A lit candle in the center of the table where Balch is sitting is spending some light, solace and a little warmth in this restless hour for everyone inhabiting this hut. It's been a nerve-recking, unexpected and certainly unwanted adventure. Balch still struggles to wrap his mind around everything that has transpired. First the circumstances leading to her collapse, to the appearance of the people who lent aid to them and the menacing demonic creatures that have haunted them relentlessly. Everything happened so fast and hit them good. They never asked for this. Never asked for a myriad of challenges testing their very limits of endurance and strength of mind while surmounting one death trap after another. Only a transcendent conspiracy could have had it out for them. A carefully planned and executed conspiracy to threaten his and her life. Balch is in thought, trying to make sense of everything but his heart is reaching out to her, she who must have suffered the most, weakened to a state of apathy and motionlessness. What kind of force could be so powerful to strike down a once so lovely, bright and kind spirited woman like her?
The elderly man gave them new clothes and carried the old ones outside to dry. Balch sneezes. "Ohh... damn it..."
"Here, have some tea, son." says the elderly man as he gives him a mug of tea. Balch sips. "Uhhhh...hot." "Yeah, hot, what did you expect?" snarls the elderly man. They stare at each other for a moment. "What about her?" asks Balch. The elderly man walks towards her. "She is recovering... the Truben liquor will do the rest." In that moment the young black haired woman begins to shake. The cold cloth on her forehead to cool her falls down, she is about to fall from the table but the elderly man stabilizes her. She coughs heavily.
"Uaghh... uaghh... uaaghhhhh". "Uaaaaaghhhh..." she coughs and it looks like she is about to vomit but she holds it back. "What is happening... I thought the medicine was supposed to help her?" Balch is scared.
"You have made a mistake... the Truben liquor is absolutely harmless. A small mistake however... " he puts his hand on her forehead. Balch face turned pale. "can have... lethal consequences..."
"No... no... I prepared everything according to the recipe... I... I'm not feeling well..." The young woman stops shaking. "Dear father in heaven... " says the elderly man as he looks at her in horror and puts his ear near her mouth. He closes his eyes and shakes his head. "Father... please guide this unfortunate soul from her eternal slumber to you, in your warm and bright embrace. There, she shall find peace. Amen."
Balch is in tears. The elderly man removes a blanket from a window to the opposite of the entrance. As he removes the blanket and the dust is swirled up and down the bright light from the half moon is shining on the table where the young woman is lying. Her black hair, full lips and face are more lovely than ever. Balch looks at her and even though he can't clearly see her through his tears he says... "You are so beautiful... and kind... you meant so much to me... even in death it looks like you are smiling..." He turns and storms out of the hut leaving the dust and the dead behind him. The fog has cleared now. He kneels down and only sees a devastated lakes through the few beams touching his eyes and tastes a metallic scent in the air.
While kneeling he raises his head up into the air: "I curse YOU... do you hear me? I CURSE YOU... you false GOD?! Do you even EXIT!? If you.. if YOUhhh.. if you...really loved me... why would you take away from me my beloved. She... who was so sweet and kind... she who gave purpose to me... saved me from my own folly and despair...tell me... God... what is an angel to you... What is one angel of many in Heaven high above when one outside angel on earth can cast aside all pain, fury, sorrow. What is one angel to you... you don't know... you don't know a candle in the dark in your realm of light. You don't know the fear of darkness, a cold breeze freezing you to death... a world without light, without hope.. is not a world I want to live in... " He crawls slowly, leaving the hut behind him, he notices the devastation beyond at the other side, the feeling of destruction, he crawls into the sea. With his head above water in the cold sea he cries: "Take me then... take me away from here... this night is over..." He lowers his head into the cold water. He can feel his body become stiff, a thousand needles are piercing through his skin. He can see a full wavering moon through the waves in the reflection... he stops feeling himself...but for a moment he feels warm... he hears a faint voice:
"B...b...B...a..L.c...H..hh... N...n...n...O..oo..o.o..."
The water begins to tremble enormously. Thick beams are touching his body, preventing him from diving any further. A shell is levitating behind his back supported by the beams. He rises and rises. He is shaking enormously when suddenly he his erupting out of the water accompanied by a fireworks of geysers all around him. Roots are coming up from the ground to further carry him with the shell to the land. He is still blinded from the water... but as his body is slowly lowered to the ground he recognizes contours of two people. Fine rainy powder is showering down on a man who supporting an exhausted, yet concentrated woman one one shoulder, with her left stretched out arm and her open hand pointing to the sky horizontally. His vision becomes clear. He sees the face of the one he thought he had lost. His beloved. He is loosing conscience.
"Ca...m..."