As they moved deeper into the bowels of the Vanished, Duncan's lantern cast its green glow steadily ahead, illuminating the warped wooden passageways and chasing away shadows that seemed to writhe beneath the unnatural lamps. Alice stayed close beside him, visibly uncomfortable, her gaze darting nervously from side to side as if expecting something to emerge from the walls at any moment.
"You're unusually tense," Duncan remarked, keeping his voice casual as they approached yet another descending staircase at the corridor's end. "For a notorious cursed doll known as Anomaly 099, I'd imagined you would be more accustomed to eerie places."
Alice gave him a sheepish glance, pulling absently at a strand of silver hair. "I suppose my number might be misleading… I mean, I never asked for it. Just because I have a scary name doesn't mean I'm brave in scary places."
Duncan's lips curled into a slight, involuntary smile. "Fair enough. Numbers don't always match their owners, do they?"
"No, not at all," Alice sighed deeply, looking down the staircase as if it led straight into oblivion. "But I really don't understand how you're so calm about this. Doesn't any of this make you nervous?"
He shrugged gently, holding the lantern higher to illuminate the way forward. "At this point, feeling nervous wouldn't change the situation. Better to keep my head clear."
Alice sighed again, shaking her head slightly. "Easy for you to say. You don't drop your head in soup."
Duncan couldn't help chuckling at that, appreciating her strange yet genuine humor even in this tense environment. The corridor narrowed as they descended once again, its damp walls seeming to close around them. Despite the constant creaking of the ship and the subtle whispers carried by drafts of air, Duncan felt oddly assured, a confidence radiating from the eerie yet comforting flame of the lantern.
Soon they entered another spacious chamber. Similar to the storage rooms above, this one had several large wooden crates and barrels stacked neatly against the walls. Unlike above, however, this area bore clear signs of being left undisturbed for countless years. Thick dust covered every surface, and the blackened lamps along the wall continued to soak up illumination, paradoxically making the space darker where it should have been brightest.
Duncan approached one of the larger crates, brushing the thick dust away with his free hand. Beneath layers of grime, faint lettering appeared—nearly illegible after so much time. He squinted, trying to decipher its meaning.
"Can you read it?" Alice asked quietly, peering over his shoulder.
He shook his head. "Barely. It looks like some kind of date or destination label, perhaps an identification code. Whatever it once meant, it's long since faded."
"Do you think all of this is still usable?" Alice asked cautiously, gesturing toward the piles of abandoned supplies. "Or is it too old?"
"Most of this stuff probably predates whatever happened to this ship," Duncan said thoughtfully. "I doubt much of it can be used normally. Still, it's interesting to see just how prepared the Vanished originally was. It seems built for long journeys—perhaps even longer than most ships dare attempt nowadays."
"Maybe they expected to be at sea for years at a time," Alice mused softly, tracing her fingers along a dusty barrel. "They prepared for everything… but not for what actually happened."
Duncan considered her words, feeling a subtle weight behind them. "Exactly. This ship wasn't built to be a ghost ship. Something unexpected and drastic happened, something that twisted it into its current form."
He paused, turning to look directly at Alice. "You know, for someone who's supposed to be an anomaly, you have a remarkably good sense of intuition."
Alice blinked, clearly startled by the unexpected praise. "Oh. Thank you… I guess."
The corridor ahead split into two separate paths, each leading downward, deeper into the ship's submerged depths. Duncan hesitated briefly, examining both passages carefully. The left-hand corridor had a slight incline and appeared less damaged, while the right-hand passage sloped steeply downward, its wood more warped, the air around it darker, heavier.
"Captain?" Alice's voice was hesitant, glancing between the two paths. "Which way?"
"Let's take the gentler path first," Duncan decided after a moment's thought. "Better to explore systematically rather than jumping headfirst into the deepest trouble."
She nodded quickly, clearly relieved at his sensible choice. They moved along the left-hand passage, following its slight curve and descending gently. The oppressive feeling lessened somewhat, though it never entirely faded. After a few minutes, the corridor widened once more into another, much smaller storage chamber.
