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Chapter 11: Ruin the extinct
🕑 Added 2024-06-05 16:40:12 +0000 UTC“Let it be my first and hopefully not my last lesson little hawk!” shouted Eileen. Dark lanterns eerily illuminated their surroundings creating a scenery where only tragedy would be fit to occur.
“Go for the kill on the first occasion!” a scream rang and it was probably one that could be heard by all of Yharnam.
It was one of anger. It was one of hatred. It was the scream of a beast. Light pooled at the horizon, from the building Eileen’s mangled body had been thrown at by the beast that had once been Henryk.
“I will endeavour to fight the beast at close quarters. Your duty is to assist me from afar and disrupt or stop its magic if possible!”
“Understood Eileen!” Astoria spoke. She gazed at the birth of an inferno. It made her wish that she had known more spells, spells that could be used offensively and for defence.
However, it didn't mean that she was helpless. She had a wand and this was all a wizard needed to create wonders. She's just needed to be resourceful.
If she couldn’t use spells, she would just use the world around her! She would have to change it, to bend it and mould it until either she or the beast would break!
S̷̨̡̡̢̢̪͙̹̟̮̭̻̙͉͖͙̖̜͔̬͙̹̈́̏̀͒́̐͆̾́͗̄͂h̸̛̻͖͙͍͕̝̲͓͔͗͆͌͆̌̅̚̕ę̵̢̢͔̗͖͚̞̹̯̪̗̹̩̤̹̹͈̲̮̣̖͈̼̭̙͚̞̗͍̠͚͗̐̑̑̉̅̽͑̃͒̍̊̐̋̓̐͒͘͘͝͝'̵̧̡̧̭͇̰͇͖͓͇̹̠̤͖͛̓ś̶̨̨̟͈̜̣̗͓̱̭̜̺͚̹̣̰̤̩̻̙̘̦̜̉̾̐͂̒͂̃̓̂̀͌̂̔̚͘ ̷̨̯͓͓͕̥͚͇͔͕̬̞̯̹͈̜̙̘̯̫̱͉̹͑͐̓̍ḽ̵̢̧̨͈̹͈͖̟̠̪̻͙̫͍̬̫̝̬̩̙̹͙̭͓̻̱̙̔̚͘͜͝ͅę̸̢̛̗̹͔̮̳̙̿̓̑̽̓͌͑̐̽̈́̄̅̅̋̾̕͝͠͝ä̶̧̛̱̪̖̝̰̮̳̳̭̘̎͜͝r̶̛͖̫͓̻̳͈̬͙̭̝̯̥̲̠̖̘̝̫͍̳̂̂̈́́̔̐̀̋͂̂̋́͐̑͛̌̎̇͘͘͘͘͘̚͠ǹ̸̡̰̱͈̬̩̺̪͈̦̩̗̳͎͍̝͇̰̹͍̗͉̰̹͔̘̰̪̭̲̣́̉͐́͌̓̔͐͆̀̉̅̓̈́̎̈́̕̚͝͠į̵̢̡̛͎̲̥̭̰̺̥̯̲͈̟͔̝̞̥̟̠̬͕͔̙̜̱̌͛̋̏͗̍͛͗̇̍̋̐͑̓͑́̐̉̒̋͌͘͘͘͜͜͝͝ǹ̴̢̧̢̰̹̗̠̥̦͚̩̼̜̪͙̟͈̯̝͍̻̰̼̼̦̇̀͆́̈̓̄͋̈̀͜ģ̵̢͉͕̺̞̥̦̠̠̩̟̜͙͕̜̞͍̥̯̮̺͓͇̥͈̤̲̻̦͓̿́̅͂̈͘,̴̢̥̟̮̟̃ ̷͈̯̹̪͎̘̩̙̪̠̭̙̠͍̅̓͑̽̒̈́̓̓͊͋̀͛̈́͛̏͛̈́͛́̒͂̈̃̈́͐̀̾̅̌͘̕͝s̵̡͇̺̗̥̫͖̯̦̮̺̳̑͆͗̌̈́́͌̋̂̄̊̆̿̾̈́̐͒́͘͘͜͠͝͝h̶̡̛̛͍̲̟̟̰̣̥̹̘̠̖̰͎̰̗̙̤̳̟̝̔̄̉͆́̈́̀̑͗͊̄͑͒̌̇̾̀̀̀͘͝͠ȩ̷̨̡̛̛̞̹͙̘̖̟̘̻̳̰̟̖̖̫͕̰̝̹͈̫̝̊̃̈̾̇͆̂̓̓̎̈́̆̐͋̐͋̽̇̑̿͘̕̚͠'̴̨̨̩͔͇̹͎͖͑̑̒̾͑͌̈́̃̈́͋̊̔̿̽̎͊̏̔̓̈́̕͝s̴̨̨̡̰̯̬͈̘̩͙͔̗̻̖̭͉̰̻̗̠̻̊̃͌̋̓͆̀̐͑͑̑̔̄̉̽̈́͋̔̐̋̕͜͠͝͠ͅ ̴̧̢̗͇͎̳̝̦̤͔̞̙̙̄͑̀̀̒̌̐̀̆͛͆̑̆̔͊̓̃̈́́͒̓͋̿͊̔͑̕̚c̸͖̙̘̙̖̬̲͍̜͓̘̪̘͉̯͕̭̲͔̫̀̈́͌͛͑̎͗̽̚͜͜ͅẖ̵̢̢̢̭̻̗̻̘̟̙̝̠͇̪̫͛̄̈́̐̿̑̄̚ͅǎ̷̧̘̯̤̯͉̮͙̹̻̝̻͍͔̩͇͇̤̲̘̞͖̩̎͐́͗̀̈́̿̅̌̌̋̋͑̑͐̿̓̀͆̊̈́͆̏̏̉̔͋̔͜͝n̶̬̐̆́g̵̘̪͍̱̮͓̱̗͈͈̳̤̅̑̈́̅́̚į̴̨̡̡͙͖̯̯͈̝̤̻͉̪̣̯̤̲͕̙̳͖̭̪̲̈́̌̌͂̒̀̿͋̈́͆͊̒͂̏̈́͐͒̍͆̚̕̕͝͠ņ̸̨̛̻̮̟̩̯̠̦̞͖͋̀̒͆͆̾̀͛̓̂̾̈́̑͝͝ͅğ̴̡̞͚̗̣̪̝͐̄͊͆͗͛̃͂͂̓͂̇̏͆
Astoria drew her wand in a great arc. The action in itself was more an act of focus than anything else.
What she would try to do would be something normally impossible for third-year students, even for most Hogwarts graduates.
Voiceless transfiguration.
They were taught since their first school year spells to help them change the world in a precise way but Astoria had just been a third year and thus didn't know enough.
It meant she would have to create something new by herself, through her own will and magic.
Fear the old blood. She could understand so both so much more yet so much less now. The world, living things, they were all so insignificant in it but in partaking in blood, in inheriting blood echoes, in understanding your own worthlessness, there was wisdom in those things.
There was ǐ̸̡͕̟͓̮̦̔̐̎͐͜ͅņ̴̼̤̦̪͓̋̊̀̉̉́͠s̴͔̞̩̜̟̔͂͐̒i̵͙͕̗͚̞͕̟͂͐g̴̛͎̣̅̐́̎͐̃h̸͖́̔͋̆́͘ț̶̻͉̹̳̥̤̿̇͠ͅ.
The blood of a Pthumerian, a child of the gods, of a great one ran through her no matter how thin it was. It was just a drop, one of a pale yellow, almost silver but sometimes little things were enough to accomplish greater things.
Pushed, strengthened by a might that was both familiar and foreign, she made the world break.
The buildings, the homes, the streets, the street lamps, they all splintered into millions of pieces, hundred of thousands of tons ascending in the air, forming another sky above them under Yharnam.
The only thing left, that hadn’t been untouched was the spot where they were standing, now appearing to float.
Only Astoria knew that pieces of wood and gravel so little they couldn’t be seen ensured it stayed floating.
