I don't own Bloodborne or Fate Grand Order. Both properties belong to their respective owners.

Please enjoy this story to your heart's content.


Dreamer of the Eternal Hunt


Chapter 1: Premonition of Pale Blood


The first thing that Abigail Williams noticed before she opened her eyes was a familiar smell that smothered her nose. A pungent rusty aroma that she knew too well. A horrible, gut-wrenching stench that, despite all that has happened to her, still left a little queasy feeling on occasion. Nothing could imitate such a smell, for neither garbage or rot could wash away the fresh scent of blood hanging in the air.

Slowly opening her eyes, Abigail blinked at the sight before her. With how overwhelming that bloody stench hanged in the air, surely there must have been a decaying corpse or two around. Instead, there was nothing but fog.

She knew she was dreaming, it was not hard to notice considering her otherworldly nature, even if it frightened her from time to time. Yet, she did not understand why she would conjure up a dreary landscape like this. Usually, her dreams, even nightmares, were associated around her past, her pleasant memories with her Master, the horrible events that occurred in that forsaken fiction created by the Demon Pillar Raum, or something truly not bound by the reality of man. The last of which she was sure was due to her Father's influence.

So why? Why did this dream look and feel so different? Was this a message from her Father? Surely, the otherworldly deity would use a far stranger landscape than this. Peering into the wall of fog, she twirled around and found herself surrounded by coils of grey, unable to see anything past a few feet. Puffing her cheeks in annoyance, she looked up only to find even more fog obscuring the sky.

"Couldn't I have dreamed of pancakes instead of something so boring?" Abigail pouted before stomping a foot down in irritation. Suddenly she heard a splash beneath her, pausing her budding tantrum. Puzzled, she looked down… and found herself gaping at what she saw.

Her foot was ankle deep in water—which she was positive wasn't there a moment before—yet within those murky depths, a city stood. It was impossible to make out the architecture in that dismal sea, but she could see that it was vast. Intrigued, Abigail leaned down, curious to get a better look, but stopped when the waters suddenly darkened… then turned crimson.

Taken back by the sight, Abigail inhaled and immediately regretted it as the rusty stench, now stronger than ever before, engulfed her lungs. Gagging, Abigail covered up her nose as she now stood upon an ocean of blood.

Suddenly a bell rang out of the fog, a curious, soft sound that tore Abigail's gaze away from the sickening red beneath her feet. The dense grey coils slowly parted, replacing the blood for solid ground and revealing an old, worn house sitting atop a small hill. Snow-white flowers mingled with gravestones as they lined along the house, creating a strangely serene atmosphere. There was something about that little house that felt incredibly ancient, but Abigail could not explain why. Curious and more than a little confused by the rapid changes to her dream, she felt compelled to go see what was inside.

Walking up the cobblestoned path, she passed grave and flower alike without so much of a glance before she found herself standing before a great door. Reaching up with one small hand, she grabbed one of the cold handles and slowly pulled it back. She only opened the door just a crack, stopping the moment when she heard an awful creak forming, before peaking inside.

A roaring fire lit a single room, illuminating towering book shelves on one side while tables with strange vials and parchment were neatly organized in the back. It would have been a cozy abode… except for the fact that there was a row of brutal looking weapons lining up the other half of the room. Some of which even hung from the ceiling when there was nowhere else they could go. Abigail had seen mean instruments of fighting ever since she was summoned by her Master, but these weapons… it made her shiver just looking at them. They all gave off a ominous feeling that they sought blood, her blood, even when not in the hands of their owner.

Tearing her gaze away from the awful arms, she blinked when she spotted what could only be the owner of the house. Sitting by the fireplace was a rather tall and pale woman, dressed in clothes almost similar to Abigail's own normal attire, if more conservative. Wearing a grey mantle that matched her dark skirts while an equally gloomy bonnet covered her silver haired head, all of which etched with flowery patterns that caught the eye, the woman truly captured a dignified yet humble presence. The only thing that stood out on her was a pink scarf tucked neatly down the middle of her neck to allow a silver necklace to rest upon.

The woman didn't seem to notice her peeper yet, instead rocking steadily in her chair and humming a strange tune. Curious, Abigail was about to open the door completely to say hello, only to halt when her eyes saw something in the woman's lap. At first she thought it was some kind of cat, what with the way the woman petted it affectionately, but a cat had fluffy fur and long tails to pet upon. The thing had neither cute qualities. Smooth, pale flesh gleamed brightly in the fire light, allowing Abigail to see a writhing mass of tentacles wiggling out of its head.

Placing a hand over her mouth to hold back a gasp, Abigail leaned back as she could not believe what she was seeing. Was this another Outer God? No, it certainly did not feel like one… at least she didn't think so. It did not have the same presence as her Father, but… it was strange. There was something about it that felt off. Confused and befuddled, Abigail leaned back to the crack and dared to get another look at the strange creature that the pale woman looked upon fondly.

Pressing her head into that small opening, she looked inside… and nearly jerked back when she saw the woman staring at her. No. Not just the woman, but the tentacle creature as well.

