The black sun hangs high

Chapter 458 Inside and Outside the Mirror
"This includes my mentor, me as her shadow, and you, whom I chose."

Theseus's words seemed to contain immeasurable and terrifying magic. As these somewhat convoluted words entered Hugh's ears, the darkness that enveloped the entire Dream Sanctuary also surged violently.

Those dark purple dots of light, like pupils, seemingly spying on what was happening inside the shelter, rapidly approached the French windows. At the end of the dilapidated and empty corridor, unsettling commotion could be faintly heard.

Hugh felt a tingling sensation down his spine, and his throat felt as if it were being forcefully choked. He stared intently at Theseus and asked with some difficulty, "What does this mean? Explain it clearly."

Faced with Hugh's unease and panic, Theseus showed no pleasure this time. He maintained his previous posture, and his chaotic face did not reveal any of his usual symbols. The dark shadows flowed slowly, like a strange miniature vortex. The thin lines that twisted at a specific frequency seemed to become chains that pulled Hugh's thoughts and emotions closer and closer to the bizarre and terrifying truth.

"This means that the rich and chaotic messages sent by the beacon did not disappear aimlessly in the universe; they successfully found their target and struck a world that was later named 'Vanne'."

"Although a considerable portion of the messages and fragments completely collapsed and disappeared during the long journey, another portion formed the deepest and closest bond with the magic that served as the carrier. These invisible forces, while not particularly powerful, were enough to stir up a storm in that desolate world where only a few traces of life had just emerged."

"..."

Hughes gripped the cup in his hand, staring at Theseus as he said, "But this doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense! This is different from the world I know... No matter how much those messages are mixed and rearranged, it's impossible..."

Hughes was unable to finish his sentence.

Because he suddenly realized that he seemed to have made a very basic mistake.

Hughes realized that his understanding of his homeland was also limited; all his memories of that world were stuck in that relatively simple and peaceful era…

Using all of this as the foundation of one's understanding is clearly incorrect, and judgments built upon it are bound to be biased and erroneous.

Theseus nodded slightly: "You realized that? Good, at least I don't need to waste time on this."

"So you mean that the tribes, races, and even various gods that appeared in Vaan's 'Lost Age' were actually manifestations of messages from another distant civilization, reconstructed using magic as a medium?"

"While it's not 100% accurate, this understanding is still valid."

Theseus stared at Hugh and said, “On a relatively conventional timescale, the world you are familiar with is actually still in its infancy… But it is undeniable that their speed of development and efficiency of accumulation are truly miraculous. Coupled with a powerful vessel that is sufficiently chaotic and unstable, the final result becomes even more diverse.”

"Could I assume that the human groups that currently dominate Vaan are actually... a continuation?"

"of course can."

By this time, Hugh was mentally prepared, so he was not surprised or shocked by Theseus's accurate response. He continued to ask, "Then, according to what you said earlier, your mentor is naturally an important manifestation of this continuation process, and you, as her 'shadow,' naturally inherited her characteristics... and that is why you, who possess the Dark Abyss Origin, are still able to enter the continuation base?"

"correct answer."

"But there's still one thing I don't understand."

Hugh pursed his lips: "Why did you say that I was included in it too?"

The slowly swirling "vortex" on Theseus's face paused slightly. Then, he leaned forward slightly, his fingers crossing in front of him. In the increasingly oppressive atmosphere, a cold and strange voice came from the depths of the god's chaotic face.

"Do you really need an answer to this question? I can answer you, but before that, you'd better make sure... you're firm enough?"

Hugh felt a chill creep down his spine. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Steadfast? What do you mean?"

"Everything, tangible and intangible, such as your goals, perseverance, beliefs, and the bottom lines and principles you set for yourself."

Theseus’s words sounded incredibly serious and earnest: “Both Vaan and I need you right now, so I don’t want this question and my answer to shake you. The flaws in your mind and beliefs will make you incredibly vulnerable in the Abyss, and the flaws that arise from them cannot be completely concealed even by this sanctuary.”

He paused for two seconds, then with a slight flick of his hand, he conjured a mirror out of thin air and placed it in front of Hugh.

Hugh instinctively looked at the mirror, only to find that what was reflected in the mirror was a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.

That face he had almost forgotten.

Above this face, a countdown timer is faintly visible, exactly ten minutes long.

"Look at it and think carefully about the question I just raised... Give me your answer in ten minutes. Of course, I will also make my own judgment. If the conditions do not allow, then let's pretend that our conversation never happened."

After saying that, Theseus gently tapped the top of the mirror: "The countdown begins."

Hugh wanted to ask something more, but with Theseus's incredibly simple action, the mirror formed from the black mist emitted a strange attraction. Hugh felt his mind and vision being gripped tightly by a hand in an instant, and then his senses were completely "dragged" into the world within the mirror.

Seeing that Hugh had entered a daze, Theseus slowly stood up from his chair. He casually waved his hand, and the empty water glass in his hand vanished into a wisp of mist. He turned around and looked at the purple orbs of light that had already approached the French windows.

