Caution: No, this is not the new chapter. For the actual new chapter, please go to Chapter 6. Re-writes over.

...

Maria's blood-soaked blades cut through the air, each movement made with unparalleled precision and grace. She could feel the effects of her Vileblood heritage slowly eat away at what remained of her essence, but she knew it did not matter. She would fall here regardless.

She carefully watched Zoran's movements as he expertly maneuvered around her attacks, taking whatever opportunity he could to go on the offensive. Even before their truce, she had developed a begrudging respect for his skill in battle and begun to view him as a worthy opponent. And seeing such a capable warrior being reduced to such despair had completely shattered Maria's view of him.

Oh, how things have changed since then. When during their last duel, she was driven by nothing but overwhelming hatred towards the hunter, now all she felt was regret. She thought back to the song that had awoken her from her slumber, how utterly demoralized he had appeared as he continued to sing in his native tongue. And it was all because of her.

She had been aware of her true feelings for him for quite some time, but had hesitated in revealing them out of a belief their union would lead to further ruin. But as time went on, their bond only grew stronger and so did her want to remain with him. Ultimately, they both revealed the true nature of their connection and they spent a single night of passion together; laying bare the full extent of their love.

So it was that she was forced to end their meeting; recognizing the harm their union was placing on him. But when he had asked her for one final dance, she couldn't bring herself to reject him and instead decided to savour whatever time with him she could. And then he offered her one final confession.

Maria always thought herself as one who was able to keep her emotions in check and thus, it was unbecoming of her to be rendered speechless. But as Zoran earnestly expressed his gratitude for her act of mercy, she found herself at a loss for words. Her actions had not ruined his chance at recovering his past self, but had filled him with a newfound appreciation for life.

Yet even as he reaffirmed his love for her, he seemed to think he had been unworthy of her affection; that somehow, he didn't deserve her. It was then that she chose to confess, not only to him, but also to herself. Somehow, in this forsaken afterlife that sprouted from her very misdeeds, she had managed to fall in love.

But alas, it was not to be.

She held on to a small comfort that no matter what, he would go on. No matter how many times she would strike him down, he would always come back. For her time was long over, while his was only beginning.

As their battle dragged on, she began to notice a perplexing change in Zoran's movements. When before every move had appeared calculated and methodical, they now seemed to grow more and more erratic; swinging his axe with a carelessness that seemed unbecoming of him. But Maria did not let this impede her. She had to be sure he was ready.

She dashed backwards and took up a stance, preparing to fire a stream of blood in his direction. Yet for whatever reason he did not seem to react, instead placing a hand over his face as his breathing grew heavy. Maria froze, concern beginning to cloud her mind. What was happening to him?

Zoran's ax suddenly tumbled out of his grip and he clasped his head with both hands, backing away a few steps in between several pained groans. Maria continued to look on in horror as he collapsed to his knees and cried out in agony, still clutching his head. After a while, he looked up at her, his collapsed pupils not hiding the pure terror in his eyes.

"Get…away…."

Tears began to well in Maria's eyes. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't let this happen. Not now.

Rushing towards him, she tossed her blade aside as she knelt in front of him and gripped his face with both hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.

"Look at me. LOOK AT ME!" She pleaded in desperation, already noticing signs of the onset of the beastly scourge.

"Zoran, listen to me! Remember who you are. Do not give in! Fight it!" Her words seemed to have little effect, his laboured breaths continuing on as his fingers begin to dig into the floorboards. Suddenly remembering one of his many stories, Maria swiftly took out the music box he had gifted her and wound it up, it's melody starting to play soon after.

Zoran's eyes shot open and his breathing relaxed slightly, no doubt recalling the numerous memories associated with that specific tune. He looked back up at her, the recognition in his eyes evident as sentience slowly seemed to return to him. Maria set the music box down, gently placing her hands on both sides of his face and pressing her forehead to his, as tears began to slowly trail down her face.

"Don't leave me. Please." She whispered, practically begging.

After several moments, Zoran's breathing seemed to slow down to a normal pace and his posture seemed to relax, indicating that the transformation had at least been delayed. Maria found herself trying to figure out how this had come to pass, considering the hunter's noted distaste for the Healing Blood. Unless…

"Your father's illness. It wasn't the only reason you sought out the blood, was it?" She questioned him in a quiet voice.

"No. I…I didn't realize it until right before my journey, but I began to exhibit much of the same symptoms that he did. Whatever it was that afflicted my father, it…it was hereditary ." He admitted, struggling to get most of the words out.

"By the time I arrived in Yharnam, my illness had all but immobilized me. My sister, she…she died trying to protect me, for I was far too weak to defend myself." He revealed, his words laced with sorrow and regret.

"Then how did you escape?" She asked, noticing a hole in his narrative.

"I didn't." He revealed, Maria immediately realizing what had happened.

"Gascoigne." Zoran nodded, no doubt remembering the cruel fate that met the old hunter.

"He and a pair of other hunters saved me from the beasts who killed my sister. He brought me back to his home, mostly because he knew no one else would take me in. Him and his wife helped me recover, offered me food and medicine. But he also told me that under no circumstances should I seek out the Healing Church, for they were not to be trusted. But soon, my illness began to take it's toll. I had heard talk of a Clinic not far from their home and went there in the early hours of the morning, where the Minister agreed to lend me his treatment in exchange for joining the Church Hunters. And by that point, I was ready to do anything."

As Zoran spoke, Maria felt her heart sink even further. Somehow, it wasn't enough that he had lost everything in his pursuit of the Healing Church; for he was on the brink of death regardless. All the treatment did was delay the inevitable.

"Why didn't you listen to him? Why couldn't you have just returned home?"

"Because I was afraid. I was alone in a completely foreign city, with the only family I had left having died before my very eyes. I was certain the return journey would've killed me and even if it didn't, I was a deserter; one who wouldn't be welcomed back. So regardless of what I chose, I would almost certainly have died alone." Tears began to well in his eyes, his voice growing weaker with every word.

"I'm sorry. I…I should've told you sooner." He said as he cast his gaze to the floor.

Maria took advantage of the silence to come to terms with this revelation. He had undergone the process of ministration because he wanted to buy himself some time, no doubt to make something of himself in his final days on Earth. Yet in the end, his original fate seemed preferable to what awaited him now.

"How long?" She demanded.

"Maria, it's…" He attempted to evade the questioning, but she would have none of it.

"How. Long?" She repeated her demand with greater force, knowing that he had been hiding this for a long time. Though he appeared hesitant, he eventually saw fit to confess.

"For a time, I truly thought I had been cured, but ever since I entered the service of Cainhurst, I felt these…urges. As I cut down my targets, one after another, I was driven on by the euphoria I felt from the kill, for that was all I really had. I almost lost myself to it, until I realized the dark path I was going down. And I've been keeping it sealed away ever since, dreading the day when it decided to rear it's ugly head again."

He looked back up at her, seeming calm despite the circumstances he found himself in.

"I don't have much time left."

"Zoran, no." Though Maria intended for her words to be assertive, they came out almost desperate.

"Once the beast-hood takes hold, I will cease to be a hunter. I will be severed from the Dream and my body will become mortal once more." His eyes seemed to bore into hers as she realized what he was asking of her.

"No. No, no, you can't…I won't!" There was no confidence in her voice as she pleaded with him, her eyes once again brimming with tears. Through it all, his resigned expression did not seem to change.

"Maria, listen. I was only ever just a hunter. This is a fate none of us can escape." Though he spoke in a calm and collected voice, it spurred further frustration within her. How could he give up like this?

"Don't you dare! You can't just lay down and accept this. I won't let you! You were supposed to …I was …" She fell silent as tears ran down her face, overcome with grief as she realized that her plan had completely fallen apart.

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

Maria suddenly felt Zoran place his hand on one of hers, not breaking her gaze for a moment. Gripping the hand, he gently guided it away from his face and proceeded to grasp it with both of his, offering her a warm smile as she felt him place something in her hand.

