Deep Sea Embers

Nina got up and began clearing the dishes once breakfast was over. Based on her hand movements, it’s obvious she’s been doing these chores for a long time. No doubt the cleaned and maintained bedrooms are also her work.

Duncan had every reason not to help. As an uncle who’s been seriously ill, decadent, and dedicated most of his energy to a cult’s corrupted cause, he would never bother with such things. But he’s not that person. So with the urge to help, he picked up the large tray from Nina’s hand: “I’ll help you carry this. It’s bothersome seeing you run upstairs like this.”

This roused a stunned look from Nina’s face. She wanted to say something but stopped after the man began to leave her behind.

Hurrying to catch up: “Uncle, be careful, the doctor said your current condition is not stable…”

“Doctors… Dr. Albert?” Duncan kept his back to her while walking upstairs. According to the corresponding impression in the memory fragments, that’s the name of the physician in charge of his illness, “It doesn’t matter, we have no clue as to what my illness anyways. The most he can do is prescribe painkillers for me.”

“…… Then you should also listen to the doctor’s advice,” Nina followed Duncan up to the second floor and protested all the way to the kitchen, “he at least knows how to keep one healthy…”

Halfway through Nina’s speech, a flapping of wings suddenly interrupted her nagging and caused them both to swing their heads in the direction. They didn’t see what exactly the thing was because it flew in such a blur, but they did catch the direction of where it went.

“Uncle Duncan, something just went into your room!” Nina exclaims, her body running out in pursuit, “it could be the neighbor’s cat…”

“Aigh, don’t….”

Duncan only had time to say half a sentence when he saw Nina pushing open the door to reveal the white dove hiding in the master bedroom.

Ai was standing on top of the cupboard, one claw grabbing a French fry and stuffing it in her mouth when the door suddenly swung open. This created an awkward scene where two humans stared at an unexpected bird.

“Ah… googoo?” Ai quickly corrected herself and flapped that wing to act all innocent.

Duncan’s eyes twitched somewhat after he noticed the opened window. This was clearly the work of this dove, which had a direct view of the pier across the rooftops.

She actually went to the dock and came back with some French fries….

“A dove?” Nina finally came back to her senses and exclaimed, “Uncle Duncan! You have a dove in your room!”

“I can see that,” Duncan grimaced, “I don’t know it.”

Ai immediately threw the fries aside and flew over, landing on Duncan’s shoulder and shaking her head to rebuke the denial.

“Fine~ It flew in this morning,” Duncan sighed, “it may be someone else’s pet, but its brain isn’t very clever, so now it’s refusing to leave after I fed it.”

Ai listened and made a loud googoo noise.

If it weren’t for the presence of outsiders and Duncan had given the order before, she would have begun to shout “Ah yes yes yes” at this time for sure.

Nina did not doubt her uncle’s statement in the slightest. Staring wide with light in those eyes, she leaned over carefully: “That… do you want to raise it? Can I raise it?”

The girl’s desire was written all over te face. Without a doubt, Ai was a lovely bird with pristinely white feathers, so it was no surprise that Nina would be smitten by its charm.

After a moment, he pretended to hesitate for a moment before nodding: “Yes, but only if the pigeon is willing to stay. It may fly away at some point, and you can’t complain when the time comes.”

Nina smiled happily, “Great! I knew Uncle Duncan is a reasonable man!”

……

In the central prayer room of the Cathedral of the Storm, the city-bishop Valentine, dressed in the black robe of a priest, stood solemnly in front of the statue of the Storm Goddess.

He’s a tall, thin man with sparse white hair and eyes as calm as the water. Right now, he’s currently discussing an important topic with Inquisitor Vanna, who had come to seek his advice early in the morning.

“…… If what you saw in your dream is correct, then indeed, that is the Vanished,” Valentine says after hearing the full story.

Although the status of bishop and inquisitor are on equal footing in terms of rank, but having the latter seek out advice from the former was a common practice since clerics are more knowledgeable in their studies.

“So it is the Vanished?” Despite having the answer in mind already, Vanna still couldn’t help but heave a long sigh at the bishop’s judgment, “I thought….”

“You thought it’s just a legend, right? The type of ghost ship mentioned by the nervous sailors bragging about their ventures in the tavern?” Valentine knew what Vanna was trying to say and promptly shut it down, “The existence of the Vanished is a fact recognized by all city-states and churches. It is not a legend, but something that can be found in the archives.”

“I know the Vanished did exist at one time and that we can even find the blueprints for the ship in the city archives. However, all those details related to that ship are limited to when it’s still a vessel sailing in the real world. When that Captain Duncan is still a human….” Vanna spoke in a serious tone, and then her expression became more cautious upon looking up at the statue behind the bishop. “The point is that the ship was clearly recorded as to have crashed into subspace… A century ago, thousands of fugitives from the thirteen islands of Wieseland witnessed the ship and their homeland being swallowed up by the collapse of the border and falling straight into the shadows. In the decades since, although eyewitness reports of seeing the Vanished reappearing in the real world would pop up once in a while, but there is no real evidence, and a considerable number of scholars have doubts about the ship’s ‘return’…”

“Is it really possible that something swallowed up by subspace can reappear in the real world?”

“…… To date, nothing but the Vanished has ever returned to reality after falling into subspace, that is a fact. Even if it is the Vanished, there are only after-the-fact sightings, that is also a fact. Scholars from all walks of life doubt the ship’s return like you said, but that’s not the key factor…” The old man said, his eyes suddenly falling on Vanna with a certain seriousness on his face, “The key is what is making so you afraid?”