Chapter Text
The cinema room was vast and dimly lit, its plush velvet seats arranged in sweeping tiers that descended toward an enormous screen that dominated the front wall. The air carried the faint scent of buttered popcorn and old magic, an impossible blend that somehow felt right in this impossible place. Rows of people sat scattered across the seats, some clustered in familiar groups, others isolated in stunned silence.
Emilia sat in the center row, her silver hair catching the faint glow from the now blank screen, her amethyst eyes wide and glistening. Beside her left, Subaru slouched in his tracksuit, looking utterly drained, his face pale from reliving every death, every failure, every desperate loop he had endured. Rem clung gently to his left arm, her blue hair spilling over his shoulder as she murmured soft reassurances. Ram, seated one row behind with her arms crossed, watched her sister with a mixture of exasperation and quiet pride.
On Subaru’s lap, Beatrice rested her small hands on his knee, her drill curls bouncing slightly as she looked up at him with a complicated expression. It’s part worry, part affection, part exasperation at his endless self sacrifice. Patrasche, the massive black ground dragon, lay sprawled across several seats in the back, her intelligent eyes fixed on her master. Otto and Garfiel sat nearby, the merchant nervously adjusting his hat while the golden haired youth punched the air in excitement.
Further back, the Crusch camp occupied a row: Crusch herself sat with perfect posture, Felix curled cat-like beside her, and Wilhelm standing respectfully behind them. The Anastasia camp was clustered to the left—Anastasia with her sly smile, Julius poised and elegant, Ricardo laughing heartily, and the Hoshin triplets squished together in one oversized seat. Priscilla lounged imperiously in her own private section, Schult attending her quietly, while Aldebaran slouched beside her with his helmet tilted. Reinhard stood near Felt’s row, ever the knight, while Felt herself kicked her feet restlessly. Roswaal, in his clownish makeup, sat with Frederica and Petra a few seats away, his heterochromatic eyes gleaming with amusement. Meili sat cross legged on the floor in front of them, playing with one of her puppet spiders.
Even the Witches were present. Echidna tilted her head curiously, Minerva sniffled quietly, Typhon skipped in place, Daphne’s monstrous stomach growled audibly, Sekhmet exhaled lazily, and Carmilla floated with shy luminescence. Satella’s shadowed form lingered furthest in the darkness, her presence oppressive yet silent.
The screen had just faded to black. Arc 4—the Sanctuary, the snow, the Great Rabbit, Elsa, Roswaal’s betrayal, Garfiel’s past, Beatrice’s contract—had all played out in merciless detail. Every death Subaru suffered, every tear shed, every victory clawed from despair. The room had gone through every emotion: horror, grief, rage, relief, joy. Now, at the end, the atmosphere was one of exhausted catharsis.
Emilia was the first to move. She turned fully toward Subaru, tears still on her cheeks, and reached out to take his hands in hers.
“Subaru…” Her voice trembled. “You went through so much… for the Sanctuary, for Beatrice, for everyone. I… I’m so proud of you. And so sorry you had to endure it all alone.”
Subaru gave a weak, crooked grin. “Alone? Nah. I had all of you in my heart every time. Couldn’t have done it without that.”
Rem tightened her grip on his arm. “Subaru sama… Rem knew you would save everyone. Rem always believed.”
Ram huffed. “Barusu, you absolute fool. Dying that many times… If you ever do something so reckless again, Ram will personally drag you back from the grave to scold you.”
Garfiel pounded Subaru’s shoulder—gently, for him. “Cap’n! Yer amazin’! Tch, made my amazing self tear up a little. Don’t tell nobody!”
Otto laughed nervously. “ Subaru, I think I lost ten years of my life just watching. How you kept smiling through all that… I truly don’t know.”
Beatrice buried her face against Subaru’s side. “You stupid contractor… promising Betty you’d never leave her alone again… and then throwing yourself into death over and over. Betty forbids it from now on, in fact!”
Petra bounced up from her seat and ran over to hug Subaru’s leg. “Big brother Subaru is the coolest! You saved everyone again!”
Frederica smiled warmly. “Master Subaru, your courage humbles us all.”
Roswaal’s voice drawled from the shadows. “How splendidly entertaining~. To think my little pawn would grow into such a fascinating protagonist~.”
Crusch stood and bowed slightly. “Natsuki Subaru, your resolve in the face of impossible odds is worthy of the highest respect.”
Felix saluted playfully. “Nyaa~ Subaru kun, you’re officially the toughest human I know!”
