THE IMMORTAL'S FRIEND

Chapter 18: Flowers & The Archer

May 29, 2026
Friday
6pm

I lifted my face, eyes sparkling in delight, mouth in a gape as I looked at the wonderful sight of several types of flowers in front of me. Though it's hard to see their colors as it's already dark, I can still smell its fresh fragrance all over the place.

It's so beautiful.

My heart almost jumped out in happiness because I never thought that I would see such an incredible scenery tonight.

The wind made them dance with the rough leaves on the trees. The moon and stars above highlighted their bright-colored and scented petals. It was such a wondrous sight to behold.

"Are you fond of flowers?" I heard Galen asked while standing beside me. Without removing my eyes at the flowers, I nod my head twice.

"Yes, I do."

I mean, who doesn't?

Flowers are beautiful, colorful, fresh, dainty and tropical. They captivated everyone's eyes effortlessly just by blooming in their respective places.

They don't even need to walk or speak to make everyone love and become fond of them. Flowers are admirable not just because they are beautiful, but because they make the surroundings around them more beautiful.

"How about you, Galen? Are you fond of flowers too?" I asked the question back to him.

"Flowers have been used to express emotions and convey secret messages since ancient times if you are too shy to tell or confess it with your own mouth. They are one of the most beautiful things in nature, so yeah, I'm also fond of them." he replied with a genuine smile on his face.

I look at him and wear a big smile.

"Then, can you name all of these flowers here and tell me something about them?" I challenged him.

He thought for a couple of seconds if he'll agree to do it or not, but he quickly answered yes so I became more excited.

"Let's start with this one... This is called, Viola Odorata or Sweet Violet. It's a low-growing perennial that provides nectar for butterflies in early spring…"

I looked at the flower he's pertaining and noticed that it has a hairy heart-shaped leaf that is deep green in color.

The moon shines more brighter tonight so I can see it's color (somehow) with full focus on it.

"The next one is Silene Dioica or Red Champion. It's a favorite of plenty of woodland insects and fairies. It blooms a cheerful pink soon after the bluebell has finished flowering. It is dioecious, meaning the male and female flowers of it grow on separate plants…"

It has a hairy leaf that grow in opposite pairs. A pink-red in color with five petals that are fused at their base to form a tube surrounded by a purple-brown calyx.

I smiled.

I know this flower. It has been mentioned in various poems including Summer Woods by the poet Mary Howitt. This flower is quite famous as it is noticeable. It's undeniably pretty and awesome.

"The third one is Primula Vulgaris or Primrose. This flower is a cheerful sign of spring. This is also an important nectar source for butterflies…"

The flower he's pertaining is 10cm in height and it has a wrinkly leaf with hairy undersides—forming a rosette at the plant's base. The single flower have five notched petals which form on the ends of upright woolly stalks.

It's the first time I saw a flower like this. It's a pale to deep yellow color with darker yellow-orange on the center.

"The fourth one is Stellaria Holostea or Greater Stitchwort. It's a star-like and abundant along hedgerows. It has an explosive seed-dispersal mechanism so if you disturb a large patch of them in summer, they go off like fireworks."