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Vileblood Covenant/gang, where art thou?

Madness of the Hunt

(Insert Batman: Arkham Knight OST - Inner Demon)

The Hunter's Dream

"A sound Soul dwells within a sound mind, and a sound body."

It was supposed to be a trip to visit a long-lost relative of his, an objective of the past that seemed so distant by now and harder still to recollect from this long night. Most of his memories at this time were hard to remember really, some things were either real or not, and from the moment he set foot in this place - "Yharnam" as it was called - the Hunter had not once felt safe, much less wanted here. He did not remember much besides the reason for his visit to this lively city, having awoken in a hospital after being injected with... with something. After that, it was just one horror after another, monsters far beyond any potential Kishin he'd hunted down along with his Meister lurked around every corner.

A gutteral roar was heard behind the Hunter's Workshop, burning in the mysterious realm of peace for the Hunters of Yharnam. And yet the rest of the Hunter's Dream remained undisturbed, the fields of asphodels were kept in their resplendence as the wind seemed to pick up, blowing the white flowers of regret to the side. The only other occupant of the Dream stood up from her maintaining a gravestone, turning to look in the direction of the sounds of animalistic carnage. An impassive gaze ever present on the exquisite craftsmanship of her face as she began to walk towards another gravestone with gardening tools in hand.

And if it was not the terror at having to fight tooth and nail every step of the way... it was every "death" he experienced. Yes indeed! He had died on countless occasions, and yet he came back every time after waking up in the Hunter's Dream. The Good Hunter had made it his duty to at least help anyone he came across as he hunted the Beasts of the city, coming closer to the Truth in all this. And not just of what the Beasts were once upon a time.

"Seek out the power you need. Find a rule to break, it will make you stronger. Stronger perhaps than you thought possible."

The Little Ogre - that demon spawned from the Black Blood he contracted from a fight he barely recalled with that curious individual in a... a church so long ago - was one of his closest friends during this time oddly enough, having given in to his suggestions after desperate attempts to try and reason with some of the inhabitants of this cursed city had all but failed. The only solution for them all was the use of Hunter weapons, brutal things capable of terrifying brutality, certainly he could used the blades he had in himself as a Demon Weapon, but the fact that they are attached meant it was more dangerous. There were plenty of times where things would often gnaw and scratch at his scythe extensions. Their direct connection to him made it worse as he felt the pain even if his weapon form was that of a scythe.

"Prepare yourself for the worst. There are no humans left. They're all flesh-hungry beasts, now."

It was Eileen's words which reminded him of the fact that they were all Beasts now. No help could be given to them, only a swift death if he still wanted to hold onto what was left of his own humanity. Though... that diminished steadily the more he got soaked in the Blood of his quarry. That seemed to excite his own, boiling it as it was noticeably changed by both Black Blood and the Yharnam Blood that damn minister gave him in that hospital.

"It's not necessarily the uncertainty that makes us fearful. It's more than that. The answers that we imagine are what really frighten us."

He did not know who it was that said those words, he'd never heard the man's voice before in his life. And yet for however sinister it may have sounded, there was logic. The more he stayed in Yharnam, the worse his sanity got, Madness was prevalent in the air 24/7 and there was nothing he could do besides hunt. And hunt. And hunt. And hunt some more.

He'd nearly gone off the edge of Madness and become no better than those he'd slain Beasts and Rogue Hunters, it mattered little in the end if he didn't make it back home to... her name. What had been her name? Was there even anybody waiting for him back home? All he remembered from back then were faint faces, voices pleasant to the ear. One in particular that belonged to someone who... who always listened... but he could not remember. Trying to remember made him hungry and hunger was not easily sated here, not with the Blood Echoes and the Evil Souls that came with them... so he ate the Saw Cleaver.

And with consumption came clarity, the Hunter remembering someone besides those children he tried to save, those at Oedon Chaple and the Plain Doll had in fact been waiting for him. By stroke of luck he had met a man named Alfred who rekindled his reason for having come to Yharnam in the first place. Cainhurst Castle was home to the Vilebloods apparently, at least according to the man belonging to the Executioners, a group of Hunters affiliated with the Healing Church. Aware of the threat Alfred may pose to these people, he wisely said nothing about his reason to visit them. Still, the Hunter was at last within reach of the reason he came here! His several times great-aunt awaited him and he desperately needed a close relation to ease his mind.

"Ah, at last, We had been awaiting your arrival, dearest nephew." The well-dressed woman spoke beneath a strange metal mask. "Soul Evans, that is thine name no?"

"Oh, uh... yeah that's me." The Hunter, now identified as Soul Evans, berated himself for that slight mistake. And his name! He recalled it as his own but just barely. Still, he was bowing, and the woman seated on her throne had merely chuckled. "And you... you are my great-aunt?"

"Verily... Moon-scented Hunter, we are well met... I am Annalise, Queen of Castle Cainhurst. Ruler of the Vilebloods, and sworn enemy of the church." Well that confirms quite a few things. "You undertook the mantle of a Hunter, how very noble."

"I didn't ask to become a Hunter, thank you." Soul shot back pointedly, his red eyes narrowed underneath his tricorn hat. "I... I'm not right anymore. So many people dead, I didn't even mean for some to die."

"Such are Yharnam's traditions, everything has cost, thou know this now?" A nod as tears fell from the hunter's eyes. "Sorrow is expected, Our court hath been slain, murdered. We know the sadness."

"I... all I wanted was to come see you... I never wanted any of this..." Soul punched the ground hard, the carpet lessened the damage but there was a forceful sound of the foundation underneath cracking. "I don't have many friends left... all the cool people at the Chaple are either dead or gone, those kids had fallen in the Madness, and I-!"

"Nephew. Hush now, it will soon be over." Upon the Hunter's - Soul's! - head shooting up with a confused look in his eyes she continued. "Rise, and step closer. I wish to have a look at you."

Wiping his tears away as he stood, Soul walked up to the queen of the castle and got down a knee. He didn't shake off her hand as she removed his hat and felt his white hair. She was blinded but not in the sense that her eyes were removed, the one known as Martyr Logarius had placed some sort of bound helmet over her head, so it was likely she could barely see, if at all since no visible holes were seen.

"The night hath been long, but you are most welcome here. You are of Our relation, and so I recognize you as one of Our own. A knight in service to Cainhurst." Her voice was kind as she brought up an arm and cut with a sharp nail, allowing the blood to spill out and collect. "We've tired of these piteous nights, and thou hast suffered cruelly due to Our selfish request to see you." She held out of her bleeding arm to a confused Soul.

"Drink Our blood, and be alone no longer."

Some time after that...

"Master, look! I've done it, I've done it!"

Henaid did not know how Alfred got there before him, he hadn't even given the Executioner a means to access the castle. The madman had to have stolen the letter of invitation he had when he was "killed" by a blood-starved Beast, remembering that the claws of the monster had torn through his clothes, ripping apart his pockets and flinging the contents everywhere. The Executioner had to have taken it as part of his duty to the Healing Church, elated at his find most likely. What he did know was that he felt himself slipping further... what was his name again? It started with an "S". No that wasn't right. His name was Henaid.

"I smashed and pounded and grounded this rotten siren into fleshy pink pulp!" Alfred's mad proclamation of victory was heard even before the Hunter entered the throne room, a loud clang was heard as Alfred removed his helmet and dropped it on the floor with shaking hands. "There, you filthy monstrosity! What good's your immortality now!? Try stirring up trouble in this sorry state!"

"Alfred." Henaid couldn't find it in him to express any emotion.

"All mangled and twisted, with every inside on the outside, for all the world to see!"

"ALFRED." His eyes were wide as his head twitched.

But Alfred had gone into Madness like all the others, leaving Annalise... his aunt... the only other family he had left... as nothing but a quivering and pulsating mass of flesh. Henaid had been gripping tightly onto the Whirligig Saw when Alfred finally noticed someone behind him.

"Oh, you, is it? Look at this! Thanks to you, I've done it!"

'Thanks... to me?' Henaid thought to himself as his eyes widened, realizing that if he hadn't left the castle in the first place and bumped into Alfred, he wouldn't have dropped the unopened summons letter. 'Thanks... to me.'

