The old house had fallen into a strange silence.
Grandmother and the others were still struggling to make sense of what had happened. No one spoke for a long time.
Finally, Grandmother let out a long, weary sigh and said in a firm yet tired voice:
"Go home, all of you. There's nothing more we can do tonight."
One by one, they left, their whispers fading into the distance.
The house grew still.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Not even the faint rustle of wind through the windows.
Grandmother stood there for a while, her heart heavy with questions she could not answer. At last, she turned away, retreating to her room with a thought etched deep in her mind:
"Tomorrow. I'll speak to Talotkan tomorrow."
And elsewhere…
The storm raged on.
Rain battered the earth like a relentless drumbeat.
Lightning split the heavens, and thunder roared with primal fury.
Inside Yim's house...
Chaos.
Raw. Violent.
The glow of countless candles flickered wildly, throwing long, trembling shadows across the walls.
Yim had lost control.
Her breath came in ragged gasps as she stared at the flames, her eyes wide with horror.
"Fire…" her voice broke, raw with agony.
"I hate fire! It devoured them.....my family… it ate them alive!"
Her scream tore through the room like shattered glass.
Her body shook as though an invisible dagger had been driven into her chest, again and again, twisting deeper with every memory.
Talotkan froze for an instant...
Then rushed forward, her voice trembling yet gentle, desperate to reach her.
"Yim! Stop...please, calm down! It's me… it's Talotkan!"
But Yim didn't hear her.
Couldn't hear her.
Her terror had consumed her completely.
She grabbed anything her hands could find...pillows, glasses, books.....hurling them with wild, frantic strength.
Each object smashed against the floor or walls, some striking the candles, snuffing out their light one by one.
"No more fire! No more! NO MORE!"
Talotkan's heart clenched.
She lunged forward.....arms outstretched.....and pulled Yim into a fierce embrace.
The girl thrashed like a trapped bird, but Talotkan held her tighter, her own strength fueled by something deeper than fear.
"It's me, Yim… listen to me… I'm here. You're safe. You don't have to be afraid anymore…"
Her voice shook, breaking under the weight of the storm outside and the storm inside Yim's heart.
Lightning flashed.
Thunder cracked.
Rain slammed against the windows, relentless and merciless.
And inside…
Two souls clung to each other in a world of darkness.
Talotkan stroked Yim's back in slow, tender circles, as if soothing a frightened child.....
As if she were her mother.
Little by little, Yim's strength ebbed away.
Her fury melted into sobs.
And then, silence.
The last candle went out, drowned by her desperate blows.....
And darkness returned, thick and absolute.
Yim's breath slowed.
Her eyes fluttered closed, her lashes heavy with exhaustion.
Deep down, perhaps, she had recognized Talotkan's voice…
Or maybe it was just the warmth of those arms that felt like home.
And so.....
She slept.
Curled against Talotkan, like a wounded bird seeking shelter.
But Talotkan…
She didn't sleep.
She sat there, unmoving, her arms still wrapped around the fragile body in her embrace, her mind a storm of its own.
What had she just witnessed?
The girl she had known.....so calm, so composed...
Had shattered before her eyes.
First, the strange sight of candles thrown into the trash…
And now, this uncontrollable fear of fire....
So fierce it bordered on madness.
Talotkan's jaw tightened, her eyes glinting in the darkness.
One thought carved itself deep into her heart: