Deep Sea Embers

Lucretia awoke abruptly from her dream, and it took her several moments to calm her racing mind before she could open her eyes. Once she did, she let out a deep sigh, leaning back in her chair before slowly scanning the room, looking for certain “cues” she had set up in her laboratory in advance.

The first thing Lucretia always did after waking from such disturbing dreams was not to rise immediately. Instead, she would calm her mind and then confirm the details of the real world to ensure she wasn’t trapped in another layer of a dream.

After a moment, she confirmed the details of her reality and ensured that she had indeed fully detached from the dream. Simultaneously, she noticed that Master Taran El had also woken up.

The elf scholar looked disheveled and was bound by ropes to a pillar not far away. His head bore a swelling bump. By his side, the mechanical puppet named Luni was holding a sharp kitchen knife, seemingly on high alert.

“Miss Lucretia, thank goodness you’re awake!” The scholar cried out in relief upon seeing her consciousness return. “Your servant has tied me up! I have no idea what I did wrong…”

Lucretia frowned, “Luni, what happened?”

“He started shouting in his sleep. When he woke up, he jumped out of bed and bumped his head on your lab table,” Luni explained with a serious face while gripping the knife, “I thought his nightmare affected him, so I tied him up to prevent further harm.”

The scholar protested loudly, “How many times do I have to say this, you blockhead! I was just startled in my dream! I saw Duncan Abnomar! Is it a crime to be startled by seeing him in a dream as a normal person?”

Listening to the exchange between the two, Lucretia’s expression contorted a bit. Having been similarly jolted awake, she said as she rose from her chair, “Luni, put the knife down and release the scholar. He’s telling the truth.”

“Yes, Mistress.” The gearwork puppet promptly obeyed. With a swift motion, she slashed through the ropes binding Taran El and then, with a twist of her wrist, the shining blade disappeared into some hidden compartment within her.

Freed from his bindings, Taran El stumbled a few steps forward before finally regaining his balance. He shot the puppet an annoyed look, “You blockhead!”

Unfazed by the scholar’s irritation, Luni simply stepped beside her mistress, asking with genuine curiosity, “Is the old master coming?”

“He… ‘arrived,’ in every sense of the word,” Lucretia replied with a hint of hesitation, her lips quivering slightly. With a wave of her hand, a chair floated from the corner of the room, settling in front of her. “Mr. Taran El, please sit. There are matters I need to discuss.”

Taran El moved his slightly sore arm as he approached the “Sea Witch” and sat down, still muttering to himself, “If he’s coming, he’s coming. He won’t be here for a while anyway…”

Lucretia silently listened to his comment and chose not to respond. Instead, she reached out to a nearby low cabinet, rummaging deep inside it, and pulled out a potion bottle, placing it on top of the cabinet.

Taran El, curious, inquired, “What’s that?”

“It’s a ‘Witch’s Potion’ we’ll be using later,” Lucretia replied nonchalantly, evidently not keen on elaborating further. She then swiftly changed the topic, “Regarding the period when the sun went dark, as well as that recent dream, I have some questions. I know we briefly communicated in the dream world, but given the subconscious barriers of dreams, there might be details you weren’t aware of. So now, I need you to recall everything while you’re fully conscious.”

Noticing the seriousness in her voice, Taran El’s demeanor instantly became grave, the scholarly aura returning to him. “Alright, go ahead. My mind feels much clearer now.”

“During the sun’s darkening, you observed the surface of Vision 001, and this is the rough sketch you left behind,” Lucretia said matter-of-factly, pulling out a crumpled piece of draft paper and handing it over. “Is this it?”

“Yes, that’s my drawing.”

“I’ve checked, and the drawing doesn’t seem to contain any psychic contamination. However, the content depicted is rather perplexing. You’ve drawn these chaotic, branch-like lines on the ‘sphere’s surface. But from my analysis, many of these lines appear to have been haphazardly scribbled on at the end, likely to obscure the image’s original, clearer appearance. Do you recall anything about this?”

Taran El furrowed his brows.

He took the draft paper Lucretia handed him, gazing at the spherical image covered in tangled lines. The more he looked, the deeper his frown became as he delved into reflection and memory.

