In Terra, she is a hunter and a bad woman.

"From today on, you will go find a home... a home that belongs to you."

"If one day you find it, I will come back to you."

"Before that... you can go look for the words on your axe. They may record something about your past."

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

Looking at the hesitant girl in front of her, Maria smiled at her for the first time.

"So be it……"

After saying that, she turned around and left.

But this time, Puppy Girl didn't stop Maria.

Yesterday's separation seemed to make her understand what a temporary separation was...

It's just a temporary separation.

We will meet again.

She and Maria will meet again!

After understanding this, the puppy girl was full of confidence.

As long as I find the thing called 'home', Maria will definitely meet me!

She clenched her fists.

At this time, she also noticed that the note with Maria's warning written on it that she had just held had been soaked by mud and water.

Most of the fonts above are no longer legible.

She subconsciously wanted to ask Maria again.

But unfortunately, Maria had disappeared from her sight at this time.

After hesitating for a while, the puppy girl seemed to have made up her mind and turned around and left.

She will definitely meet Maria again!

Maria leaned against a tree, watching the puppy girl go away, and sighed helplessly.

She didn't know why she did this.

After all, the fight with the giant beast had actually consumed all her strength.

Although she was able to kill it in the end by exchanging blood for blood, but... there was a limit to the amount of blood she could absorb at one time.

At this time, her body was on the verge of collapse.

But she didn't know why she was able to walk out of the forest and come back here.

Maybe she really thought the puppy was cute? Or maybe it was her inherently worried nature that made her uneasy about the girl living alone?

She came back, for the last time, to give the girl words of warning.

"Even though it's a lie, but... this should give her the confidence to keep going."

"That's enough."

The sound grew softer and softer, and Maria's body grew heavier and heavier.

In the end, Maria herself could no longer support her body and could only sit on the ground, leaning against a tree, watching the sunrise in the distance.

Chapter 18: Hunter and Doll

For many people, the night is peaceful, happy, and belongs to them alone.

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

Perhaps it was because she had seen too many nights in Yharnam that Maria now had a natural aversion to the night.

But as if it were fate, she once again came to the place she hated...

Hunter's Dream.

This was where she finally broke off relations with the Moon Goddess, and it was also where she would end up after her endless reincarnation and death...

Tombstones stand densely on the ground, and an upward stone path leads to an exquisite house. Delicate flowers are arranged in an orderly manner, and the dark blue moon hangs high in the sky.

"Are you...back again?"

"And you said I never left?"

Looking at this place that was almost engraved in her mind, Maria covered her head and walked forward step by step.

But she didn't walk far before she stopped again.

As for the reason... it was because a woman as tall as her was sitting next to the huge rock in front of her.

She looked almost the same as Maria. If there was any difference, it was that her body was made of pure wood, and she wasn't wearing Maria's slim and handsome hunting suit, but a gentle lady's outfit.

She's simply another replica of Maria!

"Doll?"

Maria was stunned when she saw the other person's presence.

She still remembers the other person.

This doll was made by Maria's master. The reason why it looks similar to Maria is because the other party also used Maria as a master to copy.

In Maria's memory, the other party has always stayed here, welcoming her every time.

Can……

If Maria remembered correctly.

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

"Doll..."

Looking at the other person, Maria hesitated, reached out her hand, and gently touched the other person's face.

It was cold, but... it was also very soft. Aside from the lack of body temperature, it felt just like a normal person...

This……

Maria was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened in disbelief as if she had thought of something.

At this moment, the puppet suddenly laughed.

She turned her face slightly, and clamped Maria's hand that was holding her face between her cheek and shoulder. She raised her charming eyes and looked at Maria tenderly.

"You are back... kind hunter..."

"..."

"Do you need some rest, gentle hunter? Everything here belongs to me. I can prepare a bed for you if you wish."

The doll held Maria's hand and slowly stood up.

The two people's heights are almost the same, and they don't need to change their perspective when looking at each other.