"Fate has never truly been on our side, Maria. Why should that change now?"

Looking down, she audibly gasped at what she saw. A simple, albeit peculiar ring, adorned with what appeared to be a diamond. Looking back up at him, she wore a mask of unmistakable shock, unsure of how to respond.

"The worst part of being alone was knowing what awaited me; knowing that I would end up a beast, and that no-one would be there to put me out of my misery when I did. I would forget everything. My home. My name. What it's like to feel joy and sorrow. The only thing that I would know, and continue to know, was how to hunt and kill. I long thought that would be my fate, until our paths aligned."

He closed her fist over the ring, gripping it as she was rendered speechless yet again. He smiled at her, even as tears began to well in his eyes.

"Maria. You're the the greatest thing to have ever happened to me. Because of you, I was able to revisit all the things that made life worth living, small things I thought I would never be able to experience again. And if these are to be my final moments on this Earth, my only wish is that I get the chance to remain with you until the bitter end-my love."

The two continued to gaze at each-other in silence as a hurricane of sorrow raged inside Maria. She wanted to scream, to curse the hands of fate for being so cruel as to let this happen to him. But nothing came out. Instead, she found herself refusing to accept what was transpiring before her very eyes.

"Don't go." She pleaded. "I don't want you to go. Not like this." She knew her pleading would accomplish nothing, but she refused to accept this. To accept that she could do nothing to save him.

"It's okay." Zoran calmly said in an attempt to quell her anguish, which only served to strengthen it.

"No, it's not!" She wailed. "This nightmare, it…it exists because of me, because of my blind pursuit of a calling in life. I lost my chance to make amends long ago and I hoped that, in aiding you, I would give myself one last chance to make things right."

She lowered her head in shame, finding herself unable to look him in the eye.

"I failed you. You were my last hope and I failed you. I failed everyone."

Placing a hand underneath her chin, Zoran gently raised her head so she was looking at him before offering her a warm smile.

"It's only too late when you make yourself believe that it is. Even if the world seems stacked against you, you only truly fail when you loose faith in yourself. You taught me that."

Maria immediately recognized that he was right. She had forgotten the very lessons she had tried to instill in him, having long ago resigned herself to the position she found herself in now; protecting the very secrets that had broken her. And her inability to confront her past had condemned thousands to eternal torment.

Lightly gripping her chin, Zoran closed the distance between them and gently kissed her, a gesture which Maria returned with the same tenderness; knowing this was the last time she would be able to do so. After he pulled away, Maria found herself gazing longingly at the hunter before her, who despite the innumerable hardships that befell him, awaited his end with a smile. For it was because of a single act of mercy that helped him find the will to carry on in the face of absolute adversity; to find forgiveness within himself for all the grievous acts he had committed. And to grant another lost soul the chance to do the same.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into an embrace, which he gently returned as he attempted to console her. As she tried to calm herself down, she found herself thinking about just how unlikely this development in their relationship had been; how many blocks had to fall into place for it to have happened in the first place.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" She suddenly asked him, eliciting a slight chuckle.

"Your idea of an honest death was blowing a hole through my chest?" He replied, causing her to smile in spite of herself.

"I said I was sorry, didn't I?" She reminded him.

"Aye, you did. But don't think I've forgotten that you still owe me another jacket." This caused Maria to chuckle, unable to believe that even in the face of certain death, he had not lost his peculiar sense of humor.

"You boy, are insufferable." She said in a gentle tone.

"It's part of my charm." He replied, not showing an ounce of fear at his predicament. Despite the sarcastic nature of his remark, Maria had in fact found his frank, yet lighthearted personality endearing; which made the predicament she found him in all the more heartbreaking.

Despite how vastly different their upbringings had been, they somehow found themselves in the same position; alone and lost in a seemingly never-ending sea of tragedies. He came to her a broken man with nothing left to lose, the kind and compassionate soul he had once been having been smothered by Yharnam's incessant cruelty; but her time with him was the happiest she had ever been. He had brought a small beacon of hope, letting her know that she was not alone, even as she was trapped in a hell of her own creation. And that it was never too late to try and better yourself.

"I love you, Zoran." She softly proclaimed.

"And I you, my dear Lady Maria."

Not long after their mutual declaration, his breathing began to grow more pronounced, with Maria taking the time to pick up her discarded weapon, mentally preparing herself for her eventual task. She held on to him as he began to take long, pained gasps; all while tightening his grip on her as the transformation began to take effect.

The first noticeable effect was that large strands of fur had begun to emerge all over his body, all while he continued to make the same, agonized sound. Maria suddenly felt something dig into her back, sparing a side-ward glance to find, much to her horror, that his hands had transformed into beastly paws; it's jagged claws threatening to pierce her skin at any moment.

Realizing that the time had come, Maria hovered her blade in front of his chest, hoping to grant him a quick, merciful death. But as the moments ticked by and the agonized hunter slipped further into beast hood, her hand began to shake as her heart hammered against her rib-cage, whatever willpower she had left crumbling as she found herself unable to finish him.

Seemingly sensing her hesitation, he raised his head and revealed a ghastly, almost animalistic visage; any sign of the man he once was having completely vanished. Yet somehow, she could make out the fear in his eyes.

"Please…."

Maria's throat constricted and she found herself incapable of saying anything in response, but she knew that he likely would not have understood her regardless. He was no longer there.

She plunged the Rakuyo into his chest, the beast letting out a pained whimper as the blade pierced his heart. Maria then drove it further into his chest, pulling him close to her and embracing him as he began to writhe weakly against her frame, mostly to avoid looking him in the eyes as he died. Zoran continued to stir for the next few seconds, sucking in several desperate breaths. And suddenly, she felt something grip her arm just before a quiet, pained voice uttered...

"Thank...you..."

The Clocktower fell silent and his hold on her arm gave way soon after. And it was as if a part of her very being simply shrivelled up and died.

Maria waited for him to fade away, to be awakened in due course to return and try his hand at besting her yet again. He would come back. He always did.

Yet even after several minutes, his body remained.

"Good Hunter?"

No response.

"Zoran?"

Still no response.

"Come back. Please, come back to me. You have to go on." She softly pleaded with him, even though she knew she was merely fooling herself.

He was gone.

"Zoran, please. This can't be how it ends. It's not fair. IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Maria's anguished weeping echoed throughout the empty tower as she cradled Zoran's lifeless body in her arms. Everything had fallen apart. She was supposed to have fallen here, allowing him to go forward and end the Nightmare for good. Instead, the hands of fate decided to show their cruelty one last time and now, his troubled soul would never find rest.

He had truly died for nothing.

She did not know how long she remained in that position, but the grief felt just as potent even as the tears subsided and Maria could finally bring herself to open her eyes again. Looking at what had become of her beloved, she found that even with the grisly fate that had met him, he appeared to be at peace. Except she knew that wasn't the case, for as long as this Nightmare persisted, he could not find comfort even in death.

After gently removing her weapon from his chest, she scooped up the hunter's body in her arms and carried him outside the Clocktower, passing by the lantern that had served as his link to the Hunter's Dream, where a group of tiny creatures prostrated themselves on the ground beneath the extinguished source of light. Setting his body down in the fields and taking his discarded axe in her hands, she pressed its serrated edge into the ground and began to dig, toiling away for several minutes until the hole she made seemed to be large enough.

Setting the weapon down, she once again picked up his long cold body and slowly laid him down in the makeshift grave. As she looked down at him, she saw that the brooch she had given him remained on his collar; a symbol of their bond and of her love. She solemnly folded his hands over the pendant and leaned in to press her lips to his forehead, her hand resting on his. She then began to move the earth back into place with the axe, the process taking an excruciating amount of time to conclude.

After she had laid down the last few clumps of soil, Maria looked down at the makeshift grave, bowing her head in sorrow. It was hardly the burial he deserved, but it would have to suffice for the time being. Taking out the ring he had bestowed upon her, she gazed at it for a few moments before closing her fist around it, determination flowing through her.