It had no eyes, but Abigail could tell it was staring directly at her. A gaze so penetrating, so soul piercing that Abigail found she could not move, speak, or breathe. In that sightless gaze, a new feeling crept upon her. Fear. Fear so overwhelming, so primal, and crushing that she felt her mind crumble under its weight. Every instinct, from muscle to intellect, demanded her to flee. To run screaming into the night or crawl on her hands and knees if she had to. Anything to escape that awful gaze. She couldn't explain it. How could she, the vessel of the Silver Key, the Great Father, be terrified of something so small and insignificant? Even as she hastily tried to find an answer, Abigail tried to obey her instincts… only to find her frozen where she stood. All she could do was gape soundlessly at the eldritch writhing mass and…


Bolting up in her bed, Abigail panted heavily as she tightly clutched at her bed sheets. Wetness clung to her cheeks as her eyes stung unsympathetically. Tentatively she raised a hand to wipe away her drying tears, but stopped an inch away as memory struck mercilessly. "I… What was that?" she whispered, a dry sound that cracked her throat. She knew there was no answer, but the question simply bubbled out. Out of all the dreams she had, even in her darkest of nightmares in Salem, this one truly frightened her above all else. But why? There was nothing special or terribly outlandish about the dream. Yes, there was an underwater city. Yes, there was a mysterious house shrouded in fog. And yes, there was an eldritch creature. Yet, her adventures with Chaldea and her Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru, allowed her to experience far greater horrors and monsters than that small tentacle creature. However, it was that same thing that made her tremble in her bed even now.

It did not make sense. Especially for something she had never seen before until now. Slowly she raised a hand to her forehead, right where a keyhole should have been. On occasion, Abigail would hide her connection to her Father from her companions in Chaldea with tape or by enchantment—she did not want to frighten her Master, after all. However, from time to time, she would rub that spot and ponder what forbidden knowledge the Silver Key could bestow upon her. Perhaps he already had. It would not be the first time that her Father communicated through a dream. If that was the case, then what was the meaning behind this one.

A warning perhaps? A warning of that thing? She concluded that the creature could only be something related to her Father. Meaning that it could be something akin to the great and powerful beings outside mortal man's reality. Was that thing trying to invade? No, that didn't make sense. There haven't been any signs as of late that indicated reality tearing at the seams again, not since the whole mess with Jacque de Molay. She liked the new girl, but she had put her Master in such a terrible predicament when she made him into a goat!

Rubbing the sides of her temple, she pondered and pondered until she felt dizzy. Sighing, Abigail fell back in bed and stared at the ceiling. There was no way of knowing why she had such a dream, it could have been a fluke for all she knew, but it felt so real… and that frightened her. She knew she could not keep this to herself, it felt too dangerous to be left alone, so first thing in the morning she would tell her Master everything.

Satisfied, she pulled over her sheets and turned on her side. Slowly her eyes grew heavy, closing them as sleep's tender embrace tried to take hold… that is until a glint of red through the crack of her eyelids.

Blinking in annoyance, she looked up at the nightstand where the offending light dared to glow from. A small clock shaped like a cute kitty face sat proudly towards her, its face glowing brightly to illuminate the dark—a feature Abigail enjoyed especially whenever she was getting ready for bed—currently displaying the time. Nine-ten A.M. Ten minutes passed when breakfast started in Chaldea.

"I'm late for pancakes?!" she shouted as she bolted out her bed in a flash. Frantically, she scrambled out of her pajamas before finding her regular attire. Hastily she put them on, using her powers to slip into her purple dress while an unseen tentacle helped her feet settle into her heeled shoes. She personally handled her favorite orange and purple bows, using her mirror to place them along the collar of her neck and her long, sunny blonde hair. As an unseen tentacle placed her bonnet-like hat on her head, her sky-blue eyes hastily did a once over in her mirror for anything wrong.

Satisfied, she turned to her bed and grabbed her teddy bear. Mister Bear could not be late for pancakes and yummy maple syrup either! Once she was sure everything was in order, from having her hair brushed to straightening out her skirts, she bolted out her room and headed to the cafeteria with all the haste she could muster. Frightening both staff and occasional servants alike as they got out of the way for the frantic young girl.


The cafeteria of Novum Chaldea was already packed by the time Abigail arrived. Twice the size than the original in Antarctica, the dozens upon dozens of servants and staff could be seated, served, or serve a great deal of people, but at one of the busiest times of the day, it was a vicious battleground.

"Hey, you snake!" exclaimed Mori Nagayoshi, the fiery red head stomping one foot down as he stood in line for some delicious eggs with rice served with a fresh cut of fish. "Don't think I didn't see you cutting in line."

Yan Qing turned, an amused smile on his lips as he eyed the samurai. "Oh? Afraid you're mistaken, Oni. I was always ahead of you."

"Cut the crap! I know you weren't ahead of me! I counted every head of this line since I got here! Nine heads in total, and your ass wasn't among them!"

"Oh, well, then my apologies."

"Damn right you'd better be sorry! Cause I'm about to turn your pretty boy face into—!"

"I'm afraid you misunderstand. There's a simple reason why my head wasn't accounted for. I was practicing my shape-shifting while I waited to be served."

"Like hell you were!"

"If you're so confident about me pulling the wool over you, then why don't you prove it. Cause the way I see it, it's pretty hard to think I wasn't always in line when there are nine of us here."

Mori paused at the doppelganger's words before starting to recount every head. Nine. Nine servants and staff, all of which quietly stayed out this petty squabble as they waited in line. Eyes bulging, Mori gaped first at what he was seeing before turning back to the smug looking Chinese servant. Growling like a feral animal, the samurai strode passed the assembled line. "I don't know how the hell you done it but I knows you done it! I'm going to cut off your—!"

