Gerontius's disembodied soul awakens, "refreshed". Now awake as just a soul he feels free of time and has a new sense of freedom. Gerontius cannot tell if he’s alive or dead but assumes he is not dead because he feels nothing out of place. He believes he could get up if only he willed it but finds that "I cannot stir a hand or foot". All of this begins to disorient him and he begins to feel as if he is floating through space, or possibly that space is floating away from him. His Guardian Angel appears just as Gerontius begins to lose his mind. The angel tells Gerontius that the angel has been watching over him since birth and now the work is done. The angel goes on to explain that throughout Gerontius's life, he has been present to keep a balance of truth and sin, to never let Gerontius fall too far down the wrong way. Gerontius finally accepts after talking to the angel that he is dead.