Deep Sea Embers

Heidi had just finished bringing all the additional luggage into the living room when she approached the dining table and stared blankly at Morris, who was sitting opposite her. It had been a considerable time since she last saw her father. Although they managed occasional contacts, even those infrequent communications had dwindled to nothing long ago. Her father’s sudden return home seemed almost surreal to her.

Morris was seated at the dining table, leisurely consuming freshly fried sausages and bread. He chewed each bite thoroughly and for a long time. After a while, he raised his eyes to meet those of his wife next to him and his daughter across from him, a smile spreading across his face. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had home-cooked food,” he remarked.

“There’s more if you’re still hungry, but we need to leave after this meal,” his wife replied with a nostalgic smile, reminding him of days gone by when they would plan a stroll in the park after lunch. “We need to report to the nearest shelter—it’s becoming increasingly unsafe in our neighborhood, what with those confused people… they are becoming less and less human-like.”

“They have lost their self-awareness, and the world is gradually forgetting what ‘human’ looks like, resulting in their current state,” Morris explained calmly. “The keystones and anchors set by the gods are failing rapidly, and those who are not awakened will continue to deviate further from ‘normal’… yet in their own ‘feeling’, nothing has ever changed.”

A look of sorrow crossed Heidi’s face. “Is there no hope?”

“Don’t worry about them, Heidi,” her father replied, shaking his head with a reassuring smile. “It’s all temporary; things will get better. The captain is figuring things out—my early return to the city-state is also part of his grand plan.”

Heidi hesitated for a moment before speaking, her voice filled with a mix of hesitation and curiosity. “It seems like you’ve experienced a lot outside. Has everyone else returned? Is Vanna back?”

“Yes, Vanna is back too, along with the other crew members,” Morris nodded slowly. “Vanna has gone to the cathedral first and will head to City Hall afterward to settle things there; she will contact you once she’s done. Nina and Shirley are back home too; we have scheduled times and methods of contact, and Sailor and Agatha… they all have their own arrangements and missions.”

A hint of curiosity appeared on Heidi’s face. “Can you tell me about your journey?”

“Of course—there isn’t much time left in the world, but still enough for a grand tale,” Morris replied.

Meanwhile, in the fog that enveloped the entire city, two girls ran through the streets of the lower district. They passed suspicious dark red clumps piled on the road, weaving between buildings that blinked with countless eyes and walls that pulsated like a heart, avoiding the aimless, unselfconscious shadows that roamed the streets. The low, chaotic whispers and occasional loud noises echoed through the fog, encircling them like uninvited guests.

“This is even worse than what the female pope described!” Shirley exclaimed, a chilling atmosphere enveloping her. To embolden herself, she transformed into her terrifying demonic form, carefully stepping over the pulsating heaps on the ground with her twelve long skeletal limbs. “She only said the city is full of people who had lost themselves… but she never mentioned this kind of ‘loss of self’!”

“The situation likely changed while they were out at sea in that lighthouse.” While following Shirley, Nina couldn’t help but glance up at her friend, now transformed into a terrifying figure. “But then again, do you really need to be scared? You look more frightening than that shadow we encountered earlier,” she remarked.

Shirley quickly responded with a grin, “What’s frightening? I consider this look quite amazing, not scary at all!” She then propped herself up, surveying their surroundings thoughtfully. “Moreover, there’s a silver lining to this situation—I can freely roam around the city in this guise. It seems as though they don’t even notice me. And even if an ‘awake’ person does spot me, they’ll probably dismiss it as just another distortion and won’t bother chasing me down to shoot me…”

“You should still be cautious,” Nina warned. “What if there’s another priest like Miss Vanna patrolling the city? If she sees a shadow demon like you, she might just come at you with a sword…”

“Then you’ll just have to douse him with some sunshine,” Shirley joked, tapping Nina’s shoulder with one of her skeletal limbs. “Let him know why there are still two such bright and beautiful girls roaming the city at the end of the world…”

Nina was hesitant to engage further with her friend, whose thought processes were uniquely her own.

