Alex was in the Hunter's Dream, and a little over an hour had passed since his arrival in this place. While in the workshop, he simply wanted to rest a little. After passing through several difficult locations — the Upper Cathedral Ward, the Forbidden Forest, and Byrgenwerth — Alex was slightly mentally exhausted. He did not feel physical fatigue, except for a slight headache that had appeared after he learned what was really happening in this world.
Holding a glass of whiskey in one hand, Alex took a pocket watch out of his pocket. Seeing that the hand had stopped exactly at midnight, he smiled slightly and took a sip. From the very beginning, he had assumed that the rise of the Red Moon would occur precisely at midnight.
Taking another sip of whiskey and continuing to look at the hands pointing to midnight, Alex thought only that very little time remained. Twirling the watch in his hands, he took another sip and put it back in his pocket. Sighing, Alex placed the empty glass on the workbench and turned his head to the side.
Turning around, he looked at Maria, who was sleeping with her head resting on his shoulder. After a couple of glasses of whiskey, she had fallen asleep, comfortably settled next to him. Despite the fact that Maria was an experienced huntress and possessed great endurance, she was still tired after such a long journey. Looking at the sleeping Maria, Alex gently brushed aside the hair that had fallen across her face. Even in her sleep, Maria smiled, feeling his care, and pressed closer to him.
After adjusting Maria's hair, Alex shifted his gaze to Doll, who was slowly drinking whiskey. He still wasn't entirely sure exactly how Doll perceived taste. All she had said after the first sip was that the taste of the whiskey was quite unique. Feeling Alex's gaze on her, Doll turned her head and smiled gently.
Smiling back, Alex poured himself some more whiskey and took a sip. He liked sometimes just sitting in silence, doing nothing. Alucard was also enjoying the taste of the red wine that Alex had given her, slowly swirling the glass to fully reveal the bouquet. Looking at his wife, Alex could not restrain the smile on his face.
But before continuing their journey, Alex wanted Alucard to absorb the blood of Rom, the Celestial Emissary, and two more special beings that his clones had killed. He had not forgotten his original goal for which they had come to this world — to make his wife stronger. And this plan had already been completed almost halfway.
"My love, if you continue to look at me like that, I won't mind inviting you into my coffin," Alucard said with a gentle smile, swirling her glass of wine.
"You know I'm not against that. Or I can offer you something else," Alex replied with the same gentle smile, looking at his wife.
"Oh? Do you want to suggest playing role-playing games again, like last time?.. I admit, it was quite… captivating," Alucard said, rising from her seat and walking over to Alex.
"Cough… Cough… Let's forget about what happened then… I'm not saying I didn't like it… Let's better focus on what's important," Alex said, clearing his throat to change the subject.
"We are already talking about what's important. Aren't we, my love?" Alucard said, lifting Alex's chin with her finger and making him look into her eyes.
Looking into Alucard's red eyes, Alex did not deny that his wife's offer sounded very tempting. But now was not the right time for it, considering the presence of two women, one of whom was sleeping with her head on his shoulder, while the other was watching intently and learning.
Doll, who was observing the interaction between Alex and Alucard, considered it another way to show love. And therefore she wanted to learn how to express her feelings in different ways as well. Wanting to change the subject, Alex took Alucard's hand and placed a crystallized, purified Blood Echo into her palm so she could absorb it and become stronger.
Alucard looked at her husband with a mocking gaze, seeing how quickly he had changed the subject. Squeezing the crystallized Blood Echo in her palm, she leaned toward Alex. And instead of kissing him, Alucard sank her fangs into his neck. Alex felt his wife's sharp teeth piercing his skin.
"If you get used to it, it's quite a pleasant sensation. If you don't think about what these teeth are really capable of," Alex said, slightly tilting his head to the side after Alucard bit his neck.
"Don't worry, my love… I will only bite you… You like it so much, after all," Alucard replied, running her tongue along his neck.
