AN: *Punches hole through wall*

Yeah what's up, Cainhurst Gang? Now I'M in your walls.

Welcome back to "Reenactment of Soul Eater With a Touch of Bloodborne in It." If you are here after waiting patiently for a chapter on anything, I thank you for waiting. Anyone new to my stories, welcome, I really am a Harald Legion knight without a face. It's hard living like this, but I and the rest of the Harald Knights manage.

Now for the story, YE TARNISHED. YE MOON GANG!

The opening theme is "Letter From the Lost Days" by Akira Yamaoka from Silent Hill 3.


Madness of The Hunt

Chapter 3: That Old Life


"Oh Blair…"

With one of his dearest friends before him, ready to attack him with a cold look in her eyes, Henaid recalled the times where he was met with little choice in the situation. Almost completely helpless to do anything about it.

'Hello? Where are you?'

'Soul, you promised us.'

'Where is he? Where is the Hunter who promised us?'

Here they come again. Worming their way into the black matter of his brain. Yet he knew they cannot touch him. They are long dead.

Eileen. Gilbert. Gascoigne's children. The Chapel Dweller. Lady Maria.

'Just let loose and go crazy! What's life without a little madness?!'

'Sanity… what would I do with a useless thing like that?'

'Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon.'

Memories of people he had met in Yharnam made themselves known to him. All instincts telling him to kill the enemy before him. The beast that would not stop.

The beast that was a beautiful, fiery flower.

(Play Armeria by Frequency - Day After Day)

Blair - Recusant Cat Witch

"Must be pretty easy to say that, you're not the one facing one of your friends."

The beam of yellow light passed over his head as he ducked down, the laser instead burning a hole into a building behind him. He did not have a moment to look behind at the explosion as the woman threw a multitude of explosive pumpkins at the ground, quickly dodging out of the way and firing a shot from Evelyn.

"Blair!" He shouted. "Wake up!"

The bullet managed to graze Blair's cheek as it drew a thin line of blood, the woman herself paying it no mind as she flicked her wrist and fired another laser.

"Wake up." The words left his mouth in a growl, his teeth bared in defiance of being kept down and at his enemy. "It's me! Soul Eater Evans!"

His words fell on deaf ears as his friend lobbed another volley in response. There was a momentary debate on whether he should take off his helmet, but it would have cost too much time to remove it and show his face. Just as well, Blair had spared no expense, constantly on the move as she gave him no breathing room, forcing him to go on the defensive as he ran across the plaza, expertly firing pinpoint shots while he was at it.

Beams of yellow light streaked across the town as they cut through the structures like a knife through butter, explosions following the trail after and sending rubble flying. The Hunter jumped over one beam meant for his legs and flipped over another, acrobatically maneuvering his body in the air to dodge several more. Once he landed on his feet, he swung his sword upward as he deflected one of the explosive pumpkins, letting it explode harmlessly above him.

He saw her coming even before she threw that last one, yet he still allowed her to slam into him, enough force in the action that she embedded him into a wall, yet still he persisted. When his hands were seen grasping onto the wall to pull himself out, Blair denied him by lobbing several more pumpkin bombs, each adding to the rubble that fell upon her target. But it was no longer with robotic movements or an emotionless countenance, rather it became evident that she was becoming more and more frustrated. And Henaid could see it all through her attempts to kill him.

With her furrowed brow and pupils in thin slits, it was becoming painfully clear that she was furious. The emotions spilling out of her silent persona from before, and not just in her actions, but in her tears. Indeed, Blair was crying, tears dripping down her burning yellow eyes and accentuating her quivering lips with teeth bared.

'Still, it is possible for me to do that. I just need to get close enough.'

Blair lobbed another explosive pumpkin at his location, engulfing the building in destructive fire and raining rubble everywhere. Her eyes narrowed at the sight, understanding no one could have survived that, and yet…

Her eyes widened as he slid out from underneath, quickly rising up as his leg snapped up and connected with her stomach, pushing her into a neighboring building a few feet away. It did little to diminish the threat she posed as she quickly shot out of the rubble, explosive pumpkin in hand, ready to slam it into his helmet. The attack had been deflected however, the knight's arm whipping up to shift her aim and fire the explosive into a nearby alleyway. Right as a cleric beast decided to pop out from it.

The now burning monster rushed out of the fire storm, roaring that shrill sound that the Hunter could never forget. Its attempt to reach out and grab a meal was short-lived as the two opponents snapped at it.

"Stay out of this!/Begone!" They both yelled in unison.

The combined attack of a shot from Evelyn at its face, followed by a deep gouge from the Chikage's blood imbued attack and a lobbing of an explosive pumpkin at its chest were enough to toss away the annoyance permanently. When Blair whipped back to attack the Hunter, she found he was nowhere to be seen.

'Time to give her what she wanted in the first place then.'

Confused, Blair looked around to find her target to no avail. There were few places he could have gone now that most of the town was leveled, so where was he?

Where was he? Where was he? Where. WAS. HE!?

A scuffle from behind and Blair turned in time to see a wave of fog, the Hunter emerging from it as his arm reached for her face. When his fingertips touched her face, a light shone in her eyes.

"Soul Resonance."


Do what you will. Either course you take is necessary, just as this moment is.


"I hope you're aware of the risks, just how many unknowns there are. This hasn't been done since before Yharnam fell."

"I am aware, Hierarch; however this is a golden opportunity. How many of our kind have volunteered to undertake this? Let alone with our level of ability?"

"Eh well, I guess you're right. But um… wouldn't you want to capitalize on your status? It would be a shame to lose you if this turns out to be a failure."

"All the more reason to, no one else will volunteer, and the nine of us would not want anyone else to do this."

"Alright its just… I am reluctant. My concern is not just as your teacher, but also as your big sister."

"Ha! We're not even related and you still keep that up?"

"Hey! I'll have you remember I used to take care of you when you were younger!"

"Yeah yeah… thank you -. I won't forget you."

"Mhm! Whatever happens, I'll still be around."

They tumbled on the ground together, Blair ending up on top of Soul as he kept his hand on her face. Her right eye glaring viciously down at him even as he tried to get through to her, with her right arm held at bay with his own. Her other arm was going to be a problem however, seeing how her hand had buried itself into his stomach, digging deep into his flesh. The pain did not register at all however, nothing that wounded ever did anymore.

The glow shone once more.

"Sister! I can't-"

"What were we missing!? I accounted for all of-"

"WAIT IT FEELS LIKE I'M BURNING U- AAAAAAHHHH!"

"Damnable ancient techniques! It was incomplete!"

"MY SOUL. I can't… ARGH!"

"Selene! This is YOUR fault! If you had even the slightest bit more competence, this failure-"

"Maintain the frame's stability! We can do that much at least!"

"Releasing magic limiters! I… damn it! Likelihood of an explosion avoided… Cleo… its all up to you now."

"-r-, remember us. Learn what you can from this experiment."

Blair arched back with a cry, pulling her claws out of the Hunter as she attempted to remove his hand off her face. Henaid pushed himself off the ground to gain better footing, but the cat witch pushed forward with a burst of fire from her boots. When they crashed into a building, it was to ram through its interior wall and into another building. Yet Henaid did not let go, he couldn't. Nothing else mattered in this moment.

Blair's eye burned with such hatred that Henaid could actually begin to feel it burn through his helmet, the effect more metaphysical than anything else.

"I… what… where am I?"

"Calm yourself, all will be explained soon. Just-"

"No! Get away from me! These memories… I don't remember any of this! Who am I!?"

"Activate restraints! There is no time to waste!"

A black hand-like appendage coiled around Henaid's neck before constricting, the hand itself latching onto his helmet as it began to squeeze in the hopes of crushing his head. Zwan, Blair's black witch hat which doubled as a magic lifeform, had extended upward from the curled tip of her hat when he wasn't looking.

Henaid proved the futility of its strength as he grabbed at the hand with his other free hand, pulling it away to reveal the grinning visage on the palm.

"I… my name… what is… my name?"

"Well hello./Greetings./You seem to be lost./So are we."

"Wait! Who are you? What's going on?"

"Hush, sleep now./Shutting down users./When you awake, you may think it all a bad dream./Now reformatting."

The glow brightened up one final time, Zwan loosening its hold and reverting back to a simple hat as it returned to its normal state. A second later, Blair's struggle stopped as her arms fell to her side.

"Bear with me a little longer, my friend. Your nightmare is nearly over."


Indulge in the madness of your power, such is the pleasure of life.


Despite finding herself in a place she knew nothing about, she still managed to find a way out of the Witch Realm. It was as if the information was innate, instinctual even. She wandered for so long after escaping from the Witch Realm, confused and afraid, she knew not who to trust.

Indeed, a great many were not to be trusted. But there were those she was willing to give a chance, even as one helped her without question. A mask salesman who seemingly never stopped smiling for one, he who gifted her Zwan to hide away her cat ears. Being close in appearance to a bakeneko, a supernatural species, it would not just be Witches who hunted her, but humans as well.

To top it off, he even tailored her first Witch dress. It was a far-cry from what she would eventually wear, courtesy of the man's lessons, but she would always cherish it as the first act of kindness someone did for her. So eager was she to pay him back that she almost deflated when he turned her down, instead imparting some advice.

"Whenever there is a meeting, a parting shall follow. But that parting needs not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short while… that is up to you." And they did part, on good terms even if it hurt.

Eventually, she came to the land of Japan, learning of the land and even establishing herself there. It was a life she came into reluctantly, but it was thanks to her wandering into the land of a lord most kind that she evaded suspicion for a few years. His daughter, a doctor in training, took it upon herself to heal Blair during this time. They would become friends eventually, and the quiet yet beautiful girl would in turn heal her fragmented mind.

But Blair knew she could not stay forever, her senses telling her that she was not at peace yet. She was proven correct when the Star Clan attacked, hunting for Blair and without discrimination in killing whoever got in their way.

When the DWMA arrived to eradicate the clan of assassins, Blair had already slain two of their aces, but not without loss. Her dear friend had been caught in the crossfire, a deep cut on her chest inflicted by one of the attackers. Her own meager attempts did little to heal the horrible wound, and as Blair tearfully cradled her friend, something in her… broke.

"Isn't that touching? That maggot obviously didn't recognize her place on the food chain, constantly buzzing around like a galling gnat. Annoying gnats that push their luck always end up getting swatted!" One of the high ranking assassins mocked, he was an abnormally tall man who could barely even be called human anymore. Not only had these scum sought her out for the bounty, but they even had the audacity to seek out and consume souls for more power.

This star-eyed man had certainly done so in times past, something which would have warranted extreme caution by opposing forces. But his next words wiped away any trace of caution from Blair, whose slit eyes had narrowed dangerously.

The man cackled. "Such is the fate the weak deserve! The death of an insect!"

Blair's head just barely turned in his direction. "Did you just… refer to her as an insect? A mere insect?!"

One of the other Star Clan members took notice of the change in attitude and wisely began to sneak away. Her pace quickened when she felt the shift in the air, the Witch's soul wavelength was beginning to fluctuate rapidly.

"You will pay… you'll fucking pay," She hissed through clenched teeth. "YOU WILL PAY!"

Whether Ema survived, Blair would not know as she slaughtered the assassin in a blood rage, tearing him limb from limb. The one who retreated would also find herself at the mercy of their target, her skill being overpowered by raw strength before having her jaw brutally ripped away, splitting it in half to the waist and exposing her organs. But she didn't stop there, she couldn't. The innate desire for destruction overriding any sense for subtlety as the sight of a bloody Nekomata covered in entrails reminded the people of the old legends.

So in the end, she left her friend cradled in the arms of her horrified teacher before leaving, unable to stay in the land any longer for fear of more harm coming to the people. For fear of her friend seeing the kind of monster she was.

She did not see Ema reaching out for her hand as she left, tears in her eyes.


Fight, for that is all there is for those like us. Enjoy every sublime moment.


Time would come and pass after that. Blair had left Japan to live in London, keeping to herself for the most part until she found herself in the company of a vampire. Or rather, the vampire found her.

She had been ushered into a speakeasy bar, out of sight and out of mind for the most part. Despite her fear arising at the sight of the soldiers standing guard at entrance and in various points of the bar, it was for naught as they paid her no mind. A woman of luminous purple hair sang atop a small stage in the back, a beautiful and melancholic song leaving her lips.

"You can leave her with me, lieutenant. I'll take it from here."

It was clear that the woman who spoke was a soldier, her physique contrasting the grace she carried in that flowing red dress. A black-and-red sleeve covered her left arm, resting on the table while her right hand twirled a glass of red wine. There was a lazy smile on her face, and her red eyes held none of the dark hostility that vampires were reviled for.

So they spoke at length. Of Blair's lost memories and what she had experienced.

"What are you afraid of, Blair? What you could become? What you are?" The woman chuckled, sharp teeth glinting slightly in the dim light. "Who you could lose? I don't mean to burst your bubble, but you've already done that. All that's left for you is to embrace it."

She asked the blonde vampire how. How could she do that if it meant those she cared for may shun her?

"Maybe they will, maybe they won't. What else is there for you to do? I once feared myself after my Master turned me. I felt if I drank blood, it would mean the end of something important inside of me." Her smile was kind, yet her eyes held some sort of sadness in them. "Our paths are different, but I can understand your position. Just don't be afraid."

And perhaps, a few years later at her home in the woods, she did find her equilibrium. Or maybe it found her. When Soul landed in her bath and their eyes met, something certainly clicked. Perhaps that was why she sought to take the Demon Weapon for herself. Perhaps it was love at first sight.

But no matter what happened, Soul didn't hate her. He may have been annoyed by her teasing and her advances, but hate was never felt from him. Neither did Maka hate her, and although teasing the cute girl had been fun, she still accepted her.

Blair had found peace, for a time.

It was after the encounter the pair had with the Demon Sword that it had all gone wrong. So very wrong after Soul left to visit his long lost aunt.

Life grew dull without the cute boy she liked so much around, although Maka was there to keep company. But it grew noticeably worse. Tensions began to rise as disappearances were reported around the world, creatures of unknown origin began appearing, and not just ravenous members of the Immortal Clan.

At first it hadn't been that bad, teams had been sent out to assist with evacuations and quelling enemy numbers, casualties for DWMA had been low. But time passed, and the situation did eventually worsen. The monsters didn't stop coming, and DWMA dealt more and more with evacuations than extermination.

And so, the question arose: What happened to Soul? A question that plagued Maka in particular as she attempted to leave Death City on several occasions.

"No no no! Its all wrong!" Maka screamed.

"Maka, please! Just calm down! You're only driving yourself insane!"

Once Soul hadn't returned in the timeframe he said he would, Maka began to lose it. Back then, all their friends had come to pitch in to help ease her despair. But what did not help was that at this time, civilian traffic was not permitted due to the quarantine that had been put in place. After the reports came in that the creatures could not be slain as easily by conventional means, including Meister-Weapon pairs, it stood to reason that areas like Death City consolidate their forces.

"All the music notes are wrong-wrong-WRONG! They have to be just right or else I can't hear Soul! Music is the key, don't you see!?"

The shades had been drawn over the windows, obscuring the room in darkness. Yet Blair could see all along the walls the work that Maka had busied herself with, musical compositions of notes from some song. Notes written in blood, her own blood. It was not red however, but black.

"Hmm-hm-hmm-da-dumm- oh my precious Soul, where are you? Why won't you come back? Is it something I did- dee-dee-dee-daa-daa-daa-dum- was it something I said? Was I a bad Meister? Please come back, I won't Maka Chop you again! Just tell me what to do so this loneliness will end! I'll do whatever you want, as long as you come back!"

Maka was clothed in a patient gown she received for her hospice care, given that all available medical establishments were overflowing with injured patients along with the fact that her condition was unstable enough that moving her would have been a trial. Over that, she took to wearing a long black piano coat, unbuttoned at the moment. Supposedly, it had been a gift from Soul.

She had frequent visits to the hospital during the initial days of the monsters' appearance, and when they couldn't deal with it, Doctor Medusa was called for her expertise. And after that, when Doctor Medusa had to leave just days before the situation worsened, Doctor Stein got involved. That was when they found out she had black blood.

Any treatment she had undertaken in this time had been fruitless, and no cure currently existed for the substance she had coursing through her veins. Regardless, she had taken to overseeing Maka whilst she went through this process, even managing to stop her from drawing any more blood for her music. She was due for another visit from Stein, and Blair would make sure that everything went well.

"You're tired," She tentatively put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Why don't you rest for a little while?"

When Maka whirled around to face her, Blair shrunk back in fear at what she saw. The Meister looked at her as though she would fall apart at any moment. Her bloodshot, baggy eyes were wide with strained concentration, and her tight smile quivered as though she would break into a fit of disbelieving laughter. Worse still, the words she spoke next broke her heart.

"You want me to just give up on him?"

That had been the last time she ever saw the girl composed with enough clarity. Those had been the last words she ever spoke, and the last time that Blair had ever seen Maka.

Maka, of course, feared for her dear partner, and no matter how much she pleaded to be sent out with a team, the request was turned down. Her worry turned to despair, and her despair turned to madness as she searched for answers at the academy library, for signs of this Cainhurst. Blair was helpless as the girl spiraled further and further down, until eventually, on a night at which Blair had been out helping with evacuating a town, the worst had come to pass.