“It's beautiful,” Eileen spoke, awe and astonishment filling her voice for the first time since Astoria met her.
Astoria would have smiled at that, maybe tried to act as if she wasn’t herself impressed by what she just did if everything didn't hurt so much.
Agony swept through her synapses. It was the kind of agony that made everything turn white, that could make a sane man become insane.
It was a soul-deep pain and It was excruciating. The only reason why she hadn’t become a raving mess that would have perfectly fit into Yharnam was because Pain had always been an old friend.
If she hadn’t been so exhausted, so stressed, maybe if it had been in better conditions, she wouldn’t have felt this way but this wasn’t the case.
Astoria Greengrass felt like a god, as if the world itself could be cupped into her palms and the price she paid for was maddening pain.
She felt like a god, powerless to change the narrative, to battle and win against what was decided by the fates.
She could feel it at the back of her mind. She could feel her sanity fraying at the seams. The longer she would keep this up, the more chance she had to never come back even they won.
Ten minutes until dawn. They had less than ten minutes to slaughter the beast. Astoria had ten minutes to win.
The air began to distord, too hot, almost heavy, almost scalding against Astoria’s skin. This was the calm before the imminent storm.
This was all the signs Astoria needed to act. A column of fire rushed at them, seemingly alive and clearly malevolent, hungry.
The world shook as a hellish sound made everything else null. Astoria’s wand moved, like a maestro guiding their troop.
Asphalt, glass and Earth moved like a symphony from the cloud of debris, fusing together, putting themselves on the way on the beam.
It wouldn’t be enough Astoria knew. She knew that what came toward them was akin to a star in the dark cosmos.
No earthly material would stop such a thing, almost primal, divine. Only another thing from the void between stars would.
The tip of her wand shone red with the colour of blood before the makeshift shield changed taking the colour and structure of Siderite.
The flames crashed against the shield and raged with anger but the shield stood proudly. Streams of fire separated at the level of the shield setting ablaze and melting everything else on its path, everything to their left and right.
They stayed behind the shield for what felt like an eternity that probably was an instant.
Eileen the moment she saw the flames flicker, their intensity diminishing, moved, her form fading in ashes and shadows.
She appeared behind the beast, her sword rushing toward the neck of the monster to lop it off its head.
Her blades bit into flesh but this time, instead of severing it was stopped instead. The beast had moved one of his arms to cover its neck and it had been enough to save its life.
Eileen’s blade had cut through skin and flesh before denting dark bone and getting stuck in it.
She could see trickles of light running through the flesh of the beast, the same light she had learned to associate with the magic of the foreign children she had met, the same light that was probably strengthening it so much.
The beast lunged, its other hand coming to crush her as it spinned. Eileen stayed calm. She just waited.
She waited until the hand was close, until it was centimetres away from crushing her form before she quickened.
Her sword extirpated itself violently from the arm of the beast, following her as for a brief instant, she became immaterial.
She reappeared behind the beast again. She needed to make sure the beast wouldn’t be able to pin her down, to focus completely on her or she would lose.
It seemed as if the beast had expected it as its wings rushed toward her like tentacles, their edges looking sharper than her blade.
Eileen stepped forward and quickened again, reappearing at the edge of the knees of the beast, her sword cutting at the perfect moment at the heel of the beast.
She quickened again, just before the beast turned into a crater the spot she was standing instants ago.
She reappeared this time just In front of the beast, her blade of mercy biting into the now unprotected flesh of its neck.
She had expected that the beast would react, that she wouldn’t have enough time to sever the head but that at least, she would be able to make it bleed.
She hadn’t expected the red glow that covered in less than an instant the body of the beast and that would her sent flying her away.
It was her fault to be truthful. The beast had already shown something similar when she thought that she had won.
She should have planned for it or something similar to happen Eileen mused. She spinned in the air turning her impromptu flight into a controlled one.
Her feet slid on the edge of a bench and on the ground creating sparks. The moment she rose her eyes, the beast was already before her, pouncing with claws coated in red magic.
A claw rushed toward with a boom, one too fast for her to dodge. She chose to redirect, using the back of her blade to pummel the wrist of the beast down.
Another claw came trying to tear through her. She pushed on her left heel, sliding herself to the left.
The claw met the ground and made it explode, a cloud of mist and dust rising. Eileen saw something in it, impossibly bright, captivating, that was moving toward her!
She moved back, using her quickening to put some distance between her and what she could now see as orbs of light following her.
The things were fast, ridiculously she pondered as she had to glide on her knee to dodge one of them, using her left hand as a support for her body to contort around another one, to quicken again to try to distance herself from them yet it was nought.
One of the orbs came on her left. She pirouetted over it, her blade extended. If she couldn't evade them completely, it just meant that she had to cut through them.
White bled as her blade cut one of them in two before it began to shine. She didn't try to quicken. She knew she wouldn’t have enough time.
Instead, she activated the mechanism of her blade, separating it. Siderites was an ore deemed indestructible and she hoped that for a moment as she tried to hide most of her vital parts behind it that it would be enough.
The orb exploded with the force of a bomb and a shrill ear-shattering sound. It felt as if she had been sucker-punched but all over her body.
She felt weightless as the explosion lifted her in the air and threw her toward her a mosaic. Even with her head upturned, she could see it, the image of young Lawrence with light shining around his head.
Eileen stepped on it, gravity seemingly losing its grip on her. There were no point in trying to dodge the orbs that were still coming toward them.
Why try to fight the solar flares when you could crush the core of the star itself? Blood pumped into her veins, power swelling into her form as she pushed herself, the stained glass cracking before shattering under her feet.
The beast welcomed her advance with a roar in challenge, with claws coated in red. Siderite met red appendages and sent the beast flying out of the building.
Eileen was already following, her quickening removing the distance between the two of them, her blade poised to strike again.
Claws met them again. They crashed against each other, again and again, dozens of times in what was less than a second, red ominous sparks flying around them and lighting up their faces.
Eileen was always moving, her form shifting and moving so much through the use of her quickening that she seemed more like a shadow taken form than anything else.
She moved her head on the left, her grip on her blade moving to thrust it into the limb before she had to evade again and the dance had to continue.
The beast didn't look as close as human now. Before it could be suspected to once have been human but it wasn’t the case anymore.
The more Eileen made it bleed, the more she struck against it, the more what came out of their encounter was monstrous.
Spikes of bones grew on each side of its limbs to puncture her, a dark maw opened, blood seeping from it to try to bite her head off, blue frail-looking legs grew from its form, its back to allow it to move and strike even faster, its tentacles like wings having grown to the size of what seemed the giant door of a cathedral.
Eileen was the one making her adversary bleed yet it didn’t at all feel as if she was winning.
It instead felt as if she was losing and the worse was that she was going overdrive, pushing herself to heights she never had before just to keep up and it was something she felt dearly.
The art of the quickening was one that was exhausting, asking from its users a lot of endurance.
The only reason why Hunters could use it and not exhaust themselves literally to death was due to the blood powering them but even amongst them, there was a reason why it was a hunter unknown.
Only legends, the ones who defined what it was to be a hunter could use it as much as she was actually doing in a way where it seemed more easy than breathing.
Eileen wasn’t one of those legendary hunters. She wasn’t like Gherman, like Ludwig, like Henryk.
Eileen blinked, eyes wide open as the beast form faded in dust, as her slash went to nothing and made her lose her balance.
Already, she could feel it, the shadow of the beast behind her. It was so easy to forget she thought as her gaze met the savagery and madness in the eyes of the beast that it once had been a hunter.
She pushed herself, her form beginning to shift again, dematerialising itself. It was at that moment that the beast roared and she felt herself yanked, her breath knocked out of her lungs, her form not having moved.
The beast, it had found a way to stop her from quickening. The old blood was evolution in itself, the ichor of a deity unbothered by the trapping of the physical world. Was it surprising that the ones consuming it wouldn’t be able to do what was thought to be unnatural, impossible?
She could see dark joy in the eyes of the beast as it realized that it had succeeded in trapping her.
