Deep Sea Embers

Duncan didn’t understand the logic behind the cultists disappearing before his very eye. All he knew was that this was Ai’s ability.

After a few seconds of confirming that the cultists really couldn’t come back, he turned his head slightly and asked the dove on his shoulder: “… Where did you send them?”

Ai flapped her wings – which had become translucent and ghostly with her beak – before answering: “They’ve retreated into the shadows!”

Duncan frowned over that. He’s been adapting to Ai’s language and could vaguely guess: “… You mean, you banished them to some sort of… parallel space? Or did you turn them into some kind of untouchable state?”

The dove looked up, her eyes fluttering at Duncan all innocently, “Googoo!”

She’s now pretending to be a real dove again…

But no matter, Duncan believes he’s gotten the truth already.

First patting the dove on the head, he glances around the dimly lit shelter to see what he has to work with: a square room similar to the sewers he walked through from the first spirit walk, flickering oil lamps against the wall and some sheets on the floor for rest.

There are no signs of the sun god cultists around – they’ve completely disappeared from this world. However, upon further inspection, Duncan felt the hair-raising sensation that they were still around. He couldn’t see or touch them, but the ominous screams of their struggles somehow reverberated in his ears like some phantom cry.

Eventually, Duncan was able to confirm his theory. Amid the flickering of the oil lamp on the table, he saw the faint scratch mark of a blade grinding against the wall in the perfect interlacing of light and shadow. But upon blinking his eyes, it’s gone….

This would be the last contact the cultists here would ever have with the real world. Whatever or wherever they were sent off to, they are not coming back.

Heaving a long sigh over this, Duncan didn’t comment and turned to leave after knowing what he’s done.

Outside the abandoned hideout, there was a much narrower corridor than the sewer tunnels he’s been in before – it’s a forked path, one going deeper underground and another upwards.

Going by what he knew, Duncan briefly judged the path going upwards led to the surface based on his fragmented memories. There’s no need to hesitate. He wants to explore this world and the surface.

Soon, fresh air currents hit his hair, followed by the vague rumbling of factories in the distance on his ears. He could also hear the faint sound of waves crashing against the reefs, which made him trot the last stretch of the way due to excitement.

“The era is calling! Era is calling!” Ai flaps her wings and transforms back into her regular form with a happy chirp.

Pausing his feet, Duncan stared at the dove after remembering something: “Don’t talk casually outside anymore. Doves don’t speak human language.”

Ai thought for a moment and flapped her wings vigorously, “Aye, captain!”

Duncan was surprised by how proper the reply was. He didn’t know if it was a coincidence or deliberate, but he quickly left it behind to move on.

There’s a whole new world awaiting him after all!

But before then, he must ditch the black robe on his body. Wearing such attire out into the public street would draw the attention of all the policing officials.

Secondly, he must also be out of sight from the night watchmen. Pland had a strong curfew in place. If citizens wish to walk outside during the night, they must be equipped with a legal document permitting them to do so. Since this body was a formal cultist, he clearly didn’t have such a document.

Duncan quickly sorted through the fragments in his mind, most of which were messy and vague because they were inherited from a corpse. Nevertheless, he got enough information to have a vague idea of what he needed to do next.

He first took off his robe before reaching the final exit – underneath were the regular clothes so it wouldn’t arouse suspicion. Of course, Duncan considered burning the robe on the ground too, but the flames would surely attract attention from the smoke. In the end, he rolled it up and hid it in a corner and out of sight.

The Sun Amulet he’s holding was also something that could cause trouble, but the potential this item carried was too valuable for Duncan to discard. He must return to the Vanished with this and do further testing and studying.

Once he’s done all this and cleaned up his appearance – no longer looking like a frantic and fleeing cultist – Duncan finally made the final stretch up the tunnel.

Solid, stable, bathed in pale shimmering, these were the first impression he had of the earth beneath his feet.

Then Duncan’s eyes stretched wide after catching his first glimpse of the city proper. It’s just like he had imagined. Buildings and infrastructure, as far as the eye could see, this was the representation of human civilization!

Duncan burst out laughing using a silent voice that left him gasping for air.

But after a moment, he forcibly stopped the crazed laugh and began walking. This was not the place to stand idle.

Cultists also have their own “normal lives”. Except for a few “priests” who completely took up the mantle of being a scourge upon civilization, most are merely people who got deceived from the onset. Like single elderly individuals without families, impoverished lower-class citizens, or the young who have never experienced life yet, these are all prime targets for the cultists to recruit.

As for the corpse possessed by Duncan here, the poor fellow by the name of Ron, was an ordinary man who owned an antique shop in the lower sector of the city. Through misfortune and fate, Ron found himself diagnosed with a lethal illness, hence the eventual fall into darkness.