"Hey! That's a no-no, Mori! Woof!"

Immediately all in the line turned to see Tamamo Cat glaring at the berserker and assassin, eyes flashing dangerously as if daring them to start something. "You know the rules! No fighting in the cafeteria or you'll get no delicious eats, woof!"

"But—!"

"No buts! If you want the goods, then you have to be-goods! Or would you prefer I call Master, woof?"

Gulping down whatever tirade he was about to unleash, Mori shot Yan a withering glare, to which the assassin merely shrugged off with a chuckle, before shuffling back in line.

"Hey, no skipping in line!" shouted Sei Shounagon.

"What?! But this is my spot!"

"You lose it the moment you step out of line, Mushi. Now to the back with you. We're all hungry here!"

"Oh, gods damn it!"

Meanwhile, at another corner of the cafeteria, a different kind of trouble was taking place.

"You call this scrambled eggs, chirp?!" Beni-Enma shouted as she stood before three cowering servants. Although she was half their size, she towered over them as they groveled pathetically at her feet.

"B-But you said I should let it sit for a bit!" Kiyohime stuttered out, trying, but unfortunately failing, to hold the bird girl's furious stare.

"Yes, I did. Scramble the eggs together, turn down the heat, and let it sit… for a bit. Not long enough where there is more black and brown than there is yolk yellow, chirp! Your brain is more scrambled than any egg ever cooked if you think this is acceptable!" The serpent-like servant flinched back as if struck, but Beni-Enma didn't care as she turned her attention to her next victim. "And you… what is this?"

"I… I…" Tomoe Gozen tried to speak, only to shrink back when a frying pan filled with an unspeakable lump of God knew what was shoved just an inch away from her nose.

"This is beyond an insult to cooking! How can anyone mess up making hashbrowns?! Even the lowest of worms know how to treat a potato better than this abomination against man and the heavens! Rest assured; you will not be touching another spud until you completed a hundred years of my personal training. Only then will you not make anyone's taste buds commit seppuku with your lethal cooking, chirp."

The color drained from the samurai's face as her knees gave out. But already she was little more than an insignificant speck to Beni-Enma. Putting away the frying pan, she turned to her final troublemaker. Tamamo-no-Mae tried to put on a brave face, but the clear sweat on her brow while she fiddled with her fingers was not fooling anyone.

Beni eyed her for a moment before pointing at a nearby plate sitting on the counter. "Well? What do you have to say for this?"

"I have no excuses for my actions, chef," Tamamo-no-Mae said quietly.

"I wasn't asking for excuses. I was asking what do you have to say for this atrocity, chirp?"

"I-I don't understand, chef?"

"Alright, let me put it in a way that's easy for even someone who's so love sick like yourself can understand. What exactly did you try to make for breakfast?"

Tamamo-no-Mae hesitated, glancing frantically to her friends for help, but found none as they still huddled together in despair. "I, uh, was making some delicious bacon for my darling Master."

"Good, at least you remembered what you were making. Now, how did you try to make it?"

Gulping dryly under the growing intensity of the bird woman's stare, Tamamo-no-Mae braced herself for her inevitable fate. "W-Well… I… I put the stove on low then put the bacon in the frying pan… and waited for a minute before… putting it on the plate."

If Beni-Enma was angry before, she was a towering inferno now. Without looking, she took one of the strips of bacon and held it before the trembling foxy maiden. "Does this look remotely finished to you?! I don't know where to begin with your screw up, but… but the most unforgivable thing… is that it's chirping RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!"

A resounding wail of despair filled the cafeteria, but like everyone else, Abigail ignored it as she went on with her mission. A mission for pancakes! Getting in one particular line, she waited as best she could before finally it was her turn to be served by a familiar tanned servant dressed in red and black. "Hello, Mr. Red," she greeted enthusiastically. "Can I have some pancakes, please?"

"Why, hello, Abby," Emiya greeted kindly as he finished handing out a plate of steaming pancakes. "I'm surprised to see you so late. You're usually the first, alongside Bunyan, in the morning begging me for pancakes. Did you have a bad night's sleep?"

"Sort of…" she hummed thoughtfully. "It certainly was odd and I didn't know what to make of it. I thought about telling Master later after the pancakes."

"Is that so? Well, I'm sure he won't mind if you tell him while having breakfast together." He then gestured to the middle of the cafeteria where a boy sat looking famished while a lilac haired comforted him. "Poor guy has been sitting there for a while now ever since Caster Tamamo and Kiyohime declared that they would be serving a 'Grand Slam Special for their darling'. But as you can probably guess…" He glanced over to where the despairing trio sulked as Beni-Enma unleashed hell upon them. "That's not going to be happening any time soon." Reaching over the counter, he handed Abigail a huge stack of pancakes along with three plates and utensils. "Why don't you go and make sure the poor kid doesn't starve, okay? There should be enough for you, him, and Mash."

Abigail had to restrain herself from drooling at the succulent smell of melted butter mixed with heavenly syrup. It was not proper for a young lady like herself to do something so unseemly. "Yay! Thank you very much, Mr. Red!" Bowing her head once, she skipped over to her Master's table.

Ritsuka Fujimaru was slumped over his table by the time Abigail reached it. Clearly waiting for his breakfast was not settling well for the hungry youth. Mash Kyrielight, his first and most trusted servant, ruffled his black hair sympathetically while the cute, fluffy blue and white animal that was Fou rubbed against his cheeks affectionately.