Feeling Alucard's cold tongue sliding across his skin, Alex didn't even know how to comment on it. All he could do in this situation was kiss Alucard on the cheek, urging her to start absorbing the Blood Echo already. Before swallowing the Echo, Alucard leaned toward Alex one last time and kissed him on the lips.
Placing the Blood Echo in her mouth, she walked over to her coffin and opened it. Lying down in the coffin, Alucard thought about what abilities she would gain this time and how much her power would increase. Alex was thinking the exact same thing, wondering what his wife would be capable of after awakening. He already had assumptions about what abilities she would receive. But this list was too extensive to choose just one.
"Now all that remains is to wait," Alex said, slightly adjusting Maria's position, who still had not woken up.
"Dear Hunter…" Doll spoke quietly, looking away from Alucard's coffin.
"What is it, Doll? Do you want to try something else?" Alex asked with a gentle smile, shifting his gaze to Doll.
"The huntress with noble blood will change after awakening… I feel echoes of antiquity inside her, they are beginning to sound in her veins… She is close to what the others tried to achieve," Doll said in a quiet voice, looking directly into Alex's eyes.
"I know… To rise completely, Carmilla will have to absorb the blood of the remaining three bastards. And then we can return home," Alex replied, lighting a cigarette and slightly narrowing his eyes.
"Home? Are you going to leave?" Doll asked, feeling emptiness inside herself upon hearing these words.
Hearing Alex's words, Doll felt not only emptiness. But also the fear of being abandoned. She did not want Alex to leave and leave her behind. She wanted to always stay by his side. Doll was experiencing a feeling unfamiliar to her that caused pain. She did not know what this feeling was, but she did not like it.
Just the thought that Alex would leave made her feel emptiness in her chest. At that moment, she wanted to tell him so much and ask him to stay by her side. Doll wanted to remind Alex that he had promised her they would admire the flowers for eternity. Negative thoughts began to fill Doll's head, and she took Alex's hand to tell him everything that was happening to her.
"Well, yes… We will go to where I came from. Or are you planning to stay in this empty place?" Alex said, nodding his head and looking at Doll in bewilderment as she squeezed his hand with such force, as if afraid he would run away.
"I… Can I leave too?" Doll asked, squeezing Alex's hand even tighter, wanting to hear confirmation from him.
"Of course you can… And even if you didn't want to leave yourself, I would simply kidnap you. What's the point of staying in this place where there are only tombstones and flowers, and also that boring old man Gehrman. Everything in this place is so boring. Just ugh," Alex said, chuckling slightly and looking into Doll's eyes.
Hearing the confirmation she so desired, Doll felt great relief. The panic and fear instantly receded, and calmness and warmth came in their place, filling her chest. Squeezing Alex's hand tighter, Doll stood up from her seat and approached him.
Standing in front of Alex, she leaned closer, almost touching his lips with her own. She did not know other ways to express her love besides kisses and hugs. And at that moment, she believed that a kiss was the surest way to show her feelings. Doll placed her palms on Alex's cheeks and kissed him on the lips.
Maria, who had been sleeping all this time with her head on Alex's shoulder, felt a strange movement and opened her eyes. And the first thing she saw was Doll kissing Alex. Looking at Doll, who was like a mirror reflection of herself, Maria did not know how she should react to this once again.
Maria had already repeatedly become convinced that she and Doll were connected and partially shared each other's emotions and sensations. But at the same time, they were two different beings. And in such a moment, Maria felt a slight jealousy toward Doll because she could express her feelings so openly.
Closing her eyes, Maria understood that she did not need to imitate Doll — she should remain herself. Maria could not help but recall Alex's words when he said that even if she and Doll were similar, they were different. Exhaling, Maria moved closer to Alex to lie more comfortably on his shoulder. At the moment, this level of closeness with the one who had helped her get rid of the nightmare and learn the whole truth was enough for her.
