The black sun hangs high

Chapter 457 "Results"

"Let's start with the purpose of your visit here... Temporary Visitor 001."

Hugh gazed at the massive "heart" in the distance that connected the entire continuation base, and asked the will hidden deep within his spiritual world: "In those recorded images, I saw you trying out even the image of your mentor. What's going on? Do you really have this kind of fetish?"

Faced with Hugh's question, Theseus did not show any unusualness or dissatisfaction. He chuckled twice and said softly, "Such an important matter should be discussed in a more formal place. It's too casual as it is now."

As he spoke, Hugh heard a crisp snap of his fingers. The next instant, he felt the Dark Abyss Magic within him being mobilized by a powerful, invisible hand. A cold, gloomy feeling surged in with the tide of his spiritual ocean, and his thoughts were instantly submerged. Then, within a few seconds, the cold feeling transformed into a heavy sense of suffocation and darkness.

This time, Hugh did not feel sleepy or tired, nor did he go through any formal "sleep" process. The moment the surging tide of dark abyss magic swept over his body, the scene before him changed instantly.

"..."

Feeling the familiar dim light before him, Hugh frowned slightly. He looked down at the faceless deity who was half-lying in front of him with his legs crossed: "So... I don't actually need to sleep to enter the sanctuary, right?"

"Yes, and also wrong."

Theseus gently swayed his body, causing the computer chair to rock back and forth: "To put it simply, falling asleep is actually a simple ritual, or a 'switch'. Its purpose is to make your mind and thoughts align with mine to some extent. Of course, I can manually adjust it for you, but that would be a bit rough."

With that, Theseus pointed to the chair next to Hugh: "Sit down and see what's different around you."

Hugh pulled over a chair and, as instructed, scanned his surroundings. He then discovered that the dream sanctuary, built upon the power of Theseus, was even more dilapidated than before. The black mist in the distance had almost vanished, revealing clusters of indescribable, twisted shadows that looked like strange sludge crawling on the ground.

Not only that, the surrounding walls, tables and chairs were also in a state of disrepair, and even the computer that Theseus always used was now completely broken. Only the "rest area" on the other end was still in good condition, and Hugh could even see the swaying shadow of Mel there.

What is even more frightening is the floor-to-ceiling window behind Theseus.

Hugh remembered that when the black sun reappeared above Vaan, a shadow storm symbolizing the "Great Hunt" appeared outside the French windows. Now, however, those clear black lines had disappeared, replaced by an intense darkness and countless dark purple dots of light dotting the darkness.

Or perhaps, the eyes?
Hugh stared at those "eyes" for a few seconds, then forcibly looked away. He composed himself and asked, "What's going on?"

"It's nothing."

Theseus remained calm: "This is the Abyss after all. The closer I get to it, the harder it is to stay hidden... If you hadn't successfully found that base, we would probably be welcoming 'guests' by now."

With that, Theseus waved his hand gently, and two cups appeared out of thin air on the table beside him: "Alright, let's continue our previous topic... about the reasons and purpose of my visit there."

Seeing that Theseus had put his legs down, Hugh knew that he was serious about what was going to happen. So he adjusted his chair and picked up the water cup that Theseus had summoned—it was a classic old-fashioned enamel cup, filled with the "colorful drink of life" that he used to drink, but the pattern on the cup was as mottled and unrecognizable as the shelter itself.

Theseus took a sip of his drink and then said, "Actually, your guess was pretty much right. I did arrive here after she left."

"After she left completely, I followed our previous agreement and stopped interfering in any of Vaan's internal affairs... Like her, I erased all traces of myself in Vaan and faded from the sight of everyone who knew about it, thus becoming a complete bystander."

He paused, then added, "Or rather, I became a shadow."

"Her shadow?"

"Yes, of course... I can only be her shadow."

Theseus was very satisfied with Hugh's description. He said, "My ideas, all my thoughts, are the continuation of her wisdom and will from the very beginning. You could even say that I am the incomplete reflection she left in the 'mirror' of Vaan. However, compared to a normal reflection, I may appear a little darker."

Hearing this, Hugh couldn't help but curl his lips. According to Theseus himself, he was the "essence" of the most extreme emotions and soul remnants within the Dark Abyss Court, a polymer that the Dark Abyss Court itself considered an unstable factor. Such an existence could not be described as "slightly dark".

Theseus completely ignored Hugh's inner monologue and continued, "But you know what? This feeling is really boring... Especially since I've gotten so used to working in Vaan, this feeling of being just an observer is just awful, especially since I have to watch some foolish things unfold, observe those obviously flawed decisions, and be unable to stop them, let alone reverse them."

At this point, Theseus's tone turned somewhat cold: "This feeling is utterly repulsive to me."

Hugh nodded slightly.

He had long anticipated the situation Theseus described. Just as Theseus had explained, even though he himself had become a continuation of Mel's will, there were still many radical and extreme elements in the depths of his mind. These dark aspects were inherent to Theseus and were the source of his power. Unless he was completely destroyed, they could never be erased.