She walked over to the railing with his axe in hand and held it out. She briefly considered using it to mark his grave or to keep it as a reminder, but decided against it. She didn't want this to be the item that defined his memory.

Maria let go of the weapon and watched as it plummeted into the depths below. Casting one more look at Zoran's final resting place, she made her way back into the Clocktower with newfound purpose. As she marched towards the clockwork, she noticed the tiny music box on the floor, left there in her haste.

Kneeling down, she picked up the innocuous item, holding it in her hands as her mind hearkened back to the means by which he had acquired it. The reason for Zoran's fondness of the box became clear, for it served as a reminder of the man that had saved him from certain death and how the hunt had torn his family apart. And the significance of his bequeathing it to her became even greater. Standing to her full height, she placed it back in her coat pocket, thankful that she at least had something to remember him by.

Stepping over the ruins of her chair, she knelt down in front of what looked like a coffin, covered in several lumenflowers. Taking in a deep breath, she swung it open and came face to face with...herself.

She was lying in state, though her body had long ago decayed; having never truly been put to rest. And in her hands, she clenched a pendant bearing a striking similarity the clockwork before her. Maria reached for it and took the item in her hands, glancing one more time at her remains before she closed the coffin.

Standing up, she raised the pendant overhead and soon, she could hear the ancient, rusting gears beginning to shift back to life; allowing the intricate clockwork to turn for the first time in many decades; soon revealing a narrow opening to the heart of the Nightmare. As she approached the passage, Maria looked back at the decrepit tower where she had wasted away for so long, where she had ended up taking her own life out of desperation. And the cause of it all lay through this small passageway.

"It won't be in vain. I promise"

With that, Maria stepped through the opening. She had run from her past for far too long. Now she would bury it, once and for all.

She owed him that much.

….

The first thing that met her was the pungent smell of the ocean, the feeling of rain splashing against her face and a deathly, almost ethereal silence. Maria would not dare open her eyes, knowing exactly what awaited her when she did. Eventually, she slowly peeled open her eyes; unmistakable dread overtaking her as she saw it.

The Hamlet. That accursed, unseemly secret she had been guarding for so long. The source of the Hunter's Nightmare.

Maria had hoped never again to return to it, to simply let it fade away from the collective consciousness, lost and forgotten to time. But now, she knew that the only way for that to happen was to confront it head on, lest the curse continue to claim generation after generation.

Dropping down from the narrow platform she found herself on, she landed on a flooded walkway, her well-tailored footwear preventing the water from soaking in. Taking a moment to collect herself, she hesitantly began to make her way towards the small village, tightly gripping her Rakuyo in preparation. From a distance, it appeared to be devoid of life, but as she moved closer, she could see a single figure slowly approaching her.

"Byrgenwerth...Byrgenwerth...Blasphemous murderers...Blood-crazed fiends...Atonement for the wretches...By the wrath of Mother Kos...Mercy for the poor, wizened child..."

It did not seem to pay her any attention, continuing to trudge on even as she brandished her weapon to defend herself.

"Lay the curse of blood upon them, and their children, and their children's children, for evermore. Each wretched birth will plunge each child into a lifetime of misery. Let the pungence of Kos cling, like a mother's devotion..."

Maria froze, the creature's mangled words seemingly cutting into her very soul. Images of that faithful night flashed through her mind; the distressed cries and prayers of the hamlet's denizens as they were mindlessly butchered, the horrific sounds their weapons had made as they split open their skulls, the pungent smell of the blood-soaked water.

And the last sound Kos' child had made as Gherman cut it from its mother's body.

Maria fought back a wave of nausea, horrified of her complicity in this atrocity. For a time, she had tried to convince herself they had done the right thing, that the Hamlet residents had gravely misused the celestial insight gifted to them; but despite everything, she knew that she had partook in an act of senseless barbarism. She should've stopped it, but instead, she had gone along with Master Wilhelm's commands. And her weakness ended up condemning thousands.

After composing herself, she began to make her way further into the village, a dark feeling of familiarity meeting her as she waded through the knee-deep water. She remained on guard, knowing that if she was felled, she would not get a second chance. She had to do this cleanly and discreetly. Just like old times.

A mangled, humanoid figure similar the one she encountered earlier crawled from underneath one of the huts, wielding a long, jagged plank resembling a spear. Though it snarled in seeming recognition, it did not get the chance to act as Maria decapitated it with a single strike. She could not risk letting it alert it's brethren, whom almost certainly lay in wait. Turning the corner, she could see a company of similar creatures making their way to the village square, wielding spears and rakes. Slowly making her way towards them, she grabbed one of them around the neck and drove her dagger into its brain, killing it instantly. Dashing forward, she impaled his companion through the chest just as he noticed her presence and jammed the dagger into its throat. Sensing movement behind her, she pulled out her Evelyn and let a shot fly, hitting a third just as he was winding up to throw a javelin in her direction. Once her current target had went limp, she freed her blades and made her way towards the square, noticing another pair of the denizens kneeling in front of a hooded figure, who was leaning against a…

Maria's eyes darted open as she recognized the structure. A well. Could it be the same one where she had…

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a purple aura erupted around the hooded figure and several apparitions resembling skulls made their way towards her. Sensing no way to escape, she sprinted towards the figure, turning into mist to avoid the incoming projectiles and reformed in front of him, driving her saber through his head. Quickly pulling it out, she spun around and cleaved one of the worshipers in two, before barely managing to block an incoming strike from his companion. Pushing forward with all her might, she reconnected her blades and thrust forward, skewering the creature. Pulling her blade out of its corpse, Maria took a moment to catch her breath; before being snapped out of her stupor by an ear-shattering cry.

Turning towards the source of the noise, she laid eyes on a massive, slack-jawed giant, flanked by several of the weaker denizens of the Hamlet. Out of the corner of her eye, she could also see several more pouring out of the barnacle-riddled huts to her right, no doubt alerted by the giant's cries. If that wasn't enough, half a dozen others suddenly appeared on the other end of the square, making their way in her direction. There was little chance she could fight them all off alone, her prowess meaning little in the face of vastly superior numbers. She had to get to safety, but where?

Laying eyes on the well once again, she noticed that a ladder was attached to its rims. Hesitating for only a moment, she rushed towards it and grabbed on to the ladder just as a javelin lodged itself right next to her head. Though the grips were unsurprisingly slippery, Maria began to descend into the well, though she noted that no-one seemed to be following her. Reaching the bottom, she struggled to catch her breath, doing her best to ignore the rancid stench brought about by the long rotten corpses of the strange creatures in the water.

Suddenly, she heard heavy steps coming from behind her, accompanied by what sounded like snarling. She just barely managed to move out of the way as a massive anchor descended on the spot she had just been, sending water and mutilated corpses flying into the air. She had to evade several more swings of the anchor before she was able to go on the offensive, grazing the giant across its abdomen with her blade, but this seemed to barely faze the lumbering monstrosity. The beast launched itself towards her, dragging itself along the ground with its maw agape as it let loose a bone-chilling snarl. Side-stepping the attack, Maria ran towards it as it was recovering and dug her longer blade into one of its legs, the beast letting out an agonized cry that reverberated throughout the cave. The creature swung its enormous weapon in her direction, forcing her to retreat. Though the creature's skin was thick, its attacks were terribly predictable. She should be able to…

The floor beneath her shook as yet another giant dropped down into the cave, beginning to slowly lumber towards her. She did not have time to voice her surprise as it's companion once again swung its weapon at her, slamming into the wall behind her and sending several chunks of bedrock flying into the air. Retreating to the opposite end of the cave, Maria was overwhelmed by desperation as she realized the precarious situation she found herself in. She was trapped with two overwhelmingly powerful beasts, without any means of resurrection upon her death. Her blades seemed to do little to no damage to them and she doubted she lacked the endurance to keep up with their unrelenting aggression.

