Garth takes off down the hall at a run.
Acolytes: SIR! Where are you going?
Frantically, Garth slots a key into the lock of an intricate looking door. It opens at the top of a dark staircase. Illuminated from behind by the light, Garth is nothing but a silhouette of priestly robes- aside from a thin pair of red spectacles and an armful of crushed skull. He takes the stairs as quickly as he can without tripping, praying silently as he does.
Garth: Please be there. Please still be there.
The stairs lead down to a small dock within a secretive cove. The ceiling is lined with stalactites, dripping down into the shallow water studded with rocks. There is only a rowboat docked at the pier and a collection of crates and supplies bundled under a tarp cover. From beneath that tarp- something glows.
Garth: Please. Please. Please.
When Garth lifts the tarp away, he finds a glowing glass globe, wrapped in a woven net and containing a white stone, seemingly the source of the light. Beside the globe is a bone-white bell. Both sit, peaceful and unassuming, on top of one of the supply crates. A shipping sticker with the mark of Cheline is visible in the light.
Garth: Still… here…. She didn’t sense you, thank the stars…
Panting, Garth tucks the lantern under his arm and lifts the bell up, gently, to eye level. He looks at it with trepidation and sorrow- in fact he looks like he might cry.
Garth: I’m so sorry, my dear sweet Snowbelle - I didn’t trust your words back then… I will trust them now.
