Alex and Maria sat inside the old, weathered wooden house, its boards already covered in moss and beginning to rot from prolonged contact with water. Heavy rain continued to fall from the sky, and droplets seeped through holes in the ceiling, falling onto the floor with a quiet, monotonous sound. Alex was tired of walking in clothes soaked with water and mud, which was why he had suggested drying off a little in this old wooden house.
After starting a fire with dry boards, they hung up their outer clothing so it could at least dry somewhat. In this part of the Nightmare dimension, the rain never stopped, and Alex was well aware of that: even if their clothes dried, the moment they stepped outside they would be soaked to the bone again under the endless downpour.
Staring at the burning fire, Alex felt the full absurdity of the situation — lighting a fire in such a cursed place and simply resting, as if they weren't in a nightmare but on an ordinary camping trip. Beside him sat Maria, who was also looking at the flames, but her thoughts were occupied with something entirely different.
In the silence broken only by the sound of rain and the crackling of boards in the fire, Alex reached into his belt pouch and took out a cigarette. Lighting it, he turned to Maria, who was staring intently at the fire, its reflection dancing in her gray eyes. Her hair was wet from the rain, a few damp strands stuck to her forehead, and droplets of water slowly ran down her cheeks.
When Maria had removed her outer clothing to let it dry, she was left wearing only a white shirt with a neckerchief and a brown corset. The wet fabric of the shirt clung tightly to her body, slightly revealing the underwear beneath, but in this situation it didn't bother Maria at all.
Feeling Alex's gaze on her, Maria slowly turned her head. Once again she noticed that he was smoking.
"That… isn't a pipe. What is that thing? Tobacco wrapped in paper?" Maria asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"This? Cigarettes. Simply put, tobacco wrapped in thin paper," Alex replied, showing her the cigarette.
"I've seen people smoke pipes… but I've never seen tobacco wrapped like that. Is it convenient? Or is it just fashion?" Maria asked, nodding her head slightly.
"More for convenience," Alex said, flicking the ash into the fire.
"Cigarettes really do look convenient," Maria said with a light smile, looking into his eyes.
Hearing her words, Alex extended the cigarette toward her, offering her one. Seeing the offered cigarette, Maria raised her hand and gently shook her head. She had seen other hunters smoke, and even her teacher Gehrman sometimes smoked tobacco.
But she had never liked that bitter smell, which dulled the sense of smell. However, these cigarettes didn't give off the usual heavy aroma. Declining, Maria shifted her gaze back to the fire, from which came the cozy crackling sound of burning boards.
Once again sinking into her thoughts, Maria began to recall everything that had happened to her. These memories stubbornly crept back into her mind. She didn't understand how much time had passed in this place or how long she had been here. The only person who might know the answer was sitting right next to her.
Turning her head toward Alex, Maria looked at his profile, illuminated by the firelight. In the short time they had known each other, she had realized that Alex was a rather strange man. But being near him, she felt a calm she hadn't experienced in a long time. And this feeling seemed so natural, as if they had known each other not for a couple of hours, but for a very long time.
"Has a lot of time passed since my death?.. It feels like I've been here for an eternity," Maria asked quietly, tilting her head forward slightly and looking into his eyes.
"Thirty years… In those thirty years, a great deal has happened in Yharnam… But I don't think you need to know about it right now," Alex replied, shaking his head.
"Thirty years, then… So much time really has passed," Maria said with a quiet sigh, lowering her gaze back to the fire.
Learning how much time had passed since her death and since she had ended up in this place, Maria could only accept it. She saw no reason to get upset or start feeling sad — she had long since come to terms with her fate. Seeing her expression, Alex placed his hand on her shoulder and patted it gently.
Feeling the touch, Maria placed her palm over his hand and looked at him. Meeting his gaze, she gently shook her head, showing that it didn't bother her at all. But she was pleased that Alex showed such care at a moment like this. Maria knew that in the past such information would have stirred far stronger emotions in her.
But now it was enough for her that someone was by her side. Continuing to keep her palm over his hand, Maria calmly moved a little closer to him. She herself didn't understand why it felt like she had known Alex for a long time. But at this moment, she simply wanted to be a little closer to him.