"Well? Isn't it wonderful?" Alfred's voice was filled with glee and expectation. "Now Master can be canonized as a true martyr!"

'Martyr?'

"I've done it, I have!" Alfred laughed as he convulsed with laughter, his spread arms shooting upward as if he were preaching the word of the Good Blood. His guard... was down. Down. Down. DOWN. DOWN!

Henaid's scream of rage was filled with Madness as he revved up the demented saw weapon, the sparks flying from it casting it a horrifying look as it spun and descended on the shocked Executioner. The swinging and tearing of flesh was only overshadowed by the screams of a madman. Whether they belonged to Henaid or Alfred, or even both, was up for debate.

Regrettably, though they fought each other to the death, the Executioner was too unprepared to put up a real fight. As per usual. Alfred had fallen to Madness like all the rest, showing his true colors after reducing Annalise to a barely sentient mass of undying flesh... Martyrdom was pointless if someone like Annalise cannot truly die, though such thoughts did not matter as Henaid left the castle in search of a way to help his aunt, the Whirligig Saw dripping with blood and gore.

All that had been left of whoever Henaid had been before all this was gone as he fell on his knees, he'd scratched at his face, torn off his hair, all in frustration at being unable to understand his part in all this. He couldn't die, so all wounds he inflicted on himself would just heal with Blood Vials and in the Hunter's Dream, right? RIGHT!? It was okay to partake in the blood and the Souls of those he'd put down, they were all Evil!

And Henaid!? He was not a Beast! He was not crazy!

'This was all a dream!' Henaid assured himself even as he started eating another of his own weapons, the Saw Spear, in an effort to sate this hunger he felt. 'None of this is actually happening!'

But it was. And when every bit of metal was consumed... there was only clarity. Clarity followed by the roar of a Hunter so loud and ferocious it scared off any curious Beasts looking for their next meal. Fleeing only delayed the inevitable as their new predator rushed them down.

And then the crying started. The crying of a baby which came from everywhere and nowhere. A result of accumulating more Insight as he'd come to learn, the form of "explanation" to the Madness of this city. Knowledge had its price, it was neat to learn things about this place when you looked past the hopelessness of the situation but the Hunter had been fascinated for a time. But fascination did not come easy, and like everything else he had lost during this period his fascination became nonexistent the more the baby cried. Until it cried no longer.

At least Yharnam, the ancient Pthumerian Queen not the city itself, had bowed before him in what seemed to be gratitude before disappearing. So it was that the Nightmare had been slain, it would not happen overnight but... things would return to normal at least.

"The Night, and the Dream, were long..."

Gehrman lay dying in the field of flowers behind the Hunter's Workshop, the building in question burned as the First Hunter took in his last breaths. A result of the Good Hunter's desire to continue what he started as the two engaged in mortal combat. This was a mercy, truly it was, the Hunt was a cycle of sorts, and Gehrman had been subject to it countless times as Hunter after Hunter was executed to be brought back to the Waking World. Better to kill him and release him from his duty, rather than allow the old man to continue living this Dream, this Nightmare.

Of what use was allowing Henaid Evans to wake up from this terrible, terrible nightmare if it would continue with someone else in his place? No, it had to end.

"L... look beyond this veil... this dream..." Gehrman let out weakly as he drifted off into peace. "See... the Truth... and end it... as Hunters should..."

The Hunter did just that, noticing that the Blood Moon was once more in the sky... and something was drifting down from the sky, the red moon casting it an unsettling visage as it floated down into the flower field with an arm stretched toward the Hunter. It was as if it was welcoming him into an embrace, like how a parent would their child... And it was indeed welcoming. The creature of the moon did not seem so sinister for the moment, the tendrils on its head were like his own mother's hair.

"Mom..." Henaid whispered as he approached it, his own arm outstretched as if not quite believing what he was seeing, his mother was... she was here! "I... I'm so sorry! I-!"

But his mother was having none of it, choosing to say nothing as she brought him in for a loving hug, her hair gathering around him as she inched her face closer for a kiss. A kiss, and then everything would be alright, he would wake up and-

A white light surrounded the Hunter just before she could do so, pushing back the being who pulled up a facade of motherhood. The curtain of lies was blasted away as it was not a woman before the Hunter but a monstrosity, a monstrosity with ties to the Blood Moon. The faceless creature shook its head and stared at the Hunter it had chosen as the next Host of the Dream, they who now had a furious expression on their face, red eyes wide in anger and almost bulging out of their sockets, mouth curled up in a snarl at the audacity...

'What did you do...?' It seemed to ask silently. 'WHAT DID YOU DO!?'

"Hehehehehe..." The Hunter let out a mad chuckle as he tightened his grip on Evelyn and the Beast Cutter, the handles almost cracking with the force. "You mad? Did I do something you weren't expecting?"

'WHAT DID YOU EAT!?' The Moon Presence's scream was heard in his head as it lunged at him, seeking to put an end to his insolence.

Thus they became locked in a battle of survival, no honor was to be had here, ever really. There was no hesitation, for in Yharnam that could cost one's life. There was only bloodlust and Madness, bloodlust for the Hunter as he lost all reason yet was able to keep up with the Moon Presence. Madness as experienced by the Moon Presence in question, disbelief raced through its actions as it realized something important about the Hunter, angered by this epiphany, the Great One made it her mission to make him submit. Or die.

(End OST)

(Insert Bloodborne ost: Moon Presence)

Rage. Simple and primal rage was all the Hunter known as Henaid felt as he tore through the field of flowers toward the monster before him. His movements were reckless yet perceptive, charging toward the creature - this Moon Presence - with reckless abandon while keeping nimble and alert as he dodged each strike from those claws and whipped the Beast Cutter's segmented blades at its body.

"Die!" He roared as he moved quickly and without hesitation. "Die, DIE!"

A swipe from up above was dodged to the left before he slashed at its leg and Evelyn at that disgusting face, the creature having swiped its head at him with those tentacles, so he dodged just in time as those tendrils just barely nicked at the cloth over his mouth. Henaid's bandana had been thrown aside after the sweat made it stick to his face and became bothersome. Annoying. So he ripped it away and threw it aside.

The Moon Presence jumped into the air and dove into the ground, its intended target having thrown himself to the side as he fired another shot. Bullets from the weapon were mainly a deterrent, an annoyance to Great Ones, an astute observation as it howled and charged at its adversary while kicking up dirt and flowers.

The tearing of flesh and the clash of metal against bone was the melody tonight, the howling and screeching of a desperate Great One against the roars and snarls of a Hunter gone mad in anger. Anger at the audacity of this creature. This celestial being which subjected him and all others to a Nightmare in which none were spared. This monster which had the belief that it could do away with him after all the toils he went through? After everyone he tried to save had been lost in the Madness it brought?

'Annoying!' The Hunter thought as he blindly slashed at its chest before realizing his mistake as those grotesque claws slashed downward at his chest before another swipe from the side sent him and his blade careening far and into dirt. Growling lowly, the Hunter raised himself as his bloodshot red eyes shot up from the ground, the flesh from the left side of his face has been ripped away in that last strike. Were anyone else around, they would see someone akin to a Beast, left cheek missing and revealing a drooling set of sharp teeth covered in blood and dirt, the left eye of this one almost hanging off the socket.

'ANNOYING.' Was what Flora heard as the fool shot toward her once more, intent on continuing this struggle. But he had to be killed now and with no quarter, the fact that his voice was heard without moving his vocal orifice was worrying enough and proof that he was no longer something to be invested in. The leash was cut off, and this rabid dog will be put down. Flora, of the moon, of the dream, put a hand over its face as the Hunter began to run once more, preparing that twisted saw weapon on his back as it begun whining and sparking as he fired that pistol. Growling as she rose on her hind legs, a second was spared before releasing.

'Gaze of the Moon.' The Good Hunter heard a sound akin to the slamming of piano keys before feeling the eldritch force of the attack hit not just from outside but within, then came the falling.

