The pine forest stretched all the way to the sea, lush and green.
Cecia walked alone along a small path through the dense woods.
She looked down at her attire.
Without her realizing it, the clothes she had originally been wearing had transformed into a somewhat worn adventurer's robe.
A brass badge was pinned to her chest.
It even bore faint scuffs and marks of wear.
Cecia reached out and touched it.
It was real.
At least, inside this Historical Echo, it was real.
“Pretty thoughtful.”
According to Instructor Rowan, Historical Echoes actively filled in certain "gaps."
If Cecia suddenly appeared in a state that completely didn't belong here, the Echo itself would reject her presence.
So it patched together a barely plausible identity for outsiders.
Name.
Clothing.
Backstory.
It even gave the people around her the illusion that "it's totally normal for this person to be here."
However, this fill-in identity didn't mean safety.
Quite the opposite.
The longer one stayed inside, the more likely they were to mistake the identity fabricated by the Echo for their actual life.
That was why Rowan repeatedly emphasized:
Remember who you are.
Cecia looked down at the adventurer's badge.
“Adventurer Cecia...”
She put her hands on her hips.
“...makes her grand entrance!”
There was no response from the forest.
Only a few birds were startled into fluttering their wings and flying away.
“...”
No audience.
Cuts the dramatic flair in half.
Cecia sighed and continued on her way.
The coachman who had passed through earlier told her that as long as she followed the forest path toward the sea, she would see Tide Town.
The problem was—
The map drawn by that coachman was comparable to a three-year-old's doodle.
A single line.
A single circle.
With two words written next to the circle.
Tide Town.
And that was it.
God only knew how much farther it was!
Cecia swung 【Starhunter】, once again slicing through vines blocking the middle of the path.
Snap.
Green sap splattered outward.
She shook her arm, which was already starting to feel sore.
“How do the plants in this place grow so aggressively...?”
Even with a body accustomed to swinging a hammer every day, she actually felt a bit tired now.
Fortunately, 【Shadow Moon】 was still working normally.
Cecia's presence was suppressed to an extreme degree.
Forget ordinary beasts.
Even the few magical beasts that occasionally appeared along the way only glanced blankly toward her position before quickly losing interest.
What was truly strange was her own body.
She had been walking for so long.
Without eating.
Without drinking water.
Logically speaking, she should have felt miserable long ago.
Yet aside from a slight mental fatigue, her body wasn't actually hungry.
Cecia looked down at her hands.
“So this is what a body inside an Echo is like?”
It wasn't entirely physical flesh.
It was more like a shadow cast by her soul based on her real-world body.
Therefore, it could get exhausted.
It could feel pain.
It could even bleed.
Yet it didn't function entirely like a real body.
Of course.
This by no means meant she could recklessly fool around.
Cecia could sense a faint, continuous tugging deep within her soul.
Once.
Then again.
Like a distant pulse.
That was the soul anchor.
Her final link to her physical body in reality.
As long as that stayed stable, it proved she hadn't run into major trouble yet.
At that thought.
Cecia felt a bit more at ease.
Only—
The road ahead was long.
There was nothing in the forest besides bird calls and the rustling of leaves.
Walking alone for so long was genuinely a bit boring.
“It'd be nice if there were someone to talk to me.”
“...I'm here.”
Cecia's footsteps instantly ground to a halt.
The voice didn't come from inside the woods.
Instead, it appeared directly inside her mind.
It was very faint.
A bit blurry.
“Dawn and Dusk?”
“It's me.”
This time, it was much clearer than in the real world.
There was none of the heavily distorted static from their first contact.
Though still weak, it could be heard clearly and steadily.
Cecia looked down at her right hand.
The faint, dark-gold marking on the back of her hand was glowing softly.
The 【Mark of the Returning Sun】.
So that was why.
It wasn't because she had "entered the Spirit Realm and was thus closer to God."
Rather, this Historical Echo itself was anchored deep within the Spirit Realm.
On top of that, Cecia's soul had left her physical body.
The obstruction to the Mark of the Returning Sun was far less than in reality.
“You really can reach me.”
Cecia's mood instantly brightened up a lot.
“Mm.”
“Mother, why did you come here?”
“...”
"Mother" again.
This kid just can't break the habit, huh?
To be honest.
Cecia's relationship with the King of Dawn and Dusk was still somewhat subtle.
On one hand, she was deeply wary of a genuine deity.
On the other hand...
Thinking about how that child sat alone on the shattered celestial track repairing the road...
...it was genuinely hard to view Him as some terrifying evil god.
“I'm conducting my first Spirit Realm Echo excursion.”
“Spirit Realm Echo?”
Dawn and Dusk's voice paused for a moment.
As if trying to comprehend the name humans of this era had given it.
“Yeah.”
Cecia chopped away the branches ahead.
“My spell structures for Fireball, Aegis of Light, and Shadow Moon are all stable now.”
“As long as I return whole from this Echo and let my soul complete its first reconstruction, I should be able to advance to Rank One.”
Dawn and Dusk fell silent for a short while.
