Chapter 22 - The Infinite Eye

Skyle sat frozen on top of the branch with a dumbfounded look on his face. As soon as he had begun to regulate his breathing in order to sink into the meditation routines needed to practice the first movement of Heart of the Blade - The Infinite Eye, a small cry of surprise left his lips and he almost lost his grip on the book.

Sinking into the meditative trance instructed by the training manual was almost effortless to him. From the copious amount of information regarding methods to achieve this state of peaceful relaxation and absolute openness of mind, Skyle could only conclude that it should be a long and difficult process for a complete beginner who wanted to initiate himself in the deep mysteries of the Desolate Star Technique. Thus, he had mentally steeled himself for a long and arduous struggle. After all, this was the great legacy of a peerless expert! The sacrifices would surely be worth their cost in the end.

However, after all the thorough analysis and preparation Skyle had taken, he was shocked at how simple and effortless it was for him to reach this state of meditative trance! As a matter of fact, he had hardly even begun to relax his consciousness and focus his attention on the first steps to reach the meditative state, when almost instantly, a great void had appeared in his mind’s eye.

This great void was a dark space with a few motes of multicolored light swirling around. Skyle’s consciousness was an incorporeal ball of awareness that was floating in the middle of this great void. This mysterious space was steeped in darkness, with the small, flickering sparks of light fluttering around being the only source of illumination. There was no sound, and even any sense of weight or texture was absent, as though he were simply a disembodied consciousness floating in this great sea of darkness.

Although Skyle couldn’t put his finger on it, he was sure this void space was vast, and stretched far beyond what his sense of sight would be able to tell him. As he cast his gaze around, he could see a handful different motes of light swirling in the air, casting a gentle, flickering right within the dark. These motes of light were of different colors, ranging from mellow blue tones to deep, almost angry looking red hues.

Skyle’s shock at having his awareness suddenly transported to this place lasted for only a few moments, before he recalled the instructions for the cultivation of The Infinite Eye.

According to the manual he had inspected, the human body was a living wonder, and locked within it were mysteries far beyond a mere mortal’s comprehension. Although most warriors would seek to train and condition their muscles and bones first, this only showed a lack of foresight and understanding regarding the true potential of the body.

Most experts would slowly condition their bodies by exerting their muscles and bones, constantly straining them beyond their endurance. This continued stress would break down their structure, but the body’s remarkable healing abilities would immediately begin to bind these minute fractures back together. Even more amazingly, the body would automatically reinforce such wounds, making them increasingly resistant to similar stress. After a matter of days, or even hours, muscles would grow larger and bones would become more solid.

This was something that even Skyle could understand, as he had experienced many bouts of soreness after a particularly grueling day working at the farm or training under his father’s demanding standards. He also remembered the first time he’d tried to draw a bow. The bowstring had been so tightly drawn that Skyle had been unable to make the string budge even a single inch! Only after countless long sessions of training had he eventually developed the strength and endurance necessary to wield his bow with the deadly efficacy he now had.

However, the Desolate Star Technique boldly stated that such an approach was at best crude and woefully inadequate in order to hone one’s body to the ultimate peak of perfection. Break down your own muscles and bones in hopes that your body would somehow repair the damage carelessly left behind? Thinking upon it, Skyle realized this perspective clearly had its merits. It was akin to a mad bear rampaging through his mother’s kitchen, blindly tearing open cabinets and crushing doors to find food. How could such small morsels be worth invoking the wrath of the mistress of the Farrow family?

Then again, what other option was left then? The body would only strengthen what was once broken down, like laying foundations after first clearing away the old. If one could command the body to reinforce and strengthen itself in a systematic way, methodically focusing the core areas that would maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the whole process, then who would choose the first option? It was truly akin to comparing the mad bear to Skyle’s own mother as she expertly commanded her troops - Skyle, Kass, Reik, and occasionally even Kendric Farrow himself - in dicing, chopping and sauteeing their way through the prodigious mountains of food required to keep the Farrow family well fed and happy. Spoon in one hand, ladle in the other, who would dare contest the absolute supremacy of Adrienne Farrow in her kitchen?

This was exactly the concept that the first layer of the Desolate Star Technique - Heart of the Blade introduced. Mastery of the body could only come through complete awareness of self and the world around you. Thus, the first step was complete mastery of the senses. Only through this heightened sense of awareness would it be possible to command one’s own body on its path towards the pinnacle of perfection, channeling all of its resources in as efficient a manner in order to guide it towards unlocking its own hidden potential.

This potential, the secret manual claimed, was vast beyond imagining. It was a long process, and one which couldn’t be merely stumbled upon. Instead, careful guidance and deliberate steps were needed. The very first one was the mastery of the senses, the ability to perceive the true aspect of things, both within and without. In order to reach such mastery, the five senses must all be trained and cultivated to an incredible level.

