Chapter 50 “Public Vision”
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After they finished their lunch, Duncan watched as Nina busily cleared and cleaned the dining table. He had tried to help with the dishes, but she firmly insisted that he shouldn’t, reminding him of the doctor’s orders to avoid exposing his hands to cold water due to his health issues. With a bit of reluctance, Duncan settled into a cozy spot near the staircase, diving into the newspaper he had picked up that morning. Meanwhile, he kept an eye on Nina as she moved efficiently around the kitchen.
The ordinary domestic scene evoked an unusual feeling in Duncan, as though he were experiencing the simplicity of a typical family life.
Lost in his thoughts, Duncan was drawn back to the moment by Nina’s voice from the kitchen. “Uncle Duncan, have you found anything interesting in the newspaper?” she inquired.
Looking down at his newspaper, dated “August 14, 1900 of the New City-State Calendar,” Duncan noted the leading article about a church inquisitor who had launched a major operation against the Sun Cult, arresting many of its members. This was the most significant news of the day.
“The inquisitor has organized a large sting operation, apprehending several dozen followers of the Sun Cult,” Duncan replied nonchalantly. “It’s the most extensive crackdown by the church in the last four years. The article also advises people to stay alert at night and be cautious of heretical beliefs in their community.”
“Oh, I heard about that too on my way here!” Nina responded, as she neatly placed the clean dishes in the cupboard. “It’s really quite alarming. My teacher once mentioned that these Suntists engage in human sacrifices to their Black Sun… Who would willingly follow such a gruesome cult?”
Duncan hesitated, unsure how to respond. The situation was delicate—should he reveal his own recent brush with a sacrificial ritual at the cult’s altar, or confess to Nina that her dear uncle was, in reality, a committed member of this terrifying cult?
One thing was clear in his mind—Nina was completely unaware of her “uncle’s” involvement with the Sun Cult. To her, the notion of human sacrifices to the Black Sun was utterly abhorrent.
In Nina’s eyes, her “uncle” Duncan was just a man dealing with health problems, a penchant for drinking, and an unusual group of friends.
The body that Duncan now occupied once belonged to a man whose hands were stained with blood and who had committed atrocious acts. Yet, despite his dark past, this man had been a guardian to Nina, shielding her from the indoctrinating beliefs of the Sun Cult up until this very moment.
As he sat in silence, Duncan couldn’t shake off the thought of a grim future where Ron, a fervent follower of the cult, might succumb entirely to his malevolent inclinations. Such a downfall could inevitably pull his beloved Nina down into darkness with him. Thankfully, that bleak possibility had not yet become reality.
Duncan was firm in his belief: he would prevent that horrifying future from ever materializing.
“Uncle, why did you suddenly become so quiet?” Nina’s voice, filled with concern and curiosity, broke the silence. She gazed at him, her expression tinged with worry. “Are you feeling ill again?”
“No, I was just lost in thought,” Duncan quickly reassured her, shaking his head to alleviate her concerns. “You are absolutely right about these cult rituals and beliefs; they are truly dreadful. The newspapers are even urging the public to stay vigilant and report any suspicious or heretical activities they might encounter. For now, it’s best if you limit your outings to just school and home as much as you can.”
Nina nodded in agreement, but her face soon showed a mix of distress and reluctance. “But… I’ve already made plans with my classmate. We’re supposed to visit the museum in a few days…”
“A museum?” Duncan asked, feigning casual interest. “Which museum are you talking about?”
“It’s near our school, on the outskirts of the upper city. The Oceanic Museum,” she explained, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “They’ve just opened a new exhibit that features various specimens of sea minerals… Could we maybe consider going?”
Duncan thought for a moment before nodding. “If that’s what you desire, then yes, we’ll go. With the church guardians and city sheriffs on high alert, it’s unlikely that the cultists would risk causing any trouble under the current circumstances.”
Nina’s face brightened instantly. “Oh, that’s wonderful!”
“Do you have school this afternoon?” Duncan shifted the conversation.
“Yes, I have a history class later. I wouldn’t miss Mr. Morris’s lecture for the world,” she replied with enthusiasm. “He’s a distinguished expert in his field… It’s odd though. Someone of his caliber would typically be teaching at a university in the upper city, not at a public school in the lower city. Most of my classmates don’t even appreciate history; they spend the entire class sleeping…”
Duncan gave a nonchalant shrug, “How would I know?”
He hardly knew anything substantial about Nina, let alone about her history teacher, Mr. Morris. Recalling the location of Nina’s school was a challenge in itself. When Duncan took over this body, its previous owner had long been deeply involved in the heretical rituals of sun worship.
