A/N: Boo, I live.

Oshibana

The night was young, the streets empty in the quiet town of Oshibana. The lights illuminated the stone streets, revealing small puddles that were scattered about. One of them had a dead maple leaf floating, only to be crushed by a boot that belonged to a well-dressed male who ran for dear life. His once slicked back hair was now an absolute mess and his clean skin was now drenched in layers of sweat.

He ran as fast as his legs could take him, frantically glancing behind him for that… that thing! Out of all the people in the area, why was it the Shadow?! It could've been a rune knight, or an esteemed mage, but nooo, it had to be the Shadow to end his business! He needed to get out of here. By the gods, he needed to get away from him before it was too late… before the Shadow judged him for his crimes and granted him a painful death!

The man huffed through his clenched teeth while his heart pumped adrenaline through his veins, quickly rounding the corner and widening his eyes at the sight of the train station right at the end of the street. He felt a brief wave of relief wash over him, knowing that any train would take him to safety. The train can send him to the other side of Fiore for all he cares! All that matters is he is far away! Far away from hi-!

BZZZZT!

WHAM!

He failed to notice the end of a blunt surface strike the middle of his face, the sheer force of the blow breaking his nose with an audible crack. His body stiffened up as a harsh jolt of electricity flowed through him, the pain causing him to shout as he collapsed right on his back. Pain lingered throughout his body, his nose broken and his muscles twitching from the shock.

"H-How dare you!" the man growled, a hand over his profusely bleeding nose. Do you know who I am?! What I can do to you?!"

Standing over the man was none other than the Shadow, his entire form outlined by the bright moon behind him. On his right, he gripped a rusted mace, the smooth end giving off small blue sparks of electricity. On his left, he gripped a rugged, worn blunderbuss with dried blood at the end of its barrel. His light blue eyes pierced right through his preys, causing the tough visage he had to crumble like paper.

The Shadow took some steps forward and immediately pressed his boot against the man's chest, forcing the air right out of his lungs through a cough. He then pulled the blunderbuss's hammer back with a thumb and planted the barrel right on his prey's forehead, his finger now itching to pull the trigger.

"N-No! P-Please, don't shoot!" he begged with pleading eyes, writhing underneath the boot of a hunter. "I was only trying to run my family business! Just a good family business is all! I have a wife and a son, and I did everything for them-!"

The man released a strained breath due to the Hunter adding more pressure with his boot, using the barrel of his blunderbuss to force his head on the floor. Silence was all he heard from him, his breathing practically inaudible. It seemed he was going to grant him death due to how long he was apathetically staring at him, watching him slowly apply pressure on the trigger. Gritting his teeth, the man shut his eyes and clenched his fists, waiting for the darkness to consume him.

Yet nothing came.

There was no sudden flash of white, or the sudden numbing of his senses. Only the pressure of a boot right against his chest, and cold metal right against his forehead.

"Is that so?"

Slowly the man opened his eyes and was slightly to see the Shadow's finger no longer pressing the finger. His expression remained the same and the barrel of his weapon remained firmly pressed, having no intent of removing it soon. Was he offering him a chance to live?

"Y-Yes that's right," he gulped, hissing through his teeth while he felt the same boot press down further against his chest.

"Hmm…" the Hunter hummed, lightly easing the pressure on his prey's chest. "Prove it."

He honestly should just end this pathetic worm's life right here and now. Why he was even considering sparing his life was beyond him. It was just something inside of him telling him to stop until he saw proof of his family. Was it the little humanity he had left in him that told him to stop? Most likely.

The man frantically scrambled through his pockets in search of his wallet, quickly taking it out and opening it. He faced it toward the Hunter and shakily pointed a finger at a photograph of a middle-aged woman with graying auburn hair, and a young boy with her mother's hair neatly combed to the side. The two of them were smiling inside a mansion's foyer, the entire floor made of marble.

Interesting…

The Hunter hummed and looked back over at his prey's pleading eyes, removing the barrel from his forehead. He heard him breathe a relieved sigh, watching him struggle to sit up with a hopeful glint in his eyes. Hell, there was even a small smile crawling across his lips.

"So… so you're going to let me-"

BOOM!