The anchor-wielding giant continued to pursue her, dragging its weapon along the ground as it charged towards her. Maria closed her eyes and tightly gripped her weapon, not letting the impending threat distract her. The giant descended upon its seemingly helpless prey, clubbing weapon raised overhead…

It suddenly froze in place, the anchor slipping from its grip as it dropped to its knees in front of Maria. Letting out a pained gurgle, the creature collapsed on it's front, the water around it turning red as blood began to pour from the gaping hole in its chest. Turning her attention to the second giant, who seemed utterly unfazed by his companion's sudden demise, Maria gripped her two blood-soaked blades and rushed to meet it head on. As the creature mindlessly swung one of its arms at her, she dashed under it and dragged her blade across its side, leaving a deep gash as she went. Turning around just as it reacted to it's wound, she unleashed an unrelenting flurry of swings on the creature, each one leaving a noticeable mark. The giant flailed its arms around in seeming desperation, but Maria once again sailed under its attack and severed one of its legs in a single motion, letting it roar in pain as it crumpled to the ground. Not yet spent, the creature attempted to snap at her with its enormous jaws, though she evaded its desperate attacks with little effort, dashing back after it's third attempt and swinging her blade's in a horizontal motion. The top half of the creature's head sailed through the air and landed not far from its body, which slightly twitched for a few seconds before it finally went limp.

Breathing heavily, Maria swung her blades to the sides, removing the thick layer of blood coating them. She was never able to recover the strength she had lost during her final battle with Zoran, which made any usage of her Vileblood abilities risky. If she carried on like this, she would never be able to fulfill her promise to him.

A peculiar shining in the water near where the mutilated behemoth lay caught her eye, drawing her closer. Even before she reached it, Maria had concluded exactly what it was. Kneeling down, her hand hovered over the water in a moment of hesitation, before she plunged it downwards and swiftly pulled out the item, her eyes glistening with a mixture of nostalgia and loathing.

Her beloved Rakuyo, long ago abandoned in disgust of the life she had crafted for herself. The pale imitation she wielded now was forced upon her by the Nightmare, serving as a representation of all the darkest aspects of her life. But this one was not in tune with Cainhurst's blood arts, instead relying on the wielder's dexterity, a quality she had been fond of once upon a time. Before she had used it to cut down so many of the Hamlet's helpless inhabitants so long ago.

Hesitantly holding out the weapon in front of her, she observed the engravings along the weapon's handles, scarcely showing signs of age despite the length of time it has rested here. She then griped both handles of the weapon as her hands shook, before pulling them apart and holding them on either side, her eyes shut as she felt acceptance return to her.

This blade had crafted this Nightmare. Now it will unravel it.

Rising to her feet, she placed her old weapon on the sheathe on her side, before turning to make her way back to the ladder. As she cleared the first few rungs, she cast one more look at the cursed model concocted by the Nightmare, the one that had been stained with Zoran's blood. It could still prove useful to her, if only she used it sparingly…

No. That wasn't what she was.

As she continued her ascent to the surface, Maria prepared herself for combat with the small army that no doubt awaited her. But as she approached the top of the ladder, she could hear nothing but the sound of the rain, continuing to fall onto the dilapidated roofs. Cautiously raising her head over the well, she found that the bodies of the Hamlet's inhabitants littered the town square, without a soul in sight. Finally exiting the well, she approached one of the corpses and knelt down beside it, trying to find the means of its demise. That's when she noticed something sticking out of its neck.

An arrow? Where on Earth had this come from?

Maria looked around the square to realize that each denizen had one of the projectiles lodged somewhere in their bodies, each one seemingly hitting its mark with deadly precision. Even the giant that had alerted them lay dead in a heap, with several serrated arrows piercing the top of its head. Scanning the rooftops around her, she could not see any sign of the perpetrator, but Maria remained on guard. She wasn't alone.

She noticed something on the creature in front of her, something she had not expected to see. A blood vial; how the Hamlet had acquired them, she had no idea, but she swiftly claimed the small canister and plunged it into her thigh, feeling instant relief wash over her as she regained some of her lost strength. Collecting any remaining vials from the corpses of the Hamlet denizens, she made her way to the other end of the square, where a similar sight awaited her. Except instead of arrows, this group of creatures seemed to have met their end by a serrated blade. What sort of weapon could've caused this?

She noticed a decaying lighthouse further up the hill, the only visible source of shelter. Whoever was here before her had cleared her a path, so she was able to reach it with little trouble. But as she approached it, she was met with a familiar sight. A lone headstone, with a Lumenflower placed just in front of it. She remembered then that she had returned to the Hamlet long after the massacre had occurred and placed this headstone there as a memorial of the foul deed that had occurred there, before abandoning the hunter's life for good. But this gesture did nothing to spare her from the wrath of the deceased Great One below.

As she approached the headstone, she mentally prepared herself for the sight that awaited her, looking over the wooden railing to look into the chasm below. And then she saw her.

Mother Kos, the patron saint of the Fishing Hamlet. And the hunter's original sin.

It seemed as if her ethereal voice was back in her head, cursing her to suffer for all eternity for her blasphemous defilement. Maria backed away from the railing as the voices grew louder and rushed into the abandoned lighthouse, prostrating herself on the wet, decaying floor boards as she desperately struggled to disperse the utterings in her mind.

Suddenly, she heard a low, seemingly pained wheeze come from behind her, snapping her back to reality. Slowly turning her head, she noticed a man resembling a corner beggar clutching at a wound on his side, his head lowered as he steadied himself against the wall. Blood dripped onto the floor as the stranger struggled to draw breath.

"Oh…there you are. What took you so…" The man raised his head as he struggled to speak and went silent once he realized Maria's presence. To her confusion, he seemed to recognize her.

"You? But…where is…" As he attempted to question her, Maria noticed a shift in his expression, going from confusion to realization to anger in mere seconds.

"No. No, you didn't… I'll kill you, you backstabbing…argh." Maria rose to her feet as the stranger attempted to make his way towards her before collapsing to his knees, dropping his curved blade and once again clutching his wound. In between his labored breaths, it seemed as if the man was sobbing.

"Why didn't you listen? You bloody fool…" The man quietly muttered, confusing Maria even further. But as she looked down at the gravely wounded stranger, she suddenly realized the source of his anger.

"The hunter. You knew him?" She softly asked, causing the stranger to look up at her. Despite his eyes being covered by well-worn bandages, they did little to hide his grief.

"He…he was my friend." The man eventually responded, his voice breaking from the mixture of pain and sorrow.

She did not recall Zoran ever making mention of someone of his description, but she had little reason to doubt the validity of his words. He must not have been aware of the hunter's passing and had been awaiting him here to continue further into the Nightmare, having slain the denizens blocking her path from a distance. But it seemed his patience eventually ran out and he pushed forward alone, which led to the state he was in now.

"Who did this to you?" She asked after a lengthy silence.

"Go to hell." He responded, not trying to hide the hatred in his voice.

"Your anger is misplaced. Our goals are aligned in this matter." She rebuked, which seemed to reignite the anger within the wounded stranger.

"Misplaced? If it weren't for you and your ilk, I would not have to be here at all! You guarded the source of this nightmare with your life and now you would have me believe you wish to end it?! You had the opportunity to do so for years and yet you did nothing, wallowing in self-pity while you condemned thousands to eternal torment!" The stranger's words were laced with contempt, but what he said next caused her to recoil.

"I warned him about you. I knew from the beginning you were merely biding your time, waiting for the opportunity to end his pursuit of the secrets you guard for good. My biggest regret is that I didn't kill you when I had the chance."

Maria felt as if a stake had been driven through her heart. In a way, the stranger was right. Her actions had indeed delayed Zoran's descent into this part of the Nightmare, even though she had not done it out of malice as he implied. Regardless, this delay granted time for the beast-hood that plagued him to reemerge and just as she had thought she had done right by him, it had consumed him. He did not even get the chance to die human, condemned to eternal damnation for a crime he was not responsible for. All because of her own selfish desires.

It wasn't fair. Not to him nor to any other soul trapped in this forsaken landscape. And it took him dying in front of her very eyes for her to realize that.