"So, after watching the boring farce in Vain for a while, I decided to find something to do... so I set my sights on my hometown."

When mentioning the word "homeland," Theseus emphasized it, clearly aware of the subtle meaning those two words held for Hughes.

“Indeed, a suitable target.” Ignoring the sarcasm and probing in the other's words, Hugh nodded and said, “You are familiar enough with the Dark Abyss that your actions here won't directly interfere with or affect Vaan himself…”

"You're right, but these are all secondary."

Theseus said unhurriedly, "The most important thing is actually the Abyss itself."

As if sensing the conversation of an important target, when Theseus uttered these words, the purple lights that dotted the darkness outside the French windows flickered violently twice, and some of them even became brighter, looking as if the beasts hidden in the darkness wanted to approach the window to observe.

Theseus chose to ignore this change, and continued, "I've forgotten which day I came to this realization... I guess I was really disgusted by the farce in Vaan? Anyway, I suddenly realized that I don't really know anything about the Abyss, or my own homeland. I was born from within it, but I am extremely unfamiliar with it."

"Even after struggling and fighting against it for so long, I still cannot figure out the origin of the Dark Abyss... So I decided to explore its source."

"And then you found the continuation base?"

"It wasn't found immediately... It took me a very, very long time to locate this wasteland, and during that time, Vaan gradually developed into what it is today."

Theseus, holding an enamel mug, leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "Before finding my target, I was actually prepared to give up. After all, staying in the Abyss for too long is not advisable. I am of the same origin as it, and if I stay too long, I might be assimilated again. Therefore, I had to use every means to give myself suggestions to ensure the firmness of my will and target."

Clearly, this is the answer to Hugh's earlier question.

For Theseus, following in Mel's footsteps, or even imitating Mel, was an outward manifestation of his determination to achieve his goals. Perhaps, he was not only imitating Mel's appearance, but also trying to simulate Mel's unwavering mind.

He raised his head, his misty face trembling slightly: "I was a bit careless at the time. I never expected that there would be a place inside the Dark Abyss that had not been assimilated or integrated by it. I also never expected that before the Dark Abyss was born, there would be a civilization that possessed the ability to resist it... If I had known in advance, I would never have easily touched the entrance to that place."

Hugh looked at the other person in confusion: "But, the access control at that gate still let you through, didn't it?"

"This was an accident, or rather, a coincidence."

Theseus replied, “In the detection list used by the continuation base, I was undoubtedly classified as someone who should be erased and eliminated. After all, fundamentally, I am no different from those servants inside the Dark Abyss Palace… It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it? I was almost ‘patched’ out by a legacy program as a loophole.”

Theseus's words and tone were somewhat relaxed, but Hugh could still sense the danger within. As the most important sanctuary, the "technology" hidden within the base was truly astonishing; at least it had indeed managed to fight against the forces of the Dark Abyss for such a long time.

"Just when I thought I was about to die, the program let me go."

Theseus said, "It told me that there was a 'key' hidden inside me. Although the key was incomplete, it met the minimum requirements to pass the list check, and that's how I became the so-called 'Temporary Visitor 001'."

The instant Theseus finished speaking, Hugh felt a buzzing in his head, and a strange, shimmering light flashed through his mind, followed by a tingling sensation emanating from beneath his skin.

"Wait, wait!"

Hughes could barely control his tone. He raised his hand to interrupt Theseus's statement, his gaze becoming vacant due to rapid thinking, his eyes wandering aimlessly amidst the psychedelic colors in the cup.

After realizing that the Dark Abyss was his unforgettable homeland, Hugh felt a deep sense of dread once again. Although his thoughts were somewhat chaotic, his resilient spirit still ensured his basic logic and thinking ability. Thus, the many pieces of information that Hugh had obtained after entering the Continuation Base naturally began to be pieced together and combined.

"Theseus, Mel's shadow, the key... the continuation beacon... sending fragments and messages of civilizations to unknown coordinates... chaos and reorganization may occur... Vaan..."

After these concepts and terms were arranged in a certain order in Hugh's mind, he finally couldn't help but raise his head and look at the faceless god who was still completely calm beside him. At that moment, the other party slowly nodded.

"You're actually right."

Theseus said slowly, “The planet that gave birth to you has indeed turned into a black sun. However, the efforts made by that civilization in the last moment were not in vain. The beacons in the base are effective. The most remote and imaginative plan has finally been realized, and the effect of the realization is almost perfect.”

"Perhaps it was the result of meticulous calculations, or perhaps it was pure coincidence, but that 'cannon' ultimately hit its target."

"Although the many fragments carried by the rich magic became disordered and chaotic during the long journey, they eventually succeeded in working on a new world. Although the 'keys' hidden within became chaotic and incomplete due to the long journey, they were still passed down as distinctive features."

Theseus turned slightly and looked at Hughes seriously: "In a sense, Vaan is a continuation of your civilization. All living beings that are active or have been active in it can be considered part of the results of that 'continuation plan'."

"Of course, this includes my mentor, me as her shadow, and you, whom I chose."

(End of this chapter)