The Hunter known as Henaid knew he had been what was called a Demon Weapon, as such he could not see the souls of others like his Meister could, but for just a moment he saw it. The Soul of this being, the Moon Presence, Flora. Its size was only briefly seen but it was enough to snap him out of his Madness-induced rage. Instead he felt fear as he found he could not move, partly from the pain but also from a glimpse of the truth. The more powerful a being, the larger its Soul, and the Moon Presence had a Soul that encompassed all of the Dream. All he had to do was look up and see the dim red glow of the sky.

It was a bit frightening to see what he remembered a Meister normally did but he couldn't let it get to him, he was cooler than that. He was the Hunter known as Henaid! He would make it! He had to!

The memories of individuals he knew but couldn't remember the names of came into mind right then.

An intellectual looking girl with light taupe colored hair tied into pigtails, smiling at him with her bright green eyes.

Next came a short-haired blonde, sky-blue eyes filled with childish curiosity, a cowboy hat was on her head.

A violet-haired girl - or perhaps woman - with amber catlike eyes that regarded him seductively.

Finally, the face of the girl that always stayed with him even in his worst moments of blood-addled mania and dementia from lack of sleep and hunting. Tall, voluptuous, beautiful black hair tied into a ponytail trailing behind her. It was her indigo eyes that looked at him in kindness that brought a smile to his face at times.

Coughing up blood, the Good Hunter reached into his tattered and ripped trenchcoat's pockets for a blood vial, finding only one. Resolutely, he injected it into his side and felt the effects immediately as his wounds healed up, the pain in his stomach lessening but not disappearing, and his face's skin was slowly returned. It was not enough to restore all of his face but it was enough to show his tired expression, a frown on him as he steeled himself back up to his full height. By this time he couldn't even feel his eyes narrow from how tired he was.

He would kill this creature, Great One was too good a term to specify what it was, not after coming to the knowledge that it was the reason they were in this mess in the first place, that this trip to visit Annalise turned out to be so uncool. Just like how Rom, the Vacuous Spider, was a sort of shield against the Madness of the Amygdalas and Mergo's own Nightmare, so too was Gehrman a shield against this thing. It wanted to replace Gehrman, and it would have done so by pretending to be his mother...

"I'd ask you if it was worth it," Henaid started slowly, his tone monotone and with a tinge of derangement. "But looking at you, I'd say it wasn't."

The Moon Presence growled as it leered at him from a distance, blood dripping from the wounds inflicted by the Hunter, none were as bad as the wounds it suffered all over where it should have a chest and stomach. There had been no skin or fur over the ribs jutting out or over the spine so terribly exposed. Clearly it had been in battle before. But with whom? Or what?

'Now now Good Hunter, or should I say "Henaid"? These are questions that should be mulled over later.' The Little Ogre spoke up, no longer having a tone of manic excitement but a suave and cultured one. 'Its time we used the new manuscript eating those umbilical cords gave us.'

'Now? So soon?' The Hunter's eyes widened. 'But... the Madness! I'll go into another episode!'

'Oh my boy, Madness was consuming those cords in the first place...'

'It was your idea!'

'And yet you listened to me. Regardless, we have no other choice, you are out of blood vials and bullets...' The demon man chuckled and stood up from his seat on the piano before him and let his student from this long night sit on the seat. Henaid flexed his fingers and prepared to play the piano while the Demon raised a silver sword in the shape of a cross, waving his hands briefly four red violin strands appeared in the air before him. 'Gaze of The Moon is composed of one powerful note, just one player.' Four ghostly grey figures appeared behind him, two with equally ghost grey trumpets and the other two with nothing but their voices.

So it was that he began playing a song so loud it could be heard by the Moon Presence. Within the former Demon Weapon's own world, the Little Ogre - now a tall man in a strange set of black, gray and red armor which trailed down as a sort of tailcoat, a silver mask over his face which gleamed in the lighting as he skillfully played a violin. The ghostly grey figures blowing their trumpets along with a song only they could hear while the other two began singing. As for Henaid, he was playing the piano but no sound came from it, instead his playing is what allowed the music to be heard from the outside. The Moon Presence actually looked around confused for a moment as it felt a change in the air before noticing the shape of the Hunter's Soul, it had begun growing but... fluctuating as well in the form of static as piano keys and violin strings formed around its diameter. And then, just as it reached its being... the Soul seemed to "disappear" for lack of a better word.

"Gaze of the Moon, was it?" Flora's head snapped back to the Hunter whose form seemed to grow darker as shadows overtook the Dream, the darkness grew and grew until nothing but the white flowers before it were seen. It was as if all light had been cut off in its entirety, but that was impossible! The Dream worked according to the Moon P-

"Gaze of the Wolf." From the shadows came the myriad of eyes red as blood. Some small, some large. At the center of the field where the Hunter had been... approached something that was not the Hunter. It was a large being, red eyes dotted its white flesh as drool dripped from its mouth. Three tails whipped around behind it, each with different blades at their ends. But the Host of this Nightmare would not be deterred by it! Authority belonged to Flora, the Moon Presence! No mere Beast would-

(1:05)

The Moon Presence felt a great pain spread through its arm as it realized that what had just happened had not occurred at all. An illusion of sorts, something which should have been impossible and yet... and yet its left arm had been cut off! Screeching in pain, the nightmarish Great One reached at the stump with its other arm as it hopped away from the Hunter whose whirling saw blade had been swung in a powerful downward strike. Howling in pain, the Great One prepared another 'Gaze of the Moon' when it felt something... off.

The sound of piano keys being slammed was heard, frightening Flora.

"You're afraid, aren't you?" Henaid's voice was serene but there was a sinister tone to it. Of course the Moon Presence had no answer to give but Henaid could feel it, the change brought on by consuming the umbilical cords... the Moon Presence feared him. He had been feeling the changes come slowly but he understood now.

The Hunter took a step forward and the Moon Presence screeched and actually fell backward, scrambling away from the Hunter that came closer and closer. It was no longer a mere puppet! Nor a rabid dog! It was-

The sound of piano keys being slammed was heard again.

The Hunter grabbed hold of one of its tails and cut it off bit by bit with the Whirligig Saw, a demented smile on his face as he inched closer. It attempted to kick the Hunter away with one of its legs but it was swiftly brought down by the Hunter's own leg, the speed at which it was done was unnatural as he swung down at the limb, cutting it off.

The damnable piano keys were slammed again!

"Nightmares just aren't cool anymore, Flora." The Hunter remarked as he ripped out the weapon and hopped onto its chest, kicking in some of the exposed ribs and almost completely snapping the spine in half. The right arm of the Great One reached to grab the Hunter and throw it away but it was stopped by his other arm, having put away Evelyn. All it could do was watch in horror as that Whirligig Saw was raised to be brought down on its face, the rust and blood giving it a horrific appearance as it once more spun rapidly.

When the piano keys were heard being slammed again, Flora heard the haunting chants. There was no longer the Hunter with his whirligig saw but that wolf it saw before! Its teeth bared as they pulled back with a growl.

All that was heard in the next few moments was the sound of flesh being torn apart and the eldritch screams of pain. The only thing that kept it conscious the whole time was the overwhelming noise of the Hunter's Soul.

The sound of piano keys being slammed was heard, the chanting exploding in intensity and then-! All was silent.

After some time...

"Are you cold?" The Plain Doll's soft voice was heard in the silence, her tone kind as she bent over to pick up the squirming creature off the ground. Her hands stroked the albino flesh of the chittering squid-like being as she smiled at it. "Oh, Good Hunter."

This is what the Hunter known as Henaid had been reduced to, once known as Soul Evans, now an infant Great One. Held in the arms of the Plain Doll, its agitated chittering calmed as it seemed to purr in the arms of what it perceived as its mother. The Plain Doll had no problem with this seeing that she had cared for the Hunter ever since his arrival in the Dream, listening to his frightened confusion and soothing his worries... she was there for him when he appeared in the Hunter's Dream as a rabid mess of sorrow and anger. She had taken the role of his mother to say the least. And she rather... liked the joy that it gave her.

'Gratitude - Joy - Mother!' A statement conveyed by the infant's thoughts, one that gave pause to the Plain Doll as she tilted her head, her pale eyes looking down at the crustacean-like creature in her arms. A smile graced her lips as a small tear of neither water nor blood trailed down her right eye. "Of course, Good Hunter."