"I'm sorry." She quietly uttered, which seemed to catch the man by surprise.

"Excuse me?" He said with an aggressive undertone, as if offended by her chose of words.

"You're right. If it weren't for the actions of my order, then this Nightmare would not exist. Though I may deserve this fate, the same can not be said for the hunters of modernity. You shouldn't have to contend with the sins of your forebears, simply because they were far too stubborn to accept their own misdoings. And now, I am doing what I should've done a long time ago."

The stranger looked up at her, seemingly to stunned to respond. Maria continued.

"I am not asking for forgiveness, for my share of sins is far to great to absolve. But understand that I am here to put the wrongly condemned souls of the Nightmare to rest, for they have suffered because of my selfishness for far too long."

After she concluded her address, the stranger cast his eyes to the floor in what she could only assume was disbelief. Despite clearly stating her intentions, she did not press him, knowing that he had sufficient reason to be distrustful of her. After several moments had passed, he spoke once again and she found herself surprised by what he said.

"You loved him, didn't you?"

A fresh wave of sorrow washed over her, causing her to turn away from the stranger as she held back the urge to cry again, struggling to cast the painful image of Zoran's final moments from her mind. It was hard for her to accept that all her efforts to get him to carry on had amounted to nothing, that she had sealed his fate the moment she decided to break the status quo. As she tried to suppress her grief, she heard the man softly chuckle beneath her.

"In over his head till the bitter end." He began to chuckle again before devolving into a brief fit of coughing. The arm he was using to support himself suddenly gave way and he collapsed to the floor, the severity of his injuries seemingly overwhelming him. Approaching the ailing stranger, Maria gently hoisted him up and helped him to the wall he had been supporting himself against earlier, setting him down as his breathing grew weaker.

"I offered him a way out, you know." He suddenly stated, once again catching Maria by surprise, curious as to what he meant. "I gave him a chance to return to the waking world, to forget the Nightmare and return to his hunt unabated, without having to force himself to face you. Yet he turned me down, told me that it was his responsibility to see his task through to the end. That poor, stubborn fool… but at least he suffers in silence no longer."

Maria found herself in complete disbelief. Zoran had been granted an opportunity to rid himself of the burden her death would've placed on his shoulders and he had refused it, instead choosing to move forward. He had decided to accept his mistakes and try to atone for them, while also intending to put her to rest himself. Alas that none of it came to pass.

"Who did this to you?" She gently restated her question after she had processed the meaning of his statement.

"The beast-hide assassin. Brador is his name and he guards the inner sanctums of the Hamlet, ensuring that the secrets of the Church remain hidden. Beware, for his arrival is accompanied with the toll of a sinister bell and that that he…" The stranger doubled over, whatever he wanted to say next interrupted by a fresh fit of coughing. His body then slumped against the wall, his breathing growing faint.

"What is your name, good hunter?" She asked the ailing stranger, gently grasping his hand in an attempt to comfort him.

"Si…Simon." The stranger responded with noticeable difficulty.

"Easy now. Do not be afraid. Though the night may have been long, it's darkness will not follow you forever." She could feel Simon's grip weaken, his head falling against the wall behind him as he struggled to draw breath.

"The hunt is near it's end. Go now. Be at peace."

Simon clung on to life for a few more moments before his body went rigid, the sound of his labored breaths replaced with the sound of the deluge falling upon the waning lighthouse. Maria stayed there for the next little while, uttering a small prayer for the late hunter in hope it will grant his soul safe passage. Releasing his hand, Maria rose to her feet, knowing that there was little more she can do for him.

Exiting the lighthouse, she continued the way she was heading before she was diverted. Passing by the headstone, she descended down an old plank that lead to a rooftop overlooking the sea, with several long sunken ship poles poking out in the distance. As she carefully made her way along the rooftop, she heard something in the distance. The tolling of a bell.

Turning the corner, she saw a figure emerge on a rooftop opposite her, which was connected by what looked like a run-down bridge. He was coated in a blood-red aura and even from this distance, it appeared as if a pair of antlers were jutting from his head.

It was as Simon had said. The beast-hide assassin.

Approaching the bridge separating them, Maria noticed that the assassin had not moved from his spot, instead gripping his strange, mace like weapon as he followed her movements.

"Well, well. Look who's here." The assassin said in a mocking tone, seemingly recognizing her.

"Now what brings the legendary Lady Maria to such an obscure village? Did the hunt beckon you here? In the midst of a little soul-searching, perhaps?"

Maria ignored the man's words, recognizing that he was mocking her. It must have been an attempt to have her question her reason for coming here, but she somehow knew that he was well aware of her intentions.

"Brador, was it? Tell me, what do you gain from perpetuating this Nightmare's existence?" A part of her was genuinely curious as to the assassin's motivations, but she had asked this mostly as a retort to his earlier mocking, to cast doubt on his actions. Judging from the laughter that he offered as an answer, it did not have the intended effect.

"Oh, we all have secrets we wish to keep hidden, don't we? I'm sure you would understand that better than anyone." Maria did not grant him the satisfaction of hearing her response, instead glaring at him with unmistakable contempt.

"Aye, but you see, that's the difference between you and I. You ran from your misdeeds, while I embraced mine."

Maria recoiled as Brador plunged his mace into his chest and pulled it out to reveal an enormous, twisted weapon resembling a morning star, the scale of his manipulation of blood beyond that of even the most seasoned Cainhurst knight. She had little time to process this however, as the assassin rushed towards her and swung the weapon in a wide arc, the limited space on the bridge they found themselves on forcing her to duck. Brador followed up with two more swings of his weapon, though Maria dashed backwards in order to grant herself more space. The assassin chased after her, slamming his weapon into the ground multiple times, cackling like a madman as she maneuvered around his onslaught. Despite his great strength, his movements were slow and careless, leaving a clear opening for Maria to thrust her blade forward…

Her blade bounced harmlessly of his body, her arm recoiling and leaving her momentarily defenseless. The assassin spun around and managed to strike her in the chest with his twisted weapon, sending her flying of the bridge and tumbling along the rooftop below her before landing on the ground, the water below barely cushioning her fall. Maria struggled to get up as the pain from Brador's strike enveloped her chest, made worse from the damage she sustained from the fall. Seeing no other option, she dug out a blood vial and plunged it into her thigh, feeling immediate relief from the pain; though it seemed that the damage done by the assassin's weapon left a separate mark, for a slight pain lingered even as she felt her ribs repair themselves.

Maria quickly rolled to the side just as a bolt of lightning descended on the spot she had just been, looking up to find a cloaked figure holding a long staff on one of the rooftops. The figure slammed his staff into the ground and yet another bolt descended upon her, forcing her to sidestep it yet again. She quickly scanned the area she found herself in, looking for any means of escape. Spotting a ladder on the opposite end of the flooded street, Maria sprinted towards it, avoiding additional strikes of lightning as she did; only to have her path blocked by several more of the mutated denizens. They snarled as they rushed towards her, brandishing their crude weaponry as another pair of creatures resembling a cross between a dog and a fish ran out from behind them. One of the mutations pounced at her, its jaws aimed directly at her throat before being cut down by an intercepting swing from the Rakuyo, a similar fate meeting its companion soon after. As the humanoid figures approached her, Maria waited for them to come closer and just as one of them attempted to skewer her with its spear, she evaporated into mist and reformed behind them. The creatures convulsed as the lightning coursed through their bodies, before collapsing into the water in a heap and allowing Maria to resume her escape unabated.

After she had reached the top of the ladder, Maria ran through an abandoned hut and back to the rooftops, where she saw no sign of the beast-hide assassin. Eyeing an opening on a far away roof, she ran across a smaller bridge and took the time to cut down the mage that had bombarded her with his magic. Though the immediate threats had been eliminated, Maria kept her guard up, knowing that Brador surely lay in wait. Reaching the other end of the rooftops, she cautiously entered a narrow doorway that led to what she hoped was her means of reaching that opening she saw earlier. As she went through the doorway, she ducked as the assassin swung her weapon at her head, splintering the weak wall behind her. He quickly followed up by slamming it into the ground, only succeeding in creating a massive dent in the decayed floorboards as she rolled out of danger. Splitting her weapon in two, she spun around and slashed Brador across his chest as he was recovering, finding that her strike was not redirected as it had been last time. Not giving him a chance to recover, she rushed forward and pinned the assassin to the wall, her blade hovering over his throat.

