The city of Yharnam was once a prosperous place where sick people from all over the world came in hopes of finding a chance for recovery. Rumors of a miraculous cure spread far beyond the city.
But only those who lived and were born in Yharnam knew the terrible truth about this miraculous medicine that could cure all diseases, even those that previously had no salvation. Not many in Yharnam knew that the blood used as medicine was taken from the bodies of ancient beings found in tombs built by the race of the Pthumerians.
Almost nothing was known about the Pthumerian race itself, except that they worshipped certain beings called the Great Ones. This knowledge about the unknown Great Ones and the miraculous effect of the blood was found in ancient texts that were occasionally discovered in the catacombs located beneath Yharnam. The inhabitants of Yharnam knew nothing about this because all this information was carefully hidden.
Ordinary residents and even most visitors had no idea. For them, the blood was simply a miraculous medicine from the Healing Church. However, the residents of Yharnam knew one single truth that they themselves witnessed. Even part of this truth was shocking.
People who took too much of this blood to cure their illness could turn into monsters. Every night, the residents of Yharnam locked the doors of their homes and let no one in, whether it was a friend, acquaintance, or family member. When night fell, monsters that had been ordinary people that very morning roamed the streets of Yharnam. These monsters could not be saved or restored to human form.
And with the appearance of the first monsters, the Healing Church, led by its founder Laurence and the first hunter named Gehrman, founded the first order of Hunters, which later split due to disagreements and different worldviews. The purpose of the Hunters' order was simple — to hunt monsters and hide the truth from the civilian population.
For this, the Hunter's Workshop was created, managed by the first hunter Gehrman. Every night, Hunters went out onto the streets of the city to kill and burn the bodies of monsters. And in this way, the city of Yharnam began to prosper thanks to the miraculous medicine.
Hunters hunted, the Healing Church cured people of all ailments, except one. Among the residents of Yharnam, an ailment began to appear that could not be cured, and this ailment was called Ashen Blood, or, as the hunters called it, the Beast Plague, which turned people into monsters.
And so it continued day after day, night after night: hunting and healing, some killed, others healed, and they were all on the same side. But one day everything changed. Only years later did those who tried to look behind the curtain of mystery find the answer and the reason why it happened.
But on that very fateful night, no one knew what had happened. During one of the full moon cycles, it was not the usual pale moon that rose over Yharnam, the one that shone over the city every night. A Red Moon rose over Yharnam, and that day was called the Coming of the Red Moon. And with the arrival of this Red Moon, the Beast Plague, as the hunters called it, showed its true nature.
Usually, one or two residents or visitors turned into monsters. But with the arrival of the Red Moon, most of the residents of Old Yharnam turned into monsters. And on that fateful moonlit night, the Healing Church issued two horrifying and despicable orders. The first order from the Church was to burn Old Yharnam to the ground in order to contain the spread of the Beast Plague.
And that night, Old Yharnam burned with bright flames, and the screams of people and monsters merged into one cacophony that echoed in all directions. The second order issued by the Healing Church was to close the great bridge leading to the Cathedral Ward so that no one could enter there.
And everyone who tried to leave Old Yharnam was mercilessly killed. People who tried to escape and leave Old Yharnam were ruthlessly killed by the hands of Hunters, whose sole goal was to prevent the spread of the Beast Plague. People who had turned into monsters and thirsted for only one thing — to kill and devour the flesh of living beings — also met resistance from the Hunters.
And such a large-scale event could not be hidden or hushed up as something ordinary. And only with the arrival of dawn did the Night of the Hunt, which was later called the Night of the Great Hunt, come to an end. This fateful night brought many changes to Yharnam. An entire district of the city and everyone who lived in it was burned. And after this Night of the Hunt, the paths of two people who were considered friends and together strove for great achievements diverged.
Laurence, the head of the Healing Church, committed a terrible sin with his order, which became the reason why the first hunter Gehrman left the Church. The Hunter's Workshop was closed after Gehrman's departure, but Laurence founded the Church Hunters Workshop and headed it himself.
Gehrman, having left the Church, founded a new hunter workshop and began training new Hunters. Gehrman was not just a simple Hunter; he was also a jack-of-all-trades and created new weapons for hunting in order to kill monsters even more effectively. After all, Gehrman was the one who first noticed that it was the healing blood that was the catalyst that turned people into monsters.
The residents of Yharnam and visitors learned the horrors that the blood capable of healing carried. But none of them were going to give up such medicine, which had become their salvation, even realizing that this medicine could turn them into monsters that would be hunted when the sun once again hid behind the horizon and the moon rose over Yharnam again.
And after the Night of the Great Hunt, everything in Yharnam returned to normal: Hunters hunted monsters, the Church healed people. But the paths of the two friends diverged, and people learned the terrible truth. And so it continued for many years until one day Laurence, the founder of the Healing Church, suddenly disappeared, and no one knew how, when, or where. Gehrman, learning of his friend's disappearance, wanted to find him.
But instead of his friend, Gehrman also found himself trapped in the Hunter's Dream, where he was to guide hunters who accidentally entered the Hunter's Dream. And since then, Yharnam has been plunged into an endless cycle of the Great Hunt. People continued to drink blood, knowing what it could lead to. Hunters continued to kill. And somewhere deep beneath the city, in ancient tombs, entities slept whose madness was slowly but surely devouring the entire city. And no one knew how to break this vicious circle of madness.
"So that's pretty much it… Of course, I missed some details. But overall, that's the essence of this world… Hey, Carmilla. Are you listening?" Alex said, bringing a cigarette to his lips.
Alex's gaze was fixed on the beautiful woman sitting not far from him on an old medical bed. This woman was Alucard, with whom Alex had come to this world. Alucard was wearing her usual men's Victorian suit, and on her face was a pair of glasses with red lenses that hid her red eyes.
Alucard's eyes wandered around the place they had found themselves in. She was only partially listening to what Alex was telling her about this world. Ever since they had arrived in this place, which Alex called Iosefka's Clinic, he had decided to give her a history lesson about this world.
The place they were in had a thick and sharp smell of old medicine and dust. The atmosphere here was gloomy, as if no one had used this room for a very long time, and the only source of light was an old wall lamp that cast dim rays of light.
From the moment they arrived in this world, Alucard had liked this gloomy atmosphere. And all her boredom immediately receded into the background; she wanted to see with her own eyes the city where an eternal hunt for monsters — who had once been the inhabitants of this city — was taking place.
And the only reason they had not yet gone out onto the street was Alex himself, who, instead of starting the journey, had seated her on an old medical bed and begun giving her a history lesson.
Putting one leg over the other, Alucard slightly lowered her glasses to look at Alex with her red eyes after hearing him call her name. She did not deny that the history of this world was quite fascinating, in her opinion. But that was only if Alex was the one telling the story.
"I'm listening, my love. It was very interesting to hear. But don't you think you went a bit overboard with your story?" Alucard said with a lazy smile on her face.
"I don't think so. I only told a small part of everything that exists in this city. There are still many interesting places in this world that we should visit," Alex said, rocking on his chair with a cigarette between his teeth.
"You're just forgetting the obvious — to visit those places, we need to leave this clinic," Alucard said lazily, pointing her finger toward the doors.
"That goes without saying… But before we leave this place, I have two options for our date," Alex said, nodding and raising two fingers.
"I'm listening, my love," Alucard said with a cheerful smile on her face.
"The first option — we play by the rules of this world. We'll play the role of Hunters and kill monsters until we reach the very end of this endless night. The second option — we simply kill monsters until it gets boring, and then go home," Alex said, raising his fingers one by one to show what he wanted.
Alucard looked at Alex with a cheerful smile as he offered her two options. She began slowly swinging her leg, thinking about what to choose. And after listening to the history of this world that Alex had told her, she understood that there were creatures with unique blood in this place that carried enormous power.
And choosing the second option meant that she would not be able to taste the blood of these beings called the Great Ones. The first option sounded to her like a little game she could play with her beloved. On one hand, there was the option to start killing and drinking blood until she got tired of it; on the other hand, there was the option leading to killing beings that could be considered gods.
Stopping swinging her leg while thinking, Alucard looked into Alex's eyes and noticed his gaze, which literally begged her to choose the first option. The smile on Alucard's face began to widen, baring her sharp teeth, and she jumped off the old medical bed. Alucard began slowly approaching Alex and stopped beside him.
