Bit by bit, the scar in the sky widened as if unseen hands were peeling apart the heavens themselves. The air grew thick, humming with an eerie energy that sent shivers creeping down the spine of anyone listening.
For Claude, it was as if time had paused. The world held its breath.
"Master Claude!" A sudden, desperate nudge at his side jolted him from his trance. A pair of trembling hands clutched at his own, their warmth seeping through his own.
He blinked, dazed, his fingers twitching as if they had only just remembered how to move. His limbs felt heavy, as though submerged in thick molasses, the unnatural stillness lingering even as his senses caught up.
Glancing to his side, he found Evelyn staring at him, her wide, fearful eyes glistening in the dim light. Her usually fair complexion had paled to a ghostly hue, her lips slightly parted, her breaths coming in sharp, uneven bursts.
"Evelyn…" His voice was hoarse, tinged with an uncertainty he did not care to acknowledge.
Her fingers, slick with nervous sweat, gripped his tighter. "Master, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Claude muttered, pushing aside the oddities of his sudden paralysis. Now was not the time for hesitation.
He flicked his gaze skyward just in time to see the rift halt its slow expansion. The gaping wound in reality, raw and jagged, finally steadied. The swirling void within churned violently, its unfathomable depths exuding a presence that made Claude's skin crawl.
Yet, the peace was short-lived.
Shwing!
Without warning, a piercing scarlet light lanced down from the tear above, descending like a divine spear, piercing the land in the distance.
'Was that Hawden...?' Claude thought, nonetheless, he was immediately dragged out of his musings by the immediate impact.
A blinding, all-consuming crimson swallowed the landscape. The sheer intensity forced Claude's eyes shut, the searing brilliance burning even through his clenched lids. His free hand shot up instinctively to shield his face, while beside him, Evelyn let out a yelp, her grip tightening like a vice.
Even as he turned his head away, the light remained omnipresent, staining the world in its dreadful hue.
Then, just as suddenly as it had arrived, the radiance dissipated.
Darkness returned, but something was different. As Claude cautiously peeled his eyes open, he was met with an altered world. Everything around him was soaked in an unnatural crimson, as if he were viewing reality through a stained-glass window dyed in blood.
'What in damnation is this…?'
"Master!" Evelyn's trembling voice pulled him back. She was pointing towards something in the distance, her expression a mixture of confusion and terror. "Are we… trapped?"
Claude followed her gaze, his eyes narrowing at the sight before him.
A dome.
A massive, pulsating barrier of crimson energy had enveloped them, stretching far into the distance. It encased the manor, the grounds, and even the silhouette of the town beyond.
The air within the dome carried a strange, static charge, making the hairs on his arms stand on end.
It was as if they had been locked in a cage, trapped like mice under the claws of an unseen predator.
Claude pressed his lips together, his mind racing. He gently shook off Evelyn's grip and stepped toward the edge of the barrier.
"W-What are you doing, Master?" Evelyn called after him, hesitating before following. "We should head to town! Sir Alfred left moments earlier—he might be able to protect us…" Her voice grew softer, uncertain. "Who would have thought those stories held truth to them…?"
Claude ignored her musings, his focus locked onto the oscillating surface of the dome. It pulsed, shifting like a living thing, exuding an almost hypnotic rhythm. Tentatively, he reached out a hand, pressing his fingertips against it.
The texture was bizarre—like pressing against gelatin. The surface wobbled under his touch but refused to give way.
His brow furrowed. Gathering his will, an azure glow flickered to life at his chest, rushing down his arm in a crackling wave.
Whoosh!
In an instant, his enhanced fist slammed forward with blinding speed, crashing into the barrier with the force of a battering ram.
Thwump!
The impact sent gentle ripples through the dome, but nothing more. The barrier remained unmoved, unfazed by his strike.
Claude exhaled sharply, shaking out his hand. A dull soreness lingered in his knuckles, but his frustration overshadowed the pain.
Evelyn's face had darkened, her hope visibly dimming. She had seen it too—their prison was not so easily broken.
Before Claude could speak, a piercing shriek from above cut through the silence.
Shiiiing!
His head snapped up.
From the depths of the rift, several streaks of crimson shot downward, plummeting toward the earth like falling stars.
One was heading straight for them.
Claude's pupils shrunk to pinpoints. He lunged forward, seizing Evelyn and hoisting her over his shoulder in one swift motion.
"Ahh!" She gasped, her arms flailing at the sudden movement.
Crash!
The ground where they had stood moments ago erupted into a chaotic storm of debris and dust. Smoke billowed skyward, obscuring whatever had landed within the freshly-formed crater.
Claude gently lowered Evelyn to the ground, his gaze fixed on the destruction. His breath came slow and steady, muscles coiled like springs.
Something was in there.
The swirling dust cloud parted, revealing a colossal silhouette.
Claude's heart pounded as he took in the monstrous figure emerging from the crater. Even without full clarity, its sheer size was undeniable. It dwarfed any man, standing nearly twice his height.
And then he saw it.
Crimson skin, like dried, cracked clay. A grotesque, muscular frame. Sparse black hair sprouted from its head. In its enormous hands, a crimson greatsword glinted ominously.
Claude's throat tightened. He had seen such creatures before.
"A Bloodborne…" He whispered through clenched teeth.
Evelyn's breath hitched. "Is that...?"
The creature's beady red eyes swiveled before locking onto Claude. Its lips curled back, revealing jagged teeth slick with saliva.
"Bug?" It grunted, its thick, guttural voice carrying an eerie excitement. "One bug! Two bug! Me lucky!"
Drool dripped from its maw as it lumbered forward, each step sending tremors through the ground.