"Are you going to kill me? After all you've done, kill me? As if to right your wrongs?" Brador mockingly questioned her as he grinned from ear to ear, before emitting a quiet, yet deep laugh.

Maria recognized that the assassin was once again trying to use her guilt against her, probably in an attempt to get her guard down. She did not falter in the face of his words, slitting his throat with her dagger without saying a word in response. Releasing him, she watched as his body collapsed to its knees and then fell onto its side, but she could've sworn that the grin he had sported before was present even as he faded away into nothing. With the beast-hide assassin eliminated, she exited the narrow passageway and climbed up a nearby ladder, finally reaching the passageway she had seen earlier.

Entering the cave, Maria surveyed her surroundings. Several narrow walkways overlooked a massive cavern, with the slightest misstep risking a fatal drop to the ground below. As she made her way further into the cave, she was hit with a potent stench, similar to the one she had encountered in the well. Casting a glance down to the ground below, she noticed that the water appeared to be colored white, before she realized that they were strewn with the corpses of the slug-like creatures she had noticed earlier, as well as seemingly empty shells. She also noticed an opening to another cave, which gave her an idea of where she must go.

Carefully walking along a narrow bridge, she cut down the handful of mutated denizens that barred her path, casting their bodies over the side as she did. Noticing a pair of hooded mages, she ran straight towards them, firing a shot from her Evelyn to prevent one of them from casting a spell as she ran the other through with her blade. Maria derived no pleasure from their deaths, with each mutant she slew only serving to remind her of the horrors she had committed in Byrgenwerth's name. But the only way she could put them to rest was to end the Nightmare for good and she could not allow them to stop her. After restocking on supplies by searching their bodies, she made her way down to the bottom of the cave via a nearby ladder, it's stench growing ever stronger as her feet reached the floor.

Looking over the widespread cavern, everything suddenly clicked into place. The creatures in the water had been harvested from Kos' body, which had been infested with other-worldly parasites. The Hamlet had based their entire way of life around this abundant collection of parasites, using them both as a source of food and fuel, the latter serving as the basis for their local economy. They had worshiped Mother Kos because they had considered her appearance in their village to be a blessing, granting them an endless bounty of resources that allowed them to abandon their earlier, much more perilous fishing lifestyle. However, the combination of ingesting the parasites and polluting the air with their nightmarish aura lead to the state they found themselves in now, no more then mindless abominations toiling away with menial tasks as their once prosperous village fell to ruin around them.

As she observed the vast chasm, she heard movement of to her side, followed by several more from all directions. Looking at one of the many seemingly empty shells that littered the flooded ground, she was horrified to see pale, feminine figures emerge from them, all seemingly aware of her intrusion. The creatures seemed to be burdened by the weight of their shells, which granted time for Maria to run towards the cave opening on the other end of the cavern. As she made her way inside, she could see a small source of light, as well as what appeared to be a shell-less variant of the creatures she had just encountered, though strangely, they did not appear to be moving. She rushed towards the light, with the night-sky growing ever closer…

Maria's was sent flying by a sudden impact to her side, her back hitting the bedrock wall behind her. Her entire body erupted in pain, her vision going blurry as she cried out in anguish. Collapsing onto the flooded ground, she could just barely make out a humanoid figure approaching her, though he appeared to be more beast then man. As she weakly tried to rise to her feet, the man erupted into rapturous laughter, seemingly relishing the pain he was inflicting.

"Poor little hunter, lost in the Nightmare. What is it? Did you grow bored of playing with your little lab-rats? Did you miss this? The thrill of the hunt?!"

Maria forced herself to move out of the way of Brador's incoming swing despite the pain that plagued her body and drove her dagger into his leg, the assassin crying out in pain and dropping into a genuflect. She then took off running in the direction of a set of diverting cave paths, hoping to gain enough distance between her and the assassin to regain her strength. Running into a narrow passage way that was strewn with the corpses of the feminine creatures, Maria supported herself against the wall with one arm and used the other to plunge a blood vial into her thigh, wincing in pain as the damage Brador had dealt to her slowly repaired itself.

"Still running, are we? Denial will get you nowhere." She sprang back to full attention as she heard the assassin's voice echo throughout the cave, though she could not see him.

"I am not running from anything. I know exactly what I am." She fired back at her pursuer, not allowing herself to give into fear.

"Oh, is that so? Then why is it you shun your true nature; the gift that has graced your bloodline since the days of the Pthumerians?" Brador swiftly rebutted, while Maria struggled to pinpoint the location his voice originated from.

"I am not the monster Annalise made me. The nobles of Cainhurst cast away their humanity and stained the integrity of all fabrics of their society in their blind pursuit of destiny. And I will ensure their despicable blood arts are forgotten along with them." She knew her words would do little to sway the assassin, but she persisted merely to prove to him that she had nothing left to hide.

"Yet again, you pontificate about honor? One would think that with all the times you stabbed others in the back that you are not so different from the nobles you distance yourself from." Surely, he could not think that what he was doing was just. Why would he bother bringing this up?

"How did it feel? Watching him die?"

Upon hearing those words, Maria's eyes widened in shock and her throat constricted, finding herself incapable of responding. However, this shock quickly boiled over into anger as she realized what he was suggesting.

"Leave him out of this." She demanded in indignation, but all Brador responded with was another bout of crazed laughter.

"Oh, what's wrong? Did I touch a nerve? Don't like being reminded that his passing was of your design?" Maria tried her hardest to drown out his words, realizing exactly what he was doing.

"It was at his request." She weakly responded, but this seemed to be the response Brador was waiting for.

"Ah, but you see, that isn't quite the full picture, is it? Face the cold, hard truth Maria; your love killed him. You squandered his progress and kept him by your side, all while the beasthood continued to fester within him. Had it not been for you, he would still be alive. But instead, he lies in an unmarked grave; put down like a rabid dog. And he has only you, his supposed beloved, to blame for his fate."

Despite her best efforts, Maria felt an unrelenting hatred festering within her as she tightly gripped her Rakuyo. She told herself that nothing he said had been true, that she could not have possibly foreseen nor prevented his demise. But part of her realized that the assassin had a point.

"Oh, but it doesn't matter anymore, does it? Now he's just another soul that paid the ultimate price because of your selfishness. And now you're going to die just as you lived. An unfulfilled failure stumbling around in the dark."

Maria's blade cut through the air just as she heard the assassin's weapon descend upon her yet again. The silence of the cave was interrupted by anguished screaming, as a weapon fell into the water below with a splash.

Brador clutched at the stump where his arm had been not a moment ago, his already tarnished attire soaked with his tainted blood. Maria had not moved a muscle, eyeing the retreating assassin with a mixture of hatred and pity.

"You were not entirely wrong. I have been running from what I am for far too long." She acknowledged as she stood to her full height and began to approach the wounded assassin.

"Every decision I've ever made has resulted in me shedding innocent blood and each time, I had cast the blame on my superiors, fleeing in a vain attempt to start anew. I told myself that I will one day find a calling I believed in, that the bloody streets and forests were but a temporary, unfortunate chapter in my life. And when I thought I had finally left that life behind me; the emptiness did not go away. If anything, it came back stronger."

Brador continued to back away from her, the confidence he had exhibited earlier having all but vanished.

"I resigned myself to eternal torment, ignoring the suffering of others as I wasted away behind the brass gates of my lonely tower, knowing that I can never truly atone for what I've done. But I understand now that my story is not yet over, that I will not spend the rest of eternity in this cursed portrait, crafted from my regrets." She ran her hands over the sabre part of her Rakuyo as she spoke and as she concluded her address, she held out her double-edged weapon and gripped it with both hands, glaring at the petrified assassin as she did so.

