Chapter Two: If Only I Could Return to the Past

If the "human world" were likened to a sheet of ice floating on the sea, then the "Abyss" would be the fathomless ocean beneath it. For the intelligent races living atop the ice, threats from the ocean depths are ever-present.

First, there are the predators dwelling in the shallows, collectively known as "Aberrations," who could leap onto the floating ice at any moment, invade the "World of Ice," and attack humans.

Next come the colossal beasts roaming the deep sea, called "Deities." Although their destructive power far surpasses that of the Aberrations, their distance from the ice makes their attacks infrequent, and so their threat is, paradoxically, less immediate.

But the greatest and most profound source of dread is the ocean itself—the Abyss.

The Abyss’s first law is this: the more one knows of it, the closer one draws to it. This phenomenon is dubbed "spiritual contamination," and it is far more dangerous than the Aberrations themselves.

The severity of spiritual contamination—the "depth" of one’s descent into the Abyss—is officially termed the "Spirit Sight Value."

Most people, knowing nothing of the occult world and having wholeheartedly embraced the mainstream belief that "ghosts and monsters do not exist," maintain a safe Spirit Sight Value of zero.

But even the simplest act—witnessing an Aberration—can shake this conviction, raise one's Spirit Sight to one or two, and make them more susceptible to attacks by lower-level Aberrations.

Thus, the mission of the Sixth Countermeasure Division of the Public Security Bureau, to which Chen Ziang belonged, was to serve as "the firewall isolating civilized society from the occult world," "to ensure the populace remains oblivious to Aberrations," and thereby "to prevent mass spiritual contamination."

When the shop window was smashed from within and the ghoul crouched on all fours raised its head, Chen Ziang had already shouted swiftly, "Tsukimiya!"

Tsukimiya Suzuna reacted instantly, raising her pistol and firing three rapid shots at the creature.

The thunderous gunfire echoed through the room. The customers, who had not yet evacuated, scrambled and crawled desperately for cover, fleeing downstairs as if for their very lives.

There were two reasons for opening fire at that moment: first, to frighten the lingering customers, urging them into hiding so they would not witness the true form of the Aberration, which could cause spiritual contamination and raise their Spirit Sight Value; second, to try and banish the ghoul back to the Abyss using the "exorcism seal" engraved on the bullets.

Having passed the division’s rigorous recruitment test, Tsukimiya Suzuna’s marksmanship was impeccable. All three bullets struck the ghoul’s head, and the impact forced it backward, eliciting a shrill, metallic screech like rending iron.

The ghoul’s howl was itself a deadly weapon. The customers who had not yet escaped lost consciousness in an instant, succumbing to uncontrollable comas.

Thanks to their headsets, Chen Ziang and Tsukimiya Suzuna were not seriously affected by the sonic assault, though they had to fight off vertigo.

Tsukimiya continued firing, unleashing a barrage of exorcism-sealed bullets into the creature. Meanwhile, Chen Ziang approached from another angle, drawing a long sword from beneath his coat.

This was no common islander katana; its style more closely resembled the ancient octagonal Han sword of the Continental people, its blade etched with intricate, delicate patterns resembling mandrake flowers in full bloom.

That was... the Mandrake Ritual Sword!

At the sight, Tsukimiya Suzuna was thunderstruck, as if struck by lightning. Impossible! How could her senior possess the Mandrake Ritual Sword at this point in time?!

Oblivious to her shock, Chen Ziang seized the moment while the ghoul was still resisting the exorcism seals, and with deadly precision plunged the sword into its chest.

The ghoul’s hide was preternaturally tough—ordinary weapons could not pierce it. But the Mandrake Ritual Sword was unique; as it sank into the creature’s chest, the ghoul shriveled up like a punctured bellows.

At that same moment, in a vision only he could see, several black motes drifted from the ghoul’s corpse, circling the ritual sword like fireflies before finally streaming into the back of Chen Ziang’s hand.

Sparks.

Long ago, Chen Ziang had discovered that this exquisitely patterned sword was lethally effective against Aberrations of the Abyss.

And that after slaying such creatures, he could harvest these so-called "sparks" from their remains.