"This is enough for now," Maria thought, falling asleep again with her head on Alex's shoulder.
When Maria fell asleep again, Doll stopped kissing Alex but still kept her palms on his cheeks, looking intently into his eyes. The more Doll understood her feelings and herself, the less she wanted to let Alex go so as not to lose the warmth she felt from him. Stroking his cheeks a little, Doll finally released him and returned to her place.
At the moment, she had received enough warmth from him. Doll sensed that Maria had woken up and seen what they were doing. Knowing this, Doll was grateful to Maria, because thanks to her she had been able to better understand herself and her feelings when they had met. And therefore Doll wanted Maria to also receive more warmth from Alex.
Alex himself did not know what was going on in the heads of the two women. His thoughts were occupied with what to do with himself while Alucard was sleeping. Very quickly he remembered that he had forgotten about the catacombs of the Pthumerian race. Since the moment he had obtained the Pthumeru Chalice, he had done nothing with it.
But Alex himself felt no desire to wander through the labyrinthine catacombs. And to perform such work, he had quite capable assistants who were ready to explore the catacombs of the Pthumerian race. Alex quickly created two clones, who, from the moment of their appearance, looked as if they were being forced to clean toilets rather than explore catacombs.
"Don't make such faces. Just do your job, and that's it," Alex said, looking at his two clones.
"Just do your job, and that's it. Easy for you to say, it's not you who has to crawl through catacombs, you bastard," Greed grumbled, mimicking Alex's words.
"Shut up, Greed. It's disgusting enough without you…" Wrath snapped, kicking Greed in the leg.
"What did you say? Want to die, Wrath? Or did you suddenly start thinking you're special just because you have that name?" Greed said, pointing the Rifle Spear at Wrath's head.
"Hah? Who else wants to die, you scum! All you can do is walk around collecting things like a little courier, you useless greedy bastard," Wrath replied, swinging the Beast Cutter and switching the weapon to heavy whip mode.
"Want to repeat your words, trash?" Greed said, gripping the Rifle Spear tighter.
Wrath and Greed stared at each other and were one step away from starting a fight. Alex awkwardly scratched his cheek, not understanding when exactly his clones had begun to feel such antipathy toward each other. Or perhaps it had already happened in the past and he simply hadn't noticed it.
Alex even thought that Wrath and Greed simply hated each other. Doll, sitting nearby, watched with interest as the two of Alex's clones cursed each other while being one step away from fighting. Even Maria woke up from the noise. Opening her eyes, she saw a strange spectacle unfolding right in front of her.
The two of Alex's clones were cursing each other with very colorful words, simultaneously threatening to kill one another. At that moment, Maria did not understand at all what was happening. When she had last opened her eyes, she had seen Alex and Doll kissing. And now, opening her eyes, she saw something completely different.
Alex got tired of listening to the bickering of his two clones and began to feel his headache returning. He clapped his hands loudly enough to create a shockwave that pushed Wrath and Greed back several steps.
"You two idiots, stop this shit. Go do your job. I didn't create you so I could listen to you wanting to kill each other," Alex said in a cold tone, looking at his two clones.
"Fine, fuck it… Listen, original. Are you sure about this? Do you really want this?" Wrath asked, putting his weapon behind his back and throwing a contemptuous glance at Greed before looking at Alex.
"Yes, I'm sure. Do it as usual… And don't kill each other," Alex replied, nodding his head.
"I'm not promising anything if this bastard doesn't keep his mouth shut. And what do we do with the Queen?" Greed asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and nodding toward Wrath.
In response to Greed's question, Alex bared his sharp teeth, hinting at what should be done. Seeing the bloodthirsty smile that appeared on Alex's face, Wrath and Greed also bared their teeth in bloodthirsty smiles and nodded. Alex didn't even need to say anything — his clones understood everything anyway.
