Gun of Ashes

Chapter 923 9: Shepherd_2

"I've been lost for too long."

William was like a frightened child, but his face was so old, weather‑beaten.

"That should be your 'Gap'. Looks like that experiment really mattered to you so much that it became the scene inside your 'Gap'."

Lorenzo said. The scenery most important to each person becomes what they see within the Gap, and after being corroded into madness, the poor will is sealed inside the Gap, caught in an endless cycle.

"'Gap'? What is that?"

For William this was a new word. Though his head still ached and, under the influence of the corrosion, his mind kept trembling, he still took an interest in it.

William was a Scholar; in order to uncover the secrets he longed to know, he had even dared defy the Queen's orders and secretly start the experiment.

"I'd very much like to talk about all that with you too… but that's not what we're here to discuss today. Your time is limited."

Lorenzo shook his head. As the Secret Blood calmed, the mutations on his body were slowly reverting, and William watched all of this. A trace of terror rose in his gaze.

"Let me talk to him, Lorenzo."

Hurried footsteps rang out; Merlin led the medical staff over at a brisk pace.

"Give William an examination, inject him with the Florun Potion, and extend his lucid time as much as possible. You're in charge of recording—every single sentence must be written down in detail."

Merlin began directing the others. To avoid the information being destroyed by some "accident", this time he'd summoned several people to handle the recording, and he and Lorenzo themselves were among the recorders.

"Hello, William. I imagine you don't remember me, but that's not important."

Merlin spoke as he held out his hand, then realized William was bound and couldn't lift his own. Merlin had no intention of untying him; after an awkward pause, he drew his hand back and said to him,

"I'm the current Perpetual Motion Pump Chief of Technology, Merlin."

"Chief of Technology? I'm the… current…"

William trailed off, staring somewhat blankly at Merlin, then asked,

"What happened?"

"There was an accident during your experiment. It triggered a high‑intensity corrosion contamination inside the Perpetual Motion Pump. Many personnel turned into Demons, all relevant data was completely destroyed, and you, affected by the corrosion, became a lunatic."

The time left for Merlin to investigate the Truth was not much. He didn't spare William's feelings in the slightest, nor did he have any reason to.

"It is now Ingwig calendar year 932."

Merlin added.

William froze. He could hardly believe what he'd just heard. He looked at Merlin, then at Lorenzo, his eyes sweeping back and forth, taking in his surroundings. Everything was so familiar, yet so strange.

The medical staff noticed William's reaction. They had already prepared the Florun Potion and a series of emergency measures; they'd considered all this even before the experiment began—under the influence of the corrosion, once William learned he'd been insane for so many years, would it cause a mental breakdown?

William didn't speak. In the end he lowered his head; no one could see his expression as he fell silent.

"The accident during your experiment is what we now call the 'Red Signal incident'. So many years later, today, we've found a way to pull people out from the influence of corrosion. That's why you're lucid now. We need your experiment report—what exactly happened during that experiment?"

Merlin went on. Time was extremely tight.

"Rescuing the mad from the influence of corrosion, is it? That truly is quite a breakthrough… You said my time is short, so this clarity is only temporary?"

William was speaking to Lorenzo, yet he didn't wait for his reply, instead muttering to himself.

"Ah… Ingwig calendar 932 already. So that much time has passed."

"His mental state doesn't look good. Get ready to inject the Florun Potion."

Merlin said expressionlessly.

The medical staff were just about to step forward when William suddenly raised his head, his face streaked with tears, filled with sorrow.

Death itself is not frightening; for William, what was terrifying was waking after death. His life, those countless years, had been stolen by fate. He'd missed too many things.

"No need. I just need to adjust my mindset. After all, something like this is bound to leave one a little dazed."

William's voice steadied. His face, though covered in tears and utterly disheveled, became expressionless.

"I am the former Perpetual Motion Pump Chief of Technology, William. At the time I was conducting research on Demon corrosion. You could say that to this very day we've never actually faced a true 'Demon'. What we face are one human after another, corroded into Demons. In other words, this long history of human struggle against Demons is in fact nothing more than a civil war among humans."

William recited the thoughts in his heart. He was a member of the Purification Mechanism, and held the position of Chief of Technology. He knew very well what everything he did was for. After a brief agony, he reverted to his former self: a Scholar, a conveyor of knowledge.

No more words were needed. William knew this lucid interval was an incomparably precious opportunity. He had to pass on the knowledge he had given everything to pursue.

"I suddenly realized that perhaps… Demons are not truly Demons. The real Demon is 'corrosion' itself, this power of contamination. The so‑called Demons are merely vessels that transmit that contamination, or even, you could say, the so‑called Demons are nothing more than the by‑products generated during the process of corrosion's transmission.