The time came a few months later, when he was able to use the same hallucination spell on his eyes. This unlocked the visual medium he was missing. Dahe closed his eyes, and then opened them again. He was inside a library. Walls of books that he had either read or stored on his e-book. Maneuvering as if he was using virtual reality, he brought himself closer to the shelves, and began inspecting them. Looking at the books, they seemed to be properly organized. First by genre and then by author.

He selected one with a mental mouse click and it floated from the shelf and opened in front of him. This was a book he had read as a young boy, a baseball fiction. He remembered the library he had found it in, and smiled. However, that wasn’t where he was going. He turned his direction to the double doors below a marquee. Lightbulbs lit the edges and the name proclaimed it ‘Fantasy Movie Theater’.

Once through the doors, he was in a theater lobby, with snacks and treats laid out. Popcorn overflowing from its cooker. His smile dimmed when he realized he hadn’t progressed far enough in his self illusion to taste it. But, he could still enjoy the movies. Going over to the ticket counter he could’ve chosen a movie himself. But instead, he hit the big rectangular red button that said ‘random’. Then he directed his consciousness into the only other door where the movie was starting.

He sat down, popcorn and soda next to him. He couldn’t taste them but it helped the illusion just having them near. The movie then began to start. It really was handy being able to cut out all the trailers and ads before a movie. Soon he was entranced in the story of a young boy trying to save an orca from captivity. After the movie was over, he frowned upon seeing the popcorn and soda. He promised himself he would gather energy as quickly as he could in order to enjoy the food of his previous life, as soon as possible. It was a good thing he could set energy gathering on automatic while he enjoyed his illusion.

Dahe decided to make the mouth and nose a single project, it would hurt too much to smell popcorn without being able to eat it. He moved back to the library. He wanted to check over those books that could be useful, but had illustrations he hadn’t been able to see until now. This way he could see what he was supposed to be doing and correct himself on any missteps. He busied himself, looking through his books on weaving, knitting, and quilting. There were a few places where he simply hadn’t understood, and the picture cleared it up for him. Other times, the picture did not help as much as he was hoping. Perhaps he needed more experience. Then he chose to move to his selection of books on fighting. Particularly empty-handed, and spear. He was able to cue up a variety of scenes from movies or videos he’d seen online. He would try to use these as inspiration, and he would simply have to use practice in the sparring field to see what worked and what didn’t.

Another six months had come and gone. Seasons changed, merchants came and went. It was now three Earth years that he’d been in the sect, people who came later had already shown results from body strengthening while he had been working on improving his senses, and thus his self illusion. While sparring, he had had his ideas of new fighting moves disabused several times. Sometimes Fusang had even come over to him, and questioned him on where he had come up with such nonsense. Dahe replied that he had heard older men talking about their super moves. Fusang would shake his head and explain that these older men were likely making stuff up.

That was what Dahe was hoping Fusang would think. He was still one of the few that had not enhanced their body, and so he limped home until he was able to throw himself into his chair like a worn rag. He had had this chair custom made. It wasn’t quite a recliner, but it did come with an ottoman that fit onto the chair, so he could treat it as a recliner. It was his favorite chair, and luckily he didn’t get many visitors because then he’d have to be rude and refuse to let anyone use his chair. It was also where he would go into his mind while his body gathered energy on autopilot.

He was in the mood for a movie with guns. A shoot-em-up. That’s it. He grinned when he decided what movie he wanted to watch. He had finally begun to send energy into his body, so he could finally feel the chair he sat in, and taste the popcorn and soda while he watched Clive Owen run around a warehouse while a woman gives birth to a baby. Later he relaxed in his library. He had updated it, based on his favorite aspects of famous private libraries. There were beautiful wooden shelves that towered high above him, leather wingback chairs, wood desks with green glass lamps and gorgeous gilded gas lamps attached to the walls. Then decorated with art. Statuary, paintings, even frescoes on the ceiling. The one on the ceiling he had copied from the New York Public Library’s Rose Main Reading Room.

He sat, comfortably nestled in a well-padded chair, in a smoking jacket and silk cravat holding a book. Holding a book. It had been too long. Dahe understood that literacy wasn’t the highest priority. Most people only needed to know the most basic words in order to keep records. So of course, books wouldn’t be common. But he missed them, they were as dear to him as a best friend. He could only feel a slight weight. But as he enhanced his body with energy he would be able to strengthen the power of the illusion.

He supposed he would get a reputation as a homebody, but everyone knew he had his loom in his home, so of course, what else would he be doing. Dahe grinned at his own cleverness, having his body run on an automatic program weaving while he simply relaxed in his mind, with his pipe in one hand and a book in the other. The roaring fire in the fireplace, which would’ve been dangerous in a real library, didn’t harm the books at all. Yes, his slacking had reached the height of artistry. He let himself feel smug and superior for a moment, basking in his own satisfaction.