Maria felt a strong chill, seeing the bloodthirsty smiles on the faces of Alex's clones. She didn't know why, but those smiles caused a feeling of fear in her. Watching Alex's clones leave the workshop, Maria began to feel pity for those who would have to meet such beings.
"Where did you send your clones?" Maria could not help but ask, turning her head toward Alex.
"To the catacombs of the Pthumerian race. The tombstones through which we travel also allow entry into the catacombs. But for that, you need the Chalice, which I already obtained," Alex replied, shaking his head slightly while in a good mood.
"In the past, I heard that many secrets that have never been uncovered are still stored in these catacombs. So you sent your clones there?" Maria asked, recalling what she had heard about the catacombs.
"Not exactly. I'm not interested in the secrets left behind by the race of idiots. My goal is completely different," Alex replied, shaking his head negatively and continuing to smile.
"If you are not interested in the secrets and knowledge left by the Pthumerian race, dear Hunter, then what are you striving for?" Doll asked, looking at Alex with interest.
"The Pthumerian race was so advanced that they were able to make contact with the Great Ones and let them into this world. Then idiots from Byrgenwerth appeared who did the same thing. And so that this never happens again…" Alex said, lighting a cigarette and exhaling smoke upward.
"You sent your clones to destroy the catacombs. So that no one else could find such knowledge," Maria said, voicing the reason for Alex's action instead of him.
"Exactly. Time will pass, and another group of idiots will find these catacombs and open a passage for similar beings. And therefore, even if I get rid of the Great Ones, everything may repeat itself again," Alex replied, spreading his hands.
"What about Ibraitas? You left her. Won't her presence lead to the same result?" Maria asked, frowning.
"There's no need to worry about her. All problems with her have already been resolved," Alex replied, waving his hand and showing that everything was fine.
Maria looked at Alex and sighed, nodding her head. She understood that this was not something she could interfere with or decide. Alex also decided to change the subject of the conversation to pass the time while Alucard was sleeping. Using magical vision, Alex looked at the coffin where Alucard was sleeping and saw that the process of absorbing the Blood Echo was only halfway complete.
And it would take a few more hours until the end of this process. To pass the time somehow, Alex decided to drink coffee and simply talk with Maria and Doll on various topics. Getting up from the chair, Alex walked over to the fireplace and began brewing coffee.
"That world you came from. What is it like? From your memories, I couldn't understand much," Maria asked, watching Alex as he brewed the coffee.
"Which one exactly? It's just that Carmilla and I came from one world, but my home is in a completely different world," Alex replied, looking over his shoulder at Maria.
"The one you came from. I want to learn more about such a world," Maria clarified.
Hearing Maria's words, Alex smiled and nodded his head. Even though he had shared his memories with Maria and Doll, he didn't mind answering their questions. While brewing coffee, Alex told them everything Maria and Doll asked about. He understood that for them it was something new that they had not yet seen.
And they would still have to see it with their own eyes, so Maria and Doll wanted to know more. After brewing the coffee, Alex returned to his chair and continued the conversation. He had dozens of topics they could talk about to pass the time. Several hours gradually passed during the conversation over cups of coffee.
During this time, Alex managed to tell a couple of funny stories that had happened to him and which caused bewilderment in Maria and Doll. And while Alex, Maria, and Doll were talking, inside the coffin where Alucard was sleeping, red eyes opened. Having finished absorbing the Blood Echo, Alucard awakened from her sleep. Once again experiencing new sensations, Alucard was not going to get up until she got used to her new feelings.
Opening her eyes after getting used to her senses, Alucard raised her palm and looked at it. Seeing electricity running between her fingers, Alucard could not restrain the smile on her face. Slightly wiggling her fingers, through which electric charges ran, Alucard paused for a moment, and her fingers became covered with ice.
Without stopping, Alucard tested the abilities she had gained after absorbing the Blood Echo of four special beings. Alucard turned her palm over — a small cosmic vortex appeared above her hand, which immediately closed as soon as she clenched her hand into a fist. She could not help but notice that her control over the forces had become much better and easier, as if she had been born with these abilities.
