The group was resting. Noah and Seth were considering how to interpret the Black Pearl’s story once it ended, while Abraham and Mark were eagerly hoping he would explain the contents of the el-iksir. The Black Pearl continued:

“They even claim that ninety-nine stones that descended from the heavens carried fragments of cosmic energy, and that life on Earth began through them. Over the centuries, alchemists worked tirelessly—whether there were ninety-nine particles or some other number—to distinguish these cosmic grains from other elements and uncover their nature. Whatever new progress they achieved, they passed on secretly from master to apprentice.

The next part of the story concerns our island. On the ship that fled from Patyus the tyrant, there were two alchemists—unknown to all except a handful.”

Abraham turned to Mark and said:
“It sounds like he’s about to tell the continuation of the two-alchemist story you mentioned.”

Mark nodded:
“One of those alchemists was Odessa’s father, Ilius; the other was the Lord. I never had the chance to tell you. And what he said earlier about long life is true as well. The other day, Odessa and I were going to tell you too, but we thought you wouldn’t believe us and would think we were making up legends.”

Abraham could not respond to Mark—he didn’t want to miss a single word of the unfolding story.

“They settled on the two islands within the lake. I do not know the reason, but the island surrounding the lake—what we might call the Outer Isle—was forbidden to everyone except the two alchemists. They conducted several studies there, primarily concerning the elixir. The next part of the story I overheard secretly while working under the Lord. In truth, my plan was to take revenge on him—but I could not kill him.”

“What do you mean—he cannot die?” Noah asked.

“That is not exactly what I mean. Even though I mixed serpent venom—only a drop of which can kill a man—into his water, I could not kill him. All I witnessed was that he did not come out of his room for several days. Perhaps something else might kill him, but I never had the chance to try. I heard from his own mouth that his wounds no longer healed as quickly as before. So he said he tried to be more careful. As you can see, they did not discover immortality—only longevity.”

“Then tell us how they found it!” they insisted.

The Black Pearl looked at them meaningfully:

“Young man, I believe living too long is not a blessing at all. Imagine it—your child, your grandchildren, your friends all gone, perhaps not even bones remaining… yet you are still alive and utterly alone.

Being deprived of your family is, I think, the deepest form of loneliness. So I do not see anything enviable in it. Seventy, eighty, perhaps a hundred years—beyond that lies only the tragedy of solitude.”

“Forget all that—tell us about the elixir,” Seth said, burning with curiosity.

“Very well…” the Black Pearl replied, and continued.

“They discovered a great pit on the Outer Isle, and inside it, hot water.”

Abraham nudged Mark.
“That’s the pit we saw! The one the turtles entered in a line.”

“They saw many turtles, despite the boiling water, trying to lick the moisture collected along the walls of the pit. And contrary to what is commonly known, the turtles appeared far more energetic, agile, and fast. When a turtle was crushed or injured, its wound healed with extraordinary speed. A creature that should have died simply continued on its way as if nothing had happened. This caught their attention. They observed a similar situation in the birds as well.

At that moment, they began to think that the cosmic particles they had been searching for had fallen from the sky into this pit, and that the extreme heat of the falling fragment was what caused the water to boil so violently.

Taking into account the ancient saying, ‘Water is life,’ they concluded that the mixture of the elixir they were searching for must already be present in that pit. Then they noticed the trees around it—trees of various species—and how rapidly they grew. They realized this meant the soil there contained the different particles they had been seeking.

They drew the bubbling water with buckets and began to drink it. It tasted rather like metal,” he said.

Noah asked, “Did you taste it yourself?”

“Well, I drink it constantly. I already told you—the secret to long life is in that water. The Lord and his men would secretly go to that island again and again to collect it. I would drink it too, whenever they weren’t paying attention. But after some time, the body begins to reject it—you vomit it out. And even if one forces himself, the Lord’s father told him it would not extend life beyond six hundred years. And, of course, his father told him the same.”

“So they were alchemists as well?”

“Of course. One of the two alchemists who came to the island was the Lord’s grandfather.”

“Has anyone besides you ever drunk it?” Seth asked with curiosity.

“The Lord’s astonishingly beautiful wife—and the second alchemist whose identity we have never discovered,” the Black Pearl replied.

Petrus now understood everything: the Lord had secretly crossed from the Island of Qabil to their own island with his hidden wife, and sometime later—driven by his obsession with divinity and the idea of preserving a superior race unsullied by outsiders—he had killed Odessa. Amid that chaos, Petrus had saved the infant—Abraham. The Lord, at the last moment, had refrained from murdering his own child and entrusted him to Petrus, who served in his household. Now, Petrus had finally found clear answers to the questions that had haunted him for years.

Seeing Abraham listening with emotional eyes as his true mother and father were mentioned, Petrus embraced him and stroked his head. Abraham smiled, showing that although he was saddened, he was all right. Noah, on the other hand, was evaluating the Black Pearl’s words through the lens of the last divine revelations and the understanding of his own land:

“I know from the sources of my homeland that Prophet Adam lived a thousand years, Prophet Noah lived over nine hundred years, and Prophet Moses lived one hundred and fifty. And as we remember from his journey with Prophet Moses, Khidr is said to have lived before him and continues to live even today. Those who claim to have seen him may well be telling the truth, but in our belief, he exists in a different realm. Like Prophet Jesus, Prophet Elijah is also believed to have ascended to the heavens.

