北京青年手机

The scene of saying goodbye to her father still lingered in her head as if it only happened moments ago. Back then, her father had obviously noticed something terribly wrong with the city, and him sending her was his form of protection.

Father told me to seek refuge in the cathedral, yet he went to that antique shop in the lower city… why?

A wisp of doubt suddenly appeared in Heidi’s mind but quickly subdued this thought for the time being – the light in the foyer of her home was on, and it’s beckoning her to go in.

She drove the dark gray car smoothly into the courtyard and stepped out of the vehicle. To her surprise and astonishment, what awaited Heidi inside wasn’t Morris, her father, but her mother at the dining hall.

The old lady wore a woolen shawl with dark blue stripes and sat in a chair with a backrest. She also wore a delicate brown rimmed glass that gave the senior a rather scholarly look while she read the pile of newspaper stacked atop of the table.

Heidi froze at the door, unable to comprehend the picture for a while.

The doc couldn’t remember the last time her mother left the bedroom. Of course, they always kept an empty seat at the dining table just in case, but no one ever sat on it.

Naturally, Heidi found it strange why her mother wouldn’t come out, but after so many years, she’s gotten used to her mother’s condition and habits… Yet now, she’s finally able to witness her mother sitting in that perennially empty chair. It’s almost surreal.

Heidi subconsciously took a couple of steps forward, and the sound of her feet finally caught the attention of the old woman at the table.

“Ah, Heidi, you’re back.” The old lady smiles and beckons greets her daughter with a wave.

“I…” Heidi wanted to say something and discovered she’s unable to come up with a proper greeting. Despite going to her parent’s room daily to converse, this was the first time they had done so outside the bedroom. The last occasion happened more than ten years ago! “I got held at the main cathedral, are you… okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m right here,” her mother answered happily. Those eyes now gave a sense of energy that Heidi never saw in them before, which showed in the form of the old lady getting up from the chair and slowly coming over. “Let me take a good look at you… I haven’t taken a proper look at you in a long time…”

“Don’t we see each other every day?” Heidi said subconsciously, only to realize her mother looked worried while caressing her hair. “How come you came out to the dining room? Are you feeling better today?”

Her mother’s smile deepened some more: “It’s okay now, it’s okay now… By the way, why hasn’t Morris come back yet?”

“Father hasn’t come home yet?” Heidi was shocked when she heard this, causing a faint pang of worry to sprout inside. “He should have arrived home earlier than me. The place he went to isn’t as far as the grand cathedral.”

“Maybe his car broke down partway,” her mother said slowly, “and his driving skills have never been worthy of a compliment. Come, let’s wait for him together.”

Heidi nodded hesitantly and followed her mother back to the table. Then she noticed the sumptuous meals on the table—they were not the usual dishes made by the temporary maids hired at home.

“You did this?” Heidi looked up, slightly surprised, “You haven’t cooked in a long time.”

“Oh, you noticed? I haven’t cooked for a long time so I had to ask the maids for help a lot. There many ingredients that I didn’t know where. Maybe the taste will be a bit off because of that.” Her mother faintly smiles, “Fortunately, I remember the general process.”

Heidi eyed the food on the table and couldn’t resist picking up a fork to try. However, her mother’s familiar voice stopped her: “Wait for your father to come home and then we can eat.”

I haven’t heard those words for many years…

Then catching the doc off guard, a faint flapping sound of wings suddenly came from outside, followed by the sound of a key turning.

Father is back!

Morris unlocked the door to his own with a dazed appearance. The aftereffects of traveling with Ai’s teleportation was no joke, it’s both nauseating and dizzying. Nevertheless, he eventually managed to come out of it and saw his wife and daughter sitting at the dining table, the dinner prepared and set.

It finally dawned on the old scholar this was no illusion but a miracle that became a reality after years of waiting.

After standing like a sculpture for who knows how long, Morris finally stepped forward, walking faster and faster with each stride.

The shock of sharing a meal with the owner of the Vanished paled in comparison to finding his wife alive and well. The burden of making a wish years ago has left him, and now, he could finally enjoy life again!

Likewise, Morris’s wife rose from the table, allowing the couple to share a long overdue hug.

“I finally get to see you…” the old scholar’s whispered, seemingly afraid Heidi would overhear his words, “I…”

“Okay, that’s enough. Our daughter is watching. You still have a lot of time to explain what happened. Don’t rush it.”

“Oh… Oh, you’re right, you’re right.”

Morris responded with some panic. He let go of his wife, turned his head around, and saw Heidi staring right at him with surprise.

“Ahem… I’m sorry I came back late. The car broke down on the way… I needed to find someone to tow it back tomorrow,” Morris explained unnaturally and then quickly changed the subject. “Are you alright? Over at the cathedral side… is everything fine?”

“Except for being frightened and confused, I’m just as unscathed as everyone else,” Heidi replied, inspecting her father up and down. “But you… why do I feel like you’re acting weird? Did something happen on the way back?”

“What can be wrong with me?” Morris said immediately, afraid Heidi would lead the topic to his past arrangement. Then he noticed the hearty meal on the table, causing the old scholar’s face to turn troubled.

“I… I’ve already eaten before coming back,” he said hesitantly, “on the shi… I ate at Mr. Duncan’s place.”

Once again, those ugly and scary “fish” came to his mind again.

At the “Subspace Feast”, he was as nervous about the fish as the eccentric dark hound, but under the gaze of Mr. Duncan, he still ate the meat. As to what exactly happened next, he honestly couldn’t remember. The only aspect that remained was how fragrant it smelled and tasted.

But his wife’s voice came from the side, interrupting his thoughts: “I made it myself.”

“Mother hasn’t cooked in years,” Heidi followed, “she feels better today, so…”

“Then I’ll eat some more.” When Morris said in a hurry after hearing the detail. Then not waiting for his daughter to guide him, he dived right in with the soup bowl as a starter.

“How does it taste…?” The wife asked expectantly.

“Sort of… salty,” Morris said hesitantly, but then picked up the bowl again and took a few more gulps. “Salty, too salty… You always made it salty…”

“If you don’t want to eat then don’t eat it!”

“I didn’t say it didn’t taste good…”

“Then shut up and eat. Why are you talking so much at the table?”

Heidi glanced back and forth between her parents. She hadn’t heard a conversation like this in years. Yet, after so long, nothing seemed to have changed. So, the doc burst out laughing and cut off a piece of fried meat for herself.

Indeed, it’s a bit salty…

……

When Vanna was finally home, she didn’t need to act like the strong and powerful leader that she was; therefore, her woes about the subspace blessing didn’t go unnoticed by Admin Dante during their conversation. However, the man was keen enough to avoid the subject as well, just like how the powerful lady didn’t want to touch the subject.

But Vanna herself knew that the burden in her heart didn’t just revolve around the truth about her own existence being the blessing of subspace. In fact, it had nothing to do with her own life and death.

She returned to the bedroom, closed the door, and went to the dresser to take out an ornamented ceremonial dagger from the drawer.

This was a sacred relic of the Storm Church and a gift personally blessed and given to her by Bishop Valentine after the baptism.

This relic symbolizes the beginning of her faith for Gomona, the Storm Goddess.