Maka was nowhere to be found. And it had been too much for Blair to handle as she despaired and set off to find her. She had come across others in her journey, people she came to know as comrades. They pushed back the scourge in its initial days, allowing for more discovery as to Maka's whereabouts.

All to no avail.

Not as they met their match with the worst of what the plague had to offer, along with the painful reminder that the likes of the demon swordsman who grievously wounded Soul was still active. Not with the likes of titanic creatures of monstrous power emerging from the darkest depths of the world. As a result, most of the group had been scattered if not outright slaughtered, dwindling their numbers into forced retreats. Soon, it felt as though Blair had been the only one left to stand a chance against an unrelenting enemy that tired her out with each passing day.

She looked up with disbelieving eyes as a deep and blaring groan sounded across the fiery field, followed by the heavy rumbling of their gigantic opponent's limbs landing. Dark and almost insectoid in appearance, it had to be over 200 feet in height.

And it had practically bulldozed through everything in its path.

Then there were its eyes. Blood red eyes which burned with hatred so potent it seemed to wisp out of them. It wasn't even interested in her anymore, or maybe it hadn't even noticed that she wasn't dead. So it kept moving away, towards the sound of whatever resistance remained.

"Helloooooo, what do we have here?" A lilting voice asked right before her. "So this is where you ended up. Five days fighting alone and you are like a stray cat, all starved and feral."

Blair looked up and her breath hitched at the sight of a woman in a white suit looking down at her, hunched over with her arms behind her back. Red eyes stared down at her with such clarity that it was as if they were like red stars burning themselves into her eyesight. But it was her smile that truly set the tone, the joy on this woman's face was… wrong somehow. It did not feel human.

What's more, this woman who bore golden locks of hair also smelled of blood. She was dangerous. And she was not leaving.

"It is just so sad to see such a beautiful creature beaten down." She tilted her head and gave a disarming smile. "So let me help you."

Blair stared blankly at the hand that was offered to her, finding herself unable to move. "W-what?"

"I'll remove your restraints." The woman puffed up her chest. "It wouldn't do to keep such a lovely treasure hidden, so why not give in to what was locked away?"

When she hesitated, the woman sighed in dissappointment and rubbed at her temples. A predatory look filled the woman's features as those slit red eyes regarded her with a new emotion.

"Just when I thought the peaceful approach would be best, how very vexing." She narrowed her eyes. "Take my hand, NOW."

The command whipped out at her. Blair felt herself obeying before she could think about it. 'What,' she thought. Now standing, she found the woman's other hand lovingly caressing her cheek.

"Good girl."

The woman bit her lip, and Blair's mind went blank as she was pulled in for a deep kiss as the other held her tight. When they pulled apart after what seemed like an eternity, all the Witch could think was how hot it felt. How much it burned.

"Mmm, how cute~!" The woman crooned as she stroked Blair's hair, easing her onto the ground. "Worry not, the pain will not last."

Oh, how her body felt like it was on fire. Boiling water could not compare to this, it did not make one feel as if their body was charring. Being dipped into volcanic lava seemed a more apt description.

The woman was still smiling down at her as sight faded away.

(End track)


Liberate curiosity from this world. So the world may be mended.


Beneath a calming blue moon, a house stood tall in a field of lumenflowers. Fish of blue fire swam in the aether of the starry sky.

Silent life prowled the snow-white land, either admiring the beauty or enjoying the newfound freedom of their lives. Yet none of them disturbed the peace of the slumbering wolf resting in the middle of the flower field. By his side were his two most trusted companions to ensure none disturbed him, equally captivated by the moment.

To his left, a heterochromatic eyed maiden clothed in monochromatic fashion, black and white contrasting with each other all throughout her body. Her black and white eyes were wide but lusterless as they stared out at something a thousand yards away, black and white nails picking at their hands absently. To his right, a woman in Cainhurst armor sat with her back to him, her head tilted upward at the sky. Her long white hair pooled around her like some kind of cape, some of it draping over the wolf that was not a wolf.

How long has it been since then? The night was long, the Hunt longer still.

How long had it been since he started this blissful sleep? This peace of languishing in an eternal springtime of flowers, voiceless life stretching as far as the eye could see. A single cabin stood in the field, quaint in its architecture.

"Hey," Soul "Eater" Evans stood before him. "How long are you going to just sit there?"

How long indeed? It feels as though he'd been here for a lifetime.

"While you're sitting there, everyone else is waiting for us to get back. Its pretty uncool of you."

Long enough then. Sleep isn't meant to last forever, blissful as it may be to seclude oneself in its quiet. Even if dreams provided the most beautiful futures.

"Come on, let's get out of here. Maka's waiting."

The wolf smiled as two voices from the house, the child's voice excited at the prospect of delivering the mother's news to him.

Yeah, let's go. Dreams can't come true just by thinking about them.


I am the one who runs from both the living and the dead, hunted by Hunters, haunted by those I could not protect.


When the stranger imparted her blood, the nine were awoken. Thus began the debate of what should be done. With Maka. With the beast plague. With Soul, should he ever return.

The Council of Nine they were called, each of them longing for solutions and the urge for destruction seeping out into their shared body. So it was that they strived to make a consensus they could all agree on. The first, submit to the blood the stranger gave her and allow the revelry of unrestricted destruction to guide her, whilst also consuming more souls to become the perfect weapon as was originally intended and destroy the enemy. Two, stifle the inherent urge for destruction and disappear once more, just as she had before. Or three, find the truth, reach an understanding with Soul and if at all possible, continue searching for Maka Albarn.

She tried to reach consensus three, or perhaps a fraction of her being did. Either way, she had been fighting for so long to the point of exhaustion. But not once did she lose sight of who she was. Until eventually…

He stood in a dark and silent void with nine different Witches facing him. A red orb was floating between his hands, blood red like a Kishin soul but pulsating heavily. It was not at all a normal phenomena, likely to do with that woman Blair had encountered.

A normal soul was supposed to sound peaceful, even one whose soul had the potential to become Kishin was more placated. But this one? This one was loud, as loud as the beasts of Yharnam had been and as violent as a rogue Hunter's back in Yharnam. It was an ability he had learned back then, and though he was no Meister, momentary close quarters contact allowed him to hear, rather than see, the sounds of others' souls.

Whatever power she gave her was a boon enough for her to continue fighting up until he found her, but it was concerning enough that the results would have been dire if he hadn't. He did not know who it was that did this to Blair, and he only managed to catch a glimpse, but if he ever found them… he would make them pay for nearly turning Blair into a blood-drunk Hunter. For now…

"Who are you?" He began as he inspected the soul for signs of the malignancy that plagued it.

"Sadness and disrepair, Great One. I/we are… unworthy. I/we were not born." The one with an oversized hat obscuring her face responded.

"Never born? Are you the Witches that created Blair?"

"Jumbled grasp. Familiar name. We merged. Now you Hunt us, as you should have, Great One." Another answered, one wearing a bakeneko mask with purple coloring.

"I am not here to kill you, any of you. I know your minds are all jumbled together, you've spent so much time dormant that a sudden spike sent you all out of control. You're dangerously close to having your collective souls explode, if you do not stop and come to a unified decision, you will die."

There was silence then, all nine grouping together to speak with each other in hushed tones. When they finished, it was a taller Witch that answered with stubborn insistence, one whose eyes were like stars shining in darkness.

"We follow the Path. That which you created, from which you disappeared. We abandoned our intended purpose long ago. We cannot stop now, not now if our new purpose would be lost."

"And what is your purpose?"

"To follow the Hunt/Journey/Swarm and find Maka." One with stilts for legs answered. "We must find her, for I/we serve. I/we will find her. And then… free."

"Free from what? Your purpose? You succeeded in that, so why not move forward?"

"We are not what we intended." An owl-eyed Witch stated, cocking her head to the side with an audible crack. "Who are you to say that?"

"Girl, I don't know, that's a little complicated even for me. My point is, you are what you attempted out of your intent. Don't you see? You've been mixing up your goals this whole time. By purpose, you meant intention. So now, all that's left is what you want to do. Kill your enemies? Find Maka? Live? Find something you can all agree on, or the Madness that woman brought upon you all will destroy your brainchild. I can't accept that, not for Blair."

The Witches all huddled together once more. Confusion lacing their conversation.

"Can it be? He does not lie."

"But can we trust him? He is a Great One wearing the skin of Soul."

"He is Hunter/Moonkin/Tindalos."

"But he is not malevolent like the other one, I can see his soul clearly now. His soul wavelength is similar, different, but not malevolent."

"He speaks wisdom however. He has shown concern for our combined vessel."

"We… I see. Then everything has been… worth it in the end?"

"You tried to live by helping. By saving those in danger of the beast plague, by doing what you could, you ALL lived."

"What about Maka then? Blair wanted to save her. We all did. What is that?"

"She wanted to find her. You all needed to help her in turn."

"Then what do we do now? We haven't been able to find her all this time. No one has."

"Then we'll both find her, you just have to take my hand."

"You truly care for Blair, don't you?" The Witch with the bakeneko mask asked.

"Very much so."

"You never meant to hurt Maka either, have you?" A smile graced the lips of the Witch with the oversized hat.

All the Witches look at each other before nodding in unison. It was the one in the middle who responded, a girl with purple hair.

"Then Consensus Three has been reached. Cherish the one named Blair, Master Soul Henaid Evans."


I am the one who grabs the moon, riding into paradise.


Henaid took his hand off Blair's head and caught her just as she began to fall down, letting her descend slowly as though she would crumble away.

She very nearly would have, if he hadn't acted in time. Her soul would have exploded from the weight of all her experiences, from how many seperate souls had acted without unison within her, and that woman's double-edged assistance. It would have left behind a lifeless, broken husk of a body.

So the question now was, who was that woman? The creature that had crushed everything in its path was something he could handle, but that woman was more an enigma to him than anything else. What use was there in capitalizing on Blair's already broken mental state? Nothing about her stuck out, and it didn't seem as though Blair knew her.

More curious was that throughout the whole exchange, he had been working to remove that which had been implemented into the collective soul, a rune that had been etched upon it. It was of a curious design, almost in the shape of an eye flanked by two wings. It was not one of the runes transcribed by Caryll, and neither was it any he had seen before.

But what was even more curious was in his attempt to remove it, the rune seemed to show signs of active resistance. It wasn't just a mechanical defense in place, but an adapting one. It was alive. So he had worked to inscribe one of his own, the Clockwise Metamorphosis which would stabilize her mind, body, and soul just enough. It won't fix everything and it certainly didn't remove the rune, but he supposed he ended up just fine.

That, and he'd have to train Blair in the ways of a Hunter now. If she was open to the idea of course.

"Hmm… fuck, what a week." He grumbled as he began to remove his helmet.

And it was only Tuesday.

"There she is!" Someone suddenly yelled, stopping him in the act of removal.

"Hmm?"

Henaid turned to see a small mob of people had gathered in the silence, a dozen of mad townsfolk transformed by whatever they had been subjected to. For a moment, he felt he was back in Yharnam, beset by the mob of people ravaged by the infestation of the scourge, but that was then. They were not the same lot of folk he had to kill back in Yharnam, but the similarity of the situation was there. Some wore mining uniforms, carrying torches and pitchforks, all their faces contorted in mad rage as black blood drooled from their mouths.

"Git back, tinhead!" It was the first man to address him who spoke, waving a rifle around. "The Witch is not wanted here!"

"Oh? And what were you going to do to her?"

"What she deserves! And you're next if you-" The man was cut off as his head was suddenly lopped off, the Hunter now standing in the middle of the mob.

"No no no, that's not how this works." He chided as he held up the bodiless head.

A rather nasty bite mark marred the side, the ear completely missing with black ichor oozing out of the wound. It smelt like tar, but the scent revealed it to have the same properties as blood. Perhaps this was how the beast plague spread this time, and not simply by the yharnamites' constant ingestion of Old Blood. If that were true, then it stood to reason that he had quite a job to do.

"I will be doing the killing tonight," He said as he dropped the head and kicked it away, sending it flying through the street. "Only me."

It was likely they had been hiding from either the rest of the beasts in the area or Blair when she rolled into town, and only now were they starting to emerge. A pity they chose to come out now, and with what seemed to be the intent to kill Blair at her most vulnerable.

He swung left and right, the very force of his strikes sending two of the madmen flying backward as blood sprayed from their chests. He fired Evelyn once at another's temple, reloading before firing at another's kneecap and then slamming the pommel of his sword into their face. "No demons nor beasts out tonight," Limbs and blood were set free in a matter of seconds, the sense of peace forgotten as he lost himself in the heat and rhythm of battle.

He pulled out a molotov and lit it aflame, dodging the arm of a man who swung a machete at him and jammed the flaming bottle into his mouth. Grabbing him by the neck, Henaid turned on his heel with a twirl before throwing the man at a small crowd. Five heartbeats later, the delayed molotov exploded in a gout of flame.

One madman came up behind him with an axe, only for his arm to be caught mid swung by the Hunter's hand. Applying pressure, his arm was crushed into paste, leaving the axe to fall with a clatter. As the man howled in pain and clutched at his ruined arm, Henaid swung down at his head with a brutal punch, knocking him down on the ground. His attempts to rise back up would be in vain as the Hunter curb-stomped his head with a sickening crunch, looking back up to his remaining enemies.

"A demon! He's a demon!" One of the madmen exclaimed fearfully as he watched the Hunter walk calmly through the flame-charred corpses of his fellows.

"You stay back!" Another hollered while waving a makeshift spear that consisted of a kitchen knife tied to a mop handle.

He stalked slowly toward them, this unpredictable creature clothed in metal armor. His hand moved in a blur, and the remaining townsfolk found themselves doused in some unknown liquid. Not that they cared, all that mattered to them in their blood-addled state was that this thing of nightmares was approaching them, so they all huddled closer. With every step forward he took, the more they stayed together, likely thinking numbers were strength. Until finally, they were close enough.

Calmly pulling out the flamesprayer, the mad folk realized too late that they were right where he wanted them. With a mad cry of rage, they began to rush at him even as fire was dispelled from the handheld contraption. He silently watched as the last of the mad folk were purified by fire, unmoved by their screams as he turned back, seeing Blair wide and awake.

"Hmm, shit…" He muttered, the Man in Gray taking the moment to congratulate him as he made his way back to Blair. 'You should be proud, Good Hunter. Your friend is awake and you protected her.'

"Don't start." He said as he began to remove his helmet, letting the night air breeze through his snow-white hair.

He saw that she had her hand on the wall to brace herself, but he also saw the completely stupefied look on her face. Her eyes were like pinpricks with her mouth agape, lips quivering as if she would start crying.

Would she hate him? Shun him for how long he'd been gone? It wouldn't be too late to just leave her and save himself the trouble. Stumble on him at the wrong place at the wrong time and someone will see him as a monster. He just couldn't help it.

'Don't think like that. You knew you would have to do this at some point. Put this off any longer and you'll only regret it in the future.' The Man in Gray spoke.

'Yeah, I… you're right. It'd be uncool.'

He was three feet away from her now, yet still he didn't know what to say. It didn't help that tears fell from Blair's eyes though, her face in an otherwise neutral expression.

"Yo." The first thing that came to mind, as he really didn't know what to say in this situation.

"Soul…" Blair whispered, tears collecting in her eyes.

"Glad to see you've only suffered minimal damage from my brutal onslaught of attacks, Blair- Ohooookay!"

Blair responded by throwing her arms around him, enveloping him in a hug that would have embarrassed him long ago. As fond a memory as that was though, now was not the time, not while his friend was sobbing into his shoulder. It only seemed right to just let her be, patting her back to reassure her.

"I'm back, Blair."

A soft wind blew at his air, a chill sensation following the warmth of the dying fire.


Witness me. Witness as I live, as I die, and as I live again. Cackling as a Wolf.


Now you wished to know more of the history of this world. More about where Soul Evans had come from and what he emerged as. I'll tell you as a lore dump, yup yup! But also as a necessity, one I was hoping we wouldn't have had to come to.

A brief explanation of our world's history, as you know, neither I nor the DWMA have always been around to exert order around the world. Further back in time, before my own elite team of super baddasses, there was not Order, but Chaos. This primeval form of Madness was what defined the Dark Times, paradoxical in nature and largely unknown to human history.

The Dark Times were a long period of time from before even the Eight Shinigami Legions existed. Yharnam, where Henaid had gone, was a civilization that utilized relics from this time period. Their use of Hunters was necessary in the culling of beasts, an unfortunate side effect of the research the city performed. Many Hunters had come and gone, all in service to the city and those who watched over it. Our Timelost student was one such Hunter, a one in a million chance that managed to escape the city and the war being waged there. A war fought by those who should have worked together, and orchestrated by the beings known as Great Ones.

While the Great Old Ones ruled in the metaphysical state of the world - one could even say conceptual - the lesser, more physical Great Ones had ruled this world after its creation, all different from one another, all the culmination of evolutionary remnants, all survivors of their evolutionary cycle. Each formed their own clan, their own sect of warriors, all in pursuit of the continuation of their species. All in pursuit of children of their own. All in pursuit of their own Order.