Then asked:
“Why do you want to advance?”
“To get stronger, of course.”
“Why do you want to get stronger?”
“So I can swing a hammer all day without my back and waist hurting.”
“...”
“And to make money, obviously.”
“...”
Cecia couldn't help but roll her eyes.
In the vast majority of mythological stories...
...the sun usually symbolized light.
Knowledge.
Power.
Glory.
Why did this sun god she ran into feel a little silly?
Was it because He doubled as the moon?
Did the moon average down His IQ?
Cecia continued walking forward while letting her mind wander.
“Mom.”
“Mm?”
“What are you going to do now?”
“I don't know.”
“?”
“I really don't know.”
Cecia spread her hands.
“This Echo keeps guiding me toward that town up ahead.”
“According to Instructor Rowan, Historical Echoes usually contain something they refuse to forget the most.”
“It could be a person.”
“It could be an event.”
“Or it might even just be a fleeting moment.”
“As long as I find that core and establish a thorough connection with it, my soul should be able to complete its reconstruction.”
Dawn and Dusk listened quietly.
“So my first step right now—”
Cecia pointed forward.
“—is entering the town.”
“Can you help me check if there's any danger inside Tide Town?”
“I cannot.”
“Are there any super strong monsters nearby?”
“I cannot.”
“Is there anything preparing to ambush me?”
“I cannot.”
Cecia stopped swinging her dagger.
“Then what can you actually do right now?”
Dawn and Dusk answered seriously:
“Keep Mother company and talk.”
“...”
Great.
At least I don't have to pay for a phone bill.
“Why can't you see anything?”
“This is not the present.”
Dawn and Dusk said.
Cecia froze for a moment.
“What do you mean?”
“The one I can find is you.”
“Not this place.”
Dawn and Dusk's voice was very soft.
“The mountains you see right now.”
“The trees.”
“The roads.”
“They are all merely traces left behind from long ago.”
“I am not standing inside these traces.”
Cecia gradually came to understand.
Dawn and Dusk could contact her through the 【Mark of the Returning Sun】.
However, He hadn't directly entered this Historical Echo of Tide Town.
Thus, He couldn't act like a map hack to scout ahead for Cecia.
Makes sense.
Otherwise, if she carried a divine map hack around...
...this first soul reconstruction would be way too easy.
“Then what if I run into danger?”
“You can call my name.”
Cecia's eyes lit up.
“You can come over?”
“Probably.”
“...”
“Maybe.”
“...”
“If the road isn't broken too badly.”
“...”
Cecia took a deep breath.
“‘Probably.’”
“‘Maybe.’”
“‘If.’”
“Dawn and Dusk, do you know how horribly insecure those three words sound when put together?”
“I'm sorry.”
Dawn and Dusk's voice immediately grew smaller.
“...”
Why is He sounding all aggrieved now?
Cecia instantly lost all remaining annoyance.
“Forget it, forget it.”
“If real danger comes, I'd better rely on myself first.”
“Mm.”
Dawn and Dusk paused briefly.
“But Mother must remember.”
“If there truly is no other way, you can call for me.”
“Call what?”
“Dawn and Dusk.”
“Dawn and Dusk?”
“Or King of Dawn and Dusk.”
“I can't call your true name directly?”
The voice in her mind suddenly paused for a moment.
“You cannot.”
The tone turned noticeably serious.
“Why?”
“A god's name is different from a human's name.”
“If you hear the full name, you will see what lies behind the name.”
“An ordinary person's soul cannot bear it.”
Cecia remembered what Rowan had said.
A name was the easiest target to grasp on a soul.
It seemed that in this world...
...true names were even more dangerous than she had imagined.
“So what is your true name?”
“...”
“Didn't you say I should call you if I run into danger?”
“Calling King of Dawn and Dusk is enough.”
“You can't tell me?”
“I cannot.”
“What would happen if you told me?”
Dawn and Dusk thought carefully.
“You might go mad.”
“Whoa.”
Cecia sensibly stopped pressing the matter.
One of the greatest survival tips in mythological tales:
When someone explicitly tells you not to know something...
...it's best if you really don't try to know it.
Dawn and Dusk began chattering again.
Don't casually accept invitations from strangers.
Don't answer calls coming from unknown places.
If you suddenly realize you've forgotten your purpose for coming here, check your soul anchor immediately.
If the same person addresses themselves by three different names in a row—
Run.
Why did this sound more and more like a set of horror rules?
And it was basically identical to what was written in Merlin's guide.
“Alright, alright.”
Cecia interrupted helplessly.
“I get it.”
“Go get some rest already.”
Dawn and Dusk didn't reply.
After a long moment.
the voice came through once again.
“Mm.”
It was noticeably farther away than before.
“Dawn and Dusk?”
“I'm still here.”
“Are you unable to hold on much longer?”
“No.”
A brief pause.
“It's just that there are many places where the celestial track is broken.”
“It takes a lot of effort for the voice to take a detour.”
“...”
Sound can take detours?
Though, thinking about that solar celestial track broken into who knows how many pieces...
