Deep Sea Embers

“I remember… this is the name of the ‘Supreme God’ described in the ancient belief system unique to the elves,” Duncan began slowly as he contemplated. “This Demon God possesses the ability to control dreams and wander through souls. In your legends, this Great Demon God is even associated with the commencement of what is now known as the Deep Sea Era.”

“Yes, Captain Duncan,” Taran El nodded. “According to those ancient legends, the world was originally a dream, created by the Great Demon God Saslokha in a state between sleep and waking. Elves were born as residents within this dream, and our inherent mission is to serve Saslokha within the dream, extending His slumber as much as possible to prevent the world from meeting its doom with the awakening of the Great Demon God.”

Lucretia, who was listening intently, interjected. Being a learned person, she had evidently also explored the elves’ ancient, strange beliefs that were entirely different from today’s mainstream faith. “But Saslokha is destined to awaken—this is also part of the legend.”

“Indeed, the Great Demon God is destined to awaken, and His awakening signifies the end of the world,” Taran El nodded again, continuing, “In most… less conventional belief systems, there are similar ‘prophecies of the world’s end,’ but in most cases, they are merely a warning, a deterrent for the faithful, designed to enhance persuasiveness and control over followers. But the legends of the elves are different. In their tales, this ‘end of the world’ has already happened.”

“The legend says that the end of the world began with a nightmare. The Great Demon God dreamt of a massive flood, and so the elves’ long-standing soothing lost its effect. He awoke, and the flood leaked from His dream into the real world, turning into a Boundless Sea…”

“After that, the Great Demon God Saslokha vanished upon awakening, and the elves could no longer return to that peaceful dream world. They could only survive in the sea that remained after the flood – this is the elves’ mythological explanation for the Deep Sea Era.”

Taran El’s narration of the legend did not differ much from what Morris had said, but it included more details. After the elven scholar finished speaking, Duncan’s expression became thoughtful.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke gravely, “Both your creation myth and apocalyptic prophecy revolve around the element of ‘dreams.\'”

“Yes, in the culture of the elves, the concept of ‘dreams’ has always been a prominent feature,” Taran El nodded. “We believe that there are two worlds, one inside the dream and the other outside, both of which are real and can influence each other. A person’s sleep and wakefulness are seen as a process of traveling between these two worlds—or, to put it in more traditional terms, a ‘journey without homeland.\'”

He paused, organizing his thoughts before continuing, “On that note, let me mention something off-topic—among the elves, there is a special congenital condition called ‘Dreamless.\'”

Duncan furrowed his brow, “Dreamless?”

“Literally, those who are unable to dream from birth,” Taran El explained. “Dreaming is a human instinct. In our view, dreaming is as uncontrollable and inevitable as death. Of course, some people dream more, some less, and some even feel they don’t dream at all—but research has proven that these individuals simply have dreams too brief or shallow to remember upon waking. They still dream… But the ‘Dreamless’ are entirely different—they truly do not dream.”

“The sleep of the Dreamless is pale, filled with nothing but void and chaos after they fall asleep. Their consciousness seems to ‘jump’ directly over the entire process of sleep, and no skilled psychiatrist or priest can find a trace of their dreams. This complete absence of dreams only occurs among the elves, with about a one-in-ten-thousand incidence rate. It is hereditary and incurable.”

Upon hearing this, Duncan couldn’t help but exclaim, “…In a race that places such extreme importance on ‘dreams,’ the Dreamless must be regarded especially negatively.”

“Yes, to most elves, the pale and hollow sleep of the Dreamless is seen as dangerous, bizarre, and even terrifying. Historically, there has indeed been much unfair treatment towards the Dreamless, though that was mostly in the times before the old city-states,” Taran El waved his hand dismissively. “Now, we don’t specifically target or discriminate against the Dreamless, but as you said, the influence of traditional culture remains, and they are somewhat… regarded differently.”