"Oh, my love… You want me to pretend to be a little obedient huntress? How cute. I'll play your game. But only so I can see how you break this world," Alucard said, leaning toward Alex and running her finger across his lips.
"So it's decided. We'll have a cosplay date. We play the role of Hunters. We kill monsters and Great Ones that live in this place. And at the end, a grand finale awaits us. Does that suit you?" Alex said with a wide smile.
"Only if it's really interesting. Then I'll play along… But if it's not as interesting as you promise, then I'll punish you…" Alucard said, whispering in Alex's ear.
"I'll try to make sure you have fun and it's interesting… Now let's go. We need to find a lamp to get the necessary items for our cosplay," Alex said, getting up from the chair with a wide smile on his face.
Alucard looked at Alex with amusement and lightly licked her lips in anticipation of the feast that awaited her beyond those doors. Alucard understood that in this world Alex belonged only to her, and no one would interfere if she wanted to do something.
Continuing to smile, Alucard adjusted her glasses and followed Alex, who had already approached the door that was supposed to lead outside. When Alucard approached, Alex began to open the doors.
The doors opened with a long creak. When the doors swung open, a wooden staircase leading downward appeared before Alex and Alucard. Beginning to descend the wooden steps that creaked with every step, they went down to the very bottom.
As soon as they descended, they heard the familiar sound of tearing flesh and the growl of a monster. Alucard calmly took out her Jackal pistol and stepped forward to enter the next room from which the sound was coming. Alex followed behind Alucard, hands behind his head. He decided to give Alucard the right to spill the first blood in this world.
Alex and Alucard entered a spacious room where dozens of old iron medical beds stood, next to which were IV drips filled with a red liquid that looked like blood. Moving further through this room, they saw a monster resembling a mangy werewolf devouring the corpse of its victim.
The werewolf paid no attention to Alex and Alucard; all its attention was focused on devouring the entrails of its victim. The werewolf's head tilted back, and in its mouth was a human intestine stretching from the corpse. The werewolf made slurping sounds as it devoured the man's intestine, digging its claws into the wooden floor and leaving long claw marks.
Alucard narrowed her eyes slightly, beginning to examine the werewolf and showing considerable interest in this creature. Alex, however, knew that behind this werewolf were doors leading out onto the streets of Central Yharnam. And while Alucard was examining the werewolf, Alex turned his head back, hearing the doors they had descended through close with a creak. Alex knew who had closed those doors, but now was not the time to approach that woman.
"Milady. Would you kindly make the first shot as the signal to begin our date?" Alex said, bowing slightly and looking at Alucard.
"How courteous of you, my love. Allowing me to start our hunt," Alucard said, chuckling lightly at Alex's clumsy theatricality.
While Alex and Alucard looked at each other and smiled, the werewolf sitting by the doors leading to the street slightly twitched its nose, catching a new scent. The werewolf slowly turned its head and bared its bloodied teeth, with pieces of flesh and entrails stuck between them.
The werewolf leaned forward, emitting a low growl upon seeing its new prey. And after getting close enough to its two victims, the sound of a pistol hammer being cocked rang out.
And at that same moment, a loud gunshot sounded, and the werewolf's head burst, while the bullet passed through its body and exited the other side. The werewolf's body went limp and fell to the floor, beginning to bleed. Alucard lowered her hand holding the Jackal pistol, from whose barrel a thin stream of smoke rose.
"This can be called a beginning," Alucard said with a cheerful smile on her face.
"I would call it a rather colorful beginning… There's just one thing left to check," Alex said, clapping his hands with a smile.
Alucard shifted her gaze to Alex and slightly raised an eyebrow, interested in what he was going to check. Alex walked over to the werewolf's corpse and touched it with his finger. The moment Alex's finger touched the dead werewolf's body, all the blood from the werewolf's body began to flow toward Alex's finger, forming a small sphere of blood.
Seeing this, Alex thoughtfully brought the sphere of blood to his eye to examine it better. He knew that there was a game based on this world, but the world structure in the game and in the real world should differ drastically.