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

Maria ignored the other person's action and silently withdrew her hand.

But the other person just smiled, turned around, and took Maria's arm.

The two of them walked towards the hunter's cabin step by step, like good friends who had known each other for many years.

The structure here was still similar to what Maria remembered. If there was one difference, it was that the atmosphere was better. It was no longer as cramped as before, as if it wanted to swallow everyone up...

On the contrary, it's cozy... like some kind of happy little home.

The creator of all this is naturally the puppet who has been stationed here, waiting for Maria's return.

Although she has a face almost identical to Maria's, she exudes a completely different temperament from Maria.

If Maria's aura is a sharp sword, then the aura emanating from the doll is an incomprehensible demonic charm.

Just one look and you will be attracted by her appearance, and will unconsciously listen to her voice and follow her will.

For ordinary people, this may be a fatal temptation.

But...Maria didn't buy it.

Maybe it's because the doll itself looks exactly like her, or maybe it's for some other reason.

From the day they met, Maria's attitude towards her was very cold.

This actually attracted the doll's attention even more.

And as countless ancestors have said, caring about someone is the beginning of love.

As emotions that shouldn't have appeared in something like her began to emerge, she gradually realized that she seemed to have something about her own body that shouldn't have existed.

But unfortunately... perhaps because she had acquired Maria's irresistible demonic charm, she also inherited her taciturn character.

Until the end, the entire dream was liberated by Maria. She never mentioned any of her own thoughts, but just quietly acted as a tool in the other person's life.

As long as she can be used by Maria, she will be satisfied...

After waking up again in this world, she instinctively felt what had happened.

So she was always waiting for Maria to appear in her dream again.

I am working hard to transform this space, doing my best to make it better and gentler.

Of course, there are still bolder ideas.

But...as mentioned before, the doll, like Maria, is not good at expressing emotions.

So she just tried to make Maria understand it all through her actions.

But unfortunately, Maria, with her iron head, couldn't think of so many things. She just wanted to know what the puppet meant when he said that this place belonged to her.

"Just as you heard..." Looking at Maria's emotionless face, even though she was a doll, he couldn't help but feel a little lost in his heart.

"After you slaughtered all the hunters, your body remained unchanged by your choices, but your spirit was elevated."

"While you were unconscious, your mind subconsciously constructed its own defensive fortress... But because it was simply an instinctive action, this fortress wasn't created entirely from scratch. Instead, it was transformed by absorbing and transforming the dreams of Yharnam after you slaughtered the hunters."

"In other words, this isn't a specific space in reality, but rather a purely spiritual world belonging to you... and that includes me, of course."

The puppet finished speaking all the knowledge he had learned since waking up, and then raised his head and looked at Maria who was sitting opposite him.

The sky outside the simple wooden window was still dark, but inside the room, the heartwarming bonfire illuminated the two people.

Comfortable and warm.

After a moment of silence, Maria sighed helplessly.

"So... what's the use of this place?"

"It is your choice, gentle but silent hunter."

The puppet smiled and spoke.

Maria was stunned for a moment when she heard the other party's words, and then silently took out a black object that looked like a burnt rubber tube from her pocket and handed it to the other party.

"This...umbilical cord, can you use it?"

Maria said.

She got this thing when she slaughtered the giant beast.

Perhaps it was because the aura on it attracted the other party, or perhaps it was for some other reason, but... Maria discovered that the three-headed dog was not a true Outer God... Its essence was just a crazy wild dog, and it only gained such strange power because it accidentally obtained the umbilical cord.

Judging from the degree of integration between the two parties, it has existed for no more than three months.

But... the legend of that forest doesn't seem to last only three months.

This also means that in that forest, there are still creatures that are truly called giant beasts by the people of this world!

This made Maria decide to take a look at reality.

As for this umbilical cord...

Maria didn't plan to eat it, but she couldn't keep it with her anymore.

That's why she gave it to the puppet to see what she could do.

"The umbilical cord connecting your power to your body..."