The black sun hangs high

Chapter 459 Reality and Illusion
"So, do I really exist? Where exactly is my hometown?"

The spirit's question echoed in Hugh's ears, and after posing this question about origins, Hugh saw that his other self was suspended in mid-air. He stared blankly at the black sun poster hanging on the wall, falling into a long silence.

Hughes certainly knew the concept of "inner demons".

However, he wasn't entirely sure whether the soul that appeared before him and initiated the conversation with another version of himself was his "inner demon" or something else entirely.

Moreover, regardless of the other party's identity, the questions he posed could not be ignored by Hugh.

However, Hughes never expected that he would be faced with such a classic question at such a moment.

"I don't think now is a good time to resolve these philosophical questions, is it?"

The thought flashed through Hugh's mind. He moved a little closer to the floating spirit, about to speak, when the spirit suddenly turned around, revealing a pair of familiar but utterly empty eyes looking at him.

This time, the other party didn't open their mouth, but the previous voice echoed clearly in Hugh's mind.

"This is not a philosophical question, but a reality we need to confront."

Clearly, just as Theseus could read Hugh's thoughts, the spirit before him also shared everything in his mind.

The pale-faced spirit moved a little closer to Hugh, its voice continuing to echo in Hugh's mind.

"These problems... are as real as the black sun you've ever seen. We'll have to face them sooner or later... We've come this far, so we can't avoid them. If we can't find the answers to these problems, then we won't be able to make the decisions we need to make."

Hearing these words, Hugh couldn't help but ask, "Are you Theseus?"

The spirit was still approaching, its eyes appearing as two dense, jet-black orbs, like the black celestial bodies hanging on the wall behind it. After a brief pause, its answer resounded in Hugh's ears.

"I am the past you never had."

The cold words struck at Hugh's mental world like sharp picks, causing the massive disc that had become the foundation of Hugh's consciousness to creak: "It is also your memory that was shaped."

"..."

When those words came, Hugh felt as if his heart skipped a beat, and his control over his own will was momentarily lost.

In that brief moment, a chilling sound emanated from his mental ocean, which had been maintaining a normal state.

Something is breaking.

That was the foundation at the very bottom of Hugh's spiritual ocean, a "rock" and "glacier" formed by countless emotions, memories, and thoughts. They should have been as solid and secure as a locked vault, but those strange words seemed to be the key to open that vault door.

As the first crack appeared, a large-scale collapse began. Intense pain erupted from the depths of Hugh's mind. What spewed out from these cracks was not only all of Hugh's memories, but also some strange colors that he had never encountered before.

Just as the spirit said, this is the truth that Hugh must face, the truth that has been covered up by layers of cognition and memory.

Hughes never imagined that behind what he thought was his "memory" would lie such subtle lines.

……

"Woo..."

With a mournful howl, the last Dark Abyss Hound that tried to escape was forcibly pulled out of the crack in the wall by the shadow extending from Theseus's body. Before it could struggle, a destructive force surged up and turned it into tiny fragments.

These remnants were not wasted by Theseus. Under his control, these broken fragments were re-fused with a portion of his own power and acquired a special viscous state. Then, several tentacles carefully smeared this viscous shadow onto the cracks in the shelter's walls.

"Tsk tsk, spending more than earning..."

Theseus let out a helpless sigh. After repairing a shocking crack in the wall, he waved his hand, dismissing all the tentacles he had summoned, and then slowly returned to his original position, sitting down next to the dazed Hugh.

The faceless deity stared intently at Hugh for two seconds, then slowly lowered its head.

As Theseus made this movement, his body began to change rapidly.

A thick mist emanated from his body, and in just a few seconds, Theseus's tall, slender body, clad in a black tuxedo, became slender. Then, distinct feminine features emerged from the mist, and once the body was fully formed, the mist that had been drifting around him quickly adhered to it, transforming into a soft and simple black dress.

The next thing to change was the face of the mist that had no facial features.

When she looked up again, an incredibly clear face was revealed.

In fact, the goddess Mel's face was not as beautiful as the residents of Vaan had imagined. In some ways, her face was even a little ordinary. However, strangely, the pair of eyes that adorned this face were so bright and so eye-catching.

Moreover, only these eyes still retain some traces of Theseus himself—deep within them, a profound, cold shadow occasionally sweeps by, which makes this face lose some of the gentleness that Mel originally possessed, adding a touch of coldness.

For Theseus, this was clearly not a change in form or appearance similar to the past. Along with the clear face that appeared, there was also an indescribable, strange aura that did not belong to Theseus himself.

Although those eyes appeared somewhat cold, they still contained a light completely different from that of Theseus.

That might be rationality, or it might be some kind of emotion similar to "gentleness".

She opened her mouth, and a pleasant and clear voice rang out.

“All along, ‘Shug Ernst’ has been your true name… You are not a prophet, nor a ‘creator of the world,’ nor a so-called ‘chosen one’ or ‘given person by God.’ You are a vessel, a vessel that is both fortunate and unfortunate.”

