Chapter 26: Unexpected
From the depth of his mind came the reverberating and sonorous tolling of an ancient bell. Gareth could feel it. It was from there, within his cultivation talent of the soul.
There was no doubt in Gareth's mind about what he felt. It did came as a surprise, but nonetheless, the most pleasant of surprise.
He calmed his excited mind. Taking a deep breath, he got into a meditative posture.
Feeling the calmness within, he dived into his soul, very much eager to unveil whatever surprise this unexpected event would bring.
It was no secret what the Tolling of Ancient Bells was and what it signified.
Usually something that occurred to even the most moderately talented cultivators. It was a chance for a living being of the Living Being realm to sign a binding contract with a spirit of the Spirit Realm. A process that usually came with a great deal of advantages.
At the secondary completion of the Awakening Realm, it was quite common to hear the Tolling of the Ancient Bells. The late bloomers would have it come at the perfect completion. Anything beyond that, and it was impossible to ever hear this bell again for a lifetime.
The rare few cases of hearing this bell at the initial completion do exist, and now Gareth happened to be one of those rare few cases.
Having the knowledge he had acquired from the library, and the things Lunara had told him, Gareth felt he at least knew what to expect when he entered his soul for the first time.
Entering his soul that had just concluded its initial completion, Gareth felt the marked difference between knowing something through the telling of others, and experiencing it with one's own eyes.
Violet grey mist that expanded as far as he could see and beyond. The mist did little to affect his vision as he could see the empty vastness of this space that was the depth of his soul. And there like a blossoming rose amidst the sandy dunes of a desert, stood the being who caused the Tolling of the Ancient Bells.
The spirit stood there, the violet grey mist parting way around her figure. She stood there, as the world itself seemed to weave around her very being.
Adorned in white robes, the very fabric itself moving with an impossible flow. Her white hair fell straight down her back like a cascading waterfall.
Then she smiled. That very simple action breaking Gareth out of the trance he had fell into.
Gareth was shocked.
From her appearance, all the way to that very simple smile. It only left him with the feeling that whatever she wanted to be would simply be.
Her appearance alone had thrown him into a trance so deep, he had lost awareness of everything else around him. And that very last smile. That very last smile. If his body had been the one here, and not the manifestation of his spirit, he had no idea how fast his heart would be beating at this moment.
He looked at her once again, and that smile was still on that impossibly beautiful face. But that smile that was impossibly gentle at one moment, was now filled to the brim with an unconcealed mischief.
Gareth knew then that whatever trance he fell into at her appearance wasn't because of the impossibly beautiful face. It was for no other reason than this very being before him had made it so.
Taking another look at her now, she was still impossibly beautiful, but whatever grandeur there was that had captivated him before, it had apparently disappeared.
At this moment, Gareth found himself getting angry. At the same time, he also found his anger to be unwarranted.
He calmed himself.
"That was a very nice trick."
Her brows rose at his words, a mischievous spirit twinkling in her eyes.
Her lips parted for the first time, the sound of her voice like music.
"A very nice trick indeed."
She moved from where she stood, stopping before Gareth. Her hand stretched out to him.
"The name is Bethel. A Paravina Spirit."
"Gareth."
His hand rose up to meet her outstretched one.
Clasping her hand in his. He could feel the softness of her palm and the smooth skin of her hand, almost unlike anything he had ever felt before.
Her hand smoothly slid out of his after the introduction.
She turned away from him, her gaze inspecting the vastness of this place they were inside of.
Gareth came to stand beside her.
"This would be my home from now on."
Gareth smiled as he heard those words of hers.
"I think you will need my permission for that."
She returned his smile, with one of hers.
"Are you so sure about that?"
Gareth looked at her sideways.
However, before he could reply her, something changed.
From around his chest, something glowed. The glow brightened up with every moment, dispersing the violet grey mist that pervaded the area.
Gareth hadn't noticed it before, but something that should not have followed him here was apparently here.
As only his spirit was able to enter this place, nothing material should have been able to come with him.
The necklace he always had on him, the only thing he had of his true parents, however seem to be an exception.
As the pendant of this necklace glowed, it brought with it unexpected changes.
First of it all, was the binding contract he could feel forming between him and this spirit who had been summoned to his soul.
The second unexpected change, however, was the sight of a grand miracle.
This space within his soul that had been nothing but a pervading violet grey mist went through great changes.
With every passing second, the once all-encompassing violet grey mist gave way to the birth of a world.
The skies that appeared above were unlike anything Gareth had ever seen before, surreal in its entirety.
The stars were vibrant.
The earth beneath him took on a form that with every passing moment blessed him with an idyllic sight, as the grasses sprouted and trees grew.
The chirping of colorful birds resounded, as these cheery creatures flitted around. From trees to trees, their welcome presence added a completeness to the unbelievable sight.
A sigh escaped the lips of this beautiful spirit, soft and filled with a longing that came from the depth of her soul.
Gareth was too shocked to make a sound. This sight before him had shocked him to his very soul. So much that he could hardly comprehend this picturesque scenery before him.
The glow from the pendant continued, until it softly began to dim.
What was left before them was a quaint, little villa situated by a small stream, in a colorful forest that resounded with the chirping of birds.
Gareth looked around him, he felt the grass beneath his feet, the wind that blew by him. Everything felt real.
Everything was real.
He could only wonder, if this same place was still that place within the depth of his soul.
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