Chapter 392: Within the Mirror
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.com
In Duncan’s realm of perception, two irregular signals captured his attention. Both were distinct from the usual markers, indicating anomalies that warranted closer inspection.
The first anomaly originated from the White Oak, a ship that had once been engulfed in ethereal flames. Despite this fiery ordeal, the ship continued to emit a strong ‘presence’ in Duncan’s perception, appearing as a vibrant fireball whose exact location remained elusive. Attempts to pinpoint the White Oak suggested it was somewhere near Frost, an area secured by a blockade from both the Mist Fleet and the Frost Navy.
The second troubling anomaly was linked to an individual, the female gatekeeper Agatha. Duncan noticed disturbances in the marker he had placed on the heavily bandaged woman. Agatha’s energy signature weakened multiple times, and her location exhibited the same murky characteristics as the White Oak. When Duncan tried to check on Agatha remotely, he found her aura occasionally vanished entirely within the city limits.
These two puzzling markers, a ship and a person in different locations, yet showing parallel anomalies, clearly demanded further investigation.
Duncan decided to conduct a personal inquiry into the matter as darkness fell. While there were no immediate clues about the White Oak’s whereabouts, Agatha’s marker, despite its sporadic movements within Frost, was relatively nearby.
He glanced down at Shirley, who was curiously observing her surroundings beside him. Involving Dog, a shadow demon, could be advantageous due to its enhanced perception abilities. If any adherents of the Annihilation Cult were active nearby, Dog would likely sense their distinctive aura.
As night settled over the city, gas lamps lit the roads. The occasional sound of night patrol whistles and distant dog barks punctuated the rhythmic ocean waves. During curfew, the streets were lifeless and chilling. Guided by these conditions, Duncan navigated Shirley through another alley, observing the glowing cluster symbolizing Agatha moving erratically nearby in his supernatural vision.
“Mr. Duncan, if the gatekeeper spots me… will she attack me with a sword?” Shirley asked nervously, referencing how Vanna treated heretics.
“Gatekeepers don’t use swords,” Duncan replied nonchalantly. “I’ve heard they wield specially crafted battle staffs and divine arts from the realm of death to confront heretics.”
Shirley recoiled at this information and fell silent. Duncan, barely registering her reaction, abruptly stopped after they turned into a narrow street. Shirley stopped alongside him, surveying their surroundings with acute alertness.
“Have you detected something? Is the gatekeeper nearby?” she asked apprehensively.
“…She’s not merely nearby; she’s right here,” Duncan said, his voice steady as his gaze methodically scanned the alleyway. “And it appears she has been here for quite some time.”
“She’s here?!” Shirley exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. She stared ahead, her anxiety escalating. “Where? I can’t see her. Dog, can you detect her?”
“I can’t discern anything,” Dog’s voice emerged from the shadows, subdued and muffled. “I can’t see anyone, nor can I sense any presence.”
“Even Dog can’t identify her?” Duncan’s brow creased slightly. In front of him, a small cluster of flames signifying Agatha flickered silently a few meters away, its glow faint and ghostly. The gatekeeper was indeed present, reposing in this spot.
Duncan slowly advanced towards the spectral flames, only to halt his steps. “Agatha” seemed to perceive something; the flames surged as he neared, then shifted in another direction.
Duncan raised his head, casting his gaze where the flames were relocating in his sensory perception. A transient shadow on a nearby building’s glass window caught his attention. He observed a blurred figure dart across the glass surface, vaguely resembling Agatha.
Shirley, also inspecting their surroundings, spotted the shadow and nearly screamed but quickly clamped her hand over her mouth. After the shadow passed, she turned to Duncan, her voice quivering, “I just saw a shadow!”
“I noticed it too. It was reflected in the window,” Duncan responded, his gaze fixed ahead. In a realm invisible to Shirley, he continued observing the flames, which flickered at the corner ahead before reversing direction. He squinted slightly, visualizing Agatha’s situation.
It seemed she was trying to extricate herself from a predicament, possibly injured or fatigued. She had briefly rested here before proceeding towards the upper part of the city. Something temporarily impeded her at the junction, but it wasn’t enough to halt her progress.
