Chapter 684

Chapter 684: veil of night – Lost

Once again, the Sun went out before Duncan and the others.

A strange low rumble came first. Then, just as the Sun was about to sink below the sea’s horizon, all light vanished from its surface. It turned into a terrifying black hole in the sky. The two rune rings around the Sun still seemed to shine with sunlight. They became two blinding bright rims around that dark hole.

A thin, limited glow spread from the dead edge of the Sun, leaving a layer of murky light between the sky and the sea. That dim light only made the sky look more eerie and frightening.

As the Sun went out, the distant Boundless Sea fell into darkness. Only the “glowing geometric body” near Lightwind Harbor kept shining with its usual “sunlight,” holding a basic light over a small area of ocean. The rays of light spilling out across the water became the only comforting thing under the strange “veil of night.”

Shirley was completely stunned. She stared into the distance, unable to squeeze out a second sentence. Nina beside her recovered first. She reached out and patted her friend on the shoulder and said: “Don’t panic, okay? There’s no way it went out just because you said it would…”

“Of course I know that!” Shirley almost jumped up. Then she quickly turned her eyes toward Duncan not far away and said: “Captain, what do we do?”

“Lightwind Harbor is still there. The Pilgrimage Arks are still there…” Duncan did not answer Shirley. He looked at the direction of Lightwind Harbor right away. Under the glow of the glowing geometric body, he carefully studied the distant sea. From here, he could clearly see the coastline of Lightwind Harbor and the outline of the huge Storm Cathedral moored near the city-state.

The other three Pilgrimage Arks could not be seen in full from this angle, but it was clear they were also still in place.

“So… this is ‘the Sun going out’…” Rune muttered. After the first shock passed, he finally reacted. “This really happened…”

Banster stared hard at the terrifying black hole hanging over the sea’s surface far away. His voice was low and heavy as he said: “The aura of the Spirit Realm is starting to grow restless, but the World’s Wound has not appeared ahead of time.”

Duncan looked toward the Popes and said: “I remember you said that last time the Sun went out, the four Pilgrimage Arks didn’t notice anything?”

“Yes.” Rune nodded. “According to what you told us, we stayed still together with the rest of the world during those twelve ‘missing’ hours. We simply ‘skipped’ the event of the Sun going out. If we hadn’t later received reports from Lightwind Harbor, Frostholm, and Pland, we wouldn’t have known anything had happened.”

Duncan nodded slowly, his gaze still fixed on the distant city. “But now you’ve seen it. Your Pilgrimage Arks are here too. Everyone has seen it.”

“What is the principle behind this?” Rune spoke without thinking. He looked at the huge glowing geometric body hanging over the nearby sea and grew thoughtful. “Is it because the four Pilgrimage Arks are now also inside that thing’s protection range?”

“It may really be connected to that strange glowing geometric body,” Duncan said with a nod. “Pland, Frostholm, and Lightwind Harbor each had some special trait that let them ‘remain’ when the Sun went out. Lightwind Harbor’s biggest trait is that it is always bathed in this strange ‘sunlight.’

“But this is not the time to discuss it. You should check the situation on the four Arks at once. Also, Lucretia, can you contact the city now?”

“There is a radio on the Radiant Star. We have already contacted Lightwind Harbor,” Lucretia said, nodding at once. “The city-state has sounded the emergency alarm. Constable units and the knowledge guards are already working to keep order. We shouldn’t have to worry for a while.”

“Order isn’t the problem. Panic is,” Vanna muttered nearby. “And the panic this time won’t be the same as last time. After all, not long after the Sun went out last time, the Nameless One’s Dream broke out…”

Her words brought silence to the deck. Under the dim sky, everyone looked at each other. Their faces showed a mix of subtle, serious, and uneasy expressions.

The four Popes moved quickly. They contacted their own Pilgrimage Arks at once and checked on each Ark’s condition. They gave orders from afar, telling the priests left on the Arks to keep order, monitor the situation, and gather information. At the same time, they ordered each Ark to send some priests into Lightwind Harbor to help control public security and calm the Residents’ fear.

Meanwhile, Duncan and his group returned to the central deck area. There, they found the Bishop groups in some confusion.

These Bishops had been sent out of the meeting early. In the last few minutes, they had gained memories they would never forget. They had just started to get used to the strange, uncanny environment aboard the Vanished, used to all the “living things” and suspicious “rules” on this ship. After the meeting, they had come out on deck to eat a few snacks and enjoy the sea breeze to relax their nerves.