Astoria had destroyed their surrounding to create herself a weapon and in doing so had only left a dark chasm where there was now nothing but darkness.
It hadn’t been a problem for Eileen when she was using her quickening. She had used her hunter art to manoeuvre herself above the void but now that she couldn’t do so anymore, she was trapped, trapped against a beast with wings and that unlike her could still use the quickening.
She tried to rotate her body, to use the force of her rotation to if not redirect try to minimize the onslaught she saw coming but she knew it wouldn’t be enough. She wasn’t as fast as the beast without her hunter art and beast and hunter knew it.
At that moment, the hunter became the prey.
The many limbs and protrusions of the beast flew toward Eileen bridging the distance between them in an instant.
They cut through her form, putting gaping holes in her body, blood erupting from her like a macabre fountain before the jaw of the beast closed itself around her body and crushed it.
This was what would have happened if Eileen was fighting on her lonesome.
From the sky rained siderite.
The beast try to dodge, to quicken but it was useless. What it was doing was akin to a man trying to escape Zeus’s wrath.
The wings and limbs of the beast all moved, trying to cover, to protect it from the onslaught from above giving Eileen that was left untouched an opening, one she didn't waste.
Eileen grabbed her blade with her two hand, tightening her grip on her blade as she carved from its torso to the left legs of the beast like a sculptor a bloody path.
The beast cried and shouted in pain. Eileen felt a smile bloom on her face as for the first time since the beginning of the fight, she saw something other than madness and anger in the eyes of the beast.
Eileen saw fear before the storm of siderite from above cut through the wings of the beast and made it fall into the abyss below.
Her eyes locked with the numerous ones of the beast before she quickened away, reappearing on the floating platform Astoria was standing on.
“You took your time,” Eileen said while panting. She really needed a vacation. If the world didn't show itself cruel, it would be her last hunt.
“I tried helping you but the two of you were moving too fast.”
A frown marred Eileen’s face “How could you have seen us?” she asked the other girl. Eileen could see how the girl could have after they left the building but inside, where they would have been mostly hidden from the outside, she didn't know how.
She turned to look at the girl and couldn’t push down the curse that left her lips “Oedon be damned. What is wrong with you?!”
The girl was bleeding from her eyes.
S̵̡̛̛̭̟͕̰̗͖̲̖̩̳̠̞̤̦̦̞͎̥̭̜̞̫̳̼̉͗̄̍̔̐͐̒̅͂h̴̠̲͈͉̲̱̀̆̌͗̓͋͛̇͒͂̌̌́̃̂͝͠ẹ̸̙̹̘͔̱̞̪̰̤̹͖̩̜̪̬̣͍̘̖̓̅͑͌̐̒̾̈͗̆́͛̾̽͌̉̒̒͌̇́͘͜͠͝͝͠ͅͅ ̸̧̛̗̺̝̗̩̥̰̫̭͍͚̠̝̝͖͈̮̻͇̲̤̓̔̎̂̄̇͌̍̌͛̕̚͘͝ͅg̴̨̣̼̱͓̯̱͔̱̙̬̹͍̥͕̜͕̝̹̰̙̼̮̮͎̎̆̂̚ḁ̸̲̖̫̼̘͔͇̗͗̎̅̌̌̈́͗͆͑͘̕ͅv̶͔͇̙̤̬̙̰̻̖̘̖̗͓̗̦̤̮̜̼̬͚̜͎̭͈͓̹̓̈͠ͅȩ̴̨̢̛̣̞͕̗͓̥͙̣̖̯͙̥͓̹͚̗̞͍̞̺̰̠͂͆̑̈́̔̃̌̊̍͛̿̍̍͘͜͝͝ ̴̢̢̡̢̛͙̻̼̪̪̟̬͙̀́̾̂̓̔̉̏̆̃̚͜h̶̢̡̨̡̨̢̝̬̜̙̥̝͖̬͚̙͓̯͇̫̟͍̖̣̲̣͉̥͍͓͇̦̗̯͔̪͌͝ͅé̶̡̧̨̨̨̛̛̱̬͓̟̠̤̤̦̗̪̪̦̫̦͉͎̱͎̭̘͗̋̄͋̈́̋͑̀̄̈́̒̒̃̂̽̄̈́̀͋̍̍̅͊̌̐͆̓̓͋̚͜͠͠r̶̨̢̧̛̬͍͙̖̣͓̤̙̜̹͇̫̘͚͍̣͎͑̓̍́̍̒͂̉̄̎͊͌̿͊̓͂͊̄̚̚̕͝͠͠ͅs̵̡̨̡̢̨̛̛͚͕̞̜̜͕̟̮̜̹̤͇̩̹̜̬̝̞̟̟̞͔͇̥̜̬̼̞̗̍̂̽͆̈̔̅͌̿͆̏̄͂̔̐̆͋̽̔͌̏͜͝͝͝ͅͅȩ̸̳̔̌͗̓̽̓̂̌̓̍̓̽̆͆̆̅̊̈́̓̄̄̾̊̾̑̾̈́͑͘͝l̶͕̦͖̑̀̋͗͋͗̈́́͠f̶̨̧̨̛͕͍͇̙̺͍͕̭͙̰̖͇̠̀͊͒̊̍͊͗̂͂̆̆͗̄̓͊̽̒̒̔̄͂͂̕̕̕͝ ̶̡̢̨̛̱̝̖̯̦͈̤̣̬̬͖͍͚̘̫͓̠͙̮̪̺̘̲̦͕̖̦͓͗̉̈́͆̇͋̚ͅͅe̷̡̻͖̘̩̘̪̟̦͍̜̬͎̖̱̒̀̋̀̂͋̀̄̀͆̓̚͜͜͠ͅy̸̨̛̗̩͇͙͕̞̝͗͊̅̀̈̔͆́̿̈́̂̑̃͘͝͝e̴̥̦͙͇̻͔̦̫̱̞̥̹͍͓̣͍̹͓̺̋̈́̑́̅̉̄̔̎̆̑̓͐͂͗͋̅͒̚͜͠ͅs̵̛̛̛̭͓͌̈͋̃͂̾̐̇̅̄͌̉̊͂̒̏̍̍̀͐͘̕̕̕͝
“I needed to see more,” was the only thing Astoria said.
Something on the corner of Eileen’s vision moved. It was in the cloud above she realized. She looked up and was welcomed by eyes.
Piercing green eyes that probably numbered to thousand. They blinked, moved and watched. Those eyes were the same shade than Astoria’s.
She looked at the girl and she realized that she was shaking, shaking in pain.
She grabbed softly but firmly the hand of the girl “You have to stop. You've done enough. You're hurting yourself.”
Eileen tried to see something as her gazes locked with the one of Astoria but she only saw blankness “How can I stop,” girl spoke like a puppet that gained life and whose strings had been cut “when it isn’t finished yet?”
“Wha-”
The Earth shook, quaked with the sound of the damned. The sound was too inhuman, too much.
