Deep Sea Embers

After the ghost fire faded and the invisible curtain closed, the factory had returned to its previous “normal” appearance – the traces of the fire were completely erased, and the ubiquitous ashes also gone, hidden into the nothingness like it had for the past eleven years.

Duncan’s gaze slowly shifted upwards, past the factory roof until it reached the sky. He imagined, picturing a veil like a blanket, quietly covering the surroundings and obscuring the truth under reality.

Although there are not many residents remaining in the sixth block after the incident, there are still thousands left. Yet, under the eyes and noses of thousands still living here, the invisible curtain obscured the truth for eleven years.

Thinking of this, Duncan suddenly furrowed his forehead.

The truth in the factory is a fire, and Dog also confirmed that there is no chemical pollution residue around the factory. Since there is none of the so-called “pollution”… then why did the entire sixth block not have any newborns for so long?!

If the real problem isn’t due to chemicals leaking, then it must be a different contamination…. Is it some force from the transcendent realm preventing the birth of new babies?

Duncan looked thoughtfully at the sky.

Looks like…… the invisible curtain is bigger than I had imagined.

……

“We ran out… Really ran out?” In a leaky and dirty alley some way out from the sixth block, Shirley carefully poked her head out of the alley, cautiously observing whether there were police patrolling the roads nearby.

“It’s not that we ran out. It’s the big boss letting us go.” Dog replies while hiding underneath a corner of the wall where the shadow was at its thickest.

“It’s all the XXXX same meaning,” Shirley waved her hand, then plopped her ass down on the ground without caring about her own image. “That XXXX scared me to death… I was so scared that I almost couldn’t breathe. I had to not swear, pretend to be good, and…. Dog, can you say something?”

“I know, I see more than you can, did you forgot?” The voice in the shadow spoke faintly in a squirming manner, “How does it feel, isn’t walking with a smiling shadow of subspace more tiring than dealing with a group of vicious policemen?”

“…… Don’t say it, I’m getting the shivers just remembering.” Shirley rolled her eyes and shot a blaming look over, “It’s all your fault for scaring me so badly last time. If I had known nothing, then I definitely wouldn’t have today…. Hey, why do you think a big boss like him is walking about pretending to be a normal person? He even squeezed onto the bus like everyone else, and even bought the bus ticket! I never thought we would bump into each other again in this fashion!”

The hound was silent for two seconds: “… Maybe it’s just a hobby, or maybe it’s been staring at you. This is what I’m most afraid of… We have now dealt with that existence so the connection will only get more deep and entangled…”

Shirley shuddered some more and asked cautiously, “You mean… we will really meet again? Please spare me….”

“Have you forgotten what he said when you parted?” The hound sighed, “He’ll find us.”

Shirley went mute there, only lowering her head in silence like she didn’t know how to take it. Then after a good full minute, it was Dog who broke the silence: “What? Scared now? Regret it? That’s a little too late now… I reminded you there’s nothing good in dealing with the transcendents and the ones they fight. Look at us now. We’re stuck dealing with a force beyond human imagination. If you had listened to my advice a few months ago and didn’t investigate the old stuff, you would still be living peacefully…”

“Regret my XXXX!” Shirley lowered her head some more and viciously interrupted Dog’s voice, “I regret nothing, and I won’t into the future! Don’t say such annoying stuff again!”

“Okay, okay, I won’t say it. Have you rested enough? It’s almost time for us to leave, didn’t that ‘new friend’ of yours make an appointment with you?”

“I… I’ll wait two more minutes,” Shirley pulled her hair while muffling the next sentence, “my legs are a little weak, wait a bit…”

Dog was left speechless. Instead of bashing her partner for being more cowardly than him now, he issued out a hoarse purr and wriggled out of the corner and into her shadow.

……

At lunchtime, Vanna took a huge bite out of the jam-coated bread and took no time to finish off the rest of the slice. She choked due to the fast eating, but nothing a large glass of wine wouldn’t solve.