"You mentioned that Ludwig gave you his sword himself… And that he was also here. What happened to him?" Maria asked, moving so close to Alex that her legs were touching his.
"Did you know Ludwig well?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow and turning his head toward her.
"Yes. But that was in the past. And I want to know what became of him when he ended up in this place," Maria replied, nodding her head slightly.
Alex thought for a moment, then nodded. He saw no reason not to tell her more about what was happening in the Hunter's Nightmare. He understood that Maria had only been connected to the Clock Tower and knew only what was happening in the Research Hall. Because the Clock Tower had been her cage, all she could do was simply accept what was occurring.
In the Clock Tower, he had only managed to tell her about who the Great Ones were and a little about this place. But Maria still didn't know most of the information. As Alex told her about the Hunter's Nightmare, Maria listened attentively and occasionally mentioned the names of hunters she still remembered.
Gradually she was already leaning on his shoulder, and her legs were touching his. Feeling the warmth coming from Alex, Maria wanted to sit even closer. She had already forgotten what the warmth of another person's body felt like, and Alex's body heat seemed so inviting that she wanted to be closer. And she saw no problem in that, since in this place they were alone together.
But what Maria didn't know was that in this place they were not alone at all. Two women were also watching her from Alex's shadow at that moment. Dozens of red eyes opened on Alex's shadow, cast by the firelight. Those eyes were staring directly at Maria.
Zhang Ya only looked at her for a couple of moments before quickly losing interest in yet another woman getting close to her husband. Alucard also watched Maria for a couple of moments, then lost interest. She was waiting for Maria to become the proud huntress she had once been. For now, Alucard still considered her a boring, broken woman.
Gradually Maria learned about the Hunter's Nightmare and realized that all the hunters who had participated in the massacre in the Fishing Hamlet had ended up in this place. Upon learning this, she understood that it was merely the consequence of their actions. She wasn't even surprised that Laurence had also ended up here and become a monster. Alex told her more about Laurence's fate so that Maria would know everything that had happened in Yharnam after her death.
In particular, that Laurence had been killed by Gehrman. Hearing her teacher's name, Maria couldn't help but ask if Gehrman was in this place. But Alex only shook his head, showing that he wasn't going to answer that question yet. Maria frowned slightly at his gesture but didn't press the matter. When Alex finished speaking, Maria didn't know how to react to this information or who to blame.
Should she blame Laurence's obsession with ascending through the blood of the Great Ones, or the hunters who had been consumed by blood during the massacre? Shaking her head to rid herself of these thoughts, Maria shifted her gaze to Alex, who was staring at the fire without blinking. Feeling her gaze, Alex turned his head with a smile and tilted it slightly to the side.
"Do you want to ask anything else, Maria?" Alex asked, resting his cheek on his fist.
"No. I wanted to tell you one of the Church's secrets. Thirty years have passed, and much could have changed," Maria replied, gently shaking her head.
"A secret? What other Church secret?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"In the Upper Cathedral Ward, deep within the Grand Cathedral, the Church keeps a being named Ibraitas. I saw that creature only once. Laurence and those who interacted with Ibraitas called her the Daughter of the Cosmos. After your explanations, I think that creature is also a Great One," Maria said in a thoughtful tone.
"I know about Ibraitas," Alex replied with a soft smile.
"You know? So she is the same kind of being as Kos?" Maria asked in surprise, looking at him.
"Yes. But different. Very different. To confirm that, we'll need to pay her a visit," Alex said, stroking his chin and narrowing his eyes slightly.
Maria nodded, as she too had felt that Ibraitas was different. But at the time she hadn't known that this being was a Great One. All she had known was that Ibraitas had been found in the catacombs beneath Yharnam and that the Healing Church had used her blood for experiments and to heal people.
Back then she had also wondered why Ibraitas's blood could heal and at the same time turn people into monsters. But all the answers she had received boiled down to one thing: "it is necessary for the ascension of humanity" or a request not to ask questions. Now, having learned the truth from Alex about who the Great Ones were, Maria realized that people should never have interacted with such beings or even approached them.
