Deep Sea Embers

Ray Nora had embarked on an incredible journey aboard a magnificent ship, captained by a remarkable leader known as Duncan, flanked by an equally impressive first mate, an unusual dove, and a doll that strikingly resembled Ray Nora herself.

The setting was vastly different from anything the Frost Queen had imagined, yet it surpassed her expectations in every aspect.

After touring the upper deck, Duncan escorted her back to the main deck.

“The ship is vast, featuring multiple layers of cabins beneath us,” Duncan explained, his warm smile radiating comfort. “Exploring every nook and cranny could easily consume a whole day. However, we should first focus on our immediate tasks.”

Upon hearing the captain’s instructions, Ray Nora snapped out of her awe for the ship. She quickly composed herself and turned her attention to the ship’s hull, where it was encased in a gentle fog that seemed harmless.

However, this was no ordinary fog; outside the ship, the space was engulfed by a profound, indescribable void. The “fog” was merely a faint illusion created by the limited sensory capabilities of humans, barely detecting the presence of “something.”

Ray Nora’s gaze involuntarily shifted back to Duncan. Beneath his tall and formidable appearance, another being resided, the “thousand-faced starlight.” This entity was intently gazing into the distance, probing the fog for something elusive.

Duncan, also Zhou Ming, moved towards the deck’s edge. His senses stretched across the ship, using it as a conduit to delicately “touch” the unseen “Sea of Ashes” outside. Within the fog, he discerned traces left by the annihilation of a world.

He soon reached out beyond the ship, his fingertips ablaze with flames colored by starlight.

At that moment, faint noises and vibrations emanated from deep within the ship, with masts and ropes creaking, their sounds tinged with a hint of unease.

“Don’t worry,” Duncan whispered, more to himself than anyone else, “I remain your captain.”

The disturbing noises eased slightly.

Duncan’s fingers then made contact with the “area” beyond the hull for the first time.

Simultaneously, a flapping noise filled the air as Ai, the dove, noisily descended from the mast and landed on Duncan’s shoulder, flapping its wings vigorously and emitting sharp, peculiar cries: “Hot…hot…hot…”

The dove then jumped from Duncan’s shoulder and, in either anxiety or excitement, fluttered chaotically across the deck, squawking in a manner that only Duncan could understand, leaving Ray Nora completely baffled.

“…What is this dove saying?” Ray Nora couldn’t resist asking the nearby doll, though conversing with a doll resembling herself was strangely unsettling. She found no one else to turn to. “Hot… what?”

“Oh, Ai has its unique way of communicating,” Alice replied nonchalantly, as if it were self-evident. “It’s conveying something vital to the captain.”

Surprised, Ray Nora inquired further of the doll: “…Can you understand it?”

Alice was candid: “No, I can’t.”

Silenced by this response, Ray Nora fell quiet.

Alice noticed the sudden silence beside her and curiously turned her head toward Ray Nora, known as the “Frost Queen,” and asked, “Eh? Why have you stopped talking?”

Ray Nora sighed, her thoughts seemingly drifting to the past. “…I wish I had your positive outlook back then,” she confessed. “Life used to be…very exhausting.”

“From now on, try to take things a bit easier,” Alice suggested warmly, patting Ray Nora on the arm with a smile. “Those tiring days are behind you.”

In response, Ray Nora began to sense that this seemingly naive doll might actually possess a unique kind of wisdom.

Duncan, who had overheard their conversation, continued to focus on the “world” outside the ship—the ashes that surrounded them.

Gradually withdrawing his hand, Zhou Ming opened his eyes to the fog, where ancient starlight expanded in his vision. At the focus of his gaze, he observed the unassigned basic elements of information transforming under the bath of starlight.

After some contemplation, he pointed his arms in a specific direction.

Ray Nora and Alice abruptly stopped their conversation when sounds reminiscent of wind and mountain streams emerged from that direction, their eyes widening in astonishment.

In the hazy fog, a massive, colorless, and detail-less gray mountain range began to materialize within the clouds. The mountain evolved rapidly, as if it were alive, its surface revealing gorges and gradually adopting various colors. Sounds emanated from that direction—sometimes distant, sometimes near, sometimes real, sometimes illusory.

