Deep Sea Embers.

Chapter 826: Ring Closure
Priest John left with a complicated but still determined expression. Before leaving, he didn't ask anything and Agatha didn't explain any more.

Now, Agatha was the only one left in the prayer room again - the bright light struggled to fight against the darkness outside the window, a few cold flames were jumping on the candlesticks in front of the icon, and a little smoke was still rising from the extinguished brazier, and in the floor-to-ceiling mirror next to her, her fragmented body was reflected.

Agatha turned and walked to the statue of Bartok, raised her head, and "stared" at the god clad in the night for a long time with her eyes covered with black cloth. The statue remained the same as always, but in her eyes, the tall sculpture was already covered with cracks, as if it was a pile of debris that should have collapsed long ago, but was still maintaining its apparent integrity under the support of some invisible force.

She sensed the aura in the cathedral—more and more aura of the dead.

The "foundation" of this world is gradually cooling and dying. Now almost all the living people are gradually "transferring" to the state of the dead. People who are dead but unaware of it are moving around in the entire city-state. The situation is the same in the church. John died, died from a breath during the midday prayer yesterday, and Sister Lola also died, died from a light dream - and now they are still performing their duties diligently in the cathedral, just like those others.

A layer of hazy flame suddenly surged in the mirror next to it, and the mirror surface turned black in the flame. Then, a figure became clear in the mirror.

Agatha turned her head and found that the person appearing in the mirror was not Captain Duncan, but Tirian.

"My father helped me build this channel to establish connections between those who were 'blessed' by his flame," Tirian took the initiative to speak. "Lady Agatha, how are you doing?"

"…The number of dead in the cathedral is increasing," Agatha sighed softly, "Many of the newly deceased were suddenly 'transformed' from the living under normal circumstances. It seems that this phenomenon itself cannot be stopped. This is not something that can be solved by any treatment or protective measures."

"It's the same in other places in the city-state," Tirian said solemnly, "even... the situation in other city-states is the same. This is happening all over the world."

Agatha nodded, and after a moment of thought, she spoke slowly: "But the living dead are not the problem. The real problem is that more and more people are 'waking up'."

"Yes," Tirian said solemnly, "Just as my father reminded me, the world's 'correction' mechanism is shutting down... The final action of the God of Death once again delayed the total collapse of the Sanctuary, but it also broke through its 'correction' mechanism. Now this safety barrier used to protect ordinary people's cognition is failing, and it is failing faster than we imagined."

"But don't worry too much, Archon. Whether it's the priests in the church or the guards and sheriffs who are active outside, many of them have been training throughout their lives to deal with those incredible disasters and situations, including those that befall them directly."

Agatha spoke, her voice as calm and magnetic as ever, as if releasing a soothing power.

“Perhaps no one thought that even God would sleep forever, no one thought that even the world would die, and no one thought about the specific appearance of today’s situation, but we have long been prepared for ‘everything’ - no matter what happens, we will first and unconditionally perform our duties.

"A few days ago, I issued instructions to the priest team. I told them that a disaster that they are currently unable to perceive is spreading. I told them how to protect those who are 'awakened', and what to do if they suddenly 'awaken'.

"Some of them now understand the situation like you and me, but others don't understand the meaning of those orders yet - but that doesn't affect their execution.

“I’m sure the same will be true for the sheriff’s force out there.

"No matter which team it is, there may be people who are wavering, fearful, or shrinking under mental pressure and unable to fulfill their responsibilities. But there are people who are doing their duty, and they are not a minority, Archon Tirian. No matter when and in what form the end of the world will come, we are all ready for this day."

No matter when and how the end of the world will come...

After listening to Agatha's words, Tirian's expression relaxed a little after a brief pause, and then he nodded: "I am planning to expand the scale of the 'isolation zone' and build a series of shelter facilities in the cemetery ring belt - relying on the protection of the cemetery itself, gradually transfer and protect the population. This process requires the cooperation of the church."

"This is a difficult and huge task," Agatha said. "The 'living' and the 'dead' are mixed together, and the awakened people will be randomly generated from them. We can't fully identify this change and transfer all the awakened people to the shelter. We can't treat others like enemies, even if they are indeed confused walking dead."

