Chapter 9: The Person Worth Saving

 

 

 

Chapter 9: The Person Worth Saving

 

Ouka

THE sight of the submerged girl sent shudders through Ouka.

“Is she a Fresh Golem…?! Whose corpse is this?!”

Her face was clean but abnormally pale, even for a corpse. The bizarre color brought back memories of the frog specimen Ouka dissected during his schooldays.

“A human specimen…?” He suddenly realized what liquid filled the tank. “Embalming fluids? Is this liquid an embalming fluid?!”

If he was right, just how long had this corpse been stored in the liquid without decaying? Since when? For how long?

“What the hell is this?!” Unsure of how to proceed, he dumbly stared at the tank.

Then out of the blue, “Who’s there?!” barked a voice from upstairs.

“…!” Ouka bit down on his lip to stop the frightened noise from escaping his mouth and faced the staircase.

Footsteps pounded down the stairs. Ouka held his breath and lied in wait until a man holding a black file under his arm finished descending the staircase.

“You are…Ouka Baraki?” said the middle-aged man—Crank Getz—when he saw Ouka.

“What? You know me too…?!” Ouka asked.

“I have my reasons to. More importantly, what are you doing here?”

“That’s my question. What in Heaven’s name are you doing, Professor? Whose corpse is this? How long has it been here for?” Ouka asked, shoving his thumb at the tank.

Getz looked at the Golem inside and answered with sadness straining his voice, “…This girl is my daughter Roberta. I suppose it’s been eleven years since she started going berserk.”

“ELEVEN YEARS?!” Ouka had never heard of a case like that before. “Have you been living with a Golem that’s out to kill you for eleven freakin’ years?!”

“At first, yes. She tried to kill me in the beginning. But she no longer has the desire to do so.”

“How…?!” Ouka glanced at the tank and noticed something off about the creature inside.

The Fresh Golem named Roberta was calm. She wasn’t throwing herself against the tank to try and kill her Tamer Getz. Berserker Golems always tried to kill their Tamer no matter what. So why wasn’t she?

“…How did this happen?” Ouka questioned, trying to make sense of what he saw.

Getz answered him, quiet and thoughtful. “She struggled and raged and thrashed around in the beginning. I restrained her with chains and submerged her in the tank. I couldn’t bring myself to erase the letters from her forehead even in her berserk state. But two years passed, then three, since she had been submerged…and then I finally realized something I hadn’t before. It occurred to me that Roberta had stopped acting violent.”

“A Berserker Golem…calmed down?”

“Yes. She’s no longer trying to kill me.”

“That’s impossible!”

There was no way what Getz said was true. Berserker Golems tried to kill their Tamer. Even if no one knew the reason for it, that was supposed to be the law of the land.

“I didn’t believe it at first either. But my daughter didn’t attempt to kill me even when I removed her chains. Believe it or not, she even looked at me like a helpless, small child…”

“Like a child…? By child you don’t mean…” Ouka came to an astonishing conclusion. Getz nodded.

“You’re thinking on the right track. A Berserker Golem is no longer a Golem. Freed from their Tamer’s control, they become an existence that moves of their own free will—they are born again as another life-form, similar yet different from humans,” Getz declared flatly.

Ouka struggled to speak. What could he say about a fact that over a hundred-fifty years of Golemology had failed to uncover? He swallowed the lump lodged in his throat and wrung out, “Professor…did you create new life?”

“You could say everyone who has ever made a Golem and allowed it to go berserk has created life,” he said, looking at Roberta. His eyes narrowed with the pain and guilt he felt toward the child. “But this girl is the result… She will rot the moment she sets foot outside the tank, so she can’t even leave its confines. Just like how my daughter never knew what was beyond the hospital walls while she was still alive.”

Profound regret colored his voice. Getz continued speaking as if moaning the words. “In the end, I’ve done things that only hurt both Roberta and this Golem. Anyone who tries to bring back the dead will become miserable… Just like Grinzam.”

Hearing Grinzam’s name reminded Ouka of why he came to the clinic. Roberta piqued his curiosity too, but he had an investigation to conduct.

“…I heard from Erie that you’re old friends with Grinzam. That true?”

“Yes, it’s true. Our friendship is old history though.”

“Well, let’s just say I believe you. How’d you meet Grinzam?”

