After killing the Moon Presence, Alex collected his scattered weapons and prepared to return. Before leaving the garden, he carefully looked around one last time. Everything Alex saw was gray, as if all colors had ceased to exist in this place. Once again, he couldn't help but think that the power of Destruction he possessed could be used for many things, including erasing the very concept of color.
But even after so much time, Alex still found this power quite intriguing. Stopping his gaze on the black-and-white garden, he continued on. Walking through the garden, Alex lit a cigarette and looked up at the sky, which had also become black and white. Seeing this, he couldn't help but think that he had ended up in a black-and-white movie world. Chuckling at his own joke, Alex reached the exit of the garden and stopped in front of the open iron gate.
Bringing the cigarette to his lips, he understood that the moment he stepped through the gate, his work in this world would officially be considered complete. Exhaling cigarette smoke, Alex thought about those whose fates he had changed in this world. He wanted to invite these people to the guild, but only shook his head.
After all, once all traces of the Great Ones disappeared, people would stop turning into monsters. And then Gascoigne and the other Hunters would be able to live normal lives, without fearing that the next Night of the Hunt might be their last.
"Alright, it's easier to just ask and offer them the job. Whether they agree or not is up to them," Alex said, dropping the extinguished cigarette at his feet.
Alex instantly created a clone to send him to talk with the Hunters. The appeared clone simply nodded and snapped his fingers, opening a portal to head to Yharnam. Watching the portal close behind his clone, Alex stepped through the gate and headed toward Alucard, Maria, and Doll.
Walking along the path, Alex saw Doll still standing in the same spot, with her hands folded in front of her, patiently waiting for him. Alex shifted his gaze to Maria, who was sitting on the steps not far from Doll, leaning on her knees while her weapon lay beside her.
And the last was Alucard, who stood leaning against the tombstone they used to travel between the Hunter's Dream and Yharnam. Seeing Alex appear, Alucard gave him an amused look.
"My love, wouldn't you like to explain what all this means?" Alucard asked, pointing her finger to the side.
Alex looked in the direction Alucard was pointing and saw the burning Hunter's Workshop. Just like in the garden, everything around was black and white, and even the flames engulfing the workshop were black and white. Not only Alucard but also Maria wanted an answer.
By this point, Maria had stopped being surprised by everything happening around Alex. But that didn't mean she wasn't curious why everything had suddenly become black and white. Neither she nor Alucard understood what had happened, even after Doll said that this dimension had lost its colors. Alex looked at the two women, whose gazes made it clear they were waiting for his answer.
"Let's just say, to scare the lunar idiot a little… I erased the very concept of color in this dimension. That's why everything became black and white," Alex said in a carefree tone, spreading his hands and looking back at the two women.
"Is something like that even possible? How can you erase colors?" Maria asked in surprise, widening her eyes as she stared at Alex.
"Yes, it's quite possible. Anything can be erased. I could spend a lot of time explaining it all. But it's easier for you to imagine a situation where color never existed in this place. And it has always been like this," Alex said, stroking his chin while looking at Maria.
"Sigh… Alright. All these things are still as far beyond me as they were during our first meeting, my Hunter," Maria said, tucking a fallen strand of hair behind her ear.
"Well, blame the society you lived in. While civilizations in some universes are already waging galactic wars and galactic crusades," Alex said with a cheerful laugh, raising his index finger.
"Let's stop there. I think I shouldn't think about such things for now… So what's next?" Maria said, raising her hand to stop Alex.
"We're leaving for now. There's nothing left to do in this world. Right, Carmilla?" Alex said, summoning Yamato into his hand.
"Exactly, my love. It's time to go back," Alucard said with a slight smile on her face.
Maria looked at Alex and nodded slightly. She understood that there was nothing left for her in this world and she could leave it peacefully. But she was glad to have met the one who helped her change her life and start moving forward. Standing up from the steps, Maria approached Alex and gently stroked his cheek with a tender smile on her face. Alex smiled back at Maria's gesture and turned his head toward Doll.
Alex extended his palm toward Doll, letting her know it was time to leave. A gentle smile appeared on Doll's face, and she placed her palm over Alex's. Squeezing Alex's hand, Doll moved closer to him and leaned lightly against his body. Not losing the smile on his face, Alex drew Yamato and made several swings to open a portal. Opening the portal, Alex was glad to return and rest.
"Oh, I hope they kill me…" Alex muttered, remembering the most important thing after opening the portal.
"My love, you should have gotten used to this by now. If anything, you know where to find me," Alucard said, stepping into the open portal.
"You're not helping, Carmilla," Alex said in a resigned tone.
"Who's supposed to kill you?" Maria asked, frowning.
"Integra… We're going to Hellsing, and that's her territory… And… Eh, it's complicated. Alright… Let's go. Maybe I'll sleep on the floor…" Alex said, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to get rid of the headache.
Maria and Doll understood who Integra was. From the memories Alex had shared with them, they knew perfectly well who Integra was and what her personality was like. Maria didn't know what to say in this situation and simply squeezed Alex's hand, offering silent support.
Doll only tilted her head to the side, as some things were still difficult for her to understand. Alex sighed, realizing he couldn't escape, and there was only one thing left to do — accept his fate and hope that Integra wouldn't be angry. Holding Maria and Doll by the hands, Alex stepped through the portal. As soon as the portal closed, the Hunter's Dream began to slowly collapse and disappear completely.
Passing through the portal, Alex, Doll, and Maria appeared at the entrance to the mansion. Looking up at the sky, Alex realized it was already late evening. But what interested him was how much time he and Alucard had been gone. Taking his phone out of his pocket, Alex saw that it was still the same day he and Alucard had left.
Nodding his head, Alex put the phone back in his pocket and looked at Maria and Doll. Meanwhile, Maria and Doll were already looking around, curious about their surroundings. Doll, in addition to examining everything, looked up at the sky. While Maria and Doll looked around, Alex tried to find Alucard.
And while he was searching for his wife with his eyes, he felt a very intense and cold gaze on him. Looking in the direction from which he felt this cold gaze, Alex saw Integra standing at the window on the third floor of the mansion. Meeting Alex's gaze, Integra slowly adjusted her glasses on her nose and moved her lips.
"My office. Now," Alex saw Integra say.
At that moment, Alex had not yet realized that as soon as he returned to this world, Integra had received a full stream of memories of what had happened in Yharnam. Looking into Integra's cold blue eyes, Alex understood that it was too late to run. And all he could do was nod his head.
As soon as Alex nodded, Integra turned and walked to her office. Maria and Doll also noticed how Integra had looked at Alex and how his expression had changed at that moment. Sighing, Alex led Doll and Maria into the mansion. Entering the mansion, Alex headed to Integra's office.
And as he walked, Alex was sure that Alucard had deliberately left to watch how he would get out of this situation. Leading Doll and Maria with him, Alex shook his head from side to side, making plans for tomorrow.
After all, he needed to buy a lot of clothes for Maria and Doll and manage to do everything before returning to America. Reaching Integra's office, Alex opened the doors without knocking and calmly entered with Doll and Maria. Entering the office, Alex looked at Integra, who was sitting at her desk with her fingers clasped under her chin, staring back at him intently.
"Before you start your ridiculous excuses, husband… I already know everything. And I don't mind. So wipe that damn pitiful expression off your face," Integra said in a calm tone, lighting a thin cigar.
"Then what was that look at the window? Did you deliberately want to scare me?" Alex asked, pointing at the door.
"Maybe… But welcome home, husband. As for you two… Welcome to Hellsing," Integra said with a slight smile on her face, shifting her gaze from Alex to Doll and Maria.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Countess Hellsing," Maria said, bowing and placing her hand on her chest.
"It is also a pleasure to meet you, Countess Hellsing. I hope my stay here will not cause you any inconvenience," Doll said with a gentle smile on her face, bowing gracefully.