“A vessel born within Vaan, inheriting a crucial fragment of the key, and authorized to carry messages from the distant reaches of the universe.”

Hugh's expression remained blank as he stared intently at the mirror in front of him, where the image symbolizing his spirit and will was rapidly changing and distorting.

At this moment, it seemed that all the faces he had absorbed and mastered appeared: the Waterlings, the Heiners, the Delans, the elves, the dwarves... all the images that existed in the ocean of Hugh's mind in the form of magic and memory kept switching in the mirror. When these faces disappeared, all the knowledge and memories contained within them also turned into the purest magic and returned to the deepest part of Hugh's body.

This is a test, but also an extremely important "integration".

The words from "Mel" still echoed in Hugh's ears.

"Those messages were precious, but also deadly."

“In Vaan, there have been cases similar to yours, but they often end up going mad and collapsing because they bear all of this… And it was only after I arrived at that place of continuation that I truly understood the precious meaning behind that strange madness.”

"Therefore, I decided to take a bold step."

As she spoke, she slowly walked behind Hugh, her gaze passing over Hugh's head and landing on the mirror. A torrent of cold magic circulated, as if to send her words more accurately into the depths of Hugh's mind.

“I spent a very long time in that vast and precious archive, doing everything I could to learn and understand everything there… Afterward, I returned to Vann with these precious secrets and began a long search and selection process.”

"Finally, I found you... Hugh Ernst, a 'Key' bearer with amazing inspiration and creativity, subtle magical aptitude, and a special background."

“I selected a portion of the knowledge I had acquired and used it to build your unique ‘past’…and when I gave it to you, the ‘key’ buried deep within you was activated.”

"My guess is correct... As the gears and dials began to turn, more ordered knowledge and information also began to play their due role. Fragments of civilizations from the other side of the universe combined with the chaotic tide of power, along with creations that survived from ancient times and magic that could deceive the Abyss for a time. This is how you were shaped."

As she spoke, she raised her somewhat pale hand and gently placed it on Hugh's shoulder.

At that very moment, the rapidly changing faces in the mirror stopped, and Hugh Ernst's face was frozen in the mirror, but the previous blankness and confusion were gone from his face.

Only a clear mind, calm demeanor, and an indelible sense of loss remain.

Hugh looked at himself in the mirror in silence and sighed heavily.

He stretched his body, which had been stiff for a long time, and then turned his head slightly to look at the fair hand on his shoulder: "What you're doing would be completely unwelcome in the world on the other side of the universe... If an author put this kind of design into a novel, he would definitely be doomed."

"uh-huh."

A soft chuckle came from behind: "That's why I decided to use this look; it should keep us both calm."

Hugh turned his head and looked carefully at the face that belonged to Mel in the mirror. Then he shook his head helplessly: "I think I should be angry, but I really don't have the strength or the mood to be angry right now... This feeling is not good."

"What kind of feeling? Like being deceived and manipulated?"

"Can't you read it? There's no need to ask that."

“We are having an important and equal dialogue, and crude reading will only undermine the dialogue itself, which is not good.”

Hughes wrinkled his nose: "Okay, now I believe that this image does indeed influence your behavior."

Hugh paused for two seconds, then slowly spun his chair and looked at the slender figure standing behind him: "I must say, those memories and past that you painstakingly constructed for me... they are extremely useful. Although they never actually happened, they fundamentally changed my habits and gave me a clearer and more firm understanding of certain things. Based on that, I really can't be angry now."

Upon hearing this, the deity before Hugh smiled and said rather unhumorously, "If you have such a need, I allow you to punch me a couple of times to vent your frustration."

"Forget it, I can't call."

Hugh waved his hand and continued, "They are so real, not just the clear fragments of life, but more importantly, everything contained behind those fragments."

"I want to know, in that world that gave Vaan such a future and possibilities, were there really people, many people, who lived like the memories you constructed? Did that world also develop and evolve with the same difficulty as Vaan is now?"

Yes, I'm sure.

The deity nodded: "To ensure authenticity, I specifically selected some cases and conducted the most rigorous deductions using the records stored in the archives. Now it seems that my strategy has been very successful."

"So, what about the ideas hidden behind these 'cases'? You know what I'm talking about... Does your choice to construct this past for me mean that you actually agree with the ideas and concepts behind it?"

Hugh leaned forward slightly, staring intently at the face: "I hope you can answer me directly; this answer is very important to me."

However, when faced with this question, a look of confusion appeared on the deity's face, which was quite rare.

She nodded, then shook her head, and said, "Actually, I'm not sure if the theories behind all this can really help us completely solve the crisis brought about by the Dark Abyss, but it is undeniable that some of the ideas allowed that world to successfully survive the erosion of the Dark Abyss until the moment the beacon was activated."

“So, I thought I’d give it a try.”

She raised her head slightly, her eyes, which shone with a strange light, narrowed slightly: "More importantly, I trust my mentor's judgment... Some of her views have obvious commonalities with this!"

(End of this chapter)