The Hunter's Workshop was filled with the familiar silence of this place. The only sounds were the crackling of firewood in the burning fireplace and the occasional rustle of book pages being turned.
Alex sat at the workbench, focused on improving and repairing weapons. On his lap, Maria slept quietly, her nose buried in his neck.
Using mana instead of his hands to enhance the Evelyn musket, Alex glanced down at Maria, who was sleeping peacefully on his lap. He wasn't sure when was the last time Maria had slept without feeling guilt or suffering from nightmares. But he was certain it had been a very long time.
Gently stroking the sleeping Maria's back, Alex shifted his gaze to Doll, who continued reading the books he had given her. Doll kept holding Alex's hand, their fingers intertwined, with the book resting on her lap as she slowly turned the pages.
Alex couldn't help but notice that Doll had taken a strong interest in the book about various plants, especially flowers. Watching her carefully read the book on flowers, Alex thought that perhaps Doll's love and interest in flowers had been inherited from Maria herself through the Blood Echoes.
"Do you like flowers, Doll?" Alex asked quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping Maria.
"Yes… I didn't know there were so many kinds of flowers… Each one is unique in its own way…" Doll replied softly, placing her palm on the page of the book.
"That's true. Flowers are unique in their own way. And they have many uses. Some flowers are used to make medicine and even tea," Alex said, gently squeezing Doll's doll-like fingers.
"But flowers… like people, they eventually wither… At least in these pictures, they will bloom forever," Doll said quietly, running her fingers over the image of a blooming flower.
"That is the beauty of life, Doll. As you said, every flower is unique, and you can only see it bloom once in its lifetime. That's why it's better to enjoy the blooming of flowers together with someone who will spend eternity with you," Alex said in a calm tone, looking straight into Doll's eyes.
Hearing Alex's words, Doll fell into thought. Lowering her head back to the book about flowers, she stared intently at the picture, pondering what he had said. She had seen countless Hunters come to this place. At first, they were frightened and nervous, then gradually became more determined with each victory, and even more broken with each death in Yharnam when they woke up here again.
Having observed this countless times, Doll saw those Hunters as flowers. How they gradually bloomed with growing hope, and how they withered when they realized there was no hope left. And all the Hunters ultimately chose the same end — death and awakening, to forget all the nightmares they had witnessed. But now, she wanted to watch one person who had entered her life.
Having come to better understand her own emotions, Doll saw in Alex not a flower, but the Sun — something she had never seen. She had only heard stories about the Sun from other Hunters who spoke to her to preserve their sanity. Back then, she hadn't understood it. But now she could finally comprehend what all those Hunters who wished to see the dawn had meant.
"Then… Can I watch the flowers with you, dear Hunter?" Doll asked, lifting her gaze to Alex with hope in her eyes.
"Of course… As long as you truly want it. There are many things you can see and experience besides flowers," Alex replied with a gentle smile, looking at Doll.
"I still don't know what I want for myself… I just like being near you, dear Hunter. I want to do the things that make you happy," Doll said, looking at Alex with a soft smile and shaking her head.
"Is there really nothing you want to try for yourself?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow slightly at her answer.
"There is something I would like to try… But not right now…" Doll said, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"Why?" Alex asked in surprise, growing curious about what Doll wanted.
"Lady Maria is still sleeping… For now, it's enough for me to simply hold your hand, dear Hunter," Doll said, squeezing Alex's hand tighter and gently rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.
Hearing Doll's answer, Alex became even more curious about what she wanted and why Maria shouldn't be asleep for it. Sighing, he decided not to press the conversation further — he was already pleased to see how much Doll had changed. It wasn't hard to guess that time flowed differently for Doll in the Hunter's Dream, and because of that, she had been able to better understand herself.
Returning to his work on the weapons, Alex planned to replace the Saw Cleaver that Alucard had been using with something more suitable for her. His choice fell on the Chikage blade, which would perfectly suit someone who could control blood like Alucard. Continuing to enhance the Chikage, Alex was in no hurry. He knew that his wife would sleep for quite a long time while absorbing the Blood Echoes of the Living Failures, which contained a very high concentration of Great One blood.