This room felt distinctly different—more intimate, like a place meant for safekeeping rather than simple storage. Shelves lined the walls, each stacked neatly with smaller boxes and securely sealed containers. Everything was meticulously arranged, untouched by the chaotic force that seemed to have affected other parts of the ship.
"This feels like an archive, or maybe a secure locker," Duncan murmured, studying the shelves thoughtfully. He reached out to pick up a small, metal box from one of the shelves. Its surface bore delicate etchings, intricate symbols similar to those they'd seen carved into the structural pillars elsewhere in the ship.
Alice peered closely at the box. "Can you open it?"
He hesitated briefly, then lifted the lid. Inside, nestled carefully in soft padding, lay a collection of carefully preserved documents and maps, each rolled neatly and bound with twine. Duncan took one of the scrolls carefully, unrolling it slowly to avoid damaging its fragile paper.
He raised an eyebrow slightly as the map came into view. "This is… impressive. It's a detailed sea chart, but nothing like what I've seen before."
Alice tilted her head curiously. "Different how?"
"It shows the Boundless Sea, but from a completely unfamiliar perspective. There are islands and landmarks marked here I've never heard of, with notations in a language I can't immediately recognize." Duncan frowned slightly, turning the map carefully to examine its edges. "This might be a map from before the Great Annihilation—or at least from just after it. It may depict places no longer accessible."
Alice looked fascinated, staring at the strange symbols and unfamiliar terrain marked clearly on the ancient map. "Why would they have this?"
Duncan rolled the parchment carefully and returned it to its container. "Whoever captained the Vanished originally intended to navigate places most people had already forgotten—perhaps even forbidden places. These charts were not made for typical merchant vessels."
He replaced the box carefully onto its shelf, making a mental note to return later for a more thorough examination. As he turned away, he noticed another object placed prominently at the room's center—a large mirror, ornately framed with tarnished silver, standing freely upon a sturdy wooden base.
The mirror's reflective surface had dimmed and tarnished, yet strangely, it caught Duncan's eye immediately. It was tall enough to show his full reflection, although blurred and shadowy.
"A mirror?" Alice asked curiously, approaching slowly. "Why would a mirror be down here?"
Duncan studied it cautiously. "That's a good question. A mirror aboard a ship like this—placed deliberately in a secure room, below the waterline? Seems unusual, doesn't it?"
Alice stepped closer, reaching out slightly as if tempted to touch the smooth, reflective surface. Duncan's hand quickly intercepted hers, gently but firmly halting her.
"Better not," he warned softly. "We don't know what this mirror might be."
She nodded quickly, withdrawing her hand. "Sorry. It just looked…"
"I know," Duncan said quietly, his eyes never leaving the mirror. He raised the lantern slightly, its green light illuminating the tarnished reflection clearly. In that eerie glow, the shadows of their own reflections rippled and shifted subtly, almost as if moving independently.
Duncan's breath stilled slightly, eyes narrowing. For a brief moment, just as he lifted the lantern, he was certain his reflection had moved—slightly out of sync with his own movements.
He took a cautious step back. "We should leave this room for now. Something here is not quite right."
Alice nodded fervently, clearly unnerved. "Agreed."
They exited swiftly, returning along the corridor toward the central stairway. Neither spoke until they had safely returned to the passageway intersection, the disturbing presence of the mirror receding behind them.
"Do you think it's dangerous?" Alice finally asked in a small voice.
"Dangerous or not, it's something to be cautious of," Duncan replied thoughtfully, glancing once more down the unexplored, darker passageway. "This ship holds more secrets than we could possibly have imagined."
Alice shivered visibly. "And probably not all good ones."
Duncan's eyes softened slightly. "Probably not. But secrets exist to be uncovered. That's why we're here."
She looked up at him, nodding slowly, reassured by his quiet confidence. Together they continued deeper into the shadowed heart of the Vanished, lantern held high, determined to uncover the mysteries lying buried beneath the endless waves.