“Vanna, eat more elegantly, and don’t drink wine as water.” Uncle Dante’s voice came from across the table, his tone helpless and pleading.

“Heretics don’t wait. Shortening my meal time will help in sending those heretics to meet the goddess.” Vanna glances up and retorts while already stuffing her mouth full of another item, which only makes it worse in the eye of her uncle. “And this is not a banquet outside….”

“You should also pay attention to etiquette at home. Sooner or later, you will not be able to get married.” Dante looked at his niece, who was already of marriage age, with worry and urgency. Most would’ve at least brought a boyfriend home at some point, yet their family had none of that. “Aigh, it is better to say you’re already unable to get married anymore…”

Vanna’s ferocious eating finally slowed down after that. The young female inquisitor looked all embarrassed while objecting: “I… the duties of the inquisitor…”

“The Storm Church does not prohibit priests and nuns from marrying, and the inquisitors also have normal families. I have also read and recited the Storm Codex.” Dante shook his head, “Seriously, are there really no suitable candidates?”

Vanna lowered her head and poked the bread on the plate with a dinner knife like a meek child: “The main problem is that there’s no one capable of beating me…”

“…… When you go back, ask if you can take the oath back.” Dante sighed deeply, “You never should’ve sworn those oaths in so casually, especially the first one about must having a strong man as a partner. Why didn’t Bishop Valentine stop you back then…”

Vanna’s head drooped a little lower again until it’s on her shoulder, but due to her tall stature, even her defeated posture was enough to be two heads above her uncle’s. Sounding muffled and weak: “There is no way to take back the oath easily. It is a sacred agreement made in front of the goddess. Besides…. I am not someone who makes an oath so casually. Almost all female guardians have taken one. It’s a symbol of our bravery bestowed upon us by the storm, proof that the goddess…”

Dante silently stared at his niece, who was two heads taller than him: “Then have you ever imagined that you will one day become invincible in the world by training so much?”

Vanna: “… Isn’t this for the second and third articles of the oath…”

Dante: “Aigh…..”

This topic had been discussed countless times over the past few years, which always ended awkwardly for both or in a stalemate. Unfortunately, this time was no exception.

However, Vanna had never been one to get dragged down for long. Quickly adjusting her mood, she solved the battle on the dinner plate with amazing speed before getting up to leave: “I’m done eating, Uncle… Huh? ”

Vanna jerked to a stop, staring at her uncle with surprise and shock while pointing to his prosthetic ruby eye: “Uncle, the wound near your eye is oozing blood… You okay?”

“Huh?” Dante was stunned for a moment but quickly reached up and touched it. After confirming it was blood, he ran to a mirror to see for himself. From the round ruby making up his fake eye was indeed a trickle of blood slowly seeping down his cheek, the scar around the eye more striking and frightening now than ever.

“Don’t move,” Vanna hurriedly approached from behind, placed her hands around Dante’s forehead and whispered the words of the Storm Codex. “May the sea breeze moisturize the body and make this flesh and blood heal.”

Under the action of the divine prayer, Dante felt a slight itch near his wound before the small bleeding stopped. Sounding a little helpless: “Don’t make such a fuss. This is not the first time anyways; after all, a cold metallic ball with rubies is bound to cause irritation when rubbing against the skin.”

The expression on Vanna’s face did not relax at all. On the contrary, she continued to stare into Dante’s ruby eye, and only after a long time did she ask: “Do you feel anything else? Is there a burning tingle? Or see some illusions through this ruby eyeball?”

Dante blinked without flinching or fluctuating emotion in front of his niece. Through the ruby eyeball that’s been blessed to clearly see the truth, what’s happening was unlike anything that should be – flames burning behind Vanna, ashes and scorch marks filling up the dining hall and the disembodied and molten deposits of the roof.

Gradually, the hot sensation returns to normal after he absorbs the phantom truth.

“Of course not, everything is normal,” Dante replies nonchalantly like nothing’s wrong as he always did in the past.