[AN: I was actually really hesitant about this plot point, but it's something that carried over from before the rewrite. I always knew it was something I wanted to do, but now that I'm writing it, it feels off. Anyway, enjoy!]

Night found us and we had to start setting up camp. The entire affair was done in silence, not one of us willing to speak. Lyanna had been quiet and jittery since we had left the castle and Elena, perhaps reading the mood, left her to her thoughts, only offering silent support when able. I wasn't much different, silent and avoiding. I was stuck in memories.

Using the Dream had triggered something. Not impulses or more loss of control, but a realization, many in fact. It's why throughout the day, I've been calling upon the other power that hasn't seen much use since arriving. The power that offers so much opportunity it should eliminate any worries.

With my eyes closed, I could see them. The wide expanse of glowing orbs stuck to the end of branches. Each one represented a world, a state. I knew what each held instinctively, including what I could change. Still, the one that I pulled in front of me wouldn't do what I wanted. Wouldn't go back far enough or to an ideal location.

"...Why won't you work?..." I whispered with venom, trying not to wake my companions. Pulling up another world, I found I could change many things. Bloodborne, though...

I couldn't go before the founding of the Abandoned. Nor before the founding of the Old Blood.

Not even before the Healing Church's distributions and the fall of a rising city.

I could recognize the limitations now, without the desperate need to escape. The only point I could arrive at was the start. I was locked into only one option if I wanted to go back-- To complete the Hunt again. It contrasted with how we entered Westeros, which offered more than one point to enter.

I looked at the girls sleeping in a cuddle, my mood melancholy. The anger hadn't fully faded, but if there's only one option, the choice became obvious. Looking at them only steeled my heart.

I just couldn't forget and leave it behind. It was selfish in a way, especially because my choice didn't even involve Elena, but the majority of my life was spent there. Since we've arrived here, I've tried so hard to forget and move on. Tried to focus on building a life and not acknowledge my failings and flaws. I've always known how impossible that task really is. My brain can't help but overthink and go dangerous directions. But this was a chance that has been tempting before this moment, and only now realized I can hold hope for. A chance to correct.

I took a deep breath, holding the world of Bloodborne into focus. This is probably a bad decision, but when have I cared for those before?

I disappeared in a swirl.

The smell of blood hit me first while my eyes adjusted to the encompassing darkness. It was all so... haunting. The familiar smells, and, once I could see, sights. The operating table and disrepair of a clinic left in absence. There was no contract signed, nor blood transfused, but I was immediately hit by the memories.

"Fuck!"

I shook myself from them, avoiding what feelings they would recall, and focused on why I came.

"Iosefka! Are you here?" My shout, as expected, was only met with silence. I sighed. "Of course, she's not here."

Reorienting myself, I took a deep breath and called upon the little ones... then tried and tried again. They wouldn't respond.

"...Ok..."

Tugging on the Dream... I realized my mistake a second too late because it pulled right back. Eyes turned towards me as I froze in shock, and their attention rested solely on me. I held my breath, letting that hope I held die just a little. The problem wasn't the attention, but what I felt from them. Their power... it was more than remembered. Even two holding more than my own.

Eventually, their eyes slid off, almost as if I was unseen, and I let out a sigh. The relief was short-lived though, once the implication came in.

"Nonononono..." I mumbled frantically, my hands coming up to grip my hair. "Fuck... This was supposed to be easy... Overpower, grab everyone then leave..."

I crouched into a ball to steady my breathing, knowing panic wouldn't do me well. But how else was I supposed to react? I didn't understand it at all. I held expectations, but the Great Ones being more powerful definitely wasn't one. It only exacerbated the frustration of not being able to choose my start. Everything was just pointing to this being a bad idea.

I still held all my power, though not my equipment, so not all was lost. I just couldn't wrestle control of the Dream, it being firmly in their grasp. It was an idea that had to be thrown away. It would've made this trip so much easier though, having power over the world around. Still, at least my expectations have been tempered before I actually started. The optimism felt hollow.

I was really starting to believe the idea that the Book had been made to mock, no matter the power it offered.

I let myself calm, though I was tempted to go into a rage and unleash authority. Fight for dominion on the operator for this nightmare. I knew it wouldn't work, their control too powerful, but the feelings were there. Still, if there was any place to start, it would be the Hunter's Dream. It was risky, very much so, but it's where everything connected. Where the being that possessed the power for descension hid.