Duncan opened his eyes, his gaze resting on the glass window not far off. The polished glass no longer captured Agatha’s figure, merely reflecting a distant street lamp.
“Reflection…” Duncan murmured to himself, “Fascinating…”
“Eh?” Shirley looked confused. “What’s happening? Did you figure something out?”
“Potentially,” Duncan replied, his voice ambiguous. He approached the window and lightly snapped his fingers. A small cluster of flames kindled at his fingertips, casting a warm glow.
He turned his gaze to the window, observing his flame replicated. The reflected light seemed to possess an ethereal life, silently burning in the mirror realm.
Shirley watched Duncan’s actions with a befuddled expression. She saw him nonchalantly swipe his hand, extinguishing the flame at his fingertips. Yet, a soft green radiance continued to flicker in her line of sight.
Shirley’s mouth gradually fell open in astonishment: the flame mirrored in the glass window did not fade after Duncan dispersed the flames in his grasp. The reflected flame continued to burn, as if it possessed a separate existence within the mirror.
“What… what’s happening?!” Shirley pointed at the flame in the window, stammering towards Duncan, “Why does the flame persist…”
“A mirrored Frost,” Duncan swiveled his head, amusement in his voice, “is gradually merging with the real-world Frost — a marvelous concept, teeming with inventiveness.”
“Mirrored…” Shirley barely comprehended but instinctively echoed, “You mean there’s a Frost within the mirror? Has the gatekeeper ventured into the mirror world?”
“Not entirely precise, but you could interpret it that way,” Duncan responded serenely, shifting his gaze back to the undisturbed flame reflection still burning in the mirror. “There’s a minor fracture here, but it’s inadequate.”
“Inadequate?” Shirley blinked in puzzlement.
“I require a more exact location, a stronger link,” Duncan extended his hand, his fingertip touching the spectral fire in the mirror. “To ignite the world beyond the mirror, this meager flame isn’t sufficient. But…”
He paused, withdrawing his finger. The phantom flame in the glass flickered abruptly, then plunged into the depths, leaving only a faint trace of ghostly green stretching into the distance.
“That should suffice to lend Agatha a hand.”
…
Agatha lost track of how many counterfeits crafted from “primal elements” she had obliterated. How many “avatars” of the blond youth had she shattered? After surpassing the four-digit threshold, she stopped counting.
One thing was certain: the heretic had spoken the truth about one matter — she was indeed ensnared in this peculiar world with seemingly no imminent prospects of escape.
The sky was muted, and the clouds swarmed chaotically. In this version of “Frost” devoid of sunlight, the distinction between day and night was elusive. Only the subtle shifts in luminosity from the cloud cover and the glow from the gas street lamps indicated night had descended.
Agatha weaved through a narrow alleyway, her pace brisk as she strove to maintain her calm breath and mend her physical and mental injuries.
Her black coat bore the brunt of relentless battles, damaged in several locations. The underlying combat soft armor was severely battered, revealing her shoulders, flanks, and other areas. Her bandages and skin beneath were visible, tainted with trickles of blood seeping through.
To be fair, the adversary wasn’t particularly formidable. Even the “avatars” employed by the blond heretic didn’t pose a significant threat to Agatha, a powerful gatekeeper. They only required a few minutes to eliminate.
But their numbers were unending.
The entire city served as their “material” and “backup troops” for regeneration. Conventional combat methods were ineffective in this scenario.
As Agatha navigated the alley, she swiftly performed calculations in her mind, simultaneously recalling the eerie sensation she experienced a few minutes prior.
While taking a brief respite in a shadowy alley, a horrifying presence abruptly invaded her senses, so intense it felt as though her heart ceased to beat for a few seconds. She hastily abandoned her sanctuary without much deliberation. Upon reflection, that daunting presence didn’t seem to originate from this bizarre forgery city.
“What… what could it have been?”
She sense the D
#spooked
Haha. Now we are imitating Lewis Carroll of sorts? It’s interesting that the doll resembling the former queen of Frost is named Alice, of all possible names.