"My name is Lady Maria. Champion of Cainhurst. Guardian of the Astral Clocktower. Old Hunter."

She split the weapon in two and held them out on either side.

"And the shackles of the past burden me no longer."

Brador let out a defiant yell as he charged toward her, scooping up his weapon with his remaining arm and swinging it in a wide arc. Maria evaporated into mist and reappeared behind him, not even bothering to counterattack and waiting for him to attempt another strike before repeating the action. As he turned around, she swiftly dashed towards him and slashed him across the chest with both of her blades, forcing him to his knees as he cried out in pain. Slowly approaching him, she unceremoniously drove her fist into his chest, forcing him to meet her eyes as she watched him helplessly struggle to escape. Soon, his struggling died down and the assassin let out a wheezing, quiet chuckle as blood escaped from his mouth.

"Nothing changes…such is the nature of man…" Upon speaking those words, his body once again went limp and Maria finally pulled her arm from his chest, letting him fall to the ground. She watched as the beast-hide assassin faded away for what she hoped would be the final time, having died as his numerous victims had, helpless to do anything in the face of their killer.

After Brador had faded away, Maria slumped her back against the cave wall, breathing heavily as she was overwhelmed by the physical toll this Hamlet had brought upon her. She then slid herself down to a sitting position, trying to ease the aching that plagued her entire body. She had made far too many perilous miscalculations, escaping certain death through sheer luck alone. She didn't seem apt for this life anymore.

The assassin' words ran through her mind despite her best efforts to suppress them. She had kept Zoran coming back to her far longer then was needed, delaying his descent into this part of the nightmare in order to keep him by her side. The blood she had given him as treatment for his injured leg had no doubt been the catalyst for his transformation and had slowly festered beneath the surface as they spent more and more time together. Had she only realized what was developing between them sooner, maybe their fates would've been reversed. But then what would've happened to him? The beasthood would've caught up to him eventually and then, he would have no one to free him from his horrid state.

She reached into her jacket and took out the music box, opening its hatch to reveal the tiny ornament that had been hidden inside. The letter that had accompanied it had been left in the Clocktower, forgotten in her haste, but its contents were forever entrenched in Maria's mind. She smiled as she thought back to the day when Zoran had gifted her this box; it had started innocently enough, about as normal a meeting as the two of them could manage. But what followed had come most unexpectedly, where the two of them wound up sharing a small part of their respective homelands with each-other. The dance they shared that day had been a haphazard proposal, but in that moment, she had felt the dynamics of their relationship shift. Despite the modesty of its events, it had been the happiest day of her life.

Turning the lever, she was met with its soft, familiar melody, which echoed throughout the empty cave. Maria let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes as she listened to the comforting tune, memories of her final dance with Zoran filling her mind. She would've given anything to have him by her side at that moment, but as the music box continued to play, it felt as if he was watching over her; emboldening her sickly spirit.

"A hunter is never truly alone."

…

Maria made her way further into the caves, coming to rest in a large, circular cavern with yet another diverting path. Brador had eliminated most of the threats throughout the caves, allowing her to explore the twisting pathways without much interference. As she approached the path, the first thing that she noticed was one of the feminine creatures prostrating herself on the ground and as she approached it, she soon saw that dozens more were gathered in this narrow passageway, each one holding up their hands in a silent prayer. She also noticed that the faint smell of the ocean was growing ever stronger as she made her way further into the passageway, the gathered worshipers not paying her any heed.

She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for what came next.

Exiting the cave, she was met with the sight of an all to familiar beach, with the body of Mother Kos lying by the shore. Here, she and the Old Hunters laid witness to the act that shaped the realm each one of them was now trapped in, that brought the wrath of a vengeful Great One crashing down on them. Provest Wilhelm had been especially fascinated with the opportunity to study a Great One's offspring and had given Gehrman a special assignment to search Kos' body for the umbilical cord of her child. He had thought that it would elevate his thoughts to those of a Great One, to grant humanity a chance to match their greatness. Whether he had ever achieved this dream, she did not know, but what had transpired here was enough to convince her to side with his apprentice Laurence in the schism that befell Byrgenwerth not long after.

As she approached the deceased Great One, it appeared as if her body was beginning to bloat, as if something was trying to escape. She froze as a thin, bony arm emerged from Kos' body, clawing into the dirt as it pulled itself out of the long deceased Great One. A pale, humanoid figure slowly emerged from the corpse, the innards of its mother hanging from its body as it weakly stood up for the first time. It shivered in the bitter wind, staring at the nightmarish moon in the stormy sky as if in a trance, not making a single sound. That was until Maria heard the creature's weak, strangled sobbing, which seemed to reverberate across the beach and the seemingly endless sea before them.

The gut-wrenching sight before her shook Maria to her very core. This being was the source of the Nightmare, the source of the curse that marked every hunter upon their birth and plunged them into a lifetime of misery. She had been party to the infanticide of this infant Great One and in her eternal guilt, had sworn to ensure no one would disturb it any longer, more out of the belief that she and her compatriots deserved their damnation then anything else. But this Orphan, it was imprisoned in this Nightmare as well. And would never find peace unless it was put to rest.

Suddenly, the creature slowly turned its head in her direction, it's pupil-less eyes seemingly staring into her very soul. Its body began to shake even harder than before, seemingly recognizing the fiend that had slaughtered it all those years ago, before it had even drawn it's first breath. Turning around, the creature began to slowly lumber towards her, dragging a horrific mound of flesh behind it as it grew accustomed to walking. Maria brandished her Rakuyo and slowly approached the orphaned Great One, reminding herself not to underestimate the seemingly fragile creature before her.

No sooner had the thought cross her mind, the Orphan launched itself into the air and propelled itself in her direction, letting out an agonized cry as it slammed the mound into the ground with full force. Maria evaded the creature's attack, slicing it's back with her blade as it recovered and staggering it briefly. Despite this, it spun around and attempted to smash her with the mound, before swiftly swinging it two more times and once again driving it into the ground, forcing Maria back as she barely avoided the Orphan's mindless attacks. Not quite finished, it rushed towards her while dragging its mound along the sand and swung it upwards, with Maria just managing to evade it by evaporating into mist as it approached her. Reforming, she split her Rakuyo in two and swung her sabre forward, raking the Orphan's flesh before following up with several arching slashes.

After several successful hits, the Orphan leapt into the air and slammed its weapon into the ground as it was gliding backwards, no doubt in an attempt to put some distance between them. Maria rushed forward as the mound sailed past her, running towards the creature just as it tore a piece of flesh from its weapon and slammed it into the ground. She did not see the red glow in the ground until it was too late and she was launched into the air by the ensuing explosion, pain erupting through her body as she hit the ground. The Orphan let out another cry and she looked up to see that it had raised its massive mound overhead, rolling out of the way just as it came crashing down. It attempted to crush her several more times, until Maria managed to dig her dagger into the Great One's arm, causing it to scream in pain and violently jolt it's arm, sending her flying across the beach.

By some miracle, she had not lost her grip on the dagger and managed to remove it from the Orphan's arm as it flung her away. The strength displayed by the creature was overwhelming, only made worse by it's unrelenting fury. She could only imagine just how powerful it would've been had it reached adulthood, had this village remained hidden from Byrgenwerth's prying eyes.

Her opponent had frozen in place, drawing in heavy breaths as it hunched over from the numerous wounds she had inflicted on it. Standing to its full height, it unleashed an ear-shattering scream, the sheer force of the cry causing Maria to drop her blades and desperately cover her ears as a high-pitched ringing reverberated in her head. A blinding light descended on Kos' carcass and a shockwave of energy swiftly made its way towards her, forcing her to move out of its trajectory despite the ringing in her ears. Just as she was clear, the Orphan was upon her once again, barreling towards her at full force with its mound clutched with both hands. It careened past her with a yell, striking the natural wall of rock behind her and sending several large chunks flying from the impact of it's blow. Immediately after, it spun around and slammed its weapon into the ground in front of it in quick succession while chasing her down, culminating with it leaping into the air and bringing itself down with the force of a cannonball. Still unarmed, Maria could do nothing but helplessly evade the Orphan's relentless onslaught, looking for any opening she could to retrieve her weapon. As it descended upon her, she evaporated into mist and reformed far away from it, rushing to her discarded weapon and plucking it of the ground as the creature recuperated.

