Deep Sea Embers

In the vast, deep ocean, where darkness prevails, a lone sphere shimmering with a ghostly green hue raced through the water, evoking the imagery of a comet flying beneath the waves. The immense pressure from the countless tons of seawater surrounding it appeared to have no effect, unable to hinder its swift journey.

Ai journeyed with breathtaking speed through the watery abyss, only stopping when she reached the center of this submerged landform. As the glow of the green fire dimmed, Ai underwent a transformation, shifting from her fiery form to her human-like appearance. After this transition, she suspended herself within the water, and Duncan emerged in her place.

With a hint of perplexity on his face, Duncan cast a strange glance her way, prompting Ai to drift closer. She gracefully landed on his shoulder and asked, tilting her head, “What are you looking at?”

In response, Duncan remained silent, choosing instead to tenderly caress the dove perched atop his shoulder. He then directed his attention back to the towering structure at the center of the underwater terrain.

Standing in front of it, the colossal pillar dominated his view. This massive structure began from the pinnacle of the underwater land, rising majestically, piercing the underwater island and continuing its ascent through the vast ocean. However, the pillar wasn’t endless. As Duncan approached, he noticed more intricacies. The topmost section of the pillar appeared to be abruptly cut off while still underwater, suggesting it had been severed at a significant height.

Before delving deeper into this mysterious phenomenon, Duncan cautiously neared the pillar’s middle section, examining its surface patterns.

The surface was intricately detailed and densely packed with complex yet uniform designs. The pillar’s outer layer resembled multiple tentacles, so finely crafted that it seemed more like a product of sophisticated design than a natural formation.

Hesitant, Duncan reached out. While his current form didn’t possess fully defined hands and feet, as his arm neared the pillar, it underwent a swift transformation, reshaping itself into a hand. He pondered whether this change was a response triggered by an external factor, much like a primitive mold responding to stimuli.

This contemplation reminded Duncan of a previous sensation when his facial features reshaped themselves into an eye. As these thoughts flowed, he felt his newly formed fingers touch the pillar’s dark surface, which felt as rough as cast iron yet with a surprising softness.

With heightened curiosity, Duncan closely examined the pillar’s surface.

Hidden beneath its dull, dark grey exterior, he detected faint light blue lines akin to veins running beneath human skin. This observation led to a startling epiphany. Duncan’s thoughts raced back to a tissue sample he had retrieved from Captain Cristo Babelli’s mouth within the depths of the Obsidian.

The texture of the pillar and the sample Duncan had were strikingly alike. This monumental structure, standing defiantly in the ocean’s depths, could it possibly be a physical representation of the Nether Lord’s appendage in our realm?

Duncan was awash with a cocktail of emotions as he retreated a few steps, allowing his eyes to sweep across the vastness of the pillar before him.

Locating a scar made by Captain Cristo on such an expansive structure seemed a daunting, if not impossible, task. Yet, this realization only deepened Duncan’s admiration for the captain’s courage and prowess.

After taking a few moments to absorb his surroundings, Duncan embarked on his journey upwards, navigating towards the stark and sudden termination of the pillar.

After what felt like an eternity, Duncan reached the end. It was precisely as he had visualized — the pillar looked like it had been violently severed, the edges ragged and rough, reminiscent of bite marks left behind by ferocious, uneven teeth. The center of the pillar’s end receded inwards, resembling the ominous mouth of a dormant volcano.

Duncan hovered adjacent to this jagged termination, gauging the pillar’s enormity. He deduced that if the cavity within the metal ore mine had indeed been created by a similar appendage or tentacle, the one that had impaled the city-state was significantly smaller. Possibly only one-fifth of the size of the behemoth he currently observed, if not smaller.

Could the appendage that had pierced the city-state merely be a smaller manifestation of this vast underwater entity? Or was it that the tentacle in the mine was in its infancy, meant to grow larger with time?

Duncan pondered the possibilities — had the battle for Frost’s defense gone awry, had he failed to vanquish Frost’s reflection, and had the tentacle in the mine’s cavern grown unchecked… would it have eventually erupted from the mine, piercing through the mountains and emerging as a mighty pillar? A pillar reminiscent of the one he currently surveyed, seemingly perforating the entirety of the hovering landmass?

Was this the vision the fervent disciples of the Annihilation Sect had spoken of — their desire to mimic their Lord’s majestic design in the tangible realm?

These haunting thoughts occupied Duncan’s mind when, out of the blue, a streak of light whizzed by his line of sight, snapping him out of his introspection.

He quickly focused his gaze on the source of the light, finding the origin at the epicenter of the “volcanic” indentation.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he propelled himself towards the mysterious illumination.

Navigating past the sharp overhangs on the pillar’s perimeter and the descending shadowy matter, Duncan entered a vast, eerie underwater space. Within this silent expanse, a sudden burst of illumination captured his attention, compelling him to swim with relentless determination towards the very core of the pillar’s fracture.

