Deep Sea Embers

Chapter 766: The Helmsman

Anomaly 077 turned out to be the key to unlocking the way to the external barrier, a secret cleverly hidden within his unique traits from the moment he was identified as an “anomaly.”

In the realms of the spirit world, the strange event of the sea collapsing and reforming around the Vanished continued without pause. Duncan and Agatha occasionally caught glimpses of a distant, alien landscape as if they were looking at an image flickering due to a weak signal. This phenomenon was fueled by the obsession linked to the “Sea Song,” which sought to guide those to their “final destination.”

However, in the Eternal Veil—a place known for its instability and isolation—Anomaly 077’s powers did not work as expected. As a result, the path he was meant to create became chaotic, misaligning time and building up a tremendous force with each failure.

When the energy finally achieved a spatial transition, this accumulated energy erupted in the real world, creating a violent storm as a consequence.

Duncan reached out towards the horizon, where flames began to spread across the sea’s surface. He had ignited the storm’s growing intensity, but he quickly extinguished it, causing it to vanish harmlessly into the air.

He then disconnected the “link” with Agatha and returned to the real world.

Sailor stayed at the ship’s helm, gripping the wheel tightly, his body tense as if he were about to break. When Duncan looked back at him, Sailor immediately said, “Captain, about me…”

Duncan nodded in acknowledgment: “You can let go now.”

Relieved, Sailor quickly stepped back from the wheel as if it were extremely hot, moving to the farthest corner from the helm. His behavior showed a mix of nervousness and fear. He cautiously watched the ropes and buckets around him, occasionally looking back at the wheel with a look of fear and awe.

Seeing Anomaly 077 in such a state, Duncan felt a rush of complex emotions. He remembered Captain Caraline amidst the chaos, the fleeting experience of steering the wheel in an alternate reality, and the Sea Song’s long, fragmented journey through time…

The mummy crouched in a corner of the helm, nervously looking around. It was as if the essence of the “First Mate,” who had survived the time-lost journey, had been stripped away, leaving behind only the captain’s log of the Sea Song and the “path” that had become part of him.

Duncan stayed silent for a while before softly sighing and approaching the wary Sailor.

“Captain, did I do my duty correctly?” Sailor asked cautiously, his voice filled with fear of not having met expectations and worried he might be asked to “steer the ship” again.

Duncan confirmed with a serious expression, “You have, this time,” looking Sailor in the eyes to convey the importance of his statement, “but this was just a preliminary test. As we go deeper into the Eternal Veil, I’ll need you to take on the role of helmsman again to officially guide us until we reach the destination once achieved by the Sea Song.”

Upon hearing Duncan’s words, Sailor’s already worried face seemed to sink even more. He instinctively tried to step back, only to realize the ship’s railing was behind him. But the seriousness in Duncan’s eyes made him stop.

Duncan spoke earnestly, “The Vanished depends on your guidance. You must realize the ‘path’ Captain Caraline left behind hasn’t disappeared; it lives within you. You are the manifestation of that path—your unique ‘abilities’ and the supernatural occurrences you’ve initiated all originate from it. We need it now—I need your help.”

Sailor paused, seeing the spectral figure of the captain before him in a different light, feeling a deep sense of purpose and value he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Can I really do it?” Sailor murmured, his voice filled with uncertainty, “This ship… it’s not just something anyone can handle. I’m afraid it might overwhelm me the moment I try to steer it…”

Duncan reassured him with a steady voice, “You are more than capable of navigating this ship.”

This statement left Sailor momentarily lost for words.

Duncan recognized the weight of such a task, “I know this is a heavy responsibility—very few people in the world would be brave enough to guide the Vanished without being crushed by the mental strain. But you, as the Sea Song’s First Mate, have traversed beyond what most can imagine. You are qualified for this challenge,” Duncan paused, then with a firm nod, he added, “If you accept, as the captain of the Vanished, I will formally name you our helmsman for this journey.”

Duncan then mentioned, with utmost seriousness, “Of course, you’re free to say no without any consequences. I’ll find another way. If you prefer to go back to the White Oak now, that’s also an option.”

Sailor, clearly overwhelmed, considered his words carefully, wrestling with the decision amidst a flood of thoughts.

After a long moment, Sailor made up his mind. With a smile that was almost daunting, he nodded slowly, “Alright, I’ll do my best.”

