Josh found Timothy and Mahome'i in the room where he had left them. Mahome'i was now awake, watching him closely as he entered. "Is that really you?" Mahome'i asked, her voice laced with doubt. Josh nodded. But Mahome'i wasn't convinced. "How can we be sure it's not one of the twisted creatures that has taken your form?" she pressed.
Josh rolled his eyes, frustration simmering beneath the surface. Then, a voice echoed in Mahome'i's head: "Aquala eldergard. It is me, your master." Mahome'i's expression shifted, and she nodded, seeming to accept Josh's true identity.
Timothy, who had been observing the exchange, let out a sigh of relief. "Is everything over now?" he asked, hope etched in his voice. Josh's response was measured: "Not yet. I have to cleanse this place."
As Josh began retrieving the paintings from the walls, Mahome'i and Timothy followed him. Jeremy stood frozen in the doorway, tears welling up in his eyes. Josh's voice was detached, devoid of emotion. "In order to release the souls trapped in these artifacts, we have to burn them – the same way they died. They've lingered too long, and I can feel their anguish. They're ready to be set free."
Timothy's voice trembled as he asked, "But what about Jeremy?" Josh glanced back at Jeremy, his expression unreadable. "Don't worry about him."
With a flick of his wrist, Josh produced a lighter and ignited the paintings. The flames erupted, consuming the artwork. Screams and shouts echoed from the fire, and then, faintly, voices whispered their gratitude: "Thank you... You've freed us."
As the flames danced higher, Josh stood before them, his gaze detached.
"You can rest in peace now."
Josh spoke and left. He approached Jeremy who was seated by the door, looking as though all his strength had left his body. "I'm so sorry. But I had to let them go. I had to free them. If not, they would have become just like your grandfather. Forgive me." Josh spoke.
Jeremy raised his head and smiled. "I know. And thank you again. You've saved me and my family yet again." He responded. But then his voice took a melancholic tone, "But you should have killed me too. What more do I have to do? To be bound to this place for the rest of eternity. Please, free me too." Jeremy begged.
But Josh slowly shook his head. "I can't."
"Why? Why can't you?" Jeremy pleaded again. "Please, free me."
"Because you are alive," Josh said. "I do not know how, but I believe there is an object that keeps you sane, that keeps you intact. And if we find that object and manage to get to take out the essence that is imprisoned in it, we may be able to free you, and you may be able to roam the world once again. You are a special case, Jeremy. Existing both in the physical and the spirit lane simultaneously. Where I come from, I believe they could help you understand yourself, the current you now, because you are no longer human." Josh spoke.
Jeremy's eyes filled with tears as he spoke up, "Can you really free me? Can I see the world yet again? Not bound to this place."
"Yes," Josh answered. "I believe it is possible. Only if we can find the object that keeps you tied up to this place."
With that, they both went inside the house and began to look for the very object that had the imprint of Jeremy's essence. They looked everywhere, rummaged through every inch of the house, but they could not find anything. And just when they were about to give up, Josh asked Jeremy, "Is there a particular object that you were fond of back when you were alive, before the incident? An object that you spent most of your time with?"
Jeremy's eyes lost focus as he remembered a time when he was still alive, still human. "Yes," he remembered. "My paintbrush. I used to spend a lot of time painting pictures. Almost all of the portraits in this house were painted by me."
"Okay, do you have an idea where it is?" Josh asked.
"Yes, I have," Jeremy replied. "It's below, in the hidden compartment Grandfather had built when we first moved in here. I believe that's where we can find my paintbrush. I used to spend a lot of time as a child in there painting."
Jeremy led Josh to the entrance of the hidden compartment, located in the room where Timothy was staying – a room that had once been Jeremy's childhood bedroom. "It's down there," Jeremy said, gesturing to a staircase that descended deep underground. The staircase appeared only after Jeremy activated a lever beneath the bed.
For a moment, Josh hesitated, wondering if this could be a trap. But his intuition told him otherwise. He sensed that Jeremy was genuinely seeking freedom. With a nod, Josh followed Jeremy down the staircase.
The darkness was illuminated only by the lighter Josh had been carrying. As they descended, Jeremy stopped in front of Josh and pulled a lever on the wall.
