Author's Plot Hole/Retcon: I messed up the timeline a bit with the solstice. At this point we are well past what the spreadsheet on the wiki had for the timeline, so keeping things in line with the Shadow Slave narrative is a guessing game at best, but in this case I need to do some correcting.
Gehrman/Dorian's birthday is March 24th (the launch date for Bloodborne). I wanted the solstice and the shit ton of Awakenings to happen shortly after this, but it would be 9 months until then…The bunch of Sleepers in the New Workshop Awakened 3 months ago.
I know, this is a big change and I am glossing over it right now, but I will explore this, as well as the Workshop's progress much more in depth in a later chapter.
TLDR: Oskar's an Awakened (Yes I will be getting more into his Aspect soon as well).
The place of ceremony was held in a specific section of the palace. Gehrman had not had to worry about any of the setup as the Song Sisters saw to that themselves.
As he walked through the magnificent halls of the Jade Palace, he took note of the shifting atmosphere.
What was solemn and serene turned rich and ominous. The lighting had somehow been altered to portray a deeper red hue. It was distinct from the scarlet red of Valor in the sheer weight of the color. Still, Gehrman figured that one might be confused by its presence.
He could not deny the atmosphere though. It was something out of Cainhurst while also remaining glamorous enough to truly demonstrate the power of the Great Clan Song.
The theming was quite appropriate, as Gehrman was famous for his bloody antics, and what little was known about Seishan to the public told of a similar affinity to blood.
It was all a bit melodramatic in Gehrman's opinion, but despite that he greatly enjoyed the venue.
As he walked, he eventually reached the opening gates where the guests were coming through.
The process was not slow by any means, as all those invited were famous enough to be recognized from far away. However, there were a few exceptions.
Oskar, Caster, and a little boy stood in line, looking apprehensively up at the giant castle. Gehrman quietly made his way to them, and the rest of the guests had to do a double take, confused at the appearance of the groom before even entering.
"Quite impressive, isn't it?" Gehrman asked the trio.
Oskar and Caster gave two separate grunts in response. The last one could not offer such a thing, however.
Milo was looking at every detail of the Jade Palace, his multi-colored irises whirling around. His Flaw remained steadfast though, as the child could not so much as nod his head in affirmative.
As Gehrman was his legal guardian and kind-of-parent, it was only natural he was present.
Gehrman did a double take himself, realizing as he stood next to him that Milo had grown a fair bit. Though still short, he had grown into his body and had a much more toned build then before.
Of course, training as a Hunter would do that.
It wasn't just that though, without realizing it, Gehrman seemed to have missed much of Milo's growth. The kid was now a teenager. One not much younger than Gehrman's body had been when he first Ascended.
He thought on that for a moment, then dismissed the creeping idea.
They had to play it safe with the younger ones, especially Milo. As a person with a Sacred Rank Aspect, he had the potential to become one of the pillars of humanity as well.
That being said, Gehrman didn't want him to be that in the first place. The kid deserved a normal life after everything he had endured.
"I hope that your present to me, on this auspicious day, is that the two of you agree to what I have proposed at the end of the bachelor party," Gehrman said.
The two both looked a little sick at the mention of the party, but their resigned looks told Gehrman everything he needed to know.
Back then, he had Sunny use one of his Memories to create a field of silence around them, and then he had protected them all with prying eyes with blood. In that dome, Gehrman had laid out the plan for the future.
The New Workshop must remain an independent entity. That was Gehrman's top priority, even as he left to join a Great Clan.
So, he had to leave it in the hands of an unaffiliated individual.
These two would be taking on the role of Head of The New Workshop, and by extension, New Yharnam.
Caster would be taking over directly following the marriage, and all the paperwork was already signed and sealed to make the transition smooth.
Of course, this was not what the guy had signed up for, and Gehrman had only asked him to do this as a favor. In truth, he had not even threatened him like he had with the bachelor party. Caster's acceptance of the responsibility was entirely of his own accord. That being said, he did insist it not be something he be strapped with indefinitely.
That honor would go to Oskar. In the current climate, an Awakened leading a force such as the New Workshop, especially since it already had a few Masters with more on the way, would simply not work well.
So, after this wedding, Oskar had 1 year to become Ascended. At which point he would take the reins of the New Workshop, freeing Caster up to pursue Transcendence.
By the time Oskar was prepared to do the same, Gehrman would likely be able to come back.
His return was something that he had assured the other two multiple times, even if they figured it quite dubious.
Originally, Gehrman was of the belief that this Realm War would end in only one way. Ki Song would win, and then she would try to kill Gehrman. She was too much of a pragmatist, after all, and the Sovereigns had made it clear that they did not accept others rising to the same Rank.