The Infinite Eye itself introduced the very first concept that must be mastered in order to begin this process: See far as though near. The idea was familiar to Skyle, and he realized that this was very similar to the effect he had already achieved through his True Sight. His eyes had developed the amazing ability to capture the most minute details of the world around him. Beyond this, he had also begun to fuse his archery technique with the True sight. This technique of his allowed him to isolate a single target from the distance and call it to him, therefore zooming his vision in on this single point, even if it stood a great distance away from him.

This fusion of techniques had come upon him unawares when he had been consumed by the rage upon watching the cruel slaughter of the sacrifice from the top of the wall with Leon. This unfamiliar emotion had beat within him so strongly in that moment, as all his pent up frustration at his own powerlessness merged together with his guilt towards the victims, that all conscious thought had ceased to exist for a handful of breaths. Instead, raw instinct had taken over, and in that mysterious state Skyle had somehow known that he could apply the knowledge of the sure-fire shot he could summon once a day, with the power of the True Sight.

In an instant, Skyle’s sight had soared hundreds of meters until he had been able to not only make out the distinct features of the dark robed man as he drew back his knife in order to slaughter his next victim, but also send his own vision forth in an instant of complete awareness of the course the arrow would have to take. His sight had revealed the currents of wind blowing about, the very wind essence circulating in the air which would modify his shot, as well as the earth elemental power slowly drawing the arrow’s flight downward. It was like the guided shot with the blue elemental line that Skyle had used on Leon, only there was no visible line under the Spirit Vision here. No line was needed. Under the melding of his old technique and the True Sight, Skyle had seen exactly what path the arrow would take. Indeed, it was as if he had instantly traveled that whole length himself, as though experiencing it in the flesh.

When he finally released the string, he had known beyond all shadow of doubt that his arrow would strike true, and smite down his opponent. The second arrow he had launched had been even more effortless, as Skyle had become more acquainted with this wondrous new technique.

Now, as Skyle floated in that great dark void, he realized his True Sight had given another unexpected advantage. Skyle knew that only upon touching upon the borders of The Infinite Eye’s first concept, that of seeing far as though near, would he be able to use his sense of sight within this dark void. Skyle still didn’t understand what the dark void represented, but he knew that it was from this place that the Desolate Star Technique would be born.

Skyle was greatly surprised by the speed of his progress thus far. Ordinarily, a beginner would be expected to spend many days fruitlessly attempting to enter the meditative trance, then many more in order to slowly visualize and enter the dark void space. However, for Skyle it had been a matter of a few breaths before instantly entering this space, which aside from the strange lack of sounds, smells or even the sense of touch, seemed as real as the world outside.

Still, Skyle slowly pushed down his joy and excitement, and resolved to move forward to comprehend the concept of seeing far as though near. He focused his attention on his sense of sight, determinedly following one of the motes of light as it slowly swirled within the darkness. It spun about aimlessly, drifting away into the shadows beyond. Skyle kept his vision trained upon this ball of light until he could no longer make out its silhouette from the darkness that swallowed it. As he retracted his vision, Skyle was instantly startled to realize that he had followed that point of light at least 300 meters into the darkness. In the other hand, the motes of light floating around him were only visible within a circle of about ten meters.

Skyle immediately began to follow another ball of light. It drifted lazily through the air, spinning back and forth as though borne by an invisible breeze. It slowly began to move farther and farther away from Skyle. 20 meters. 50 meters. 100 meters. 200 meters. 300 meters. This time Skyle was sure he had followed the light at least 320 meters into the darkness before losing sight of it. After repeating the process several times, Skyle was forced to admit his limit was 350 meters. He decided to summon all his strength for one final attempt. Truly focusing all his power and will, he was able to follow this ball of light until it reached a distance of 400 meters. However, upon returning his gaze to the dimly lit circle around himself, his vision blurred momentarily, and he felt himself jolted slightly, as though losing his grip on this space.

Skyle felt excited at being able to reach 400 meters so soon, and decided to make another attempt. However, his vision began to shake uncontrollably, and he lost sight of the target within the first hundred meters. When his vision returned to normal, the entire space seemed to be flickering in and out, and Skyle knew it was time to end this training session.

Leaving the void was unexpectedly easy. He simply had to will it, and the dark space began to blur around him. In the next moment, Skyle felt as though his eyes had blinked for a single moment, when in the next he found himself sitting upon the tree trunk, his hands still holding Fierro’s journal aloft in front of him.

What truly surprised Skyle was that the book was still sliding from his grasp. This was the exact scene from when Skyle had first entered the meditative trance and gained access to the dark void space. He had been surprised at how familiar the whole process felt to him, and his grip on the book had begun to loosen. Now, after spending a good amount of time training The Infinite Eye within the dark void space, Skyle had returned to the real world only to find the book still sliding from his grasp.