“I often went to retrieve corpses from the Church for research purposes, before Fresh Golems were restricted. A young Rabbi called out to me on one of those trips. ‘Are you thinking of creating life too?’ he asked me. That was Grinzam.”

“Create life…?”

“Yes. He often came to my clinic whenever he hurt himself during research experiments after that. He told me about the cubes during one of those visits. ‘Sehem-hamphorasch has the potential to produce true life,’ he said.”

Ouka frowned. He couldn’t deny the fact that the cubes created something extremely close to a Berserker Golem. Considering how Roberta had transformed into a different life-form, Grinzam’s hypothesis couldn’t be completely discounted, but—

“…I don’t think that’s what it does,” Ouka concluded.

“But he believed it did. He probably wanted to hold on to that dream to endure his lonely and wretched life.”

“Okay then.” Ouka sighed. “That doesn’t sound at all like the Grinzam I’ve heard so much about. Ain’t he supposed to be the ‘strongest Rabbi in history’ and ‘the heinous traitor’?”

“He had a reason that led him to that point,” Getz said, taking a breath. “One day, Grinzam met a prostitute who came to leave her baby at the Church. He persuaded the prostitute not to do it and changed her mind. She chose to raise the child herself instead.”

“That sounds even less like the image I had of him. Sounds like Grinzam was a decent guy.”

“I thought the same thing. I was under the impression he was a man of few emotions, but Grinzam began to change after he met the prostitute. She was a woman living earnestly on Chest Island, while he was a natural-born Rabbi who knew of nothing beyond the Church. It was a relationship they needed to keep in secret, but they grew close nevertheless.”

“So, were they lovers or somethin’?”

“I wonder about that. I’m not so sure of the answer myself. But either way, the woman quit being a prostitute, took up work at the mines, and raised her child. Grinzam watched over them both. If only that meager happiness went on forever…”

“Something put an end to it?”

“I guess it’d be about eight years ago now…the woman died. She died in a Berserker Accident caused by an Illegal Golem.” Getz’s eyes fell, and his face twisted with pain, bitterness. “When she died, Grinzam said, ‘I might be able to bring her back to life if I use Sehem-hamphorasch.’ He tried talking the Church elders into using the cubes for her sake… Naturally, the Church didn’t approve.”

These events were finally starting to connect with the Grinzam Ouka had heard so much about. Thinking back to his days as a Rabbi, he reasoned, “‘Sehem-hamphorasch exists solely for Sephiroth. Everything on this archipelago exists solely for the day he will be named.’ So goes the Church elders’ motto. Makes sense why they didn’t approve.”

“Indeed. Thus, Grinzam made a run for it with the cubes, but he was taken down before he could get away… That’s the truth behind the Grinzam Disaster.”

Bitter feelings surfaced inside Ouka after hearing that story.

“The strongest Rabbi in the history of the Church ran away with the cubes for self-serving reasons and was put down.” Ouka had only been given that simple explanation during his days as a Rabbi.

But it was wrong. This was the story of yet another person led by the nose by the Church, who had felt compelled to make an outrageous choice as a result.

Ouka clicked his tongue and continued the story from his end. “…And then, four years after he made off with the red cubes, we failed our research as well, and the Church ended research into the cubes for good. Grinzam’s hopes were squashed along with it.”

Getz quietly shook his head. “No, his hopes haven’t been squashed.”

“How so?”

“There are still people who have continued with his hopes, in his place.” Getz pulled the black file from under his arm and held it out to Ouka.

“What…is this?”

“Something I stole from the dormitory custodian. You should be able to understand what it means.”

Ouka opened the file. At first he had no idea what it was, but he gradually started to understand what it contained as he read on. Inside the file was the list of discovered Engrave Incantations, data on the strength of every Prime Body type, and a register of twelve Rabbis…including Ouka. Faces of people he would never see again lined the register. The file contained numerous documents that should have been unknown to all but those involved.

Ouka’s hands trembled. A taut, stiff voice rushed from his mouth. “Wh-Why are these documents here?!”

“The person carrying on Grinzam’s ambitions continued research into Sehem-hamphorasch even after his death. But that was no easy task. They needed ample funding, a fully equipped facility, and a talented team,” Getz answered, his voice low.

Ouka’s head jerked up and he furiously shouted, “Is that it?! We were just USED, then!”

“Unfortunately, yes. And you must understand what those documents being here means, yes?”