As a Great Old One, I had been one of the few to exist long before they evolved into what they were, before others of their kind arrived from beyond. From the earliest of the Precambrian eons, to the Paleozoic dynasty of prehistoric beasts. I witnessed their conflicts shape the world, their lifeblood saturate into the land, waiting to be discovered by later generations. Thus would come the Old Houses, either by appointment of surviving Great Ones or by discovering their essence.

The Old Houses borne Mesopatamian, Amratian; of Tindalos, Romulus, Yharnam, Cainhurst. Houses borne of a time of strife and terror, stemming from the Dark Times and leading to a conflict with those from the Abyss. Hundreds of families to devour each other. Then came the Long War you have read about in your history studies, which in truth was a series of conflicts that led to the near extinction of all Great Ones, of the destruction of life itself, at the hands of the collective Madness of the End. Great heroes of every background and ability had challenged this great enemy, and this in turn reignited humanity's foundation of their understanding of the concepts of Light and Dark.

But there were too many foes for humanity to face on its own. The Spade Empire. The Immortal Clan. The Vampiric Clans of the Masquerade. The Mobius Institute. Arachnophobia.

The Hunters of old were gone, and no amount of experimentation with old knowledge would bring back the strength to help where it was sorely needed.

And so I founded my own House. The Eight Reaper Legions. And with the full might of the Company of Heroes, we pushed back the gaping maw of the enemy, of the Madness of the End. We missed one, and it was after Camelot's pyrrhic victory against the Madness of Apathy that I knew I had to step in.

Doubly so after Asura up and became Kishin.


"Soul."

"Hmm?"

"You really aren't mad at Blair?" She gripped his shoulders tight, her nails digging into the material draped over his shoulders. "Blair hurt you… and you didn't even do anything wrong."

"Its alright, really." He stroked her hair with a tender hand. "If anything, I should be the one to apologize." He noted that she tensed up. "I'd been gone for so long, and though I tried to come back, I still left you all to worry and worse."

"Then… you know? About Maka?"

"Yeah." He titled his head. "Just as you know about me now, don't you?"

"Horrible things happened to you. You saw horrible things and…" She gulped before continuing. "By Bastet, you smell of moonlight."

"I've learned to accept it all. Can you accept me?" He asked her, a question lingering in the air. 'Knowing what I am and what I've done?'

When Blair let go of him and stepped back, it was to look at him with sympathetic eyes as she looked him over. His armor was singed in some areas, although the cape was otherwise flawless.

"Of course I accept you. I also forgive you."

"I didn't ask if you forgive-"

"That doesn't matter. I forgive you anyway."

He nodded at her insistence, knowing he wouldn't be able to change her mind. "Okay then."

"You are a Hunter now." She said again, more composure in her voice now. "A Knight to one of the Old Houses too." She smiled then. "You moved up in the world."

Henaid perked up. "Old Houses? You know about Cainhurst?"

Blair nodded. "When I was 'asleep', I remembered things. How I was born, what the souls that made me know, and what you are."

Nine Souls - Witch Souls to be exact - converged into one vessel. An experimental procedure by Witches in an attempt to become that which they used: Destruction Incarnate. A perfect form of their Magic, made sentient and intelligent in a combined effort to replicate an ancient art lost to time. One that Henaid saw - and experienced personally - back in Yharnam.

She is the culmination of a unified effort to create a Great One. With willing souls at that.

He scratched at his chin. "And now, through my help, we've stabilized your rampancy. I guess you could say you had a system reset twice. You can feel the other souls in you now?"

She nodded. "Mm, everything feels… clearer now. Not like back then, before I felt…, normal I guess." She smiled cutely and kneaded her hands. "Like a normal cat, nya~!"

"A normal cat with powers."

"Same difference! I guess it just feels like all my senses have been multiplied ninefold."

Same way he felt nowadays since returning to the Waking World. Certainly, being a Great One had its advantages, but one thing he noticed above all else was a sense of great clarity. Blair may not have gone through the process the same way he did, but she did have a great and powerful soul, along with the fact that it is composed of other souls.

This presented good and bad news. On one hand, she would grow stronger if she applied herself correctly and with a helping hand such as his. On the other hand, she would become a target for other witches looking to subject her to intense study.

"What about that woman from before?" She froze at the question. "Do you remember anything about her? Feel any influence?"

Just like that, whatever excitement she had been exhibiting before was gone. It was almost instantaneous, how the horror seemed to spread in her body language.

"N-no… just that… it felt…" Blair seemed to struggle with her words. "Soul, I don't… want to…"

When she looked at him, a great terror could be seen in those dilated amber eyes. Her breathing quickened the longer she seemed to think about it, even being on the verge of tears. Looking down, he saw she had silently grabbed his hand into a tight grip.

He patted her on the back, "Its fine, I just wanted to make sure of something." He rubbed her back as he looked to the outskirts of the town. "I need to check out the rest of this town. This town has a mine close by, and I'm feeling I'll find something there. Then we start looking for the people you worked with."

He hadn't recognized any of the people Blair had fought with, but that was of little consequence. There had been others, but their forms had been blurry and obscured by shadow when Henaid looked into her memories. Not to mention…

"Oh but… Blair can't remember everyone." She looked downcast. "There were lots of people heading out to fight the beasts. There was even a company of soldiers from overseas but…"

That sliver of information was less than welcoming, particularly because it spoke volumes as to just how little resistance there was left. He had already been made aware of DWMA's own situation, but the simple fact that Blair was out here alone was also telling. Overmatched and outnumbered, the enemy was everywhere.

Henaid ruffled Blair's hair, making her purr in delight. He'd deal with that in time, though it irked him that speeding up the process would be dangerous to humans.

"Its fine, we'll find them. We'll find Maka too."

Blair smiled at him, resting her head on his chest.

"Thank you Soul, for coming back."


Making his way to the outskirts of town, he had little trouble in finding the mine. Naturally, it was abandoned, although in the sense that there hadn't been any more mad men or beasts out to kill him. Perhaps that was a bad habit in the making, to assume there was something out to kill him at every moment in time… no, no of course not. On another note, Blair took to accompanying him this time, something about helping him follow the scent of the wicked something in the air. It was a sound plan, though he preferred that she return to the town's entrance for her sake and sanity.

"Hmm…" He stopped before the entrance and looked down at the bodies strewn about. A few of the blood-crazed and two lycanthropes lay dead outside, their bodies having long since gone cold. These were not charred from fire or sliced apart however, they were riddled with what appeared to be bullet holes.

"The blood smells at least a week old…" Blair sniffed at the air. "I only got here about two days ago."

There were two more bodies, one was slumped against the mine entrance, although this one appeared to have been a soldier clothed in the military colors of DWMA. Meanwhile the other was a complete enigma to him. Whoever this was and whatever their affiliation, they were equipped with metallic black armor throughout their whole body. Upon closer inspection though, the helmet caught the eye of both explorers, bearing a curious yet familiar design.

"Can't be…" Henaid muttered.

"Soul?" Blair looked to him for answers.

Henaid shook his head in dismissal, it was still too soon to tell. This may well just be a replica, but even so, had it been that they knew what they were dealing with? They were smart enough to not identify by any banner or logo so they could cover their tracks well enough. But history had taught him well in his classes, and he took to heart much more than what many instructors doubted him in.

The armor was weathered through years of use and age, but they had been maintained regardless. It was the paint, chipped away to reveal its metal nature. But it was the characteristic gas mask that he truly recognized, a breathing apparatus with red-tinted goggles that he took care in removing along with the domed helmet. It should prove to be a point of discussion back at the academy.

He saw five more of DWMA's soldiers as they delved deeper into the mine, a network of tunnels and shafts with little in the way of light. All manmade sections excavated during the surrounding area's most prosperous era, now abandoned and used by whomever sought to establish a presence here. Quite so, given there seemed to be an increasing quantity of the other group's soldiers littering the tunnels.

The increasing frequency stopped at what seemed to be an ancient doorway, two dead ones lying dead facing toward the metal doors which opened inward. The detailed inscriptions on the doors showing beasts baying and clawing about on the outer arc of the mural. Beings resembling knights lay on the next arc, swords raised high in defiance of the creatures. After that, larger beings of different forms lined the next arc, one of them quite familiar to Henaid.

"Flora… the Moon Presence."

The name of the being that was responsible for the Nightmare that became the Hunter's Dream.

Its form was vastly different to when they fought in the Dream, the torso was more whole for one, the ribs hidden underneath flesh. Moreover, the being lay on the top right corner of the gathered, with the next being cut in half as part of the other door. The top left corner of the other door bore what seemed to be a wolf-like creature, teeth bared against Flora who had their arms spread apart in a reverent manner.

All 22 of these beings surrounded what seemed to be an eye when the doors were connected. An eye with several pupils within, all of which looked at the respective beings.

And what the set of doors guarding? A cylindrical mausoleum, bones lining the perimeter, with the room leading upward to the ceiling as an opening presented the night sky over the mountain. The moon was giggling overhead, possibly at his expense.

A Pthumeru Chalice laying atop an altar further in the room, inscribed with details so precise that one might stop to appreciate the workmanship. There was also a body kneeling before the object, cloaked in black, its gaunt flesh had long since been drained of life.

The chalice appeared to have been used some time ago, if the dry blood staining the inside was any indication.

This was what was left of a Witch. Of someone who had touched upon the Eldritch Truth and ascended to another plane of existance.

Henaid looked up at the moon. "Thought you could run huh?"

His whole body began to tense up as rage passed through him, eyes wide with restrained madness. Metal fingers flexed as they reached for his weapons, a low chuckle rumbling from him.

"Blair," The woman jumped a little when he spoke. "Wait for me by the entrance to town, I'm going on a little hunting trip."


(Ninja Tracks - Ripped To Shreds)

The scent of the Witch led him through the desert, noting that it was a foul-smelling concoction that reminded him of cherries or almonds. Benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide, mostly harmless to humans in small doses.

'Small' being the operative word.

The closer he stalked to his quarry, the stronger the scent became. The compound was reaching levels of lethality just by sniffing at the air. Blisters, discoloration, numbness, if the pain did not deter anyone at this point, the neurological damage would have, if not outright death. The defensive mechanism used by a specific insect that was instead used to hunt prey as they fell to the effects.

"Ohhh? The Timelost Hunter isn't tired?" The Witch echoed through the rocky canyon, a playful tone in her voice. "Coming after me? Me? Me? So eager to put down this opportunity." She giggled darkly.

Henaid stopped when the path led to a sandy clearing, sparse vegetation present in the area. And yet still no sign of the Witch. She must have learned to reach out with her soul and play on her prey's emotions.

"I will wrap you in a sheet, little Hunter…" Her voice came from many directions, skittering into his ears. "You'll be safe and sound… just before I eat you! You! You!"

"Come out then, if you're so eager to eat me," He responded calmly. "I'm not even hiding. Matter of fact, this isn't a good time for you to be hiding at all. You see, I'm a little… mad tonight."

"Mad? HAHAHA! Maybe you do not understand the situation. What makes you think I'm just going to come out and play with you just because 'you are maaaad?' I am already ascended past the flesh I was chained to, the legacy of the Great Ones has blessed me with the means to become the vanguard of your destruction. No matter your strength, nor your state of mind, you will die heeeeere."

"Maybe YOU do not understand. The destruction you wrought around you, the lives lost, the ones I care for losing themselves bit by bit… a result of my negligence. If I had come here sooner, if I had taken the chance to set out and eradicate every last trace of Old Blood when I was in Yharnam… I can't quite describe the anger I feel even now. All I have thought about since waking up– the only thing I've wanted since everything happened… was to let loose without any witnesses."

The ground rumbled before sand exploded everywhere.


The Witch took that as her chance to pounce on the Hunter, so sure of himself as he spoke aloud in the middle of the clearing. His movements were inhumanely fast so a direct confrontation wouldn't be possible, attacking from behind didn't seem to work either, for he never stayed in one place for long. So she struck from below.

Sand exploded everywhere as her centipede form slashed at the surface, the segmented body quickly crawling out of the sand to constrict upon her prey's already ravaged form. Her many legs cut into his flesh like butter, and her quadruple-hinged mouth ate away at his face with venomous pincers. It was such an easy kill, so satisfying, that she laughed all the while.

What had she been worrying about? Certainly the massacre of pseudo-lycans at the town would be a noticeable loss, but with this ingrate out of the picture it wouldn't even matter in the long run. They could always manufacture more.

"Ahhh…" She exclaimed as her quadruple split face morphed back into place, messy black hair flowing back down with her antennae feeling around the air. Her deep red eyes crinkled in dark pleasure as her lips parted slightly to croon at her dinner, dragging a finger across a cheek. "You were starting to scare me, such a naughty man you are~! Giving a girl such a fright…"

"I've always been good at scaring people," She flinched when his mutilated face started to speak, his one red eye slowly rotating to look at her. "Its just funny to me, really."

When his body slackened and crumpled into fading dust, the Witch uncoiled herself and quickly moved away from the illusion. Her torso frantically swiveled in place as she searched for where he might have gone. Her eyes turned to pinpricks when she realized the night had become noticeably darker, so dark in fact that not even the stars could be seen. The moon was there though, snickering to itself as it hung in the obsidian sky. Its bright surface shined in spite of the all-consuming darkness, although it wasn't very reassuring.

"The look on your face…" The Hunter's voice came from behind as she whirled around, some form of music could be heard playing. "So sure of yourself that you didn't think to peer out with your own two eyes and see the ink of darkness falling on what little light there was." To the right! Left!? "I feel soooorry for you, in a waaaay… you who dabble in magic always seek moooore." He sounded like he was directly in front of her, but that was impossib- something brushed past her elongated body. "But you, you knew what you were in for, riiiight?"

The Witch's head snapped up to the rocky hill in front of her, the sound of wolves howling a haunting cacophony mixed with the angry growling and barking of those same animals. It was terrifying, for lack of a better word, these sounds made it seem as though she were the one who was now prey. Just as well, a sob broke out of her as she witnessed the sight of something that was not human -Hunter-HOUND-WOLF- stepping up to the cliff to look down at her. It had no fur, just sickly white flesh that rippled with muscle, several tails whipping at the air behind it with the casual lethality of a patient predator. And its head… no matter how one looked at it, it was-

Its entire head split apart with the ease of a muscle flexing, red eyes still looking down in their innumerable number, rows of needle sharp teeth presenting themselves as the creature prepared to do that which her mind couldn't bring to accept even now. At first, it sounded as though it may have been throat singing, the low droning sound emitted from its being dragging itself through her mind as it opened her eyes on the inside-

It spoke. And she was allowed to understand.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I'VE WAITED TO DO THIS." The Hunter spoke in her mind clearly - even while the Wolf droned on - in such a loud yet deceptively calm and human voice. "I WILL HAVE MANY MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO TRULY HUNT, BUT I SIMPLY COULDN'T WAIT ANY LONGER. I WANT YOU TO MAKE GOOD USE OF YOUR CURRENT FORM, CHILD, BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO NEED IT. SURVIVE THIS NIGHTMARE AND YOU MIGHT HAVE THE CHANCE TO RETREAT TO YOUR REALM. FOR NOW THOUGH…"

The voice left her in silence and she was brought back to the present. The Wolf still stood over her but had ceased its jugular communication, instead, the mandibles closed to form a facsimile mouth skin to a wolf's snout.

"̵̤̘̄̚̕R̶̛͙͎͗̊͘͝U̷̬̹̪̣̍̈́N̵͔̋̒͂̒̉.̸͈͎͋"̶̧̯͉͎͙̔͑̽

She hadn't even waited for it to say that as she slithered away as fast she could, her elongated body's many legs pushing with all their might. The effort was made easier by the fact that she was no longer encumbered by the loose sand of her hiding spot, not to mention the ease of movement she had. So long as that… thing keeps to its word, she should make it to the boundaries of his closed space. Nightmares are like pocket dimensions, even they have to end sometime.

But even in her ascended form, she could feel her strength sapping. How long had it even been since she escaped? Perhaps she could ease up a little-

"Don't be so quick as to assume you are s̶̨̢̫͉͔͙͕̺̼̠͚͒̈́͐̎́ạ̵̧̛̅̓͒̋̈́̏̋́͐̄͑͝͝f̷̦̺̌̀͌̿e̷̺̩͆͂…" She panicked as she heard his voice in the distance. "Predators who h̶̨̖̊̓u̵͓͝ņ̸̘͈͖͑̉t̶̝͊̇are most terrifying when THEY GIVE CHASE…"

(2:03)

When she turned to look behind, dread spread over her at the sight of the wolven creature catching up to her, bounding at speeds that weren't possible to achieve normally. Gritting her teeth, she looked back to see what appeared to be the end of the Nightmare.

She fell forward suddenly as her pursuer bit down hard, pulling her back before lifting her in the air and throwing her backwards a few feet away. Rolling before she dug her hands into the ground, she launched herself upward with her centipede half's legs outstretched like blades.

The Hunter took that as the moment to launch himself forward and crash into her body, pushing into the arthropodic body while she took the opportunity to coil around his body. When they crashed into the ground, they were immediately upon each other like wild animals, teeth tearing away at flesh and claws ripping away at armor and muscle.

"Abhorrent…" The Witch growled as she bit into an arm. "HUNTER!"

