At first Abraham panicked, but then realized the person they had stumbled over was Seth, waiting for them. His first impression of Seth had been that he was a coward and a selfish man. His second impression—despite a slight difference in accent—was that he could speak their language fluently and clearly, almost like a native islander.

Seeing that the exit of the tunnel was also blocked by a slab of rock and that squeezing through the narrow gap would be difficult, Abraham pulled out the mine from his pocket. Feeling a growing warmth toward Noah, he turned to him and said:

“If this were actually mine, I wouldn’t waste it so easily.”

When Noah smiled, Abraham realized he had understood the joke.
“So at least he can understand me perfectly,” he thought.

By now, setting the fuse and blasting a mine had become almost a game for Abraham. The tunnel’s exit opened onto a rocky ledge overlooking the lake. They slipped out carefully and chose each foothold with great attention as they climbed a few meters upward. Although the open air revived Odessa slightly, she still did not feel strong enough to walk on her own. And there was no time to wait for her strength to return.

“I wish I’d brought a rope,” Abraham muttered.

Noah stepped in.
“We can be the rope,” he said. “We can tie ourselves together—well, hold on to one another tightly—and lower ourselves like a rope from above to pull her up the rock.”

The one at the very top—Noah—held Melisa by the ankles; she, in turn, held Abraham’s ankles. Abraham, dangling at the lowest point, wrapped his arms tightly around Odessa. With Noah pulling them upward, they managed to overcome yet another obstacle. Abraham was now certain that this man he had only just met was sincere, helpful, and genuinely self-sacrificing.

Seth, not wanting to appear useless, pretended to be helping by tugging at Noah, though Abraham easily saw through his artificial gestures. Without wasting a moment, the fugitives left the area behind. Yet they had no clear idea where they were going. Since Abraham had not known where the tunnel would lead, his only plan afterward was to reach a safe, hidden place.

Melisa said,
“Follow me. I’ll take you to a place no one else knows,”
and moved to the front, guiding the group.

When Abraham recognized that the path led toward the forbidden western forest—where his family served as wardens—he asked,
“Where are we going? Don’t tell me we’re heading to my house!”

Melisa smiled and pointed toward the forest ahead.
“Do you really think your home is the only one here? That would be quite an uncharitable view for land this large.”

A moment later, she stopped beside the stone wall marking the beginning of the forbidden forest. She pushed aside the bushes and leaves at its base. When Abraham leaned forward, he saw the opening beneath the wall—large enough for them to crawl through to the other side.

“Oh dear God, are there moles that big in this forest—big enough to dig a hole like this?” Abraham teased as he crouched beside Melisa.

Meanwhile, Noah kept plucking small leaves from the ground every now and then. When Abraham glanced at them, he realized they were all from a particular type of herb. What on earth does he plan to do with those? he wondered silently.

Abraham had come to this part of the forest before, but his father had always warned him not to climb higher because of the snakes. When he voiced his concern, Melisa answered:

“In this season, snakes don’t show themselves. And when the weather warms, as long as you don’t harm them, the most they’ll do is hiss and slither away. If they know you won’t disturb their nests or their young, you can think of them as greeting you politely and passing by—considering you their neighbor.”

Please don’t tell me I’m neighbors with snakes, Abraham muttered inwardly.

Just then, Odessa intervened:
“This lower path crosses right through their nesting grounds. If we disturb them, they might attack out of sheer panic. Even if it’s longer, we should use the upper trail.”

Abraham understood then that both sisters knew the forest well. The moon, which had guided them like a lantern through the night, was yielding its place to the rising sun. The Lord of creation, who darkens the world so that His guests in this earthly inn may rest, had now drawn back the night to let daylight in.

The fugitives had been walking all night. Added to their exhaustion were the fear of being caught, the explosions behind them, and the uncertainty of what awaited them. Fatigue had become nearly unbearable.

Thankfully, Odessa’s voice signaled that the ordeal was almost over:

“Wait—stop. Stay behind me. We’re here. This is our hidden home… well, our cave,” Odessa said.

She pushed aside the large, dried branches first, then pressed against a stone that looked as if it had been cut with perfect precision. When it shifted, the entrance to the cave revealed itself.

Abraham murmured inwardly:
It makes sense that I never noticed this place before. In this thick part of the forest—the Snakewood Region—who would look twice at a pile of dry branches or a random boulder? What’s not normal… is the fact that people actually live here.

They entered one by one. Melisa’s mother welcomed them inside. Abraham looked around in astonishment: the cave was nothing like a cave. It had rooms, even a separate kitchen—more like a hidden home than anything else. While observing all this, he glanced at the woman with meaningful eyes. She understood.