They had barely relaxed when—snap—the Sun went out.

No one had even warned them first.

Thanks to the emergency “training” before boarding and the “common sense lessons” after coming aboard, at least half of the Bishops, on seeing the Sun go out, instinctively wondered if this might count as another “natural phenomenon” that could be seen from the Vanished. When Duncan led a large group into the central deck area, a few Bishops were still deep in discussion.

Their main topic was how early it got dark on the Vanished.

Luckily, after some frantic communication and explanations from all sides, everyone understood what was really happening. They quickly recovered from their first wave of confusion and panic, and order returned.

Under the dim sky and the faint “sunlight” spilling from far away, the Vanished and the Radiant Star once more increased their speed and sailed toward the coastline of Lightwind Harbor.

…

At the semi-permanent floating island research station beside the glowing geometric body, Ted Riel and several Scholars stood together in the upper observation room. Their faces were grave as they watched a radio set. The radio was carrying the latest news from inside the city-state.

The Sun going out had caused a short burst of citywide panic. After that, the Constable units and the Guardians quickly brought order back under control. All main districts inside the city had now entered a state of martial law. The main roads were blocked. Every Sanctuary World was open. Gas lamps were lit early, and the bells of the Academy drifted over the city.

For now, there was no sign of supernatural corruption invading the city. No districts had reported people falling into mental corruption or undergoing any mental transformation.

The good news was that this was not the first time Lightwind Harbor had faced the Sun going out. People were no longer as unprepared as they had been before. They did not suffer so many needless losses in chaotic panic.

The bad news was that after the Sun went out last time, the terrible event known as the Nameless One’s Dream had followed. The lingering Shadows of that horror still hung over the city-state.

Even though order inside the city had quickly settled, fear and unease in people’s hearts were quietly growing. Everyone worried what might happen after the Sun went out this time.

Ted Riel knew that such wide-spreading fear was the hardest thing to handle. It could not be controlled, and it could not be ignored. It swelled like a dark tide until the crisis ended—or turned into another great disaster.

But that was not the only problem.

Ted Riel frowned and looked toward a machine at the far end of the room.

A recorder was clattering as it ran. Fine gears and rods drove a steel needle back and forth along its track. A long paper strip slowly fed out of the machine. Thin black lines jumped on the strip, drawing information no Human mind could understand.

The signal came every twelve seconds. It repeated three times, then stopped for thirty seconds before starting again.

The recorder was linked to a complex optical device mounted before the observation window at the far end of the room.

“The light-signal from the glowing orb is still going,” a Scholar beside Ted said. “At the moment the Sun went out, the signal clearly grew stronger. It has already passed the highest value in our records.

“Also, a backup unit set in the upper station just received a very weak signal. The signal is the same as the one we get here. That backup unit is aimed at the Sun, the one that has gone dark.”

“This is clearly a complete system,” another Scholar could not help saying. “The Sun and the glowing geometric body that fell into the mortal world still have some kind of link, even if they seem to have separated on the surface…”

“There is still no progress in decoding,” a third Scholar said softly. “If only some new pattern would appear in these signals. At least then we could use it for cross-checking.”

“News just came from the city towers. They have confirmed that the Sun has stopped moving. It is fixed just above the sea surface and has not moved any lower in the last half hour…”

“No one went up the towers to look at the Sun again, right?!” someone blurted out.

“No,” came the answer. “The instruments are recording automatically. The staff only read the data indirectly. Ever since the last incident, the Academy has strictly forbidden anyone to observe the Sun directly in a case like this…”

Ted Riel listened to the talk around him, his brow tightly furrowed. He stayed silent. After a long time deep in thought, he suddenly lifted his head and said: “I have to return to the city-state.”

“Yes, you need to go back to help keep order,” a Scholar said at once. “Leave this place to us. No matter what happens, the observation station will keep running. We will not miss any data.”

Ted Riel looked at these Scholars who carried such weight and trust in their fields. He nodded silently, then opened the Book of sacred miracles that held so many spells and pieces of knowledge.

He turned to the section that recorded “Door” and tapped the page with his finger.

A ghostly great door rose out of the book and formed in the air before him. It opened without a sound.

He took a breath and stepped into the door.

Boundless darkness and chaos swallowed all his senses—

He did not arrive in Lightwind Harbor.