She had the apparent advantage in that her nimble body had such dependable armor, the Hunter Wolf's claws being unable to pierce through her segmented armor in its closed state. For as durable as it was however, she could not risk her arrogance overreaching. Her poison would do its job, melt away the flesh until she could go for the kill. The evolved Witch slithered underneath his body just as he was about to snap his jaws on her body, joyfully manipulating her every appendage as they tore away at the tough albino skin of his legs.

The Hunter Wolf's response was to slam an arm down on the insectoid body, cracks appearing on the exoskeleton all the while. The Witch, even in her rage, noticed this as she pushed herself upward and clawed at the eyes before grabbing at the back of his neck and slithering over his body to ravage the waist. She did not account for him to suddenly throw himself to the side and roll over the ground, shaking her off him as she regained her bearings with a string of curses.

All ten of her eyes opened up to glare at her enemy, narrowing as she prepared to pounce at him. Yet the Hunter Wolf just stood her, eyes watching in a calm fashion as mist left his nostrils. His mouth opened and a purple object fell, it was a chunk of her armor!

"What!?" she hissed, the eyes on the back of her head noticing a piece of armor missing.

She thought herself prepared since her sight was mostly on him, yet he moved with such speed that it was as if he hadn't moved at all. She had raised her body in time for her upper half to tower over him, diving back down to sink tooth and claw into the back of his neck. She did not account for his arm to suddenly grab her by the head and close his maw around the middle of her body, teeth biting down hard as she felt her insides getting crushed.

When the Witch felt a pull on her being, she realized what was happening as she clawed at the arm in the hopes that the poison would melt away the limb. But when she felt a weight leave her, confusion flowed through her before feeling herself get pulled away by the head. The creature's right arm had her by the hair, tossing her aside as she watched her lower half twitch on the floor with final spasms. Skidding on the ground, she looked back up to see the boundary of the Nightmare, her light at the end of a tunnel.

Chuckling madly, she reached out with a hand as if to claim the light for her own. The beast's arm crushed that prospect and what was left of her back with a sickening crunch, forcing her to instinctively look up at the visage of her supposed prey. The venom she had injected into him had done its job, but only just. It was not dead or convulsing in pain, and the toxins that were meant to harm it were excreted from its white flesh. The purple colored liquid compound dropped to the floor, sizzling as it ate away at the sand before cooling.

(End track)

"Mercy… O Great One," She gulped. "I-I understand now that I have wronged you, it was a mistake you see! You are above Hunters! You are a god! You-"

"Not a g̷̛͓͙̟̈̕ö̵̲͕̳́̄ͅd̶͉͕̀̐́͒ͅ," That low droning returned, but it was accompanied by two other voices that spoke along with the singing, nor did they mentally speak to her. Sounds forced out of that which wasn't human, sounds she could not properly describe. "Answers. NOW. Who do you work for?"

His eyes burned red as they forced an answer out of her. An intense pain in her head formed as she tried to resist, feeling her face fall slack.

"M-M-M…" She felt her lips move of their own accord, managing to avoid saying the full name. "Gorgon!"

"Hmm… you must've signed a Geas, I don't want to damage your brain too much now…" His head lowered as drool spattered her face. "Still, Gorgon? How did the Gorgon sisters come across Old Blood?"

"I-I don't know." Force was applied onto her chest as his paw pushed downward. "I swear!"

"Who else are they acquainted with?"

"The Enclave… t-the Shepherd…"

"The Shepherd?" She felt his arm loosen considerably. "You wouldn't happen to know who they are either, would you?"

"N-no."

"Hmm… then for your honesty, I'll grant you mercy if you could just answer one last question?" The eyes narrowed. "Where are the Gorgon Sisters now?"

"I… I do not know." She gulped audibly and dared to look at one of those eyes. "I swear it."

"Hmm… this truly is a travesty. I did say you could, IF you could answer my question and I did not specify the kind I wanted… so I could…" He trailed off and she let out a small sigh of relief. "But on the other hand, you are a Witch, and you may return to prove my mercy was misplaced."

"I-I will not! My god- no, my Lord! Yes, I will serve you! My transgressions on your land will cease here! I swear on my name as Oriana of the Omukade Order!"

"You swear, as did the Eastern Witches" Its body shuddered violently with a resonating growl. "Hundreds of years ago."

"I am not those fools!" She practically screamed, seemingly stunning the Great One into silence as she pleaded with him. "I sought knowledge not to destroy, but to learn! I am a teacher amongst Witches, please don't make me forget everything…"

He had to understand that. The knowledge she had learned was just the tip of the iceberg, but it was a start! Yes, there were sacrifices made and she did work with Medusa, but it was necessary. If all that progress were lost now, it would be a step backward for everyone. Such a treasure trove of knowledge had not been seen since the Library of Alexandria.

"Hmm… very well. 'My Lord' does have a pretty ring to it." Oriana's eyes widened at his consideration. "For your crimes against the natural order of life itself, you will not die, but you will not truly live either. You will sleep and perceive, but you will not understand. You will be a reservoir of knowledge. You will be Vacuous. You will be M̴̤͆̐̓y̴̖̺̖̞̓̿̑̈́ ̶̟͈͈̐͋f̸̲̳̓̓̏i̸̡̤̣̖̊͗̚̚ȑ̵̙̜͔̺͌̒͝͝ś̴͍̬̳t̵̼̏͐̆͐͝ ̶̪̼̭́̏͠ͅa̵͖̋c̴͈̅̈̑ǒ̵͚͜l̸͕͇̰̜̪̕͠ÿ̶̪́̋̾̂͊t̸̨̻̱̚ě̷̲̤̪̜̼͗̏."

It started with a slight pull of her chest, a weight pushing down on her as it became colder. Then there was the feeling of her soul being plucked right of her being, held in place by the Hunter in the darkness of that void before it was swallowed by a toothy maw. Her mind was the last to go, sight growing darker as she seemed to fall into that pit of darkness before… before…

Before… falling… rising…

"Isn't it fascinating?"

The White Wolf of Yharnam was staring down at that which had been the Witch. Her upper body having long since been reduced to a skeleton as ancient as the fossils embedded into the earth below, subjected to accelerated aging as soon as he took everything he needed from her. She hadn't even realized the purging of her body even to the end, her mind and soul now for his lone discretion.

He huffed as he left the rapidly atomizing remains, mist slowly leaving his body as he made his way back into town. Muscles rippled as wounds stitched themselves back to normal, mercurial blood reentering his body as well. Glowing red lines, almost circuit like, passed through his body before disappearing again.

"Prey subsumed."

It was past midnight when he departed the hunting ground, the moon casting its light down on his form. To anyone of lesser insight, a wolf - direwolf perhaps, would have been what they saw prowling the desert. It was daybreak when he began to make it back to the town, a knight in black and red stalking through the quiet streets. The Arawn remained where he had left it, waiting for its rider to take the reins once more. Blair stood by the vehicle, unease marking her features as she watched him approach silently, perhaps waiting for him to say anything.

A single name looped itself through his mind as they wordlessly rode back to Death City, a result of consuming the Witch's blood echoes.

Medusa.


The next day…

It was finally time for Cainhurst and DWMA to officially join together in a pact, the specifics for anchoring Annaliese into a physical realm once more having been dealt with. Naturally, there were issues with depositing someone from the past into the future, but thankfully this wasn't being done the other way around. If it were, there would be hell to pay as time sent its Hounds after her. And if not them, then he would have to do it, the very principles of life and death with regards to time demanded it so. The good news is that the queen was from a very isolated point in time in a very isolated location in existance.

The fact that nothing happened meant that silence was his warning. So really, it was no big deal. At least after this, he would head back into the Dream for some nice, relaxing, otherworldly tea from Evetta.

"It will smell of the night, Good Hunter." She assured him.

"I love you." Henaid breathed out.

Evetta giggled as she gathered the materials, the praise invigorating her as she swore to make it the nicest, most relaxing, most otherworldly tea.

"Auntie, you ready?" He turned to the queen.

"Verily."

Usually, exiting the Dream was a simple task as he was often the only one to leave it. Now however, he had a companion to take along with him and he had no practical idea of how it would work.

Annaliese was not like him at all, she wasn't transported to a time when Yharnam was in the midst of a beast plague; rather, she has been there all her life. It was not the threat of time travel with another being bearing consequences that worried him, those laws didn't apply when the passenger was a vampire. What did worry him was whether transporting her from the Dream to the real world would result in any adverse effects to her mind, body, or even soul.

He wasn't sure if he could deal with the queen having two heads acting all smug, or worse, two of her in the same place existing at the same time. Their smug energy would be too much for him and he wasn't sure if he could deal with that.

'Only one way to find out,' He thought as he held the queen's hand, both of their eyes closed. 'Destination set, now… disperse and transpose.'

There was a tingling sensation that blew at his body even through his armor, the faint smell of flowers dominating his scent. The feeling of rainwater pitter-pattering away at his body, leaving him oddly refreshed. And then, the awareness that they were falling into darkness.

Falling.

Falling…

"And that's why, Lady Maria never laughed! You wouldn't even believe some of the more wonky stuff that happened years later!" Lord Death wagged an oversized finger in the air. "But that's a story for another time! We've preparations to make for a counterattack and little time to waste on deep lore!"

Azusa sighed and pinched her brow, suddenly feeling a headache coming from this conversation. There were only more questions than there were before. Stein seemed to take it all well, standing off to the side with Marie, an unlit cigarette in his mouth and a lighter in Marie's hands. Sid was also there with Mira Naigus, although the zombie man was scratching his head at whatever Lord Death was saying. Spirit on the other hand, he simply didn't show up, likely out of distaste for Henaid.

It was the knight who had contacted Lord Death for this meeting in the first place, stating he had someone of interest who would be practical for this Pact of Covenants. For as helpful as they may be however, she felt as though there would be more questions than answers. Still, she would not kick a gift horse in the mouth.

"I think I need a change of glasses," Azusa sighed, "I'm starting to get a headache from all this."

"You put your glasses back on and face the facts!"

At that moment, Henaid walked into the Death Room with another person in tow. By her grandiose appearance, it was likely that this person was royalty of a sort. Perhaps he wished to establish more than the simple fact that a Hunter would reestablish the old pact? Perhaps he wished to add legitimacy to it? An odd notion considering Henaid was already more than that, if what Lord Death said was anything to go by.

Although nobody seemed to notice the very brief, and very twisted smile that was on her lips when her eyes landed on the Reaper. When it was gone, those eyes drifted to her and for a moment seemed to lock her in place. They weren't in the Death Room anymore and nobody else was around, there was only the two of them.

It took a surprising effort to pull her own gaze away from the regal woman.

"Started telling them about lost history?" Henaid spoke up. "You've got a long way to go."

"Hello hello! Hi, how are ya?" Lord Death greeted them once they arrived. "Henaid my boy, I see you've brought someone else with you this time. Am I to assume she will be part of the pact?"

"Yes, presenting to you Queen Annaliese of the Cainhurst Bloodkin."

"Charmed."

This… was very unexpected. Everyone looked to Lord Death.

"Hmm? Oh sorry. Surpriiiise!"

Azusa's eye twitched and she rubbed at her eyes.

"Protocol is set up for a reason."

"W-well I kind of forgot-"

"Pardon me milady, but protocol would lead to a timeline of events which would prove detrimental to my purpose as a Hunter. I cannot simply abide asking and then waiting around for protocol to give me the clear to bring someone I know from a plane of existence through a method I would have to explain through said protocol. I am, after all, a Hunter, and we can't afford to waste time. Wasting time means more time that the beast plague spreads."

Azusa looked at him emotionlessly.

"I'm saying I'm too cool for that."

There was a collective groan at that.

"Is he always like this?" Naigus asked.

"Verily. He follows the knight's code up to a point, though he is still a Hunter at the end of the day. Such free spirit was common in them, why, he reminds me of Hajiroboshi's flamboyance."

"You had a knight named Venus in your court?"

"During my mother's reign, but yes."

"So you're saying I'm as dapper as them?"

"Almost, but not quite," She laughed haughtily and slapped at his helmet. "You are not nearly at her level! So short you are, dear nephew!"

The slap, as it were, was apparently strong enough to almost knock Henaid over. The unprepared Hunter was left feeling at the spot where Annaliese had hit him, the queen moving on from his confusion as she looked at Lord Death. The being suddenly feeling nervous that all her attention was on him now.

"Lord Death, it is my pleasure to finally meet you." She curtsied.

"Yeeeep."

"I am Queen Annalise of Cainhurst, leader of the Bloodkin."

"I see, I see. It's good to meet you!" Lord Death clapped his hands together. "Alright-

"Are you perchance taken by any other?" She interrupted him.

A moment of silence passed before he answered. "No?"

"Haaaaa…" They all saw it then, the hunger in the woman's eyes. Her breath turning to mist. Her body twitching in unrestrained delight. "How fortuitous…" She whispered.

"Auntie, do you need a Snickers?" Henaid asked, offering her a candy bar. "You're really not you when you're hungry."

"Ah. Apologies. I forget myself in your presence."

Lord Death said nothing. He just stood there silently. It was the most miniscule of movement that Henaid caught fortunately, understanding that he was looking at him. The eyeholes on the mask giving away nothing to his emotions, but Henaid spent enough time in Yharnam to understand even the slightest of body language. The Grim Reaper himself was very, very uncomfortable.

So in response, Henaid shrugged. "Scouting report! Ahem… where do I begin?"

"You can start with where you had gone."

"I went where the Hunt took me, to where humans have less protectors."

"And were you able to find anyone?"

"Not really. Its not good out there, and I can handle what's thrown my way, but I won't promise any rescue missions. I did find Blair though."

"Well that's good news, right?" Marie asked.

"Actually, she tried to kill me. Succumbed to Madness and almost had her soul explode if it weren't for my intervention." Henaid bluntly stated, much to Marie's disappointment. "So now for some bad news, there are definitely those who worked with forces they didn't truly understand. Although I've got the suspicion that maybe they did know something."

"Do you have clues as to their identity?" Sid asked. "If possible, I'd like to prepare for some investigations of my own."

"Black-armored, kinetic weaponry, retro-style soldiers. They were smart enough not to show off their banner on the armor, but even if they had it all modified I still recognized the make. They were Enclave."

There was a collective gasp from most of the adults in the room, there wasn't a soul who didn't hear about the group at least once in their lives. An organization with military power that was supported by remnants of the Eastern Witches, one that had been able to rival the DWMA in terms of strength.

"You mean as in, THE Enclave? World War era Enclave?" Sid asked, flabbergasted that such a group could still exist.

"Decked out with Kerberos series power armor and everything. Same guys that tried to start another big war," Henaid said as he pulled out the gas mask he had found at the mine and gave it to the zombie man.

"This is of a make from the second war DWMA had with them. Perhaps they were merely found by scavengers? There have been organizations claiming to be the inheritors of their queen's ideals and will."

This was true, however they were not regarded as legitimate organizations, being more akin to terrorist organizations. Nowadays, such groups are few and far between, taken out by Meister-Weapon teams over the years to harvest their evil souls. As a result, these groups and the Enclave in general were mostly old history.

In short, they lived in an almost perfect world.

"Unlikely, there were too many of them at the site. Not to mention, they were pretty well maintained even taking into account their age."

"A true successive organization perhaps?" Sid wondered aloud. "Henaid, I would like to further inspect this."

"Go right ahead, I won't need it," Henaid said before turning to Annaliese. "Now its time for the real reason why we're here."

A table had been set in the center of the platform, a chabudai which Lord Death was quite fond of. Annaliese brought out the pact she had been working on and spread it out on the table before sitting, Lord Death doing the same.

"Ahem," Lord Death coughed into his hand before quickly assuming his more intimidating look, his voice deepening as well. "I am Lord Death, Headmaster of the Death Weapon Meister Academy, and Leader of the Death Scythes. On my honor as the Grim Reaper, I swear to uphold and enforce the contents of this pact." Lord Death then hovered his hand over the sigil and allowed his essence to lightly spill the paper, the sign glowing bright red for a moment before dimming.

"I am Queen Annalise, sovereign of House Cainhurst, and leader of the Bloodkin Knights." The queen's hand hovered over the paper as blood spilt on the paper, the same phenomena occurring for her. "On my honor as inheritor of Queen Yharnam's will, I swear to uphold and enforce the contents of this pact."

"Acknowledged. As per the Garm emergency clause, I request that your organization assist us in this time of need. Officially and unofficially, through whatever means you deem necessary."

"Request granted. Cainhurst shall act in defense of the land. Our elimination of the threat shall largely be up to our discretion, and as to authorization of other parties." Annaliese concluded before looking down at the pact. "Now, let us acknowledge the details of this new document, I am confident you will find them acceptable."

Meanwhile Henaid stood silently at attention, his helmet giving no indication of his feelings on the matter. The reality was he was bored out of his mind, itching to let loose once more. But there was something to be gained here.

This meeting could not have gone more perfectly. A shame he had to black out after the talk of hunting beasts ran short, so he dreamt of just that for a moment, of dead beasts. It was a good dream. Shortly after waking back up, he approached Lord Death who had been speaking with Azusa, a frown forming on her brow when she noticed the chalice in his hands.