The sound of his blunderbuss going off echoed through the empty streets of Oshibana, soon followed by the deathly silence in the humid air that he was all too accustomed to. His eyes apathetically burned right through the male that now laid motionless on the street, not even paying mind to the deep crimson that slowly pooled around the recently made corpse.

He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh through his nostrils, questioning why he even hesitated in letting him live for that one moment. That pathetic excuse of a human ruined the lives of many locals by selling weapons, collaborated with the dark guild that terrorized the city, and was responsible the disappearances of many families.

Also, there was no way the people in that photo were his family. They looked absolutely nothing like him, especially his son. The hair, the eyes, the nose… absolutely nothing. That photo may not even belong to him at all. If so, then that was a dirty trick trying to justify his crimes by using the family of one of his victims. Hopefully, his soul sent is to the deepest circle of hell to rot away for eternity.

"A desperate attempt, but an absolutely low move fabricating such a lie," he muttered, kneeling down before the body and snatching the photo with a swipe. "Filthy rat."

The Hunter reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a poster, unrolling it to reveal the now deceased gruff and bald businessman frowning right back at him. He scoffed and looked over at the pool of blood, dipping both his index and middle finger into it. Once coated in the blood of his prey, he smeared the name of the businessman, slowly dragging his fingers across it. Now with that being done, he needed to get rid of the body, and fortunate enough he knew a simple method. More specifically, a simple someone.

"Alright, do what you will with the body," he spoke to no one in particular, standing up and glancing off to the side. "Leave nothing behind."

Once he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence, the surrounding air providing him a brief breeze, followed by the silence he was so accustomed to. With each second passing by, the Hunter felt his patience wear thin. Was it really going to be that way with him? Seriously? Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he shook his head, tilting it with a deadpan expression. "Please.."

Suddenly, the ground beneath the corpse darkened, a tar like substance seeping out from the many cracks and crevices on the pavement. It looked disgusting, bubbles and steam from the black liquid as it audibly gurgled. A set of tiny, withered hands would grab the corpse by the waist, giving the pants a little tug to ensure that the grip was firm. Then, with a mighty tug with the strength it can muster, the body sunk into the black void. Like prey being pulled underwater. The substance hissed once the body went under, a gurgle reaching the Hunter's ears while he watched the portal expand slightly before suddenly it evaporated. The portal was no more, and the body of that beast ceased to exist. Another successful hunt.

Nodding to himself the Hunter rolled up the poster and slipped it back into his coat pocket, preparing to take his leave before something small tugged on the back of his coat. Humming, he looked down behind him to see a familiar one eyed ghoulish form holding onto his coat.

"What is it you one eyed fool?" he turned to face the little abomination.

With a couple of groans and grunts as its form of communication, he pointed a scrawny finger at the holstered blunderbuss while looking around the empty streets nervously.

"Oh, calm down will you," the Hunter waved off the Messenger's worries. "There is a reason I drove him to the far side of town. Even if people heard the shot, they would be smart enough not to venture out."

The Messenger added a couple of more grunts, pointing to the door of a nearby empty home and lifting its hand up to show a child's normal height.

"I doubt a kid will wander out," he scoffed, strapping Tonitrus on the right side of his belt. "But if one does, it won't be my problem if the little runt gets lost."

The Messenger groaned low and crossed its arms, watching its master cross his arms as well. He sighed to himself and turned to face the moon that kept a watchful eye over the town, feeling his lips curl into a slight frown as the vivid memory of a bulbous spider came into mind. Something was watching his every move, and he could feel it in his bones. It certainly wasn't benevolent. It was far more sinister… familiar. Whatever was watching him observed his every step, and he knew well that it observed the events that happened yesterday morning between him and his newly acquired ghoulish companion.

Yesterday Morning, Eastern Magnolia

What in the world was it doing here?

This had to be some sort of sick joke the old man was playing on him. He sent him to an unfamiliar land with the memories of the hunt still fresh in his mind, lacked his weapons, and now he sends this little abomination! What's next, those forsaken Winter Lanterns?!

A Messenger was poking him right now… out of all the things in the world that he had hoped to leave behind when he left the Dream, it had to be a Messenger. No… this was a hallucination. It had to be just a silly hallucination is all, haha! The portrait of the Kin he saw back at the library was a stupid hallucination, so the Messenger that was poking him had to be another one! Yeah, that's it!