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a bell ringing through the fog. They looked towards the source of the noise and saw a steam bus with a bright yellow shell. The bus, rather peculiarly, sported several pairs of hands and feet, using them to crawl through the foggy street, while white steam puffed from its rear. It stopped near them at a station, and its middle section suddenly tore open, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

“Wanna ride? Going to the museum!” the steam bus shouted to Shirley and Nina. “The curfew is lifted, and there’s a dazzling exhibition of paintings and textiles!”

Nina watched the scene in disbelief, while Shirley, after a moment of surprise, energetically waved off the offer. “No thanks! I have too many legs to get on!”

The bus replied cheerily, “Alright, alright, see you! I’m off to the next stop!” The “door” then snapped shut, and with a puff of steam, the bus raised its multitude of limbs and quickly scuttled away, vanishing down the street.

Shirley and Nina exchanged glances.

Suddenly, Dog’s silhouette emerged from the shadow between them, grumbling, “…The shadowy abyss of demons might be more normal than this place now.”

Nina remained silent, simply turning towards what she remembered as the direction of home.

Ignoring the eerie shadows and sounds that surrounded them, they eventually spotted the familiar little shop in the lower district. Among the buildings now enveloped in various sinister shadows and heaps, and almost transformed into some kind of “living entity,” the little antique shop still maintained its original appearance—a comforting safe haven, its glass windows still emanating a warm, bright light.

Nina hurried forward, pushing open the already unlocked door. The doorbell rang crisply, echoing the familiarity of her memories.

“Uncle Duncan! Shirley and I are home!” she shouted into the stillness of the antique shop.

However, her call was met with silence.

“Uncle Duncan, we’re home!” Nina called out once more.

This time, a voice responded, though Nina briefly struggled to discern whether it originated from within herself or somewhere in the shop: “I’m behind the counter.”

Nina hesitated, her gaze instinctively drifting towards the counter next to the staircase.

There, she spotted a gaunt, hunched figure seemingly blended into the shadows, sitting silently behind the old, stained wooden counter.

Shirley, now back in her human form, walked alongside Nina into the shop, passing shelves that appeared untouched and dusty for several days, and made her way to the counter.

“Uncle Duncan…” Nina approached cautiously, noticing Uncle Duncan behind the counter slightly shift his eyes, yet remaining otherwise still, which filled her with concern, “Are you alright?”

“I have already severed most connections with this avatar,” Duncan’s voice resonated in Nina’s mind, “but I have retained just enough of my vision to see you and Shirley arrive home safely—did anything happen on the way?”

Nina, her expression complex, eventually let a warm smile spread across her face.

“Nothing,” she replied cheerfully, standing directly in front of the counter so that Uncle Duncan, distant as he was, could see her clearly, “A lot has changed in the city, but there was no danger. Mr. Morris has also made it home safely, and everyone else is fine. Shirley and I just walked here from the shopping street; many people there have already sought refuge in shelters.”

“That’s good to hear. I can only see a very limited area from here, and I’ve been curious about the outside.”

“How are things on your end?” Shirley leaned in, unable to contain her curiosity, “Did you and Alice find what you were looking for?”

“We found it, and now we’re preparing to depart to our final destination.”

“The last stop?” Nina and Shirley asked simultaneously.

“Yes,” Duncan responded slowly, “Soon, you will see the Vanished again—it will then become the most prominent light in the sky.”

Outside, the hull of the ship was enveloped by a uniform gray-white background. The Vanished vibrated slightly, then settled into a profound stillness as the ship embarked on its final journey.

Duncan stood at the stern of the ship, at the helm, with Alice beside him clutching the wheel, steering their course.

“We’ll first return to the border, but we won’t enter the Boundless Sea—the Vanished will ‘ascend’ at the Eternal Veil, and we’ll traverse the entire world from a very high place until we reach the World’s Creation,” Duncan explained, lifting his gaze as if looking through the gray-white corridor of their jump, peering at the end of time and everything beyond. “And then, that ‘moment’ will arrive.”

“Ascend? World’s Creation?” Nina’s voice, filled with astonishment, echoed in his heart, “Is that… possible?”

Then came Shirley’s exclamation: “The Vanished can still fly?”

Duncan smiled, his mouth curving into a knowing smile. “It’s possible—the Sea of Clouds is also a sea.”