As gears whirred to life, the space was suddenly bathed in a faint blue glow. Josh's eyes widened in surprise. "How?" he asked Jeremy, puzzled. "People from your time didn't possess much technology, so how is this possible?"
Jeremy chuckled at Josh's reaction. "Ah, I see he's taken a liking to my grandfather's invention. Honestly, before my grandfather turned... well, into the person he became, he was an inventor. Even though people in our time deemed his inventions crazy, I believe most of the technology you use today is a product of his work. I just don't know how he became so corrupted and evil."
Jeremy's voice trailed off as he lost himself in memories of his grandfather's kinder days. Josh wanted to reveal the truth about Jeremy's grandfather, but he knew now wasn't the right time. Perhaps in the future, he could share what he had learned from his grandfather's memories.
As Josh looked around, he noticed the numerous portraits adorning the well-built compartment. They depicted familiar scenes: the giant waterfall outside, the two gears Alisha and Antwan, the river where he had saved Timothy, and the little house they were in. All of these were Jeremy's creations.
In the center of the room, an easel stood with an unfinished portrait. Beside it, a bucket of paint with a brush inside sat idle, the paint long since dried up. Jeremy's gaze lingered on the unfinished portrait, his eyes dwelling on it longer than the others. Josh followed his gaze and asked, "Why is that one unfinished?"
Jeremy's voice was weary as he replied, "That's because the people I was painting are the ones who killed us, after my grandfather tried to... take advantage of them." He gestured to the paint bucket. "I believe that's what we're looking for."
Jeremy picked up the bucket and brought it to Josh. "How do we do this?" he asked. Josh considered for a moment before suggesting, "I think it'll be safer if we do this outside, don't you?"
Jeremy nodded, and together they followed Josh outside, the bucket in hand.
Outside, Timothy cradled Mahome'i in his arms as the fire from the portraits continued to burn, albeit less fiercely. Timothy's gaze wandered from the flames to the house, which had undergone a dramatic transformation. The once-vibrant structure now stood as a barren, run-down ruin, reminiscent of an ancient civilization. The waterfall had dried up, and the lush, green landscape had withered away, leaving behind a desolate expanse. The animals that once roamed the area had vanished.
As Jeremy and Josh emerged from the house, Jeremy's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my," he breathed, taking in the stark contrast. Josh, however, seemed unfazed, having witnessed similar transformations before. "This is what happens when the source of the twisted lands is broken or destroyed," he explained calmly.
Jeremy's curiosity got the better of him. "So, was it all an illusion?" he asked. Josh's response was measured. "Yes and no. It was real for as long as you wanted it to be real."
As Josh approached Timothy and Mahome'i, Timothy watched him quietly, Mahome'i now asleep in his arms.
Richard's voice echoed in Timothy's mind, "There's something about your mentor that doesn't quite add up. I haven't grasped his intentions yet, and it's concerning me." Timothy suppressed a smile and replied mentally, "Sometimes, it's best not to try to understand people. We just have to let them be and appreciate the time we spend with them, even if they're distant at times and kind at others."
Richard fell silent, and Timothy continued to gaze out at the scene before him, lost in thought.
"Bring the bucket before me, Jeremy," Josh instructed, and Jeremy complied before stepping back. Josh closed his eyes, and his hands began moving in intricate, unfamiliar motions that left Timothy and Jeremy bewildered. The two watched in amazement, transfixed by the unusual gestures.
As Josh continued, the bucket on the floor began to float upward, as if lifted by an invisible force. Jeremy's eyes widened in wonder. Then, Josh started mumbling words in an unknown language, and symbols began appearing on the bucket and, most prominently, on the paintbrush. The paintbrush was soon covered in glowing symbols, and it detached from the bucket, floating in mid-air as the bucket fell to the ground.
The paintbrush continued to glow brightly, suspended in the air.
As the ritual progressed, Jeremy began to float in the air, covered in the same symbols that adorned the paintbrush. He started to glow, and the light emanating from his body grew brighter. Simultaneously, the paintbrush's glow dimmed, gradually losing its intensity until it finally fell to the ground, depleted.
It seemed Josh's ritual had succeeded in severing the bond between the paintbrush and Jeremy, extracting the essence imprinted on the paintbrush and restoring it to its rightful owner. Though Jeremy was no longer human, his essence was now fully restored, and he seemed whole once more.