Oh, I had no doubt the Great Ones would have found a way regardless, but the Dream is where they have the most to give and take. Where they could interact with the ones that offered their faith and prayer. And subsequently, destroy.

The Dream was only the easiest, most connected way to commune. All humans dream, after all. There were other ways, of course, as shown by Mergo... and Arianna. Oedon's attempts were made through his own Origin, instead of a borrowed Dream. The Origin of Lineage, one of the most innocent-sounding of them all. But like all things with Great Ones, spread despair and grief all around. What people thought it represented was slightly wrong, though the need to evolve they got right.

Mergo may be considered a failure for what was hoped to achieve, evolving the Lineage, but it was also young in comparison. It wasn't really any wonder it fell under the Dream. Oh, it held enough power to carve out a section of its own, but it still couldn't complete its role. The Moon always watching it.

If it was allowed to move freely though, there was little doubt it would become as scary as the one that fathered it. There would be a chorus of children's cries. Mergo is the only Great One I know that holds two Origins. Lineage, like its father, and... Procreation.

The others were either even younger than Mergo or didn't have as much potential, so the Moon Presence reigns supreme. At least, that's what I believe, it's hard to tell what Oedon's doing most times... other than killing my lover. I don't doubt it could kick Moony's ass though.

I powered an Apparate with my Dream, and when it failed, I refocused elsewhere. To the place closest connected to it, the Old Abandoned Workshop.

It worked, although it felt like I traveled through sludge, and I arrived at the origins of the start and end of a journey. The feelings that came I couldn't hope to avoid and I let myself stare at the home and reprieve of a nightmare too long. Of course, this was the one in the 'waking' world, so the differences snapped me from my nostalgia.

"Gherman! Allow me access!"

My shouts were met with more silence, but I wasn't going to surrender. I allowed my Dream to start forcing through and only pulled back once noticed. I've defeated the Moon Presence before, but I wasn't in a hurry to fight the powered-up version. Thankfully, I recognized the effects of Trace Defense and I could hold confidence in it working. It did, of course, the Moon Presence's gaze moving off me after a moment.

"Gherman! Let me through, you old sack of shit!" I shouted again as I redid the process. I can thank all the stars for Trace Defence.

It took a couple of attempts but eventually, my call was answered. Gherman arrived with no flare, only fading in like a mirage. He looked exactly as I remembered, and it felt so long ago since I last saw him. Though, it's only been close to a month.

"You are not one of my Hunters... Why have you called me?"

"Because, Gherman, I'm in need of your Dream."

The tilt of his head was the only show of his surprise, bandages making reading him difficult.

"It is not my Dream, stranger. It is for the Hunters."

"Yeah, yeah, but it was made from your pleas. The important part is you can allow me access."

"Ah, ah, ah... You wish to contract?" And there's the creepiness I've been waiting for. "To hunt the Beasts? Though, I can already smell them on you. Mayhaps, you would be a fine choice."

I could only sigh. There was a reason I disliked this man, even before I found out about his obsessions. It was the personality that off-put me. There are plenty of eccentrics in Yharnam, just none that show the same kind of obvious disregard for others. Sure, some of them talk about horrific shit, but they also don't have the role of the righteous... Really, I could never quite place why I've always disliked him as much as I have, especially when Yharnam is filled with worse. I can only guess it's because Elena though.

"Give it here..." I mumbled, not happy to talk to him again. It wasn't in the plans, but I need to break the Dream once again so mine could gain control. Some of the ones I wish to save could only be saved with the use of it. They would fall apart without.

The contract was exactly the same as remembered, and once I signed in blood, the connection formed. The right to die signed over, making a relentless combatant of Beasts. I clenched my fist as the Moon's focus came to me again, then fell away just like before.

"You will need to die, young Hunter... or reach a lamp if you prefer. The Messengers are always happy with a Hunter's presence." He said as he faded away.

"...And Lyle joins the Hunt..." I say mockingly.

With an objective done, my feet automatically turned me in a certain direction. I've left no place unturned in this sprawling city, so I know... I know exactly where a lost love lay. The Cathedral Ward.

Now, with them actually available, I collected my equipment from the little ones and apparated relatively close to the Oeden Chapel. Tracing steps took many times before.

Any beast I passed didn't last long, though there weren't many, and they did little to distract as I walked the cobbled road. It's funny how roads so full of terror could hold fond memories. But here we are, and I wouldn't trade them away for something better.

