"!!!"

 

As their personal Soul Hall Domain shook greatly, both Arash and Hana resolutely touched the bridge at the same time and did not let go. 

 

Instantly, a new connection formed between the two. They could feel each other's presence from the other side. He knew she noticed. She knew he was there, looking directly at her. No words could explain what they were feeling at that moment. 

 

They shared a vision. 

 

An old, cherished memory.

 

It was late evening many years back when they were in their mid-twenties. Arash and Hana walked over a small bridge while savoring the gentle breeze. As usual, it was the last stop before they parted ways; Arash, to return to his rented house, and Hana, to university. The small pond underneath was full of white blooming lotuses. The weather was mild and cloudy. At the middle of the bridge, Arash pulled Hana to the edge. They gazed over the pond in silence.

 

Arash took out a small light blue box from his pocket and placed it on Hana's palm.

 

"I have something for you."

 

"What's the occasion? My birthday was over months ago. Don't waste money--" Hana was about to start a lecture but was stopped by Arash abruptly. He actually poked Hana's nose and even wiggled it left and right! 

 

Hana nearly blew up her top in embarrassment. To her, it's offensive! It wasn't funny at all! Especially when she was trying to talk about something serious!

 

Sensibly, Arash stopped his prank and opened the box for her hastily.

 

A silver-colored bellflower cluster brooch with twirled vines as the backdrop, studded with pearls, adorned a black velvet casing. 

 

"..." Hana's gaze softened.

 

"I saw you stare a moment longer at this brooch during our last date. I also noticed you always read books at a gazebo covered with huge yellow bellflowers in our old school. This particular park has a pretty bridge." He patted the railings, indicating he noticed the clusters of bellflower embellished on the white-washed English-styled curved bridge. 

 

Hana didn't say anything but was deeply touched. Their last date was three months ago since both of them were so busy. Moreover, they last attended school more than eight years ago! It meant that he had been watching for a long, long time! 

 

Hana never told anyone she liked flowers or any particular ones. It was way too girly for her liking. With Arash, their interest in anime and manga coincide, resulting in them getting closer once upon a time ago. That was it. Friendship blossomed into something more after so many years.

 

Attention to detail. 

 

That was Arash's forte. 

 

He had touched her heart time and time again.

 

"Would you believe that I will always notice whatever you like for the rest of my life? Even if I miss a few times in the future, I will still do my best to give you my devotion and make you happy. I'm confident I will be able to."

 

Hana's eyes turned wide. This... It sounded like a proposal! It was still a bit too ambiguous, though. Hana was flustered and somewhat confused. What if she understood wrongly and embarrassed herself again?

 

After a few minutes of waiting for an answer but not receiving it, Arash stared deep into Hana's eyes and asked.

 

"Is it okay if my parents come over with a ring to meet your mom next month?"(1)

 

The connection terminated.

 

Kuro had forcefully pulled Hana away. She was upset, but upon observing her nearly collapsing Soul Hall Domain, the blame in her eyes disappeared, replaced with a helpless smile.

 

Thank you, Sweetie.

 

...

 

The unconscious Hana was surrounded by her worried-looking pets in the real world. Her closed eyes were gushing with hot tears as she started to whimper softly, as if she was having a nightmare. There was so much water. Shiro wiped the tears away with a small, yellowed towel while feeling a deep heartache, knowing that he had not the slightest idea how to help Mom.

 

Although he was tempted to rouse Mom up, Big Bro Ku reminded him not to disturb instead, as Mom was currently in the middle of a very important breakthrough. Big Bro Ku instructed them to guard Mom with their lives and stop anyone from interrupting.

 

Suddenly, Hana opened her eyes. Her gaze swept over the area as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. She held out her shaky hand and rubbed Shiro's head.

 

Mommy's alright, Sweetie. Fetch Mommy's phone for me, please?

 

Shiro heard Mom's gentle telepathic voice and quickly manipulated the spiritual energy around him to bring over the smartphone. 