As for Seth—who is said in earlier scriptures to have disappeared—he cannot be Prophet Ilyas, for Prophet Ilyas came to the world after Prophet Noah.”

“In our sources, Khidr—whose prophethood is uncertain—might well be Seth, the third son of Prophet Adam as mentioned in the Torah. In any case, these figures do not exist within the same dimension of life in which we live, so their long lifespans cannot be compared to ours. There are prophetic teachings that say humanity will find a cure for every ailment except death. Could one of the secrets of long life be the drink known as the el-iksir? I do not know. But I do know that plant mixtures, taken in proper amounts over time, benefit the body. Drinking something once and instantly extending one’s life does not seem plausible to me.

To prolong life, beneficial elements must be applied to the body gradually. Since the last divine revelation says, ‘We sent down iron,’ it is possible that a fragment from the heavens fell onto the Outer Isle. And remembering that iron is described as a great mercy for humanity, it may be that iron—or something that descended with it—contains properties related to long life which we do not understand today, but which may be revealed in the future.

Iron, or some unknown substance that accompanied it, may have dissolved into the water. Through regularly drinking that water, the substance may have entered the body and produced certain positive changes. This is not impossible—divine narratives say that some prophets lived long lives, thus guiding humanity: ‘Search, study, and you too may discover the secret of long life.’

The examples of Prophet Adam, Prophet Noah, and Prophet Moses —who lived long lives and then died—show that longevity may indeed be possible. The fact that these three prophets lived in early ages suggests that one secret of long life lies in natural living. We can assume that in later ages, human interference with the world shortened life. This suggests to us that natural nourishment prolongs life.”

“To propose immortality by citing figures like Khidr, Seth, or Prophet Elijah—who dwell in another dimension of existence—sounds far too mythological. While the divine revelations constantly speak of the world’s transience and insignificance, promising the eternal realm of Paradise, these ignoramuses insist on pursuing immortality in this fleeting world. They attempt to twist divine scripture with forced interpretations, trying to use it as a reference for their desires.”

Noah had examined the matter of longevity through the lens of the scientific and technological knowledge of his age. In the eras that followed, it was understood that iron could not have been formed on Earth. Even the heat of the magma at the planet’s core was insufficient to produce it. Scientists explained that this element could have formed only in a place closer to the sun, and then arrived on Earth through an event such as a meteor fall.

In the early twentieth century, the idea that the universe began with the Great Explosion—the Big Bang—was proposed by George Lemaître and supported by Edwin Hubble. Yet the question of how the energy that formed the universe came into being, or rather what caused that explosion, could not be fully explained. According to the majority of scientists, two separate beams of particles traveling at ultra-high speed collided head-on, creating an enormous burst of energy and giving rise to two kinds of matter. One flowed toward the Earth and formed the planet, humans, and all living beings. The other, possessing particle charges opposite to ordinary matter, was antimatter.

It was known that antimatter existed beyond the Earth, for if even a trace of it touched any earthly substance, there would first be a flash of light that blinded the eyes, followed by a roar that deafened the ears, and finally an explosion that would leave no stone upon another. Toward the end of the twentieth century, the Nuclear Research Center in Europe—CERN—succeeded in producing the first particles of antimatter.”

“At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Elizabeth Black, who conducted studies on cellular DNA, began a series of experiments to uncover the secret of long life. She observed that a certain species of animal lived for many years. They discovered that the cells of this creature continued to multiply and renew themselves, thereby extending its lifespan. When Dr. Black and her team examined the creature’s cells, they found that the telomere section of its DNA was larger, and thus its cells never lost the ability to divide and reproduce.

Through their efforts to lengthen the telomere segment—or at least slow its shortening—they reached several conclusions. With methods aimed at encouraging healthy cellular regeneration, they achieved a measure of success, primarily through natural nutrition, avoiding chemical products, and certain complementary practices applied alongside improved dietary habits.”

“Dr. Black and her team had scientifically proven that a longer life might indeed be possible. Thus, Noah believed that an unknown substance, which fell to Earth together with iron on that ancient day, dissolved into the water, imparting its energy to the water molecules, and that this altered water somehow renewed the cells. In the centuries that followed, parts of Noah’s theory were supported by new findings—namely, that iron had come from beyond the Earth, and that antimatter created during the Big Bang could exist only outside the planet.

Science advances without pause. If we consider that life began with the Big Bang, then perhaps in the coming years, further studies will show that the energy produced when antimatter comes into contact with ordinary matter on Earth could prevent the shortening of telomeres, as Dr. Black described—thus allowing healthy cell division to continue for a longer time and extending the lifespan. In this way, the portions of Noah’s hypothesis that remained unproven would at last be completed. And just as Noah once suspected, it may be proven that the energy born from antimatter—whose existence he never knew—mixed into the water, the soil, and the surrounding vegetation, and that those who consumed the food and water of that region lived longer because of it.

