Epilogue

Eena really did drop her drive for revenge. I guess I inspired her one last time. Though it's not exactly what I was hoping for. She found that she enjoyed tending the garden with Gertrude and her small interactions with the couple. Even listening to Gotthard rant about his work was 'entertaining.' Though I'm sure it won't be for another decade or so before she begins to feel truly happy.

Her room gradually gained substance in the form of flowers resting in mugs or jars as well as other plant parts and journals. The most conspicuous of her new decorations, however, are these sacks filled with strange powders or pastes. They're the skins of animals sewn together, probably by Gertrude. Eena uses them to store her experiments, which is various plants, bit of animals or bugs, or charcoal and other similar materials all mashed together or ground into powders. I think she's becoming an apothecary.

With her new hobby, her fretting over our town began to dwindle. Alsfeld, however, never truly escapes her thoughts, though I'm not sure she wants it to.
'Someone has to remember them all. Who better than the person who knew everyone of them?'

I've lost count of how many times she's told herself that. How many times she's forced herself to say that.

It wasn't long before Gotthard fully developed his theories and gathered enough proof that disproved most other theories. He vehemently blamed karma. "I help the girl and look what happened. Nothing good ever came from relying on karma, you hear?"
He spent the rest of his life desperately scrounging for evidence against his own theories to no avail. He spent his finally moments bed-ridden from some disease surrounded by the only people that could put up with his attitude. He passed in his sleep with his final words being, "Thank you. All of you."

With a drop of blood, Eena freed Gotthard's spirit from his body and they buried his body behind the cottage with a crude gravestone. Without Gotthard, the couple and Eena really had no reason to stay in our cottage. Before Spring turned Summer, they left, taking Gotthard's notes, Eena's attempts as medicines, food, and camping supplies. They planned to head North after Ulrich and Ada and live with them for a while. The wolf, Blizzard followed them at a distance.

Gotthard and I stayed behind for a bit staring at our cottage, now truly abandoned. "How long has it been? Since we've all been together?"

His glassy eyes landed in my direction. "Too long. Believe it or not. My one regret is that I never took the time to reach out to the others. I became so absorbed in disproving my own theories, I forgot to find the others. I even promised myself I would after I finished my work."

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "We have that chance now."

It's difficult to see exactly where his eyes ended up, but I can tell he's absorbed in thought. "Srath, would you be opposed to a second life?"

"What? You mean as mad spirits? Absolutely not."
Gotthard once explained to me, that the spirits we fought are singular spirits driven mad by essentially consuming others. "Why would you even suggest that?"

"Of course I wouldn't suggest that. What sort of fool do you take me for? No. I'm suggesting we become benevolent spirits."
I give him a skeptical look. Benevolent spirits are mere fairy tales. After my silence he continues. "Mad spirits are the way they are because those they consume are unwilling. I've hypothesized a method in which we can subvert that requirement. However that's all it is, you hear? A guess."
I ask him to explain further, which he does. "If we find the others and assimilate into a singular being, we may have just enough mana to create ectoplasm. Therefore, we would become a benevolent spirit. We may even begin to produce memories again."

He once explained ectoplasm as a substance spirits create in order to interact with the physical world I believe. Essentially we would be alive again. If that's the case, I may even be able to help Eena again. And I'd be reunited with Mia. And the exiled rangers could be together once again. "What's the catch? I see nothing but positives to this."

He shakes his head. "I don't know. Like I said, this is naught but a guess. Anything could go wrong, you understand?"
My gaze falls on the path Eena disappeared down. I could live out the rest of my existence observing her, but I would never be able to help. I have confidence she'll do well. She has Gertrude and Adam. And she's even learned how to be an apothecary. The world needs more people like her. "Let's do it. I'll trust you to figure it out."

"One more thing. We have to avoid the nameless god of death no matter what. Once he finds us, there is no escape."

I only nod in understanding. It's a bit disappointing we have to avoid serving Sol, but Eena is more important than the world. "Let's find Mia first. She's the only one we know is dead. I know where everyone else ended up, so we can find them after."

He waved his hand towards the road. "Lead the way."