"I hope I don't need to remind you that while you are under the roof of the Hellsing mansion, you live by my rules," Integra said in a calm tone, flicking the ash from her cigar into the ashtray.
Maria and Doll calmly nodded their heads, as they knew from Alex's memories what Integra was really like. Seeing the two women's agreement, Integra smiled slightly and looked them up and down. Integra's gaze moved to Maria, as she knew this woman's combat abilities. And for Integra, this was another valuable combat asset for Hellsing.
She then shifted her gaze to Doll and quickly decided to leave this woman in Alex's hands. After finishing her inspection of the two women, Integra gestured for them to sit down so they could talk. By this point, Alex was trying to blend into the wall to be as inconspicuous as possible. When Maria and Doll sat down in front of the desk, Integra shifted her gaze to Alex, perfectly understanding what he was doing.
"You can go, husband. Prepare rooms for Maria and Doll… Tomorrow, take Seras to buy clothes for Maria and Doll," Integra said, waving her hand and shooing Alex away.
"I was going to do that anyway. Of course, I like the Victorian style. But in everyday life, it stands out too much," Alex said, nodding his head and walking toward the door.
"And don't put off the paperwork," Integra said before Alex left her office.
"I know. I'll take care of it now. What citizenship should I arrange for them? British or American?" Alex said, opening the door to leave the office.
"Your choice… And go see Alessa. She's in Seras's room," Integra said in a calm tone, moving the cigar between her lips.
Alex looked at Maria and Doll, and both of them nodded, showing that they left the choice to him. Nodding his head, Alex waved goodbye before leaving Integra's office. Walking down the corridor of the mansion, Alex understood what Integra would talk about with Doll and Maria. And so Alex wasn't too worried about it.
Walking through the mansion's corridor, Alex lazily yawned, nodding his head to the mercenaries he met who were patrolling the corridors. Descending to the first floor, Alex approached a painting and opened it. Placing his hands behind his head, Alex began descending the stairs until he reached the basement. Passing through the room where Alucard was, Alex deliberately peeked in on his wife.
He looked out from behind the door and met Alucard's red eyes, which were filled with amusement. Rolling his eyes, Alex, acting like a child in an adult's body, stuck his tongue out at his wife and immediately closed the door. When the door closed, Alucard blinked her red eyes in surprise, staring at the closed door. And a moment later, she burst into loud laughter, clutching her stomach.
Continuing down the basement corridor, Alex heard Alucard's loud laughter and smiled himself as he walked on. The closer Alex got to Seras's room, the louder Seras's voice became. Stopping for a moment, Alex heard Seras loudly cursing at someone.
And after a long stream of insults, Alex heard something smash against the wall. Raising an eyebrow and not understanding what was happening in the middle of the night in Seras's room, Alex walked forward. Reaching the door to Seras's room, Alex carefully opened it and peeked inside. Looking into Seras's room, Alex saw a rather strange sight.
Seras was sitting on the sofa in her usual home outfit, consisting of black short shorts and a tight black tank top. But instead of her usual smile, Seras's face expressed genuine rage as she stared at the television. And against the wall where the TV was mounted lay a pile of broken gamepads.
At that moment, Alex didn't understand what was happening and shifted his gaze to his daughter Alessa, who was sitting next to Seras with a serene expression on her face, holding a book on her lap that she was reading. Sensing the gaze on her, Alessa slowly raised her head and met her father's eyes. Alex asked with his gaze what was happening. Without changing her expression, Alessa turned the page of the book and pointed her finger at the television.
"Why! I was almost winning! Why is she so fast!" Seras shouted, crushing another gamepad in her hands.
Alex blinked slightly and leaned out further to see what was happening. Leaning out more, Alex saw that Seras was playing Bloodborne. Seeing this, Alex awkwardly scratched his cheek and looked at Seras, who still hadn't noticed him, being completely absorbed in the game. Alex carefully entered Seras's room without attracting her attention and walked over to the sofa.
Without making a sound, Alex sat down next to Alessa and moved his daughter onto his lap. Looking at the TV screen, Alex couldn't help but sigh when he saw who Seras was cursing at. He saw how Seras, controlling her game character, was fighting Maria. And this caused her very mixed feelings.