"So this is how space feels… It's so intriguing," Alucard said, touching the space with her finger as if plucking strings.
Having gotten used to her new powers, Alucard decided to get out of her coffin. She wanted to test her new abilities in action, which filled her with delight. She had never thought that one day she would be able to absorb the blood of a cosmic being.
Climbing out of her coffin without using her abilities, Alucard immediately looked around and was able to partially see what the Hunter's Dream was like. Smiling, Alucard turned her head back and looked at Alex.
"You've become noticeably stronger, Carmilla. I would even say quite noticeably. Especially the fact that you received what I have," Alex said with a cheerful smile, looking at his wife.
"Oh? And what did I receive?" Alucard asked with the same cheerful smile.
Instead of answering his wife's question, Alex took a whetstone from the workbench and threw it at Alucard. The whetstone flew toward Alucard, hovered right in front of her face, and then fell. Alucard raised an eyebrow, not understanding what had just happened.
Realizing that his wife had not yet realized her new ability, Alex took a handful of gold coins from his pocket and threw them at Alucard. The coins hovered in the air in front of Alucard for a couple of moments and fell to the floor just like the whetstone. Maria blinked in surprise, not understanding what was happening before her eyes.
"And what is this supposed to mean?" Alucard asked, looking at Alex with a blank gaze.
"Okay, I'll explain. Or at least I'll try. You unconsciously distort the space around you, stretching it. And that's why none of the thrown objects reached you. It's as if there was a very large distance between you and the thrown coin," Alex said, trying to explain his wife's new ability correctly.
"And how do I control it? I hate it when something that belongs to me does not obey me," Alucard asked, narrowing her eyes with disgust on her face.
Alex thought for a moment and decided to share his memories on this matter. He believed that this way Alucard would understand faster how to use her new power. Getting up from the chair, Alex approached Alucard and touched her forehead with his finger. Alucard closed her eyes for a moment and then immediately opened them. Thanks to Alex's memories, she understood how her new power worked and wanted to test it.
Alucard's gaze shifted to Maria with a persistent request to shoot at her. Maria was taken aback by such a statement, not knowing what she needed to do. Shifting her gaze to Alex, she could not help but ask if she should do it. Alex simply nodded his head, showing that everything was fine.
Seeing no other choice, Maria took out her musket and fired at Alucard. The quicksilver bullet froze in front of Alucard and then fell to the floor. Alucard thought for a moment, fully realizing how her new abilities worked.
Alex could not help but think that perhaps after absorbing another Blood Echo, his wife would gain an ability like Infinity. After all, Alucard's current power somewhat resembled a weakened version of that ability.
"I think I understand how it works. But the difference between what you showed me and what I possess is colossal," Alucard said, approaching Alex and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"The main thing is that you like it. Everything else is not that important. It's long overdue for you to get rid of your habit of allowing your body to be wounded," Alex said, poking Alucard on the nose with his finger.
"So be it… This won't happen anymore. Maybe. Otherwise, how else will I see when you want to protect me, my love?" Alucard replied, running her palm over Alex's cheek.
Alex could not restrain himself from rolling his eyes. Alucard only laughed at the expression on Alex's face and kissed him on the cheek. Shaking his head, Alex was still pleased with the abilities Alucard had received. Turning his head toward Maria, Alex asked her if she was ready to move on.
Maria nodded without hesitation, showing that she had rested enough to continue. Even if her power could help little, Maria still wanted to go through this path to the end and see everything with her own eyes.
After all, she had a weapon that could wound beings like the Great Ones. Seeing that Maria was ready to leave, Alex put on the black Hunter's coat and black hat. After finishing dressing, Alex approached Doll, who immediately hugged him around the neck.
