Chapter 82: “The Fire That Exists Only In Memory!”

This Translation is hosted on bcatranslation.com

Nina eventually returned to her room to sleep.

In this world, people typically adhere to an early-to-bed, early-to-rise routine due to the dangers that lurk after sunset. The faint glow from the nightly scar known as the World’s Creation causes distortions that peak during these hours. Even in cities with artificial lights offering some protection, extreme caution is necessary as darkness falls.

With limited entertainment options available, reading at night became a popular pastime, though it wasn’t without risks. Reading during the night, while not as perilous as reading at sea, could lead to mental fatigue, hallucinations, and occasionally attract unwanted attention from mysterious nocturnal entities. Given these risks, sleeping early and awaiting sunrise was the safest option.

But Duncan wasn’t sleepy at all.

He turned off the light in his room and draped himself in a shirt as he stood near the window. He casually admired the nighttime view of the city-state of Pland under its starry canopy while reminiscing about his dinner conversation with Nina.

Nina had memories of a great fire, and Duncan found similar remnants in his own memories. In this particular recollection, “he” was seen rescuing a six-year-old girl from a collapsing, burning building. Far away on the streets, there were chaotic crowds and enveloping mists.

However, only the two of them seemed to remember this fire. When Nina had mentioned it to other adults in the past, she was dismissed as having “confused memories after being frightened as a child.” Newspaper archives from eleven years ago clearly indicated the “truth”: a factory leak in the lower districts of Pland had caused mass hallucinations, with no records of any fire.

Frowning slightly, Duncan pondered another anomaly. According to Nina, her “Uncle Ron” didn’t remember the fire at all. For the longest time, she alone had held onto this memory. As a child, she had mentioned the fire to her then “Uncle Ron,” who, like other adults, believed she had misremembered the event after a traumatic experience.

But now, vivid images of the fire appeared in Duncan’s memories—remnants from the original owner of his current body.

Where did the discrepancy lie? Why didn’t Uncle Ron remember the fire in Nina’s memories, yet Duncan found matching images deep within his own? Had Nina’s uncle been lying all along? Or had these memories been suppressed, only to resurface when the spirit of a ghostly ship captain took over the body?

Lost in thought, Duncan unconsciously tapped his fingers on the window sill, trying to piece together the sequence of events in his mind.

He pieced together the intelligence he had gathered from the followers of the Sun Cult: Eleven years ago, a fragment of the Sun made its first appearance within the boundaries of the city-state of Pland. The phenomena caused by this fragment had the potential to affect vast areas.

Coincidentally, eleven years ago, Nina became an orphan. In her and Duncan’s memories, a massive fire had occurred in the lower districts of the city. Yet, no one else recalled this fire, and there was no evidence to prove that such an incident ever took place.

After its appearance, the sun fragment fell dormant within the city-state, showing no further signs of activity. The only record left from that time was the “Crossroad Factory Leak Incident.”

For several years, Nina clung to her sole surviving family member for support.

Fast forward to four years ago, the followers of the Black Sun in Pland attempted to awaken the dormant sun fragment prematurely. They conducted a dangerous sacrificial ritual. However, the ritual was thwarted by the newly-appointed probationary Inquisitor Vanna and her team. This counteraction severely weakened the cult’s influence. Following an extensive crackdown, the Black Sun’s followers were mostly exterminated from the city-state.

Although the ritual hadn’t been completed, the cult’s attempt to “awaken” might have had some impact.

Around this time, the “uncle” who was Nina’s sole support contracted a mysterious illness. Tormented by the ailment, he gradually descended into corruption and, under the seduction of the residual Sun Cult followers within the city, became one of their minions.

Recently, the activities of the sun fragment began to attract the Sun Cult followers back to the city. After lying low for four years, these cultists attempted to conduct another sacrificial ritual. And then… Duncan intervened.

Many events seemed to be subtly connected throughout this timeline, yet all lacked crucial evidence.

The most suspicious event was from eleven years ago. What kind of supernatural vision did the sun fragment truly instigate? Did that fire really occur?

Had the city authorities concealed the truth of the incident, erased all traces of the fire, and then, for the sake of maintaining order, publicized the entire affair as a collective hallucination caused by a factory leak? This couldn’t explain why many had no memory of the fire—unless the authorities went to great lengths to reshape the memories of all those involved.