Wilhelm inclined his head gravely. “Your swordless battle honors the name of a knight more than many who carry steel.”
Anastasia clapped slowly. “Well, well. Ya really are somethin’ special, Natsuki kun. Worth every investment.”
Julius offered a sincere smile. “Your heart is a blade sharper than any steel.”
Ricardo guffawed. “Boss was right! Kid’s got guts bigger than a wolgarm!”
The triplets cheered in unison, “Oniisan is super strong!”
Reinhard’s voice was quiet but carried. “You fought with everything you had, Subaru. I’m glad you’re here with us now.”
Felt punched the air. “Damn, big bro! You’re way tougher than you look! Guess I owe ya a drink when we get outta here.”
Priscilla flicked her fan. “Hmph. The commoner amuses with his tenacity. A fitting spectacle.”
Aldebaran chuckled under his helmet. “Heh, bro’s got more lives than a cat. Respect.”
Even the Witches stirred. Echidna’s eyes sparkled. “Such delicious greed for a future… I could watch those loops forever.”
Minerva sniffled. “All that pain… I want to heal it all!”
Typhon tilted her head. “Was Subaru bad? He died lots… but he saved everyone. So he’s good, right?”
Daphne’s stomach rumbled. “So many deaths… smells like food…”
Sekhmet exhaled. “What a hassle… dying so much… haa…”
Carmilla whispered shyly. “His love… it’s so bright… it makes my heart flutter…”
The room filled with overlapping voices—cheers, laughter, tears, congratulations. Subaru sat in the center of it all, face burning red, waving his hands. “G-Guys, come on! It wasn’t that big a deal! I just… did what I had to!”
Rem smiled softly. “It was everything, Subaru kun.”
For a few minutes, the groups mingled. Emilia chatted quietly with Crusch and Anastasia about the political ramifications of the Sanctuary’s liberation. Garfiel and Ricardo arm wrestled noisily. Felix teased Julius about his “brotherly” feelings toward Subaru. Petra and Meili compared favorite deaths—morbidly—while Frederica scolded them gently. Ram and Rem stood together, watching Subaru with twin expressions of affection and exasperation.
Felt finally flopped back into her seat with a sigh. “Alright, alright, enough mushy stuff. We’ve seen the guy’s whole deal up to the Sanctuary. Are we done here? Can we finally bust outta this creepy theater and go home?”
Reinhard glanced toward the exits—sealed, as always. “It seems our host has not yet released us.”
Subaru rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah… kinda figured this wasn’t over. Whoever dragged us here probably has more ‘entertainment’ planned.”
The lights dimmed further without warning. A low hum filled the room, like a chorus of distant voices layered atop one another. The massive screen flickered back to life, casting cold white light over every face.
A figure appeared at the front of the room—no, not quite appeared. It coalesced from shadows near the screen, tall and indistinct, edges blurring like ink in water. Its form shifted constantly, as though multiple silhouettes occupied the same space. When it spoke, the voice was a nightmare of overlapping tones—male and female, young and old, human and inhuman—all speaking the same words at fractions of a second apart, creating an echoing, dissonant chorus.
“Congratulations… on surviving… the tale… thus far…”
Every head turned. Emilia tensed. Crusch’s hand went to where her sword would be. Garfiel growled low in his throat. Even Priscilla sat up straighter.
Subaru stood slowly. “You’re the one who trapped us here, huh? The ‘warden’? What do you want now? We’ve seen everything up to Arc 4. Isn’t that enough?”
The being tilted its impossible head. “Enough…? No… The story… continues… But not… here…”
The screen brightened. An image resolved—crisp, high definition, as though filmed yesterday.
A lone figure walked through a fog shrouded street of gothic architecture. Tall spires and arched windows loomed in the background. The cobblestones glistened with fresh blood. The figure wore a long, dark overcoat splattered with crimson stains that hadn’t fully dried. A tricorn hat shadowed his face. In his right hand he carried a metal cane—elegant at first glance, but its surface was segmented, threaded, designed to extend and whip with serrated edges.
The camera angle shifted. The man looked up.
It was Subaru.
Older, perhaps—harder around the eyes. His expression was grim, resolute, exhausted. Blood freckled his face. The blood dripped slowly onto the stones.
Gasps rippled through the theater.
Emilia’s hands flew to her mouth. “Subaru…?”
Rem whispered, “Subaru kun… what is that place…?”
