"Wake up, hunter, from your slumber in the world of nightmares."
The hunter slowly opened his eyes, staring at a cracked, torn ceiling with a few short white drapes hanging down.
He partially sat up on the bed's surface, scanning his surroundings to figure out exactly in what kind of hell he had ended up.
A Victorian-style European room… filled with numerous shelves holding various medicines.
Most of the bottles contained a red liquid resembling blood—if it wasn't actually blood in the first place.
And scattered around the room were dismembered corpses, most likely of hunters… with windows in the upper corners letting in the reflection of the setting sun.
The hunter held his head in pain… he pulled his black hair back and spoke in a weary tone:
"Where am I? Why can't I remember anything at all?!"
Something fell behind him. He turned his head slowly and saw a cross embedded in the ground.
Up to this point, he had no idea what was happening around him. When he tried to get up from the bed, he was met face-to-face with the head of a werewolf.
He fell off the bed, retreating quickly backward until he crashed into the pile of corpses behind him. Then he looked again at the werewolf—huge, with sharp claws, glowing red eyes, and a thirst for blood dripping from its fangs.
"A werewolf? Where exactly am I?!" he thought, trying to piece together his lost memories.
The werewolf slowly climbed onto the bed, eyeing its prey… he glanced around and saw a sword lying on the ground.
A long sword, its core flowing with crimson blood, and its hilt formed from a cluster of shattered skulls. He grabbed it—but in that instant, everything froze in place, even himself.
A rush of memories appeared—not in words, but in images… a massive tree collapsing on an unknown land, the sun extinguishing, and a golden-themed kingdom burning.
Then someone screamed a single letter that made everything move again…
"V"
His blue eyes widened as he looked down at his sword, muttering to himself:
"What were those memories that just flooded my mind? Is this my lost past? Was that the kingdom I lived in? And… is my name V?"
He looked toward the werewolf, ready for battle, continuing:
"It doesn't matter now. In front of me is prey that wants to eat me—and I must take it down."
The werewolf lunged at V, but he blocked its claws with his sword. V slashed its abdomen, forcing it to stagger back, then charged forward, aiming to stab its head.
The werewolf swung its claws to decapitate him, but V sidestepped and severed its hand.
The creature roared loudly, intensifying its attacks. V was forced to block or evade the relentless strikes.
He sustained a deep gash on his right arm—survival chances slim, especially since the beast had entered a frenzy.
"Son of a bitch, his attacks are getting stronger and more vicious… I need to find a plan to kill him."
With a certain outcome in mind, V gripped the sword by the blade, using the hilt to tangle the werewolf's claws.
He pulled his arm back and delivered a punch that sent the beast crashing into the medicine shelves, spilling them all over him.
V advanced toward the werewolf. The creature couldn't stand, and V towered over it, smiling as he said:
"I don't know exactly what's going on, but holding this sword made me remember my skills with a blade."
He continued in the same tone while raising his sword:
"Most likely, I'm already dead… but I've been given a second chance."
V drove his sword deep into the beast's body… blood-red writing appeared above it, accompanied by faint whispers:
"Prey DemiDying"
And then it faded away like blood into the ground.
Shock filled V's face—he had no idea what was truly happening around him.
At that moment, a feminine voice came from nowhere, speaking to V in a deep tone:
"Oh cursed hunter, the one whose true name, when known, opens the gates of hell and summons creatures to kill him."
"Welcome to the world between lands, when the Crimson Life Tree was hope, but it withered away and remained without light because of the cursed creeds."
"Hunter, you are not the only chosen one… there are others like you whose mission is to kill the creeds and restore life to the Crimson Tree."
V looked around, trying to find the source of the voice while attempting to process the flood of information attacking his mind.
"Hunter? Kill the creeds? Crimson Life Tree? What kind of hell is this?" V was somewhat dazed.
"I don't know what's going on, but I have a few questions." V addressed the mysterious woman.
She laughed softly and said:
"You may ask anything—but only once."
"I don't understand the meaning of no one knowing my real name, and who exactly are these creeds I must kill in order to restore life to the Crimson Life Tree." He placed a finger on his chin as he asked.
Then, with sharp expressions, he added:
"Am I forced to be a hunter and follow your orders?"
The mysterious woman laughed again, this time with a cold voice:
"Your real name is Vincent, shortened to V… and you must ensure no one learns it. Because if they do, you will either be dragged into the depths of hell or a creature will appear to kill you."
"But it's difficult—there are people who can figure it out because the letter V is marked on your cheek. So make sure no one finds out your name by any means."
"As for the cursed creeds—you will learn about them well on your journey under the moonlight. And yes, this is an order, hunter, because the cross and the curse of the Crimson Spell have chosen you."
V placed his palm over his face and muttered quietly:
"So this curse… it seems I am a hunter, but cursed by a certain power. And it also seems there's no way back."
He looked toward the cross embedded in the ground and thought:
"Also, on this journey, I must uncover my own past… and the secret of the cursed creeds."
The girl cut through his thoughts, saying:
"Since you understand everything… set out on your first mission—to bring down the first creed in the kingdom of Yharnam."
The voice faded into the air like dust… and a black screen appeared above the hero, held up by a multitude of shadowy hands. In the middle—above it—was a skull smiling coldly.
The screen displayed several words and other details:
[Main Mission: Kill the cursed creed in the Kingdom of Yharnam.]
[Side Missions: None, sinner.]
———
Rank: Foolish
Tainted Blood: 2000
Strength: 20
Endurance: 20
Intelligence: 40
Magic: None
Faith: None
______
"What is this thing? The girl didn't explain it, but at first glance it looks like it's my personal stats… and the missions I have to accomplish on my journey."
While thinking that, the cross ignited with flames, then became adorned with blood… V noticed and slowly stepped toward it. Just as he reached out to touch it, a sentence appeared:
[The cursed may not touch the sacred.]
V let out a light chuckle and said:
"Seems I really am cursed. What an annoying load of crap."
At that moment, the door to the room opened ever so slightly… V stepped forward with steady strides and said in a deep tone:
"Looks like the creeds didn't like me staying here too long. How ridiculous."
Before touching the handle, he caught his reflection in the mirror on the door…
His hair was black, reaching down to his shoulders, with the right side braided. His eyes were blue. On his right cheek was the mark V, slashed through the middle by a horizontal line.
He wore a rolled-sleeve shirt with a dark black vest over it. His hands were wrapped in old bandages. He had short black trousers down to the knees, long black socks, and elegant, old-fashioned shoes.
V touched his face and said softly:
"I don't remember my features looking like this… but I do look handsome."
V opened the door and stepped out of the room, walking cautiously into another large chamber carrying the same items as the previous room—only here, numerous patient beds were soaked in blood.
Two tall figures leaned against the beds, their faces unclear but wearing wide, disturbing smiles. They wore long black coats over white shirts, wide-brimmed hats, and each carried a different weapon—one a sword, the other a pitchfork.
The pitchfork wielder looked toward V and said mockingly:
"Brother, looks like the hearty meal has just arrived."
The one with the scorched sword replied coldly:
"Do you think I'm a fool? I'm looking straight at him."
V stepped forward with calm confidence, smiling faintly as he looked at them:
"Seems you've both forgotten one thing—you're the prey, and I'm the hunter."
He rested his sword firmly on his shoulder, pulling his hair back:
"So you'd better prepare yourselves… because you're about to be hunted, you fools."
[Hunter's Instinct]
[Side Mission: Kill the Wide-Smiled Ones]
[Reward: None, you are forced to kill them.]