“Abraham,” she said, “this is my second home. And after what happened… I couldn’t return to the farm. You know just as well as I do that sooner or later the Lord would punish us—throw us into the kodes.”

Abraham’s tired eyelids could barely hold themselves open any longer. When he looked to his side, he saw that Noah and Seth had already fallen fast asleep. A moment later, following the guidance of their host, he too lay down and drifted into a deep, heavy slumber.

Hours passed. Abraham finally began to stir, his eyelids fluttering open. The deep silence of the house made him assume the others were still asleep. He lifted his head, and that’s when he noticed it—the faint rustling coming from the door on the right. Odessa’s room.

When the images he had seen in the château a few days earlier flashed through his mind, Abraham suddenly stood up and strode toward the sound. He found Noah beside Odessa—one hand holding a cup of steaming tea, the other gently touching her forehead.

For a brief moment, the distrust he instinctively felt toward strangers pushed him to snap, “Take your hand off her.” But Noah looked up at him and said softly, “Her fever still hasn’t gone down. I’m hoping this herbal tea helps.”

Those words reined Abraham in like a horse abruptly pulled back by its rider.
After all—was this not the same Noah who had carried him through the tunnel, helping him keep his balance the whole way?
Would it be right—honorable—for him to forget that kindness and repay it with suspicion? Especially when Noah so clearly valued moral and human decency?

Abraham cleared his throat and asked,
“What tea is that?”

“In my homeland we call it sage tea,” Noah replied. “It calms the nerves. Her fear of enclosed spaces has taken quite a toll on her. Melisa told me she’s struggled with it since childhood.”

Abraham noticed the bundle of herbs beside him and realized Noah must have gathered them along the way—specifically for Odessa. The sincerity on the man’s face reassured him, and so he decided to ask the questions forming in his mind.

“How do you know all this? Are you a healer?”

Noah handed the cup to Melisa, who began helping her sister drink it. Then he lifted his head and answered:

“I’m not just a healer,” Noah said. “I used to teach courses on the history of religions. Mostly on the concept of monotheism—particularly traditions that differ slightly from the mainstream understanding of tawhid.”

Abraham asked his next question partly to test him, partly out of genuine curiosity:

“There is a saying: ‘Surely Allah created man in the form of the Most Merciful.’
And there are others like it. For example: ‘The kingdom of God is within you’ (Luke 17:21), or in the Psalms, ‘You are gods…’ (82:6).
And in Genesis: ‘God created man in His own image’ (1:26–27).
Are we truly meant to accept all these statements? As far as I know, a created being cannot resemble the Creator.”

Noah realized from the depth of the question that the boy before him was both clever and learned. Before answering, he voiced his astonishment:

“How did you even hear the first saying? The prophet who spoke those words lived long after your ancestors first came to this island.

As for your question—yes, the words of that prophet and the sayings of Jesus in the holy scriptures can be understood as pointing toward the same idea.
But the phrase that seems similar—‘Do you not know that you are gods?’—comes from a Hermetic maxim, and its purpose is entirely different.

One must distinguish the teachings of heaven-sent prophets from belief systems that claim human beings can ascend into divinity.”

Abraham realized from Noah’s very first words that he was deeply knowledgeable about the subject. When Noah began to speak, Abraham forgot to say that he had learned this from the papyri in the library.”

Noah continued:

“To make the matter easier to understand, let me begin with an analogy.
A craftsman—for example, a sculptor—is known through his work. The statues he creates reveal that his success is not born of chance but of true knowledge and skill. The precise measurements, the order, the symmetry and geometric harmony, the engineering-level adjustments, and the mathematical delicacy within his sculptures… All these, together with beauty, balance, and the sense of perfection they evoke, display the sculptor’s qualities to those who behold them. Through his sculpture, the sculptor both introduces himself to the observer and delights in beholding his own creation. This analogy is not only for a human being and his sculpture; it can apply to any created thing.

Forgive the comparison, but just as we can recognize a sculptor through his statue, we recognize the Creator by contemplating the ‘forms’ He fashioned: the earth as an image of the cosmos, the human form, and the forms of all living beings.
When we see the variety in His creations, we understand Him to be al-Musawwir the One who shapes as He wills. When we witness the measure within all things, we perceive al-Muqaddir, the Determiner. When we see perfect arrangement, we recognize al-Munazzim, the Organizer. And when we behold generosity, provision, grace, and beauty flowing through creation, we understand Him to be al-Karim.

Realizing that all these wonders are wrought with purpose and wisdom, we see Him as al-'Alim and al-Hakim. His compassion toward His servants—His feeding them, quenching their thirst, fulfilling their needs—reveals Him to be the Most Tender, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of gifts.

