Nina went back to her room and went to sleep.

In this world, most people go to bed early and wake up early - the time after the sun goes out is dangerous, the glimmer of the creation of the world can distort the whole world to the fullest, and even if the city is protected by lights, people must face the night with caution.

There is no way to go out and gather, there is not much entertainment, although reading books at night is not as dangerous as reading at sea, it can easily lead to mental exhaustion, auditory hallucinations, and occasionally attract unnecessary prying eyes in the night, so all things considered, the safest way is to go to bed early and wait for the sun to rise the next day.

Duncan didn't feel sleepy.

He turned off the lights in his room and stood near the window in his shirt, casually admiring the night view of the city-state of Plande at night, while reminiscing about his conversation with Nina after dinner.

Nina remembers a fire, and the memories of his body include a fire in which "he" fled from a collapsed and burning building with a six-year-old girl, and the streets far away were filled with frenzied crowds and fog.

However, only the two of them remembered the fire - Nina had mentioned it to other adults, but it was dismissed as "the confused memory of a child after being scared silly", and the newspapers of eleven years ago clearly recorded the "truth": there was only one factory leaking at the junction of Lower and Cross Block, and there was no record of any fire.

Duncan frowned slightly, and the other suspicion in this matter was "himself".

According to Nina, "Uncle Duncan" doesn't actually remember the fire, and she is the only one who remembers it, and even mentioned the fire to Uncle Duncan (although it was supposed to be "Ron" at the time) when she was a child, and Uncle Duncan was one of the adults who thought she "remembered something wrong after being scared silly".

But now, Duncan's memory is filled with images of fire—memories of the body's original owner, which remain in the deepest part of his mind.

What's the problem? Why did his uncle not remember the fire at all in Nina's memory, but Duncan found the corresponding picture in the memory of this body? Is Nina's uncle lying all the time? Or was the memory sealed until a ghost captain took over the body, and the deepest memories surfaced?

Duncan unconsciously tapped his fingers on the window lattice, silently sorting out the timeline in his mind.

He put together the information he had received from the Suncultists:

Eleven years ago, solar fragments first appeared in the territory of the city-state of Purand, and the paranormal phenomena caused by the debris could affect a large area.

Also eleven years ago, Nina was orphaned, and in her memories with Duncan, there was a fire in the lower town - but no one but them remembered the fire, and there was no evidence that there was ever a fire.

Since then, the sun fragments have been dormant in the city-state, and the only record left by one incident is the "Cross Block Factory Leak".

For several years, Nina lived with her only relative.

Four years ago, the followers of the Sun God in the city-state of Plande attempted to awaken the sleeping Sun Fragments in advance and performed a dangerous sacrificial ritual, but the ritual was unsuccessful and was extinguished by the newly promoted probationary Inquisitor Fanna, whose power was dealt a heavy blow, and the Church of the Sun God was expelled from the city-state after a massive purge campaign.

But even though the ritual didn't go to the last step, it is possible that the cultists' attempt to "wake up" had some effect, and the sun fragments began to gradually emerge from their slumber after that.

It was also around that time that the "uncle" who depended on Nina for his life contracted a strange disease, and gradually degenerated under the torture of the disease, and finally accepted the lure of the remaining Suncultists in the city and became a cult minion.

Shortly before the news, news of the Sun's debris activity began to attract the Suncultists back to the city, and the cultists who had been dormant for four years resumed their sacrifice rituals, and then what happened...... It was Duncan who stepped in.

Throughout the timeline, many things seem to be faintly connected, but all lack critical evidence.

The most suspicious thing is eleven years ago, when the sun fragments caused some extraordinary vision, and did that fire exist?

The city-state authorities erased the truth of that accident and erased the traces of the fire? And then, for the sake of maintaining order, the whole thing was publicized as a collective hallucination caused by the leak of the factory?

But that doesn't explain why the fire doesn't exist in many people's memories – unless the authorities go to great lengths to recreate the memories of all involved.

