelot took out a glintstone communication device issued by Lucian.
After activating it with magic, they waited—
But no response came.
Lancelot shrugged helplessly.
"...My apologies. It seems we can't reach him right now."
"Lord Lucian has gone to the Consecrated Snowfield, the northernmost region of the Lands Between."
"The distance is vast, and there are too many obstructions in between. That's likely why communication isn't working."
Irina felt a slight disappointment but understood there was nothing to be done.
She nodded obediently.
"It's alright. Then I'll stay in Stormveil for a while."
"I've also been wanting to properly understand the castle."
—
After traveling for some time through the blizzard, Lucian and Melina encountered a group of wandering nobles.
Two of the undead nobles held torches, while the others huddled together against the storm.
As they drew closer, Lucian realized they were gathered around someone.
At the center was a figure half-buried in the snow, an undead body nearly swallowed by the drifts.
The surrounding nobles were helpless, clawing at the snow with their hands in a futile attempt to dig the figure out.
But the falling snow accumulated faster than they could clear it, leaving them barely able to keep pace.
From their condition, it was clear they had been here for far longer than a day or two, perhaps even months.
After all, the undead had no need for food or drink, and even death itself held little meaning for them.
At that moment, Asimi's voice sounded in Lucian's mind:
"My lord, the one in the center… it seems to be a Mimic Tear with the same origin as me!"
Lucian nodded.
So this was the place.
In the game, there was indeed a lone Mimic Tear in the Consecrated Snowfield, disguised as an undead, buried in the snow.
If a player carelessly killed that undead, it would transform into a Runebear—
And not just any Runebear, but one scaled to the terrifying strength of the Consecrated Snowfield.
Many had suffered here, meeting their end beneath the paw of what players jokingly called the "Bear Lord."
Lucian stepped forward and casually pulled the buried figure free.
There was no need to kill it.
Mimic Tear larvae were fairly common across the Lands Between, one could easily collect dozens in a single journey.
The undead form taken by the Mimic Tear had a different light in its eyes compared to the others.
After being rescued, it approached Lucian on its own.
As if expressing gratitude, it reached out and touched him.
Lucian felt nothing and didn't understand what it was doing.
But Asimi suddenly cried out in surprise.
"Ah! my lord, it's transmitting something to me!"
"It seems to be memories… things it witnessed while traveling across the Lands Between… it's so much, just how long has it been wandering?"
"Give me a few days to process it. There might be information you'll find useful."
"Hmm… maybe I can also learn more about human behavior from this."
Lucian blinked, somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected Mimic Tears to be capable of this kind of exchange.
If they could communicate like this, then the one before him might even serve as a source of information.
"Right... Asimi, ask it if it's willing to work for me."
Lucian had the sudden urge to recruit a few Mimic Tears to stand guard for him, just imagining it gave him an immense sense of security.
Asimi attempted to communicate.
However, the Mimic Tear, still in the form of an undead—shook its head repeatedly, then turned and left together with the other wandering nobles.
"Sorry, my lord. It says it wants to stay with its companions."
"Apparently, they're trying to find a place called the Haligtree."
"Even though it doesn't know where it is, it still wants to follow them."
Lucian nodded.
There was no need to force it.
But then another question occurred to him.
"Then why didn't it transform earlier to free itself from the snow?"
Asmi hesitated, flipping through the memories the Mimic Tear had transmitted.
"It seems… it was afraid the others would notice that it was different."
Lucian was momentarily stunned.
It seemed that Mimic Tear had already developed a mind very close to that of a human.
They imitated others in order to gain intelligence.
Yet after obtaining that intelligence, it instead chose not to reveal its differences, treating those undead as its companions.
Perhaps that was its concern.
Even though those wandering nobles no longer possessed any real awareness.
The two of them continued onward.
After some time, they suddenly spotted something striking ahead, a massive fallen trunk of an ancient tree.
The trunk lay at an angle, bridging snow and stone.
These ancient trees had bodies like solid rock, completely devoid of branches or leaves, nothing like ordinary plants.
They could also be found in the underground regions.
As Lucian looked at the fallen trunk, he suddenly recalled that there should be a Somber Smithing Stone [9] somewhere around here.
He wondered if it was still there.
On the slanted trunk, he spotted two crackling lightning orbs and a corpse.
Those lightning orbs confirmed it.
This was the place.
Lucian dispersed the lightning orbs and stepped forward to check.
Sure enough, the smithing stone was still there.
Just as he was about to leave, Melina tugged lightly at his cloak.
She pointed downward.
Beneath the tree trunk was a small hollow, sheltered from the wind.
Inside that cramped space lay a figure, nearly buried in snow, yet the faint rise and fall of its chest showed that it was still alive.
"Shall we take a look?" Melina asked.
Lucian stared at the figure for a moment, considering.
"Alright. Do you want to come down with me?"
Melina shook her head.
