Ark Undead

Theresa countered with a question.

"Just like the story you told me. A hero of an ancient king, who gave his life for a future he had never even seen. Did he think the same way back then?"

The doctor pondered for a moment longer.

He recalled the time he spent with that hero, summarizing his evaluation of the hero in his own thoughts, and then nodded and said.

"I can't make any judgment about him, but he also hopes to see the day when the flames rise again."

"At least for now, I am still alive, Kal'tsit is still alive, and his death has brought about the development of so many new humans and new civilizations on the continent of Terra."

"I think he hoped to see these things in his final moments."

The doctor's gaze toward Theresa gradually took on a more meaningful meaning.

“My king, I brought you here so that you could see for yourself why the abyss was born and why the flames burn.”

"Now that you have seen what this ship looks like, you should also go and see those creations that we call the Abyss, and the efforts we have made for the continuation of the era."

Theresa nodded gently.

She stood up and, led by the doctor, left the room.

The dream is still long, and she has plenty of time to verify those chapters that the doctor called the past.

Kal'tsit pushed open the door. The room was full of old marks, but she felt a little dazed.

She should have lived here before; the layout is so familiar, almost exactly the same as her room on Rhodes Island.

Does this feel familiar?

Theresa, standing two meters behind Kal'tsit, chuckled.

"This is your old room, the past you've forgotten, it's right here. Do you want to go in and check?"

Kal'tsit ignored her and went into the room on her own.

She went to the bookshelf and picked out a book by instinct.

The book cover reads:

Kal'tsit gently turned the title page of the book, and there was her own name in the author's column.

Kal'tsit's pupils flickered slightly; something seemed to have entered her mind.

She also recalled that the author of the book was not only herself, but also someone who had given her a lot of help.

At that time, she was probably going through a period of stagnation. It wasn't until that person gave her a couple of pointers that she suddenly understood some key points.

Kal'tsit didn't dwell on this for long; she continued flipping through the pages.

Each page is marked with annotations, and some stickers seem to have blended into the book, showing just how serious the reader is when making comments.

Every time Kal'tsit turned to the next page, the text of that page would automatically play in her mind.

Just like this book list, it should have been imprinted in her mind and never forgotten.

Theresa's voice rang out again at just the right moment.

"Do you feel like you've forgotten a lot? Kal'tsit, I told you long ago, you shouldn't be like this now. You should have more."

Kal'tsit turned two more pages, then closed the book and carefully put it back on the shelf.

She remembered something, but now was not the time to argue with that counterfeit nightmare.

Kal'tsit went to the table again, picked up the chair that was originally facing the bed, put it back on the table, and then sat down in the chair.

Facing the table, Kal'tsit placed her hands on the surface, her right hand familiarly forming a pen-holding posture, while her left hand subconsciously pressed against her chest.

This familiar feeling of writing on the table, both in terms of height and material, is exactly what she likes.

After experiencing this strange tactile sensation for a while longer,

Kal'tsit folded her hands and placed them on her thighs, lost in thought.

"Theresia" continued.

"Yes, that's it. Think about it carefully. Think about your real purpose, who you really are."

“Your identity is extraordinary; you are my fellow traveler and my guide.”

"But you let me die on the eve of my ideal, led by that filthy man down a path of no return!"

"It's your fault. It's your negligence and dereliction of duty that caused my death, that left me trapped here, and that you didn't even come looking for me."

"What you perceive as your ideal is actually a lie he fabricated for you. The things you still cling to are all false, mere illusions without any real substance!"

Theresa spoke at length, like a tiny insect trying to get her words into Kal'tsit's ears.

At this moment, Kal'tsit finally gave a faint response.

She slowly stood up from the chair and then began to speak.

"Let's go, Theresa."

Kal'tsit looked at the person beside her, her face originally expressionless.

But a moment later, a gentle smile, somewhat out of place with her, appeared on her face.

"Come with me to the very bottom and take a look."

The nightmare paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and her words were filled with ecstatic joy.

"Are you finally ready to face your true self? Then let's go, I'll be with you!"

...

Just after Kal'tsit left her room, a figure quietly emerged from the room next door.

He stretched and looked back at the empty space behind him.

"I hope you can be a little quieter when we go downstairs in a bit."

The moment those words were spoken, the space beside the man, which had begun to distort, instantly returned to its original state.

That's her journey, not yours.

425. The Essence of Originium!

“I remember that, in the beginning, Kazdel considered Oripathy a curse, a curse from the gods.”

As Theresa walked forward, she spoke to the doctor beside her.

"At that time, both my father and mother told me that becoming a patient with Oripathy meant losing everything."

"No friends, no partners, no job, and no future. But in a sense, Oripathy patients are a group of people who are so powerful that they cannot be ignored."

"It is precisely because they have lost everything that they can do whatever they want without any scruples."

"In every Kazdel story, there will always be an infected person who does things that heroes would not do."

"And kings would scoff at such heroes, and, after being offended, would angrily try to kill them."

"But in the end, the hero will always turn into dust and return to this vast and boundless land. His will, along with the shattered Originium dust, will be passed on to the next infected."

When Theresa talked about these things, she was clearly thinking.

"Therefore, the rulers of Kazdel have never regarded the infected as a threat. We understand what gives us the power to change the world."

"Oriphy disease may cause great suffering, but it may also be a test from the earth. People with Oriphy disease should never be discriminated against."

"They struggled to survive amidst such torment, and each of them was a hero in their own life."

"Kazdel may be chaotic, but it is precisely this chaos that gives those who are homeless a warm home."

“However, what I want is not just a chaotic Kazdel, but a country that can treat everyone as equals and stop demonizing Oripathy.”

The Doctor followed behind Theresa, treating her as the king he served.

When Theresa spoke, the Doctor really lowered his head and listened attentively.

"It is indeed a disaster, a disaster we cannot escape. But when we truly realize that we cannot escape it, why can't we think about how to adapt to its existence?"

“You and Kal'tsit are both experts in Originium. I’ve heard more than once from Kal'tsit about the nature of Originium, the truth about Originium.”

"But every time I discuss Originium with Kal'tsit, she always glosses over the essence of Originium with a simple sentence."

"Since she is unwilling to talk about it, I will not force her to talk about it, so I will not ask any further questions."

"In the end, she left me with a conclusion."

"Originium is a kind of organism, but not a kind of substance."

"When I heard the news, I couldn't sleep all night... Speaking of which, the next day was the diplomatic ceremony with the Victorian envoy. At that time, you even asked me why I had insomnia. What did I tell you then?"

Theresa suddenly thought of some past events. She thought for a while and looked at the Doctor.

The doctor replied calmly.

"You said you were troubled by a problem you couldn't figure out, but you believed that one day you would find the answer."

Theresa nodded and continued.

"Yes, I am indeed troubled by this. No matter how I look at it, I cannot understand Kal'tsit's words."

"If Originium is a kind of organism, then why would it parasitize humans or this land?"

"If Originium is not matter, then how can we see its existence and witness its terrifying power?"

At this point, Theresa stopped walking.

The doctor also stopped walking, just like her.

Theresa turned to the doctor and asked.

"Now, can you tell me the answer?"

The doctor looked at the king in front of him.

Even as she was about to face the cruelest reality in the world, Theresa continued to think about the infected.

She tried to figure out the relationship between Originium and humans, and to find the best path for Kazdel's development.

Originium was destined to be a topic she couldn't avoid.

All infected individuals are affected by Originium and are destined to be accompanied by Originium for life.