Deep Sea Embers

The grand illusion quietly faded away, leaving only faint traces of light that slowly vanished within the murky, tumultuous clouds. Standing next to the ship’s helm, the doll suddenly blinked her eyes as though her soul had just rejoined her body, reviving her expression with lively animation.

She gazed upwards, seemingly bidding farewell to a figure swiftly disappearing into the abyss, and waved enthusiastically in that direction, exclaiming, “Goodbye! Goodbye!”

“Who are you waving at?” Duncan’s voice emerged from nearby. Turning, Alice saw both the captain and Miss Vanna standing close to her, each wearing a puzzled look. Vanna, in particular, seemed to be searching the skies as if expecting to witness some remaining marvel.

“It was Navigator Two!” Alice replied with a burst of excitement, openly sharing her recent experience. “I suddenly felt connected to the Vanished. Then, I encountered Goathead without realizing I crashed into Agatha first. She broke into pieces though, but she managed to reassemble herself. After that, I met Navigator Two, who said it had come to greet me. I saw a huge ship soaring through the stars, and I even had this amazing dream where I was flying at incredible speeds! And also…”

Miss Doll was clearly overjoyed, launching into a barrage of stories that prevented Duncan and Vanna from interjecting. Initially full of questions, Duncan found himself completely overwhelmed by the doll’s enthusiastic storytelling.

Remarkably, the doll managed to make each sentence leap to a different topic without any logical connection. Despite their combined efforts, Duncan and Vanna struggled to comprehend Alice’s narrative, partly due to Vanna’s background as a sports enthusiast.

“Stop, stop, stop, let’s take a moment to calm down and sort through this from the beginning,” Duncan finally intervened, quickly ensuring that Alice’s connection with the ship was secure to prevent any mishaps. He then carefully asked, “Are you feeling unwell now?”

“Me?” Alice paused her torrent of words, looked down at herself as if puzzled by the question, and then shook her head, “No, I feel pretty good… Though, there was a moment when I felt detached from my body, which was quite startling…”

“You felt detached from your body?” Duncan’s concern deepened, recalling the massive illusion behind the clouds and the numerous “threads” that had seemed to connect to her, along with the sudden “presence” he had sensed within the Vanished. He nodded thoughtfully, “It’s possible that for a moment, your consciousness had left your body… Now, can you describe exactly what you saw, but take it one step at a time, calmly.”

“Okay.” The doll nodded, made an effort to calm down, and began to systematically describe her experiences as they occurred, including her guilt over accidentally breaking Agatha.

“Don’t worry about Agatha too much; she’s used to it. Sometimes, Shirley skips her homework, and Agatha ends up breaking just like that,” Duncan reassured her, dismissing her concern. “But the appearance of Navigator Two is quite unexpected. I didn’t anticipate it would leave a method of communication in your navigational key.”

As he spoke, Duncan observed Alice closely, checking for any signs of change or damage.

“Are you concerned?” Alice quickly picked up on his tone, but waved off the concern, “Don’t worry, I’m feeling great. Navigator Two didn’t seem harmful. Even though I can’t remember everything, it felt friendly.”

“I’m not worried about malintent; I’m concerned about its impact on you. Technically, you were both once part of the New Hope. Now, there’s a significant deviation between your ‘state’ and your ‘essence.’ It’s uncertain if this change poses any hidden risks,” Duncan explained, adding, “But it seems there’s no immediate cause for concern. Since Navigator Two reassures you’re fine, I’m relieved.”

Alice scratched her head, looked at Duncan with a mix of hope and uncertainty, and asked, “Captain, I think I’ve got the hang of steering and navigation now. When do we set off again? I promised Navigator Two I’d be the first to find it.”

“In a day,” Duncan nodded, “We’re adjusting the Vanished based on the feedback we just received. We’ll depart in a day. Everyone should rest and prepare for the next journey, and also…”

He trailed off, looking towards the mid-deck cabin entrance, but didn’t finish his thought.