But nothing could be changed now, and Maria understood that very well. Leaning against Alex's shoulder, she continued to stare at the burning fire, deciding to ask no more questions. After all, for every answer Alex gave, she only ended up with more new questions.
After the conversation, Alex and Maria continued to sit in silence, warming themselves by the fire and waiting for their clothes to dry a little. Alex didn't pay attention to how much time had passed, nor did he see any point in doing so. He simply enjoyed Maria's company as she sat quietly beside him, leaning on his shoulder.
Alex wanted to use this time to get to know Maria better and grow closer to her. And this place was perfect for that. Continuing to sit in silence, they listened to the sound of rain beating against the roof of the old wooden building. But among that sound, the sound of heavy footsteps began to be heard, as if someone was barely dragging their feet.
Hearing it, Alex and Maria simultaneously turned their gaze to the closed door. Maria grabbed her Rakuyo and watched the door attentively. Alex pulled the Blue Rose from his back and rested on one knee, waiting for whoever was about to enter.
A moment later the doors burst open, and a man in old rags, covered in blood, appeared on the threshold. This wounded man was Simon, holding his stomach with one hand.
His clothes were even more torn, and his body was covered in wounds. Barely staying on his feet, Simon entered the wooden house and closed the door behind him. After closing it, he leaned his back against the door and slowly slid down, pressing on the deep wound in his stomach.
Seeing Simon in such a state, Alex raised an eyebrow. Maria frowned more deeply upon seeing the hunter. Simon himself didn't immediately notice that there were other people in the old wooden house. Gradually a pool of blood began to form on the floor beneath him, and he felt himself slowly dying. He had thought he could uncover the secret of this place and finally put an end to this nightmare.
But after learning the terrible truth about what had happened in the Fishing Hamlet, why his father and the other hunters had been cursed and trapped here, he realized he no longer had the strength to end this nightmare. Slowly dying, Simon couldn't help but laugh at his own foolishness. Upon learning the truth about the being behind the curse, Simon couldn't hold back a bitter laugh at himself.
Alex and Maria watched as Simon laughed while bleeding out. Maria didn't know who this man was, but she understood that he was a hunter. Seeing how she was looking at Simon, Alex leaned closer to her to quickly explain who Simon was. Feeling Alex's warm breath near her ear, Maria shivered slightly and turned her face toward him, ending up just centimeters away.
Without changing his expression despite how close Maria was, Alex whispered to her who Simon was. Maria frowned slightly and nodded. Now everything fell into place for her, especially Simon's bitter laughter. In such a moment, she even felt a little sorry for him. Sighing, Alex decided to approach Simon.
Standing up from his spot, he slowly walked over to him. Simon, who at that moment was laughing at his own foolishness, heard the approaching footsteps and raised his gaze.
"Oh, you… I'm afraid I've seen the secret… The secret this place hides," Simon said in a hoarse voice, spitting blood.
"I already noticed that, old man. You followed my trail. And decided you could do something about it," Alex replied calmly, resting his cheek on his palm.
"Hahahah… You're right… I followed your trail. Places that were inaccessible to me opened up… And I was able to see the site of the tragedy with my own eyes… And I was able to see her," Simon said, raising his gaze to Alex.
Alex looked at Simon with a calm gaze and couldn't help but sigh. Once again he saw a foolish man who had gone where he shouldn't have. Maria, who had been listening to the conversation, walked over to Alex and stood behind him. Simon shifted his gaze to Maria and froze.
He couldn't believe that Maria was still alive. He slowly shifted his gaze to Alex, understanding that it was he who had saved Maria from her nightmare. Looking at Alex, Simon realized why he had managed to reach this place. He couldn't help but think that perhaps Alex could change something.
And before he could say anything, the sound of a child's cry rang out in his head again, making his ears ring and causing a headache so intense it felt like his skull was about to crack. After learning the truth and seeing the being behind it all, this cry had begun to sound in his head. And it was the same cry his father had spoken of before he went mad. Clutching his head, Simon wanted the sound of the child's cry to disappear.
"You can hear it now, can't you?" Alex asked, looking at Simon who was clutching his head.
