At last they arrived in a gigantic room. From wall to wall, from floor to ceiling, it was covered with wine bottles. Gábor couldn’t see an end to it. Zanó took a bottle off a shelf, pulled out the cork, and took a sip from the drink. He savored its taste with his eyes closed, then put it down. There was a painted symbol on the bottle. Gábor looked at the marking and it felt like looking into a mirror. The sign meant him. It was not the name his mother gave him; it was his true name, the name that contained his fate and his nature. It was a truer name than any he knew, even though it wasn’t meant for human minds.

‘This is you.’ Zanó pointed at the bottle. ‘Your life, from birth to death, in the form of a drink. Now I can say that I know you. Even better than you know yourself. And I believe you should taste the last item. The Amber. In fact, I know you’re going to taste it.’

Gábor nodded, as much as his strength allowed. Of course he would.

‘Do you know what this place is? This mountain? Do you know what it’s made of? I can tell you, so that you’ll feel better afterwards.’

Gábor didn’t want to hear but couldn’t speak anymore.

‘This mountain, Gábor, is made up of the dead. Everyone who has ever lived, lives now, or ever will live in this world is here, the bones ground to a fine dust, compressed into stones. You are here as well, in this mountain. My mountain. Your fellows are here too, who came to taste the complexes. They are here alive, because I want them to drink, but they are also here dead. Everyone you know is here, and everyone you don’t. Here is where you all end up. And I make complexes out of you all. This is why you exist. The sole purpose of your kind. I want you to remember this when you wake up. It is a peaceful thing to be part of this mountain. It doesn’t matter whether you perceive your life as a failure or success. It is all just an aroma, no better or worse than any other. Remember that when this is over.’

Gábor wanted to cry, but he was too drunk. Zanó took the last bottle. It had an amber circle painted on it.

‘This is the Amber complex. The last item served tonight. Very few have ever tasted it.’ Seeing as long as his eyes could see, Gábor thought. He didn’t hesitate, he downed the complex without thinking.

Everything slipped away.