Author note: The next couple of chapters will be emotional, so be ready.
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The question of why he developed a connection with the earth stunned Serik. He scrambled his brain, trying to remember why, but all he found were faint connections—playing outside and taking walks with his mom.
"All I remember is playing around with my mother and taking walks with her."
"I see. Then let's think about it in another way. What is its connection with your mother?"
This dumbfounded Serik. How could the earth have a connection with his mother, who had passed away a long time ago?
Jons looked ahead. He saw a beautiful sunset and started thinking about how he could help Serik. Only one option came to mind.
"Young master, this is very important. That's why I believe you should stay outside today and sleep here."
This would be a long night.
"Sigh… If you believe it will help me, I will do it. But I still do not see the connection between my ability and my mother."
Jons knelt on one knee and held Serik's shoulder."Young master, I believe you locked away part of your memories to protect yourself. Something happened after your mother passed away, and that has shaped your current ability. If I am right, you will soon know what happened."
After saying what he wanted to say, Jons stood up, dusted off his knee, and walked home, leaving behind a confused Serik.
Serik gave up and started walking around the garden, looking at the flowers, the shed, and the pit he had just dug. Finally, he stopped and watched the sunset, thinking about his past.
What happened to me? I can't remember.
Sigh.
"Mother, I miss you. If you were here, what would you say?"
Serik's eyes started tearing up, and he lowered his head. It felt as if the last rays of sunshine hurt his eyes.
Serik stood there for half an hour before finally sitting down. He grabbed a fistful of dirt and let it fall back down. He did that multiple times, trying something out. After a while, when he did not get the result he was hoping for, he tried something else.
First, he used Ten. A thin film of aura appeared around his body, showcasing his mastery of the technique. Though thin, it looked dense and stable.
He grabbed another fistful of dirt and held it in the air. He placed his other hand about thirty centimeters below his fist and started concentrating, imagining the dirt suspended in the middle. He unclenched his fist.
The dirt fell straight down toward his open hand.
It seemed like a failure.
Serik fell flat on his back, staring at the sky. Slowly, as he was falling asleep a smile formed in his face.
He remembered something.
Flashback
A four-year-old Serik lay in a sea of blankets outside in the old mansion's garden. He looked up at the sky with wonder.
"So beautiful," was all he could say as he stared at the sea of stars. He stuck his hands out, as if hoping he could grab one of them.
"They're too far away, my little bear."
A woman holding a tray with two drinks walked toward Serik. She had long, straight black hair, amber-colored eyes, and porcelain-like features. When she reached him, she sat down next to him and laid the tray in front of them. It held two cups of hot cocoa.
"Mommy, why can I not reach it?" Serik asked, his eyes innocent, a small pout on his face.
Sera, Serik's mother, looked at him lovingly and said, "Well, do you see that tree over there?"
"Yes," said Serik.
"Now can you grab that tree from here?"
Serik tried and failed.
"Hmph, no I can't." He crossed his arms and shook his head with vigor. "It's impossible."
"Why?" Sera asked.
"It's too far away," Serik said, a sudden realization coming to him. Having finally found the answer he was looking for, Serik continued staring at the sky with a new sense of wonder.
How far away are you? thought Serik.
Sera started laying down and asked Serik to do the same. While they both lay there, Sera began to tell a small story.
Sera smiled softly and tapped Serik's nose with her finger.
"Listen closely, Serik this is very important. Once upon a time…"
People often thought that some things were out of their hands—that they were impossible to fix.
But that is never the case.
Once, there was a man who showed everyone that even small things could change the world.
One day he showed up near a village in a faraway land where the ground was dry and hard. Nothing would grow there. The people said it was useless to try so they stopped planting seeds and stopped hoping for a miracle. They gave up hope.
But one man did not listen.
Every day, he went to the empty field. He dug in the dirt with his bare hands. He carried water from so far away that even a horse could not reach it in one trip. Even when he was so tired that his whole body was shaking, he continued planting seeds. Even when nothing seemed to happen, to him, every day was progress.
People asked him why he kept trying.
He smiled, stretched out his hand toward the farmland, and said, "The earth has not given up, so neither will I."
A long time passed. Seasons changed, but one thing did not—the man kept working on the farmland, even in winter when the ground was harder then stone.
Seeing this some villagers started to help, this int turn caused the rest to join in as well everybody decides that they would help him until he gave up, but the man never did.
And finally, it happened.
Slowly, the dirt became darker. A week after that, grass began to grow. Two weeks later, flowers appeared. A month later, trees took root. The field was no longer empty—it was full of life.
The people were amazed. They asked the man how he did it.
He said, "I just helped the earth remember what it could do."
They celebrated all night. There was dancing and singing. Laughter, and joy could be felt fram afar, and it went on long into the night.
But the next day, everyone was confused. Their neighbor, the man who worked on the farmland, was nowhere to be found. They searched all day, until someone finally had the courage to take a look at his home.
On the bed lay a note. It read:
I am deeply grateful to all of you.
In the beginning, I stood alone. No one believed this land could be saved. Yet by remaining stubborn, I slowly convinced some of you to help—quietly, without recognition. Day by day, the water drew closer. When I returned, the earth had already been tilled, and in time, I saw the work many of you had done in the dark of night.
In the end, every single one of you played a part. Together, you made this possible.
My final message to you is this: be as resilient as the earth itself. Though you believed it had died, it had only been waiting—for caring and patinet hand. May you face adversity as the earth does, enduring hardship without losing the will to recover.
Everyone learned something important from him that day.