Beatrice clutched his sleeve. “That’s… that’s you, in fact… but wrong… something’s very wrong, I suppose…”
The real Subaru stared at the screen, mouth open. “That’s… me? But I’ve never… that coat, that hat… that weapon…”
Aldebaran jolted upright so fast his chair creaked. “No way… Bro, tell me that ain’t what I think it is…”
The warden’s voices overlapped again, gleeful and terrible.
“This is Natsuki Subaru… as he will be… very soon…
He will be taken… from your world… and cast into another…
A world of blood… and silver… of moonlight madness… and Great Ones beyond comprehension…
Yharnam awaits… The Hunt begins anew…
He will not go alone… Others will be dragged with him… into the nightmare…”
The screen shifted—quick cuts. The threaded cane extends into a vicious serrated whip. Claws raking stone. Towering, twisted beasts with too many limbs. Churches filled with incense and corpses. A sky dominated by a blood red moon. Vicar Amelia’s monstrous transformation. Gascoigne’s frenzied axe. The wet, crunching sounds of insight skulls splitting open.
Subaru’s face on screen twisted in grim determination as he parried a blow from something half man, half wolf using a flintlock pistol, then countered with a visceral transform attack that sprayed blood across the lens.
The theater erupted.
Emilia screamed, “No! You can’t send him there! That place—it’s horrific!”
Rem’s eyes filled with tears. “Subaru kun… not again… please, not more suffering…”
Ram’s composure cracked. “Barusu… if you die in that place… Ram will find a way to follow and punish you.”
Garfiel snarled, claws extending. “Oi! Ya sick bastard! Send my cap’n to some blood soaked hellhole? I’ll rip ya apart first!”
Otto clutched his head. “That city… those monsters… Subaru will be hunted endlessly!”
Crusch stood, voice like iron. “This is beyond cruelty. Release him from this fate!”
Felix hissed. “Nyaa… that’s no normal world. That’s a nightmare made real!”
Anastasia’s smile vanished. “Ya can’t just throw him into that kinda hell for fun!”
Julius gripped his sword hilt that wasn’t there. “We will not allow it.”
Reinhard stepped forward, divine power crackling faintly around him. “Warden. I demand you cease this at once.”
Felt shouted, “Hey! Let him go, you creep! He’s suffered enough!”
Priscilla laughed, but it was sharp. “How droll. Sending my entertainment to an even grander stage of suffering.”
Meili tilted her head. “Lots of scary beasts… maybe fun for mabeasts…”
Petra burst into tears. Frederica held her close.
The Witches stirred uneasily. Echidna’s curiosity warred with discomfort. Minerva wailed, “So much hurt… I can’t heal across worlds!” Typhon looked sad. “Is Subaru gonna break more there…?”
But the loudest reactions came from two people.
Subaru staggered back into his seat, eyes wide with recognition. “No… no no no… Yharnam?! That weapon—the threaded cane. The beasts, the blood, the moon… That’s… that’s Bloodborne. That’s the world of Bloodborne!”
Aldebaran shot to his feet, helmet swiveling wildly. “Bro! You recognize it too?! I thought I was the only one! That nightmare world—beasthood, insight, the Great Ones—I played that game back on Earth! It’s endless death, madness, and things that should not exist!”
Subaru clutched his head. “I died so many times here already… and now you’re sending me there?! Where blood heals you but turns you into a monster?! Where every hunter go insane eventually?! Where cosmic horrors watch from beyond and use you like a puppet?!”
Al’s voice cracked. “And the Old Hunters DLC—Ludwig, Laurence, Lady Maria—that’s probably coming too! Bro, we’re talking about the Orphan of Kos level of trauma here!”
Subaru whirled toward the warden. “Why?! What did I do to deserve this?! I just got through Arc 4! I saved the Sanctuary! I got Emilia and Beatrice! Let me have my happy ending!”
The warden’s form rippled, voices laughing in discordant harmony.
“Because the story… must continue…
Because despair… is delicious…
Because you, Natsuki Subaru… are destined… for the Hunt…
Prepare yourselves…
The viewing… begins soon…”
The screen went black. The overlapping voices faded into echoing silence.
The cast sat frozen. Emilia reached for Subaru’s hand, trembling. Rem held him tighter. Beatrice buried her face in his chest. Garfiel growled helplessly. Crusch and Reinhard exchanged grim looks.
Subaru stared at the blank screen, breath coming in short gasps.
“Bloodborne…” he whispered. “I’m going to Yharnam…”
Aldebaran slumped back down. “And some of us… are going with you, bro. Gods help us all.”
The lights did not come back up.
The nightmare was only beginning.