 

Hana's smartphone floated over in front of her. Shiro's Micro Control was so exquisite and precise that the phone gently inserted itself into Hana's grasp in a fluid movement.

 

She immediately typed.

 

Mama: Bellflower

 

She needed one last confirmation. A confirmation that she wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. A confirmation that what she felt just now was real.

 

...

 

Even Arash was not exempted from being overwhelmed with deep emotion. Buried inside the damp soil, tears managed to leak through from the corners of his closed eyes. Tok Silihan forcefully pulled him out from the 'grave' and roused him up to frantically check for his condition once he judged that Arash's condition had worsened.

 

His vision was blurry, and the pounding he felt in his mind was so intense, he couldn't make out what the Elder was talking about. He only heard a series of faint incomprehensible echoes. It didn't help that the searing pain he was experiencing previously flared uncontrollably. 

 

Arash spoke weakly; his voice was a mere whisper. He was trying his best to tell Tok Silihan something. Tok Silihan had to place his ears over Arash's mouth to hear what he was saying. 

 

"My phone, Tok. Where's my phone... I need my phone..."

 

Tok Silihan made an exasperated face! What phone?! At this time, this boy only remembered his phone! It was truly infuriating! If Arash wasn't in the state of half-dying like this, he would've received a tight slap!

 

Arash couldn't sit or even stand up. He could only move slightly. He attempted to crawl back into the hole to find his smartphone. He lost his grasp and sprawled down pathetically. 

 

Tok Silihan immediately restrained Arash's sluggish movement and went down to fetch Arash's smartphone for him while feeling helpless. Annoyed, he passed the phone into the boy's grasp, somewhat curious about what he was going to do with the smartphone.

 

Upon receiving it, Arash immediately opened the chatting app with shaky hands and typed for a short moment.

 

Tok Silihan observed Arash typed a single word and sent it over before placing it back on the cave floor in satisfaction.

 

Papa: Bellflower

 

"Can't you wait?! This old one thought one needed connection to send anything? Even if you send something now, it will definitely fail!" Tok Silihan sighed while shaking his head. He wasn't clueless one bit and knew a thing or two; he needed to be more knowledgeable about the advancement of current technology. He hated them enough to study them so he could deal with them the right way when the time came!

 

Arash answered in a whisper, "So that I remember." 

 

He gave a bland smile filled with gratitude to the Elder. He truly felt grateful towards this Elder who went above and beyond to help him when he wasn't even obligated to do that.

 

Looking at Arash's expression, Tok Silihan sighed again defeatedly. Although he couldn't understand the boy's nonsensical actions, he could never be truly angry with him. 

 

Gazing at the emptiness ahead, both Arash and Hana pondered deeply. They couldn't take their minds off the half-completed bridge in their Soul Hall Domain. Their instincts told them something amazing would happen once the bridge achieved completion.

 

Both Arash and Hana had a look of determination.

 

They knew what they must do.

 

...

 

Arash needed another day to recuperate enough to travel back to the Bateq's Village grounds. Again, Tok Silihan selflessly expended a tremendous amount of effort for his sake. What the Elder was currently doing would've been unimaginable to his tribe members. If they knew, Arash's position would be elevated again; this time, to the highest point in their hearts.  

 

From someone who was in a half-vegetative state to a person who could perform jungle trekking; that was how great Tok Silihan's healing abilities were. However, Tok Silihan had a bitter expression plastered upon his face.

 

"Are you sure you couldn't activate the heaven and earth energy? At all?"

 

"I am not sure, Tok." Arash answered truthfully. He felt that he got it, but at the same time, he didn't. He tried to activate it in a roundabout way, and although it seemed that he might already achieve slight success, he was too busy understanding Soul Energy and his mysterious connection with his wife. Thus, again, he totally forgot to inject the obscure energy into the pendant in his grasp.

 

"I need to go back to check on my kids. It's been too long. After that, can I come again?" 

