Chapter 10 - The Might of the True Sight

“Little Lord Firebrand?” Leon simply gawked at Skyle, uncomprehending.

Skyle smirked but said nothing. He felt it would be simply too annoying, almost insulting to the whole transcendent experience he was going through if he were to stop and explain himself to the other boy. Besides, he wasn’t sure of Leon would even believe him.

In truth, Skyle wasn’t sure he wasn’t just dreaming the whole thing himself.

The second sight, it had returned!

In his current stage, the world around Skyle revolved in the simplest and purest of elements contained within. Skyle didn’t know if this was the Spirit Sight, or the True Sight, or some combination or evolution of both. In truth, at this moment he didn’t care. He was simply lost in the whole surreal beauty of it all.

His eyes were still conveying images into his brain, and so there was nothing wrong with his eyes at all. If anything, it felt as though even his physical senses had been augmented. However, what caused Skyle to almost shiver uncontrollably was the vast, near overwhelming surge of sensorial information he was receiving via his second sight.

This sight was able to perceive so much more of the world around him. The world consisted of strands of glowing elemental fibers, some so fine that they seemed like spidersilk, fluttering delicately as though stirred by an invisible breeze. Others were as thick around as his own leg, possessed of an imposing aura that thrummed with power.

Each of these fibers was but a single strand that was artfully interwoven in the fabric of all things. Skyle wondered if these were conduits for elemental power. If so, was that subtle vibration that seemed to emanate from them the stirring of the elements contained within? Indeed, in Skyle’s eyes even something as mundane and inert as the metal bars trapping him within the cage seemed to be overflowing with this elemental power. However, from what he had witnessed earlier, he also knew that striking them would do nothing to interact with that power. They were just metal bars. Then what were these glowing strands he saw with his other sight? How could he interact with them? If he could somehow manipulate this great power, was that what being an elemental summoner was all about?

“Skyle!” came Leon’s urgent voice.

Skyle took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Though he seemed to have finally taken the first step towards harnessing the power of the elements, right now he had to concentrate on staying alive. When he opened his eyes once more, a fierce focus was burning in them, and Leon let out a relieved breath.

The guards were still anxiously watching the commotion near the rift area of the encampment, but who knew how long they would be distracted for? Skyle firmly tied down the rough bandage he had fashioned for his broken leg, then silently approached the cage door with Leon.

Then he waited.

Leon frowned and opened his mouth, but then he closed it again and decided to wait. Skyle had struck him as a very level-headed, capable person in spite of his young age. If he was waiting, then there must be a reason. The way Skyle was firmly gazing in the direction of the far off rifts seemed to confirm this.

BANG!

Another loud explosion rattled the air, and dense plumes of dust rose in the air in the distance. A chorus of shouts ensued, drowning the camp in a cacophony of sounds for a moment.

Leon stared in the direction of the column of dust, wondering at the kind of energy that needed to be released to create such a large reaction. However, he was interrupted from his thoughts by a light tap on his shoulder, and he immediately turned his head.

It was Skyle, who was in the process of tucking something back inside his pocket while he cautiously pulled a half inch gap in the cage’s door. He must have unlocked it when the explosion was masking the noise of the turning lock!

Leon nearly jumped out of his skin. The door was open! However, Skyle motioned him back when Leon had been about to spring to his feet. Skyle now seemed to be watching the guards standing 25 meters away from them with extreme focus.

In truth, when he focused his sight, Skyle was able to pick up incredible details such as the grains on the skin of the guards, or the minute cracks in the leather of their belts. However, this paled with what the second sight offered, as Skyle had taken to thinking of it. Moments earlier, he had been able to accurately predict the exact moment when the next outburst of energy would pour forth from the rift under attack.

Even from this distance, and while obstructed behind numerous tents and other objects, Skyle could see the rift as a great tear in the fabric of the elements. It was a dark void in his vision that was currently being assaulted by a massive golden energy. This energy seemed to emanate an aura of ruthless determination and boundless bloodlust as it smashed time and time again against the rift.

Just now, it had just discharged its power against its rift but Skyle could see that golden energy once more accumulating momentum from beyond the rift. In a short while, the young boy knew there would be an even greater outburst of energy as the golden force unleashed another assault.

Skyle had noted that the cage doors produced a great deal of noise when being opened, so he had intended to use the previous explosion to unlock the door, then open it and close it after exiting, all in one quick rush. As planned the explosion had gathered the attention of all the guards, and Skyle had promptly unlocked, then opened the door. All the while, Skyle had been secretly laughing at the foolishness of the guards. However, he had been left speechless when he noticed that Leon, the great fool, had also been staring stupidly at the great explosion instead of following Skyle.

Biting back a scathing remark, Skyle had quickly propped the door closed once more, leaving only the smallest gap. From a distance, it looked as though the door were still closed. Tapping Leon’s shoulder, Skyle motion towards the door, then signaled the other boy to be ready. Skyle knew that in a moment, the next explosion would arrive.