"Hear what?" Maria asked, frowning as she looked first at Simon and then at Alex.
"His cry… His cry is proof of old sins. It feeds this nightmare. Please, put an end to this horror…" Simon said with difficulty, pronouncing every word while holding his head.
After finishing speaking, Simon slowly raised his head, and the bandage that covered his eyes slid down. When the bandage fell, Alex and Maria saw his eyes. Simon's eyes had an unpleasant yellow color with red veins.
Alex had seen eyes like these on the hunters in this place who had already gone mad, and Simon was also one step away from completely losing himself. Seeing those eyes, Maria frowned more deeply, understanding what was happening to Simon.
Simon began to shake, as if instead of the death awaiting him from blood loss, something far worse was about to happen to him. Sighing, Alex lightly twisted the Ring of Death on his index finger and reached his hand toward Simon's head. He placed his palm over his eyes. At that moment Simon stopped shaking and clutching his head.
"Sleep, Simon. The nightmare will end soon… Just fall asleep," Alex said in a calm voice, covering Simon's eyes with his palm.
"Our ancestors sinned… We hunters cannot bear the burden of their sins forever… It's not fair, it's not fair…" Simon said, and with every word his voice grew weaker until it finally fell silent.
When Simon finished speaking, Alex ran his palm over his eyes, closing them. When he removed his hand, Simon's head drooped, and he showed no more signs of life. A moment later, Simon's body turned to dust, carried away by the wind blowing through the gaps in the old wooden house. All that remained of Simon was an old rusty iron key and a weapon in the form of a saber with a curved blade.
Maria, who had been watching, noticed that Alex had first touched the ring on his finger, then touched Simon, and after that he had died. She shifted her gaze to Alex, who continued to crouch with a heavy look, staring at the bloody stain on the door — the only reminder that Simon had been there.
"What did you do?" Maria asked, looking at him.
"I let him wake up from the nightmare. That was the most I could do for him in his current situation," Alex replied, standing up from his crouch and looking at Maria with a faint smile.
"You're right. That was the best outcome for someone like him. We need to keep moving," Maria said calmly, walking over to her clothes, which had already dried.
"Are you really going to continue? After seeing what happened to Simon," Alex asked, watching Maria as she put on her coat.
"Yes. I need to see everything with my own eyes. I want to see the end of this Nightmare," Maria replied, turning her head toward Alex.
"If you insist, I won't stop you. But to see that, you'll need something," Alex said, approaching her.
Putting on her hat, Maria turned to Alex upon hearing his words. And as soon as she turned, she felt Alex's fingers touch her forehead. Maria didn't understand why he had done it. But along with it she felt a strange sense of calm, as if all her thoughts suddenly became clear and peaceful.
Even the feeling of guilt she had been carrying was greatly dulled, as if it had never existed. After casting a spell on Maria to protect her mind and adding extra protection in case something went wrong, Alex put on his black hunter coat and hat. Putting the Holy Moonlight Sword away on his back, he looked at Maria and nodded, showing he was ready to leave.
Seeing Alex's nod, Maria nodded as well. Alex picked up Simon's weapon and the old rusty key from the floor. He knew which doors this key should open, and he led Maria after him. Alex and Maria left the wooden house and followed the bloody trail Simon had left. The trail of blood led them to iron doors that were locked. Inserting the key into the lock, Alex opened the doors, and they stepped inside.
Entering the room, Alex and Maria saw only a small round chamber, in the center of which stood a platform with a distinct blood trail on it. Approaching the platform, Alex stepped on the plate, and the platform began to descend. He knew where this platform led and what awaited them below. As the platform descended, Maria looked at Alex, who stood with a calm expression on his face.
"What you did… What was that for? When you touched my forehead with your fingers, I felt calm," Maria asked, looking at him.
"It was to protect your mind. I don't want you to go mad from what you're about to see," Alex replied with a slight smile, turning his head toward her.
"Thank you… For everything," Maria said quietly, looking at him.
"You'll still have time to thank me when this place comes to an end. For example, with a hug," Alex said, chuckling lightly and raising a finger.