An electric shockwave shot down Ouka’s spine.

Right, there aren’t many reasons for these documents to be in my hands. Ouka struck on a probable cause and his heart rate skyrocketed. I have to warn Kiriko about this, as fast as possible. The woman had become his enemy, but he needed to warn her.

“…Professor, why did you show me these documents?”

“I heard Erie’s story and thought I should do what I can too.”

His answer convinced Ouka. Witnessing Erie’s single-minded devotion to her goal and the dangerous line she toed had likely brought the professor back to his right mind for the first time in eleven years. What she had told Ouka earlier at the pub replayed in his mind.

“…But, if there’s even the slightest possibility of them disposing of Heathy, I have to go to him.”

Yeah, you’re right, girl. If there’s somethin’ I gotta warn Kiriko about, I have to go to her.

“I owe Erie my thanks!” Ouka exclaimed as his parting words and dashed out of the basement cellar. He raced up the staircase and exited into the clinic. He shoved the file into his shirt and ran alone through the darkness.

He ran in order to go to the Church, where the woman he needed to save was.

***

Erie

ERIE passed through the bustling downtown streets and ran as fast as her legs would carry her down the dark causeway. Barging into the Torah Church unarmed was just asking to get caught. She knew she was absolutely powerless without Heath. She had to get ahold of a new Prime Body if she wanted to succeed in her rescue attempt.

As long as she found a Prime Body, she could take control of it with Remote Engrave Incantations and make it instantly hers. But Prime Bodies didn’t just sit on the side of the street waiting for some girl to take ownership of them. And even if there was one lying around, it’d be a risky bet trying to use it.

Erie already had Heath under her Tamership. A second Golem would have reduced functionality and be less reliable because of it. Unless it was a powerful Prime Body, that is.

But, I still have to try…! Erie thought as she ran.

She finally arrived at Flank Beach Market. She figured she would be able to obtain a Prime Body here, but unfortunately, all of the shops were closed. The tightly crowded street stalls had all been vacated, leaving just a few barracks standing in the market.

“Am I too late…?!”

The hour was close to midnight, and she didn’t sense any activity in the area. Only the roaring sea could be heard on the beach covered in darkness. Still, Erie didn’t give up hope. Instead, she wandered the area searching for an open shop—when she suddenly sensed a presence behind her.

“You’re finally all alone.”

“…?!” Erie spun around as if death himself was standing behind her. Without her ever realizing it, Jair and Eben had positioned themselves within striking distance.

Erie could feel all the hair on her body stand on end, like a cat in danger, the second she saw them. Her vision warped with a flood of fury, and she squeezed her fists until the knuckles turned stark white.

“Erie,” Jair said to the enraged girl. “We should put an end to this predicament soon. The Church has begun to make its move. Dragging things out longer is not an option.”

She didn’t hear what he said. Something snapped inside her the moment she saw his face. Her strongest enemy had arrived at the worst possible time.

“…you,” she mumbled in a hoarse, strained voice. Jair eyed her, dubious. Erie hurled the line at him a second time, “I’LL KILL YOU!”

Erie drew the knife from her belt and lunged at Jair. His expression didn’t change. She thrust the knife at his face. But the blade stopped centimeters from his eyes. Eben had grabbed Erie’s arm from the side.

This Eben looked like a different type of Stone Golem from the one in the refinery. He stood two meters tall, but rather than having a Prime Body pieced from rubble, it appeared to be an official Church-grade Stone Golem Prime Body!

He’s even stronger than the monstrosity yesterday?! The battle instincts Erie had honed over the past few days were screeching inside her like storm sirens. But their warning came too late.

“Kill her, Eben.”

Eben lifted her into the air like she weighed no more than a feather. He slammed her into the ground without even giving her a second to think about fleeing.

“UGH!” The impact ripped the air from her lungs and suffocated her. Eben dragged her back into the air and swung her around several times, flinging her at a nearby garage.

“…!”

Erie crashed into the wall hard and slid crumpled onto the unforgiving ground. Every fiber of her body screamed with aching pain and refused to move. Her teeth cut the inside of her mouth and her lips split, coating her tongue with the iron taste of blood.

“You stand no chance of winning without a Golem.”

She heard Jair’s voice in the distance, as if coming to her down a pipe. Had she popped an eardrum? Erie lifted her head despite the pain and riveted her eyes on Eben lumbering closer to her, powerless.

