Deep Sea Embers
chapter-786

Alice and Duncan, having worked together on numerous occasions, had a routine that was almost seamless. With practiced ease, Alice exposed the intricate keyhole embedded in her back and sat patiently on the bed, awaiting the captain to activate her mechanism with the winding key.

In his hands, Duncan held a delicately crafted brass key, its handle forming a loop for ease of use. He moved towards Alice with the intention of winding her up when, unexpectedly, Alice voiced a question that halted him in his tracks: “Captain, I have a question.”

Pausing, Duncan looked at her, slightly taken aback. “A question?”

Alice’s voice carried a mix of curiosity and uncertainty. “You mentioned that this key is connected to the three ‘nodes’ along the outer barrier, and since I am Navigator Three, this means I am also linked to them. This implies that I can navigate us to any destination given a path, even to the world’s most remote corners…”

Her voice trailed off, indicating her struggle to articulate her thoughts fully. Duncan, sensing her hesitation, did not press her for clarity. Instead, he waited with a patient silence that eventually encouraged Alice to gather her thoughts and proceed: “So, are there other ‘paths’ we can take? Or, in the absence of this new key, could I navigate us to new places on my own?”

Now visibly puzzled by the sudden depth of inquiry, Duncan responded, “…Why did you start thinking about this?”

Alice’s reply came slowly, reflecting her reflective mood. “I just… suddenly felt curious about my own existence,” she confessed. “Up until now, I’ve been happily performing my daily tasks aboard the ship, surrounded by those who clearly understand their roles and purpose. They possess something I’ve struggled to understand – a sense of purpose. It appears everyone has one except me…”

She paused, lost in thought, before articulating the question that had been forming in her mind: “Should I have a sense of purpose as well?”

Duncan offered a gentle shake of his head in response. “…There’s no definitive should or shouldn’t,” he reassured her, “but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t muse over and seek to understand yourself better. Understanding oneself is a crucial part of personal growth, which is always beneficial.”

This sparked a new curiosity in Alice. “Can dolls grow too?” she inquired.

“Absolutely,” Duncan affirmed. “Growth is possible for anyone who is open to it. Since joining us on this ship, you’ve experienced considerable growth—you’ve acquired knowledge, met new people, visited new places, and seen new sights. Growth is about change, about being different today than you were yesterday. And by that measure, you have indeed grown.”

Alice pondered this for a moment before a sudden realization brightened her expression. “Ah, so even forgetting a few words I learned yesterday morning counts as growth?”

Duncan found himself at a loss for words, momentarily speechless.

Alice, noticing the silence, prodded, “Captain? Why aren’t you speaking?”

Duncan, attempting to maintain focus on the task at hand, responded with a mixture of resignation and humor. “…Sometimes, my words may not capture the full complexity of what I mean,” he explained, carefully avoiding Alice’s inquisitive gaze as he concentrated on the keyhole, “You need to consider these things more dialectically.”

Alice pondered over Duncan’s words but found herself puzzled; she was unfamiliar with the term “dialectically.” Nevertheless, sensing the captain’s assurance, she accepted his explanation with a cheerful nod, expressing her readiness to proceed. “Okay, then I have no more questions! I’m ready! Wind me up, please!”

Taking a moment to gather himself, Duncan inhaled deeply, steadying his thoughts before carefully positioning the brass key in the keyhole on Alice’s back. As he did so, a click sound resonated in the air, indicating the key had found its place. The key seemed to be magnetically drawn into the lock, and as it slid into position, the intricate patterns surrounding the keyhole began to glow faintly. The winding process commenced automatically, accompanied by a gentle clicking noise that seemed almost soothing in its rhythm.

Suddenly, Duncan experienced a familiar sense of vertigo, an overwhelming rush that seemed to reset his senses. Darkness swiftly enveloped the surroundings, akin to a thick curtain obscuring all in its path. Then, a cool sensation swept over him, giving the impression of passing through an unseen portal. In the midst of this darkness, specks of light and shadow danced and reformed, eventually coalescing into a scene of spacious opulence, though dimly lit and imbued with an eerie aura.

Regaining his bearings, Duncan hastily shook off the lingering dizziness and scanned his new environment. He found himself within the confines of a grand mansion, its living room expansive and adorned with a dark red carpet. A spiral staircase curled upwards to the second floor, while high, Gothic pointed windows and a gloomy chandelier that seemed to sway subtly added to the mansion’s somber ambiance.

However, Duncan quickly realized that this was not the “Alice Mansion” he remembered. The ambiance here was darker, the candlelight providing only a feeble illumination that barely pierced the surrounding darkness. The mansion’s ceiling appeared more deteriorated, with parts revealing a skeleton-like structure, creating an atmosphere even more sinister and foreboding than he recalled. It felt as if unseen entities lurked in the shadows, observing the newcomers with an invisible, chilling gaze.

With a sense of unease, Duncan noted he was standing on a second-floor platform. Overlooking the hall below through the open space at the platform’s edge, he caught sight of the spiral staircase that descended into the hall. After a moment’s deliberation, he decided against descending to the first floor. Instead, he turned and made his way towards the corridor that led deeper into the mansion’s second floor, determined to explore further.

As Duncan shifted direction, a sudden gleam in his peripheral vision halted him in his tracks. The fleeting glow that captured his attention sent a ripple of anticipation through him. Curious, he moved toward the source of the light, pushing aside the encompassing shadows as if they were tangible, thick curtains of darkness. As he dispersed the gloom, what he discovered seemed utterly incongruous with the surroundings.

Before him was what appeared to be a modern “screen,” akin to an LCD panel.

This object was incongruously embedded into the wall at the corridor’s end. Its silver-white metallic frame seemed to fuse seamlessly with the wall, creating a surreal integration, while the screen’s surface emitted a soft glow.

Duncan scrutinized the text on the “screen” for a brief moment, recognizing its similarity to the device he encountered within the illusionary “Holy Island” cave. The text’s meaning unfurled in his mind as clear information — “Core escape pod offline. Illegal release, operation unauthorized.”

He absorbed the message, a wave of realization washing over him as he turned to gaze at the corridor’s damaged terminus and the “great void” beyond. His thoughts shifted between the “New Hope navigation segment” and the “Alice Mansion,” leading him to a startling conclusion he hadn’t reached until now.

The Frost Queen had commandeered the escape pod from the New Hope…

This revelation explained her ability to traverse the world with her “room” – the structure was, in fact, a repurposed spacecraft’s escape pod!