Arianna's place of business came into sight as I made the last turn. It was as remembered once again, and I had to take a second to realize that I'm about to see someone that's been dead for me for many decades. This definitely shouldn't be the first place I go, but she was the one I fought the hardest to save. The lesson that just effort isn't enough. I can't confidently state I still have feelings, but what she represents makes it all the more important. I softly knocked on her door.

"Oh, what a peculiar smell..."

I heard her drawl, as her steps took her to the door. She didn't open it, but her face peeked from behind the curtains. Arianna couldn't be considered beautiful per se, but she definitely held a girl next door vibe. Her soft blonde hair and homely appearance draw in the same way as her voice, welcoming. I was more than happy to see her again. I even had to catch myself from calling out to her how I used to. Even decades later, and she still offers a familiarity I wouldn't find elsewhere.

"What can I do for you, darling? I'm closed during the hunt..."

I took a necklace from my pocket, one I hoped the madness wouldn't spread from. I set it up just like the Wall, but with an object this small, it was hard to know if the eldritch wouldn't seep into the skin. The concern wasn't as prevalent though, knowing of her Vileblood. She would have adaptability to it. It was the whole reason Oedon chose her after all. The necklace would hide her from that possibility, hopefully.

"I've come to offer a gift from an admirer... and tell a place of safety." I say as I present the ruby covered necklace. She gave me a look before she sighed and stepped back to open the door.

"I hope you know you're not fooling anyone, dear... But I suppose I could let you in." She said as she stepped to the side. I stepped in and let her take the lead, though I knew where everything is. She led me to a reminiscent filled couch.

"Well, what is it you really want... I would guess you're a Hunter?"

I was asked as we sat. I regarded her for a second, my instinct from old to confess and confide, but I knew I couldn't. There was too much to tell, and too little time. I nodded.

"I am. Please, take this." I held out the necklace once again.

"That is far too expensive to be only from an admirer, and for one such as me. I am a whore, Hunter. Save the gifts for the ladies of Nobility, or for in the morning when that can purchase my service."

I couldn't help the smile that formed. That was such an Arianna answer, I had to contain a laugh.

"If I had any say, this necklace would be far too cheap for your affections." I say dramatically.

She giggled softly before replying.

"Yes, I can see where your charm may lie. I'll decide after you've told me of this place of safety."

At least, I lightened the mood, but I know her. She doesn't trust me at all. Most likely, the only reason she let me in was because I wasn't covered in blood. That spoke of someone that avoided the violence or was too skilled at it to make a mess. She has always been good at reading people also.

"It is called Hunter's Dream. A place for reprieve and safety from the long night that usually only Hunters get to enjoy."

"...Dream?..."

"You are already sat in one, so another shouldn't come as a surprise." I comment idly.

"...I'm not sure if you are joking, but is it truly safe?" I only nodded before rising and moving closer to her.

"If you would allow me to touch you, we can be on our way. Don't fear for your belongings, they can be retrieved later."

She looked confused but still reached out to grab my hand. I didn't waste any more time, and when I mixed the Dream with Apparation, this time the Hunter's let me through. It also allowed me to take Arianna along. It was breaking so many rules but I didn't care.

"...Hunter, where are we?"

Now, she truly looked scared, trembles running through her body. The moon hung bright overlooking this beautiful Dream, though the fog attempted to block it.

The Plain Doll rose from her perch and slowly made her way toward us. Mechanical legs made to move slower down tall stairs. I regarded her, not knowing exactly how to interact. I've already saved a Doll, my Doll, so things couldn't be the same. Still, perhaps Elena would like a sister?

"Good Hunter... you have brought a guest?" She asked as she arrived.

"I have. If you could look after her, as I embark on the Hunt?"

"Very well..."

I nodded in thanks before turning back to Arianna.

"Arianna... Please wear the necklace and you'll have nothing to fear here." I say as I force it into her hands.

"So you've kidnapped me?" Her voice rose slightly, anger clear.

"No... I'm trying to save myself from further regret."

The way I must have sounded struck a cord. Her anger didn't fully disappear, but she did look contemplative.

I gave her and the Plain Doll a last goodbye, now that I knew she would be safe, and apparated away. It felt... great, in a way. I know it's not over but if I still can't save her after taking her to Hunter's Dream and loading a necklace with all the protections I know, I would have to call this world a lost cause. I even designed some specifically for Oeden's formless interference. There was no way he'd be able to impregnate her.

I refocused and conjured the image to my next destination. There was a little girl to save. I had to get to the ones with time limits and hers led several which ways. She didn't have any fortunate ends.