***

Cliff

CLIFF was hard at work repairing Gandolf inside Akizu Company’s garage. While he desperately tackled the task at hand, out of nowhere, he heard a crash that shook the walls.

What was that?

Something had collided with the garage wall. He glanced outside the window and saw a massive Stone Golem.

Eben?! Why’s he here?!

Jair stood at Eben’s side, too. But the situation was even worse—a collapsed Erie was within their attack range.

Judging by what Cliff saw, Eben had thrown Erie, and she crashed into the garage. Heath was nowhere to be seen. Eben lumbered closer to the defenseless girl.

Oh no…! She’ll be killed!

He hadn’t gotten over the fear Jair had instilled down in his very core the day before. Neither of Gandolf’s arms moved yet either. Cold, greasy sweat coated Cliff’s whole body.

A person’s going to be killed right in front of me… By Master’s hands, at that…! The moment the thought hit him, a fire lit in his heart and under his feet.

Cliff started making Golems in order to protect people. If he forsook Erie despite that, regrets would haunt him for the rest of his life, no question about it. And there was no way he could fight the upcoming battle to save Lovel if he had those feelings biting at his heels!

Cliff mustered all the courage within him and rushed out of the garage with Gandolf.

“URYAAAAAAAH!”

Jair turned toward Cliff’s war cry. Gandolf charged Eben, slamming into the stone giant with his chest. Cliff rammed into Jair too, but Jair merely glared at him without even stumbling back a step.

“You again? Do you have a death wish?” Jair snarled as he threw a straight punch at Cliff’s face.

“Gagh!” Cliff skidded backward and tumbled over. He saw Erie’s face on the ground right beside him.

“Wh-Why are you—”

“I-I came to save you…or that was the plan.”

Surprise flashed on her face. Cliff shoved to his feet and asked, “Master, why are you doing this?!”

“Master? You on about that again? What in the world are you talking about?”

“Are you kidding? You’re Master, right?! Aren’t you Master Roche? The boy who taught me how to create Golems?! How to use Engrave Incantations?!”

Jair’s face twitched. Did he finally remember? Cliff’s flicker of hope was smothered when Eben approached with fists raised to crush him.

In a fraction of a second, Cliff grabbed hold of Erie and jumped to the side. Eben brought down his stone fists, obliterating the ground where Cliff lay seconds ago.

Jair’s ruthless voice came pouring down on the horrified Cliff. “I’m Jair. The human called Roche no longer exists.”

While his face and voice were the same as Roche’s, he was clearly different from the Master Roche Cliff knew well.

“Eben, kill them both,” Jair said over the speechless boy.

The instant he heard that command, the hesitation in Cliff’s heart gave way to a new surge of determination.

This isn’t Master. He looks just like Master, but he’s a different person.

He decided to believe that—at least in this dire moment where hesitation could spell death. Cliff held his head high and yelled his enemy’s name for the first time.

“Fine, JAIR…! I’ll just defeat you and protect Erie through to the end!”

“Just try it if you think you can,” Jair replied. Eben surged forward, throwing punches with monstrous speed.

Gandolf leapt in between Cliff and the attack. He took Eben’s blows to the chest and held his ground.

“Go for the knees, Gandolf!”

Gandolf promptly drove a knee into Eben. Eben’s body shot into the air with that single blow and crashed onto the ground with an earth-shattering boom.

Jair observed the power behind Gandolf’s hit and muttered irritably, “I see, that must be the Engrave Incantations Lovel formed. It’s even capable of granting tremendous power to a crude Prime Body.”

“The Engrave Incantations aren’t the only thing that’s powerful. Even if it’s piecemeal, Gandolf has a solid Prime Body.”

“So it appears, but don’t think you can win with kicks alone.”

CRAP! He noticed! The second Cliff sensed danger, Eben rose to his feet and grappled Gandolf. He hoisted him into the air with the spirit of a titan and hurled him against the ground with accelerated speed.

“NOO!”

The ground cracked and Gandolf’s back sunk in. Eben’s left hand reached over and seized his trachea.

“Sh-Shake him off, Gandolf!”

Gandolf thrashed on the ground, but it wasn’t enough to break free without any arms. Eben swung his right fist down at Gandolf’s forehead.