After breaking another gamepad following a defeat, Seras pulled a box out from under her bed, took out a new gamepad, and continued playing. Alex leaned toward Alessa's ear and asked how long this had been going on. Hearing her father's question, Alessa turned the page of the book and looked up.
"It started a couple of hours after you and Mom Alucard left for that world," Alessa said, pointing her finger at the television and returning her gaze to the book.
Alex simply nodded and stroked his daughter's hair. Watching Seras, Alex couldn't help but wonder how she still hadn't noticed that another person had appeared in her room. Observing Seras playing Bloodborne, Alex tried to hold back his smile. After a couple of minutes, Seras died again and sighed in resignation, leaning back to lie on the bed.
"Why is this game so hard and stupid," Seras said, covering her face with her hands and trying to get rid of the disappointment.
"They made this game difficult on purpose," Alex said, watching Seras with a smile on his face.
Hearing Alex's voice, Seras removed her hands from her face and slowly turned her head toward the source of the voice. Turning her head, Seras saw Alex sitting there with a cheerful smile on his face. Not stopping smiling, Alex raised his hand and pointed at the pile of broken gamepads that had become victims of collisions with the wall. Seras followed Alex's finger and forced an awkward smile with an embarrassed chuckle.
Seeing Seras's reaction, Alex simply shook his head and placed his hand on Seras's forehead. Seras immediately lit up and pounced on Alex, hugging him tightly. They hadn't seen each other for a whole day, but Seras had already missed him. Alessa was once again squeezed between Alex's chest and tried to push Seras away from herself.
"Mom Seras, you're in the way," Alessa said, pushing Seras's chest away from her face.
"Oh, sorry, Alessa… How did it go? Did you return long ago?" Seras said with an awkward smile on her face and immediately turned her attention to Alex.
"I'd say it went pretty well. If I didn't have to clean up the whole mess in Yharnam. At least I added to my weapon collection," Alex said, massaging Seras's cheeks.
"So you saw Doll? What is she like? Is she just as quiet and kind?" Seras asked, widening her eyes and ignoring Alex's hands massaging her cheeks.
"You can go see for yourself. She's in Integra's office right now," Alex said, squeezing Seras's cheeks.
"Alex, you brought Doll?! Seriously!" Seras exclaimed in surprise, grabbing Alex by the shoulders and starting to shake him.
"Well, yeah. And Maria came too. They're both in Integra's office right now, talking to her," Alex said, calmly nodding his head while Seras shook him from side to side.
Seras stopped shaking Alex and blinked in surprise, staring at him. Now she was curious about what exactly had happened in Yharnam. Seeing Seras's interest, Alex offered her two options: he would tell her everything or share the memories. Seras didn't want to just receive memories and began insisting that she wanted to hear everything.
Hearing Seras's request, Alex simply shrugged and first created a clone to prepare rooms for Maria and Doll. Suggesting they continue the conversation in the kitchen to drink coffee and have a snack, Seras immediately agreed and quickly changed into different clothes. Leaving the basement with Seras and Alessa, Alex decided to mention what help he would need tomorrow.
Seras immediately nodded with a wide smile on her face. Arriving at the kitchen, Alex immediately started brewing coffee and began preparing dinner. While Alex was busy cooking, he told Seras about what had happened in Yharnam.
Seras listened attentively, leaning on the kitchen counter while Alex cooked. Since Seras had played the game while Alex and Alucard were in the real Yharnam, she asked questions she had learned from the game, which Alex calmly answered. After finishing cooking, Alex, Seras, and Alessa moved to the table.
"Are there any photos of the places you visited? I'm just curious if the city of Yharnam looks as gloomy in real life as it does in the game," Seras said, stirring her coffee and looking up at Alex.
"I'd say Yharnam feels completely different in real life," Alex said, taking his phone out of his pocket to hand it to Seras.
"How different, Father?" Alessa asked, not looking up and continuing to read her book.
