บท 198: Reawakening Ceremony (Part 1)

It was late evening when Tok Silihan stopped before an obscure stone formation in a flourishing forest area. It was so tough to move forward, especially when there was no trail to follow. Added to that, Tok Silihan specifically prevented Arash from making one along the way. Arash looked around and noticed a big difference in the surrounding. Somehow, the air seemed fresher and the vegetation much thicker in this area. Arash took a deep breath and felt so fresh; he instantly favored the location, if not for the buzzing mosquitos around.

Tok Silihan only paused for a short moment to do something Arash couldn't comprehend. In just about two minutes, the Elder signaled Arash to follow him and crouched low. He was gone from sight immediately.

Slightly panicked, Arash immediately observed around the area the Elder disappeared. Lo and behold, a small opening was cleverly concealed by thick vegetation and displacements of boulders, making one easily miss it if one wasn't paying attention. He felt that he didn't notice the opening before. It was quite puzzling. Arash instantly got a light-bulb moment when he related Tok Silihan's weird actions to some hero characters opening a formation in his favorite books.

[That must be it!] Arash nodded in satisfaction while feeling smug within with the thought, 'Although I'm absolutely clueless, an Expert has opened a concealing formation in front of me'.

Arash hesitated but finally peered through nervously. He wasn't good with eerie-like environments which could beget supernatural phenomena; he was the one who drafted the no horror-movies policy within Arash and Hana's little family. It turned out that the stone formation had something like a tunnel. It was pitch black inside, indicating that the tunnel ran deep. The entrance was only as high as half a person, with a width of about two adults standing side by side. Hence, the need to crouch low and move forward like one was bowing. Tok Silihan was nearly out of sight!

Unbelievable! That old man was just too fast!

Arash did not make a sound as he quickly followed Tok Silihan towards an unknown location deep within the tunnel. However, the awkward posture gave Arash a severe ache in his lumbar area after about fifteen minutes in. He wondered how Tok Silihan could withstand moving within the tunnel in such a posture. It was plain to see that Tok was fitter than him. So embarrassing!

The deeper they went, the tunnel became narrower until they had to crawl on all fours.

At this point, Arash had a really bad feeling and became quite nervous. If something dangerous comes from the front or back, they don't even have enough leverage to turn around. It was either crawling straight ahead or reverse-crawl the way they came.

They continued moving downwards for at least thirty minutes as Arash's felt a lump in his heart from deep trepidation.

"Alright, we're finally here."

Once Tok Silihan moved aside, Arash saw a faint light coming through. Although the light was dim, it was still a welcoming presence after almost losing his sense of sight in total darkness for so long. The negative feelings dispersed somewhat, as he felt he could finally breathe normally.

The narrow tunnel opened up into a vast underground cave with a high ceiling. Faintly glowing giant stalagmites and stalactites adorned the cave area with multiple colors, as if they were pillars holding the space in place.

Contrary to Arash's expectations, a good amount of plants were thriving within, though most of them were multicolored moss on boulders, besides the beautiful yet petite bonsai-like undergrowth. There was even a small underground pool at the edge of the cave. The crystal clear emerald-like waters seemed very deep in the center as it turned deep greenish blue. Arash could see fishes swimming idly in the waters. It was a closed ecosystem of its own. How fascinating.

"How is it? Good place, right?"

Tok Silihan grinned as he glanced at Arash's awed expression.

"It's beautiful, Tok. A fairytale-like location perfect for OOTDs. This place will surely go viral once publicized."

Tok Silihan, "o___O|||"

"You dare?"

Arash blinked innocently as he was too enthralled by nature's marvel. He then turned to look in Tok Silihan's direction, and goosebumps ran through his skin. Tok Silihan looked like an angry gorilla with the gushing air coming from his enlarged nostrils, to his dangerous-looking narrowing gaze.

"Err... I don't dare, Tok. Joking, it's just a joke. I'm just complimenting the place, Tok. Don't take it seriously." Arash sweated big time as he realized he had triggered a reverse scale. He now knew Tok Silihan's hate over such a matter was no laughing matter. He would better control his mouth from running nonsensical jokes if he wanted to survive long enough through the night.

"Welcome to my home. We will proceed with the Reawakening Ceremony now. Let me brief you on what you need to do. First, strip."

Arash, O________O "Excuse me?"

"Strip."

Arash, TT________TT My dignity...

...

"...Reawakening Ceremony has been performed countless times by aspiring young Bateqs who wished to join the ranks of the Spiritual Healers. Traditionally, it is performed once every twenty years to find new blood within the Spiritual Healer ranks. It is an alternative method to stimulate the body to embrace Spiritual Energy through forced enlightenment."

