He was standing on a plain. The sky was cloudless, and a deep crimson. There was light, but no sun. As Ash looked down, he noticed with a tinge of horror that he was standing on a sea of corpses. All his own. He lifted his right foot, and under it was his face, contracted in a silent scream of pain.

He heard a noise, and looked up. In front of him, but not facing him, was a figure. Ash slowly observed his gear. A Lothric shield, filled with marks and cracks, with the lower portion that looked like it just rotted off. A sword, at least once, was now a miserable hilt. His armor was ruined, the cloth torn and tattered, and the helmet was broken and scarred, clearly missing its visor.

The figure started turning around. As he finished turning, Ash sucked in his breath. It was himself, but at the same time, it wasn't. The wrinkled skin, the black gaping eyes gave away his Hollowness. It started walking towards him, and Ash felt his hand lift his sword. The Hollow stopped right in front of him, and slowly started to raise its hand.

Ash didn't waste time, and sunk the blade deep in the Hollow's chest. It looked down, slowly, then drew out a muffled scream, and collapsed backwards. As soon as it hit the ground, everything disappeared, and Ash was plunged in complete darkness.

He awoke in a bed, back in the mansion, and Subaru was asleep next to him. Ash shifted slightly, and pulled himself up, tapping Subaru on the shoulder. At this, Subaru woke with a start.

"Oy. Fancy seeing you here."

"You've been out cold for quite a while. Made us worry. Glad you still have that sharp tongue of yours."

Subaru erupted in a grin, but it didn't last long. He leaned forward with a worried look on his face.

"Are you ok, Ash? You just panicked and blacked out back in the forest three days ago, and haven't woken since. Is something happening?"

"Subaru, I'll ask you a question. Do I really have wrinkles?"

Subaru leaned forward even more and squinted, examining his face.

"Just a hint. Roswall's got a keen eye."

Ash ruminated on this information. Why was he Hollowing? Unkindled weren't supposed to Hollow. Their purpouse was to rekindle the First Flame, so they couldn't go Hollow by normal means...

Ash's brow furrowed. It was the Flame. His whole reason to exist was the Flame, but that had gone out. He had made sure of it. The implications hit him like a ton of bricks. By extinguishing the Flame, he had signed his death warrant.

"Ash?"

The knight realized he was clenching his fists hard. He raised his head, and opted for the sincere approach.

"I haven't got a lot of time left. My curse is progressing."

"The curse? But we killed all of the beasts in the forest!"

"Different kind, intrinsec to my being. Nothing you can do can reverse or lift it, so don't even bother. But I'm still in the game, don't worry."

"There must be something we can do!"

"Drop it! I'm still a long way off from suffering from its effects, so just drop it."

Subaru looked hurt for a moment, but hid his feelings as fast as they came out.

"I'm just worried about you, man."

"No need, friend. It'll take eternity before I submit to a pitiful curse!"

Ash patted Subaru on the shoulder, and chuckled heartily. Emilia came in the room, looking flustered.

"Ash! You've finally woken up! We were starting to seriously worry, you know?"

"Don't worry about a thing, Mistress. Nothing can kill ol' Ash. That's a guarantee."

Emilia pouted for a second.

"If you say so. Anyway, I was hoping you'd wake up soon. We're heading out in a few hours, so get yourself together."

In front of the mansion, Subaru and Ash were standing in front of a carriage. Rem was sitting on the front, holding two reins that lead to a massive dragon-like animal, patiently awaiting orders.

"You've overslept."

"Just a mite tired, lass. Back in action now."

Emilia hurried out, and gestured to Subaru to hop on next to Rem. He did so, if ever unwilling, but the maid just gave him a small smile. Ash, however, was directed into the carriage with her. As he clambered in, Subaru gave him a forlorn look, clearly not pleased with this. Ash shrugged, and gave him a thumbs up, before disappearing inside. As Emilia climbed in, the knight extended a hand to help her in and closed the door. And with that, they were off.

"Sorry for the rushed wake up. We just were about to depart, and you weren't conscious yet."

"Oh, I take no problem. I should probably apologize for sleeping on the job, after all."

"Don't say that, you did your job when you helped eliminate those monsters in the village."

"Still, I used to be better than that. That was honestly shameful, by my standards."

"You judge yourself too harshly, Ash. What you did was something not many could do. You fought against a powerful monster without a second thought. You're a valuable asset to all of us."

"So you say. Still, back in the old days-"

"About that. Ash, I want you to know I trust you. After that night, I don't doubt your loyalty. But I heard you and Subaru talk earlier. Are you really affected by a curse?"

"Oh, by the Sun. Yes, I am. I do, in fact, suffer from a curse."

"Don't worry about that. We're going back to the capital to get you two patched up, among the other things, and the person we're leaving you two to knows how to dispel even the worst curses!"

"Emilia, you trust me, so I am not going to lie to you. But your contact cannot dispel my curse, nor anyone else. It is futile to try."

"Why are you saying this? I can't leave my people in danger!"

"You don't need to worry about the curse. It'll take a long time for it to affect me, so just leave it at that."

Emilia recoiled, looking hurt. She then leaned forward, putting her hands on Ash's.

"I don't want to see you or Subaru hurt, do you understand? At least tell me what this curse does, don't make me suffer without knowing what will happen to you."

Ash pursed his lips, then sighed.

"At first, it won't do anything. But as time goes on, I'll slowly start to decay. My faint wrinkles are just a taste of what's to come. My eyes will sink, my skin will atrophy and I'll end up looking like a corpse. Accompanying this, my mental health will slowly decay alongside my physical form. My thoughts will progressively slow and get confused, until in the end my whole being will be lost, leaving me a feral, aggressive husk."

Emilia had leaned back, but now had her hands over her face.

"I've seen plenty of other cursed, in various stages. Most have gone through the entire cycle and have lost their humanity. Us sane folk call, nay, called them Hollows. It's sad, but we can't do anything about it. I was spared this fate, while I had my mission. Subaru probably told you, but I was tasked with relighting a Flame, an old, old Flame linked to my world. I was an Unkindled. But now the Flame is but ash, so I suppose this is only natural."

He stopped as he saw Emilia's shoulders quiver, and noticed the tears flowing from under her hands.

"I... just don't want... to see you hurt! You're... You don't deserve this!"

Ash leaned back, and sighed deeply.

"It'll be ok, Emilia. Everything is going to be ok. Trust me."

Emilia slowly lowered her hands, and gave him a smile.

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, on the front of the carriage, Subaru was peacefully enjoying the warm sunlight and the fresh wind flowing over them. Rem looked focused on the road, so Subaru almost didn't catch what she said.

"Subaru, can I trust you?"

"Wha-What?" Yeah, yeah, of course! Why?"

"You saved me back in the forest. You stopped me from going completely berserk, I'm in debt with you for that."

"No, that was all Ash, he did all the work."

"That wasn't what Ram told me. You both helped me in my time of need. I'm indebted to both of you."

"But-"

Rem silenced Subaru by planting a finger on his lips, shutting down his response, before cocking her head and showing a smile.

"Thank you, Subaru. I really appreciate what you did for me."

At this, Subaru blushed and turned his head, while Rem giggled and went back to minding the carriage.

This is admittedly a weaker chapter, as it serves mostly as an intermission and a mite of character buliding. I hope you will understand. The next arc will start next chapter.