Another point was that in this world, anomalies and phenomena were openly acknowledged. Even children were aware of the existence and dangers of supernatural elements. The authorities clearly recognized this and always adhered to a policy of “disclosing threats in advance to ensure citizens are equipped with knowledge for self-preservation.” If the incident was merely a fire caused by supernatural forces, why go to great lengths to hide it? Unless… the fire concealed an even greater issue, revealing which might trigger uncontrollable, dangerous consequences.

Duncan suddenly furrowed his brow.

There might be another possibility.

Supernatural phenomena were known to be elusive. Often, the harm they inflicted wasn’t merely on the physical realm. They had the capability to warp human cognition, even to the point of distorting evidence written on paper. What if people’s memories and perceptions of the event, as well as the official records maintained by the city-state and the church, were all tainted by the sun fragment?

Duncan felt he might be letting his imagination run a bit too wild. As a novice with limited knowledge in the fields of anomalies and visions, he was perhaps getting ahead of himself. However, once the thought crossed his mind, he found it difficult to dismiss.

Memories of people, official records, and even the archived documents penned more than a decade ago—all of these could potentially be altered. He might not have believed such a possibility in the past, but now he felt compelled to believe more than anyone else.

Why? Because he currently resided in a place known as “Duncan’s Antique Store.”

Everyone in the vicinity recognized their old neighbor, Mr. Duncan, the proprietor of the shop.

Duncan took a deep breath, lowering his gaze. Through the second-floor window, he observed the streets illuminated by gas lamps.

Now, only one question remained: Why did Nina remember the fire?

…

In the upper district, within a mansion belonging to a ruling official, Vanna jolted awake from a nightmare.

However, this dream wasn’t related to the Black Sun, nor did it point to the ship returning from subspace, the Vanished. Instead, she suddenly dreamt of her childhood.

On that foggy, smoky night filled with the scent of blood and frenzied crowds, a twelve-year-old Vanna was carried on her uncle’s back, escaping from a mob.

In the dream, she felt as vulnerable and helpless as she had been that night, her vaunted martial skills and powerful magical abilities gone. All she could do was flee in panic from crazed pursuers and shadows. With her uncle, she scurried across the factory pipelines and valves, looking down in horror upon the city engulfed in smoke and heat waves, witnessing the endless flames consuming the entire district in sight…

The young inquisitor, dressed in her nightgown, sat up on her bed, taking a deep breath. She looked out of the window where the radiant glow of the World’s Creation still shone high in the sky. The clock hanging near the window indicated it was just past midnight.

She felt as if she had been trapped in that nightmare for a century.

Vanna rose from her bed and turned on the electric light. Approaching the vanity, she gazed at the reflection in the mirror, softly chanting the name of the Storm Goddess to seek inner solace. After a few moments of calm, she sighed and whispered reassuringly to herself, “At least I didn’t dream about that ship this time…”

Just as her words trailed off, she heard footsteps echoing from the corridor outside her room, soon followed by a knock at her door. “Vanna? Vanna, did you have another nightmare?”

It was the voice of her uncle—the most respected governing official in the city-state.

“I’m alright,” Vanna composed herself, straightening her attire before moving to open the door.

Dante Wayne stood at the entrance. This middle-aged man, with his gray hair and gray eyes, was not particularly imposing in stature. Clearly, he had also been roused from sleep as he had hastily thrown on an overcoat. Upon the door’s opening, he cast a concerned gaze upon his niece.

A notable feature of his appearance was the ruby-crafted eye he now bore. He had lost an eye in an incident, and this replacement eye, intricately designed with gold patterns, was surrounded by the jagged scars from eleven years prior, giving his face an intimidating aspect.

However, Vanna had grown accustomed to this sight. She knew that beneath this exterior, her uncle was a gentle and just individual.

“I had a nightmare,” she admitted, rubbing her eyes with a hint of exasperation in her voice. “I didn’t expect to wake you.”

“It’s alright. As one ages, sleep becomes more elusive,” Dante Wayne remarked, still eyeing Vanna with genuine concern. “Did you dream of your childhood again?”

She nodded in response, “Yes, of those times once

more.”

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