Awakening 17

Awakening 17 is the seventeenth episode of the Awakening animation series. It was released on January 7, 2023.
== Synopsis ==
“Big changes are coming now that the Sapphire Fox statue is no more. Alistair is finally human again after so many centuries.”
== Production ==
* Producer: Sam Mokler
* Writer: Paul Sell
* Animators: Mimi Alves
* Artists: Jeremy Pursell, Gabriel Carroll, Fil Romero
=== Cast ===
* Alistair – Ricco Fajardo
* Isabelle – Sarah Wiedenheft
* Sylvana – Miranda Greene
* Chris – Matt Shipman
* Jessica – Leslie Burk
* Claire – Brittany Lauda
* Ashley – Ashley Sahler
* Sebastian – BJ Hunter
* Gaela – Leslie Burk
* Zack – Aaron Dismuke
== Plot ==
Sylvana has successfully knocked out and partially buried Ashley and Sebastian. She laughs at her victory and the Arcane Explosive she's placed soon to go off. She then teleports away content she will now have her vengeance on Alistair and the others by burying them all, along with the island. Claire and Chris are on the beach nearby with Claire still trying to heal his wounds. In the lower caves Alistair embraces Isabelle as flesh and blood for the first time but due to the situation he must teleport away to face Sylvana. He teleports to the remains of the main hall but finds it a crater in ruins. Alistair reaches out and is quickly able to sense Sylvana has already fled but all his followers are alive but wounded and divided across the island. Alistair is relieved that his friends are alive, but he then looks over to realize the vault has been breached and all the curses are gone. He enters the vault and is brought to tears seeing that Sylvana has succeeded in destroying all his centuries of work and has re-cursed everyone he spent so long in curing. He dreads his failure but is soon to realize the bomb within the vault and sees it is set to detonate in 15 seconds. Forced to act fast, Alistair teleports each individual group of the Sapphire Legion to a familiar and nearby coastline. He first teleports Jessica and Isabelle, warping back immediately to fetch Ashley and Sebastian and finally makes a last trip to save Claire and Chris. As the group reunites on the pier overlooking the ocean Jessica questions where they are and where Sylvana is, but at that moment the bomb detonates, and Alistair's Island is obliterated sending a shock wave to the shore and leaving a glowing red mushroom cloud. The legion is devastated but despite Alistair feeling like he's lost everything he worked so long and so hard for Jessica offers him some words of encouragement pointing out they are all still alive and each have just a much drive to stop Sylvana as he does. Alistair says the best they can do for the moment is to treat the wounded and then plan for their next move. Claire suggests they get healing herbs and such from her apartment, but Isabelle points out Sylvana knows where they all live and it's too dangerous to go back now. However, Alistair says Sylvana doesn't know they would come there to the island he's teleported them to and asks Isabelle to come with him while Claire and Jessica try to heal the others.
Isabelle is confused but follows Alistair to a house inland a bit. Alistair explains it's the home of some non-blood friends he's had since Isabelle was a baby. They knock on the door, and it's answered by an aged Zack Houlton (Cinder Isle) revealing that Alistair must have teleported them to Cinder Isle since it was nearby. Zack is relieved saying he needs help but at first doesn't recognize Alistair as he had only ever seen him in his statue form. Alistair shows him a now darkened and broken shard of his old body to reveal who he is to Zack, and he asks him for help inside. Zack walks them inside where they hear pounding from the other room. Zack explains his wife Gaela is locked in the other room because a short while ago her eyes turned red, and she cut herself before trying to attack him revealing she's been re-cursed like the others and become enslaved to Sylvana's will. Alistair tries to explain this to Isabelle but at that moment Gaela breaks through the door with a hatchet calling out to Zack with lust and anger. Zack begs Alistair to help her, and Alistair stands at the ready as Gaela moves forward to try and infect the others. He quickly casts a curse removal spell and re-cures Gaela removing the now blackened curse orb and returning her to her senses. Gaela collapses in a daze but Zack catches her and stirs her awake with no clear memory of what just happened. Alistair greets her but Gaela is still confused. Zack explains how Alistair has become human and Gaela greets him happily asking if he is really human now or in a construct form. Alistair mentions how he gave her a book on sorcery, and she's clearly been reading it which seems to surprise Isabelle a bit. Alistair then introduces Isabelle to the couple and Gaela says how he's talked a lot about her in the past. Despite the reunion Zack asks what all is going on. Alistair says he'll explain everything later but asks the couple if he and the others can stay with them for a little while so they can recover and come up with a new plan. Zack and Gaela welcome them all into their home and Alistair teleports away to get the others.
== Trivia ==
* The is the debut of Zack and Gaela Houlton in animation form revealing Alistair has kept contact with them over the past twenty plus years.
* Gaela's escape method from the locked room is a clear reference to the classic moment in "The Shining".