Feeling bad for the poor boy, Abigail immediately placed the pancakes on the table. "Hello, Master! Here's some yummy pancakes to make your bad tummy aches go away."

Almost immediately Ritsuka looked up, his eyes gleaming as his bright blue eyes took in the pancakes. Unlike Abigail, the corners of his mouth did get a little wet. Silly Master.

"You're a god send, Abby," he said before taking two plates and handing one to Mash. He then took a fork before carefully placing pancakes on each plate. Offering a prayer, he then started to dig in heartedly while Mash ate slowly, but just as enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Abby," she said after a bite. "Senpai was waiting for at least half an hour now ever since Kiyohime and Tamamo dragged him out of his bed early in the morning. Honestly, I was about to go get him something, but I didn't want to leave him to get ambushed again. That's been happening a little too often lately."

"Fou, fou!" agreed the little beast of Chaldea before he nibbled at a delicious slice Mash handed him.

The blonde girl smiled happily before dishing out her own share of the towering sugary goodness. "No one should go a morning without pancakes," she said cheerfully before performing the Lord's prayer. Once she was done, she finally let herself indulge in her favorite morning meal. Just as she remembered it the first time, the taste was heavenly. From the fluffy texture soaked with hot butter to sticky syrup that clung to her tastebuds, it made her hum in delight. Such deliciousness often made her imagine that in heaven, pancakes were the official preferred breakfast. It was selfish, she knew, but at this moment, she didn't care as she was content with her fluffy meal.

The four eat their breakfast happily together, making small talk in-between bites. Occasionally, some servants and staff came over to say hello or ask Ritsuka if he wanted to meet up later. Some like Sakata Kintoki and Gareth asked to sit at their table, which the boy agreed without objection. Others, such as Jaguar Warrior and Quetzalcoatl, tried to join as well… only to get into an argument that nearly came to blows over who would sit next to their Master. Naturally, they were forced away from the table by the Tamamo Cat, threatening them both with moldy cheese and spoiled milk for the rest of the month if they continued to make more of a fuss. They grumbled apologies, but all the while eyed each other like stray cats.

Sipping some fresh milk, courtesy from Tamamo Cat before she headed back to the kitchen, Abigail hummed thoughtfully to herself as to how many more similar encounters would take place before the morning was over. Probably a dozen more or so. Glancing from the corner of her eye, she already saw some of the wilder or stubborn servants eying her Master. Ishtar, BB, and the goddess of Love herself, Kama, in particular stared at him as much as they did each other. Not wanting Ritsuka to be caught in that dangerous crossfire, Abigail decided to finally tell him about her dream. After she finished her pancake that is.

Stuffing the last slice of fluffy goodness in her mouth before using her napkin to wipe any crumb that clung at her lips, the little girl turned to Ritsuka and said, "Master… Do you mind if I tell you something?"

"Sure, you don't need to ask, Abby," Ritsuka said before taking a bite of some crispy bacon Gareth had offered him.

"Well… It's a little embarrassing to admit, but I had a strange dream last night."

"Ah, no need to be embarrassed, little miss," Kintoki beamed brightly. "Even a golden man like me occasionally has weird dreams. Just last night, I was haunted by some creepy, shadowy figure standing by my bed. Chanting, 'My darling boy', over and over in a motherly tone…" He shuddered before slightly adjusting his sunglasses. "Gave me the creeps even after I woke up."

"Um… I don't think that was a dream, Kintoki…" Mash said, but the golden servant didn't seem to hear her.

Abigail giggled at Kintoki's idea of a disturbing dream, before focusing solely on hers. Taking a deep breath, she started to recall her strange dream to her Master. Leaving no detail out, she carefully went over what she saw and felt in that strange unknown. Ritsuka, as well as everyone else at the table, listened closely as the little girl went on. At first simple curiosity held them, but slowly concern and wariness was written all over their faces. By the time Abigail was finished, they quietly looked at one another, uncertainty hanging in the air.

"Abby… do you think this might be a vision caused by your powers?" Mash asked.

"That's what I thought at first, but Father is a bit more upfront with letting me know when wants to talk to me."

"Then… a premonition maybe?" Gareth inputted. "Back during the heyday of Camelot, that happened quite a few times, especially with Percival, Bors, and Galahad during their quests for the Holy Grail."

"Seems like a weird one if ya ask me," Kintoki said. "The way I see it, nothing about what she said made a lick of sense. Heck, it didn't even tell us exactly why ya were afraid of some kind pet squid."

Abigail frowned, but could not deny his point. Even now, she still had no idea why that thing brought her so much terror. It was all too confusing.

Suddenly she felt a warm hand slip placed over hers. Looking up, Abigail was greeted with a familiar comforting smile. "Whatever it was, you don't have to be scared, Abby," Ritsuka said. "We'll beat up that mean monster together if it ever shows up."

Flushing at the declaration, Abigail wanted to pull away, but found she could not. If anything, she felt relieved and was reminded exactly why she made a contract with her Master in the first place. His gentle, but firm resolution to help anyone no matter who they were or what they had done was always a source of inspiration that could lift up anyone's spirits.

"We should probably bring this up to Mr. Holmes or Da Vinci," Mash suggested. "If anyone could figure out what your dreams mean, then it would be them."