A̴̛̼͌̿̏̑̂̐͆̀̾͋̒͋̈́̅̃̄̈́́̃̃̈́͋̇̕͝͝ ̸̨̹͉̝͇̱̗͔̩̲̏̄̌͑̏̐̓̇́͛̾̽͑̈́̌̉̄̍̀͒̈́͐̕͠k̷̡̳̭̔͛̅̍̌͌͂͂̽̌̾̂̓͒͘͝i̸̡̧̡͔͎̲͎͖͈̦̘̹͎͍̭̘͎͈͙̠͕̝̫̤̹̞͖̝̖̹̮̊̋͛͝ͅn̸̨̲͕͓͍̟͍̦̲͇͇̞̟̜͉̤͙̗̞̳̤͙̱̖̬̲̤̤̰̉̀͛͊͗̃̒̅͌̌̉̀͒̊̉̄̈́̋͋͒͐̃̅͋̈́̕͘͜͝͝͝͠ͅ ̸̧̢̡̛̼͚̮̠̝͇͔͙͉̼̰̫̥̰̘̲̭͔͌̐̒̿̑͂̈́̾̍͂̐̊͐͑̈̒ͅͅr̵̡̢͍͎̪͈̪͍̞̼̙͉̠̟̾͒͑̒͌̍͒͗͗͐̄̆͛̑̂͋̒͋̔͑̿̃͌̊͜͝ï̸̛̫̗̈̓̌̆̉̽̎̍̈́̀͗̂̎̌͌͛̊̑̑̅̾̿̒̅͆́̈͋̂̾̕̕͘͝s̴̬͈͙̜̮̝͉͕͍̜͚̥̮̥̖̮̥̤̿̓̏͊̈́͋̂̃͂͗̕e̴̛̛̠̞̤͙͇̋̑̉͋̈́̌̎͐́̀̏̌̂͒̒̂̅͋̔̀̋͌̉̎.̵̡̢̡̞̫̗͈̲͍̟̖̳̰̻̻̣̳͈̳̝̤̺̭̰̮̻͙̙̳̘̳͋̑̈́̔͌̄͌̄̆̽̀̇̑̎̆̈́̈́̈̐͗͑̕͘̕͠ ̶̡̧̨̨̲̰͇̝̣̳̖̙͎͚͍̯̩̟̫̲͙͍̖̘̙̯͈̩͕̙͓͓͉̐̏̅̉̐̓̀̇̑̈́̈̈̍̐̓̉̊͊͂̈́̓̈́̉̏̄͌̀̄̚̕͜͜͝͠W̸̢̛͍͖͖͍̞͋̅̏́̒͊̅̇̆́̽̏̈́̏͠o̴̢͚̱̤̺̟͚̟̜̯͙̖͕͚̟̠͉̗̺̣̼͇̰̱̻̰͐͌̅̐̉̀́͋̋͝͝ư̴̢̨̡̢̟͓̞̟̩͔̪̰̫̗͕̻͇̺͍̫̳̗͎̗̳̪͉̟̠̰̻̈́̔̄͐̔̋̌̇̈́̂̀̏̐̽͋͋̀̒̈́͌̈̒̆̑̈͜͜͜͝͠͝͠͝ͅl̵̡̡̛̛͈̹̦̲̖̪̮̭͙̲͇͉͈͕͖͎͈̫̰̱̻̺̹̦̱̜̹͙͔̳̹̘̇͋̃̌͐̐͒̂̃͛̍͊͐͋̋͋̚͝͠͠͝͝ḑ̷̢̢̡̱̤̗̜̼̬̖̰̥͈̲͈̣̫̺̭̮̪̺̹̟̹̬̼̣̗̄̊̍͌͜͜ͅ ̷̧̜̮̩̒͂̿̉͂̾́̓̚ỉ̶̢̧̡̨̡̛͉̭͖̰̰̯̺̗̖̖̯̭͈̬͇̳̞͖̱͔̹̖̝̗̩͓̝̤̪̎̍̒͒͆̈́̀̀͒̆̇̑̊̄͐̎̈́͆̾̉̃̄̈̈̊̏̈́͑̕̕͝͠ţ̴̛̻̺̯̘͍͍͎́̈́̐̑̅̽̒́͒̈̃̐̅̓̊̔͋̾̆́͂̉͊̔̽̏͑͋́͛̐͘͘͘̚͝ ̶̢̧͙̱͚̭̬̹͍͕̞͕̺͎̺̜͚͎̫̼̙̹̙͓̟̭͖̌̅̃̈́̽͒̓̈́͗͜͜ͅb̴͖̺͉̣̥͕͇͖̟̫̺͇̠̮̤̻̥̭̟͇̯̠͎͕͙͎͈̬̲̝̂̐̈̅̾͛̈̍̽͗͂͑̈́̀͛̌͌͆̒́͛͒̀͌͛͊̔͐͘̚͜͜͜͠ͅẽ̴̡̧̢̧̦̱̪̰̬̜̘̯̼͍̺̫̹͕̜̥͍͍̮̩̭͈̫͕̬͇̻̙̤͉͋̒̊̾̍̅̿͂́̀̈͒̂͛̾̐͘̚͝͝͝ ̴̢̱͎͈̮̟̭̝̟̜̩͓̲̘̞̹̮̬͈̤̱̾̄͗͂̍̈́̆̾͑̚t̷̛͖̩̯̣̜̭͈̗̰̺̹̜̬̣̯̳̮̬͎̼̦̜͔̣͍̓́̑̄͐̈̐̃́̄̇̌̉̑̾̕̚͜ͅͅḩ̴̲͓͇̬̀̓̂̀̚ë̶̛̺́̋̀̿̓͋̒̊͋̉̌̓̉̈́͗̑̾̉̓͂̃͂̾̈̕͝͝͝ ̴̘̣͕̝̯͙̟͓̝̯̣͕̲̙͍͓̟̽̂̚b̶̛̛̖̿̓̊́̀̈̈́̆̂͗̿͌̍̓́͆̿̒̄̕̕͝ę̸̨̢͔͚̬͙͎̟͓̝̞͇̅̑̒͆̾̅͗̿̈́̍͋̋̿̈́́̚͜ͅl̴̢͑̃̂̿̍̉ǭ̵̥̟͓͓̯͖̼͉̱̗͉̲͚̦͙͉̬̗̰̅̏̈͛̋̉̀̂͑̚͝ͅv̵̢̡̛̤͚̤̺͇͓͖̱̤̝̻͖͈̦̜̯͔̊̓̇̒̀̿̈́̒̒̒̈́̍̏̌͌̀̔͗̈͗́̐̈́̎̂͘͘͜͝͠͝ę̷̡̻͚̪͇̙̫̗̭̙̊̒̆͆̑͋͑̐͐̔̈̀d̵̢̛͇͙̱̣̯̍͒̽̉͐̍̋̆̈͆̓̍͊̈́́͆̿̑́̐̈͘̕̕͠͝,̵̧̨̡̩͎̹̹̖̫͇͙̜̟͈̬͔̱͎̳̺͉̩̫͍̖͉̥̩͈̪̠̦͖͋̔̅̌͛̌̐̐̌̈̈͒͋̇͛̍̂̏̈́͆̀̆̌́́̽̊͂̑̔̽̋̓̿͜͜͠ͅ ̷̨̦͕͖̦̖̼̺̩̗̣̳̜̜̥̊͑̋̔̔̄͘t̴̨̛̛̘̝̟͇͇͕̱̙͇̬̃́̐̌͐̑̓́̔̚͠͝͠ͅh̶̢̢̡̛̼̺͖̱̳͙͚͚̦͗̒̑̂́́̓̐̋̉͒̅͐͊͗̌͂̑̍̈̐̇͘̕͝͠ͅẹ̴̡͔̰̣̲̫͕̟̰̇̋̑ ̶̧̨̨̨̛̤̯͈͕̥̩̖͈̰̭̬͇̣̩̺̬̰͇͊̿̊̊̍̄̀͛͐̏̓͗͆͛̈̑̐̅̃̀̍͐̊̓̂͛̎͠͠͝͝͝͝ͅš̵̡̢͖̼̫̲̱̖͉͎͖̳͉̭̲͕̩̟͉̒́̆̒̉̀́̏͊̏̕͠u̸̡̧͎̫͕͈̙̟̖̭̥̻̰͔͔̮͉̹̜̠̗͓̱̺̳̦̻̫͇͎̣͙̔̈́̆͗̈͊̽̑̌̔̈́̓̿͌̋̃̚̚͜͠͝ͅr̴̨̢̡̫̠̱̖͕̼̤̗̼̱̮̬̺̟̐̂̔͒͒̒̽̾̍̀͌͛̎̋̂̈́̀̎̅͋̈́̊̇̚͝͝͝r̸̨̢̧̲͎̮͖͔͖̫͕͎͓̗͕͚̝͇͈̭͓͚̞̝̰͓̜̖̤̩̬̐̒̀̋̈́̅̔̓̊͜ͅȯ̵̡̥̜̺͍̬̠̥̬̹̲͕̬͑͂̒͗͌͝ͅg̵̨̢̨̨̧̡̡͕͔̩͕̭̩͎͇͖͓͇̬͉͇̤̝͎̙͍̲͎͚̟͇̥͎̊̀͌́̊̃̆͌ă̸̢̬͉̞̈́͐̑̿͠ţ̷̧̧̛͍̦̘̫͈̟̞̤̬̰̮̖̗͚̻̫͎̱͚̂̉̓͛̑̅̂̓̑̓͆͑͠͝e̸̢̧͍͚̗̝̲̘̩̳̙̥̘̗̼̖͖̩̣͉͕̹̲̱͓̓͛̌͗
Eileen blinked before tears of blood began to fall from her orifices. The air felt heavy, oppressive, making it a struggle to even try to breathe.