Nina had a class scheduled for the afternoon and didn’t want to waste time after lunch, so she quickly collected her belongings from the antique shop where she had been. She remembered to pick up the textbook she had left at home earlier, and she began making her way toward her school located in the lower city. The journey from the antique shop to the school typically took about an hour. Determined not to be late, Nina was focused on using her time wisely to arrive on time for Mr. Morris’s class.
While the city offered various public transport options, including steam-engine trams and buses that regularly operated even in the economically disadvantaged lower city, using these would cost her between four to six pesos. Despite the cost, Nina chose to run instead, believing it to be not only a free alternative but also beneficial exercise, something she mentioned to Duncan with a hopeful smile.
Duncan, aware of the daily challenges of Nina’s commute, recognized that owning a bicycle would make her travel to school much easier. He had often seen others in the lower city benefit from cycling. In this society, which had successfully industrialized and harnessed steam power, bicycles represented an affordable commodity for most. Yet, for residents of the lower city like Nina, purchasing a bicycle was still a significant financial burden, potentially costing a family of three up to a month’s living expenses.
Duncan was still figuring out his role and identity in this new environment but felt a growing inclination to treat Nina better, partly in gratitude for the meals she often prepared for him, like vegetable soup and salted pancakes.
Additionally, Nina was a diligent student, which made Duncan think more seriously about establishing a stable income in this bustling, “civilized city-state.”
As he pondered these thoughts, Duncan put aside the newspaper he was reading, walked to the end of the upstairs corridor, and opened a narrow window. From there, he looked out over the sunlit streets of the city as he thought about what’s for his future.
In this world, various phenomena known as “anomalies” and “visions” were acknowledged parts of everyday life, integrated into the fabric of society without secrecy by either the government or the church. Even schoolchildren like Nina could learn about these phenomena from their textbooks. Nina was well-versed in the classification of these phenomena, a knowledge system that dated back to the ancient Kingdom of Crete and was still in use. She understood some of the publicly indexed anomalies and visions, including their rules and characteristics, information that was openly available to the public, though not completely exhaustive.
In every city-state, both the government and the church maintained a catalog of the most infamous or dangerous anomalies and visions. Each was given a unique identifier, although these identifiers could change over time. Anomalies or visions might be eradicated or transformed for various reasons, resulting in an update to their identifiers. However, one thing remained constant: each anomaly and vision with its own unique number and name was undoubtedly associated with distinct dangers or notable characteristics.
Part of this catalog detailing these anomalies and visions was made public by the authorities. This transparency served two main purposes. Firstly, it ensured that all citizens were well-informed about these particular threats, enhancing public awareness and promoting self-protection. Secondly, some of the anomalies and visions were so ingrained in daily life that they could not be concealed.
These phenomena had integrated deeply into every aspect of daily existence, shaping every component of societal functioning. They were always in plain sight, so pervasive that they could not be concealed, nor was there any need to hide them from the public.
Duncan paused to look up, his eyes tracing the vast expanse of the sky.
Vision 001: Sun.
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This imposing celestial entity, which dominates the sky, emerged in the era known as the Deep Sea Age. It appeared on the morning after the downfall of the ancient Kingdom of Crete—a once-great civilization whose influence extended widely, affecting many aspects of life, and thus met the criteria of a vision.
Historical records describe the day the Kingdom of Crete fell as a period of catastrophic turmoil. The seas churned violently, city-states toppled, and the noble rulers of the first dynasty met their end in the dark, their blood mingling with the seawater. From the chaos, Vision 001 – Sun, arose from the sea, and from then on, daylight hours brought calm to the Boundless Sea.
The Kingdom of Crete, founded by survivors at the start of the Deep Sea Age, lasted only a hundred years but left a profound legacy that continues to shape the modern era.
In the ancient language, “Crete” meant “eternal night,” a night that endured for a century.
All these historical details are captured in Nina’s history textbook.
So, I wonder if the fall of Crete had anything to do with the creation of the new sun? Some sort of ritual or sacrifice?
Scp 001 when day breaks
Man this is a struggle to get through lollll. We’re moving so slowly with almost nothing happening I’m just hoping it will pick up speed at a certain point but I’ve been harnessing that prayer for a while now. I don’t really mind infodumps, but when there’s so many filler sentences it makes it hard to read. Stark contrast to the similar LOTM
I despise this MC so much. He sees himself as this compassionate good guy, when in reality what he does is impersonating a child’s father figure, going even so far as to manipulate/falsify the child’s memories of that person. She can’t even remember his original name anymore.