Ark Undead

Now, she sits unguarded by the campfire, her ears drooping slightly.

"Why do I say that? This is the first time I've heard of these things."

This is a lie.

Kal'tsit's words about Agor, as told by the Fire Mage, actually have a very strong sense of déjà vu.

However, for her, this sense of déjà vu, without the support of facts, cannot serve as a reliable answer.

Kal'tsit, who forces herself to think with absolute rationality, will not allow her thinking to be disturbed by such vague guidance.

"How long have you lived?"

The Fire Maiden smiled slightly, not dwelling on the previous topic, but changing the subject and asking.

"Can you still remember to invite me?"

Kal'tsit's eyes dimmed, and she clasped her hands together to cover her lower abdomen.

The origins of the Fire Maiden are anything but simple; she's like an immortal.

The Doctor once vaguely mentioned to Kal'tsit the origins of the Undead and the Fire Mage.

He said that it was a past he couldn't explore, and he shouldn't force himself to enter their world.

However, for Kal'tsit, some memories should not be forgotten.

"Actually, I saw you a long time ago, Kal'tsit."

The Fire Maiden gently gathered her hair with her right hand, the white strands curling several times between her fingers.

"Back then, you were just a little girl."

"No... um... please continue."

Kal'tsit initially wanted to instinctively refute, but a feeling of agreement suddenly arose in her heart.

She was surprised by her own thoughts; she shouldn't have forgotten everything about herself. But at this moment, she actually agreed with the topic of the Fire Maiden.

Although there is no such scene in Kal'tsit's memory at all.

"Back then, you were just a little girl obsessed with research, with white hair, very similar to how you look now."

The Fire Mage smiled slightly and pointed to the ear on her head.

"Back then, you didn't have these two ears on your head, and you always had a smile on your face. Everyone affectionately called you Miss Kal'tsit."

"..."

Kal'tsit offered her opinion, and she listened attentively.

Then the Fire Mage continued.

"Your lab staff also have a very good impression of you; you love children. So they always keep some candy in their bag. Besides eating some themselves because of their own health needs, they also share these sweet snacks with the children."

"The children who were experimented on in your lab loved to snuggle up to you, and some even thought of you as their mother."

Kal'tsit's body trembled, and even the two ears on her head twitched.

To be honest, she herself couldn't imagine such a scene.

Being hugged by children and called "mother" makes me feel uncomfortable and awkward.

"Oh, by the way, back then, your least favorite drink was coffee. If you needed a pick-me-up, you would always put several sugar cubes in your coffee, along with two or three packets of syrup."

"And the doctor's favorite drink is coffee. It must be the purest bitterness, nothing can be added, and water will dilute the taste of coffee."

When the Fire Girl talked about these things, she knew them like the back of her hand.

These memories felt to her as if they had just happened yesterday.

That's why, when she saw the Doctor and Kal'tsit's positions reversed, the astonishment she felt was immense, beyond the comprehension of others.

"Wait a minute, the professor always adds several sugar cubes to his coffee, and he even told me he likes it that way... Wait a minute?"

Kal'tsit paused for a moment.

She then realized that the past the Fire Maiden spoke of was not from the same period as the past she knew.

The Doctor was someone she had only met decades ago, and Kal'tsit still remembered everything from that time; there was absolutely no trace of the Fire Mage.

"What you've said..."

Kal'tsit's lips moved slightly, her expression tense.

She finally realized the key point: neither the Fire Maiden nor the history she recounted had occurred in recent years.

"Have you noticed? That's right, what I'm telling you is never the story of the Terra era."

The Fire Girl tilted her head slightly.

"If we have to pinpoint a time period, it should be the end of the Deep Sea Age in everyone's memory. However, you children of the deep sea, born in the deep sea, have forgotten your homeland."

"Doctor and you were never native to Terra. Your story is like the last brilliant shooting star of the previous generation streaking across the sky, bringing the whispers of a new world."

"The world we live in today was born from your hands, and that achievement is now buried deep in the earth."

The Fire Mage's voice was distant and melodious, which also stirred up Kal'tsit's doubts about her own memories.