All he had to do was close his eyes and count to three, and when he opened his eyes, the little abomination would be gone like nothing ever happened!

And so he did, praying that the Messenger was nothing more than a hallucination. The Hunter relaxed his body and felt Messenger's hand being removed from his cheek, envisioning it just turning to dust and no longer existing. Everything was going to go back to normal as soon once opened his eyes right… now!

He opened his eyes expecting the Messenger gone from existence, only to see it accidentally drive its finger into his left eye. The Hunter shouted in pain and recoiled away, only to yell as he fell off the bed and crashed onto the wood with an audible thud. The Messenger curiously watched its master roll off the bed, standing in its portal for a moment before crawling towards the edge of the bed. It peaked down and saw the Good Hunter on the ground staring up at the ceiling with a not so pleased look on his face, his eye in which it poked twitching in aggravation.

The Hunter snapped his eyes over to the Messenger and blinked, watching the little abomination rub the back of its head sheepishly.

"You!" he jabbed a finger at the Messenger, who flinched at the sudden action, watching the Hunter quickly sit up and plant his hands on the edge of the bed. "How did you get here?!"

The Messenger blinked its single white eye once at the question, glancing down at the little portal underneath, pointing a scrawny finger at it.

"No, not like that, smartass. How did you get here from the Dream?" he asked, gripping the edge of the bed firmly. "From Yharnam…"

The Messenger brought a hand underneath its chin and thought silently. That was a good question… how did it end up moving away from the Dream? Its sole purpose was to stay within the Hunter's Dream and provide the hunters with their weapons and items. But during the night of the sacrifice, something happened… something shifted drastically. Then, in the blink of an eye, it found itself within a different nightmarish dimension with one thing in mind: serve the Good Hunter that resided in the new land.

"Well?" the Hunter probed, bringing the Messenger out from its thoughts.

It dropped its shoulders and released a 'sigh', shaking its head, telling him it did not know how it got here.

The Good Hunter sucked his teeth and cursed under his breath. To be fair, it was a kind of stupid to ask an abomination of a creature for an explanation on how the hell it wound up where he was, knowing well enough that these little things lack the mental capacity to remember. He rubbed his chin with slight aggravation, immediately assuming that Gherman was the one responsible for bringing it here. Again… why? Why would he bring him here? To keep tabs on him, to serve as a reminder for the hell that was Yharnam? Why?

"Well, if you don't know how… then why are you here?" he asked in a low tone.

The ghostly being stared up at the Hunter for a moment, a groan escaping its throat while clasping its hands together. Suddenly it sank into its little bubbling portal for a moment, some gurgling heard as it seemed like it was… rummaging for something. The Hunter watched with a sense of impatience growing, believing that it was trying to find some sort of note written by the old man.

"Listen, if you're looking for a letter or something from the old man, then don't even bother," he stood up with a scoff. "I'm not interested in-"

The Hunter felt his mind immediately stall for a moment, the flow of his words stopping at the sight that was before him. Emerging from the portal was the Messenger, but hovering above its head ring in its two tiny hands was a trick weapon. He recognized the chipped wood and worn barrel, scratches and splotches littered around, signifying its heavy use. The bandages wrapped around the wooden stock torn and coated with dry blood, and the trigger had a crimson tint painted on the metal. The Hunters Blunderbuss… this was one of the first trick weapons he chose, and one of the few he stuck with throughout his journey across Yharnam.

Slowly reaching out, The Hunter grabbed the firearm and removed it from the Messenger's tiny grip. He stared at it with a blank expression in his eyes, the wooden stock in his grip as he soon rested it on his lap. He could hear the sounds of the hunt, memories churning within his fractured mind the more he stared at his weapon.

The moan of a troll…

The flash of his weapon…

A beast falling on his knees…

His hand snapping open into a claw…

"Gah!" A sudden shock that came from his knee forced the Hunter to tense up and shout, forcibly snapping him out of his trance. "Wh-What is with you?!" he glared down at the Messenger, who held yet another trick weapon.

While the Hunter stared off, the little one retreated into the nightmare to grab its master, the only weapon it had left. Its tiny hands gripped along a coiled wooden handle, visibly struggling to keep the weapon lifted. The blunt, rusted end hovered above his knee, the static energy flowing as it prepared to shock him once more.

