Chapter 58: The Hourglass in the Firelight
Just as it was written in the diary, Frostwater Town appeared calm and peaceful on the surface, like an ordinary coastal town.
The townspeople made a living through fishing, agriculture, and animal husbandry. Their lives could not be called wealthy, but they were at least well-fed and clothed.
"Hello, may I ask what today's date is?"
Shiltina stopped a passing townswoman and asked.
"May 11th."
The middle-aged farmer woman lifted her head and glanced at Shiltina. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the tidy knight uniform and the pure silver wing emblem of the Shoreguards.
"You must be from the inland, right?"
"I think I've heard the mayor mention that emblem before… something like 'Guard' or whatever…"
A trace of reverence appeared on her face. "The mayor said that if anyone sees someone wearing that emblem, they must immediately be invited to his residence. You’re all great people, and should be treated as honored guests."
"There's no need to lead the way. Just tell us where the mayor's residence is," Rast said.
"Mm-hmm, alright." The middle-aged farmer woman nodded and simply pointed out the direction to Rast.
"Thank you."
After bidding farewell to the woman, Rast began walking toward the direction she indicated — the center of Frostwater Town.
Shiltina followed behind Rast without asking much.
Her Sequence Long Rank was the 「Chariot」. This sequence granted her considerable destructive power, yet offered little aid in the realms of the mystical or spiritual... otherwise, the dancer they encountered in Deep Blue Port wouldn't have held such an overwhelming advantage over her.
If it were possible, Shiltina wouldn’t have minded directly unleashing her true name and razing this entire town to the ground...
However, this place — Frostwater Town, shrouded in layers of fog and disaster remnants — clearly wasn’t something that could be cleared so easily.
Based on their past experience in Deep Blue Port, under such circumstances, handing over command to Rast was undoubtedly the best choice.
Frostwater Town wasn't very large. The two of them followed the path into the town and quickly arrived at the central area.
At that moment, Shiltina suddenly paused.
"Flan!"
She abruptly turned and shouted toward a figure walking along the side of the street.
However, the girl, who looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, showed no reaction to Shiltina's call and maintained her posture, continuing along her path.
In no time, she vanished at the end of the street.
Shiltina tensed up and prepared to give chase in the direction where the figure had disappeared.
But just then, she realized Rast was holding her back.
"I need to catch up and get answers — that was the Strategy Group’s..."
"Flan, second-year student of Starfall University, ranked eighteenth on the Obelisk."
Rast’s calm voice cut off Shiltina’s words. "Her Sequence Long Rank is 『Abundance』, her Nightblade is 『Plant Dialogue』."
"At the same time, she was one of those originally sent to this disaster remnant for preliminary exploration and scouting — the team that has since been confirmed as wiped out. Correct?"
"That’s right." Shiltina was momentarily stunned. "But it seems now the Obelisk’s soul imprint was mistaken… the scouting party may not have been wiped out, but trapped within this disaster remnant instead."
"No, the Starfall Obelisk wasn’t wrong."
Rast shook his head, looking toward the end of the street, where that identical silhouette of Flan had vanished.
"Even if we caught up to her now, interrogating Flan would be meaningless."
"Because she no longer recognizes you as one of the Twelve Seats of the Round Table… or, to be more precise, she’s merely an empty husk with Flan’s appearance."
"Inside that shell, there is no memory belonging to that second-year student from Starfall University. That’s why she ignored your reaction, Shiltina — because she didn’t even know that name was referring to her."
"However, I understand..."
Rast looked at the silent Shiltina and smiled slightly. "With your personality, a few vague deductions like this probably won’t be enough to convince you."
"As long as there’s even a faint trace of hope, the 『Ranger』 will never abandon her comrades."
"Otherwise, back in Deep Blue Port, you wouldn’t have returned to save me despite already having an escape route laid out."
He removed an emblem from his collar.
In the next instant, the emblem etched with the sigil of the Iron-Crested Moon transformed into a stream of silver light, taking the shape of a heavy revolver in Rast’s hand.
Then, he slowly pointed the muzzle of the revolver at himself in front of Shiltina.
"Look into my eyes. Relax your mind. Don’t resist."
"What are you trying to do?" Shiltina asked.
She had seen Rast use this self-inflicted headshot as a form of mental suggestion before — an ability that triggered the 「Radiant Lantern」 to intimidate enemies.
But this time, there were no enemies around them.
Though skeptical, Shiltina still forced herself to adjust her mental state and stared into Rast’s ink-black eyes.
She trusted that Rast would never harm her.
"Since you’ve seen my Obelisk file, then you should know that my Nightblade is the 『Copy Eye』," Rast said.
"While you were away, I used Copy Eye to replicate Ishta’s Nightblade — 『Eye of Secrets』. It’s an ability that allows one to elevate their consciousness directly into the spirit realm and observe the sea of the subconscious through spiritual vision."
"But Ishta’s understanding of the mind and self-awareness was far too shallow. Despite possessing the power to enter the spirit realm, she only ever used it to satisfy her voyeuristic desires..."
He shook his head. "In truth, the 『Eye of Secrets』 has far more uses than simple peeping."
"For example, it allows me to connect our spiritualities."
"And let you see everything in the spiritual vision of the 『Eye of Secrets』."
As he spoke, he pulled the trigger.
Boom—
A surge of icy blue light erupted from Rast’s eyes.
Three hundred years in Deep Blue Port had given Rast a level of control over his mind and consciousness that was nearly unimaginable… far beyond the grasp of those Starfall University students barely in their twenties.
Because of this, the way other travelers clumsily used their spiritual Nightblades seemed like a complete waste in his eyes.
Staring into those icy blue, glowing eyes, Shiltina felt her own consciousness rising, ascending into the spirit realm.
The image of Frostwater Town faded from her side, replaced by a world painted with strokes of spirituality.
Her gaze quickly locked onto the spot where Flan should have been.
There was no spiritual emblem belonging to Flan, as Shiltina had expected.
There was only an hourglass burning with firelight.
As time passed, the flames continued to weaken, and the sand inside the hourglass continued to trickle away.
At this rate, by midnight, the hourglass would be completely empty.
No — not just Flan.
Within the range of Shiltina’s spiritual vision…
Every single resident in Frostwater Town was like an hourglass, slowly draining under the ever-dimming firelight.