Ranni was startled at first, clearly caught off guard by the information, but she quickly regained her composure and gave a small nod to show she understood.
Then she slowly reached toward her own scarred, charred body. It was obvious what she meant to do.
That slender blue arm came to rest lightly against the blackened corpse, as though some mysterious force were steadily seeping into it through the skin.
After a brief pause, Ranni lifted her hand again. In her palm now lay a white semicircular ring with several root-like tendrils extending from it.
Nolan recognized it at once. It was called the half-wheel wound of the centipede, the cursemark carved by a Demigod at the moment of first facing death.
When the two half-rings were joined together, they formed a complete ring. The Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.
A rune that wove the law born of death into the Order, and one that could also be used to repair the Elden Ring.
Nolan had been waiting for Ranni to continue and draw out the Great Rune, but instead, he saw her hold that half-ring out to him.
"Take it," Ranni said, her voice crisp and calm.
Nolan hesitated for a moment before reaching out to accept it, confusion plain on his face. "Uh... this is your Great Rune?"
Ranni nodded lightly. "That's right. After being tainted by death, it became this."
Nolan went still.
He knew Ranni had cast away her body and her Great Rune. He also knew the half-wheel wound of the centipede was left on her dead body.
But the fact that the half-wheel wound of the centipede itself was her Great Rune, that was something Nolan truly hadn't known. The game had never mentioned it either.
Unbidden, his thoughts drifted to the other half-wheel wound in Summonwater Village. Godwyn's Cursemark of Death.
But that was what made it so strange. Godwyn's Great Rune had clearly fallen into Godrick's hands, and after Nolan killed Godrick, he had absorbed that Great Rune himself.
So how had the half-wheel wound in Summonwater Village come to exist?
The question circled in Nolan's mind, leaving him lost in thought for a moment.
After a brief silence, he finally reached out and took the half-wheel wound of the centipede from Ranni.
He stared at the eerie half-ring in his hand for a long while without saying a word.
In the end, he only gave Ranni one deep look before turning to leave.
"Goodbye, Ranni."
"Wait!"
Ranni's cool voice rang out again.
Nolan's heart stirred. With a trace of expectation, he slowly turned back.
He saw Ranni reach for the spirit ring on her left hand. As though she had finally made up her mind, she gripped it tightly and pulled hard.
A cold flash suddenly entered Nolan's sight and rapidly filled his vision. A dark blue greatsword with a mysterious aura appeared in Ranni's hand.
The sword seemed to share some wondrous bond with moonlight. Its blade was suffused with pure lunar radiance, and as the light flowed over it, it gave off a dreamlike sheen.
"Didn't you lose your Carian Greatsword? Then let this greatsword, Dark Moon, serve as this princess's final gift to the Dark Moon Knight."
Ranni turned her head slightly away, deliberately avoiding Nolan's gaze. The broad brim of her hat cut off their line of sight, making it impossible to read the expression on her face.
Nolan understood Her Highness's shyness.
Legend said this was one of the "Legendary Weapons," the moon greatsword bestowed by successive Carian queens upon their consorts.
Ranni was the symbol of the cold dark moon, so the greatsword she gave carried the moonlight of the Dark Moon.
Her Highness still sounded as stubborn as ever, but the feelings behind the gesture were like the deepest dark moon in the night sky. Impossible to hide, impossible to ignore.
There was just one thing missing.
"That ring..."
The corner of Nolan's mouth lifted into the faintest smile.
A man as perceptive as he was had naturally seen through it all already, and understood exactly how much weight this sword carried.
So he solemnly extended both hands and, with almost ceremonial care, accepted the priceless Dark Moon greatsword from Ranni.
"What ring? I... I don't know what you're talking about! You... come back first, then we can talk about anything else!"
Ranni shouted in flustered anger.
Standing there and staring at the tightly shut door, Nolan suddenly understood. So this greatsword was only a down payment.
If he wanted to obtain the Lord's ring, then he would probably have to give up all that Empyrean saintess nonsense and come back to pledge himself to Her Highness the Princess.
Mortified and angry, the dignified Princess of the Moon threw the three of them out of the room. Clearly, giving away the Dark Moon greatsword had already embarrassed her enough.
After a moment of silence, Nolan shook his head helplessly and turned to leave, looking forward only to their next meeting.
Now that he had a doll and a female sorcerer traveling with him, a single spirit horse was obviously no longer enough, so he bought a carriage in the stronghold.
Time passed, and the season slipped into late autumn once more. At this time of year, the climate in the Lands Between was pleasant, with cool, refreshing autumn winds.
The three of them sat together in the carriage without feeling the slightest bit stifled, while the clear clatter of hooves broke the stillness around them.
Having changed back into his silver-white armor, the Tarnished Lord took up the reins himself and drove the carriage along the road before Stormveil's north gate.
Behind them lay the shimmering, crystal-clear lake. Whenever the breeze passed over it, ripples spread across the surface like flashing silver fish scales.
Ahead stood the magnificent fortress city, its towering walls rising like an impregnable barrier from the earth.
The Erdtree's light spilled over the lake, painting it in shifting colors that complemented the lush trees and brilliant flowers along the shore, forming a scene of breathtaking beauty.
And the great city itself radiated solemn grandeur. Its heavy gates remained shut, as though quietly telling of the wear of ages and the weight of history.
The view was so beautiful it made one want to lift a finger and trace its outline in the air.
This region had already been reclaimed by Caria. Rumor had it that the Princess of the Moon had given orders to build a road along the western shore of Liurnia, running straight from the royal stronghold to Stormveil.
The once-mighty Cuckoo army had been utterly outmatched before Caria's Dark Moon Knights and crushed in defeat.
For the Tarnished in Liurnia, there were now only two roads left. Head north to the Altus Plateau, or go south to Limgrave.
Nolan Bethel, Lord of the Tarnished, had taken Stormveil and become the only hero to claim a throne as a Tarnished.
That feat lit a beacon of hope in countless hearts, and naturally drew many Tarnished to flock to his banner.
After all, compared to the Golden people who looked down on the Graceless, living under the rule of their own kind was better no matter how one looked at it.
Over the past four years, they had suffered more than enough cold looks. Much of it had been brought on by themselves, admittedly, but even so, plenty of them still wanted a stable life.