She kept what was essentially her child safe in the Dream, keeping it warm in her embrace as it grew and matured to its form as a Great One. Aging for a Great One was rather different from a human's, and as her caretaker duties took place in the Hunter's Dream, time flowed differently. Where it seemed as though years had passed, it was more or less a few months in the Waking World.

'Recognition of memory - Sadness in departing - Friends beyond this ocean of blood...' The Plain Doll would also come to know of the Hunter's life in the Waking World, understanding emotion to a degree as she learned more of him. His much needed rest from the Hunt was returning his forgotten memories, and it pleased her to listen and soothe his sadness. He remembered everything that he had forgotten, the names of his friends, who he was, and why he ventured into Yharnam.

Now, with the day nearing that the Good Hunter promised they would leave Yharnam behind, the Plain Doll had a faint smile on her face as she walked through a path lined by flowers and gravestones. The Good Hunter himself was currently sitting in the clearing at the back of the Hunter's Workshop with his back straight and his body over his hips, much like how a dog would sit. He seemed to be listening to the sound of the waves beyond as they hit the rock of the island they were on, one of his own additions to the Hunter's Dream after he inherited the pocket dimension.

Ironically enough his form had actually matured to the form of a large wolf like creature, one that the Doll was familiar with in its origin. It seemed as though her surrogate child had also retained his old personality even when he ascended as a Great One, for he thought it "cool" to call himself the "White Wolf of Yharnam." The Plain Doll's response was to clap and smile at his humorous nature, to which the Hound huffed and looked away with a red coloration where his whiskers normally would be.

She had finally stopped by his left side when she noticed his head was craned upward as he observed a butterfly floating around his head. It was a strange sight, at least as far as the Doll understood strange sights in regards to the Hunter's Dream, for butterflies were never before seen here. Even so, it did not seem deterred by the Good Hunter in his true form, its fluttering almost like it were playing with him.

'Mo - Miss Maria,' Henaid greeted telepathically to the Plain Doll with his chosen title for her, having noticed her light footsteps with his advanced hearing. 'Are you ready?'

"Indeed Good Hunter, you need only Dream of where you wish to go now." She replied, eliciting a hum of approval from her surrogate. "Do not worry, I will be with you every step of the way."

That statement used to embarrass the Great One as he grew older, instead the head of the Wolf bobbed slightly as a wide smile etched itself on his face, reaching to where his ears were. 'I'm glad, it wouldn't be right to leave you here alone. I meant it when I said you would like it in the Waking World.' The Doll hummed in acceptance as she stroked the side of her caring Hunter, making him look down at her with his large red eyes, two of which were situated where a wolf's eyes usually were and two more sets of eyes on his fleshy neck. Though currently seated, he actually exceeded his surrogate mother's height by one foot at 8 feet and 10 inches, while she was precisely 7 feet tall.

"Even now, you are oh so kind to me, Good hunter." She giggled. "Your kindness is more than enough."

The Good Hunter smiled widely as his grin stretched to his ears, looking back at the butterfly. It had a white body with lime-colored wings, making no sound as it flew around before perching itself on his nose, spreading its wings every now and then.

"A Luna Moth, yes?" The Plain Doll tilted her head in curiosity at its strange behavior. "How wondrous..."

Her surrogate looked down at the three graves he sat in front of, looking at them with a melancholic smile as the Plain Doll knelt down and opened up the tiny music box placed before one of them. Tinkering with it, she managed to turn it on as it played a beautiful tune, one that was pleasing to hear as it brought a smile to her lips.

Henaid closed all six of his eyes as he looked up at the starlit sky of the Hunter's Dream, arching his head upward as his mouth parted into three mandibles as he howled a song. A song of happiness and hopefulness.

Cainhurst Castle

Before leaving for the world beyond Yharnam, Henaid traveled by Lamplight to Cainhurst Castle's throne room, a lingering remnant of Yharnam that remained only due to the sole Great One's desire. The nausea was no longer present which he supposed was due to ascending. There was still the strange weightlessness of moving between places, kind of like an elevator only there was no set ground to step on. No longer did he feel dizzy upon traveling as well, there was only a sense of sleepiness.

"Aunt Annalise, I have returned." The clinking of metal was heard as he kneeled before the ruler of the castle. The candles around him continued to burn even after all this time, although a few had burned out by now. Still, he may have been a Great One but he was still a cool gentleman, he will honor his family ties.

Being a Great One had its cool perks, one of them being the ability to assume a human form, a task he swore to test out multiple times to devote it as muscle memory. While it seemed like it would be funny to walk up to someone in the form of a Madness-inducing hound from the angles of time, it was really bad to do so when considering the results of an action in the long-run. Regardless, before he left this land he had a few more tasks to complete, visiting his aunt being one of them.

"Ahh dearest nephew, you return to us. We worried for your safety." Her polite voice was always good to hear after he went through several pains to try and return her to normal. Though of nobility, she was not someone who came off as arrogant, not in the sense that was expected from stories and those of this very castle before Henaid came here.

"Yeah... yeah I'm back Aunt Annalise." Henaid started removing his Cainhurst helmet. "And I've got some pretty cool news for you."

"Oh? Do tell us." Though the Cainhurst matriarch would have preferred her nephew adopt a more refined and formal way of speaking, it seemed the boy was too engrained in the modern world. Although he did accept her blood and the qualifications of his heritage, that much could be accepted as he genuinely enjoyed the mantle of knighthood. 'I got a cool aunt and a cool suit of armor, what's not to love about that?'. It pleased her to hear him think so well of her, and the armor is among their best works.

"Well, I kind of ascended." Silence from Annalise, unbeknowenst to Henaid, there was a sound in her mind akin to glass breaking. "I'm a Great One."

"No no, We understood you the first time. It is only... well shocking." The woman inclined forward in her throne, aching to understand. How?"

"I killed them all." He set down the helmet and spread his arms apart from his kneeling position, bright red eyes wide and teeth bared in a feral smile. "Beasts, Kin of Great Ones, Great Ones themselves. I hunted them all."

"Thus thou hast ended the cause of the Blood Moon... I should be cross at you at that. And yet, there is satisfaction." Annalise hummed and raised an arm. "Thou hath taken Our blood, then became soaked in the blood of other Great Ones..." She looked to her right and stared at the empty throne for a moment. "Our chance at bearing a child of blood is null, but one hath chosen you instead."

"Yeah... sorry about that." Henaid scratched at his cheek with a toothy smile. "It wasn't really cool of me to do that."

"Verily, though this is not entirely a loss for Us. You bear Our blood, Our relation, you are kin." The Cainhurst royal queen tilted her head. "Thou will not watcheth over Yharnam as a Great One?"

Henaid stood up as he nodded, stepping closer as she regarded him with an air of curiosity. He placed over his chest as he smiled down at her.

"I've done all I could in this place. There's too much bad blood here. There is no one left to save, nothing left to hunt, there is only you." Annalise's head tilted to the side. "Whaddaya say we get out of here?"

"Leave Castle Cainhurst? Our home?"

"Not exactly, I'm still working out the kinks but you don't need to worry about that. I was talking about the land, there's too much bad history here, it wouldn't be cool to just leave you here." Henaid bit his finger and allowed the pale blood to collect before moving his hand to the back of Annalise's accursed helm. For a moment, nothing happened.

"What are..." Annalise started as it felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, the clanging of metal on the ground being heard before she noticed her sight was clearer. There was no longer the perspective of slitted sight through a helmet but the clear and unobstructed sight of freedom. Moreover, in the place of the metal thing were white asphodels, of which her ascended nephew had begun dusting off from her shoulder length white hair. "My word!"

"Reality bends to my will now. I leave groovy flowers behind as evidence." Henaid straightened back up and looked toward one of the statues in the throne room, willing it to do something when nothing in particular happened. "Huh, that's lame. I gotta be touching something to do stuff." Shrugging in disinterest, the Vileblood descendant saw his aunt wholly.