"A hug? That doesn't seem like much payment for what you're doing," Maria asked in surprise, looking at him.
"It all depends on who is hugging me. And for me, doing something like this is already routine," Alex replied, shrugging and showing his carefree attitude.
"Alright… Then I'll hug you when all this is over, my Hunter," Maria said in a soft tone, looking away from his face.
"Then I'll have to go all out for that kind of payment," Alex said, giving a thumbs up.
Hearing Maria's words, Alex chuckled lightly and nodded. Maria looked at him again, and a soft smile appeared on her face. Once again she was convinced that she had met a very strange man. Even stranger than this entire place.
The platform gently descended to the very bottom and stopped. Alex and Maria found themselves in a cave deep underground. Looking around, Maria saw and heard nothing. Alex, however, took out a burning monster head from his inventory. At that moment the dark cave was illuminated by the still-burning head of the monster. Maria shifted her gaze to the source of light and was only surprised at where Alex had gotten it from.
"Where did you get that head from?" Maria asked, pointing at the monster head.
"I'll tell you and show you later. Right now we need to keep going… And it looks like we're heading that way," Alex said, raising Laurence's burning monster head to point the direction.
Maria nodded and shifted her gaze to where Alex was pointing with the burning monster head. The first thing she saw was a bloody handprint on the cave wall that led deeper inside. And next was a strange creature resembling a humanoid mollusk that was bowing, with its hands folded above its head in prayer.
Alex went forward, holding the monster head in front of him to light the way. Approaching the passage, Alex and Maria saw that the cave sloped downward. And along the entire descent there were these praying humanoid mollusks. Alex went first, beginning to descend.
Maria separated Rakuyo, gripping the saber in one hand and the short knife in the other, in case these strange creatures decided to attack. The deeper Alex and Maria descended into the cave, the more of these creatures they encountered, and the further they went, the more there were. Soon a small source of light appeared at the end, and Alex put away the burning monster head.
"These creatures — are they what the rest of the Fishing Hamlet residents turned into?" Maria asked, following Alex and looking around.
"Judging by how they look, what we talked about happened to them," Alex replied, kicking one of the creatures in the head.
When Alex kicked the humanoid mollusk, it didn't react at all and simply bowed again, folding its hands above its head. Seeing this, Maria understood what Alex had meant. These humanoid creatures, who had once been people, were now nothing more than puppets serving Kos and her offspring. Soon Alex and Maria reached the end of the cave and found themselves on a spacious beach.
Seeing this beach, Maria immediately recognized it. But thanks to the spell Alex had cast on her, she reacted to this beach very calmly and remained focused. The beach was a wide bay offering a view of the raging sea, where the old masts of wrecked ships protruded. And in the sky burned a huge yellow sun with dark veins, illuminating the entire bay.
Alex and Maria's gaze was fixed on the enormous creature lying right by the water. It was the body of a being that occupied almost the entire beach with its massive form, comparable in size to a small ship. It was the body of Kos, which looked like a huge sea creature combining features of a fish, a mollusk, and a human face. Alex's eyes gleamed as he used his magical vision to examine Kos's body.
"This is Kos. It looks the same as it did that day," Maria said calmly, never taking her eyes off Kos.
"This is only part of Kos," Alex replied, shaking his head at her words.
Maria nodded understandingly and shifted her gaze to Kos's body. At that moment, Kos's body began to move strangely, as if something wanted to crawl out of it. Seeing this, Alex pulled the Holy Moonlight Sword from his back and stabbed it into the ground. He took off his hat and hunter coat, remaining in just his vest and white shirt.
From Kos's body, a creature began to slowly crawl out. With a disgusting sound of tearing flesh, a creature resembling a tall, thin old man with wrinkled skin and empty eye sockets emerged from Kos's body. Crawling out of its mother's body, the Orphan of Kos let out a hoarse, crying sound.
Fully emerging from its mother's body, the Orphan of Kos looked at the yellow sun, continuing to cry. One of its arms had fused with a growth resembling a bony placenta. Seeing the Orphan of Kos, Alex clenched a cigarette between his teeth and took out a pair of silver knuckles from his pocket, slipping them onto his hands.