Hours gradually passed. Alucard continued sleeping, absorbing the Blood Echoes. Maria also remained asleep on Alex's lap. Alex became so engrossed in improving the Hunters' weapons that he eventually decided to enhance all the weapons he had found in Yharnam and the Hunter's Nightmare up to this point.
Doll, having finished reading the books, simply watched as Alex improved the weapons without using his hands. She occasionally rubbed his palm with her finger, finding the sensation pleasant. The last weapon Alex was working on at that moment was the Moonlight Sword. He wanted to make the blade durable enough so it wouldn't break at the worst possible moment in his hands.
By the time Alex was finishing his work on the Moonlight Sword, he felt Maria stir slightly. Looking down, he saw her eyelids flutter. Maria was waking up after a very good sleep — something she hadn't experienced in a long time. During her sleep, she had felt such peace and warmth that she hadn't wanted to wake up at all.
Pressing herself closer to Alex, Maria buried her nose in his neck and rubbed against it like a cat. After rubbing her nose against his neck, she inhaled the sweet scent and hugged his neck tighter. A few moments later, Maria opened her eyes, realizing what she had just done. Pulling back slightly, she straightened up while still sitting on Alex's lap and looked into his eyes.
"I suppose… good morning. How did you sleep?" Alex asked, looking straight into Maria's eyes.
"Surprisingly well… I haven't slept this well in a very long time," Maria replied in a calm tone as she stood up from his lap.
"You can consider that a nice bonus. The important thing is that you got some proper rest and regained your strength… And while you were sleeping, I improved your Rakuyo," Alex said, pointing to the pile of weapons lying nearby.
"How long was I asleep that you managed to do so much?" Maria couldn't help but ask when she saw the mountain of weapons Alex pointed to.
"A couple of hours, maybe more," Alex replied with a shrug.
Maria nodded at his words and retrieved her Rakuyo from the pile of weapons. Taking her weapon in hand, she noticed strange runes engraved along the entire blade. The blade itself had also become a darker color. Separating Rakuyo into its saber and short sword forms, Maria didn't feel any difference at first.
After swinging the saber and short sword a few times, she couldn't help but notice that the weapons had become lighter and fit more comfortably in her hands. Returning Rakuyo to its original form, Maria looked at Alex, who was lazily rocking on his chair with a cigarette between his teeth.
"What are these inscriptions on the blade?" Maria asked, pointing to the runes running along the sword.
"Those are runes. Now you can wound and kill things you couldn't before," Alex said, raising a finger while continuing to rock on the chair.
"Even Great Ones?" Maria asked with doubt in her voice, looking at her weapon.
"Yep. As they say: It can bleed, it can die. Thou must get good," Alex said with a wide grin.
Maria stared at Alex with a blank expression, not even trying to understand how he did it. Seeing her look, Alex simply shrugged and stored all the weapons in his inventory, leaving only the Chikage and Evelyn musket to give to Alucard when she woke up. After putting the weapons away, Alex began thinking about where to start after returning to Yharnam.
Should he head to the Upper Cathedral Ward first to deal with Ibraitas, or go to Cainhurst or Byrgenwerth? Alex decided to ask Maria for her opinion. Hearing his question, Maria thought for a moment and sat down on a chair.
She understood why Alex wanted to go to the Upper Cathedral Ward, but she didn't understand the reasons for visiting the other two places. Still, she could share her thoughts on the matter. Alex and Maria discussed where they should go first.
While Alex and Maria were busy talking and Alex was explaining his plans to her, Alucard finally woke up. Slowly opening her red eyes after fully absorbing the Blood Echoes, Alucard felt drastic changes in her body. As she adjusted to the new sensations, she tried to understand what was happening to her.
Lying in her coffin, she raised her hand and saw how space itself slightly distorted with the movement. It was as if she had run her palm across water, creating small ripples. This new power felt very intriguing to her.
