In the city of Marcy, where its people live in deep poverty and false prosperity.
This city relies on hunting down outlaws for a living… which is why this profession is the main job for most of its people.
Many hunters have emerged, making this city live in peace by capturing murderers and thieves.
Among the most prominent of them is Nier, who relies on only two things in battle: his sword and his gun… He is considered one of the strongest and bravest hunters in Marcy.
But Nier never liked this profession… he only saw it as a way to feed his little sister. The money he gets from any mission goes straight to her, and he smiles when he sees her happy with it.
His life was calm and beautiful… until the day everything changed.
The weather was rainy at that time… the atmosphere dark and gloomy. On Street Number Sixty, there was a large bar where Nier was sitting.
This bar belonged to his friend Louis. Nier was sitting there late at night, around one o'clock after midnight.
That night he was celebrating one of his friends graduating from university… so everyone left except Nier, who stayed drinking, staring into his future.
Louis was cleaning the glasses, looking at Nier who seemed lost in thought.
"What's wrong? You don't look okay."
Nier shook the glass, looked at the wanted list board, then slowly lowered his head and said:
"You know something, Louis? I'm tired."
Louis looked at him with surprise and asked:
"Tired of what?"
"I'm tired of hunting, Louis. I'm exhausted from killing murderers and handing over criminals. Every time I kill someone, I feel myself breaking apart."
Nier drank his wine to the last drop, then poured another glass.
Louis smiled and spoke softly:
"You're not doing anything wrong, Nier. You're delivering the justice people want. And the most important thing for you is seeing your little sister smile."
Nier looked at Louis while trying to drink, then lowered his glass and a smile formed on his lips:
"You know something… when I'm sad or depressed, I like talking to you, because you understand me so well."
Louis patted Nier's shoulder and said with a happy expression:
"That's what friends do for each other."
In that quiet moment… the bell above the door rang. Louis was arranging the glasses on the shelf and said to the customer:
"Sorry sir, but it's closing time."
The mysterious man approached and sat near Nier… Nier looked at him with his dead brown eyes. The man was wearing elegant, formal clothes, a hat on his head, and sunglasses that hid his eyes.
"I'm sorry sir, but I told you——"
Louis turned slowly and looked at the man, and from shock couldn't finish his sentence, because this man carried a strange presence.
"I'm very sorry to intrude at this time… but I have a mission for Mr. Nier."
The man was mysterious when he spoke, his mouth didn't even move, and his tone was low.
Nier looked at him with a sharp gaze and asked:
"And what kind of mission is that?"
The man took out a black paper from his jacket, written in red ink, and gently placed it on the table near Nier.
"It's an ordinary mission like any other, hunting down some outlaws…"
Nier looked at the paper then back at the man… he lifted his wine glass, drank slowly, and said:
"I'm sorry, but I don't accept these kinds of missions, only the ones on the board."
The mysterious man reached inside his jacket again and pulled out a bundle of money in hundred Nis bills. Both of them were shocked by this amount, Louis almost dropped the glass he was wiping.
"I don't think a sane man and a professional hunter like you would refuse this amount."
Nier stared carefully at the huge amount of money, thinking calmly to himself:
'If I wanted to get this money, I'd have to finish dozens of missions. But with one mission, I get this much?'
He looked at the mysterious man, who had an imposing and strange presence at the same time.
'I have a strange feeling about this man, especially since he came to me out of all the other hunters in the city… but refusing such an offer would be stupid.'
"I accept your offer… It seems these criminals you want me to hunt are worth the money you're paying."
The mysterious man stood up, put the money back in his jacket, and walked steadily towards the bar door. Before he left, he said:
"Everything you need is in this paper. Good luck with your hunt, Mr. Nier."
Nier drank his last glass of wine, put the paper inside his jacket… and walked towards the bar door until Louis called out to him:
"Hey, Nier. Do you really believe that man? What if it's a trap?"
Nier opened the door and smiled at Louis, saying:
"This is an opportunity I can't miss, my friend… and even if it's a trap, they'll need a lot of strength to kill me."
Nier left the bar, got on his motorcycle, and put the helmet on his head. His sword and gun were secured on his bike.
He took the paper from his jacket and glanced at what was written on it:
'The northern part of Marcy City, at Street Number Forty.'
He put the paper in his pocket and set off towards his destination. The rain was pouring heavily that night, and the streets were almost empty.
The atmosphere was gloomy yet beautiful at the same time… After riding for half an hour, Nier arrived at an abandoned port that the government had left untouched for nine years.
The port was big, with many abandoned and neglected ships. The place was dark except for the ship repair workshop, which was brightly lit.
"An abandoned port for years, no wonder some murderers or criminals use it as their own area or gathering place."
Nier got off his bike, put the helmet aside, drew his sword and strapped it on his back, and tucked his gun in his pocket.
He walked carefully, looking around in case anything happened. He reached the workshop, opened the door slowly, looked around, and saw two men wearing black clothes and masks hiding their identities, putting something inside a boat.
"What are those two fools putting inside the boat?"
Nier drew his sword from its sheath, pulled his gun from his pocket, and shouted at them in a sharp voice:
"Hey! You two, what are you doing?"
The two men dropped what they were holding, drew their swords, and rushed toward Nier. The first masked man swung his sword, but Nier blocked the strike with his gun and kicked him hard in the chest.
The second masked man tried to slash Nier's back, but Nier blocked the strike with his sheath while staring at him with sharp eyes.
Then he fired a bullet into his stomach, sending him crashing into the wall. The first masked man pulled out a knife and threw it at Nier. Nier didn't notice it in time and it struck his shoulder.
"You bastard, you'll pay for that."
Nier charged at him and a fierce clash of swords erupted between them. He grabbed the masked man by his clothes and slammed him hard to the ground, so hard that the sound of bones cracking was clear.
The first masked man tried to get up, but he found a gun pointed at his head. Nier fired a mercy shot straight into his skull.
"One down, one to go."
Nier walked over to the second masked man, who was lying on the ground, breathing heavily.
Nier approached him, slowly lowered his body, and pressed the gun to the masked man's head, speaking in an angry voice:
"What did you two put inside the boat? And which organization are you working for?"
"You'll get your answer… in the Nightmares of Eternal Dreams, hunter."
The second masked man drove his own sword into his chest and killed himself. Nier was shocked by this, let out a slow sigh, and stood up.
"What is this guy rambling about? Nightmares? Seems like he wasn't in his right mind."
Nier looked at the boat and walked over to find out what they had put inside.
He approached the boat and peeked inside, finding a huge gray bag. At first, he hesitated to open it, but then he drew his sword and sliced the bag open.
He opened it quickly and was shocked by what he saw: nothing — just an empty bag. Nier scratched the back of his head in confusion and said:
"What?! I expected a body because of how swollen the bag looked."
"Is this some trick by that——"
He didn't finish his sentence as a pale white hand with long nails pierced through his back and came out of his chest, gripping his heart. Nier's eyes widened as he looked at the hand holding his heart and heard a quiet whisper next to his ear:
"Welcome, hunter… to the Nightmares of Eternal Dreams."