 

Tok Batin Silihan felt it would be impossible for Arash to activate his Spiritual Root, that he should just give up. Still, he didn't have the heart to say it directly to Arash's face. Looking at those puppy-like shining eyes full of hope and positivity made Tok Silihan feel bile stuck in his throat.

 

After struggling for a while, the Elder sighed deeply, "Sure, come over as many times as you like."

 

At the moment, it seemed like Tok Silihan had aged a few years in an instant.

 

Guilt, remorse, and pity mixed together, siphoning his energy.

 

"I might bring over my kids in the future. Hope you don't mind." Arash grinned innocently, oblivious to the emotional turmoil that the Elder was suppressing.

 

"Yeah, sure, sure. Just don't bring the two outsiders. They reeked, especially the younger one."

 

"Ahaha.." Arash chuckled sheepishly.

 

...

 

Hana waited and waited, refusing to move from the spot as her pets checked on her periodically. Although Shiro urged her to relax and walk around to see the progress of the cultivated fields, she stubbornly refused. Shiro could only sigh helplessly and assign the Elemental Fiend Queen Mother to replace him to oversee the overall agriculture procedure. He chose to accompany Hana and protected her wholeheartedly. 

 

Hana didn't say anything, but her eyes conveyed what she felt. Hana hugged her fluffy fox in bliss; she was genuinely touched by Shiro's concern. Although Shiro felt like a portable aircond, the presence of F1 by her side evened out the temperature.

 

Hana ate very little while quickly settling her daily needs to a bare minimum and spent time cultivating in silence while waiting. She was full of expectations but, at the same time, nervous. She chose to cultivate to mend her Soul Hall Domain, though she couldn't concentrate.

 

What if what she saw was just a fleeting memory and nothing else? 

 

Outside, business was as usual. 

 

The land helpers, the wet helpers, the avian; everyone had their own tasks to perform. Q-chan made sure everything worked swimmingly as she led her Elemental Fiend worker teams and multitasked. She arranged a leader for different factions to receive instructions and delegate tasks. She would then report the progress systematically to Lord Brother Shi every six-hourly. Her efficiency was top-notch!

 

To everyone's surprise, Ara took the initiative to manage her clansmen seriously. At the same time, she learned the ropes directly from the Elemental Fiend's Queen Mother earnestly. With the absence of her excellent attendant, she had no choice but to step up her game and to lead by example, lest her position in the Mistress' heart would go even lower. Gone were the days when she only knew how to frolic and cause trouble left and right with her willful dangerous experiments. If the great Lord Tittua saw her now, he would've cried tears of joy. 

 

The glamorous Lord Suria shamelessly stayed even when their main jobs were completed. He made sure to help out in any way possible, assisted by Markisah's advice. The avians were too eager to a fault, making others increasingly suspicious of their intentions. Nonetheless, no Elemental Fiends had gone missing; it seemed that these avians had truly endured well!

 

The rice fields were blooming beautifully, as evidence of Ta-chan's effort. Although the newly incepted Forest Spirit wasn't keen to network or make new friends, it worked hard to show its dedication. It was still unknown whether it was driven by fear or loyalty. 

 

...

 

Inside the cave dwelling, the pressure was overwhelming as time moved forward at a snail's pace.  

 

The Mistress looked distraught. 

 

"Ting!" 

 

After thirty-five hours of waiting, Hana's smartphone sent a notification indicating that her message was finally sent and, simultaneously, a message was received. She guessed Arash was finally within the vicinity of a telco line. 

 

Hana quickly swiped open her smartphone to check on the message received enthusiastically. Once she saw the content, her eyes misted again, this time with tears of happiness and hope. 

 

She didn't imagine it! 

 

Mama: Bellflower

Papa: Bellflower

 

...

 

 

mrsmooncat's Note:

 

"Is it okay if my parents come over with a ring to meet your mom next month?"- Arash

 

This is a nuance for asking, is it okay if I marry you.