Long and white hair trailed down to her shoulders, framing a pale face that was almost corpselike; nonetheless, it was his aunt's face, high cheekbones, dark lips that glistened in the dark, and red eyes similar to another face the Hunter had seen for a brief time. 'She really does look a bit like Lady Maria... or maybe Lady Maria looks a bit like her?'

"A Child of Blood, reborn through Paleblood..." Annalise smiled in gratitude as she held up her hand, waiting to be helped up by her chosen heir bathed in blood. "Well, this does bring new possibilities at least."

"Yeah it does, doesn't it?"

The Vileblood Queen's hand touched her heir's, and with a bright white light they entered the Hunter's Dream. Through the angles of time, they would leave behind a Dream of Yharnam that slowly faded away, for without one to dream of it, how could it exist?

Death City - The Death Room

'Another day, another mess.' Though Spirit Albarn as he walked down the gulliotined hall leading to Lord Death's main chamber. Idly, he thought about the Japanese styled gates and how they resembled Toril gates normally found in Shinto shrines. A reference to how far Lord Death's divinity extended.

Still, these musings could not shake away the Death Scythe's current depression as he sighed once more in defeat. His back hunching over slightly as he put his hands in his pockets, a frown on his face as he approached the Death Room.

'If it weren't for that punk, my baby girl would still be here...'

"You're late again, Spirit." The professional tone of Azusa Yumi brought the Death Scythe back to planet Earth as he realized he stood before everyone. The woman in question quirked an eyebrow under her glasses as Spirit realized he pretty much daydreamed his way over here.

"Yeah yeah, bossy little brat..." Spirit waved her off in an unapologetic tone of voice, to which the Death Weapon narrowed her eyes, "Sorry I'm late, sir."

Like the past few days, he was more late then usual. Of those present, some of his fellow Death Weapons gave him looks of disapproval, while others held sympathy for the red-haired man. Those present included DWMA's Meister and Demon Weapon partners Sid Barrett and Mira Naigus, as well as Franken Stein, Spirit's old Meister partner. Of those present from overseas, Oceania Division Director Marie Mjolnir and East Asia Division Director Azusa Yumi, both of the last two being Death Scythes.

"Now now you two, let's not start bickering needlessly." Lord Death's normally silly voice held compassion, patience was key nowadays, especially for Spirit. "Now Spirit, I know you're worried about Maka, but I implore you to rise above this state and pour all your effort to working in peak condition."

The Death Weapon nodded sullenly and grunted. "I know sir... it's just... I wish I'd been there more."

"I understand, Spirit. I really do, but this is all the more incentive to be better than you were." Lord Death stated in an understanding tone before addressing everyone. "Now, since everyone is here, I declare this meeting to be in session. Marie, Azusa, the three of you already have some idea as to why you are here. You had to deal with this problem back in your international divisions after all."

"Yes sir, I... I haven't seen this kind of ferocity before." Marie spoke up, the uncovered eye scrunched up in with some emotion. "Do we have any idea of what's going on?"

"We have some idea, which is why I have been recalling all available forces that haven't been overrun to Death City." The Reaper stated in an honest tone, causing Marie's eyes to widen in shock as she murmured. "Overrun? So it really got that bad..."

"All over the world, there has been an increase in Madness with unknown origin, and with this surge came what we've all no doubt encountered." It was Stein who continued, cranking the bolt stuck to his head as he took out a smoke. "While we don't know where the increase in Madness originated from, we do have an idea of the enemy in question." He paused for an excruciating moment to take in a drag of his cancer stick. "The Immortal Clan has without a doubt returned."

"I surmised as much, but this string of attacks on cities is too sudden." Azusa interjected as her overseas colleague nodded in grim understanding. "This Madness couldn't have come from the Kishin, could it?"

"That's a negative." Sid the Zombie said as he shook his head. "He's still locked down below in the Alter of Madness. All we do know is that this Madness is external in origin, and since its observation there have been more Werewolf sightings than usual."

Clearing his throat, Stein continued. "Overall reports suggest their number is increasing by the day, Europe bearing the highest density as they seemed to have made it their territory. If you recall from history, as well as encounters with the Werewolf from Maka and Soul's report, those of the Immortal Clan are notorious for being hard to kill. In days past, it was the combined strength of the Eight Warlords that put an end to the threat they posed, reducing them to a distant memory. As of last year and the next few months though, all students out on missions have been recalled, any international divisions still intact have also recalled their personnel to ready for more possible attacks."

"And you know what lack of activity means." Lord Death continued when Stein finished his part. " Potential Kishin, or Afreet depending on where you come from, and Witch activity has also increased. Without our vigilant presence across the world, chaos has led to opportunities for these bad apples to do as they please."

That wasn't good, with the Werewolves out claiming territory, those with Evil Souls would rise to the occasion and satisfy their selfishness and hunger for power and be well on their way to becoming powerful Kishin. And then there was the matter of the Witches, though most of them shared a destructive nature, they were not all united and either formed Covens or worked independently. Each of their motivations for working in the shadows would be unclear, and so it was unknown what many of them sought in the end.

"One other thing." Stein spoke up once more with a glint to his glasses. "With the few dissections I've been able to perform, it's safe to say these Werewolves are a new breed altogether."

"Yeah they do, I can attest to that." Spirit said as he joined in on the conversation, his silence breaking. "It was hard to pierce through them, and it was hard to concentrate every time the two of us fought some of them."

"Hard to concentrate? What do you mean?" The Gunbow Demon Weapon crossed her arms. "Was it Madness?"

"Possibly," Stein answered. "A mixture of Soul Wavelengths, Murderous and Madness being two of them. We still managed to kill a few, and my dissections proved fruitful. Durable bodies, unstable Wavelengths, and incredible healing..."

"So you're saying Madness would be the most effective tool against them?" Marie spoke, unsure of the matter.

"Aside from one's incredible endurance and ability to dissect, yes." Stein answered. "Everyone has a little bit of Madness in them, Marie, it all comes down to how it is used."

There were nods of agreement and understanding in the silence that followed, it was a risky move to take, utilizing Madness.

"But you said they're a new breed, Stein." Marie pointed out. "If they're not from the Immortal Clan, then... what are they?"

"That's the million-dollar question." Stein cranked the screw on his head as he blew out smoke. "Unfortunately, I don't have an answer."

The answer chilled the eyepatched Death Weapon while Azusa remained silent, looking at the many crosses stabbed into the ground. For Stein of all people to not have an answer was not reassuring at all. That didn't mean he wouldn't be able to find an answer, just because he didn't have it immediately didn't mean it was nonexistent. Still...

Suddenly, Azusa's eyes widened as she gasped in surprise, concern in everyone as they turned toward her. She stayed motionless for a second before her eyes glowed a bright blue as she turned toward Lord Death.

"Shinigami-Sama! An unidentified individual has just appeared in Death City, Magic appears to have been used." Her usual composure broken as she actually feared the worst, she had already been witness to recent developments. The retreat through friendly territory was not without its losses.

"Yes, I felt it." Lord Death's voice had dropped slightly, very much serious in this moment. "The soul is quite... odd to say the least." The Reaper spoke calmly. 'Odd... but familiar.'

"Sir, what do we do? Should we engage?" Sid Barrett asked.

'Wait. The strong Soul! This familiar Wavelength! Could it be him?'

"Sir?"

The God of Absolute Order calmed those around him as his aspect demanded, looking at each of the Meisters and Death Scythes present. Their stances relaxed as they noticed he was not even worried.

"There's no need for panic everyone, no harm will come to this city. Besides, they're on their way here right now."

Kimial Diehl was many things, well aware of the different implications of others when referred by these words. Witch and Meister, Healer and Traitor to her own kind. No word hurt more than that of Traitor, not just because of the past actions a certain Witch had committed to Death City but because she knew other Witches wouldn't readily accept her as one of their own. Still...

'It's strange, I never thought I'd survive here if word got out. But here I am. Walking down the streets of Death City with my friends, and not a care in the world... well, almost I guess.' Though it wasn't all bad, not as she walked towards the DWMA girl's dorms with her close friend and Demon Lantern partner Jacqueline O'Lantern Dupre, along with the NOT students Tsugumi Harudori and her Meisters, Anya Hepburn and Meme Tatane. Thinking back on her reveal as a Witch, Kim reached into her uniform's pocket and pulled something out, a memento if her reverent gaze was anything to go by.