Duncan listened intently to the elves’ unique cultural aspects and legends, which were hard for people of other races to comprehend. After the great scholar’s words fell silent, he pondered for a moment before slowly saying, “But among the many legends and records about dreams, there is not one about the ‘Dream of the Nameless One.\'”

“One possible explanation is that ‘The Dream of the Nameless One’ is merely the term used by those cultists, and its corresponding concept in elf culture might have another name,” Taran El said. “This situation is quite common—the elven cultural system is ancient and intricate, and parts that have leaked out are often misunderstood and reworked by other races. We can’t expect a race with an average lifespan of less than a hundred years to fully comprehend a container with a seven-thousand-year history, whether it’s for holding wine or fetching water.”

Lucretia, who had been silently pondering on the side, suddenly looked up and said, “If it goes by ‘another name,’ could the so-called Dream of the Nameless One refer to the dream created by the Great Demon God Saslokha, as mentioned in elf legends?”

“You mean the Old World?” Taran El frowned but quickly shook his head. “The dream that Saslokha created is just a legend. There’s no evidence to prove that it ever really existed, and even if it did, in this current ‘Deep Sea Era,’ it must have already shattered and dissipated…”

“But you and another elf far away in Pland were indeed caught in a vast and strange ‘dream,\'” Duncan reminded him. “Have you forgotten that boundless forest?”

“…I indeed thought of it,” Taran El hesitated for a moment, still choosing his words carefully. “We can make such a bold assumption… but we must verify it with sufficient evidence. If that dream truly is the legendary ‘Dream of Saslokha,’ the ‘Origin World’…”

“It would not only shake elf society,” Lucretia said calmly, “but the entire world’s academic community would be astounded.”

“Yes, the entire world,” Taran El said, his expression especially grave. “This means that amidst countless speculations and conflicting historical records, finally, a ‘record’ about history before the Great Annihilation has been verified. Even if we still cannot break through the historical black wall set ten thousand years ago, a crack has appeared on that wall, allowing us glimpses of fleeting images from before the Deep Sea Era.”

Duncan had certainly thought of all these as well, but he didn’t interrupt, instead silently contemplating. After a long time, he spoke with a hint of curiosity, “Regarding this ‘Great Demon God Saslokha,’ are there any more detailed legends?”

“Legends are often vague and filled with contradictions, and even a race like the elves, with a stable and complete heritage, cannot avoid this situation,” Taran El said slowly. “In most legends, Saslokha is described as a giant dressed as a shepherd, holding a staff capable of measuring the world. But in some stories, he’s depicted as a massive male goat, while in the ‘Bran Mar Epic’ stored in the city-state of Mok, he’s said to have no physical form. Instead, he would change into any shape according to the imagination of the beholder, reflecting the most magnificent and revered form in the mortal’s mind…”

“But regardless of the legend, there is one common thread: Saslokha resides at the foot of the world’s giant tree ‘Atlantis,’ and the giant tree ‘Atlantis’ is the first plant ever born in the entire world—Saslokha created it in his dream as his home. He shook Atlantis’s branches violently out of loneliness, causing the tree’s dust, fruit, and leaves to fall off. Everything that fell transformed into various things in the world.”

“The dust that fell from the world tree became mountains and minerals, the branches and leaves of Atlantis turned into all kinds of birds and beasts, flowers, and insects, and the fruit of Atlantis transformed into the first elves. Since soil does not decay, mountains and minerals are eternal, while branches and fruit rot upon falling, this gave rise to the cycle of life and death in the mortal world.”

Taran El paused at this point, picked up the tea that the doll Luni had placed on the table, took a sip, and continued: “This is the process of the Great Demon God creating various things in the dream. After this initial ‘creation,’ Saslokha began to inspect his world.”

“He would stroll around Atlantis, defining the laws of all things in the world with his gaze. He could circle the world tree once a year, causing Atlantis to wither and flourish in a yearly cycle, thus creating distinct seasons in the world. He would return to the foot of Atlantis on the last day of each year, and the elves would need to dress up and go out on this day, showcasing to Saslokha their proudest skills and creations. If the Great Demon God felt that those things were good, he would continue to reside in the dream world he created, allowing the world to endure.”

Afterward, Taran El finally took a long breath.

“That’s all there is, Captain Duncan.”