CH 6.2: Botched Executions

It turns out that there were indeed more effective ways to train. We made it to a large room, which was filled with a few practice dummies, crates, and barrels. Orb found a silk scarf and brought me towards a crate.

“What Steward Waz tried teaching Her Highness,” Orb said, as she leaned over and wrapped the scarf around my face, completely blocking my vision. I felt her breath on my neck, and I could just imagine her teeth digging into my tender...my cheeks turned a bit hot with blood rushing to them, excited. Orb continued teasing me with her breath as she slowed in wrapping the scarf around a third time, before tying it tight. “Is that one must learn to accept instinct, and allow it to flow through you, just so as with Affinity.”

She had me step up on the crate, guiding me with her hand. “Though, there are far less fearful ways to learn to embrace…” And she nudged my back, sending me tumbling to the floor as I tensed up, banging my knees and elbows when I hit.

“Ow…” I complained, standing back up. “Can’t we start learning from the ground up?” I asked.

Orb laughed. “Perhaps,” she said. “Though it may take a Season.” Which was her way of saying forever. “Again.”

And, so once again, she led me on top of a crate, a different one, with a different height this time, and once again, shoved me off. This time I was ready, and kept my feet under me, though the landing was still jarring.

“Her Highness must wish to avoid colliding with the ground,” Waz said. “Which is why my method, though worrisome, is fastest.” He sounded smug. I heard Orb tsk.

“Yet this is the way,” she said, leading me up to what I presume was a barrel this time. “But please, if Her Highness might focus on maintaining her elevation, this may go faster. Time is limited.”

This time, I jumped up, without waiting for her nudge. I willed myself to stay aloft. I felt a slight pull from my back, and heard my wings click. But I still hit the ground. It wasn’t enough, but it was a start.

“Why is time limited?” I asked, as I climbed again. “Aren’t we here for eternity? Some sort of nerd’s heaven?” I jumped once more, remaining aloft just a few seconds more.

“This is far from anyone’s heaven,” Waz answered. “You shall see in time.”

We repeated this process some time, until eventually, my feet stayed above the floor. My wings buzzing in my ear, annoyingly. But still, I was flying!

“I’m flying!” I exclaimed, sliding the scarf off and looking around. I was about a foot off the floor. Waz smiled, or I think he was. Orb kept a more serious face.

“More of a hover,” she said. “But progress is progress. Practice shall be required before you’ll be a competent flier.”

Pfft. I’ll show her. I tried shooting forward, to smack her. Except I didn’t move, just wobbling in the air. Eventually I lost balance and fell to the floor. “Ow.” I said, climbing back to my feet.

“It is enough for now,” Waz said. “Now, on to other senses.” He pulled a tarp away from a far wall, revealing a series of circles within circles, almost an overblown dartboard, with colors in yellows, reds, and purples. He pointed at a mark on the floor, where he had me stand.

“We will not have long, but doubtless your vision has changed in your Rebirth,” he said. I was standing on the mark, directly in front of the target board. If I stared at the bullseye, I could only see a few rings out. I was standing too close to focus on all at once. “Just as you allowed instinct to allow your flight, you must allow instinct to guide your sight,” he said.

“That makes zero sense,” I said. “What am I supposed to get out of this? Because right now I feel like the kid in the corner.”

“I’m unfamiliar with the practice,” Waz said.

“With your compounded eyes you should see the entire wall at once,” Orb said.

Hm. Yeah ok. Well, if I turned my head slightly, or focused on what I was looking at, I would eventually get there.

“No,” Waz said, putting two hands on either side of my face, and forcing my head to remain in a single position. “Forgive me for being so forceful, your Highness, but moving the head invalidates the exercise. Now, tell me what you see.”

“A yellow circle in the middle?” I said, really not sure where this was going, but really wishing it was Orb grappling my head instead of Waz.

“And beyond that?” he asked.

“A purple circle?” I said. This was weird.

“And beyond that?” he asked again.

I had a bit of trouble seeing the next circle from where I was facing, and I instinctively tried shifting my head to see. Of course, I couldn’t, since my face was being wasp-handled.

“Her Highness must learn to embrace her sight,” Orb said. “All of it.”

And so I stood there, for what felt like an hour, trying to let my sight zone out, until I could describe each layer of the board without moving my head. Belatedly I remembered from my reflection, that I had no pupils. Which made it curious how I had been focusing my vision at all. It must have been some artificial figment from my mind, which, in hindsight, was what the exercise broke. When we finished, I could describe the entire wall in detail, without focusing on any single part, even though the wall was about one-eighty of my vision.

As I started to exclaim, the lights turned out, and a slight glow permeated from the wall, along with everything else.

“And now, we repeat the process, with other wavelengths.”

Ugh.