"Yep!" exclaimed the knight of the round table. "Holmes can probably figure out the mystery in his sleep…" Suddenly, she stopped, her brow furrowing suspiciously. "Come to think about it… Master Merlin is probably the culprit. He used to do this a lot back when I was alive. Sometimes spending a whole week sending random or cryptic messages to the round table's most stalwart knights as a bit of fun. Knowing him, he's probably gearing up for another elaborate—!"

Suddenly, a loud blaring siren roared throughout the cafeteria, silencing all talk and freezing everyone where they stood. "Attention!" a voice blared out of the intercoms. "All Staff report to their respective positions! Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight report to the main control room immediately! All servants are now placed on standby! This is not a drill! A new Lostbelt has been discovered! Repeat! A new Lostbelt has been discovered and is expanding in Britain!"

"What?!" Nearly everyone in the cafeteria shouted at once. Even the most stoic and cold servants stood still as stone, their faces agape as the intercom's words echoed in the dining hall. Their shock was understandable. After all, it was not so long ago that Chaldea had cleared the Lostbelt of Fairy Britain.

Scrambling out of their seats, servants and staff alike hurried out the cafeteria as quickly as they could. Ritsuka too followed suit, concern and confusion written all over his face, but Abigail saw the burning determination in his eyes as he passed her by. Mash, her face mirroring that of her senpai's own worries, while Fou clung to her shoulder.

Abigail watched as they ran out their exit and was about to follow after… only to find her legs failed to move. She frowned, unsure why she hesitated as a new crisis emerged. It was a curious gnawing in heart, not painful nor truly discomforting, but rather something that made her worry. Over what, she could not say, but she knew this was not a result of her powers or connection to Father. It was her intuition… and that worried her even more than before.

Is this what my dream was warning me about? she thought. There was no true answer to her question, but she knew that she would get none if she simply stood around while her Master confronted this new dilemma. Strengthening her resolve, the little girl sprinted out of the cafeteria and headed to the heart of Novum Chaldea.


The control room for Novum Chaldea was similar to the original back in Antarctica, if not grander due to the eccentric nature of its creator. It was spacious enough to hold not only a majority of the servants summoned by Chaldea, but have enough room for a giant hologram of the globe, allowing all to see a concerning red dot shine from the British Isles.

Pushing her way into the control room, Abigail found herself among several servants who cautiously eyed the globe. Critical staff buzzed around the hologram, worry etched into their features as they oversaw dozens of flashing monitors and observation systems. Overlooking everything was the main observation deck, where the leading figures of Chaldea currently stood upon.

Goredolf Musk, the chubby current Director of Chaldea, bit at a gloved thumb while frantically twirling a finger around his blonde mustache. Not the most professional of demeanors, but Abigail had to give him credit—he no longer panicked or blatantly sweated at the sight of a new crisis compared to his first days as director. At least, not as much as back then. Standing beside him with a far more composed and professional demeanor was Sherlock Holmes. The legendary detective eyed the blinking dot on the hologram critically, as if it were a piece of a puzzle to another mystery. He wasn't the only one as Leonardo Da Vinci tapped hastily away on a nearby computer, confusion and concern written on her face as she tried to make sense of what was going on. The little girl changed so much since the tense escape from Antarctica, both in a figurative and very unfortunate literal sense, but her unwavering efforts to help humanity were a source of inspiration to everyone who knew her. An inspiration that the architect of Novum Chaldea, Sion Eltnam Sokaris, took to heart as she helped the renaissance servant with her work. Befitting as an alchemist of the Atlas Institute, as well the daughter of its head, the violet head girl managed to keep up with her servant counterpart with ease. Yet to Abigail's surprise, there was an odd furious expression on her face as she eyed the globe.

Standing quietly at the back of the observation deck with a familiar brooding expression on his face was Kadoc Zemlupus. The young man was still a surprise to see as he was an enemy against proper human history not too long ago when he was revived as a Crypter for the Foreign God. However, after the events and experiences he faced, both against and working with Chaldea, had left him siding with humanity once more. That is after he finally recovered from a coma that left him bedridden for months after the climactic showdown against the Greek Lostbelt. His once hostile mood to Chaldea, especially to Ritsuka, had thawed, but still had his occasional moments of gloom and self-loathing.

Suddenly a gentle hand was slipped into his, surprising the boy as he turned to face a gentle smile from Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova. Under normal circumstances, the snow-white haired princess would not be the same one he had summoned in Lostbelt Russia, but, feeling due to Ritsuka's compassion and Da Vinci's ingenuity, Chaldea managed to summon her with the help Ivan the Terrible, who was more or less used as a living catalyst. Due to the nature of the summoning, she bore the memories of the Russian Lostbelt, something that worried the Chaldeans as they thought she would seek retribution. At first there was some lingering indignity over the whole affair, but after seeing Kadoc again, the person she loved and he in turn loved her, such thoughts of revenge were put to rest. Over time, the two bonded together as they had prior, but now much more open with their feelings and no longer striving down a destructive path. They were pretty much inseparable now, spending almost every waking moment together whenever they can. It made Abigail's heart flutter every time she saw the pair together and acting like lovers straight out one of Nursery Rhyme's collection.