As he spoke, the environment seemed to react—the ropes near the helm softly rustled, wooden barrels on the aft deck gently rocked, the sail ropes on the mast creaked quietly, and deep within the ship, the ancient structures whispered as if in conversation.

These noises blended together, creating a sound that felt like a welcoming round of applause.

Sailor took in the sounds with a mix of astonishment and confusion, his expression one of someone momentarily overwhelmed. Yet, as he understood what was happening, the deep lines on his face eased into a smile—a smile like the one he had when he first got promoted on the Sea Song years before.

Duncan, sharing the moment, smiled back and gently patted Sailor on the shoulder, comforting him, “Just do your best. That’s all we ask. Now, take some time to rest. We still have a long way to go before we reach our meeting point at the frontier.”

Looking slightly unsteady, Sailor left the helm and crossed the deck, his uneven steps disappearing into the night.

Duncan watched him leave and then turned back towards the middle of the deck, only to see Alice crouched near the helm, complaining to a coiled rope, “You didn’t welcome me with such excitement when I first came aboard… there was even applause now…”

The rope moved on the ground, extending a part of itself towards the railing as if trying to explain something.

“An induction ceremony for the helmsman? What is that?” Alice asked, her eyes wide with curiosity, “And what about me? Didn’t I get a ceremony too? It already happened? When?

“…Huh? The chaos in the kitchen was my ceremony!? Why didn’t anyone tell me earlier! I thought that was just a big mess… We almost destroyed the kitchen that day, and dinner was delayed because of it…”

Duncan, who was about to talk to Alice, stopped, watching her lively chat with the rope. He hesitated for a moment before awkwardly looking away, puzzled by her odd interactions with the ship’s inanimate objects.

As he reflected on this, he suddenly felt an intuition, hearing Goathead’s voice in his mind, “Captain, have you chosen a temporary helmsman?”

“Do you have any objections?” Duncan asked mentally as he walked back to the helm to navigate the Vanished further, “Are you worried about an ‘outsider’ taking on this role?”

“No,” Goathead quickly replied, “the captain has complete authority over the crew, including appointments or dismissals and creating or removing roles on the ship. The helmsman you support is the helmsman the Vanished recognizes, but… I am concerned about what destiny awaits ‘Sailor’ after he completes his duty.”

Duncan was silent for a moment, considering the consequences.

Goathead spoke again, this time more quietly than before, “It seems you’ve thought about this thoroughly. He was destined to be carried away by the currents of time, to vanish like the last sparks of a fire. On the day he returned to the Boundless Sea, he was meant to disappear. However, the log of Captain Caraline served as a shelter, preserving him, and the final journey of the Sea Song became a ‘path,’ grounding his existence. He became an eternal traveler…”

“Now, there’s only one last task for him—Captain Caraline’s final order.”

“And now, Captain, by making him the helmsman, you’ve given him the chance to fulfill his ultimate mission.”

In the cool night breeze at sea, Duncan looked out over the dark waters, pondering these thoughts for a while before finally speaking, “I understand, and, honestly, Sailor knows this too.”

Goathead remained silent, allowing the quiet to settle.

“Our voyage is still ongoing…”

Duncan then said softly, his mind recalling a book he had recently read, where the lines of a famous “mad poet” struck him, remembering from the text—

“Our journey is still ongoing until the moment when time itself comes to an end…”

…

The door to his cabin closed softly behind him, and the withered figure returned to the interior, easing onto his bed with careful, measured movements. The room was filled with warmth and light, sensations that had become unfamiliar to him over time.

As he lay there, he felt enveloped in a sense of coldness and isolation, with broken, scattered memories of the Sea Song passing through his thoughts as remote as if they belonged to another person.

He murmured to himself, repeating verses that had once been cherished by Captain Caraline—lines that shimmered in his faint memories like stars in the night sky above a desert:

“…Dusty sails shall rise again, leading us to lands long forgotten.”

“On the day destined for us, set forth fully ready…”

“We will all become explorers, embarking towards unseen lands with the wind at our backs.”

Sailor shifted in his bed, his dry, deformed eyes slowly closing.

Sleep continued to escape him.

Nevertheless, a slight smile appeared on his face.

The moment of truth was nearing.