"It's all about the smell… The air is thick with the smell of blood, the smell of burning wool, decaying corpses, and madness… It's hard to explain in words how Yharnam feels. But it is exactly as you imagine it," Alex said, gently stroking Alessa's hair.
"Indeed… Even from the photos you can see a big difference… The cityscapes are very beautiful if you ignore… Well, everything else," Seras said, flipping through the photos Alex had taken.
"If you ignore everything else, Yharnam will become a prosperous city again," Alex said, rolling his eyes at Seras's words.
Seras looked at Alex and rolled her eyes back. Looking at each other, Alex and Seras laughed. Stopping laughing, Seras jumped off her chair and sat down next to Alex, leaning against his shoulder. Alex couldn't restrain his smile at Seras's behavior and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
After sitting in the kitchen for a few more hours, Seras took Alessa by the hand and was about to return to her room, noticing that Alessa had started to fall asleep. Kissing Alex on the lips before leaving, Seras, holding Alessa's hand, headed back to her room. After cleaning up all the dishes after dinner, Alex remained sitting in the kitchen.
Left alone, Alex covered his face with his hands and began lightly massaging it. He understood that he still had unfinished work. Sighing, Alex decided to start thinking about it when he returned to America. But before returning, Alex decided to spend a couple more days at Hellsing, helping Maria and Doll settle in.
"Dear Hunter, why are you sitting here alone?" Doll's gentle voice sounded behind Alex.
Removing his hands from his face, Alex turned his head and saw Doll standing in the doorway with the same gentle smile on her face. Smiling, Alex invited Doll to sit next to him. Not losing the smile on her face, Doll sat down next to Alex and gently placed her hands on his cheeks. Gently stroking Alex's cheeks, Doll pulled his head toward herself and laid his head on her chest.
Burying his nose in Doll's chest, Alex sighed and relaxed, beginning to feel Doll gently stroking his hair. Alex couldn't deny how gentle Doll's strokes were, to the point that they made him sleepy. Doll continued to stroke Alex's hair, humming a quiet melody, allowing him to relax.
"How did your meeting with Integra go?" Alex asked without raising his head.
"Lady Integra is a very good woman…" Doll said, slowly running her fingers through Alex's hair.
"Those who know Integra might not agree with you. First and foremost, she is a knight, and only then a woman. Or maybe not anymore… I don't know. It doesn't matter," Alex said, slightly shifting his head to get more comfortable on Doll's chest.
"Perhaps you are right, dear Hunter. I still don't understand people very well… But I will try to understand it quickly," Doll said, wrapping her arms around Alex's head with both hands and pressing him closer to herself.
"You don't have to rush. People are quite complex creatures… And you don't need to try to understand all of them. The main thing is that you live the way you want," Alex said, wrapping his arms around Doll's waist.
"I will try to live as you say, dear Hunter… But I still want to be by your side. To see and understand more. May I?" Doll said, gently taking Alex's cheeks in her hands.
Gently squeezing Alex's cheeks, Doll lifted his head so he would look her in the eyes. Alex nodded with a gentle smile, seeing no reason to refuse Doll's request. Seeing Alex's agreement, Doll leaned down and gently kissed him on the lips. The most important person in her new life was still Alex. And Doll wanted Alex to remain the most important person in her life, and for that to never change.
Gently kissing Alex, Doll hugged him and rested her chin on his shoulder. She wanted to spend even more time by his side. She knew he had to leave soon, and she was going to leave with him. After sitting with Doll for some time, Alex was about to escort her to her room so she could rest.
Doll didn't want to part with Alex but only nodded. After escorting Doll to her room, Alex kissed her once more before leaving. Before going to sleep, Alex wanted to visit Maria to see how she had settled in. Approaching the room where Maria should be, Alex quietly opened the door and peeked inside.
Looking into Maria's room, Alex saw that she was already asleep. Quietly entering Maria's room, Alex sat on the edge of the bed and touched Maria's cheek. Even in her sleep, Maria pressed her cheek against Alex's palm, placing her hand over his. Looking at the sleeping Maria, Alex thought that everything would be fine with her and she would quickly settle into the new place.