And there is another point - in this world, anomalies and anomalies are open to the public, even children know about the existence and danger of supernatural things, and the authorities are obviously aware of this, and have always adhered to the policy of "announcing dangers in advance to ensure that citizens have common sense to protect themselves" to govern the city, if it is really just a fire caused by supernatural forces...... And why do you have to hide it?

Unless...... There is an even bigger problem behind the fire, so much so that even the mere disclosure of information can cause some kind of danger to spread out of control.

Duncan frowned suddenly.

Or there is another possibility.

The strange nature of the supernatural phenomenon is that in many cases the harm it causes is not only physical, but even distorts human cognition, so much so that it distorts the evidence that has fallen on paper - what if people's memories of this event, their perceptions, and even the records of the city-state authorities and the church are tainted by the sun's debris?

Duncan felt that his brain was a little too open, as a "novice" in the field of anomalies and anomalies, his imagination was inevitably too free, but on the other hand, he couldn't stop the idea as soon as it came out.

People's memories, government records, and even what was written in black and white in the archives more than a decade ago can be distorted and replaced—something he may not have believed before, but now he believes it more than anyone else.

Because the place where he is located is now called "Duncan Antique Store".

Everyone here knows their old neighbor, Mr. Duncan, who runs an antique shop.

Duncan breathed a sigh of relief, and he lowered his head and looked through the second-floor window at the street illuminated by gas lamps.

Now there is only one question left.

Whether or not the fire from eleven years ago exists, whether or not the sun fragments have polluted the memories of the people involved and the records left by the city-state, there is only one thing that matters:

Why Nina remembers that fire.

……

Uptown, in a mansion owned by an archon.

Vanna wakes up from a nightmare.

But this time, the nightmare was no longer related to the Black Sun, nor did it point to the Lost Homeland that had returned from subspace—she had just suddenly dreamed about what happened when she was a child.

On that night filled with fog, smoke, blood, and frenzied crowds, the twelve-year-old was carried on her uncle's back and fled from the mob mob.

In her dreams, she seemed to return to the helpless and fragile form of her old days, her proud martial arts and powerful magical powers were in vain, she could only flee in a hurry under the chase of madmen and shadows, and she and her uncle crossed the pipes and valves above the factory, and she looked down on the city in horror in the thick smoke and heat, and saw the boundless sea of fire rising in all directions, filling the entire city as far as the eye could see......

The young inquisitor in his nightdress sat on the bed, took a deep breath, and looked out the window at the sky—the clear glow of the Creation of the World still hung high above the horizon, and the clock hanging near the window showed that it was just past midnight.

She felt like she had sunk in a nightmare for a century.

Vanna got up and turned on the light, went to the dresser and looked at herself in the mirror, she whispered the name of the Storm Goddess, and only after gaining peace of mind did she sigh and say to herself as if comforting herself: "At least not dream of that ship now......"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly heard footsteps from the corridor outside the house, followed by a knock on the door: "Vanna? Vanna, are you having nightmares? ”

It was the voice of his uncle, the most admired consul of the city-state.

"I'm fine." Vanna froze, then straightened her clothes and got up to open the door.

Dante Wayne stood in the doorway, the gray-haired, gray-eyed, not-so-burly middle-aged man who had obviously just woken up, he casually draped over his coat, and looked at his niece with concern as the door opened.

Having lost an eye in one of the events, he now has an eyeball made of rubies - the inside of which can still be seen with delicate gold patterns, and the hideous scars of eleven years ago can be seen on the sockets around the eyeball, which makes his face intimidating.

But Vanna was used to it, and she knew that her uncle was actually a kind and just man.

"I had a nightmare," she rubbed her eyes, her tone a little helpless, "I didn't expect to wake you up." ”

"It's nothing, I'm already a light sleeper when I'm older," Dent Wayne looked at Vana with concern, "Dreaming of your childhood again?" ”

"Well, I'm dreaming about that time again."