The Tonitrus. Another trick weapon of his that he wasn't too fond of, but a weapon is a weapon. Pulling his leg away, the Hunter reached down and took the weapon off of the Messenger's hands, releasing an apologetic groan for accidentally shocking him.

The Hunter dismissed the apology, saying nothing, grunting as he stood up from bed with both weapons now in hand. The blunderbuss in his left, Tonitrus in his right. He finally had his weapons and was supposed to feel elated, but instead he had a sour taste in his mouth. They were a reminder that, despite being freed from Yharnam, the curse of his title remained ever true.

A hunter will always be a hunter.

Present Day

Never did he think one of the messengers from Yharnam would end up here to serve in supplying his weaponry. Well… what's left, anyway. Unfortunately, it only had Tonitrus and the blunderbuss to offer. When he asked what happened to the rest of his weapons, all he received was a dejected grunt. The answer irked him to some extent, but he didn't want to dwell on it. As long as his weapons were in hand, he should be fine.

After giving the bright moon one last look, The Hunter took one step back before turning on his heel, starting his trek to Oshibana Station to catch his train back to Magnolia. No more thoughts about yesterday, today, or the moon. All he wanted to do now was get his money, wash up, and get what rest he could before waking from a nightmare. He walked in silence with his hands tucked into his coat pockets, stepping over some puddles and cracks along the road carefully.

While approaching the station, the Hunter glanced at the destruction littered around. There were cracks stretched along the stone walls, orange cones surrounding debris littered around, and yellow tape crossed over some holes in the wall. The Hunter never really noted the destruction when he first arrived, too focused on getting through the crowd without being seen by unwanted eyes. But now, with his focus no longer present, he could finally allow his curiosity to resurface.

"Wonder what happened here?" he pondered to himself, stepping within the main room, which was one whole platform.

Glancing around, there were but a scant few people waiting for their train. Some were standing around lounging while others sat on the many benches to rest, and speaking of a bench, he spotted an empty one right next to a newspaper rack. He took a seat, reaching into the rack before pulling a newspaper out. Sniffing, he lifted his leg and rested it on his knee, flipping it open to the major headline which caught his attention.

"Fairy Tail totals train station. Thwarts Dark Guild Eisenwald's plot to unleash dark magic," he quirked a brow. "Small group of mages from Fiore's number one guild, Fairy Tail, successfully prevents Eisenwald from casting a spell that would've resulted in the deaths of many esteemed guild masters."

The Hunter felt a little weight shifting on his shoulder, glancing to see a shriveled up someone peeking over his shoulder to follow along. "Looks like someone else is interested," he shifted his shoulder. After receiving an affirming groan, he went back to reading.

"However, due to Fairy Tail's lack of restraint, their guild members destroyed some parts of Oshibana station in the fight against Eisenwald. Fortunately, no one was harmed during the entire incident. The Magic Council will release a statement about both guilds actions in the future." he lowered the newspaper to look over at the Messenger, the little abomination scratching the back of its head.

Looking at its master, it released a questioning groan.

"Eisenwald? No. I know nothing about that guild," the Hunter shook his head. "Fairy Tail… somewhat. Only thing I know is that they're destructive."

It's true. During his jobs, The Hunter would hear rumors and stories about the utter mess Fairy Tail would leave in their wake. Apparently, they were the number one guild in all of Fiore because of their combined strength and talent in arcane, or magic as they say in this world. They also have a handful of members whose names he hears from time to time. Gildarts, Titania, Mystogan, Salamander, She-Devil… names of powerful wizards. But names were names. Why should he believe the stories if he never saw them in action?

Also, speaking of the guild, he had a few other mental notes he wanted to look back on. For one, he knew they were based in the same city he was currently living in, and for two, he may have actually run into their members. Let's see… his first day in Magnolia waking up in that cathedral. He was running away from those people who were around his age, and if he remembered correctly, two of them had a mark that was strikingly similar to Fairy Tail's. One pink haired hothead, and a redhead in armor. Oh, and he almost forgot about that talking blue cat.

A small tug on his shoulder grabbed his attention, looking back at the Messenger, who questioningly groaned once more. It pointed a finger at Fairy Tail's symbol before pointing at its master, watching as he squinted his eyes with an annoyed look.