An enraged yell rang out behind her and Maria sidestepped just as the Orphan crashed down on the spot she had just been on, taking advantage of its temporary immobility to regain the offensive, rushing past it and slashing it across the abdomen. Looking back, she noticed that the creature was convulsing as if it had just been shocked, looking down to find that the bolt from the earlier shockwave had left behind a current that coursed through her blades. She swiftly spun herself around to inflict two more deep gashes on the Orphan's chest before connecting them together to drive the weapon into its side, the creature once again convulsing as the current of electricity swept through its body.

No sooner had she removed the Rakuyo did the monster pull several chunks from its weapon and tossed them in her direction, the hunter dissolving into mist to avoid the impending projectiles, before looking back to see that another collection of chunks was heading straight for her. Unable to react in time, she bore the full blunt of the surprisingly powerful chunks, being sent flying several meters as they exploded upon impact. She struggled to stand up, feeling a sharp pain swell in her chest from the various injuries she had sustained in the battle. Seeing that the creature was once again chasing after her, she ran in the direction of the sea, hoping to both grant herself more room to maneuver and to gain some distance between her and the Great One. Coming to a stop once the water enveloped her ankles, she swiftly plunged a blood vial into her thigh and prepared herself for the Orphan's impending attack.

It showed no sign of slowing down as it drove it's enlarged weapon into the ground in an attempt to crush her, before swinging it once again by holding on to the thin cord that connected it to its body. In that moment, Maria came to the horrifying conclusion that it was attempting to bludgeon her to death with its own placenta, which she kept in the back of her mind as she continued to evade the Orphan's relentless attacks. As the battle raged on, she could feel her strength waning, while her opponent showed no signs of fatigue despite the numerous wounds she had inflicted upon it, the sheer magnitude of which would've killed any other being. But she could tell she was getting close. She just had to…

She was unable to react as one of the Orphan's swings connected with her chest and sent her flying across the arena, skipping across the water like a stone before she finally came to a stop. Slowly rising to her feet, one of her arms erupted in pain and her chest heaved as she struggled to draw breath, several of her ribs having been broken as a result of the monster's strike. She had long ago run out of vials and had grown exhausted from the ordeal, but she knew she could not back down now. This was her last chance.

She charged to meet the Orphan head on, holding her double-edged weapon with her good arm as she eyed the approaching Great One. As it approached, it drew its massive placenta to the side and swung it a wide arc. Ducking underneath the attack, Maria swung her Rakuyo as hard as she could, slicing the chord that connected the placenta to the Orphan's body and letting it fly helplessly across the arena. As the creature realized the loss of its weapon, she rushed toward it and drove the Rakuyo straight through its chest, not releasing her hold on the weapon even as it dropped to its knees before her. After a while, she swiftly removed her blade and released her grip on it, letting it clutter to the ground as she pulled back her fist.

"This Nightmare… ends now!"

She drove her fist into the Orphan's chest and looked it into its expressionless eyes, though even then, she could see the pain and anger that it had carried since it's birth. Pain that she and her compatriots had instilled in it. She gently embraced the creature, holding it close as it's breathing gradually slowed down and hoping that she could grant it even a few moments of comfort before it's demise.

"Forgive me..."

The Orphan's weight soon began to weigh down on her and she was forced to release him, watching as it fell back into the water with a splash. As his body faded away in a white mist, she thought she saw what resembled gratitude on his face. Soon, there was nothing left of the Orphan of Kos, with nothing but a single parasite resting where it had lain.

Maria collapsed to her knees in exhaustion, her vision blurring as a result of the intense pain that plagued her body. The rain continued to fall in droves, pelting her face as she willed herself to stay conscious, breathing in the cold, bitter air. Looking up, she realized that the nightmarish moon was still glowing in the sky, despite the demise of the creature that supposedly fed it's existence. What had she missed? Surely, it could not have been self-sustaining.

Looking back at the corpse of Mother Kos, she noticed that a thin, black line of smoke now levitated over her body, seemingly looking out at the endless sea. The spirit of the Orphan, still trapped within the Nightmare despite being freed from it's tormented physical form. Maria willed herself to stand, realizing that her task was not yet over. Slowly limping towards the apparition, she weakly dragged the Rakuyo across the sand as she winced from the sharp pain that shot up her body from each movement, coming close to collapsing as she neared the carcass. Supporting herself with her weapon, she looked up at the spirit, swaying in the wind as the sound of it's distant sobs met her ears. Once again rising to her feet, she came to a rest just in front of the Orphan's tortured soul, whose grief and anger had confined so many to this eternal Nightmare.

"Find your way home. You are free."

She swiped her blade through the black spirit and it almost immediately dissipated, it's passing accompanied by what sounded like a relieved sigh as the mist then began to flow in the direction of the sea.

(* Cue "You Were There" Instrumental Cover by Fenix Ark Angelus *)

After a while, Maria noticed that the rain had ceased and that a faint light now blanketed the beach. Turning towards the source, she squeezed her eyes shut as they struggled to adjust to the natural light which had replaced the nightmarish orb in the sky. Eventually willing herself to open her eyes, she saw that the clouds above had cleared and that the sun peaked from the horizon. How long has it been since she had last seen the sunrise, felt the warmth of its rays upon her skin? Tears once again welled in her eyes, but this time, they were accompanied by an almost childish laugh as she basked in its glory.

It was over. The Nightmare had come to an end. And the souls within can finally rest.

The Rakuyo tumbled out of her hands as a strange sensation seemed to flow through Maria's very being, the pain she had experienced a moment ago seemingly disappearing. Her legs gave way and she once again collapsed to her knees, warmth spreading throughout her body as she stared into the distant sea. Her very existence had been tied to this Nightmare, preventing her from passing on to the next life due to the marks her past sins had branded on her soul. And now, the curse had been lifted and the Nightmare she had kept alive bound her no longer. She could finally be at peace.

Maria closed her eyes and smiled as she basked in the sun's rays, her mind brimming with memories shared with the one that had inspired her to accomplish this seemingly impossible task; of the bond they had formed and of his untimely death. And now, after all the pain that had befallen him, he may finally find comfort and rest knowing that he had not suffered such grave misfortune in vain.

"Thank you. For everything…" Maria whispered as she began to slowly fade away, letting out one final, relieved breath as she was finally swept away by the wind.

Soon, several dozen more apparitions trailed behind her, steadily growing until they numbered in the thousands, all of them slowly drifting away from the prison that had shackled them for so long and in the direction of the light breaking on the horizon. On the coast where Mother Kos lay, a small box lay in the sand, resting there until it was swept up by the rising tide and carried out to the ocean.

A bottomless curse, a bottomless sea. Accepting of all that there is, and can be.

….

Author's Note: Surprise!

For those of you who are still here, I hope you enjoyed this alternate ending that I cooked up. I realize that I didn't spend as much time as I would've liked exploring Maria's perception and motivations during the original story, so I wanted to document what would've happened had she been the one who survived the final duel. This is relatively new territory for me, so any feedback would be much appreciated.

I've also considered starting a separate series that chronicles the events that I wanted to include in this story, but ultimately cut due to wanting to minimize filler (Valtr and the League, discovering Ebrietas, detailing the Oedon Chapel massacre in detail etc.), as well as the meetings between Zoran and Maria that took place between Chapters 2 and 3. It would be much more lighthearted then the original, so if that's something you would be interested in seeing, then let me know.

Alternatively, I have a half-finished Civilization one-shot that I've been itching to return to, which would also diversify my portfolio. But either way, I will most likely be off the grid until the holidays.

Until next time.