Bloodmoon's Shadow - Shadow Slave x Bloodborne

Peering out the window, Sable savored the various sights of the city.

Right now, Sable was sitting inside of Jet's personal transport vehicle, or PTV for short. This was because he was being taken to the Academy, with the goal to prepare for the upcoming Winter Solstice.

Curiously however, he wasn't the only one.

Sitting opposite him, was a slender and short young man. He had pale skin and dark circles under his eyes, and was wearing the standard police-issued tracksuit. Apparently, his name was Sunny, and like him, he was also from the outskirts and recently undergone the first nightmare.

Sable tried to strike a conversation, however Sunny had to no desire to do so. Though he always answered his questions, Sunny made to let him know he wasn't interested. Sable had rarely had much chance to speak to anyone in Yharnam, so he secretly wanted someone to talk to.

'Yharnam'.

For his First Nightmare, Sable was taken to an abandoned clinic, inhabiting an unfamiliar body. The clinic itself was nothing like he'd seen before, only recognizable by the medical beds scattered throughout. Furthermore, his body was of a full-grown man, however it was tall and lanky like his own.

No matter how much he wanted to deny it, it was clear that this was his First Nightmare.

Though fear lingered in his heart, Sable understood that this was not hopeless – the First Nightmare was not meant to be an execution, rather designed as a trial for the recipient. Whatever the Nightmare would put him through, Sable resolved that he would live.

That was almost a lifetime ago. Sable could not remember how long he was stuck in that Nightmare. He remembered questioning whether there was even a way out, or that he was stuck there forever. In that dream-like city, the night did not end, and he could not die until his given task was finished – to find the source of the paleblood, and transcend the hunt.

Eventually, after endless deaths, he finally did. From uncovering the secret behind the Healing Church, the nature of paleblood, and confronting Gehrman outside the burning workshop, Sable was finally able to meet the source of the nightmare.

The Moon Presence.

The Moon Presence were part of a class of entities referred to as the Great Ones, holding unfathomable power beyond that of any human.

Despite that, Sable was still able to slay the thing in one try. After killing the Great One, Sable passed out, not remembering much after that. Next thing he knew, Sable found himself tied up to a chair in the bunker.

'My runes." Sable remembered. He hasn't seen his aspect yet.

Sable started reading his runes.

Name: Sable

True Name: Firstborn of the Moon.

Rank: Dreamer.

Class: Dormant.

Blood Echoes: [0/10,000]

Looking at his runes, Sable couldn't help but feel frustrated. All the progress to his Soul Core that he had accumulated in the nightmare was no longer present. Sable had slain an innumerable number of beasts, raking in millions of blood echoes, reaching all the way to Devil.

However, after finishing the First Nightmare, Sable was brought all the way back to the start: his physical capabilities have returned to being meek and unimpressive, and his enhanced senses were gone. Only his knowledge, skill and intuition has remained.

There was also his True Name. Firstborn of the Moon implied some connection of the Moon Presence, of which he killed. Sable wasn't sure why he was given this name, or what it meant, but he had his speculations.

Memories: [Saw Cleaver], [Blunderbuss], [Hunter's Garb],

Echoes: –

His memories and echoes however, have stayed much the same. All of Sable's echoes have died, and the Saw Cleaver and Blunderbuss were the only weapons he used the entire nightmare. He had mastered them so thoroughly he felt no need to use anything.

His only concern was the lack of quicksilver bullets – without them, his blunderbuss was useless. Sable was determined to find a workaround however.

Attributes: [Hunter's Mark], [Insight], [Paleblood]

[Hunter's Mark] Ability Description: Mark denoting that one is a True Hunter.

[Insight] Ability Description: You can see the true state of the world. This is both a gift and a curse.

[Paleblood] Ability Description: Your blood is pale white and holds miraculous healing powers. The scent of your blood draws both humans and nightmare creatures alike.

Paleblood…

Of his three attributes, he was already familiar with the Hunter's Mark and Insight – only Paleblood interested him. Paleblood was the blood of the Great Ones, and he had gotten this trait after slaying the Moon Presence, a Great One himself.

Sable knew this could only mean one thing.

Aspect: [Bloodbound Deity].

Aspect Rank: Divine

Aspect Description: You are a nascent Great One. Bound to the confines of your human body, your soul yearns to transcend its mortal state and reach full Godhood.

Divine rank…

Originally, his aspect was Bloodbound Hunter. However, with the completion of his First Nightmare, it has evolved into Bloodbound Deity. The description outright confirmed what he knew – that he was now a Great One.

It would also explain his True Name and why he has returned to being a dormant; Sable had undergone a rebirth, becoming a child Great One like all Great Ones wanted. Though he doesn't feel any different from before, Sable was sure it held great significance.

Unsure what to think, Sable continued reading.

Aspect Ability: [Blood Tinge]

Ability Description: [You can perform blood arts]

Innate Ability: [Blood Bank]

Ability Description: [You can absorb and store blood in your Soul Sea.]

Blood Storage: [0/10,000ml]

Blood Tinge and Blood Bank…

Reading his abilities, his interest peaked. Lady Maria has showed how deadly the blood-arts could be. Using blood as fuel, you can create slashes and projectiles in the air, cleaving through foes alike.