"I'd found this deep in the mines, Pthumeru in origin. Someone appeared to have been studying it but… well, it seems like things had gotten out of hand for them. The Witch that had been with them was proof of that, managing to get in contact with the Great Ones."

"Have you eliminated her?" Lord Death asked.

"Along with any beasts in the surrounding area, yes."

"Be that as it may, I wouldn't exclude the group you and Maka had encountered in your last mission, that Demon Sword and the Witch they were with. You said some of these werewolves had black blood in them?"

"Yeah, not as much control with it as that Meister did but all the same. There's a purpose to it, and I aim to eliminate it before it gets even more out of hand."

"No wonder communications have been null. I suspected this wouldn't be an accident, someone orchestrated this." Azusa deduced. "And if your scattered reports are true, then it would have been planned in locations similar to the tomb you found."

"I have an answer to that," Henaid's tone was serious. "but you're going to have to trust me on this."

The air went cold when he spoke his next words. At least he had their full attention.

"Where is Doctor Medusa?"


Hunter's Dream

Blair liked to think she led a very strange existence, one that led to more strange encounters in recent times. First had been her reunion with Soul, whom she admittedly didn't know what to think of him.

At first, she thought to hate him ever since his disappearance and Maka's subsequent dive into madness. Then, when they found each other again, it been under less… fortunate circumstances. But he didn't hate her, he wouldn't no matter what her hatred may have spawned. He accepted her, and that was more than enough for her. Then, on their way back to Death City, when she closed her eyes for what she swore would only be a few seconds, she found herself…

Here.

She did not know where 'here' was, only that it had a peaceful air and her exhausted mind felt soothed. Upon seeing that Soul wasn't around however, she had a brief moment of panic. She had thought perhaps he left her again, that perhaps it was all a dream.

The woman - or the doll - that had come to help her out of the patch of flowers assured her it was not. None of this was. It was strange to be comforted by such an odd character, but any doubts of her integrity were washed away when she was accepted nonetheless. She was more than elated to help when no further questions were asked, only acceptance as she was allowed to help around with maintaining the keep.

Yet the doubt persisted. The last year and a half did not help in this regard.

"What troubles you, Mistress Blair?" The doll woman asked her suddenly.

"Nya!?" Her surprise nearly made her drop the bucket of water all over the tombstone. "Nothing!"

"Many have come and gone through here, and I have known all manner of behaviors and personalities," The Doll spoke softly as those pale eyes stared into her own. "You cannot lie to me, so please, tell me what troubles you."

"N-nothing really, its…" The Doll continued to stare at her, unconvinced by the feline woman. "Just… should I really be here?"

"The Good Hunter allowed you in here, did he not?"

Blair blinked at the oh so simple response.

"No I mean… do I deserve to be here?"

"I am a doll, here to take care of all who come here. It matters not to me if you deserve to be here, only that you allow me to do so as the Good Hunter instructed."

"Is that really enough for you?"

"I was made to care for all Hunters, yet I enjoy my purpose. It is my joy to ease your suffering, to help you understand yourself here."

Could that really be all there was to it? Just a simple acceptance of a state of being? Of all that had been done? She did not mean to sound so skeptical but… such a way of thinking was… welcoming to say the least.

She smiled as the memories of the people she had met on her travels surged through her mind.

"I see… thank you."

"Of course. Now, we have finished with all the graves, would you care for some tea?"

"That sounds nice."


To say that Medusa was a traitor was just as easily taken just as seriously. How could it be, when the woman had done nothing but help the DWMA all this time? Those present had been quick to counter such a claim, but it became all the more disturbing when the Hunter explained with disturbing clarity why it was so.

'Don't you find it strange how Maka didn't get better every time she paid a visit to that woman?'

The question- though a little biased in Azusa's opinion- had sound logic to it, and it coincided with the timing of the beast plague.

The search for Medusa in the school was thorough and efficient, with all available staff contributing to the search from top to bottom. Understandably, the doctor's office presented no sign of the good doctor, hidden or visible.

But even with the Hunter pitching in, there was little to find regarding Medusa's supposed treachery. Whether or not she was a traitor, she had left nothing out of the ordinary to prompt suspicion. Even so, Lord Death had believed him to a point.

All they had to go on was the information he received from the Witch he killed, however that may have been. Not to mention, he had done little to assuage anyone's worries about his character. The man quite literally disappeared around the corners and outright vanished from sight when no one was looking, as though he were never there.

Joe Buttataki may as well be here to clear up any suspicion, although if he ended up confirming everything as truth…

Regardless, Azusa Yumi currently stood below the many steps leading up to the academy, having retired from the investigation for the day. Behind her, the Hunter walked down the steps, near silent in his descent. That unnerving helmet obscured whatever expression he might have been making, and if he noticed the glare she currently cast him with, she certainly couldn't tell.

"If you're going to contribute to an investigation, at least do it supervised." She said, referring to his appearance in the more confidential areas of the academy, sequestered in the academy's labyrinthine structure.

His response was irritatingly childish. "I don't like waiting for someone to catch up to me."

"Then you're going to have to get used to that sort of thing, especially if you want people to trust you more easily."

"Right, I'll keep that in mind," He said offhandedly before coming to a stop next to her. "You really didn't think to investigate her before today?"

"Even if she had been suspect, there hadn't been time to do this before, what with evacuation efforts taking priority. I noted she hadn't been present, but I can hardly believe Medusa would do this."

"How so?"

"I-" She stopped herself, now realizing the suspicion of her statement.

"You were close then?"

She stiffly nodded. "Of a sort, yes."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

She decided to be frank with him, having tired of his emotionless mask. "Since I was last acquainted with her? Or when I was last here?"

He silently looked at her, a cold look on her face as she stared back.

"If you have any doubts of my integrity, cease immediately. We had a professional relationship with one another, and I assure you, I didn't know she was a Witch." She stated respectfully, annoyed, but respectful nonetheless. "When I was last here a year ago, I had been called in to take down a major operation headed by Al Capone. At the time, Medusa had taken a leave of absence to visit her family, so her report stated."

"Then it would have been after I left…" He mused. "For what its worth, I wasn't accusing you of being a traitor. This is familiar to me though."

"In what way?"

"In Yharnam, there had been those I thought I could trust. One of them was a doctor just like Medusa was."

"What happened?"

"I trusted her. Some folks I sent her way weren't… the same when I saw them again." He concluded before walking away.

Ah. So that's what the problem was. He didn't quite trust anyone as he used to. Not only were those in power the least truthful group around, but he couldn't even trust public servants.

"Wait, I…" She paused, hand outstretched as if to reach for him.

"Yes?" He looked back at her.

Perhaps she had misjudged him earlier, along with that queen he arrived with. Perhaps he truly meant nothing by his inquiry. The logical move would have been to ask for forgiveness, and yet…

Her hand fell back down. "Nevermind. A good night to you, Henaid."

She watched as the Hunter left, his form eventually disappearing in the crowd of people up ahead. A conflicted look was drawn on her face, until frustration gave way at her being unable to understand this man. He was their next best chance at countering this new threat, and yet he was a great unknown. A student of this academy he may have been, it did not change what he was right now, unknown to the order of this society.

When she continued on her way, it began to rain. Yet Azusa was in no hurry as she quietly walked back to her house. She passed by several of her students who had accompanied her from Japan, but she paid them no heed as she continued on her way. The silence persisted until only she was walking in the dead of night, the clacking of her heels echoing in the city.

The key entered the lock, turned, and opened the door before closing behind the woman. Her back against the wall for a few seconds, she pushed off it to head to the bathroom. The bath had been prepared, hot water pooling inside as steam began to condense. But Azusa paid it no mind, not even as sweat collected on her bare skin.

Her reflection stared back at her in the mirror, arms braced on the sink as she stared intently. Wordlessly, she punched the mirror, cracks spreading on the delicate material. But Azusa paid it no mind, not even as blood traveled down her hand.

"Damn you, Medusa…" She muttered as she stared down at the self inflicted wound.

The woman took a deep breath before going on to pick up the pieces from the floor, emotionlessly picking out the fragments embedded in her knuckles.

"Get it together, Azusa, this isn't like you." She chided herself as she dipped her feet into the water, even as a single tear fell down her cheek.

As she ran her fingers through her hair, she decided she never had a more comfortable bed, a great tension leaving her that she practically fell asleep in the water.


Henaid walked around Death City, looking for any stores that might help with anything he could use for his next Hunt. Materials were his priority, for as much as the Dream had stockpiles of resources, it wasn't as if it had an endless bounty. He was not some god that could snap his fingers and conjure up ammunition at a whim, he had his limits; therefore, the land would provide as it always had.

After all, a Hunter made use of all resources, all that they could find.

With this thought in mind, he made his way through the city, passing by the occasional bystander. Naturally, most recoiled in surprise or fear at the sight of him. He didn't need to look into their minds to know that it was strange to see a knight from a bygone era walking the steps they did.

But even he could be caught off guard after all this time, for when he came upon the sight of her, his heart… skipped a beat. For, standing there with her overly loud and boisterous Meister, was Tsubaki Nakatsukasa. She was as stunning as he remembered her being. Tall, curvaceous, her midnight black hair tied behind her head in a ponytail, possessing a slight sheen to it due to the haircare products she used. The only difference he noted in her was a change in uniform.

Now, instead of a pale-yellow Qipao, she wore a white one with a black silken scarf wrapped around her neck that had stars strewn about its length. Black Star was also wearing an outfit similar to his usual clothes, yet it too was colored black and white. The Hunter found himself annoyed by the color scheme. For it reminded him too closely of the Choir, the highest echelon and experimental branch of the Healing Church. What they did to those poor children was… unforgivable. All in the hopes of contacting the Cosmos, and equaling if not hoping to surpass, the Great Ones themselves.

He could hear how Black Star continued to rant and rave how he would 'transcend God.' Usually, he would just shrug it off as the shorter boy's God Complex, but now, it annoyed him. Hearing him spout how he would surpass those who had elevated their thoughts beyond mortal comprehension without having to trek through oceans of blood and seeing mind wrenching horrors, all the while wearing garb similar to that of the Choir, who also took a similar path of sacrificing others for their own gains… Henaid… no, Soul was incised to put the God-wannabe through a test.

Using the Art of Quickening to silently appear between the two students, he caught the boy's hand just as it was swinging in some moment of idiotic excitement. The eyes of the blue-haired menace glared at him with a mixture of surprise and outrage, trying to free his hand from the clutch to no avail.

'Who dared to do such a thing to my great self?' His expression almost screamed.

The knight's head tilted to the side and he let go of him, the ninja hopping backward as he observed the newcomer and got into a threatening stance… or it would've been, had the Hunter considered the failure of an assassin a threat at all. After a moment of sizing him up, the last of the Star Clan spoke, asking, "Who are you to attack a big star like me?"

"Just someone who thought he heard an actual badass capable of surpassing the Gods themselves, and here I find that you haven't a speck of blood on your hands or even glimpsed at the Truth."

Looking at him with both curiosity and hostility, the blue-haired boy asked, "What Truth?"

The Hunter regarded him for a moment before replying, "Among the myriad of them that exist, the one that you need to know is that, Evolution without Courage will lead to naught but Ruin for you."

Scoffing, Black Star replied arrogantly, "A big Star like me fears nothing."

Liar." The Hunter said sharply, before truly looking at him and staring directly into his eyes, he replied, "I look at you and see Fear masked by boastful Bravery. Fear of failure. Anger at a loss, defeat in battle, to be specific."

"Shut up, you don't know anything," The arrogant boy said darkly, his pupils becoming a five-pointed star.

Soul nodded knowingly, "You're right, I don't. I don't why this Beast plague is up and about, but what I do know is you'll be one of them, sooner or later… unless you've already started the transition from a human to a slavering Beast?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" The white-clad teen all but growled staring menacingly.

"You'll have to choose pretty soon," The Hunter said as he began to walk to the side, never looking away. "You will either become a beast and be hunted by me, or, you will rise above your base impulses, and become a Hunter like myself, one who hunts beasts."

Narrowing his eyes, Black Star replied lowly, "You're just like him. Trying to get my godly self to follow a particular path. Well, let me tell you something. I'm too big to listen to someone as small as you."

"Small?" Chuckling slightly, Soul pointed out, "But, I'm taller than you."

It was true that the ninja had seemingly had a growth spurt in the time he'd gone missing, he was only up to the Hunter's chest in height. All in all, he was stocky and muscular, but a little on the short side for a boy of seventeen. His comment enraged the smaller boy, however, and, holding a hand out towards his Weapon Partner, he said, "Tsubaki, Chain-Scythe mode!"

The dark-haired demon weapon was hesitating, however. Something about this man and his advice towards her Meister struck a chord with her. So she tried to get her partner to back down, "Black Star, I don't think-"

"Tsubaki, now," He growled out, his star-shaped dilated eyes never leaving the hunter's form.

'Black Star, you fool.' The Ninja Heiress thought as she begrudgingly transformed into her kusarigama form.

Catching her by the handles of her binary scythe weapon form, and holding one in a reverse grip, Black Star bent his knees readying himself for combat. The Hunter merely stood there, weaponless and unarmed, gauging the boy's power. For someone who was human and not a Hunter enhancing themselves with blood echoes, it was rather impressive. But it was paltry to an experienced Hunter, much less an infant Great One. Still, he felt it would be wrong not to honor the obnoxious ninja's strength.

So he pulled out a different weapon from behind and rested his hand on Simon's pommel, having named the Bowblade after its previous owner, and waited. He didn't have to wait long, for Black Star was still not the most patient of people. With an angry roar, he threw one end of the twin bladed kusarigama his way. Soul braced himself, waiting as the bladed weapon drew almost too close to be avoided before spinning on his heel, his motion and the blade's momentum carrying the attack right past him. Wasting no time, the Hunter used Quickening to dash in front of his opponent in a burst of speed. While he was still surprised, he drew his curved blade and put it against his throat, the bowblade's arrow pressed against the right shoulder.

"I have already cut your throat and prevented any final attack against me." He said simply.

Using the fact he was stunned from his blow to his advantage, the Hunter flitted behind his quarry and kicked the back of his knee, forcing the the self-titled 'Star' down on his knees and kept his head up with the blade up against his throat. He bent over and spoke to his downed opponent, "Twice now, you have now tasted the edge of a Hunter's blade. So tell me, knowing now that the gap between us is as deep as the depths of the ocean, what does now knowing this Truth, which you were previously ignorant of, fill you with? Courage… or Fear? For if it is the latter, then you shall never surpass God. For Evolution without Courage, will lead to Ruin."

"Shut up!" The ninja shouted as he craned his head up slightly to look at him, his star-like pupils becoming more pronounced. "Tsubaki! Uncanny Sword Mode!"

The Demon Weapon morphed once again, this time turning into a black blade with a bandage-wrapped hilt; to be precise, Tsubaki had become a nodachi. It was a beautiful weapon, elegant, traditional, befitting of his childhood crush. But that was a long time ago.

He could not afford to go easy on anyone if they were to survive what would come.

Shaking his head in disappointment, the Hunter continued, "It seems you have still not been cleansed of your beastly idiocy. I shall have to try and stop being so soft on you I see."

With that, he disappeared in a burst of Quickening once again. Black Star immediately turned around, first looking behind, then left, right, and facing forwards again in a matter of seconds, only to find nothing.

[Black Star, from above!] Tsubaki warned her Meister.

But the warning only came just in time for the wannabe god to look up and see doom, in the form of silver arrows streaking his way from the sky. The first two pierced his shoes, pinning him in place. Another hit him in his right thigh, and a final pair struck him in his forearms, causing him to drop his weapon and fall onto his back with a groan that was a mix of pain and anger.

The Hunter touched down on the ground gracefully, snapping Simon back into a sword and storing it away, taking out the sheathed Chikage as he approached. As he neared, Tsubaki assumed human form, standing protectively in front of her Meister. Taking up some kind of martial arts stance he was unfamiliar with, she declared, "Stop, I won't let you hurt him anymore!"

Much to her surprise, this strange man did indeed stop when she told him to. He stopped and her eyes fell on the sheathed weapon, feeling a sense of… wrongness coming out of it. It felt alive, not like a Demon Weapon however, alive in the sense of what Demon Weapons were originally meant for. And what was expected of them.

It just wanted to rend everything.

Tsubaki gasped as she tripped in place, looking back at the knight's featureless gaze. He chuckled before fastening the sheathed weapon to his side, the arrows that had pierced the ninja fading into mist shortly after. He then quietly walked past both aghast students towards Shinigami-sama, who had been silently watching the fight from a corner store's mirror the entire time. Yet he stopped briefly to look over his shoulder.

"Your Weapon deserves better. One who thinks with his head, not with his ego. Hopefully, this defeat has taught you humility, if not wisdom."

Tsubaki looked to her partner who had his head down, his hair obscuring his face. It didn't hide the seething anger from him.

"Tsubaki, please take Black Star to the doctor's office. I must speak with the Hunter." Lord Death asked, surprising the two.

Tsubaki relented quickly enough as she helped her partner up, the two eventually disappearing from sight, but not before the ninja gave him one final glare. The stars in his eyes clear as day. He hated him, that was good.

"Well, you waste no time in causing trouble." Lord commented, wagging a large finger in disapproval.

