Deep Sea Embers

The main purpose of her coming here today was to investigate the chapel, but now, it appears she might have to increase the investigation radius.

After a little hesitation, she stretched out her hand and picked up the thick stack of materials placed on the seat next to her.

These were the files she asked for from City Hall before the operation—using the authority as Pland’s inquisitor and the relevant provisions of the Special Enforcement Regulations for Unusual Events, she obtained all the municipal records related to the sixth block for the past few years. She’s finished reading part of the records along the way here.

These documents from City Hall are not top-secret documents, nor do they involve any high-level supernatural events or unsolved cases. On the contrary, these documents only contained the most basic of things regarding daily life.

Gas meter records, electricity bill payments, shop taxes, water supply, heat supply, garbage disposal, security patrols…

If the life as an inquisitor had taught her anything, then it’s that daily life often hid the most obvious clues pertaining to supernatural events.

All of the mortal civilization was surrounded by the Boundless Sea, and there was the constant threat of anomalies and visions, so merely being able to enjoy daily life was in itself a treasure worth protecting. Like bathing in the morning sun, eating a hot meal on the table, buying a snack from a street stall, and having a warm bed at night, were all evidence of this continuous miracle only achieved through 10,000 years of mortal efforts.

If a supernatural force had done something to this collective miracle, it would definitely leave a mark on this world to be found.

“Did you notice anything?” The voice of the guardian who was driving interrupts after noticing the lady’s frown, “Is it a missing file?”

“On the contrary, all the municipal files are all here,” Vanna shook her head slightly. “The plumbing and sewage records are all here and maintained at a very balanced value, which is very reasonable.”

“Then your expression…”

“There are no police cases,” Vanna raised her eyes slightly, “the public security files are blank. In addition, the newborn record is also blank, and the residents’ death records here are also empty.”

The driving guardian nearly lost his wits after hearing such a review. This didn’t go unnoticed by Vanna, who had managed to see the shocked face through the rearview mirror.

“An obvious abnormality,” Vanna said softly, “a neighborhood that hasn’t had a population change for multiple years. There’s no fighting or crime reported by the security forces either. Even in the wealthiest district of Pland, such a low crime rate is impossible to achieve. And then the utility bills, they’re too normal…”

She paused and peered out the car window: “It’s as if all the inhabitants here are nothing but a bunch of tamed phantoms… They live quietly in this encircled space, neither increasing nor decreasing, with no internal conflicts, no external communication, just quietly carrying out their normal ‘resource consumption’ to provide feedback to the authorities. Everything is business as usual, so don’t look here… Something is clearly wrong in this place, yet no one ever paid any attention to this area.”

Only the dull sound of the steam core running could be heard now, and after an unknown amount of time, Vanna felt a sudden jerk to her body as the vehicle came to a halt.

“We’ve arrived at the chapel,” the driver states.

From the outside, the chapel looked as if it had been abandoned for more than a decade.

Vanna’s mind couldn’t help but recall the burning ghost flames and the majestic figure through her peripheral vision at the deplorable state of the church branch. She gasped out of reflex, reflexively whispering Gomona’s name as she pushed open the car door to get out.

Immediately, a cold, bleak wind swept over from the other end of the street, rolling up the dry leaves beside the roadside as it did so. The black-clad guardians promptly followed the inquisitor too, cautiously approaching the abandoned chapel from each side in a circling formation

As the team moved under the crunching sound of dry leaves under their feet, which sounded strangely close to burning embers, a series of flapping wings could be heard from above. Vanna’s gaze followed the sound, finding a white dove perched atop the spire and curiously eyeing their group.

“A white dove… An auspicious omen for calm weather…” For some reason, this strange thought suddenly crossed her mind before she gently pushed open the chapel’s door.

Immediately, a warm and bright light met her eyes, and a nun with a gentle smile on her face appeared in front.

“Hello, sister, it’s rare for a visitor here…” The gentle voice of the nun reached the ears of the guardian that sounded spookier than warm.

……

Gas lamps lined up neatly between the behemoth shelves of the archive, the bright light dispelling any form of shadow between these ancient files. During this, only the old priest’s slightly heavy and slow footsteps gave any form of life to these inanimate objects.

“Seventh row of the sixth columns, seventh row of the sixth columns… The record of 1885, it should be here… it should be here…” The old archivist mutters as he went over the files again and again.

“Finally found it!” His voice was filled with unconcealable excitement, “It’s actually hiding here… But how did me and Inquisitor Vanna miss this before after searching for so long?!”

In the second his fingers touched the books.

“Seventh row of the sixth columns, seventh row of the sixth columns…”

The scene repeats itself over and over again until it suddenly doesn’t. Raising his head, the old archivist stiffly looked around at the familiar yet distant bookshelves lined around him. It’s the same old oil lamps lighting the texts, the same old domed building, but the protective pillars that depict the pattern of waves were shimmering with light.

A sobering calm swept over the older man’s chaotic mindset at that very moment.

The protection barrier? Who started it? Why did it activate? Did I do it? What was I doing again?

The old fella instinctively raised his hand to grasp onto the large-caliber revolver around his waist, only to discover something unusual with his body.

The originally flexible arm that he used had become so stiff and heavy that the gears inside were now grinding against each other. It’s only possible after years of neglect and rust.

Astonished and shocked by his mechanical arm’s deplorable state, he also looked downwards towards his mechanical leg. There, seeping black motor oil was dripping down the sides. There’s no doubt about it. They’re all rusts and unmaintained, as if he’s been trekking through this archive for years on end.

Finally, the last barrier keeping him from seeing the truth was lifted like a curtain. He could remember everything with clarity: how he and Vanna searched the archives, how she left with the documents, and how he continued to search for the missing 1885 record by himself…

He may be old, but he’s no fool. The priest instantly realized what might’ve happened. A supernatural force was at work here, mostly a vision! Pland was at the center of a huge vision!!

“SHIT!” The old priest exclaimed and dragged his now ragged body towards the main desk.

However, his movements froze the second he came out of the shelved aisles.

A strange black figure had appeared inside the archives main area without his awareness, and it’s holding an ominous black umbrella as if to block out the ubiquitous sunlight.