"Hah...!" A groan escaped Claude's lips as he wearily opened up his eyes. As he supported his head, his eyes wearily glanced around him.
Realisation soon set in.
He was back at the manor.
Feeling something beside him, he turned and found Evelyn asleep, her upper body slumped over the edge of the bed, head resting on the mattress with strands of hair falling loosely across her face.
Seeing this, memories soon flashed across Claude's mind.
The eclipse.
The disaster that it brought.
And… how he managed to escape with the help of a picnic blanket of all things.
Carefully, Claude shifted his weight to one side, bracing his palm against the edge of the mattress. Inch by inch, he eased himself upright, each movement slow and deliberate to avoid stirring the sleeping figure beside him.
Shff! Shff!
His bare feet slid onto the cold floor. He paused, steadying himself.
"Hhhn… ngh—" A strained breath escaped his lips as he pushed himself up, muscles trembling beneath the effort.
Pain pulsed through his limbs—a dull, persistent throb that radiated from deep within. It was as if the very marrow of his bones were bruised, injured.
Claude stood hunched for a moment, one hand clutching the bedpost, his chest rising and falling in quiet, shallow pants. The ache wasn't unexpected. He'd anticipated this after that hefty battle.
He straightened slowly, spine stiff, fists clenched. Gritting his teeth, he limped over to the curtains draped close at the edge of his room.
Whoosh!
With a sudden pull, Claude dragged the curtains apart, the fabric rasping like dry leaves as it folded into his grip.
Light poured in—not sunlight, but something else, something harsher, redder, more alien. He leaned forward, his breath fogging faintly against the glass.
Above the horizon, the sky gaped.
A massive rift yawned open in the firmament—jagged and raw, like the heavens themselves had been torn asunder by some titanic claw.
Its edges shimmered with unstable light, crackling faintly in the distance, casting distorted shadows that writhed across the scarlet earth. The world outside was no longer the one he knew.
The familiar greens of the trees, the soft blues of the morning sky—gone. In their place sprawled a grim painting. One not drawn in ink, but rather by blood.
Sanguine fields and rusted skies bled into the horizon. It was as if the entire landscape had been submerged in blood and left to dry.
Claude's gaze did not flinch. He studied it, his eyes reflecting the apocalypse with an eerie calm.
There was no fear. Only awe, curiosity… and determination.
'Painting of blood…' Claude silently mused. 'If only it were that simple.'
Tap! Tap! Tap!
He softly tapped the windowsill, his thoughts churning. 'Despite my unconsciousness, this phenomenon has not ceased. It would be fair to assume it will not simply go away on its own, and in my current state, I am unable to leave this dome.'
Desperately, he tried to think of a way to leave this place alive. He could not give up his opportunity in this world like that. He needed to learn more about Vitalis and the secrets obscured within this world.
"Master…?" A voice tinged with fatigue called out from behind him.
Claude turned around and saw Evelyn awake, her hands softly rubbing her eyes as she greeted him.
"Thank goodness you're awake!" Energy filled her words as she escaped the grasp of sleep. "When I saw you fall unconscious, I—"
She could not finish her words as she found tears streaming down her face. A red flush suffused her face as she embarrassedly tried to wipe away her curtain of tears, leaving behind reddened eyes.
Seeing this, Claude gave a soft sigh. "It's okay, Evelyn. I'm fine."
Though his words were meant to comfort her, seeing her eyes trace the contours of his face, he was certain she was by no means unworried.
With a soft shake of his head, Claude spoke up. "Evelyn." He stared into her eyes, a solemn air enveloping the room. "As you can see, those stories of the Heaven Bleed were unfortunately true, and we are currently unable to leave here."
Evelyn slowly got up from the ground, giving a languid stretch. Hearing his words, she gave a quick nod. "I know..."
"And, do you know what that means we have to do to see through that we survive?" Claude said as he turned and stared out of the window.
"I-I'm sorry, Master. I do not follow." Evelyn's voice sounded from behind.
Yet, Claude did not show displeasure in her answer.
Instead, he pressed his lips shut as his gaze locked onto the silhouette of a town creeping over the horizon.
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Gulp!
In the manor dining room, Claude gave a soft exhale as he finished the meal prepared by Evelyn, who nervously sat opposite him.
As much as he wanted to find a way to escape this prison, he needed to recover his Vitalis, as using his Mental Energy would only exacerbate his condition.
That he knew from the throbbing ache that radiated from his body.
Whilst he had avoided using Mental Energy directly in that conflict, he had almost exhausted his Vitalis.
Unlike Mental Energy, Vitalis required more than simply rest; food was essential in the recovery of Vitalis, thus, his bout of sleep did little to soothe the hollowness within him.
"Evelyn." Having finished his meal, Claude glanced at Evelyn and spoke.
"Master... we should not speak whilst eating. That's bad manners—" Evelyn gave a whisper before her words trailed off as her eyes shot to the covered window nearby. Whilst it was mostly covered, she could see crimson light flitting through its cracks.
"Never mind." She shook her head.
Paying little heed to her antics, Claude continued speaking. "What did you do to the body of that Bloodborne outside?"
"Bloodborne...?" Evelyn chewed on those words for a moment, setting down her cutlery.
"Oh!" Her eyes brightened. "You mean the Sanguir you fought?"
"Sanguir?" Claude's brows furrowed as he replied.
"Yes! I remember now! They were said to be beasts of legend, forming massive hordes that could stretch to the ends of the world. It was said that they were partially responsible for the fall of Avalon." Evelyn clasped her hands as she looked towards Claude, hoping she was of help. "B-But I do not recall finding it near you... It seemed to have disappeared."
Unfortunately for her, she did not get the praise she sought.
Ignoring the drooping head opposite him, Claude sat amid his turbulent thought. 'Why had the corpse disappeared? I have not observed such a phenomenon in Bloodborne... Perhaps it was still alive and ran away when Evelyn was not looking...'
Withholding a sigh, Claude tried to focus on more important matters. The disappearance of the Bloodborne was of little concern in his current state. He, no- they, needed to find a way to leave this place.
He recalled that at the onset of the Heaven Bleed, he saw a bright crimson pillar descend upon where the town of Hawden stood.
'If...' Claude chewed on his thoughts. 'If something in Hawden brought forth the Heaven Bleed, perhaps I can find something there to allow us to escape from here...'
And, not to mention, he remembered Alfred heading out to town prior to all this. As long as he could meet up with his would-be mentor, their odds of survival would only increase.
Still, questions lingered within him.
Claude glanced at Evelyn before him, who had already recovered from her moodiness, indulging in the meal before him.
Why was he subconsciously including her in his escape plan?
Why did he not leave her behind?
She would only be a burden to him.
Was it respect at her fearlessness? Her bravery?
Or was it to avoid the guilt of abandoning someone who had saved him?
'No.' Claude knew the true answer.
Solitude.
A poison to the mind.
A fuel for madness.
A blade pressing against the heart.
He wasn't seeking companionship—only stability. And for now, Evelyn was a familiar constant in an unfamiliar world. That was enough.