Undying Light (MHA x Dark Souls)

Chapter 14 - Firelight

When I hit the ground, no sound rang out. The thump that you would expect from falling on solid stone was nowhere to be found. What was there, however, was that same voice.

"Human. Tell me, what do you know of the flame?"

"Who are you? Come out here, show yourself!"

"So impatient... Alright."

The darkness around me seemed to shift, as if a massive object was moving through it. Sure enough, a dark mass came out of the black. It was an animalistic head with no lips and massive teeth, and two weird fleshy lobes in the shape of a mustache. The head was a attached to a featureless, serpentine body that stretched into the darkness for who knows how long. It was massive, far bigger than anything I'd encountered so far, and was honestly a bit scary.

"I am the primordial serpent known as Darkstalker Kaathe. Now, tell me, what do you really know of the flame?"

"I know that it gave me a power that let me achieve my dreams, that it saved the life of my girlfriend, and has stopped the threats the Abyss has sent at it."

"That is just what you have experienced. Now, what do you actually know about it?"

I thought on that question for a bit. Now that I think of it, I really don't know anything about the flame, or how it works, or even how it got here.

"As I thought. You know nothing, and yet you trust it more than you trust yourself."

"And why wouldn't I? It's done nothing but good so far."

"Oh, has it?"

What does he- oh. The apartments... It destroyed them with an explosion of fire...

"The flame is not what it seems at first. It is not a blessing, but a destroyer in disguise. This world has no place for it, and I cannot let it burn another away for the sake of Gwyn's dead age."

Gwyn? Who's that?

...Was he the one that helped me stop Artorias?

"The flame is powerful. That doesn't mean it's inherently bad or destructive."

"It wasn't at first, I will say. But for this world, something that powerful cannot be allowed to take hold. It was tainted when Gwyn rekindled it, and disrupted the world's natural order. That is why I created the Abyss: to destroy the flame, and let the world take its course. I cannot let another world be burned away."

"You... Created the Abyss?"

"Yes. To fight the embodiment of light, you need the embodiment of dark. And with the Dark Soul fragmented, this was the only way."

He created the Abyss. The thing that has killed so many people, and caused so much harm to those close to me, was created by this serpent. What it must've done to the last world...

"I don't care about your grudge against the flame, or this 'natural order'. All I know is that the Abyss has killed many, many people."

I raised my sword and pointed it at Kaathe.

"And that makes you responsible for their lives."

He closed his eyes, and let out a sigh.

"Of course, your heroic spirit prevails. With that in mind, I have faith that you will realize the treachery of the flame. But for now, I cannot let you kill me."

A loud roar emanated from behind Kaathe, followed by the sound of stomping.

"Goodbye."

Kaathe slinked off into the darkness, as the source of that roar came just into view. It was a massive, almost demonic beast, a crown of enormous horns on its head, with several bright orange eyes inlaid on the bottom. Its right arm was a swirling black vortex, and in its left it held a giant wooden staff, with a crude axe-like head. The beast lowered its head and let out an ear-splitting roar, and the darkness began to swallow me alive.