Tsugumi had been the one to see it as she asked. "What's that Kim? A good luck charm?" An honest question from the NOT student.

Kim had almost rolled her eyes at the question but she decided to humor the girl. "Nah, not me. Here, take a look."

The NOT class Demon Halberd found herself holding an origami heart, bright green as it was made from a dollar bill curiously enough.

"I know what you're thinking, 'Oh Kim, you accepted it because it was made from money.' Am I right?" Kim grumbled as she looked away.

"Oh! Uh... no!" Tsugumi argued as she struggled to come up with an explanation. "I mean... did you?"

'So much for honesty, at least she asked.' Kim thought before responding, a smile on her face as she remembered the words. "All you need to know is that it was given to me a long time ago. I was told I had a good heart by the person who gave it to me, that and I shouldn't let anything or anyone make me think otherwise."

The Halberd Demon Weapon was surprised, a look of realization coming across her face as she nodded. "I see I see! So that's why you came out like you did?"

Kim gave her friend an annoyed look. "Wording kid. You make it sound like I was a lesbian coming out of the closet... but basically, yeah." She didn't notice Jacqueline get a depressed look as she hunched over in defeat. "Besides, it didn't feel right you know? I had this power, and everyone else was coming back from a mission, horribly wounded by the Immortal Clan."

Tsugumi nodded as she looked down at the origami heart, remembering the day Kim revealed her truth...

...

It had been a normal day in Death City, business was conducted as usual as people moved up and about, all for varying reasons and in a much lively manner. But it was all a front, there was a noticeable change in the air, tension from recent events that worried the citizens. There was safety within the walls but the fear of what was happening even now was present.

After the reemergence of the Immortal Clan a few months ago, outward refugees arriving in the city would confirm the worry and fear most felt. Preparations being made to combat this force, it wouldn't be as effective as it once was during the time of the Eight Shinigami Legions of Death but it was a start. Many new arrivals came into town with few personal belongings, some even bearing wounds not inflicted by humans. Though population control would not be a problem, the density in which they arrived raised issues and concerns related to the state of the world.

And then, DWMA teams began returning with horrendous wounds, with one particular instance being a cold morning in November. A helicopter flying in from the east to land on one of the academy's helipads, the side doors of the aerial vehicle opening to reveal Doctor Stein step out and rush out with two gurneys, hurriedly taking them to the medical quadrant.

Tsugumi and her two Meisters along with Kim and Jacqueline had been walking to their respective classes when a loud commotion caught their attention. Screams of pain and suffering heard from the school's interior hospital. Concerned, they made their way over to the medial field's section of the academy to find the worst of what this time could bring.

Several body bags had already been zipped up and moved to a corner and away from the working space and ready to be taken away, their occupants very much unmoving. And then there were the people on the hospital beds, bleeding from deep lacerations and suffering from grievous wounds, expressions full of anguish as they were tended to by the medical field students and several experienced doctors and nurses. Quite a few had already been left alone, either because their conditions had been tended to and stabilized or their wounds had already caught up to them.

"The four of you! What are you doing here?" The stern voice of Doctor Medusa bringing the five out of their trepidation as they realized they were holding up work. The blonde haired doctor cleared her throat and looked at the girls with a raised eyebrow while tapping her foot impatiently. "Unless any of you have expertise in this field, I suggest you get back to your classes. You don't need to see this."

The Good Doctor was clearly not as composed as she usually was, a strained expression on her face even as she tried to maintain her calm countenance, and the appearance of several young students with little medical experience was not helping matters. It was clear she would rather want them out of the way before they got scarred any further, especially with Tsugumi looking a little more pale than usual as her two Meisters moved to help her out of the room.

"A-positive and B-negative blood, with me now!" Doctor Stein's commands were heard over the chaos as he rushed over to two gurneys, all the beds occupied as they had to make do with what they had.

In the confusion, Kim had been walking through the crowded hospital section, her mouth parted in shock with unshed tears gathering in her eyes as she beheld the horror of what was going on beyond DWMA. It wasn't just students and experienced Meisters and their Weapon partners but families as well, some were alive and well, together as they were tended to as much as the staff could manage... others weren't as well off, children often sitting alone with blank expressions as nurses wrapped bandages on them. One of them seemed to be missing an eye...

"Sutures! Scalpel! Apply morphine... good. Mr. Eclair should be fine no-" Stein's voice was heard again to the right, or was it the left? Kim hadn't noticed where she'd gone. Were her hands trembling? They were.

"Doctor, Ox Ford is coding!" Nygus' voice was heard interrupting him.

'Wait, Ox Ford? Cardiopulmonary arrest? Oh no...' Kim's thoughts were a mess as she beheld the forms of Ox Ford and Harvar D. Eclair.

"No crash carts available... we'll have to do this manually." Stein stated as he directed electrical currents on his arms. "Clear, Soul Menace!" A momentary pause for a response from the bespectacled boy after his body jerked upward. "Again. Clear, Double Soul Menace!" Another pause before the doctor wiped his forehead. "Still flatlining, once more then. Clear, Triple Soul Menace!" But there was still no response as the body of Ox Ford remained motionless.

'No.'

Though it was clear that Ox Ford wouldn't get up, Stein continued applying Soul Menace several more times until he was forced to stop by Nygus and a nearby nurse. Sweat from exhaustion trailed down his face as he gritted his teeth with his next words. "Call it, time of death... time of death is 7:15 a.m."

Jacqueline had caught up to her friend against the advisement of Doctor Medusa when she saw Kim rush toward the gurneys holding Ox and Harvar's bodies. The Lantern Demon Weapon followed to try and stop her Meister in case things got out of hand when her eyes widened. Doctor Stein had shaken off those holding him back and stated calmly, "Miss Diehl, you shouldn't be here-"

Kim had placed her hands over Ox's still warm corpse, the horrendous wound on his chest in the shape of a wild animal's claws. It looked as though it cut through bone as well... steeling herself, a determined look was etched on her face as she closed her eyes. "Much as I don't like you in the way you want me to, Ox, you're still willing to put up with me. I'll consider that payment from a friend, and I don't let friends die." Placing both hands over her chest, she began her incantation.

Her voice was clear as she stated the words, "Tanucoon, Raccoon-coon, Ponpon, Ponkitanu!" An ethereal golden light appeared over the spear Meister's body, a light wind picking up around her as she kept the magic healing process up for several minutes. She hadn't performed magic for this long in a while so it was clear she was overexerting herself as sweat trailed down her face. She had been swaying during this time, kept up by Jacqueline when it seemed she would fall, the wounds steadily closing to an acceptable degree. And then, Ox Ford drew in a shuddering breath, prompting attention from those available as they moved to his side hurriedly.

Kim had been panting heavily as she let her arms down, eyes opening and shutting as she struggled to stay conscious as her partner set her down slowly in her arms. Her arms felt like lead and it felt like she ran through a marathon twice! Probably an overexaggeration but she couldn't care less...

"Kim! It's okay! You did it, Ox is going to make it!" The words of her Weapon partner sounded so faint, so far away as she slowly gained her bearings.

"Am... I... am I going to be killed now?" Kim whispered as Stein looked down at the two, a neutral expression on him as he lit a ciagrette.

"That depends." Stein started as he offered a hand to Jacqueline who hesitantly accepted it. When the two were standing steadily, he continued. "A visit to the Death Room would do for now, don't you think Miss Kim?"

"If you're taking her, I go too!" Jacqueline held Kim closer, her tone offering no argument. "I don't care what she is, she is my Meister and my responsibility!"

"Jacqueline... wh- what are you doing!?" Kim started as she looked at the dark-haired girl in shock.

"What a Demon Weapon and a friend is supposed to do, stay by their Meister's side!" Jacqueline stated resolutely, refusing to take her eyes off of Stein as if he would rush at them. Which he might've if his smirk was anything to go by. "I knew the entire time, so what you do to her, you do to me! You got that?"

Stein chuckled and shook his head, looking over the two, he spoke to the NOT students who accompanied the Lantern Weapon. "And the three of you? You have classes don't you?"