Gehrman was going to become Supreme. He was going to go beyond it.
And while keeping groups of Saints apart from each other, making them swear oaths, and even safe guardian Nightmare Seeds could help them prevent others from conquering the 4th Nightmare, none of that would stop Gehrman.
He had taken on every Nightmare individually, and the Seed was inside his very Soul Sea. There was no stopping his growth.
So, Ki Song would kill him.
…Or maybe not.
Maybe, maybe, the Sovereign would retain her grace and rationality as a woman. Without the constant need to expand, perhaps the stability could offer her the mental soundness to allow Gehrman to do as he pleased.
It was a stretch, but in either case Gehrman would end up being fine to lead the New Workshop again.
Either he would kill Ki Song, thus eliminating the Great Clans and any need to remain "neutral", or she would rise as the sole power of the world, once again getting rid of neutrality.
Or Gehrman could die.
He did that sometimes, so it was honestly likely at this point.
Then again, as a Saint the cost of resurrection would be steeper still. Perhaps he would truly die (and stay dead) if Ki Song played her cards right.
In any case, the two agreed to play hot potato with the rulership position. Though both begrudging, they did recognize the responsibility as one that was necessary.
"Come on, no more glum faces." Gehrman moved and patted the both of them on the back.
"Let me show you around my new digs."
…
They congregated, obviously, in a large ball room. Half of it was sectioned off with the actual wedding altar and chairs that the guests would sit in as they witnessed the wedding. Though a lot of the tradition was included, a few things had to be modified or excluded in order to better fit the royal bearing of Song.
A few grave sacrifices had to be made.
First, the groomsmen and the bridesmaids would not play a part in the ceremony. Though it hurt Gehrman's soul, it was probably best not to openly flaunt Mordret in front of Valor. Plus, the presence of Caster and Oskar could potentially bring up some issues with the whole "continued neutrality" of the Workshop.
It was only fair then that the bridesmaids be excluded as well. This was met with great discourse, and they ended up agreeing the Song Sisters could do speeches after the wedding was officially sealed.
This effectively cut down much of the actual time they all stood up by the altar.
In all truth, Gehrman wasn't entirely too miffed about any of it. He was just happy that there were a few things that were remaining the same.
However, that would come later.
For now Gehrman went around and greeted some of the guests. Many of whom were Vassals or Saints of Song who all offered their heartiest congratulations and deepest of loyalties. Dire Fang was a bit awkward, as the uncle-like figure had quite the embarrassing anecdote with Gehrman. However, they managed to smile and exchange pleasantries all the same.
There were some Government people who he didn't recognize, and a few that he did.
"Good to see you made it, Wake of Ruin," Gehrman smiled as the old man, Saint Cor, walked over, his gait tight and sharp.
"Well, it's not like I can do anything else." He paused for a moment, his dark eyes wandering over the crowd.
"I'm not usually invited to these things, it's interesting to see how they mingle."
"It's exhausting is what it is," Gehrman shook his head. "They all try to hard to be nice while being as cruel as possible at the same time. An inefficient use of air, I say."
That got a chuckle out of Cor.
"You wouldn't be the first to think that, but you might be the first to say it out loud."
They both let silence hang for a moment, the murmuring of many conversations mixing in a dim and quiet cacophony.
"Can she hear us?" Cor suddenly asked. His expression and demeanor remained unchanged, but the seriousness in his voice was all too dire.
Gehrman gave the man a sidelong glance.
"We're in her Domain, after all. Why? Do you have something you want to get off your chest?"
Cor turned to him with a look of ire for setting him up to offend the queen. However, the man named Wake of Ruin was never one to truly cower. Though he did maintain the dwindling neutrality, he was never once considered by any side to be weak.
"Quite a few things," Cor murmured. "For now though, I'll say just one thing." The old man paused, then looked up to the ceiling. "Jinwon would have liked seeing the Jade Palace used like this. She would have liked seeing her daughter and granddaughters happy as well. Though, I do imagine she would have a few words for the bride's choice in a groom."
Gehrman elbowed the old man's arm gently for the dig.
In an uncharacteristic show of warmth, Saint Cor let a small smile appear.
"Don't go too off the rails. Though I never really had any control over you, I admit, I liked it better when I could at least pretend."
"Don't sell yourself short. Your words carried a lot of weight for me. In fact, it still does. Though we may not be able to converse for a while, I'll try to keep the advice from the past few years in mind."
Wake of Ruin grunted, then unceremoniously walked away, leaving Gehrman with a happy smile on his face.