Alex took into account that he was now in the real Yharnam, and to collect Blood Echoes, he would have to create a special device. But he had not taken into account one important fact: the blood in this world carried the will of people, similar to how a ghost continues to retain the image of the person it once was. And seeing how the Blood Echoes were automatically drawn to his hand aroused considerable interest in him.
"Fascinating…" Alex said, stroking his chin and looking at the sphere of blood on the tip of his finger.
"Indeed fascinating. Blood carrying a person's will — that's very interesting," Alucard said, standing behind Alex and looking at the sphere of blood.
"Why are you surprised? When you absorbed people's blood, you absorbed their will, memories, emotions, and soul. And yet you're surprised," Alex said, turning his head toward Alucard.
"Do I really need to explain this to you, my love?" Alucard asked, shifting her gaze to Alex.
"Alright, sorry. I asked a stupid question… But the fact that this blood behaves like it's alive is truly interesting. You don't mind if I conduct a couple of experiments before giving you this blood to try, right?" Alex said, tilting his head slightly to the side.
"Hmm… Of course. Have fun. Now I'm very interested in what this kind of blood will taste like," Alucard said, running her nail along Alex's neck.
Alex smiled, and the Blood Echo on the tip of his finger froze, turning into a small red crystal sphere, which Alex put in his pocket. Stopping squatting near the werewolf's corpse, Alex stood up and stretched slightly. Understanding that it was time to go outside, Alex called Alucard to follow him.
Together they walked further, entering the next room where there were doors leading outside. A light breeze blew in through the broken windows on the doors, carrying the scents of Yharnam, which Alex and Alucard immediately sensed. The smell was filled with the scent of blood, the scent of burning bodies, and the scent of something alien to Alucard.
Sensing this whole palette of smells, Alucard could not restrain the smile on her face. And without waiting for Alex, she walked forward to open the doors and see this new gloomy and madness-embraced world. For Alex, this smell was very familiar, and upon catching it, he could only sigh and light a cigarette.
Alucard approached the doors with a wide smile on her face and, placing both hands on the doors, pushed them forward. She pushed the doors with such force that they were literally torn off their hinges due to her impatience. The doors, torn off their hinges, flew forward, smashing tombstones that stood in their path.
Stepping outside, the smile on Alucard's face grew even wider, and she began laughing loudly at the gloomy view of Central Yharnam that appeared before her eyes. The light of the setting sun fell on the gloomy buildings, and various sounds came from all directions.
The sight of the gloomy cemetery in front of her created exactly the picture she wanted to see in this world. Alex stepped out after Alucard, holding a cigarette between his fingers.
Seeing the gloomy buildings in Victorian style, slowly inhaling cigarette smoke, Alex could not help but admire this beautiful view. But he understood that this was only a small part of Yharnam that they were currently seeing. After all, this was just the view of the city from the cemetery located behind Iosefka's Clinic.
"How beautiful this view is… How captivating it is in its beauty. It seems to beckon us to uncover all its secrets and destroy them! I want to see! I want to taste the blood of these beings! I want to enjoy the carnage! I want my hands to be drenched in their hot blood!… I want it all!" Alucard said loudly, looking at the sky shrouded in the light of the setting sun.
"I'm glad you like it. And all of this awaits us ahead," Alex said in a calm tone, bringing the cigarette to his lips.
"It's not just that I like it. I am fascinated by what I see and what I have yet to see," Alucard said, sharply turning her head toward Alex and looking at him with a wide smile on her face.
Alex exhaled cigarette smoke through his nose, and a light smile appeared on his face. He had been right when he decided to take Alucard to this world. And the only thing he hoped for was that Alucard would not lose control and fall into a frenzy, starting to kill everything in her path.
Shaking his head to drive away unnecessary thoughts, Alex kissed the overly excited Alucard on the cheek and walked forward. The smile did not leave Alex's face as she began to follow him. Passing by tombstones, Alex stopped and looked in the other direction, where there was a closed gate.
"Not now, it's still too early," Alex said, looking away from the closed iron gate.
"And what's on the other side, my love? Something interesting? Or something completely different?" Alucard asked, resting her chin on Alex's shoulder.
"There's a path to one of the three keys we'll need. But now is not the time to go after it. The time has not yet come," Alex said, kissing Alucard on the cheek once again.
