In Terra, a Hunter, and a Bad Woman

"Starting today, go find a home... a home that belongs to you."

"If one day you find it, then I will return to your side."

"Before then... you can look into the writing on your axe. It may record something about your past."

Maria continued speaking, but the more she spoke, the weaker her voice became.

Looking at the hesitant girl before her, Maria smiled at the girl for the first time.

"That's it..."

With that, she turned and left.

But this time, Puppy did not stop Maria.

Yesterday's parting seemed to have made her understand what a temporary separation was...

It was only a temporary separation.

They would meet again.

She and Maria would meet again!

Once she understood that, Puppy was filled with confidence.

As long as she found this thing called "home," Maria would definitely come see her!

She clenched her fists.

At that moment, she noticed that the note in her hand, containing Maria's advice, had already been ruined by the muddy water.

Most of the writing on it could no longer be seen clearly.

Instinctively, she wanted to ask Maria again.

But unfortunately, Maria had already disappeared from her sight.

After hesitating for a while, Puppy turned and left as though she had made up her mind.

She would definitely see Maria again!

Meanwhile, Maria was leaning against a tree, watching Puppy walk away as she let out a helpless sigh.

She did not know why she had done such a thing.

After all, her battle with the Great Beast had actually drained all her strength.

Though she had ultimately slaughtered it with Blood-for-Blood, there was a limit to how much blood she could absorb and devour at once.

And now, her body had reached the brink of collapse.

Yet she did not understand why she had still been able to leave the forest and return here.

Perhaps she really had found Puppy adorable? Or perhaps her instinctively concerned nature had made it impossible for her to feel at ease leaving the girl alone?

She had come back, one last time, to offer the girl those words of advice.

"Even if it was a lie... this should give her the confidence to keep going."

"That... is enough."

Her voice grew softer and softer, while Maria's body became heavier and heavier.

In the end, Maria could no longer support herself. She could only sit on the ground with her back against the tree, watching the sunrise in the distance.

Hunter and Doll

For many people, the night was peaceful, happy, and belonged to them alone.

But at least for Maria, the night was not a good thing.

Perhaps she had seen too many nights in Yharnam, leaving Maria with an instinctive aversion to the dark.

Yet as though guided by fate, she had once again arrived at the place she hated...

Hunter's Dream.

This was where she had made her final break with the Moon Presence, and where she would arrive after dying through endless cycles...

Tombstones stood densely across the ground. A rising stone path led toward an exquisite house, the delicate flowers were tended with care, and a dark blue moon hung high in the sky.

"Back... again?"

"Or perhaps I never left?"

Looking at this place that was nearly carved into her mind, Maria held her head and walked forward step by step.

But she had not gone far before stopping again.

The reason was... a woman as tall as herself was sitting beside a huge boulder ahead of her.

The woman looked almost exactly like Maria. If there was any difference, it was that her body was made entirely of wood. She was not dressed in the fitted, dashing Hunter attire Maria wore, but in the gentle clothing of a refined lady.

She was practically another version of Maria!

"Doll?"

Maria froze upon seeing her.

She remembered her.

This Doll had been made by Maria's teacher. The reason she resembled Maria was because Maria herself had been used as the model.

In Maria's memories, she had always remained here, welcoming Maria every time she arrived.

But...

If Maria remembered correctly...

"After I slaughtered the Dream, this place should have been destroyed as well..."

"Doll..."

Looking at her, Maria hesitantly reached out and gently touched her cheek.

It was cold, yet... soft. Other than the lack of body heat, it felt no different from an ordinary person...

This...

Maria paused, then widened her eyes in disbelief as though she had realized something.

At that moment, the Doll suddenly smiled.

She tilted her head slightly, trapping Maria's hand between her cheek and shoulder. Her alluring eyes lifted, gazing at Maria with tenderness.

"You have returned... kind Hunter..."

"..."

"Do you need rest? Gentle Hunter? Everything here belongs to you. If you need it, I can prepare a bed for you."

Holding Maria's hand, the Doll slowly rose to her feet.

They were exactly the same height, and neither needed to adjust their gaze to look into the other's eyes.