"I know, but we must do our best," Tirian said calmly. "It's better than letting the situation spiral into a complete chaos. Even if it really comes to that, at least we have built enough shelters to protect some people."

"...I understand. The church will fully cooperate with the city hall's actions and we are just waiting for your arrangements."

……

In front of the Ark, which was like a small city-state, a series of huge hydraulic devices were installed on the bow like a mechanical wall. Countless heavy metal hammers neatly arranged along this "mechanical wall" were slowly lifted along the track, and then slid down heavily, shattering the thick ice in front like countless metal teeth. Amid the constant roar of machinery and the loud sound of ice breaking, the Church Ark was still moving slowly forward in this frozen sea.

The icebreaker "gnawed" a long track in the ice, with the tail end pointing in the direction of the civilized world. Ahead was seemingly endless ice and darkness, and the thick fog representing the "border" was still rising and surging at the end of the sight, appearing increasingly gloomy and terrifying, yet seemingly unreachable.

Frame stood high on the church ark, gazing towards the endless ice field. Two braziers were burning beside him. The flames were as cold as ice, and low, vague murmurs were hidden in the crackling sounds.

He could sense that the "focus" revealed to him by the Everburning Flame Tarekin in his last revelation was about to arrive, the only focus that could preserve the "legacy" in its original form during the transition between the old and new worlds.

Frame knew that the "captain" was carrying out a great plan like the Genesis. He knew that if the plan succeeded, a "new world" would come. Although he could not imagine what the new world would look like, he knew that it must be a thousand times better than this twisted, dark and dangerous endless ocean.

Moreover, that new world had room for everyone - he already knew this from the intermittent news coming back from the end of the world.

But that is a rebirth after destruction, and everything in the old world will be completely annihilated in that process. The "Captain" may have a way to allow "people" to complete their rebirth in the new world after this process, but... what about those things that were once created?
Those poems, those melodies, those amazing craftsmanship, those precious volumes and tablets recording the Dark Ages, the Old City-States, the New City-States, and the meaning behind these things - that civilization once existed - can these be preserved?

Even if they could be preserved, these things would probably become a huge burden in the process of creation.

This worry led the Firebringers to embark on the long voyage to the north. Now, after tremendous efforts, their destination is finally near.

They want to leave a "legacy" for the people of the New World in this eternally frozen ice field.

We're almost there, not far ahead.

However, a strange and piercing noise suddenly came from a distance, followed by a series of explosions and mechanical friction sounds. The Ark underfoot felt a strong vibration, along with a low roar as if some mechanism inside the Ark had shut down.

Frame's heart sank suddenly.

After a while, a priestess wearing a dark robe and a veil on her face hurriedly appeared in front of him.

"Your Holiness, the main power pipeline of the icebreaker has broken!"

……

The Lost Homeland and the Brilliant Star were sailing on a uniform gray-white background, and at the end of this long "jump channel", a subtle color had vaguely emerged.

Duncan stood at the bow of the Lost Homeland, looking silently at the sea in the distance that was gradually solidifying. He heard footsteps coming from behind him, and along with it, there came the "warmth" that was now very rare in this world.

He turned around and saw Nina standing behind him. The girl was surrounded by a warm glow. Under the sunlight, even the coldness that continued to spread after the death of the world retreated from her.

"...Have you found a new way to use 'sunlight'?" Duncan raised his eyebrows and smiled. Then he couldn't help but sigh, "Now I can control it more and more accurately. At the beginning, I could even burn my hair when I used a small flame to boil water."

Nina narrowed her eyes slightly: "Yes, it also burned those dark demons and spirit world shadows that happened to pass by."

“…I doubt they were just passing by by chance.”

"It's not a big problem."

Both of them fell silent at the same time.

After a long while, Nina broke the silence softly: "...We are almost there."

"Yes."

Duncan whispered. He wanted to say something, but before he opened his mouth, the hazy color at the edge of his vision suddenly expanded, becoming a mirror-like sea and the islands on the sea.

"The transition...is over."

(End of this chapter)