It was at that moment, however, that Skyle froze and motioned Leon back. While glancing over at the guards, Skyle noticed that the guard who had previously been standing guard over their cage was by all appearances still standing motionless while watching the cloud of dust in the distance. However, when Skyle narrowed his eyes and focused his vision, a pale yellow light began to suffuse the guard's otherwise grey-blue aura. It began with small specks of yellow that swiftly began to spread, turning into a stream that seemed to be pointing towards his back. It was pointing straight in Skyle’s direction!

Skyle didn’t know what to make of this scene, but he still reacted at once. He urgently shoved Leon back toward the center of the cage. The other boy stared at him like he had gone crazy and he would be demanding an explanation. Skyle just flung an arm around the bigger boy’s neck and dove to the ground while dragging Leon with him.

Thankfully, although clearly shocked, the other boy didn’t resist at all. They both fell down at once, and Skyle even had the presence of mind to cover the other boy’s mouth with his hand. Leon’s confused eyes followed Skyle’s gaze, and alarm also flashed in them now.

The yellow streams finally gathered into a solid curtain that enveloped the left side of the guard’s head. Immediately after this happened, the soldier turned his head to the left, a worried frown on his face. His eyes searched the shadows within Skyle and Leon’s cage, but when he saw the prone figures of Leon and Skyle, the guard’s expression instantly relaxed. The yellow streams also dispersed almost instantly, though the last few hints of yellow still remained at the corners of the guard’s aura. Then dots of pink and reddish light seemed to spring into life from the center of the guard’s chest, slowly revolving together until they became a constantly revolving circle.

At this, the guard scoffed lightly and turned around with a dismissive snort. However, with Skyle’s extraordinary physical eyesight, he was able to perceive the slightest hints of red tinging the guard’s skin.

Skyle’s breath caught in his chest. Had that been embarrassment and annoyance in the guard’s flushing face? Then those pink and red dots coalescing into a circle in the guard’s chest, could those have been the man’s emotions? When Skyle recalled the yellow dots, his eyes widened even further. Could it be the yellow color represented caution, or fear? The momentum behind that emotion had slowly sprung into life after that latest explosion, but it had slowly coalesced into a specific direction. Skyle couldn’t tell for certain, but the way all those streams of yellow had gathered in a single direction had alarmed Skyle into a panic.

Thankfully, Skyle had reacted in time and avoided the guard’s suspicion. However, that meant that what he had seen was real! He could read the guard’s emotions with his second sight. Then Skyle looked at the boy next to him.

Leon’s aura had countless motes of yellow light fluttering about as his eyes studied the guard. However, in the core area a fierce, dark red glow was pulsing steadily, growing larger and larger with each pulse. Every time it grew larger, it would swallow those yellow dots as though they were mere fireflies being consumed by a great, hungry sun. By the time the yellow dots were gone, the red fire was burning so fiercely it was a wonder that Leon’s chest wasn’t melting from the heat of it!

This, it could only be the power of the True Sight!

At first, Skyle had thought the True Sight would allow him to look into the true shape of illusions in this realm. However, he had never imagine that it would allow him insights into the hearts of people, the very essences of men.

Skyle had heard countless tales of the exploits of great mages and summoners throughout history, but never had he heard of something like the True Sight. As he thought of the potential for such a power, Skyle barely suppressed a shiver of pleasure.

Being able to read others’ emotions could allow him to tell when someone was lying, or pretending. He would also be able to watch people’s reactions and judge accordingly. Not only that, but he could also somewhat predict what people might do based on how their aura was revolving!

What was even more amazing was that Skyle didn’t know if there would be anyone who could be inmune to such a power!

What if this was only the beginning? What if Skyle could somehow manipulate the tendrils of emotion he was seeing? Would that be possible if Skyle become more familiar with his powers?

“That was close,” Leon breathed out, but in his eyes there was no fear to be found. Instead, the red emotion pulsing from his chest seemed to be burning brightly within his gaze. Little Lord Firebrand indeed!

Skyle flashed Leon a smile while gazing deeply into his eyes, apparently mesmerized by the fire burning within that his True Sight revealed. It was a small, sedate smile that could barely contain the boundless excitement and joy caused by the newly found power that Skyle now wielded.

“Ew, don’t look at me like that!” Leon spat out, shoving Skyle’s arm from around his neck and pushing the other boy away. “I don’t swing that way!”

Skyle’s grin only grew even wider, still raptly watching Leon with that disturbing gaze.

To Skyle’s eyes, Leon’s aura was now filled with an endless stream of colors, ranging from the red of anger and courage, to the white and yellow which might represent doubt and fear, and finally even to the slightest hint of pink and bright red. Could that possibly be embarrassment and pleasure?

Skyle winced and he shuddered violently, all the while drawing just a little further away from Leon.

Leon’s aura now seemed suffused with a thin blanket of green, which perhaps represented joy or relief. That hint of bright red which Skyle had taken to be pleasure also grew slightly more pronounced, which confused Skyle. What was he so pleasured from?

Shaking his head, Skyle whispered, “Next explosion will come in a couple minutes at most. Be ready or I’ll just leave you behind.”

“You wish, farmboy,” Leon snorted, but the fire of deep red instantly roared into life, drowning out all the other colors, and for once Skyle agreed wholeheartedly.