Alice followed his gaze, then suddenly remembered something, “Oh, Captain, where’s ‘Sailor’? He was at the helm earlier; I thought he’d definitely come to see…”

“Don’t worry,” Duncan said with a knowing smile, “He’ll show up soon.”

However, Sailor didn’t appear on the deck, nor did he join the crew when they discussed the illusion in the sky.

Even as Alice prepared dinner for everyone and they gathered in the dining hall, Sailor was absent.

When the captain announced their next destination as the “node” where the God of Wisdom Lahem resided, Sailor was still nowhere to be seen.

It wasn’t until later, as Duncan and Vanna walked on the deck with Alice beside them, that she couldn’t help but inquire again, “Captain, where did Sailor go?”

Duncan stopped, leaned against a mast, and looked out over the empty deck. He then turned to Vanna, “Do you remember what I asked you earlier?”

Vanna paused, trying to recall, but before she could speak, hesitant footsteps interrupted her. Turning, she saw a hesitant, hunched figure emerging from the misty deck – a mummy, moving step by step, its face so wrinkled that all features were compressed together, yet its bewildered expression was unmistakably clear.

“Captain…” Sailor approached Duncan, appearing awkward beside the doll, “Uh, I have a question…”

“Alice has taken over the helm,” Duncan stated, “You must have noticed the commotion on the deck.”

Sailor’s face froze, then he hesitantly asked, “So…”

“Your steering duties have been temporarily assigned to Alice. She will handle navigation from now on.”

Sailor stared at Alice, then Duncan, and finally pointed to himself, “What about my task…”

“It’s completed,” Duncan said nonchalantly.

Sailor couldn’t contain his confusion, “Then why haven’t I vanished?”

Duncan looked at the mummy with indifference, “Did I ever say you would?”

Sailor was stunned for a few moments, then it dawned on him, and his already wrinkled features twisted further in realization, “Wait… that doesn’t make sense! My task is done… I even felt the bindings on me loosen, and my connection to the shroud severed… why am I still here?!”

“Because you’re on this ship, obviously,” Duncan retorted, “Did you think leaving the Vanished was that easy? Even subspace can’t take anything from this ship after it lingered there for a century, and you thought you could just leave?”

Sailor was speechless, finally grasping a crucial oversight.

Duncan continued, “Honestly, your words earlier were quite touching.”

Sailor’s demeanor shifted towards unease and avoidance.

“I was moved, and I’ll be sure to pass on your ‘confessions’ to Lawrence…”

Sailor started fidgeting, attempting to blend into the ship’s deck from embarrassment.

“…However, the debts you owe to the first mate, second mate, and others of the White Oak must be settled by you personally. You’ve admitted yourself that gambling and betting are detrimental habits. Don’t pretend you’re without means; I’ve confirmed that Lawrence has been compensating you as an official member of the crew.”

Unable to contain his shame, Sailor began aggressively scuffing the deck with his toe as if attempting to spark a fire from sheer agitation: “Please, stop, I beg of you…”

Duncan merely shrugged and turned to Vanna with a questioning look.

“Do you now grasp the essence of my earlier question?”

Vanna appeared visibly perplexed, her mind trying to untangle Duncan’s cryptic words: “…I had assumed you were alluding to the multiple endings one faces when forgotten by others…”

Duncan elaborated, his arms folded across his chest in a display of casual indifference, “I was referring to the concept of ‘social death’—a phenomenon that can occur repeatedly. Each time you’re remembered, you face another kind of ending. Hence, it’s wise to refrain from declaring your final words too hastily; it proves quite embarrassing should you not actually meet your end.”

Vanna remained in a state of befuddled silence, struggling to digest Duncan’s philosophical musings.

Duncan, undeterred by Vanna’s puzzled look, cast his gaze down at Sailor, who had now resorted to squatting on the deck, aimlessly picking at the wooden planks while mumbling to himself: “I had a feeling… something about your demeanor was off at that moment, but I hesitated to ponder too deeply… I just knew something was amiss…”

At this, Duncan allowed a smile to break across his face, a clear sign of his satisfaction with the unfolding scenario.

He was decidedly in high spirits, reveling in the fact that he pulled a prank on this mummy.

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