Lost in the Night

Once again, the sun went out before Duncan and the others' eyes.

It happened suddenly. Accompanied by a strange, low sound, the sun that had been about to sink below the horizon abruptly lost all its radiance, becoming a terrifying black hole. Yet the two Rune Rings encircling it seemed to remain under sunlight, turning into two glaring bright edges around that black void—the limited radiance spilling from the edge of the extinguished sun left a layer of chaotic, murky faint light between sky and sea, making the heavens seem all the more horrifying and bizarre.

As the sun went out, the distant Boundless Sea had already sunk into darkness. Only the "luminous geometric body" near Lightwind Harbor continued to emit its usual "sunlight," maintaining basic illumination over a limited stretch of sea—the rays spreading outward across the water became the only reassuring thing beneath that strange "night."

Shirley was completely dumbfounded. She stared wide-eyed into the distance for a long time, unable to squeeze out another word. Nina, beside her, had recovered first and reached out to pat her friend's shoulder. "Don't panic. It definitely didn't go out because you said it would..."

"Obviously! I know that!" Shirley nearly jumped, then immediately turned her gaze toward Duncan nearby. "Captain, what do we do?"

"Lightwind Harbor is still there, and so is the Pilgrimage Ark..." Duncan did not answer Shirley. Instead, he looked toward Lightwind Harbor at once. Under the glow of the luminous geometric body, he carefully made out the scene upon the distant sea—from here, he could clearly see Lightwind Harbor's coastline and the outline of Storm Cathedral moored near the city-state. The other three Pilgrimage Arks could not be fully seen due to the angle, but they were clearly still in place as well.

"...So this is