By the time he reached his destination, however, the luminous beacon had dimmed and disappeared.

All that remained was a gaping abyss, silent as a crypt and cold as unyielding stone, nestled within the heart of the fragmented column.

Hovering, Duncan tried to discern any details within this inky void. It felt like a tangible pause in time, a chasm echoing with silent whispers of regret and hidden tales of yore.

But then, a peculiar shift in his vision caught his attention.

Below him, at the heart of the pillar’s break, the texture of the “ground” appeared off-kilter. It wasn’t crisp and defined; instead, it appeared… “fuzzy”.

Indeed, it was as if he was observing reality through a frosted glass pane, distorting and blurring the borders of existence.

Duncan, ever the cautious explorer, didn’t rush to this anomalous “ground”. Before making contact, he summoned a faint, ethereal flame on his fingertip and delicately cast it upon the hazy expanse below.

Relying on old wisdom, “When uncertainty looms, let spirit fire illuminate the gloom”, he decided that precaution was paramount.

The verdant spirit flame disappeared almost instantaneously upon contact, absorbed by the obsidian expanse, much like water seeping into parched earth. Mere moments later, traces of the green glow began to pervade the surrounding void, and suddenly, the entire “floor” became aflame with a ghostly luminescence.

As the flames proliferated, Duncan felt an inexplicable link forming.

Yet, this newfound bond wasn’t tethered to the mighty column beneath, which emitted the vibes of an age-old entity. To Duncan’s surprise, the connection led him to a presence that felt… strangely familiar.

Soon, the ground below underwent a transformative metamorphosis under the influence of the spreading fire, gradually reflecting a mirror’s sheen. This reflective expanse began to ripple as if it were made of a thick, silken fluid, dancing with the spirit fire’s glow.

Driven by an instinctual urge, Duncan gravitated towards this shimmering, liquid-like plane. Entranced by the fire’s mesmerizing call, he outstretched a hand to caress its surface.

Boom!

It felt as if a deafening explosion reverberated within his consciousness. Time, which seemed to have stood still, hurtled forward. A veil that had shrouded the fringes of reality was ripped apart. Duncan sensed an immediate transition as though he’d stepped through some cosmic gateway. Consequently, the realm around him started to imbue itself with a radiant, golden light.

The intense chill and the sensation of being submerged in the dense, murky abyss of the ocean evaporated suddenly. In its place, Duncan felt the unmistakable, grounding feeling of solid ground beneath his feet. This was a stark departure from the weightless drift he’d just experienced in the underwater realm. The radiant light that had been blinding him began to dim, allowing his eyes to adjust. Once they did, Duncan’s surroundings came into sharp focus, leaving him utterly astounded.

He stood in the midst of an opulent, illuminated chamber.

Golden beams of light poured down from an intricate chandelier hanging overhead, highlighting the room’s exquisite details. Expensive-looking furniture gleamed under the ambient glow, and artful sculptures made of precious metals sparkled. A luxurious bed swathed in translucent drapes at the center of the room commanded attention. And through these translucent veils, Duncan could discern a form that seemed to be resting, possibly in a deep slumber.

Overwhelmed by this sudden shift in surroundings, Duncan hesitated only briefly before impulsively turning to look behind him.

It was the path he must’ve emerged from.

But instead of the familiar blue of the ocean or even the comfort of a door, he was met with a jarring, fragmented void.

The chamber seemed to terminate abruptly at this edge, giving way to a gaping rift in reality. This abyss was a chaotic mesh of splintered floors and walls, fading into a swirling expanse of ominous shadows and muted glimmers. It held an unsettling allure, seemingly filled with enigmatic secrets, yet also felt hauntingly vacant.

It’s here and now that a singular concept surged into his consciousness—subspace.

Duncan’s heart raced, though he wasn’t even sure if the form he currently inhabited possessed one. The sight before him was beyond his wildest imaginations: a half-intact room precariously juxtaposed against the maelstrom of subspace. The tumultuous dance of lights and darkness emitted an eerie, silent cacophony, hinting at profound and possibly maddening revelations.

With trepidation, Duncan reached out, guiding his fingers toward the chaotic abyss at the room’s edge, only to find them halted by an invisible, cold barricade.

Suddenly, a voice, crystal clear and resonant, pierced the stillness from behind him, declaring, “You can’t proceed. The door isn’t truly open to you yet.”

Startled, Duncan spun around.

The gossamer curtains that had shrouded the opulent bed were now pushed aside, revealing an awakened presence. The individual reclined gracefully, her gaze fixed intently on Duncan.

Lustrous silver locks flowed gracefully down her back, and her deep violet eyes shimmered with a brilliance that rivaled the most precious of gemstones.

Incredulously, he whispered, “Alice?”