"A key… Yes. I wonder what kind of key that is," Alucard said, narrowing her eyes.
"When the time comes, you'll find out. Now let's go. We need to find the Messengers to make a contract with them," Alex said with a mysterious smile on his face.
Alucard narrowed her eyes, looking at Alex, who was not going to give her an answer. But instead of anger or irritation, she felt a sense of intrigue when the answers to her questions remained hidden behind a veil of mystery. The feeling of intrigue and mystery made Alucard tremble with anticipation.
Her desire to find out what key Alex needed, what Messengers he was talking about — she wanted to unravel all these secrets. And to see even more interesting secrets hidden within the walls of this city.
With a cheerful smile, Alucard watched as Alex squatted down by another corpse leaning against a tombstone. Alex began searching the corpse. Searching the pockets of the corpse, Alex found a small bundle, which, when unwrapped, revealed a row of silver bullets.
"Excellent, the first find in this world. Silver bullets," Alex said, examining the bundle of silver bullets.
"So they also used silver to hunt monsters," Alucard said, walking over to Alex.
"That's right. When we get our new toys, these bullets will come in handy. Playing with new toys is much more interesting, don't you think?" Alex said, putting the bundle of silver bullets in his pocket.
"I suppose I'll say yes. Only if these toys are worth playing with," Alucard said in a cheerful tone.
In response to Alucard's words, Alex only chuckled lightly, hinting that these toys were worth playing with. Hearing Alex's laughter, Alucard was once again intrigued by what would happen next. Alex decided that they wouldn't need to return to Iosefka's Clinic in the near future, which meant it was time to move forward.
Approaching the iron gates, Alex raised his leg and kicked them. The iron gates were torn off their hinges and, flying forward a little, fell off the cliff. Leaving the territory of the clinic, Alex and Alucard looked ahead, and a wonderful view of a wide bridge in the distance opened before them, connecting both parts of Yharnam. Descending to the observation platform, Alex looked over the railing to see the Lower Yharnam district.
Such a view was mesmerizing, if not for the unpleasant sound, as if someone was dragging something metal across the stone pavement. Alex stood behind Alucard, hugging her around the waist while she leaned against his chest. They admired the beautiful gloomy view that opened before their eyes. But after a few moments, this sound began to irritate Alex.
"Whoever that is, they ruined everything. I'm trying to enjoy the views and cuddle here. Doesn't he understand what silence is?" Alex said in an irritated tone.
Instead of answering Alex's words, Alucard only laughed, stroking his arms that were resting on her stomach. Gradually, Alex's eyelid began to twitch more and more strongly. And when all his patience ran out, Alex stopped hugging Alucard around the waist and grabbed the iron fence.
Alex tore out a sharp iron rod and, with a gloomy expression on his face, decided to go see who was being so tactless. Watching Alex's behavior, Alucard could not hide the amusement in her eyes.
Returning to the road, Alex walked toward the irritating sound. He paid no attention to the empty carriages or the corpses of gnawed horses. The only thought spinning in Alex's head was to shove the iron rod up the ass of whoever was making this irritating sound.
Walking a little further, he saw elegant gates that were closed on the other side. But Alex's gaze immediately shifted to the source of the irritating noise. Alex's gaze fell on a man dressed in black Victorian-era clothing.
But the most striking feature of this man was not that he was slightly hunched, but his unnaturally elongated arms, in one of which he held an axe whose blade dragged along the ground, and in the other hand he held a burning torch.
"I found you," Alex said, gripping the sharp iron rod tighter.
Alex ran forward and instantly appeared behind the man. Alex raised the iron rod for a strike, and at that same moment impaled the first resident of Yharnam ass-first onto the sharp iron rod.
The sharp iron rod passed through the man's entire body and came out through his mouth. The man made an incomprehensible wheezing sound and began convulsing in his death throes, while his blood began to flow down Alex's hands. Alex drove the end of the iron rod into the ground, leaving the man impaled on the iron rod.
Alucard watched with amusement as Alex killed a resident of Yharnam and began to approach closer. Alex shook off the blood and walked around the man's corpse to check it. Knocking off the hat, Alex saw the face of an unshaven man that already showed signs of turning into a monster. Alex reached toward the dead man's face and opened his eyelids, wanting to look at the man's eyes.