Pinching herself, Abigail knew she had bigger things to worry about at the moment. Turning her gaze away, she stopped when she spotted more familiar figures that made her do a double take. Standing at one end of the observation deck was the Winter Queen of Faire Britain, Morgan le Fay, or just Queen Morgan which she demanded be called ever since she was summoned to Chaldea. Her Fairy Knights of the Round, Baobhan Sith, Barghest, and Melusine, stood close behind her, their mood mirroring that of their queen—dark brooding mixed with seething hate. At the other end of the deck was none other than the royal entourage's complete opposite and bane of their existence, the Fairy King of the Abyss, Oberon Vortigern. Normally the king would be in his regular fairy attire befitting his legend, as well to keep up a certain façade he had fostered before coming to Chaldea, but today he decided to go in his Vortigern outfit; a dark imperial attire that fitted well with his true Pretender self.

The King and Queen eyed each other with intense animosity, the former with dark amusement while the latter with pure hatred. It was no secret that they utterly loathe each other, the Queen more so than the King. Only their contracts with Ritsuka prevented them from destroying themselves and taking Chaldea along with them. Naturally, they kept apart from each other as much as possible, but in this one instance, it was impossible. Especially when the possibility that their former home had suddenly returned from nonexistence.

Abigail eyed two warily as much as they did each other before noticing a pair standing deliberately between the seething parties. The young caster of Fairy Britain, as well one of the many possibilities of King Arthur, Artoria, and little Linen Spinning Fairy, Habetrot, eyed their fellow Fairies as much as they did the great globe. Their presence was probably the only thing, besides Ritsuka, that prevented any kind of bloodshed from Oberon and Morgan, but from the looks on their faces, even then they were not sure how long that fragile truce would last.

Whether it was because they noticed the intensity from the fairy servants or simply responding accordingly to the current emergency, Ritsuka, Mash, and Fou pushed their way to the observation deck. Following her intuition, she quickly followed after them, climbing up the stairs just as Da Vinci turned to greet the Master of Chaldea.

"Welcome, Ritsuka, Mash, Fou." she said with a kind smile. "Sorry for ruining your breakfast time, but as you can see, we have a bit of a situation on our hands."

"A bit?" Goredolf growled as he pointed accusingly at the globe. "Try the impossible at work here! We're looking at one of our worst nightmares coming back to life after all the effort we had to do with putting it down!"

"I suggest you rethink your statement, you blustering fool," Morgan said coldly. "While I agree that my dream turned out to be nothing more than a nightmare, as you elegantly put it… I will not have my kingdom, my home, insulted in my presence."

Goredolf shrank under her gaze, gulping loudly as he tried to splutter out an appeasement. "T-T-That is not what I mean, your majesty. I-It's just… Um…"

"What I believe the good director is trying to say is that the situation is completely unexpected," interjected Holmes, saving Goredolf from the Winter Queen's ire. "Lostbelts, or in the case of Fairy Britain, cannot be restored once destroyed. Proper Human History reasserts itself and wipes clean any abnormalities once it's free to do so. Even your masterful work with making Fairy Britain into a Lost World, it should not be possible for it to return once destroyed."

"Hmm… your response is passable, detective, but…" Morgan turned to the trembling director. "Do not make the same mistake again. My generosity has its limits."

"Now, now, Morgan," Habetrot said politely, much to Goredolf's relief as the Winter Queen's gaze turned to the little fairy. "I noticed that some people in a crisis tend to blurt out things before they can even think about the situation they are in. Foolish, yes, but nothing intentionally harmful. I'm sure he didn't mean to disrespect you or your kingdom in any way. Besides, I'm quite sure he learned his lesson, nyeh." The Winter Queen's face softened, allowing a tiny, if sad, smile to form. She opened her mouth to speak, only to get cut off by a rude click of the tongue.

"Tch! It pisses me off at the mere thought that all my hard work was all for naught," Oberon complained, ignoring the dark looks his fellow fairies gave him. "I threw everything I had at it. Crushing and grinding that island to dust before swallowing the leftovers into the abyss, there is no way in hell that it should still exist."

"Watch your tongue, worm!" Barghest growled. "You have a lot of nerve boasting of the destruction of my home, in front of myself and that my Queen!"

"Don't bother, Barghest," Melusine commented. "Your ire will probably just fuel his amusement. Even in defeat, he'd smile on, knowing that still came out the overall victor." She then eyed the dark king for a moment before glancing at the globe, a thoughtful smile on her lips. "Although… can one truly say he won if our home still, if by some miracle, still lives?"

"Hah! It appears you're not so mighty and terrible as you make yourself out to be, you lowly caterpillar," Baobhan gloated. "To think I would get to see not only the return of mo—I mean her majesty's kingdom, but also see your pathetic face after the hell you put us through!"

"Sorry to dash your hopes, my fellow blood sucking friend, but Fairy Britain is definitely gone for good," Sion interrupted, ignoring the fairy princess's shock as she continuously typed away at her keyboard. "I confirmed and reconfirmed it several times now. Comparing all the data collected from Ritsuka's journey through Fairy Britain and the current readings we're picking up, I can confidently say that this is a completely new Lostbelt."

That caused the fairies to pause, though Oberon took a moment to stick his tongue out at Baobhan. "If this isn't our home," began Caster Artoria, her gaze set solely on the hologram globe, "then… why is a Lostbelt forming in Britain again?"

"I don't know!" The outburst that erupted from Sion was not something anyone expected from her. Until now, she was calm if a bit eccentric when faced with the current world crisis. "This should not be happening, but it is… and it's really starting to aggravate me! I predicted events to near perfection throughout most of my life—with the occasional slip up or oversight, no doubt induced by our merry band—so I should have seen this coming… Whatever this is! Gah! How could I let something as major as another Lostbelt slip past my radar is beyond me..."