Even while simply lying in the coffin, Alucard now perceived everything differently than before. Deciding to get up, she instantly found herself on her feet. Alucard didn't understand what had just happened. She had only thought about standing up, and the next moment she was already standing.
"What a strange feeling… It's as if I've already done what I was only about to do. The world lags behind me for a moment," Alucard said, looking at her hand and slowly clenching it.
"Looks like you've gained something very interesting," Alex's voice sounded behind her.
Hearing Alex's words, Alucard thought about turning around, and the next instant she was already facing Alex, Maria, and Doll, who were sitting at the workbench. Alucard couldn't help but notice that she had once again skipped the entire process. Her first thought was that she was unconsciously moving faster than her mind could keep up with. But she quickly dismissed that idea because of Alex's words.
Maria looked at Alucard with a strange expression, also not understanding what was happening. All she had managed to see was Alucard suddenly appearing beside her coffin, and then just as suddenly standing facing them. Only Alex and Doll understood what was happening to Alucard and what power she had gained after absorbing the blood of the Living Failures.
"So, my love. What exactly is happening to my body?" Alucard asked without moving from her spot.
"If we speak in scientific terms, it's called a violation of causality," Alex said, raising a finger with a slight smile.
"Can you be more specific?" Alucard asked, frowning at his words.
"To put it simply, you can now make the result occur before the cause within a very short period of time. For example, you want to take a step. You skip the entire process, and the step is already done," Alex explained, tapping his finger on the workbench as he described Alucard's new ability.
"Now it's clearer… But it still feels strange," Alucard said, nodding — or at least she thought she nodded.
"It really is a strange ability," Maria commented, unable to hold back.
"Indeed. And now, Carmilla, you'll have to get used to it and learn how to use this ability properly. For now, here are your new toys. They should suit you better," Alex said, pointing to the Chikage and Evelyn musket lying on the workbench.
Seeing her new weapons, Alucard simply thought about approaching and picking them up, and the next moment they were already in her hands. Once again, Alucard had skipped the entire process, remaining in the same spot. At that moment, Alex heard Alucard's teeth grind from frustration at not being able to control her new ability.
Alucard clenched her hands with such force that her bones creaked. She hated the fact that she didn't have control over her own abilities. She despised losing control over her own body. It felt as if something that belonged to her had been temporarily taken away.
Maria, watching this, felt mixed emotions as she tried to understand how this power worked. From Alex's brief explanation, she roughly understood what was happening. But seeing it with her own eyes, Maria felt only confusion. To her, something like this still seemed strange and incomprehensible.
Maria even thought that this was exactly what Laurence had been striving for — to ascend through the blood of the Great Ones. After all, she had seen with her own eyes how Alex had transferred the Blood Echoes to Alucard. And now the result of absorbing that blood was right in front of her.
Alex calmly watched as his wife tried to bring her new abilities under control. His eyes gleamed slightly as he used his magical vision to observe the entire process. Thanks to his magical sight, Alex could see exactly how this change was occurring.
Alucard continued standing in place, trying to figure out the mechanics of this power.
She decided to start with the simplest thing — a step. Taking a step, Alucard instantly appeared at the exit of the workshop and nodded slightly. Reflecting on the sensation she felt, Alucard focused on her internal feelings.
"Now I understand… It's not speed. It's… order. I can make the result occur before the cause," Alucard said, getting used to controlling her new ability.
Alucard raised her hand, and the Evelyn musket appeared in it. A moment later, the Chikage was already in her palm. After a brief pause, she clenched her fist, and the Chikage disappeared from one hand and appeared in the other. For several minutes, Alucard tested her new ability, mastering it at a very fast pace.
Having grown accustomed to the ability called Primacy, Alucard smiled widely once she gained full control over it. She had to admit that this new power was truly unique.
During her testing, Alucard also realized its limits. She couldn't use this ability on complex processes that required many different actions. But for simple actions like walking, moving her hands, or drawing weapons, she could use her new ability.
