The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 74 - Reflections Of The Soul And Its Undisclosed Ardor

Chapter 74: Chapter 74 - Reflections Of The Soul And Its Undisclosed Ardor

Elua and Qatrand sat cross-legged on the floor of the small bedroom. A warm glow of candles cast flickering shadows on the walls. The room was sparse with no bedding or furniture, but it was still a sanctuary away from their daily lives.

Especially with the rituals formed from careful sigils underneath each floorboard that easily made it a better spiritual cultivation zone than the special one in the Yecine complex. She’d been making it for Qat, but was going to request that her two disciples be allowed its use.

’I also kind of have to tell her I have those now.’

"Are you ready?"

El asked softly. As hands were entwined with hers, Qatrand nodded with her eyes already half-closed. She focused on the partially complete armguard encircling her wrist. A gift shown to her after the Yecine told the tale of finding the wax and seal.

The dark leather seemed to pulse with a gently intense energy - the unmistakable dichotomy of El’s spirit. That same girl murmured meditative instructions with a tone of voice working like a soothing melody amid the quiet room.

"Breathe in the rhythm I taught. Focus on the feeling of the air flowing in and out. Let it guide you to a place of stillness."

With time they fell into a synchronized rhythm. The spiritualist began to guide the attention of her ’fortress’ inward - towards the fragment of her spirit she had nestled within a metal bead on the armguard.

"Can you sense it there? That little piece of me - not the one always with you, always connected, but the one ’outside’ of you."

The swordswoman’s brow creased while she concentrated. Her own spiritual energy reaching out a tendril to tentatively brush against the fragment. Compared to poking at El herself or the piece that had been pulled inward... it was faint. Almost unrecognizable.

However, there was an instant of honest recognition which preceded a surge of ’warmth’ that made her gasp. All three disparate spiritual parts of the brunette had resonated and sent out that little affection when the reincarnator saw that she had succeeded. Elua smiled even though she knew the other girl couldn’t see it.

Her spirit entwined through the shape of her beloved and amplified that new connection. In the meditative state, she began to share dim sensations of memories through the bond. Moments of transformative happiness from her last life.

The drowsy scent of flowers that bloomed in a certain field, mixed with petrichor.

The freeing feeling of basking in moonlight while bathing alone in a clear pond.

The mesmerizing dance expressed in the light of thousands of fireflies overhead as she lay on a forest floor.

The distinct tingling sensation of raw essence flowing through her field as she first tried to shape it as a Defier.

The spirit of the blonde before her began to grow less noticeable as the meditation deepened. As if she were fading into the background of reality itself. Her Physique’s Cynosure effect inverted while her Anchor spirit forced her Gravity essence to almost become one with her surroundings.

Her very presence was muted and indistinct. Like fading towards the state of death.

Mint eyes snapped open. A tamped down *concern* crossed over her spirit. But even as the tall girl seemed to vanish from spiritual perception, she could still be visibly seen breathing.

Not to mention, the fragment in the armguard thrummed steadily with each passing touch of her spirit, serving as a constant beacon guiding Elua to her beloved. She could even use it to link with the piece of herself she tricked the other girl into eating.

Again, the once Demi-god marveled at her seemingly natural choice of placement.

’She seemed to have ’consumed’ it quite greedily.’

"I’m relieved. No matter what happens and no matter how your cultivation changes you, I will always find you."

Pigeon blue eyes opened slowly. They languidly met the serious face of her cute heiress.

"I will always come back to you, too."

She promised with a smile. ’Adoration’ tunneled back through their current spiritual linkage, causing a sharp intake of air from the brunette. It only made the Yecine smile more, though a little wryly.

’All the times she does it to me and she can’t handle that?’

They sat merely staring at each other. The warmth of each other’s feelings spoken through spirit traded small blows... which eventually made Elua giggle and break the magic of the moment. Deep within her ancient heart, she knew that no matter what obstacles lay ahead and how their powers might grow - theirs was a love that would easily clear any hurdle and swiftly outpace the growth of any cultivation.

’Even if she hasn’t said the words yet. Do I complain? Do I wait... do I complain or do I wait?’

Their depth of meditative focus faded and the pair began to stretch the hours of stillness from their bodies. The connection forged between them still pulsed with a mixture of their distinct energies. The candles had burned lower leaving an intimate glow over the bedroom.

Seeing the melting wax, Elua was reminded of Qat’s thoughtful gift. She had been struck by her fiance’s *effort* in finding such a unique wax and seal set. It didn’t even come from the first place she looked! A curiosity about the mysterious old shop the teenager had described lingered and she hoped to go on a newly wed date to find it soon.

’I need more so I’m not so afraid to use it up!’

"That was... intense?"

Her voice was hushed even in the quiet space. The young miss reached out, brushing away the locks of hair from her betrothed’s face. It felt like speaking too loud would ruin something. The ’heir’ nodded and even leaned into the palm as small, delicate fingers lingered their touch.

"I feel like I understand you a slight bit better now. That moment with your... experiences? Your heart."

A grin tugged at her El’s lips. It displayed equal parts ’tender’ and ’mischievous’. Somehow she knew she would want to grab her forehead in retaliation before the girl’s words were even spoken.

"Speaking of hearts, that is an interesting place you’ve tugged that piece of me toward."