He was still researching their full potential in secret, but had already learned that they could be used to "make wishes." By focusing on a desire—"to become stronger," "to increase my reflexes," "to gain a sixth sense for danger"—the sparks would be consumed, and the corresponding ability would be enhanced. Though each spark brought only a negligible increase, over time, the cumulative effect was remarkable.

Much of his formidable strength, though partially owing to the division’s intensive training and his experience in the field, stemmed primarily from wishing upon these sparks.

Dispatching the ghoul with swift efficiency, Chen Ziang turned to see Tsukimiya Suzuna lost in thought again and reminded her sharply, "Follow me."

"Ah, right." Suzuna snapped out of her daze and hurried after him.

Whether the slain ghoul was indeed their target, Tsugio Kawai, would have to be determined by the Intelligence Division’s forensic team. The immediate priority was to interrupt the ongoing summoning ritual inside.

They rushed into the shop, finding gold and jade ornaments scattered everywhere—this was evidently a jewelry store.

Bursting into the appraisal room, Chen Ziang saw a circle of pearls laid out on the central table.

Around the pearl ring, blood had been used to scrawl various filthy, ominous characters, the erratic, dragged strokes betraying the writer’s agony.

Three candles stood upright and evenly spaced on the circle—two short, one long—their flames flickering with unholy light.

At the center of the ring lay a palm-sized seashell.

Within the shell was an ivory-colored figurine, vaguely human-shaped, but the instant Chen Ziang and Tsukimiya Suzuna glimpsed it, they recoiled as if shocked by electricity.

"The ritual site has been located," Chen Ziang reported swiftly to command, unclipping his bodycam from his chest to aim its lens at the table. "Suspected divine relic present."

There was a brief silence from command, then a cold female voice came through: "Chen Ziang. It’s me."

That voice—Intelligence Division’s Keeper of Secrets, Rikuho Suikaze.

"Listen carefully—I won’t repeat myself," her tone was clear and low. "From this point on, do not look directly at the idol inside the shell, and do not disturb the runes around the pearl circle."

"First, extinguish the candle at the lower left," she instructed.

Chen Ziang obeyed. As the flame died, he felt an overwhelming sense of being watched, a primal warning of mortal danger.

"Now, the lower right candle."

He snuffed it quickly; only the tallest candle remained, burning with a wavering, sinister light.

"Now repeat after me," Rikuho Suikaze said after a pause, reciting, "Let the tides of dream surge and recede, and I beseech you to return to the depths of dreaming, O Lord of the Great Deep."

"Let the tides of dream surge and recede, and I beseech you to return to the depths of dreaming, O Lord of the Great Deep," Chen Ziang echoed in a low voice.

He could not tell if it was just his imagination, but a gentle, ancient chuckle seemed to sound by his ear, making his hair stand on end.

He forced himself to remain calm, feigning ignorance, and awaited further instructions.

"Hmm, judging by your situation, everything should be fine now," Suikaze finally continued after a pause. "Close the shell, trap the idol inside, then leave the room at once and shut the door behind you."

In a flash, Chen Ziang snapped the shell shut and pulled Tsukimiya Suzuna from the room.

Only after closing the door did he let out a long breath. Then Tsukimiya Suzuna asked suddenly, "What would have happened if something had gone wrong after the incantation?"

"Tsukimiya, don’t ask what you don’t need to know," Chen Ziang admonished her sternly.

"It’s fine," Rikuho Suikaze’s voice said in their earpieces. "This is low-risk information I can share."

"The Lord of the Great Deep is considered one of the more benevolent deities—generally, the ritual ends peacefully. Only in rare cases does He invite the summoner to visit His domain. If they accept, they fall into a deep sleep, of uncertain duration... In any case, just stand guard outside and wait for our team to handle the scene."

The earpiece fell silent. Chen Ziang and Tsukimiya Suzuna stationed themselves by the shop entrance, barring anyone from entering.

Fortunately, the ghoul’s earlier howl had rendered most of the remaining customers unconscious, so little trouble arose.

"Senior," Tsukimiya Suzuna spoke up suddenly.

"What is it?"

"May I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," Chen Ziang replied casually.

"If you could... travel back to the past, what would you do?"