"Hey, there is no need to beat yourself, Sion," Ritsuka said comfortingly. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without your predictions and foresight. I'm sure you'll figure out what is happening in no time."

"That's kind of you to say, but I've been at this non-stop for a while now and all the calculations I ran are inconclusive…" The violet haired girl then placed a finger on her chin. "If I had some first-hand data, I might be able to crack this dilemma wide open, but it'll be stupid to charge straight in before we can get some kind of assessment on what we're dealing with… And figure out why nothing in my predictions gave a hint about this!"

As she continued on with her work, Kadoc strolled over the edge of the observation deck before bellowing out, "Douman! Is this your handy work?"

Ashiya Douman looked up in amusement, flashing the former Crypter a malicious smile. "Why, surely you jest, my dear Kadoc," he said smoothly. "Why on earth would I create another Lostbelt?"

"Other than the stunt you pulled right after you put me in a coma, you freak?"

"Ah yes, a poor joke on my part and you have my deepest apologies for any lost time you missed out in your oh so important life." A dark blaze burned in Kadoc's gaze, but the alter ego ignored him in favor of gesturing to the globe. "But back to the matter at hand. No, this is not my work at all. After my grand plan to create another Lostbelt was utterly crushed—no thanks to present company—I no longer have the means or desires to go to such lengths for beasthood… Especially if a certain someone, who will not be named, will not grace me with his presence after all the work I put into getting his gods damned attention!"

"He's right, Kadoc," Da Vinci hastily said before the young man did anything drastic. "We checked out Douman during our investigation and he's clean for now. This is entirely a different situation."

"…what about Rasputin?" asked Ritsuka. "Could he have the means to plant a new Lostbelt tree?"

There was a muttering buzz from the assembled as they considered the idea of the final disciple of the Foreign God being the culprit. "It is possible…" Douman reluctantly agreed, "but I sincerely doubt it. From what I remember, or at least what I can anyway, that stiff old man would not consider the idea of planting a tree unless it was a direct order from the Foreign God. And since she was only interested in certain, shall we say, fertile soil for her creations, all the more to achieve her goals, there is no way she would consider reviving the one Lostbelt that had the potential of destroying her. Especially not after all the effort she had in trying to destroy it with Muramasa's help."

"Don't remind me of that…" the master swordsmith grumbled not too far away. "To think that another me was such a hassle to humanity… it's such a disgrace."

"Then what the hell is going on?!" demanded Goredolf. "If it is not the blasted Foreign God, then who else could it be? Unless the world decided one of the histories it erased is now somehow better than proper human history, then this shouldn't be—!"

Suddenly, there was a loud blip from the globe before the Lostbelt signal from Britain disappeared. Everyone was silent for a moment, not quite registering what happened, but after a second had passed, an uproar rang throughout the whole control room

"What the hell just happened?!"

"Control, did a malfunction occur?!" demanded Da Vinci.

"No, ma'am!" answered Sylvia, the blonde staff member eyeing the scanners critically. "All systems working as intended… It's… It's like the Lostbelt was never there to begin with!"

"So… it was a false alarm then?" Ritsuka asked.

"Nonsense," muttered Kadoc, though there was more confusion than hostility in his voice. "Do you think that we would be here if it was anything more than a false alarm?"

"While I wouldn't put it exactly like that, but Kadoc's right," Sion agreed. "I can tell you twelve ways to Sunday that there definitely was a Lostbelt in Britain just now…" She bit the bottom of her lip as she rescanned the data on her computer screen. "Just what the devil is going on?"

"Well, if it's not there, then I'm going back to the cafeteria to steal someone's breakfast," grumbled Ibaraki. "Didn't grab a damn bite of anything before all this—"

Whatever the berserker had to say was cut off as another blaring siren rang throughout the room. Immediately the globe lit up again, for everyone to blink in surprise when they noticed that the location for the Lostbelt had changed.

"How the…" Sion started before shaking herself out of her shock and scanned the new data intensely. "… confirmed. Lostbelt signature found in Spain."

"How is that possible?!" demanded Mash.

"I don't know! Lostbelts shouldn't disappear and reappear like this, let alone shifting to an entirely new location!" The violet haired girl was about to say more, but just then, the signal died once more. "By all that is good in the world, what the heck is going on!? Control?!"

"W-We… I don't know!" answered Jingle Abel Meuniere. The tubby staff member frantically tapped away at his console, desperately trying to find the answer to the impossible taking place. "One minute it was here, now it's not! Blasted thing is pulling a Houdini on us!"

"Standby in case it reappears again," Da Vinci ordered before turning to the servants in the room. "If anyone you have any observational spells or rituals, I would appreciate if you can assist us with getting a lock on our phantom Lostbelt."

As one, many servants stepped up to aid the staff with their work. No sooner did they get started, the Lostbelt reappeared once more on the globe. It reappeared in France for a split second before disappearing once again. Then in Rome, Norway, Greece, and so on. This disappearing and reappearing act continued for some time, showing up randomly all over Europe before moving on without direction. Bizarre didn't even begin to describe the whole situation, but despite the strangeness, the members of Chaldea continued their work diligently.