She *quickly* stood while offering her hand to her fiance. The swordswoman was not the only one who held a vision of being punished for her cute insolence! She had already schemed to change the subject instantly.

Elua also hadn’t had quite enough of showing off and making her ’fortress’ fall deeper in love. She expected she might even get her to say it soon!

"Come on, let’s head back to the main estate. I have a feeling the sunset tonight will be particularly beautiful."

They left the small home hand in hand. The cooling air was a large change after the intensity of their shared meditation. As they unhurriedly walked, the reborn cultivator couldn’t help but marvel at the way the other’s spirit still seemed to blend nearly seamlessly into the world around them.

’If she could learn to do this intentionally all the time, she would be a terror.’

Elua even began to wonder if any other than someone nearing her level of precision and control, as well as familiarity with the person itself could sense her husband-wife at all right now? It was an interesting thought, but she wasn’t about to start yelling to ask if any powerful spiritualists were around.

After all, the streets around them were silent. The bustle of the day had given way to the dinner time lull of evening. Qatrand and her fiancee fell into a comfortable pace of compromised strides - that was just a little faster than El might normally walk and just a little slower than the swordswoman would.

Upon the approach up to the Goltbred estate, the sun was at the zenith of a portrait worthy descent. It painted the sky around it with a frenzy of oranges and pinks. The heiress paused before tugging the swordswoman off the path to the front door and towards the outer gardens.

"Let’s take a scenic detour."

’If she liked the feeling of them so much, then I can do better than that.’

Qat showed a carefully intrigued expression while allowing herself to be led toward the greenery. The brunette felt that the floral smells would be a fine backdrop for the moment of enchantment. Her unheld fingers twitched happily as they stepped onto the path.

An illusion wove into the environment around them - or at least into the sight of the pair. The visible colors of the sunset deepened with even more vibrant flair. Shadows seemed to lengthen and grow depth while the very air seemed to shimmer with tangibility. The entire garden transformed into a dreamscape of enhanced wonder under the manipulation of her power.

Pigeon blue eyes took it all in as she squeezed her fiancee’s hand more tightly. Her spirit was filled with ’awe’ from the sight alone, until the usual hum of evening insects took on a symphonic bent. The altered sounds were joined by ripples of the local scents being selectively showcased more crisply in turns.

The flowers lining the path danced in a wind stirred by the small cultivator’s Element. Their petals morphed into kaleidoscoping patterns and shapes that both defied nature’s design and complimented it. A soft-spoken voice muttered her compliments.

"El, this is... incredible"

Pleased with her beloved’s reaction, she tugged the taller girl closer. Her shoulder pressed into her elbow as they continued their walk. Her mellifluous voice took on a ’wistful’ tone, wishing that some of these things could be shown in reality and not simulacrum.

"You know... in my past life, I witnessed sunrises that painted entire vast cities in gold."

The illusion around them morphed violently. The garden fled to reveal an overlook of a sprawling metropolis bathed in the warm glow of a rising sun. Towering edifices and grandiose boulevards filled with moving masses of people stretched out before them. The architecture felt foreign yet there were also timeless elements that proved it had been thought up by humans.

"Where is this?

The Yecine asked with breathy awe. The Goltbred smiled, but it was extremely sad.

"A place long lost to time. Even before I found myself reborn. But the memory of its beauty lives on in my heart. Oh, doubly so now that you’ve seen it."

The visible scene shifted again. A vast desert of pink-salt sands shimmering beneath a moon dappled sky streaked with purple and a red glow of distant fires. It was like nothing the older teenager had ever seen.

Atop the dunes, a caravan of cultivators rode on the backs of strange but magnificent beasts. Their profiles were stark against the distant horizon and her wife-to-be pointed at the figures.

"I traveled with them for a time in this land. They were a group of young nomads seeking ancient cultivation secrets. We faced many challenges together and formed bonds that lasted lifetimes. Many... if you stack the totality of their lengths to mine."

Qatrand watched the sequence play out and her heart ached because of the nostalgia in Elua’s voice. She couldn’t begin to imagine the actual depth of experiences her beloved had lived through. How many of the little joys and painful sorrows that had shaped her across countless years.

Sensing her emotion, El turned to face Qat. She allowed the Astralism to fade their surroundings into the familiar, plain gardens of her estate. Yet the sunset still blazed with unnatural intensity of colors that cast a glow over their faces. The shorter of them reached up to cup the other’s cheek.

"But of all the wonders I’ve witnessed - every sight that has moved me... none compare to the beauty of sharing this sort of moment with you."

The swordswoman leaned into the touch once again as her eyes shone with gradually deepening emotions. Every small amount of understanding she gained was furthering her desire to cherish the girl before her.

"Thank you for sharing those memories with me. For trusting me with your past."

Elua smiled ’demurely’. Yet it was a heartfelt expression that seemed to light her from within. It perfectly matched the feelings rippling on the surface of her intense spirit. The voice she used lacked her monotone sense of ’real’, yet it rang with just as much conviction.

"You are my present and my future, darling. I not only trust you - I want to spend every sunset from now until eternity making new memories by your side."

Their lips met in a gentle kiss as she gestured for the taller woman to lean down. The remaining energy of the illusion around them burst into a cascade of shimmering shards that failed to be contained to their sight alone. A personal servant passing by a window was drawn to the event.

’So they are boldly kissing in the garden, now... reality really is better than fiction.’