...it didn't seem entirely incomprehensible.
Cecia looked down at the back of her hand.
The light of the Mark of the Returning Sun was fading.
“Then stop talking.”
“Go repair your road properly.”
“Mm.”
“Next time, I'll come check on your construction progress.”
Dawn and Dusk seemed very happy.
“Okay.”
After another moment.
“Mother.”
“What is it?”
“Stay safe.”
After saying those words...
...the connection went completely quiet.
“Dawn and Dusk?”
There was no reply.
Yet Cecia didn't lose perception completely like she did in reality.
She could feel it.
Deep within the Mark of the Returning Sun on the back of her hand, a faint warmth remained.
It wasn't an infinitely stretching thread.
It was more like a path where a tiny section had been lit up.
And at the far end of that path...
...someone was still there.
“Alright then.”
Cecia hoisted 【Starhunter】 back onto her shoulder.
At least she wasn't alone.
She continued forward.
The farther forward she went...
...the heavier the humidity in the air became.
A sea breeze gradually drifted through the trees.
Whoosh.
Crash.
The sound of crashing waves drifted over from far away.
Getting closer and closer.
Cecia pushed aside the final dense cluster of branches.
Her view suddenly opened up.
A vast swath of sunlight streamed down ahead.
Below a tall cliff...
...a town was built against the sea.
Houses built of dark pine cascaded down along the contours of the mountain.
Farther out...
...was an ocean that seemed to stretch to the ends of the world.
White foam relentlessly battered the rocks along the shore.
Tide Town.
She had arrived.
...
Tide Town wasn't large.
However, it was quite bustling.
Because land was limited, the houses in the town were built unusually densely.
The dark pine roofs sat shoulder to shoulder, looking from a distance like a massive patch of black scales growing out of the cliff.
Yet it had everything it was supposed to have.
Taverns.
Blacksmith shops.
General stores.
Churches.
There was even an Adventurers Guild.
An old man sat by the town gates, nodding off in a daze.
Cecia walked up in front of him.
No reaction.
“Grandpa?”
No reaction.
“Wake up?”
Still no reaction.
Cecia reached out and gave him a nudge.
“Fire!”
“Huh?!”
The old man finally snapped his eyes open.
He looked left and right for quite a while.
“Where's the fire?!”
“...”
Cecia pointed at herself.
“I want to enter the town.”
The old man looked at her groggily.
Then his gaze settled on the adventurer's badge pinned to her chest.
His eyes briefly went dazed for a moment.
“Oh...”
“An adventurer, huh.”
He accepted Cecia's identity as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He didn't ask where she came from.
Nor did he register her name.
He didn't even bother to check whether the badge was real or fake.
He merely muttered under his breath:
“Such a young adventurer...”
“...that really is rare.”
He then rolled over...
...and went back to sleep.
Cecia stood in place...
...lost in thought.
Is this how Historical Echoes fill in an identity?
It doesn't create a complete life out of thin air.
Instead, it makes the people here automatically find a "plausible explanation" for her upon seeing her.
A twelve-year-old girl suddenly appearing in Tide Town was weird.
But if she was an adventurer—
—then it didn't seem so weird after all.
At least, that was what this old security guard thought.
Cecia stroked the badge on her chest.
“Interesting.”
She then strutted openly into Tide Town.
The folkways here were quite fierce.
Walking from the town gate to the district where the Adventurers Guild was located...
...in just that short distance...
...Cecia witnessed three street brawls with her own eyes.
Five suspected highway robberies.
One burly man even chased someone with a wine bottle for two whole streets.
However, none of these incidents escalated into anything major.
Patrol officers nearby quickly rushed over and dragged the perpetrators away.
“The public security is surprisingly decent.”
Cecia had originally worried that a twelve-year-old girl like herself would easily be targeted by bad guys.
As it turned out, she had overthought it.
【Shadow Moon】 was way too useful.
Forget robbers.
Sometimes even pedestrians walking past her would only walk a few steps before turning around in sudden confusion.
Was someone standing there just now?
No one picking fights.
Safe as it was...
...Cecia encountered a new predicament.
She had originally planned to find a guy who looked like he was asking for a beating...
...engage in a little friendly physical persuasion...
...and conveniently ask if anything strange had happened in Tide Town recently.
Now, there wasn't even anyone seeking trouble with her.
She couldn't exactly charge up on her own initiative and ask:
“Hello, could you let me beat you up and then give me information?”
She'd get arrested by the patrol officers.
Cecia sighed helplessly.
“Forget it.”
“I'll just head to the Adventurers Guild.”
Since this Historical Echo gave her the identity of an adventurer...
...then that place was probably the best spot to start her investigation.
She raised her head.
In the distance, a wooden sign creaked as it swayed back and forth in the sea breeze.
Engraved on it were crossed swords and a goblet.
Below were several large, faded letters:
【Tide Town Adventurers Guild】
Cecia patted down her robe.
She tidied her hair.
“All right.”
“Adventurer Cecia...”
“...officially clocking in for work.”
Rate on N.U.
