Deep Sea Embers
chapter-784

Everything came down to this simple moment.

As the hourglass was carefully turned over, the last few grains of sand began their descent, marking the passage of time much like the moments of life that slip away, never to be regained. Duncan disappeared into the “spiritual rift,” leaving behind the serene and color-muted hall by the water pond. In this quiet place, made up of shades of black, white, and gray, the enormous limbs of the Leviathan Queen rested gently along the shore. Nearby, a young woman dressed in a white robe and two warriors maintained a respectful silence.

It was time once again for a period of rest, though a brief span remained. The dwindling life force from the hourglass was scarce, yet it afforded a precious opportunity for long-separated friends to share a brief exchange.

“Lillian… it feels like an eternity since our last meeting,” came a soft, resonant voice, stirring the still air of the hall. The pale limbs near the pool’s edge quivered ever so slightly, sending ripples of nostalgia through the room.

The woman in the white robe, Lillian, offered a warm smile and took a seat by the edge of the water pond. She leaned back against a tentacle of the Leviathan Queen, finding comfort in its familiar touch. “Yes, Gomona, it has indeed been a long time since our paths last crossed. But remember, Lancelot and I have always remained close by your side.”

“Do the days filled with gentle waves and radiant sunshine still visit your memories?”

“They do. It feels as though it was just yesterday… I also cherish the memory of our first meeting, when you unexpectedly entered my dream. You confessed how weary you had grown of your temple duties and longed for a brief escape. Together with Lancelot, Owen, and later Paltry, who now guards the temple’s entrance, along with others from our circle, we embarked on an adventure. You wished to witness deserts, volcanoes, and snow-covered landscapes, and so we did. Eventually, I escorted you, our adventurous ‘Queen’ who had fled from her responsibilities, back to your temple, and in turn, we were honored as your royal guardians. Those days were filled with such vibrancy and life.”

“…Indeed, those days were vibrant and alive. Despite the passage of time, the memories remain delightful. We even concocted a plan to covertly open a quaint shop at the pilgrimage’s outset, imagining the Leviathan Queen herself offering souvenirs to pilgrims as a whimsical venture…”

“That scheme was solely yours,” interjected one of the towering warriors, breaking the silence for the first time. “Lillian, Owen, and I never consented to it.”

“…Perhaps we should have,” Lillian mused softly, a hint of regret in her voice. “It does seem like it would have been a delightful endeavor…”

The area around the water pond returned to silence, only to be gently pierced once more by the soft, resonant voice: “I don’t want to go to sleep.”

“But sleep you must, Gomona,” Lillian replied, her gaze tender and caring as she caressed Gomona’s tentacle with her hair. “You need to rest here and then awaken in the timeline beyond the temple… The other three ‘Kings’ are eagerly awaiting your message. Their concern grows by the minute.”

Gomona’s expression conveyed a sense of loss, her voice tinged with longing. “But you won’t be there outside the temple… I miss you.”

In an attempt to offer solace, Lillian spoke with a gentle assurance. “We will meet again one day in the distant future. Do you recall the predictions of Navigator Two? It has analyzed the fate of the sanctuary time and again. Despite its forecasts invariably pointing towards the extinction of all, no prediction is absolute. Though seemingly final, every outcome carries a margin of uncertainty—like a spectral variance that lurks after countless zeroes in a decimal place…”

Her voice softened, carrying the weight of impending slumber, as she continued, “Amidst the ‘end’ foretold as the extinction of all, what lies concealed at the edge of time may hold a glimmer of hope. It’s there we shall meet once more… And then, let us venture forth together, and perhaps, open that souvenir shop once again.”

Her words faded, marking the return of silence as those briefly reanimated succumbed to their eternal rest. After a time indeterminable, the stillness of the water pond area was gently broken: “Goodnight, Lillian, goodnight…”

Reality’s colors reclaimed their presence, the monochromatic hall regaining its lifeless hues. Duncan’s vision was restored to the water pond, now emanating a soft blue light amidst the black and dark green stones, the Leviathan Queen’s tentacle once again lifeless by the water’s edge.

Beside the tentacle lay scattered skeletal remains.

Duncan, observing the dwindling sands within the hourglass—now less than a fifth remaining, their faint golden glow a beacon in the dimness—was approached by his companions.

Shirley, leveraging her stature, pushed to the forefront, concern in her voice: “Captain Captain! What happened? You turned into a shadow, just standing there. It was so freaky…”

After a moment’s pause, Duncan placed the hourglass upon the altar, then looked up, his voice steady: “I saw the Leviathan Queen and we spoke of certain matters.”