"This is much better… It turned out to be simpler than I thought," Alucard said, walking toward Alex with normal steps.
"Indeed, you adapted very quickly. And most importantly, your brain won't get tired," Alex said, nodding.
"Unfortunately, I still can't skip complex sequences of actions," Alucard said in a lazy tone, as if she had only been given half a toy.
"For example? What counts as a complex process?" Maria asked, tilting her head.
"The simplest example is killing. Let's say, to kill an enemy, you need to approach them, draw your weapon, and stab them in the heart. But if you remove the entire sequence, in the end your enemy dies from a stab wound to the heart even while you're standing still," Alex explained as he stood up from the chair and stretched lightly.
Maria frowned for a moment, trying to process it. Dozens of possible complex processes that required long sequences of actions came to her mind. Alucard nodded, confirming Alex's words. After all, she had tried to do exactly that by attacking Alex to test her power.
After stretching, Alex thought that since Alucard had woken up, they could return to Yharnam. After discussing it with Maria, Alex decided to head to the Upper Cathedral Ward first to deal with Ibraitas. And as he remembered, there were beings in the Upper Cathedral Ward that could further improve his wife's new ability.
Putting on his black Hunter's coat and hat, Alex slung the Moonlight Sword behind his back. Seeing Alex getting dressed, Maria also put on her coat and hat and picked up her Rakuyo. Alucard calmly walked out of the workshop and headed toward the gravestone to return to Yharnam.
While Alex finished his final preparations, Maria also left the workshop, leaving Alex alone with Doll. Doll, who had been quietly sitting in her place until now, calmly stood up from the chair and walked over to Alex. Standing in front of him, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Before Alex could say anything, he felt Doll's lips touch his cheek. At that moment, Alex was quite surprised that Doll had kissed him. Doll, having kissed Alex on the cheek, felt a very warm sensation in her chest. And this feeling was so pleasant that she wished it would never disappear.
"That was quite unexpected," Alex said, looking at Doll, whose face was very close to his.
"The Hunters told me about many things, including love. I don't know what love is. But this feeling in my chest… it must be love. I am a doll created to guide Hunters. Could you love me?" Doll asked, placing her palm over her chest.
Hearing Doll's words, Alex froze for a moment. What he definitely hadn't expected was to hear these words so soon. He had thought Doll would gradually come to life, experiencing new emotions and becoming aware of her own existence.
But what he had forgotten to consider was that time flowed differently for Doll in the Hunter's Dream, and she had had enough time to better understand herself. All she had needed was a small push. Looking into Doll's gray eyes, Alex saw a multitude of different emotions flickering within them, including anticipation.
"Doll, are you sure that what you feel for me is love?" Alex asked, placing his palm on Doll's cheek.
"Of course… I truly love you. I really want to spend eternity with you, dear Hunter," Doll said, pressing her cheek against Alex's palm.
"I would be happy if you stayed by my side throughout all of this time," Alex said with a gentle smile.
"So, you love me too, dear Hunter? And that's why you wanted me to wake up as soon as possible?" Doll asked, placing her palms on Alex's cheeks.
"Nothing escapes you. You understood everything correctly. From the very first moment I saw you," Alex said, leaning closer to Doll.
Alex didn't give Doll a chance to react and gently kissed her on the lips. The moment Alex's lips touched Doll's, something inside her changed. Her eyes widened, and the warm feeling in her chest grew hotter. Feeling the softness of Alex's lips, Doll wished this moment could last forever.
It was a completely different sensation compared to when she had kissed his cheek. At that moment, it felt as if the entire world was changing right before her eyes. Following her instincts, Doll removed her hands from Alex's cheeks and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
She wanted to keep feeling this sensation she experienced during the kiss. And at that moment, she wanted to be by his side not as a doll, but as a living person who could feel emotions, taste flavors, and see the beauty of the world. The kiss lasted several minutes, and Doll slowly pulled away from Alex, still feeling the warmth of his lips.