"... I hope you weren't serious about that question," he muttered, only to see the Messenger shaking its head with another groan. After a moment of silence, the young man scoffed and said, "Absolutely not. You dried up raisin."

Him? Joining a guild filled with others? Fat chance! It's not like they would accept him with open arms due to his nature. He was a hunter, a cold-blooded killer. Who in their bright mind would accept a killer into their guild? Not to mention one who came from a place that constantly pushed him to the brink of insanity. Even now, he's still surprised that he hasn't broken down into a complete frenzy.

Hearing the malformed being grunting in protest, the young man rolled his eyes and simply shook his head. "No means no," he looked back down at the newspaper. "I'm not joining a guild, and I'm not joining Fairy Tail. End of discussion."

With his stance firmly set in place, the Hunter looked back at the newspaper with a huff. There was a long moment of silence as the two waited for their train, one reading like an old man while the other looked around like an awkward kid. The Messenger could go back into the nightmare to start the search for its master's other weapons, but there was one thing holding it back from retreating.

Lightly poking its master's cheek, it could hear an exasperated sigh. "Well, what is it now?" his eyes remained fixated on an article, carefully reading through the details about a murderer at large. Another beast to hunt.

A question escaped from the abomination's throat as a grunt, one that made the Hunter freeze in surprise for a split second. He lightly reeled his head back, staring off for a moment before looking at the little one looking at him with that grotesque face. That… that was the first time someone asked that question. Hell, he doesn't even remember the last time someone asked him that question.

"My… name?" he asked, his confused expression clearly visible through his mask. "Why do you want to know my name?"

The Messenger scratched the back of its head, shrugging its shoulders while giving one grunt and a few low groans.

"It wouldn't hurt to know my master's name?" he repeated, the little one giving a confirming nod.

The Hunter pondered for a moment, staring at his newly gained companion with a suspicious squint in his eyes. With each passing second, the little withered creature grew more and more anxious, little beads of sweat now freely cascading down its wrinkled features. With a frantic groan, it waved its tiny arms around, demanding that its master gave an answer.

Resting the newspaper on his lap, the young man crossed his arms and asked, "Why should I tell you? You think I should trust you like that?"

The Messenger could clearly see the distrust in his eyes, and it didn't blame him for being so reserved. It could clearly see the memories of the hunt still fresh through his expression, churning endless nightmares that he'll experience for the rest of his life. What he experienced clearly mended a shell that he won't be crawling out from soon, but that doesn't mean he should stay inside forever.

After a long pause, the one-eyed creature shook his head and groaned. It followed with some more grunts and groans, finishing with some garbled gibberish before reaching behind its back. Out of thin air, it pulled out a rolled up flier, giving another grunt as it pushed its gift right over the Hunter's shoulder. With one final grunt, the Messenger crawled down and out of its master's sight, the slight weight that was once present on his shoulder gone.

With the young man now alone once more, he sat in silence, the words of the Messenger lingering in his mind for a moment. He tried to shove them aside being the stubborn person he was, but each time he did so they always resurfaced a second later. His frown deepened each time the thought bounced back, sighing in annoyance while yanking his cap right off his head. He leaned back against the bench, sliding down until the nape of his neck brushed against the cold metal.

'You don't have to trust me, Master. You have every right not to knowing what a hunter like yourself has gone through, but let me ask this. How shall I become acquainted with my master if he doesn't remind himself that he is still human? When was the last time your name even left your mouth? Think about it, Good Hunter…'

The Hunter stared up at the active ceiling fan with his eyes etched in exhaustion, a headache slowly forming the more he thought about that one eyed monstrosities 'words.' Honestly, he couldn't bother to figure out how he could understand his companions' groans and garbled sounds to begin with. Perhaps it was another perk of being a hunter, having the ability to understand those things.

"I'm still human, eh?" he muttered to himself, brief images of his past hunts flashing before his eyes. The killing intent, the bloody fight, the taste and smell of copper… it was all coming back. Bringing his gloved hands up to his face, he firmly rubbed his eyes with his knuckles, trying to wash away the images imbued in his vision. "I'm not a human, beast, nor hunter.." he rubbed them even more firmly, lightly gritting his teeth. "I'm just tired."