Vanna, moving closer, interjected with curiosity: “You spoke with the goddess? What is this place exactly…”

Before she could continue, Duncan gestured for silence and explained, “This ‘temple’ divides the timeline into two segments.”

This revelation prompted a mix of expressions among the group, with Morris adopting a contemplative look, quietly pondering, “The timeline is split into two parts?”

Duncan took a moment to gather his thoughts before sharing the insights he had gleaned, including some conjectures. “If my understanding is correct, the timeline outside this temple pertains to the ‘Deep Sea Era.’ Gomona, as one of the four deities of the Boundless Sea, oversees the ‘external barrier’ surrounding this temple. Here, she exists in a state that is neither fully alive nor dead, answering the prayers of her followers while maintaining the order of the Boundless Sea—that’s the ‘Storm Goddess’ Vanna knows.”

“And within the confines of this temple lies a segment cleaved from the Deep Sea Era—here, the Leviathan Queen Gomona has isolated her own demise and decay, alongside recollections of the cataclysmic event and numerous fragments of knowledge pertaining to the world’s core essence. She has ensnared all these elements within the temple’s timeline, aiming to shield the sanctuary outside from their corrupting influence.”

Duncan paused for a moment, his gaze shifting back to the lifeless tentacle beside the water pond, and the nearby skeletal remains scattered on the ground.

“This is the reason that upon entering the temple, Vanna found herself unable to commune with the Storm Goddess. All that was visible was a form that had succumbed to complete death—because Gomona confined her demise within these walls. In essence, the moment we crossed into this space, we were met with her actual death.”

Lucretia’s attention drifted to the hourglass positioned on the altar, prompting her to ask, “So, this hourglass is…”

“It’s a means of communication left behind for me,” Duncan confirmed with a nod. “It’s a creation of Bartok, the god of death, who fashioned a bridge between the living and the dead. By inverting the hourglass, I was afforded the chance to converse with Gomona, who was momentarily reinvigorated. Although the remnants of life force it harbors are dwindling.”

A hush fell over the water pond area, the gravity of the revelation leaving the group lost in thought. After a brief silence, Morris, his voice imbued with reverence, finally spoke: “…Remarkable… So, did the god of death and the storm goddess collaborate to forge this sanctuary?”

Duncan responded with a gentle shake of his head, indicating there was more to the story: “Not solely them.”

He mulled over the temple’s intricate workings, slowly piecing together the puzzle. The hourglass’s power stemmed from Bartok, the god of death. The strategy of segmenting the timeline to encapsulate “information” hinted at an association with the god of wisdom, while the archived information and “memories” linked to the Great Annihilation represented the Eternal Flame. Positioned at the boundary of the Boundless Sea, beyond the realm of structured existence, the calm waters served as the “foundation” for this barrier—clearly an influence of the storm goddess.

This entire external barrier was a collaborative endeavor by the four deities, establishing the true limits of the world. It was here that the other Kings were granted the chance to “forge” the world within the sanctuary, time and again.

As Duncan pieced together his understanding of the world, his grasp of its mechanics grew clearer. The realization of how the external barrier functioned enlightened him and seemed to empower him with a newfound ability to interact with the world’s fabric. This enlightenment quickly morphed into practical knowledge—the kind that could be applied to influence the entire Boundless Sea. More specifically… might be harnessed to bring about the Great Annihilation.

This revelation halted Duncan’s train of thought, casting a shadow of gravity over his demeanor.

It dawned on him that he had uncovered the means to dismantle the external barrier and everything it encapsulated—this, he speculated, might have been Gomona’s true message for him.

Alice, picking up on the shift in Duncan’s mood, moved closer, her expression tinged with concern as she clutched at his clothing. “Captain? You look quite troubled…”

Jolted back to reality by Alice’s presence and the genuine worry in her violet eyes, Duncan’s swirling thoughts began to settle. He inhaled deeply, a soothing gesture as he gently stroked Alice’s hair, offering her a semblance of reassurance.

“Don’t worry,” he said, his voice regaining its steadiness, “I’ve just come to a sudden realization…”

His gaze returned to what remained of Gomona, a symbol of a greater truth.

“If my deductions are correct, the other ‘three gods’ have likely made similar sacrifices—They’ve each ‘sealed’ their ‘deaths’ and ‘corruptions’ within this temporal divide in an effort to stave off the world’s inevitable decay.”

Nina, catching the serious undertone of the conversation, looked from Duncan to the nearby hourglass, then broke the silence: “So, what’s our next step? Are we going to seek out the other three gods?”

“…Yes, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” Duncan affirmed with a subtle nod.

His path forward was now clear. He intended to journey to each critical point along the external barrier—to lay the groundwork for the Great Annihilation.