Looking at the terrifying malice that kept swaying beyond the transparent barrier, Theseus let out a contemptuous laugh: "A dog's nose is always so sharp."

As he spoke, he took two steps toward the French windows and gently tapped the glass twice with his finger. "Hey, you silly dog, looking for food?"

However, these two seemingly simple sentences triggered an astonishing change in an instant. The dark shadows lingering outside the shelter began to tremble violently at this moment, and a large number of dark purple light spots gathered at Theseus's location at an extremely fast speed. If Hugh had not been attracted by the "mirror" at this moment, he would have discovered that these dark purple lights were actually the "pupils" embedded in the Hound Lord's body!
A deep roar came from outside the sanctuary. Despite the power of Theseus, the Hound Lord was still unable to pinpoint the location of its target. However, its roar was so powerful that it caused a violent tremor inside the sanctuary.

The faceless deity gazed at the end of the long corridor in the distance, where unsettling, obscure shadows were slowly emerging from the cracks in the wall and rapidly assembling into the twisted forms of the Dark Abyss Hounds.

Although it could not set foot in this territory belonging to Theseus, the terrifying giant hound, as the most loyal and powerful henchman of the Dark Abyss court, could still infiltrate its shadow through these gaps.

"..."

As if sensing something, a figure shrouded in hazy light and shadow suddenly appeared beside Theseus.

In the dimly lit sanctuary, the afterimage left by Mel appeared exceptionally bright and pure. She glanced twice toward the corridor, then raised her hand, carefully touched Theseus's arm, and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Don't be nervous."

An unusually gentle voice emanated from Theseus's face, the shadows on his face twisting rapidly to form a happy smile: "Don't worry, I can handle it. You can go have fun... things will be back to normal here soon."

Having said that, he glanced at the mirror standing in front of Hugh, then his figure flickered slightly and he had already crossed the tables and chairs and walked towards the empty, gloomy corridor. Behind Theseus, countless shadows like plant roots meandered out, and in the blink of an eye, they formed a dense black forest of guns around him.

"Time for spring cleaning."

Before the words were even finished, the dense and sharp forest of guns had already converged into a deep, shadowy torrent, surging forward along the long corridor.

……

Hugh had no idea what was happening inside the shelter.

Before he could even fully grasp the astonishing information Theseus had given him, his mind had already been drawn into this separate space.

This process was quite similar to his past "dreams," except that this time, Hugh remained fully conscious, so he knew that the "fall" would be much more intense than usual, and of course, much shorter.

After the "fall" ended, Hugh looked around and found himself "floating" in a familiar scene.

Desk, computer, corresponding cabinet and computer chair...

Unlike the shelter, this place is much brighter. Although the various items on the desks are arranged differently according to their owners' habits, it still exudes the lazy atmosphere inherent in internet company employees who slack off.

"This is not a shelter, this is..."

Hugh almost immediately realized his current situation. He moved his body, trying to stand up and walk to another place, but then he realized that he had no physical body at all. He was like a ghost floating in the air, able to fly and drift at will, but unable to touch anything.

At that moment, panicked shouts came from the other side of the office. Hugh's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately floated towards the direction of the shouts. In no time, he arrived at the place where the chaos was taking place.

Just as he had predicted, he saw a familiar body lying face down on the ground, and next to it, several other employees who had also worked overtime all night were frantically checking on their colleague's condition.

On the wall to the side, there was a poster advertising the release date of "The Age of the Dark Sun". However, strangely, Hugh could only see a huge black sun in the poster. All other patterns and text had disappeared.

It was as if it had been swallowed up by this black sun.

Clearly, through the mirror Theseus retrieved, Hugh was transported back to the moment of his "sudden death," and everything around him felt so familiar...

However, Hugh remained staring intently at the poster for "The Dark World" on the wall, unable to look away.

"So, that wasn't inspiration at all, right?"

A voice came from the side. Hugh turned his head and saw another "soul" floating miserably beside him. The two looked at each other as if they were looking in a mirror.

The spirit continued, "It's not imagination, nor is it creativity; it's the real future that's been implanted into the brain... What is this, a prophecy?"

At this point, the soul shook its head again: "No, this isn't a prophecy either, because I can't even be sure if I truly exist. After all, my memories can be arbitrarily altered, or even fabricated out of thin air..."

Hugh looked at that other version of himself, sighed heavily, and then nodded in response: "Yes, perhaps I was deceived from the very beginning... I have always been Hugh Ernst, without another identity, and I have never had another life or name. Maybe it was just a signal or hint from a distant world in the universe, or maybe the things in my head were just layers of illusions fabricated by a powerful force."

"Isn't it pathetic? We are like puppets and tools, created at will, and naturally discarded and abandoned at will, just like those worthless drafts we throw into the wastebasket."

The lonely soul slowly floated to the poster of "The Age of the Dark Sun." He stared blankly at the lifelike black sun, muttering to himself, "So, do I really exist? Where is my homeland?"

(End of this chapter)