Chapter 16 “Traveling Through the Spirit World”
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The portal closed behind him, and immediately, the room was liberated from the empty stare of Goathead, mounted on the table. However, Duncan remained deeply connected to the spectral presence of the Vanished, the ghost ship he captained. This ethereal bond enabled him to sense every subtle change aboard. Through this connection, he could “see” the invisible crew diligently adjusting the multitude of sails, harnessing the sea breeze to propel the ship forward. The ship’s sleek, ebony helm on the aft deck gently pivoted, further stabilizing the ship as it sailed through the rolling waves.
As Duncan had anticipated, Goathead had briefly taken control of the helm, serving as the deputy navigator with unwavering dedication. Yet, Duncan still maintained the ability to command the vessel whenever he chose.
Although the Vanished’s agility and speed were slightly reduced under Goathead’s control compared to Duncan’s own steering, he was unconcerned. His primary goal was to gradually clear the fog obscuring the nautical chart. With no specific destinations or paths to pursue at the moment, this minor setback was of little concern to him.
After confirming that Goathead showed no signs of movement and that the gothic doll below deck remained confined to its chamber, Duncan sighed with relief. He paused to survey his modestly-sized room.
This private space served as his sleeping quarters as the captain, offering the highest comfort and luxury aboard the Vanished. The room featured a plush bed, a classic wardrobe, and a display shelf facing the entrance. The shelf held a collection of odd items, while a dark mahogany desk stood opposite the bed, bare except for some decorative items and tools for writing and sketching.
A window next to the desk provided an unobstructed view of the vast sea beyond. Several hooks were mounted on the wall beside the window, where Duncan typically hung his pirate sword and flintlock pistol.
Approaching the desk, Duncan strategically placed his longsword and flintlock pistol within easy reach and opened a drawer. Inside, he checked the supply of gunpowder and lead bullets stored in a wooden box.
Next to the bullet casings and sacks of gunpowder lay a compact brass compass. Picking up the compass, Duncan watched the needle beneath the glass cover spin erratically, as if influenced by some invisible, chaotic force. Small words were etched into the base of the compass: “We are all lost.”
Duncan casually toyed with the compass in his hand, watching the needle spin as though drunk.
He had examined every corner of this room numerous times because this was the first room he discovered upon arriving on this ship. Everything within, including the enigmatic message on the compass, was undoubtedly left by the original Captain Duncan.
After mentally cataloging the information he had gathered, Duncan exhaled slowly, set the compass gently on the desk, and raised his right hand, rubbing his fingertips lightly together.
A soft green flame suddenly sparked to life at his fingertips. Under its glowing aura, the lower half of his hand became translucent and ghostly in appearance. However, Duncan’s focused control prevented the flame from spreading as it had in the past. Instead, it hovered above his fingers, flickering like a small candle.
Once the flame stabilized, Duncan brought his other hand closer, feeling the warmth emanating from the eerie flame. He then picked up a feather pen from the desk and lightly brushed the flame with its pointed end.
There was no heat, and the feather pen did not catch fire. Instead, a faint green aura began to trail along the pen shaft, casting a subtle glow.
However, Duncan did not “sense” any feedback from the feather pen, a stark contrast to when he had touched the nautical chart or the ship’s helm with the flame.
Quietly, he filed away this new finding in his mental archive. The “spirit flame” had no heat, did not ignite objects, and seemed to interact only with the “anomalous” items aboard the Vanished, showing no response to ordinary objects.
He pondered whether this flame could respond to “anomalous” objects from outside the Vanished. Briefly, an image of a certain gothic doll named Alice crossed his mind—a being who seemed to originate from beyond the Vanished. Would she be affected by this spirit flame?
Almost as quickly as the thought emerged, Duncan dismissed it. Although Alice was not human and was identified as the cursed “Anomaly 099”, she was also an autonomous entity capable of speech, movement, and independent thought. Moreover, she was currently a “crew member” of the Vanished. Instinctively, Duncan regarded her as a “person.”
He found himself unable to subject a living being to a test with his flame, uncertain of the depth of its influence or the potential harm it might inflict on the so-called “anomalies.”
Undeterred, Duncan continued his experiments with the flame, probing its peculiarities and testing if various items in the room possessed any supernatural attributes.
His gaze finally landed on the small brass compass, with its mysterious “message” engraved on its base.
The brass compass lay motionless on the table, the pointer beneath the glass cover rotating erratically. Duncan kept the flame alive, his gaze fixed on the fickle pointer with an air of skepticism. Perhaps it was an illusion, but as he watched, the pointer appeared to momentarily stall, freezing in place for a split second.
