In a villa in Rojia City, Piaget sat in a wheelchair facing the burning fireplace.
Firelight flickered across his face.
Paintings depicting loving memories of his past life floated up from beside his feet, flew into the fireplace, and began to burn.
He watched intently, as though appreciating how the paintings unfolded against a different backdrop.
Mr. Bede returned from outside, opened the entrance door, and exclaimed in surprise at the sight:
"Piaget, what are you doing?"
Piaget ignored Mr. Bede's cry and continued burning the paintings.
"Tell me, what's wrong?" Mr. Bede approached him. "Have you sensed something new again?"
Piaget said nothing, silently turning his gaze toward the box of paints on the tea table beside him. It was a gift his wife had made from her own ashes, the thing he had once treasured most.
But now, this box of ashes also began floating toward the fireplace.
Mr. Bede reached out and caught the paint box. "Have you gone mad? This is the token your wife left you!"
This time, Bede's voice was filled with unease and panic, because Linda was the sole bond connecting Piaget to the Wall God Church.
Once that bond broke, Piaget would lose all connection to the Wall God Church. Having stayed with him for so long, Bede knew very well that Piaget had always rejected and resisted the Wall God Church's doctrine... no, he did not even truly enjoy painting!
With his rhythm interrupted, Piaget finally looked at Mr. Bede. "Mr. Bede, the truth is, I've often known you were lying to me, but I was very willing to let you.
"But now, I can't keep deceiving myself any longer.
"In truth,
"from the very beginning, it was a dream of my own presumptuous making, a beautiful dream and a nightmare."