This wasn’t the scream of a beast. Eileen wished it had been the case because she knew from what kind of creature could such a wretched sound come from.
She had heard it once below Yharnam, in the subterranean labyrinth created and that once had been the home of the Pthumerians near the cathedral ward.
The intensity was different like the scream of a lion cub instead of the one of an adult lion but she recognized it as the voice, as the eldritch language of a Great one.
Most people thought that all great ones had left the mortal plane, that the being of Eldritch truth remaining were only created by the healing church or the school of Mensis when the truth was something else. All great ones hadn’t been able to ascend, to leave.
D̸̼̦͙͉̙̗̞̓͜ǫ̷̙̏̋͐͆̾̉̇́̑̓̓̒̈́̎̈́̒̎̕̚͝ͅw̵̨̧̺͖̭͖̤̝̹̤͖̺̩̦̑̽͑̊͝ͅͅń̷̺͔̞̱͔̯̳̟̦̯̲̖̆̂̌͂̒͐͘ ̵̧̫̮̮̱͇̙̹͍̥̺̰̬̞̲͔̺̦̰̤͎̖̰̟̙͕̜̱̿̈́̊̈́̔̃͛͛̊͘͜͠b̶̢̨̨̯̣̯̼͔̮̣͚̞͕̜̟͖͚͈̱̄́̀̾́́̃̂̒̄̍̾̔ȇ̵͎͆͊̈́͗̄̚̚ĺ̴̛͙̟̭̘͓̳̜̳͔̩̲̖̇̒̉̉̇͆̎̔͋͗̂͗͐̓̌̔̉̏́̄̍̾̀͌͑̀̉̚̚͘̚͜͜͠͠͝͝ở̷̢̧̥̪̞̙͖̮͇͎̻̘̫̠͔̣̥̬͛̐̾̑͗͐̍̑̅͂͑̓̀̓͂̒̅͋̇̀́̅̔̈́͛͒͑̇͑̕͠͠͝͠͠w̴̡̡̛̛̼̺̮̯̥͍͉͍͚͉̞̗̦̮̱̝̺̓͛̇̀̒̔͛͆̂͘̕̕͜ͅ ̵̧̧̡̭̻͙̮̱̘̙͖͇̻͕̹͔̜͎̅̈́͂͜͝Ę̵̦͓̰͓̖͕̞͇͗͌̎͊̍́́͐̋̓͑̀̄̆͐͋͋̓̾̇͌̓͋́̔̓̑̀͛͂̕̕̚͝͝͝b̷̟͓̮̥̳̲͈͚̟̪̫̲̫̟̱̹͙͍̓͊̄̓͜͠ͅr̶̛͙̮̰̩̯̲̫̲̉͌̋̍́̍̊͊̂̿̌̓̽̈́̑̒̾̐̔́̾̎̂̄̅̇͒̌͑̕̕į̸̢̢̬̳̠͓͔̲̲̰̺̥̯̝͙̮͇̜̹͕̜͎͎̼͋̾͌̐̑̍̐̌̃̕͘ę̴̛͖̖̘̘̀́̒͑̌̆̈́͆́̎̔̽͛̄̈́͛̈͒͌̍̌̑͐̃̽̓̕͘̚͝͠͝t̸̢̡̢͓̖͖̱͎̱̥̱͈̻̥͖̤̬̬̩̥̍̍̎̒ͅͅͅǎ̷̛̛̛͓̞̠̪̝́̒̆͑̍̀͊̊̉̐̅͋͆̒̃̒̅͒̊̀̓̌͆̈́̊̕͘͝͝s̶̨̡̧̧̢̢̡̧̨̢̳̹͕̤̘̫͇̮͉̦̜͓̰̮̘̙͍̣̣̦̪̭̼̝̈́͌͂̈́̂̂̓̾̄͂̐̉͂̀̋̏̾̕̕̚ ̵̨̢̢͙̱̣̰̗̭̻̲̪͈͖̂̓̂͑̓̋̀̐͗͆͒͌̎̑̒̓̒̎̀͑̍̓̅̚̚͜͝ͅĻ̴̠͕̗̼̭͉̥͈̩̟̮̎̀̔̍̀̊̋̔̅͘͝a̶̻͕̲̪̦͉͖͍͕̮̖̍͆̎͗̇͛̐͒̃͆́̽͑͊̒̒̏͒͆̿͂̎̈̒͋̌̐͐̕̚̕̚i̸̛̤̥̫̬̫͖̟̅͆̋̄̀͒͋̇͘͘d̴̡̧̡̡̗͖̭̲̦̗̙̪͎̱̜͙̞͎͎̰̣̜̝̹̲͍̥̦͇͈̯̮̗̝̋̓́̀̽͑̈̀̇̍̍̽̄̆̃̀̊͑̑̓̀̇̌̔̾̍͌̂̒̎͆͘͘͜͝ͅ.̶̨̛̣͖̙̫̜̲̩͈͑͌̾̋́̈́̃̈́̓̀̅̎̋̏͛͆̾̅̕͠͝ ̴̙̙̩̌̈́͌̍̃̀̓̏́̓͗̿̔̍͌̒͑́̓̌̚͘͠͠͝D̶̛̛̟̳̮̖͖͍̳̪̫͖̗̪̺̪̲̳͈͈̈́̀̍͋̐̉̀̄͒́̂̄́͐͑̒́̐͐̓̓́̒̉͐̓̕͜͠ͅŏ̷̡̡͍͍̩̘̝͈̰̫̺̰̦̳͇͈͓̙͖̦̯̞̳̦͍w̸̡̧̢̢̩̲̪̠̝͔̻̝̱͇̺͇͇͎̟̜̏ͅn̸̨̡̛̛̘̠͇͖̼͈̰̲͍̗͕̝̬̥̥͈̬̱͙̞͙͂̄̍̀́͋́͋͂̂͐̆̅͋̎̕͜͜͝ ̷͉̜̂̎̃̓̍̾̅͂̓̏̒̄̉̈́̈́̓̓͌̈́̉̈́͌́̌̏̚͝b̶̜̜͓̱̜̣̼̪͍̮̯̥̰̱̞̺̦̫̫̥͕̮͔̱͓͇̣͚̦͗́̐̽̃̑̇́̓͒̇͂̽̓̽̉̓̀̀͋̄̕̕͜͜ê̸̡̨͈̘̰̯̙̄l̵̢̡̛̥̥̱̼̟̮͍̠͉̙̹͕͚̦̗̙̟̗͋͒̓̈́̍̉̀̀̿̂̂̈͒̇̐͋̚͘͘̕̚͘͠͝͠ȯ̴̡͎̟̯̟͖͔͙͉̝͎̮̝̤̜̣̘̦͌̌̄͛̈́̾́͌̊̀́ẘ̶̧̢̧̨̧̧̛̞͚̜̙̹̦͍̦̯̙̣͓̬̰̯̼̜̮̤̠̟͍̪̹̓̆͌͆̇͒͐́͌̀̇̏͆́́̈́͐̈́́̆̊̀̾̄̔̕ͅ ̴̡̠̤͇͚̪̫̥̤̥͚͕̞̺͌̓̉̒̑͑̐̄͒́́̈͒͒̑̀͆͗͛̐̏̒͑̐̐̔̀͒̈͘̚͜͠ͅͅͅĘ̴̛̜͉͇͔̹̠̟̱̼͇̗͍̣̦͍͖̙̫̩̪͇͓̦̘̬͈̹̜̟͚̺͖̹̓͐͋͐̔͘̚ͅb̶̧̨̘͍͔͇̱̗̠̭̬̭̗̲͓͚̪́͌͑͌̈́̕̕͜r̵̨̯̙̫͍̱͔̼̞̬͍̹͍̬͔̞̞̗͝į̷̛̫̞̳͎̣̳̟͙̤̖͖̹̭̮̣̺̗̗̱̭̗̘̞̪̗̲̍̓̋ͅe̴̛̖̮̲̞͈̊͛̂̆̑͊͆̌͊͛̒̃̉̏͑͐̃͠͠t̸͚̣͉͋̿͊̑̍͋̑̅̅̍̐́͐̃͛̄̈́̂̽̎̓̚̕͜͠͠͝͝a̵̛̰̹͊͛̎̃̿̓̐̈̊̌̎́̋̋̅̔̊͒̃̏͗̏̉̑̑͊̈́̊͋̀̚͝s̷̨̧̼͍̥̘̤̼͍̳͕̪̣͍̲̖͉͉̀̈͗͌̈́̓̒̄́͆̂̍̃͒́̚͜͜͝͝ ̴̢̡̢̳̫̬̩̰̝̞̼͇͓̤͎̼̙̣͇̭͕͗̀̌̀̽̇̐̂̎̔̐̍͒͊̓̀̉͛̚̚͘͘͝͝͝w̵̢͓̣͖̦̬͇͚̠̩̓̎̆̔͑̊̊̌͛̾͑̉̃̄̀̐̓̀͜͝ȩ̷̹̮͎̪͍̺͉͔̦͉̙͎̝̫̹̬̭̜͍̣̲̮̃̑̃̑̆͒̓͗̅͌̏̔͠͝p̸̧̠͔̻̰̙͙̻̖͔̘͍̗̰͆̈͗͑̔̀̀̋̀̑̇̀̃͒̽̾̏̕͘͝͝ͅͅt̶̨̻̪̮͍̮͔̫̲͔̪̓̂̈͆̈̓̂̉̅̔͊̈́͑͛͆̏̒̾̾̆̀͊͒̎̔́̽̚̚͜͜͠͝.