Abigail watched on and just as perplexed as everyone else. Yet, as the minutes passed by, she noticed something. The speed of which the Lostbelts came and went was starting to grow faster. To the point where her head started to hurt as she tried to keep up. Sometimes, the signals blurred on screen for just a split second, appearing as if there was more than one Lostbelt on screen at a time before disappearing. At least, that is what she thought at first… that is until two signals didn't vanish. Indeed, they stayed where they stood, in Norway and Russia. It would have been a shock to everyone, until another Lostbelt signal appeared in Italy. More and more appeared faster than they disappeared, popping left and right all over the continent until it lit up like a Christmas tree.

Then, just when everyone was bright red with Lostbelts, all vanished without a trace. For a long time, no one moved, waiting with bated breath as they all stared at the hologram globe. After what seemed like an eternity, a new signature appeared in central Europe. It was bigger than the rest and growing in size by the second, taking over the entirety of Germany until suddenly it stopped right at its borders. Everyone waited for it to disappear like these, only it did not. There it stood, a blood red stain that marred the blue world.

"I think…" Da Vinci began, "it finally stopped." Breathing a tired sigh, she looked peered down the edge of the observation deck. "Control, do you have anything to give me?"

"We've isolated the Lostbelt to Germany. Comparing previous data with the other signatures … this one has far more stable readings. If barely. Its rapid growth has halted, for now, but the readings I'm getting are… for a lack of a better word, bizarre. It's all over the place for time cohesion… Unable to determine the timeline divergence point for the Lostbelt. Readings for stability are undeterminable… As for the Tree of Emptiness's growth… also undeterminable. If this was a normal Lostbelt, I would say the tree would be in the same vein of the Scandinavia Lostbelt in size right about now, but this purely conjecture on my part. Nothing about this makes any sense…"

"It's alright, Sylvie. Thank you for your report and please let us know if there are any changes." At the blonde mage's nod, Da Vinci turned to everyone on the observation deck, her expression grim. "…it would appear this is far more serious than we thought. With everything that has happened, I'm declaring this Lostbelt to be an EX ranking until further information is acquired. Things are way out of the ordinary to be considered any lower, and with the way the signatures kept disappearing, I'm afraid we're going to act fast on this one."

"Agreed," Holmes said. "Normally I would like to indulge in getting all the facts first, but in this case, there is no telling when the Lostbelt will disappear. Or what will happen when it does. Therefore, a swift approach is advisable at this time." He then turned Goredolf, who was gaping at the globe in disbelief. "Is that agreeable to you, Director?"

"I, uh, yes, it is!" Goredolf agreed, quickly regaining his composure. "In times of uncertainty, it's best to strike swift and true first before our opponent does… whoever that may be."

"Well said for a man who had no idea what the hell was going on a moment ago," Kadoc snarked, but his expression was serious. "But you do have a point. Whatever is happening in Germany… it's not something we can wait and hope it's going to disappear for good." Turning around, he started to head down the ramp with Anastasia following close behind. "I'll go get Akuta and inform my servants… I'll meet you all at the Storm Border."

"That would be for the best," Sion agreed. "I've already informed Nemo of the situation and he's getting his crew ready as we speak. The Storm Border shall be leaving in twenty minutes." She then turned to the servants in the room. "With the way things are, I think we'll be sending quite a few of you for the job this time. So, get ready to move out at a moment's notice!"

There were a few salutes and righteous proclamations of victory from the assembled heroes of legend, but most headed out quietly without a word. Already mentally preparing for whatever unexpected history they would find in this bizarre Lostbelt.

Abigail would have joined them, but instead she found herself unable to look away from the globe. As the others scurried about with purpose, she was unable to look away from the shining red dot across Germany. It was strange, she felt nothing special from it and yet… her instincts once again told her something important was there. Something… dangerous. As to what, she could not say and idle speculation was never her strong suit. Whether it was related to her dream or something else entirely, Abigail knew that she had to be on this mission. One way or another, she would find the answer to this peculiar mystery that threatened the world and, most importantly, her Master.


Author's Note: This has been a long time coming. I originally had this idea for a very long time, but never got around to it, even when I did another crossover with Bloodborne and Dorohedoro. Until now anyway. Now before anyone asks, no, this doesn't mean I given up on Old Blood of the New World. I plan on continuing that story, along with Anyone Can Become A Hero, for the foreseeable future. Dreamer of the Eternal Hunt is a separate story that I felt would work between these two settings. And also because I'm unashamedly a Bloodborne fan. Combining it with on my favorite fantasy/anime settings, Fate, this has been a pleasure to write thus far. And I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did finally putting my ideas to paper. Also speaking of ideas, I've been thinking of also doing a Elden Ring X Fate Grand Order story as well. Maybe I'll do some time, but I don't know when because of a few IRL stuff, and also because I really need to focus on my original fantasy book that I've been writing for a while now. I don't know when the book will be finished, but I want to spend more time fleshing it out.

NOW! With all that said, I want explain a few little details for those who are curious about when and where this story will be taking place in. Firstly, the setting is going to set in both Bloodborne and FGO. I won't give too much detail away now, but you'll understand as the story continues on. Next, the when is set after the 6th Lostbelt, Avalon le Fae. And that's about it for now. If you want to know more, well, I already got chapter 2 and 3 ready, so I'll be posting them shortly. Stay tuned until then!

I think that wraps about everything up. I do hope you all enjoyed this story so far. Until then, I hope you all have a nice day.

Sincerely, Count Chaos.