Prologue

The dream was burning to the ground.

It started in the workshop, a fire had grown to encompass its entire form, scorching out from the roof and sending smoke billowing into the sky.

Next, it went after the great tree that grew just behind it. That is where the flame truly found its grandeur, the giant tree allowed it to burn more freely and with more power than any other fire had ever burned with before.

After the largest foliage was sent asunder, then came the smallest. The white flannel flowers that bloomed all around the dream were each slowly turned black, eventually becoming a part of the inferno itself.

Finally, after all was said and all was done, it went after the gravestones. As inflammable as they were, they were pushed aside by dust and debris. Each and every single one of them, one by one, were unearthed.

The Doll watched it all happen, emotionless. In her arms, she cradled an infant Great One, the being that would lead humanity into its next stage of evolution.

The Good Hunter was a fierce warrior who craved power. They had brought the Doll countless blood echoes from the countless they had slain, offering of them all up to her.

Men, beasts, gods, all were felled by the Good Hunter. All, with that single pursuit in mind. It was only a matter of course then, when that unimaginable creature that had once entangled her creator, Gehrman, into its web, came for the Good Hunter, they resisted and fought back.

It is only a matter of course then, that they had won, and this is what became of them.

Now, they were an infant Great One. Now, they were the most powerful being that could exist.

Yet, as the Doll held the infant tightly in her embrace, she could feel its burning desires with more heat than the fire that approached her.

They wanted more. More blood, more death, more killing, more conflict.

They wanted more power.

"Of course, Good Hunter, wherever you go I will be with you, to raise you and channel your strength, as I always have."

However, now there was nothing, nothing left here for the Good Hunter to hunt. They had slain gods, beasts, and men, and now there was no more left for them to slay.

So it would move on, not to the next day, not to the next sunrise, but to the next world. A world where there was more to be had, a world where there was more to be fought.

A world where the hunt could continue.

For a hunter must hunt.

There would be no escaping this terrible nightmare.

As the flames consumed them both, and all the dream was left to its fiery tomb, the single sound of an opal teardrop could be heard falling to the ground.

Author's Note.

Hello.

I have a few things to say in preface to this story, so stick with me despite that heavy prologue.

This is what I would describe as an ambitious story, I have never tried to write anything like it, even in my own spare time. With that in mind, I would like to make a few things clear before you continue onwards.

First things first, this story is already fully planned out, from beginning to end. Not every detail is completely set in stone, and small aspects of the story are bound to change as I continue, but those are all minor things. From beginning to end, I know what I want to happen and what I want for every character.

Second, there is going to be a lot of scene-changing that is going to occur. It's going to follow a multitude of plot points and storylines which will all intertwine into a climax, which I hope will be worthwhile. All I'm going to say about that is concerning its consistency. When there is a change in scenes, it will never be going back in time. Say, if one scene is happening, the next scene I jump to will either be happening at the same time, or sometime after it.

In a similar vein, almost every chapter will have all its scenes take place over the course of a day and night, and will end when either the day ends or the next day begins. This is by design.

Thirdly, Lore. I am much more familiar with Bloodborne lore than Danmachi, however, I will still address both. With regards to Bloodborne lore, they are most likely my interpretations of what is going on, everything is left ambiguous after all. With Danmachi lore though, I am not an expert. I may get some things wrong, or show something that contradicts established canon. I have read the main Light Novel and read the Sword Ontario Manga, as well as having watched videos on some of the Danmemo stories, however that is about the limit of my knowledge. Even then, I might still have forgotten some things. This leads me to my final point.

Fourthly, please leave a review if you wish. If something feels jarring, if the story feels like it's pacing too quickly, if it feels hard to understand, feel free to write about it. Also, if I get something wrong about the lore or canon, do tell me. The earlier I can fix these issues the easier I can write them out of my story and find a solution to them

That's all. Sorry about how short this prologue is, and how the Author's Note is longer than the chapter itself. I will say that the first chapter is already complete, as it is going through the last stages of touching up and proofreading for any grammar mistakes. And I will also say that I think you will find its length quite satisfactory…

I will probably delete this AN later on when a few more chapters have been written, but for now, I'll keep it.

Hope you enjoy what I have to write as much as I enjoy writing it!

Yours Truly

A.A