Gandolf wrenched his neck aside, avoiding the blow by a hair’s breadth. But the stone fists continued to rain down on him with relentless precision. Gandolf fought frantically to avoid the blows by moving his neck alone.

“Why doesn’t he use his hands?!” Erie shouted.

“He can’t move them! The Engrave Incantations are incomplete!” Cliff answered.

“What part is incomplete?!”

“I’ve been looking into it nonstop since yesterday, and I think what’s missing is the Engrave Incantation for his shoulder joints!”

“In that case—” Just as Erie said that, Eben’s fist made contact with Gandolf’s face. The back of his head sunk into the ground, completely sealing his movement.

He’ll be done in! The second the fearful thought crossed Cliff’s mind—

A soft light abruptly illuminated the surrounding darkness.

Cliff was surprised. Even Jair’s expression appeared quizzical.

Light had enveloped Gandolf’s arms. The incomplete Engrave Incantation repaired itself in record time.

Could this be—

Cliff shifted his eyes to Erie. Light shone from her hands toward Gandolf. Just like he had seen Lovel do three days ago in the underground station.

“Remote Engrave Incantation!” By the time Cliff raised his voice to shout in recognition, Engrave Incantations had covered Gandolf’s arms and vanished within. The senses Cliff had lost returned at the same time. Gandolf’s fingers twitched as if alive, like a repaired nerve.

Seeing that, Cliff roared, “GANDOLF…PUNCH HIM OOOOOUT!”

Gandolf clenched his fist and launched its iron might with his full bodyweight thrown behind it. Eben’s chest instantly burst open. Stone fragments scattered, raining down like pebble hail, leaving fist-sized dents.

In a single blow, the cube in Eben’s chest fell apart, and he ceased moving.

“Tch!” Jair hissed. But that wasn’t the end of their fight.

Without missing a beat, Erie raised both hands over Eben. Light radiated from her hands once more, engraving brand new Engrave Incantations throughout Eben’s entire body.

She’s casting a second set of Engrave Incantations?!

Jair seemed to catch on as well, but it was too late. Faster than the length of a single breath, Erie howled, “My name is Erie Reyer! With truth as my witness, I give thee the name BOULDER!”

She was trying to take control of Eben from Jair. His expression darkened, tinged with unease.

“Live as one with me and return to dust with me! I order thee to kill that man!”

Erie finished the naming in one breath, causing the suspended stone statue to convulse. The Engrave Incantations covering its body vanished, leaving behind only the emeth on its forehead and the Restrictor on its chest.

The Golem was no longer Eben. Boulder, the Golem who moved according to Erie’s will, slowly turned to face Jair.

Gandolf followed suit, edging closer to Jair following the other Golem’s lead.

“To think you had this much power… Things just aren’t going as planned.” Jair clicked his tongue and turned around. And, without an ounce of hesitation, he sprinted away from them.

“Boulder! Hunt him down!” Erie bellowed, but Boulder ran in such an awkward, clumsy manner, he was far from capable of catching up to Jair. Meanwhile, Jair disappeared into the darkness of the night without looking back.

“He ran away, again…!” Erie spat with the utmost resentment burning within her. On the other hand, the cord of tension running through Cliff had been cut. He began to fall over. Erie quickly rushed over to support him. “Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine… Just a little dizzy is all…” Cliff forced a smile. Relief washed over Erie’s face.

“…You called Jair ‘Master,’ right? Why?” she asked.

Her question was difficult for Cliff to answer. He spoke without coming to a complete answer himself. “Jair—well, he might not be the same person—but he’s the spitting image of the boy I call Master.”

“What kind of person is your master?”

“His name is Roche. He’s three years older than me and is capable of using Remote Engrave Incantations… He’s really amazing.”

More than seeing Roche as a best friend, Cliff viewed him as the pinnacle of his aspirations. Cliff admired him as someone with power that far surpassed his own. That was why he called Roche ‘Master.’

“Master and I met three years ago. We hit it off right away and worked hard together to make Golems ever since.”

Master Roche had often told him, “You have talent too. I’ll work hard right beside you, so let’s climb to the top together.”

Those words were the reason Cliff tried so hard. He imitated what Roche did and longed to become just like him someday.

Cliff turned his eyes toward Akizu Company’s barracks. He saw the remains of the giant the Rabbis had torn apart three days ago sitting behind it.