"Good hunting, dear Hunter. May the Blood Echo show you the way to what you seek. I will wait for your quick return," Doll said, gently kissing Alex on the cheek and hugging him around the neck.
"We'll be back soon. So don't be bored," Alex replied, gently hugging Doll around the waist.
"I won't…" Doll said with a sweet smile on her face.
Alex could not restrain his smile and quickly kissed Doll on the lips in farewell. He did not want to leave her in this place created by the one who had created the Hunter's Dream. Alex had already placed protective spells on Doll to protect her just in case. Sighing, Alex hugged Doll once more and headed for the exit from the workshop.
Leaving the workshop, Alex approached Maria and Alucard, who were already waiting for him by the tombstone. Approaching the two women, Alex touched the tombstone with his hand to return to Yahar'gul. Feeling the Messengers pulling them down, Alex thought for a moment. A couple of moments later, Alex, Alucard, and Maria found themselves at the Messengers' lamp in Yahar'gul.
Returning to Yahar'gul, Alex looked around and was glad he had killed Amygdala; otherwise he would have had to see that creature on almost every building in this part of the city. Approaching the edge of the balcony, Alex looked down, shifting his gaze to the side to see the School of Mensis, which they had to reach. While looking around, Alex thought that he had no desire to explore this place and waste even more time on it.
"We need to descend to the main street to reach the School of Mensis. There's a passage to the Nightmare there," Alex said, pointing his finger in the direction.
"We'll have to take a long path to get down," Maria said, approaching the edge to look down.
"I don't think so, girl," Alucard replied, stepping forward and standing on the space itself.
"I was thinking of just jumping down, but this method works too," Alex said, giving a thumbs up.
Alucard only smiled and continued walking along the space itself toward the School of Mensis. Alex turned to Maria and picked her up in his arms. Finding herself in Alex's arms, Maria only shook her head, realizing that she was still thinking like a human while in the company of Alex and Alucard. Holding Maria in his arms, Alex stepped forward and began walking through the air, quickly catching up with Alucard.
Being in Alex's arms, Maria could not help but look down. The first thing she saw when she lowered her gaze were strange creatures moving along the main street. These beings were somewhat like a mass of distorted bodies connected to each other by an incomprehensible substance. As if someone had tried to stuff dozens of human bodies into one coffin.
And this sight made Maria think about how many terrible things Micolash and his followers had done that this part of the city had turned into something so horrible. She saw hundreds of statues of people who looked as if they were fleeing from something. And she did not know if they were really statues or if these statues had once been people who had turned to stone after a terrible ritual. Stopping looking down, Maria shifted her gaze to the School of Mensis, which they were approaching. She could not help but think about what Alex had told her.
"Could it be that Micolash was to blame for the Red Moon rising?" Maria asked, raising her gaze to Alex.
"Yes, you guessed correctly. With the help of the ritual, Micolash was able to make contact with the Great Ones. But the price was all the inhabitants of Yahar'gul who were sacrificed," Alex replied, lowering his gaze to Maria.
Hearing Alex's answer, Maria nodded, receiving confirmation. Stopping looking at Maria, Alex continued walking next to Alucard, moving toward the School of Mensis. The closer they got, the louder the sound of bells became, ringing as if calling someone. Reaching the right place, Alex and Alucard stopped and began to fall downward.
Landing softly on the ground, Alex set Maria on her feet and looked at the spacious square in front of them. Alex remembered what had happened on this square and what the members of the School of Mensis had wanted to summon by sacrificing their own lives and the lives of Yahar'gul's inhabitants. Alex walked forward, crossing the boundary of the large arch to step out onto the square.
To be continued...
(So I'll try to move on to Mergo quickly, because I don't see any reason to linger in this world anymore. I've essentially already shown everything I need to; everything else is just unnecessary monsters. And don't forget that my main goal is to strengthen Alucard, which is going great. So let's move on quickly. And I'll go get something to eat. Peace, love, and every man deserves his cat-girl.)
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