"Drop the façade first of all," The Hunter deadpanned. During his time in Yharnam, Soul had come to dislike mysteries. He much preferred to know just whom he was speaking with, especially if it was face to face like now. "No one else is around."

There was a slight puff of smoke. When it cleared, he was face to face with the Reaper, who spoke in his dark, sinister tone, "Ask and ye shall receive. Now, I hope you had a good reason for teaching such humility to your friend?"

"He IS the reason. You really think he'll last against those who would use his stupidity against him?"

"Indeed I do. But you are still a young Great One, you must take care not to let your own nature control you."

Henaid huffed. "Tell that to Captain Spaz, the fact that he's a scrub that gets his ass kicked a lot is a problem."

For a moment, the Reaper said nothing, instead just silently staring at the former student. Little could be gauged from either's lack of emotion, to the point that they may as well have been statues. Finally, it was Lord Death who broke the silence, tilting his head to the side.

"Old Man Yama would have liked you," The Grim Reaper waved a clawed hand over the smooth surface. "I only implore you to not take it too far."

The mirror rippled for a moment before a map of all the towns in the state of Nevada appeared. "You'll go where the Hunt takes you, but I've prepared a map of the locations of which would be key in reclaiming. I recall our last reports had been that some particularly nasty foes had taken root there, you'll understand why I didn't bring this up before."

The albino nodded in understanding. Specialists like Sid would have wasted no time in heading out to do their job, but while they would have killed a few of the beasts, there was a chance they could be unprepared when something worse appeared. And there was always something worse.

The humans just needed a helping hand.

"If what you told me about that Witch is true, then all the more reason to allow you to do your work."

"Indeed, hunting Beasts is Hunter's work. Just as it is a Meister's work to hunt Afreet and Kishin, so too must Hunters hunt Beasts. The only place our work coincides is the Hunting of Witches. In the meantime, I want to test out how long I can do this without endangering humans."

"You'll be gone for a few days?" The Shinigami nodded, "Very well."

As Soul walked away, he heard the Death God call out to him in his comical tone, "And Henaid?"

Turning, he found Lord Death giving him a thumbs up. "Good will hunting."

Turning and walking away, Soul raised a hand in farewell.


"Holy shit… he was fast."

Kimial Diehl had been adamant to learning more about the mysterious newcomer to Death City, her own suspicions about the man growing ever since they met.

"I barely even saw him move…"

That idea of him being a benevolent gentleman proved to be what seemed a falsehood, as this exchange made him out to be more of a dark and violent individual. Certainly, Black Star had always been a bit of a jackass but… this response seemed too much - no, personal.

This only added to her suspicions as when she tried to use Soul Empathy - a mock version of Soul Perception - on him. It was an experimental Meister technique she had been developing in response to the creatures that have appeared in recent times. It was supposed to help Meisters-Weapon teams with managing through the mental pain that came with fighting the mad beings, but when she tested it on the Hunter, what she found was…

He is a big, bad wolf in sheep's clothing. Dangerous. That is not a man. That is a wolf. He is That Old Life.

Her lips unconsciously turned up in a smile as her eyes snapped to where Tsuabki was helping Black Star up. There was a certain pleasure to be had in the boy getting his just desserts. Her eyes narrowed setting upon Tsubaki, quickly blinking afterward as she shook off her train of thought.

Soul Empathy may have worked too well where Soul Perception couldn't get anything off the Hunter. For just a moment, she could feel what he felt. It was… maddening.

"I'd like to see what else you can do…" She whispered, her fingernails digging into the wall as her breath quickened.

"Kim?"

Kim's smile was practically reaching her ears, her eyes shining a dim light. The very prospect of danger enticing her being.

"Won't you tell me your secrets?" She started giggling.

"K-Kim?"

'Hold on. What am I thinking? I don't really have anything against them… although…'

To see someone as unpredictable as that enlighten another's arrogance… right. What a time to have been alive if this guy is the last of his kind.

"Kim!" The girl in question jolted in place as she turned to see Jacqueline standing there, hand on her shoulder and concern etching her partner's features. "Are you okay? You look like you were in a trance."

"What?" Kim looked to her friend's hand as if left her shoulder, trembling slightly. "I was…" She trailed off as she brought up a hand to her head. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

Kim's eye twitched at the question. Was she okay? Of course she was. She just said so. Why was she-

The pinkette shook her head at that train of thought. Jackie was her friend, it wouldn't do to suddenly blow up on her with ill thoughts irritating her. Stressful times needed release of some sort. Then she remembered, they were going to meet up with Tsugumi and the girls for bowling. How could she have forgotten?

The atmosphere might finally be getting to her.

"Yeah, really! Sorry for worrying you!"

The moon laughed as the two girls went their way, its eye trailing one of them in particular.


Wolf in human skin.


It was quiet in Deathbucks, more so than usual with all things considered.

Death the Kid sat with Liz and Patty to his right, quietly drinking from his coffee while Patty played on some video game device. Liz on the other hand just watched her sister happily play, idly sipping at her tea. This is how it had been recently, when they weren't out on skirmishes against errant werewolves, they were making the most out of the time they could spend in Death City.

Although surprisingly enough, it was Patty that had grown to be the most distant. Something had happened between her and Liz, though he didn't know what it was. It was a subtle change, they certainly talked but it felt as though Liz was more careful around Patty. He even suggested that Liz sit next to Patty if she wished - even if the break on symmetry tortured him so - but the older girl waved him off, content to give her sister space. This was the first time in a long and arduous while that the younger Thompson sister was simply happy.

Which is why it was a little surprising to see a man dressed like he came out of the Dark Times, Victorian Era to be exact. Although the make of his armor was curious, most knights didn't use helmets that didn't have portholes. And then, when his eyes fell upon the sword and gun by his sides, it was then that he realized that this was the man his father had told him about.

This was the Hunter from Yharnam.

The first sign that something was off was how Patty fell silent when her eyes set on the man, eerily silent at that. She'd been playing on the device when it simply fell from her hands, clattering slightly on the table. At first, Kid suspected she might have had another memory of Soul, but she wasn't crying.

Instead, she was looking right at the man, eyes wide and mouth agape. Kid understood why, what with his white hair spilling out from the side of his helmet, it was a natural response from someone who didn't know many people with that hair color. But it was too late, she was already joyously speeding toward the man.

"SOUL! You're back! You're really back! Heheheyeah! I'm so happy!" She yelled jubilantly.

The knight turned in time to see the girl prancing towards him, her arms outstretched as she hopped up to his chest. She hung there, looking up at him with a beaming smile.

"Well how about that?" Henaid muttered as he tilted his head down slightly.

"Patty! Let go of him right now!" Liz sternly demanded, fearing for her sister in the presence of the unknown individual.

"But Sis!" Patty protested. "Soul finally came back! I don't wanna let him go yet, I wanna take him home and cuddle with him and my stuffed giraffe!"

Kid understood, he really did. But the man was not Soul. He was too tall for one, and he was certainly taller than the teenager they were friends with.

"Patty, now." He ordered, his tone brokering no argument.

"Fine." Patty obliged after a moment, sliding off the man.

Thankfully, he didn't seem to be offended; on the contrary, he seemed to be amused by the younger Thompson. A chuckle could be heard from underneath that helmet as he reached out with a clawed gauntlet and ruffled the sullen girl's hair.

"You're kind of strong, aren't you?" He said good-naturedly, or at least Kidd supposed. The man's voice had a rasp to it, so much so it sounded as if he was short of breath. Had Patty held onto him too tightly perhaps?

"You'll have to forgive her, Patty's very excitable." Kidd told the man as he stood up from his seat, making his way over to him to offer a hand.

"Think nothing of it," The Hunter said as he shook the hand, "I have encountered those who seem to think I bear some relation to him, marking this as the second instance. I presume he was well regarded in these parts?"

It was an innocently curious question, but it still hit hard. Soul was a friend, one of the few to treat him as an equal where others would tread lightly around him due to being Lord Death's son. Liz felt much the same, a downcast expression on her face as she looked out the window. Worse still, tears began to collect in Patty's disbelieving eyes, as if she couldn't comprehend what the man said.

"Yes… yes he was." Kidd muttered.

"See what you did?" Patty all but screamed at the man. "You made everyone sad by not wanting to come back! Why don't you want to come back!? Take that helmet off!"

Her hands tried reaching up at him in an attempt to remove said object. The Hunter gently stopped Patty from tampering with his headgear, tears collecting in her cerulean eyes.

"I'm sorry, but for your safety, I cannot take my helmet off. Knights of Cainhurst specifically wear these for the safety of the people." He explained, sounding like he genuinely regretted not doing so.

"That doesn't even make sense…" She sniffled.

"It would be worse for you if you tried to understand what you saw underneath," He explained before reaching behind his back. "Nonetheless, I've committed a blunder. So a gift for the young lady."

What he offered was a small wooden box, able to fit in both hands. Opening the lid, he gently wound the key a few times before letting it play its gentle lullaby. By the time it finished, Patty had stopped crying. Instead, she stared at it with childlike wonder. "So pretty…"

"I want you to have it," He said, "It is not something that belonged to me, but to a fellow Hunter by the name of Father Gascoigne, who lost himself to the Madness of The Hunt. For me, it…" He stopped himself. "Go on, take it."

"Thank you…" Patty said in a sweet tone that was filled with genuine warmth. Not at all like the childlike kindness she usually portrayed.

The knight nodded. "Again, my apologies. Regrettably, I am not the person you have mistaken me for. I am Henaid, a Hunter and knight to the House of Cainhurst," He turned to take an order but stopped himself, as if he still had more to say. And he did, hesitation clear in his posture. "I know all too well the feeling you are going through, this loss. This need to know more. And though I can't help you with him, I can tell you he would have wanted you to keep moving forward. Don't stop."

It may have been a cruel thing to say, but the man did not have ill intent behind the statement. The man himself likely went through such loss before, and was only speaking from experience.

"You knew him, didn't you?" Surprisingly, it was Liz who asked that where Kidd found himself unable to.

"Yes, he was unfortunate to have ended up where he was, but I did all I could for him. That music box was something he gave to me before we parted. I'm sorry that we couldn't meet with better news."

And with that, nothing more was said on their lost friend. There was no need, not for now at least. It was enough of a comfort for Kidd to know Soul had survived to a point. To Liz, there was someone who knew him to the end. And Patty, a final gift from her friend who taught her the joy of music.

"Now, as for I came here…" The Hunter turned to the bartender of the establishment, placing two hands on the table. Which, as Kidd just barely noticed, were slightly shaking. "I'll take two black coffees, and… one cuban colada." He practically sounded as if he was salivating at that last one. "Did any of you want anything?"

"One pumpkin spice iced chai latte." Liz answered.

"Two dozen danishes!" Patty exclaimed.

"What in Kos is that first one…" Henaid muttered before nodding at the bartender. "What they want."

The Master, owner of the establishment, nodded briskly before going to the back to personally help prepare such a large order. It was done it a few minutes, and after ringing up his purchase, the Master said, "Your total is fifty-seven dollars and fifty cents."

"Right just let me… oh, shoot." The Hunter said.

Seeing he was in distress, the Master asked, "Is something the matter, good sir?"

Rubbing the back of his head, The Hunter replied, "Sort of, I do have money. I'm just not sure how much it is worth."

Seeing the café owners' curious look, the Hunter sighed and pulled out a bulging pouch that clinked slightly when he set it on the countertop. Pulling the drawstrings open he reached into the bag and dropped a handful of coins on the counter. The Master's eyes widened in surprise. As the dozen or so coins on his countertop were seemingly made of pure gold, and as wide as a human fist. Picking one up, he noted that both sides were marked with strange imagery, on one side were what looked like a crudely carved teardrop with an eye in the middle, and on the other, was an intertwining mark.

The Master then bit down on the coin he was holding. Feeling it give, he found, yes indeed it was made of pure gold, and not gold coated lead. Taking the single coin, he pushed the rest of the currency towards his customer before he asked, "These sigils, what do they mean?"

The Hunter took up a coin himself and looked at it carefully as if indeed observing it for the first time. A few moments later, he pointed to the teardrop-like rune and said, "This means Communion." He then flipped it to the other side and said, "This means Corruption. Are you sure that's all I owe you?"

"Quite. Have a pleasant time, sir." The Master said, giving the Hunter one of his once-in-a-blue-moon smiles. Putting the remaining coins back in his bag and picking up the drinks, he nodded and made his way out of the shop. Once he had gone, the Master frowned.

"Master-san, is something wrong?" Kidd asked concernedly.

"That young man… is carrying a fortune on his waist and he doesn't even realize it." The owner of Deathbucks said after a moment.

"WHAT!?" Was the collective exclamation.

The coffee shop owner nodded and, holding up the coin for all to see, elaborated, "This coin is made of solid gold, weighing approximately one ounce. When I checked the paper earlier today, the price of gold, per ounce was one-thousand-eight-hundred-fifty Dollars… and that young man's pouch was full to the point of almost bursting."

Stunned silence filled the coffee shop, and the owner carried on, "As he overpaid so much for so little, I think we'll open up a tab for him. So for now, anything he buys here will be on the house."

"Well, one thing's for sure. We can't let Kim know about this, you know how she gets."

"Yeah! She'd see him like he's a farm!"

Meanwhile at the bowling alley, Kim suddenly froze midstep with the bowling ball in her hand. The girls looking at her concerned.

"Kim?" Jacqueline asked. "You okay?"

"I felt a disturbance in the air, as if a sudden spike in money just made itself known to me."

Back at Deathbucks…

"I think it would be wise if you took it a step further and informed the other shop owners in the area as well," Kidd said after a moment.

"Why, wouldn't they try and rip him off if they knew?" Liz asked her Meister.

Shaking his head, the incomplete Death God replied, "No you don't understand. Father values order and fairness above all else. So if he caught wind of people price gouging… he would become upset. You wouldn't like to see him angry." Kidd warned.

"Thanks for the warning, Kidd, I'll be sure to notify the other shopkeepers," The Master promised before asking, "In the meantime, the young man did say you could get whatever you want, so… what'll you have?"

Even as the girls placed their orders, Kidd couldn't help but have a sense of deja vu. For when he shook the Hunter's hand, he could have sworn his soul wavelength felt… familiar.

"A Hunter must hunt…"


Henaid held the cardboard tray of coffee in one hand while holding one of the cups over his head, his helmet screeching lightly to reveal a maw of metallic teeth. Tipping over the cup of coffee into his waiting mouth, the contents were deposited until nothing was left and his mouth closed back to normal.

"Haaa… that's the stuff." He growled before making his way down the stone stairs. "I know you're here, Spirit, you big fucking nerd. Where's my goddamn money?"

Henaid's voice echoed through the plaza, his footsteps being a sort of ominous sign of his approach. Even his figure cast an imposing sight with the moon at his back, his red eyes peering through the darkness of the fog.

The glum redhead in question felt a nerve pop in his head, very nearly suffering a heart attack from that. Why did Death City have to be so damn creepy sometimes?

"I… what?" Spirit breathed out. "I don't owe you any money! What do you take me for anyway!?"

"Someone who would actually owe me money." Henaid stated as he sat down on the bench next to other man's and reclined backward.

"Tch… damn punk, why are you here anyway?"

"Well, I wanted to check up on you, see if your handler was here. But seeing as we're alone, that might not be the case. Not a total loss, it just means we can talk in peace for a bit, I even brought coffee."

"Like I'd have anything to talk about with you…" The man muttered, stubbornly turning away from him.

"Why wouldn't we?"

"You know why."

"Why. Not? You stupid bastard?" He emphasized by jabbing a finger onto the man's chest.

"BECAUSE ITS YOUR FAULT MY DAUGHTER IS GONE!" The man all but screamed, turning to face the person he despised so much. "Its your fault that my baby girl… my Maka… is gone. Why? Why did she have to go after you?"

That, he didn't have an answer for. Not one that the broken man before him would like, and certainly not one that he himself could readily accept.

"Because she was concerned for her partner." A new voice spoke up. "Her friend."

Henaid turned to see a willowy looking woman with long ashen blonde hair and dark brown eyes, her heart-shaped face denoting her Asian heritage. She wore a long black dress with buttons in a skull motif. He was only slightly annoyed by the fact that she looked the type that Spirit would hit on, but judging by the fact that Spirit almost immediately behaved himself around her, he supposed this was the person that Lord Death assigned to keep an eye on the Death Scythe.

"Evening," Henaid greeted, offering the woman one of the coffee cups. "Coffee?"

"Why, how sweet of you." After taking a sip, she smiled serenely. "Mmm, hot and black," She placed a hand on her cheek, blushing lightly. "Just like how I like my men these days."

Spirit moaned piteously and slammed his head on the table, likely regretting his life's choices. Henaid on the other hand simply placed the other coffee cup next to the man.

"Damn, Spirit, this is the person Lord Death put you up with? I asked him to put you with someone you'd be uncomfortable around, but I might end up asking for the dame's hand by the end of the day."

"Fufufu… you flatter me, Soul-kun." She smiled lightly at him. "I am Kami Nomikoto, Maka's mother."

The sound of glass shattering was heard as the atmosphere grew uncomfortable. The air of confidence he had was gone as Henaid rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment… and downright horror.