It was through Eberietas’Blood that everything began, the good, the evil and the madness.
Down below, a beast was turning into a kin, a lesser version of a great one that if nothing was done would turn into one sooner than later. The monster had only showed since the beginning how quickly it could evolve.
They needed to destroy the thing Henryk had become not only for vengeance, not only for duty but to ensure another great tragedy wouldn’t befall Yharnam. Eileen knew it without any doubt:
“The pain, even though I can withstand it, it doesn't mean that I like it,” Astoria spoke trying to keep her mind from unravelling further “but we hadn’t won yet. Only after will I stop. What I ask is if we are still on the same page.”
Eileen wished she could say the girl was wrong. She would have if it wasn't a lie. The chasm where the beast had fallen shone with arcane blue light that made her want to gouge her own eyes out.
Ç̴̙̤͈̹̤̭̫̳̱̘̲̳͕̣͚̣̜̰̘͙͓̩̯͈̻̭̗̥̖͛̉͂̍̊̽̂̽̎̐͑̓͐͗̏̓̍͐͌̀̽͐̔͐̕̕͝͝͠ͅa̶̢̨̝̺̘͚̜̻̠̤̮̥̪͎̜̹̲̲̖̝̻̜͑̄̌̑̃̌̓̇̏̀͊͆̓̏͒͆̾͐̀͜͠͝n̵̡̨̘̝͇͔̲̬̪̝̩̥͌̾͂͆͋͋͊̄̐͛̅̎̇̅̎̑͌͛̊͂̍̈́̒̌͘͘̚̚͜ͅ’̷̡̳͈͎̪̯̀̅̂̊͗̈̏̈́̐̈́̃͒̃̊̄̑͑́͋̈͆̒̈́͐̚͝͝͝t̵̛͎̝̺͍̺̹̠͔̞̪͖̬̘̭̪̘̯̘̟͍̳̋͊̓̓̃̍͋͋͐͋̍͑̽͊̉̏̄̌͛͌ͅ ̶̧̡̠̝̫͓̤̥̘̹̞͉̮̯͎̼͔̥͓̯̿͛̀̓̽͐̌̂̊͑͋̾͊̒͛̆̀̃́̅͒̿̐͊͘̚͘͜͝y̶̛̼͓͋͗̈́̂̉̀͂̀́͒̍̈́͘͠ó̸̡̥̮̱͎̣̪̫̮͎̳̖͙͇͖͚̻̱̰̬͚̼͈̣̝̘̫͚̬̙͎͚̍̇̓͛̊̔͜͝͝͝͠ͅu̸͓͍͇͚̞̲͕̅̾͊̾͊̓̀̂̉̔͛̃̕͝͝͝ ̴̡̧̧̨̛̛̫̜͙̱͉͖̰̬͈̥̟͕͈̙̼̟͓̯̹̥̓͂̀͐̄̈́͛̀̃̓̂̍̐͗̀̿͌̔̔̀̄̀̄́̆̆̈́̈̃͘̕͘̕̚͠ͅş̶̧̧̢͍̻͇̠̖̝̳̳̭̗̙̖̻͚̫̭̙͙͉̼͚͒̋́̄͐̎̐̿̀̆̾̀̓͊͘͘͝e̷̡̝̗̺̜̫̺̲͖̜͖̞̰̟̹͚̩̲̬͈̟͎̎͋̓̉̾͋̍͆̾̇̒́̾̉͌͗͊͐͂̈̌͂̓͌̄̔́̽̈́́̾̌͛̉̓̂͑͜ͅȩ̶̡̹͎̪͓̲̬͉͍̺͍͉̱̦̣͕̙̹̗̱̻̱͎̠͔̪̈̏͋̀̐̊͋̊́̋͊̌̃̂͋̋́̍͋͆͛̓̌͆͒̎̍̀͌̚̕̕͜ͅͅͅ ̵̨̧̰̱͈͈͚͚͔̣̦͚̟͌͂̓̊̀̏̄̑̀͋͆̉͐̾̈́̐͆̇͝͠͝h̸̡̢̢̡̢̛̬͈̩̫͖̤̙̻̠̙̤͓̹̻͈̠̤̜̩̫̘̤͓̻̙̳̥͕̲̰̳͗͑͗̑̈́͆̂̉̎͗̉̀͑͋̃̓̈̓̅̆́͊̀́̿͂͗͊̌͘͘͘̚̚͜͝͠o̴̢̡̢̜̙̮̙͔̳̖͎̼̭̤̗̜̫̘̲̥̺̠͕̘̱̝̜̠͖͔̠͖̦̘̾̂̊̉̇̄̆͠w̸̢̧̧̨̧͖͖͓̘̝̯̞̼̠͔̱̭͖̮̯̩̗͕̥̳̝̦̹͆̀̈͋̀̍̑̽͛̒̈͛͌̃͆̐̕̚̕͝ͅ ̴̨̛̲͚͍̯͖̠̦̖̜̭̤̖̜͖̠̮̙͖̭̘̘̩̮̗͉͓̮̾̓̃͑̔̂͊̏̒̔͛̀̐̏́̏̓̓̈́͂̃̽̉̇̌̕̚͜͜͠͠͝b̸̨̧̡̡̩̖̘͉̬̠̫͚̖͓̮͉̭͇̹̬̟̞̹̤͖̲̲̜̟̺͔͐͒̒̃͒̓̔̓̀̉͆͑͗̊̂̀͑̏̇̊̑̚̚͜ͅͅṛ̸̡̉́̈́͐̄̀̋̽̂̿̋̔̇̃͊͋̇̌̋́̎͆̑̑̇̏̊͒̕̕͘͝ì̴̛̯̙̼͙̻͚̹̤̳̤̻͇̤̳͙̍̑̒͘͝͝ͅģ̵̡̨̡̡̧̭̘̠̬̳̮̞͚͈̫̝̮̮̰̞̱̼̬͇̭̪̺̝͈̐̅̽̈́̃̄͐ḧ̵͍̯͍͎̪̗̙͕͇͒̈̃̆̀̾̇̀̕͜͝ţ̷̨̧̺̥̝̩̰̩̯̺̤̞͍̙̖̩̰̘͍͎͈̮̟̙͇̜͍̝̟̹̮̫̣̋̀͗͛̅͒̍̽̌̿͘̕͜ͅ ̷̧̛̥̝͎̤͓͇͖͓̲̯̯͖͍͎̲̳̌̂̔̿͛̆̾͐̊̎̀̿̑̍̽͑̄̆͛͆́̇̍͂̈́̕͘͠͝͝͝i̷̮͒̽̈s̸̡̧͎͕̬̼̞̫͈̜̖͇̝̞̮̟̙̭͈͉͚̙̳̗̿͗̾́́͛͛͊̓͂̾̕̚͜ͅͅ ̵̢̨̢̻͇̜̻͖͉̱̟̻̺͍̥̤̩̱̬͎͇̰͙͎̟̠͍̬̤̹̰͎͇́̾̂̃̋͌̎͐͛͆͛̍̊́̇͗̒̎̑̀̐͋̎̈́̑̀̓͐͂͘̚͝͠M̶̧̛̫̗̪̱͚̰͙̱̺̱̰͎̮͉̭̺̪̰̗̼͈̻̋͗͊̈́̋̈́̎̽̀̈̆̓͋͛̒́̽͂̓̀́́͋͆͊͗̾̂̄͂͛̚̚͝͝y̴̩̝̙̫̭̩̯͉͎͎̏̉́̑̔̈́̈́̏̔̈͘͝͠͠ ̸̛̪̝͈̅́̃̈͂̊̎̎̉̋͐̇̂̕̚̚D̴̢̛̫̺̤̺̰̠͖̠̳̥̘̩̫̠̫̩̬͊̈́̄̿̐͗̓͗̅͋̍̓͒̑̾͑̓̓̈́͗͌͐̆͑̕͠͝ô̷̡̡̦̠̠͓͙̬̙̯̜̜̯̦͎͔̱̬̤͇̲̬̗̙̹̙̐̓̔̐͗͆̄̔̓̍͒͑̃̚͜ͅm̵̬̥̱͙̐ͅͅơ̷̡̧̱͓̙̫̪̲̺̠̰̜̜̗͍̝̰̈́̄̓̏̂͆̈̈̓͐́̓̍̍̉̀̈́͆̇͘̕͜͝͝v̴̢̨̨̡̧͙̜͔̞͎̼̫̱͕͙̼̥̥̯͓͔̰͚̬̬̦̣̺̙͙̥̰̂͌͘ͅo̵̢̢̘̮͎̥̤͍͎̳̱̻͔̹̖̞̳̪̤̯̺͚̳̝̦̝͖͙̼̫̗͝ÿ̵̡̗̹̺̹̖̫͔͖̻̲̳͕̦̞̜̞̤͙͇̼̗̖̘̦́́̈́̃̓̀̆̎̉̄̀͑̓̍̋̌̑͌͗̈́̃͌̈̈́̏̔̅͘͘͘͝͝͝͠ͅ?̵̨̢̢͕̻̳͍̰̜̤͖͔̥͍̞̺̣̻̯͇͚̺͈̼͕̙̖͎̖̌̋͛̃̈̄͛̐̓̍͛
“We are,” she said quietly.
The blue under them began to slowly change to take a dark red color. She could hear the sound of what seemed to be thousand of felines, of what seemed to be the shout of a thousand of roosters all combined.
She could feel the world shaking as a titan began to take form below them. It rose, its dark hide the impossible shade of the void. It had almost what could be called a human shaped head, just devoid of every feature that could have made it one, a maw you would expected to see on a gigantic sabertooth.
It rose, wings extending form its back, wings that seemed to be endless, that she lost sight in the horizon, that seemed as if they could cradle the world itself.