When we look at the human form, we see balance, proportion, and symmetry—clear signs that its creation was no accident, but the work of wisdom and knowledge. Take, for example, the upper and lower teeth: their precise alignment allows them to cut, grind, and prepare food for the stomach. Anyone who has lost their teeth knows how vital this seemingly simple function truly is, for without it even the taste of food is diminished.

A similar harmony exists in the ears, eyes, and nostrils—each placed symmetrically, each within the perfect bounds of size and proportion. Every feature on the human face lies in the most fitting place to serve its purpose. What state would we be in if our mouths were where our eyes are, or our eyes where our ears rest? Surely, the order, precision, and delicate balance of the human countenance reveal that these features are not the product of chance, but of a Creator endowed with infinite knowledge.

Is it not a sign of His compassion that one of our most essential needs—hunger—is met through the mouth and the teeth that prepare sustenance? And though all humans possess the same set of organs, each face remains uniquely its own. Does this not show that He deals with every soul through His will, shaping each living being differently? His crafting of every creature in a distinct form is itself evidence of the sacred delight He takes in giving value to those He has created.

As a result, this saying does not imply that the human form physically resembles Allah. Rather—just as I explained through His Names and Attributes—the human visage is a corporeal reflection of many of Allah’s qualities. The purpose of this statement is to lead a person, when contemplating the human countenance, to ponder the infinite majesty, knowledge, and power of the Almighty.

Sadly, certain mystical groups that have strayed from their origins—and those who vainly try to contend with Allah—interpret such words according to their own desires. We know that some ideologically driven groups, who have effectively declared war on the Divine, attempt to slip their own notions between the lines of sacred revelation. What alterations they may have made in the original texts to justify their claims, I cannot say.

In my view, the expression “the kingdom of God is within you” can be understood as I have described: the manifestation of God’s Names and Attributes within the human being. One turns toward God by affirming Him with the heart and allowing His guidance to lead one’s life. Only after this come acts of worship and the religious commands we refer to as lawful and unlawful.”

Abraham listened with great care to Noah’s explanations, which spoke both to the mind and to the heart. From Noah’s manner of teaching, he understood that the various prophets had presented different facets of the same truth to their respective peoples. He recalled from the inscriptions left by his ancestors that different nations had often attempted to portray their own prophets as superior to all others. Perhaps there were degrees of rank among the prophets, but such matters were secondary; what truly mattered was their unity in the foundations of monotheism.

If even on his small island—composed of several tribes—meaningless disputes arose about this, leading some to justify themselves through lies, then it was certain that the outer world faced far greater divisions. From Noah’s words, Abraham understood, just as he had once read on the papyrus scrolls, that after his ancestors settled on this island, a prophet foretold in the later Scriptures had indeed come.

He wished to ask Noah questions about that prophet, yet another question pressed more heavily on his mind…

“What I gather from what you’ve explained is that there are many people living beyond this island. And since a prophet appeared after my ancestors came here, I already suspected the world outside was not empty. My question is not about this new faith you speak of; rather, why did you lie and say that only a few islands remain in the outside world?”

Noah understood at once that Abraham was referring to the lie they told the crowd the moment they arrived on the island.

“First of all,” Noah said, “this is not a new religion. It is the same monotheistic faith that began with the first human, Adam—presented now in a form suited to the people of the final age, so that truths such as belief in Allah and the afterlife may be better understood. It confirms the earlier sacred books and speaks of every prophet with praise.” Then he smiled gently and added:

“Now let’s come to what you truly wish to know.

“You’re right—we lied. But surely you can see that we had no choice. If, in Lord’s presence, I had said: ‘Beyond this island lie vast continents filled with countless peoples. Great ships travel across the world. Though not entirely abolished, slavery is nothing like before. Many nations speak different languages and follow different beliefs. Idealists with distinct identities yet shared values join together to help the oppressed, reaching even the most remote islands,’ do you think Lord would have let us live?”

Abraham understood from Noah’s final words that he was speaking about them. From this he guessed that a strong, idealistic fellowship must have sent Noah and Seth here. And from the way Noah spoke, it seemed as though they had known of a tyrant like the Lord even before reaching the island—perhaps they had come with that knowledge in mind.

“So,” Abraham said, “the story about your ship sinking in a storm and your surviving by chance in a small boat was a lie as well. In other words, your arrival here was planned—is that it?”

Noah pointed gently toward Odessa.

“The answers to those difficult questions lie with this young lady. It would not be right for me to come between you and your companions. In truth, on this island my master is this young woman—and another she describes as wise and good. He too is, in a sense, my second master.”

Abraham thought to himself, I must be the only normal one on this island. Why is everyone wrapped in secrets?