"There's… a smell down there I don't quite like."
Lucian tried to sniff the air, but all he could sense was the biting cold wind.
"Alright. Wait here for me."
He leapt down from the top of the trunk, landing in front of the figure.
Even with Lucian landing right beside him, the person didn't react at all.
He wore ragged clothing, like a scavenger.
Only upon closer inspection did Lucian realize.
The man was fast asleep, leaning against the trunk.
Clearly, he possessed some unique ability, otherwise he couldn't remain so at ease in such an environment.
Now that Lucian was closer, he finally understood what Melina had meant.
There was a strong smell of alcohol here.
Lucian called out to him a couple of times, waking him up.
The man opened his eyes.
Upon seeing Lucian—or more precisely, upon seeing the golden glow emitted by the branch on Lucian's body, his face lit up with astonishment.
"Oh! Oh! That's the radiance of Lord Miquella!"
"So you're one of the guided as well, then we're fellow travelers!"
Lucian was slightly surprised, but thinking about it, it wasn't strange.
After all, the Consecrated Snowfield was closely tied to Miquella, it wasn't unusual for followers to be wandering here.
"You can think of it that way."
"So what are you doing here? Freezing to death?"
The scruffy-looking man rubbed his reddened nose.
"Haha, don't worry, don't worry."
"Before I can follow in the footsteps of those two lords, I won't die so easily."
"Oh, right!"
"To survive in the snowfield, you need to drink! It warms the body, excellent stuff."
"Since we're fellow travelers, I'll share some with you. In weather like this, nothing beats a good drink!"
At the mention of alcohol, Lucian's expression shifted.
He suddenly recalled who this man might be.
In cut content, there had once been such a character—
A man known as "Reeling Rico, the Alcoholic Monk."
A follower of St. Trina, who pursued the traces of the blood conspiracy.
That cut content had also directly revealed the connection between Miquella and St. Trina.
Since it had been so long since Lucian arrived in this world, many of those details had become blurry.
But if he remembered correctly, this character's storyline was supposed to culminate in the snowfield.
So why was he already here?
Had Leda and the others brought him along after recruiting him?
After all, they clearly had a way to travel to and from the Consecrated Snowfield.
Lucian waved his hand, declining the offered drink.
There was no need to take such a risk with a stranger.
Especially since he knew.
Rico possessed something called "Dreambrew", which could cause a person to reveal their secrets after drinking it.
Seeing this, Rico simply laughed and took a large gulp himself.
"Ahh—!"
After drinking, his skin flushed red, and faint steam seemed to rise from his body.
Having finished his drink, Rico began speaking almost to himself.
"Ah… of all things, I love drink the most."
"It lets one savor the joys of life… and all its wonders."
"I only meant to rest for a bit, but before I knew it, I was deep in my cups again."
"Seems I got drunk without even realizing it."
Lucian looked out at the endless snowfall, unsure what to say.
Even with alcohol to warm the body, sleeping out here like this, he really didn't fear death at all.
"Haha! You seem like you've got things to do, and don't feel like chatting much."
"That's fair. Everyone carries their own secrets deep within!"
"In that case, I should be on my way. Since we're fellow travelers, perhaps we'll meet again someday."
Lucian nodded.
If the opportunity arose later, he might try to obtain some of that brew.
It could prove unexpectedly useful.
Rico hadn't gone far when a massive Dragonkin Soldier spirit suddenly appeared.
With a strange, guttural cry, it swung a claw—
And smashed him straight into the snow.
—
[T/N: Reeling Rico was a cut NPC in Elden Ring who was originally intended to be a monk and follower of St. Trina (linked to Miquella the Unalloyed). He would have tasked players with gathering Slumber Fog, a dream-like mist from sleeping enemies using the St. Trina's Crystal Ball, an item that was also removed from the final game.
Once players collected enough Slumber Fog (2–6 doses), Rico would craft Dreambrew, a forbidden alcoholic beverage described as "the nectar of the demigods." The drink was meant to force NPCs to reveal their deepest secrets when offered, unlocking hidden lore.
For example, giving Dreambrew to Kalé would trigger a nightmare about fire and his connection to the Flame of Frenzy. Rico's questline was likely removed during development, possibly to make room for Shadow of the Erdtree content. Some elements were repurposed into characters like Thiollier, and his story may have influenced the Dream-Forged and Miquella lore.
Though cut, the questline has been restored by fans using datamined files and modding tools, allowing players to experience the full Dreambrew mechanic.
Key Features of the Cut Questline:
➥St. Trina's Crystal Ball used to harvest dream mist.
➥Dreambrew crafted from 2–6 doses of Slumber Fog.
➥NPCs like Kalé, Ranni the Witch, and Guraaq the Beast Cleagyman were intended to reveal secrets when drugged.
➥Rico's final goal was to gain entry into Miquella's dream at the Cocoon of the Empyrean. ]