Jinwon…that must be Ki Song's mother. The original owner of Ravenheart Citadel. I guess it's no surprise that Cor knew her, they were both elites in the same generation, after all. I have to say though, I'm glad he said something like that and not some insult about poaching me from the Government.
…
"What are you thinking about with such a distant expression," Gehrman asked. He had walked up behind his friend. Though neither of them could surprise the other, it was fun to pretend.
"She's not here, I thought she might be," Sunny replied.
Gehrman followed his gaze towards the party of Valor warriors. Indeed, now that Nephis was a Princess of Valor, she really should have been here as well. She was no doubt seen as more disposable than Morgan by Anvil, so why had he not sent her?
The answers that popped into Gehrman's mind did not leave him with a pleasant feeling.
"She's on her way soon, don't worry so much, Sunny," Effie said with a broad smile. She had taken a step beside Sunny, a glass of wine in her hand. Thankfully, none of the true "get-Masters-drunk" wine was here, so Master Athena would be more than fine.
Indeed, though Cassie and Sunny were barred from coming by Valor, the rest of the Cohort made it.
Kai stood beside the tall woman. He was dressed in a more understated outfit that almost made it feel like he was trying not to stand out. Alternatively, it might have been to match with Sunny, since the suits did look rather similar and had complementing colors.
That seemed like the kind of thing that guy would do, especially since he undoubtedly picked out Sunny's outfit for this event.
Effie, on the other hand, wore a much more loud golden dress that clung to her figure quite well.
Of course, as a soon-to-be-kept man, Gehrman was not swayed in any way by this. To his surprise, this was actually true, and not an exaggeration. Effie's figure did not fill him with the same heat it once did.
Gehrman briefly wondered if his tastes had narrowed to a more specific type of woman.
He then decided he didn't really mind.
"The full forces of Valor and Song will arrive in a week, last I heard," Kai said.
"Full forces…" Sunny trailed off. The guy was smart, and even though he couldn't possibly know that every word was being heard by Ki Song, he might have gotten a premonition. Therefore, he didn't say the rest of his sentence.
'Full forces that will be used to fight each other, not the Nightmare Creatures.'
"Of course, I'll still be doing my best there as well. Song has no plans to move me from our lovely Antarctica," Gehrman said.
"Oh? Good to hear!" Effie said. However, her voice then took on a dangerous tone. "Maybe if you didn't kill everything every damn day in a single instant then we could fight side by side and enjoy some true camaraderie."
"Complaining about Nightmare Creature genocide occuring is a bad look, Effie. Why don't you just take out your anger at the Butcher Block, With their being more and more Corrupted, we need more people down in the final section to deal the final blow."
She shook her head.
"Agh! I'm not complaining, you know. I just…it feels wrong. To turn the tables in such a drastic and total way is, I don't know, too good to be true? I keep getting this feeling that the other shoe is gonna drop, and when it does it'll be a really bad shoe."
Sunny gave her an odd look.
"What the hell are you talking about shoes for? And what makes a 'bad' shoe. A shoe is a shoe."
"Doofus, I am not gonna explain this metaphor right now," Effie sighed. "What I'm saying is, when you're gone, what happens? The tides of abominations are growing stronger and more plentiful, and I got a feeling that a lot of us have gotten pretty complacent in your little murder pit. We haven't seen real combat in months."
Gehrman raised an eyebrow.
"That's true. However, you're forgetting something. Your Masters, and you'll have Saints backing you up. Though Song and Valor will probably be being bad, they will still work together to defend humans as a whole."
Gehrman clapped Effie on the shoulder.
"That's when you get to use that camaraderie."
Effie looked at him for a moment, then shook her head.
"I swear, you are somehow even more crazy than back on the Forgotten Shore. How the hell did you get hitched before any of us. Sunny I get, but me?! And Kai!? That's just outrageous."
Gehrman laughed.
"No one's caught your attention?"
"Well…there's this one guy who doesn't seem half bad," Effie said.
"What's his name?"
"I don't know, actually."
"...Well that's probably a good place to start."
"Gah! Names aren't that important. What really matters is compatibility, let me tell you-"
Kai cut her off before she could say anything too crass.
"Gehrman, I don't want to be rude, but shouldn't you be changing soon? I imagine the ceremony will start within the hour, right?"
Indeed, it was happening rather soon. However, this was not an oversight on Gehrman's part. Everything was all prepared and laid out. He had just wanted to catch up a bit with some friends first.
"Thanks Kai, I appreciate the classy exit," Gehrman walked off with a wave. "Oh! And thanks for coming, by the way! Be sure to enjoy yourselves, things should be getting fun real soon."