Tok Silihan sat at the edge of an oval-shaped hole with a diameter of two meters over one meter. Within, Arash was trying to make himself comfortable while feeling icky. He had never liked touching soil since he was young, and gardening was his least favorite outdoor activity. Trekking was hard for him; half of it was due to playing with vegetation and wet soil.

Slightly annoyed, Tok Silihan ignored Arash and continued to explain the procedures lengthily to make Arash clear about what he would be facing afterward.

"Your whole body will be covered with soil steeped with spiritual energy. Direct contact will make it easier for you; hence, one must perform the ceremony without garments to achieve maximum effect. Your goal is to calm down, seek enlightenment, and absorb the Spiritual Energy into your body. Your Spiritual Root, even how minuscule it is, will naturally awaken in due time.

Yes, it sounds easy. But not many have the courage to complete the ceremony. Most panicked halfway.

Hence, this Old One wants you to try your best. Don't worry about anything; I will be here safeguarding you the whole time. If you feel uncomfortable, just move your fingers and toes together simultaneously. I will know and let you out immediately. Just don't panic and start struggling in vain. You will just waste your energy.

I believe you can do it, Boy!

You have mental resilience! Just believe in yourself!

Just remember your goal. As long as the pendant turns warm, it will be good enough to stop and come out."

While listening to Tok Silihan's out-of-character ten minutes long lecture, Arash lay still within a deep hole naked, safe for his underwear. He was somewhat confused and a little worried with all the extra coaxing words from the elder.

Knowing Tok Silihan enough, Arash felt suspicion creeping in. Tok Silihan wasn't kind enough to say constructive, encouraging words to people even if he liked the said person. He was the number one trash-talker, though Arash was already immune to it thanks to his wife's extensive training.

He glanced around nervously and gripped his smartphone a little tighter. It was already connected to a high capacity powerbank. He also had placed Bluetooth earpieces. This was his way of getting ready. They fought intensely about this just now. Tok Silihan forbade technology interference during the ceremony, while Arash argued that he only needed the devices to feel close to his family, thus giving him a boost in inner strength. Surprisingly, Tok Silihan gave up and let Arash be after he heard that Arash was planning to listen to his wife's strange song to alleviate his nervousness.

"Ready, Boy?"

Arash took a deep breath. "Ready."

"Close your eyes. Place the lotus tube in your mouth. Make sure the cotton balls fit in your nose properly."

As Arash tried to relax and closed his eyes after he followed all of the elder's instructions to the T, Tok Silihan struck his fingers lightly into the land. Without him moving, the soil moved by itself as it gradually covered Arash starting from his toes and slowly covering his upper body bit by bit. His left hand gripped his smartphone, his right hand gripped the fang-shaped pendant over his chest, and finally, the Bluetooth earphone was snuggly placed over his ears. As he heard Hana's song, he quickly calmed down and sighed one last time.

Finally, the soil covered Arash's face.

...

Tok Silihan concentrated and invoked his Arts by dipping all his fingers within the damp underground soil. He focused all his senses to detect Arash's slightly accelerating heartbeat and body movements within. He needed to be ready if Arash got a panic attack and suddenly struggled; the boy could be buried alive and die there and then!

Tok Silihan hadn't explained the part where many young Bateqs died in this ceremony to Arash. As per the ceremony's tradition, young ones less than fifteen must be buried within the spiritual node overnight. They will then meditate without outside interference. The presence of anyone else within the sacred grounds was strictly forbidden. The Unearthing Ceremony will then take place the following day, where 95% died due to various reasons. That was the latest mortality rate about fifty years ago.

Most of them died from suffocation as they struggled too much from panic attacks and lost the only air supply they had from their mouths. No one was there to help them as they died painfully.

Due to that, Tok Silihan stopped the ceremony altogether. He found that interference from outside civilization had exponentially vamped up the death rate. Somehow the younger generation had very low mental fortitude compared to the olden days.

The only survivor of the ceremony was his own descendant, Ramlee, who wanted no part of it after that. Tok Silihan had placed very high hopes on that boy, and it came crashing down like waves over sandcastles.

This time, Tok Silihan was determined to ensure Arash survived the ceremony. It didn't matter even if his Spiritual Root didn't bloom; he didn't even have one to begin with. At least they tried all options. He disregarded the traditional way and stayed to protect Arash's life this time.

Instinctively, Tok Silihan knew the mysterious chant would somehow protect Arash too, in some way. That was why he permitted the presence of gadgets this time, just to be on the safe side.

Who knows, a miracle might just occur.

...