Eileen could see a bipedal lower body, a dark long feathered torso that connected to a scailed neck.
The thing that had once been Henryk’s head rose, thousands of bloody eyes blinking, looking into their direction.
I̵̛̫̗͒̌̊ ̷̰̤̜͑̔s̶̩̗̈̓́e̶̪̭̊̈́̑̕e̵̙͇̙̒̓ ̸̣̩͂̎̿̄y̸͇͂͘ö̶̢̲̼̟́̊ȗ̸̧̡̡̯̇͗
She blinked static away. Astoria’s hand moved, the cloud above, shifting and taking the dark hue of siderite.
Hunters and Beast, both so much more than those titles yet so linked to , intricated in those concepts looked at each other.
This would end soon they both knew. Nothing but Death like it was of all hunts. Nothing else. No ideal, no purity, only madness, hatred and death.
At the mark of a silent signal only they could understand, the savagery, the primal act of trying to bring the other down came back at the front.
Thousand of lances fell from above. The wings of the beast shone, arcane and magic particles being launched from them to encounter the iron storm.
They clashed, each piece of Siderite, chipping against dozens of particles before breaking with the sound of glass shattering.
The siderite, what was supposed to be an indestructible ore broke before the might of the monster.
The monster had understood that it was worthless to try to break it in one go. What needed to be done was battering it in a seemingly endless cycle until even what came from the heavens would break.
More than that, the monster understood that it couldn’t allow its opponent to lead the mortal dance they had together.
The jaw of the monster creaked as it opened, arcane and magic working together, coalescing in a single point before being released.
A ray of magic and arcane rushed from below, eating away matter, the physical world to strengthen itself.
There would be no place to escape. The laser was too thick, too huge for them to do so. They could have crossed dozens, hundreds of kilometres and nothing would have changed.
“There must be a way for us to escape. It can’t end like that. Think Eileen. Think!” Astoria heard the hunter whisper under her breath.
Astoria should be stressing, worrying as much as the hunters yet she couldn’t. She knew that the situation was bad but something deep in here knew that this woudn’t be here that she would find her end, at least not in such a way.
Maybe it was delusion. Maybe Yharnam had succeeded in breaking her. Maybe the pain, the agony coursing through her body was the reason.
It didn't change the fact that Astoria Greengrass would not allow herself to die until she took her revenge.
Astoria and Eileen were consumed and killed by the breath of the monster.
As if she would let it become her reality. If Astoria couldn’t win. She just needed to create a world where she could.
The ray touched Astoria’s wand and became [ ].
She lost the vision in one of her eyes and the agony she thought couldn't be worse doubled yet a grin of victory split her lips.
W̷̢͕͆̆͒̓e̷̪̮̒̂̈ ̶̙̫͓͘̕a̸͍͙̓̕͜ȓ̸̡͙̥̯ë̶͖́ͅ ̴͎̣̑͑̓b̷̼̈́̽̄̉ồ̵̡̧̲r̷̰͕̞̠̐̎͐̕n̵̢̺͓̔̂͠ͅ ̶͖̠̞̫̑̀o̸̻͙̒͌͘f̷͍̲̲̃͑͠ ̸͍̜̲͈̋t̸̢̛̼͛h̸̢̟̺̩̐͛̈̄e̷̡̞̫̓̓̍ ̷̦̣͛̈̚b̷̪̋̃͗͠ḷ̵͋o̷̔ͅợ̴̣̯̃̇͛ḍ̵͐̐̋̌,̷̖̩͔̻̍͂ ̷̛͕̣̘̏m̴̭̰̓͛͘ą̵̑̊͠d̶̟̥̾͛̍e̶͍̿̚ ̶̨͔̳̈m̶̪̝̒̈e̴͉̤̹̍ǹ̴̨̼̔̓̍ ̸̠̜͈͋͛̿̔b̷̯̾y̸̲͉͋ ̴͙̦̣̖̔ẗ̸̢̟̤͜h̷͈̩͔̓̆̚ē̵̛͍ ̷̣̺̬̐͊b̵̢̊l̸̟̐o̷̰̠̺͝o̷̜̘̺͛d̵͔̈́́ͅ,̷͕̈́̿͆͝ ̵̼̓u̶̻͈͐̆͠n̴̗̝͎̈́̈́d̵͓̘̞̝̾̅̉o̶̢̮̩̰̓ň̴̛̥͓͈̞͒̚è̸̪̐ ̵̬͎͆͋̚b̷̻͍̭̠́ȳ̸̳̠̐ ̶̼̫̅̒̇̍t̴͇͓̦̄͛ĥ̷͙̟̈́̅ĕ̵̺́̚ ̸̡͓̟͚̈b̶̛͉̫̦̏̋̆͜l̸̡͎̙̻͆̌̋ò̸̠̞̫̻͒͝o̸̧̥̊̐͗ͅd̶̦̲̿̌.̸̼̬͛
That sentence wasn’t only a warning. It was also a prophecy but fate itself could be fickle.
