Bab 37: Chapter 37: The Meeting of Three Dead People
Chapter 37: The Meeting of Three Dead People
Am I... dead?
Alice felt as if she were inside a sealed box, surrounded by lightless, enclosed darkness. Something was tightly pressed against her body, leaving no gaps.
She tried to move, but the surrounding material wrapped her tightly. No matter how hard she tried, it was futile. She struggled, trying to roll over, just to turn over quietly... Turn over?
Who was she... again?
The surrounding darkness seemed to come alive instantly, with brilliant colors spreading from a single point, dyeing the entire scene. Alice saw a quill pen writing.
No ink, no owner. This was... 0-08.
A pale hand grasped the quill from behind. The scene moved up along the hand, revealing a person in a double-breasted, pure black clerical robe. His lips were tightly pressed, his nose was high, and his features were like classical sculptures, without a single wrinkle. He was blind in one eye, and the remaining pupil was a deep blue, almost black. His hair was dark gold, and he wore a soft hat...
He was Ince Zangwill!
The moment she recognized the man who had killed her, Alice finally remembered who she was. The surrounding scene receded like a tide—just as everything was about to shatter completely, a strange force mended it back together.
Alice saw a distant, faintly glowing realm—perhaps a kingdom.
Moonflowers, deep sleep flowers, night-scented herbs...
Recognizing several familiar herbs, Alice tentatively called out, "Goddess?"
No one answered.
Alice took a few tentative steps forward. She neither got closer to nor farther from the faintly glowing realm.
Stopping again, Alice called out once more, "Goddess? Did... did you save me?"
In the silent darkness, Alice heard a soft, distant sigh.
"Do you really not know what has happened to you?"
Alice stood there, confused.
"An unknown entity erased the original owner's existence from this body and inserted your fate into it."
Alice froze in place. The goddess, who seemed unwilling to show herself, did not seem to want an answer or to observe her expression. After speaking, the dream abruptly shattered, leaving her no time to think.
Alice returned to the enclosed, lightless darkness—no, this time it wasn't as tight as before. It seemed to be a rectangular box... Speaking of which, why hadn't she felt suffocated when it was so tight before?
A question destined to remain unanswered popped into Alice's mind. She dismissed it and recalled the last scene in her memory where she was "killed." She realized she was most likely inside a coffin.
So, Alice moved her body a bit and reached out towards the coffin lid.
...
Night at Raphael Cemetery.
Azik Eggers , with bronze skin, held a bouquet of white flowers and stood silently in front of Klein's grave. Just as he was about to say something, his gaze and movements suddenly froze.
—The grave next to Klein's, belonging to Alice Kingsley, had its stone slab flipped over, and a healthy-looking, youthful hand emerged from it.
It wasn't a zombie or a monster; it was a living, breathing, healthy person...
Realizing this, Azik Eggers stood still, watching as the owner of the hand pushed aside the tombstone and climbed out of the grave. She noticed him and hesitantly greeted, "Hi?"
Receiving no response from the stranger whose mourning was interrupted, Alice quietly activated her spiritual vision to check his condition. Confirming that he wasn't too shocked to respond and was actually quite calm, she decided to continue with her own business.
In this eerie silence, Alice climbed out of the grave in front of a stranger, dusted off the dirt, checked her clothes for completeness and any injuries, then reburied the coffin and restored the grave.
"Luckily, cremation isn't popular in this era..." Alice muttered softly. After handling everything, she looked up, intending to say something to the man, but then she stopped.
—From the grave in front of the stranger, belonging to Klein, a pale hand emerged.
They all fell silent, watching as their mutual friend climbed out of the grave and joined this awkward meeting.
Klein: "?"
Azik Eggers : "?"
Alice: "Um... how about you re-bury the coffin first, and then we find another place to talk?"
They suddenly realized that three dead people chatting in a cemetery wasn't a good idea; they could be discovered by night watchers at any moment.
So, Klein, with his still-healing wounds, painstakingly restored his grave. Then the three dead people left the scene and found a safer place.
This awkward meeting diluted the sadness they had been feeling. The three of them looked at each other, and finally, the most experienced in such matters, Mr. Azik Eggers , spoke first, "What do you plan to do next?"
"...Promote cremation in this era?" Alice, not understanding what Mr. Azik Eggers was asking, hesitated.
"...Klein pinched his brow and had to introduce the two, "Alice, this is Mr. Azik Eggers , my teacher. Mr. Azik Eggers , this is Alice, my... colleague and a very good friend."
"Hello?" Alice blinked twice.
"Hello," Mr. Azik Eggers nodded, "Have you thought about where to go next? What identity and face to use? You know, to others, you two are already dead."
Alice suddenly realized the real crux of the matter and, having no experience in this, looked at Klein.
"...I don't know." Klein's eyes were filled with confusion, as he hadn't seen the final Ince Zangwill and was still very lost.
"May I ask you something?" Alice turned to Mr. Azik Eggers , and after seeing him nod, she continued, "What about the other night watchers?"
"They're all alive." Mr. Azik Eggers 's brief answer put both Klein and Alice at ease.
"Thank you," Alice expressed her gratitude, "So, you mean we need new identities and faces, right?"
(End of Chapter)
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone