Twilight gripped hard on the handle of her cleaver as she looked at the fog door. It laid before her, swirling in a cloud of mystery, but also promise. She could remember it vividly as it sat behind her against the cleric beast, barring her freedom from the challenge she had invoked.

And now, it was her turn to invoke the challenge.

With one hand put forth, she split the Nightmare Fog, breathing it in as she slowly walked back into the graveyard she had known for a brief time. Glancing ahead, she could see Gascoigne beginning to stand, just a bit farther and to the left of the small tree that stood strong in the middle. Between her and him, stood dozens of graves. They looked solid though, and she bet, if she were careful, she could use them as cover.

Cover meant defending, staying out of combat, and staying alive though. If she wanted to put rest those soft, innocent eyes, make them no longer need to cry, and fulfil the first, truly good thing she could, she couldn’t just stay alive. No, that razor sharp ax of his would probably need to cleave through her stomach, and maybe even kill her again.

But she would be back, and she would make him stop, so she could bring him home.

Gascoigne swung his axe wide, and Twilight brought up the cleaver, bouncing the blade off with almost a sense of contemptment, and her eyes glowed a deeper, darker purple as she pushed forward. The teeth of her weapon found his shoulder, before she spun it back, and got a quick slice into his thigh. Unsurprisingly to her, as she dodged back, she could see the wounds healing, a promise that this man would be no mere villager.

She had to go on the defensive now though, as he switched to using that blasted gun of his, dusting the tops of the tombstones with it’s shards of metal as she dived for cover. Once she heard the click of him reloading though, she spun over it, launching herself forward to cut deep into his stomach. It was surprisingly tough to get her blade in deep enough to inflict any real damage, but his roar was oddly… satisfying.

The man let out another cry of frustration as she rolled away from another blast, before he threw away the gun. This would mean trouble for her, if he began to use both hands, because that would mean more power, more damage, and possibly even more speed, and, while she had been doing pretty well so far to stay out of harm’s way, this could trip her up.

Chink, Shing!

Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw the movement, and she could see the smile of Gascoigne’s face. He could tell that she didn’t know the secret of her weapon, and that left her at a severe disadvantage. He spun in a wide arc, now holding the axe in both hands, and Twilight got to see just how much more reach he had gained by extending the ax handle. How, she didn’t know but it came only an inch from decapitating her as she stepped back.

He wasn’t done though, and, as the ax got to his back, he twisted it in his hands, changing the direction of the momentum that the head carried, and brought it in a massive downstroke towards Twilight. This one, she didn’t dodge, even if she could.

The ax blade sank in deep into her shoulder, and Twilight grit her teeth. If her body were how it was supposed to be, she bet that the arm would have been rendered useless, at least for now. As it stood, it only led to be guyser of pain, with blood gushing out of it, and splattering both of their clothes in the gore. It also led to a plan hatching in her mind as her mouth twitched into an involuntary grin.

Gascoigne blinked as she put one hand onto the ax, keeping it in her shoulder as the purple beast lifted her other hand. There, he stared into the muzzle of a pistol, pointed right for his-

Bang!

“Agh!”

Twilight slumped onto the ground, breathing hard as her opponent placed a hand onto his eye and continued to scream. Her smirk switched to a frown, before she let out a sigh. Even a gunshot right through his brain was apparently not enough to put him down, even temporarily. Than again, I don’t want to leave him crippled, not when his little girl still waits for him.

But he has clearly lost his mind. Even if you can subdue him without killing him, he’ll probably just kill her, so you should make sure he can’t harm the little one.

But I promised…

That doesn’t matter! He is your opponent, and a beast. Just look at him, and you will know the truth!

Twilight looked up, the pain in her shoulder throbbing from the movement as she saw Gascoigne bent over. His hands clutched… No. His claws scraped at his skull as his figure shuddered. Every passing second brought more ripples to his figure, and she could watch those long digits grow more grotesque, and like those on the werewolves on the bridge.

If she didn’t do something, this fast, dangerous opponent would have the ferocity and strength of a beast.

But also the mindlessness, the danger of one. He won’t be able to hear me, even if he had cared for my words before, but what of others? The girl said they used the music box to make sure he recognized them What if… what if it can help-

No!