"...Everything here belongs to me? What does that mean?"

Maria ignored her actions and silently pulled her hand back.

But the Doll merely smiled, spun around, and linked arms with Maria.

Like close friends of many years, the two of them walked step by step toward Hunter's Cabin.

The layout here was still largely the same as Maria remembered. If there was any difference, it was that the atmosphere had improved. It was no longer as cramped and suffocating as before, as though it would devour everyone within it...

Instead, it was warm... like some kind of happy little home.

And the creator of all this was naturally the Doll, who had stayed here all this time, waiting for Maria to return.

Though she possessed a face nearly identical to Maria's, the aura she gave off was completely different.

If Maria's presence was like a sharp sword, then the Doll radiated an incomprehensibly enchanting charm.

Just one glance could draw people in with her appearance. They would unconsciously listen to her voice and follow her will.

For ordinary people, it might have been a fatal temptation.

But... Maria did not fall for that.

Perhaps it was because the Doll herself looked exactly like her, or perhaps for some other reason.

From the day they met, Maria had always treated her coldly.

That only drew the Doll's attention even more.

And as countless people had said before, caring about someone was where feelings began.

As emotions that should never have appeared in something like her emerged, she gradually realized that she seemed to harbor something she should not toward the original she had been modeled after.

But unfortunately... perhaps because she had inherited Maria's irresistible enchanting charm, she had also inherited Maria's inability to express herself.

Until the very end, when the entire Dream had been liberated by Maria, she had never mentioned any of her thoughts. She had merely remained quietly in Maria's life as a tool.

As long as Maria could use her, she would be satisfied...

And after awakening once more in this world, she instinctively sensed what had happened.

So she had been waiting for Maria to enter the Dream once again.

Meanwhile, she had worked hard to transform this space, doing everything she could to make it more beautiful and gentler.

Of course, she had also entertained bolder thoughts.

But... as mentioned before, the Doll was just like Maria. She was not good at expressing her feelings.

So she could only try to make Maria understand everything through her actions.

But unfortunately, Maria's iron head could not think that far. She only wanted to know what the Doll meant when she said this place belonged to her.

"Just as you heard..." Seeing Maria's utterly emotionless expression, even the Doll could not help feeling a little disappointed inside.

"After you slaughtered all the Hunters, although your body did not change because of your choice, your spirit had already ascended."

"During the time you were unconscious, your spirit instinctively constructed its own defensive fortress... But because it was merely an instinctive action, this fortress was not created from nothing. Instead, after you slaughtered the Hunters, it devoured and absorbed Yharnam's Dream, transforming it into this."

"In other words, this is not a space somewhere in reality. It is simply a spiritual world that belongs to you... including me."

The Doll explained everything she had learned after awakening in one breath, then raised her head to look at Maria sitting across from her.

Beyond the simple wooden window was still a dim sky, but the heartwarming bonfire within the room illuminated them both.

Comfortable and warm.

After remaining silent for a while, Maria let out a helpless sigh.

"Then... what is this place for?"

"That depends on your choice, Hunter who is gentle but unable to express herself."

The Doll smiled as she spoke.

Hearing her words, Maria paused. Then she silently took out a pitch-black object from her pocket, something like a burned rubber tube, and handed it to the Doll.

"This... Umbilical Cord, can you use it?"

Maria asked.

She had obtained this thing after slaughtering the Great Beast.

Perhaps its aura had attracted the creature, or perhaps there had been another reason, but... Maria had discovered that the Three-Headed Hound was not truly an Outer God. At its core, it was merely a mad stray dog that had accidentally obtained an Umbilical Cord, gaining that strange power as a result.

Judging by how thoroughly the two had fused, it had existed for no more than three months.

But... the legends surrounding that forest did not seem like they had only existed for three months.

That meant there was still a true Great Beast in that forest, one that the people of this world called a Great Beast!

This made Maria decide to visit the place in reality and see for herself.

As for this Umbilical Cord...

Maria had no intention of eating it, but she could not continue carrying it around either.

That was why she handed it to the Doll, to see what she could do with it.

"An Umbilical Cord connecting your power and body..."