As night fell, the elders—Petrus, Cindy, Seth—had drifted into sleep. The younger ones gathered around Noah, asking about the things the Black Pearl had told them. Noah explained to them that the tale of the serpent, the idea that people of dark skin were descendants of Qabil, and other such myths were not accepted by most religious scholars in Europe either; they were embraced mainly by adventurers seeking to cloak their beliefs in mysticism and by those who wished to justify colonialism.

Noah then looked carefully to see whether Seth was awake or asleep. Realizing that he had fallen into a deep sleep, he whispered:”

“The alchemists who hide themselves among others—those we refer to simply as the ‘others’—try, in their arrogance, to destroy the beliefs they consider obstacles, attempting to create the perception that the heavenly religions are nothing more than myths born from ancient legends. The theological aspect of the matter is not what concerns me most; rather, it is the lawlessness with which they seek to disrupt the order of the world. That is the true danger to humanity.”

Mark spoke up, curiosity in his voice:
“But I wonder… Some examples show that certain teachings found in paganism also appear—identically or nearly so—in the belief of tawhid. Doesn’t this make us think that even the monotheistic faith might be invented?”

Noah gently struck Mark’s back and said:
“My boy, first let me commend you for approaching the matter with a questioning mind. Yet we cannot know the answer to every question. Some events occurred so long ago that we may not possess sufficient information about them, and the written records concerning those matters may also be incomplete. Therefore, I may not be able to answer every question regarding the interaction between pagan beliefs and the heavenly religions.”

Then he turned to the real heart of the matter and continued:

“In tawhid, what is essential is the belief that there exists a Creator—one whose power and knowledge are infinite, who governs the universe with countless names and attributes—and all the other truths of faith that follow from this. Matters outside this core, the secondary details, may vary from society to society, from city to city. The manner of worship, what is permitted and what is forbidden, must be evaluated in light of these teachings. As long as certain older practices do not contradict the fundamental principles of tawhid, they may be accepted.

For example, a society accustomed to worship on a particular day during its pagan past may continue to worship on that same day and night after embracing a heavenly religion—so long as their intention and understanding are directed solely toward worshipping the one God. Another example: a people who once sacrificed animals to idols may, after adopting tawhid, offer a sacrifice for Allah and distribute the meat to the poor. These do not contradict the monotheistic belief. Besides, when we remember the existence of early prophets such as Prophet Adam, Seth, Hud, and Lut, we understand that, contrary to what pagans claim, tawhid began with humanity itself. Over time, pagans—and later, followers of other religions—borrowed certain teachings from tawhid and appropriated them as their own.”

Abraham’s mind had become occupied with the mysterious order known as “the others.”
He asked, “How will we recognize them?”

“You cannot,” Noah answered. “They hide themselves exceedingly well, and to mislead others, they even try to portray sincere believers as the enemy. For this reason, rather than trying to expose them, the best course is to strive to live our own faith correctly.”

Mark leaned toward Abraham and whispered:

“My friend, don’t be upset with me—but there is someone on this island whom you know, and he is one of them.”

“Who else could it be but the Lord? Didn’t countless people turn hostile toward God because of him? And did he not secretly harbor ambitions of divinity?”

“That is exactly why his alchemist friend Ilius severed all ties with him once he began to lose his way.”

“Then why didn’t the Lord kill Ilius?”

“He intended to, at one point. But he could neither find him nor the hidden cave in the forest. Later—perhaps due to the remnants of their old friendship—he no longer pursued it. Believing Ilius might yet discover immortality, he refrained from harming him; this may even be why he never destroyed the tower that connects the island to the outer world. Or perhaps there was some other expectation, some reason I cannot know, that kept him from killing Ilius,” he said.

Odessa, who had searched the island with the dwarf in hopes of finding her father, explained that she had still found no trace of him. Then, with meaningful eyes, she added:

“Yes, he may have been a flawed man, but because he respected invention and science, he did not kill my father. And I believe my father is still alive.”

Mark nodded in agreement. Noah could see the idealistic spirit within them both. After explaining the deep struggle between the “others” of the outside world and the sincere believers, he spoke his final words:

“If everything unfolds as we expect, Abraham,” Noah said, “my friend the cardinal will find you. And Mark, another friend of mine—Dr. Wickens—will reach out to you as well.”
Then he looked at Odessa. She said:

“I think it would be better if I stood on Mark’s side. My temperament suits that path more.”

Abraham and Mark exchanged a glance that clearly meant,
“We were thinking the same.”

Noah added:

“With your fluent Hebrew and your knowledge of ancient words, I believe you will be of greater help to people.”

Odessa nodded.
“Very well, let it be so.”

In essence, when they left the island for the outside world that night, Mark the alchemist would become a man of science, while Abraham and Odessa would become servants of faith. And above all, they had a shared purpose: to stand with goodness and devote their lives to it.