Deep Sea Embers

Alice’s excitement was unmistakable, her eyes sparkled with amazement as she keenly observed every nuance of her environment. She appeared ready to rush into the enigmatic fog at the end of the hallway, only to be stopped in time by Duncan’s intervention. Pulling eagerly at Duncan’s arm, she flooded him with a barrage of inquiries about everything she saw, from the cables hanging above them to the mysteries concealed behind the doors they passed. Through Duncan’s patient explanations, Alice gradually learned that they were traversing a special section of the “Alice Mansion,” a discovery that exhilarated her. She treated this revelation as an extraordinary adventure.

“How fascinating… so this is the essence of the Alice Mansion,” Alice, with her doll-like appearance, remarked joyously. She explored the area around the platform where she initially stood, expressing her wonder, “Is this truly my home? It’s so vast! It’s just unfortunate I cannot reside here…”

“First off, we are currently exploring just a fragment of the Alice Mansion, specifically a grand hall within it,” Duncan elaborated, his eyes following Alice’s exploration. He felt compelled to clarify, “Additionally, not every Alice Mansion mirrors this one. For instance, in another variant of the Alice Mansion, you would find a garden in place of this hall. I surmise that accessing different Alice Mansions requires using distinct keys for opening varied doors.”

“Oh…” Alice responded, her nod indicating a partial understanding of Duncan’s detailed explanation.

Duncan’s focus then shifted to the drawing board Alice was clutching. This board was in her possession even before she had awakened, and she had instinctively continued to hold onto it. Recalling another version of the Alice Mansion, specifically the garden, where the doll had captured a catastrophic celestial event on her drawing board, Duncan became curious about the current contents of the board in her hands.

“Alice, may I have a look at your drawing board?” he inquired suddenly.

“Drawing board?” Alice appeared momentarily puzzled by the request but quickly realized she had been holding onto something. With enthusiasm, she approached Duncan and presented the drawing board, saying, “Here you go!”

Upon receiving the board, Duncan flipped it over, revealing not a drawing but a screen filled with an array of incomprehensible lines, symbols, and constantly refreshing data. It seemed to be engaged in intricate calculations and reconfigurations ceaselessly.

As Duncan studied the screen intently, a wave of speculation washed over him. At that moment, Alice, driven by curiosity, leaned in to get a better view. The unexpected revelation made her gasp in astonishment, leading to a prolonged exclamation, “I…”

Immediately recognizing the drawing board’s significance, Duncan urgently asked, “Do you comprehend what this represents?”

Without hesitation, Alice accurately described, “It pinpoints our location within the vast spatial and temporal structure of this refuge.” Then, without waiting for Duncan to ask more, she added with a touch of confidence, “What did I just say?”

Duncan was momentarily speechless. Ever since Alice’s awakening, her remarks had increasingly left him uncertain about how to respond.

Yet, Alice’s comment confirmed Duncan’s suspicion: They had indeed uncovered the route.

The navigation key provided by the Leviathan Queen to unlock the “route” was indeed connected to this “doll” residing in the mansion, specifically through this “drawing board” she possessed!

Noting Duncan’s thoughtful silence, Alice, tilting her head, expressed her bewilderment, “Captain? Why are you silent?”

Brought back to the moment by Alice’s question, Duncan looked at her earnestly and posed a crucial inquiry, “Alice, if I’m correct, this ‘route’ leads us to the nodes of the external barrier. Are you capable of ‘operating’ it?”

Alice seemed momentarily perplexed, reclaiming the drawing board from Duncan and gently tracing her fingers across the screen’s dynamic data and symbols. After pondering for a moment, she voiced her thoughts, as if thinking out loud, “I believe I… might understand? However, it seems I need to look deeper into it.”

With a contemplative expression, she continued, “The operation method appears to be ingrained in my consciousness, as though I’m instinctively ready to initiate something, but fully comprehending it requires a bit more time… Don’t worry, Captain, it won’t be long.”

As Alice shared her insights, Duncan’s attention was diverted by a sudden activity. He glanced up to see the “tree” at the hall’s center, composed entirely of intertwined cable conduits, beginning to animate —

Its “branches,” illuminated by myriad twinkling lights, became more lively, uncovering numerous cables stretching toward the edges of the hall, enveloped in mist. A low hum emerged from the mist, indicating the activation of some mechanism, its power gradually intensifying…

Alice’s fingers gracefully navigated the drawing board, tracing the intricate lines and symbols displayed. As she did, data materialized out of thin air beside her, floating like ethereal figures. She became absorbed in her task, her concentration so deep that it seemed her entire being was immersed in the complexities of her work.

Unexpectedly, Duncan was startled by a voice that filled the hall. It was unmistakably Alice’s voice, yet it emanated not directly from her but through an overhead broadcasting system:

“Main engine initiating… Star map analysis underway, authorization acknowledged by… Navigator One…”

Duncan watched the unfolding scene, a mix of astonishment and anticipation building within him. Just as he started to feel a surge of excitement, a sudden cacophony disrupted the tranquility. The luminous activity on the “tree” and the buzzing of machinery throughout the hall rapidly diminished.