For a long moment, no one spoke. Then the questions exploded all at once, a frantic chorus directed at the only two people who seemed to understand what they were looking at: Subaru and Aldebaran.
Emilia was first, her voice trembling as she gripped Subaru’s sleeve. “Subaru kun… that world. What is it? Why do you and Al look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
Garfiel snarled, golden eyes flashing. “Yeah, Cap’n! Spill it! What kinda hellhole turns ya into that? Blood and silver? Horror beyond comprehension? Sounds like somethin’ I wanna punch, but I need details!”
Rem stepped closer, her hands clasped tightly. “Subaru kun, please… tell us everything you know. If you’re going there… we need to understand what you’ll face.”
Even Roswaal’s painted smile had cracked. “Indeed~ Subaru kun, Aldebaran dono… enlighten us. This does not sound like any domain within our world’s cosmology.”
Crusch’s sharp gaze cut through the dim light. “If we are to protect him—or prepare him—we require accurate intelligence. Speak plainly.”
Al ran a hand around his helmet. “Bro… you wanna take this one, or should I?”
Subaru swallowed hard, his voice hoarse. “It’s… it’s called Yharnam. A city. A nightmare city. Both of us—Al and I—we know it from… games. It’s like an interactive story from our world. But if the warden’s sending me there for real…” He shuddered. “It’s not just a story anymore.”
He took a deep breath and began.
“Yharnam is this massive, gothic city—tall spires, narrow winding streets, everything built like a labyrinth. It’s ruled, or at least controlled, by something called the Healing Church. They discovered this thing called ‘blood ministration’. Infusing people with special blood that can heal any wound, cure any disease. Sounds great, right? Except the blood isn’t normal. It’s… Old Blood. Ancient. Tied to things way beyond human understanding.”
Otto adjusted his hat, voice shaking. “Old Blood? Like a divine blessing gone wrong?”
“Worse,” Al cut in grimly. “The founder of the Healing Church, a guy named Laurence, ignored his teacher’s warning: ‘Fear the Old Blood.’ He thought using it would let humanity evolve, transcend our limits. Instead, it started turning people into beasts.”
Garfiel bared his fangs. “Beasts? Like demi humans?”
Subaru shook his head violently. “No. Worse. The most common thing is people slowly turning into werewolves—Scourge Beasts. It starts subtle: longer teeth, more hair, paranoia. They start seeing strangers as monsters and attack on sight. Then their bodies twist, arms and legs stretch, spine hunches, face elongates into a snout. Eventually they’re just massive, mindless wolves that only tolerate others exactly like them. And some people… they mutate into unique horrors. Church clerics who fall to it become the biggest, most terrifying monsters.”
Rem’s face went pale. “And this… happens to everyone who uses the blood?”
“Not everyone,” Subaru said. “But enough that the city’s plagued by it. That’s why the Hunt exists. Every so often, when the beast plague gets too bad, the church calls for a hunt. Hunters go out at night to kill the worst of the infected.”
Julius frowned. “Hunters. Like knight orders?”
Al gave a bitter laugh. “Kinda. But no shields, no heavy armor. Hunters are fast, agile. They use trick weapons—weapons that transform mid fight. Like that cane on the screen.” He pointed at the frozen image. “The Threaded Cane. In one form it’s a walking stick for quick, precise strikes. Pull a lever and it extends into a segmented whip covered in barbs. Perfect for crowd control… because you’re always fighting crowds.”
Wilhelm’s hand rested on his sword hilt. “And their left hand?”
“Firearms,” Subaru answered. “Small little cannons. There’re pistols, blunderbusses, repeating guns. Not for killing beasts outright—most are too tough—but to stagger them, create openings for the trick weapon. Hunters parry with guns. Dodge, visceral attack, rip into the enemy when they’re stunned. It’s brutal, close quarters fighting.”
Typhon stood up on her seat, arms crossed. “And these hunters… they’re respected?”
“Respected and feared,” Al said. “They keep the city safe, but they’re exposed to the blood more than anyone. Risk turning into the very things they hunt.”
Anastasia leaned forward. “So the whole city’s addicted to this blood healing, even knowin’ the risk?”
Subaru nodded. “Blood’s everywhere. They drink it like alcohol. The culture’s obsessed. Outsiders think Yharnamites are insane, and they’re not entirely wrong. On Hunt nights, the citizens lock themselves indoors, terrified of both beasts and hunters.”
Priscilla scoffed, though her voice lacked its usual bite. “A city that heals with the very thing that destroys it. How delightfully self destructive.”