Gently stroking Maria's cheek, Alex leaned down and lightly kissed her on the lips, wishing her good night. Maria smiled slightly, continuing to sleep. Sighing, Alex left Maria's room and headed to Integra's room. Reaching Integra's room, Alex opened the door and entered. Entering the room, Alex saw Integra sitting on the bed with a book in her hands. Noticing Alex, Integra set the book aside and removed her glasses.
"When are you planning to return?" Integra asked, looking at Alex, who was changing into sleepwear.
"I think in a couple of days. I still have work to finish. Why? Are you starting to miss me already?" Alex said in a thoughtful tone, climbing onto the bed and lying down next to Integra.
"If you don't want to spend this night on the floor, then you should start talking less nonsense," Integra said in a calm tone, giving Alex a blank look.
"What about love and all that? Why are you kicking me out of bed?" Alex asked, pressing his cheek against Integra's cheek.
"Love and all that is already there. After all, you'll be sleeping on the floor in my room, not outside," Integra said, pushing Alex's face away from herself.
"What strong love you have… Well, at least not on the bathroom floor or under the bed. That's a plus," Alex said cheerfully, pulling Integra into his arms.
"The bathroom floor has heating. So you probably wouldn't freeze there… And I don't want to trip over your sleeping body in the morning," Integra said, leaning her back against Alex's chest and placing her palms over his hands.
"I think they'd laugh at me if I could freeze at all," Alex said with a chuckle, placing his chin on top of Integra's head.
"Hell will freeze over before you do," Integra said, closing her eyes and pressing herself against Alex.
Alex couldn't help but laugh a little upon hearing Integra's words. Chuckling, Alex slipped his legs under Integra's to make it more comfortable for her to sit in his arms. Being in Alex's arms, Integra opened her eyes and turned her head, wanting to discuss what had happened in Yharnam. Even though she had received Alex's memories as soon as he returned, Integra wanted to discuss everything that had happened there.
Alex nodded and began telling Integra everything she was interested in. Integra's questions mainly concerned Alucard's power, which she had gained after absorbing the blood. When Alex explained everything and gave several examples, Integra nodded thoughtfully, understanding that Alucard had become much stronger than she had ever been before.
"As I understand it, the process is not yet complete," Integra said after listening to Alex's explanations.
"Almost complete. Carmilla needs to absorb the last Blood Echo that I managed to preserve. And then we can say that her Ascension is complete. Right now she stands on a thin line between a deity and a Nosferatu," Alex said, running his hands over Integra's stomach.
"And what will she become after that?" Integra asked, turning toward Alex.
"Considering Carmilla's nature… I think she'll become the same kind of being as Zhang Ya," Alex said, stroking his chin and looking into Integra's eyes.
"So a Demonic God or something like that… I see," Integra said, nodding her head, turning away and leaning her back against Alex's chest again.
Alex nodded, confirming Integra's words. After sitting a little longer in Alex's arms, Integra was about to go to sleep. Slipping out of Alex's arms, Integra climbed under the blanket and lay down on the pillow. Stretching slightly, Alex lay down next to Integra and pulled her into his arms.
Integra exhaled tiredly through her nose and pressed her forehead against Alex's chest, closing her eyes. Stroking Integra's back, Alex began to fall asleep quickly. After all, tomorrow was going to be a busy day. He had a long tour of London ahead for Maria and Doll, including shopping for things for the two women. Before falling asleep, Alex thought about how he needed to get a lot done in the next couple of days.
To be continued...
(I think we'll quickly go over a few things and then move on. So, our plan is to visit the FBC, get the Oldest House, and become the new The Board. Then return to the bunker and take a short vacation, which will become a work vacation. And then we'll move straight to the ending. I think I'll do the usual vote on what the next world will be like. Because I'm not sure what I want myself. And now we can go eat. Peace, love, and Rise early, sun, that it may watch your rise.)
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