"Maria, stay where you are. And don't even think about coming closer," Alex said, glancing over his shoulder at Maria.
"I… Alright. You're going to fight this creature with those?" Maria asked, nodding and pointing at the knuckles on Alex's hands.
"These will be enough for this bastard. The plans have changed a bit… I'll have to play with this rootless bastard for a while," Alex said, cracking his neck.
Alex didn't let Maria say anything and walked forward across the beach, listening to the Orphan of Kos's crying. He had no intention of killing the Orphan of Kos right away — he had other plans for this creature. Walking across the beach, Alex stopped ten meters away from the Orphan of Kos, who continued to cry and stare at the yellow sun like a child abandoned by its mother. Sensing someone's presence nearby, the Orphan of Kos slowly turned around.
"Seven minutes… Seven minutes is exactly how long I'm willing to spend playing with you," Alex said, brushing his wet hair back.
In response to Alex's words, the Orphan of Kos let out a cry and raised the bony placenta above its head, beginning to swing it like a mace. Seeing this, Alex took a step back, and the bony placenta flew past him, kicking up a cloud of sand. At that same moment, through the veil of sand, the Orphan of Kos leaped out with a cry and swung the bony placenta.
Alex pushed the bony placenta aside with one hand and immediately grabbed the Orphan of Kos's neck with the other. Holding it by the neck, Alex jumped and slammed the Orphan of Kos face-first into the sand. Quickly rolling to the side, Alex got to his feet. And before the Orphan of Kos could get up, Alex delivered a kick straight to its face. The Orphan of Kos's head snapped back from the blow.
Alex was beside it again in an instant and grabbed its head with his fingers while his other hand began delivering punches directly to its face. After landing a dozen blows, Alex pulled his arm back and delivered one final punch to the Orphan of Kos's face. From Alex's final blow, the Orphan of Kos flew backward, crashing into the rocks, which immediately collapsed and fell, burying the Orphan of Kos's body beneath them. After sending the Orphan of Kos flying, Alex brushed his hair back again and lit a cigarette.
"I wonder how much I'll have to maim this bastard's body before its mommy crawls out?" Alex said, exhaling cigarette smoke and looking at the pile of rocks under which the Orphan of Kos was buried.
At that moment Maria stood frozen in shock. She hadn't expected the battle to be so one-sided. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn't even had time to process how the Orphan of Kos was already buried under a pile of rocks. All she had managed to see was the Orphan of Kos attacking, followed by a very quick beating from Alex. Maria couldn't help but look at Alex, who continued to smoke.
But her attention quickly shifted to a crash that sounded like an explosion. At that same moment, the pile of rocks under which the Orphan of Kos had been buried exploded in all directions. Maria jumped aside to avoid being hit by a stone. Emerging from under the rubble, the Orphan of Kos let out a loud wail.
But its wail instantly stopped after Alex appeared beside it. Alex instantly appeared next to the Orphan of Kos and kicked it in the head. With the kick, he drove the Orphan of Kos's head into the rock. Pressing his foot on the Orphan of Kos's head, Alex pulled his leg back and began delivering blows, driving the Orphan of Kos's head deeper into the rock. Stopping driving its head into the rock, Alex grabbed it by the legs and began to spin.
Spinning the Orphan of Kos's body, Alex released its legs, and it flew into the sky. Alex instantly appeared above the Orphan of Kos in the air and kicked it, sending it downward. The Orphan of Kos crashed into the beach with a crash, sinking deep into the ground. Alex landed next to the hole in the ground and lightly rolled his shoulders, loosening up. Alex smirked, looking at the hole in the sand.
"Come out and play, kid. We've only just begun," Alex said in a gentle tone, crouching at the edge of the hole in the sand.
To be continued...
(So, I've decided that there will be a beating not only for the poor bastard, but also for his mother. Then there will be a fight, then some talking, and then more fighting. Anyway, you'll find out for yourself. I've already forgotten what I wanted to say here; maybe it's important. But if I remember, then I will. In the meantime, I'll go get something to eat. Peace, love, and don't shout on the beach because you might catch a cold.)
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