Elena looked at her husband with mixed feelings, her heart swelling with gratitude. She knew that Ethan had done everything in his power to marry her, and for that, she would be forever thankful.
"Husband, I—"
Before she could continue, a sound of whimpering came from the other tent.
"Wife, please continue," Ethan encouraged gently.
"Do you hear that? I think Poochi is awake. Let me check on him."
Ethan wanted to stop her but held back, understanding how important it was for Elena to form a bond with his dog. He believed that Poochi, with his gentle nature and playful spirit, would eventually win her over.
Elena hurried to the other tent, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. When she spotted Poochi, who was just dreaming, a wave of relief washed over her.
"Good boy, everything will be fine," she said softly, trying to soothe him.
When Elena returned to Ethan's tent, she saw that he had already dressed. Their eyes met, and she could sense his curiosity as if he were looking for an explanation for everything that had happened.
"Wife, come sit beside me. How is Poochi?"
"His fine, just having a nightmare." Elena replied, nodding as she walked over to sit beside him.
"Wife, what's going on? You finding me, the stone that fell, and now this magical space," Ethan asked, confusion clear on his face.
Elena knew she couldn't reveal the truth about being reborn, so she crafted a lie without hesitation.
"Well, where should I start? A few days ago, I had a nightmare... where the world descended into chaos," she paused, gathering her thoughts.
"A natural disaster struck everywhere, and unknown creatures ran rampant, killing humans. Then, people gained superpowers to fight back. When I woke up, I discovered this space."
She explained the impending natural disaster and urged Ethan to prepare and gather materials.
Ethan was stunned by her words. So, the beast he encountered was already a sign of the apocalypse. He looked at Elena intently, sensing she was hiding something, but he didn't press her. He believed she would share everything when the time was right.
Still, he wanted to probe further. "Wife, are we in the apocalypse, and did we manage to survive?"
Elena felt panicked at his question, fearing he doubted her dreams. What could she say? Should she tell him the truth?
Husband, I was reborn. You died being betrayed, and I travelled 500 years into the future after the apocalypse. I rebelled but failed.
She didn't want Ethan to feel guilty or unhappy, so she kept her lies intact.
"My dreams are just flashes; I don't know what happened to us in the apocalypse."
Ethan realized he couldn't get any answers from her. He sighed, grateful that she was by his side and safe.
"I see."
Elena then shifted the topic to her space, explaining its functions and her plans to build a simple town within it.
"As you can see, this space has a lot of potential. What do you think?"
Ethan felt a surge of happiness at Elena's enthusiasm. He was captivated by how the space functioned and the potential it held in the face of a crisis.
"I think your plan is good. Let's make it happen. After we come back, I'll call Grandfather and Aunt about the apocalypse so we can prepare well."
"Okay," Elena agreed.
"By the way, you mentioned you could give someone a unique mark?"
"Yes, let's check it out and put a mark on you," Elena replied.
"If you mark someone, does it have side effects on you?" Ethan said with concern.
"Not really. It's not directly tied to me, but the marked one will be bound to the Golden Tablet, which I control. It will give you a temporary core, allowing you to harness and use spiritual energy for entering and exiting the space for a maximum of three hours. The Golden Tablet is still Tier 0 and needs many objects imbued with spiritual energy to upgrade "
"Oh, then how come I wasn't kicked out of the space since I've been here for more than three hours?"
Ethan was curious about the space's limitations.
"You're not bound by the Golden Tablet yet, so you can stay here without diminishing the spiritual energy in Reserve Energy Tab. You can roam around the space freely since you're not restricted by the Golden Tablet, but you can't leave the space, you are like a prisoner," Elena explained.
"Would it be dangerous if someone entered without a mark? They could roam around freely."
"That's why I only allow people I trust to enter without a mark. I'm not foolish; I wouldn't let anyone stay here unmarked. Whether they like it or not, they have to follow my rules so the Golden Tablet can restrict them."
"That's good then. Let's go."
Ethan felt excited about the process and was eager to be marked as soon as possible.
"No need to go anywhere; I can summon the Golden Tablet."
Elena magically summoned the Golden Tablet. To her, it appeared sparkling, but to Ethan, it looked ragged.
"Is this the Golden Tablet?" he asked, puzzled.
Elena noticed Ethan's expression and couldn't help but marvel at his reaction.
"What do you mean?"
"Wife, are you sure this is the Golden Tablet? It looks more like something from the garbage."
Elena wanted to scold Ethan for calling her Golden Tablet ragged, but she calmed down, realizing they might see different things.
"Really? Do you see the two bars below—the experience tab and the reserve energy tab? Above in the left corner are the people marked by the Golden Tablet, and in the right corner are the rules created by me."
Ethan looked at her with a questioning expression and replied honestly, "Wife, nope. Just a ragged tablet."
Elena rolled her eyes, confirming that she could only see the Golden Tablet's details.
"Don't worry about it; let's mark you." She summoned a needle and pricked her fingertip, letting a drop of blood fall onto the Golden Tablet. A shimmering light emanated, and Ethan's name appeared on the tablet with a corresponding heart-shaped mark.
"Done! Do you feel anything different?"
Ethan watched in awe as the blood blended and disappeared upon touching the Golden Tablet. A warm sensation filled his head, and a heart-shaped mark appeared on his wrist.
"I feel warmth in my head. It's soothing and refreshing. And look, I got a heart shape on my wrist!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"That's the temporary core residing in you head. That mark will be your status, allowing you to enter anywhere inside the space."
"Hmm, what else can this thing do?" Ethan asked, curious.
"Not much, just boost your strength and resilience. Plus, I can now communicate with you using the Golden Tablet skill [Telepathy]."
She then used [Telepathy] with him.
"Hello, husband. Can you hear me? With your mark, you're now free from any mental attacks, but I can only initiate the [Telepathy] call."
"Wife!!" Ethan replied, stunned.
"Yes, your wife can now access your memories, so if you try to cheat on me... hmm, I will definitely cascade you," Elena warned, though she knew her husband wouldn't do that. Still, she wanted to remind him to be careful of the many temptations out there.
"Wife! I will definitely be good to you," Ethan said seriously.
Ethan couldn't stop those stubborn women, but he will keep his distance from them.
Afterward, they had another round of heartfelt confessions.
"Wife, let's head back to the camp in an hour. There are a lot of things that need handling there," he said.
"But you're still not well yet. We should wait until you're able to move better, or I can walk back and release you when we're at a safe place to take the truck," she replied.
"Release me?" Ehtan asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"Hmpp," she began, "The Golden Tablet allows me to pull you through the same entrance and exit point I use. I can also exit from the same entrance where you entered, however, it has to be within a range of one kilometer where my current entrance is. Once the tablet upgrades, that range will extend to ten kilometers. On your side, you can only enter and exit from where your own entrance spot, and you cannot drag anyone else with you except for me."
"So you can release me later once you re-enter the space?" Ehtan replied, trying to understand.
"I see, but still, no. It would be dangerous to walk alone in this thick brush. There are a lot of snakes and insects," he insisted.
Elena looked at her husband, thinking she wasn't even afraid of mutated beasts.
If she encountered a snake, it would be a great source of meat. In an apocalypse, food was scarce, and anything edible was worth considering.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry," she reassured him.
After a few minutes of bickering, Ethan finally relented, but he clarified that she needed to be careful. If she found herself in trouble, she had to enter the space.
Elena agreed immediately.