“…See that there?” he pointed to the destroyed giant. “It’s the Prime Body Master and I completed together. He’s got an overall height of 352 centimeters. We made him that big even though we knew it’d make him unmovable.”

Master Roche had brought up the idea the prior year. “Let’s use scrap iron to make Akizu Company’s symbol!”

The project had doubled as training and play for Cliff and Roche. After investing months of hard work, they had completed it by the time winter came to an end.

“Hey, Cliff, I’ll bring this Golem to life once I become an unstoppable Golem Tamer. I’ll activate this Golem that nobody else can.”

“Let’s race to see who’ll bring him to life first, Master.”

They had promised each other the day Roche left for the Academy. The metal giant was a testament to Cliff and Roche’s bonds. For the two boys who had spent three years working together on everything, it stood as their last collaboration project.

“And then Master left Chest Island and moved to Head Island… Not more than a week ago.”

When Cliff asked him why he wanted to go to Head Island, Roche told him, “The girl I love is on Head Island.” Cliff thought his motives weren’t the purest, but it brought a smile to his face regardless. His master was a tough, upbeat, and really just an all-around amazing guy.

Tears blurred his eyes before he knew it.

How could I be so stupid? There’s no way I’d mistake the face of somebody I saw just a week ago. Jair is the complete opposite of Master, but I’m positive he’s him.

The tears spilled over with the thought. Because Cliff had the terrible feeling he would eventually have to fight him to the death for real.

Erie didn’t say anything to the quietly crying Cliff, so he asked, “…How about you Erie?” since she was being considerate of him. “Why are you after Jair?”

“I have a grudge against him. A grudge that won’t go away.”

“A grudge?”

“He attacked me for no real reason…and I lost the most important person to me as a result,” she said, casting down her eyes and lowering her head. Hearing that reminded Cliff of the boy who was always by her side.

“Oh yeah, what happened to Heath?”

“He was captured by the Rabbis and carted off to the Church…because he’s a Golem.”

“He is?!”

Cliff was speechless. He had thought Heath was a quiet guy since they met on Heartbreak Hill, but the truth was beyond what he expected.

“I’m going to go save Heathy,” Erie said to the thunderstruck Cliff. “I can’t lose him again.”

“But you’ll be caught.”

“I’ll be fine, I’m sure… I have Boulder on my side too.” Erie glanced at the Golem she had stolen from Jair. But Boulder moved crudely and seemed incapable of making agile or precise movements.

Cliff looked at Boulder and blatantly told her, “It’s impossible. You stand no chance challenging the Torah Church alone.”

“…!”

“But if there’s two people—if Gandolf and I come with you—we might be able to pull off the rescue.”

Erie spun toward him like he had lit a flame under her feet. “Why would you do that…? Why would you go so far for me?”

“I have someone I want to rescue from the Church too.”

“…Lovel?”

Cliff nodded. Erie looked at him skeptically, like she couldn’t fathom what motivated him so.

“Why are you going to try and rescue Lovel? What’s your relationship with her?”

“We only just met a few days ago, but Lovel helped me remember the reason why I’ve kept at makin’ Golems all these years.”

“What reason is that?”

“I wanted to obtain the power to protect somebody. Meeting her reminded me of that.” Cliff regarded Gandolf. “This guy’s Restrictor makes it so that he can’t hurt humans. I don’t wanna hurt anybody, but I also hate getting hurt or seeing my friends get hurt… Gandolf’s arms work now, thanks to you. So, I want to protect you too.”

Erie gazed straight at Cliff, and a peaceful expression came over her face, releasing the tension from her eyes. “…Boulder’s Restrictor is to fight only to save someone. Looks like I thought along the same lines as you, when it came down to it.”

Erie stared at her hands—the hands that had formed the Engrave Incantations on Gandolf and Boulder in a split second. “Just now was the first time I’ve ever used this power for someone else… My professor was right. It’s better to have friends you can trust than to go at it alone.”

She smiled and held her hand out to Cliff. He took her hand in his and squeezed. It was a firm handshake, conveying not only warmth but reassurance. Erie surely felt the same way Cliff did.

They looked into each other’s eyes. “Ready to do this?” Cliff confirmed.

“Yes,” she reassured.

And so, they walked the causeway seeped in darkness to Head Island.

They walked in order to go to the Church, where the people dearest to them were waiting.