Gun of Ashes

With Ed's death, the major obstacle for tonight's action vanished, but at the heart of that massive pollution source, Eve faced even more terrifying things.

Eerie darkness spread to every corner of the vision; inside this strange lighthouse, there was no trace of light. The door behind trembled as countless demons craved blood and flesh, attempting to break through this final defense.

Besides that, only the urgent heartbeat of Eve and Red Falcon remained. In the dark, the two glanced at each other briefly, knowing full well that this place couldn't be held; once the door was breached, they had no means of defense.

At this moment, it seemed that there was only one path left: stepping into that eerie darkness, advancing in dire straits. Rather than dying at the hands of those demons, they might try to destroy that mysterious pollution source and uncover the truth.

The aluminothermic rifle flickered dimly in the night. Without needing many words, the two moved with tacit understanding along the walls, soon encountering the stairs spiraling up along the wall.

Demons battered the door, urging the two's progress. Hesitating little, Eve and Red Falcon sprinted all the way, finally seeing light after the darkness.

It was a moment of daze; as Eve came to her senses, the dense sea breeze brushed her cheeks, countless raindrops flowing over her face, the wind was biting cold.

The ground beneath kept shaking; as massive thunder streaked across the night sky, pure white sails harnessed the gales.

This was a ship, a large ship sailing in a storm.

Eve felt a strange sense of disorientation. Clearly, she was just running inside the lighthouse, but now she appeared here.

All this was inexplicable; she cast her gaze forward at a tall man gripping the helm tightly, facing the fierce wind and rain without the slightest fear, heading into the waves.

On this ship, it seemed there was only her and that peculiar captain. Though unclear about the situation, Eve still held her gun tightly and then advanced slowly.

"Hello, beautiful guest."

Having seemingly anticipated Eve's arrival, as Eve approached the captain, he turned his head. Beneath his soaked hair were a pair of shining eyes.

"Where is this?"

Though Eve hadn't been dealing with these eerie demons for long, this girl had evidently adapted to the rhythm. There was a high probability that this was a damned illusion, like what she saw in the Underground Palace. As she approached the pollution source, Eve was also engulfed by the dream at this final moment.

She realized this phenomenon but couldn't find a way out.

"This is the Silverfish, and I am the captain of this ship."

The captain smiled, but the waves had already stirred in Eve's heart.

Wol's death was the first case she took over, even though messed up due to Lorenzo's interference. But in subsequent investigations, Eve found many clues, like Wol being from a fishing boat named Silverfish.

However, something was still amiss. Silverfish was a steamship, a mechanical construct covered in rivets and iron armor. Yet now she found herself on an old fishing boat devoid of indestructible metal. Instead, it was a hull built from countless wooden planks. The roar of steam engines was no longer present; only massive sails rose, snapping fiercely under the storm's pull.

This was a bizarre dream; Eve remained silent until another man inserted himself into the scene.

"What's wrong, Captain?"

The man came from the back of the ship, looking at the unexpectedly present Eve, clutching a harpoon, his expression tense.

"Nothing, Wol, return to your post. It's just a visiting friend."

The captain said casually, but to Eve, it sounded like thunder. She stepped aside, ensuring the captain was in her shooting range while her peripheral vision glanced behind.

It was Wol, although the corpse in the morgue was unrecognizable. Eve could still find a shred of familiarity in this man before her.

The inexplicable anomaly deepened, an unprecedented unease welled up in Eve.

"Don't be afraid, I mean no harm."

The captain attempted to reassure Eve, but she clearly wouldn't believe him, aiming her gun directly at him. The captain gestured for Wol to leave, so the long-dead man stiffly departed like clockwork, leaving only Eve and him in view.

"Where... exactly is this?"

Knowing full well the firearm might not hurt the man before her, Eve still gripped it tightly; it was the only thing that could bring her a sense of security.

"Silverfish, and we are now sailing towards the new era."

The captain spoke, facing away from Eve, once more maneuvering the helm, undeterred by the overwhelming storm. Cold raindrops hit his determined face as he stood there like a sculpture.

"You know? Actually, I rather dislike the new era. When I was a child, the steam engine was just a distant rumor, I didn't even know what it was."

The captain's face was full of nostalgia, veins bulging on his arms, gripping the helm tightly with no storm able to sway him.

"Back then, the Vikings believed in Odin. We sailed pirate ships across the northern seas, plundering wealth with fire and axes. In your view, we were heinous pirates, but in the then Viking mindset, every voyage was a testament to our bravery, earning a place in the Heroic Spirit Hall."

Eve felt it strange; the captain looked ahead at the storm, the swelling and falling sea outlined grotesquely under the glaring thunder.

He truly seemed to just be steering the ship, soon engaging in small talk with Eve.

"What exactly do you intend to do?"

Eve asked warily, if the captain turned into a demon and attacked her, she wouldn't feel surprised. But now, this guy began to chat idly, making Eve feel deeply uneasy.

"Just wanted to say something. Some stories, if not told to the young, will be forgotten along with my aged body, won't they?"

The captain continued speaking.

"Later, I grew up. I thought I'd follow in my father's footsteps, becoming a pirate or something, but as I grew those childhood stories had already faded. Steam engines and firearms conquered everything, so-called axes and glory before technological advancements were merely decayed relics."

"I thought I had a chance to raise sails and speed across the seas, but as I reached the port, steamships were stationed everywhere, while the last sailing ship had been dismantled and thrown into the furnace, adding warmth to the cold winter."

The captain looked somewhat melancholic.

"And just like that, my childhood came to an end."