Leaping Across the Boundary

Duncan opened the door to the Captain's Cabin and stepped inside. The Black Goat Head on the chart table immediately fell silent and turned its gaze toward the doorway, watching him in the dim light.

"Duncan Abnormall—I'm back," Duncan said casually, waving a hand before glancing out the window. "Where are we now?"

Before entering the Captain's Cabin, he had already noticed that the Lost Homeland had passed through the black mist. The fog over the surrounding waters had now returned to its normal grayish-white, rising and falling soundlessly in the distance beneath the lights.

"We arrived at the Six Nautical Mile Threshold Line fifteen minutes ago. The fleet is currently awaiting your orders," Goat Head said as it creaked its head around, seeming to study the captain who had entered the room with great care. "You... seem to have gone somewhere very far away, or been gone for a very long time. For a moment, I almost didn't recognize you."

Hearing Goat Head's slightly uneasy muttering, Duncan merely waved a hand. Then, instead of walking toward the chart table as usual, he slowly turned around, as though searching for something—the lantern hanging on the nearby wall caught his eye.

The old-fashioned brass lantern hung quietly from its hook. It looked utterly ordinary, and when unlit, seemed no different from any commonplace object.

He reached out, took the lantern from the wall, and examined it carefully before his eyes.

"Are you going to the lower deck?" Goat Head's voice came from behind him, carrying a trace of confusion. "The lower deck is very calm right now. It shouldn't need soothing, and we're at the threshold..."

"No, I'm not going to the lower deck," Duncan interrupted. He carried the lantern over to the chart table and casually set it down. "How