"Last Words"
In his sleep, Shade's consciousness gradually returned to clarity, following the repetition of that voice.
In a daze, he realized he was standing once again on the boundless ridges of a field, looking up at the massive silver disc of the moon in the starry sky.
"Am I dreaming?"
At that moment, "her" voice echoed within the dream
【Outlander, you have obtained a piece of information.】
"What?"
Shade asked blankly from the ridge. Now fully awake within the dream, he looked around at his surroundings in surprise
"Why am I dreaming of this place again?"
【Communication has been established with you through an unknown relic and method; a piece of information has been transmitted to you.】
As the voice fell, that sound—which had echoed countless times before—rang out clearly in the dream once more
"Shade Hamilton, open your eyes quickly. I am Rat Augustus. These are my final last words, sent to you from the world of the dead."
"Priest Augustus?"
Shade felt his scalp tingle. He heard the words clearly, but he could not comprehend them
"Priest!"
He spun around, but there was no one on the moonlit ridge. Priest Augustus's illusory, raspy voice continued to repeat. Shade looked around blankly, then suddenly looked up and raised his hand
"Life Ring!"
With a surge of steam, a high-speed rotating Life Ring appeared behind Shade. Under the moon, the Life Ring seemed plated in silver, but this time, it made no sound whatsoever.
"Echo!"
The spirit rune, stained with the first drop of divinity, suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light. Within this light, Shade utilized a奇术 (Oddity/Thaumaturgy)
"Soul Echo!"
On the moonlit ridge where only Shade had been, a blurred figure gradually took shape.
"It really works," Shade thought to himself.
The transparent body of Priest Augustus finally materialized under the illumination of the spiritual light. He stood before Shade, looking around in surprise before glancing up at the sky
"Shade, where is this?"
"This is my dream."
"This dream... why does it look so strange?"
The priest seemed even more surprised than Shade.
"That's not important, Priest. What exactly happened?"
Shade asked in confusion. The phantom of the priest stopped gazing at the moonlight above, coughed, and looked into Shade's eyes.
The Outlander suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"Oh, Shade, yes, time is short. Let us get to the point. I am glad that I could see you one last time; this must be the protection of my Lord. It is like this—the matter is simple. I am dead, and I am conveying my last words to you."
"What?"
The expression on Shade's face froze.
"I don't have much time, do not ask questions."
The priest raised a hand to signal Shade to remain silent, his speaking pace becoming very rapid
"I arrived at Midhillburg, and then for certain reasons, I crossed the boundary of death and died... In short, do not think about saving me; there is no such possibility. It is only because of the properties of the relic, my Oddity 【Last Words】, and the fact that I once gave you my power that I can contact you now. These are my last words, please remember them well—"
He coughed, giving Shade no opportunity to interrupt
"There is no need to search for my body. Please oversee the donation of all my assets to the Tobesk Diocese of the Church of Dawn. I leave my potion workshop to you, Shade; you will need it.
Additionally, that Grade 0 relic I buried in the church—have Annate find a way to dig it out. Do not leave it in the church indefinitely.
Although there is no body, I hope to have a grave in Tobesk; burying my clothes inside will suffice. I once discussed the location of the grave with the doctor; just tell him directly.
Finally, I promised to donate some cotton quilts to the Tobesk Sunshine Orphanage during the winter. I hope you will contact Bishop Owen and donate those quilts in your own name."
"Priest..."
Shade reached out, but his hand passed straight through the priest's transparent body.
Priest Augustus looked at Shade with regret. Under the massive silver moon, his body rapidly became more transparent
"Shade, I am sorry. I truly am dead. Please accept this fact."
He looked at Shade with a smile, but his eyes were filled with sorrow
"Every one of us might die, isn't that so?"
Shade could not accept it. He opened his mouth, but found himself as if struck mute, unable to speak.
"Do not be sad for me. All mortals must die; all things must end. Shade, I am content to have lived to this age. I am glad to have known you, and glad to have known Schneider, Annate, and Louisa. You all made my twilight years so interesting. Shade, being able to see you at the end was something I did not expect.
Farewell..."
A black void appeared silently behind Priest Augustus. Countless transparent hands reached out, grabbing the priest's body and pulling the faint figure behind the darkness.
Those hands seemed to fear the light of the giant silver moon above, yet even so, they seized the priest under the moonlight.
"No!"
The moonlight in his hand flew out, but it merely passed through those arms as if they were mere phantoms.
Shade reached out again, wanting to pull the priest back, but his hand passed through the transparent body. Looking again at the void from which countless arms emerged—darkness, loneliness, death—the dreaming Shade actually shuddered. He felt as if he were truly seeing the concept of Death itself.
【Outlander, you have gained an insight into "Death".】
The priest was dragged into the darkness by those hands. The moonlight illuminated the void, and then the void vanished, leaving Shade frozen in the posture of trying to pull Priest Augustus back. The priest's voice seemed to echo endlessly in his mind.
"Priest Augustus... is dead?"
He asked himself.
"No!"
He bolted upright in bed, startling the cat beside his pillow.
"What just happened?"
He asked in his heart, panting heavily. His eyes scanned his bedroom in the darkness, feeling his back drenched in sweat. The curtains were tightly closed, but a faint morning light could be seen through the gaps. A night had passed.
Mia stood up and patted Shade's hand on the bed with her small paw, seemingly trying to comfort him.
【The other party entered your dream, and you used "Echo" to allow their soul to manifest briefly. The soul characteristics perceived belong to that friend of yours.】
"Priest Augustus? Really dead?"
In the dream, the fact felt somewhat illusory; upon waking and thinking about it, Shade found the matter even more absurd. He didn't understand—he completely didn't understand. He had just won the "Big City Player 1853" championship, and Priest Augustus had simply gone to Midhillburg on a business trip. Why did the priest suddenly die?
【There is a subtle difference between the soul of the dead and the soul of the living. He is indeed no longer a living person, but he is not yet dead.】
"What does that mean?"
Shade sensed the implication in the words.
【He is currently in a subtle state between death and non-death.】
"Is there still a chance to save him?"
【I cannot provide an answer, but his distance from death is closer than a Ring-Wielder's distance from 'another me'.】
Shade got out of bed and pulled open the curtains. The faint morning light was visible outside; it was currently 6:10.
"Dawn, death, the priest..."
He clenched his fist and looked at his reflection in the glass, wearing his pajamas
"Priest, if I don't let you die, you can forget about dying! Next stop: Midhillburg!"
PS: Of course he won't die.
(End of Chapter)