Anya was the first to speak up with a quirked eyebrow. "I believe you know our answer, Good Doctor." To which Meme nodded with a smile. The two then looked at Tsugumi who had been indecisive at first, giving Kim a smile as she nodded.

"We're with you, Kim."

So it was that the group of friends were escorted to the Death Room, a strange area inside the academy's walls that was reminiscent to the outside world. There was a blue sky overhead with clouds drifting along, and around the main platform where Lord Death usually resided was an expansive field that seemed to stretch on forever. Black crosses were stabbed into the ground where souls were buried in the past...

'I wonder... if that's to be my fate? I wouldn't blame these people, not even..." Kim thought as she realized where she was, raising her head as she found herself walking up the steps to Lord Death.

The Shinigami in question had been speaking to someone on the other side of the mirror it seemed, nodding and waving at them as his conversation ended. When he turned around, he was still the cheerful and optimistic Headmaster of the academy. But with the knowledge out that Kim was a Witch in hiding, it was possible he did have an idea of what this was all about. Then again, that mask with three holes in it gave no indication of what he was thinking...

"Doctor Stein! Heyo! Hi hiya! What's the occasion?" He spoke up cheerfully, his black-clothed bobbing up and down in greeting.

"Lord Death, Kim Diehl here had just revealed her identity as a Witch. Before doing anything further, I'd like your opinion of what to do."

The Reaper rubbed the lower half of his mask with one of his giant hands, humming in thought for a moment. "That is concerning. What exactly did she do to reveal herself?"

"She brought fellow EAT student Ox Ford back from the brink of death after conventional means - as well as my Soul Menace - wouldn't work. Some sort of restoration magic was used..."

"Well now that's rare! Rare indeed! Magic used to restore instead of destroy... I wager other Witches didn't like this sort of thing then, Kim?"

"That's correct sir." Kim answered honestly.

Nodding in understanding, the god continued in a more serious tone. "I suspected as much. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

The girl gasped in surprise before her blue eyes flashed with resolution. "I don't have to defend anything! You think I chose to be a Witch at birth or something?" She stated in a heated tone as she stood her ground before the being all Witches feared to a degree. "Besides..."

Lord Death said nothing as he listened intently. His mask did tilt to the side at the sudden hesitation however.

When the pinkette looked up, her aquamarine eyes narrowed at the eyeholes of the comical mask. "Whatever happens to me here, even if my body is destroyed and you take my soul, you won't be able to change what I know!"

The Meister's friends held a mixture of reactions, ranging from shock, amazement, and approval. Shock from Anya as she looked close to fainting on the spot, Kim was talking to a god after all! Amazement from Tsugumi and Meme for their friend's courage in the face of possible doom. And approval from Jacqueline as she nodded at Kim's words, a blush on her cheeks as her partner didn't let the situation get to her.

"And what do you know?" Lord Death inquired.

In response, Kim reached into her jacket's pocket, the death god making no move to stop her. She pulled something out of her pocket then, keeping it in an enclosed fist as she approached Lord Death and showed him what she had. Though they all knew what it was by the present time, it had been something Kim had kept close to her. Tilting his body over to examine the object, the Headmaster stayed like that as he stared intently at it.

"I know who I am." Kim stated with finality.

Without warning, the death god shot back up and clapped his oversized hands together before saying, "Ok."

"Ok?" Everyone echoed.

"She can stay." The death god declared with a salute.

"SHE CAN STAY!" Everyone cheered, sans Doctor Stein who sighed in defeat, likely due to a missed chance at a live dissection of a new variant of Witch. Regardless, the girls rushed to congratulate their friend as she stood in surprise at Lord Death's decision, a smile gracing her lips with tears collecting in her eyes as she moved to hug everyone. She truly had a place here!

When everyone had settled down, the headmaster spoke up again with a matter-of-fact wave of his finger. "However, from now on I would like you to carry a pager to the hospital at all times. Starting today, consider yourself employed and on stand-by for DWMA's medical division. This ability to restore life will be quite the boon in this time, don't you agree?"

"Yes sir, but what about my position as a Meister?"

"Oh don't worry a hair about that! We'll be sure to send you out on the occasional mission. For now though, devote your healing magic to those in need here, at least until we find a way to deal with this new enemy effectively."

Nodding her understanding of what was now expected of her, Kim voiced one last question. "So uh... can I go back to class now?" Her tone unsure as she might be called at this moment.

"Yeah yeah sure sure! Run along now kiddos and have a nice day!"

...

'That was over a year ago. I guess it's thanks to this that Kim-san is still with us.' Tsugumi thought as she smiled at the object in her hand before looking back up at Kim.

The young Witch girl had since grown her hair back to its original state, one that stretched in a pink sheet down to her back, the tips curling at the ends. She had gotten taller as well, gaining a better figure as her confidence grew. Whoever the person who helped was, it was because of them that Kim-san was warmer to others and more open to her friends than before the secret was revealed. The one thing that didn't change was her love for money as well as the when, where, and however possible she'd trick others into buying what she wanted. However, she never charged anyone - not even her closest friends - for use of her Healing Magic, not with what's going on these days.

"Whoever gave this to you must've been wise." She said to the pinkette.

Kim nodded with a smile. "He was - no he is -" She corrected herself. "He is wise. A good friend too."

The Japanese Demon Weapon was about to hand back the paper keepsake when a sudden gust of wind picked up, blowing away the light gift from her unclenched grasp, and the two could only watch in helplessly as it was blown away by the cool wind of the coming night.

Suddenly, a hand wrapped in leather and metal grabbed the origami heart from the air as it blew to the other side of the street, lowering to be inspected by whoever grabbed it. Clothed in an exotic suit of silver armor and with a red cloak worn on their back, the expressionless face of the knight examined the craft for a moment before noticing the group of people in front of him.

"A knight in shining armor," Anya tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully, a light smile on her lips before quirking an eyebrow. "Although I have never seen that style of fashion before And that armor..."

As he drew closer, they began to make out finer details about the individual. He wore a sheathed sword over the metal plates on his left hip as well as some sort of intricately designed flintlock pistol on his right side. That metal helmet they wore had a strange decorum to it as well, several depictions of things that couldn't be readily explained were engraved on its surface. Locks of white hair trailing down his neck could be seen as he came to a stop before Kim, showing that the hair was connected to the inside of the metal helmet.

There was a faint but strange smell about him, not something one would immediately notice but it was there all the same. It was a somewhat cloying scent of flowers and the pungent iron tang of blood. An alarming detail to note but it seemed only Kim Diahl registered it as that, something which changed when he held out his partly clenched fist to her. Reaching forward, the witch cupped a hand underneath the fist as he dropped it into her waiting grasp.

"T-thank you." Kim managed to say, wary as she was of the knight. Kind as his act was, he was an unknown. She had been pulling away when the hand gently grabbed her arm, surprising her as the knight spoke his first words to her.

"Guard your heart closely, strong and honest as you are, blood still flows freely." His voice was low but it had a laidback attitude to it. "The Soul is equally delicate, hold your dearest close to you so you may hold up your light longer." He let go of her hand and let her ponder his words as he patted the girl's shoulder before walking past the group.

Kim was about to respond with thanks when the knight spoke once more, his words carrying on through the wind. "You got a heart of gold, Kimial Diehl. Don't let them take it from you."

The Lantern Meister stood ramrod straight upon hearing those words along with the familiar tone of voice, looking for the man with wide eyes. But he was nowhere to be seen. He had faded into the night as if he were a half-forgotten dream brought to life.

"Did any of you see where he went?" Kim asked hurriedly, her usual attitude more frantic than usual.

Tsugumi and her two Meisters all shook their heads collectively while Jacqueline approached her Meister with a concerned look, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Kim, what's going on? Did you know him?"

Her face scrunching up in a mix of aggravation and distress, the Tanuki Witch replied with a wave of her hand. "Yes, no, maybe. I might know him. I won't know for sure unless I concentrate and take a look at his soul, if not that, then I'll try and find him."

"Not to be presumptuous but I really don't think that'll happen tonight. Plus, its getting late, so how about we come back and look for him tomorrow?" Jacqueline smiled reassuringly. "With armor like that, it won't be too hard to find him."

