Cold, damp, and the stench of rotting flesh filled the air, accompanied by the sound of iron chains scraping against the ground. Duncan's mind was flooded with strange sensations, but he couldn't open his eyes right away.
At that moment, it felt like his soul had split into two parts: one part remained on the Lost Home, while the other was trapped in a completely unfamiliar body. This body felt like an old, broken machine that was hard to control, with chaotic sensations rushing through his nervous system, mixed with a sense of dullness and numbness.
He tried to open his eyes and move his fingers but felt nothing from those parts of his body.
This uncomfortable feeling lasted several seconds before the strange numbness and dullness in his nervous system gradually faded away. Duncan felt like his "body" was waking up from a long winter sleep, slowly regaining the ability to move.
Finally, he opened his eyes and saw his surroundings.
What he saw was a dimly lit space that looked like a cave. Torches burned on the distant stone walls, casting flickering light that revealed horrifying scenes around him. Duncan saw many people—or rather, many dead bodies—scattered haphazardly among the damp, muddy ground and rocks. Most were in rags, but some still wore intact clothing.
Drops of water dripped from the cave's ceiling, and in the distance, he could faintly hear the sound of water flowing, as if from an underground river or drainage system. The sound of iron chains seemed to come from a passageway deep within the cave, gradually fading away.
Duncan blinked, trying to understand what had happened. He looked down at his right hand and saw a completely unfamiliar, thin palm, along with ragged clothing on his arm. The brass compass he had been holding was long gone.
He then looked beside him, remembering that he had seen a shadow following him while he navigated through the starlight and light web. The shadow had looked like some kind of bird, but naturally, he found nothing now.
That bird-like shadow didn’t seem to have come with him into this reality.
Duncan slowly clenched his hand, forcing down his anxiety, then tried to rub his fingers together.
A faint green flame flickered from his fingertips.
He had to admit, this flame looked much weaker than what he was used to, but it still brought him a bit of comfort. As the flame burned, his somewhat confused mind felt a slight jolt, and he became more aware of a strange connection and disconnection on a mental level.
He clearly sensed that another part of his mind was not here. He felt the presence of the Lost Home and sensed his own self sitting at a desk, holding the brass compass.
This feeling was very peculiar, but Duncan quickly realized what was happening:
His mind had undergone some kind of projection or extension. A part of his consciousness had crossed an unknown distance and entered another unfamiliar body.
In this projected state, he could still clearly feel the existence of his "true self."
This must be related to the brass compass! Could this be the ability of that "anomalous item"?
Duncan had some guesses in his mind, but he didn’t let them distract him for too long. After confirming that his true self was safe and that his mind was still under control, he felt a bit more at ease and prepared to check out what this "new body" was all about.
First, he could confirm that the surroundings were definitely not on a ship.
This was land—land he had been drifting at sea for so many days without finding!
Secondly, this eerie cave did not seem like a good place. The scattered bodies around him didn’t look like a normal burial scene. What bad luck had led him to be trapped in this hell on earth?
Duncan took a deep breath and pushed himself up to sit. His body had been leaning against a large rock, and that position was far from comfortable.
As he inhaled and sat up, he suddenly felt something strange in his body—a huge, odd sensation. It felt like the air he had just inhaled had been expelled all at once, and a hollow, eerie feeling came from his chest, distorting his movements.
Duncan looked down in surprise and saw a large hole.
The hole was where his heart should be, and whatever had been there was now gone. A cold wind blew through it, mixing with the breath he had just taken, finally dispersing into the damp air.
From a certain angle, he could even see the scene behind him clearly.
“...What the hell?!”
Even with his nerves of steel, and having seen a lot on the Lost Home, Duncan felt a cold sweat break out. Goosebumps covered his skin, and every hair stood on end!
After that shocking moment, he quickly realized that he was still standing here, even able to curse.
Despite the hole in his chest and the absence of his heart, he didn’t feel any pain from this body!
“This is... a corpse?”
After a moment, Duncan understood his situation better and quickly calmed down.
Occupying a corpse and getting up to move around might not be as shocking as it seemed, especially since he had a ghost ship that could sail on its own and a loud-mouthed wooden goat as his first mate. He had even recently met a cursed puppet that could act independently and navigate the vast sea. What could be more shocking than "a dead person talking"?
At least he had only lost his heart; Alice's head often wasn’t even on her neck...
With these chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind, Duncan managed to regain his composure. He checked the movement of his new body and adjusted to the odd feeling in his chest before stepping toward the bodies scattered in the cave.
“Just as I thought…”
Duncan looked at the first body and felt unsurprised when he saw the horrifying hole in its chest.
It was a middle-aged man with a haggard face and ragged clothes, looking like a beggar. He had been dead for some time, but the expression on his face, eyes wide open, still conveyed his struggle and despair at the moment of his death.
Duncan continued forward, seeing one body after another, all missing their hearts, lying cold on the stone floor. Only two exceptions stood out—those two had gaping wounds on their heads, likely the result of a violent impact against the stone that killed them instantly.
Duncan couldn’t help but speculate—perhaps these were two people who had taken their own lives before facing the agony of having their hearts cut out.
To be honest, the things in this cave were a bit too much for an ordinary person. Even after checking all the bodies, Duncan felt overwhelmed. After inspecting everything, he had to find a relatively clean stone to sit down on, taking a moment to gather himself and piece together the truth behind it all.
It was clear that this was a horrifying murder—but the cold and uniform method of killing suggested that it was more than just murder; it hinted at some kind of evil ritual.
Duncan summoned the spirit flame again, feeling the connection between himself and his "true self." He knew he could cut off this "projected state" at any time and return to the safety of the Lost Home.
But he felt it was necessary to understand what had happened here.
Even if it was just to gather some information about the land.
Duncan took a breath, feeling the draft from his chest. He stood up from the large stone where he had been resting and looked toward the deep passage of the cave, remembering that the sound of the iron chains had come from that direction.
This underground space not only had bodies but also other people moving around. Those who could move freely in this terrifying place... should be able to give him some answers.
Of course, rushing in to check things out wasn’t very safe, but Duncan didn’t mind—
After all, he felt quite relaxed now.
(End of Chapter)