I can't describe the wide range of emotions I went through over a 5-minute period when I realized what I had done. Confusion. Regret. Anger. Faux apathy. Sadness. How could I have spent so much time on this game, just to blow it?

A little back story.

Yes, I'm a FromSoft 'noob.' My first FS game was Elden Ring. I poured 300 hours into the thing, and that's only my first play through. I'm waiting on the release of the twice-delayed physical guide from Future Press before I begin my first New Game Plus. Therefore, I figured I'd go back and play through all the wonderful Souls-like games I missed out on over the years.

I started with the Demon's Souls remake, then on to Dark Souls Remastered, and finally Bloodborne. (I skipped Dark Souls 2 for now...I don't think I have the patience for it).

Anyway, after putting close to 100 hours into Bloodborne, exploring every nook and cranny and putting careful thought into each and every skill point I allocated. I made sure to grab every item I could in the game, INCLUDING all four of the umbilical cords. I spent a great deal of time and meticulously paid close attention to every action I did to ensure that I got those damn umbilical cords. I wanted to make sure that I got to the final ending on my first play through. And it is here, dear reader, where my plight begins.

You see, after defeating Mergo's Wet Nurse, I went back and tied up a few things I wanted to accomplish before taking on Gehrman. Finishing Nightmare Frontier, getting all the chalices, leveling up weapons, etc.

It was my understanding that I could eat the umbilical cords after fighting Gehrman. That there would be an opportunity between that fight and taking on Moon Presence. I didn't realize that it would go straight into the fight.

And so, I casually thought, 'well, let's go try taking down this guy and see what happens.' Thinking I could just eat the umbilical cords after the battle if, by some miracle, I was able to defeat him.

And I did. I kicked his fucking ass. I threw my arms up in triumph and prepared for the opportunity to level up one last time and tweak some of my weapons. And, of course, eat those fucking umbilical cords. But then...the cutscene played. Confusion set in. What does she mean, 'so it begins anew?'

The credits rolled.

'Is that it? Did I really just do this?'

I pushed start to skip the credits. And then, I awaken anew. And that's when the reality of the situation hit me.

After all that hard work to make sure I played all my cards right, it came down to this. Close to 100 hours, just gone.

Anyway, thank you for listening to my story. I hope you can sympathize. Yes, eventually I'll come back and do a New Game Plus and make sure I don't muck it up this time. But still, a day later, it hurts.

Going on to start Dark Souls 3 tonight. Then it's Sekiro. I hear Sekiro gameplay is similar to the fast paced, smoother gameplay of Bloodborne. Looking forward to that.

By then, I'll have my Future Press copy of the Elden Ring guide and will begin my first NG playthrough of that. Then, maybe someday, I'll come back to Bloodborne.