The time Skyle had spent in the dark void space had been considerable, as he had spent some time watching his surroundings, then began to train in the concept of seeing far as though near using the motes of light. Each mote moved exceedingly slowly, sometimes swirling forward two meters, only to float back one meter in the next moment. As such, tracking the movement of each cluster of light was an extremely time consuming activity. Skyle couldn’t be sure, but he would not have been surprised if he had spent at least two or three hours within the space.

Now, upon returning to the outside world, Skyle was shocked to realize that the book still lay in his grasp, having barely moved a single inch towards the ground. Skyle stared at the book in stupefaction for another moment, the implications sending his mind reeling, before hastily reaching forward and barely catching its flap before it fell out altogether. As he did so, his sudden motion almost overbalanced him and he had to throw out his other arm in order to catch himself before tumbling off the branch.

This sudden movement stirred the whole branch, and Leon snapped his eyes open with a low scream while jumping to his feet, his hands reaching towards the weapon hung by his side. This further movement only shook the branch even harder, making it so Skyle had to throw his arm around the branch in order to keep his balance.

“What-” Leon growled in his throat, both eyes wide awake and roving back and forth to scan the area for enemies.

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” Skyle mumbled, feeling rather chagrined.

“What do you mean? What just happened?” Leon grumbled, his eyes still scanning the surrounding area.

“I.. Ah, I almost fell,” Skyle finally confessed, avoiding Leon’s gaze and coughing uncomfortably.

Leon raised an eyebrow in his direction, an amused smile slowly spreading across his face. “You mean the Lord of the Forests, expert on all things green and blooming, the one who specifically warned me time and time again to tie a rope around myself in case I slip and fall from the branch, this same most revered sage of woodlore nearly brained himself because he didn’t follow his own advice, and at the same time nearly got himself run through by his startled, sleep-deprived companion?”

Skyle sighed deeply but couldn’t help nodding. “Just go back to sleep, will you?”

Leon chuckled softly and shook his head. “Nah, I’d rather sit here and laugh at your clumsy arse.”

Looking up, he added with a frown, “Can’t tell how long I’ve been asleep, all I see is those dark clouds boiling over all the time. Still, I feel as though I’ve gotten at least a couple hours. That ought to be good enough to hold me up for now. Now you take a couple hours while I keep watch, then we can get away from this place.”

Skyle followed the other boy’s gaze, looking up at a sky that was still dark, but was beginning to show some faint signs of light spilling over from its edges. It should be an hour or two at most before dawn broke. That would be the safest time to stay away from the most dangerous predators in a forest.

“Hey, how are you holding up there?” Leon asked with concern, laying a hand on Skyle’s shoulder.

“Considering that I’ve been closer to dying more times than I care to count in this one night than I have ever been in my entire life,” Skyle replied with a wry smile, tapping himself on the chest. “And given the fact that I’m still alive and kicking. Well, I’d say I can’t complain. At the very least, I’m better off than those poor..”

Skyle’s smile visibly wilted, and his eyes began to take on a haunted look as he thought back on the fates of those prisoners they had left behind.

Leon’s hand tightened minutely on the other boy’s shoulder.

“Hey, that’s not our fault. Listen to me!” Leon spoke a little more forcibly, using his grip on the other boy to turn his body so as to look him in the eye. “It is not our fault. We were dealt harsh cards, and we made the best play we could with them. Until we get out of this mess, we can’t afford the luxury to look back on what we wish would have happened. We are buried neck deep in piss water and for now, our only choice is to keep bailing water for all we’re worth.”

Skyle nodded numbly, all his former excitement buried under the gruesome memories of all the torn and bleeding bodies feeding that monstrous cauldron.

“Skyle,” Leon warned in a steely note. “I will survive. I will live because I will make every single one of those bastards pay for what they’ve done to me, to us. I will bail piss water until my arms break, then I will drink it like it was the best damn wine I’ve had. All because I must survive.”

Leon waited for a moment until his words registered with Skyle, then looked into his eyes while finishing in a low, but grim tone. “We must survive.”

Skyle couldn’t tear his gaze away from the raw determination and barely contained fury he saw boiling within the other boy’s eyes. After a long moment, he nodded wordlessly.

Armed with this determination, Skyle leaned back and closed his eyes. Leon nodded in satisfaction after seeing this, and settled down a little further down the branch to begin his watch.

What Leon didn’t know was that Skyle would not get a single moment’s rest this night. Instead, as soon as he closed his eyes, he was determined to enter the dark void space once more. He simply had to survive, and he would do anything to get back home!

“Skyle!” Leon whispered urgently, startling Skyle and forcing him to open his eyes.

Skyle only had to follow Leon’s worried gaze towards the trees in the distance to feel a shudder run down his spine, all the while a grim fire lit itself in his chest.

“Light,” Leon muttered gloomily. “And it's getting closer.”

“I can make out the shapes of many people through the gaps between the trees, and they’re approaching fast,” Skyle added. “Time to go.”