"Oh… your Maka's mother… I… I didn't realize." He started stuttering, suddenly feeling that it was very hot outside.

She merely waved away his apology, giving him a warm smile. "No need, it's nice to be complimented by one so young."

"Stop hitting on my wife, punk." Spirit growled, only to be shot down as Kami's left leg whipped up to slam her heel on his stomach.

"Ex-wife, you made sure of that." She snapped sharply, not once losing her smile even as Spirit groaned.

This comment caused Spirit to moan piteously, and Henaid could see that indeed, the Shinigami had chosen well, sticking the woman-chasing Spirit with his ex. In doing so, it no doubt forced him to feel guilt for his actions and allowed her to get back at him for several years' worth of cheating in her own way. The albino also highly doubted Spirit would be visiting Chupa Cabra's anytime soon as well, with his wife shadowing him. It was genius really.

"I can see you are apprehensive around me, Soul-kun." She said suddenly, her tone calm even now.

He looked down, unable to look at her.

"I am not angry at you." She continued. "You ventured to this Cainhurst with the intent of reuniting with a lost family, you could not have anticipated what happened after. I know my daughter, and I would have done the same like her once, going after her partner the moment I realized something was wrong."

"You're right, but it's because she's my partner that its on me. You forget that she didn't go mad when she found out her father was a chauvinist pig, nor did she go mad when you left for your long missions to forget about your failed marriage. She fell to Madness after I left, a fact that cannot be changed. So, no matter how much blame you think you deserve or try to put on yourselves, it is still my fault… and it won't stop me from blaming myself either."

He was caught off guard when the woman enveloped him in a hug. It was a warm and comforting mother's embrace, something he hadn't truly experienced before. His grandmother was a close example, but that was a distant memory. At the very least, it was certainly more comforting than the lingering touch of the Moon Presence attempting to claim him.

"You are far, far too hard on yourself." She resolutely told him. "I would prefer it if you didn't degrade yourself any further."

"You're way too kind to me, Miss. I honestly don't deserve it."

He half expected Spirit to quip up at that, but the man was oddly silent, instead opting to stare silently at the coffee in his hands.

"You really think you can find Maka, Henaid?" Kami asked, a hope ful tone in her voice. "Will you be able to rid her of her madness?"

"Getting rid of the madness will be the easy part, personal experience I have. Finding her will be the hard part, I've found people when I needed to, but her scent was wild back at our apartment. Madness was thick in the air."

"Evans-kun," She set the coffee aside and took his hands in her own. "You can do this. You have to because we have already tried everything, we scoured what territory we could before this outbreak, because if you can't, then I don't know what else to do. I have faith in you, you see, and so does Spirit."

The Death-Scythe just sipped his coffee, causing his ex-wife to grip his shoulder and say, "We believe in him, don't we, Spirit?"

"Y-Yeah!" The promiscuous weapon said quickly, fear tingling his voice and a shiver running down his spine. Satisfied, the woman's smile returned to its normal state as she turned back to Henaid.

"We'll help you as much as you need us to."

Help. Even now. He did not wish the woman for such a thing, not when he didn't deserve it.

"Do as you wish, if it pleases you."

After that, he simply disappeared. In the wake of his departure, a crooked lamp with an ethereal glow was left behind.


Rather than finding himself back at the Hunter's Dream, he found himself standing in the middle of a great lake, unable to see anything beyond the white fog that blanketed the land beyond. Realizing that he was in his true form, he looked down to see his reflection was that of what he lets others see, his Hunter form.

If anyone were to look past the looking glass of what he showed them, they may have been more than a little horrified to see the truth. Despite the fact that monsters still maintained a presence in their world, they were still few and far between to really warrant concern.

Sounds in the forest beyond received his attention, paleblood red eyes probing through the gray fog as he saw a presence peering behind a tree. It was not malevolent, but it was curious, like a child sneaking an up close look at deer in the forest. A blue feathered crane farther out had paused in its wading through the water, one long leg outstretched upward as it looked at him curiously. The curiosity lasted for only a few seconds however, as it returned back to wading through the water, the presence doing the same as it observed the avian.

Another presence made itself known to him and he looked forward, seeing a gargantuan wolf standing before him on all fours. Obsidian colored, its fur didn't so much as exist as it was covered in something which resembled darkness that writhed as if alive. A bright orange glow pulsed in its chest, a heart that visibly beated.

He had seen this being before, when he was a newborn Great One dreaming in the arms of his mother.

"You. Why am I here?" No answer came, but those eyes stared at him with an ancient intelligence. Above, a moon hung in a crescent shape, lacking a face. It still seemed to smile down at him. "What do you want?"

"To build." The obsidian wolf said in a deep but distant voice, like it was farther away than it actually was.

A dozen smaller wolves moved out from beyond the fog, similar in size to Henaid but all colored differently. Some sat beside the largest one, others simply stood in place. One stalked toward him, red in color. Another sat beside the obsidian wolf, coated with dark fur and a mop of red on its head. Heterochromatic eyes of brilliant gold and ghastly purple silently staring at him.

"I want you to build."

The red wolf had been circling around him, inspecting him intently. When he looked at it, they bared their teeth in what he understood to be a smile before it huffed a few times. Laughter then, he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Build what?" He asked.

"What you see."

Confusion etched his features before he understood the meaning, so he growled in defiance of the titan. His worded response is a series of barks to the human ear, if any were to be here.

"You want me to put more people through that? With how many caved in to beasthood? Do you even know what happened to the Old City of The Created?"

"So guide them, Little Pup. Follow what was written, or have you forgotten?" The symbol on the wolf's forehead - he didn't notice it before, how familiar it was - lit up with moonlight and engulfed his vision. "You have found Paleblood, now transcend the hunt."

And the world went white as he was allowed back into the Waking World.


But where the world would be mended, cracks would begin to surface. The blood of old sings once more, and beckons terrors both old and new into the world.

Though the beast plague had indeed been running rampant, the question remained: Who released it, and why? What could be gained from such an act?

The evil that lies within mankind would pour out. Old hatreds and old rivalries would lash out.

The Immortal Clan. Thought to be bitter from past transgressions, fought with an alien ferocity none had expected.

The Witch Realm of Wischtech. Moved by the appearance of a Hunter, begin to move their chess pieces.

The stain of the Madness of Fear. Eager to be set loose upon the world, having never truly left.

And the Timelost. Warriors from across time and space, scattered and misbegotten from whence they came.

The Wolves are howling, and The Hunt begins again. All will learn to fear the Old Blood once more.


(Play Merry-Go-Round by CHEMISTRY)

Death City - Ultimate Death Rides

Tsubaki, now wearing a set of blue coveralls and a grease smudged bandana, hurried towards Ultimate Death Rides, one of her two places of employment. The front door opening with a tinkling chime she noticed her employer, Kazuichi Soda, sitting at the counter with a grin on his face as he read a copy of a 'Cars' magazine. Bowing in apology towards her employer she said, "Sorry I'm late, Kazuichi."

That knowing smile still on his face, the man replied, "Ah don't worry about it, Tsubaki. I couldn't tell you how many times I was late for work, Mr. Scooter managed to get that habit out of me at least. Although," He looked away for a second to hide a smirk, scratching at his neck. "I did hear something near our pet project recently, I was too busy getting the store ready though. Would you mind giving the place a look? Make sure nothing's out of order or anything?"

The ever helpful Demon Weapon nodded before walking off, leaving the man mentally counting down in his head, 'Five…four…tree…two…one…'

The sound of swiftly approaching feet could be heard and seconds later, Tsubaki appeared looking distressed. Looking at him with indigo eyes half filled with tears she said, "Kazuichi-san! Soul's bike is missing! Someone must have stolen it!"

"Now hold on Sue, calm down. Nobody stole that sweet ride." Kazuichi assured her.

Kilik will probably be disappointed in him betraying Soul's trust like this, but she had to know eventually. Soul, or Henaid on the other hand, will probably just make him regret everything. Even so, it would be cruel to leave the girl in the dark like this, unaware he had returned.

"But-but its gone."

"Just because its gone doesn't mean its stolen! Heh, you could say an acquaintance of Soul came by and picked it up."

"An acquaintance?" Her eyes lit up with hope as she connected the dots. "Maybe he knows where he's gone."

"As sure as the sun rises behind the morning." The mechanic nodded. "He'll be back soon."

"Finally, a lead… I'd been looking for so long." Smiling the happiest he'd seen of her in a long time, she wiped tears from eyes. "Maka would have loved to hear the good news. But if he took it, then-"

"You need to take the day off," Kazuichi interrupted her.

Tsubaki blinked once, then twice before asking, "But why?"

"He's hard to get ahold of, nobody really sees him in the city but that's just because he stays out of sight when he can. You'll know him when you see him, tall knight guy, no face." He continued before she could protest. "Don't worry about me, your needed elsewhere now… and there's not much else to do around here anyway."

The Demon Weapon's eyes widened in surprise. That man knew of Soul? She wasn't sure about trusting someone who may have been capable of killing her partner. But if he knew something about Soul… she had to know.

Her heart fluttering, Tsubaki bowed in deep appreciation before rushing out the door, "Got it, thank you, Kazuichi!"

Kilik warned him about putting such hope into Tsubaki, but at least now she wouldn't worry herself sick about her friend's motorcycle being stolen. He couldn't just lie to a kind girl like her, so a half truth should suffice. Not to mention, those two have known each other longer than anyone might think. Its out of his hands now, so it requires a woman's touch on the matter.

"Ah, to be in love."

A moment later, Kilik busted down the entrance doors. A shadow cast over his body while his glasses shined in the darkness.

"KAZ WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO!?"


Witch Realm Wischtech

The queen's personal quarters were cast aglow with moonlight, illuminating the mostly empty room and stacks of books strewn about. A single person was seated at their desk at the end of the room, piled up with papers and tomes, along with alchemical equipment she neglected to organize.

This was Grand Witch Mabā, current Queen of the Witch Order and the creator of the pocket dimension that was their current home for over 800 years. A relic from the past she may be, but it is under her leadership that the entire Witch Order has survived. Such is one of the reasons why there have been less excursions into the human world, less terror enacted by her kind justifying the DWMA's purpose… more Witches returning home.

Her pen stopped scribbling as she looked to a paper tome atop the desk, a list of all the Witches and Sorcerers excommunicated from the order. Thirteen who were put up for capture and later execution as per a Witch Hunt.

Arachne Gorgon. Shaula Gorgon. Sofia Ressa Valk. The worst of their kind even by their own standards. All her own personal failures as queen. Logically, some even see her choice in allowing Medusa Gorgon leeway with operations in the human world to be a mistake, not that she can blame them. Blood, family, even mere cooperation is seen as sacred in their society, and Medusa's lack of communication recently is proof to the other Covens that foul play is in effect.

"Medusa… do not betray my trust in you."

Suddenly, the air began to warp as space itself seemed to form digitizing black cubes. They quickly spread in place as they became part of larger whole, smaller bits moving to and fro until stopping in place. A pair of glowing purple orbs appeared in the upper center, blinking innocently before the materialization dissipated as quickly as it formed to reveal a young girl rubbing at her eyes standing there. She yawned before smiling at the highest ranking Witch, waving at her lazily.

This was Chiaki Nanami, the oldest of the younger generation of Witches and wielder of her own specialized magic. Though quiet and sleepy for the most part, one can be surprised by her observations and analytics, such that she had pioneered in a more mobile spell of Calculation Magic.

"Hey hey Miss Mabā… did you hear?" The girl lazily started, teetering on her feet and waving her arms to the side. "What do you think we should do? Something like this hasn't happened in a long time."

Those like Grand Justice Lorelei would have called out the girl's lack of following protocol and just using the door to get in here, and yet Mabaa merely arched an eyebrow at the young lady's mannerisms. In truth, both were among the highest ranking individuals of the academy, with her granddaughter being part of her Coven.

"Nyamu, as of now? We continue holding fast to our territory, these invaders will give no quarter and neither shall we. I will not allow it."

"Yep yep. But the recent wavelengths, I've been studying them and found something strange with the ones felt here and in the human world." She pulled up her hoodie and seemed to hesitate. "There's a Madness Wavelength involved, but… its one I've only seen once before."

"Nyamu?" Maba leaned forward.

"But it's one I've only seen once before." Nanami repeated herself.

It took Maba a few seconds to realize that the girl misunderstood her query.

"I… nevermind," Maba shook her head. "How so?"

"It's… hmm…" The girl hesitated. "A Hunter type wavelength. Only Maria had exhibited that sort of power in recent times."

The Queen of the Witch Order paused, looking out the window and at the crescent moon laughing in the night sky. Indeed, the Astral Recusant had been the last known individual to exhibit this manner of wavelength after Yharnam. Combined with the fact that she had a mighty soul, she was an archaic sort who had simply… disappeared just as she had in her time.

Could it be that this is the same person? How long had it been since they'd last spoken? Years, certainly. Chiaki must have tried to take her feelings on the matter into consideration, something the girl struggled with at times.

"Chiaki, I would like for you to scout this Hunter. I suspect this has triggered a chain of events, and this beast plague is no mere coincidence. Nyamu, to assume it appeared out of thin air would be like saying the Great Ones had all but decided to leave everything alone. We have to assume that someone has- Nanami!"

Nanami jolted upright, having dozed off while standing around.

"Did you hear any of what I said?"

"Umm… scout the Hunter?" She absently tilted her head. "I think?"

"Yes. May you do that for me? The other Covens are busy with the invaders and my own can't be stretched out any further."

Mabaa would have to contact the other Covenants, less reputable organizations not directly tied with the order and said to be hives of scum and villainy, even surviving individuals gifted with their respective talents who happened to be part of said hives of scum and villainy. They were not excommunicated in the traditional sense, but the times demanded they not be stringent about tradition. Even if individuals like Shantotto worked differently in their own worlds, now long gone for one reason or another.

Mabaa paused in her work and looked across her desk, reminiscing on old times. Fond memories of the Company of Heroes she had been a part of. Eight banners were hung from underneath the alcoves in the room, four on both sides and representing the leading Covenants within the Witch Order. In addition to the fact that they served as the nobility of the order, they also served as their strongest in terms of a military response.

Knights of Blue. Knights of Red. Crying Wolves. Laughing Baryonyx. Mercurial Enginseers. Clocktower Judges. Deepwood Scions. Darkmoon Sovereignty. And although the Sovereignty had not been heard of in generations, the last three were held in high regard as, if not equal to, Mabaa's own Covenant.

One final banner hung from the wall over the window, black and white in color as it represented the main Covenant which led the Witch Order since the beginning.

Wischtech.

"Nyamu… watch over us, O great Inca."


Unknown

The tall and silent monk clothed in a yellow robe paused in his journey for a moment as he looked up at the sky. He paid no mind as the wind billowed at his tattered clothing and rattled the prayer beads his gloved hands were clasped over, his wolven bone mask whistling with nature's show of force.

He stood there for a long while, observing the sun as it remained silent. He perceived wind, as it blew between his fingers wrapped in cloth. A sudden addition to the equation had been added, akin to an imaginary number. In the face of regression through this plague, this is good.

This is progress. But to what end?

"FOOL!" A small creature of a rather simplistic design poked at him with his cane. "Don't just stand there! You have long since neglected to walk three steps behind me as part of provision number 573!"

A possible solution to what was slowly becoming a state of entropy in the world. The solution being… order? Nay, that had been achieved in the past and failed eventually. Despair? Such a concept could not exist for long as evolution would push life beyond its failures. A return to the past?

"Must I truly reiterate all 1,000 provisions?" The creature huffed and dusted off his white jacket. "Be sure to listen well this time, they are all important. Especially number 452: the five hour story telling part."

Not likely. What has been can never return to its original state, something similar perhaps, but never the original. And so, his outstretched hand opened up in front of the sun before all seven fingers slowly creaked into a fist.

Unless of course, that was not the answer either?

Yellow orbs flickering twice underneath the mask, the monk pulled up his hood before clasping his hands together once more. Ever so quietly, he unknowingly passed by the simplistic looking creature who noticed he was already a mile away.

"Hey! Hold on, come back!" He sped off after the silent one, grabbing at his top hat after it comically flew off his head. "I'll tell you what! I can lower those 1,000 provisions down to 800, just so long as you take part in the five hour story telling part!"

Even in trying times, peace and tranquility can still be achieved. No distraction must impede oneself if they wish to reach the perfect state of Nirvana. Something new.

Something that had not been seen before.


Let's take a walk into the woods.


Alaska

An insectoid monstrosity lunged at the black clothed individual standing in the snowy clearing, spindly limbs snapped open and claws spread out as it prepared to maul them. It was only a hair's breadth away when it realized that they moved, unseen as the black blade trailing through the eye-infested flesh of its face to its back.

"Curious," She spoke with a lithe voice, lips set in a thin line underneath her hood. "They are not adaptable in the face of death."

Words spoken not as cruel mocking, but as a toneless observation.

As the black blade left the creature's back, blood flowing out from the wound, its body split apart in a bloody fashion before crumpling to the ground. A stream of blood flowed from the carcass to the blade, lining the fuller of the weapon. But the maiden cloaked in black did not falter as she twisted her body to the right and side slipped over the attack of another of the monsters, rolling just above its claws before slamming the tip of her weapon into its skull. Her momentum still in effect, she carried her blade along the creature's head as it sliced open its skull, stopping at the base of its nose would be when the weapon left its victim.