This tied with his innate ability. Being able to store blood meant he didn't need to use his own precious blood as fuel. He could carry a reserve of blood, using that for his blood arts instead.

Sable speculated whether or not he could store his own blood as well. If he could, then that would further expand what he could do. Since Paleblood has restorative purposes, he could heal allies with it and even himself if he was losing blood.

All in all, Sable was very satisfied with his abilities. They all meshed well together, and had great uses in and out of combat. It was worthy of being considered a divine-ranked aspect, and Sable resolved himself to master it.

Unfortunately, all power comes with a price, and in his case, it meant a flaw. Considering how potent his abilities are, Sable knew his flaw would be just as terrible.

Thus, Sable steeled his nerves, and continued reading.

Flaw: [Inebriated]

Flaw Description: [The rush of your blood will intoxicate you. The faster your blood flows, the more intoxicated you will be. Too much, and you will lose yourself and transform into a mindless beast.]

Reading his flaw, his heart dropped. He knew his flaw would be quite serious, but this went beyond his expectations.

His flaw directly went against his ability to fight. It required him to stay calm at all times, even in times where it'd make sense. In a physically demanding situation, the increase in blood flow was inevitable, resulting in loss of thinking, reaction time and motor skills. Not to mention the risk of losing yourself entirely, and becoming a mindless beast.

Sable furrowed his brows in frustration. In hindsight, he could see why he was given this flaw, as this flaw reflected the traits of the Old Blood.

Old Blood was a healing blood that could cure all ailments and healed all wounds. However, it was also more intoxicating than the strongest alcohol, and succumbing to the blood meant transforming into a mindless beast.

It was the cause of the Beast Scrouge, and the biggest threat to an immortal hunter. Resisting the allure of the blood was always at the fore forefront of his mind. However, that wasn't all.

Old Blood was the blood of a Great One, meaning it was also a form of Paleblood. With Paleblood running through his veins, he should be experiencing these effects. Sable guessed that being a Great One prevented this, as one would naturally be immune to the side effects of their own blood.

However, it has manifested as his flaw instead.

'Very well…'

Sable sighed, closing his runes. Looking out of the window of the PTV, Sable returned to taking in the sights of the city. From an outsider's perspective, he was simply enjoying the view, but in truth, he was carefully considering his future.

Eventually, Jet decided to speak in.

"We'll be arriving at the Academy very soon." Jet informed us. "Since we're all from the outskirts, I'll give you one more word of advice. I've already suggested you to refuse the phycological counseling that they'll offer you, but there's one more thing you should know. Whether or not you listen is up to you."

Sable and Sunny sat waiting, prompting Jet to continue.

"There will be a lot of courses to choose from. All types of combat training, deep dives into Nightmare Creature categories and vulnerabilities, basics of various types of sorcery, artifact study and so on."

"Disregard all of that." Jet asserted. "The only course you have time to attend is Wilderness Survival."

Surprised, both Sunny and Sable raised his eyebrows.

"Why?"

Jet sighed before answering.

"It's different for city kids, who learn all sorts of useful things in school and from their tutors. But we don't have that advantage, do we? What was the biggest threat to your life during the nightmare?"

Sable and Sunny pondered the question. For Sable, the beasts themselves posed little actual threat to him. If he died, he would simply return back to the Hunter's Dream.

No, the biggest threat to him was…

"The cold." Sunny answered.

"For me, it was trying to not get drunk." Sable responded.

As Sable gave his answer, everything went silent. A stunned look appeared on both Sunny and Jet's faces. For Jet, it was a puzzled look, speculating what kind of nightmare Sable had been through. For Sunny, it was an offended look.

'I was a fighting for my life as a slave, and this guy was worried about getting drunk!' Sunny thought. 'Some people just have it easier than others.'

Jet coughed, then continued.

"I see. In any case, the Dream Realm is mostly made of wilderness. You'll need to know how to make a fire, how to procure food, how to find safe shelter. Fighting monsters is important, but that won't matter if you die of hunger or the elements. Believe me, I had to learn the hard way."

Sable and Sunny nodded, understanding the importance of her words. For Sable, he never had to worry about food or shelter in the nightmare – he had the Hunter's Dream – so he didn't even consider the importance of these things.

Indeed, there's a lot of things he had to learn. Wilderness Survival will be a top priority for him.

Eventually, Master Jet stopped the car, and opened the door. Leaving the car, Sunny and Sable found themselves standing in front of the Academy gates. The Academy appeared seemingly indestructible, with high walls, deep moats and large turrets.

As they waited for the gates to open, there was one other person with them.

It was a tall, slender girl of around their age, with clear grey eyes and a detached look on her face. She had silver-white hair that reminded him of the moon, and like them, wore a police-issued tracksuit with no belongings to speak of. There was only the pair of head-phones on her head, but that's it.

Sable wondered what her story was; what had she gone through in her First Nightmare, and what circumstances brought her here. He decided against it however, knowing he wouldn't have enjoyed being asked those things herself.

As he thought of what he wanted to say, the gates of the Academy finished opening. The giant sheet of reinforced metal had descended to form a long bridge, awaiting our arrival. With little fanfare, Sunny and the silver-haired girl begun crossing the bridge.

Sable followed suit as well.