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Then, as if dismissive of its own brief pause, the pointer resumed its aimless pirouette.
Duncan was silent for a moment, a look of curiosity crossing his face.
There was no doubt in his mind that the compass had reacted to his gaze!
His initial caution toward the compass was justified by its enigmatic inscription, seemingly left by the “true Captain Duncan.” Duncan suspected that the former ghostly captain might have endowed this personal item with a special power, possibly even a “trap” to ward off potential thieves. This apprehension had previously prevented him from exposing the compass to the green flame. However, after observing the subtle reaction, he felt a surge of determination.
Duncan reached out and grasped the compass. The cool metal felt both familiar and alien under his fingertips. After casting a brief glance at the restlessly spinning pointer, he carefully placed the object in the palm of his right hand—the same hand that held the ethereal flame—and gently closed his fingers around it.
The spectral green flame spread across his fingers like liquid fire, encasing the compass in a faintly glowing green blaze. Within its shimmering light, countless fleeting illusions appeared and disappeared. Suddenly, the previously erratic pointer came to an abrupt stop, pointing steadfastly in a specific direction over the vast sea.
Duncan felt a jolt within him. In that moment, he distinctly sensed the “feedback” from the compass, confirming its status as an “anomalous item” influenced by the spirit flame. But before he could fully process the details of this feedback, he was struck by a force akin to “gravity.”
Duncan’s body jerked slightly, and his vision blurred. The furnishings in the captain’s quarters, the walls, and even the ceiling disintegrated into nothingness. They transformed into a chaotic whirl of light and shadows, like snowflakes caught in a storm, plunging him into a profound darkness.
Standing at the center of this disorienting darkness, Duncan’s mind sounded alarm bells. His initial instinct was to reach for the flintlock pistol and sword nearby. However, he soon realized that only the brass compass remained tangible—it was still firmly clasped in his hand.
Duncan blinked, and suddenly, countless fine strands of light began to emanate from the brass compass in his hand.
These strands extended and interwove in the surrounding darkness, forming a web that seemed to stretch into infinity. Amidst this network of radiant tendrils, multiple points of light emerged, resembling stars. Some moved erratically, while others gathered, resembling celestial rivers. Against the backdrop of this interwoven lattice of light, they twinkled like a vast galaxy.
A mix of confusion and a hint of apprehension crossed Duncan’s face as he observed the mesmerizing scene. He remained cautious and slightly uneasy, yet, curiously, he did not feel any immediate danger. In fact…
Amidst the luminous lattice and the dazzling specks of starlight, Duncan experienced an unexpected sense of tranquility. It was a feeling of peace and comfort that he had not known for a long time.
In the next instant, Duncan felt an unusual sensation course through him. He found his gaze irresistibly drawn to a specific constellation within the intricate matrix of light. He watched the starlight, sensing an impending transition from brightness to darkness.
Driven by an instinct he couldn’t fully understand, he reached out towards the fading starlight.
At that very moment, an overwhelming force of attraction overtook him. Duncan felt as if his spirit was being launched into the cosmos as he involuntarily hurtled towards the dimming starlight. Meanwhile, the complex network of light, generated by the compass, rapidly receded from his field of vision. Like a celestial river, the constellation around him began to rotate and transform!
During this rapid journey, Duncan instinctively glanced at his right hand, which had been holding the compass. To his astonishment, he realized that the compass had vanished at some unknown point. Simultaneously, just as he was about to reach the fading starlight, he noticed a silhouette emerging from the surrounding darkness from the corner of his eye.
The silhouette appeared to have naturally emerged from the darkness, accompanying him throughout his swift descent. Together, they plunged towards the dim starlight.
Upon closer examination, Duncan could just discern that the silhouette resembled a bird, its wings majestically unfurled in flight. But before he could fully take in its details, his vision was suddenly engulfed in darkness.
A sense of heaviness, an intrusion from the real world, began to weigh on his limbs. Along with this sensation came the repugnant stench of decomposing flesh and the abrasive sound of heavy iron chains scraping across the ground.
More unknowns. Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapter
“Supernatural high” my new favourite word.
Where did you read that “supernatural high”? I looked through the entire chapter and there is no mention of that phrase. From the beginning I feel that fragments are missing, is it a problem with the page?
na, probably the comment was when i didn’t do a new edit. alot of the chapters have been reeditted over time so they probably read a older version
Thanks for clarifying