When she landed on her feet, she quickly swung her blade upward to parry another attack. Locked in place, the two combatants glared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move; finally, it was the bulbous-headed creature that acted first, rearing back its claws and swinging down from the left. But it was the maiden who reacted faster, ducking underneath with a sweep of her feet and slashing at her opponent's abdomen. Stepping back with a hand holding back its insides, the crossbreed seemed to hesitate as it looked between her and the woods beyond, where it could escape.

But it didn't take the chance, instead it still tried to fight even as its insides began to spill out, whether out of a last ditch effort or simple bestial stupidity, it mattered little. Nothing could prepare it for her blade's onslaught, dancing in the air as it twirled in her hands, cutting into its flesh. For a full five seconds, crisscross patterns of red were cut into its body as the maiden was a blur of action.

One final slash across its throat left the heavily wounded attacker twitching in place, its many eyes dilated as if in shock. The maiden's blade was held to the side, dripping with blood, ready to strike once more at the slightest opposition.

But the attack never came, not as it fell backward unceremoniously.

The maiden flicked her blade once before tucking it underneath her coat, holding onto her hood as a sudden gust of wind blew at her. The prominent scent of blood being blown in her direction, emanating from the field of corpses she had created in her travels.

None were human. At least not anymore, as far as she could tell. All were beasts, though some had the likeness of having been human once.

Beneath her hood, she regarded the corpses with an unreadable expression. She observed the faint and final twitches of their limbs, morphed and elongated to befit that of an animal. She listened to their last breaths as they left their bodies, a reminder that despite their appearance, they were living creatures even still. She took note of their expressions, at least those she could see on the intact faces, permanently stuck in a mixture of horror and rage.

They truly were the pitiful product of unearthing that which should have been buried. The result of someone who had tried to play at godhood. A shame it has all happened before.

The Death Meister turned and began to walk in the direction of the wind blowing at her. A rare moment of intrigue spurring her, for the wind's bite felt colder than usual, familiar even. It almost seemed to call to her as the wind howled.

Her boots splotched on the blood muddied snow, yet she paid it no mind. One of her companions, an ever silent and red cloaked knight of unknown origin, hefted his bloodied greatsword over his shoulder and looked down at her from the mountain of corpses he created in his wake. His pointed helmet had tipped in acknowledgement of her presence just as she nodded to him.

A simple mechanical gesture for manners of course, she knew full well his hearing was testament to his awareness.

"So it is true, the Hunt has returned to these lands," She spoke aloud, heterochromatic eyes looking to the moon. "Have your Hunters returned as well?"

There was only near complete silence to answer her, a far more peaceful alternative to the life devouring chaos of this plague. Even her companion had little to say while he followed close behind, the clinking of his armor the only other sound as they approached their other companion.

A lone girl stood a few feet away, surrounded by many more of the dead creatures whose bodies appeared as though they were hit with a high speed vehicle. The girl, who wore a light coat over her cassock, silently stood in front of a surviving beast. Though her back was turned to them, the maiden in black could see small signs of her feelings of the situation. A slight twitch of her hands, an incline of her dark violet hair, a very quiet chuckle.

"Bend."

The beast screeched and chittered as it was flailing its arms around, its limbs were literally twisted apart, forced into awkward and painful directions. Bones snapped and jutted out of flesh before being further rendered into bloody splinters. When its torso began to twist beyond normal limits, the creature almost appeared afraid, but this fear would be easy to miss when the head was twisted apart all the same.

It fell to the ground with one final resounding chorus of snaps, lifeblood seeping out from every point in its body. The girl breathed heavily while she looked away, as if bearing witness to the bloody spectacle had been exhausting.

But the maiden in black knew there was more to the girl than that. One would not see that as she flinched slightly upon seeing the hooded maiden watching her, a stark contrast to her earlier immersion towards death. Though whether it was because of the hand offered to her or that she had an audience was unclear. If the silent knight had anything to say on the matter, he offered nothing but his silent presence.

"Come along, Fujino."


While the wolf isn't there.


Czechia

At a quiet and relatively peaceful bar in the Czech Republic, a maid sat at a window side table quietly sipping tea. A Jazz band was in the midst of playing an original composition of theirs, a smooth and easygoing method of easing out the tension in the air. Other than the band playing Smooth Jazz, the only other occupants were the maid and, begrudgingly enough, her companion.

Wearing a white-buttoned maid uniform in a pinafore style with a spider web theme, a white dress with a black collar was worn underneath, the sleeves of her shirt bearing elegant frills. She had sage green hair that grew out into long bangs on her left side, obscuring her left eye.

The sound of a debaucherous lack of restraint ruined this pleasure. Her eye, warm green in color, looked up with a dull light to regard her companion coolly.

Across from her, one who could be considered her complete opposite noisily drank out of his fifth - perhaps ninth - glass of beer. And that wasn't even the worst part of his composition, that being his choice of clothing. A simple white shirt and jeans, unkempt and worn down over years of use and downright neglect. One could at least carry himself in a more dignified manner, a manner befitting of servitude to royalty. At least he had removed his enchanter gloves to drink, else he might crush the glass and make a bigger mess.

"How uncouth of one who serves Her Ladyship." She said, her lips curved slightly in a frown.

"Huh!? Don't give me that!" The man bellowed, slamming down the half-full glass on the table. "I have to do something to let loose all this rage I got!"

At this, she tutted. "You could devote yourself to your pleasures in a more dignified manner."

"You try reigning yourself in for 800 years! You try faking what you aren't! It's enough to drive a guy like me insane!"

"I do not try, Giriko, I simply am a maid. And I am very good at it."

The man - Giriko - glared at her with teeth bared. He was an unchained animal, they both knew it, but it wouldn't do to start chaos here. So for the moment, they both settled for mutual peace.

"Hey Kirumi," Giriko started, hands idly tracing a glass. "You wanted me here today. So what is it?"

"Indeed, I trust you have noticed the conflict between man and beast recently?"

"Who hasn't?"

She raised her arm just as a little black dot escaped from underneath her sleeve. Upon closer inspection however, it was a black spider. With delicate little legs, it stopped just over the back of her gloved hand.

"Is that-!?"

Kirumi giggled and inched her face close to the arachnid, smiling as the little arachnid raised a leg and tapped at her nose.

"Indeed. There has been a development as a result of this particular beast plague."

"That so?" Giriko smiled viciously. "Did the plan change?"

"Quite, we can no longer rely on freeing Asura. These beasts have provided enough of a distraction, and Medusa's project shows great promise."

They would need to contact the rest of their associates, no doubt they had begun mobilizing on their own, but a unifying force would need to be at the center of the web. No other could muster the strength to lead, to dominate. Not against the beasts, and certainly not against DWMA. Not to mention, their collaborators do not necessarily have the world's best interests in mind; instead, they were focused more on vengeance for the past.

Her Ladyship was above such trifling matters.

She looked out the window and saw a multitude of spiders outside, crawling over every surface visible. To the untrained eye, it may have looked like a sudden flood of black water traveling along the surface.

"The time has come for Lady Arachne to return."


If the wolf was there, it would eat us.


North America

"You ain't gonna regret buying this place," The salesman spoke up as he pushed his body forward on the old children's ride, the rusted metal spring creaking audibly. "Its not as bad as it looks."

The woman, who introduced herself as Pagliacci, dressed in a jester's ensemble turned to the man with a sly smile on her face. A black half mask covered the right side of her face, a red teardrop painted underneath the crinkled eyehole. A smile had been etched on the mask to compliment her actual smile on the left side, with her one visible red eye bearing a single black tear falling. Her hair, split between blood red and brilliant blonde, sported two curved horns jutting out from her head.

To anyone else, such an individual would have seemed highly suspicious, but the man was not about to judge how one dressed themselves. On top of that, times were tough, and though the monsters said to be ravaging the country hadn't reached this neck of the woods, he still had to make ends meet. Why not help out by adding joy to children urged to stay inside until the whole thing blows over?

But the extravagantly dressed individual didn't seem at all bothered by that, not as she perused through the location with the interest of a businesswoman.

"Indeed?" Her red eye crinkled in amusement. "I hope you're wrong about that."

"Come on, a little spit and polish and you'll have yourself one hell of a carnival."

"Ohohoho! You are so right! And thanks to your smooth salesmanship, and your silver tongue, I'm completely sold!" She offered one of her oversized gloves to him. "Let's shake on it!"

"Sure sure, it's my privilege." The man chuckled.

"Yes… yes it is." She agreed as her smile grew wider.

A clatter from behind was heard as the proprietor whirled around to see who it was. He managed to catch only a glimpse however, an unnerving sight of two oversized individuals in extremely worn down clown outfits.

"Who… who are they?"

"Spit and Polish, my attorneys. They persuaded your partner to sign over the deed an hour ago, the property's already mine." She giggled, hands clasped over mouth to stifle the laughter. "I can see that you're happy about that!"

The man did not respond.

"Now! I must dash, there's equipment to acquire, employees to hire, and of course, I need to secure my main attraction."

The man did not respond, but it was still a satisfactory answer for the clown as she blew a kiss at him and made her way deeper into the dilapidated carnival. Her laughter carried on through the silent amusement park, haunting it with her presence.

"Do feel free to stick around!"

But the man could neither respond in protest or even laugh at the absurdity of the situation, for the laughter had died with him. A smile too wide for his features had stretched on his face, bleeding from its inhuman proportions, bloodshot eyes wide open in silent terror. Several more figures began to arrive at the location, all dressed as clowns, some performing silly tricks, others were accompanied by wild animals.

All were as if they came from the darkest depths of human terror. Too wrong to belong even in this world.

"Yes indeed! The circus is coming to town!"


And one other… one that has slumbered and journeyed for as long as each of those who wielded them.

Moonlit green eyes opened up in the void of her sealed form. A small smile graced her lips.

"Ahh… the Dream has ended then. But I wonder, is it yet time?"

Her hands reached into the void and pressed against the dark, as if it were a wall. Her contact creating ripples in the space, spreading as far as her eyes could see. Until eventually, dark gave way to light.

A little thing, this light was, this soul. Compared to hers, it may well have been an infant. Blue encased the small purple core in its center, with red wisping off it like smoke atop the little tricorn hat. An adorable little face seemed to be etched on it, gruff in a childlike attempt to appear intimidating.

And as she cupped it in her hands, the warmth of its life was felt through her cold pale skin.

It truly had been a long time since she was stuck in the Dream, that she could feel the warmth of a soul was a miracle.

Particles of light began to emanate from her long, light green hair. They spread out into the dark to illuminate the dark as though they were the stars of the night sky.

"I will always be by your side. My beloved Soul… my stalwart knight."

End of chapter


Pact of the Covenants: An ancient formal agreement between different individuals and or parties working towards mutual goals. Created during the days of the World Heroes Force, it has since fallen out of relevance with the formation of the Eight Reaper Legions and the subsequent Death Weapon Meister Academy. Few remain to recount its historical importance and fewer still continue to uphold it.

In recent times, a more updated version has been established, supplanting the works of old to be applied in the modern world. The Old Houses of Shinigami - also referred to as Death - and Cainhurst were the first two to sign upon this pact. This marked Cainhurst's sudden reemergence as the first step to victory in their abnormally ambitious return to the world.

Excerpt from 'Understanding the Lost History of An Old World'; by Eibon


AN: Buckle your britches and fasten your seatbelts because I will not cease with my long chapters.

The original name I had for this chapter would have been "No Maidens? We'll see about that" in reference to the fact that I have played Elden Ring. 20,000 maidens are planned for this story, with a million more on the way. "Henaid being a creature for a good portion of this chapter" was also a contested title.

These first three chapters have all been part of the introductory arc of this story, next chapter will kick off what has been established. As you may have noticed, I am expanding more on the flow of how chapters progress with regard to bubbajack's original work. Some scenes have been carried over from the original but there are still details I have yet to address as of this chapter, so there is much more bread to come later on.

As you can probably tell, I've been absent for a time, mainly because Abysmal Decadence was a hefty project that I have somehow returned from. And you want to know something?

I will, one day, make another chapter as long as that. Maybe even longer. And I do this because my faaaaather was a GAMER. AND A REDDITOR! And so naturally, he imparted his writing habits onto me. By the time I release another chapter of anything, the Thousand Year Blood War arc of Bleach will have been animated… wait what- Chainsaw Man as well? I'll be damned.

Anyway, other reasons are in play but that's neither here nor there, what is here is Elden Ring. I've been enjoying the game a lot myself, the Lands Between are beautiful, I have beaten the game twice now, and I am no longer maidenless. I will also never defeat Malenia - who is the Blade of Miquella by the way - and this is due in part thanks to my large build being a result of my armor sinking into the dark with me. However, legend tells of a jar-headed Tarnished who made a name for themselves recently…

Its also been brought to my attention that the light tones seen in this story so far mitigate the horror of Bloodborne, but you have to remember that Soul Eater was comedic with a side of horror on its own. Soul/Henaid being "cool" is part of his character, and while he has matured, deep down in his eldritch heart he is the same person. But that's all part of the fun of exploring how to write a character like the Hunter we play as in these games.

On the subject of new characters in this chapter, the clown near the end was fashioned after the Bogie from Monster Girl Encyclopedia. The design and personality suited what I have planned for the character, and you know how it is in Soul Eater. Now isn't that fun for people with a fear of clowns?

I for one will be having a blast.

And on that note, with all the crazy stuff happening nowadays, you all take care of yourselves. Stay safe, keep moving forward, do what you can, and stay hydrated, you cool cats. Now then, this magic knight will see you all in the Lands Between, look forward to my other stories being updated when they are updated.


It was quiet in the cafe, devoid of any patrons save for the two who had chosen the establishment for their outing. The only other person inside was the cafe's attendant, who had allowed the two their privacy as he tended to his late night duties.

From her seat on a sofa chair, Queen Annaliese sipped from her tea cup. She had practically jumped at the chance to sit upon such a relaxing piece of furniture, for it had been too long since she had the pleasure to do so. Cainhurst had seen better days, and the Church had not been kind to any inch of the castle in which she dwelled, including the tea room with which she and her inner circle had often used. Two things taken from her which she did not appreciate… if ever another holy group tainted her eyesight… well, her nephew had no love for the Healing Church either.

"I must say, this blend is delicious." She spoke up, the sweetness dispelling those thoughts. "There is a strong floral aroma to it."

The young lady across from her hummed in agreement, tea cup settling down on its plate as she opened her bright blue eyes to the queen. She had white hair tied up in two knotted rings with black ribbons entwined in them, squared bangs and cheek length locks framing either side of her face, almost granting her the appearance of a doll. Her matching blue lips were stretched into a small smile, legs crossed over one another as she sat in her own sofa chair.

"I was hoping it would be to your liking. Ceylon Dimbula tea, my family actually owns a few plantations in other countries."

"Yes, you do have an air about you," Annaliese mused, idly tracing the rim of her cup with a finger. "Nobility and blood, I do so enjoy these traits working in tandem."

"Do tell."

"My court was like an exhibition pit, the knights and nobility being akin to reptiles and birds. Much like them, they were always squabbling over the scraps that I fed them. The knights were more tolerable, unsurprising, some proving to be loyal and stalwart dogs. My own little court of entertainment, adorable nonetheless in their attempts to gain my favor."

"I feel that we are alike in that regard, my academy is like my own personal aquarium, a beautiful assortment of fish fighting for what they have." The young lady's blue eyes lit up with amusement. "It is a joy to watch the lowest of the low fight to reach the top and maintain that safety."

"My my, I couldn't have said it better myself."

The two had found each other in passing, yet their chance meeting led to a long-winded discussion about the beauty of the moon. Not the normal sight of the moon laughing over their heads, but of the blue moon that had appeared recently. One thing led to another, and they found themselves in a cafe, empty of any other patron due to the late hour.

"Do you gamble, my Lady?"

"A queen does not gamble, certainly not in the company of her court's eyes and ears. But the darkness of night was so lovely to a certain princess," She crooned at the memory. "She would lead her most trusted on nights proving to be excellent hunting grounds for the games we had in mind. It was so… sublime. She had the most able partner at the time, and an even greater opponent."

Annaliese sighed as she stretched herself on the couch as though she were a cat, seeming to not at all care that she was with company, nor that she was ruining that beautiful red and black dress with wrinkles and folds. Sighing as she let her head rest on the couch's arm, she looked with half-lidded eyes. Deep red eyes that held some distant interest in them, a lazy smile on her lips.

"And then of course, we did gamble, as it were," She laughed, breaking the silence. "Though simple games often proved to be quite boring. The spice of life and death was what attracted me, more so than others."

The young lady before the queen set down her cup before uncrossing her legs, steepling her hands together as she regarded this woman who fascinated her. She carried herself with such grace and regality one moment, the next she was as relaxed as a lioness after a hunt.

"I think I'm going to like our time spent together, Queen Annaliese."

"Likewise, and I permit you to call me Annaliese, Lady Momobami."

"Then call me Kirari," She said as she grabbed the teapot. "More tea?"

"Verily."


A horrifying duo.