"Is there something interesting in his eyes?" Alucard asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"He has partially turned into a monster. And I wanted to see how deeply he had sunk into madness. In a word, this is the most ordinary resident of Yharnam," Alex said, collecting Blood Echoes from the man's corpse.
"How fascinating. But maybe we should already go look for the Messengers you mentioned?" Alucard said in a bored tone, poking the dead man's head with her finger.
"Can't you hear them? They're very close," Alex said, looking at Alucard in surprise.
"Should I hear beings I don't know and have no idea what they look like?" Alucard asked, looking back at Alex.
"Oh, sorry… I forgot the most important thing. Here, eat this Blood Echo, and you'll hear the call of the Messengers. I removed everything unnecessary from it, leaving only the most important," Alex said, holding out a round sphere of Blood Echo.
Alucard looked at the Blood Echo lying on Alex's palm. Reaching out, she took the red sphere and put it in her mouth. The moment the Blood Echo entered her mouth, it dissolved, absorbing into her body.
Tasting the blood, Alucard began to evaluate it. But for her, it tasted no different from human blood, with a slight unfamiliar aftertaste. And as soon as she absorbed the Blood Echo, she began to hear a faint call, similar to a whisper, coming from somewhere above.
Raising her gaze upward, from where she heard the whisper, she understood what Alex meant. Alex used magical vision to observe the changes in Alucard's body. Alex saw the entire process of absorbing the Blood Echo and nodded slightly. While Alex was busy observing, Alucard approached the wall of the building and began climbing up, stepping on the wall.
"Are you going to wait for me?" Alex asked, looking at Alucard, who was walking up the wall.
"Should I carry you?" Alucard asked, stopping while hanging on the wall, ignoring gravity.
Alex began grumbling and began climbing the wall just like Alucard, simply walking upward. Alex wanted to use the ladder whose mechanism was nearby. But climbing the wall was also an excellent option. Climbing the wall together with Alucard, they quickly reached the top.
Alex and Alucard found themselves on another street that resembled a spacious balcony on the roof of a building. Alucard's attention was fixed on a simple-looking lamp that burned with a gray light, hanging on a small stick. And the biggest oddity of this lamp was that it looked as if it had simply grown out of the floor.
"The call is coming from this lamp," Alucard said, pointing her finger at the lamp.
Alex once again used magical vision to better examine the lamp and understand how it was connected to the Hunter's Dream, the Messengers, and other similar lamps. Alex quickly realized that this lamp was a door connected to other doors and a room to which these doors led, while the Messengers acted as guides that opened these doors for you, letting you into that room.
Approaching closer, Alex touched the lamp. When Alex's hand touched the lamp, a faint whisper sounded, and the lamp began to glow. And at that same moment, a small bubbling ethereal puddle appeared under the lamp, from which small thin hands emerged, followed by the Messengers themselves.
Alucard examined the Messengers with interest; they resembled small distorted children who held the lamp with their small hands so it wouldn't fall. She found these beings quite cute and fascinating.
"These are the Messengers?… What charming creatures," Alucard said, poking one of the Messengers in the head with her finger.
"They are inhabitants of the Nightmare World… They have a strange desire to help Hunters… But yes, you're right, they really are charming," Alex said, stroking a Messenger's head with his finger.
The Messengers themselves were very pleased that Alucard and Alex were touching them. The Messengers did not speak, but only made strange sounds resembling a distant whisper, but in Alex's and Alucard's eyes this did not make them any less charming.
Deciding to make a contract, Alex touched a Messenger's hand with his finger, and it tightly squeezed it with its small thin hands. Alucard, watching this, did the same. And at that same moment, they both made a contract with the Messengers, who would follow them throughout their entire journey in Yharnam.
To be continued...
(So, I've thought about it and decided that Alex and Alucard will enjoy a stroll through Yaranm, killing everything in sight. But it will be a long date, lasting the entire night. So, we wait and prepare. And as for the lore of this world, I'll reveal it gradually, when the time is right. And I'll go get something to eat. Peace, love, and the Hunter must hunt.)
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