Chapter 693: The Shadow Realized Afterward

Ted Lir looked surprised by Duncan's question. He stared doubtfully at the messy scribbles in front of him. These lines, crude even to Ted's eyes, were his best attempt to replicate what he remembered from the original scene. However, his recent journey through subspace had clouded his memory, blurring the details.

Yet, Duncan's confident tone made Ted believe that the mysterious 'Ghost Captain' not only understood the sketch but also knew what it was meant to represent.

Duncan examined the drawing, then pointed to a section and asked, "Is this part of the structure damaged?"

Ted furrowed his brow, trying to remember. A vague image flashed in his mind: "It might be... I'm not sure. I only caught a quick glimpse of it and didn't see the entire side structure..."

Before Ted could confirm, Duncan started drawing on an empty part of the paper, his pencil deftly connecting the existing scribbles. He quickly sketched a symmetrical, three-part structure that Ted and Lucretia couldn't recognize as any known ship. "This consists of three main sections... The engine cluster is right here..."

Lucretia, observing the unusual drawing, finally broke her silence, "What is this supposed to be?"

Pausing his drawing, Duncan softly replied, "It's called the 'New Hope.'"

Ted Lir and Lucretia exchanged bewildered looks and exclaimed in unison, "New Hope?"

From behind them, Alice chimed in, "What is New Hope?"

Duncan met Alice's curious gaze with a serious and slightly mysterious expression. Alice, unaware of the depth of his stare, tilted her head, puzzled, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's a spaceship," Duncan clarified, turning away with a hint of emotion in his voice, "A long time ago, it arrived in our world... Or more accurately, like other 'fragments,' it crashed here among the remnants that form our world."

"A spaceship? A flying vessel?" Ted Lir expressed his astonishment, which shifted to realization, "So, you're saying it's another 'world fragment'? A spaceship called 'New Hope,' part of which ended up in subspace and transformed into the mansion I saw?"

His gestures conveyed a mix of disbelief and awe.

Duncan didn't directly answer Ted's question but looked back down at the sketch. This rough drawing, based on Ted's memories, wasn't completely accurate but still depicted the scene Duncan had envisioned - the "New Hope" aflame as it plummeted into their world.

Duncan recalled how he came upon this vision. It happened during an examination of Alice's strange "wind-up key," when he extended his flame into the brass key - a routine practice when he explored supernatural objects. That's when he glimpsed the "echo" within the key.

In that brief "echo," Alice's key transformed into an unusual data storage device. The vision culminated with the catastrophic descent of the New Hope.

For a long time, Duncan had pieced together information about this "spaceship," scouring legends and historical records for any mention of an ancient crash in their world. A question lingered:

Why did Alice's "wind-up key" reveal a vision of the New Hope's crash?

What could link a simple gothic doll to a spaceship that crashed long ago?

The gap between "doll" and "spaceship" was vast, and even Duncan, adept at making connections, found it challenging to bridge them. Yet, a new, even more perplexing piece of the puzzle had emerged.

Ted Lir had stumbled upon Alice's mansion in subspace—a mansion that sometimes seemed to morph into part of the wreckage of the New Hope.

Duncan had no reason to doubt Ted Lir's account. He quickly dismissed any possibility of error in Ted's observations. It seemed unlikely that Ted, in his confused state, could have misdescribed something as specific as the design of the New Hope.

Duncan's mind was now weaving a tapestry of fragmented, chaotic clues, sparking a series of incredible theories.

Lost in thought, Duncan reached into his pocket and pulled out the brass key used for winding Alice. The key, adorned with the mysterious infinity symbol, lay cold and silent in his hand, holding its secrets in an endless silence.

After a moment, Duncan put the key away and looked up, meeting the curious yet anxious eyes of Lucretia and Ted Lir.

"Let's change the topic for now," Duncan suggested, shaking his head slightly as he focused on Ted, "Tell me, what else did you see in subspace?"

Realizing the deep and dangerous implications of the "New Hope," Ted nodded and wisely curbed his own curiosity. He began describing the otherworldly visions he had witnessed in the enigmatic realm of subspace.

Ted detailed scenes filled with surreal and supernatural elements: a massive figure standing solemnly in the wilderness, a throne occupied by a headless giant, a nameless warrior lying eternally against some wreckage, and various other strange, unclear phenomena that blurred the line between reality and imagination.

Throughout Ted's recounting, Duncan remained silent, absorbing every detail and occasionally nodding in acknowledgment, fully engrossed in the story until Ted paused. Duncan then exhaled deeply as if to release the burden of the tales he had just heard.

The stories of the headless corpse on the throne, the unnamed warrior by the eerie wreckage, and the immense structure in the desolate wilderness were indeed hard to grasp. Yet, for Duncan, these scenes were more believable occurrences in subspace than the idea of "Alice's mansion appearing in subspace" or "Alice's mansion being part of the New Hope."

"What a supernatural and unforgettable journey," Lucretia commented after a long silence, breaking the room's quiet. "Fifteen minutes... Mr. Ted, the experiences you've shared from those fifteen minutes could provide a lifetime of research for many scholars."

"I could base the second half of my academic career on just these fifteen minutes, but honestly, I wish I hadn't experienced it," Ted admitted with a sigh. "Do you know? I still hear those strange buzzing sounds in my head... They feel alive, writhing in my mind. Despite my training in resilience psychology and willpower control, combating this noise is incredibly difficult. It seems like these aftereffects will last for a long time..."

He shrugged, his expression a mixture of concern and frustration.

"And to make matters worse, I have to return to the academy tomorrow and face those stubborn students... Their simplistic yet misguided views on academics feel like another kind of 'subspace noise' to me..."

As if burdened by the lingering echoes of subspace and the daunting task of facing the future, Mr. Truth Keeper raised his hand to his forehead in a gesture of distress.

Duncan responded with a sympathetic sigh, gently patting Ted's shoulder. "I completely understand that feeling."

Ted looked up at Duncan, surprised. "How could you understand?"

Duncan paused, finding it difficult to explain, but then thought of Shirley's homework book and Alice's doodle pad.

"...I have even clearer examples than your students on my ship."

Ted was initially confused, not quite catching Duncan's point, but then he nodded, a complex expression crossing his face. "It seems like you have your challenges too."

After that exchange, Ted fell quiet, seemingly drained from reliving his experiences in subspace and in need of a mental break. However, just as he seemed to be settling down, something sparked his memory, and he perked up as if he remembered another significant detail.

"There's another matter I need to discuss," Ted suddenly said, his tone turning serious. "It's not about subspace, but about... the White Oak."

Duncan's expression became puzzled at the mention of the ship. "The White Oak?" he repeated, "What about it?"

Ted paused, as if carefully choosing his words. "I'm not sure if it was just the effects of subspace, where my senses and thoughts were scrambled. But, I have this persistent feeling... something was off during my time with that 'Sailor' on the White Oak."

Duncan's face took on a serious look as he listened.

"You're referring to the 'anomaly' identified as number 077, correct?" Duncan asked, urgency in his voice. "What exactly did you find odd about him?"

Ted frowned, struggling to express his gut feeling. "It's difficult to describe, but after returning, whenever I think back to my conversation with that 'anomaly,' there's an unsettling feeling that I wasn't just talking to 'him' alone," he explained, speaking carefully as he tried to accurately remember the interaction. "We talked about different worldviews, the perspective of being an 'anomaly.' When he responded... I got this eerie sense of hearing multiple voices... It was as if something else, something hidden, was present on that ship, and it was very close to that 'Sailor' at that moment."