Chapter 114 “The Erased Traces”
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Standing before the decrepit, long-abandoned factory, Dog scrutinized the collapsed structure with an intensity that seemed to pierce beyond the physical realm, as if examining it through a different dimension within our known reality.
Beside Dog, Shirley fidgeted nervously, her eyes flitting across the desolate landscape. She glanced at Duncan’s face, attempting to gauge his reaction before quietly asking, “Dog, are you certain there’s no lingering contamination here?”
“If by ‘contamination,’ you mean the chemical spills that concern everyday people, then you can relax. Those pollutants likely dissipated years ago,” Dog replied, his voice eerily emanating from his empty eye sockets. “However, if you’re referring to more arcane or supernatural forms of contamination, that’s a more complicated question.”
“Have you discovered anything?” Duncan asked, standing slightly to the side.
“Not much, to be honest,” Dog admitted, lowering his head slightly. “I saw a flicker of what seemed like fire a moment ago, but now it’s gone. It was likely some residual energy, a spiritual imprint left behind in this abandoned place. Such traces are often left by supernatural forces interacting with our world. To determine the exact nature of this energy, we’d need to venture inside.”
Duncan nodded and moved toward a gaping entrance in the crumbling factory. “Let’s go, then. Follow me.”
Shirley hesitated briefly before falling in step behind Duncan. Dog shook his head side to side, the dark chains adorning his body clinking together. His gaze followed Duncan closely, a mix of curiosity and caution in his expression. “Why are you also intrigued by what happened here eleven years ago? Just a casual question. A man of your standing surely has his reasons.”
“Let’s just call it a personal interest,” Duncan interrupted, cutting off Dog’s cryptic inquiry. “And stop being so visibly anxious in my presence; it makes me uneasy.”
“Ah, yes, okay, we’ll try to relax,” Dog’s voice trembled despite his agreement.
Duncan shook his head in mild exasperation before turning to Shirley. “You recall a massive fire occurring here, but no one else seems to remember it, correct?”
Shirley nodded, suddenly connecting the dots. “By the looks of it, you also know about that fire, don’t you? So, it did actually happen?”
“Yes, I’m aware of it,” Duncan confirmed, his voice tinged with calm seriousness. “And that’s why I’m even more intrigued to find out who or what has managed to erase all evidence of that fire.”
Internally, Duncan’s thoughts swirled with intrigue and speculation. He hadn’t expected things to align so fortuitously. Discovering a third person in the city of Pland who knew about the mysterious fire—besides himself and Nina—was a complete surprise. His unexpected meeting with Shirley, their joint exploration, the vanishing traces of a long-forgotten fire, and Dog’s enigmatic visions all seemed magnetically bound by some unseen force, as if they were celestial bodies revolving around an elusive cosmic truth.
The sensation that various elements were coming together, orchestrated by some unseen hand, put Duncan on high alert and stirred up a flurry of thoughts in his mind. He recalled a section from Nina’s textbook about the supernatural world, which spoke of how powerful anomalies or visions could directly influence events, weaving them together like an intricate script. The textbook cautioned that too many coincidences or consecutive clues often acted as “omens,” suggesting that those involved were being guided or manipulated by some external, otherworldly influence.
In light of this seemingly benign but highly manipulative force, Duncan’s own “ghostly flame”—his innate protection against supernatural elements—seemed ineffective.
These reflections prompted him to cast a sidelong glance at Shirley. She and Dog seemed deeply focused on any possible movements within the factory’s ruins, on high alert. She appeared not to be contemplating any side thoughts, perhaps because the looming, unnamed dread Duncan carried with him allowed her no space for trivial ponderings.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Dog’s low, gravelly voice. “This place appears to be an ordinary ruin. I detect no remnants of supernatural energy.”
Shirley looked up, her eyes tracing the tangle of exposed pipes and contorted beams above. This was the first workshop they had entered since stepping into the factory. A disastrous accident eleven years prior had inflicted severe damage to the structure. An explosive force had torn through the roof, rupturing pipes and causing the construction materials to crash down. Sunlight streamed in through the gaping hole above, casting eerie shadows that made the room look like the skeletal remains of some colossal creature.
However, amid all this ruin, there was no evidence of a fire.
