Tirad is once again caught up by the fine motion of Lealy’s fingers. He tries not to follow the tan skin of Lealy’s arms towards the desirable bumps of her full breasts that slowly tremor with her hand movements. He has come for the Spawn-Scorching ceremony, yet he is unable to stop his temptations. He intentionally turns his head away looking for the higher tier disciples. He sees Mart with two red circles on his naked shoulders, markings that prove he has been cleansed by the roasted spawns. He sees Farnab that is going towards the cabins; he must have been the first person taking part in the ceremony, as usual. Hurmaz comes closer, standing behind Khunas but Tirad can hardly see him through the thick smoke. He turns around again this time looking for Dalia and her mother but doesn’t see them in the crowd. The baby’s body was to be burnt today; perhaps it will be done at the end of the ceremony. Or maybe they have already burnt it and he has missed it. He suddenly comes eye to eye with his student. The little girl has put her messy hair behind her ears and looks at Tirad and his every move with careful supervision. He wants to send her away. He feels annoyed and anxious by her curious eyes. But didn’t he want the girl to see him cleansed from the unwanted killing of the snake? He suddenly looks down as if something touches his feet. But there are no water snakes where a fire burns. He sighs and turns towards the fire. He should have stayed in the line if he wasn’t a disciple. The pilgrims stand back allowing him to go forward and he approaches Khunas, standing in front of him.

Khunas lets go of the burned spawns in the fire and picks up unroasted ones from the copper bowl. He starts singing the Saviour Hymns and places the burning spawns on Tirad’s shoulder. Tirad feels the sharp pain and takes it in with all his heart. He has to keep his head high and cleanse himself of all his faulty deed and thoughts, he starts counting them in his mind without any order: killing the water snake, taking the book ‘Brothers Karamazov’, having believed that Lady Parsana was exiled from the Saviour Ship or even considering the possibility, oversleeping and missing the Circle meeting, desiring Lealy’s arms and Dalia’s eyes that had no eyelashes… Will he ever feel unburdened by them? He brings his face forward demanding the ritual to continue. He needs to spawn-scorch his forehead to cleanse his mind from the temptations and scepticism. It is the third time he requires such a ritual. The first time was after handing over to Hurmaz the forbidden book of ‘Brothers Karamazov’ and the second time was after Lealy had expressed her love to him tempting him to sleep with her. He knows it’s going to be painful and he desires that soaring pain with all his being. He wants that lightness of heart and that peace of mind that comes afterwards and the cleansed breath he would exhale after the scorched spawns are removed. Khunas presses the prong on Tirads’s forehead between his eyebrows as he sings, “You are now free…by the Rules of the Saviour… May you stay light and free of all faults and impurity…” Tirad feels the pressure and the burning on his sensitive skin. He feels a soar sharp pain, perhaps the soaring pain of all his impurities and temptations that spread through his body from head to toe. He can no longer feel his legs. He shivers and falls down on his back with a shriek before Khunas takes the prong away.