"That… was a very pleasant and sweet sensation… I didn't think it would feel like that…" Doll said in a quiet voice, looking into Alex's eyes.
"That pleasant?" Alex asked with a slight smile.
"Yes… It was very pleasant. It felt like my heart was beating fast inside my chest… And my cheeks became hot," Doll said, trying to describe the sensations she felt while looking into Alex's eyes.
"I can see in your eyes that you want more… But I have to go. I need to break the cycle…" Alex said, gently stroking Doll's cheeks.
"I understand, dear Hunter. I will wait for your return," Doll said softly, pressing her cheek against Alex's palm once more.
Alex sighed, reluctant to leave Doll alone. To help her pass the time, he took out more books from his inventory for her to read. The last thing Alex did before leaving was kiss Doll on the lips once again, transferring his memories to her so she could learn more about him.
Once again feeling as if electricity had passed through her body, Doll noticed her mind filling with new memories. She immediately understood what these memories were, and at the same time, she was happy. This way, she would be able to understand Alex better. Kissing Doll goodbye on the cheek, Alex left the workshop. The moment he stepped out, Alucard gave him an amused look.
Maria, on the other hand, looked at Alex with slightly flushed cheeks. After all, she partially shared feelings with Doll and had indirectly experienced Doll's emotions. Clearing his throat dryly, Alex walked over to the gravestone, preparing to return to Yharnam. He placed his hand on the gravestone, and an ethereal puddle appeared beneath their feet. As the Messengers began to pull them in, Alucard raised her hand and wiped the remnants of lipstick from Alex's lips with her finger.
A moment later, they appeared inside the Grand Cathedral — the same place from which they had entered the Hunter's Dream. Experiencing the transportation through the Messenger's lamp once again, Maria shook her head slightly, trying to get rid of the mild dizziness. She already knew what had happened in the Cathedral Ward and what it had turned into.
Before Maria could shake off the dizziness, Alex placed his hand on her shoulder, and they disappeared from the Grand Cathedral. The next moment, Alex, Alucard, and Maria appeared inside the Healing Church Workshop. Maria had only managed to blink before they were in a different location. She immediately recognized the workshop and saw several corpses that had been brutally killed.
"Let's go, we're already expected," Alex said, ignoring the corpses of the deranged hunters.
"Who is expecting us?" Maria couldn't help but ask upon hearing Alex's words.
"You'll see soon," Alex replied as he left the room together with Alucard.
Maria simply nodded and followed Alex and Alucard. Seeing the tower once again, Alex turned to Alucard, and she jumped upward to avoid climbing the stairs. Seeing Alucard leap up, Maria barely had time to realize that she was now being carried in Alex's arms.
Holding Maria in his arms, Alex jumped after Alucard, landing on the upper floor. Once upstairs, Alex set Maria down, and they entered the large circular room. Maria immediately became alert when she saw a man in black Hunter's clothing sitting in a wheelchair, balancing on its rear wheels, with a large sack lying beside him filled with unknown contents.
"I see you've brought gifts, Wrath," Alex said, walking over to the sack.
"You took your time, Original. We searched every available corner in this wretched place," Wrath said, standing up from the wheelchair and lifting his head.
When Wrath raised his head, Maria saw that the unfamiliar hunter had Alex's face. Seeing this, Maria's eyes widened in surprise. She looked back and forth between Alex and Wrath. The first thought that came to her mind was that Alex was in a similar situation to her own.
Wrath, noticing Maria, gave Alex a mocking look, clearly understanding why he had been delayed. Alex simply rolled his eyes and opened the sack containing the collected items. Inside, he saw books and many other things he needed.
"And before I left, that crazy bastard Envy went through the Forbidden Woods," Wrath said with a contemptuous smile.
"What did he do?" Alex asked, closing the sack.
"He set up signs. He didn't touch the shadows, but I can't say the same for the local population," Wrath said, shaking his head.
"I see. You can go now, thank you," Alex said, waving his hand to indicate he understood.
