In the time Victor hesitated, deliberating exactly how to phrase his response to the young Blood Saint, she had stared at him with a troubled brow and slowly receded. [i]Why was he holding back? Was he hiding something? Making something up? Had he pushed his fellow hunter off the precarious cliff?[/i] She had no idea what happened during her fainting spell and, given her current impression of her guardian, she was willing to attribute almost any deed to him. When he finally did speak, she stopped in her tracks and froze up.

“Something invisible?” she repeated incredulously, wondering whether he had lost his mind, she had lost her mind, or if he actually was simply lying to her.

Adelicia startled upon hearing the sudden racket from the clinic, her eyes darting to the building with great concern. She wanted to worry about the ongoing situation, but could not bring herself to simply brush away Victor’s explanation – it seemed more urgent, in spite of it all.

“But… you mean, he did not go into the clinic? To help?” she added, sounding disoriented.

His story rung false to her and, in her mind, she still clung to the idea that their coin toss had resulted in Raine being chosen to venture forth into the building. Anything else just did not make any sense. Invisible things? Men disappearing without a trace? Yharnam was a strange city, to be sure, but these were the words of a madman – not that there was any shortage of those in this city of theirs.

But thinking a different way, perhaps, he was simply showing compassion to her. Maybe there was some empathy yet in his blackened heart, and he preferred to tell her a lie – an absurd one, but even so – rather than reveal a more horrible truth to her. She looked about, trying to find some clue as to what may have happened; blood stains, some piece of his equipment, anything really. And yet there was nothing at all that would give reason to doubt his words.

Entertaining the notion that there really was an invisible predator that had taken Raine and removed him from existence, a terrible realization formed thusly: what stopped this [i]thing[/i] from taking Victor? Or her? It could be lurking behind any of them this very moment.

“We’re not safe here,” she gasped, clutching her staff and feeling cold panic build upon her forehead. [i]Help me[/i], was the plea that remained stuck in her tightening throat.