The old blood was in itself nothing but a tool for supreme existences to search for children of their own, for surrogates.
This Yharnam, This world could be a false one but like a faker once said, there is no rule that says an imitation cannot defeat the original, surpass it.
Even a lie could become true if things could be allowed to be different, special and Astoria Greengrass had always been one of a kind whether she liked it or not.
She had always been special and what else than a special child could interest a great one?
She could feel it at the back of her mind, the attention, the presence of a higher existence that weirdly reminded her of her teacher.
It was the void, destruction incarnate and it wanted nothing else but to help her slay her adversary.
She was channeling it through her veins letting both make and unmake her. After all, some things were never meant to be interacted with by mortals.
“Astoria?” there was awe in Eileen’s voice. There was also worry and fear.
“We have to finish it now, before it would evolve more.” Before I would fade she didn't add.
All of this, it was temporary, she knew. It was kinda ironic that the god-like presence of the being at the back of her mind couldn’t understand that. A being alien to death. A being alien to the concept of cessation.
She gazed into the eyes of the monster under them. This time, she didn't feel pain. The monster was the one to flinch.
[ ] began to pool at the tip of her wand “I would make an opening. You would have to finish it.”
Eileen looked at the blonde girl before nodding. That was all she could do to honour the girl fighting at her side, whose shape was becoming faint, almost as if at any moment, she would fade away, that was all she could do to honour the girl whose blood was of a yellow veering toward silver.
Words escaped from the lips of Astoria, the name of a spell that spoke of a beginning and an end, words that felt so familiar, that made her want to weep because of how liberating and simultaneously how it hurt to say them.
“Ruin the extinct.”
Those ominous were a promise. Those ominous words were a hope in a future.
She compressed [ ]. She compressed it and let it take shape, two small spheres, almost delicate looking taking existence around her.
She knew that what she done was a bastardization of something greater but even a seed from Eden could suffice to create a paradise.
The monster looked above, almost with sadness. In that moment, it didn't seem so ruinous. In that moment, it almost was as if the man it once had been was back.
Destruction waited above to extinguish it. What the monster was challenging was the void itself.
This would be its last hurdle, the last obstacle on the path of its apotheosis because if the monster survived, what would emerge after would be an existence worthy of being called a proper great one and not a simple Kin.
A large weapon began to form between the claws of the monster, a saw cleaver made of Arcane and magic both reinforcing each other to create something greater than the sum of their part, something almost divine.
The monster tightened its grip on the saw, instincts that had once been the ones of one of the greatest hunter coming back at the front of its mind.
The thing and Astoria’s gazes crossed. If you would have asked Eileen or anyone else witness at that moment of the fight, no one would have been able to tell you which of the monster or the little girl looked the less monstrous, the less divine.
With a roar that was more a choir of damned souls than anything else, the monster swung, the saw cleaver vaporizing the ceiling above hiding the light of the Astral from ever reaching below Yharnam.
It travelled toward Astoria and Eileen’s forms erasing from existence every speck of the cloud, every traces of Siderite the young Greengrass had created at the beginning of the fight.
The vision in Astoria's remaining eye became dark as the strain she had put herself through since the beginning began to make her body shut down, as the otherworldy energy run amok her body and destroyed it.
Astoria could feel it, death. This time, she knew she wouldn’t be able to escape it.
Saying that she was content with her sort would be a lie. Saying that a part of her didn't regret waiting above for the sun would be a lie. Saying that she was fine with dying would be a lie.
Astoria Greengrass more than anything else felt tired.
Her body was already a relic, her heart having already stopped beating. Only her flickering well made sure her body wasn’t yet inert, that it would be capable of one last miracle.
Don’t hesitate. Don’t hesitate Tori. She could almost hear the ghost of her sister whisper it in her ears.
ĺ̵͔̈́ͅͅo̸̯̭͚͖͂̓v̷̱̘̆ẻ̷̲̀͐̈́ ̵̝̌̀̚͘͜y̵͘͜ȍ̴̤̲ͅú̷͚̣͎͒ ̶̪̰̼̅͒Ḏ̴̭̻̏́̈́a̶͎̿́p̶̝͕̖͒h̵̺̔̔n̶͕̂̅ê̵̛̱̲͒̓
The last person Astoria Greengrass had ever wanted to disappoint was her sister. She feared it more than dying and this was why, this was how even though she only wanted to relax in Death’s embrace, she didn't.
The two spheres flew, crashing against the saw cleaver. Arcane and magic, two metaphysical elements that when combined bordered the divine met [ ].
There was only one possible conclusion. They were erased, the two spheres continuing their odyssey.
The monster tried desperately to stop them, dozens, thousands, hundred of thousand of spells being fired from its wings, each feathers acting like a focus, like a wand yet it was worthless.
They reached their target, the protected neck of the monster, finally sizzling out after swallowing the scales protecting it in [ ].
“Thank you,” Eileen said softly before jumping from the crumbling platform. This was an opening given through the life of the young girl and she wouldn’t waste it.
She activated the mechanism of her blade of mercy, her trick weapon becoming two swords in her grip.
The monster saw her coming like a falling star, fear obvious in its numerous eyes. It knew she was Death and like most living things, tried to fight it.
The beast tried to backhand her in the air. It failed. She chose to quicken, her form reappearing on the knuckles of the monster.
She reversed the grip she had on her weapons and trusted them downward before she began running, leaving bloody gashes through the arm of the monster as she accelerated toward its neck.
Protrusions and living creatures came to life trying to stop her. They failed, her blades cutting through everything on her path.
The arm on the monster she was standing fell as she pushed down with all her might, using it as a way to propel herself to its shoulder.
Eileen could see it, what seemed to be rocky formations slowly but surely began to form around the neck of the monster. It was trying to regenerate.
Eileen had already failed two times against her opponent. She wouldn’t a third time she vowed as she pushed hard on her heel, sending herself flying faster than a bullet toward the edge of the neck of the monster.
Her blade met the neck of the beast. Her muscles bulged as with all of her might, she loped the neck of the giant monster.
Above, sun rays fell illuminating a part of Yharnam that had never been for more than a thousand years.
She quickened two last times, one making her appear just under Astoria’s body to grab it, to stop it from falling and a second one to reappear at the surface.
The girl wasn’t breathing anymore. She looked like a bloody mess, as if she has gone through hell. More than that, she was falling apart, her body slowly but surely turning into sprites of light “It was a pleasure to be able to hunt with you.”
She put down softly on the chest of the girl her blades of mercy, still coated in the Ichor of the monster. This would be Eileen’s last hunt. It was time to give up her blades to someone worthy. It was such a shame than this person was falling apart before her eyes “May you happiness and solace wherever you wake up,” she whispered as under the sun rays, Astoria Greengrass and the blades of mercy disappeared.
Comments
Nisiris
Can't, I just can't wait for another update... this, this is just too good...
Orchamus
Wow, what a ridiculous girl😮😁 Kinda curious as to what Rias reaction will be
Jason Smith
Thanks for the chapter!