Wrath simply shrugged and disappeared in a puff of white smoke. After Wrath vanished, Maria decided it was best to just let the situation go. Storing the sack in his inventory, Alex turned to Alucard and Maria, signaling that they could continue.
Reaching the closed doors leading to the Upper Cathedral Ward, Alex simply kicked them open to proceed. Alex wanted to deal with Ibraitas and the Celestial Emissaries before the Red Moon arrived. Passing through the open doors and climbing the stairs, Alex's gaze was fixed on a strange slimy creature trying to crawl onto a raised platform.
The creature resembled a strange slug with a large head, a long body, and barely visible wings on its back that looked like thin branches. Maria and Alucard reacted differently to the Celestial Child — a being born from the blood of the Great Ones.
"What is that creature?" Maria asked with disgust, staring at the Celestial Child.
"It's the result of Laurence's experiments… Do you really want to know what led to the birth of this thing?" Alex said, approaching the Celestial Child.
"I knew they were conducting experiments… I saw what they did to adults. But I never saw experiments resulting in something like this," Maria said, frowning as she sensed she wouldn't like the answer.
"These creatures were born because they injected the blood of Great Ones into pregnant women. That's how these beings came into existence. Guess whose blood they used. Doesn't this thing remind you of anyone?" Alex said calmly, lifting the Celestial Child by its head.
"Is this creature Ibraitas's child?" Maria asked, realizing what the being in Alex's hands resembled.
"Exactly. And there are quite a lot of these creatures here," Alex said, killing the Celestial Child.
Maria simply nodded at Alex's words. Alucard, on the other hand, regarded the scene with indifference. She saw no reason to show any sympathy. Gathering her thoughts, Maria decided to act as their guide in this place, since she had been to the Upper Cathedral Ward many times and knew where to go.
After all, the final moments of her life had taken place in the Clock Tower located in this area. Climbing the stairs, Alex and Alucard followed Maria and stepped onto the bridge leading directly to the Healing Church Chapel. Walking across the narrow bridge, Alex looked around and couldn't help but notice that the Upper Cathedral Ward wasn't very different from the rest of Yharnam.
Except for the thick, dry tree branches growing on both sides of the bridge. They hadn't even reached the middle of the bridge when they saw two moving silhouettes approaching through the fog. At that exact moment, two gunshots rang out, and the heads of both silhouettes exploded. The one who had fired and killed the two Church servants was Alucard, who had made the shots without even drawing the Evelyn musket or aiming it at the targets.
"This is much more convenient than using cold weapons. The number of actions is drastically different," Alucard said with a predatory smile.
"Yeah, shooting your target without taking your hands out of your pockets. That really is convenient," Alex said, folding his arms across his chest and nodding as he continued walking across the bridge.
"You can do that too, can't you?" Maria asked, walking beside Alex.
"I prefer to do it more elegantly. For example, like this," Alex said, raising his hand and snapping his fingers.
When the snap of Alex's fingers sounded, the Celestial Children lying on the bridge ahead of them instantly exploded into bloody chunks. Seeing this, Maria simply nodded in understanding. She no longer found it strange that Alex could kill someone just by snapping his fingers — not after everything she had seen him do while fighting the Orphan of Kos. Reaching the end of the bridge, Alex, Alucard, and Maria saw a Messenger's lamp.
Touching the lamp, Alex raised his gaze to the stairs leading upward. At the top was a closed entrance leading to the Research Hall. Seeing the entrance to this place again, Maria frowned for a moment but quickly composed herself. She wasn't going to turn back just because this place brought back unpleasant memories.
To be continued...
(So, Alucard got her first real power up. After all, absorbing the Blood Echo of Living Failures should have given a significant boost to her strength. And I figured such an ability would suit Alucard quite well. As for what's next, I think we'll quickly walk through the upper cathedral ward and then move on. I'll try to move on as quickly as possible. But as for Cainhurst, I'm not sure whether to go there or not. Anyway, I'll think about it. I'll go eat. Peace, love, and even more love.)
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