“It doesn’t look like there was a fire here,” Shirley murmured, her voice tinged with puzzled introspection.
“That’s the most perplexing part,” Duncan chimed in, his deep voice echoing in the ruined space as he surveyed the decaying infrastructure. “An accident this significant, especially one involving explosions, would almost certainly have triggered a fire. At the very least, there should be scorch marks and some signs of combustion. But there’s not even a smidgen of evidence suggesting a fire occurred here.”
Dog added gravely, “Indeed, it’s as if every trace of ‘fire’ has been meticulously scrubbed from this space. The removal is so thorough that it leaves behind an unmistakable void—a conspicuous absence that only heightens our suspicions.”
“Erased,” Duncan echoed softly. He began to walk deeper into the skeletal workshop, passing by contorted machinery and decaying beams. As he neared a hole in a crumbling wall, he paused and took a cursory glance through it.
And then he froze, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Through the hole in the wall, Duncan caught sight of an apocalyptic vision: a ferocious blaze roaring across the wasteland beyond the factory. The flames danced like a turbulent ocean, surging skywards before crashing back to earth, searing everything in their path. Thick plumes of smoke ascended, merging with the sky, and figures dashed frantically within the fiery tempest as if they were phantoms from the deepest pits of hell.
But in the blink of an eye, the nightmarish scene evaporated. Duncan whipped his head around to beckon Shirley, only to find that the violent inferno had vanished, leaving behind the decrepit, barren landscape he was accustomed to.
Dog, picking up on Duncan’s disturbed demeanor, queried, “What did you see?”
“I saw the fire—the very one we’ve been talking about,” Duncan replied with gravity. “But the moment I looked away, it disappeared.”
“The residual echoes here must be incredibly potent,” Dog mused, deep in thought. “Manifesting twice in such a short span isn’t ordinary, even for supernatural residues. The ‘sun fragment’ those cultists are after must have indeed appeared here. But the question is, what is triggering these echoes?”
Duncan offered no response. He walked back to the exact spot where he had seen the vision and stared thoughtfully at the barren ground beneath him. It seemed indistinguishable from any other patch of earth.
After a moment’s consideration, Duncan raised his hand. A cluster of ethereal, green flames materialized, flickering in the air.
The sight of these flames prompted an immediate reaction from Dog, who recoiled and retreated several steps, the dark chains that bound him jingling ominously. Shirley, too, edged away from Duncan, her face clouded with trepidation. “Are you planning to devour us?!”
Duncan dismissed their fears with an inscrutable look. “No, these flames aren’t for you.”
With a swift gesture, he pointed his fingers at the ground. The ghostly green flames descended, flowing like liquid, landing softly on the surface below. Once in contact with the earth, they emanated ripples that swiftly expanded in a circle around him, covering several meters within seconds.
“Ahh!?” Shirley gasped, her eyes widening in astonishment.
Where the ethereal flames swept, the barren ground gave way to reveal something startling: ashes. Charred, grey remnants arranged vaguely in human shapes appeared from the ground, their final gazes seemingly fixed on Duncan.
A realization struck Shirley. She abruptly lifted her eyes to scan the empty factory around her. Under Duncan’s focused manipulation, the ghostly flames continued to wash over the workshop, resembling a spectral breeze.
The result was revelatory. The flames resurrected what had been meticulously erased, briefly rendering visible the traces of a horrific past—the scorched remains of humans and other remnants of a cataclysmic fire. They were ephemeral echoes that only appeared under the touch of Duncan’s unique flames, confirming that something far from ordinary had transpired in this forsaken place.
Guys I think I know why Nina, Vanna and Shirley seems to be the only people to be aware of the fire. It’s because they are young girls! Think about it, what’s the common piece between all of the names mentioned? Their gender!! I thought real hard about this, I hope you guys can also share your insight regarding this topic if you have any
Genius! I see no flaws with this analysis and have nothing to add
Perfect deduction. I almost missed this, mainly because Duncan also remembered the incident
This setup seems like those JRPG parties where each one is connected. Duncan, a legendary captain from a hundred years ago; Shirley, the girl who is taken care of by her summon; Nina, having visions which none of the others had (darkness envelopes); Vanna, an inquisitor/saint.