Standing at the edge of the deck, Zhou Ming watched as information reconfigured before his eyes and was reassigned in his thoughts. He raised his hand as if strumming guitar strings, and the “mountain” that was rapidly gaining a sense of reality suddenly split in the middle, releasing a magnificent waterfall that cascaded down, forming a river. In the next moment, the river surged, vast plains emerged on either side of it, and a land more extensive than any city-state Ray Nora knew of expanded and spread in the fog. Then, the fog dissipated and condensed into clouds and a blue sky…

This creation continued to expand rapidly, eventually encompassing the ship, with the river feeding into a vast lake on which the ship floated on the mirror-smooth surface. Seconds later, “wind” was generated, causing ripples on the lake’s surface.

Ray Nora approached the edge of the deck, watching as the green land and blue sky, along with the lake and mountains, stretched to the horizon as if the entire world had been shaped right there. She inhaled the fresh air and listened to the sounds of the wind and water, a profound realization dawning within her — everything here was real and “effective,” and if someone came to this vibrant lakeshore, they could indeed survive here!

They would be able to breathe, drink the water, cultivate crops in the fertile soil, and observe the flourishing of birds and animals across the mountains and plains. Rain would fall, clouds would gather and disperse with the breeze, plants would thrive and then wilt, and life would continue its cycle.

A joyful smile almost erupted across her face at that thought.

But before the smile fully formed, Duncan—known as Zhou Ming—lowered his hands.

And just like that, everything around the ship silently collapsed and dissipated. The mountains and plains instantly reverted to a fog, all colors and contours returned to chaos, and the sounds along with the breeze that had brushed her cheeks… seemed as though they had never existed.

Ray Nora stood dazed at the scene, seemingly unable to react immediately. After a prolonged silence, she finally turned toward the captain.

“This was merely a test, a basic one at that,” Duncan approached Ray Nora, his voice deep. “It was merely to verify whether the ‘materials’ here could be reactivated—creation isn’t as straightforward as this.”

Ray Nora detected a complex tone in the captain’s voice, and her heart tightened: “So… the outcome of the test…”

“There’s good news and bad news,” Duncan exhaled slowly. “The good news is my initial assessment was correct—the information doesn’t vanish, it merely loses its original ‘definition’, and reassigning it can revive this mathematical machine.”

Ray Nora quickly asked: “And the bad news?”

“The bad news is that my other assessment was also accurate—the current conditions cannot sustain this rebooted mathematical machine, as you’ve just witnessed. Once my observation and definition are withdrawn, everything reverts to its initial state.”

“So, simply reassigning them is futile. Everything must return to ‘singularity’; I need a starting burst of energy, and a big bang… requires harsh conditions.”

Ray Nora tried to grasp the captain’s line of thought, the knowledge she had gained in that “nest” previously now resurfacing in her mind. After a moment of reflection, she tentatively responded: “…You know what it needs?”

Duncan paused, then nodded: “…Yes.”

“Can you achieve it? Is it exceedingly difficult, or outright impossible?”

This time, Duncan did not respond directly. After a long pause, he simply shook his head: “I still need to consider it carefully.”

With that, he gestured to Ray Nora and Alice.

“I need to retreat to my quarters to plan the next steps,” he sighed, turning towards the stern. “There are many vacant rooms below deck; Alice can show you where to rest.”

As Duncan walked away, Ray Nora turned to the doll beside her: “He seems deeply preoccupied—is the ‘captain’ always so… human-like?”

She had deliberated for a long time to choose the word “human-like,” cautious not to utter it in Duncan’s presence.

“Yeah,” Alice nodded casually, “Shirley said the captain can be quite human!”

Ray Nora was puzzled: “…?”

Was “human-like” used that way?

But before the Frost Queen could inquire further, Alice swiftly changed the topic: “I’ll show you to the restrooms on the ship… By the way, would you like some fish soup?”

Ray Nora was caught off guard by the abrupt shift in conversation and hesitated before replying: “Uh, no thanks.”

Alice remained enthusiastic: “The fish soup is really good! It’s a famous dish on this ship!”

“Thanks, but I… probably won’t enjoy it.”

“You don’t like fish? How about sweet pancakes? The captain loves sweet pancakes!”

Ray Nora appeared embarrassed: “…I’m currently a ghost.”

“…Oh.”