Pavel rolls over, unearthing the lantern Garth had given him, tucked close to his chest beneath the blankets.
Pavel: Mom… What happened to Garth? Is he… dead?
Vanna: The Silence. It leaves you alive but… empty. Garth will never speak or move again. Some say it’s the Fata Morgana that do it. Some say it’s Cheth. Some even dare to say it’s Cheline… Regardless… He used his last moment to pass along that lantern… And now, we can’t ask him why.
The cup of hot cocoa steams in Vanna’s hands and Pavel holds the lantern up to inspect it more closely. On the shelves behind him, picture frames reflect the light and small statues or art projects glimmer. A skull, significantly smaller than Charlie, who lives at the Aquifer, populates the shelves with a few more of Pavel’s favorite things.
Pavel: Mom… this shard inside… I don’t think it’s Revenite. I think it’s Phantomarine.
He holds up the globe for her to inspect and Vanna exchanges it for the cup of cocoa. She holds it up to the light, trying to see through the glass casing.
Vanna: PHANTOMARINE? I was wondering the same thing. They used up every shard in the world when they built the lighthouse road. Goddess’s orders. If there are any pieces still left out there… Well, there SHOULDN’T be.
Pavel sips at his cocoa while Vanna puzzles.
Vanna: The Revenite in our lighthouse… it can’t glow without an energy source. But this… It’s got no batteries in sight.