Lucretia’s voice reached him from across the table, “The essential question is, do you genuinely recall every detail that transpired from observing the sun’s surface until you fell into deep slumber? It seems you’re also puzzled by these chaotic lines on the drawing…”

“I… am indeed perplexed,” Taran El began slowly, “These indeed look like deliberate smudges. Yet, I can’t remember why I would obscure the initial details of the image… It seems…”

He suddenly paused, considering his words carefully before hesitatingly continuing, “Perhaps I witnessed something profoundly terrifying? Or an unsettling truth that shouldn’t be unveiled to the world? Maybe I impulsively sketched it out, but upon preparing the ‘Quick Note’, I suddenly became conscious of what I had done and hastily obscured it. However, for some unknown reason, I felt compelled to send it out…”

Even though he still seemed a bit disoriented and there were clear gaps in his memory, Taran El’s rational and logical thinking, characteristic of a seasoned scholar, prevailed. Analyzing what had transpired, his expression became gravely serious, “Who else has seen this piece of paper so far?”

“A select few senior scholars from the Academy of Truth,” Lucretia nodded, “The original remains with me. What they saw was only what you had obscured. I’ve cautioned them, and given your sudden deep sleep serving as a warning to everyone, there’s no need to worry about anyone taking this sketch to secretly analyze or reconstruct the scene you witnessed. However, the Boundless Sea is vast; we can’t dismiss the possibility of other ‘brave souls’ undertaking a similar audacious act as yours.”

Taran El nodded thoughtfully. Soon after, he heard the “Witch” continue her inquiry, “Regarding that dream, what else do you recall? How did you enter the dream? Did your consciousness ever sink into its true ‘deepest layer’?”

“All I remember is waking up within that ‘forest’, much like those described in ancient texts—an endless dense forest, the land of elvish origins. My thinking within the dream seemed sluggish. The sounds I heard, the information I perceived, and my reactions to the external environment all felt as if they were filtered through a thick barrier,” Taran El recounted, pausing occasionally as he recalled, before furrowing his brow once more.

“But there was a peculiar aspect. Shortly after you appeared, my thoughts did ‘sink’, but not into the deepest layer of the dream. Instead, it was a transitional space, as if between ‘layers’. Many erratic lights and shadows intertwined as though multiple vastly different dreams were casting shadows upon one another. Within that chaotic realm, numerous hazy figures surrounded me.”

“Numerous hazy figures?” Lucretia interjected immediately, “Can you elaborate? Were these mere phantoms of the dream, or ‘dreamers’ like yourself?”

“I can’t be sure. My cognition was almost stagnant at that time, making it hard to discern their nature. However, one thing I am certain of,” Taran El said with a stern expression, “They were not mere phantoms. They were very real, even if not other ‘dreamers’, they were ‘sentient entities’ contained within that dream realm.”

“I understand,” Lucretia said, her expression calm and collected as she nodded in acknowledgment. She took a moment to gather herself, letting out a soft sigh, “This truly is… invaluable information.”

“I hope it proves useful,” Taran El replied earnestly. He glanced at the rough draft paper he held in his hand, then continued, “As for this sketch…”

“I now believe it would be best if ordinary scholars aren’t exposed to this. Regardless of what you’ve ‘obscured’ on it, it seems to have a detrimental effect on the average person,” Lucretia remarked, reaching out to take back the drafted paper. “I’ll let my father have a look at it later; perhaps he’ll have some insights.”

Taran El blinked in surprise, processing her words for a moment before nodding, “Ah, indeed. Captain Duncan wouldn’t be affected by whatever lurks within this drawing. Let’s wait for his arrival then; I’m in no rush…”

“That brings me to another matter I wanted to discuss with you,” Lucretia said, adjusting her posture leisurely and fixing her gaze intently on Taran El’s eyes. “My father has already arrived at Wind Harbor.”

Taran El’s eyes widened in shock, his expression freezing instantaneously.

“Perhaps the extinguishing of the sun had a peculiar effect, allowing the Vanished to reach its destination in an instant,” Lucretia continued, nodding thoughtfully. “I believe he’d be eager to have a face-to-face conversation with you, or perhaps even invite you aboard his ship. He’s deeply concerned about the sun’s extinction.”

Taran El remained stunned for a few seconds. His eyes flickered, seeming to snap back to reality for a brief moment. He then gasped sharply, leaning back as if taken aback—

Watching him emotionlessly, Lucretia calmly reached for a potion bottle she had previously set on a low cabinet and handed it to a doll-like attendant named Luni standing by her side. “Administer this to Mr. Taran El.”

Luni acknowledged with a simple “Ah,” and promptly took the potion to carry out her mistress’s command. As Lucretia watched the renowned scholar being administered the medicine, she nodded in satisfaction.

“See? Came in handy.”

Today, the “Sea Witch” had once again successfully prevented Master Taran El from dying suddenly on her ship.