Deep Sea Embers

It was still pouring rain outside, and the cold wind had grown uncomfortably unsettling as it whistled against the outer walls of the store’s structure.

Nina and Shirley were the most affected after they came downstairs following Duncan’s advice. Like the old scholar, both girls kept peering out the glass window due to how thickly dark things had become on the streets. They could hardly make out the shape of the closest building, let alone see who’s still walking on the street or not.

“The scenery in the city is fascinating.” Alice suddenly joins in on the group, abruptly interrupting the uncomfortable atmosphere and bringing new air to the mix, “But I see you’re all very nervous… Is something scaring you all?”

“Miss Alice, aren’t you afraid?” Nina swung around and asked in astonishment at how chirpy the lady was.

“No, I think it’s quite fun actually,” Alice smiled and shook her head reservedly, “and Mr. Duncan will solve the problems if there is any.”

“Does that mean you know what’s happening?” Nina bit her lip and asked boldly. She still had reservations about her uncle knowing a lady as beautiful as Alice without her own knowledge. “You sound like… you trust my uncle a lot?”

“I trust him, mhmm,” Alice said of course. “I don’t know what’s happening, but Mr. Duncan will solve it anyway.”

Her overly calm and straightforward attitude had left Nina speechless. For a while, only silence hung in the air until a loud bang of thunder shook the window. This startled the occupants. The most notable was Shirley and Nina, who had covered their ears and shrunk their necks back out of reflex.

“Vanna is back…” Morris peered out the window and muttered this before raising his voice at the realization, “Vanna is back!”

“You mean the inquisitor?” Shirley heard Morris shout and turned her head in surprise, “What’s wrong with the inquisitor? What do you mean by she’s back?”

Morris didn’t respond to Shirley’s question because he didn’t know where to begin.

Instead, he sighed long and hard before crashing down on the nearest seat. It’s been a dreadful day, but after having his chaotic and divided memories merge, he knows the long-awaited ray of sunshine was about to break through on this dark, gloomy day.

……

The green firewall faded, and the dim underground sanctuary returned to its previous appearance, leaving only the last cluster of flame to float quietly beside Duncan as his light.

Vanna has left “this side” and returned to the other side of the curtain. He could tell by the striking outline of the beacon he left on the inquisitor.

“…… I got to say, that jump strike sure is scary,” he muttered softly. Then turning around, the man marched over to the closed door of the underground sanctuary.

History has been solidified here, and Vanna’s intervention didn’t stop the cycle from continuing. The lady’s indeed powerful, but her expertise lies with defeating heretics, not mending the distortion in time-space.

Duncan stood quietly beside the deceased nun, then slowly stretched out his hand to only stop as the nun’s body suddenly moved. The poor girl had looked up with those dying eyes and asked in confusion.

“…… Oh, as I had suspected before, you weren’t dead yet while holding up the door.” Duncan met the nun’s gaze and calmly said, “Is there anything you want to say?”

“…… I had a brief dream. I dreamt of a battle sister appearing here. She tried to help and lay me to rest from this cycle. But she failed…” the nun said weakly. “She was really here, wasn’t she?”

“She’s done her best, but it’s not her area of expertise. Now, she’s back where she belongs.” Duncan bent down and lightly placed his hand on the nun’s longsword, allowing his ghost fire to swim along the surface and encompass both the weapon and owner. “I’ll take over from here.”

“…… Are you also a guardian of the city?” The nun seemed to have no strength left to fully open her eyes as she murmured, “I haven’t seen you…”

“I’m not,” Duncan shook his head slightly, “but for the time being, I can be.”

The nun seemed to have stopped listening to him as the last ember of life left her for good. She’s fallen into a dream, the dream of the afterlife.

“Please bear witness…” These are the last words of this devoted follower of the storm.

“I witnessed it.”

The green flames soared into the air, sweeping everything up within this underground sanctuary in a blazing hurricane of power from the man’s will. Whatever curse and manifestation of subspace will be destroyed at this point, and any soul trapped in this room will be freed. All shall succumb to the ghost captain’s will.

Duncan waited for the last remnant of corruption to be destroyed here before finally stepping up to the main floor of the chapel.

For the first time since 1885, the door was opened from inside the underground church. Here, in the prayer hall, there’s no longer the devote phantom of a praying nun, no lit candles, and no neatly arranged benches for worshippers, only broken glass windows and a collapsed main hall littered with rubbles.

Duncan had dispelled the curse and turned this domain into his territory, his property. But he didn’t need it. Once he was out of the premise, the ghost captain turned around and watched as everything burned for good, wrapped in a devouring pyre that would finally put everything to rest in this small property.

He’s done here and could do no more for the lone defender.

Then with narrowed eyes, he allowed his senses to spread, connecting with every flame cluster across the city. They also sensed Duncan’s arrival and activated, growing and becoming torches instead of mere small flames in this curtained world.

Simultaneously, Duncan also felt something awakening in the depths of this twisted reality. It’s a roar, an outrage of anger that burst forward in the form of ash and red fire. It’s imposing to look at with his mind. Nevertheless, the ghost captain wasn’t afraid, only amused at the belated reaction to his arrival.

“A bit late to be taking action now, don’t you think?”

……

On the Vanished, Duncan had pushed open the door of the captain’s bedroom and strode over to the mapping table. With a low and imposing voice, he stared down at the blinking dot: “How far are we from Pland?”

“Oh, Captain, there are less than two days left before our arrival,” came the Goathead’s reply at once, “theoretically, we may now run into merchant ships or patrol vessels of the various islands in the vicinity…”

Duncan did not interrupt the report, only silently calculating something within his mind at what’s plausible. Then with a huff, he straightened himself and marched out of the captain’s room.

“Ah, what are you going to do, Captain?” Goathead’s echoing voice could be heard crying out from the rear before the door slammed shut.

Duncan had already marched out of the captain’s room, crossed the aft deck, walked up the stairs, and came to the steering wheel before replying with his mental connection: “I will be personally driving the ship.”

“…… YES! Captain!”

After hearing the loud response, Duncan grabbed the steering wheel and felt a surge of power riding over him. The Vanished was overjoyed at his touch and a signal that something had activated with the ship’s structure. Everything was coming alive, much more so than usual.

Sure enough, the sails instantly formed a translucent film, the cables shook in the air with life, and the hull constantly creaked against the battering waves with energy. There’s power manifesting around the body, propelling and breaking the tide like magic!

They’re picking up speed at an incredible rate!

Feeling the distance between himself and the body in the antique store getting closer, Duncan softly exhaled.

Suddenly, an inexplicable feeling emerged from the bottom of his heart – it’s a subtle perception that he’s being targeted from afar.

How should he describe it? Imagine a sonar radar. In the split second when he grabbed the steering wheel, his position was given away to the opponent due to some connection they shared.

Duncan frowned and looked toward where that subtle discomfort was coming from.

Almost simultaneously, Goathead’s urgent ringing had come into his head: “Captain, the Sea Mist has appeared nearby.”