“Analysis halted… Unauthorized access detected.”

A wave of concern flickered across Duncan’s eyes, reflecting a brief disorientation in Alice, who appeared momentarily taken aback. Then, as if emerging from a trance, she looked up, her expression one of sudden realization, “Captain, there’s someone at the door!”

The idea of someone knocking seemed almost unfathomable.

Yet, Duncan’s reaction was swift, and almost simultaneously with Alice’s announcement, he detected the sound of knocking. It was not loud, but its clarity was undiminished by distance, reaching him as though no space separated them.

The knocking was persistent, its rhythm mechanical, devoid of any urgency yet relentless.

Clutching the drawing board closely, Alice leaped down from the platform, her actions betraying a hint of apprehension as she approached Duncan, “Captain, shall we respond to the door?”

After a moment of reflection, Duncan replied solemnly, “Follow me,” pausing to add, “Keep the drawing board with you at all times.”

“Oh… okay!” Alice’s reply was marked by a surge of anxious anticipation as she quickly aligned herself behind Duncan, moving toward the door.

Leaving the shadowed confines of the navigation hall, they ventured down the mansion’s extensive corridor. With Duncan leading, they passed silent rooms and porches, their pace brisk and purposeful as they approached the main hall on the ground floor.

Throughout, the knocking continued, a constant sound that seemed to resonate deeply within, unceasing in its persistence.

The sound of knocking momentarily transported Duncan back to memories of his solitary apartment and the mysterious visit from the Frost Queen amidst enveloping fog. He quickly set aside these wandering thoughts to concentrate on the pressing situation at hand.

With a firm grip on the drawing board, Alice quickened her pace to stay close to Duncan. She gazed around with wide-eyed curiosity at the grandeur of the mansion’s corridors, its slender windows, and secretive doors that seemed to whisper of mysteries locked away, her mind teeming with questions she had no time to ask due to the urgency of their task.

The sprawling complexity of the mansion was overwhelming. Alice came to the realization that without Duncan’s guidance, she could easily lose her way in its vast, winding passages.

After navigating through the intricate maze of hallways, they arrived at the grand entrance hall of the mansion.

There, at the end of the corridor, stood a daunting door, its significance amplified by the continuous knocking sounds resonating from the other side.

With a look of mild concern, Duncan made his way towards the door, Alice at his side. He attempted to sense any potential threats or intentions from the other side but was met with a puzzling silence; there were no signs of hostility, danger, or even the faintest hint of presence.

Though persistent, the knocking seemed to urge them to make a pivotal decision. Duncan recalled the headless butler’s solemn warning—”Do not open the door at all costs, for beyond it lies the Great Annihilation”—and hesitated, his hand hovering over the doorknob.

Alice, though visibly anxious, maintained her trust in Duncan, clasping the drawing board as though it were an anchor in this sea of uncertainty, her gaze locked on the formidable door before them.

As Duncan’s hands made contact with the door, it let out a creak of protest yet surprisingly gave way with ease. Despite its daunting appearance and the eerie sound it made, the door opened smoothly as if it had been eagerly awaiting their approach.

With the door now ajar, a flood of sunlight pierced the darkness, washing over Duncan and Alice in a warm, welcoming light, revealing a new reality beyond the threshold that they had never anticipated.

In the midst of the emptiness outside, a radiant sun shone brightly, its luminous rays enveloping the entrance of the Alice Mansion in a dazzling brilliance. Remarkably, despite the intensity of the sunlight, it felt soothing to their eyes, causing no discomfort.

A strange familiarity washed over Duncan as he took in the sight of the sun, which soon began to shift its position in the sky, its blazing corona gradually dimming to reveal the truth hidden beneath its fiery exterior.

Beneath its scorching guise, an ancient deity emerged, a disturbing fusion of pallid, decaying tentacles and swollen flesh that formed a celestial being. At the heart of what seemed to be a sun, this entity featured a massive eye amidst its tentacles, slowly directing its focus towards Duncan and Alice, who stood on the brink of the mansion.

This entity was known as the “Black Sun,” not just a cosmic phenomenon but a revered figure among the Suntists as the “True Black Sun”—and this very entity had been knocking.

Before Duncan could process his thoughts into words, a feeble voice echoed, not through the air but directly into their minds. The ancient god, its appearance marked by the toll of its luminance, spoke in a voice layered with exhaustion, “I was on the verge of abandoning my attempt to reach you.”

Caught off guard and momentarily lost for words, Duncan observed the deity. Its eye, challenging ordinary perceptions of distance and scale, scrutinized them intently, “Navigating from the depths of the mansion to the door is no small feat, especially in response to your knock.”

Hearing Duncan’s observation, Alice promptly concurred, voicing her agreement with genuine enthusiasm, “That’s right, it’s vast! Our journey here felt like it took forever!”

The cosmic entity fell silent for a brief moment as if mulling over their statements. After a short pause, it acknowledged their explanation with a simple acknowledgment, “Hmm, that explains it.”