"Look at you now, this is one of your research results. How humans adapt to the power of the Abyss, and transform the power of the Abyss into controllable abilities through the human body itself as a reactor, breaking the only solution that only the Primordial Flame can burn the Deep and turn it into firewood."

"Including that little guy hidden inside your body, how did he come to exist inside you? Can you still remember?"

Kal'tsit's vision was blurry, and her mind was in a complete mess.

She had never thought much about what the Fire Maiden was saying. Because all along, these were memories deeply buried in her mind.

“What is born from the abyss is not necessarily filthy. Just as what is born from fire can also be complex and profound.”

"You, Doctor, as a Pure One, and a dozen others. Gather together before the deep sea engulfs everything."

"What you see is the injustice of this world, the fact that the abyssal behemoths are treating humans like livestock."

"What you want has always been very simple, Kal'tsit."

"One last thing, how do you know that the doctor necessarily likes sweet coffee? What he told you is probably the way you used to recommend to him."

The Fire Maiden had said all she needed to say, and then fell silent.

Kal'tsit is very strong-willed, just like she always was. Otherwise, she wouldn't be the one among the twelve who excels most in scientific research and technology.

In every step of her research, she firmly believed she was right, laying the foundation for the many species that later appeared on Terra.

The current Fire Mage has a deep understanding of what Kal'tsit needs.

Kal'tsit doesn't need anyone to guide her. She imitates the Doctor's rationality, but only because she believes that the Doctor's rationality is the best solution.

This was her own decision, and she will surely make her own judgment when she recalls everything.

Kal'tsit sat in front of the campfire for a long time. The fire spirit didn't say anything, but simply reached out and hugged the undead's arm, gently leaning against it.

Why are you telling me all this?

After a long pause, Kal'tsit finally spoke up and asked.

"I...I can't remember, but I feel...I have a vague feeling that you are right."

“That’s right, you can’t remember, but I need you to remember, Kal’tsit.”

The Fire Mage leaned on the Undead's shoulder and said in a slightly languid tone.

"Kal'tsit, my departure and that of the Undead were both too early. The secret of Agor exists only in Agor, and you and the Doctor are its gatekeepers."

"The doctor also told me that during one of your decisions, he closed his eyes before you did."

"Therefore, you should know this dream better than we do, its origin and its end."

Kal'tsit looked blankly at the Fire Mage.

really?

Is what she said true?

Her dream was actually related to herself? She wasn't joking.

"Don't be impatient, Kal'tsit, don't be impatient."

The Fire Mage extended a hand and pressed it down slightly, signaling Kal'tsit to calm down.

"This night is only the first day; the days are short and the nights are long."

"You shouldn't stay in reality; you should enter the dream world and embrace it."

Kal'tsit took a deep breath and slowly recovered.

No wonder the Fire Girl specifically set aside time to talk to herself.

If it's related to her...

Although the truth of the Fire Mage's words cannot be verified, Kal'tsit has an inexplicable trust in the Fire Mage and believes everything she says.

In any case, it's never a bad thing to give it a try.

"I see."

Kal'tsit exhaled a breath of stale air and stood up from beside the campfire.

"Thank you so much."

"Think it over carefully, Kal'tsit. We still have plenty of time."

The Fire Mage nodded slightly to Kal'tsit and watched her leave the room.

What happened at the camp was just a side story. While real-world personal safety is the foundation for a peaceful existence in dreams, everything within the dream is the answer everyone most wants to understand.

W and Greyhound, who made the deal with Lapp, have been traveling for quite some time in this dream.

Guided by Lapp, the two have crossed what is now the coastline and sunk to the bottom of the sea.

They initially reached the border of Agor and stopped on the deck of a ship passing through Agor.

The ship appeared to be sailing in the Agor shipping lanes. However, it was completely submerged in the sea, isolated by a cover that could not be seen with the naked eye.

This is the scene they saw after passing through the palace.

"Yes, the last door of the palace leads to the captain's cabin of a large seagoing ship, which makes sense."

Greyhound nodded slightly, using his remaining sense of humor to protest the instability of dreams.