Much as she wanted to go out and find him, Kim knew her friend was right. It was late, and she would be too tired to devote anymore time in exhausting herself until he was found. Casting one last look behind her, the DWMA Meister nodded and turned back toward the dorms.

The Death Room

"Whoever that man is, he's bypassed all security and avoided contact with the student body." Azusa pushed her glasses up. "He should be arriving here in five, four, thr-!" Azusa stopped counting down once she noticed a new presence, one that was in the room with them.

All eyes were on the Toril gates leading to the main room, nothing in particular stood out as the pathway remained the same way as it always had. And then he appeared, or rather he simply walked out of an unseen corner behind one of the gates. A knight of unknown nationality, assuming the tall individual was male, the silver armor they wore was light and tight fitting to their body. It seemed as though agility would be their most advantageous trait.

"Hey! I don't know who you are, but if its a fight you're looking for, I'll give you one!" Drawled out Spirit as he stepped forward while spawning a black scythe blade from his arm. "I dare you to make my day..."

"And I dare you to say that in a dark alley." The knight's dark wording echoed in that pristine silver helmet with patterns and swirls of vivd depictions. "Besides, think of me as a messenger of sorts. I have no beef with any of you."

'Beef? Strange vocabulary for a a knight to use...' Azusa mentally noted.

His armor was equally strange, draped underneath the red cloak which reached behind his waist was armor in a similar cloak like fashion, the square segmented metal plates detailed swirls of unknown reasoning. The waist armor was similar in the pieces used, reaching down to his upper leg, of which the aforementioned lower limbs were covered in segmented silver armor.

And then there were the arms, clad in equally silver armor as they were, they were still kept dangerously close to the weapons he kept strapped to his waist's belt. A large flintlock pistol and a sheathed sword, the latter which curiously enough, held traces of multiple cultural traits. Whatever its origin was however, it was clear he intended to use it if he needed to.

The knight had stopped five feet away from the steps before looking over each of those who were present, keeping his expressionless gaze on Spirit for a few seconds longer before finally settling on Lord Death. The two had stayed like that for an uncomfortable ten seconds before the knight spoke once more.

"I am called Henaid, a Hunter from Yharnam and knight in service to the Queen of Castle Cainhurst." The words shocking some of those present, for Cainhurst had been the location of which a DWMA student was known to have visited before he was presumed missing. "Henaid" then bowed slightly before Lord Death, and the Reaper did the same in turn.

And then Azusa's eyes widened when she saw the knight's shadow.

"Great Old One of Order."

"Hunter of Yharnam." Lord Death greeted back as he straightened back up and tilted his head. "Or would you prefer 'Hound of Tindalos'?" It was an honest question and one that brought little harm. The Reaper would prefer the being feel he was in good company, needless violence was not necessary as the Great One put it in his own words.

Besides, not everyone here could properly perceive the Great One's Soul, not just because it was too large and out of their sight but because viewing it would likely cause mental damage or worse. Although certain individuals could notice other details about beings like Lord Death, such as Azusa with her unique abilities and Stein due to his own Madness. The Hunter's Shadow for example, it was really not in the form of a man but of a wolf like creature seated on its underside, shadowy tendrils which were its tails flicking around.

"You know what I am, that's good." He tilted his head. "But Henaid's the name... now answer me this." He drew his sword swiftly and pointed it right at Lord Death, eliciting surprise from those present as some of them prepared for battle. "I want the truth, and only the truth. I've not seen the night here yet, but you will tell me the truth."

"You little punk! Who do y-" Spirit started but was held back by Lord Death. "Go on, Henaid."

"What is this I have heard about the Immortal Clan? The Blood Moon? They should not be here, so swear to me that you are not the one who began this Beast Plague."

Lord Death bowed deeply, his voice taking on a darker but no less respectful tone. "I swear upon my flesh and all my power that it is not I who started this."

"And what of your Surrogate?" The suspicious Hunter asked, a tight grip on that sword as Lord Death recoiled. "A single child of a Great One managed to cause me a lot of trouble, so if you want to avoid trouble with me..."

Lord Death had actually hesitated before responding. "I swear upon the life of my Surrogate that neither he nor I have started these string of events."

The Hunter nodded slightly as he relaxed and sheathed his sword before looking at Azusa. The woman in question getting nervous by how intently he seemed to stare at her when he finally spoke after a moment. "Gunbow there looks nervous."

Azusa recoiled slightly in shock. "How do you know my weapon form?"

"Insight milady." He did a short bow before her as a uncharacteristic slight blush formed on her cheeks.

"Anywaaaaaay~!" Lord Death interrupted before the conversation got out of hand, waving around his large hands. "There's one thing I want to confirm before we talk any further."

"And that is?" Henaid crossed his arms.

"I would ask that you show your face to us."

The Hunter nodded his head as he shifted on his feet slightly. His white hair pooling out from under the metal mask bobbing slightly as he moved to take the helmet off. "Of course, sometimes I forget I even have it on. I've been used to hiding my face for so long that its practically a second skin for me. Just as long as you answer a question of mine."

Lord Death nodded in calm understanding, but deep down he was feeling... excited? Ecstatic? A Hunter from Yharnam of all places, a place he had known to have fallen 800 years ago. And yet, here was one now! And if he knew of Cainhurst...

Henaid slid off his helmet, eliciting a range of surprise from everyone as he tucked the helmet under his arm. He bore the face of one of the students who had gone missing over a year ago! The same spiky white hair and red eyes as the Demon Weapon who reportedly traveled to Europe before vanishing.

It was Lord Death who broke the shock from everyone sans Spirit Albarn, the man in question looking absolutely livid.

"Soul Evans. You've returned to us at last." The Death God placed a hand over his chest. "Its been too long my boy."

But Soul didn't look happy, in fact his eyes looked empty and tired, as though they had gone through a learning experience worth years of his life. And indeed he did, for Lord Death was able to read some parts of his being through what the former Demon Weapon allowed, his own soul showing that even though he ascended beyond a mortal shell, it had great cost. It was his following question that showed how much he had missed and didn't know.

"Where is Maka?"

End of chapter

Well well well, five stories being worked on, many possibilities of what each contain and of what could happen, yes-yes! It is entirely possible that in my writing and planning out this story, I may have just gained eyes on the inside. Rapturous~! The Yharnam Madness is in all Hunters, would you not agree?

Soul Eater already had some wild stuff going on its world, the environments being a strange mix between art and real world depictions, the characters being wide in variety, and the concepts!

Anyhow! This was originally a story put up for adoption by bubbajack under the name "Waking Nightmare", and with their permission I have gone on to adopt it for myself. Besides giving this one a different name, there will definitely be changes compared to what they originally started on, thus I will have my own spin on the story according to my own knowledge and interpretation of Bloodborne's lore. The story in game for this story has also slightly changed according to what I planned, such as the Little Ogre's involvement in helping Soul survive as well as Annalise's dialogue towards him. That said, Little Ogre's new appearance has certainly changed, and is not in the form of some random being I thought up. No-no, his appearance and identity is very much based off of a certain musician in a certain game as well as an actual composer of music.

And Soul? I will have him identify mostly as Henaid as bubbajack did in their original story, the reasoning is simple yet understandable really. Yharnam can change people drastically, or rather the Eldritch Truth can. Then there is the matter of the Great One form I have chosen and briefly shown off, these are beings from the Cthulhu Mythos just so you know, look them up if you will and understand the Good Hunter. They're just so cuddly and COOL.

And yes... Vilebloods rule! Executioner's drool! Myeh!

That should be enough information for what I have planned, for now at least. With all this in mind, bear in mind that as I will be returning to full-time work soon, there will be less frequent updates. However, with five to work on, I have the opportunity to work on plenty and go over them to give a good reading experience. In the meantime, as I look over the reviews for some of them, all I can say in your awaiting chapters is... *chuckles* let the theories and imagination run wild. Everything will be answered in due time, and it will all come full circle.

Anyhow, that'll be all for now. Leave some reviews, remember to stay hydrated, don't let this year get you down and strive to survive it. Sieg Zeon everyone.