Twilight stood up, the box appearing in her hand, even though she never searched her bag, and she moved it to be clutched by both now. So small, so fragile, but she had to trust it, had to see if it would work, for otherwise, she knew what she would need to do, and the image of the girl’s tears hurt far more than any ax wound.

Gascoigne opened one eye as a far too familiar melody entered his ears. Looking up, he could see his prey, cloaked in the clothes of so many villagers. So many people he had to kill. So many that looked up to him to cleanse the infected. And she… she was just another one. No amount of multi-hued trails coming off of her would tell him otherwise. No, the menace would be clean-

”Daddy, I drew you a rainbow! Do you think you might get to see one tonight?

He put claw to his head as his legs began to crack, and pop, but pink strands began to wrap around as well. They reminded him of her smile, and even of her pout as he reminded him of the fact that rainbows needed light, and the night never had any. It was cold, desolate, lonely…

”I know you’re working hard honey, but I thought I might bring you a sandwich, and try to make the night better.

He now stared at the stranger, his head shaking as she kept her eyes closed. Blue and orange strands soothed the headache though, coaxing him to relax… and to remember.

”Honey, I’m afraid. This night seems so much worse, and you’ve been on the hunt for so lo- Honey! Please, i-it’s m-me! Please, it’s your sweet Julian. Ah!”

He shut his eyes. It was his duty, she was diseased, they’re all-

”W-where is it? Please be here!

No, he didn’t do it. She wasn’t her. His Julian-

”It… it’s my fault, my dear Gascoigne. I… I’m only sad tha- Hurk!

Boom!

======+++++======

Twilight pushed against the ground, her fingers sinking into the soft ground as she groaned. Her head was splitting her, much like the tombstone she cracked in two upon impact, not that she remembered what threw her. All she remembered was beginning to crank the music, and then… nothing. She tried to focus, but the more she did, the more her mind cried out in agony, and her blood boiled.

Once she got to standing though, she found that, instead of having died, something the now dry ax wound made sure to tell her, she was still in the tomb. And, almost fifty feet away, was Father Gascoigne, slumped against a tree, but still very human.

She limped over to him, her body crying out for real rest as she checked the poor hunter. His pulse was weak, but it was there, and that’s what was important. It wasn’t enough though, as Twilight thought back to the path to his little girl, and the beasts that roamed those streets. “No, the two of us will never make it there if we try.”

A passing breeze brought with it the scent of something sweet, something that calmed some deep, inner part of her, and Twilight looked up. She could see a set of large doors, and, felt the weight of a key in her pocket at almost the same time. It was the way out, and to something that even tried to promise safety. Not for her, no, she doubted it would be more than a respite for her, like any other lamp, but for Gascoigne, it meant a place to wait until he woke up.

The man was heavy on top of her, and she grunted as she began to shuffle towards the lights. She had to make it though, for his sake, and his daughters. So, as her muscles screamed, and tears beat down her face, she opened the heavy way to the Cathedral Ward, and set the man down upon one of the chairs in the large study, knowing she would not be able to get him up the ladder. She just didn’t have the strength.

After a few moments rest, watching to make sure that Gascoigne would be able to stay alive here, before she started her trip back. Maybe if she found some rest in that other realm, she would be able to formulate a real plan, or even listen to the wooden doll that laid there. At the thought of the woman, she felt a pang of guilt. She had been so rude, and so abrasive to someone only meaning to help her. It was not something she wanted to do again.

Upon coming back, having lit the new lantern in Oeden Tomb, she found her headache only growing worse, and when she blinked, the world changed. In one version, she saw the doll, and the pristine fields of the Hunter’s Dream. In the other, a shadow replaced her spot, one that hurt to look at. That, or it was due to flames behind him, engulfing the cottage that she had never even entered. And each time she blinked, he came closer.

This isn’t how the dream is supposed to go.

Twenty feet.

He was destined to die for his cause, convinced he had done right by the Healing Church. He was not meant to begin to question, or regret.

Ten feet.

Luckily, those I believe in and commune with tell me that I do not have to give you an option. You are not the one to end the night, or even my next hunter. No, you are merely the next to-

Black.

Author's Note

8 Bullets, and where should she go, and what should she do. I leave this vague on purpose, as Twilight is unsure from how this all ended. I will also say that this was not the only way the chapter could have ended.

As well, as an explanation to why there will probably be slowed progress on this, I've become an original writer, with a couple of shorts out now that you can find by clicking on this link. It will take you to my library.