Ikiw called me over. “I have one last thing to tell you before you begin your journey. As you become stronger, it will cost more and more souls to advance, to the point where it can reach hundreds of thousands of souls. The early levels will be the easiest to earn, do not squander them.”

I nodded my head.

“Be careful, chosen one, we will see each other again once you approach the next bonfire.”

Ikiw receded back into the bonfire and the surroundings grew dim. I sighed. Looking around Firelink Shrine once more, I wondered what had happened to bring this place to ruins. Curious, I approached the man sitting on the broken pillar. He looked up, finally acknowledging my presence.

“Well, what do we have here? You must be a new arrival.”

His voice was soft and weary, he sounded like someone who had already given up on life.

“Let me guess. Fate of the Undead, right? Well, you're not the first.

But there's no salvation here. You'd have done better to rot in the Undead Asylum… But, too late now.

Well, since you're here… Let me help you out.

There are actually two Bells of Awakening.

One's up above, in the Undead Church. The other is far, far below, in the ruins at the base of Blighttown.

Ring them both, and something happens… Brilliant, right?

Not much to go on, but I have a feeling that won't stop you.

So, off you go. It is why you came, isn't it? To this accursed land of the Undead?

Hah hah hah hah…”

I was surprised by what he said. I wasn’t the first one to escape the asylum? What does it mean to be ‘the chosen one’ if you are not the only ‘chosen one’? I stood there, ruminating on what I had just heard. In the end, I decided to trust Ikiw and continue with my pilgrimage;however, a seed of doubt had already been placed inside my heart.

The man mistook my silence as wanting more information.

“Hm? What, you want to hear more?

Oh, that's all we need. Another inquisitive soul.

Well, listen carefully, then…

One of the bells is up above in the Undead Church, but the lift is broken.

You'll have to climb the stairs up the ruins, and access the Undead Burg through the waterway.

The other bell is back down below the Undead Burg,

within the plague-infested Blighttown.

But I'd die again before I step foot in that cesspool!

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Hah hah hah hah…”

I noticed the man ended all of his dialogues with a laugh, as if something were funny. Maybe this is all just a joke to him. Or maybe it was funny to see another undead try to lift the curse, when so many had failed before. It showed how futile he believed my efforts were. Seeing as he was done talking, I walked down the flight of stairs to his left. It led to a smaller level under firelink shrine. There seemed to be nothing down there, until I took a few steps forward. It came into view on my left. There was a woman in brown robes trapped in a small cave blocked by iron bars. I quickly ran over to the bars to see if I could pull them apart and create a gap. No luck. I struck the bars with my dagger to try to get her attention, but she made no reaction. I ran back up the stairs to ask the man about her.

The man saw me approaching.

“Oh, have you seen that terribly morose lass?… The Fire Keeper. She's stuck keeping that bonfire lit.”

He sighed.

“Sad, really. She's mute and bound to this forsaken place. They probably cut her tongue out back in her village, so that she'd never say any god's name in vain.

How do these martyrs keep chugging along? I'd peter out in an instant.

Hah hah hah hah…”

My face twisted as I listened to him. She had her tongue cut off and then was imprisoned in a cave under Firelink Shrine? Disgusting. It had been so long, I had almost forgotten about the dark nature of humans. I closed my eyes, another memory returning to me.

It had been a month since the plague had struck, and the kingdom was on the brink of destruction. The head of the church went to the King, and they both announced that they had a plan to break the curse. The people rejoiced, and there was a brief moment of jubilation. But I didn’t believe it. Not a single word. Sensing that it was just the calm before the storm, I drew to the shadows, and watched what would happen next. The following day, the King released a decree, calling for the imprisonment of a thousand people. Entire families were ripped from the streets and dragged away by soldiers. Men, women, children, anyone and everyone. I watched impassively as they screamed, not knowing what was going on.

They were loaded into cages on wagons and wheeled off. I followed furtively as the soldiers led the people through the streets, passing the charred ruins of the city they once called their home. Eventually the stream of prisoners flowed into a giant pavilion, where the King and head of the church stood, waiting.

The King glanced nervously at the cleric. “A-Are you sure this will work?”

He looked back at the King, smiling. “Do not worry, your majesty. I am positive this will work”

The last wagon entered the pavilion and the cleric stepped forwards.

“You all might be wondering why you were gathered here today, and I tell you, do not be afraid, for it is for a just cause. The Gods have spoken to me, they have told me about the nature of this plague. This plague was released upon humanity because we have waned in our worship to the Gods.”

With each word his voice grew louder, his eyes grew wild, and his arms raised into the air, shaking profusely.

This was a man driven mad by religious fervor.

“But once again the Gods spoke to me, and they enlightened me on how to release us of this curse! They told me that to break the curse, we would have to show that we have not forgotten them, and that we love and worship them. And what better way to show our passion, than to sacrifice our own brethren!?”

The children were too young to comprehend, but the eyes of the men and women trapped in the cages grew wide in shock and disbelief.

“Yes! You all have the honor of becoming martyrs for the noblest of causes! Rejoice! For you will die to show our love for the Gods, and to save the rest of humanity!”

The prisoners shook the bars trying to escape, but it was futile. The soldiers lit a bonfire in the center of the pavilion, and began to open the cages. One by one, they dragged a person out of the cage, slit their throat, and threw them into the fire. Men yelled, women screamed, and children cried. It was a cacophony of terror and despair. I turned away from the atrocity and left. There was no need to stay behind and watch a thousand people die for no reason.

I heard a few days later, that the leader of the church was executed for lying to the King.

I opened my eyes, returning to the present. That had been the second flashback so far. Perhaps as I continue throughout my journey, fragments of my memories will return to me. After seeing the flashback I had the sudden urge to leave Firelink Shrine, afraid of what else I might find; however, I had one last thing to do. I walked down the staircase once again, coming face to face with the imprisoned maiden. Though I could not tell her my thoughts as I lost the ability to speak, I clutched the iron bars with my hand, vowing to gain the strength to free her one day.

I returned to the surface of Firelink Shrine and walked up the stairs along the cliffside, reaching a ledge guarded by a few hollows. I quickly dispatched them using soul arrows and stepped into the waterways, leaving Firelink Shrine and entering the Undead Burg.