"I'm just so fucking tired…"

Dropping his hands to his sides, he stared up with his vision now blurry, a sense of defeat washing over his mind. When was the last time he had a proper rest, or the last time he relaxed? When will he stop shedding blood, or lay down his arms and finally live in peace?

When will he truly be free?

While the Hunter stared up at the ceiling with an exhausted look in his eyes, the light jingle coming from the PA speakers around the room grabbed his attention, followed by the distant whistle of a train. Looks like his train was finally arriving after what felt like forever.

With a slight grunt, he sat up straight, grabbing the rolled up flier his companion left before neatly folding the newspaper, setting it down next to him. He grabbed his withered cap and stood up, bringing his arms up and over his head for a long stretch as he tilted to the left and right. Once satisfied, he lowered a hand to his hair and brushed it back, neatly setting his cap in place with the little tilt he was comfortable with.

Double checking to make sure he had his weapons and belongings with him, the Hunter made his way over to the edge of the platform. He glanced to his left to see the glaring light coming closer, followed by the blaring whistle as the train chugged into the station. Watching the engine pass by, he felt the heat brush against his features, lightly wincing at the brakes screeching as the train slowed to a stop.

Once the train stopped, the conductor pushed the rail car doors one by one open, people soon leaving from one side and entering from the other. Quietly the Hunter stepped inside and made his way down the aisle, grabbing a seat that was somewhere down the middle. He sat down and slid himself close to the window, resting his back against the red cushions with a sigh.

It wouldn't be long until there were two muffled whistles outside. A slight lurch shook the car, it surely waking people from their nap. Looking out from the window, the young man watched the people and benches slowly moving away from his view. The brief life that was present within the station soon replaced with the night sky once they left the station.

"Trip shouldn't be too long…" he shifted lightly in his seat, looking down at the rolled up flier in hand. "Alright, let's see what you gave me."

Unrolling the flyer, he expected another job offer which involved another hunt for a criminal, but he got something different. Much more different from what he expected. The job offers details very scant since all there was a written plea for help, the name and image of the location which was Galuna Island, and the reward which was 7 million jewels and a key…. Wait.

7 million jewels.

7 million jewels?

7 million jewels?!

The Hunter's crimson eyes popped out of his sockets as he brought the flier close to his vision, blinking a few times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Yet each time he blinked, the price remained the same. That wonderful 7 million was more than enough to help Mima with the hotel, and get him an apartment. Maybe a house even!

Just the thought of finally having a house gave him a sense of utter relief. As for the key… well, he could sell it to get an extra bump in the reward money. Blowing through his mouth, he shook his head in disbelief, rolling the flier up before stuffing it in his coat pocket.

"I-I'm" he struggled to find the words, his head falling on the cushions behind him with a little bounce.

He stared at the empty seat in front of him for a while, listening to nothing but the muffled chugging and slight snoring of another passenger a few rows down. With one certain thought resurfacing in his head once more, the young man shut his eyes and released a defeated sigh. He couldn't just stay quiet after what happened.

Hearing a telltale groan right next to him, he looked down to spot the little one eyed abomination with its hands clasped together, its gaping mouth curled into a smug smile. Seeing that smug smile made him roll his eyes with a scoff, resisting the urge to flick that smug smile right off its grotesque face.

"You're really filled with tricks, aren't you?" the Hunter shook his head.

The Messenger simply shrugged its shoulders as a reply, leaning forward while releasing a quick grunt.

"Fine, fine," he waved it off, turning in his seat so that he was facing his companion. "Allow me to say thank you first, at least."

Slightly leaning down, he lowered his hand and extended a finger for the little abomination to grab. Feeling its tiny hand wrap around the tip of his finger, they soon gave each other one firm shake.

"My name is Ervin. Ervin Crook."

A/N: Alright, where do I begin?

First of all, I want to apologize for the very long absence. Alot of stuff has happened in the long run which got me occupied, but since things cleared up I can hopefully go back to writing. Hopefully.

Regarding the story, I dropped the ball in planning and keeping everything organized. I lacked the motivation to write, and I didn't feel happy with the pacing and direction the story was going. I'm debating on starting fresh if the pacing or progression is off, but if that doesn't work out I may can it entirely and start something fresh.

Anyway, I thank you all for the patience and concern for those who DMed, and I apologize once more for the long absence. I hope to see you again in the next chapter.