Felix’s cat ears flattened. “Nya… and the warden said ‘horror within and beyond comprehension.’ That’s not just the beasts, is it?”
Subaru’s voice dropped to almost a whisper. “No. The real horror… is the Great Ones.”
The room went deathly quiet.
“They’re… things from beyond our reality,” Subaru continued. “Higher beings. Some people call them gods, but they’re not benevolent. They’re aliens. Indifferent at best, cruel at worst. The Healing Church’s secret goal—the one only the highest members know—is to contact them, summon them, maybe even become like them.”
Echidna’s eyes gleamed with sudden, sharp interest. “Great Ones… entities beyond human comprehension. Transcendent beings that exist in dreams and nightmares. How fascinating.”
Satella’s shadowy presence seemed to ripple with unease.
Subaru went on. “There’s Oedon—formless, just a voice and influence. Rom, who hides the truth from people. Amygdala—giant spider like things with too many eyes. Ebrietas, left behind by the others. The Moon Presence…” He trailed off.
Al picked up the thread. “The Moon Presence is the one that controls the Hunter’s Dream—a pocket dimension where hunters go when they die. They wake up there, healed, and get sent back out to hunt. Over and over.”
Otto’s face drained of color. “A dream that revives you… but traps you in an endless cycle of killing?”
“Exactly,” Subaru said bitterly. “There’s an old hunter named Gehrman—the First Hunter. He invented trick weapons, taught everyone how to fight. Now he’s stuck in the Dream, bound to the Moon Presence. He… offers hunters release. But it’s not freedom. It’s just ending the cycle one way.”
Rem’s voice was small. “Subaru kun… if you go there, will you be trapped like that? Dying and reviving forever?”
Subaru couldn’t meet her eyes. “Maybe. Or maybe I’ll just die for good. Or worse—gain too much Insight.”
“Insight?” Crusch asked.
“Knowledge of the truth,” Al explained. “The more you learn about the Great Ones, the more your mind breaks. You start seeing things that were always there but hidden. Things that drive people mad. Too much Insight and you can’t even function.”
Garfiel punched his palm. “Then don’t learn it! Just kill the beasts and get out!”
Subaru gave a hollow laugh. “It’s not that simple. The city itself warps around the Hunt. The night gets longer. The moon turns red. The line between reality, dream, and nightmare blurs. And the Great Ones… they don’t want to be understood. They want surrogates. Children. Because most of them are infertile or lost their own.”
Emilia’s hand flew to her mouth. “They… take human children?”
“Or try to make them,” Subaru said quietly. “Through rituals. Umbilical cords from Great Ones are key to some endings. To transcending the Hunt.”
Reinhard spoke for the first time, voice grave. “And you, Subaru… you will be sent as one of these hunters?”
Subaru stared at the screen—at himself, bloodied and hatted, cane in hand. “Looks like it. Starting gear: Hunter coat, tricorn hat, Threaded Cane, Hunter Pistol. Classic setup.”
Al clenched his fist. “And the warden said others will be forced to go too. Who? How many? Will they be hunters or just… victims of the hunt?”
The questions hung unanswered.
Petra, tears in her eyes, ran to Subaru and hugged his leg. “Big Bro Subaru… you can’t go. You just saved everyone here. It’s not fair!”
Frederica knelt beside her, voice soft but firm. “None of this is fair. But if anyone can survive that place… it’s him.”
Meili looked unusually serious. “Onii-san… bring lots of beasts back as souvenirs, okay?”
Even Priscilla’s arrogance had quieted. “Hmph. Try not to die too pathetically, commoner.”
Ram’s tone was sharp. “Barusu. Do not succumb. Return.”
Rem stepped forward, taking Subaru’s hands in hers. “No matter how many times you die there… come back to us. Rem believes in Subaru kun more than anyone.”
Beatrice grabbed his sleeve. “Betty will not permit you to leave her behind forever, in fact. Find a way back, contractor.”
Emilia’s amethyst eyes shone with tears, but her voice was steady. “We’ll find a way to bring you home, Subaru kun. All of us. Together.”
Subaru looked around at the faces—terrified, angry, determined—and managed a shaky smile. “Yeah… I’ll try not to go too insane. And if any of you get dragged in with me… we’ll hunt together.”
The screen flickered once more, the bloodied Subaru raising his cane as if in salute.
The warden’s voices returned, soft and overlapping, almost amused.
“The night of the Hunt approaches. Prepare yourselves. A hunter must hunt.”
The darkness deepened, and the cast clung to one another, questions spent, dread absolute.
Whatever came next, Yharnam waited.