Like the day couldn't exist without the night, like light couldn't exist without darkness, as Yin relies on Yang, and like the moon pulled the tides, Hannah and Garin were opposites that couldn't exist without the other. Their existence was completely dependent on each other and if one of them were to die, the other would find life meaningless and not worth living.
Garin was in trouble and he needed to be saved because if he died in this storm and left Hannah all alone, she would slip into depression and would eventually take her own life just to be with him in Harlem.
"Garin," Hannah called out to him, barely able to hear the sound of her own voice because of how loud everything else was.
"Garin," Hannah searched, barely able to stay on her feet because of how powerful the winds were.
She moved closer and closer to where Garin was but, she couldn't see him yet. Just at the moment when it seemed like she was going to finally run into him, she went in a different direction, unaware that if she just kept moving forward, she would find him.
Garin's head was busted-up and his blood was mixing with the flood of water. He was getting killed in more ways than one; he was dying from the blow he suffered to the head, he was dying from drowning because the water was getting over his nose, he was dying from hypothermia as his body temperature was dropping exponentially low, and he was also dying emotionally because he didn't know how Hannah was fairing and that was the worst of it all.
Garin could feel the cold hands of Death wrapping its icy fingers around him and when he managed to open his eyes, he found himself in another plane. It was a mental plane that existed in his subconsciousness and he had been transported there by Death so he could face Him and take the test to see if it was his time to leave the Earth, go back to Hell and get sent to Harlem OR if he still had enough willpower to cling on to life on Earth.
"Hello," Garin called out and his voice echoed back to him.
He didn't know where he was because it didn't look like anywhere he had ever been before. The world around him was an endless space of white and just in front of him were two figures and they looked like they were alive. He cautiously went forward and moved closer to the figures and when he got to a certain distance, he felt himself cross over what felt like a bridge between the physical world and the spiritual world.
His human clothes on his body transformed into his demon armour and his horns and wings sprouted out of his head and back respectively and Garin smiled when he saw them, though he was confused and didn't understand what was happening to him.
He reached the two figures and they were the same creature but opposite. One of them was completely white while the other was completely red and they both had bowls of water floating right in front of them. They were manlike but didn't have faces on their heads nor did they have arms on their torso and when they spoke, their weird voice sent spikes of ice down Garin's spine despite his toughness and former demonhood.
"What are you two supposed to be and what is this place?" Garin asked.
"Welcome, ex-demon, to the crossroads of existence!" The white creature said.
"We are Life and Death, Freedom and Bondage, Pain or Peace but unfortunately for whoever comes before us, it is easy to misunderstand which of us is best for you," The red creature said.
"What do you mean by that?" Garin asked.
"Many have faced us and they thought that freedom and peace were associated with Life but ended up dying because what makes what isn't based on one particular entity. Your choice to live or die depends on what lies within your heart, even the emotions and desires you bury deep inside that you can't even see," The white said again.
"The soul is a mirror that reflects your desires but rather than see what you want, you see what you don't want and a misconception of what is needed for completion sprouts up in your mind, leaving you to doubt your basic instincts and desires," The red said as well.
"I absolutely have no idea what any of what you've said means," Garin responded.
"There's no need to listen to words that your feeble mind cannot comprehend. Look into the bowls and make your choice but be warned, once a choice is made, it cannot be unmade," The red said.
"Once a path is chosen, it cannot be unchosen and the journey to determine which plane your existence will continue begins and cannot stop," The white said.
They backed away from the bowls and Garin went closer and stared into the white.
When he looked inside it, he saw the worst parts of the life he had lived while on Earth. He saw his pain and suffering, he saw his loss and grief, and he saw his disappointments and regrets. The more he looked, the less he wanted to see but he couldn't look away. He saw his life in Amania and it felt unfulfilling as it was the same boring routine over and over again. The white bowl stopped showing him those visions and he was now able to look away.
He walked over to the red bowl and when he looked inside it, he saw the best parts of the life he had lived while he was still a demon. He saw himself soaring through the clouds, freer than a bird. He felt the magic in his blood and the peace that came with that level of power and majesty. He saw himself with his brother, Sader, the only one who ever treated him like family and he remembered how much fun they had tormenting their other siblings. The red bowl stopped showing him those visions and he looked away.
"Make your choice, Garin," The red said to him.
"...and when you choose, dip your hands into the bowl and let the water wash you into your true existence," The white added.
Garin didn't feel conflicted at all because the answer was obvious to him. His choice was clear and his mind was already made up. He reached for the red bowl and was about to dip his hands into it but then, he hesitated.
"Make your choice," the red said again, "Why have you stopped?"
"Do you hear that?" Garin asked and strained his ears, trying to clarify what he was hearing.
The sound was faint and it was coming from the white bowl. He wasn't sure what he was hearing but for some reason, he felt drawn to the sound.
"Make your choice," The white urged him.
"I will, just give me a minute," Garin told the creature.
"Garin," The sound he was hearing was his name but he still couldn't make it out.
"Garin," It said again and it was more audible than before.
He moved over to the white bowl and then, "Garin" was said again and he could hear it properly now.
It was Hannah's voice and she was calling out to him in the physical world but it was powerful enough to break through the barriers and into the crossroads of existence.
"Hannah?" Garin called out back.
"There is no Hannah here. There is only Life or Death. Now, choose," The white said.
Garin heard Hannah's voice again but this time, he heard the sound from behind him and not from the white bowl. He looked back and felt something pulling his soul back from whence it came and then, he realized the reality of his situation.
"This is a trick," he whispered and then, he stared at the white and red, "This is a trick," he said louder.
"Whatever bowl I choose, I'll still die and nothing promised will be given. You're not life or death, you're just death in two different forms and no matter what I choose, there will be no happy ending. The only happy ending is going back towards the sound of her voice. She is my life, she's what I need, she's my greatest desire and I choose her. I choose only her, now and always. I choose her. She is my choice," Garin said.
The two bowls fell to the ground and broke into pieces. The white and red creatures blended into each other and became one dark creature; the Grim Reaper! Death himself.
"Well done, ex-demon. It would seem it's not your time yet but when your time comes, I will come again," Death said and blew him away.
Garin flew through the plane and tore through it, out into the physical world. His eyes shot open and he found himself back in the storm and Hannah's voice was still calling out his name.
He got up to his feet and followed the sound of her voice, calling out her name as well so she would find her way to him too.
"Hannah," he called out.
"Garin?" She asked when she heard his voice.
"I'm over here, My Love," he screamed and moved as fast as he could.
Hannah followed his voice and finally, she was able to see him and he saw her as well. They ran to each other and at that moment, nothing else mattered. It was just another obstacle toppled and when their skin touched, it brought not just warmth but also a feeling of certainty that they would survive and their love would last for all eternity.